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Roast leg of lamb is one of my favorite meals, but there being only two of us, this leaves alot of lamb leftover and I need to get creative in order for lamb to remain interesting in the following days. This is one of my own recipes that I hope you'll enjoy. It's simple, easy and fast, but most of all its delicious!

Pepper Lamb With Tomatos

Ingredients
1 or 2 cups of cubed leftover lamb (depending how much meat you like in your meals) 3 cloves garlic minced or chopped fine 6 medium sized tomatos diced 1 medium size green pepper diced 1 medium size red pepper diced 1 red chile pepper or jalapeno chopped fine 3 scallions chopped fine 1 cup chicken/beef or vegetarian stock 1/4 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon parsley 3 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon cornstarch cold water (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
Method
Saute green and red peppers in olive oil in saucepan 3-5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add garlic, chile pepper, scallions and saute further 3-5 mins. Add tomatos and diced lamb. Cook 5 mins and add stock, ketchup, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat about 15 minutes. Add cold water to cornstarch (water must be cold) to form a paste. Add to simmering ingredients to thicken. Serve over al dente pasta of your choice.

June 6, 2007 16:24 - Police Seek Gunmen in Bermuda

Police Seek Gunmen in Bermuda
I was again saddened on reading the bermuda newspaper today. The first headline I saw read ....."Police are hunting two masked men who attacked and robbed American tourists at gunpoint after breaking into their guesthouse."
This is not as unusual as people may think, in fact it is becoming more common in Bermuda than rare. Little does the Bermuda government do to prevent these incidences from further happening. A slap on the wrist and ten months to a couple of years imprisonment in Bermuda's one and only detention centre is the average sentence.
The couple who were robbed in this attack were both seriously injured; the man recieved broken ribs, the woman severe facial bruising. The normal apologies were issued by the government and of course the police force reckoned that they were taking this incident "very seriously and we will be working tirelessly to make sure those who did this are brought to justice.
To me it's a big joke. This type of crime has never been punished seriously in Bermuda, and until it does I recommend that people think very seriously about taking their vacation there. Drugs are out of control in Bermuda, and everyweek the newspaper contains loads of accounts of crack related crimes. The Bermuda government continues to do nothing about this. Case in point; The Rebecca Middleton Murder.
The most laughable quote came from the Minister of Public safety, Lt.Col. David Burch, OBE, ED, JP, who said that "such an act is not typical of ‘our Bermudian culture’.
Sadly Lt.Col. Burch, it unfortunately is these days.
Full Story - The Royal Gazette

June 7, 2007 13:55 - Bermuda Move's Towards Becoming a Police State

The Governor of Bermuda, Sir John Vereker, has been requested by the Government of Bermuda, the Progressive Labor Party, to surrender his authority over Bermuda's police force and place it into the hands of Government.

This announcement comes hard on the heals of the Premier, Dr.Ewart Brown's threat to suspend all dealings with the Governor after sources leaked vital Police documents regarding corruption in the Bermuda Housing Corporation which showed that the Premier and other leading politicians and businessmen had been investigated.

How scary is that? The true colors of those who run this once Democratic country have become very evident as of late, and this arrogant and rash request is more reflective of them than any yet.

Ex Commander-in-Chief of the Keystone Cops-like Bermuda Regiment, Lt.Col. David Burch has written to the Governor requesting him to relinquish his constitutional powers. Finally the PLP would be able to make and enforce their own laws, and I'm sure the model for their new structure would be Mugabe's Zimbabwe.

The writing is on the proverbial wall for Bermuda if they choose to vote this party into power once again. The sad part is, this political entity has the vast support of most of Bermuda's uneducated and idle drug-peddling youth, as well as that of a hoard of bitter, racism infected wannabees wishing to shed the chains of colonialism (yes, they're living in the dark ages), which make up a large portion of the voting populace.

It's truly unfortunate that if this trend continues, Bermuda will find itself under a Dictatorship that seeks only revenge for percieved past maltreatment by their former "slavemasters", rather than a benevolent society for its inhabitants.

