Saturday 31 May 2014

Not sure what the chilli has to do with it!


San Francisco

 

I was reminded of the city of San Francisco when watching the America's Cup yacht racing last year – which New Zealand lost from a seemingly unlosable position – sigh.  But if you think yacht racing is boring just look at this clip of the New Zealand boat almost flipping over and then miraculously righting itself.

 
We may not have won but the beautiful harbour was showcased.  The iconic Golden Gate bridge.  Alcatraz.  What's not to like?
I spent 3 weeks there once and enjoyed the city enormously.  I can vouch for the truth of the fact that summers in San Francisco can be a lot colder than you expect.


My first and only experience of live baseball was in San Francisco.  I found it quite mysterious – but then I guess most Americans would say the same about cricket or rugby!
I particularly enjoyed the time I spent in Sausalito.  You have to cross the Golden Gate Bridge to get there.

Friday 30 May 2014

Would you have known this was an ad for canned food?


Food on Friday: Broccoli & Brussels Sprouts


ON
 


Food on Friday:  Broccoli & Brussels Sprouts  is collecting all and any dishes featuring either broccoli or Brussels sprouts – both are said to be very good for you – but I have to admit I find them a bit boring and am always looking for ways to jazz them up a bit!
To add your dish just pop the name of the dish (and your blog name/name if you like) into the first Mr Linky box and paste the url for your post about it into the second one.
I'll be pinning the dishes to this Pinboard so that should make it easier for you to check out the other dishes.

Thursday 29 May 2014

Of course, you have to have figured out what that is!


Need Some Inspiration? Try Dairy Free dishes!

 

Chickpea Curry

There were 80 Dairy Free dishes in the Food on Friday: Dairy Free collection – absolutely fab.  Thank you to all who  contributed.
I have selected a few of the dishes to inspire you today.  You can see the rest of them at a glance on this Pinboard.
The first pic is of DietTaste's lovely Chickpea Curry.
 


Lisa from Cooking with Curls brought us this Limoncello Tiramisu Ice Cream
 



Look at these ingenious  Mini Tahini Cups with a Creamy Coffee Date Filling by Lisa's Kitchen.
 


And here is Cathy from Three Kids and a Fish with her Crockpot Turkey Chili
 



Aubree from Living Free brought over this super Pasta-Less Turkey Lasagne.
 

And here for you is Isabelle At Home's Green Tomato Bread 

Wednesday 28 May 2014

A Mark Twain quote for you...


Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

 

To be honest, Still Life with Bread Crumbs is the first book by Anna Quindlen that I have really enjoyed.  It drew me in from the very first page.  The protagonist, Rebecca Winter, is quite believable.  It is very well written – not literary in the sense of being inaccessible but definitely more literary than the average best seller.
I am not going to spoil the book for you – it was published in 2014 and I recommend it to you.
One unusual thing about the book was the way the chapters were named.  Here is a sample:
          How she wound up there – the inspirational version
          Knew it when she saw it
          Safe as houses
          What happened next – him
          Mysterious and heart-breaking

It's almost like the author is communicating directly with you through the chapter names rather than the protagonist.  It was a little odd but I liked it.
The cover of the book, while attractive, doesn't really give any clues as to what the book is about.  Some Goodreads reviews say it is a love story but I don't think that is the guts of the book at all.

 

Tuesday 27 May 2014

I like his style!


Sausage 'Golf' Balls with Mustard Sauce



Sausage 'Golf' Balls with Mustard Sauce was based on a Nigel Slater dish from his book, Eat.  I did make some changes but wouldn't have thought of the basic approach without having seen his recipe.
The sausage balls are beyond easy to make.  No seasoning, no breadcrumbs, no egg – just one ingredient – sausage meat.  But make sure the sausages you buy are top quality ones – I used continental pork sausages.
All you do is remove the skin and then roll the sausage meat into golf ball sized balls using damp hands.  And your meatballs are ready to cook.
I fried them to get a nice colour first and then put them into a moderate oven to finish cooking through.
Then to make the sauce  I just put some chicken stock with a splash of Worcestershire Sauce into the pan (after pouring off the fat – or most of  it).  After boiling that for a minute or 2 I added ½ cup of dream, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard as well as salt and pepper.  I also added a small amount of mustard powder and turmeric just for the colour.  After you've simmered it for a few more minutes it can be poured over the sausage balls and you're done.  Garnish with some chopped chives to make it pretty.
Simple and very surprisingly delicious. 
PS the original recipe called for beef stock.

Monday 26 May 2014

Capital City of the Week – Athens


 
Athens is one of the world's oldest cities.  It is pretty well known so I have tried to deal with some lesser known aspects of the city.
 


There are 148 theatrical stages in Athens – said to be more than any other city in the world.
 


Athens has hosted the Olympic games twice – in 1896 and 2004
 


Not surprisingly one of its twin cities is Athens, Georgia.  There are over 30 towns named Athens in the USA
So where in the world is Athens?


 

Athens is the capital of: 

Doris Day

 


Doris Day was born in 1922 – which makes her now 92 years old!  Wow!
Doris's first ever hit was Sentimental Journey (YouTube clip) in 1945.  She also was in almost 40 films. The only one I can remember seeing was Calamity Jane.
My favourite Doris Day song is Que Sera Sera (YouTube clip)– fabulous lyrics and tune.  I also really love Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (YouTube clip).
Day is retired from the entertainment business but is still active in animal protection  issues. 

