Music, A-Z, Banana Scones with Coffee Drizzle, Health #TED Talk and Snake Fruit…
Welcome to this week’s edition of my weekly roundup of posts…Especially for you just in case you missed a few posts during this last week…Time is marching on…
We are 2 weeks into August already…some August trivia…
August…depending on where you live August brings a new season of fruit and vegetables here the lovely Pomelo has just come into season…It tastes exactly like a grapefruit but without bitterness or sour notes. It’s not particularly sweet, nor is it tart.
Like grapefruit, you’ll find pomelo in both pink and yellow varieties. Most fruit sellers will have their pomelo ready peeled and packaged. The reason is that it’s a nightmare to peel. The green outer skin and white pith surrounding the fruit is extremely thick, and it’s quite an ordeal removing the fruit from its casing!
A lovely fruit with which I make one of my favourite salads Yum Som O…a lovely refreshing salad made with pomelo, prawns, cucumber Thai basil and some herbs…
Today is also National Lemon Meringue Pie Day…
It’s Lime meringue Pie here as I have so many limes rather than lemon and making meringues is a great way to use up egg whites…
Tomorrow August 16, 1977 …Elvis Presley, died, the “King of Rock and Roll” …
So many tracks and who could pick a favourite…Not me…
Enough about what’s to come in August let’s have a look at last week…
Plastic…The latest news…Week 2… Microplastics and Glitter …
While Covid has made some differences in some areas where the figures tell us we are back to 2006 levels BUT early on, there was hope that a silver lining of the COVID-19 quarantines would be a reduced impact on the environment while cars stayed off the road and planes were grounded.
The oceans tell a different story about the pandemic’s environmental footprint.
Last year, a new type of garbage—face masks—started washing ashore. The very same plastic products that helped keep people safe during the pandemic also caused a surge in plastic pollution.
Wednesday I was over at Smorgasbord in my Green Kitchen where I was making bread and talking about air pots a new innovative way to grow plants and more so please head over to Sally’s and have a read…
The Culinary Alphabet …..A-Z…Series 3… the letter L…Jelly or Jello?
I absolutely love writing these A-Z with a twist always something to learn and discover…
Last week it was words where the middle letter is L...A little easier than J which was quite difficult… What kiddie big or little doesn’t love Jello or Jelly…yes I know before you tell me you call jelly… jam…Jelly to me (a Brit) is what you call Jello although I prefer Jelly as it is not so sweet and has more of a fruity taste than Jello plus for a treat my mum would give me a square of the jelly when she was making it…you can’t do that with Jello…as its a powder…or we could take Potluck and see what was cooking on the Skillet…to eat with our Salad.
International Scone Week…Banana Scones with Coffee Drizzle…ish
These banana and brown sugar scones with a coffee drizzle were the best scones I have ever made…I am not a scone maker at all but as it was International Scone Week I thought I had better make an effort… these scones had sliced bananas in the middle sprinkled with some raw sugar they were delicious…
Tropical Friday…Snake Fruit(Salak) is one of my favourite fruits it has a slightly sour note and is not too sweet…it is also lovely when pickled…It was thanks to Pete as I totally forgot about it when I was writing my A-Z probably because I call it snake fruit but kudos to Pete he thought of it not me…
It’s a little weird in so much that it grows around the base of the Palm Tree …It is not a fruit that many you will find fresh but it is sold in syrup and has been stocked by Amazon and probably other speciality or Asian stores.
The inspiration from this post came from a TED talk which I viewed through Borden’s Bather…Thank you Jim and Molly for the inspiration I also had fun finding links to Peek a Boo…I do hope you enjoy the read…x
Thank you very much for dropping in this week and for your likes, comments(which) I look forward to and for your shares it is all very much appreciated…I hope to see you tomorrow for week 3 of my updated Plastics posts…Have a great Sunday xx
Welcome to series 3 of the Culinary Alphabet A-Z…Where the middle letter is K…
Nothing is as it seems here…this new series is the brainchild of Chel Owens who writes at A wife, My Verse, and Every Little Thing…my followers are so good to me they think up all sorts of permutations of the Alphabet for me to blog about…not sure if they want me to call it quits or what they will come up with next…Chel like Pete was, however, will be called on to make her contribution every two weeks…they don’t get off scot-free…so I hope you have started brainstorming Chel…haha x
So what’s in store? In this series the A, B, C, etc will be the middle letter, for example, Cajun, Cabbage, Ackee and Yucca… 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 its sort of cheating I think…unless of course I really get stuck…which I am sure will happen…
Today it is words where the middle letter is J...A little easier than J which was quite hard…The Baker baked some Cakes words like this are pretty generic but I will see how I go before I succumb to using them I make life hard for myself sometimes…or how about Pukka Pies.
