Sally is fast becoming a Saturday regular over on my blog…Her posts fit so nicely into what my eating philosophies are….We definitely are what we eat and many of our complaints quite simply can be eliminated or reduced by tweaking our diet …Far too many people are eating a white food diet…Put plainly too much sugar or added sugars…Eating healthily is fun…It is fun finding and trying different foods…Be more adventurous…If you read this post you will realise just how fantastic and if looked after the mechanisms of our bodies actually are…Treasure it and look after it …We only have one…# Recommended read….
There is an old saying ‘You are what you eat‘ which came originally from the French Anthelme Brillat-Savarin author wrote, in Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante, 1826: “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.” (Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.) A time when gout was a huge problem for those who indulged in rich foods….thanks to Phrases.org.uk
I thought I would take this concept a little further by demonstrating the actions that take place following the consumption of food… and since most of us who eat meat, will indulge in a chicken sandwich regularly, I have selected this to be the test subject.
I wanted to describe the passage of a very common and tasty snack that many of us enjoy. Usually with only one thing in…
Picture the scene… we are halfway through making a new recipe…We can taste it…Then up pops the ingredient we thought we had in the cupboard or we missed that bit of the recipe…The shop is shut…It is raining…We are in our house clothes…
We all need a well-stocked store cupboard…Of things we use and maybe just a few we don’t use so often but keep and store well…
It takes time (and) money to build up a store cupboard so I am breaking it down into easy stages…
Whether you call it a cupboard or a pantry a savvy cook knows it helps them create delicious, economical dishes without using expensive ingredients or having to pop out and hope no one sees us without our slap…Don’t they always though…haha
Staples range from flour, sugar, canned goods, oils, rice, pasta, dried herbs, stock cubes(bouillon)...Today I am looking at Pasta and Noodles…
Pasta and noodles keep well and are invaluable store cupboard staples as they can be used in many dishes either hot or cold…
Pasta…
Dried pasta keeps for months in an airtight container and can also look very pretty stored on your kitchen counter…Do however always check the pack for information on storage.
Pasta comes in all shapes and sizes. Egg pasta is enriched with egg yolks and has a richer flavour than plain pasta it is also often more expensive than plain dried varieties however it is all in the sauce and bog-standard plain pasta can be elevated with a good sauce…It is all about personal taste or the occasion…
Pasta should be cooked in plenty of water heated to a rolling boil…Just be aware that fresh pasta cooks very quickly and is bought chilled or if you are clever and make your own …Well done…Something I have never attempted…If you buy fresh pasta it can be stored in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for several months.
I am lucky enough to have found a source here which sells lovely coloured fresh pasta which is coloured with natural colours i.e beetroot…
Pasta also comes in tiny shapes which are ideal for soups and kids like them…Thes lovely little alphabet shapes served with a homemade tomato sauce…Kids love it!
You can freeze small portions of sauce and keep a supply of pasta in your store cupboard …20 mins and the kids are fed and happy…
Noodles…
Noodles are very very popular here and sold fresh, dried and ready-cooked everywhere…They are a staple in the Thai diet… and served at most meals…
Rice Noodles…
These translucent white noodles are a great alternative to wheat noodles especially for those on a gluten-free diet. They are available as broad flat or thin noodles that can be added to stir-fries and soups as well as used cold as a base for salads. Easy to prepare as they need no cooking just soak in boiling water for about 5 mins depending on the size of the noodles then use as required.
This is a typical Thai glass noodle salad…normally quite spicy….Lovely…Quick and easy to use they are a good standby in your store cupboard.
Egg Noodles…
Made from wheat flour and eggs may be thick, medium or thin again very popular in both Chinese and Asian stir-fries or deep-fried as a garnish…who doesn’t love crispy noodles? Here they are used as a garnish for my favourite Khao Soi…A Thai Yellow noodle chicken curry…
Egg noodles can be brought dry or fresh, store accordingly to the type …dry for the store cupboard and fresh for the fridge or frozen…
Egg noodles have a lovely nutty taste and are a good value for money as well as being a versatile store cupboard ingredient…Like rice noodles they can be served in hot or cold dishes they lend themselves to both…
Couscous and Polenta…
Like pasta and noodles are cheap to buy and can be used as a base for many dishes…Mild in flavour they go very well with strongly flavoured food such as aromatics, herbs and spices.
