You know . . . salad just isn't for summer. It took me a long time to convince Todd of that fact . . . almost as long as it took me to convince him that salads weren't just for ladies and that they could be quite delicious and interesting, given half the chance. I don't think salads were something the British did very well actually, until recent years. In the past I think they mostly consisted of a few lettuce leaves on a plate with possibly a few anemic looking slices of tomato and some cucumber thrown on top for a bit of colour . . . no dressing much to speak of . . . but perhaps a bit of salad cream, and from a little plastic squeezeable packet, which is alright . . .

but let's face it . . . quite, quite . . . b-o-r-i-n-g.



In truth, the one thing that I love most about salads, is they are really quite versatile and can be wonderfully innovative, and really . . . as fascinating, delicious and interesting as your mind, talents and bulging larder can allow them to be. They are not boring at all once you use your imagination and decide to go with the flow! They need not even be reserved just for hot days and summer!



Kind of like potatoes really.


I mean . . . look at the humble potato. Ordinary potatoes are not really all that interesting to look at on their own . . . but let's try to look at them with an open mind . . . and put aside boring for a few minutes.

There are big ones and small ones. Smooth ones and knobbly ones. Long skinny finger shaped ones, and there are brown ones, and pink ones . . . even purple ones, and the flavours !!!

Why, the the flavour of the humble potato alone, can range anywhere from earthy and spicy (and I'm talking plain and unadulterated here, with nothing added) to sweet and nutty!! What's so bland, dull and boring about that???

Don't even get me started on the different textures . . . soft, light, fluffy and dry and everything in between all the way up to waxy, with a bit of a bite . . . and that's just for starters!!!

I think you are beginning to get the picture here. . . the potato is one of the tastiest and most versatile vegetables around . . . a virtual canvas just waiting for you to paint a picture on it with your culinary wand!



So . . . . if the humble potato can be as exciting and interesting as all that, with nothing added . . . just imagine how wonderful they can be when you start to add in a few different flavours and textures . . . when you start to up their game a bit.

It's not all that hard to do.

I mean . . . tossed with a bit of oil, garlic, salt and pepper . . . and then roasted until the edges get all golden brown and caramelized and . . . it's like . . . wow!



Now, add some herbs and a tasty mustardy vinaigrette, along with some chopped onion and some crispy baby spinach leaves . . .

It's like . . . DOUBLE wow!

But . . . why stop there. Let's throw in some crispy smoked bacon, and call it a warm salad!!!!

Well . . . we just died and went to heaven . . .

right???

So what are you waiting for?



*Warm Roasted Potato Salad*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Crisp roasted potato chunks combined with a tangy basil and lemon vinaigrette dressing make for a very tasty winter salad!!

For the potatoes:
1kg of rooster potatoes, washed, dried and cut into chunks
1 TBS oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper

For the dressing:
the juice of one large lemon
2 heaped TBS of finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces extra virgin olive oil

for the salad:
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 bag of baby salad spinach, stems trimmed and discarded
1 200g package of dry cure smoked bacon lardons

Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Place the potatoes onto a roasting pan. Toss with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are tender and golden brown. Keep warm.

Cook the bacon lardons in a hot skillet until they are crispy. Set aside and keep warm.

Whisk together the lemon juice, basil, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream until completely amalgamated. Stir in the basil.

Wash and dry the spinach leaves. Trim and discard any stems. Place in a large shallow salad bowl. Toss the warm potatoes with the onion and about 4 ounces of the salad vinaigrette. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the spinach leaves, and then top with the potato mixture. Sprinkle the bacon lardons over top and serve immediately.

Buttermilk is one of my favourite ingredients to bake with. Cakes, muffins, breads . . . all benefit greatly from the addition of buttermilk, with moist and delicious results.

Some people like to drink buttermilk. It's known to have some great benefits and can immunize against such toxins as poison oak and ivy . . .

Who knew???



Buttermilk pancakes and biscuits are fabulous, and not to be outdone by any other kinds.

