I think most days I cook the same dozen meals on a rota, with occasional takeaways, when my guys want a treat. I fancied trying a new twist on a recipe which I haven't cooked in years - crab cakes with a coating of Panko breadcrumbs and crushed crisps.
You will need two tins of white crabmeat (drained), mixed with 2 eggs, mashed potato (from 1 medium potato), 1/3 cup of Panko crumbs (I used this measure for convenience as it's easier to scoop up the crumbs with the cup), 1 tbsp corn flour, salt and pepper. If you have chives, add chopped chives.
Mix well, roll into balls, flatten a bit - be gentle with the mix, as the patties are quite soft, place in the mix of breadcrumbs and crushed crisps, coat on both sides, and quickly pan fry in oil.
Serve as an appetiser, or light lunch or dinner with salad.
I used Seabrook Tomato Ketchup crinkle crisps, they added some flavour and texture to coating.
The greens on the plate are called Monk's Beard. They were on offer from Ocado. Never tried them before. Basically it's a coastline succulent, similar to samphire. It's OK, I ate it. My guys were not keen. Don't think I will buy it again, but it was fun to try.
We watched Greenland 2 Migration with Gerard Butler, and there was a scene when they arrive by boat into the flooded Liverpool. I just had to take a snap for Eddie, who recently visited Liverpool to watch a football game.
Apparently we've seen the first film, though I have completely forgotten about it. I vaguely remembered some scenes, but overall it was a very distant memory. I think it came out during the first year of Covid.
Have you seen Greenland & Greenland 2?
Our local library was closed for refurbishment for almost a year, and now that it is back, I'm trying to visit it at least once every three weeks. It also should help with buying less books (that is, it should in principle, in real life this hasn't solved the problem so far).
The shelf I am drawn to is the British Library Tales of the Weird. I bought several books from the series, and borrowed quite a few from the library. They vary in themes, each volume has a selection of stories on a certain topic.
Roads of Destiny and other tales of alternative histories and parallel realms must be one of the best ones in the series. Absolutely loved the Introduction by Alasdair Richmond, it's superbly written, informative and inspiring. I made a long-ish list of books, mentioned in the Intro, that I would love to read.
Think alternative history, multiverse, where familiar events take a different turn. One of my personal favourites was a short story by Gerald Kersh, called An Undistinguished Boy. It imagines a Nazi-occupied Britain. Poignant and moving, it makes you think.
An excellent collection.
My Mum has been writing poetry since her early teens, both in Russian and Ukrainian. She was in a boarding school in Donbas. Sadly, the town where she grew up, is almost a wasteland now thanks to the senseless war. One of her poems, written in high school, was the winner in the regional competition, and she still remembers that with fondness.
I wanted to translate one of Mum's poems into English. It is very personal. I love it but also feel conflicted about it, as it's meant to be about my father, who I loved very much. They were very different people, quite incompatible, both talented, each of them vivid and creative in their own way.
My darling Dad is gone these past 26 years.
The poem is quite savage, a declaration of self, fierce and unbending. Trying to keep true to her poem, I kept my translation simple, capturing the mood and sacrificing the rhyme.
The illustration is a reference to her thoughts, galloping like wild Scythean horse.
At the weekend, when my husband is not travelling, we take Sasha out to his favourite cafe, where we often meet a retired American gentleman who loves to chat.
A couple of weeks ago, while queuing, I asked him what he was reading, as I spotted a book he left on the table when he went for a refill. He told me he's a big fan of John Grisham.
Then a week later he arrived, when I have already left the guys to enjoy their food and drinks, and gave my husband a bag with two Grisham's books for me.
At first, I was a bit peeved, as I have so many books to read, including some that I agreed to review for the blog tours. I do appreciate a kind gesture, it's just the timing is not perfect.
I did a couple of book reviews on my blog in the last week, and decided to start reading The Exchange, which is a sequel to The Firm (love the film, which we've seen many many times, and it's still brilliant, and read a book years ago and enjoyed it too). Now I'm glad that he took the initiative. The book is very good so far.
First week of May, and a new Penandinkchallenge list of prompts. This week's prompts are all about hobbies/pastimes, like knitting, sewing, gardening, etc. I painted my little witch and her chunky cat, in a total yarn chaos.
A wet day. Don't know if it has anything to do with a changing weather and the atmospheric pressure, but I was feeling awful most of the day, with dizzy spells and nausea. Checked the blood pressure a few times, and it was high for me, though not dangerous, according to the online sources.
Ordered McDonald's for my guys, as I could hardly move around, and ate a bit of soup myself.
My rhododendron is beginning to bloom. Last year I hardly had any flowers, and this spring it is covered with blooms. It looks pretty with the raindrops.
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