Together, Ants and "The Coolest Man on the Planet"

Time to catch up with cinema/literature/music.

CINEMA

We watched TOGETHER some time ago.


I really enjoyed this movie. This is a... comedy? drama? well, depending how you look at it! Elisabeth leaves her husband with their two children and join her brother's commune, called Together. Living together is never easy, even when you share the same ideals. I found this film heart-warming, despite the snow! Just looking at the poster above makes me feel good and I forget all the hatred in this world.

The film also had the other personal advantage of reminding me of my student time in Gothenburg. I love the sound of this language! I wish I had kept practising, but how can one do so in the middle of rural England???!!! I realised I would not have understood it without the subtitles, which was very frustrating!

LITERATURE

After finishing Erzaehler der Nacht (Goedi, I really recommend it to you) I started the third part of The Ants trilogy by Bernard Werber, called The Revolution of the Ants. Not available in English to this date unfortunately. It is really good. Possibly the best of all three. The trilogy is based on the parallel discovery of the world of ants, human, and the reading of an encyclopaedia written by a man who tried to understand both worlds. It is written as an epic adventure, but it is also about sociology, biology, philosophy, religion, history, and everything else that you are willing to take from it. There is so much information, some more likely to be true than others, but all useful in their way.



Soon should come out the third part of the God trilogy. Don't be put off by the metaphysical sounding title. The main characters are god apprentices in the school of gods, and they are given a world to play with, each student bein responsible for creating and guiding a type of civilisation. Each chapter is followed by one chapter of the encyclopaedia about Greek mythology.

MUSIC

In three weeks' time we will go to Seu Jorge's concert at Warwick Arts Centre. I am really looking forward to it. I intend to watch The Life Aquatic before the concert, for which he worked on the soundtrack. Seu Jorge also performed in City of God, which I is an extraordinary movie. Seu Jorge's music is really enjoyable. I wished I could understand Portuguese! For now, the rythm on its own is good enough to carry me away.

And supreme reward, The Times described Seu Jorge as "the coolest man on the planet". How cool is that???


Looking forward to 18th November!

Treat or tricks

It is in the season, so we made some pumpkin soup last week. It was actually half pumpkin/half squash due to their size! It was worth the effort of peeling the beasts. If anybody has a technique to remove the flesh of squash/pumpkin which does not involve using a machete, please let me know. Every time I think I will have to leave the kitchen with one hand missing or a twisted wrist.

No kids knocking on the door this year. They would have been disappointed anyway as the closest thing we have to treats are fresh fruit and caster suger! Maybe they have learnt from previous years?

Here is the recipe I used for the pumpkin soup:

1 kg pumpkin/squash
1 onion
bay leaves
vegetable stock
milk
salt and pepper

Fry the onion in butter. Add the diced pumpkin and cook for 5 min. Add the stock and bay leaves and cook until the pumpkin is very tender (~25 min). Place in a food processor. Return to the heat and add some milk. Season to taste and serve with a nice wholemeal bread.


Voilá qui est de saison alors nous avons fait de la soupe au potiron la semaine derniére. C'était en fait moitié potiron/moitié courge étant donné leur petite taille. Cela valait bien la peine de peler les bétes. Si quelqu'un a une bonne technique pour retirer la chair des potirons/courge qui n'implique pas l'utilisation d'une hache, ca m'intéresse. A chaque fois je crois que je vais devoir quitter la cuisine avec une main en moins ou un poignet foulé.

Pas d'enfants á frapper á la porte pour Halloween. Ils auraient été décus de toute facon, vue que ce que nous avons de plus ressemblant á des friandises chez nous sont soit des fruits frais, soit du sucre en poudre !

Voici la recette utilisée pour la soupe au potiron :

1 kg de potiron/courge
1 oignon
feuilles de laurier
bouillon de légumes
lait
sel et poivre

Faire revenir l'oignon dans du beurre puis y ajouter le potiron coupé en dé. Ajouter le bouillon et le laurier et cuire jusqu'á ce que le potiron soit bien tendre (~25 min). Passer au mixeur. Retourner sur le feu et y ajouter le lait. Assaisonner.