Soaking chicken in buttermilk before frying is a well known southern trick in the US. Buttermilk fried chicken is supposed to be incredibly delicious.



I'd like to stand up and be counted here . . . chicken baked in buttermilk is mighty fine as well! This is a real winner.



Trust me. (Sometimes even I cheat and use tinned soup. Don't hate me for it . . . this is incredibly easy, in-expensive and delicious. Win . . . Win . . . Win.)




*Buttermilk Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I'm not sure how it works, but the buttermilk in this recipe helps to create chicken that is moist and very tender. This is delicious!

2 ounces butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 heaped TBS of plain flour
2 284ml containers of buttermilk
1 (285g) tin of Batchelors condensed cream of mushroom soup
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish

Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Melt the butter in a 13 by 9 inch shallow baking dish. Set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts on both sides with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and one container of the buttermilk in another shallow bowl.

Dip the breasts, one at a time, first into the buttermilk and then into the flour, shaking off any excess, but coating it well. Lay good side down in the melted butter in the baking dish. Repeat until all four have been coated.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip over. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes longer.

While the chicken is baking whisk together the other container of buttermilk and the undiluted mushroom soup.

Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the soup mixture over top. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove the chicken pieces to four warmed plates. Stir the soup mixture in the pan and then spoon equally over top of the chicken pieces. Serve immediately with some parsley sprinkled over each.

Desperate times call for desperate measures . . .

Yes, I've spent most of the afternoon packing up pressies to pop into the post tomorrow for Christmas overseas . . . (I hope that they get there in time . . . please pretty please, fingers crossed!)



Not to mention the oodles and oodles of Christmas Cards that needed to be handwritten and addressed.



I fear I have writer's cramp and dead head now . . . I fear my penmanships is deteriorating actually into an illegible scrawl . . . dare I blame too much typing on the computer instead of wrestling with a pen??? Every year I swear that I am going to get it all done nice and early . . .
and every year, it ends up being the last minute. I am such a procrastinator! Bad me.



After the penmanship workout I just had, I need sustenance . . .

I need a tasty steak, oh and a baked potato and salad. T'would do very nicely I think.

I already told you how to cook the perfect steak . . . HERE.



Now here's a recipe for a tasty sauce to go with it. Oh, you just can't beat grilling a delicious steak for your supper. mmm . . . it's the best!

(My brain cells are too fried to be witty today . . . just like the steak . . . fried to perfection?)



*Steak with Bearnaise Sauce*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

This is one of our favourite special dinners. You just can't beat a nice steak with a tasty sauce. mmm...mmm...good!

2 x 200g/7oz sirloin steaks, at room temperature
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp butter

For the Bearnaise sauce:
250g/8¾oz butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tarragon vinegar
2 egg yolks
splash of water
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped

First make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Place the lemon juice and vinegar into a small dish and bring to the boil in the microwave by blitzing on high for about 1 minute depending on the strength of your microwave. Whisk this into the hot butter. Place the egg yolks and the water in an electric blender or in the cup of your stick blender. Blend the ingredients together, slowly adding the hot butter to the mixture, a little at a time. Continue to blend until the sauce thickens. Stir in the tarragon and the parsley.

Sprinkle the steaks with the salt, pepper and some Worcestershire sauce, patting it into the steaks with your fingertips. Melt the butter in a skillet until foaming and hot. Add the steaks and cook for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Hold them up with the fat down on the pan with a pair of tongs for several minutes, to crisp up the fat. Remove from the heat to heated plates and serve with the bearnaise sauce.

By the way someone asked the other day what I used to substitute for alcohol in recipes. I am a Mormon as you know and we don't really do alcohol. Often, if it is a sweet dish or dessert where the alcohol is not heated or cooked, I will use fruit juice. Apple, pear, pineapple etc. In a savoury dish Isometimes use fruit juice as well. Apple juice goes particularly well with pork as does most citrus juices. Also, to counter balance the sweetness, I will add a bit of balsamic vinegar . . . red for meat dishes and white for poultry and fish. Sometimes I just go ahead and add the wine, be it red or white, because the alcohol cooks out right? (Don't burst my bubble if it doesn't. I don't want to know. In this case ignorance is bliss.)

