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Winter continues to be rather on the warm and slightly wet side, and is welcome to do so until spring starts. It's not that I dislike winter per se, but snow anywhere but on skiing slopes isn't something I appreciate, and since my office is the coldest room in the Embassy -- not in summer of course, because in summer it's the hottest -- I'm not overly fond of freezing my bum off at work. It might be more bearable if the heating actually worked, but it's probably cursed; the radiator has been changed three times already, and still half of it is cold. So, welcome mild winter! If we're all going to die horrible deaths by UV rays, locusts and other assorted plagues, I don't see why I shouldn't reap a few fringe benefits like not having cold feet eight hours a day.
In other news, the human body -- mine, in fact -- is a curious thing.
Don't worry, no TMI coming.
I exercise six days a week. I do Pilates, I do cardio, I do muscle building on the machines. I'm rather fit, and since I do many different things, all muscle groups get regular exercise. That notwithstanding, after playing one measly hour of tennis yesterday, today I feel as if the tenth legion (victrix, gloriosa) had marched straight through my bed and trampled me underfoot on their way towards subjugating the Huns or whomever. My bum muscles are sore, some back muscles are sore, and that's really a surprise, because I've been doing lots of exercise specifically targeted at these muscle groups. The sore forearms, on the other hand, aren't much of a surprise but quite painful. You'd hardly believe the leverage and subsequent muscle strain a 275 gram tennis racquet is able to cause, but there you are.
Apart from the sore muscles, playing again with Elena was a delight. Keeping to one hour twice a week was a very wise decision, though.
Since Irene had to have a basalioma removed last Wednesday from her upper left arm and was therefore a little restricted in her movements (unlike moles etc., basaliomas have to be cut out, not just off), I cooked dinner both on Saturday and yesterday. Saturday's creation was an excellent -- if I say so myself -- vegetable curry, and yesterday I made some very nice soup. So nice, in fact, and so easy and fast, that I feel compelled to share the recipe, which may as always be altered to fit your particular tastes:
Peel and finely slice a few carrots (number depends on size)
Do the same with parsnips (ditto) -- before cutting them up, remove the stringy core, though
Same -- except here it's dice instead of slice -- with a few potatoes and a piece of fresh ginger root about as long as your thumb
Finely slice two or three leeks
Put everything togeher in a pot and, if you're a Good Housewife, add enough chicken stock so the veggies are just covered. (If you're a lazy slob like me, just add water and bouillon cubes -- if possible organic -- to taste)
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid, let simmer for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, cut up a few pieces of grilled chicken breast (or, in case you're not as lazy as I am, the breast of the chicken you made the stock with) and set aside.
Finely slice two or three hands full of cherry tomatoes and, if you are so inclined, chop a bunch of fresh coriander.
If you like your veggies crunchy, fish about half of them out of the pot while they still are, and leave the rest on until they're tender. Otherwise wait until it's all nice and tender, and then remove about half of it on to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Put the remaining stock and vegetables in the blender and blitz. Put back into pot, add the half you've removed.
Add a bit of cream, cayenne pepper and nutmeg and, if the soup is too thick, stock. If it's too watery, peel a potato and grate it (raw) into the soup with a very fine grater, then bring again to a boil. The finely grated potato will thicken the soup nicely.
Add the chicken, leave on the stove for two or three minutes, then put into plates and sprinkle with the cherry tomatoes and coriander.
Due to the leek and carrots, the soup is a little sweetish; the ginger and cayenne pepper give it a spicy note, and the cherry tomatoes add just the right amount of fruity tang. If you don't like fresh coriander, try parsley and/or toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts. As I said, the variations are infinite, but in order to make it interesting, try to keep the soup on the sweetish side and add a fruity component by adding something like raw tomatoes, bell peppers or actual fruit (mango or papaya comes to mind) right before you serve it.