Sunday 25 May 2014

For example, often cakes that look fantastic don't taste as good!


Layered Tuna Salad


Layered Tuna Salad by Carole's Chatter
 
This Layered Tuna Salad was fun to plan and put together – and tasted fab too! A win win win!
I think this is the first dish I have planned out on paper before starting!
These were the layers – starting from the bottom of the salad and working the way up to the top.  I seasoned each layer as I went. 

Layer 1 – this was the thickest layer – a bed of lettuce broken up into bite sized pieces – it would have also been good shredded.
Layer 2 – a red and crunchy layer made up of chopped red bell pepper (capsicum) and radish.
Layer 3 – green and crunchy chopped cornichons (little pickled cucumbers) that would be nice next to the tuna.
Layer 4 – one can of tuna, drained of its water 
Layer 5 – a seasoning layer with alternating dobs of mayonnaise and chilli capsicum jelly along with a small amount of finely chopped red onion.
Layer 6 – Slices of perfectly ripe avocado (which had a squeeze of lemon juice over them to keep the colour bright green)
Layer 7 – A yellow layer of corn kernels (pre-cooked) and chopped yellow bell pepper (capsicum)
Layer 8 – A final red layer around the edges of the top, letting some of the yellow layer show on top of tomato and finely chopped fresh red chilli.
Once I had planned the layers I prepped all the ingredients before assembling the salad.  I have an admission to make – I tried to make sure 2 sides of the salad and the top looked pretty but didn't worry too much about the bits that wouldn't show in a photo!
Layered Tuna Salad by Carole's Chatter
 
Just before serving add a splash of your favourite salad dressing on top – you don't need too much because of the mayo layer.  I used a Caesar dressing.  It is really important to season each layer as you go – particularly the avocado one.

Saturday 24 May 2014

Actually I don't read in bed much these days....


Things to know when visiting Thailand


 
If you respect these Thai customs when you visit you will be appreciated by the Thai people you meet.

First, the wai – when you meet someone you put your hands together like you would in prayer at chest level and bow your head.  You do the same when you say goodbye. 

Second, remember that the Thai people revere their monarchy.  Don't ever make fun of this or disparaging comments – it's actually a criminal offence to do so.

Most buildings will have spirit houses or altars – don't touch them. 

It is important not to touch anyone's head – that is regarded as offensive.  And shoes are not to be worn indoors in private houses or in religious sites.  Some traditional restaurants also require shoes to be removed. 

When you are in a restaurant try not to put your handbag on the floor – the floor is regarded as dirty.  In upmarket restaurants women are given separate little stools to put your handbag on.  Or you could get a handbag hanger – I bought one not long ago but am not confident that it is really strong enough to hold my handbag – which is stuffed full of stuff! 


Of course the major highlight of any visit to Thailand is the food! 

Many of you will know a lot more about Thailand than I do.  Please feel free to add your comments.

Friday 23 May 2014

Don't you think penguins are just the cutest!


Food on Friday: Dried Fruit


 
ON
 
This time Food on Friday is building a collection of dishes using dried fruit in them – whether the dishes are sweet or savoury.  Or, indeed, posts about how to dry fruit too!
To add to the collection just pop the name of your dish into the first Mr Linky box (plus your blog name/name, if you like) and then paste the url for your post about it into the second box.
There are no rules other than having fun!  It would be great if you visited some of the other links – to help you pick which I will be pinning each dish to this Pinboard.
And if you enjoy Food on Friday, it would be lovely if you invited another blog friend along to join in the fun.  If you ask them to leave a comment about it being their first time, we'll know to welcome them properly.
 

Wednesday 21 May 2014

An Experiment – trying Gordon's tip for easily peeling hard boiled eggs



I've always had issues when peeling hard boiled eggs so when I was watching a Gordon Ramsay programme and he said that you could peel eggs easily his way, I immediately made a mental note to try it out.

It seemed such an easy idea and I had confidence that it would work.  To test it I hard boiled 2 eggs from the same batch.  I have posted about the method I use for getting perfect hard boiled eggs here.



So with one of the eggs I just let it sit in cold water as per usual.  For the other I used Gordon's tip – I tapped the egg to crack it in several places and then put it back into the cold water again for a couple of minutes.



And yes – one of the eggs peeled very easily and the other was a bit of a shambles – but the thing is – the egg that was not put back into the water after cracking was the one that didn't work well! 

So – Gordon – your tip didn't work for me!  Back to the drawing board.

La Vie est Belle by Henrietta Heald



La Vie est Belle is a simply delightful coffee table book which captures a feel of French style.  It is not a recipe book – there is one recipe at the end of each chapter – of a classic dish but you wouldn't read this book for the food.

If you love French style this book will draw you in.  Super photographs and interesting text.  I leafed through it in one sitting and felt inspired.  It is a book that you could go to time and time again and each time notice a new detail.



The author is an English woman who has spent a lot of time in France and her love for the country shines through this book.  If you go to France, though and expect everything to look like this book, you will be disappointed.  The book has not allowed commercial signs, brands etc to show up and so it is an idealized version of the reality.



The pics have been taken from the book and I hope they will give you a flavour of what to expect.  Get it from the library and inhale the atmosphere.