If you were to look through my cottage home, you would see fairies tucked in here and there all over the house. I am a great collector of fairies, and a believer in their magic as well . . .

The sight of them brings joy and light, especially when you find them tucked away in hidden unexpected corners . . . little surprises just for your eyes.



I have long wanted to paint little wooden doors to tuck into the bases of trees and rocks here and there in my garden . . . only lacking the time to do so . . . but the wish is there in my mind. One day I'll make the wish a reality.



In the meantime I treat us to these fudgy little Christmas Fairy cakes. Not sure why they call these fairy cakes over here . . . but it is a name that trips off the tongue like silver . . .



Not large enough to be called a muffin or a cupcake . . . these are delightful little fudgy bites . . .



with just a hint of ginger that will leave you wondering . . .

was that the whispery kiss of a fairy on your lips?



*Toffee Ginger Fairy Cakes*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Delicious little fairy cakes, topped with a creamy fudgy icing and little bits of fudge toffee. Scrumptious!

For the cakes:
100g softened butter
100g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla paste
25g golden syrup
100g self raising flour. sifted
2 medium eggs, at room temperature and well beaten

For the fudgy icing:
25g butter
50g soft light brown sugar
2 TBS cream
100g icing sugar, sifted

To decorate:
pieces of fudge toffee
(cut into small cubes with a sharp knife)

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Place paper fairy cases into a 12 cup bun tin. Set aside.

Beat the butter and the brown sugar together with a wooden spoon until pale and creamy. Beat in the ginger and vanilla paste, until well amalgamated. Beat in the golden syrup/

Gradually add the sifted flour and the egg, beating well after each addition, until all have been added and the mixture is thick and creamy. Spoon into the fairy cases, dividing the batter equally amongst them. Bake for 15 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding.

Make the icing just before you are ready to ice the cakes. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and then add the cream. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth. If the mixture becomes too stiff, beat in a tablespoon of boiling water and beat again. Spread the icing over the cooled cakes and decorate with bits of the fudge toffee.

Back in the 1970's my ex husband and I were posted to BATUS (British Army Training Unit Services) in Suffield, Alberta which is where I tasted curry for the very first time and fell in love. My friend Cathy Giles, who was a Liverpudlian, made me my very first curry and it was pure heaven.

She added a whole bottle of curry powder, so it was a bit spicy, but again . . . it was lovely. I find at my advancing age though, and with a husband in his 70's we can't handle too spicy these days, so you'll find that our curry is always on the milder side.



Over here in the UK, Curry is like a National Dish. Kind of a hangover from the British colonial days in India I guess. I reckon there are as many curry houses over here as there are fish and chip shops and chips with curry sauce ladles over are a very popular dish up North. Most Friday nights out with the guys or gals end up in a curry house . . . no surprise there.

I think curry is something that you either love or you hate.



We just happen to love it. Just the smell of it cooking gets my tastebuds tingling . . . but I know other people that get a whiff of it and want to gag and run for the hills.

I guess it's all a matter of taste, and . . . as my mother always said, there's no accounting for some people's tastes . . .



I'm rather lazy when it comes to curries though, especially when I only have a little bit of time to throw a quick dinner together during my lunch break. This is one of my quick, cheap and cheerful dinners. A bit of pilau rice, some naan (To sop up all that lovely sauce), an onion bhajis or two or three . . . some samosas, and we are in curry house heaven!

(Grrr . . . just noticed I forgot to scatter on the coriander before I took these pictures, but . . . I'm sure you'll forgive me won't you?)




*Chicken Curry in a Hurry*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

This beats anything that comes out of a jar hands down. It's so easy and quick too!