Three-cheese pasta bake

New pasta bake recipe! Hurrah! Hope you like cheese :-)

This will feed 4 people:
400g dried penne pasta
2 eggs, beaten
400g ricotta cheese
basil
140g grated mozzarella or halloumi
80g grated parmesan

1. cook the pasta 'al dente'
2. Mix the ricotta & eggs, season to taste
3. spoon half of the cooked pasta in a greased ovenproof dish, top with half of the ricotta mixture, then basil, then mozzarella/halloumi.
4. Rest of pasta, ricotta, basil and sprinkle with the parmesan.
5. Place in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes until piping hot.
6. Serve with fresh freen vegetables.

Bon appétit !

Gratin de pátes aux trois fromages

Ingrédients pour 4 personnes:
400g pátes type penne
2 oeufs 400g ricotte (fromage frais italien)
basilic
140g mozzarella ou halloumi rápé(e)
80g parmesan rápé

1. Cuire les pátes 'al dente'
2. incorporer les oeufs á la ricotte et assaisonner
3. Disposer la moitié des pátes cuites dans un plat graissé allant au four. Recouvrir d'une couche de ricotte, puis de basilic, puis la mozarella/halloumi.
4. Re-couche de pátes, ricotte, basilic et finir par le parmesan.
5. Passer au four préchauffé pendant environ 30 minutes jusqu'á ce que ce soit bien chaud.
6. Servir avec des légumes verts.

Bon appétit !

Energy Saving Week

After the announcement recently that UK was top of the European league of energy waste, this week happens to be Energy Saving Week.

Tips from the Energy Saving Trust:

Monday:
Buy better day
This should not be valid only for appliances. Buying bulk with less packaging also contributes towards using less energy.

Tuesday:
Boil better day
Why on earth do some people boil 1.5 litres of water to make a 25 cl cup of tea/coffee????

Wednesday:
Green wheels day
Do all car owners need a car?

Thursday
Turn to 30 day
I wish our washing-machine had a 30 degrees programme! And a cold wash programme. I really hate hand-washing woollen pullovers!!!

Friday
Light savers day
Some light-saving bulbs take ages to come on completely which is sometimes annoying, but great when you wake up in the middle of the night: no getting blind by switching the light on!

And for the most committed of you, have a look at ECOTRICITY.

Celery and cheese soup

Celery and cheese soup

This soup should provide you with 4 portions:

25g butter
1 onion, chopped
1 bunch of celery, chopped
1 or 2 carrots, chopped
500ml water
500ml stock
150g cheese (blue/cheddar/gruyere)
Pinch of nutmeg
Pepper

1. Fry the onion in the butter for 5 min, then add the celery and carrot and cook for approx. 5 min.

2. Add the stock and half of the water and cook for 20 min until the veg are very tender.

3. Process in a blender or food processor.
4. Return to the heat, and gradually add the cheese. Cook until the cheese has melted in the soup. Add some water if necessary. Season with nutmeg and pepper.

NO NEED TO ADD SALT: THE STOCK AND CHEESE SHOULD PROVIDE ENOUGH OF IT.

Soupe au céleri et fromage

Cette recette servira 4 personnes :

25g beurre
1 oignon, haché
1 bouquet de céleri-branche, découpé en tous petits morceaux
1 ou 2 carottes, découpées en tous petits morceaux
500ml eau
500ml bouillon de légumes
150g fromage (bleu, cheddar, gruyère)
Pincée de noix de muscade
Poivre

1. Frire l’oignon dans le beurre pendant 5 min puis ajouter le céleri et carottes et cuire durant environ 5 min.
2. Ajouter le bouillon et la moitié de l’eau et cuire pendant 20 min ou jusqu’à ce que les légumes soient bien cuits.
3. Mixer au robot.
4. Retourner au feu et ajouter progressivement le fromage. Cuire jusqu’à ce que tout le fromage soit bien incorporé. Ajouter de l’eau si nécessaire. Assaisonner avec la noix de muscade et le poivre.

NUL BESOIN DE SALER : LE BOUILLON ET LE FROMAGE DEVRAIENT APPORTER SUFFISAMMENT DE SEL.

Vegetable & Nut Samosas

Vegetable and Nut Samosas

This is really nice. I made a real mess of the kitchen but hey, it was worth it!