Couscous is made from durum wheat and is often thought of as a type of pasta it is also a handy store cupboard staple. Traditionally couscous needed a long steaming before serving whereas there are now many supermarket instant brands or ones which only need a quick pre-soaking in water. Classically known as an accompaniment for Moroccan tagines it is now more popular and goes well with meat, fish or vegetable stews. Also, an excellent base for salads it is very economical.
My tried and tested recipe for tagine…This was one of my first attempts and using prunes which neither hubby or the grandkids would have tried if they had known…Sometimes we have to be sneaky then food is tried with an open mind…I have learnt that much over the years…haha
Chicken and Prune Tagine/Stew
Ingredients:
• 4 large chicken breasts, skinned and cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil I used coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Ground Turmeric
• 200g/7oz pitted Prunes
• 2 large Onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated Ginger
• 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
• Salt to taste
• 14fl.oz fresh Chicken Stock
Let’s Cook!
Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan then add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides.
Add the spices, garlic, ginger, and onions and cook stirring over medium heat until the onions have softened.
Add the stock and season with salt then bring to a slow rolling boil and reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for about one hour stirring occasionally.
At the end of the cooking remove the lid and increase the heat to reduce the sauce.
Serve with rice or couscous.
The verdict…It is lovely with couscous…
Everyone including little Lily loved it. After they had expressed their delight and hubby said he thought the black things were mushrooms(shitake) and grandson asked for more I confessed the dish contained prunes, a dish which is now a family favourite… I was pleasantly surprised at that given the lack of chilli and some of the spices used. The biggest plus is now the grandkids will try dishes with prunes…Result…
Polenta…
Is made from finely ground cornmeal…Cooked with water and either served soft rather like mashed potato or left to set then cut into pieces and grilled( broiled) or fried. Again a mild flavour and best served with flavourful ingredients…
It can also be used in baking…my preference is a polenta cake rather than as a savoury side…
Again another good store cupboard essential which is now sold both ready-made or a quick cook product…All I would say is check what has been added…Many quick quick and ready-made products contain additives.
That’s all for Pasta and noodles so now our store cupboard can be stocked up a little more…Next week it is rice…
TIP OF THE WEEK.
You are reading a recipe and come across something you have never heard of or know it is ridiculously expensive and doesn’t store well…It is well worth the time learning what you can substitute for an ingredient and often it doesn’t alter the taste at all …I will do a post on substitutes at a later date…But always do your research don’t let one ingredient put you off making a recipe…
Thank you for joining me in my kitchen I hope you have some fun and came away learning something or maybe you have some store cupboard tips? If so please share I love it when we have interaction and it benefits us all xx
About Carol Taylor:
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.
The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will onMeWe
Welcome to this week’s travel and traditions where I am taking you down on the farm where everything is still done how it was many years ago no mod cons just hard, back breaking work…
Everything in the garden is coming up roses as the saying goes it looks like we will have fruit and vegetables galore.
Some of the fruit and vegetables I am familiar with as you can get them almost everywhere.
Others are very new to me and I am having to do a little research as sometimes there isn’t an English pronunciation for the Thai word.
This one looks quite creepy I think and I was quite expecting to see a snake so I go along quite gingerly watching where I tread.
Snake Gourd Riata.
2 cups of natural yoghurt.
2 small snake gourds diced.
The snake gourd has a naturally occurring waxy white surface so rub some salt on the surface before cooking or using to remove.
4-5 green chillies
2tbsp grated fresh coconut
10-15 shallots finely chopped.
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp urad dal powder/paste
A handful of coriander leaves chopped
Salt to taste
Oil as required.
Let’s Cook!
Heat some oil on a medium flame and fry the mustard seeds and urad dal for 20 seconds.
Add green chillies and chopped shallots saute for 2 minutes, add diced snake gourd cook 1-2 minutes and add grated coconut and mix well.
Remove from the heat allow to cool slightly, stir in yoghurt and add salt to taste.
Garnish with coriander and serve. What is raita served with? Cool, creamy raita is vegetarian and gluten-free. It is an excellent foil to the searing heat of Indian recipes and spicy foods in general.
Here…Thais choose young fruits for cooking use. The flesh of young fruit is extremely crunchy and attractive, good for soups and stir fry. Cook the leafy tendril shoots and leaves as greens. It would be unusual for Thais to make raita but as I make Indian curries for me it is ideal…
Here are some more facts about the fascinating Snake gourd.
The snake gourd or Buap nguu, serpent gourd, chichinga or Padwalare some of the other names it is known under.
