A Life, Lived

Which Machine Are You Confortable With

My idea of exercise . . .

Parmesan Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Our CSA has been bringing us lots of cabbage lately.

I was getting a bit bored of the same old ways of using it up.

I decided I'd try roasted some to see if cabbages developed the same mellow sweetness that s many other veggies develop when roasted. I googled and discovered this recipe.

Parmesan Roasted Cabbage Wedges elevates humble cabbage to rock star status! It’s is a dish suited for your finest dinner party and it’s so easy to make!

Parmesan Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Non-stick cooking spray
1/2 medium head of green cabbage, cut into 4 wedges
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more shaved into "shards" for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray.

Season melted butter with salt and black pepper to taste.

Brush butter over the cut side of cabbage wedges.

Coat both of the cut sides of each cabbage wedge with the Parmesan cheese and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully flip and bake 10-15 minutes more. Drizzle any browned butter back over the cabbage. Top with additional shaved Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Turkey Soup

Our American friends will be recognizing Thanksgiving shortly.

That means plenty of turkey leftovers to deal with.

This recipe for leftover turkey soup is perfect for the day after Thanksgiving, and it’s made entirely in the Instant Pot! If you’re looking for easy Instant Pot recipes to make with your Thanksgiving leftovers, you’ll love this easy pressure cooker turkey soup recipe.

If you want to make turkey noodle soup as we did, throw in some uncooked egg noodles after pressure cooking, and boil on the saute setting until they’re done.

Turkey Soup

1 cup baby carrots, sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence seasoning
additional salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups turkey stock (bone broth)
1/4 cup water

Hit SAUTE on Instant Pot, and when it reads, Hot, add the olive oil, carrots, celery and onion, and cook until slightly soft.

Hit CANCEL to turn pot off, then add cooked turkey, turkey stock, water, salt, pepper and herbes de Provence.

Place lid on Instant Pot, turn vent to Sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes.

Pot will take several minutes to reach pressure, then begin counting down and cook for 5 minutes and beep when done. Allow a 5 minute natural release (or longer) and do quick release for remaining pressure.

When pin drops, remove lid, and stir. If you want to add noodles, add 2 cups uncooked egg noodles, hit CANCEL, then hit SAUTE, and cook until noodles are done.  You can also cook noodles separately and serve with soup.

Travel Tuesday - Venice

The shots of the flooding in Venice have been heartbreaking.

For travel Tuesday this week I'm heading to Venice. When we were first in the city we experience a bit of Aqua Alta but nothing like the city has been experiencing this week.

Instant Gratification

This is my type of running . . .

Travel Tuesdays - Berlin

On November 9 the world marked 30 years since the fall of the Berlin wall. Of course I'm heading to Berlin for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays and a few shots of the wall.

Lest We Forget

 

The celebration of Remembreance Day will have new meaning in Canada today with two soldiers having been killed on Canadian soil recently.

1. Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth. It was originally called “Armistice Day” to commemorate armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.—on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
2. From 1921 to 1930, Armistice Day was held on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. In 1931, Alan Neill, Member of Parliament for Comox–Alberni, introduced a bill to observe Armistice Day only on November 11. Passed by the House of Commons, the bill also changed the name to “Remembrance Day”. The first Remembrance Day was observed on November 11, 1931.
3. Every year on November 11, Canadians pause in a moment of silence to honour and remember the men and women who have served, and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict and peace. We remember the more than 1,500,000 Canadians who have served throughout our nation’s history and the more than 118,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice.
4. The poppy is the symbol of Remembrance Day. Replica poppies are sold by the Royal Canadian Legion to provide assistance to Veterans.
5. Remembrance Day is a federal statutory holiday in Canada. It is also a statutory holiday in three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut) and in six provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador).
6. The national ceremony is held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The Governor General of Canada presides over the ceremony. It is also attended by the Prime Minister, other government officials, representatives of Veterans’ organizations, diplomatic representatives, other dignitaries, Veterans as well as the general public.
7. In advance of the ceremony, long columns of Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members, RCMP officers, and cadets march to the memorial lead by a pipe band and a colour guard. At the end of the ceremony, they march away to officially close the ceremony.
8. Some of the 54 Commonwealth member states, such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, observe the tradition of Remembrance Day on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Other nations observe a solemn day but at different dates. For example, ANZAC Day is observed in New Zealand on April 25. In South Africa, Poppy Day is marked on the Sunday that falls closest to November 11.
9. Many nations that are not members of the Commonwealth also observe Remembrance Day on November 11, including France, Belgium and Poland.
10. The United States used to commemorate Armistice Day on November 11. However, in 1954 they changed the name to Veterans Day.

