Month: February 2019

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Silk, by Linda Chaikin, Bethany House Publishers, 1993

Set in the late 1700s, this novel centres around a teenage girl named Coral, of English descent who was born in India.  Her parents own a large silk plantation and export the silk to other countries including their homeland where the silk is made into beautiful fashions.

The story is full of intriguing characters and plots, starting with a young Indian woman from a low caste who converts to Christianity but dies during childbirth.  Coral, with her parents’ permission, adopts the baby.  She is warned against the adoption by Jace, a young soldier who knew the baby’s father.  The baby’s father is mysteriously killed either by insurgents or possibly by his own relatives as an honour killing.  Later the young boy is kidnapped and seems to have been killed, but Coral receives secret information that he may actually be alive.  She is determined to find out.

Jace buys a ship and sails to China and Spain and England.  Coral goes to England where she lives with her grandmother for a few years.  She becomes friends with some Christian dissenters who have broken off from the very traditional Anglican church.  They are the rebels of the day, writing and singing hymns together as a congregation, which the traditional church frowned on.

I enjoyed learning about life and expectations in that era and in those countries.  This is book one in a series.  My curiosity is piqued as to what will happen next.  Will Coral find her adopted son?  Will the mysteries concerning several of the characters be solved?  Will Coral and her mother be healed of the tropical fever that they suffer from?  Although the book is complete on its own, I hope I someday find a copy of book two.

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Roasted Roots

Roasted RootsHere in our cold Canadian winters roasted root vegetables are part of a hearty locally-grown meal to provide warmth and lasting energy to body and soul.  Shown here along with some Mennonite farmer sausage and frozen green peas are my roasted potatoes and a medley of roasted turnip, carrot and apple.  A bit of herbs and spice makes it nice, and adds extra nutritional benefits as well!  Smells so yummy too!

Root and Apple Medley

  • 1/2 small turnip
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 apple
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • dashes of allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon

Chop roots and apple into small pieces.  Stir brown sugar and spices into melted butter in an oven-proof bowl and add roots and apple, stirring to coat.  Roast at 400 degrees F. for 40 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.

Tasty Roasted Taters

  •  One large Russet potatoe
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • spicy pepper medley to taste

Peel and cut potatoe into cubes.  Mix olive oil, lemon juice and spicy pepper medley in bottom of a bowl and put the potatoe cubes in, stirring to coat.  Then lay out the coated potatoe cubes on a baking tray and roast at 400 degrees F. for 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.

The ‘spicy pepper medley’ I have contains black pepper, onion, red bell peppers and garlic.  I shook in lots of it, but you could use other herbs or spices too, as you like.

The spices and herbs in these recipes make them aromatic and flavourful without the use of salt, which you may be avoiding if you have high blood pressure.

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Sid’s Crepes

My husband loves to make (and eat!) these crepes.  He can eat lots of them but I have to limit myself to a few as they are more filling than they seem!  The batter can be mixed the night before so all you have to do in the morning is pour it.  They are very nice, and low carb too, however high fat content because of the cream.  Some experts these days say that’s good.  We heard a local Nanaimo chiropracter, Dr. Stefani, give a talk recently on Health Over 55, and he recommended eating lots of fat and doing lots of excercise.  They seemed to give Sid the energy he needed for shoveling the driveway today anyway!

Ingredients:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup 18% cream
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • jam or other filling

Method:

Preheat a non-stick frying pan to medium-low.

Whisk the eggs and then gradually add in the cream and flour alternately while continuing to whisk.  Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla.

Pour one crepe at a time onto the frying pan and flip it when the bottom is done.

Spread with your favourite jam or other filling.  Cinnamon & sugar is also nice, or fresh strawberries, or whatever you might like to try.

Mmm, so nice for a special treat!  They go down easy, but make you feel full for hours! Pictured is my share; Sid eats twice as many!

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Happy Chinese New Year!

On the ancient traditional Chinese calendar it’s New Years Day today.  On our Western calendar it’s February 5th, 2019.  The old Chinese calendar goes by a different system altogether, so Chinese New Year falls around this time every year but not always on February 5th. 2016-02-28 10.24.41

This photo of koi fish was taken by me at Hong Kong’s Gold Coast outside of a luxury hotel when I was there a few years ago.  Koi or goldfish represent good luck to the Chinese.

Hong Kong is one of my favourite places.  I have been there several times and have many happy memories of exploring interesting different districts with family and friends.

Today Hong Kong and all parts of China will be lighting strings of firecrackers and wishing each other a happy new year full of good luck and riches.  Families will be visiting their relatives, and grandparents, aunts and uncles will be giving children red envelopes containing money.

In 1985 we were in Guangdong on Chinese New Year, at a college studying Chinese.  Our sons were 3 and 5 years old then.  All the families got together outside on the campus on Chinese New Years Eve and lit firecrackers.  The children all had the small type that my brother and I and our friends used to light in the 60s.  The boys thought it was great!  Of course we hovered over them to make sure they didn’t burn themselves.

The Chinese calendar revolves around a list of animals.  This year is the year of the pig.  A whole system of astrology surrounds the Chinese zodiac.  If you are born in the year of the pig you are said to have shared characteristics with everyone else born in the year of the pig.

Also called Spring Festival, people usually get a week off work to travel to visit family and also to participate in activities such as going to flower markets and visiting ancestral graves.

Here’s wishing a Happy Chinese New Year to all, and may you be blessed with health and prosperity!