CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…October 3rd-October 9th 2021…Culinary A-Z, Shoes, Music with Dido and Yeast Free Raisin Bread…

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My Culinary A-Z, Music from Dido and Elvis…in the US it’s National Pumpkin and Apple month…From Carol’s Green Kitchen…Yeast Free Raisin Bread…

Welcome to the round-up of posts you might have missed this week on CarolCooks2… 

Time is marching on we have now nearly two weeks into October…the month for Halloween Festivities… where the last of the summer sun for some of us is on the wane and where for others spring has sprung…Soups and salads are on the tables around the world…for some, the leaves are starting to turn into glorious shades of oranges and reds elsewhere the spring bulbs and beautiful flowers are unfurling their leaves and petals both showing how beautiful this world is in its changes of seasons…

Did you know that in October…?

In the Northern Hemisphere, October happens in Autumn (fall) but in the Southern Hemisphere, October falls in spring! For each hemisphere, October is in the same season that April is in for the other hemisphere.

The night sky is much clearer in October so it is the perfect time to go stargazing.

In October 1884, the time zones of the world were created. This was based on the Greenwich Meridian time zone, which helps us understand time zones.

Music on 10/10/1963…#1 Brian Poole and the Tremeloes…

I can’t remember when I last listened to this but love it!… Have bopped away many, many times to this…

Enough of my twittering let’s see what posts I had for you last week just in case you need to catch up…

A beautiful pumpkin soup to kick of the start of National Pumpkin Month in the USA.

One of my favourite vegetable soups…it is just as tasty without the prawns or crabmeat just with the fresh herbs and crispy garlic it is still a delicious bowl of soup…

CarolCooks2…National Pumpkin Month…Thai Pumpkin Soup with prawns or crab meat.

The next letter in my culinary Alphabet with a twist where the middle letter was P…very apt as both are celebrating by having National Pumpkin Month and National Apple Month the middle in both Apple and Pumpkin is P…which means I have lots more Pumpkin and Apple Recipes to share with you this month.

The Culinary Alphabet…A-Z…The Letter P…

Wednesday I was over at Smorgasbord Magazine with my monthly Green Kitchen where I review any new products I try in my home and this week I shared a yeast-free raisin bread recipe and very yummy it was…

Smorgasbord Food Column – Carol Taylor’s Green Kitchen – October 2021 – Yeast Free Raisin and Cinnamon bread, Hair Conditioner, Fabric softener, World Food Day

Still on the subject of food…Sally over at Smorgasbord is republishing by popular demand and very useful it is shopping by nutrient List…A fabulous idea as if there are certain deficiencies in our diets then Sally has identified the foods which contain these nutrients which makes shopping so much easier…Plus at the end of the series, she will be adding a printed list so all you have to do is print it off or save it to your phone, tick that list and shop…How cool is that?

Smorgasbord Health Column – Weekly Grocery Shopping List by Nutrient – Part One – Vitamins A – B by Sally Cronin

Saturday Snippets is one of my fun posts to write this week the one prompt was “Shoes“…sent to me by Jennie( A teacher’s Reflections)…I had fun finding out connections to shoes that you couldn’t dream of …plus some brilliant musical connections like Depeche Mode and one connection to your Lady Liberty…who knew? You will when you head over and read the post…

Saturday Snippets 9th October 2021…Fun Facts and music with Shoes…

Thank you for joining me for the weekly roundup I hope to see you next week where I have more recipes and some environmental A -Z and of course, at the end of the week it’s Saturday again with a one-word prompt…Have a great week xx

 

 

 

Saturday Snippets 9th October 2021…Fun Facts and music with Shoes…

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This weeks one-word prompt is…Shoes… a suggestion from the lovely Jennie who writes “A Teachers Reflections“ Jennie has introduced me to some wonderful reading books for children and has also given me hope that there are some wonderful teachers out there… after all they are the teachers and custodians of future generations…how and what they teach these young, thirsty minds is important and to Jennie, it is her life’s work…which has now been recognised By Kelly Clarkson and appeared on her show…Very well deserved, Jennie “You rock”!

