Let’s See A Show Of Hands

[Norcalbaker59]

@Becky, afternoon tea sounds delicious. It’s been about three years since I had a tea. And since my young niece will be here, tea sandwiches and goodies like scones are things she will eat. I actually have several tiered cake stands I can bust out too.

 

[Becky]

I guess it would be easy enough to make it gluten free too When I've done it in the past I've made some of the things and cheated for the other things (eg make the sandwiches and scones but get some other bits and bobs from a bakery). Too much like hard work otherwise, but maybe I'm just lazy!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I guess it would be easy enough to make it gluten free too When I've done it in the past I've made some of the things and cheated for the other things (eg make the sandwiches and scones but get some other bits and bobs from a bakery). Too much like hard work otherwise, but maybe I'm just lazy!

Nothing wrong with supplementing from the bakery. I’m definitely going to do a tea. It’s the right type of food, for the time of day. And who doesn’t love an afternoon tea?

I still remember the first afternoon tea I ever had. A small cafe run by two British expats. Everything was elegantly prepared and presented on the plates. My MIL ordered a brunch with bangers, bubble and squeak, and toast. They served homemade lemon curd along side the toast. I had never eaten lemon curd before, so it was a true culinary adventure for me.

I went traditional tea sandwiches, scones and clotted cream. But what really caught my attention was the little cover that they put on the teapot to keep it warm. Now that’s classy

 

[Becky]

But what really caught my attention was the little cover that they put on the teapot to keep it warm. Now that’s classy

Oh yes, they're called tea cosies Nowadays you don't tend to see them much unfortunately. They can be very ornate!

 

[Apocalypso]

Hey! Just looking back to this - I'll ask Edgar for his recipe for empanadas though I think what he does is look at recipes and then roughly improvise. For this one he used store bought wrappers which come frozen.

We learned just before the party that our host had decided to make beef skewers, so instead of making beef filling or chicken he decided to try a pork recipe, and I remember he said he'd found a Filipino recipe that he borrowed ideas from. He makes the type that is filled with a sort of ragout of filling including meat, vegetables, olives, raisins, and sometimes chopped hard boiled egg. I find it tastes much better and is more interesting than the all-meat ones. He even made Thanksgiving themed ones last year filled with turkey, stuffing, and a little cranberry sauce.

I think this might be the one? http://www.panlasangpinoymeatrecipes.com/pork-empanada.htm

Ended up making the pickled deviled eggs with some Spanish flair, combining the turmeric-pickling from this recipe (https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/turmeric-pickled-deviled-eggs) with the filling ideas from this (https://www.daringgourmet.com/spanish-deviled-eggs/) and adding a little turmeric powder to the filling as well. It takes a while but becomes very yellow! And the stuffed dates went over well. I bought medjool dates which were so large I halved them lengthwise after I pitted them, so they were still quite bite-sized. Stuffed with fresh mozzarella because hostess doesn't like goat cheese. Though I still think the tanginess of the goat cheese was missing, and if i did it again I might make a strained yogurt cheese.

Ooh, an afternoon tea sounds fun! I'm dying to make a Battenberg cake one of these days, with the checkerboard colors.

 

[Apocalypso]

So, little postscript. Though I have tight IT bands, it looks like that wasn’t what was causing the pain after all. Had my monthly killer massage and chiro appt, and the LMT said, where you’re saying it’s hurting isn’t the IT band. She worked the lower back, flute, and then hamstring and calf together. They were all bunched up. And the doctor adjusted my tailbone very gently, because of my old spinal fusion in the middle (scoliosis surgery when I was 15.) I’m still achy today but no sharp pain!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hey! Just looking back to this - I'll ask Edgar for his recipe for empanadas though I think what he does is look at recipes and then roughly improvise. For this one he used store bought wrappers which come frozen.

We learned just before the party that our host had decided to make beef skewers, so instead of making beef filling or chicken he decided to try a pork recipe, and I remember he said he'd found a Filipino recipe that he borrowed ideas from. He makes the type that is filled with a sort of ragout of filling including meat, vegetables, olives, raisins, and sometimes chopped hard boiled egg. I find it tastes much better and is more interesting than the all-meat ones. He even made Thanksgiving themed ones last year filled with turkey, stuffing, and a little cranberry sauce.

I think this might be the one? http://www.panlasangpinoymeatrecipes.com/pork-empanada.htm

Ended up making the pickled deviled eggs with some Spanish flair, combining the turmeric-pickling from this recipe (https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/turmeric-pickled-deviled-eggs) with the filling ideas from this (https://www.daringgourmet.com/spanish-deviled-eggs/) and adding a little turmeric powder to the filling as well. It takes a while but becomes very yellow! And the stuffed dates went over well. I bought medjool dates which were so large I halved them lengthwise after I pitted them, so they were still quite bite-sized. Stuffed with fresh mozzarella because hostess doesn't like goat cheese. Though I still think the tanginess of the goat cheese was missing, and if i did it again I might make a strained yogurt cheese.

Ooh, an afternoon tea sounds fun! I'm dying to make a Battenberg cake one of these days, with the checkerboard colors.

The empanada recipe with the filipino fillings sounds really good. I think I’m gonna take it for a test drive when I have my tea.

That pickled eggs look amazing. I’ve never eaten a pickled egg. Are they as tangy as a pickle?