Ingredients for 12 Samosas:

350g diced potatoes / 350g pommes de terre, coupées en dés
125g frozen peas / 125g petits pois congelés
3 TBSP veg oil / 3 c. soupe huile végétale
1 chopped onion / 1 oignon haché
2.5cm root ginger, chopped / 2,5 cm de racine de gingembre, haché
1 crushed garlic clove / 1 gousse d’ail écrasée
1 TSP garam masala / 1 c. café garam masala (épice indienne)
2 TSP curry paste / 2 c. café pâte de curry
½ TSP cumin seeds / ½ c. café graines de cumin
2 TSP lemon juice / 2 c. café jus de citron
60 chopped unsalted coarsely chopped cashews / 60g noix de cajou grossierement hachées

PASTRY / PATE
225g plain flour / 225g farine
60g butter / 60g beurre
6 TBSP warm milk / 6 c. soupe lait tiéde

1. Cook potatoes & peas in boiling water then drain well. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, then the potatoes, peas, ginger, garlic and spices and cook for 2 min. Add the lemon juice and cook for another 2 min. Remove from the heat, mash the potato mixture then add the cashews, mix well and season to taste.

1. Cuire les pommes de terre et petits pois dans l’eau bouillante puis égoutter. Chauffer l’huile dans une poêle. Y frire l’oignon, puis les pomme de terre et petits pois, gingembre, ail et épices et cuire pendant 2 min. Ajouter le citron et de nouveau cuire pdt 2 min. Retirer du feu et écraser la préparation. Y ajouter les noix de cajou, bien mélanger et assaisonner.

2. To make the pastry, rub the butter with the flour and mix in the milk to form a dough. Knead lightly and divide into 6 portions. Form each into a ball, roll them out to a 18 cm round. Cut each one in half. Fill half of each semi-cercl with the mixture, seal the edges with water and shallow fry in vegetable oil on both sides until golden brown.

2. Pour faire la pâte, mélanger le beurre et la farine á la main et y incorporer le lait pour former une pâte. Pétrir légèrement et diviser en 6 parts égales en forme de boule. Dérouler les boules en cercles de 18 cm de diamètre et les couper en deux. Disposer la préparation dans chaque moitié de demi-cercle puis sceller avec de l’eau. Faire frire dans l’huile végétale sur les deux côtés.

Vegetable bake with Carrots and Parsnips

This is one of our favourite bake and we were looking forward to the parsnip season which has finally come! This is so sweet and creamy...

Ce gratin est l'un de nos gratins préférés et nous attendions vivement que la saison des panais qui est finallement arrivée ! C'est tellement doux et crémeux...

Ingredients for 4 people Ingrédients pour 4 personnes
300g parsnips 300g panais
300g carrots 300g carottes
500g potatoes 500g pommes de terres
1 fennel (optional) 1 fenouil (optionnel)

90g butter 90g beurre
25g flour 25g farine
300ml milk 300ml lait
1 egg 1 oeuf
pinch of nutmeg pincée de noix de muscade
25g Parmesan, grated 25g Parmesan rápé
salt & pepper sel et poivre

1. Cut the parsnips & carrots into small strips and boil for 10 min then drain well and arrange in an ovenproof dish. Cut the potatoes into dice and boil for 10 min.

1. Couper les panais et carottes en bátonnets et bouillir pendant 10 min, puis bien égouter et disposer dans un plat allant au four. Couper les pommes de terres en dé et bouillir pendant 10 min.


2. Melt half of the butter, then add the flour and stir. Remove from heat and gradually add the milk. Return to the hob and bring to the boil. Cook until thickened. Add nutmeg and season. Add the beaten egg. Pour over the carrots & parsnips strips in the dish.

2. Faire fondre le beurre, puis ajouter la farine et bien mélanger. Oter du feu et ajouter le lait petit á petit. Retourner sur le feu et porter á ébullition. Cuire jusqu'á épaississement. Ajouter la muscade, saler, poivrer. Ajouter l'oeuf battu. Verser la sauce sur les carottes et panais dans le plat.


3. Arrange the potatoes on the top, sprinkle with the cheese and bits of the remaining butter. Place in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.

3. Disposer les pommes de terre sur le dessus, parsemer de fromage rápé et de morceaux du beurre restant. Mettre au four préchauffé pendant 30 minutes.

World Food Day

Today is World Food Day.

And I am writing this while eating a nice and warm bowl of soup, thinking of all those who will not be eating today. Look back to Coluche's quote from yesterday.

Aujourd'hui est la Journée Mondiale de l'Alimentation.

Et j'écris ceci alors que je mange un bol de soupe bien chaud, en pensant á tous ceux qui ne mangeront pas aujourd'hui. Jetez un oeil á la citation de Coluche que j'ai postée hier.

