What's Fer Dinner?

[Mr Nobody]

OK, my contribution.

Bloody Nobody.

Vegie juice - one carrot, one kilo of tomatoes, three sticks of celery, a handful of celery tops. One small red or green capsicum. One quarter of a big spanish onion. Juice the lot. I use a blender (sometimes need to add a little water to get it started), then use the juicer function to extract it. Use the pulp for making a stew or something sounds good, but I am concentrating on the booze since it is friday night.

OK, now put it back in the blender. Half a teaspoon of ground black pepper, one good teaspoon of salt, 8 shakes of tabasco, five of Lea and Perrins, (accept no substitute) Worcestershire sauce. Mix for exactly 3.45 seconds. Pour over cracked ice, (the glass full of it, just like me) until it goes to about three quarters. Top up with Absolut vodka, stir with celery stick, or a fork or a pen or whatever is nearest. Then, sit back and enjoy.

It is a glorified chinese homegrown bloody mary, but my name is better, OK? So what? Hemmingway, eat your heart out.

[Lotus Eater]

Does dipping peanut butter toast into a made up packet of Chinese instant soup count as a great recipe? I could add alcohol to the soup to make it zing. White I think as it was chicken soup.

Last night - HUGE meal at the Indian restaurant. Very handy having an Indu-ren with you because he and the chef get together, talk Hindi, and we get masses of great food, plus discount.

[acjade]

LE, your cocktail might have to be a special catagory entry. What's the alcohol? And what are the quantities?

Do you cut the toast into 'soldiers' for stirring like an edible swivel stick?

Mr. Nobody if someone wants to concoct a baijui cocktail it would be only fair but it would have to be something really special to take away the smell.

The Bloody Nobody sounds bloody fantastic and I'll give it a try when I buy some vodka.

[Lotus Eater]

Alcohol is variable depending on the packet soup mix - white wine for chicken, red wine for meat soups. Baijiu for anything else. Quantities - depends on the day teaching you had - some days soups needs a little more zing than other days. This is a consumer friendly dish!!

The peanut butter toast can be cut in soldiers if you have the 10 seconds patience it needs - otherwise they can merely be stirred in whole, or broken into bits as the need arises.

As I said a totally consumer friendly dish!

An entirely wonderful variation would be vegemite toast - but at the moment I am rationing my vegemite until my sister arrives with a new supply. Multiculturally I used peanut butter to sway the North American voters.

[woza17]

Is this for food and drinks? Because of the heat I ma going off food a bit and beer is too heavy and bloating. I have started back on carrot,celery and apple juice in the morning for all the family. Tommy is so into raw carrots. I am thinking of cutting down on heavy foods this Summer to try and combat the heat.
Is Campari good for you?

[acjade]

Fruity cocktail.

1 cup watermelon chunks

2 sticks celery

1 large bunch of red grapes

2 apples

blend and then process through the juice extractor.

Return to blender and add 1 shot of Pimms, 1/2 cup white wine and two to three kiwi fruit icy poles cut from the stick.

Pour over crushed ice and serve in a tall glass.

[woza17]

AJ why can't i put the fruit and the celery directly into the juice extractor?
Do I buy commercial kiwi fruit icy-poles?

[acjade]

Putting the chunks of fruit/vegetable in the blender before juicing helps break them down nicely so that the juicer takes the semi pulp better. It's not necessary but I find it easier than chopping everything into little bits to fit into the juice extracter shute.

I guess you could make your own icy poles. But for 5kuai a pop I usually buy a whole bag full and stick them in the freezer and use them as ice cubes.

[woza17]

If I can't buy Pimms what is a good substitute? I really do like the sound of this cocktail. Sweet white wine or dry. I don't like sweet wine

[Mr Nobody]

Well, I usually suggest vodka as a substitute for everything, so try that. Including the fruitjuice if you like. If you don't like sweet wine, use dry wine, or vodka. Since vodka is basically a tasteless mix of alcohol and water, you can doctor it up to taste like anything you want. In the above mix, triple sec would probably taste good too.

One word of caution, though. I have made similar things to the above, but I don't like vodka with apple juice or mango. Taste vile to me. Tastes great with watermelon juice though, and white wine tastes great with apple juice.

[acjade]

Definately dry white wine, Woza. The dryer the better. If you can't get Pimms get a bottle of sweet Vermouth. Metro has Pimms and Vermouth.

And the kiwi icypoles are 5jiao a pop not 5kuai.

Mr Nobody I think you're right about the vodka and apple and mango. Tomatoes really were made to drink with vodka.

