Thursday 24 February 2011

Obsessions

Couscous is my new foodie obsession.  It is a basic dish that operates a lot like risotto in that you should be able to throw whatever you have in the pantry in with the mix for a quick meal when surprised by lunch or dinner guests.  Be that as it may, I was dully daunted by this strange grain until I finally tackled my fear today.  With some rehydrated raisins, chickpeas, caramelized onion chutney, french dressing, and a little cinnamon and ginger, I single-handedly crafted a dish I could have with this evening's salmon or cold for lunch tomorrow.  There are so many creative ideas out there; I can't wait to see what works next time!


Check out the recipes on this Yahoo search engine I stumbled across while creating my own concoction.  The possibilities are seemingly endless.

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Recipes; Tried and True

I started sifting through all of my old recipes again today in an effort to find some good winter-to-spring transition pieces that would be lighter but still warm enough for when i've come from outside and I can't feel my fingers.  Here are a few easy recipes that I frantically pulled off the internet in a last minute search years ago and have served me well ever since.

This Roasted Roma Tomato recipe is from
The Repressed Pastry Chef and as usual for this blog, is a
flawless  recipe, a classic appetizer, and great for bruschetta.
Ps. Don't add the feta until the last minute or
the parsley will turn it green!

A super easy Coconut Chicken Curry
from a Thai recipe site.  While it
takes a lot of ginger and curry to
add enough flavor, be careful not to
overpower the coconut milk.


This Carrot Apple Cake is possibly
one of the strangest and most
requested cakes I have ever made.
It is very much a 'leftovers,' friendly cake
as it uses ingredients you likely already
 have at home and need to use up.
You can also be deliciously lazy and
skip the double layer bit by pouring it all
into a 13x9 pan, though it will be more dense.

Monday 14 February 2011

Adventures In Candy Land

Recently I whipped up this batch of caramels as a birthday/house-guest gift for a weekend trip.  'Whipped up,' makes it sound like a much easier process than it turned out to be.  I used Mark Bitman's recipe, as seen on Cupcakes and Cashmere in the hopes of an easy batch of homemade candies.  Clearly this was my first time dealing with candy making as I ended up resorting to sewing scissors to cut the caramel and only after several reheatings.  -When they're specific about a temperature in candy making, guesstimating just doesn't cut it.-  Needless to say, the results were gratifyingly tasty and I have now tackled the field of candy.  For the time being however, I think i'll leave that field largely unexplored and stick to my trusty chocolate chip cookies ; )

The finished product!

Tuesday 8 February 2011

Martha Was Right

Recently I got the craving for a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies.  Always in search of the prefect cookie, I skimmed through my recipes before I finally caved and tried this Martha Stewart recipe.  She may be a polarizing character but she's one of the best at food, entertaining, and DIY for a reason.  I do believe that these may be the best chocolate chip cookies i've ever had and will be amazed if I find a recipe that tops them.  The recipe is easy enough, just make sure you read the user comments about the salt before you start.


Sunday 6 February 2011

Hello and Welcome!

Hello to everyone that happens this way.  Inspired by my friends and fellow bloggers, I recently started my own blog and am in the process of filling it with my favorite things, recent adventures, and inspired fashion finds.  In reference to the title, I have recently become enamored of the macarons at Paul, a pastry shop down the street, when I followed up on a friend's suggestion that they were a must have.  The raspberry one is my absolute favorite and as I am now in the quest for the perfect macaron, my next trip will be to Pierre Hérmes' shop in Knightsbridge, where the genius behind some of France's best pastries has brought his twenty plus years of experience in macarons to the deprived London public.  I can't wait to see what he has in store!