Oh I’m all about the tangy goat cheese! My sister doesn’t like goat cheese either; I keep trying to sneak it into foods and she will detect it every time. She’ll just look at me raise an eyebrow and say, “taste like goat cheese.” Yet she’ll eat cheese that sinks so bad her husband will make her take it outside. Go figure.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

So, little postscript. Though I have tight IT bands, it looks like that wasn’t what was causing the pain after all. Had my monthly killer massage and chiro appt, and the LMT said, where you’re saying it’s hurting isn’t the IT band. She worked the lower back, flute, and then hamstring and calf together. They were all bunched up. And the doctor adjusted my tailbone very gently, because of my old spinal fusion in the middle (scoliosis surgery when I was 15.) I’m still achy today but no sharp pain!

Oh that’s good news! Tight sore muscles are a lot easier to remedy than an IT Band.

I had no idea just how intense scoliosis surgery is—it’s major surgery, until I heard Princess Eugenie of England speak about her scoliosis surgery at age 12. She wants to bring about public awareness, and too, she and her father are assisting with the fundraising effort to build a new orthopedic hospital. This hospital in England where her surgery was performed is world class in their skill, yet they’re in these old broken down buildings from WWII.

 

[Apocalypso]

Hi! The eggs mostly picked up the yellow color. Next time I'll definitely make the turmeric brine with fresh grated turmeric that's heated and cooled, like egg-shell dye, and maybe I'll make it more vinegar-y. The recipe had the vinegar diluted with a lot of water, so I don't know it imparted a lot of pickle taste. Thankfully, it also didn't make the whites too rubbery. Let's see, I hard-boiled the eggs at about 2pm on Friday, then cooled end peeled (best result peeling eggs I could hope for, I only damaged the first one, the trick was the quick plunge into ice-water and waiting until they were truly cold throughout). Immediately afterward I put them in the bowl with the yellow liquid, and I didn't take them out until I got home that night at about 11. I suppose they could be pickled much longer but I only wanted the outsides yellow. The other thing I would do next time is play up the pickle aspect by adding chopped pickle and dill to the filling instead of the Spanish flavors maybe?

I was just looking and this is more similar to the beef empenada filling that Edgar would use, though he probably adds a lot of different herbs and stuff and kind of plays it by ear. I really find the all-meat ones too heavy and usually a bit dry, whereas the interesting bite-by-bite sweet, savory mixture of raisins, olives, diced boiled egg, etc. in these is pretty amazing. https://leitesculinaria.com/84040/recipes-beef-empanadas-olives-raisins.html

I think all of us were teasing our friend about the goat cheese revulsion. She says "it stinks like old socks." She then went on to mention other 'funky' foods she likes, like bleu cheese, and I retorted, "uh, bleu cheese IS old socks!" She also doesn't like lamb, whereas her husband loves it. Last month while she was away he cooked lamb chops and had my sweetie over for a boys' night. Chacun á son goat, I guess.

Finally, scoliosis. I had the surgery when I was 15. It was 'found' when I was about 13 and had fallen at an educational camp. It was maybe around that time that they started screening for it in school? I only have one metal rod, compared with Princess Eugenie's two, and my guess is her curvature was more of an S-shape while mine was a C. But like hers, mine was about an eight hour surgery, and maybe longer. I had a few complications after, and for days I couldn't feel anything in my lower legs or feet, which must have caused people to worry I'd never walk again. It turned out, I guess, that I had a hematoma which eventually was taken care of. But after two weeks in bed, I got a body cast put on from my chin to my hips before I could essentially learn to walk again on weakened muscles. I had that cast for six months, going to school with it, and then a shorter one that started under my arms for another four. Nowadays they don't typically use casts, but braces, which are so much better. When my long cast was removed I could finally get a haircut, but every time the stylist combed my hair, my neck moved with it. I've talked with lots of people who either had the surgery since then or their friends or kids had, and it seems to have advanced a lot. Eugenie's was two decades ago, mine was four.

I can't tell you how pleasant it was yesterday morning to go to Jazzercise, and even though I'm still a little sore, simple moves that were causing a rather sharp pain no longer seem to do so. I hope it'll stay that way but if not, I'll head off sooner to see Dr. K.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

@Apocalypso, I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like for you to go through a major surgery. Aside from the physical trauma, there was the emotional toll from a months long recovery. That’s an awful lot for a kid to endure. Especially at an age when we are bodies are developing and we are very self-conscious about our physical appearance. Eugenie gave a lot of credit to her sister, saying her love and support was important to her emotional state and wellbeing during that period in her life.

I’m happy to hear you have some relief from the pain. Nothing worse than pain for someone who is so active.

I’m really curious about those pickled eggs. I’m gonna have to give them a try.

Thank you for the link to the empanada recipe. I’m definitely going to make them for my tea. I’m even going to try a gluten-free version using my gluten free pie crust recipe. When I lived in SoCal I used to go to a restaurant that made a style of empanada that was naturally gluten-free. It was made with a corn flour pastry. They were delicious. I now wish I had asked about the origins.

 

[Becky]

@Apocalypso I'm so glad to hear you managed to sort our your leg issues! I had no idea you had had a spinal fusion, how many levels do you have fused? I've got scoliosis and I've had a couple of microdiscectomies in my lower back. It looks like I'll need a fusion one day, although I'm hoping it won't be at many levels. It must have been terrifying when you didn't have feeling in your legs!! Glad to hear it all worked out well though.