Meanwhile, at the coast...

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Nigerian pick of the crop for the day

Very Urgent Attention,Please permit me to introduce my humble self to you, my name is Mr. StevenJames, I am the Manager of International Relation with Citizens Bank of NigeriaLimited, I 'm 38yrs old, and I got your email address from a friend of mine,and my confidence reposed on you. I hope you read this message carefully andreply me immediately. Although we have not met before, but I suggest that thistransaction will bring us together.My dear, we had a customer, a foreigner but base here in Nigeria, his Name wasMr. Hamilton Creek. He is from Atlanta Georgia United State of America, butbased here with his wife and his two children, Mr. Hamilton has being bankingwith us for the past 4yrs and some time in August 2002, Mr. Hamilton was on hisway to his house, and unfortunately ran into a Trailer load of Groundnut Oil,and died immediately, Their car got burnt, no single soul was saved, Mr.Hamilton Creek and His entire family was confirmed dead.My Board of Directors and the Management of Citizens Bank has mandated andinstructed me to look for Mr. Hamilton Creek?s relation(s) and his Next of Kinto come and claim his fund, Since August 2003 Till date, I have been lookingfor his relation's or his next of Kin to come and claim his fund which heDeposited with our bank, I have contacted his Embassy and after 3days, hisAmbassador told me that Mr. Hamilton Creek has no relation and no next of Kin,their Ambassador told me that he used his first son as His next of kin, but itis quite unfortunate that Mr. Hamilton Creek Died with all his family members.The reason why I contacted you is thus, Mr. Hamilton is dead, and his only sonwho supposed to inherit his properties and money also died With him. As at thismoment, nobody or person[s] is coming to claim this Money from our bank. TheBoard of Directors and management of our bank told me that if nobody or person[s] apply for the claim of Mr. Hamilton Fund, the bank will return the entireFund into our Federal reserve. In the Light of the above, I want you to standas the next of kin to Late Mr. Hamilton Creek, it might interest you to knowthat he had a Domiciliary Bank Account with our Bankand he has a total sum of US$9.2M Nine Million Two Hundred Dollars, this is theexact amount which he had in his domiciliary account before the ugly incidentoccurred, and this money is still in his account as unclaimed money.This transaction is very easy and simple, and it is 100% risk free, I'm theManager for International Relations with Citizens Bank of Nigeria Limited, andthe Management and Board of Directors of the Bank are waiting for me to provideto them the Relation or next of Kin to late Mr. Hamilton Creek, of which I toldthem that I am still searching the next of kin to the deceased. Finally, if youare interested with this transaction, I will front you to the bank as the onlynext of kin to late Mr. Hamilton Creek, and I will let the bank know that youare the only right person to inherit Late Mr. Hamilton Funds and properties. Ifyou are interested, just email me or call me on my direct and private line#:+234-80-53636226. and late Mr. Hamilton?s Funds will be credited into youraccount and all his Properties will be released to you either through CourierServices or the Bank will Cargo all his properties to you in any were you wantit.So reply me immediately and feel free to ask any question with regards to thistransaction. You will take 50% of the US$9.2M. Which is? US$4.600, 000.00 FourMillion Six Hundred Thousand Dollars, while the Balance of the same amount willbe mine.Your swift response will be highly appreciated.Thanks and have a nice day.Friendly RegardsMr. Steven James

So Mr Steven James wants questions?.....email me with suggestions!

It's Heritage Recipe time!

Ma, Anne and I took a sentimental journey to Carlisle on Friday....while we were there Ma was persuaded to buy a recipe book called "Victory Cookbook" by Marguerite Patten (entertaining reading, done in the style of a scrapbook....recommend you check it out next time you're round at her place, especially if you're planning on rustling up a quick "Woolton Pie" for Sunday lunch!)

Anyway, on the way back on the train we got to reminiscing about "memorable family meals"(er....the way you do!) and the unanimous top of the list was "Tyne Brand Irish Stew Curry". We put our minds to it and came up with a possible/probable recipe. THE RACE IS ON TO VERIFY OUR COLLECTIVE MEMORY!!

TYNE BRAND IRISH STEW CURRY a la Armstrong

2 tins TYNE BRAND Irish Stew (surprisingly still available at all the best corner shops!)*
1 diced cooking apple
1 teaspoon (generic!) Coop curry powder
a handful of sultanas
maybe 2T dessicated coconut
2 oxo cubes and enough water to make it 'not sloppy'
salt and pepper

Throw everything in a pan and simmer till the apple is tender but not mush. Serve with boiled rice (and for the true retro taste/texture experience this should be 'pudding' rice boiled to within an inch of it's life!)

*Current ingredients : Tyne Irish Stew (400g) Ingredient declaration Vegetables (40%) (Potato, Carrot, Onion, Peas), Water, Mutton (17%), Modified Maize Starch, Wheat Flour, Salt, Tomato Puree, Lamb Stock Concentrate (contains Flavouring), Flavouring, Black Pepper.

I did a bit of background research (the internet is all-powerful!) and here's a bit of history...

Above is a picture of the Tyne Brand factory a while back....not sure what has happened to it since, it's probably 'exclusive, river-view' flats that none of us can afford now! The company has had numerous owners over the years, here's a paragraph or so from the Westlers website (current company)

"The Tyne brand is a well-established brand, and it started its heritage over 100 years ago in Tyneside at North Shields. The Tyne Brand Company started off with a range of canned fish products. Tyne Brand herrings were famous and were sold all over the world. Then during World War I and World War II the company expanded its range of products to include canned meats.
A number of different companies have owned the Tyne Brand over recent years, including Yeoman, Spillers and Masterfoods, and who can forget the strapline 'No lumps of fat or gristle guaranteed!'
In 2003 Westlers bought the brand from Masterfoods. They relaunched it with a range of canned meat products that built upon the tradition of the brand while updating its image to reflect the demands of consumers. Since taking over the Tyne Brand Westlers has continued to develop the products and stimulate the market with new and exiting products in the range always with Westlers key to success - Quality and Convenience in mind."

Hey, don't forget folks.....that's no lumps of fat or gristle guaranteed!!!

Thursday, August 09, 2007

I must try this!!

even if it's probably a fix!

It's retro toytime again

This doesn't quite fit into the 'hours of fun' category!

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Still on the subject of food...

....there's this new website that's worth checking out called "I'm Cooked" Their unique selling point is that all the recipes are in video format mostly recorded by ordinary folks who just love cooking. Embedding video in the blog doesn't seem to be working at the moment but you can check out the recipe for Chilli jam here) You don't need to register to view the videos, only if you want to upload videos of your own or have the recipe emailed to you (just in case you feel inspired John!)

Recipe

Haven't tried this yet (I was just inspired to look for a recipe when I found the wonderful cover above of the dinner fighting back!) But if nothing else the dipping sauce sounds worth a shot (though I might be inclined to leave out the mayo and add some chilli flakes)

FIVE-SPICE CALAMARI WITH DIPPING SAUCE

Dipping sauce

2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Calamari

Vegetable oil (for frying)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup buttermilk

15 ounces cleaned calamari, tentacles left whole, bodies cut into 1/2-inch rings

For dipping sauce: Combine all ingredients except mayonnaise in processor. Blend well. Transfer to bowl. Stir in mayonnaise. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Whisk before serving.)

For calamari: Pour oil to depth of 3 inches in heavy large pot. Heat to 350°F. Whisk next 4 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Pour buttermilk into another large bowl. Add calamari to buttermilk. Working in batches, remove calamari; dredge in flour mixture. Fry until just crisp, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Serve warm with sauce.

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