Easy Pea(zy) Soup

Tarragon and Pea Soup / Soupe aux Petits Pois et Tarragon (ESTRAGON, Merci Sandrine !)

I surprised myself with this recipe. I did not think it would taste THAT nice. It is also quick to make and is fairly cheap.

Je me suis surprise moi-meme avec cette recette. Je ne pensais pas que ce serait si bon. C'est aussi rapide á faire et est peu onéreux.

==> Frérot : ton légume préféré, je crois que tu adorerais !


Ingredients:
2 tsp butter / 2 c. café beurre
1 onion, finely chopped / 1 oignon, finement haché
2 leeks, finely chopped / 2 poireaux, finement émincés
2 TBSP rice / 2 c. soupe riz
500 g frozen peas / 500 g petits pois congelés
1 litre water / 1 litre d'eau
1 veg stock cube / 1 cube bouillon de légumes
1 tsp dried tarragon / 1 c. café estragon déshydraté
salt & pepper / sel & poivre

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion, leeks and rice, cover and cook for ~10min. Add the peas, water, stock cube and tarragon. bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for ~35 min. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Return to the saucepan and heat through. Season to taste.

Faire fondre le beurre dans une casserole. Ajouter l'oignon, les poireaux et le riz. Couvrir et cuire pendant ~10min. Ajouter les petits pois, l'eau, le cube de bouillon et l'estragon. Faire bouillir. Couvrir et laisser mijoter pendant ~35min. Passer au mixeur. Retourner dans la casserole et réchauffer. Assaisonner.

Lentil croquettes

This is fabulous! For best results, you need to make this 6 hours before eating, or even the day before, otherwise the mixture falls into pieces and your croquettes will have no shape at all.

Cette recette est fabuleuse ! Pour de meilleurs résultats, vous devez préparer les croquettes 6 heures à l'avance, sinon la préparation s’émiette et vos croquettes n’auront aucune forme.

Serves 4 people: / Pour 4 personnes

Ingredients:
225 g split red lentils / 225 g lentilles corail
1 green pepper, finely chopped / 1 poivron vert, finement émincé
2 garlic cloves, crushed / 2 gousses d’ail écrasées
1 onion, finely chopped / 1 oignon, finement émincé
1 tsp garam masala / 1 c. café garam masala (épice indienne)
½ tsp chilli powder / ½ c. café piment en poudre
1 tsp ground cumin / 1 c. café cumin en poudre
2 tsp lemon juice / 2 c. café jus de citron
2 TBSP chopped unsalted nuts / 2 c. soupe noix, noisettes, cacahuètes, etc écrasées
600 ml water / 600 ml eau
1 egg, beaten / 1 oeuf, battu
salt & pepper / sel & poivre
3 TBSP plain flour / 3 c. soupe farine
1 tsp turmeric / 1 c. café curcuma en poudre
1 tsp chilli powder / 1 c. café piment en poudre
4 TBSP veg oil / 4 c. soupe huile végétale

1. Put lentils, pepper, garlic, onion, garam masala, chilli powder, ground cumin, lemon juice and nuts into a large pan. Add the water, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has been absorbed.

1. Mettre les lentilles, ail, oignon, garam masala, piment, cumin, jus de citron et noix dans une grande casserole. Ajouter l’eau, faire bouillir puis réduire et faire mijoter pendant 30 minutes en remuant de temps en temps jusqu’à ce que tout le liquide soit absorbé.

2. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the egg. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Leave to cool COMPLETELY.

2. Enlever la préparation du feu et bien y mélanger l’œuf. Assaisonner avec sel et poivre. Laisser refroidir COMPLETEMENT.

3. With floured hands, form the mixture into 8 shapes. Combine the flour, turmeric, chilli powder in a plate and roll the croquettes into the flour mixture to coat. Fry with vegetable oil in a frying pan until heated through and golden brown. Serve with fresh vegetables.

3. Avec des mains enfarinées, former 8 croquettes. Mélanger la farine, le curcuma et le piment dans une assiette et rouler les croquettes dans la farine pour les recouvrir complètement. Faites-les ensuite frire à la poêle avec l’huile végétale jusqu’à ce que les croquettes soient chauffées et dorées. Servir avec des légumes frais.

Coluche

Coluche was a great man. Here is one of his famous quotations:
Dieu a dit : " Je partage en deux.Les riches auront la nourriture,les pauvres l'appétit. "
God said: "I will equally share the world into two parts. The rich will have the food, and the poor will have hunger."

