Herb and Blue Cheese Bites

I made these tasty herb and blue cheese bites the other night. They were quick and easy.

I bought a package of locally made organic whole wheat pita. Cut each one into four triangles. Set the oven to 375º. Lined a baking tray with parchment paper and placed the cut pita on the prepared baking tray. In a small bowl, I added some olive oil and some of my favourite herbs. Thyme, rosemary and garlic. Mixed the herbs and oil together. Then brushed the mixture on top of each pita piece. I then crumbled blue cheese on top. Placed the tray in the oven and baked for about 20 minutes... until the cheese had bubbled and melted. Since I was serving pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce these bites accompanied the meal nicely. They were very delicious and devoured by everyone! Have a good weekend! - JW  

Two Tomatoes

The other day I did a post about the vegetables that were pulled from our garden. Having two green tomatoes I decided to put them in the window sill. Letting them soak up as much of the sun as they wanted. I took a picture about every two days. Here is a brief photo diary of the ripen tomatoes... 

Day 1: Green and green 

Day 3: One slightly orange tomato and one green tomato

Day 5: One red tomato and one, still very green tomato

Day 7: One bright red ripe tomato and one yellowish green tomato

After seven days the red tomato was added to a lovely mixed green salad. The flavour was amazing! As for the not so ripe, green tomato it is still sitting in the window. Becoming more yellow. We have pulled more tomatoes from our garden which will get their chance to ripen. Hope they like the sun! -JW    

Culinary Tales ~ Below Stairs

I finished reading this memoir from Margaret Powell. The book is an autobiography and she recalls moments in her life before, during and after working in domestic service. Throughout it's 209 pages Powell's personality comes through, witty and ever so feisty. I really enjoyed reading this book because you can understand how things used to be and appreciate how things are today in the kitchen. Unfortunately there are no recipes in this book. She did two follow up books: Climbing the Stairs and The Treasure Upstairs. She co-authored three novels and also did The Margaret Powell Cookery Book. I would definitely like to add that cookbook to my collection. - JW       

Chicken Tomato Pesto Pasta

Now if saying that isn't a mouthful then I don't know what is. I made this the other night. It was quick and easy... providing you have some left over roasted chicken in your refrigerator. Sometimes you need something quick!  

First I cooked the pasta, according to the package and then drained the spaghettini. A tip on draining pasta... don't complete drain all the liquid off, leave the pasta with a little bit on makes it easier for sauces to coat the pasta. Since I was cooking for five people I transfered the drained pasta into a large bowl. Once in the large bowl I added some already prepared low salt tomato pesto, enough to coat all the pasta. Added a few lugs of olive oil. Some pepper, paprika and chives. Making sure that the pasta gets coated well. Then I added the diced roasted chicken. I saved the parmesan cheese to be added at the dinner table just in case someone didn't want any.

Simple if you have a few things on hand. A great way to use left overs. I know I used a prepared pesto sauce however we are all pressed for time and having that tiny jar was great. When using anything prepared I do try to get the healthiest of the bunch. Low salt, low fat, low sugar. I do read my labels. Something that I have taught my kidlets to do at a young age. There are many ways you can change this dish up. Adding different types of meat or soy, veggies, spices, oils and pastas. -JW     
   

Easy Cheesy Bacon Muffins

While I am on the subject of muffins... here are the muffins I made on the weekend for brunch. Since the key ingredients are cheddar, bacon and green onion I was assuming it would be heavy on the savoury flavour. However, they were a bit sweet, which was distracting from the savoury parts of this muffin. Next time I will decrease or omit the sugar all together. Apart from that I liked how they had risen and also that they had a light yet filling texture. The recipe does lend itself to be played around with and therefore I would luv to try these muffins with blue cheese.  

    

 Cheddar Bacon Muffins 
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2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour                       1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup sugar                                               1/2 cup of cooked bacon, crumbled        
2 teaspoons baking powder                            1 1/2 cups of cheddear cheese
1/2 teaspoon baking soda                               1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 large egg
1 cup of milk 
1/2 cup of canola oil

Preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC). This recipes makes 12 muffins so choose a pan that can make all twelve at once. Grease or line, with paper liners, the muffin pan.  

