Once again, I'm in a South Africa mood. On another site where I hang out, we're doing a Secret Santa, and a few days ago, I got my gift - South Africa-themed random items. Among these items, a CD filled with interesting South African music, including The Click Song...
Anyway, RoF doesn't care about music. Only food. So on to the recipe...
A few things first. A little warning - this is meant to be made a day ahead of serving time. I didn't do this (didn't read the recipe carefully enough before making it :). The dish was still quite delicious...
Also, the recipe says serve with pasta. I made pan-fried potatoes and salad to go with the dish and it worked out nicely.
Braised chicken thighs with red wine, sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar
(Serves 8)
16-18 chicken thigh portions (ca 2 kg)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
salt and milled black pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup shredded basil leaves, or 2 tsp dried oregano
125 g sun-dried tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Trim excess fat from the chicken. Heat oil in a heavy, ovenproof casserole and brown the chicken on both sides over a medium-high heat, in 3-4 batches. When finished with each batch, remove chicken and set aside.
Reduce the heat and add the onions, some salt and pepper. Cook gently for 5-10 minutes or until very soft but not browned. Add small amounts of water to avoid browning, if necessary. Stir in garlic, herbs, and sun-dried tomatoes. Add chicken pieces to casserole. Add stock and wine, and bake in oven at 160 C for about an hour or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.
Before reheating the chicken, remove any congealed fat from the surface. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Check seasonings. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, and continue reheating on stovetop (or in oven at 160 C) until chicken is heated, about 20-30 minutes.
Serve with hot small pasta sprinkled with shredded basil or chopped parsley.
Recipe source: Cape Town Food
We drank Groot Constantia's 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon with our meal and it was a lovely match.
RoF is very stuffed and happy...
29.12.06
field to feast
I love this blog. It's very interesting and RoF-friendly...
Tonight's dinner came from this blog - the spaghetti with beetroot pesto. With a side salad. (I was in the mood for something vegetarian.)
Well, I had too many beets in it (or too little of the other ingredients) but it was still quite good. I will definitely make it again...
Tonight's dinner came from this blog - the spaghetti with beetroot pesto. With a side salad. (I was in the mood for something vegetarian.)
Well, I had too many beets in it (or too little of the other ingredients) but it was still quite good. I will definitely make it again...
25.12.06
so far so good...
God jul from the penguinette in Oslo!
First things first... my stash :-) We opened presents yesterday, according to Norwegian tradition, though a bit earlier than what is traditional as we had to get to our shift at Alternativ Jul. Anyway, I got the following:
The binoculars are something that I really wish I had when we were in South Africa, to look at the birdies. I'm glad I have them now though. They're nice and compact; perfect for travel. The heart rate monitor will also be nice for doing more effective training... I'll probably test it out within the next week (before all the New Yesr's resolutioners infiltrate the gym)...
boyfriend of feitpingvin got from me:
He also got some cool cufflinks from his mom. And we both got a hand-made glass penguin from some friends of ours...
As for Alternativ Jul... I was doing cleanup/dishes stuff, taking dirty dishes, cups, and cutlery from the dining area to the kitchen this time around; I had done kitchen duty for the past 2 years (at least) and it was time for something new...
I don't mind doing the physical work; it's actually quite "nice" to do when you have a sit-on-your-fat-ass IT job otherwise. I'm in shape for it because of all the exercise I do, and it's not a problem for me. However, some of the male volunteers (and even one woman) seemed to think that the crate-like thing (not sure what they're called) with dirty dishes was too heavy for me to carry. I found that extremely offensive, and it left me annoyed for a good part of the evening. There were a few other girls doing the dishes run, and they weren't having any problems either, so I don't know where these twats got this idea that we can't lift things... but whatever...
The only real disaster on our watch was one of the guests kicking over a bucket we used to empty the contents of glasses and coffee cups into (we had to do this before setting them up on the plastic whateveritscalled to take to the dishwasher). But we managed to get the mops quickly enough and things were OK in the end...
It was pretty calm and quiet this year. Perhaps it's because of the mild weather; the guests don't feel they need to stay indoors all the time. We also had more volunteers this year and perhaps it was easier to "keep control" because of that. I don't know. But tons of food was eaten and loads of gifts were given out, as usual, and there's a lot food and other stuff left...