Native to south-east Asia it is a vine which grows around a tree or trellis and then unfurls its large white frayed flowers. Then fruits which grow straight down towards the ground.
Can grow up to 5 feet in length sometimes a stone is tied to the small gourd to help it grow straight down as it can grow into all sorts of shapes.
Also because of its length, it is used to make the traditional didgeridoo in Australia.
It turns orange when it is fully ripe but this is when it is very bitter so it is usually used in curries and raitas before it ripens fully. When ripened the flesh is sometimes used as a replacement for tomatoes.
The leaves, tendrils and other leafy parts are used as vegetable greens lightly steamed or raw.
It’s strange names and appearance have often caused it to be overlooked for its health benefits. It is proven to be very effective at improving the strength of the body’s immune system, reducing fevers and treating diabetes. Currently there much medical research into other health benefits of the Snake Gourd.
Update on the farm: The rice is growing nicely as we have had plenty of rain it does mean though that a few holes have appeared as we have a stream running through the land and when we get torrential rain the water gets quite high and can overflow ..Water also finds weak spots and comes up causing holes sometimes quite big but of course they have to be filled in so there is always plenty to do in the rainy season…
It also means that the nets can be cast and fishing is good when the rain comes and there are also plenty of frogs they are everywhere …When I went to the market not only were they being sold fresh but there were lots of BBQ frogs for sale…
I hope you have enjoyed your trip down on the farm…xx
About Carol Taylor:
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.
The environment is also something I am passionate about and there are now regular columns on my blog this year. It is important that we are mindful of the world we live in…These honeybees dining on forget me knots say it all to me…
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will onMeWe
Thank you once again for joining me on Whimsical Wednesday when anything goes..wherever my thoughts take me or when something stops me in my tracks and makes think or when something just wows me…
So come with me and see what has astonished or wowed me this week and what memories have been evoked…Well, yesterday I clocked up another year…and as the days which preceded, that were days when I received sad news about dear ones who have departed this world…My thoughts are with those dear friends and family…The result I got maudlin and started looking through old photos and working out dates as many were not dated…The photo is me with my mum and dad… circa spring/summer 1952…I am a Fifties Child…
Some of those old Kodak photos are tiny it just shows how many strides forward photography has made…
I do hope you enjoy and please if it evokes any memories for you please share…as this post is a sentimental one for me as I am extremely grateful for reaching this age, it makes you think though… and realise how mortal we are…
Today..September 11th is National Hot Cross Bun Day…
For some reason, the National Hot Cross Buns Day is celebrated on September 11. It is strange because hot cross buns are typically baked and served on Good Friday.
Hot cross buns are spiced sweet buns made with raisins or currants. They are so named because they are marked with a cross on the top. Hot cross buns are surrounded by many superstitions in English folklore.
For example, buns baked on Good Friday are believed to have healing properties. Sailors used to take hot cross buns on their voyages to protect themselves against shipwreck. People also used to believe that a hot cross bun hung in the kitchen could protect the house against fires. The handing bun needed to be replaced once a year.
Hot cross buns are popular in English-speaking countries. Some countries have local variations of these pastries. For example, in the UK supermarkets offer apple-cinnamon, orange-cranberry, and toffee buns. In Australian and New Zealand, chocolate and coffee-flavoured versions of the bun have become popular.
If you like buns and don’t want to wait until Easter to enjoy them, you should definitely celebrate the National Hot Cross Buns Day by baking a batch of buns and treating your family, friends, neighbours …
Me I like a currant bun any time of the year…..x
Who never makes their bed? Or more to the point who has kids who never make their beds? I make mine religiously…I can’t stand an unmade bed…If you are reading this Lauren…Make your bed!
Well, today is National Make Your Bed Day… So break the habit of a lifetime and please make thy bed…
I thought this one was a fun idea and I love the idea of circular recycling…This is cool making bags and accessories from discarded inflatables…
Time for a Story…The Charade Chapter 2…
Stephhas continued the short story and said, I still have no idea where it’s going but I will add to it from time to time and hopefully we might have a bit of storytelling going on. If you would like to add to it or give the next part some direction, please feel free. I just thought we could have some fun with it. So what happens next?
