Lolo's Testing

OMG, OMG, OMG.
Lolo you are amazing!!
Sweat and Sour tofu is so good.
Crispy, tasty and my god, awesome.
So good my mother (pickier than a 4 year old) ate tofu and lots of it!




Go out and buy her cook book the moment it comes out.

Y-U-M

**Sorry all my photos are blurry and the rest was eaten too fast for seconds.

Mother's Day

Happy mothers day everyone!

The day is still young but I just had to post these right away.
Lolo's Tester Cranberry Lemon Muffins !

These are amazing muffins, and they just came out of the oven for mother's day.
Needless to say my picky mother loved them and now our house smells like delightfull lemon goodness.





Thanks Lolo!
(Sorry I can't share the recipe, top secrete tester thing ;) )

BackLoged

FOOD PORN!!















FOOD PORN!!

**More backloged Porn to come, but I have to at least pretend to do homework.

Cooking aside

A responce I sent out in reply to a letter from iceland assuring me of their concern for proper whaling etc.

I thank you for your reply.

However, where I come from life, if it lives in breathes, is more than a simple "resource".

He or she becomes a someone, and their deaths, if intentional, become murder.

And there is nothing sustainable about murder.

Your country has indeed made many great innovations to marine maintenance and you have certainly been making progress. However, if one wishes to attain sustainability and to preserve our waters and marine life. It becomes a question not of how many steps you've taken in the past or legalities, but how many miles you continue to walk and the lives you wish to save for future generations.

Please reconsider and take a stance against this bloody act.

Thank you once again for your time and reply

Sincerely,

Amanda Dickie

Rothesay High School

Grade 12

Letter I received:
Thank you for your correspondence concerning Iceland’s policy on whaling.

I wish to assure you that Iceland has no intention of catching any of the endangered species of whales, killed on a large scale by other whaling nations in the past. Iceland’s resumption of sustainable whaling only involves abundant stocks and is linked to Iceland’s overall policy of sustainable utilisation of marine resources.

Several countries catch whales, most of them on a much bigger scale than Iceland. The biggest whaling countries among the members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) are the United States, Russia, Norway, Japan and Greenland. The whaling operations practiced by all those countries, as well as Iceland, are sustainable and legal and in accordance with the rules of the IWC.

Iceland fully appreciates the need for careful conservation of marine resources. Our economy depends on those resources as marine products constitute around 60% of Iceland’s revenue from exported goods and almost 40% of all Icelandic exported goods and services. Disruption of the ecological balance in Icelandic waters due to overfishing or other reasons could have catastrophic consequences for the livelihood of Icelanders.

As you may know, Iceland was among the first countries in the world to extend its fishery limits to 200 nautical miles in the year 1975, in order to put an end to the uncontrolled fishing around Iceland by trawlers from other countries. Since then Iceland has taken great care in maintaining balanced and sustainable fishing in Icelandic waters by enforcing an effective management system for various fish species including cod, herring and capelin.

Iceland takes pride in its pioneering work in this field, which has been emulated by many countries in the world wishing to avoid unsustainable practices. The annual catch quotas for fishing and whaling are based on recommendations by scientists, who regularly monitor the status of the stocks, thus ensuring that the activity is sustainable.

For a number of years, Iceland has acknowledged the need for scientific research on whales to gain a better understanding of the interaction between the different whale stocks and other marine species and the role of whales in the marine ecosystem. Therefore, Iceland began implementing a research plan on minke whales in 2003. So far, 161 minke whales have been taken and we look forward to the completion of the research plan in 2007 when the sample size of 200 minke whales has been obtained. Whaling quotas will take into account the number of whales that are taken in the implementation of the research plan, ensuring that the total number remains well below sustainable levels.

There are many different whale species and stocks in the world's oceans. Some are in a poor state and in need of protection. However, many whale populations are far from being threatened or endangered. The total stock size of Central North-Atlantic minke whales, for example, is close to 70,000 animals. Of those, around 43,600 live in Icelandic coastal waters. Fin whales in the Central North Atlantic number around 25,800 animals. Both estimates have been agreed by consensus by the Scientific Committees of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the North-Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO).

