Obviously I am still not a true interactive trekie because I had to look up my username and password. For shame!
I did look over Sally's shoulder a few nights ago when she was exploring the I'm Cooked site and was entranced at the amount of "stuff" that Sir Paul McCartney was adding to his mashed potatoes. Really - quite a small amount of potatoes to which he added gobs of butter, handfuls of onions and milk. I kept saying to Sally - no he is doing it wrong. It must be scallions or green onions - did he scald the milk - is that real butter? If I were you I wouldn't follow his directions even if he did get a knighthood. Instead, use the recipe below.
So, I avoided the I'm Cooked site and went to my old favorite, BBC iplayer where I found to my amazement that I couldn't watch some of my favorite "unwatchable" tv series. Nobody who lives 2 miles away from the area understands East Enders. However, I did watch snow falling in Europe and learned that they expect a "weather situation" in East Anglia (southeast part of England) with accumulations of maybe 20 centimeters. Then I watched the results of a truly horrific car accident in Co. Down, N. Ireland and wondered if I had ever travelled on that road. Did I travel with two lls or just one - British or American spelling. Forget the British comma, why have I devolved into one of my old bad habits - using the dash. I used to love the dash and liberally sprinkled it in all my research papers. Who says this social media stuff doesn't provoke serious self reflection?
Next, I travelled to some interesting social sites for making family trees and learned that I could order my ancestral DNA test. Too late for my Christmas list this year. If I indulge in a little more self-reflection I think I am part Norman, part Celt and maybe even a little Viking mixed in. Definitely some cold and draughty castles somewhere along the line. And later, of course came potatoes, thanks to another British knight - which brings me back to champ. And, a dash!
Here is a recipe for champ from a site called Foody UK and Ireland which updates some of Mrs Beatons' recipes.
Serves 8
1.8kg (4lb) Potatoes 300ml (½ pint) Milk 225g (8oz) Chopped Spring Onions 110g (4oz) Butter Salt and Black Pepper
Peel potatoes and cook in boiling water. Simmer milk and spring onions together for five minutes. Strain potatoes and mash thoroughly. Add hot milk, and the spring onions, salt and pepper, and half the butter. Champ is served piled high on the dish, with a well of melted butter in the centre. It is eaten with a spoon from the outside, each spoonful being dipped in the well of melted butter.
1.8kg (4lb) Potatoes 300ml (½ pint) Milk 225g (8oz) Chopped Spring Onions 110g (4oz) Butter Salt and Black Pepper
Peel potatoes and cook in boiling water. Simmer milk and spring onions together for five minutes. Strain potatoes and mash thoroughly. Add hot milk, and the spring onions, salt and pepper, and half the butter. Champ is served piled high on the dish, with a well of melted butter in the centre. It is eaten with a spoon from the outside, each spoonful being dipped in the well of melted butter.
Do you think I should make a video and post it somewhere?
Say, those potatoes look DElicious! I'm looking at them at the reference desk and it's making me pretty hungry even though I totally overate on my early bird special 4:00 dinner break.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say, that I am a big fan of the...I don't know what you call the...either, and it's hard to use it in a sentence because you can't put a period after it. Also, I'm not sure of the punctuation rules about this. Is there a certain number of dots that is appropriate? I will have to call the reference desk on my day off and have someone look that up for me. Ha. I also dislike the "LOL". Not sure why. My sister does too. It's genetic.
Speaking of genetics and family trees and such, my family has been in this country since the American revolution. I know the Hortenstine's (from my mother's mother's side) were probably German. I've heard there is Black Dutch in the family, which I think is a German thing, but it's sketchy. People used to use funny names for things they weren't comfortable with, so it might be a name for a Native American/Caucasion mix. I think I'm also a little Irish and a little English. Quite the mutt, eh? Must be the Irish in me that's jonesing for those potatoes.
See, Patricia, I can tie up a rambling conversation with the best of them!