This is an electoral poster published in 1981 when he announced his candidancy for president. He was forced to drop out because of media and political pressures.

As we are approaching winter, it is worth mentioning that Coluche was the man who set up the "RESTOS DU COEUR" (Restaurants of the Heart). I remember collecting tins and clothes every year at school for the Resto du Coeur, so that they could supply homeless people with shelter and food.

On the subject I think there is a law in France which says that a landlord cannot evict their tenant, even if they don't pay the rent, between 1st October and 30th April. I should check this out but I think it is the case.

Children of Men

Children of Men

This film is amazingly good. Really well done.

Based in the UK in a not-so-far-away future, when, for unknown reasons (pollution? drugs? genetics?), the human race has become infertile and is bound to disappear.






Military law prevails in the country. All other nations have fallen into anarchy.






A disillusioned bureaucrat is forced into an underground resistance movement to protect a young and heavily pregnant woman.

Spoiler-warning:

This film is scary and beautiful. The most poignant and heartbreaking moment was the scene when Kee has just given birth and tries to escape a building being bombarded by tanks and attacked by soldiers armed with automatic weapons. Kee walks down the hall and all these people cannot believe their eyes when they see the new-born baby. Then suddenly the soundtrack stops: and in a dramatic silence, she walks down a staircase crowded by the soldiers, who, when they see her, shout 'CEASEFIRE'.

There are many things in this film providing food for thought. I really recommend it.

Results

I feel better now:

1. Because it was somebody's birthday in the office, so I had a muffin at tea-break + a banana, and am now eating leftovers of the risotto I made a couple of days ago.

2. Because I have drunken 2.5 pints of water since this morning and replaced the fluids I lost yesterday.

3. Because I have just received the results from my last OUBS assignment and I passed with distinction! I am very happy about it because I worked hard for it. Even declined B's birthday party invitation so that I could study.

We will go out to the cinema tonight, to watch Children of Men. I find the plot interesting. I hope the film will be good.

Blood donation

I went to my regular blood donation yesterday. And it did not go too well. The donation itself was fine: I felt OK and it did not hurt at all. But when I sat at the table to have a drink to recover, I felt faint, possibly due to the fact that I could see a few drops of blood through the plaster. So I suddenly fainted and it took me ages to recover.

Because I did not feel great we decided to walk home rather than cycle. Trave left his bike at work in the town centre and pushed mine all the way home. We were almost there but I felt weak again.

Once we got home, I started bleeding quite badly, fainted again... It took hours for the blood to really stop bleeding.

I gave blood before 6pm and the wound/needle hole was still not sealed up at 11pm. I also had a very bad night, having nightmares about dripping blood and threatening needles. And I feel really tired this morning. Luckily, I finish 2 hours earlier on Fridays.

No cycling to work for me this morning. I called a workmate yesterday night and asked him to give me a lift this morning.

In any case I am glad that this was not my first donation, or I don't think I would have given blood again.

Hope I will feel better next time!

I DON'T WANT TO PUT ANYBODY OFF. GIVING BLOOD SAVES LIVES AND IS VERY IMPORTANT.

DO SOMETHING AMAZING TODAY: GIVE BLOOD!

Raymond Devos - Caen

This is one of the numerous wonderful play-on-word sketches from late stand comedian Raymond Devos. One to challenge even those mastering la Langue Française.