Let’s go and see what I have found…
Ackee…Weird ( and) sometimes dangerous fruit.
The Ackee fruit is the national fruit of Jamaica…If improperly eaten, though, ackee can cause what has been dubbed the Jamaican Vomiting Sickness — which, other than the self-explanatory symptoms, can lead to coma or death.
Unripe ackee fruit contains a poison called hypoglycin, which means you must be careful to wait until the fruit’s protective pods turn red and open naturally. Jamaicans will often say that the fruit will “yawn” or “smile”—open naturally, on its own—before it’s ready to be picked from the tree.
Once open, the only edible portion is the yellow arilli, which surround always-toxic black seeds. With all that risk comes a delicious payoff — Jamaica’s national dish is ackee with codfish.
In preparation for use in the national dish, ackee and saltfish, the fruit is usually boiled gently for up to half an hour. The prepared fruit is removed from the water and usually sautéed with onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers, allspice, and Scotch bonnet peppers, and then mixed with salt fish. It’s easy to tell when ackee is cooked because the flesh will turn from a cream colour to bright yellow. Remove it from the heat source as soon as it turns yellow to avoid overcooking it. When it’s fully cooked, ackee becomes delicate; it crushes and falls apart easily.
When served with salt fish, it’s often accompanied by breadfruit, hard dough bread, Johnny cakes, fried plantain, or boiled green bananas. It’s also often eaten with rice and peas, or white rice.
Ackee can also be used in soups and desserts such as cakes and custards.
Bakmi …
Bakmi is a Chinese word that literally means “meat noodle.” It refers to a kind of egg noodle introduced into south-east Asia by the Chinese. Today it is most commonly used as part of the name of any of a number of Indonesian dishes made with those noodles. In addition to the noodles, Indonesian bakmi recipes usually include meat, often chicken, and a variety of vegetables. There are many regional and local variations of the dishes.
Bakso…
Bakso is an Indonesian meatball and is an extremely popular Indonesian food. It’s everywhere; you’re just as likely to find it being sold by street vendors (called kaki lima) and posh eateries.
Chickpeas…
One of my favourites legumes they have a lovely creamy texture which is why they are ideal for making hummus…They are brilliant as a snack…just roasted…or just used to bulk out soups, stews and salads…
High in protein, they are one of the earliest cultivated legumes…They are also high in fibre and contain several key vitamins and minerals. Sometimes called garbanzo beans they are used extensively in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Note:it is not recommended to eat raw chickpeas or any other pulses due to the content of toxins and anti-nutrients. These components are reduced with sprouting and cooking.
Chickweed…
Both edible and delicious…
Chickweed is excellent raw — use it like sprouts; eat it in sandwiches, wraps, etc. And of course it’s a great base for a salad.
It’s also great cooked and makes a good substitute for spinach.
Cockles…
Sitting on the beach with a plate of cockles and some brown bread is my idea of heaven…
Cookies…
Ahhhhh the power of language…in the US it’s cookies in the UK it’s Biscuits however biscuits in the US means scones to me …don’t me started on Graham Crackers as they are sort of a digestive biscuit to me they are sweet and crackers we eat with cheese or pull them at Christmas…confused yet?…x
Cookout…
A meal which is cooked and served out in the open..like a BBQ then?
Corkage…
Corkage is a service charge that is levied by venues for opening and serving bottles of wine, sparkling wine, champagne and even spirits that are bought externally by customers with the intention of consuming them on site. … Some venues charge per head but most will charge per bottle opened on site.
