What’s new, this and that

Tags

Barbershop, Berlin, Bread, cuisine, Food, sausage rolls, sweets

For the last few days we have entered into the Phase 2 of re-opening and in a few days 1 June Phase 3 will take place. Meaning that life will return to a NEW normal but we have to keep social distancing and avoid gatherings. Restaurants will re-open for in dining room service but we are not going.

So a few days ago our barber re-opened and lucky us we got an early appointment and after 10 weeks got a haircut. I feel so much better now, more civilized.

 

We have also been having some warm sunny weather with normals around 18C feeling much warmer in the direct sun light. This week it is going up to 23C which is perfect weather.

Our two little monsters Nicky and Nora are scheduled for the groomer on 15 June, they need a good grooming. They also need their annual shots and the Vet has been called for an appointment. I also hope to have our winter tires removed this week, I usually do that around 15 April but it was not possible given the situation.

Will is making amongst other bake goods, Peanut Butter Bread, he is also looking at a recipe for Orange grind bread from 1932 when people used up everything eatable so not to waste food. He made yesterday some wonderful sausage rolls, and puff pastry dessert with apples, brown sugar, butter, almonds raisins and pears, a nice combination.

We are also thinking of preparing our flower boxes for our terrace and this is a project for June when the weather will be warm and nights in the 15C range.

So lots going on.

I leave you here with a photo of the 16 ton Lantern which will be installed on top the dome of the City Palace Berlin (AKA Humboldt Forum) this coming Friday 29 June according to a story in the Berliner MorgenPost.

This photo is around 1920 in Berlin, showing a man in the Lantern looking across to the Lutheran Cathedral of Berlin and the Museums. The winged angels are life size. The dome of the Cathedral appears as it was then before its destruction in 1944. The dome today is more modern in design.

LOBSTERS

Tags

Canada., cooking, cuisine, PEI, Sea, Seafood

Today Saturday 16 May was the first day live lobsters were available on the market place. Yesterday was setting day and the fishers went out to sea to harvest lobsters. So today long line ups of Islanders in 45F weather, respecting the 2 metres or 6 feet apart rule of social distancing could be seen outside shops selling seafood. It is a tradition to have your first feed of lobster, it is like Beaujolais Nouveau.

Until about 1960 eating lobster was not popular, lobster was poor people food, in schools the poor kid ate lobster sandwiches while the rich kids ate baloney on white bread. I know it is laughable but that was the way back then, how things have changed.

In the maritimes lobster is fished everywhere but they do not all taste the same. Also lobster trapped in one region does not travel or is not exported to another region, this is done to protect markets and the fishers. So in Caraquet in New Brunswick the fishers will sell their lobsters in N.B. In PEI it is sold only in PEI and exported to foreign markets. We do not get lobsters from Nova Scotia though their season starts earlier than ours in PEI. No we do not have Maine lobster, considered foreign. Though on international markets PEI competes with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and the US market. Usually Canada wins because of our dollar being 0.25 to 0.30 cents cheaper than the US dollar.

Lobster is a rich meat and usually a one pound beast is enough for a satisfying meal. Many tourist will try the 2 pound lobster and some brave soul may go for a 3 pound lobster, but I cannot imagine how you do that, it is sooo rich tasting. Also the price in a restaurant can start at $30 for a one pound lobster and will go up with weight. At the fish store today the little canner sold for $6.99 and the one pound lobster sold for $9.99.  You will pay more if you want only the meat. You can buy it cooked or live. What you should look for when buying a live lobster is the long antennae, if they are intact this means that the beast is not stressed and was not involved in fights with other lobsters, it’s a sign of quality.

Cooking your lobster at home,  remember only fresh Sea water never tap water. Do follow carefully cooking time, over cook it and it’s uneatable and chewy. The meat should be like butter. Lobster is good served with lemon wedge or if  you prefer with hot melted butter but that is not necessary since the meat is rich tasting.

The claws are powerful and be careful not to put you hand or fingers near them, it can be painful and very unpleasant and they don’t let go. In 1990, The U.S. National Institutes of Health tested lobster for cholesterol content and found that it was just as low in cholesterol, fat and calories as chicken and turkey. (Just watch out for the butter!)

So tomorrow Sunday we will go get some lobsters across the street at the Water Prince restaurant for our dinner.

