Things to do before I die

Of late a lot of people have been advising us to get our wills made. On top of it, everywhere I turn I see people making "life changing" decisions, and determined to "live it up" only once, and generally declaring what they want to see before they greet the wonderful old man who lives up in the heavens. This started me thinking about what I would like to accomplish. After much consideration, here is my list of what I would like to do before I die.

1) Learn to play the piano well enough to perform in a local repertoire.
2) Learn how to dance the Tango like they do on TV and dance it with my husband.
3) Help organise the menu at our daughters wedding.
4) Paint at least one painting that I am 100% happy with and where I would not change anything.

Lamb Kabas with Parsley and Dill

Makes about 12 patties

Ingredients:
500g Ground Lamb
1 onion chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic
2 tsp paprika
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 cup chopped dill
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Make fresh breadcrumbs by grinding bread slices in a food processor. You can use whatever kind of bread you like or have at home. Make crumbs until they are smooth, fine and consistent. Remove crumbs and place in large bowl.
2. In the food processor blend the onion until it is smooth. Do not add any water to it. There is enough liquid in the onion. Add the garlic cloves and continue blending.
3. Wash and chop up the herbs so that you have a total of 2 cups of herbs. Add to the breadcrumbs.
4. Add the onion mixture to the bread + herb mixture.
5. Add the ground lamb and mix everything together until it is evenly distributed.
6. Add the salt and the paprika and remix.
7. Add the egg and blend with the rest of the mixture.
8. Wet your hands and dive the mixture into 12 patties.
9. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the patties in 2 batches on MEDIUM HIGH heat for 2-3 minutes until brown on one side. Flip and cook on the other side until it is brown. When browning is complete. move the patties with a spatula from the pan to a baking dish. Repeat the steps with the remaining patties.
10. Cover Baking dish with aluminium foil and put in the oven at 300C for about 15 minutes to finish cooking.
11. Serve hot.

Summer Green Borscht

Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 bunch (100-200g) fresh sorrel - washed and finely sliced
3 spring onions - only the green parts finely chopped
1/4 cup chives chopped finely
2 tbsp dill chopped finely
1 large Yukon gold potato -peeled and chopped in small cubes
1 large onion - chopped finely
2 carrots-peeled and finely sliced
4 eggs
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1 litre water
2 tsp olive oil
4 tsp sour cream
salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan on MEDIUM. Add onions and carrots and fry till they are golden - about 4 minutes. Stir often.
2. In another pan place 4 eggs in water and bring to boil. When boiling switch off stove and allow eggs to stay in water.
3. Add potatoes -stir a couple of times. Add the chicken broth and water. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the sorrel, green stems of the spring onions and 1/2 the chives. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Wash the eggs under cold water. Peel the shell and chop egg into pieces.
7. Serve at room temperature. Place the eggs in the bowl, pour the soup on top. Add dill and remaining chives on top. Add a dollop of sour cream.

Yummy Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 clove of garlic peeled
2 spring onions cut small
1 tbsp butter
2 inch piece cheddar cheese grated

Method:

1. Cut the leaves off the cauliflower and cut off the stalk. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces.
2. Add cauliflower, onions and garlic to a pan. Boil in 1/2 cup if water until all the water is absorbed and the cauliflower is cooked. About 15 minutes on MEDIUM.
3. Mash the mixture or blend with a hand blender.
4. Add butter and mix.
5. Pour into the serving dish and immediately sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Let's celebrate the Olympics

I really don't understand the folks at CNN and I don't understand my dear friend in Montreal.

The former, because during these days of the Olympics, the news guys seem more interested in reporting that John Edwards had an affair with a single, available and willing lady. Newsflash for CNN- A politician having an affair is not news anymore - but Phelps breaking another world record is! And seriously, who the hell cares if Mr. Edwards has a problem keeping his zipper up. The man has spent his entire life serving the country. He has probably done more for the poor and women in USA through his policies than any other of the contenders for the Presidency. So he decided to have an affair. BIG DEAL! I would only hope this man takes it upon himself to take care of the child his girlfriend had (if it is his) and be a role model for her - that's the kind of politics the US needs to see. Anyone who says he doesn't deserve to be Attorney General because of this is totally stupid and naive. Would they rather have an Attorney General like Alberto Gonzales who thinks torture is OK?

Referring to my friend in Montreal - now, she is part of that now pathetic group that is boycotting the Olympics because of China's sad Human Rights policy. A bunch of hypocrites as there can be. These people should have been out there creating mayhem when the IOC first awarded the games to China forcing the IOC to reverse it's decision. What is the point of waiting for 8 years and then on the eve of the game realizing "Oh that's bad - China should not have the Olympics!". Makes no sense. There has rightly been outrage over the condition of the Buddhists and Tibetans - but just what is this group doing to uplift these people? I do not hear any of these "pro Buddhist supporters" sending large parts of their salaries to Tibet to help the people maintain their culture. Or leaving their jobs in the comforts of the West to volunteer to provide skills to the Tibetans. Or even providing any constructive support towards the Tibetans that can be used to make them stronger against the Chinese. No - these "pro Buddhist supporters" only provide words - and as we all know - words are cheap especially when you are faced with the largest army in the world.

And concerning the Olympics. Another Newsflash for everyone now. THE OLYMPICS ARE ABOUT THE ATHLETES! These fine men and women have spent their entire lives working very hard for this day. For heaven sakes, keep the politics away from it. Celebrate their ability and will power to push sports to new heights. Support all athletes who are dope free and don't cheat and strengthen the belief that by playing sports together, we are increasing our ability to live together on this earth in harmony.