Crackling…
One of life’s pleasures…Perfect Pork Crackling is a wonderful thing and happily popular here as well…
Gerkins…
Gerkins or baby pickles are small cucumbers pickled in brine…delicious sliced in a burger or with cheese or fish and chips …or just because…Gherkins can be made sweeter by adding some sugar to the vinegar or brine. Although, Dill pickles (flavoured with dill stems) are typically sour. …
Junket…
A dish of sweetened and flavoured curds of milk that is often served with fruit. Think “Little Miss Muffett” eating her curds and whey..some older cookery books still refer to “curds and whey”
Kashkaval…
Kashkaval is Bulgaria’s popular yellow, semi-hard cheese made from sheep’s milk that can be spicy or bland. It’s great for grating, cooking and melting, and is similar to Italian pecorino or Greek kasseri, but can variously taste like provolone and even pungent blue cheese (without any hint of mould).
Milksop…
An old fashioned late middle English dish from milk plus bread something my nana and my mother used to make and give us if we were unwell or given to young children…Bread and milk…
Mulukhiya…
Are the leaves of Corchorus olitorius, commonly known in English as denje’c’jute, nalta jute, Tossa jute, jute mallow or Jew’s mallow. It is used as a vegetable…
highly nutritious ancient super-green from the Middle East. It’s also known as Egyptian spinach, jute mallow or Jew’s mallow…sometimes also known as “the king of vegetables”
Parkin…
Parkin is a gingerbread cake traditionally made with oatmeal and black treacle, which originated in northern England. Parkin is baked to a hard cake but with resting becomes moist and even sometimes sticky.
Pickles…
Pickles I adore pickles of all sorts and pickle anything…watermelon rinds, garlic, jalapenos, pineapple, cucumbers…you name it and I pickle it…an ideal snack..Lily loves to snack on pickled cabbage which we call Pak Dong …Including pickles in your diet as a healthy snack can help you shed pounds, thanks to their low-calorie count. A cup of dill pickles — regular or low sodium — has just 17 calories. Even if you’re following a very restricted diet of 1,200 calories per day, that’s less than 2 per cent of your daily calorie allowance.
Pak Dong…Is Thai pickled cabbage which comes in many forms from just cabbage or cabbage and green onions this version has added small yellow eggplants…one of my favourites if I can get there before Lils…haha
Ingredients:
1 white cabbage. cut or torn into pieces.
8 large spring onions chopped
12-15 sm yellow eggplants halved
Coarse Salt.
Let’s Pickle:
Layer Cabbage, Onions, eggplants and salt in the dish add a little water. Mix it all together with your hands.
We then leave the dish covered on the kitchen top or in the sun for 1 day.
Then drain and lightly rinse and add more salt if required. Cover and leave for 2/3 days or until it reaches your ideal taste. With pickled cabbage, it is purely down to personal taste some like it saltier or sour more than others. Just play with it and you will soon discover your ideal version.
My daughter in law who is Thai doesn’t like it as sour as we do… she doesn’t like the Winegar taste as she puts it… Once it reaches your required taste it is ready to eat.
This recipe is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Porkpie…
A pork pie is a traditional English meat pie, served either at room temperature or cold. It consists of a filling of roughly chopped pork and pork fat, surrounded by a layer of jellied pork stock in a hot water crust pastry. It is normally eaten as a snack.
Reibekuchen…
A fried potato pancake…Reibekuchen are German potato fritters, also known as Kartoffelpuffer. They are common in many areas of Germany, the name “Reibekuchen” being characteristic of the Rheinland area. Reibekuchen may be served with apple sauce, pumpernickel bread, treacle, or Maggi-brand seasoning sauce.
Stinkbean…Sa Tor.
Very popular here…
Also popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Burma and NE India they are known as Bitter Bean, Petai, Kampa, Mizo, Pakra and Sa Tor here in Thailand which translates as the stinky bean. When you eat this bean it has the same effect on your urine and your farts as asparagus and I have also been told that if you eat Sugar Puffs then it smells like Sugar puffs …Totally off subject but that was what my son told me when I informed him they had the same effect as asparagus…When the beans are young they can be eaten raw, fried or pickled. The beans are either pickled or frozen when being exported.