Caen

J'avais dit: "pendant les vacances, je ne fais rien !... Rien ! Je ne vais rien faire ".
Je ne savais pas où aller.
Comme j'avais entendu dire : "A quand les vacances ?... A quand les vacances ?..."
Je me dis: " Bon !... Je vais aller à Caen... " Et puis Caen !... ça tombait bien, je n'avais rien à y faire.
Je boucle la valise... je vais pour prendre le car... Je demande à l'employé :
- Pour Caen, quelle heure?
- Pour où ?
- Pour Caen !
- Comment voulez-vous que je vous dise quand, si je ne sais pas où ?
- Comment ? Vous ne savez pas où est Caen ?
- Si vous ne me le dites pas !
- Mais je vous ai dit Caen !
- Oui !... mais vous ne m'avez pas dit où !
- Monsieur... je vous demande une petite minute
d'attention ! Je voudrais que vous me donniez l'heure des
départs des cars qui partent pour Caen !
- !!...
- Enfin !... Caen !... dans le Calvados !...
- C'est vague!
- ...En Normandie!...
- Ma parole ! Vous débarquez !
- Ah!... là où a eu lieu le débarquement !... En Normandie !
- A Caen...
- Là !
- Prenez le car.
- Il part quand ?
- Il part au quart.
- !!... Mais (regardant sa montre)... le quart est passé !
- Ah! Si le car est passé, vous l'avez raté.
- !!... Alors... et le prochain?
- Il part à Sète.
- Mais il va à Caen ?
- Non il va à Sète.
- Mais, moi, je ne veux pas aller à Sète... Je veux aller à Caen !
- D'abord, qu'est-ce que vous allez faire à Caen?
- Rien !... rien !... Je n'ai rien à y faire !
- Alors, si vous n'avez rien à faire à Caen, allez à Sète.
- !!... Qu'est-ce que vous voulez que j'aille faire à Sète ?
- Prendre le car !
- Pour où ?
- Pour Caen.
- Comment voulez-vous que je vous dise quand, si je ne sais pas où !...
- Comment !... Vous ne savez pas où est Caen ?
- Mais si, je sais où est Caen !... Ça fait une demi-heure que je vous dis que c'est dans le Calvados!... Que c'est là où je veux passer mes vacances, parce que je n'ai rien à y faire !
- Ne criez pas !... Ne criez pas !... On va s'occuper de vous.
Il a téléphoné au Dépot.
Mon vieux !... (regardant sa montre):
A vingt-deux, le car était là.
Les flics m'ont embarqué à sept...
Et je suis arrivé au quart.
Où j'ai passé la nuit !

Raymond Devos.

Citizen Kane

We watched Citizen Kane yesterday (with a bottle of Minnervois, Collines du Paradis, a red wine which I can only recommend).

I liked the film. But I keep thinking that I have missed something. I am no cinema connoisseur and although I liked it, I would not rate it as one of the best film I have ever seen. A recent survey rated it in the top 10 of all-time movies.

Is it because of technical innovations, use of photography, light, etc...?

Please tell me what I should have looked for and did not see!

Vegetable jalousie

As a French person, I first questioned the name of that dish: vegetables and jealousy? Was is linked to some ancient tale of a farmer who poisoned a rival? After some research (funny what you can learn from a recipe) I realised that some shutters/blinds were called jalousie and the look of the dish could vaguely remind somebody of them.

In any case the jalousie I made a few days ago did not look at all like a jalousie, looked even a bit messy, but not so bad that I could not post it!




for 4-6 people:

500g puff pastry (I buy ready-made puff pastry as I find it quite time-consuming to make)
1 egg
2 TBSP butter or margarine
1 leek, shredded
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
50g mushrooms, sliced
75g small asparagus or French beans
2 TBSP plain flour
6 TBSP veg stock
6 TBSP milk
4 TBSP dry white wine
1 TBSP oregano

Fry the leek & garlic for 2 min, add the remaining vegetables and cook for 3-5 min.
Add the flour and cook for another minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the stock, milk and wine. Return to the heat and bring to the boil until thickened. Stir in the oregano and season to taste.

Roll out half of the pastry to form a 38 x 15 cm rectangle.
Roll out the other half to the same shape but a bit bigger all round. Cut diagonal slits across, leaving 2 cm margin along the edges.
Transfer the smaller rectangle onto a backing tray.
Spoon the vegetables evenly on top of the smaller rectangle, leaving 1cm margin around the edges. Brush the edges with the beaten egg and add the bigger rectangle on top, pressing firm together to seal.
Brush the jalousie with egg to glaze and bake in preheated oven @ 180-200 degrees (Celsius) for 25-30 minutes.

Serve immediately with fresh vegetables.

SI QUELQU'UN VEUT LA RECETTE EN FRANCAIS, N'HESITEZ PAS A LAISSER UN COMMENTAIRE ET JE LA POSTERAI.

More full moon information

Amazing how taking a picture of the moon can raise your interest in the subject!