One word prompt…Shoes!

The history of shoes is a fascinating one from the very first shoes in the earliest times, shoes were made with an important function in mind: to protect the bottoms of the feet. But as society evolved, shoes found their place as both costumes and for ceremonial occasions as well as everyday wear.

Come with me and I will show you what else has a connection to the prompt…Shoes...I hope you enjoy the tour…

My first ideas about shoes as in Stillettos, Louboutins, all the different types of trainers, colours …heels or flats…and then my thoughts turned to Red Shoes…

I thought of “The Red Shoes” published by Hans Christian Andersen in 1845… one of my favourite folktales as a child as was watching the film… “The Pope” wears red shoes as they symbolise the blood of Catholic martyrs spilt through the centuries following in the footsteps of Christ. ..and there is also the reference to the liberation of women’s desires by the wearing of red shoes…

Of course, most famously Dorothy wore red shoes in the”Wizard of Oz”…However In the original book by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy’s magic slippers are silver; for the Technicolor movie, they were changed to ruby red to show up more vividly against the yellow-brick road…

Shoes come in all sizes, colours and heel heights but who wears the biggest shoes?…none other than ” Lady Liberty“…who wears a size 879 in shoes…

Did you Know?

Ones and Two’s are Cockney rhyming slang for “shoes“…

Plain Clothed Detective’s used to be known as “Gumshoes”…it was a reference to when shoes or boots were made of gum rubber. Soft-soled shoes allowed for a quiet step. “To gumshoe” came to mean to sneak around quietly …It did not initially only apply to detectives; it could mean anyone being sneaky or stealthy, robbers and thief-catchers alike.

Van Gogh made a number of still live paintings depicting old shoes. It is said that he used to buy them from flea markets and then wear them until he thought they looked old and worn out enough for still life paintings such as “A Pair of Shoes”, 1886  by Vincent Van Gogh.

No corkscrew? and you need to open that bottle of wine…Easy!

How easy was that..Science prevails!

Horseshoes…

Horseshoes have long been considered lucky. They were originally made of iron, a material that was believed to ward off evil spirits, and traditionally were held in place with seven nails, seven being the luckiest of numbers.

A horseshoe hung open-end up is meant to collect luck. No matter which way you hang a horseshoe, it’s designed to bring luck and prevent misfortune. Hang it open-end up to collect good luck above a doorway or on an exterior wall of a barn, home or other structure.

Brides are often given a symbol of a horseshoe to carry for luck, there is also a game called Horseshoe pitching, a game for two or four players, most popular in the United States and Canada, in which players attempt to throw horseshoes so as to encircle a stake or to get them as close to the stake as possible…

A horseshoe is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horses hoof.

It is also the name of a crab...a weird-looking crab which is not really a crab but is very valuable in the medical field…Horseshoe crab blood is blue in colour, due to the presence of copper. But that’s not why it’s valuable. It’s valuable because it contains an “amebocyte” used in the field of biometrics to identify bacterial contamination in vaccines and all injectable drugs.

Sadly though because the Horseshoes Crab is a crucial resource for making human medicines safe it is in danger of being overfished…Every year, pharmaceutical companies round up half a million Atlantic horseshoe crabs, bleed them, and return them to the ocean— after which many will die. This practice, combined with the overharvesting of the crabs for fishing bait, has caused a decline in the species in the region in the past few decades.

Walk-in Their Shoes…Can One Person Change the World is the powerful, personal story of Jim Ziolkowski’s inspiring mission to change the world one community at a time, hailed by the Dalai Lama as “an inspiring tribute to the power of compassion and education: the keys to leading a meaningful life.”

I’m sure most of us have had or heard of shoestring cheese..not only does cheese have a connection to shoes but so does the lovely flatfish called sole…The beautiful lemon sole is lovely lightly dusted with flour and cooked in butter…the Dover sole is a tad bigger and very nice indeed…You’ll find that Dover sole is unlike other fish. It doesn’t have the texture of a normal fish. Its flesh is more like meat, with a delicate, mild, and sweet flavour.

