Silent but deadly

Why it's green to go vegetarian.
The Vegetarian Society has a new campaign highlighting the impact that meat production has on the environment.

Studies on world food security estimate that an affluent diet containing meat requires up to 3 times as many resources as a vegetarian diet.

As the poster says 'Makes you think doesn't it?'.

Something else you can do with a courgette

If you are still harvesting courgettes (sorry Rhys!) and don't know what to do with them, try this recipe from Hamlyn All Colour Vegetarian Cookbook:

COURGETTE GRATIN
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
350g courgettes, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced
25g butter or margarine
25g plain flour
300ml warm milk
100g vegetarian Cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 or 180°C. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onions until softened. Add the garlic, courgettes, herbs and seasoning to taste, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Put half the mixture in an ovenproof dish and top with tomatoes, then spread the remaining mixture on top.
3. Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan over a low heat and add the flour. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Gradually add the milk and bring the sauce to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer gently for 2–3 minutes. Add half of the cheese, season to taste and pour over the courgettes.
4. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and remaining cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden.

I don't always have parsley around, so use more thyme instead. Very nice with a jacket spud.

Enter 6cam mix!

Following on from the last post, Metal Hammer today posted links to a great clip of Enter Sandman from Wembley, featuring video taken by several fans which have been edited and synced with the official sound recording taken from the mixing desk.

There is one view taken from high up the stage left side of Wembley, which is roughly, where we were sitting.

The guy that made this, has also posted Master of Puppets and Creeping Death, and says that he is 'making the full show mix'. Only about another two hours to go then.

The memory remains...

Back in July me and the lady wife went to see Metallica at Wembley Stadium, which turned out to be one of the best times that I have seen them. Here's a little number from the show:

Say yes to a full pint

CAMRA have been running this campaign for a few months now, and they say that they have over 20,000 signatures - make it one more and sign it too.

Better still write to your MP!

Three 'Fallen Angels'

I visited the HDRA Organic Garden at Yalding yesterday for their Hop Festival. The lack of hops was a bit disappointing but the food from the cafe was delicious, and Fallen Angel Brewery had a stall selling their bottled beers. Naturally, I had to buy a few to try at home later.

I'll post again when I've tried them all.

Eisteddfod is a winner!

I went to a work related event at Sandown Park today. I don't usually gamble, but I liked the sound of Eisteddfod, so backed him and he won!

What to do with a courgette

We only grew one courgette plant this year, but it has kept us in courgettes throughout the summer - we have even given some surplus away!

One of my favourite recipes for courgette is from Rosamond Richardson's Sainsbury's Complete Vegetarian Cooking, which goes something like this:

FARFALLE WITH BASIL AND COURGETTES
Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes
375g Farfalle pasta bows
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
250g small courgettes, thinly sliced
175g button mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil
salt and fresh ground black pepper
finely grated vegetarian cheese, to serve

1. Cook the pasta bows in plenty of boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until cooked, but still firm and drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the courgettes, and sauté over a very gentle heat for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. The add the mushrooms, increase the heat a little and toss them in the oil until they too begin to soften. Lower the heat and stir in the garlic and basil. Cook very gently for a few minutes, stirring gently to mix, and then season to taste.

If I don't have any basil to hand I usually stir some green pesto into the cooked pasta.

Sudoku satisfaction

I have been attempting the 'easy' Sudoku puzzle in London Lite for the past month and finally completed it for the first time a couple of weeks back - two days in a row! Then followed, what can only be described as a dry spell - I got stuck every day.

Today, I finished it again. Unfortunately, I didn't get anywhere with the crossword, probably because I didn't have Jean's help.

Leak at Dungeness B

A story on BBC Kent tells of a 'carbon dioxide' leak from the Dungeness B nuclear power station, on the Kent coast, on Monday morning. Staff were evacuated by Kent Fire and Rescue, in what is described as a minor incident:

No radioactive material was released in the incident on Monday morning.

Phew, what a relief!

Top 5 Sabbath albums

Thanks to Nic for the idea, here are my top 5 Black Sabbath albums:

1. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
2. Master of Reality
3. Heaven and Hell
4. Volume 4
5. Black Sabbath

I'll probably listen to some of these tomorrow, and change my mind!

Heaven and Hell - DVD clips

While visiting Geezer Butler's website last night, I found an item about the new Heaven and Hell Live From Radio City Music Hall DVD. There are four songs from the DVD to watch on Clear Channel on Demand Site.

Now, I know there are a lot of Black Sabbath purists out there (Nic!), who only like Ozzy era Sabbath, but the first Sabbath album I bought was Heaven and Hell. I like it all Ozzy and Dio stuff.

I'm going to put the DVD on my Christmas list. So there.

Hello from me

Well, I've finally done it Nic. After years of talking about, I have taken the plunge into the World of Blogging. Just need to think of something interesting to say now.