Ring in November! Open thread

 

Welcome November! One of the most beautiful Autumns in a while. All at once, branches are brushed with  royal purples, raspberry reds, lemony yellows to delight in our walks or travels.  A calling to drive or walk through the woods and admire all of nature's glory.

Enjoy coffee or tea to start your day!

Gaze upward from the base of a tree with a change of perspective in Nature's beauty. Nature's brush of colors, textures in a glorious unity.

Coffee or tea on the house today, what will it be?

Turkey or ham or both?

Snuggle and being closer to family and
gatherings once again

Binge on trilogies as it gets colder with first snows and frosts.

Try something new such as journaling. Free the mind and unlock the creativity within.  Some might say it's freewriting or daily affirmations. Some are working on projects

continuously, burning the creativity oil to make that deadline or goal. Finish it strong!  

Don't forget to enjoy the little things when 

life seems to go too fast, keep the wonder and the splendor. Smile more, laugh more.

Words & Brush Recipe Corner: Magic Mushroom Oven Baked Rice

 Magic Mushroom Oven Baked Rice

By Lisa Starr, Meatland

https://www.meatland.net/

Slicing fresh mushrooms is the only effort required and your trusty oven does the rest.

Superb served alongside chicken or fish or enjoyed on its own as a light and flavorful meal.

Ingredients

2 to 3 baskets mushrooms, quartered
50 - 70 grams butter, melted and hot
2 to 3 teaspoons crushed garlic
Salt and coarse pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

RICE
1 1/2 cups uncooked Basmati rice
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetarian stock 
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme OR 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder/granulated garlic
Salt and pepper
Finely sliced spring onion to garnish

Directions

1: Preheat oven to 180 C.
2: Place mushrooms in a large bowl, pour over hot, melted butter, add crushed garlic, salt and pepper and toss well.
3: Place all rice ingredients in a medium-sized baking dish - the standard foil tray is perfect - and shake to spread out evenly.
4: Spread the buttery mushrooms over the uncooked rice to cover the surface, drizzle over oil, and bake open at 35-40 minutes till mushrooms are golden.
5: Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes, then fork through chopped spring onions.

COOK'S NOTES: Obviously this is best made with butter but using margarine is possible. May be made ahead and reheated. Can be made with white or brown mushrooms or a mix of the two. The mushrooms give off a wonderful broth that infuses the rice with delicious flavor. You can add cooked cubed chicken to make a full meal or enjoy as a wonderful side dish with absolutely no effort!

Enjoy

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Words & Brush Weekender: Easy listening music and chat, Friday 28th October 2022, Free Choice - all genres of music welcome

 Easy listening music and chat, Friday 28th October 2022, Free Choice - all genres of music welcome!

Enjoy some good music here on Words & Brush, it's your free choice so please post any of your favorite music of all genres!

The Ventures -Pipeline

Carmen: "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (Elina Garanca)

La Mer ("Beyond The Sea" in FRENCH) – Tatiana Eva-Marie & Avalon Jazz Band

Desperado - The Petersens 

Esther Ofarim, Tom Jones & Cher (live, 1969)

 

Rosamunde Polka - German Oktoberfest song

Scarborough Fair - Rachel Hardy

The Platters - Great Pretender

Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up

The Beach Boys - Barbara Ann 

🎤🔊🎼🎹🎷🎺🎸🎻

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Words & Brush Recipe Corner: Couscous & chicken in tomato sauce

Couscous & chicken in tomato sauce

By PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN, Jerusalem Post, OCTOBER 22, 2022 

https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes/article-720154

           Couscous & chicken in tomato sauce (credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)

Makes 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. olive oil

500 grams chicken breast, cut into cubes, or chicken thighs, cut into cubes or strips

1 large onion, cut into medium-sized cubes

2 tomatoes, cut into small cubes

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 bell peppers, cut into small cubes

2 Tbsp. crushed tomato

1 bag of round couscous

1Tbsp. harissa (or similar hot pepper sauce)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Water according to the instructions on the couscous package + 1/2 cup

For serving and garnish:

1/4 cup coriander, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a wide, flat pot. Add the chicken breast or chicken thigh cubes and fry for 3-4 minutes, until they change color. Add the onions, mix and sauté for a minute or two.

Add the diced tomatoes and minced garlic and mix. Add the cubes of bell peppers and sauté while stirring for another minute or two. Add the crushed tomatoes and the couscous and steam everything while stirring. Gradually pour in the water, add salt and pepper and harissa, stir and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and cook until softened and the liquid is absorbed (if necessary, add a little water). Turn off the heat and leave closed for about five minutes. Sprinkle the chopped parsley and coriander on top. Serve hot.

Difficulty level: Easy-moderate Time: About 30 minutes  Status: Meat

ENJOY!

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Words & Brush Weekender: Easy listening music and chat, Friday 21st October 2022, Free Choice - all genres of music welcome

 Easy listening music and chat, Friday 21st October 2022, Free Choice - all genres of music welcome!

Enjoy some good music here on Words & Brush, it's your free choice so please post any of your favorite music of all genres!

The Crawdad Song - The Petersens 

The Platters - Only You

Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being A Friend 

Andre Rieu Yackety Sax, Radio City Music Hall in New York

Del Shannon - Runaway (1961)

The Shadows ~ Apache

Mississippi John Hurt - You Got To Walk That Lonesome Valley 

Nana Mouskouri - The three Bells [1974]

Cass Elliot - Dream A Little Dream Of Me 

Mr Sandman (1940s Close Harmony) The Puppini Sisters

🎼🎹🎷🎺🎸🎻🎧🎤🔊🎼🎹🎷🎺🎸🎻

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Words & Brush Recipe Corner: Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin

By PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN, Jerusalem Post, OCTOBER 8, 2022 

https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes/article-718840

 TARTE TATIN. (credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)

 Use a 28 cm. diameter, oven-safe pan.

Ingredients:

Dough: 

1 ¼ cups flour, sifted

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. sugar

115 gr. cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

¼ cup ice water

Filling: 

6 Granny Smith apples

¾ cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cold water

60 gr. butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

Directions:

To prepare the dough: Use a mixer with a steel blade to blend the flour, salt and sugar for a few seconds. Then add the butter and process for 10 seconds until the dough is crumbly. Gradually add the water, and process for 30 seconds until the dough is just mixed. (Don’t overmix, as that will reduce the crust’s flakiness.) Form the dough into a ball, then flatten it a bit and cover with plastic wrap. Set it in the fridge for at least an hour. 

To prepare the filling: Peel and core the apples, then cut into quarters. Reserve one apple half to place in the center of the tart. Add the sugar and water to a pan and bring to a boil over a high heat. Then lower the heat to medium and cook until the sugar turns amber. (Don’t stir the sugar, just shake the pot a bit every once in a while.) Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter. 

Place the half apple in the center of the pan. Arrange the apple quarters in concentric circles in the pan, with the round sides facing down. Cook for 20 minutes over a low heat until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat. 

Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out into a circle on a floured surface so that the circumference is a tad larger than that of the frying pan. Place the dough circle on top of the apples in the pan, and press the extra dough around the edge down into the pan. 

Place the pan in an oven that has been preheated to 190° (you can cover the handle with foil) for 15-20 minutes until the crust has browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. 

Place a serving plate upside down on top of the tart, then flip it over. Serve immediately. 

Level of difficulty: Medium Time:40-50 minutes Status: Dairy/parve

Enjoy! 

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