[Easy English Blog] Broccoli stalks

Cooking and Recipes in English

The Best  Part of Broccoli

We know that broccoli is good for us.  I also read that raw (uncooked) broccoli is better for health than cooked broccoli.

That’s good news for me. I don’t like cooked broccoli heads. If I eat the green heads of broccoli, I like them to be uncooked. In a salad maybe. Or with a nice dipping sauce.

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I don’t like cooked broccoli heads but I love to cook broccoli stalks.

Do you cut the stalks off broccoli before you cook the heads? You are missing an amazing taste sensation.

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Broccoli stalks are amazing!

You cut off the heads and use them however you like. (If you are me, you eat them raw). Then you peel the stalks and cook them.

Broccoli stalks are great in stir fries or steamed vegetables. Cut them sideways so you have round shapes. Or cut them into sticks. It doesn’t matter.

They are tasty and crispy. They taste better than asparagus. Why not try and add them to your favourite vegetable recipe?

Or, save the stalks and look at your recipes for asparagus. You could use the stalks  instead of asparagus. They are cheaper, crunchier, (and I think), nicer.

Or you could try them raw with a dip. I ate them with an avocado and onion dip. Very tasty!

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Do you use broccoli stalks? How do you use them?

Try it and tell us what you think!

 

(P)

[Easy English Blog] Spaghetti Omelette

Cooking and Recipes in English

This was a new experience for my family. I have cooked it a few times and it has always been a success.

I found the recipe in Marcella Hazan’s Italian Cooking, but I changed it a little.

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How did I make it tonight?

● I cooked 250g of spaghetti. I drained it, put it in a bowl and added 25g of butter. (I think a tablespoon of olive oil would be OK too.)

● Then I stirred it up and waited for it to cool a little.

● I cooked two slices of bacon and chopped the bacon into small pieces.

●  I mixed three eggs in a bowl with salt, pepper and half a cup of grated parmesan cheese.

● I added the bacon and the egg mixture to the spaghetti and mixed it all together. (You could add red pepper, green peppers, parsley, basil.)

Now, it’s time to cook!

● Choose your fry pan. You need a plate the same size, or bigger, than the fry pan.

● Melt 25g of butter or 15ml of olive oil in the fry pan.

● Pour in the omelette mixture.

● Cook over medium heat. Lift the edge of the omelet to check how it s cooking.

● When the bottom is golden brown and looks crispy, put your plate over the fry pan.  Turn everything upside down.

● Put the fry pan back on the gas burner. Add 25g of butter or 15 mls of olive oil. When the pan is hot, slide the omelet off the plate back into the pan.

● Cook the bottom of the omelet.

● When it is brown and looks a little dry, slide it out of the fry pan onto a plate.

● Enjoy! (We usually eat this with salad.)

Do you have a spaghetti omelette recipe? Please tell us about it!

Did you try this recipe? What did you think?

 

(P)

to hit the roof

Do you know the English idiom “to hit the roof?”

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to hit the roof  (to get very angry)

When was the last time you hit the roof? 🙂

E.g. 1

A: I damaged my father’s car last night.

B: Oh no! Have you told him?

A: No, not yet. I’m too scared. He’ll hit the roof when he finds out!

E.g. 2

A: Gillian hit the roof when she found out that her boyfriend was seeing another woman.

B: Yeah, I heard she was very upset.

 

 

Birds of a feather…

Can you complete this English saying?

Birds of a feather…

a) fly together

b) fight each other

c) flock together

The answer is below! ↓

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Answer (c)

Birds of a feather flock together.

It means “people who share similar interests/hobbies/tastes get together or make a group”.

Example:

A: I heard that Mike and Norman went drinking together last night. I didn’t know they were friends.

B: Well, they both like drinking and clubbing. Birds of a feather flock together!

[Easy English Blog] Cherry blossoms

Early April is a beautiful season in Japan. The cherry blossoms bloom and the weather is usually very nice.

I went for a walk in my local park yesterday to take some photos. The weather forecast said it would be rainy and windy all weekend, so it was my last chance to take some photos of the cherry blossoms.

Here are the photographs I took. I hope you like them!

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(H)

[Easy English Blog] A wintery spring

I spent the last week in northern Michigan, USA.

When I left Japan, the cherry blossoms were starting to bloom…

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…and when I arrived in the USA, it was still snowing!

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Many people said “I’m tired of all this snow! I wish spring would come!”

It was cold – around -7 degrees, but the air was very clear and the snowy landscape was beautiful. I got some nice photos.

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I went for a nice walk in the forest…

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…and walked along a slippery, icy road.

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I drove along large roads, surrounded by snowy fields, and a vast, blue sky.

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And when I got back to Japan, the cherry blossoms were still in bloom!

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(H)

The customer…

Can you complete this English saying?

The customer…

a) is important

b) is sometimes troublesome

c) is always right

The answer is below ↓

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Answer: (c)

The customer is always right. 

Example: When you work in a shop, you must remember, the customer is always right! So don’t argue with customers. Try to give them what they want and make them happy!

[Easy English Blog] Corn stew

The other day, I made corn stew. Well, I didn’t really make it. I cheated a little! I used blocks of corn stew flavouring, which I bought at the supermarket.

This is how I made it.

First, I steamed some broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, green peppers, onions, cabbage and komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach). Then, I  put them into a pan with water and soy milk and heated them on the gas stove.

When the water and milk had heated up, I put the blocks of flavouring in and stirred the mixture until the blocks melted.

That’s it! Easy! I served it with whole grain toast.

My way of making the stew is a little different from the recipe on the back of the packet of flavouring, but I think it was just as nice!

Here it is! (It tasted better than it looks!) 🙂

 

How about you? Do you make stew? What ingredients do you use?

 

to talk shop

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to talk shop (to talk about work or business outside the office)

E.g. 1:

A: I’m really worried about the meeting on Monday morning. Do you think the management team will be angry about the sales figures?

B: Stop talking shop! We came to this party to relax and to forget about work!

A: Yeah, sorry. I just can’t stop worrying about it.

E.g. 2:

A: I really don’t like going out for a drink with people from the office. After a few minutes, everyone starts talking shop.

B: Well, I think that’s normal when you go out with work colleagues.

A: I know. But I wish people could stop talking shop and talk about other things, like holidays or movies!

to pat (someone) on the back

to pat (someone) on the back (to praise (someone))

E.g. 1:

A: You deserve a pat on the back for that speech. It was amazing.

B: Thanks. I’m glad you liked it.

E.g. 2:

A: Gillian’s boss gave her a pat on the back when she hit all her sales targets.

B: Yes, I heard that her boss praised her in front of everyone at the meeting yesterday.