We have another shift tomorrow. We'll see how that goes...
First things first... my stash :-) We opened presents yesterday, according to Norwegian tradition, though a bit earlier than what is traditional as we had to get to our shift at Alternativ Jul. Anyway, I got the following:
- from boyfriend of feitpingvin's mother: a necklace (black band) with a purple heart-shaped pendant (will try to show a pic of it some day, as I really don't know how to describe it better
- from my parents: money (for travel... uh, saving for a bigger shoebox :)
- from boyfriend of feitpingvin: a Polar F4 Fitness Heart Rate Monitor and a Nikon Sportstar 10X25 DCF (binoculars)
The binoculars are something that I really wish I had when we were in South Africa, to look at the birdies. I'm glad I have them now though. They're nice and compact; perfect for travel. The heart rate monitor will also be nice for doing more effective training... I'll probably test it out within the next week (before all the New Yesr's resolutioners infiltrate the gym)...
boyfriend of feitpingvin got from me:
- Twins leather shin guards (SGL-3)
- Essence of a Land. When we were in Stellenbosch, we learned about this book while listening to the news. We wanted to get it while we were over there, but at that time the book had just come out and not all the bookstores had it. Most of the bookstore staff we asked hadn't even heard of it. It was eventually "forgotten", until I peeked through my written travel notes again. And then I thought "Aha! I know how to really surprise him!" My biggest fear was that he would suddenly remember the book hehe...
He also got some cool cufflinks from his mom. And we both got a hand-made glass penguin from some friends of ours...
As for Alternativ Jul... I was doing cleanup/dishes stuff, taking dirty dishes, cups, and cutlery from the dining area to the kitchen this time around; I had done kitchen duty for the past 2 years (at least) and it was time for something new...
I don't mind doing the physical work; it's actually quite "nice" to do when you have a sit-on-your-fat-ass IT job otherwise. I'm in shape for it because of all the exercise I do, and it's not a problem for me. However, some of the male volunteers (and even one woman) seemed to think that the crate-like thing (not sure what they're called) with dirty dishes was too heavy for me to carry. I found that extremely offensive, and it left me annoyed for a good part of the evening. There were a few other girls doing the dishes run, and they weren't having any problems either, so I don't know where these twats got this idea that we can't lift things... but whatever...
The only real disaster on our watch was one of the guests kicking over a bucket we used to empty the contents of glasses and coffee cups into (we had to do this before setting them up on the plastic whateveritscalled to take to the dishwasher). But we managed to get the mops quickly enough and things were OK in the end...
It was pretty calm and quiet this year. Perhaps it's because of the mild weather; the guests don't feel they need to stay indoors all the time. We also had more volunteers this year and perhaps it was easier to "keep control" because of that. I don't know. But tons of food was eaten and loads of gifts were given out, as usual, and there's a lot food and other stuff left...
We have another shift tomorrow. We'll see how that goes...
20.12.06
On the first day of Christmas...
...my true love gave to me
A penguin in a baobab tree...
On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Two Cape turtle doves
And a penguin in a baobab tree...
On the third day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Three Guinea fowl
Two Cape turtle doves
And a penguin in a baobab tree...
Uh... OK, I'll stop now...
(Who, me? Still obsessed? ;)
A penguin in a baobab tree...
On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Two Cape turtle doves
And a penguin in a baobab tree...
On the third day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Three Guinea fowl
Two Cape turtle doves
And a penguin in a baobab tree...
Uh... OK, I'll stop now...
(Who, me? Still obsessed? ;)
14.12.06
three times the harm...
boyfriend of tuxette and I graded to practitioner 3 in Krav Maga tonight...
I have a nice little lump on my cheekbone from where an elbow hit the frame of my sports goggles, bruised up shins and at least one huge bump that will be noticable when wearing nylons, a nasty cut on my thumb, bashed-up forearms... I can't wait to go to work tomorrow and show everything off... :-/
btw - how many lives do penguinettes have anyway?
