Weezer

i'm traveling back through time, this was a summer anthem in...2000? 2001?.

i dare you not to sing along.

robert pickton makes the mainstream.

a few nights ago on tv, one of the CSI characters mentioned reading about 'this guy in canada who fed a bunch of women to his pigs' hence why he needed to search a pig sty.

it made me homesick.

is that wrong?

recipe of the week: lamb kabobs with couscous

warning to the vegetarians, look away for the last part of the recipe.

yogurt dip

1/2C plain yogurt
1/2C sour cream
1 fresh lemon or lime zested and juiced
1T chopped fresh mint leaves
1T chopped fresh dill

combine all ingredients in a small bowl well in advance to allow flavours to mingle. refrigerate until ready to serve.

roasted vegetable couscous

i didn't actually have a recipe so i don't know the quantities.

1 large courgette, chopped
hand full of sugar snap peas
bag of pea shoots
hand full dried apricots, chopped
couscous (follow quantity direction on the packet)
vegetable stock
morrocan spices (i got them off a stall in marakesh and cannot say what the blend is, sorry)

bring stock to the boil, add spices to dry couscous and pour boiling stock over the grains, cover and let stand for 5 mins.
roast courgette and peas in the oven until desired tenderness is acheived.
fluff the couscous and continue to mix occassionally to cool down the grains.
add the apricots and roasted veg. when the couscous has cooled add the pea shoots (as you don't want them to wilt).

lamb kabobs

1 lemon zested and juiced
1 lime zested and juiced
1/4C chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3T chopped fresh mint leaves
2t salt
1t ground cumin
1t paprika
1t freshly ground black pepper
1/4C olive oil
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless leg or shoulder of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes with some of the fat attached

8 - 10 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 1 hour before use.

marinate all of the above for 2-4 hours.
skewer meat onto bamboo and grill/bbq/griddle on high for 10-15 mins.

assemble everything onto the plate, serve with warmed pita and enjoy the tastes of marrakesh.

happy solstice

i think i'm getting too old to be staying up all night or getting up in the middle of the night for a sunrise.

alex and i didn't venture to stonehenge this year, we stayed closer to home and went up to primrose hill. it has some lovely views of london.

sunrise was very nice, there are some flickr pictures up if you want to have a little looksie.

the weather is great for the longest day of the year and all i want to do is go back to bed.

i hope the sun is shining on all of you.

recipe of the week: hungarian paprika chicken with spaetzle

this is a little labour intensive but so very worth it.

spaetzle
1C plus 2T all-purpose flour
1 3/4t salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3C whole milk
1t vegetable oil
medium sized colander (or spaetzle maker)
1T unsalted butter
1T chopped parsley
1/2t fresh lemon juice

boil a large pot of water and prepare an ice bath in a separate large pot.
mix flour and salt in one bowl; mix eggs, milk and oil in a separate bowl.
whisk dry and wet ingredients together until smooth.
place colander over the boiling water and pour half the batter through, forcing batter with a spatula where necessary.
boil dumplings until cooked, about 5 mins.
remove spaetzle with a slotted spoon and place into the ice bath.
drain all of the cooked spaetzle and set aside for up to 2 hours.

when you're ready with the rest of dinner....

melt butter in a fry pan.
add spaetzle when butter is frothy and warm through.
add lemon juice and parsley and continue cooking for a few minutes.
dish up and pour chicken over the top.

hungarian paprika chicken
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3T sweet hungarian paprika
2t hot hungarian paprika
1t salt, plus 1/2 t
3T butter
2t minced garlic
1T tomato puree
1 to 1 1/2C chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream

coat chicken in 2T sweet paprika, 1t hot paprika and 1t salt.
melt butter in large pan and fry remaining 1T sweet paprika, 1t hot paprika and 1/2t salt for 2 mins.
add garlic and cook for 30 seconds and then add chicken; frying until sealed, about 4 mins.
add enough stock to just cover the chicken, bring to the boil, cover, turn down the heat and simmer for 10-15 mins.
uncover and simmer until the chicken is cooked and almost all the liquid has evaporated and slightly thickened (another 10-15 mins or so).
stir in the sour cream and heat through.
serve over spaetzle.

go london!

i'm jumping on the blog bandwagon to heap scorn on the new 400, 000 pound london 2012 olympic logo.

lisa simpson giving a blow job.

the people behind it have already had to alter the tv spots because it caused epileptic fits.

graham norton showed me on thursday how you could use the logo as a tangram and create a dog chasing ducks or t-rex having a poo.

amusing.

Skoda cake advert

i know this is advertising an evil petrol consuming car and i really shouldn't condone it...but this is one of the best adverts on the telly right now. watch for the jelly wobble...