Tag Archives: Whimsical Wednesdays

CarolCooks2…weekly roundup 24th May-30th May 2020…Climate Change, Recipes, Whimsey, Vegan Coq Au Vin and Black Vinegar…

Welcome to this weeks edition of my weekly roundup…I hope you are all staying safe and well…Let’s take a pew and have a read I hope you enjoy!

great reads a weekly roundup lady with electronic reader

If you are snacking while you are reading…popcorn is a good low-calorie snack ..depending of course what is on it! Choose wisely…x

Monday: Recycling and Climate Change…25th May 2020…and Covid-19…

After the Covid-19 crisis will we get a greener world? I am sure this is a question many people are asking… the cleaner air, burgeoning urban wildlife, and our sudden, dramatic shift to a less carbon-intensive lifestyle reveal the scope of what we can achieve in just days. This is something to cling to as we navigate the twin storms of Covid-19 and climate. We know that the climate crisis will not wait for a more convenient time; we must deal with it and the pandemic crisis concurrently.

We are experiencing behavioural changes, some of which may be ingrained within us permanently…travel and consumption patterns have in the main become more responsible – they are helpful in reducing pollution, just as hand-washing helps in the pandemic. But what the expected 8% emissions reduction figure shows us is that individual action – driving your car less, attending a meeting via Zoom rather than taking a business flight – is not going to be enough.

Enjoy the rest of the post if you missed there are some cute video clips and some interesting advances in some areas…

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/05/25/recycling-and-climate-change25th-may-2020and-covid-19/

Tuesday: National Vinegar Month…Chinese Black Vinegar…

I am so pleased I discovered how lovely black vinegar is and it was really only because of National Vinegar Month which prompted me to explore other types of vinegar…

It really does enhance the taste of the dishes I tried purely as it is a more mellow vinegar..it now makes me want to get some red vinegar and explore the taste…Trying black vinegar led me to try other ingredients like Black Funghi which was something I hadn’t tried before..isn’t it funny how one thing leads to another?

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/05/26/national-vinegar-month-chinese-black-vinegar/

Wednesday: Whimsical Wednesday…CarolCooks2…

After the fiasco which was the week before I haven’t managed to delete this weeks post or any others…Those of you who know me well..know how my brain jumps from one topic to another …It all started with the Auckland wild pigs and ended with some music…My whimsy just took off as usual…I hope you enjoy..x

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/05/27/whimsical-wednesday-carolcooks2-2/

Wednesday also found me over at Sally’s where she is kindly re-running my Culinary Alphabet on the A-Z of food…A post which I thoroughly enjoy writing and researching and I am so chuffed that you all love reading it…Thank you xx

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2020/05/27/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-food-column-carol-taylor-a-z-of-food-j-for-jelly-beans-jalapenos-jack-fruit-and-jerky-all-with-a-little-jus/

Thursday: Smorgasbord Health Column – Food Therapy – Mushrooms – The Egyptians believed they granted immortality…

Sally tells us how they benefit our health…she also linked back to one of our cook from scratch post which has some lovely recipes using the mushroom…Enjoy!

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2020/05/28/smorgasbord-health-column-food-therapy-mushrooms-the-egyptians-believed-they-granted-immortality/

Friday: National Vinegar Month…Coq Au Vin(V) and with a chook…

Today is the last day of National Vinegar Month I have enjoyed searching and trying out new recipes and this one Coq Au Vin uses one of my favourite kinds of vinegar Balsamic vinegar…I also included a recipe for a vegan Coq Au Vin as I love veggie dishes and I have a few readers who are vegetarian and vegan so I am making a conscious decision to cater to everyone…

All the ingredients for a Coq Au Vin with a chook(which) I have to catch or just veggies both equally lovely depending on your preference …Me…I love both…

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/05/29/national-vinegar-month-coq-au-vinv-and-with-a-chook/

Saturday: Saturday Snippets is back! Week 2…

Now National Vinegar Week is finished I looked at June and there are some great food days coming up in the month of June…so stay tuned…

My last vinegar dish for this month was a combination of black vinegar and the parts of a napa/nappa cabbage that I am sure many of you throw away…

smart
smart
smart

It was lovely but then I generally start my day with brunch and it is normal for me unless it is greek yoghurt with passionfruit to have a vegetable stirfry…it was very nice, simple is often the best…Don’t you agree?

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/05/30/saturday-snippets-is-back-week-2/

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…Can we make this happen? 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

Whimsical Wednesday…with CarolCooks2…

Good morning…Staying home is so surreal…it’s getting weird and unsettling…I am seeing rising figures of infected and people dying around the world and it breaks my heart…I can only watch and wait and pray that all this will soon end…I also know that the consequences of all this in most areas of our daily life will be far-reaching…

l will endeavour to keep my blog a happy place and not because I don’t care but because we all need to find some solace and peace and some joy where we can…

The NHS and medical services around the world are brilliant, dedicated and I applaud them also the support workers and the carers…so many people are helping to keep us safe…

This Italian doctor has found his way of staying sane amongst all the madness and for that I applaud him…Enjoy!

