Your error-free Heyday Friday newsletter

HOPING TO GET IT RIGHT WITH YOUR
HEYDAY FRIDAY NEWSLETTER

OK, hands up - who spotted the, ahem, deliberate mistake in last week's newsletter. I know some of you did, because you kindly emailed me to point out that, of course, Valentine's Day was on Tuesday not Wednesday as I said in the intro to the Friday Funny. Duh! Hope my slip-up didn't interfere with your celebrations. 

At least I know this

FRIDAY FUNNY

is on, and about, the right day!

You'll be glad (I hope) to know there is a blog this week. It's about a place with the longest medieval cathedral in Europe (which looks like this)

A perfectly preserved 13th century hall where some of the most famous knights in history gathered (which looks like this)

and is home to the final resting place of one of our greatest writers and a memorial that inspired a movement that has saved thousands, if not millions, of lives. 

Obviously you're going to have to read the blog to find out where this marvellous city, where history is quite literally all around you, is (if you haven't recognised it already). And you can do that by CLICKING HERE

The city that is the subject of the blog is fast becoming quite a destination for foodies (we ate a completely delicious meal there. You can find out where by CLICKING HERE).

I certainly wouldn't describe myself as a gastronomic expert by any stretch, but I have got much better at trying out new dishes since I signed up to Mindful Chef a couple of years ago. I've shared some of their recipes with you in the past, and this is another completely delicious one I tried for the first time this week. 

CHINESE TURKEY & VEG STIR FRY

 

This amount is enough to serve two people and takes about 20 minutes to prepare and cook

Peel two carrots into ribbons then slice the ribbons into long thin strips.(If you have a spiralizer, use that. Or a julienne peeler)
Trim and thinly slice 150g sweetheart cabbage and 2 spring onions.
Roughly dice 1 red or yellow pepper into cubes.
Finely chop or grate 4cm fresh ginger and 3 garlic cloves.

In a bowl combine 1tbsp sesame oil, 1tbsp soya sauce and 1tbsp maple syrup.

Heat a large frying pan or wok with 1tbsp oil on a medium-high heat.

Season 300g turkey strips with salt and add to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and almost cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add the garlic, ginger and half the spring onions to the pan and cook for 2 mins. Add the pepper and the carrots and cook for another 2 mins.

Add 1tsp oil and 250g steamed brown basmati rice (the ready cooked packets are perfect for this) breaking it up with a wooden spoon. I found I needed to add a bit of water at this point, so do that if you need to. Return the turkey to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until it's fully cooked through.

Add the cabbage and the sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes mixing well to combine all the ingredients until the rice is piping hot.

Serve topped with the remaining spring onions. 

THIS WEEK I'VE BEEN....

.... WATCHING

Warning - this is about as far from the relaxing, feel-good viewing I've been recommending in the past weeks as its possible to get. If say that the 12 episodes of the new season of this hit Israeli drama dropped on Netflix at the end of January and it's taken me until now to watch them all because I simply can't do more than two at once, they're so nerve-shreddingly good, then that should tell you all you need to know. 
Fauda (Arabic for 'chaos') is a series I've reviewed before and I make absolutely no apologies for repeating myself. Through each of the edge-of-your-seat episodes in the first three series you wonder if it can possibly get any more tense or insanely watchable, and then it does.
With this fourth series the suspense and emotional intensity is ratcheted up to an almost unbearable degree as the members of the elite Israeli Special Forces undercover unit are once again facing extreme danger as they hunt down Hamas terrorists.
Where Fauda is so successful (it's one of Netflix's highest watched series) and relatable, is in the way it shows the very human side of all the characters involved, both on the Israeli and Palestinian sides. These are men and women with partners and families, lives and loves, and passionately held beliefs and principles. It's also a series that doesn't shy away from showing the violent reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or, indeed, from killing off major characters, all of which makes it all the more tense and unpredictable.
Expect kidnap, revenge, deceit, moral crisis and heartache aplenty in this latest series which finds the team and their commanders not just facing the threats of their enemies, but personal issues and all-too-understandable burn out that are calling into question each of their futures with the unit. 
The explosive finale is as heart-stopping as it is agonising to watch. Don't. Miss. It. 

You can watch all four series of FAUDA on Netflix
And see the series four trainer HERE 

Rounding off this week with these

WORDS OF WISDOM

from a historic figure who has a close association with the destination in THIS WEEK'S BLOG (see what I did there in another, arguably slightly too desperate, attempt to encourage you to read it?)

I'm very much hoping there are no glaring errors in this week's missive, but relying on you to point them out if there are!

Have a great week and see you next time. 


Diane x