...that's all.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Anne's Carrot Curry Salad
I've been in a bit of a cooking funk lately. I end up cooking the same things over and over, and now I want a bit of change. I thought a salad might be nice, but having no lettuce made that a bit difficult. I had some carrots and raisins, and thought a carrot-raisin salad might be nice. Looking at a few different recipes, I noticed that carrot-raisin salad is carrots, raisins and miracle whip (or mayonnaise). I was not in the mood for a creamy salad, so I just looked up different carrot salads. I found a few that sounded interesting, and realizing that they were essentially carrots with a vinaigrette, I combined a bunch of ideas to make my own carrot curry salad.
The curry adds warmth to an otherwise cool salad. Although I have not tried so myself, you could probably omit the curry or substitute your favourite spice for it, such as cumin or coriander. Or, omit the dried seasonings and add fresh parsley or cilantro. Play! The honey could probably be omitted or substituted with sugar substitute if desired. This salad also tastes better when it has a chance to sit for a couple of hours or so before serving.
Anne's Carrot Curry Salad
Serves ~10 -- 1/2 cup servings(I'm guessing; it makes a good amount)
1 cup (or so) boiling water
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 pecans, broken (and toasted and cooled if you wish)
juice of 2 lemons, strained of pits (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup neutral flavoured oil (like corn or canola)
3/4 teaspoon mild curry powder
2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
pinch of salt
pepper
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (get use out of that food processor now!)
2 small apples, cored, unpeeled and coarsely grated
Toast pecans (if you are doing that) and set aside to cool. Put the raisins in the boiling water and set aside for about 5-10 minutes.
Combine lemon juice, oil, curry powder, honey, salt, pepper and cayenne in a small dish or blender. Using blender or immersion hand blender, emulsify the dressing. Taste, adjust seasonings and set aside.
In a large bowl, put in carrots, apples, and pecans. Drain raisins and add to bowl (they don't have to be really dry, just drained is ok). Add dressing and stir well. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Can be served cool or at room temperature.
This salad is yummy! I even had some for breakfast the next day!
The curry adds warmth to an otherwise cool salad. Although I have not tried so myself, you could probably omit the curry or substitute your favourite spice for it, such as cumin or coriander. Or, omit the dried seasonings and add fresh parsley or cilantro. Play! The honey could probably be omitted or substituted with sugar substitute if desired. This salad also tastes better when it has a chance to sit for a couple of hours or so before serving.
Anne's Carrot Curry Salad
Serves ~10 -- 1/2 cup servings(I'm guessing; it makes a good amount)
1 cup (or so) boiling water
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 pecans, broken (and toasted and cooled if you wish)
juice of 2 lemons, strained of pits (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup neutral flavoured oil (like corn or canola)
3/4 teaspoon mild curry powder
2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
pinch of salt
pepper
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (get use out of that food processor now!)
2 small apples, cored, unpeeled and coarsely grated
Toast pecans (if you are doing that) and set aside to cool. Put the raisins in the boiling water and set aside for about 5-10 minutes.
Combine lemon juice, oil, curry powder, honey, salt, pepper and cayenne in a small dish or blender. Using blender or immersion hand blender, emulsify the dressing. Taste, adjust seasonings and set aside.
In a large bowl, put in carrots, apples, and pecans. Drain raisins and add to bowl (they don't have to be really dry, just drained is ok). Add dressing and stir well. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Can be served cool or at room temperature.
This salad is yummy! I even had some for breakfast the next day!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
I made Vanilla Extract!
Super easy and super delicious; the only thing it takes is time to steep. Recipe is from "The Ice Creamery" in London, Ontario.
Vanilla Extract
5 vanilla beans, split and chopped (I also scraped the seeds out too and added them)
2 cups vodka
3 tbs. sugar
Combine all ingredients in a mason jar. Let sit for one month, shaking weekly, in a cool, dark place. Strain and bottle. I personally left the vanilla bean bits in the jar and just use the extract.
This is much cheaper than buying pure vanilla extract at the store!
Vanilla Extract
5 vanilla beans, split and chopped (I also scraped the seeds out too and added them)
2 cups vodka
3 tbs. sugar
Combine all ingredients in a mason jar. Let sit for one month, shaking weekly, in a cool, dark place. Strain and bottle. I personally left the vanilla bean bits in the jar and just use the extract.
This is much cheaper than buying pure vanilla extract at the store!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Geeky video
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen as done by computer hardware!
From the creator:
No effects or sampling were used. What you see is what you hear (does that even make sense?)
Atari 800XL was used for the lead piano/organ sound
Texas Instruments TI-99/4a as lead guitar
8 Inch Floppy Disk as Bass
3.5 inch Harddrive as the gong
HP ScanJet 3C was used for all vocals. Please note I had to record the HP scanner 4 seperate times for each voice
From the creator:
No effects or sampling were used. What you see is what you hear (does that even make sense?)
Atari 800XL was used for the lead piano/organ sound
Texas Instruments TI-99/4a as lead guitar
8 Inch Floppy Disk as Bass
3.5 inch Harddrive as the gong
HP ScanJet 3C was used for all vocals. Please note I had to record the HP scanner 4 seperate times for each voice
Friday, May 08, 2009
Madeline Kahn in History of the World by Mel Brooks
I have had this scene in my head for a while, and it always makes me laugh. Totally not PC, but very funny! NSFW
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Geocaching!
So, hubby and I have started geocaching! So what is geocaching, you ask? Well, it is kind of like a combination of orienteering (if you remember doing that in grade school) and a treasure hunt. A small "cache" is hidden, and the only way to find it is by using a gps. On the website above, people give coordinates and say what kind of cache they have hid, and you go off and find it.
You're probably saying: "That sounds boring." Well it is not! First off, you get to travel and see places you may never have gotten to on your own, if you even you had found out about them. Next, finding the cache can be challenging as it can be as small as a container the size of two pencil erasers, or as big as a tupperware container. GPS receivers are not super accurate, so a little hunting around the coordinates is required. In the cache is, at a bare minimum, a "log book" where you write your name (geocaching name if you want). The log book can be a skinny piece of paper or an actual pad of paper. If the cache is big, there can be other things like a writing instrument (to write in the log book), or other cool little treasures like stickers, pins or marbles. The other stuff is on an honour system; if you take something, you leave something. So far, we have not taken anything, only because we keep forgetting to get stuff to put in! The people who create each cache also hide it so it is not just "drive to the location and find it". Some caches have been quite tricky; others very creative. There is really few limits to geocaching!
You're probably saying: "That sounds boring." Well it is not! First off, you get to travel and see places you may never have gotten to on your own, if you even you had found out about them. Next, finding the cache can be challenging as it can be as small as a container the size of two pencil erasers, or as big as a tupperware container. GPS receivers are not super accurate, so a little hunting around the coordinates is required. In the cache is, at a bare minimum, a "log book" where you write your name (geocaching name if you want). The log book can be a skinny piece of paper or an actual pad of paper. If the cache is big, there can be other things like a writing instrument (to write in the log book), or other cool little treasures like stickers, pins or marbles. The other stuff is on an honour system; if you take something, you leave something. So far, we have not taken anything, only because we keep forgetting to get stuff to put in! The people who create each cache also hide it so it is not just "drive to the location and find it". Some caches have been quite tricky; others very creative. There is really few limits to geocaching!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
More pics of Molly...
I think these pictures show more of Molly's personality than the first ones....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