For more info on the stink bean(Sa Tor) and a delicious recipe please click here
Sockeye Salmon…
The sockeye, also called red or blueback salmon, is among the smaller of the seven Pacific salmon species, but their succulent, bright-orange meat is prized above all others. They range in size from 24 to 33 inches in length and weigh between 5 and 15 pounds.
Chicken Tikka…
Authentic Chicken Tikka Masala is usually made with yoghurt marinated chicken, skewered and chargrilled …authentic chicken tikka is a wonderful thing and my next project is to buy one of these and replicate chicken tikka and naan bread cooked in this…I reckon if they can cook chicken on the markets in one of these I can do chicken tikka in my garden…and slap the nan bread on the hot sides when the chicken is cooked…
Turkeys…
Christmas dinner for many people…a large bird in the genus Meleagris, native to North America. There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey of eastern and central North America and the ocellated turkey of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico
My turkey babies are not babies anymore….
He is just such a handsome boy, isn’t he? They love just love wandering about the farm and eating the greens and picking bits here and there….They are a joy to keep and have really lovely natures…..One got attacked by a dog a while ago but let himself be picked up and his leg cleaned so placidly he is lovely….The dog..banished we cannot have an animal which attacks the other animals…The turkey is alive and well after his little skirmish and none the worse for wear thank goodness. Our chook who thinks he is a turkey is still living with the turkeys he doesn’t want to be with the chooks…
He even speaks like a turkey now…
Thank you so much for joining me today…K was quite hard to start with but then it got easier… NEXT time it’s the letter L for Jelly and Jello… a bit of Salsa far easier methinks…x
See you tomorrow where I am in my kitchen the Onion Bahjees were popular in my house I have made them a few times already…see you tomorrow there are also some health Hacks from Sally think frozen nose syndrome from drinking an ice-cold shake …or toothache…Don’t miss it …x
Lemon Chicken, Pearls, Music, A-Z and Fathers Day…
Welcome to this week’s edition of my weekly roundup of posts…Especially for you just in case you missed a few posts during this last week…Time is marching on…It is now officially rainy season here so there will definitely be some dancing in the rain…
June…the middle of another year…today is Fathers Day I miss my dad more as every day passes…I miss all the men who have been positive influences in my life and my children’s lives… I am proud of all my children and the way they have forged their place in the world how they have nurtured their children to take their places in this ever-changing world…Wishing all you dads out there a “Happy Fathers Day ”
In case you missed any posts this week or love to catch up like I do… snuggle down in your quiet place… get comfy in your favourite corner with a drink of tea/coffee or hot chocolate although depending on where in the world you live it could be a glass of wine or two…Cheers!
Fact:…Age and glasses of wine should so not be counted.. on that note, for last Monday I give you one of our truly loved, tried and tested recipes…Lemon Chicken…
Researching is one of my favourite pastimes…although the internet can be such a dark place in some hands it is also the source of much information from around the world…A-Z with the middle letter being the feature IS not as easy as it sounds but it has expanded my culinary knowledge …I do hope it has expanded yours…
Pho, although it is the National dish of Vietnam, is also a popular dish around Asia…Pilchards which I love and the ancient recipe for Stargazy pie plus who knew how many uses there were for eggshells?
It had the desired effect and shocked a few who declined never to ever partake although I do think as the industry is growing that at some point it will be an acceptable food choice for many…Me…I prefer ant eggs they make a lovely spicy salad called Koi Khai Mod Dang ก้อยไข่มดแดง and in a soup, you wouldn’t know UNLESS TOLD and they are highly nutritious…
This soup is made using Meliantha a Thai herb, Oyster Mushrooms and ants eggs ..it is delicious and nutritious.
