A Life, Lived

Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream

Oh my - we went from spring to the depth of summer in one day! It was so humid out today that seniors were warned to stay in out of the heat - last night, when we were out for dinner in Toronto, I wished that I had had a jacket! What a difference a day can make.

In weather like this I favour meals that are fresh, quick to prepare, and pack a wallop of taste.

Like these tacos, which I actually made two weeks ago. They have the prerequisite fresh ingredients. They are quick. They taste darn good. Yes, today would have been a great day for them (although the grilled flank steak with gorgonzola sauce, spinach, and couscous that we actually enjoyed for dinner was just fine as well).

This recipe was in the May edition of Cooking Light. It claims that they can be ready in 20 minutes, I'm pretty adept in the kitchen but it was more like 30 for me so I question that 20 minute time suggestion. You'll note that I used flour tortillas - corn tortillas are almost impossible to find here in Ontario (although I later found three packages in the freezer which I had bought in the US - sigh)

If you're in the mood for a quick, fresh tasting meal this might be the one for you.

Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
3/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Cooking spray
1/8 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, diced
2 cups packaged angel hair slaw
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with chile powder, garlic salt, and cumin. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove chicken from pan.

Combine rind, 1 tablespoon juice, and next 3 ingredients (through avocado) in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon juice, slaw, onions, cilantro, oil, and salt, tossing to coat.

Heat tortillas according to directions. Divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas. Top each tortilla with about 1 tablespoon avocado mixture and 1/4 cup slaw mixture.

Oprahgeddon

As what must certainly be the entire planet knows Oprah Winfrey aired her last show last week. I love this spoof from the Upright Citizens Brigade showing he wasteland that awaits in the post Oprah workd . . .

Linguine with Roasted Asparagus and Almond Pesto

It's been awhile since I posted a pasta recipe on the blog. When I saw this one posted in Fine Cooking I immediately started to crave it - the thought of the bright emerald asparagus pesto was all it took to place this on the menu. When I whipped this up there was no local asparagus in the market - things seem to be about 3 weeks behind here. However, I found some from the US that looked good.

Although you might think so at first glance this is a quick recipe to pull together - I arrived home from the office and had the pesto made before Paul came home. when he arrived I cooked the pasta (I used whole grain pasta) and by the time he had made a delicious salad we were enjoying our dinner.

We both loved this - appareciating the fresh and intense flavours that you get from roasting veggies and letting their natural goodness shine through in the dish. I can't wait to make this again with the fresh Ontario asparagus that is just starting to hit the markets now.

Linguine with Roasted Asparagus and Almond Pesto

Kosher salt
3/4 lb. asparagus, trimmed
2 cups grape tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
2 Tbs. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 lb. dried linguine
Freshly ground black pepper

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.

Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on one half of a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the tomatoes on the other half of the sheet. Drizzle both with 1 Tbs. of the oil, season with 1/4 tsp. salt, and toss to coat. Roast on the top rack until the tomatoes have collapsed and the asparagus are bright green, about 20 minutes.

While the vegetables roast, put the almonds on another rimmed baking sheet and toast on the bottom rack, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.

Reserve 1 heaping Tbs. of the almonds for garnish and put the remaining almonds in a food processor. Remove the tips from the asparagus and set aside. Roughly chop the remaining asparagus and add to the food processor along with the basil, cheese, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil. Pulse until a coarse paste forms, about 10 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Cook the linguine in the boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat. If necessary, add some or all of the reserved cooking water to loosen the pesto to a saucy consistency. Garnish with the tomatoes, asparagus tips, and reserved almonds, and serve.

Photo Hunt - Looking Down

This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'looking down'. Now this is a hunt for which I have a wealth of material! I travel a good deal and whenever I do if there is a tower, Church, look out, hill, or building to climb I take advantage of the opportunity to do so. I guess that like that vantage point.

The symbol of Bologna, Italy is the two medieval towers still standing in the historic core.

 

Torre Degli Asinelli is the highest of the two. An emblematic symbol of the 'towered city', it lofts 97 metres (107 yards) into the sky. Its 498 steps take you to the very top, from where you can enjoy stunning views.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Prosciutto Sandwich

I whipped this up for a quick lunch on Sunday. I bet you have most of these ingredients on hand and could whip up this tasty treat in a snap as well. Five ingredients - bread, asparagus, goat cheese, prosciutto, cracked pepper.