This is what I found in WMUR.com on the subject:

"January: Full "Wolf" Moon (American Indian - from wolf packs roaming in the dead of winter.) Also known as "Old"
February: Full "Snow" Moon (American Indian - because it's a common month for snow)
March: Full "Worm" Moon (American Indian -- from earthworms coming to soil surface during Spring thaw) Also "Sap", "Sugar"
April: Full "Pink" Moon (American Indian--from profusion of pink wildflowers)
May: Full "Flower" Moon. Also "Planting" sometimes used.
June: Full "Strawberry". Also "Rose" used by some.
July: Full "Buck" Moon. Also "Thunder" is sometimes used (American Indian - because July often features strong Thunderstorms)
August: Full "Fruit" Moon. Also "Corn"
September: Full "Harvest" Moon/
October: Full "Hunter's" Moon.
November: Full "Beaver" Moon. (American Indian - From the busy beavers building their winter homes) Also "Frost"
December: Full "Cold" Moon. AKA "Oak""

And the following table gives more variations on names: (source http://www.fabandpp.org/cotm/moons.htm)

Month	Set #1	Set #2	Cherokee
January	Old	Wolf	Cold
February	Snow	Snow	Bony
March	Sap	Worm	Windy
April	Grass	Pink	Flower
May	Milk	Flower	Planting
June	Rose	Strawberry	Green Corn
July	Thunder	Buck	Ripe Corn
August	Green Corn	Corn	Fruit
September	Fruit	Harvest	Nut
October	Harvest	Hunter's	Harvest
November	Frost	Beaver	Trading
December	Long Night	Cold	Snow
Month	Ottewell	Wiccan	Others
January	Moon After Yule	Wolf
February		Storm
March	Lenten	Chaste	Crow
April	Egg	Seed	Moon of the Red Grass Appearing
May		Hare
June	Flower	Dyad	Honey
July	Hay	Mead
August	Grain	Wyrt	Sturgeon
September		Barley
October	Hunter's	Blood
November	Hunter's	Snow
December	Moon Before Yule	Oak

Les 12 (13) Pleines Lunes

Hier soir c'était la Lune des Vendanges. Chaque pleine lune a un nom différent comme suit :

Solstice d'hiver - Equinoxe de printemps / Winter Solstice to spring equinox
Lune des Pluies
Lune des Neiges
Lune des Vents
Lune des Bourgeons

Equinoxe de printemps - Solstice d'été / Spring equinox to summer solstice
Lune des Semailles
Lune des Fleurs
Lune des Moissons

Solstice d'été - Equinoxe d'automne / Summer solstice to autumn equinox
Lune des Chaleurs
Lune des Orages
Lune des Vendanges

Equinoxe d'automne - Solstice d'hiver / Autumn equinox to winter solstice
Lune des Brumes
Lune des Morts

Il faut ajouter a cela la "lune bleue" qui apparait en fait rousse. Cela arrive une fois tous les 3 ans environ quand il y a 2 pleines lunes le meme mois. La seconde est surnommée "lune bleue".

Harvest moon

Yesterday was harvest moon. Apparently, each full moon has its own name and the one following the autumn equinox is called the harvest moon, because it allows farmers to harvest later in the night before winter comes.

FULL MOONS 2006

January 14th	Full Wolf Moon	4:48 am
February 12th	Full Snow Moon	11:44 pm
March 14th	Full Worm Moon	6:35 pm
April 13th	Full Pink Moon	12:40 pm
May 13th	Full Flower Moon	2:51 am
June 11th	Full Strawberry Moon	2:03 pm
July 10th	Full Buck Moon	11:01 am
August 9th	Full Sturgeon Moon	6:54 am
September 7tht	Full Corn Moon	2:42 pm
October 6th	Full Harvest Moon	11:12 pm
November 5th	Full Hunters Moon	7:58 am
December 4th	Full Cold Moon	7:24 pm

FULL MOONS 2007

January 3rd	Full Wolf Moon	8:57 am
February 2nd	Full Snow Moon	12:45 am
March 3rd	Full Worm Moon	6:17 pm
April 2nd	Full Pink Moon	1:15 pm
May 2nd	Full Flower Moon	6:09 am
May 31st	Full Blue Moon	9:04 pm
June 30th	Full Strawberry Moon	9:49 am
July 29th	Full Buck Moon	8:48 pm
August 28th	Full Sturgeon Moon	6:35 am
September 26tht	Full Harvest Moon	3:45 pm
October 26th	Full Hunter's Moon	12:52 am
November 24th	Full Beaver Moon	9:30 am
December 23rd	Full Cold Moon	8:16 pm

(Courtesy of http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/fullmoons.html)

On the subject of moon... Why do we say 'once in a blue moon'? This was also answered by the Farmers Almanac:

For more than half a century, whenever two full Moons appeared in a single month (which happens on average every 2 1/2 to 3 years), the second has been christened a "Blue Moon." In our lexicon, we describe an unusual event as happening "Once in a Blue Moon." This expression was first noted back in 1821 and refers to occurrences that are uncommon, though not truly rare.