I have a nice little lump on my cheekbone from where an elbow hit the frame of my sports goggles, bruised up shins and at least one huge bump that will be noticable when wearing nylons, a nasty cut on my thumb, bashed-up forearms... I can't wait to go to work tomorrow and show everything off... :-/
btw - how many lives do penguinettes have anyway?
1.12.06
knife fighting...
On knife fights, from one of my favorite self-defense information sites:
During the last part of Krav Maga training last night, we all paired up and did some knife fighting. No fancy techniques (or techniques at all), no flashy moves (unless we were lucky enough to get them in) - just good old fashioned, down and dirty "just go after your opponent and get her/him" attack-mode fighting. First knife vs. knife, and then knife vs. empty handed. We were instructed to "maneuver to cut" every time we touched our opponent with the knife. During the knife vs. knife fighting, we were also instructed at one point to use our other hand to hold our neck area, as if we had been struck with the knife and bleeding, as well as using our other hand to hold the thigh area to hinder severe bleeding. It's amazing how something like that can limit your ability to move and maneuver. Imagine how it would be like if you were in pain and blood was gushing out...
Let's just say there's a lot of merit in the above quote and what is stated in the rest of what Marc MacYoung writes about knife fighting. My partner was another woman, slightly bigger than me but not that much bigger, so it's fair to say we were evenly matched. I managed to get a lot of "hits" on her, she managed to get a lot of "hits" on me. Sure, we can giggle and say "dammit, you got me" and "if this were for real I'd be dead" and stuff in class. Which is kind of the point I guess. It's so much "easier" when you're using training knives instead of real knives that can actually cut you, and even with the training knives it's not all that easy... How far would any of us gone had this been a real knife fight and we had gotten slashed for real? (Or worse yet, if the fight was with someone bigger and stronger than us?) The right slash in the right place with the right amount of force and...
Fortunately, I'm not the kind of penguinette that has this overly macho need to go around picking fights, with knives or otherwise. I can defend myself against knife attacks to a certain degree, with blocks and counter-attacks and distancing myself and the such, but if ever confronted I'll gladly take MacYoung's first recommendation... RUN LIKE HELL...
Not to put too fine of a point on it, but fighting is stupid. And the very idea of "knife fighting" goes beyond stupid and lands in macho, moronic fantasy. And don't even get me started on what I think about successfully "fighting" empty handed against a knifer. It is simple common sense that a knife is dangerous. Yet, every year thousands upon thousand of people go to seminars and schools and are taught both knife "fighting" and how to fight barehanded against a knife! And they *believe* this BS!
During the last part of Krav Maga training last night, we all paired up and did some knife fighting. No fancy techniques (or techniques at all), no flashy moves (unless we were lucky enough to get them in) - just good old fashioned, down and dirty "just go after your opponent and get her/him" attack-mode fighting. First knife vs. knife, and then knife vs. empty handed. We were instructed to "maneuver to cut" every time we touched our opponent with the knife. During the knife vs. knife fighting, we were also instructed at one point to use our other hand to hold our neck area, as if we had been struck with the knife and bleeding, as well as using our other hand to hold the thigh area to hinder severe bleeding. It's amazing how something like that can limit your ability to move and maneuver. Imagine how it would be like if you were in pain and blood was gushing out...
Let's just say there's a lot of merit in the above quote and what is stated in the rest of what Marc MacYoung writes about knife fighting. My partner was another woman, slightly bigger than me but not that much bigger, so it's fair to say we were evenly matched. I managed to get a lot of "hits" on her, she managed to get a lot of "hits" on me. Sure, we can giggle and say "dammit, you got me" and "if this were for real I'd be dead" and stuff in class. Which is kind of the point I guess. It's so much "easier" when you're using training knives instead of real knives that can actually cut you, and even with the training knives it's not all that easy... How far would any of us gone had this been a real knife fight and we had gotten slashed for real? (Or worse yet, if the fight was with someone bigger and stronger than us?) The right slash in the right place with the right amount of force and...
Fortunately, I'm not the kind of penguinette that has this overly macho need to go around picking fights, with knives or otherwise. I can defend myself against knife attacks to a certain degree, with blocks and counter-attacks and distancing myself and the such, but if ever confronted I'll gladly take MacYoung's first recommendation... RUN LIKE HELL...
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