The Charade – Part 2…By Steph…
She returned to her room after the party and carefully took off her beautiful dress, her boss would want that back tomorrow, she gently hung it over a grubby chair in the corner of the room then threw herself on to the bed, she was smiling to herself, in her hand she still held the elegant calling card of Mr Carl Ward. A real gentleman had been interested enough in her to personally hand this to her. Her mind drifted back to how her life had started. She had started out as a child begging on the street, neither of her parents had wanted her and she had been taken in by the church. Her upbringing had started out stern and even cruel at times, the nuns were strict and they would beat her if she didn’t follow their instructions to the letter. At the age of seven, she had run away from them, no one followed her or tried to find her, they didn’t care. All they knew was that she wasn’t their problem anymore. She had learnt a little of how to read and write which turned out to be a blessing, that much she would thank them for.
Turning the card over between her fingers she felt the quality and the embossed letters slightly raised from the paper, she thought it was probably the prettiest thing she had ever been given without having to ask. She rolled over onto her back holding the card up, what would Mr Carl Ward be doing now? She hoped he would be thinking of her and hoping she would contact him, maybe in the same way she was now thinking of him. Although she doubted it, he was probably used to women and their ways and was just carrying on his evening somewhere away from the party and maybe he would have forgotten about her already. She felt a twinge of sadness but even that couldn’t take the smile from her face. For the first time in her young life, she felt like a real woman.
TBC….
Time for some Music…
Do I choose music from the year of my birth?… Some names I recognise some I don’t…Nat King Cole, Weavers, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Mario Lanza, Guy Mitchell, Patti Page, Debbie Reynolds, Perry Como, Frankie Lane,
Well, not a bad combo…I do prefer something a little more upbeat though…No wonder I slept a lot as a baby…haha
Did you know on this day in 1721 Rudolph Jacob Camerarius died? A German botanist, he showed the existence of sexes in plants and identified the stamen and pistil as the male and female organs.
I remember this my dad loved this programme…
1959 The TV show ‘Bonanza’ premiers. The frontier adventures of the Cartwright family, father, 3 sons and Chinese cook Hop Sing, on the ‘Ponderosa’ ranch near Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
It ran for 14 years until 1973…and the first series had 32 episodes…I can still hear that theme tune in my head…
Anyway, that is for today…xxx
Thank you for reading my whimsical ramblings I do hope you enjoyed and it bought back some memories… xxx
About Carol Taylor:
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.
The environment is also something I am passionate about and there are now regular columns on my blog this year. It is important that we are mindful of the world we live in…These honeybees dining on forget me knots say it all to me…
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will onMeWe
Welcome to this weeks…Healthy Eating…Today is my birthday and I am always grateful to see the morning as life is so very precious I don’t know if it is me getting maudlin…haha…Birthdays do that to me…On the 1st Dec, it will be 19 yrs since one of my besties passed away…
We loved, laughed and cried together as our kids grew up…Life is a lottery, isn’t it…?
She died of cancer…Last week 2 friends and 1 family member died of cancer…A variety of ages not all old like me..The young lad I ranted about last week …Blind and deaf…My opinion failed by those who should have been protecting him…
I think a lot…I also do a lot of research…
What is the one common denominator in this…?
Well, their lifestyles were different…They were different ages…One is still living the others are not…What do they all have in common?
I know I am simplifying….BUT…They all ate and drank…
How many times do we have to be told …That highly processed foods and added sugars are bad for us…
A very funny but true and informative video about unhealthy foods and why they are harmful…
Eating healthy…doesn’t cost any more and keeps you fuller for longer…It does, of course, mean that you may have to spend a little more time shopping, meal planning, gardening but what price health?
After reading about that poor kid..Yeah I know I am banging on about him…It upset me and was avoidable…Proof of what a junk food diet can do…Extreme I know…How many more are like him?
It prompted me to start looking at all these different ways kids food could be jazzed up…made to look inviting…
I did that for the kids birthday parties…I most certainly didn’t have the time to make pretty food every single meal time…Come on…Kids need to learn what they must be eating and that pretty food is a treat…
There are also fussy adults and that is the result of fussy kids…I mean have we time to make our hubbies food look pretty so he will eat it??? I couldn’t find a picture…But I have a mental one…haha
Introduce different foods regularly…If they try them and don’t like them …That’s ok…Try again cooked a different way or leave it a while and then try again but if it is a vegetable for example and they eat other vegetables …Don’t make a fuss we all have foods we prefer…
But they must eat a balanced meal at mealtimes…
Yes, sometimes we have to say(and) mean it …If you don’t eat your dinner you get no pudding…
As parents and grandparents, we have a responsibility…
THIS IS A TREAT…FOR BIRTHDAY PARTIES, ONCE A WEEK IF THEY HAVE EATEN THEIR MEALS…A TREAT…
Aston’s Cloud eggs...