Full Story

June 11, 2007 10:59 - Sweet Potato and Chickpea Pancakes

Daniela and I eat vegetarian meals about three times a week. She had bought some potato flour, and I decided to make something with it. I decided to make these "pancakes" which turned out exceptionally well! The potato flour gives the pancakes a nice chewy consistency you won't get from wheat flour. Here's the recipe.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Pancakes with Mushroom and Green Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Potato - shredded (I use a cheese grater, works great)
1 Onion - diced
1 clove garlic (I actually used 3, but use to your personal taste)
< 2 spring onions (green onions)
< 1 Green Chile pepper
1 cup Chick Peas (cooked or canned, and mashed)
1 tablespoon parsley
salt, pepper, cayenne (again, add to your personal taste)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (Indian Spice mix)
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pancake batter

2 eggs
1 cup potato flour
1/3 Cup milk

Gravy

1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1 spring onion
1 Tablespoon extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

First I sauted the sweet potato, onion, spring onions, chile pepper and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5-7 mins. Next add spices: salt, pepper, cayenne and cumin. Saute for a few minutes more. Add parsley and garam masala and again saute for another 5 mins. Remove from heat when onions are transparent and set aside to cool. NB - If you add them to the batter when hot they will start to cook the batter to soon.

Next prepare the batter as you would for pancakes, beating the eggs and milk together, then add the potato flour to achieve the desired consistency. set aside.

Prepare the gravy by sauteing the mushrooms and spring onions in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and add vegetable stock and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Reduce to low heat.

Next add the mashed chickpeas and sweet potato mixture to the batter. make sure the sweet potato mixture is cool first. Coat skillet with olive oil and add batter to pan. Cook as you would pancakes, browning each side. thicken the gravy by mixing a little cornstarch and cold water (about 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon water) and slowly adding it to the gravy.

Serve the pancakes (we had them with steamed asparagus), ladle some gravy on them, and proceed to enjoy!

June 11, 2007 11:03 - Mr. Brooks

Mr. Brooks

Starring:

Kevin Costner

William Hurt

Demi Moore

Dane Cook

I had the pleasure (?) of watching Mr. Brooks starring Kevin Costner over the weekend and have mixed feelings about this movie. The story revolves around Earl Brooks (Costner) a serial killer, and his relationship with his alter ego Marshall, played by William Hurt. The movie starts off with Mr. Brooks, a successful box manufacturer and philanthropist being awarded "Man of the Year", but his true character is soon revealed.

You're automatically drawn to Mr. Brooks due to the proficiency of Costner's acting ability. He exudes gentleness, humility and charm throughout the movie, endearing you to his character, who don't forget, is a ruthless serial killer. A job well done. William Hurt is great in his role as Marshall, and the acting of these two icons is really, unfortunately, the only thing this movie has going for it, though Dane Cook in his role of Mr. Smith, an amateur photographer who catches Mr. Brooks in the act of killing a couple and then blackmails him ( in a very original way mind you!), was excellent.

The plot is somewhat boring and Demi Moore falls well short of her performances of the past. She seems as if she's just going through the motions, though I admit her character, Detective Tracy Astwood (even the name is boring) is badly written and doesn't give her much to work with. There are also the distracting and irrelevant sub-plots which surface occasionally; her relationship with her soon to be ex-husband, and one between her and another serial killer whom she had caught in the past and has now escaped from prison and returned to seek revenge against her. They add nothing to the movie or her character, in fact they detract from it and are not helped by more poor acting.

In fact the acting in this movie can be divided into 2 camps, the bad guys, Costner, Hurt and Dane Cook, are brilliant, their characters strong and real. On the other hand all of the cop characters are quite weak and bland, and in reality, couldn't catch a cold, let alone a brilliant and cunning psycopath. I don't know if this was intentional by the writer, but whatever it was, it lessened the quality of what this movie could have been. Perhaps it was the casting, Pacino or DeNiro would have been, I think, much better in the lead cop role.

The movie pretty much plods along at a sombre pace, remains quite predictable throughout and pretty much ends, well I won't even go there, but you will be suprised. A small reward for enduring the length of this film.

Overall this flick was midly entertaining, but I wouldn't pay to see it in a theatre. I'm almost tempted to give it a rating of one middle finger up, but I like Kevin Costner, and he is superb in this film. If you like him, you'll enjoy the movie.

June 11, 2007 16:23 - Have Black Cricketers Lost Interest in a White Man's Game

In recent matches of international cricket I have been sorely disappointed in the performance of Black teams; ie - Bermuda and the West Indies. What has happened to Black cricket?

In what was introduced to the world as a gentleman's (White Man's, you might as well say) game, Black cricket teams have risen to the fore and, as in the case of the West Indies One Day and Test teams of the 70's and 80's, dominated the game. That has recently changed. The Bermuda National team has recently gained official one day and professional status, and their performance has declined ever since.