Crab Cakes

Makes 8 crab cakes

Ingredients:
250 grams of crab meat shredded
5 inch piece of a baguette or 4 slices of bread (white, whole wheat or whatever you like) broken up into pieces
1 dried chili or chili flakes
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 spring onion chopped finely
3-4 garlic greens chopped or 2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tsp chives
salt to taste
2 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

1. In a food processor grind the bread until you get smooth breadcrumbs.
2. Add to the bread crumbs all the rest of the ingredients except the crab and eggs and blend in the blender till the ingredients and breadcrumbs are nicely mixed up.
3. In a bowl add the bread crumb mixture along with the crab and mix so that the mixture is well mixed - do this by hand.
4. Add eggs and mix into the crab mixture so it starts to stick together.
5. Make 8 small same size patties out of the mixture.
6. Heat the oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the crab patties and fry on MEDIUM until one side is brown, flip and brown on the other side as well.
7. When both sides are brown, take the patties off the pan and place on paper towels for the extra oil to absorb.
8. Serve hot.

Those Bloody Pedophiles

I have never understood this growing fascination with people wanting to do sick things with children. It scares me that it is so much in the open and that these demented guys are as powerful as they are. Take the case of the little Madeleine who was taken from her holiday apartment by what now looks like an organised pedophile ring. Yes, her parents are stupid and should have been there to see if their kids are ok - but we are all saying this in retrospect. The problem is not that this little girl has parents who for one evening lost good judgement, but that every single child out there is at risk from any person who has sick tendencies and an organised network that allows them to take your child and do heinous things to them!

To what extent can you protect your child when people come into your home (remember the Cecilia Zhang case) and take your child from under your nose! Just how protective can you be of your child and still allow them to have a normal childhood? I remember when I was a child, I would spend the evening at my friends apartment - about 3 buildings away and walk home at dinner time. Today, kids are not allowed to play unsupervised in their own backyards in Toronto! How are they ever to getvindependence, street smarts and learn how to tackle the world.

I can tell you from our own experience that we no longer take our little one to crowded places. It's simply not worth it. She likes to run around, and forcing her to sit in her stroller only comes with strong protests, and since she is faster than us, the risk of loosing her is high. It is sad. My child should have every right to go and enjoy these fairs and events. She lives in the most multicultural city on earth, and yet cannot participate in most of it's activities because this small group of sick people have put the worst fear into her parents.

It's scary enough that there could be an odd pedophile out there, but the fact that there are organised rings that steal kids to order is simply too frightening to even understand.

Tomato Soup

For 3 as a main course or 6 for starters
Ingredients:
1/2 large onion coarsely chopped
5 large cloves garlic
5 dried bay leaves (or 3 fresh ones)
5 large tomatoes cut in eights
2 carrots cut in small pieces
1 apple cored and cut in small pieces
1 large potato peeled and chopped
1 can low sodium chicken stock (I like the organic one).
1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes on MEDIUM flame until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the carrots and continue to saute for about 1 -2 minutes making sure the onions do not brown.
3. Add the tomatoes and stir.
4. Add the potatoes and stir.
5. Add the apples and stir.
6. Add the chicken stock and the same amount of water and stir.
7. Add the bay leaves.
8. Allow to cook on MEDIUM until it boils and the carrots are soft, potatoes cooked and the tomatoes have melted in the broth. About 15-20 minutes.
9. Puree the soup in a blender. It makes sense to cool the soup before you blend it if you are using a conventional blender.
10. Strain the soup through a sieve so that the only thing that is left behind are the seeds of the tomato.
11. Serve hot and garnish with parsley. Salt and Pepper to taste.

My Purell Addiction

I am beginning to realize I have a Purell addiction. Other people are addicted to chocolate, the really stupid ones are addicted to alcohol and dope, and the really interesting ones are addicted to foreign language movies or knitting, I quite frankly have a rather eccentric addiction.

I blame my addiction on my doctor. Last winter I suffered from 6 bouts of flu. I didn't keep catching the flu virus - I was the flu virus. After my doctor refused to give me antibiotics yet again telling me that "It's a virus - let it wear it's course" (I HATE it when they say that - I am not a horse that I need to finish the lap and continue at a gallop even when I have a rather lousy jockey on board!) After my sixth visit to him in 3 months he finally told me after I have any contact with humanity, I need to wash my hands and /or Purell (note how "purell" has now become a verb as in "to purell" meaning "disinfect your hands") . The uncomfortable truth was that I was allergic to mankind.

So after this piece of advice from my lovely doctor, I started investing in Purell. I tried carrying the small one with me in my purse, and had a large one at home. First the smell of Purell was turn off - it was acidic, medicinal, and simply to chemical. But then a strange thing happened - I stopped being sick. Seriously! No more flu, colds, nothing- just a lot of Purell.

I even started to use it on Baby M's hands when we were in the garden or playground. She hated it at first but now she sees the Purell bottle and comes running to disinfect her hands! I really don't know if this substance is good for kids, but she hasn't turned green and is chirpy as ever so I guess it's ok.

Generally, I was happy with the good health, me, Baby M, and my husband were enjoying and I attributed it largely to the wonderful folks at Purell. Today I was shopping at Walmart (sorry Jill - I actually LIKE Walmart) and at the checkout counter I noticed that I actually have 10 small Purell bottles and 3 large ones. By itself, it didn't seem like a lot, but when I went to put the bottles in places, I found I already had one there - in some cases like my purse I already had 2. I have 3 in the car - one in the glove compartment, next to the drivers seat, and one in the back seat pocket. I actually make everyone in the car but Purell on their hands before I switch the ignition on. It's my contribution to a germ free world.

So I guess if I had to be addicted to something, Purell is about as strange an addiction as you can get. Mind you, I do not snort it, or burn it or do anything with it that I was not meant to do. So in that way, I guess it's ok. But of all the addictions in the world to have - why oh why did I have to get such an eccentric one.