Chapter Seven: The World According to Bella

My voracious appetite has indeed gotten me in trouble again. I just can't help myself. Everything on the beach seems edible and fair game as far as I am concerned. But my people just get into such a snit when I start munching everything and anything while romping around the beach and into the surf.

The jellyfish incident sent them into such a tailspin. I came bounding out of the waters with what they called a cannonball jellyfish about 8 inches round. They kept screaming at me to drop it-drop it but I just shook my head and clenched my jaws even more. It is a game to me see how riled up I can get the two of them. Seems they just watched a show that day about the jellyfish alert on nearby beaches. For some unexplainable reason the current is washing these jellyfish ashore. They can still sting hour nearby after being washed up on the beach. It can be painful if a jellyfish stings you and there could be a reaction. Man of War are the deadliest ones to encounter but lucky those have not been sighted on this beach. Much to the relief of my people and the others who had gathered around watching the commotion I dropped it. Guess the game was not fun anymore.

Which now brings me to the point of abandonment. My people had enough of my antics and I got left behind from a field trip I really wanted to do today. They were going to Ft. Clinch where a reenactment of life at the fort as it was during the time of the Civil War was going on. The loading and firing a musket by part of an infantry group is what I really wanted to see. Needless to say I was disappointed and am going to try to be better behaved in the future though it might be a stretch for me.

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The current issue of Cooking Light March 2011 posted a meal that takes only 20 minutes to prepare. I tried it and indeed it does and is quite good. I have added some adaptations.

Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• 2 (3 1/2 oz) bags boil in the bag long grain white rice
• 2 TB sherry
• 2 TB. lower sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 lb. sirloin steak cut diagonally across grain into thin slices
• 1-1/2 TB. cornstarch
• 1 TB. Hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup lower sodium beef broth
• 2 TB. canola oil
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1-2 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 cups prechopped broccoli florets
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup green onions
• baby corn on the cob
• carrots thinly sliced and cut on the diagonal
• 1/3 cup chopped cashews
• 1-2 large orange rind peeled off and then sliced into sections

Directions:

• Cook rice according to directions set aside
• Cut up oranges, broccoli, onion
• While rice is cooking mix together sherry, soy sauce, sugar, hoisin sauce, ginger, pepper flaks, garlic,broth and beef cuts
• In a wok or large fry pan heat oil and saute beef mixture about 3 minutes
• Mix 1/3 water with 1 large tablespoon of cornstarch
• Add to meat mixture and fold in vegetable plus the baby corn on the cob
• Cook on lower heat till sauce is thickened and beef done
• Serve beef mixture over rice-sprinkle nuts on top