I could listen to Elvis for hours…my kind of music…

The crisis of plastic waste is at a tipping point. Now more than ever before, we have a responsibility to the future of our planet. Everything we do, however big or small, impacts our world and our future. Every day, the equivalent of 1440 dump trucks of plastic waste enters our oceans. For every person on the planet, there is one ton of plastic in the ocean. If we continue on the way we are, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

Adidas and Parley…

The plan is to turn plastic bottles into Shoes. How? Please click here…

I hope you have enjoyed this foray through the world of “shoes”…Thank you again Jennie for the word prompt…

See you tomorrow for my weekly roundup…Have a lovely evening xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smorgasbord Health Column – Weekly Grocery Shopping List by Nutrient – Part One – Vitamins A – B by Sally Cronin

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I think this is a brilliant idea from Sally over at Smorgasbord Magazine to feature an alternative shopping list by nutrient and the foods that supply them. At the end of the series, there is a complete shopping list that you can print off.

I know what I should be eating to maintain a healthy body but sometimes that goes out of the window when I am shopping and that is ok if in the main we stick to our list…Sticking to our list can also prevent waste particularly if we shop our fridge and larder before we complete our checklist all this ultimately saves us money as well it’s a win-win to me…#recommended read.

Please head over and have a read particularly if you have any little health or skin problems and you want to ensure that you eat the right foods to help alleviate those a little…This week it all about Vitamin A and Vitamin B…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2021/10/07/smorgasbord-health-column-weekly-grocery-shopping-list-by-nutrient-part-one-vitamins-a-b-by-sally-cronin/

 

Smorgasbord Food Column – Carol Taylor’s Green Kitchen – October 2021 – Yeast Free Raisin and Cinnamon bread, Hair Conditioner, Fabric softener, World Food Day

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October my Green Kitchen with Carol Taylor.

Welcome to October’s edition of my Green Kitchen…where I aim to cook food that is chemical-free, in season and grown either by myself or purchased locally and in season…
Produce which is in season has far more taste than produce which is forced and grown out of its natural season …I also think it is the anticipation and taste that first of the season produce brings to the enjoyment of our food…

There is nothing better than cooking and serving that first crop of new potatoes or that first crop of peas, the first of the root crops, new ginger or lovely strawberries it brings such pleasure and we should savour every mouthful as many don’t have that option.

I am a firm believer that if we didn’t crave more and more of foods which aren’t natural to our particular environment that there wouldn’t be so much starvation and hunger in the world ..we live in a world of supply and demand and if we didn’t demand there would be no need…

Sometimes we have to deny ourselves for the good of others…

Recipe for October…Yeast-free Raisin and Cinnamon Bread.

For the recipe and to read the original post please click the link below…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2021/10/06/smorgasbord-food-column-carol-taylors-green-kitchen-october-2021-yeast-free-raisin-and-cinnamon-bread-hair-conditioner-fabric-softener-world-food-day/

The Culinary Alphabet…A-Z…The Letter P…

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Welcome to series 3 of the Culinary Alphabet A-Z…Where the middle letter is P

So what’s in store? In this series the A, B, C, etc will be the middle letter, for example, Jarlsberg, Korma, Apple and Tursu a variety of Turkish pickled vegetables… how easy that will be who knows I am sure some of the letters of the alphabet could cause the grey matter to rebel or implode…haha…I also don’t want to use plurals to form a word as I may need that word for another letter and it’s sort of cheating I think…unless of course I really get stuck…which I am sure will happen…P is not so easy as some but I’m sure it will get harder as we near the end of the alphabet…

Today it is words where the middle letter is P.

