Thursday, 30 April 2020

family dinner plan: melon with mint lime ginger, sticky rice pearl balls, bread and hummus, apple cake

Family dinner was me this evening.

Melon with zesty ginger sauce

Hummus and tomato bread/calzone log

Sticky rice balls (turkey & veg)

Apple crumble


Calzone log with tomatos and cheese (and sage and parsley) before rolling up.

Rice balls into steamer.

Serve melon with garnish of mint and ginger sauce in jug.



The calzone log disappeared so fast I almost didn't get a picture!

Apple crumble also almost all gone before picture was taken.

Rice balls wrapped in nasturtium leaves. THe leaves worked really well to stop them sticking. And they are tasty themselves or come off easy enough. 


Inspiration and help with instructions from . . . 

Melon

https://www.health.com/health/recipe/0,,50400000128409,00.html
https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/melons-with-ginger-syrup
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a537483/melon-with-ginger-and-port-vinaigrette/

Crank's Recipe book hummus
With two tins of chick peas as 4 cloves of garlic is too much for 1 tin of chick peas.

A rylandpeters.com easy vegetarian recipe for pizza dough

Sticky rice balls

https://www.thespruceeats.com/pearl-balls-appetizer-695040
https://www.happycow.net/blog/cooking-sticky-rice-balls/
https://foodsogoodmall.com/recipe/201104chinese-turkey-rice-ball-appetizers-html/

Darina Allen's Ballymaloe apple crumble

Plan

0. soak rice

1. marinade turkey

2. bread

3. hummus

4. cake

5. rice balls

6. melon

7. and serve . . .

Do

1. Chopped onion and green pepper and grated ginger, mixed with turkey mince and turmeric.

2. Made yeast dough. Left on top of kettle to rise.
7g yeast, mix of strong white and interesting flour 20g, 125ml warm water, 2 tbsp olive oil
half tsp salt,
mix. knead. rise.

3. Made hummus, mashed drained tin of chick-peas with grated garlic. 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp yoghurt, lemon juice. Too garlicky! Added another tin of chick peas. Mashed. Taste. Better. Add pepper.

From garden . . . got parsley, sage, mint and bunch of nasturtium leaves which are a bit small this time of year. Parsley to garnish hummus. Parsley and sage to mix with tomatos for the calzone. Mint for the melon ginger sauce. Nasturtium leaves instead of banana leaves to cook the sticky rice balls in.

4. Peeled and chopped apple. In with some sugar and water to steam/stew.
Slightly overdid the stewed apple but used the syrup/juice for the ginger melon sauce. Added mint leaves, lime juice and zest and grated ginger and simmer.

Crumble
110g flour, 50g butter mix with hands until crumby, add 50g sugar. mix.
Add crumble on top of apple in a suitable baking dish and into oven oops 200 then 180 degrees for 30 to 45 mins.

Calzone log
Roll out dough on floury surface.
Chop tomato, mix with sage and parsley, spread on rolled out dough like pizza.
Add cheese (white cheddar).
Roll up into log, seal the ends with tomato juice and squeeze dough to seal.
Into oven.

5. Put marinaded turkey and veg into a big bowl. Add some spoons of the soaked rice and an egg and some cornflour. Mix.

Prepare bottom layer of steamer with nasturtium leaves (stick the stalks out the holes)
Lay out soaked rice on a plate.
Form a ball of the mix then put on plate, press rice around the outside.
Place in steamer.
Repeat that about 30 times!

Steam a good long while to cook the rice and meat. About 30/35/.. mins.

Oven off and leaving calzone log and crumble inside to keep warm.

6. Slice melon and remove seeds. Chopping into chunks would have worked better actually.

Lay table. Chopsticks. Forks. Glasses. Water. Soy sauce and sweet chilli ready with small bowls for rice balls.

Serve melon with zesty ginger sauce in jug for pour over.

Serve calzone log with hummus.

Serve rice balls.

Serve crumble with ice-cream and tea.


Review

YUM

phew it took a good while to prepare! 2hours/2:30 ish


Monday, 27 April 2020

ogham alphabet and TIr na nOg archaeology challenge and crazy sudoku with just 4 numbers filled to start with :-o


Click HERE to join the quest to find the modern-day location of Tír na nÓg.

You What ?

An intriguing invitation in a recent Scouting Ireland email notice brings you to this:
https://www.scouts.ie/Scouter/Programme-Scouter-Stuff/All-Section-Programme-Resources/37AS-SI_ProgrammeResources_TirNanOg_Handbook_22-04-2020.pdf

Might need to do some Ogham decoding. From Cub Scout camp around 2015 I think, this:



That and crazy sudoku found by Kate might keep me busy for a while!!!
Kate says "Look what I found https://cracking-the-cryptic.web.app/sudoku/2QM8JHJ4HB
https://youtu.be/hAyZ9K2EBF0 a video to help."

Sudoku rows, columns and boxes with unique 1 to 9 as in usual sudoku.
Add same unique 1 to 9 rule for two diagonals.
Add knights move rule where no square a chess knight's move from another can be the same number.
Add rule the middle 3x3 square is also a "magic square" where each row, column and the 2 diagonals must add up to the same amount.

A knight's move = 2 + 1 or 1 + 2
Like the L piece in tetris.
Move is (R* + 2F + R + 1F  ==  R* + 1F + R + 2F) where R*=pick initial NSEW direction to move, 2F/1F=move forward by 2 or 1, R=rotate by 90 degrees in either direction)

DON'T look at picture unless you want a spoiler. YES it took me 20 minutes to get that far. Nobody told me about the additional rules for a while!