My childhood heros, both international and local (I was born in Bermuda), were largely comprised of Black men. I remember seeing Sir Garfield Sobers at the Melbourne Cricket grounds in Australia in 1974 as a youth of 11 years, and was inspired by his gallant knock of 254. I remember tossing the tennis ball against a wall with makeshift wickets behind me, either a garbage can or actual stumps, and pretending I was Kenny Cann, or Lee Raynor, prominent Bermudian cricketers of the 60's and 70's. I saw not the colour of their skin, but only their discipline, mental fortitude, personal quality, skill, and love of the game.

You see, I was introduced to the reality of racism at an early age by my father, Dennis Morrris, at a very early age. He had many Black friends and I was very comfortable with "people of colour" at a very early age, simply because I knew and loved them as people who knew and loved me, and were part of our household on a regular basis.These friends were, of course, avid sportsmen and I grew to love and respect them, as well as to be inspired by them. I still retain a passion for their forthrightness.

What inspired me the most was not their athleticism, but the fact that, in spite of their being prejudiced against, these men did not let it bother them and chose instead to rise above the restrictions socially imposed upon them, and to dominate the sport that they, and I, loved, and any other sport they chose to play. In essence, they were winners.

Where has that passion gone? I see, as do others, the Bermuda cricket team making a mockery of being professional instead of embracing and relishing, and appreciating the position that those who have come before them have enabled them to obtain, and it saddens me. They could be so much more. They could dominate! I know from personal experience.

I played with the National Sports Club Championship team of 1974, when I was 14, and toured with them to the east coast of America which was a life changing experience and gave me some insight as to what goes on during a tour. I played with Wendell Smith, whose father, although I don't know him personally, I have the greatest respect for, as he has obviously been a great father to his sons. A tree is known by its fruit. I also have had the pleasure of knowing and playing with many other great cricketers and they will know who they are, my point being, I am qualified to comment on this topic.

Guys, I'm sorry, but if you think you have risen to the status you have because of your own ability, you're sadly mistaken. Those who have come before you have built that foundation. The same goes for the West Indian team. What are you saying to Sir Garfield Sobers, Richie Richardson, Sir Viv Richards and the like when you take this game as a joke, which you seem to be doing? Cricket, or any sport for that matter, is no longer a "White Man's Game", it is Cricket, and you are athletes. Be professional, or at least, strive to be. If you don't know what profesional is, look it up, or ask Clarence Parfitt!

For the sake of all of those who look up to you, who could be inspired by you, and who support you, take the game seriously, or please quit.

I do though have to single out Shivnarine Chanderpaul for his recent battle against England. Keep it up Shivy, and West Indies, you have shown the fight and the talent that I know you have. Todays and yesterdays performances by all involved were great, and I will continue supporting you and urging you to the greatness that you are capable of. Much Love, Gary Morris

June 14, 2007 15:34 - Michael Moore's "Sicko"

Michael Moore's "Sicko"

Alot of people don't like Michael Moore, I wonder why? I have seen two of his documentaries, Fahrenheit 911 and this recent one Sicko. I must say I enjoyed both thoroughly. I found them interesting and revealing, and credit must be given where credit is due. Moore researches his subject matter thoroughly and pushes the envelope to test the mettle of those he targets. He doesn't, to me, seem like an unlikable person.

Sicko starts off as it's going to be a documentary on the tribulations of those without Health Insurance in America. It immediately takes a twist and the mood is set for another Moore success.

Moore uses the personal stories of those who actually do have health coverage in America, to reveal the obvious corruption and solely profit seeking motives of not just the Insurance industry, but of the whole medical system in the United States.

He shows how doctors with the highest number of patients denied Insurance get bonus incentives from the Insurance companies, and how a good Medical Director is viewed as someone who generates huge profits as opposed to quality medical care, plus much, much Moore!

The likeableness of Moore is revealed when he takes EMT's from 911 to Cuba to get the treatment they couldn't get at home in America, even after being classified as Heros!

The world needs people like Michael Moore to expose these corruptions of our society. I for one like to know what's going on around me, and in this case, what I can expect from my Insurance Company if I ever develop a serious illness and need an operation or prolonged hospital treatment, and so should you.

Kudos Mr. Moore, and Thank You!