Saturday Snippets …14th May 2022…Todays one-word prompt is “Glass” inside a Snow Globe

 

Welcome to Saturday Snippets this is one of my favourite posts of the week I learn much from my research and from your comments so please keep them coming…last week I learnt that the conker tree has candles how cool is that all these years and I didn’t know however my muse has been in fine fettle this last week she has stormed ahead and now my brain is in overdrive but it feels good as I have scheduled up until 9th July….

The Gherkin…London…or to be precise …30 St Mary Axe is a commercial skyscraper in London’s primary financial district, the City of London. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004…I have always been fascinated by this building and hope to finally go inside very soon… it’s on my to-do list…

The Gherkin has 24,000 metres squared of glass, but only one piece of carved glass—the lens at the top. The way the Gherkin is structured, there are six lightwells with 792 mechanised windows behind the dark spirals on the building to help disperse natural light throughout the building…it also boasts a very fine restaurant so I hear…

Glass Noodles…Glass noodles are made from vegetable starch – most commonly mung bean, and less often sweet potato, or pea. Semi-translucent when dry, when freshly cooked, glass noodles are truly glass-like and translucent…a salad with prawns is one of my favourite way to eat noodles…also known as bean threads…when cooked they really do look like glass…also a little goes a long way and although all noodles are carbs this is way to enjoy your noodles and consume fewer carbs.

These beautiful thin noodles are one of my favourites I don’t like the texture of the very thick noodles very much these noodles are also used in Thai noodle soup.

Ingredients:

  • 40 gm dried glass noodles
  • 1 good tbsp dried shrimp
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 10 sprigs of coriander leaves picked and keep stalks
  • 1-5 Thai chiliies
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar finely chopped..it is sold in little patties.
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce plus 1 tbsp
  • 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tomato cut in wedges
  • 1/4 cup julienned spring onions.
  • 1 stalk of Chinese celery or 2 of the very inner leaves of normal celery
  • 100 gm of minced pork
  • 6 medium prawns(shrimp)
  • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Let’s Cook!

Soak noodles in room temperature water for 7-10 minutes until soft and pliable. Drain, then cut the noodles with scissors 2-3 times to shorten them. 

Place dried shrimp in a small heatproof bowl, cover with hot water and let sit for 3-4 minutes to soften. You can also cover the shrimp with room temp water then microwave for 1 minute, then let it sit for a few more minutes. Note these are very small shrimp and may find them in the freezer section of Asian stores or in the dried food section.

Place tomato, onion and Chinese celery into a large mixing bowl. When the dried shrimp are ready, drain and pound them in a mortar and pestle until they are broken into smaller pieces. Alternately you can chop them roughly. Add dried shrimp to the mixing bowl.

Cut cilantro/coriander stems into small chunks and place in the mortar and pestle along with garlic and chilies; pound into a paste. Add palm sugar and pound until dissolved. Add 2 Tbsp of the fish sauce and lime juice and stir to mix.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add glass noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the water with tongs (you want to keep the water) and place into a strainer to drain excess water; set aside.

Add fresh shrimp into the remaining liquid and cook for 30-45 seconds or until they are done. Place the shrimp into the mixing bowl…

Pour out the cooking water, leaving just enough water to cover the bottom, and return the pot back to the stove. Once the water boils, add the pork along with 1 tsp of fish sauce and stir until fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork from the liquid and place it into the mixing bowl.  Then add about 1 Tbsp of the pork cooking liquid into the mixing bowl as well.

Add noodles into the mixing bowl, pour the dressing over and quickly toss to combine.

Toss in cilantro/coriander leaves and plate. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately!

Enjoy!

I am spoilt for musical choices with songs from Justin Timberlake(no) to Sia, Michael J, Blondie, Simple Minds, Britney S, Kelly Rowland, Oasis it seems they have all found something to sing about glass…even The Beatles with “Glass Onion”

Glass Fish…

The Glass House was designed by Philip Johnson…Inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, the Glass House by Philip Johnson was built in 1949 with its perfect proportions and its simplicity, it is considered one of the first and most brilliant works of modern architecture. Johnson built the 47-acre estate for himself in New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut. 

The house was the first of fourteen structures that the architect built on the property over a span of fifty years.

After the glasshouse came glass igloos …of course they did…they do appeal to me a little more than the glasshouse although I do appreciate the concept behind the architect’s thoughts…

Glass Jelly…also known as leaf jelly or herb jelly, is a jelly-like dessert eaten in East and Southeast Asia. It is created by using the Platostoma palustre plant and has a mild, slightly bitter taste. It is served chilled, with other toppings such as fruit, or in bubble tea or other drinks. 

Glass Jelly Plant…

Known most commonly as “Cincau Hijau” or green grass jelly, the dessert that is made comes from the plant that is botanically known as “Cyclea Barbata” a slender vine with a hairy root stem and spade-shaped leaves.

Glass Jellyfish…Jellyfish are one of the most fascinating creatures in the marine kingdom. With its almost translucent form,  the movement of the jellyfish is almost hypnotic in nature and man has always had a fascination for these ancient creatures.

