Well spring may have sprung last week but we are butt deep in snow in this neck of the woods. So let’s make a cup of tea, wrap ourselves in our Fake Fur Throws and enjoy a few giggles.
This is either for or from my dear friend Carole.
For Doctor Spo.
It’s nice when you have neighbours who care.
Romance is dead!
It’s just nice to see they are interested in older civilizations.
Not quite “What’s Cooking” but still a great idea for a simple breakfast.
The beauty of the English language.
And I leave you with this helpful list to see you through the week.
The word for March 27th is: Ancient /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/: [1. adjective 2. noun] 1.1 Of or from a long time ago. 1.2 Having lasted for a very long time. 2.1 People of an older civilization. 2.2 A banner or ensign or the carrier of the ensign. Late 14c., auncyen, of persons, “very old;” c. 1400, of things, “having lasted from a remote period,” from Old French ancien “old, long-standing, ancient,” from Vulgar Latin anteanus, literally “from before”.
I realized that that at no time in this ongoing series have I included a recipe for any of the glorious seafood for which our Island is renowned. Visitors always insist on trying our mussels and Islanders enjoy nothing more than beginning or even making a meal of mussels. And for $2.00-3.00 a pound at the fishmonger’s it’s a cheap but delicious meal.
This recipe is from our friend Grant. He and his partner Stephen have a charming rustic retreat on the Eastern shores of the Northumberland Strait. And should you visit them at Spruce Cottage you might well find a steaming pot of mussels is on the menu.
Spruce Cottage Mussels From my good friend Grant Serves 6 as a first course – 4 as a main course Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients 5Lb. Fresh PEI Mussels ● 1 Lg. Vidalia Onion ● ½ Red Pepper ● ½ Fennel Bulb ● 1 Lemon – Juice ● 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil ● ½ C. Chicken Stock ● ¼ C. Dry White Wine ● 1 Container Store Packaged Fresh Tarragon ● 2 Multigrain Baguettes
Directions 1. Wash & debeard mussels as necessary 2. Roughly chop onion, red pepper & fennel. 3. In a large deep stove top pot (w/ lid), stir fry in olive oil over med-high heat. 4. Add chicken stock gradually while stirring. 5. Add wine and continue stirring. 6. Once ingredients are well cooked, add mussels. . 7. Cook covered for 7 minutes over medium heat. 8. Chop tarragon roughly in half and add to the top of the mussels – do not stir. 9. Continue cooking for 3 minutes, covered over medium heat. 10. Remove tarragon from the pot, small pieces may stay.
To Serve* ~ Bring the pot of cooked mussels to the table, uncover and serve with a slotted spoon. ~ Top up guests’ bowls with a small ladle of broth, remembering to discard any mussels that have not opened. ~ Allow guests to hand break pieces ofbaguette to accompany the mussels and soakup the incredible broth. ~ Leftover mussels can be used as your base for a great Island Chowder!
*Though Grant doesn’t mention it, I always love a side of homemade french fries with mayonnaise with my mussels.
The word for March 21st is: Mussels mŭs′əl: [noun] 1.1 Any of various marine bivalve mollusks that attach to hard surfaces in intertidal areas with byssal threads, especially the edible members of the family Mytilidae and in particular Mytilus edulis, a blue-black species of the North Atlantic Ocean, raised commercially for food. 1.2 Any of numerous freshwater bivalve mollusks of the order Unionoida that burrow in the sand or mud of rivers, streams, and ponds. 1.3 Any of several similar bivalve mollusks, such as the zebra mussel. Alteration (possibly influenced by Dutch mossel) of Middle English muscle, from Old English muscelle, from Medieval Latin mūscula, from Latin mūsculus, sea mussel.
Well the feline memes were starting to pile up so let’s titillate our cat lovers out there. For Miss Maude and all the other cats who I know read this: we are laughing with you because we know better than to laugh at you.
The word for March 20th is: Titillate tĭt′l-āt″: [verb] 1.1 To stimulate by touching lightly; tickle. 1.2 To excite (another) pleasurably, superficially or erotically. 1.3 To excite another, especially in a superficial, pleasurable manner. Early 15c., “pleasing excitement,” from Latin titillationem (nominative titillatio) “a tickling,” noun of action from past-participle stem of titillare “to tickle.”
Though I don’t celebrate the bloody Saxon who came to Ireland and drove the wee folk underground I do celebrate Ireland as my ancestral home.
To all of you on the National Day of Érin I wish:
And to those of you wearing green t-shirts proclaiming your citizenship and thinking it entitles you to a kiss:
The word for March 17th is: Curmudgeon kər-mŭj′ən: [noun] 1.1 An ill-tempered person full of resentment and stubborn notions. 1.2 An avaricious, churlish fellow; a miser; a niggard; a churl. While numerous folk etymologies surround this word, there is no widely accepted etymology. An alternative spelling attested in 1600 is cornmudgin, in Holland’s translation of Livy, rendering frumentarius “corn-merchant”. This has been suggested as the original form of the word, but OED notes that curmudgeon is attested some years before this, concluding that cornmudgin was merely a nonce-word by Holland.
Jerry and I get around. In 2011, we moved from the USA to Spain. We now live near Málaga. Jerry y yo nos movemos. En 2011, nos mudamos de EEUU a España. Ahora vivimos cerca de Málaga.
Telling the stories of the history of the port of Charlottetown and the marine heritage of Northumberland Strait on Canada's East Coast. Winner of the Heritage Award from the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation and a Heritage Preservation Award from the City of Charlottetown
Willy Or Won't He 