The celebration of Remembreance Day will have new meaning in Canada today with two soldiers having been killed on Canadian soil recently.

1. Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth. It was originally called “Armistice Day” to commemorate armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.—on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
2. From 1921 to 1930, Armistice Day was held on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. In 1931, Alan Neill, Member of Parliament for Comox–Alberni, introduced a bill to observe Armistice Day only on November 11. Passed by the House of Commons, the bill also changed the name to “Remembrance Day”. The first Remembrance Day was observed on November 11, 1931.
3. Every year on November 11, Canadians pause in a moment of silence to honour and remember the men and women who have served, and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict and peace. We remember the more than 1,500,000 Canadians who have served throughout our nation’s history and the more than 118,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice.
4. The poppy is the symbol of Remembrance Day. Replica poppies are sold by the Royal Canadian Legion to provide assistance to Veterans.
5. Remembrance Day is a federal statutory holiday in Canada. It is also a statutory holiday in three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut) and in six provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador).
6. The national ceremony is held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The Governor General of Canada presides over the ceremony. It is also attended by the Prime Minister, other government officials, representatives of Veterans’ organizations, diplomatic representatives, other dignitaries, Veterans as well as the general public.
7. In advance of the ceremony, long columns of Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members, RCMP officers, and cadets march to the memorial lead by a pipe band and a colour guard. At the end of the ceremony, they march away to officially close the ceremony.
8. Some of the 54 Commonwealth member states, such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, observe the tradition of Remembrance Day on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Other nations observe a solemn day but at different dates. For example, ANZAC Day is observed in New Zealand on April 25. In South Africa, Poppy Day is marked on the Sunday that falls closest to November 11.
9. Many nations that are not members of the Commonwealth also observe Remembrance Day on November 11, including France, Belgium and Poland.
10. The United States used to commemorate Armistice Day on November 11. However, in 1954 they changed the name to Veterans Day.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

We are supposed to get walloped with snow tomorrow. That means that soup weather has officially arrive. You know what I mean . . . as soon as the temperature drops, the weather turns cruel you seem to crave a pot of soup on the stove.

In this case the sup was in the Instant Pot but it really is the same sort of thing. Except this took about 30 minutes to cook from start to finish.

The result was amazing - the perfect subtle blend of flavours.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 granny smith apples, cored and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground coriander
4 cups vegetable broth or water (or combo of both)
salt and pepper, to taste

Set the Instant Pot to "sauté". Add the olive oil and onion to the pot, stirring until soft and browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute.

Press “cancel” to turn off the Instant Pot. Add the remaining ingredients into the pot (except the optional topping).

Season generously with salt and pepper. Give the ingredients a good stir to distribute throughout the pot.

Seal the Instant Pot and cook at high pressure (“manual”/"pressure cook" function) for 8 minutes. After the soup is ready, allow natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes before a quick pressure release to completely depressurize (until floating valve drops).

Open the Instant Pot and give the soup another stir.

Using an immersion blender (or in my case a regular blender), blend the soup until it is completely smooth.

Taste for additional salt and pepper (or other seasonings) and top with diced apples if you like. Enjoy.

Winter

We had the first dusting of snow today. Of course, everyone is reacting as if it is this . . .