Once you know a little bit of the background of the jellyfish, they become even more interesting creatures.

Did you know?

They are perhaps the oldest living creatures in the world. They have existed for at least 650,000 years, even before dinosaurs!

They are found in all the marine waters of the world, from the very surface to the very depths. They are also found in some freshwater habitats.

There are more than 2000 known species of jellyfish and more species are being discovered on a regular basis.

More than 95% of the jellyfish’s body mass is made up of water.

One fertilized jellyfish egg can give birth to millions of jellyfish.

While most species of jellyfish are harmless to man, some of them can kill dozens of men in a matter of seconds…i.e. The Irukandji jellyfish is one of several similar, extremely venomous species of box jellyfish. With a very small adult size of about a cubic centimetre, they are both the smallest and one of the most venomous jellyfish in the world…having been stung by just a normal jellyfish not a poisonous one I can attest to the pain being like no other luckily a local lady made some concoction of leaves and it took the sting out within the hour…if I think jellyfish are about I don’t go in…

I can’t believe how many songs there are to choose from…I’m still debating Oasis but maybe not we were subjected to them at full volume when our son was at home…

What child is not fascinated by a snow globe? the first snow globe was created quite accidentally in the 1900s by Mr Perzy a surgical instrument mechanic… it was part of an experiment to increase the brightness of the invented and not very bright electric light bulb…the Perzy name continues to stand for quality snow globes made in Austria the home of the snow globe and sold all around the world.

The oldest known description of a snow globe-like object comes from an 1880 U.S. Commissioners report on the 1878 Paris Universal Exposition, where a local glassware company showcased a group of “paperweights of hollow balls filled with water, containing a man with an umbrella.” The objects also contained white powder …

The Hour Glass…designed to measure time and again has always held a fascination for both adults and children…Hourglasses are aesthetically pleasing ornaments, rather than accurate timepieces – most hourglasses (except fillable ones) are accurate to within +/- 10%…I still use an egg timer when boiling an egg…

Snow globes and hourglasses have a fascinating history and are very collectable they come with pretty scenes and some dark scenes but are always fascinating.

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour around the word “glass” …which is everywhere around us…there is also an upsurge in glass as we replace our plastic with glass in our kitchens…Thank you for joining me today I look forward to your comments and hearing about your favourite piece of “glass”…Mine is my little hand-blown glass rocking horse…

glass rocking horse

Take care as covid still lurks ready to pounce have a lovely weekend and laugh a lot the best medicine in the world xx

28 thoughts on “Saturday Snippets …14th May 2022…Todays one-word prompt is “Glass” inside a Snow Globe”

  1. Jennie

    I loved the story of the glass house, and snow globes (we still give them to our children every Christmas, our holiday tradition). Thank you for a wonderful post!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I remember you telling us about that tradition, Jennie… Yes, the glasshouse is fascinating not that I would like to live in one but I do admire the architect’s imagination…I am happy you enjoyed the post, Jennie …Thank you 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Yes they certainly have, Jim.. Yes the Lego snow globe is great.. Lego always do something special especially at 🤶.. The Gherkin is on my list when I go back.. Nice to see you here Jim I hope you are well 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        Good to hear, Jim…Thank you for asking about the girls, Donna has finished her treatment and is fine , Lauren has her first radiotherapy today and then its every day for a month she has had a rougher time of it so I will be going to the UK on 9th June for a month as I feel she needs her mum I’m going to surprise her 🙂

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  4. Norah

    That’s a variety of glass, Carol. I always learn something new from you.
    I agree with you that jellyfish are fascinating.

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  5. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 8th -14th May 2022-Monday Musings, Health, Food Review “” and Saturday Snippets where “Glass” is my prompt. | Retired? No one told me!

  6. Pingback: Saturday Snippets …14th May 2022…Todays one-word prompt is “Glass” inside a Snow Globe – MobsterTiger

  7. marianbeaman

    I like glass even though it is brittle. Glass is transparent and shiny.
    When we moved almost 6 years ago, I recycled some sherbet glasses with silver rims. There were about 12 in the set. Neither of my children wanted them, a wedding gift many years ago. I was about to donate it to the hospice shop. Before I visited the shop, I had a hair appointment. My stylist was thrilled to have the sherbets. She put them in a china cabinet with indirect light. She was thrilled to have the set, and I was so very happy it found a happy home. Have a good weekend, Carol! 😀

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  9. Pingback: Saturday Snippets …14th May 2022…Todays one-word prompt is “Glass” inside a Snow Globe – MobsterTiger

  10. beetleypete

    Great coices for your word, Carol. I am also very wary of jellyfish!
    I have some green ‘Uranium Glass’ in Art Deco styles. It was once very popular in Britain. Sadly, my few pieces live in a box in the loft, as we have nowhere to display them.
    Best wishes, Pete. x

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  12. Chel Owens

    Ah, I LOVE glass works. What very interesting information, as usual, Carol!

    And I’m sorry for being so absent from reading. I’m swamped. Thanks for always having intriguing posts to come to!

    Liked by 2 people

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