Let’s go and see what I have found…

Apple…It also happens to be National Apple Month in the US…Apples... I think most of us took it for granted that we always had a fruit bowl full of apples to grab as we passed by on our way to school or work or even had an old gnarled apple tree in our gardens…

 

We all looked forward to the apple harvest when our mothers and grandmothers canned them, pureed them, made pies and puddings with them…we did Apple bobbing on Halloween … our mums made toffee apples of which I can still conjure up the taste in my imagination…the stuff of dreams and memories…

Aspic…Aspic is savoury meat gelatin made from consommé, clarified stock, or bone broth. It gets its jiggly texture when the consommé cools…aspic jelly brings back memories of my grandmother and although I wasn’t a fussy child and ate almost everything aspic jelly I could not stand it…I hated it…it’s been around since the 1300s and I think it should have stayed there …it is suitable for vegetarians if you avoid using gelatin…

Aspic is used to set foods into a mould. The moulded foods could be meats, vegetables, or eggs. The aspic mould is chilled, sliced, and served.

Antipasto…Antipasto means “before the meal.”  Typically, this dish would be served on special occasions or during the holidays. In rural Italy years ago every family had a pig, which was killed each year so that different cuts of cured meat would be available in the larder (pantry). The family also made numerous jars of preserved vegetables and their own cheese. All this produce would be carefully assembled to be enjoyed as an antipasto or starter.”

An antipasto platter is a delicious combination of cheeses, vegetables and meats, usually served with good wines. It’s a great way to start an evening with friends and is very easy to put together.

Caper…Capers are something I came to love in later life when I realised just what difference they made to some recipes…they are the small flower buds of the Capparis shrub that grows in the Mediterranean. As they’re picked by hand, they’re fairly pricey, but they’re a versatile storecupboard ingredient that’s ideal for adding a distinctive sour/salty flavour to many savoury dishes.

Capon…Ahhhhh…my mother always served a Capon at Christmas I have now discovered what a capon really is…suffice to say I will not be eating or cooking another capon…Caponization can be done by surgically removing the bird’s testes, or may also be accomplished through the use of estrogen implants. With either method, the male sex hormones normally present are no longer effective…it seems that if surgically done anyone can do it, unlike cats and dogs who have to be done by a qualified veterinary person…secondly I don’t wish to eat anything which has had estrogen implants…

Champagne…I love a glass of champagne…it is also said that 3 glasses a day keeps the doctor away…apparently, the results of the research were dramatic and tests are to be carried out on 60 pensioners who will be asked to drink champagne for three years…I missed that one ladies some of you kept that quiet…lol

Chapati…is an unleavened flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent…Chapatis are made of whole-wheat flour known as atta, mixed into a dough with water, oil and optional salt in a mixing utensil called a parat, and are cooked on a tava (flat skillet).

Crampfish…commonly called torpedo fish it can shock humans but the common torpedo fish is edible…not sure I would want to try it… have you?

Maple Syrup…In addition to being free from artificial additives or sweeteners, pure maple syrup boasts many nutritional benefits and contains up to 24 different antioxidants. It is rich in vitamins and minerals such as manganese, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, riboflavin, phosphorus and iron.

Not only is maple syrup delicious on pancakes…it is lovely brushed over bacon while it is cooking, whisked into a salad dressing, drizzling over your roasted veggies while they are cooking. making maple butter and maple mustard is divine so many uses for this healthy syrup.

Peppers…from mild to smoking hot peppers can tantalise our taste buds…Peppers thrive in the summertime when they can soak up the heat and enjoy dry weather. They like to live in heat, produce heat, and bring the heat to our kitchens. They can be eaten raw, cooked, roasted, canned and pickled…they can be used in sweet and savoury dishes…think chilli and chocolate or jalapeno poppers…

Pumpkin…It’s National Pumpkin month in the USA…Pumpkins are a huge part of American culture, so much that every year about 655,765 US tons of them are produced. They’re great for tossing contests, carving contests, and Halloween decorations. Pumpkins are also good for your health? Full of vitamins and minerals like Potassium, beta carotene and antioxidants they are low in fat and sugar and full of fibre…

Pumpkins come in all sizes and colours some are absolutely huge and others like these are quite small in comparison but hollowed out they make lovely bowls for soup…

Saltpetre…Saltpetre (Potassium/Sodium Nitrate ) is used as an ingredient for curing meats and to give the characteristic pink colour to bacon and hams. Can be used either for dry curing or as a brine solution. Salt brining does not kill all bacteria but it is a proven fact that overconsumption of processed meats can cause cancer…I use saltpetre when brining my ham and bacon However we do not consume anywhere near the recommended guidelines for ham/bacon and I made the conscious decision that for the amount and frequency that I used and we ate bacon/ham it was far better than not using and take the chance of contracting botulism which is a very real and deadly consequence of not brining meat correctly…this is my opinion on why I use it.