 

 

Another Covid day

Tags

anxiety, Canada., cooking, Covid 19, cuisine, Food, PEI, shopping, Stress

So this Monday we have lovely sunny and warm weather, so I went for an hour long walk to the end of our street and along the Hillsborough River to Victoria Park which is the former Royal Park of the Lieutenant Governor’s Residence. It’s a very big park about 90 acres of forest and parkland. On one side is the Residence of the L.G. with its 10 acres of manicured park and old trees. The grounds are usually open but the L.G. told the groundskeeper to close the gates during the pandemic.

It is so quiet and pleasant to walk along the streets by the river with its beautiful parks and old trees, mansions and nice homes. No cars and just a few people who seeing you coming simply take their distances.

I was at the supermarket yesterday and I just became anxious, nervous and tired of the place. There was not many people in the store it was quiet and no waiting at the cashier station. Still I just dislike it and find people in general to be self centred and not aware of their surroundings. I only go now about once every 8 days and try to go early to avoid people. There is stress in all of this and I am also tired of constantly sanitizing everything.

We are in PEI in a privilege situation in North America and Canada, no cases and no one sick or recovering. The down side, people immediately feel over confident thinking its over and let’s return to before 11 March when it all started.  Our Island borders are still closed but there is a lot of political pressure to re-open to allow people from elsewhere in Canada and the USA to come to their Summer cottages. Like many I am firmly against such an idea, Canada has 70,000 cases now most of them in Quebec and Ontario the two most populous provinces. With numbers still climbing each day though not as fast. Montreal is a real disaster area, it is so bad that the Government of Quebec may quarantine the entire Island of Montreal some 4 million people to flatten the curve.

We will have a quiet Summer in PEI our tourism traffic is down 90% and now operators are hoping in Islanders as customers, renting camp grounds and staying in resorts or renting a cottage by the beach.

Here are some pictures of what we have been cooking or got from the Water Prince restaurant across the street from us now open for take-out. You may know this restaurant where many celebrities comes for a lobster. It is a simply unpretentious place but the food is superb and we know the owner and his son and all the staff. Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee ate there a few years ago.

Malpeque Oysters on the half shell prepared for us at the Water Prince. A nice appetizer for dinner.

Haligut and chips. At the moment Halibut is in Season and I prefer it to Haddock.

Made at home, puff pastry stuffed with meat and vegetables served with Brocolletti.

Pastry stuffed with raspberry jam and sliced almonds.

Made this meat pie with vegetables for an evening dinner.

A 3 lbs Pork Roast in a cast iron pan, using a marinade of garlic, thyme, rosemary and Cayenne pepper. The cast iron pan is perfect and it goes into the oven. It was soooo good.

Banana Foster a New Orleans recipe with Rum, brown sugar and vanilla ice cream.

Banana Bread,  Nicky and Nora love a piece of banana in the morning after their breakfast. So we had too many bananas and made bread out of the more ripe ones.

 

Meals

Tags

Atlantic, Canada., Cheese, cream, cuisine, Food, parmesan, pasta, PEI, penne, Recipe, shrimp

Recently a fellow blogger commented that we eat like Royalty. I don’t think we do but every morning as I rise early at the crack of Noon, my first question to Monsieur W is what will we have for dinner and his answer is always, what do we have in the garde manger? We always try to plan meals ahead so that it is all organized before meal time. These days with all the restrictions it is unlikely we will get a dinner invitation or go to a restaurant, they are ALL closed!

I also watch Sheryl on What’s for tea on YouTube and she plans her meals for the week, now I would not do that, but she does because she lives South of Glasgow Scotland and goes to Tesco to shop for specials. She is also very chatty on her channel. I do watch two other cuisine channels who will have some interesting recipes. Bonita in Newfoundland of Bonita’s Kitchen on YouTube specializes in NFLD cooking and specialty and I did find a couple of recipe she presented. One of them is the following recipe for a Cheddar Shrimp and Penne bake. Simple and easy to make, no fuss. She also presented the other day a Lobster Salad and again easy to make and so good looking. I am going to try that in the coming weeks when I can get some Lobster claws, I need 3 cup full. It’s the sort of thing you can prepare for a luncheon and everyone will think it was so fab!

So here is a sample of what was on the menu this past few days at Maison B&H.

Roast chicken with sage and roasted vegetables in a rich white wine sauce. We have been roasting radishes and they are quite good with other root vegetables.

Filet of steak with a baked potato

Osso Buco (veal) with a white rice and vegetables celery, carrots and onions in white wine sauce.