Iceland’s decision to resume sustainable whaling involves takes of 30 minke whales and nine fin whales, during the current fishing year which ends on 31 August 2007. This will bring the total catches of minke whales in Icelandic waters during this fishing year to 69, including the minke whales taken in completing the research plan. These takes equal less than 0.2% of the number of minke whales in Icelandic coastal waters, an even smaller fraction of the total stock, and less than 0.04% of fin whales in the Central North Atlantic. Both are considered to be close to pre-exploitation levels and estimated sustainable annual catch levels are 200 and 400 fin and minke whales respectively. As the catch limits now issued are much lower, the catches will not have a significant impact on whale stocks. A responsible management system will ensure that the catch quotas set will not be exceeded. The catches are clearly sustainable and therefore consistent with the principle of sustainable development.

Iceland’s resumption of sustainable whaling is legal under international law. At the time of the re-entry of Iceland into the IWC, Iceland made a reservation with respect to the so-called moratorium on commercial whaling. As a part of that reservation, Iceland committed itself not to authorise commercial whaling before 2006 and thereafter not to authorise such whaling while progress was being made in negotiating the IWC’s Revised Management Scheme (RMS), a management framework for commercial whaling.

At the IWC’s Annual Meeting in 2005, Iceland went on record expressing its regret that no progress was being made in the RMS discussions. At this year’s IWC Annual Meeting, Iceland’s judgement of the situation was reconfirmed as the IWC generally agreed that talks on an RMS had reached an impasse. As a result, Iceland’s reservation has taken effect. Therefore, Iceland is no longer bound by the so-called moratorium on commercial whaling. In this respect, Iceland is in the same position as other IWC members that are not bound by the moratorium.

Iceland was one of the first countries in the world to realize the importance of a conservation approach to whaling. As signs of overexploitation of whales emerged early in the last century, Iceland declared a ban on whaling for large whales around Iceland in 1915. Whaling was not resumed until 1948, except for limited catches 1935-1939. Strict rules and limitations were applied to whaling in Iceland from 1948 to 1985 when all commercial whaling was halted again following a decision by the IWC.

Iceland has been a leading advocate for international cooperation in ensuring sustainable use of living marine resources, including whales. This has been the position taken by Iceland within the IWC, based on the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling from 1946. The stated role of the IWC, according to its founding Convention, is to “provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry”.


I hope that this information will be useful to you in understanding Iceland’s position on sustainable whaling. You may rest assured, that the desire to ensure the conservation of the whale stocks around Iceland and elsewhere is fully shared by the Icelandic Government.

With regards,
Sturla Sigurjónsson
Foreign Policy Advisor

Cul tech issue 1st post

In cul tech were making pasta, the recipe contains eggs so all and any alternative recipes I find are posted here for easy access:

Homemade Pasta

Pasta - Dough - -

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup semolina durum flour
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup water

METHOD Combine the above ingredients to make a dough. Wrap in a towel and let sit for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes, start the water boiling, divide the dough in half and roll out each half, allowing the first sheet of pasta to sit while rolling out the second.

When the sheets are dryish, cut according to how you like your pasta.

The pasta maker recommends rolling, and folding in half before re-rolling. After rolling you are supposed to sprinkle some flour betwixt the two halves. If you create a dry enough dough, then you do not need to do this. In fact, the first time through the rollers, my dough is pretty crumbly at the edges, but a few more passes makes the dough much more workable.

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Mucenici (Romanian martyrs soup -- pronounced MOO-cheh-neech)
About 4 servings

1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
-or - purchased small pasta shapes, such as rings (ditalini) and bowties (farfalle)
additional water for soup
sweetener of choice, including at least part granulated (dry) sweetener -- sugar, Sucanat®, brown sugar, etc.
walnuts
cinnamon sticks
pinch of lemon or orange zest, optional
ground cinnamon or cinnamon sugar

This recipe is the copyrighted property of The Cat-Tea Corner™. Copyright © 1997-2006 The Cat-Tea Corner/JPB. All rights reserved. This recipe may be printed out for personal use. It may not be reproduced in any form for any other reason or purpose, nor included in any other recipe collection, online or offline, without prior written permission. For reprint information please contact us. Thank you.

Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly mix in the water until the dough is just stiff enough to knead. (Use only as much water as necessary to make an elastic dough; quantity will depend on how dry the flour and the air in the room are.) Knead the dough for ten minutes, flouring hands as necessary. Form into a ball, cover, and let stand at room temperature for one hour. On a floured surface, roll the dough into long, thin (about 1/4 inch or .6 cm) ropes. Cut into a length that can just wrap around your finger. Pinch the edges together to form a ring. Also make a few figure 8's by cutting a piece of dough twice as long as for the ring, making a larger ring, and twisting the middle to form an 8. (The figure 8's are for luck!) Flour hands and work surface as needed. As you finish forming each ring or 8, place it on a flour-covered dish or a piece of waxed paper. Let dry for about ten minutes, then turn over and let other side dry for about ten more minutes. Meanwhile you'll mix up the soup as follows...

Fill a large, heavy pot large or Dutch oven to 3/4 full with water. Add sweetener to taste, along with one or more cinnamon sticks. You can also add some lemon or orange zest (be sure to avoid using the white part, which will make it bitter). Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to make sure the sweetener is completely dissolved. Remove any citrus zest pieces.

Lower the heat to medium, and drop the pasta shapes into the sweetened liquid. After a minute, stir gently to be sure the pastas don't stick together. Taste-test the pastas after about three minutes; cook only until tender. (You can also do this in several batches, removing the cooked pastas and adding more, if you have more than the pot can accommodate.) If using homemade pastas, they will normally be finished cooking once all the pastas have floated to or near the top of the water. Adjust cooking time if using purchased pasta. When all the pastas have been cooked, remove pot from the heat, and add back any pastas you've removed. Stir to be sure none are sticking. Then...

In a blender or food processor, grind walnuts with sugar and ground cinnamon (or combination cinnamon sugar). You can also chop the walnuts finely by hand and mix with cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. The sweetness should be to your taste, but as a general guideline try one cup walnuts to 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder. Vary proportions to taste. Stir the ground walnut mixture into the soup pot and stir well. Allow to rest at stovetop for about ten minutes, then transfer to a bowl or plastic container and place in the refrigerator until just cool. Serve in bowls -- with or without a piece of cinnamon in each -- and watch it disappear!

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Eggless Homemade Pasta HT CD Veg MC HD ACC 20mins plus resting

Serves 4 Hot Cold Vegetarian Vegan Dairy Free Main Course Starter Accompaniment

Ingredients

350g/12oz Semolina Flour

Salt

120ml/4fl.oz. Warm Water (approx)

Instructions

1. Mix together the flour and about 1 teaspoon of salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the warm water and mix to make a stiff dough, adding a little more water if the dough seems dry.

3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Cover with clingfilm and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

4. Divide the dough into 4 and, working with one piece at a time (keeping the remainder covered) roll out very thinly and form the pasta into desired shapes.

5. Cook in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.

On a Blog related side note. My PC hates blogger, and I have attempted to make a post about the TV Nachos for about 3 weeks. The post allways clears just before being completed. Damn internet failure.

I also gave up technology for a few days, to test my will and all.

So.. post will be made here, starting now.

Including fixing the one I started and all the posts I should have made in LJ months ago.

Enjoy

-B.A.D.

Verdict?

Pasta turned out pretty good, a little chewy but yummy!
I used an estimated recipe from Lolo's post about raviolli and besides it sticking to everything like a mofo (my fault mostly) and my crunch for time. The filling, noodle, and sauce was great!
Kcam and Alison enjoyed it, alex ate a plate once I got home and I had a filling lunch and dinner.
Enjoy!
(BTW on the way home all my nice little shapes/cut outs stuck together terribly to the point where it was a big glob V.V, so I just cut them appart and rolled them into

little noddle/filling balls and they still tasted great.. but looked funny)


The Sauce is a simple stewed tomatoes with choped onions and fresh garlic, roast chillies and spices.