Aston is my grandson...he loves eating and cooking…He also loves experimenting and U-Tube…I am always being shown the wonders of u-tube….experiments, natural phenomenon, funnies(not) most of the time for Nannie….Our sense of humour differs…haha as it should…He is also my biggest food critic….mmmmm
Neither Aston or Lily liked their egg whites they would eat the yolk…a dippy egg and leave the white…Aston came across this recipe for cloud eggs…Nannie was woken at an ungodly hour for a Sunday to show him how to separate the whites from the yolks…
He then decided that just an egg wasn’t enough so he would make some mince ( Thai) style…
It was a success as both kids now eat the whites of the egg…and I don’t have to cook it …he does…We are working on the washing up…haha
Let the kids help and they will eat it….It always works…
Both Sally@ Smorgasbord Magazine and I work hard to bring you recipes and advice on nutrition…We cook from scratch using local ingredients where we can…
As Autumn is here and Winter on its way for many of you …It is the cold and flu season or will be…We can prepare for that by ensuring we eat the right food…Sally wrote an excellent article on the immune system...No one likes colds and flu do they? I certainly don’t …An essential read …And don’t forget to get your flu jab …
I have also spoken about the need to get a good nights sleep...Vital to our good health…I came across this very easy and quite a funny way to know if you are sleep deprived…
That all for now…Tomorrow is Wednesday so join me for Whimsical Wednesday it is always fun…xxx
About Carol Taylor:
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.
The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year…It is important that we are mindful of the world we live in…These honeybees dining on forget me knots say it all to me…
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will onMeWe
Welcome to this weeks environmental and recycling news as always I share both the good and the bad with you and hope that as you also do your own research that you form your own balanced opinion on how things are going…Can we believe all the headlines? I think from past experience the answer to that is no…
Electric cars and other modes of alternative forms of transport seem to be high on the agenda with many and they certainly seem to be evolving into something good…
Greta is to be congratulated for her mode of travel. Prince Harry and Meghan are being villainized for theirs…
TWO totally different sets of circumstances and let’s be clear about this…All these climate change initiatives are to be admired BUT lets not get overzealous with all this…Do we really think we can return to times past? The world has changed and we need to rein it in a bit…
We can all try to do what we can when we can and when possible …BUT it has to fit in with our lifestyle and circumstances…Change where we can and if we can…Let’s not have witch hunts…
David Attenborough is famous, well-travelled and has seen much…I love his programmes on the Natural world… I find this video interesting … David is now seeing through his work the damage being done to the natural world…
Waste food...I abhor waste and love to read and see what is being done with waste not waste which can be used to feed people but waste which is waste like coffee grounds and avocado pits…
With all the bans on plastic and straws coming into effect people are looking for alternatives…However…biodegradable plastics typically cost around 40 per cent more than regular plastic.
A Mexican biochemical engineer named Scott Munguia has come up with a solution.
Avocado pits.
His company Biofase is located in the heart of Mexico’s avocado industry, where it turns 15 tons of avocado pits per day into biodegradable straws and cutlery.
Avocado seed bioplastic doesn’t cut into our food supply or require any additional land to be dedicated to its production.
And best of all, it’s truly biodegradable, unlike many “biodegradable” plastics. fully decomposing in just 240 days, compared to conventional plastic which is estimated to take 500 years to break down and never fully biodegrades.
If kept in a cool, dry place it can last up to a year before it starts degrading.
Munguia figured out how to extract a molecular compound from a pit to obtain a biopolymer that could be moulded into any shape, Mexico Daily News reports.
I think that is a great idea and at no extra cost …
As always my intrepid reporter the ever-watchful Tori...Finds me gems and snippets on great ideas to reduce waste etc…She is a little star…Thank you, Tori and she has the most adorable fur babies …and write awesome childrens books…
Three International chefs have opened the first zero-waste restaurant in Finland…Read all about it here
Called restaurant Nolla the aim is to make zero waste the norm withing the wider restaurant industry…
Have you heard about CupCycling? Well…Specialist papermaker James Cropper is turning coffee cups into papers and packaging, as part of the world’s first recycling process dedicated to upcycling takeaway cups.