Wild Pacific Salmon and home made scallop potatoes in a cream sauce.

Tonight is the following recipe which only take 20 minute to prepare and 35 to cook.

Cheddar Shrimp and Penne

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked penne pasta
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided.
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan
• 1 pound peeled and deveined cooked medium shrimp

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the garlic in butter over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in 1 cup of cheese until melted. Remove from the heat.
• Drain pasta; add the pasta, shrimp to cheese sauce, mix well. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheddar cheese remaining and add Parmesan. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly.

 

Sunday

Tags

Beach, cuisine, home, Me, nature, PEI, sand, sun, surf

Well today was a gorgeous day, Sunny and warm and no cold wind. It was so nice that we decided to hop in the car and go down St-Peter’s Road to the beach, we usually go North to Brackley Point Beach but today we decided to look into another area.

This is following Hwy 2 North-East about a 30 minute leisurely drive. Funny enough from our house to the cut-off to St-Peter’s Road which is just next to the airport runway, now quiet because no flights are coming here. There was some traffic and then suddenly a lot more traffic. Note a lot of traffic on PEI is 15 cars.

The reason was the Agency Liquor Store at the Irving Gas Station on St-Peter’s Road. It’s open longer hours than the Government Liquor Stores and has more hard liquor, you know the hard stuff, the brown stuff, like Bourbon. The clientele goes with the Liquor. After that it was clear sailing,  the road to St-Peter’s Harbour suddenly becomes unpaved and is basically the red dirt road typical of the Island. It was dry and not muddy, red mud is sticky and clings to everything. Driving on it is difficult, I still have my big winter tires on the car because of the Pandemic I did not want to go to the garage to have them change etc, I now have an appointment for the end of May. Winter tires gives better traction anyway.

We had never been to that area of the Island and discovered that it is a Nature Preserve with very high sand dunes that look like the grand canyon but not quite. With high Marram grass growing on top, the grass is planted by volunteers to protect the dunes. The area behind the Marram Grass covered sand dunes is a mix of wetland, plants, grasses and maritime shrubs and shallow ponds of water which rise or ebb with the tides, perfect for ducks and other aquatic fauna. The dunes are so high that you do not hear the Sea until you follow the marked sandy path across. The dunes are protected and to avoid damaging them people are asked to stick to walking on the beach.

The sand was warm today to the touch and despite nice waves the wind was very light. I have always been fascinated by the immensity of the Sea, it looks infinite. However if you look at the map you will see that we are clearly in the Gulf of St-Lawrence.

The quiet of the beach and the fresh air is exhilirating. The only noise is the surf and bird songs. The Piping Plover nest on the beach and you have to be careful when walking around, it’s a little bird and it camouflage itself with the natural colours around. It is also an endangered species only 6000 in the World.

Near the beach and at the end of the road you can see some beach houses, some are expensive looking but they really only function from May to September. You would not want to live in the area in Winter with the terrible fierce storms, unreliable electricity and rural mud roads. In Winter such roads are not plowed so become impassible. I would love to live at the beach like that in the Summer.

The nice thing about beaches in PEI is that they are very clean, quiet and not overrun with people.

Today was a nice break from the City, we came home, had a nice Osso Buco for dinner and our neighbour surprised us with a Coconut cream pie she had made, it was delicious.

On the First of May

Tags

Canada., covid19, cuisine, Food, PEI, restrictions

When May comes I always think of this ditty my Mom use to sign about May, the virgin Mary, rain and a famous department store in Montreal called Dupuis et Frères which lasted in business for more than 120 years but due to changing trends disappeared in 1978. The funny thing about Dupuis was that it marketed itself as the store of the People and of the housewife. In direct competition with other big department stores on Sainte Catherine street like Morgan’s, Simpson’s and Eaton’s seen as the department stores of the English speaking Montrealer who lived West of Saint-Laurent Blvd. which runs North-South across the Island of Montreal.

It was a silly song and always made us laugh as kids, I never forgot it, it was part of the lore of French culture in Montreal. In fact I am not sure that maybe Dupuis et Frères started this little song in order to publicize their store and sell umbrellas and other rain gear, May being known apparently as a rainy month. The tune was taken from a religious hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary sung in French Catholic Parishes in Montreal.