On past occasions, usually after vast forest fires or major volcanic eruptions, the Moon has reportedly taken on a bluish or lavender hue. Soot and ash particles, propelled high into the Earth's atmosphere, can sometimes make the Moon appear bluish.

Why "Blue" Moon? For the longest time nobody knew exactly why the second full Moon of a calendar month was designated as a Blue Moon. One explanation connects it with the word "belewe" from the Old English, meaning, "to betray." Perhaps, then, the Moon was "belewe" because it betrayed the usual perception of one full Moon per month. However, in the March 1999 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, author Phillip Hiscock revealed one somewhat confusing origin of this term. It seems that the modern custom of naming the second full Moon of a month "blue," came from an article published in the March 1946 Sky & Telescope magazine. The article was "Once in a Blue Moon," written by James Hugh Pruett. In this article, Pruett interpreted what he read in a publication known as the Maine Farmers' Almanac (no relation to this Farmers' Almanac, published in Lewiston, Maine), and declared that a second full Moon in a calendar month is a "Blue Moon."

However, after reviewing the Maine Farmer's Almanac, Hiscock found that during the editorship of Henry Porter Trefethen (1932 to 1957), the Maine Farmers' Almanac made occasional reference to a Blue Moon, but derived it from a completely different (and rather convoluted) seasonal rule. As simply as can be described, according to Trefethen's almanac, there are normally three full Moons for each season of the year. But when a particular season ends up containing four full Moons, then the third of that season is called a Blue Moon! To make matters more confusing, the beginning of the seasons listed in Trefethen's almanac were fixed. A fictitious or dynamical mean Sun produced four seasons of equal length with dates which differed slightly from more conventional calculations. So, basically the current use of "Blue Moon" to mean the second full Moon in a month can be traced to a 55-year-old mistake in Sky & Telescope magazine.

Winter stew

It is not quite winter yet but the first signs are here. Despite the promising blue sky, the wind feels bitterly cold. So it was really comforting when I was working on the TMA last Tuesday night and Trave made this really nice winter stew.

This recipe will feed 4 people:

- Fry 500g finely sliced leeks for a few minutes, then add 225g diced smoked tofu, 3 sliced carrots and 3 diced potatoes. Add 2 glasses of water, a bay leaf, and herbs. Season to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender and serve warm with some wholemeal bread.


Ce n'est pas vraiment l'hiver encore mais les premiers signes sont la. Malgré le ciel bleu, le vent est plutot frisquet. La poelée d'hiver que Trave a faite l'autre jour était vraiment la bienvenue !

Pour 4 personnes :

- Faire revenir 500g de poireaux émincés pendant quelques minutes, puis ajouter 225g de tofu fumé coupé en dé, 3 carottes coupées en rondelles, et 3 pommes de terres coupées en dé. Ajouter 2 verres d'eau, une feuille de laurier et des herbes, et assaisonner. Cuire jusqu'a ce que les légumes soient tendres et servir avec une tranche de pain complet.

World Animal Day

Today is World Animal Day.

We don't have any pets but there are many cats in the neighbourhood, which is nice. Well, I have a cat but it stays at my parents, with his sister. Here is a picture of the dynamic duo. Don't they look cute?

Submitted!

What a relief, I have just submitted my OUBS assignment. I had taken yesterday and today off and that was a good thing. I have been working on it since 7:50 this morning and had not much time for a break. Until the last minute I thought I would never finish: even the online submission software refused it because the file was too big! Good thing I could 'zip' it...

Among other things Trave cooked us a nice dinner and made me hot water bottle as my feet were frozen from sitting in the cold study all day long.

Tomorrow I will have a large glass of wine to celebrate!

Night night.

Chinese proverb

I saw this today and thought it was appropriate with the weather we're having:

"Le sage face au vent ne construit pas un paravent mais un moulin."

"Against the wind, the wise man does not build a windscreen but a windmill."

Free Hugs Campaign

Truly inspiring. It made my day to watch this, especially since we are having a miserable, rainy, stormy and very dark October day. This was a ray of sunshine.

Here is a hug from me: X