This retired gentleman has also found his way of dealing with these unprecedented times…He is planting booze…I think it is wonderful to see how individuals cope…Enjoy I hope it makes you smile…

 

Last week it was fish and dolphins and wild boars…Mother Nature is proving once again how awesome she is…How quickly she bounces back and it is wonderful to see …

This video shows goats…Goats are curious animals these wild mountain goats normally roam the Great Orme headland and now they have ventured down the hills into the town of Llandudno and had a fine time roaming the empty streets and having a nibble at anything which tempted their tastebuds…

According to some residents, they are an occasional sight but now the streets are empty it seems they are taking advantage of this…

Did you know?… For one I have just realised it is April Fools Day…

But also way back in 1930 The Blue Angel starring Marlene Dietrich premiered…Way back when I was a student we used to frequent a little cafe run by a French couple and the cafe was a shrine to Marlene…it was also the start of my love for her music and films a different era and one I loved …My favourite being Lili Marleen…

I love this song…

Also, April Fools Day or All Fools Day is a day for practical jokes...

I mean who hasn’t been the victim of the Pinch Punch first day of the month joke…?

Where did it originate from…There are lots of tales but the origins of this day who knows when in history someone somewhere started this…Over the years there have been some hilarious pranks, some dangerous pranks and some pranks which fooled a nation…

The April 2, 1698 edition of Dawks’s News-Letter reported that “Yesterday being the first of April, several persons were sent to the Tower Ditch to see the Lions washed.” This is the first recorded instance of a popular April Fool’s Day prank that involved sending people to the Tower of London to see the “washing of the lions.” The joke was that there was no lion-washing ceremony. It was a fool’s errand.

Another such prank was when..on the evening of April 1, 1957, thousands of British families tuned in to watch Panorama—one of the day’s top current events broadcasts—to witness footage of a happy Swiss family harvesting their prized spaghetti trees. Unbeknownst to many viewers, the four-minute “news” segment, which literally showed strands of cooked pasta dangling from the trees in a family vineyard, was an intricate April Fools’ Day hoax devised by a freelance cameraman and produced for a paltry 100 pounds.

To say that the majority of the British were ‘NOT AMUSED” was an understatement however it started the trend of fooling the mass media and took ” April Fool”  to a new level…

Maybe this year due to circumstances the pranks will be somewhat muted…

Another tune for you…A tad more current than Marlene…

Hello…Not Adele…

What happens when you return from the supermarket …I take a shower and change my clothes …This takes it one step further…

A great solution if it warm…

That’s all for today …Thank you for joining me on my whimsical ramblings I do hope you have enjoyed this post…Please stay safe and well…I have just read that more high profile people have tested positive for COVID-19…It looks like no-one is immune…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 have a fabulous week and stay safe these are troubling times xx

Whimsical Wednesday…with Carol…

After the rain, we have sun and are now officially entering the hottest season of our year…

We also have Covid-19 …Generally, this is a nice whimsical post but let’s get this out of the way…anyone who is stockpiling is just plain stupid in my book…Just take sensible precautions like keeping away from crowds where possible and making sure you follow correct handwashing procedures…However…

1918 : The first cases of one of the worst influenza epidemic ( FLU ) in history are reported at Fort Riley, Kansas it would eventually kill more than 1/2 million Americans and more than 20 million people worldwide.

We are now in the year 2020 and have lessons been learnt …some maybe…I rest my case…Take sensible precautions folks, don’t scaremonger and certainly don’t stockpile.

That’s it from me…I am not saying another word… 

The Eden Project opened in England in 2001 and is the worlds largest greenhouse…

I think this is one of the best projects of its type…An amazing place…

 The Love Bug, a popular Disney movie, was released on March 13th 1969  and has now celebrated over 50 years of multiple sequels, remakes, television shows and special appearances all starring Herbie.

Herbie wv-sedan-3773831_640

The VW is now an iconic car …A car that is back to front but nevertheless is very popular even now…

Over the years…people have stood up for what they have believed in and these nuns are no different…

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0862547/the-millennial-nuns-practicing-a-forbidden-ancient-skill

March 14: Pi Day celebrates the annual occurrence of 3/14 with math jokes, pi-reciting competitions, and (of course) freshly baked pie.

British pie week has just chosen its annual winner and that pie was a rump and stilton pie…Not to be outdone a vegan chain won the top award at the British Kebab Awards “What the Pitta!”  was named Londons best takeaway…

I do think Vegan and vegetarian food has gone up a notch although I will never be totally vegan or vegetarian…This, however, looks so tasty and I love Turkish bread…

St. Patricks Day is next week…there will be lots of celebrations around the world… And on this day in 1973, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of The Moon” first hit the Billboard Top 200 chart at number 95. A mere 14 years later (736 chart weeks, to be exact), it finally leaves the top 200 for the first time, setting a still-unbroken world record. (You’ve got a long way to go, Adele.)