So we have now been in this so called lock down for 44 days, it should be called Stay at Home movement because you can still go out but it is not encouraged. As of tomorrow the Government of PEI and of all the other Canadian Provinces will start to relax the restrictions. Now depending where you live in Canada each Province has its own schedule for relaxing the rules. However if anything goes wrong or if anyone is doing something foolish which would cause a second wave of Covid 19 to appear, we will go straight back into full lockdown. Unlike our neighbour to the South, we have been told sternly many times, we are not going back to the way things where before March 11 when the Pandemic hit us. Meaning that life will not be the same and businesses will have to change the way they operate. The Premier of PEI, Dennis King like all the other Provincial Premiers always start by emphasizing that measures taken including the 3 phases now being introduced on three separate dates to relax restrictions are done following the advice of the Chief Medical Officers of the Province. So it’s not a political thing, it’s a Public Health thing. It’s a go slow approach. Currently PEI has 3 cases recuperating at home and no new ones for the last 14 days, no deaths and no hospitalization. All of our 27 Covid 19 cases where due to foreign travel.

We are maintaining the State of Emergency until end of May for the time being.  This means that NO one who is not a resident of PEI can come here, the borders remain closed. So all the people who live elsewhere but come here in the Summer to their Cottage are forbidden from coming and will be turned away either at the bridge or ports or at the airport which is closed anyway.

So tomorrow we will be allowed to meet with friends up to a total of 5 persons in the drive way of your home but a 6 feet spacing must be maintained at all times to avoid the fine of $1000 dollars. The weather is really nice now and getting warmer so it is going to be difficult for people, but its a start. The Setting date for the Lobster Season is 18 May and private recreational fishing starts also around 11 May, many got their fishing licences this week and everyone kept the 6 feet apart in the line up at the Government Office. I was at the Liquor Store today and you have to wait outside in line 6 feet apart. People are really good about it and everyone is reasonable. Same at the Grocery store, though there is a lot of confusion because you have to follow the arrows on the floor. Golf Clubs will re-open but not the Club House.

We have also been told that we must eat more French Fries, lots more. Who knew the new diet lots and lots of French Fries, there is a surplus of potatoes something like 200 million pounds of potatoes in Canada. PEI produces some 25% of all potatoes eaten in Canada. It’s good for you, so enjoy!!! You must do your duty for the Country and to help Farmers. PEI being an agricultural Island, we get the message.

Phase Two is when it gets more interesting. We will have to wait until Friday 22 May to get a haircut or have your dog groomed or be allowed to congregate with 10 friends staying 6 feet apart (social distancing) is a big thing now. So I called my barber made an appointment and the dog groomer for Nicky and Nora and also my garage to have my Summer tires installed and get my Annual Safety check done on the car. We also have until 1 June to put in our Income Tax report, the Federal Government gave all a 30 day reprieve this year. If you are 65 yrs old and over, you have until 1 September to pay any owed Income Tax, usually there is no such thing.

Businesses can also start re-opening but again people are strongly encouraged to work from Home until the Pandemic passes, which could be around Christmas time. Restaurants and bars still cannot open for in room dining, only pick-up at the curb is allowed. However after 22 May, manicure, pedicure, elective surgery and other simple procedures will be allowed. But it will have to be regulated to avoid any relapse. This is what everyone is afraid of, the second wave. We had a few business types cry on the radio about how difficult it is for them, but they got little to no sympathy from the public.

The big thing the Confederation Centre of the Arts is closed for the Summer, this mean no Summer Festival, no theatre and no Anne of Green Gables, a first in the 55 years the show has been running. But without the tourist, who would go see it?

Schools will also remain closed until September, meaning kids have been at home since March 13. Parents have gained a new appreciation for the hard work of teachers and many have written thank you notes to teachers. The little darlings are not so sweet when you are stuck with them at home 24/7. Many parents work now from home and must also teach their kids, many parents are not prepared for this and it has caused a lot of stress.

In the meantime we keep busy. My brother who lives in Florida and is now retired, is making masks and he sent us some.

 

We are also trying new recipes and old ones, like this typically Italian dessert of pears in red wine.

 

Will also makes dough for our pizza dinner and we keep the ingredients to 3 topping maximum.

Here we have as toppings mushrooms which have been sautéed prior to baking the pizza, a tomato sauce and prosciutto which is added last just before serving. This pizza is very light to eat and the dough is really good.

Life goes one and let’s make the best of it.