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cayenne pepper, cheddar cheese, bacon and the green onion together. 
In a separate bowl mix the egg, milk and oil together. Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Stir just until combined and then spoon into the prepared muffin tin. Dividing the batter evenly. 

Bake on the middle rack until tops are firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes inside the tin then remove and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Since they make 12 muffins I did half with green onion and half without green onion. To do this omit adding the green onion until you have spooned half the mixture into 6 cups of the muffin tin. I did decreased the green onion to 1/4 cup and added that to the rest of the batter, gave a quick stir and then spooned that into the other remaining 6 cups of the muffin tin. - JW 

    

Cheesy Lime Corn Muffins

When making chili this week I was inspired to whip these up! Make whatever cornbread recipe you have and add about 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese to the dry ingredients. Mix together. Add the grated lime rind with the liquid ingredients. Mix all ingredients together just until moist. Then spoon into muffin tins or whatever form of baking tin you have and bake. The cornbread muffins were cheesy with the right hint of lime. Because I luv cheese I added a bit more than a cup. Adding different ingredients to cornbread has it's possibilities. What ingredients have you tried? - JW  

I did post a recipe for cornbread back in February. Either click on that month under the heading Blog Archive on the right hand side or click on the word recipes under the heading Lables. 

Fennel and Red Pepper

The other day when I did my shop I was compelled to buy a fennel... well two in fact. I have had fennel before, on rare occasion. So I was excited to take them home and bake them along with the red peppers I already had. At first I thought this was a more of a  fall/winter dish but now I think roasting vegetables at any point during the year is fine. Depends on what veggies are available in your area.  

I quartered the fennel and red peppers. Tossed them in a large bowl with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Making sure they were coated well. Then laid them on a foil lined baking tray for about 30-40 minutes in a preheated 400º oven. You want the fennel to be golden... slightly caramelised, not over cooked. I do like my roasted veggies to have some crunch. The red peppers you want slightly blackened, so to speak. Soft and fleshy but not mushy. When the veggies are done. Take them out of the oven and sprinkle with just a pinch of sea salt. 

This is easy make and will accompany salmon, chicken or pork very well. An egg dish would also work and that is what I served it with the other night. -JW  

   

My Garden

We have a garden. Not a lot is planted there, three different types of tomato plants, one rhubarb and two rows of radishes. It was planted late about midsummer and trying to be diligent did seem cumbersome. Except for the rhubarb, which stalks pointed every which way, the tomatoes and radishes seemed a bit shy. Yesterday we checked on our little garden and this is what we found... 

Three very lovely cherry tomatoes and more are on the way. I am sure these are bursting with flavour! 

One radish that went straight into the salad I was making for dinner last night.   

Two very green tomatoes which can be ripen by placing them on a window sill which gets loads of sun. 

Next year I would like to plant earlier and extend the garden so other vegetables may be planted. Regardless of it being planted late we still managed to reap some positive benefits from the garden. The tomato plants are still going strong. The radishes could still produce a few more. As for the rhubarb... it's still wild as ever. How does your garden grow? -JW 

Fortnum and Masons

I am not trying to tease you in anyway however I have the feeling some of you might think that is exactly what I am doing. This may leave some jealous and flat out hungry! I am only sharing. When in London I had the fortunate experience to dine at Fortnum and Masons, The Gallery. It was an exquist meal to say the least. The dining room was nearly full and a bit loud at times however that subsided due to the exceptional service. I felt as though we were the only ones dining. It was a very memorable, special meal. The  Fortnum and Masons experience was one I highly recommend.   

Starters: Fig and Rosemary bread. Sweet and savoury. Just how I like it!  

The First Course: Pea and Mint Soup. Hot or cold. I chose hot. I found this portion to be a generous size. Therefore I could not finish my portion. I have never had this soup before. It was fresh. Vibrate green. Bursting with flavour.

