Yearly Archives: 2011 One of the best things about this time of year for me is that I get to cook for more people than just Jon and I. My kids aren’t really up for trying too many new things so it’s a pleasure to have Lorna and Mum here, and to have Jon’s family over for dinner…  Well so much for the slew of Thanksgiving recipes I was planning to post, is it me, or is time just zooming by these days? Anyway, as Thanksgiving is now just a happy memory, that means Christmas is just around the corner, and that means a visit from Lorna! Yes she’s here in New York with…  So next on my Thanksgiving recipe recommendation list is Brussels sprouts, yum! Okay, so I know that’s unlikely to be everyone’s first reaction, and I also know that Brussels sprouts are often given a bad name by over enthusiastic cooking and early memories of squishy greeny-grey things we were forced to eat on the side…  Now Halloween is done with, we (in America) are racing toward our next big holiday, Thanksgiving. Last year my brother-in law and his wife did the honors, and the year before that my mother-in-law, so this year I’m up! This means the next few recipes from me will all be things that might make it…  Oh the dilemma of what to do with an abundance of apples. Liv, my lovely Kiwi lodger, has been spending some time in Suffolk lately and keeps returning with more and more apples, and so the pile keeps on growing, as does the challenge of what to create with them. So far we’ve had apple…  Four days to Halloween! I know because my youngest daughter Hanna is quite literally counting down. The girls really wanted to throw a Halloween party this year, so to get ready we’ve been doing some serious decorating which included taking a trip to the pumpkin farm to hunt out the best candidates for our Jack-O-Lanterns….  So this is goodbye… our last day was spent in the beautiful medieval village of Beynac winding our way slowly down from the castle through narrow cobbled streets dappled in still warm autumn sunlight, followed by a lovingly prepared picnic by Stephanie on the banks of the Dordogne. Who knew places like this still existed and…  Day three, and I remember literally waking up to an ‘ooh I’m still oh so full’ feeling after Tuesday nights luxurious candlelit dinner in the grounds of La Manoir, one amazing meal too many perhaps? The astonishing thing is that only a few short hours later I found myself in the Sarlat-la-Caneda market, staring unabashedly…  After what can only be described as a gourmet breakfast by our incredible host Ouafaa, we set out to style a French autumn picnic. This is easier said than done when it’s beautiful sunshine outside and we’re all in summer clothes, but I guess that was part of the challenge. For the first part of…  One amongst twenty-three passengers on a pretty small props place from London Gatwick to Bergerac, to be greeted by three unknown, but very smiley, women representing Salt Lake City, Seattle & Lisbon, squeezed into a mini rental car with already too much luggage, cooing at gorgeous scenery along winding French country roads and you begin…  Only a couple of days to go until I jet off to the Dordogne for 4 days of food styling and photography tuition with five other food blogging ladies looking to upgrade their skills. Of course whilst we’ll be learning all about lighting, shooting angles and dressing of dishes from the experts I have no…  A I love pesto but my eldest daughter Emily is allergic to pine nuts so here is an easy, yummy version that I use instead. – Melani Almond Pesto 1 1/2 cups tightly packed basil leaves 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup slivered Almonds (or pine nuts) 2 garlic cloves Just under 1/2 cup…  So you may have noticed that we haven’t posted for a while, in fact I think Lorna’s been given a fairly hard time by a few GF&H followers, what can we say, other than we’re sorry… but we’re happy to have you wanting more. We certainly have the will and desire to post much more…  Last week was Emily’s birthday and icing cookies is always a huge hit as a party activity. I have the set-up down to a fine art these days as we decorate cookies at their parties every year. As you can see from the photo’s above the kids do a fantastic job, the icing dries really…  As much as I love to cook sometimes the thought of making something I can buy ready-made at Wholefoods doesn’t always seem worth the effort, but whilst the ready-made dough is great for its ease, the taste isn’t always what I want. Recently I started getting pizza from a local place and was blown away…  Oh the smell of toasting Hazelnuts! Not only is this one of the most moist, delicious cakes I have ever had the pleasure of making and tasting, but it also leaves your home smelling all nutty and divine. As caking making goes, I admit this is a little more involved than most and if you…  Having had it pointed out to me recently that my new favourite store bought snack bar for when I’m on-the-go is nutritionally quite crappy, I decide it was time to make myself a healthier alternative, with goodness and taste that I can pop into my bag before my usual whirlwind exit from home each morning. I…  Apologies it’s been a while since we posted, but for us both life has been a little hectic of late. I’ve been busy launching my freelance career back in the UK, unpacking, training for and running my first ever marathon (yes it’s true!), and well to be honest just enjoying getting to know Brighton, especially…  So I’m back in the much cooler climate of South East England for the foreseeable future and in the midst of setting up my Brighton seaside home. First weekend, blue skies, a visit from a good friend and time to christen my new kitchen (oh how I’ve missed having somewhere to cook). Liz is a…  Okay, time for some comfort food. This soup is definitely hearty enough for a main course and it’s really perfect when it’s cold and snowy outside. I think another reason I like it is that it’s a good backup dinner, I have most of the ingredients in the house all the time, including a smoked… |
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