 

 

Delays

Tags

Canada., cuisine, Fishermen, lobster, PEI, Seafood, tourism

Well the good news is that PEI has had NO new infections from COVID19 for the last 6 days and of the 25 people who were sick 23 are now recovered and 2 are at home. The Government of PEI is looking into making even more stringent requirements about anyone coming to PEI and at the moment it is strict, I would say you cannot get to the Island unless you live here permanently and have a home. All others are turned away at the Sea bridge. Our Chief Medical Officer Dr Heather Morisson says this is the only way to beat this thing and everyone must pitch in and observe the rules.

Tomorrow is 15 April and this would have been the day our favourite restaurant for seafood and lobster The Water Prince was to open for the Season. That is not going to happen now. The manager is a good friend of ours and we were talking about the situation.

Of course being a seafood and lobster restaurant, they need the supplies and it will only happen if the Season Opens at the end of the Month. Currently the Province is waiting for the Federal Government and the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans to give the go ahead. Hopefully it will happen, otherwise it will be an economic disaster for all the fishers all around the Island, the industry is worth tens of millions of dollars to our economy but the fear of Covid19 is great.

Last year I posted pictures of Setting Day which opens the lobster fishing season and how much it means to people here. This year 2020 we do not know yet and it is worrisome. Usually the boats leave at dawn to set their cages in designated area.

I never was much of a lobster eater before coming to PEI, but here the fresh product coming right off the boat into your plate and the quality of the Lobster makes all the difference. Then there is also the Oysters harvested from various coves and bays around the Island, PEI Mussels famous in North America and scallops and the Halibut my favourite fish.

The problem with the Lobster boats is that you really cannot have distancing between people. You have 4 to 5 guys working side by side and it is hard and difficult work. So we will have to see how this is worked out. At the moment PEI will loose about 20,000 jobs just in the Hospitality/tourism industry this Summer. Many operators will not survive since the Summer Season was how many made their money. No tourists allowed on the Island, no business, you cannot really count on Islanders alone to support the whole sector.

Gardens are another area affected, will we be able to visit garden centres and buy some flower flats for our garden, will they open this year. Usually you wait until about 10 June to plant and to organize flower boxes and pots.

So yes there are delays and we have to be patient and all good things will eventually come.

Let’s pray to the Goddess Hestia, whose attributes are Patience, keeper of the Hearth and eternal fire of the home for a quick resolution to this pandemic.

NOT Spam!

Tags

Canada., Canadian food, Corned Beef, cuisine, Food, Newfoundland

I was prompted by a recent blog entry about SPAM to write about this, hey we are lock into our homes for a month now! I know it is one of those things people look down upon, snooty like. So I remembered that just last week I was looking at Chef Bonita who lives in Newfoundland, known as The Rock in Canada. Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949, previously it was a poor and much forgotten colony of Britain.

Newfoundland is known for its very distinct cuisine, much to do with delicious Cod dishes and other recipes. I remember a Cod au Gratin dish served at a dinner decades ago as if it was last night, it was that good.

So here Chef Bonita who makes her video in her home kitchen has a recipe for Corned Beef Cakes. Corned Beef is nothing like gelatinous SPAM. It’s just cured beef. Carribean people usually cook it in a skillet with some onions, bell peppers, garlic, tomato paste/ketchup, and seasoning. On the other hand SPAM stands for ‘specially processed American meat’ SPAM was invented in 1937 by Jay Hormel, who was looking for a way to sell the underused shoulder portions of hogs. So mystery meat in other words.

CORNED BEEF is a totally different kettle of fish so to speak. It can also be eaten cold with a nice mustard, I have once in a while this epicurean penchant for Corned Beef. Please enjoy this video about Corned Beef cakes by Chef Bonita.

 

More cooking

Tags

Bread, cuisine, Easter, Food, Germany, Sweet, Traditional

More Sunshine and more Cooking for Easter this time. Now that we are in Easter Week we have to get ready and so I found this traditional Sweet German Braided Easter Bread recipe. It is a sweet bread with raisins, almonds, apricot jam topping. Every Easter we do a special sweet, in Italy there was this very traditional Patiera Napoletana. In Ottawa an Italian deli and pastry shop made those on special orders. It was soooooo Good! Pastiera napoletana is a type of Neapolitan tart made with cooked wheat, eggs, ricotta cheese, and flavoured with orange flower water. You can make it at home if you want, but it is a lot of work.