Done!

Happy!

A variation would be to add arugula and a drizzle of  good olive oil.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Prosciutto Sandwich

bread (I used a baguette but you really could use anything)
left over cooked asparagus (mine was grilled)
goat cheese (chevre)
sliced prosciutto
freshly cracked pepper

If using a baguette of roll, slice it in half.

Layer the prosciutto on the bottom half.

Layer some goat cheese on top of the prosciutto.

Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Arrange the cooked asparagus on top of the goat cheese.

Cover with other half of the baguette.

Wrap in foil.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes (to warm the sandwich through and slightly melt the cheese). You could also do this in a panini press.

Senior Texting Codes

 
My friend Judy Witts Francini posted this on facebook last night and it made me chuckle this morning . . . . making it  a perfect blog post for today!

With more than 82 million people texting regularly, it's no wonder you've seen these cryptic looking codes!  I know that there have been times when unusual words or abbreviated words appeared in e-mails and I wondered what they meant.

Commonly used wherever people get online -- including IMing, SMSing, cell phones, Blackberries, PDAs, Web sites, games, newsgroup postings, in chat rooms, on blogs -- these abbreviations are used by people to communicate with each other.

Of course, most folks using these text codes are young  . . . but with more and more seniors entering into the world of technology perhaps a new set of codes is needed . . .

SENIOR TEXTING CODES:

ATD -at the doctor

BFF -best friend fell

BTW -bring the wheelchair

BYOT -bring your own teeth

FWIW -forgot where I was

GGPBL -gotta go, pace maker battery low

GHA -got heartburn again

IMHAO -is my hearing aid on

LMDO -laughing my dentures out

OMMR -on my massage… recliner

ROFLACGU -rolling on floor laughing and can't get up

TTYL -talk to you louder

Out of the Office

One of my big programs for the year is taking place this week in beautiful Port Elgin. This is the fifth year that the leadership program has run and every year while we change things up but some things always remain the same.

There will be fabulous sunsets. Laughter around the bonfire. Giggles at karaoke. Morning walks along the beach. Lots of learnning. Great food.

It promises to be a crazy, hectic week. If things go as usual I should get as much sleep in three nights as I might normally have in 1!

Happy Anniversary

Our anniversary was on the 18th but with our crazy schedules lately we didn't have time to celebrate it until last night.  We had planned on a nice quiet dinner on the patio but a sudden rain arrived so we had to move things inside.

First up was a strawberry balsamic martini . . .

 
which we enjoyed with grilled perogies and mini grilled smoked sausages.

 
The main course was a stuffed pork loin roast which had been slowly grilled/smoked with apple wood. It was served with grilled asparagus and fingerling potatoes.

Paul also made a wonderful tossed salad with this (he really is the salad king) but I neglected to get a picture of this.

 
Dessert changed over the course of the weekend. I was going to make a strawberry rhubarb galette but when we looked at the cook book produced by the Good Earth Cooking School and Winery we saw a recipe that called out to be made. Instead of the galette we had vanilla bean panna cotta with candied rhubarb. YUM It was brilliant - easy to make and great flavour. . . a perfect finish to a spring dinner.

 
Of course, we weren't done yet . . . there were gifts to finish up the celebration!

 
My goodness . . . 13 years just flies by when you having fun!

Sue-Ann Staff Winery

 
Yesterday was our second annual Mother's day trip to Niagara. Now lest you feel the need to remind me that Mother's Day was actually two weeks ago move on. We were away on Mother's Day so we had a belated celebration. It worked out well though because my sister is visiting so she was able to join us.

The day started out crummy weatherwise but mid-way through the sun came out, a gentle breeze blew through the vineyards, and all was good with the world. It was a full day - combining four wineries, a stop at a cheese maker, a lavender farm visit, lunch at our favourite restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake, an impromptu visit to our favourite bakery, and a stop at the Niagara College greenhouses where we picked up some great baskets. WHEW

When I was selecting the wineries to visit I wanted to pick ones that I knew mom had not been to before . . . one winery was a large production (Tawse - voted the best winery in Canada in 2010), one mid-sized (Lailey), and two smaller, newer producers (The Good Earth and Sue-Ann Staff). We were quite happy with all four - even better that we were able to avoid the 'tour bus wineries' where hoardes of people descend, sip, and drive away, all in a matter of minutes.