Backache…can be very debilitating and the figures are shocking…Sally address all of this in her post and offers some ideas for relief …#recommended read
Saturday Snippets…my inspiration this week came from Teagan and her brilliant series ” The Delta Pearl”…Teagan is the ultimate storyteller whose imagination knows no bounds…You must hop on board I promise you that you will be spellbound…
I have so much fun researching just using a word …I discovered much with a connection to Pearls…far too much for one post and I hope I picked a flowing mix and that you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it…xx
That’s it for today…I know I haven’t been posting my regular posts as much but my thoughts are elsewhere much of the time…My darling daughter has an MRI scan tomorrow where we will know the extent of her cancer and the treatment plan…Thank you to those of you who have Lauren in their prayers…xx
Thank you so much for dropping by I always look forward to your visits and comments…Hope to see you here next week xx
The letter R…Rice and noodles(rice) staples here and in many other parts of the world…also lots of other interesting titbits all beginning with R…Thank you, Sally, for running this series…I hope you all enjoy…Please leave your comments we love to hear from you Hugs xx
Welcome to this weeks edition of my weekly roundup of posts…I hope you are all staying safe and well…Let’s take a pew and have a read… I hope you enjoy!
Monday…Recycling and Climate Change…8th June 2020
Mutant Bacterial Enzymes, floating offshore wind platforms so many inventive solutions to the world’s climate and recycling problems…young people taking a stand in good ways…that gives us hope…for me it is the using of bamboo and banana leaves..utilising what nature gives us…simple but effective…Beautiful bamboo tableware and packaging…
Whimsey this week meant Bluebell woods, trees and more trees, it meant recipes…Homemade Mustard…It meant Princetons first Black Valedictorian from the class of 2020 what took them so long was the question on some peoples lips…
Thursday: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Food Column – Carol Taylor – A – Z of Food – ‘K’ for Kale, Ketchup, Kippers and Kanom Moo Krob (Crispy Pork and Kale)
It is the day when Sally welcomes you to the series from Carol Taylor, the wonderful A – Z of Food and she said: “I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge of wonderful ingredients across the food groups, spices and herbs over the year”.
Kale...is a wonderful vegetable and one of my favourites with pork it is a delicious dish…Kippers, Ketchup, Kaffir Limes, Kielbassa, Kugel, Kidney Beans so much more than just kale to discover…Enjoy!
Friday: Project 101 – Resilience – Acidity/Alkalinity pH Balance for Health Part One and Music Therapy – Sally Cronin
Project 101 – Resilience is aimed at developing a strong immune system and a body that can fight off disease at any age. One of the key factors in achieving that level of robust health is being a healthy weight. There have been a number of risk factors identified that put certain groups of the population at a higher risk of a critical outcome from being infected with Covid- 19 – Opportunistic pathogens like nothing better than an acidic environment to thrive in.
Here we are again…I hope you all have had a productive week and are still safe and well…Time to tell you what has made me laugh, cry or cringe this week…time to tell you what I have been cooking…of course…
Lastly… I just love roundups…Like many of you, I don’t always get the time to read every single post …This week I have been on to WP as I can’t like posts, I can’t always see all my comments it takes time to do that…intermittent faults I agree with Jim it either works or it doesn’t..who invented the sometimes?…,
I have been testing out recipes, cleaning, researching, shopping, writing, washing, writing, sleeping, trying to improve my photography skills, sorting out cupboards., reading, cooking with Lily…I think by now you get the gist…we all have busy lives and a roundup is just great for me…I also purchased another book…from a roundup..Silent Heroes which I am looking forward to reading.
This is Sally’s weekly roundup which is full of lots of books, reviews, recipes, health and music and laughter as we all agree here that laughter is the best medicine…
If anyone has a weekly roundup they love or they write then please send me the link and I will share here…Happy to help spread the good news and views..x
God bless you all in these turbulent times…be safe and stay well…
My hopes…for the future…
When this is all over my hope for the future is a cleaner world… I do want to see communities, and caring for your neighbour becoming the new norm…WORKING TOGETHER INSTEAD OF WORKING AGAINST EACH OTHER…Being kind to each other…Loving someone whatever their religion or skin colour…Can we make this happen? We have to but in the right way…Are we willing to make a stand? Personally, I would love to see lessons learnt ..realistically I have my doubts…
Thank you for reading be well and stay safe 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.
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 I hope you all stay safe and healthy xx
This week I am over @Sally’s with the next letter of my A-Z of food with the letter I….and, not an ice cream in sight… I am bringing you some lesser-known culinary terms or ingredients beginning with the letter I…Enjoy!
Retired? No one told me! 