Marmalade

I luv marmalade! Probably just as much as Paddington Bear if not more. It isn't a big surprise that I will try many different flavours and varieties. I found this jar at Winners a few week ago. I was quite taken with the packaging and of coarse the lemon and lime combination. I found the lime flavour prevailed over the lemon which gives this marmalade a very unique taste. A delicious way to wake up in the morning. - JW

Crêpes

Last week I was looking around the usual places for cookbooks when I found this one. The Crêpe Book by Susan Herbert; Illustrated by Dennis Redmond; second printing 1976, Owlswood Productions. So when this weekend's breakfast request was crepes I knew exactly what book to reach for. I most often, if not always, use the Nigella Lawson recipe for crêpes. This cookbook is only 64 pages and has an introduction "know how" to crêpes. Stating that "the crêpe pan is essential". I don't own a crêpe pan. I use a smaller fry pan and I make wonderful crêpes! Honestly this is the one kitchen item I have passed up many times. That being said would I like one, yes... just for the absolute frivolousness! Until that day comes the fry pan works great. This book has helpful tips on how to fold and serve crêpes. I usually roll mine. I think that is the most popular way on doing it. Other ways are to fold, pocket, wedge and mound. The recipes include breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner ideas using crêpes. Pretty much letting your imagination run wild on how you can serve up an attractive meal.

I started with the basic crêpe recipe. The recipe called for the batter to be refrigerated for an hour. I didn't do that. I used the batter straight away and as you can see from the above photo they turned out fine. Mine were filled with mixed berries and whip cream on top with a dash of cinnamon sugar. So delicious! Not bad for not having a crêpe pan. - JW

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Yesterday I was desperate to bake something. Remembering I had some sour cream that was soon to go off, I decide to bake a sour cream coffee cake. Flipping through a few of my cookbooks I had finally turned up a recipe. And the photo above is the end result. The cake was served after dinner, warm. The sweet toothed masses devoured every crumb. Leaving little over half a cake left to be enjoyed over the next few days. Weekends are good for a dose comfort food. - JW

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Looking for an idea for lunch? How about my Chicken Salad sandwich. Chop up left over roasted chicken into bits. Chop a bit of celery and red onion. Add those three ingredients to a bowl. Add some mayonnaise and a bit of salad cream. Season with paprika, I added paprika with lemon and lime. You can season with salt and pepper, hot sauce, mustard... your options are pretty much endless. The same with your veg. Add whatever you like. Mix all together in a bowl. Getting all the flavours happy with one another. Then turn out the mixture onto slices of rye bread. Top with another slice of bread. Cut in half and there you go. One tasty sandwich! If it's cold outside, like it is today, try it grilled. Enjoy! - JW

Four Generations

This cookbook was given to me by my Dad. It looks as though it's been through the war and it probably has considering it was my Great Grandmother's. This homemade cookbook is 100 years old! Not only did my Great Grandmother use this book so did my Grandmother, his Mother, my Dad and now me. All the recipes have been typed out using a typewriter except for a few which have been hand written. Pages are filled with classic recipes and some to which I have never heard of. There are check marks and cross marks next to some recipes. Few handwritten notes.

All the recipes are still easy to read. She must have had a good typewriter and the paper is of very good quality, heavy and thick. All the recipes are typed on one side only. On the backside of each sheet is a faint imprint of a crest and these words that I can read by holding it up to the light: Superfine Linen Record, Made in Canada.

Mixed with the typed recipes are some handwritten ones as well. These pages look like they were very well used. It is unclear who's handwriting it is. It could be my Great Grandmothers or my Grandmothers. It is very delightful receiving a cookbook like this. - jw

Colcannon

This Sunday breakfast consisted of a simplified version of Colcannon. Served with a side of veggie sausages and topped with green onion. This is a very easy dish to make for breakfast or dinner. Traditionally Colcannon is made with carrots and cabbage or kale and cabbage. I wanted to test this recipe just to see how well it would be received by the hungry masses and then take it from there. I omitted the carrots and cabbage. Essentially to make colcannon you boiled potatoes, carrots and cabbage together in a pot. When they are tender drain and mash together. Add butter and brown sauce to the mash to flavour. Serve immediately. My version of colcannon is to mash all veggies together and turn out the mash into a lightly greased 9x11 pan. Then with a spoon make six indentations. Crack an egg into each. Bake covered in an 375º degree oven for 20 minutes or until each egg is poached to your liking. Serve hot. -jw

Fifteen Brownies

For the past 3-4 weeks I have had a luv/hate relationship with the cooker. Both elements stopped working at separate times, weeks apart. Finally today all seems right with the oven as the second element has been replaced. Thrilled with things returning to a normal pace in the kitchen, I couldn't wait to whip something up. The recipe of choice was Jamie Oliver's Fifteen brownies. The famous fuchsia silicone pan from Fifteen London was a gift from my friend whom I took there for dinner. We both ate the five coarse vegetarian menu option and got to meet the Head Chef that night. It was a very lovely dining experience.

Since then that fuchsia pan has been used quite a few times. The sweet thing about the pan is that the recipe is imprinted right on the bottom of the pan. If you haven't been to Fifteen London and do not have his signature bakeware, not to worry, you can find the recipe at Jamie Oliver's website and use whatever pan you have. Just type in bloomin' brilliant brownies in the search banner. The recipe on the website added dried sour cherries and chopped nuts. I didn't add either. Also because I just got a new element in the oven I was being cautious and may have left them in a bit longer than suggested. Still they turned out bloomin' brilliant! Tonight I will serve it with a bit of ice cream and sliced strawberries on the side. -jw

© copyright photos by Jacqueline Williams