My mother is at the hospital again -- at first they thought it was intestinal occlusion (wouldn't have been the first time), but yesterday's examinations brought to light that she has got kidney stones. I don't know yet how big they are and what they're going to do about them (i.e. operate or smash them), but at least it's less sinister than the occlusion, and if there has to be surgery, it's not very invasive.
Gah, my arms are sore. They'll be getting a very small amount of very light exercise today at the gym, that much is for sure.
In other news, the human body -- mine, in fact -- is a curious thing.
Don't worry, no TMI coming.
I exercise six days a week. I do Pilates, I do cardio, I do muscle building on the machines. I'm rather fit, and since I do many different things, all muscle groups get regular exercise. That notwithstanding, after playing one measly hour of tennis yesterday, today I feel as if the tenth legion (victrix, gloriosa) had marched straight through my bed and trampled me underfoot on their way towards subjugating the Huns or whomever. My bum muscles are sore, some back muscles are sore, and that's really a surprise, because I've been doing lots of exercise specifically targeted at these muscle groups. The sore forearms, on the other hand, aren't much of a surprise but quite painful. You'd hardly believe the leverage and subsequent muscle strain a 275 gram tennis racquet is able to cause, but there you are.
Apart from the sore muscles, playing again with Elena was a delight. Keeping to one hour twice a week was a very wise decision, though.
Since Irene had to have a basalioma removed last Wednesday from her upper left arm and was therefore a little restricted in her movements (unlike moles etc., basaliomas have to be cut out, not just off), I cooked dinner both on Saturday and yesterday. Saturday's creation was an excellent -- if I say so myself -- vegetable curry, and yesterday I made some very nice soup. So nice, in fact, and so easy and fast, that I feel compelled to share the recipe, which may as always be altered to fit your particular tastes:
Peel and finely slice a few carrots (number depends on size)
Do the same with parsnips (ditto) -- before cutting them up, remove the stringy core, though
Same -- except here it's dice instead of slice -- with a few potatoes and a piece of fresh ginger root about as long as your thumb
Finely slice two or three leeks
Put everything togeher in a pot and, if you're a Good Housewife, add enough chicken stock so the veggies are just covered. (If you're a lazy slob like me, just add water and bouillon cubes -- if possible organic -- to taste)
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid, let simmer for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, cut up a few pieces of grilled chicken breast (or, in case you're not as lazy as I am, the breast of the chicken you made the stock with) and set aside.
Finely slice two or three hands full of cherry tomatoes and, if you are so inclined, chop a bunch of fresh coriander.
If you like your veggies crunchy, fish about half of them out of the pot while they still are, and leave the rest on until they're tender. Otherwise wait until it's all nice and tender, and then remove about half of it on to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Put the remaining stock and vegetables in the blender and blitz. Put back into pot, add the half you've removed.
Add a bit of cream, cayenne pepper and nutmeg and, if the soup is too thick, stock. If it's too watery, peel a potato and grate it (raw) into the soup with a very fine grater, then bring again to a boil. The finely grated potato will thicken the soup nicely.
Add the chicken, leave on the stove for two or three minutes, then put into plates and sprinkle with the cherry tomatoes and coriander.
Due to the leek and carrots, the soup is a little sweetish; the ginger and cayenne pepper give it a spicy note, and the cherry tomatoes add just the right amount of fruity tang. If you don't like fresh coriander, try parsley and/or toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts. As I said, the variations are infinite, but in order to make it interesting, try to keep the soup on the sweetish side and add a fruity component by adding something like raw tomatoes, bell peppers or actual fruit (mango or papaya comes to mind) right before you serve it.
My mother is at the hospital again -- at first they thought it was intestinal occlusion (wouldn't have been the first time), but yesterday's examinations brought to light that she has got kidney stones. I don't know yet how big they are and what they're going to do about them (i.e. operate or smash them), but at least it's less sinister than the occlusion, and if there has to be surgery, it's not very invasive.
Gah, my arms are sore. They'll be getting a very small amount of very light exercise today at the gym, that much is for sure.