[Mr Nobody]

They put mint with apple juice-white wine cordials in many countries and the famous "maybowl" cordial of germany uses woodruff floating on top, whatever woodruff is. I like the mint, but haven't tried the woodruff.

(There is a festival in may that is the other "oktoberfest" and features bock and other beers. Traditionally, the maybowl was a big bowl send around the table for everyone to take a drink from, for luck and for sharing joy and orally transmitted diseases.)

Wine cordials are great stuff. I like adding a little soda water and big chunks of ice to the jug to make it taste fresh in summer. A squeeze of lime works wonders too, and slices floating look cool with the mint. Too much apple tastes too sweet, though, for a hot day, so I use dry wines. Adding lemon goes well too. It can make a very ordinary wine taste fine - maybe great wall has cheap whites, and maybe even they will work. I haven't tried them here, they are more of a party drink IMHO. I would still try to use a good wine, though.

Hock is a classic wine for these things, with lime, lemon and soda being popular.

The red wine cordials are more or less either like sangria, or hypocras. (hot, sweetened, with fruit juice and spices) More a winter drink.

[woza17]

Wow, I really feel like a drink. I agree the apple wouldn't work and the limes and lemons a must. You guys know your stuff. I thought 5 kwai a little steep for icypoles unless they were Japanese.
I am cooking at the moment, listening to radio national and the very loud banging upstairs (decoration going on) the sky has gone black and the thunder and lightening is great I wish i could pull up the Roman curtains with a Chinese pattern to watch but the deceased white cat chewed through the cords before he passed on. I am cooking Chilli con carne, potato and yam mash and green beans with bacon for lunch.

[acjade]

woza17 said:

green beans with bacon for lunch.

Hey... that's what I'm doing. Green beans with bacon but I'm also having cucumber and onion salad with potatoe cakes and a tin of tuna marinated in lemon juice and dill.

I used to put mustard powder in my potatoe patties but I don't even have any mustard as I'm not restocking with stuff until I'm downtown.
I suppose a bit of chillie wouldn't hurt if I used some cummin powder.

No storm on the horizon here. It was windy last night but that's died down. It's hot and I'll put the airconditioners on again but I turned them off when I read Icebear's post on the other thread.

[woza17]

AJ we haven't installed air conditioning yet. I am not sure if we will. I would like to get by without it, if I can. Fans usually suffice.
This apartment has really good airflow.

I am really enjoying pottering around the place I am home alone, a rare thing. I do enjoy cooking at home, Eri 's brother loves my cooking and is very complimentary.
AJ when you finally get your arse down here we can get together in the kitchen.

[acjade]

woza17 said:

AJ when you finally get your arse down here we can get together in the kitchen.

I'll be in that. Besides we wanna save our money instead of eating out so we can hop over to Macau for a flutter.

[woza17]

AJ come on girl the flutter .
. I am very serious about this if you don't come I will go with ............ . I have no one to go with. I know I will go on my own. I have one re-entry on my passport. God I have too much time now on my hands.
God you guys are such a bad influence, where is bloody Ruth.
I want to be mixing cocktails go out gambling.. .
But I have to dress up now and go to a company for an interview, give my exam results and plan a lesson for tonight. and take Tommy for a walk

[acjade]

I'll be there, Woza. Let me get my new schedule/routine down pat and I'll be there before you can say 'BlackJack'!

[acjade]

And where are you Ruth?

[woza17]

good on you darling. I think August the first works for me. Just after Summer camp.

[Mr Nobody]

I will be around Guangdong then, but not going to go gambling. However, Mrs N might want to visit Macau. Interesting thought.

[Lotus Eater]

Leng pian(r) with extra la jiao, plus 2 bottles of drink - one a mint tea the other orange juice. Eaten in my living room with one of my Chinese mates discussing a poem I had given my writing students, Aristotle's Poetica and a folk music concert we have tickets to for tonight. We "da bao'd" it - so ate out of the plastic bag, BUT in one of my nice bowls each, with the throw away chopsticks - no washing up. With the air con ON! Xi'an has consistently been in the 100+ (40C) temps this week. My daughter rang me yesterday, it's -2 in Canberra where she works.

Great dried mini tomatoes to nibble on. The dried fruits and stuff in the Muslim quarter is second to none!

[acjade]

Mr Nobody Woza and I are going to have a little flutter and Mrs Nobody is welcome to travel to Macau with us. You too of course.

As soon as I get my dates organized I'll let you know. My summer job ought to finish around about the same time as the camp but I'm not certain yet.

[George61]

I just might tag along, tho I won't be doing any gambling!!

[acjade]

Great.