Dinner tonight - or last night.

I had a sandwich last night.

I was at an industry event at 360 at the top of the CN Tower.



http://www.cntower.ca/index.aspx

The food was awesome - lots of great little food stations. I sort of moved into the seafood station once I started into the raw oysters. Awesome oysters. Then smoked salmon, smoked eel ... ahhhhhhhh also a couple of spring rolls, pot stickers, bok choy, chicken satay ... lots of cranberry juice, no booze or dessert for me

wow! Some view, huh? I'd have to take a pair of binoculars to dinner with me!

It truly is awesome. Watching planes go by, little ferries going out to the islands, traffic on the expressways ... fabulous.

I loved the elevator ride - even with one of my colleagues holding onto me with her cold clammy hands on the ride up.

On the ride down, I made sure I was with a smaller group so I could me right up by the glass and also be able to look up through the glass roof at the innards of the elevator.

Always a good idea to skip the booze, there. Nothing quite like going to the ladies room and not being able to find your table later 'cause it moved

By chance, is that the voice of experience?

~~~

tonight, sandwiches with fancy Spanish style cold cuts from PC - with half-salt dills

for me tonight a tin of pineapple chunks in juice
a banana
green tea rice and grilled tomatoes

(no oil or garlic tonight - I'm rationing myself)

what's green tea rice? is it a sweet tea?

i just make Chinese green tea and pour it into a saucepan with the rice - cook as you normally would - i add black pepper and a bit of chopped ginger - sometimes a small chilli pepper

it's not really sweet but aromatic/refreshing

Doing the spinach ricotta tortes (pies) again, more ebulliantly (finished the last wedge of the older pies just this a.m.)

Spicy spinach ricotta tortes

Preheat oven @ 350.

ingredients
2 refrigerated pie crusts, room temperature
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
3 tbs olive oil
4-6 tinned anchovies
2 medium onions, chopped and 5 or 6 garlic cloves minced or chopped
healthy bunch of fresh spinach, bottom of stems chopped off, remaining stems chopped
1 teaspoon pepper
some green olives chopped
tablespoon or more of basil walnut garlic parmy pesto

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
8 ounce mozzarella cheese, grated or small diced, maybe more
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 large eggs, beaten to blend

preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Unfold pie crusts. Sprinkle flour over crust. Place crusts floured side down in 9-inch-diameter glass or ceramic pie dishes. Fold edges under and crimp decoratively.

Melt butter and olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies, schmushing them to mush if possible, onion, and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, saute some more. Mix in spinach stems, cook for a bit, then rest of spinach, and pepper. Sauté until all liquid from spinach evaporates. Add olives. (I am considering adding chopped pickled jalapenos - that or some pasilla chile.)

Combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in large bowl. Mix in eggs. Add spinach mixture; blend well.

Spoon cheese mixture into pie crusts. Bake until filling is set in center and brown on top, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut pie into wedges.

Meantime I'm getting hungry.

I'm going to try this, Endy.

Fancy spanish style cold cuts... (sick with jealousy).

from tonight's selection

(don't look here. These products are found through Canada's largest grocery chain. Not expensive. Very good quality. The concept was originally very loosely based on on Trader Joe's)

this collection's very nice as well





(the salami with proscuitto's as good as what the local Italian grocer offers)

and then there is



(as tasty as the label is pretty)


What I love is that these products have become so completely mainstream. Available in pretty much every armpit community in Canada.

hey Tai Chi - not trying to tell you how to cook rice or anything but I want it to be good for you and i've found this method works best ---

- how ever much washed rice (and i use basmalti -though i can't spell it)
you put in saucepan - add tea to about thumb width above rice level - bring all to boil and simmer with lid on (lowest heat) until all liquid appears gone (not long) - then turn off and leave without stirring for 15 -20 minutes with lid on. While you cook whatever you are having with it.
The rice will look like a hard lump but don't let it fool you - it will be okay (and stay warm).
Stir with wooden spatula just before you serve.

(grated root ginger is best with it, btw - add that, black pepper and small chilli at beginning )

Let me know what happens?

went for our morning swim and had b'fast (just coffee/muffin/croissant) at the "golden rooster" deli (brought home a few goodies) and did the weekend shopping and errands ; we didn't get home until 1 pm .
so mrs h took a big pot of soup out of thee freezer , made some meatballs to go into the pot , added some chinese dumplings and by the time the laundry was done we had lunch - simple but right for a dark and moody day !

Well it was raining last night, you see ... And it felt quite wintry for December. So I got it into my head that I needed fish n chips, to complete the wintry picture. That I wanted them, even. So I went out & got some. Big mistake! Felt terribly full & burpy & uncomfortable for the rest of the evening. Ack. Don't think I'll do that again for a while. <shudder>

dinner tonight?

homemade pizza

toppings-
yellow squash
baby sweet tomatoes
broccoli
cheese and orange bell pepper

crust- thin, handmade

Pizza? f-n awesome

I shoulda done that instead!

I cook basmati rice too, Endy, so I should manage okay. The Mr. is doing most of the cooking for the next little while, but I'll let you know when I try it.