As the holidays approach, we're going to look at the following videos and discuss "Random Acts of Kindness." We'll start off by hearing about how last year there were a slew of "Layaway Angels" in America, paying off store bills for strangers who couldn't afford to purchase the toys they hoped to give their children for Christmas.
We'll then look at the following video which shows how five different people performed random acts of kindness, discussing what these specific acts were, and why we think the people who did them chose to do so. We'll also talk about the effects of their acts on others—not just on those who received unexpected kindness, but also on those who witnessed it or heard about it later.
Lastly, we'll think about doing kindness for strangers in general, brainstorming all the ways that we could do this ourselves in our daily lives. Are there any differences between performing such acts in the United States or in Russia?
***Added on two weeks later***
I just came across this video for Noah and the Whale's "Give a Little Love." This really nails how doing one kind thing for a stranger can have a domino effect all over a city, state or nation!
This salad is known and loved around the world. Those of you who’ve been lucky enough to eat this salad in Greece will know that when it’s made well it’s absolute heaven. Hopefully this recipe will help you achieve the big bold authentic flavours that it's known for. The trick is to pay attention to the small details that make it so wonderful: things like finding the ripest tomatoes, good Greek olive oil, beautiful olives, creamy feta and lovely herbs.
I think it’s quite nice to have different shapes and sizes in a salad, so cut your medium tomato into wedges, halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the beef tomato into large rounds. Put all the tomatoes into a large salad bowl. Slice the onion very finely so it’s wafer thin and add to the tomatoes. Scratch a fork down the sides of the cucumber so it leaves deep grooves in the skin, then cut it into thick slices. Deseed your pepper, slice it into rings and add them to the salad along with the cucumber.
Roughly chop the dill and most of the mint leaves, reserving the smaller ones for garnish. Add the chopped herbs to the bowl of salad, then squeeze your handful of olives over so they season the vegetables, then drop them in.
Add a pinch of salt, the vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil. Quickly toss everything together with your hands. The minute all those flavours start working with the veg is when the magic starts to happen. Have a taste, and adjust the flavours if need be.
To serve, pop the block of feta right on the top of the salad. Sprinkle the oregano over the top along with the reserved mint leaves, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and take it straight to the table. It’s confident and scruffy with a bit of attitude. Delicious.
P.S. I’ve been known to pop leftover Greek salad into a liquidizer with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a few ice cubes, then blitz it up to a smooth consistency so it's basically a Greek gazpacho. It’s not a classic thing to do, but it is very delicious, not to mention a great way of using up leftovers!
chicken tikka masala
servings
4
ingredients
• ½ fresh red chilli, deseeded
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 15g fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• a pinch of paprika
• ½ tablespoon garam masala
• a teaspoon of tomato puree
• 3 sprigs of fresh coriander, leaves picked and chopped, stalks reserved
• 400g chicken breast, preferably free-range or organic, diced into 2.5cm pieces
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
• ½ red pepper, deseeded and sliced
• ½ green pepper, deseeded and sliced
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground coriander
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
• 100ml plain yoghurt
• 100ml double cream
method
(Note: the marinade will need to be prepared the day before so the chicken can marinate overnight.)
For the marinade
Blitz the chilli, garlic, ginger and vegetable oil in the food processor. Add the paprika, garam masala and tomato puree, plus the coriander stalks, and blitz again to form a paste. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl, coat them with the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day…
In a little vegetable oil, on a medium heat, fry the onion, peppers and spices in a large saucepan. Cook gently for 10 minutes then add the tin of tomatoes and the yoghurt. Add the chicken pieces and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked. Just before serving, stir through the double cream and chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with fluffy boiled rice and a mixed leaf salad.
eton mess
ingredients
For the meringue:
6 large free-range egg whites
300g caster sugar
A pinch of sea salt
For the fruit and cream:
565ml Jersey cream
1 vanilla pod, scored lengthways and seeds scraped out
2 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
250g mixed-color strawberries, hulled and sliced
250g mixed-color raspberries
A good splash of Pimms
1 teaspoon good-quality balsamic vinegar
Optional: a handful of flaked almonds, toasted
method
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Put the egg whites into a bowl, making sure there are absolutely no little pieces of shell or yolk in them. Whisk with an electric hand whisk or freestanding whisk on a medium setting until they form firm peaks. You’ll know that it’s thick enough if you can hold the bowl upside down over your head!
With your mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and salt. Turn the whisk up to the highest setting for about 7 or 8 minutes, or until the meringue mixture is deliciously white and glossy. Dip your finger in the meringue and rub the mixture between your thumb and index finger. It should feel perfectly smooth. If it feels at all grainy, whisk for a little bit longer. Keep a close eye on the meringue, because if you whisk it for too long, it will collapse.
Spoon dollops of the meringue on to the prepared baking tray — you’ll get about 6 to 8 meringues from this amount — leaving a bit of space between them. Dab them with the bottom of your spoon so you get wispy bits coming up from the surface of the meringue. Pop the baking tray into the oven for around 1 hour, or until the meringues are crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, whip the Jersey cream with the vanilla seeds and 1 tablespoon of sugar until you have soft peaks. In a bowl, mash half the strawberries and half the raspberries with the rest of the sugar and the balsamic vinegar. Pop both bowls in the fridge until your meringues have cooled down.
You can serve Eton mess on a large platter on in individual glasses. To assemble, break up your meringues into a bowl — you can crush some of the bits into powder, leaving other bits chunky. Ripple the cream and mushed-up fruit together, then sprinkle in the rest of the fruit and fold again. Layer your crushed meringues and fruity cream onto your serving platter or in glasses, then sprinkle with the toasted almonds, if using. Serve right away.
Serving
If you want to make it look extra special, serve it in individual glasses.
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