The Main Course: Pork Belly with fennel and apricots. Tender and melt in your mouth. Not overly sweet. Nothing was underdone or overdone. All the flavours came together.

To Drink: Beaujolais-Villages. A red wine that accompanied the meal very nicely. 

The Third Course: The Dessert: Rum Baba. Very rich with loads of good quality rum. The vanilla bean ice cream that perched on top of the cake was smooth and delicious. It had a very natural homemade taste. I had to ask if they made the ice cream. Fortnums did not. Unfortunately I only ate half due to it's richness. 
    

The other option for dessert was the cheese plate. A creamy smooth blue stilton served with a selection of Fortnums crackers, chutney and grapes.  

To finish and help digest... a latté. Apart from the one I had in Winchelsea this ran a very close second. It was served with your choice of a Fortnum and Masons square chocolate. 

This is a view of the dinning room. Bright and lovely. Inviting in every way.   

And this was the view to the left. Over looking the bannister is Fortnum and Masons glorious food hall. Where I just had to make the rounds and place an order to be shipped. It arrived all in one piece and we are enjoying the delicious treats that will tie us over until Christmas. - JW 

Scotch Eggs

I always crave a scotch egg now and again. Since they are hard to find here, I crave them even more. Then why haven't I made them. They are on my cooking/baking "To Do" list. However when I was in England I was taught how to make scotch eggs by someone who knows and enjoys cooking. That is me in this photo concentrating on the task at hand. When you think about it, it seems fairly simple. Eggs. Sausage meat. Breadcrumbs. Oil. A pot for frying. I did have a video of me making the scotch eggs unfortunately I think I deleted it without realising that I did so. I blame the jet lag. Or me, trying to be cut throat when editing all of my 800 plus photographs taken on my trip! 
                                               
               

First, you hard boil the eggs. How many, is up to you. When the eggs are done, drain the water and let them completely cool. Peel the shells off. With the shells removed and  the eggs cooled you want to take the sausage meat and wrap it around the hard boiled egg. If the egg is too warm then the meat will not cover the egg properly. Once the egg is completely covered, not too thick with the sausage meat, you can dip the covered egg into the beaten egg wash. Covering all the surface of the sausage meat. 
  

Then take the dipped egg and roll it onto a plate covered with bread crumbs. This by far is the most relaxing bit. Coating all of the covered egg with the crumbs. For the breadcrumbs you can buy them in a package at the grocery store or you can make your own. 

The egg should look like this. All covered with the multiple layers of sausage meat, egg wash and breadcrumbs. Repeat the above steps until all the eggs look like this.
Now it is ready to go into the preheated pan with canola oil or any regular cooking oil.  

Place the covered eggs into the wire basket carefully. The oil is hot so tongs should help.   

You want to turn them while they are cooking to ensure all sides fry evenly. Keeping a watchful eye on them so they don't crisp up too much. 

These were the first few to come out of the pan. Nicely crisp. Nicely golden brown. That is exactly how you want them. 

Each egg is encrusted with this breadcrumb meat coating. Once we got going we made a few more. I know deep frying isn't for everyone however it does make the scotch egg what it is. I have heard of popping them in the oven to bake rather than deep frying the scotch eggs. I have thought about trying this method when I make them next because I am curious to see what they would be like. -JW 

Jamie Oliver's Garlic Press

I couldn't go into any one of England's major department stores and not go through the housewares department. There I found an array of celebrity chefs flogging everything from pots and pans to kitchen gadgets. When I spotted the Jamie Oliver range - "Get Inspired" and knew I wanted... or I should say needed a garlic press. So, I bought it! The garlic press slices and crushes, a two in one gadget. I like that idea. I like when one thing can be multipurpose. It makes more of an efficient kitchen. Tonight I am putting the crushing bit to work by making some garlic toast! - JW   

Lavender Jelly

The only thing wrong with this is that I should have bought the larger jar! 
I bought this from a lovely little shop at the Market Place at Brogdale Farm which is the home of the National Fruit Collection. Brogdale Cottage Foods is a family owned and run bussiness. We bought a selection of local British cheeses and two small pots of this Lavender Jelly. One pot was devoured in England with crackers and cheese and the other boarded the plane with me. Ready for a cold winters day when I am craving a taste of summer - JW 

Sipsmith Gin Distillery Tour

When I was in London I took in a gin distillery tour at Sipsmith. Instead of giving you all the details on the tour. I have decided to share my photos with a few comments thrown in here and there. I do highly recommend this tour. It was fun, informative and sampling the spirits were a bonus! 

