Subj : Balsamic vinegar To : Ruth Haffly From : Janis Kracht Date : Thu Jun 15 2023 20:51:26 > Hi Janis, Hi Ruth! > Long time, no hear. Good to see you back. I've been back in Fidonet for a pretty long while... I didn't have much time once Sophie got so ill... >> I hope all is going well for you and your family... I've been > We were on a cruise/train/bus trip to Alaska the latter part of May, > came home with bronchitis (and a bit of a head cold) for me, a mild case > of Covid for Steve. Both of us are improved, but not 100% yet. Nice Your trip sounds like it was really interesting - So sorry about the Covid.. My daughter also got it from one of her trips for work. I think she is all over now, but I still check on her. :( > thing about this trip was that we did a shared table for the evening > meal so we never sat twice with the same group. We shared the table > with > a good number of international--had an enjoyable meal and discussion > every night. This year, we visited Gettysburg again, I love visiting there - I always see something new. > trying JK> to catch up here, and I am getting there (slowly (grin)). > Some of you JK> folks like yourself and Steve, and Dale and Dave may > remember Sophie JK> and Indy, my two dogs...Indy died several years > ago, and poor Sophie JK> (the smaller one) is now suffering from liver > and thyroid failure... JK> we're counting the days for the poor girl > and trying to be optimistic. > It's hard to lose a pet. We adopted out our cocker spaniel before moving > from AZ to HI; its been 22 years and I still occaisionally look for him > to be underfoot. I'm sorry to hear about your cocker spaniel.. I had one once, he was great! Chester, was I named after Howlin' Wolf the singer because he howled so loudly :) The stinker bit me on our way to KY when we moved down there, but I think the move traumatized him a bit... He was find after we got there. >Hopefully Sophie will pass easily and you will have > lots of happy memories of her. Yes it is so very hard. I pass by things she used in the house and start crying again. But she's at rest now. My poor dog, I miss her so much. >>> (thanks to Drum for the source). They are growing great, perhaps >>> three foot tall, but no evidence of flowers yet. >> If you've had cold snaps like we have, they may get buds later. Also, >> see if you can find some plant food specifically for tomaoes - it does >> make a >> difference. >>> We are wondering >>> when and how to prune them so that they get bushy instead of six foot >>> tall. >> For my gardens, suckers are always important to get rid of because the >> suckers, which grow in the "V" between the main stem and the branches, >> need to be pruned to save energy for main branches - you'll get more >> fruit that way as well. > That was Dale, to me. He and Gail are in an assisted living community > now and he's trying to grow tomatoes indoors. We gave up on trying to > grow them when we realised we'd be gone during the main harvest time. Ah! Sorry for confusing things. Thanks for the explanation. >> Suckers grow quickly, but if left to grow into side stems, they tend >> to be spindly and produce inferior fruit. When they're small (under 2 >> inches), they can be pinched off, but if they're bigger, pruners are >> necessary. >> Hope this helps :) >> Here is a weird but interesing switch on Lasagne we all liked (as >> weird as it sounds (grin). I was doubtful about steaming the lasagna >> sheets, but it worked really well :) >> From the Food Network: >> Sunny's Easy Tomato and Basil Lasagna Roll-Ups >> ============================================== >> Ingredients >> 24 lasagna noodles (from about two 1-pound packages) Kosher salt and >> black pepper >> One 15-ounce container ricotta >> 4 cups shredded 2- to 6-cheese blend that contains mozzarella (along >> with provolone, Parmesan, Asiago, pecorino or jack cheese) 1 cup >> chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish 1 cup chopped fresh Italian >> parsley, plus more for garnish 1 teaspoon red chile flakes >> 2 large eggs, whisked >> Zest of 1 lemon >> One 24-ounce jar tomato and basil pasta sauce Grated Parmesan, for >> garnish > I tried the lasagne sheets once when I found whole wheat ones at a > health foods store (don't think it was Whole Foods, think it was while > we were in Savannah). We came to the conclusion that we liked working > with regular lasagne noodles better, but I can see where the sheets > might be better for something like this. Maybe I'll have to give them > another try. Hmm... not sure what this recipe called for above in that respect. I thought it was just normal Lasagna noodles... that's what I used :) So good to hear from you Ruth, and all the rest of the members of this echo... I miss it. Pork Noodles ====== 3/4 pound medium shrimp, deveined with tails removed 1/2 teaspoon oregano 2 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough 2 cloves garlic, grated 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed (I sure would make my own (grin)). All-purpose flour, for dusting 1 cup deli mozzarella (part-skim, low-moisture), grated Red pepper flakes, for sprinkling 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Directions Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp in a bowl with the oregano, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the butter and let melt. Add the flour and cook, 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to cook, whisking, 1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and cook until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan and remove from the heat. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Preheat the broiler to high. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly-floured work surface into two 10-inch ovals. Brush the grill pan with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Grill the dough on both sides until there are grill marks, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the crusts to a sheet tray. Add the shrimp to the grill pan and grill on both sides until fully cooked, pink and opaque, about 4 minutes total. Spread the white sauce on the dough in an even layer. Scatter the shrimp over the sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly, keeping a close eye so it doesn't burn, 2 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and parsley on top before serving. Take care, Janis --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6 * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38) .