Katy and I were walking into town, just ambling side-by-side on the sidewalk. We see another couple coming towardssta us, on the same side of the road. I scooch over towards Katy to let them by, but the dude doesn’t move at all and basically shoulder-checks me so I bump into Katy. I turn around to face him and my auto-Canadianism starts to apologise, when the guy just point-blank says “I was in my lane”. WTF? Rudeness? Very un-Swiss. Katy was more upset than I wals. If he truly needs to assert his masculinity this way, I’m a firm believer in karma for this sort of thing.
Sushi!!!
Earlier this weekend, summer rolls. Tonight, sushi with teriyaki chicken and omelette. Again, faffy but so much yum! Made 4 spicy chicken rolls and 3 egg ones. Amusingly, I ran out of rice vinegar for the rice, so I subbed with rose wine balsamic. Shhh, don’t tell the purists, but it was damned nice!
[recipe] Shortbread biscuits
340g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
120g icing sugar
375g all-purpose flour
1. Cream the room temperature butter.
2. Add powdered sugar and while mixing on low.
3. Scrape bowl down and add the flour while mixing on low. Scrape down again and mix until combined.
4. Transfer dough onto a floured surface and shape into a rectangular brick shape. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 1h.
5. Preheat oven to 350F then remove dough from refrigerator and cut into half inch slices.
6. Place pieces onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Use a fork or skewer to create a pattern on top. Bake at 350F for 10 min, rotating baking sheet in the oven halfway through.
7. Transfer to a wire sheet to cool.
Note:
The cookie dough can be made well in advance. It keeps for about a week in the fridge and a month in the freezer. Make sure to wrap very well and allow to warm up just enough to cut.
Not bad at all for a first try
I made some summer rolls today. They’re a bit of a faff to prep, but they came out rather tasty! That’s dinner sorted for tonight.
Bobble has gotten around quite a bit
The first mention of Bobble the owl in my blog goes all the way back to 2005. I don’t honestly remember when Bobble started living full-time in my bag. Probably while I was working at the EBI and traveling a lot for business.
In the years since, he’s been to Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the US. He’s driven boats, ferries, tractors, planes. He’s travel on planes, trains and automobiles. He’s drunk lots of coffee, beer, wine, gin, port and cocktails. He’s eaten everything from gourmet meals to roadside fast-food. He’s enjoyed vices like cigars, gambling and tattoos. He’s attended scientific conferences, training courses and workshops, West-End plays and movies.
Not bad for a little ball of stuffing :)
Long live the owl!
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Katy: How can you remember this shit, with such great detail, but you can’t remember what I told you yesterday?
Me: laughs manically. This is how my brain works.
Shaka, when the walls fell…
[recipe] Sour cream and dill cucumber salad
4 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
60ml / 1/4cup sour cream
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
3g / 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Place the cucumbers in a large colander and toss with a couple of large pinches of salt. Set the colander in a large bowl or in the sink and let the cucumbers stand 30 minutes at room temperature to release some of their water.
Meanwhile, whisk the sour cream, vinegar, oil, mustard, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl; set aside.
Gently pat the cucumbers dry with a paper towel. Add the cucumbers, red onion, and dill to the dressing and toss gently to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
[recipe] Summer vegetable grain salad
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed well
2 3/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 large English cucumber, chopped
2 small bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup store-bought or homemade basil pesto
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Combine the quinoa, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and transfer the quinoa to a rimmed baking sheet, spread into an even layer, and refrigerate until cooled completely, 10 to 15 minutes.
Place the pesto and vinegar in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Add the cooled quinoa, cucumber, peppers, and tomatoes to the dressing and toss to combine and evenly coat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Make ahead: The salad can be made up to 1 day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
#RejectedCareBears
[gallery]Maja SÄFSTRÖM
Stockholm based illustrator and author – https://majasbokshop.com/
