♥ a food, travel and lifestyle blog ♥
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
Reginette alla Norma is a pasta dish made with fried aubergines, tomato and salted ricotta. To me it is all about our trip to Sicily. While there we met primary school friends of mine for a drink. It was an amazing evening and it felt like we had only seen each other yesterday rather than decades … Continue reading Reginette Alla Norma
Hailing from Lebanon, a fattoush is a bread salad. Mediterranean vegetables, such as tomatoes, radishes and cucumbers are added to the stale flatbread. Herbs are integral to this salad, as well as sumac to add a slightly sour taste. Skip ahead to the recipe for Fattoush Dave and I got our passports back from the Italian … Continue reading Fattoush
I made a huge batch of this baked pasta ragu. One is in our freezer at home for when we get back from overseas. A few others came to work for our lunches. And another went to Dave's son and his wife. This was to save him the task of cooking when they brought their … Continue reading Baked Pasta Ragu
I was inspired to make these chocolate caramels as party favours. The effort to reward ratio is excellent. You can make these well in advance and they keep really well. That is, if you can resist the temptation to eat them before you wrap them. Skip ahead to the recipe for Chocolate Caramels I am … Continue reading Chocolate Caramels
I succeeded in creating this chocolate tiffin that closely resembled what we had in Scotland. It does not really qualify for recipe status as it is a matter of putting together ready-made ingredients. But, it is so moreish and a perfect treat. Head straight on to the Recipe For Chocolate Tiffin ♥ Last year May, … Continue reading Chocolate Tiffin
While watching Yotam Ottolenghi on TV I was reminded of the tahini I had in my pantry. I came up with the idea to make a tahini salad dressing and I was very pleased with the result. These flavours worked perfectly in my cous cous salad. To it I added the leftover pickled carrots from … Continue reading Tahini Salad Dressing
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
When a friend called my mushroom powder an umami bomb I came up with an idea to use it when making pasta. This umami pasta will add an extra layer of flavour to the dish you are making. Head straight on to the Recipe For Umami Pasta ♥ I really have zero patience when it … Continue reading Umami Pasta
I wanted to come up with a new flavour of hummus and made a batch of roasted beetroot hummus. It was only when I uploaded the photograph that I realized I had already posted a recipe for this. So I went back to the drawing board and made pickled red pepper hummus. I was really pleased … Continue reading Pickled Red Pepper Hummus
This mince and courgette bake is one of those meals you can freeze. I make two at a time, one for dinner straight away. The other gets popped into the freezer for me to take out the night we get home from travelling. Or for nights I really do not feel like cooking. Head straight … Continue reading Mince And Courgette Bake
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
I have watched a lot of failures for a set custard recently on MasterChef. It is important to remember that the process cannot be rushed and that you need a container that will conduct the heat evenly. I used my leftover hibiscus syrup to make this dessert. Skip ahead to the recipe for Set Custard … Continue reading Set Custard
Inspired by our visit to Glenmorangie and the hint of ginger and mint found in their single malts, I used my ginger syrup to make this ginger whisky cocktail. Skip ahead to the recipe for Ginger Whisky Cocktail I am in need of a large glass of this ginger whisky cocktail. For those of you … Continue reading Ginger Whisky Cocktail
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. Skip ahead to the recipe for Savoury … Continue reading Savoury Bread Pudding
This prawn linguine is packed full of flavour from the herbs and garlic. Buy peeled, cleaned and deveined prawns if you do not feel like the hassle of doing that yourself. Skip ahead to the recipe for Prawn Linguine I am not a fan of the word diet, or following a restrictive eating plan. Dave … Continue reading Prawn Linguine
After not seeing my friend Victor for 36 years we met at Waterkloof for lunch. It was amazing to catch up face-to-face and to share our love of food. We spoke about Pasteis De Natas and so I made these for him. Skip ahead to the recipe for Pasteis De Natas It amazes my how one … Continue reading Pasteis De Natas | Portuguese Custard Tart
This blackberry ripple gelato is a cheat's version of making ice cream. It involves only a few ingredients, very little time, and no churning. The hardest part is waiting long enough for it to freeze before eating. Head straight on to the Recipe For Blackberry Ripple Gelato ♥ I have a flawed logic circuit. What … Continue reading Blackberry Ripple Gelato
Mince pies are traditionally served in Britain over the Christmas period. They date back to the 13th Century when the Crusaders brought with them recipes from the Middle East that contained spices and fruit. They would have originally included meat, but nowadays, the mince we refer to uses only dried fruit. Head straight on to … Continue reading Mince Pies
Melanzane Parmigiana is a classic Italian dish made with fried eggplant, a rich tomato sauce, hard cheese and topped with Parmesan. I added breadcrumbs to mine to make good use of my leftover focaccia. Head straight on to the Recipe For Melanzane Parmigiana ♥ I am being very zealous in saving water and heard about a … Continue reading Melanzane Parmigiana