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To make an interesting starter for our family Christmas meal, I made these pea and spinach pesto arancini. I used asparagus risotto as the base for them. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Pea And Spinach Pesto Arancini ♥ As I mentioned, I was looking for hotels close to Istanbul airport. The only … Continue reading Pea And Spinach Pesto Arancini
I made this glazed gammon well after Christmas, for a family dinner. I take great joy in watching our granddaughter eat food with utter delight on her face. It makes cooking for all of them a pleasure. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Glazed Gammon ♥ The other day while walking to my … Continue reading Glazed Gammon
After I had perfected my gluten free shortcrust pastry, and made my lime tart, I made these cherry compote tarts. I did not want to make too many as Dave is not a huge fan of cherries. But he liked these ones well enough to make sure all were finished over the weekend. Skip ahead … Continue reading Cherry Compote Tarts
This asparagus risotto was so good that I made it again. It can be adapted to suit your pantry and the season. Add frozen peas with the last ladle of stock for an asparagus and pea risotto. Or add 3 leaves of prosciutto, cut into strips, with the rice for a meal that includes meat. … Continue reading Asparagus Risotto
Barmbrack is the Irish version of the Welsh Bara Brith. This speckled loaf cake is traditionally served on Halloween, but I think it will make for a great Christmas cake. So if you have not yet made yours, here is a recipe for you to use. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Barmbrack … Continue reading Barmbrack
The cherry season is extremely short so this cherry compote is a great way to ensure you can enjoy this succulent fruit in winter. Pam Corbin recommends using this compote for pies and crumbles, as a cheesecake topping or served with panna cotta or vanilla ice cream. I used it for my chocolate mousse cake. … Continue reading Cherry Compote
I had an idea for a black forest soft serve for years. It just took me a while to actually make it. This is a no churn recipe with texture from the chocolate chunks. I photographed this on the hottest day we have had so far this year. The drips down the cone took me … Continue reading Black Forest Soft Serve
You need time on your hands to make this barbecue brisket. The meat needs marinating in a dry rub overnight, and then cooking for 4 hours before finishing it off on the barbecue. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Barbecue Brisket ♥ We have a friend who is 20 years older than … Continue reading Barbecue Brisket Coated In A Delicious Sauce
My memories of teiglach are of a dense bite, that is super sweet and super sticky. I decided to make my own for this year's' Rosh Hashanah as it is a traditional treat. The recipe I adapted from Nida yielded a softer teiglach that everyone loved. And the bonus was that I could use the … Continue reading Teiglach
When I asked for ideas of what to make with my chestnut spread, Mimi recommended a recipe from Nigella Lawson. I adapted her recipe to make this chocolate chestnut mousse and the result was amazing. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Chocolate Chestnut Mousse ♥ To me, the worst part about having pneumonia … Continue reading Chocolate Chestnut Mousse Using Chestnut Spread
These ginger poached pears make for a great after dinner treat. Use firm pears for better results and lots of honey for drizzling. Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Ginger Poached Pears ♥ Last month I started coughing. It was a dry cough, and more of a discomfort than anything else. I started … Continue reading Ginger Poached Pears
For our winemakers, this years' harvest might not have been enough. Tonnage was down due to the effects of the drought and I doubt many of them had reasons to celebrate. But, we need to be grateful for the fact the rain eventually came, and things should be better next year. To mark the end … Continue reading Grape Harvest Cake
My friend Rosey gave me a bottle of pink gin as a gift. It has a hint of berries and I knew straight away I wanted to bake with this gin. So I made a pink gin cake using lemons and citrus tonic. Head straight on to the Recipe For Pink Gin Cake ♥ Two … Continue reading Pink Gin Cake With Citrus Tonic Water
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
After a recipe fail the first time I made this baked Camembert I have come up with a recipe that I know will work. This is like the ultimate cheese fondue. It is extremely rich and I would serve it between 4 people. Head straight on to the Recipe For Baked Camembert ♥ One cannot … Continue reading Baked Camembert
Time is still not on my side, and I am trying to have as many simple recipes made and blogged until I catch up. This fridge tart is one of them. It is really a doddle to make and is divine to eat. A recipe I urge you to make when you need to serve … Continue reading Fridge Tart
Having bought Marsala in Sicily, I had to make proper use of it. Zabaglione is the Italian version of Sabayon, and is traditionally made with Marsala. This fortified wine is sweet and works perfectly in desserts. If you cannot find Marsala in your local bottle store I recommend using a sweet Sherry instead. Head straight … Continue reading Zabaglione
When you mention ragu, people automatically think of bolognese sauce. But, in Italy, a ragu pasta sauce is any sauce for pasta that contains meat. These sauces differ from region to region, and mine is Northern Italian. It uses ground beef as the protein. Skip ahead to the recipe for Ragu Pasta Sauce Last year … Continue reading Ragu Pasta Sauce
The morning I started writing my review of Home Cooked & Heartwarming Dave and I had been shopping. We bought a kilogram of mussels which I planned on cooking with Pernod. I used Ashleigh Levin's recipe for mighty mussel pot with secret Sambuca as the base for my Pernod mussels. In her recipe book Ashleigh says that … Continue reading Pernod Mussels
To me, winter is for warming desserts. Spiced poached pears are perfect and served with the syrup make for a great ending to a meal. Skip ahead to the recipe for Spiced Poached Pears During the week my breakfast consists of 2 apples. I might change this for other fruit in season. But I always … Continue reading Spiced Poached Pears