Sue-Ann Staff is a multi-award winning winemaker producing wines on her family's 200 year old estate in Jordan on the escarpment's brow.  All wines produced originate from the family vineyard.  When you visit Sue-Ann invites you into her home where you can taste the wines from the Staff vineyards - a truly personal experience.

Winemaking has been a life-long ambition of Sue-Ann’s having stemmed from a family background in viticulture spanning five generations in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula and encompassing no less than two “Grape King” titles.

After her formal education in winemaking from the renowned University of Adelaide, South Australia and several vintages abroad, Sue-Ann has become one of Canada’s top winemakers by winning over 450 national and international wine awards. She was acclaimed as “2002 Winemaker of the Year” by the Ontario Wine Society and one of the top four “Women in Wine” in the world by the International Wine and Spirits Awards of London, England twice.

Staff is busy - not only is she the winemaker at her winery but she is also the winemaster for John Howard Cellars of Distinction producing the Megalomaniac brand in Vineland, Ontario. On top of this she has been known to consult on winemaking projects throughout Canada and around the world.

The Staff vineyards are located on the brow of the Niagara Escarpment (you know you've arrived when you spy the large white house with the distinctive red 'S' mailbox with a full bunch of grapes dangling from the centre) in front.

The lands fall into two coveted sub-appellations — the 20 Mile Bench and Vinemount Ridge, home of some of Niagara’s finest Riesling vineyards. Staff says the clay soils with escarpment rock not far beneath contribute to the production of small berry single-vineyard premium wines with hallmark minerality, intensity, and longevity.

 
As tempting as it is to just hang out and enjoy the lovely bucolic surroundings you'll want to pop into the Staff house where you'll likely meet Sue-Ann and her giant dog Brix. There are three varietals available for tasting - Rieslings (which will likely be the centrepiece of the winery), Pinot Grigio (happily not the ghastly weak Pinot Grigios that we have come to know in North America but the more flavourful full-bodied whites that the Italians seem to keep forthemselves!), and a deliciously jammy Baco Noir (which I believe will eventually be the hallmark red grape varietal in Niagara). There are also two ice wines that we didn't try.

What we did try we LOVED! We ended up buying a case of wine - 8 Pinot Grigios (our new summer sipping wine), 2 Robert Block Riesling, and 2 of the Baco Noir.

It's funny how our wine buying has changed- a couple of years ago a bottle of white would never find its way into the case . . . now . . .

Staff Wines
3210 Staff Avenue, (Map)
Jordan, Ontario
1-905-562-1719

The Armageddon bust . . .

If you’re reading this, chances are Harold Camping was wrong.

Camping is the U.S. radio evangelist who predicted that the apocalypse would rain destruction on the earth upon Saturday, May 21. The prophecy led followers to quit their jobs, give away possessions and — in the extreme case of retired transit engineer Robert Fitzpatrick of Staten Island — even spend their retirement savings trying to warn others.

Then there was Keith Bauer — who hopped in his minivan in Maryland and drove his family 3,000 miles to California for the Rapture.

The Internet was alive with discussion, humorous or not, about the end of the world and its apparent failure to occur on cue. Many tweets declared Mr. Camping's prediction a dud or shared, tongue-in-cheek, their relief at not having to do weekend chores or take a shower.

The top trends on Twitter at midday included, at No. 1, “endofworldconfessions,” followed by “myraptureplaylist.”

Today people might be coming to grips with those same confessions now that the world hasn't ended and they go on living amongst those who are now aware of said confessional activities.

The mind is boogled. It is.

Yesterday, as 6 p.m. approached in California, some 100 people gathered outside Family Radio International headquarters in Oakland, although it appeared none of the believers of the prophesy were among them. Mr. Camping's radio stations, TV channels, satellite broadcasts and website are controlled from a modest building sandwiched between an auto shop and a palm reader's business.

Hmmmm

Today, however, there will be questions. What will Camping and Co. do now that it’s May 22? Will there be a believer’s brunch, where the faithful drown their disappointment in pancakes and Bloody Caesars? After a Saturday spent drunk on anticipation, after all, Sunday morning could bring a nasty hangover.