♥ a food, travel and lifestyle blog ♥
I have called this brown and wild rice dish Persian rice as it makes use of the Iranian spice blend I made. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Persian Rice ♥ Since we started travelling overseas in 2003, the places we stay at have come to about €100 a night. This is the … Continue reading Persian Rice | Spiced With Iranian Spice Blend
Using seasonal baby fennel I made poached fennel to go with my chicken Kiev. This was an easy vegetable side dish to make. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Poached Fennel ♥ Getting to Paris was not as easy as it should have been. We booked our flights 10 months in advance, securing … Continue reading Poached Fennel
With so much paella rice at home I needed to find a way to use it up. James served a rice cake on Boxing Day which was good, and I used that as inspiration. I made this baked paella rice dish with mushrooms, peas and tomatoes. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Baked … Continue reading Baked Paella Rice
Artichokes are a constant reminder of our trips to Italy. The best we have ever had was from a small shop in Venice that we stumbled upon and never found again. I have made these marinated artichoke hearts in the Roman style, but used tinned hearts. The reason for this is we do not get … Continue reading Marinated Artichoke Hearts | Carciofi Alla Romana
When Lorraine posted her hasselback butternut recipe I knew for certain I was going to make this. Dave is not a fan of butternut so I had to wait until my family came for lunch. This super simple recipe is so impressive that I urge you to make it as well. Head straight on to … Continue reading Hasselback Butternut For The Wow Factor
Part of my vegan feast included marinated mushrooms. I tend to buy these when we are overseas and decided to try to make them myself at home. You need to make them a few days ahead of serving to allow the mushrooms to fully take on the flavours. Head straight on to the Recipe For … Continue reading Marinated Mushrooms
Yesterday I did a harvest table for my vegan / vegetarian family. This fennel pickle was one of the items on the table. I love the flavour and trust they did too. Head straight on to the Recipe For Fennel Pickle ♥ For the past two years we have decided to spend our wedding anniversary … Continue reading Fennel Pickle Flavoured With Orange Zest
This simple recipe for hasselback potatoes will not let you down. It is just a fancy way of preparing this side dish and will look good on your Christmas table. Head straight on to the Recipe For Hasselback Potatoes ♥ Last week Friday I was let down by a supplier. We found out on the … Continue reading Hasselback Potatoes
Creamed spinach is the ultimate comfort side dish. It is also simple and quick to make which is a bonus for me right now. I make a huge batch at a time (at least double this recipe) and freeze what we don't eat. Head straight on to the Recipe For Creamed Spinach ♥ Last December … Continue reading Creamed Spinach Spiced With Nutmeg
Looking for an alternative to potatoes? Well, look no further. This celeriac dauphinoise is a great substitute and packs a punch of flavour. Head straight on to the Recipe For Celeriac Dauphinoise ♥ A month ago I was sitting at my desk trying to keep warm. Snow was in the air and a cold wind … Continue reading Celeriac Dauphinoise | Potato Alternative
I had a few ears of corn that needed using up, and then I remembered that Lorraine had made creamed corn stuffed sweet potato skins. I quickly made up a batch and took that with us for dinner. The day Dave was not feeling well I made a second lot of the creamed corn. I … Continue reading Creamed Corn
I was given a box of phyllo pastry at an event I went to last year. I usually make my own and left this in the freezer until I had a recipe in mind. When I got zucchini blossoms I knew the perfect snack to make using them. These mini zucchini quiches were the result. … Continue reading Mini Zucchini Quiches Using Phyllo Pastry
You can serve these roasted carrots cold in a salad. I double up on the ingredients if that is my plan. I have used purple carrots here which I find much prettier than the orange ones. Head straight on to the Recipe For Roasted Carrots ♥ When we moved to Gordons Bay in 2001 there … Continue reading Roasted Carrots Using Purple Carrots
I was feeling all cheffy when I made my chicken ballotine with roasted and pickled carrots. I had recently bought some purple carrots and thought this would be a nice way to showcase them. Head straight on to the Recipe For Pickled Carrots ♥ A while back I noticed that one of my knife handles … Continue reading Pickled Carrots | An Easy To Make Recipe
Yeasted flat breads were a new cooking experience for me. I made these for a meze platter that I did as starters. As they could be made in advance I didn't have to stand at the hob while we had guests over for dinner. Head straight on to the Recipe For Yeasted Flat Breads ♥ … Continue reading Yeasted Flat Breads
Do you have half an hour to spare? If you do, then make these polenta chips. They are fairly addictive, with their crispy outer covering and soft centre. Head straight on to the Recipe For Polenta Chips ♥ Two weeks ago I went to the iStore to purchase a Bluetooth headset. I listen to podcasts … Continue reading Polenta Chips
We will be visiting Italy in September which is a long time to wait. But in the meantime I can bring Italy into my home by making cheesy polenta. Head straight on to the Recipe For Cheesy Polenta ♥ For years Dave and I have had a Vodafone UK sim card. When we were in … Continue reading Cheesy Polenta
Inspired by the pea custard on Master Chef Australia I made mushroom custard. It was the perfect use for my mushroom powder and I made extras to use as a boost of flavour for mushroom sauces. Head straight on to the Recipe For Mushroom Custard ♥ Recently I flew up to Johannesburg alone. I had … Continue reading Mushroom Custard
When green durum wheat is roasted and rubbed together the result is freekeh. This grain is high in protein and fibre, and mineral rich. Due to its prebiotic nature and the fact that it is high in fibre it is great for good gut health. This freekeh salad is low carb and packed full of … Continue reading Freekeh Salad
Making a savoury bread pudding is a great way to use up bread before it goes too stale to do anything else with. Here I have used focaccia but you can use any bread. The more flavour it has to start, the better it will taste after baking. Head straight on to the Recipe For … Continue reading Savoury Bread Pudding Made With Focaccia