Sunday, 26 April 2020

Scouts Location Hunt end. what3words #within2km challenge


Scout location hunt ends.

Well Done Elite, Ranger, and Scouts on successful location hunt.

The Venture scout Section stormed into the lead however the Scout sections gradually caught back up with one Scout clinching it uploading more locations on Sunday. All locations were found although the bike storage facility in Ticknock and The Ropework of Japan underground == japanese knotweed warning locations were close but exact location not found. 

Keep a look out for future hiking skills challenge but involving GPS and Grid reference locations.

#within2km

For Scouters, collect locations within reach of Scouts. Share what3words or GPS latitude/longiture or map Grid Reference (country specific or UTM) locations with clues. Share locations. Encourage a bit of competition and challenge between Scouts/Sections.

SPICES ? sPICes


Scouts Location Hunt: LOCATION find. plan. hunt. photo. upload.

This hunt tests and practices your map reading, hunting and technical skills. 
It is difficult but be patient, Please send questions on WhatsApp or other channels.
You must stay within 2km of your home.  
This map can help with that: https://2kmfromhome.com/

Using the 3words list given below find the locations on the 3words map.
Check how far are they from your house.
Pick locations within your 2km and make a plan to visit them. 
Bring some of your family out for the hunt if possible or get permission from parents to go hunting.
Maybe bring a bike if planning to collect a few locations.

A smart-phone with GPS(location) and what3words on the phone can help you find the location exactly.
Watch out, cold weather and GPS on can drain phone batteries fast!
Be responsible and careful, the outdoors is a dangerous place for smart phones or devices.
In public be wary of your surroundings at all times, 
  watch for traffic or sometimes people who might not have good intentions! Do have fun also! :-D

Hunt for the locations and take a picture of each. Bonus points for funny or interesting pictures!
Upload your pictures to Scout Google Photo Album here:

The first location you try will be the hardest to find! AIM to Achieve levels:  
  Scout: 1 or 2, 
  Explorer: 3 or 4, 
  Ranger: 5 (or 33% reachable within 2km) or more, 
  Elite: 10 (or 66% reachable within 2km) or more

  1. https://w3w.co/radio.admit.photos      historic hump
  2. https://w3w.co/spoil.newest.star         beep bzzt beep
  3. https://w3w.co/orbit.pills.trace            Pedal pusher
  4. https://w3w.co/idea.yard.owls            Achtung! Uisce.
  5. https://w3w.co/rarely.search.loser      A heavy cross to bear?
  6. https://w3w.co/sides.parade.record   Tom Crean, Shackelton, Marco Polo - a part of foot -ium ?
  7. Patio.slimy.intervals                            storage facility
  8. https://w3w.co/monks.really.pipes      Achtung! Bzzzt.
  9. https://w3w.co/reply.losses.sailor       Letters Grid
  10. https://w3w.co/woke.walks.sharp       Achtung! Rope work of Japan underground.
  11. https://w3w.co/evenly.models.bikes   High-rise accomodation - for the birds
  12. https://w3w.co/roses.cargo.elder       A big bird . . or . . something was here ?
  13. https://w3w.co/powers.guitar.goals    Go on. Go on. Ya will ya will. 

The challenge runs until next Sunday April 26th evening.




ANSWERS

1. Part of the historic Pale ditch

2. Telsa sign

3. Keith’s bike

4. Danger. Water.

5. Frog - Kermit graffiti

6. Kilgobbin Cross, back gate

7. Native Hut Fern Hill

8. Exploratorium Sign

9. Bike Shed 65 on pole

Grid Reference: O 16990 25669
X (Easting) : 316990    Y (Northing) : 225669
Latitude : 53.268683       Longitude : -6.2470344


10. ESB Kiosk, Wesley Lawns kiosk 288210 near Ballawley park

11. School alphabet grid

12. New park knotweed warning

13. BIG crow tree

14. Dragon egg, Central park

15. Samuel Beckett Go GO GO on ya will sure.


RED bench

Saturday, 4 April 2020

Jog/slog exploring loop within 2km of home. Visit St Caoin's cross very old megalith, holy well.

Jog/slog exploring loop within 2k limit of home. Sandyford, Kilcross, Ticknock park(new apartments I had not explored before), Blackglen road, Lamb Doyles, Woodside road.

Up the rough hillside opposite Slate cabin lane, ferns have all died back, dry hillside now, mud gone, goid for exploring. Down to Ballyedmondduff road, up/down Burrow road, across to Stepaside, Jamestown golf course.

Off piste explore visit old St Caoin's/St. James's cross. Into St. James's park(landfill dump being converted into park "multi hazard site"), into new(not open yet) linear park connecting Stepaside, St James's park, Ballyogan, Kilgobbin wood. Out onto Stepaside/Kilgobbin road and home. 18km. 3 hours.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Sk9XF48v2zEmn5P78

 18.1 km, http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/MTM2NzU5NzI=


Cross and well.

http://megalithomania.net/show/site/258/stepaside_public_golf_course.htm
"It is necessary to get written permission to visit this cross": watch out for dangerous golf balls! 
"This cross is quite amazing. The effigy is very odd and definitely very old. It depicts a figure with arms held in front of its body with the hands clasped hiding the genitals."

"The figure seems quite portly. The cross itself is just 1m tall and seems to stand in front of either a well or now open grave, probably the former."
This cross is dedicated to St. Caoin whose feast falls on May 1st, as does the feast of St. James. Over time the two got confused and St. James slowly took over eventually leading to the name of the area.


https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/ireland/what-a-dump-the-landfills-that-became-parks-1.3815250