Wow…I didn’t know that…What a record…

Did you know?

You can cut soft cheese and bread with dental floss……… well I didn’t but it’s brought back memories of when I was a child and shopping with my mum for cheese …a wire was used …so same difference isn’t it? ….. wow so simple …

March is the time of year when animals start waking up from hibernation.

That’s all for today …Thank you for joining me on my whimsical ramblings I do hope you have enjoyed this post…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 have a fabulous week xx

CarolCooks2…Weekly roundup…Climate Change, Health, Recipes …Week ending 19th Oct 2019…

Welcome to this weeks roundup…What a week …Lily is here for the school holidays so we have been baking… she loves making cakes and helping to prepare dinner she loves chopping veggies as much as she loves eating them her favourite vegetables being broccoli and cabbage she is always asking for seconds…bless her.

Aston is staying in the village with his other nan and has been busy collecting wild honey I didn’t realise he knew quite so much about bees…

I am still having laptop woes and limited to what I can do on mine but hopefully the end is in sight… in the meantime I am PC sharing where I can…good fun…not!

What has been going on this week and no I am not discussing Brexit although I was watching the House of Parliament live yesterday to the bitter end…

great reads a weekly roundup lady with electronic reader

Anyway enough of my chatter…Grab a drink it is time to settle down, relax and have a read something for everyone…Enjoy!

Monday…

I always try to bring you a mixture of the good that is happening around the world and also some of the not so good…I was concerned this week about some of the antics I saw about Extinction Rebellion…It didn’t make good reading and although I agree with some of their views I do not think the actions of some has helped their cause and in fact has probably had the opposite effect…

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/14/latest-recycling-and-environmental-news-14th-october-2019/

Tuesday… Healthy Eating…

Healthy - Vegetables- Fruit- Lady

Healthy Eating

I was absolutely shocked to hear that figures were out and England saw a rise for the fourth consecutive year that severe obesity in school year 6 has broken records, and it is up more than a third since 2006.
Levels of severe obesity among children in the last year of primary school have hit an all-time high, according to official figures that have dismayed public health experts…I don’t know about dismaying public health experts it is dismaying me…

Much needs to be done by parents, schools and governments to halt this epidemic once and for all….

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/15/healthy-eating-childhood-obesity/

Wednesday…Whimsical Wednesday to be exact…

Let the fun and nostalgia begin…I covered World Food Day, the opening of Disney and lots more…Enjoy!

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/16/whimsical-wednesday-with-carol-14/

It was also the day when I was over @Sally’s for  Smorgasbord Health Column – Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiencies with Sally Cronin and Carol Taylor – #Minerals – Magnesium…

tin ghee

Lots of expert advice from Sally and recipes from me…Enjoy!

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/10/16/smorgasbord-health-column-cook-from-scratch-to-prevent-nutritional-deficiencies-with-sally-cronin-and-carol-taylor-minerals-magnesium/

Thursday…

As you know it is National Pumpkin month with lots of recipes and Halloween tales but don’t forget the Apple as that is also being celebrated as there are so many lovely varieties …so from this week coming I will also be adding some apple recipes…Who doesn’t love Apple Pie???

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/17/national-pumpkin-month-facts-trivia-and-a-delicious-thai-pumpkin-soup/

Thursdays is also where once a month I can be found over at Esme’s Salon…I am nearing the end of my journey through the Culinary Alphabet and this month it is the letter U…From the Ugli Fruit to Umami…

Although I will add that the Pineapple Upside down cake was the most talked about…I am not surprised as it is delicious…

Friday…

Its store cupboard basics and this week I covered cooking oils…my most used cooking oils are olive oil, ghee and coconut oil…

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/10/18/this-week-in-my-kitchenstore-cupboard-basicspart-6cooking-oils/

Saturday…

Is a subject dear to both mine and Sally’s hearts…

Obesity…The figures out last week about childhood obesity in the UK shocked me…It should also shock you if you have a child who is obese…Of course we don’t want to give children a complex but handled correctly and by us as parents making changes to our families diets and lifestyles as a family would make a difference…It is not about shaming the individual child it is about sharing the problem and tackling it by making changes.

Sally’s posts on this subject make for good helpful reading to help tackle this epidemic…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/10/17/smorgasbord-health-column-the-obesity-epidemic-part-four-finding-a-point-to-intervene-in-the-life-cycle-7-14-healthy-diet-for-brain-function-and-hormon/

That’s it for this week ...Please let me have your favourite pumpkin/Halloween recipes and if you have any ideas for Christmas table decorations instead of buying crackers which invariably add to the plastic mountain…

pumpkin-ghosts-Halloween

I for one am not buying crackers this year so looking for some great ideas from you guys…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 have a great weekend 🙂 xx