So while making this sweet German braided bread I thought of the word Gemütlich 

Gemütlichkeit means a situation that induces a cheerful mood, peace of mind, with connotation of belonging and social acceptance, coziness and unhurry. This is what our Easter will be. Frankly looking at the results of our work (Willy and I) today I am in a very good mood.

The sweet German bread is far bigger than what I expected I would say double size of a normal loaf. It looks great, smells wonderful as it cooks. It also took me 3 hours to make because of the steps to let the dough rise. It’s all fun. It is something we would usually buy in a bakery but with the current crisis that is not possible so making it at home is so much more pleasant and guarantees good taste and no funny cut corners. Mr Willy helped me along, I had never made this recipe before and he is our bread maker in the family.

If you wish to try this recipe, here it is:

Cuisine: German

Author: Angela Schofield

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sour cream room temperature
• 2/3 cup luke warm milk
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1 cup hot water

Topping:

• 4 tbsp. milk plus 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup apricot jam
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

• Add the raisins into a small bowl and cover with hot water.
• Measure the sour cream and set out to reach room temperature.
• Add flour to a large bowl and form a well in the middle.
• Add yeast and about 2 tsp. sugar to the well.
• Warm the milk to luke warm and pour it into the well.
• Stir gently while incorporating some flour.
• Cover and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes.
• Add the oil, the rest of the sugar, the sour cream, and the lemon extract to the bowl and knead for about 5 min.
• Strain the raisins.
• Then add the salt and the raisins and knead for another 5 min.
• Cover and let rise in warm place for 60 minutes.
• Add the dough to a floured working space and form to an oblong loaf. Cut lengthwise into 3 pieces and braid.
• Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise for about 30 minutes.
• Mix the milk with the sugar and brush onto the loaf.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF and bake for about 20-25 minutes
• In the meantime, warm up the jam and spread onto the warm loaf.
• Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

The video can be found on YouTube, https://alltastesgerman.com/german-recipes/pastry/easter-bread/?unapproved=21359&moderation-hash=692351f19b7fe66495c6739b3d59561b#comment-21359

Not to be outdone, Will made these Scottish Pasties filled with beef, carrots, onions and peas. Delicious!!!

Tomorrow I may make my upside down common pear cake, a recipe I got from Ms Lori in Imoden, Arkansas.  I also want to go shopping before the crowds for our Easter Lunch. I got most everything but I simply do not want to go to the grocery crowds. We will also have to train both Nicky and Nora not to kill the Easter Bunny, hey they are Dachshunds and Nora is a tracking hunting dog with a long family pedigree in Italy. They cannot help themselves. Poor bunny would not stand a chance with their jaws of death. LOL!!!

Such a sweetie our Nora. 

A little recipe

Tags

cuisine, life, Recipe, salad, sardines

I found this recipe by Melissa Clark in the online version of The New York Times. It appeals to me by its simple elegance. This to me is living well.

Sardines and Celery: A Perfect Pairing

Sardines on toast — maybe drizzled with olive oil and topped with onions, or slathered with butter and rubbed with garlic — is always a sustaining meal. Especially now.

But what happens when I run out of bread? Or maybe, I had toast and jam for breakfast and want something a little lighter for lunch? Enter my crunchy sardine and celery salad, made from pantry items.

To make enough for one (and feel free to double or triple as you like), open a can of sardines, and take out the bones if that’s what you usually do. (I usually leave the bones in for extra crunch.) Put the fish on a plate.

Thinly slice a celery stalk or two, depending upon how large they are, and a scallion or half a small shallot (or a few slices of red onion) and put everything in a bowl. If there are celery leaves still attached, and if they look perky and fresh, chop those up and add them as well. You can also throw in some whole soft herb leaves. I’ve made this with parsley leaves and mint leaves in the past.

Toss celery with lemon or lime juice, a mild vinegar, such as cider, or a tiny bit of sherry vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper, and a grated garlic clove if you like. (I usually do.) Let it sit for a few minutes to let it all marinate.

If you want to add an egg to bulk this out and give it richness, go ahead and boil one up until jammy-yolked. I start mine in cold water, bring it to a full boil, then time it for 3 minutes and 45 seconds before transferring it to a cold water bath for 2 minutes. But use whatever egg technique you like. Peel and halve it.

Drizzle the sardines with good olive oil. (Be generous if they were water-packed.) Add the celery salad and drizzle with more oil and top with flaky salt. Add the egg halves to the plate. You can dust the top with red-pepper flakes or chile powder, if you like it spicy.