All for nothing

I spent three months on a semi-vegan diet and had my cholesterol tested just before my trip. I was seriously disappointed with the results. The LDL dropped by a mediocre amount, HDL went up by an even more mediocre amount and the triglycerides went through the roof. I put weight on my belly and other areas where I didn't welcome any weight, but not on my arms and my face. I'm no longer vegetarian and will eat all the nice things Dora and my nieces cook. They all eat healthily, so I'll be ok.

The only thing left to do is to be sarcastic after the disappointing test results:

A delicious chicken recipe for the summer

I found this recipe on a site for British expats in France. I'm not eating any animal based foods at the moment, but that doesn't mean I can't salivate all over the keyboard and share the recipe with friends who can enjoy it in real life!

A slow roasted chicken with garlic and lemon, perfect for when the sun is shining. “This is also one of those recipes you can’t make once: that’s to say, after the first time, you’re hooked” says the creator Mark Binmore. It is gloriously easy: you just put everything in the roasting dish and leave it to cook in the oven, the fabulous smell will pervade the house, at any time of year, with the summer scent of lemon and thyme – and of course mellow, almost honeyed garlic…

Mark Binmore is the proprietor of Maison de l'Orb.

Ingredients

1 2-2.25kg/4lb 6oz-5lb 8oz chicken cut into 10 pieces
1 bulb garlic separated into unpeeled cloves
2 unwaxed lemons cut into chunky eighths
Fresh thyme
3 tablespoons of really good olive oil
150 ml/5 fl oz white wine or vermouth
Black pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC/325°F

2. Put the chicken pieces into a roasting tin and add garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later.

3. Add the oil and using your hands mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up.

4. Sprinkle the white wine over the mix, grind on some black pepper, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavour-intensifying low heat, for 2 hours.

5. Remove the foil from the roasting tin, and turn up the oven to 200ºC/400°F

6. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelize at the edges.

Serve it straight from the roasting tin if you like, after garnishing it with the rest of the thyme. Serve with vegetables, potatoes, rice or pasta – this dish goes with almost anything.

Don't forget to get some French bread to mop up the juices – bon appétit!

Food, glorious food

Play with your food

This delightful collection of fun food was sent to us by Amy. Thank you, Amy.

On the virtues of multi-talented pigs...

Pallottine requested a post about the uses of a pig and I'm happy to oblige. The poor man must be fed up with fashion, embroidery and other not quite unisex posts! Here we go:

A football is a ball inflated with air that is used to play one of the various sports known as football.

The first balls were made of natural materials, such as an inflated pig bladder, later put inside a leather cover, which has given rise to the United States slang-term "pigskin".

Modern footballs have never been anywhere near a pig:

The oldest football still in existence, which is thought to have been made circa 1550, was discovered in the roof of Stirling Castle, Scotland, in 1981.The ball is made of leather (possibly from a deer) and a pig's bladder. It has a diameter of between 14–16 cm (5.5–6.3 in), weighs 125 g (4.4 oz) and is currently on display at the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling.

Today there's an important game: Ohio State Buckeyes v Oregon Ducks.

May the best team win, it's all I can say on the subject...

The piggies may have a few things to say, though.

Not all pigs are earmarked for big sporting events. Some will have a different fate:

Football and fashion are not necessarily the first things that springs to mind. When I was little, I may have thought of characters like these:

These days, my approach to pigs is purely gastronomic and I wear the appropriate apparel to deal with the activity:

I think that apart from vegetarians (and pigs),  both football fans and sports avoiders would enjoy these:

I'll let a clever pig have the last word on the subject:

Very pretty, but only two of them look tasty

These Swiss rolls certainly look pretty, but the abundance of artificial colouring puts me off. There are two yummy exceptions among them...

Attractive food for young eaters

*********************************************************************

I have an update about Tom from Phuket:

Hi Regina,

Yes, that is me “lurking” in the shadows of “What Time is O’Clock”. When I rise at 0500 you’re the second spot I check on the Internet (after my emails). I enjoy the photos, stories, etc., though seldom get to the comment section, though your reposting of my photo got my curiosity up and I did this morning.

Phuket is still a wonderful place to visit, or as I did more than twelve years ago, move to. It’s an island (and the pronunciation of the name is done with a silent “h” – so Poo – ket with accent on the ket), a bit smaller than Singapore 543 sq. kms. And has a population of half-a-million or so – though with the migrant works and tourists that figure is low (last year we had 7.5 million visitors). Phuket is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia – we do have 650 hotels with more than 40,000 rooms. The largest number of tourists come from China, Korea, India and Russia – we have direct flights to Moscow, Hong Kong, Seoul, Dubai, Tehran and most capitols of the SAE Asian countries.

A few statistics about our weather – average temperatures run from 27-29 C (81-83F), with highs in the lower 90’s F. Month with the most sun is April, with the most rain is September, coolest temperatures January, hottest March.

A few personal notes: I am originally from Washington State (U.S.A.) and after visiting more than 40 countries chose Thailand for my retirement, and have not regretted it – though as with anywhere, one can get frustrated with situations. I am in good health at 75+ years and walk 4-5 kms a day. I do research projects on various subjects (thank goodness for the Internet) and care for a dozen pet birds (parrots, finch, etc.).

If anyone has questions about Phuket, visiting, living here, etc. I can try to provide answers or suggestions on where to find the information. Am sometimes a bit slow in replying to emails.
Enjoy your postings – most mornings I get a chuckle or out-loud laugh to start my day here and that’s why I keep coming back every day. Started reading you back in 2008.

Best regards,

Phuket Tom

There you are, it was Tom lurking after all these years!

*********

While looking for Tom's photo on the old blog, I came across some lovely contributions from people who also contribute to WTIOC. I'll post them some time soon. Watch this space...

A healthy breakfast?

What do you think?