By the time you read this, the Vancouver Olympics will be in high fever, and we will have some idea how our medals are going. The reported high hopes we have for our Olympians scares me but I'll keep my fingers crossed, and I'm trying hard to  “believe.”
My brother has been a volunteer with nordic cross country skiing since the beginning, and and even when I was out visiting him over two years ago he was helping in building the race course. He often skis in the Cyprus Bowl area which is behind his house in west Vancouver, so he is quite familiar with the area where he will be working as a starter in the races held there.
For those who might be interested, he has been told, and I hope it is true, that if anyone who carries the torch wants to buy it, could do so for $400. Meanwhile, back home we will have the best seats in Canada as we stay glued to the TV.
Having a TV in my kitchen I can watch the games and tend to business on hand, and that is trying new recipes. Before one starts to proceed with a new recipe it is always good to read through the ingredients to make sure you have everything that is needed.
When reading through the first recipe I came across the ingredient bok choy. The vegetable is not unknown to me and I thought it belonged to the cabbage family, as I've seen it in our local stores but I had never used it. So I reached for my kitchen bible, The Joy of Cooking, the third copy I've had since a friend gave it to me over 60 years ago, and for the first time it let me down.
After searching through a few other cookbooks I found nothing, so I turned to my next best friend in the book department, The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, and found what I wanted. So I stand to be corrected: bok choy is a cabbage like plant of the mustard family, having dark green outer leaves, white stalks and yellow centre. The name meaning white vegetable in Cantonese.
Ginger root I use often, and it can be found in the vegetable-fruit section in the grocery store. It is best stored in the freezer and grated with skin on as you need it. The recipes today are from the Pork Producers of Ontario and they tell us that pork is an important source of protein and vitamins B6 and B12, and minerals, such as iron and zinc, and thiamin having five times higher than other meats so an important to a well balance diet.
Stir fry ginger pork and vegetables
1 pound boneless pork loin
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion sliced
2 carrots sliced, 1 each green and red pepper, chopped
1 cup sliced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped bok choy or bean sprouts
1/2 cup orange juice
cut pork loin in thin strips. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat-high heat . Sauté onions and carrot for 3 to 4 minutes, add peppers and celery and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining oil to skillet and brown pork, garlic, ginger root and red pepper flakes until pork is no longer pink.Add vegetables, bok choy or sprouts to skillet, add orange juice, heat through 3 minutes or till hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Yields 4 servings.
Jamaican pork
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons butter  
1 teaspoon curry powder  
 2 medium bananas
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup flaked coconut  
Cube pork tenderloin. Melt butter in large skillet; stir in curry powder till foamy. Cut bananas in 1/2 inch slices. Sauté briefly in curry powder until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Add pork cubes to skillet and sauté until golden brown. Salt to taste. Add pineapple juice and onion.Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until pork is tender.Stir in coconut and bananas mixture and toss lightly. Serve over hot steamed rice. Yields four servings.