2 ounces butter
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 inches of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
(I use my microplane grater)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp ground mild chili powder
2 ounces blanched almonds, chopped
2 bay leaves
500g of chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
6 ounces boiling water
150ml coconut cream
salt and pepper to taste
150ml of single cream
150g of thick plain yoghurt
2 TBS chopped coriander leaves to garnish



Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes without colouring. Stir in the spices, bay leaves and nuts. Cook for 3 minutes, until very fragrant, stirring constantly. Add the chicken chunks, and stir around and cook for several minutes, until beginning to brown a bit. Pour on the boiling water, along with the coconut cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is quite tender. Mix the yoghurt and cream together and whisk into the chicken. Heat gently without allowing it to boil. It will curdle if it boils. Scatter over the chopped coriander and then serve immediately with some pilau rice and or naan bread.

Dried fruit is a great thing to have in your larder.

Back home in Nova Scotia, in the apple growing area that I grew up in, most people dried their own apples every autumn. It was quite common to see long strings of them, threaded and hanging behind the kitchen wood stove in most country homes. Oh the scent . . . woodsmoke and drying apples. This speaks autumn to me.

Other than raisins, sultanas, dates and currants, those dried apples were pretty much the only dried fruits we had available to us.



Now you can get a great many different varieties . . . pears, plums, pluots, cranberries, pineapple . . . amongst many . . . and of course, my absolute favourite . . . dried mango! I first tasted this delicacy when my son brought me a few packets when he came to visit us from the Philippines, and I was hooked!




Mostly . . . I just like to eat the larger varieties of dried fruit out of hand. They are a wonderful low fat snack, sweet and chock full of energy. A little goes a very long way.



But occasionally, it is nice to know that you can also make a delicious winter dessert using a variety of them.



A dessert, that is every bit as nice, and possibly nicer in some ways, than a dessert made using fresh fruit.



It's also nice to know that, as long as you keep a tidy little variety of them in your larder, you can make this tasty dessert . . .

any . . . time . . . you desire it.

Any time at all.



Trust me . . . one taste of this and you will desire it . . .

Often.

I can see myself making this more than once during the Christmas holidays.
(Adapted from the cookery book, Long Nights and Log Fires)



*Mulled Winter Fruit Crumble*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This lovely spiced crumble just screams out Christmas!! It has a comforting and homey smell whilst it is cooking. Just delicious! You can use a medium bodied fruity red wine instead of the fruit cordial I have used here if you wish.

350g mixed dried fruits, such as sultanas, cranberries, apricots, figs or mango, pawpaw, pineapple
(I used golden raisins, cranberries, pluots, and apricots)
200ml of undiluted fruit cordial
(I used Pixley & Berries Black Currant It's just lovely!)
100ml of water
1 small muslin bag containing a piece of cinnamon stick, a few cloves, a few allspice berries. Tie in bag and
then crush a bit with a rolling pin)
a thin strip of fresh orange peel
50g caster sugar

For the Topping:
200g wholemeal flour
1/4 tsp mixed spice
a pinch of salt
100g chilled butter
100g demerara sugar

To Serve:
Thick cream or Vanilla Ice cream

Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Place a baking tray in the oven to heat. Chop the dried fruit into bite sized pieces if they are large. Place them into a saucepan and add the sugar, cordial and water, along with the spice bag and orange peel. Bring gently to a simmer and then allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool, remove the spice bag and orange peel, and spoon into a shallow baking dish.

Make the topping by whisking the flour, spice and salt together. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar and then sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over top of the mulled fruit. Put the dish on the hot baking tray and then place in the heated oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until crisp and golden on top.

I make no secret about the fact that I just love parsnips. Boiled, roasted, fried, mashed . . . I'll take em any way that I can get em!!

It's been so cold here. In fact today we had our first frost of the year, which seems a bit early to me, but then . . . it is December and that is to be expected. At least the rain held off today. I'm afraid that one does get quite, quite sick of rain over here . . . I'd ruther have snow.



Along with the cooler temperatures, comes the desire to eat warm and comforting foods. . . foods like this tasty soup.