Snapper…White, red, grey or black the snapper is a beautiful fish…salt-crusted or steamed with lots of herbs …a beautiful white-fleshed fish high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Strapacky…Strapacky(Slovakia) or Sztrapacska (Hungary) is a boiled potato dumpling dish with sour cabbage and onion with fried bacon and fresh chives.

Tempura…a popular light Japanese batter for fish/meat or vegetables …

This light crispy batter complements prawns/shrimp perfectly as well as beautiful tempura vegetables.

That’s all for the letter P…Thank you for joining me today I hope you have found something new and some of your favourites…in two weeks it will be the letter Q, for example, Bisques and Bouquet Garni…xx

Until tomorrow, where I will be back in my kitchen cooking from scratch, have a lovely day xx

 

CarolCooks2…National Pumpkin Month…Thai Pumpkin Soup with prawns or crabmeat.

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National Pumpkin Month

 

October is not only National Pumpkin Month it is also National Apple Month...both beautiful cooking ingredients that deserve a mention … these ingredients are ones that I use a lot in my kitchen…therefore over the month of October, most of my recipes will make use of these lovely ingredients…Starting with a beautiful pumpkin soup today.

Halloween…Love it or hate it….there are some lovely recipes around and if you live in colder climes just what the doctor ordered to keep away those winter chills.

This recipe is an authentic Thai recipe … Pumpkins and squash grow very well in Thailand and are found on every market stall and on every street food stall so much is done with this versatile vegetable lots of lovely Thai desserts and soups…but I digress this lovely soup would look equally at home in your hollowed out Halloween pumpkin shell and add a bit of Thai spice to your table. If you have small pumpkins then hollowed out they would make wonderful receptacles for the soup and look beautiful served as individual portions.

Ingredients:

  • 400 gm  pumpkin peeled and diced into 2 cm cubes
  • 1 tsp white peppercorn
  • 2 coriander roots
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass  very finely sliced
  • 3 small shallots diced
  • 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste…You will be able to purchase this from most Asian stores or online.
  • 300 ml of prawn stock…I always keep my prawn heads and bits in the freezer until I have enough to make some stock.
  • 700 ml coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 tbsp roasted chilli paste
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar
  • 16 prawns /shrimp, peeled and deveined or crab meat
  • A handful of fresh Thai basil leaves save some for garnish
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil to stir-fry

Let’s Cook!

Firstly pound the peppercorns and the coriander root into a smooth paste. Then in a large saucepan, over medium heat stir-fry the peppercorn/coriander root paste, pumpkin, lemongrass, onions and shrimp paste, stirring all the time for about 3 minutes until all those lovely Thai flavours are released.

Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan with a lid and cook very gently for about 20 minutes until the pumpkin is soft, stirring occasionally.

Next, transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend with the shrimp stock until smooth. Pour back into a saucepan and add the coconut cream and bring to a slow gentle boil.

Add your seasonings, lime, fish sauce, sugar, chilli paste and stir to combine, add your prawns/ crabmeat and cook for 1-2 minutes…Now taste and adjust seasoning if required.

Remove from the heat and pour into a serving bowl or bowls. Stir in the basil leaves and garnish with extra leaves.

 

The true Thai way is to also garnish with spring onions or garlic stems, some fried crispy garlic or chicken skin and it always looks so vibrant and you just want to dive in and drown in the lovely flavours.

Enjoy!

During the month of October, I will have more Halloween/Pumpkin or Apple recipes for you….until then stay safe, laugh a lot as and you know what I am going to say…Laughter is the best medicine and it is FREE…x