Getting XBee comms up and running between a Raspberry Pi and Linux

• Useful instruction on configuring XBee without the X-CTU program (Windows).  Make sure that the XBee on both ends is 9600 baud (it should be by default).
• Set up minicom on the Pi and on the PC.  Make sure that serial port is set up as  9600 baud, 1N8 w. no hardware flow control.  Now typing in one minicom window will echo in the other.  Hey - we've got wireless comms!
• Let's do this programmatically.  With minicom up and listening at one end, let's use python on the other.

#!/usr/bin/python
import serial
import time
connection = serial.Serial("/dev/ttyUSB0")
connection.baudrate = 9600
connection.setParity('N')
connection.setByteSize(8)
connection.setStopbits(1)

while True:
  time.sleep(5)
  connection.write("hello\n")

• Well, that seems to work ok!  

Vegetable and Lemon Tagine

Into the slow cooker, add;

1. Chopped onion, carrot, parsnip, swede, potato, celery.  Nice big pieces - thumb sized.  
2. Fennel seeds, ground black pepper, garlic, saffron, bay leaves, powdered cinnamon.  A good portion of preserved lemon, cut into large slices.  Today I used a half a normal sized lemon.
3. A tin of chickpeas with their water, a cup of white cooking wine, a good big glug of olive oil.

And I served it with couscous, to which I added some pickled veg (I'd done it in a raspberry vinegar with star anise), some very finely chopped mint, and some sea buckthorn oil.  And a bit of mushroom stock.

Top Notch!

A really good quiche!

1. Clean button mushrooms and trim the stalks flush with the cap.  Put them cap side down in a baking dish that's just big enough to hold them, and add some chicken stock, white wine, butter and a glug of light soy sauce.  Bake, covered, at a moderate temperature, until almost cooked; then remove the cover.
2. Meanwhile gently reduce finely chopped white onion and leeks in a frying pan with some butter.  To loosen it, add some of the juice from the mushrooms and continue cooking until the mixture is light brown and soft.  Then allow to cool
3. Allow the mushrooms to cook until the juices have reduced, evaporated, and the mushrooms have caramelised on their caps from the butter.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
4. Make a shortcrust case and blind bake.
5. Make the quiche filling with 3 eggs and a half pint of double cream, seasoned with salt.
6. Spread the onion and leek paste over the base of the pastry case, arrange the mushrooms, add grated cheddar.
7. Put it in the oven and use a jug to pour the egg mix in until it reaches the case's rim.
8. When the filling has started to set, add grated Parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper, then return to the oven until it rises like a souffle. 
9. Give it long enough to cool before eating that it becomes just warm to the touch, and the risen filling has collapsed back to set and solidify.

The idea here is to concentrate flavour into the mushrooms, and avoid any leakage of moisture from them into the quiche as it cools.