It's thick and rich, and oh-so-delicious! Full of the sweet flavour of parsnip, carrot, and chestnut, and the lovely smokey flavours of spanish chorizo sausage. It's also very filling, so it makes a meal in and of itself.



All you need to go with it, is a crusty loaf, warm from the oven . . . with sweet butter to gild it's crusty edges.



The chorizo and the hot pepper flakes give it a tasty bite, that warms the cockles of the heart.



This be comfort food, plain and simple.



*Parsnip, Chorizo and Chestnut Soup*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

This is a rich and full flavoured soup. Just perfect after a chilly winter walk. It's quite heavy and rich so a little goes a long way. Serve hot with some crusty bread for the perfect
light supper.

125g raw chorizo, peeled and chopped
1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 stick of celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
200g peeled, cooked chestnuts
(fresh or vaccum packed)
1 litre of hot vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the chorizo into a large saucepan and heat gently for several minutes, until the oil is released from the chorizo and it becomes slightly crispy. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep warm. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and parsnips to the pan, stirring to coat them with the oil. Cover and let sweat over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the chili flakes and cumin. Stir and cook until quite fragrant. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Add the hot stock and the chestnuts. Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables and chestnuts are very tender. Puree with a stick blender until smooth, or in a regular blender. (with care) Ladle into warmed soup bowls and scatter some of the crispy chorizo over top of each to serve.

You might be forgiven for thinking that the above vegetable is some wierd alien species of potato! You would be in fact wrong, for it is not a potato at all, but a wonderful delicacy known as the Jerusalem Artichoke.

What's that you say??? Looks nothing like an artichoke! Well, that would be because they are two completely dissimilar vegetables and plants. One (the regularArtichoke) is a thistle type flower of a plant, and the other is the tuberous root of a particular species of sunflower. Often called sunchokes or sun roots, and even earth apples, these are one of my favourite vegetables . . . cooked into beautifully rich winter soups, mashed and souffled, or layered in casseroles and gratins.



They do have one drawback though . . .

Not to be indelicate, but . . . they can create a lot of . . . *ahem* . . . shall we say . . . wind . . . for some people who eat them . . .

I do make a wonderfully delicious Jerusalem Artichoke and Lentil soup, which creates somewhat of a double dose of the . . . *ahem* . . . self same problem, but . . . is well worth the consequences of eating it, as it is soooo delicious!!!



Here I've combined them with another of my favourite vegetables, parsnips . . . and created a delicious gratin . . . not to be missed!



I think you will love this. It goes wonderfully with chicken or fish and even pork.

Oh heck . . . it goes wonderfully with anything, and even makes a delicious vegetarian main option, as long as you use a vegetarian cheese.



Enjoy! We sure did! No matter the . . . ummm . . . consequences . . .



*Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsnip Gratin*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Two of my favourite vegetables combined in a tasty Gratin. What more could you ask for?

500g of parsnips, peeled and sliced
500g Jerusalem Artichokes, peeled and dropped into acidulated water
(water with some lemon or vinegar added to help prevent them from browning)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
5 to 6 stalks of fresh thyme
2 TBS butter
2 TBS grainy mustard
4 TBS grated gruyere cheese, divided
100ml white wine
250ml double cream
salt and pepper to taste

Parboil the parsnips in lightly salted water for about 8 minutes, then drain well and set aside. Do the same with the artichokes, cooking them for about 15 minutes. Drain well and then slice the same thickness as the parsnips.

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Place the garlic into a saucepan along with the butter. Heat over low heat until the garlic becomes very fragrant and soft. Add the thyme, mustard and white wine. Heat gently and then whisk 2 TBS of the gruyere cheese.

Butter a shallow gratin dish. Layer the blanched and sliced vegetables in the dish, seasoning with some salt and pepper. Pour the wine mixture over top and give the dish a bit of a shake to distribute it evenly. Drizzle the double cream over top. Cover tightly and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining TBS of gruyere on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered or until the vegetables are completely tender and the dish has become golden brown on top.