Looks can be deceiving! There is a gin distillery behind those blue doors. Step over the threshold and see the only copper distillery in London in over 200 years! Lucky number 27.  

Who needs curtains when empty bottles will do! How many times a month do they do a tour? 

This spirit bottle is empty but beautiful nonetheless. They usually rest the ageing spirits.  

Besides Fairfax, whom is one of the founders, greeting us was a lovely gin and tonic! I don't know how many people were there that night, it was a packed warehouse, warm and the gin and tonic was refreshing.  

Part One: Prudence won't you come out and play! Preferably to make gin and vodka. The name Carl is etched on the centre circle due to it's producer, Christian Carl.   

When you look through the port hole on the side this is what you see. Loads of bubbly action. 

Part Two: The birth of Prudence. It's dated the 14th of March 2009.   

Part Three of Prudence. The Fractional Distillation Column. When making vodka, it's ingredients, barley and water pass through the five plates. However when making gin it bypasses the five plates. Making the gin more botanical.  

All together now. Prudence and Fairfax. A bit blurry but Fairfax was passionate, informative, eloquent and had a very good sense of humour. 

Sipsmiths Summer Cup which is absolutely divine! Their Winter Warmer was as well. Since they are not a bonded warehouse you can't buy directly from them. I bought a bottle from duty-free at Heathrow Airport on my way back to Canada. Sipsmith isn't available across Canada, although Fairfax informed us that the province of Ontario will soon be carrying it... next year I believe. Lucky them! You can find out more about Sipsmith by visiting *here*  and by taking a tour. Happy sipping. cheers. - JW   

Wye Bakery

One of the delightful places I managed to stop by was the Wye Bakery in Wye, Kent. When you walk through the doorway you walk down a long semi dark corridor. You can sense the anticipation of what delicious treats await you. Then, crossing the threshold what lies before you is pure bakery heaven. It's a very small bakery with a low ceiling, which adds to it's charm. Two can stand comfortably but five or more and it's close for comfort however extremely worth it. I would patiently rub elbows until I got my almond croissant.

I asked the owners for a photo op and the delightful couple/owners were very happy to. It is quite clear that they are very good at what they do! I bought a loaf of sourdough bread, two almond croissants and one plain croissant. It is my understanding, as it was explained to me, that the flour they use is shipped in from France and they bake in the traditional way. Making their croissants light, buttery and melt in your mouth. If given the chance I would definitely stop by there again!  - JW      

The Terrace Times Cookbook

I found this cookbook at the Winchelsea Book Fair. One thing that struck me about this book was the illustrations inside. It had me reminiscing... retracing my steps around London. The Terrace Times: Minimum Effort, Maxmium Effect CookBook London Edition by Helen Arbib and Drawings by Ray Evans pp.[3]64; 1982, published by Collins is a very slim streamlined book filled with a mixture of history, drawings and recipes. It's light-hearted approach makes one feel as though they can cook and have had a history lesson without ever having to enter a classroom. A quirk of the book is that it is dedicated to British Airways. Why? It's not really explained except it states that the cookbook could not have been done without their help. The cookbook has 8 chapters and they are: Introduction, History of London, Cookery Notes, Metrics Without Misery, Before the Main Course, The Main Course, After The Main Course and the Recipe Index. It has some classic British dishes and some interesting ones like Cauliflower Curry, Stilton Soup, Savoury Salmon Custard and Pease Pudding. There is a recipe for Apricot and Coconut Balls which I will make as part of my holiday baking. Shortbread is always my staple however I like to add a few new ones into the mix. - JW  

Here is an example of the illustrations that are throughout the book.