There is a lot in the news about Hemp at the moment and I should say there has been for a while…
It is said that one acre of hemp( grown) in a single season..it is fast-growing and disease resistant …yields as much paper and four acres of trees…
I also read that some years ago when the US was giving aid to Bangladesh one of the conditions was that they get rid of the hemp plantations which they did. Then when it rained heavily, there were huge avalanches that took lives because the hemp roots were no longer holding the earth together.
I am puzzled about all of this but maybe I shouldn’t be…I do have a suspicious mind…
This news, however, made me happy …The makers of Lego...My kids and grandkids Lego…A universal toy guaranteed to keep kiddies occupied and quiet…In our house, it also keeps grandad quiet…An added bonus…haha
The River Thames…is now cleaner and the wildlife has been returning…Seals, grey Mullett…
It is beautiful to see and although there are still problems with waste etc it is getting better…Damm all the companies and people who still think it is ok to pollute the rivers and seas with their waste…SHAME ON YOU!
Thank you for reading and if you have any news and views on zero waste or the enviroment please share…xxx
About Carol:
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use to have to improve our health and wellbeing.
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
Thank you once again for reading this post and if you love it please feel free to share or bookmark for later. If you have any queries then drop me an email carolcookstwo@gmail.com xx
Just in case you missed any posts this week…Or if you like to do what I do and that’s snuggled down in your favourite chair and have a read…They are all here in one post so grab your favourite chair, a drink, settle down and enjoy…There are recipes, music and more…You could even add a healthy snack of popcorn, your favourite music and read…Personally, I love weekly roundups as I am a busy lady like most of you and I don’t always have time to read posts daily…Life or writing just get in the way…Don’t they?…Especially if you have a deadline or a plan…Enjoy!
It has been a funny mixed week this week …Maybe I am missing the company, the rain has been torrential and the ceilings all leaking…AGAIN…I am moving…had enough…I have never moved as much as I have since I have retired…Do I stay here?… Move closer to my friend?…go back to England? go to Australia or Laos?… My mind is flitting from here to there…undecided…I am also craving rice pudding…I read a lovely post from Sue and it made me maudling…I have trawled FB for family and friends who I have lost touch with and sent messages…Will I get responses?…Who knows…
Anyways…The sun is now shining so let’s do a weekly recap…
Monday…
Electric cars seem to be high on the agenda with many and they certainly seem to be evolving into something good…Greta is to be congratulated for her mode of travel. Prince Harry and Meghan are being villainized for theirs…TWO totally different sets of circumstances and let’s be clear about this…All these climate change initiatives are to be admired BUT lets not get overzealous with all this…Do we really think we can return to times past? The world has changed and we need to rein it in a bit…
We all can do what we can when we can and when possible …BUT it has to fit in with our lifestyle and circumstances…Change where we can and if we can…Let’s not have witch hunts…
Saw me letting rip...That poor lad…A combination of circumstances and organisations let him down…How much could he have done? He is a boy and the grownups failed him…I don’t know his mental state maybe he couldn’t help himself…Maybe he didn’t know how…All I know is that from a very young age he was failed…Not taught to eat a variety of food but allowed to just eat junk food…The result? He is blind and deaf…
Thank goodness…I can lighten up and smile…Thank goodness for Only Fools and Horses…I also came across this Miranda clip which really made me smile…If you cook like me you will see the funny side…tsp and tbsp…
Today I was also over at Sally’s for my Cookery Column…Writing about how to add flavour to tour food using just a tad more than just Salt and Pepper…I will show you how to achieve fuss-free flavours…
I have taken a step back and am looking at what we need to make our lives a tad easier when cooking…A store cupboard…The basics…This week I looked at flour and sugar…one comment on this post from Rose was it looked like I always brought organic…But that it could be expensive…Yes, it can be…I buy organic when I can but if the cost is ridiculous and it is something that I don’t use much of..then I buy the next best thing…The flour I use unbleached which isn’t always organic but is unbleached so less processing…I buy from local farmers who although not certified organic grow their own without pesticides I also grow what I can space allowing…I hope this has cleared up a few points for Rose.
Saturday is when I usually reblog one of Sally’s posts…Sally and I are like-minded souls as regards nutrition and weight loss and with all her certificates and knowledge plus common senses…I learn something each week about the workings and needs of our bodies…So if you are dreading the winter because of colds and flu pop over and see what Sally has to say…#recommended…
I hope you have enjoyed this roundup…Have a lovely Sunday xxx
About Carol Taylor:
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.
The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be much more on this on my blog this year…It is important that we are mindful of the world we live in…These honeybees dining on forget me knots say it all to me…
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will onMeWe
