I was recently sent some Spanish meats to try out from a company called Jamonprivé. Jamonprivé is an online site which works with suppliers of the best Iberian Ham and Cured Meat products. What makes them different in the market is their drop-shipping system and integration with TNT’s API.

When we got up this morning it was -7*C  (which is about 19*F) so below freezing.   That's pretty cold, especially in our house where we don't have forced air heating, or a wood stove or a basement beneath the house, just cement and ground . . .  very old windows and not a lot of insulation.  It was pretty cold to say the least!

I really love turkey burgers.  I love the fact that they are supposed to be healthier for you than regular burgers and I love that they are made from turkey.  I love turkey.  It's flavourful and it's lean and it makes great burgers  Turkey is also supposed to be a super food.  So all round, it's a favourite with me.

 

I was feeling very nostalgic today and so I made a Date & Nut loaf.  I just love Date & Nut loaf, and so does Todd.

I kind of like to pull the stops out at the weekend and bake something special.    

The one thing I hated most that my mother cooked when I was growing up was beef burger patties.  I loved most of the things she cooked, but when she cooked these  . . .  I absolutely hate hated them.   She was quite thrifty and used to buy the cheapest mince her money could buy and they were always full of gristle and sometimes even pieces of bone.  I have a really strong gag reflex . . .  and if I got a piece of gristle or bone in my mouth that was it.  I was off!  Say no more!

Brrr.... I think today must have been the coldest day so far this winter.  I just can't seem to get warm.  This calls for a nice hot pot of soup!  A delicious soup that will warm the bones.  A warm bowl of  soup on a hot winter's day is like a hug from heaven, don't you think?

This is a delicious dish I made a while back and am only getting around to showing you now.  It's a delicious Greek Stew made with lamb shoulder, tomatoes, wine and a variety of spices. It may not look like much, but it's really fabulous!

Salmon and broccoli are a marriage made in heaven.  They go together beautifully.  I normally have both in the house . . .  having either frozen salmon fillets and broccoli in the freezer, or tinned salmon and fresh broccoli.  If you have those, you always have a delicious dinner in the making!

Today I wanted to tell you about this cookbook that I received a few weeks back.  Entitled  Gut Gastronomy, this book will be released on 15th January 2015 and is published by Jacqui Small
(Twitter @JacquiSmallPub) www.jacquismallpub.com


Written by Vicki Edgson and Adam Palmer, (photography by Lisa Linder) this innovative book s on the cutting edge of what is popular at the moment and introduces a whole new way of eating with a unique plan which has been developed specifically at Grayshott Spa, one of the world’s leading health spas  (Located in Surrey UK.)

This book  focuses on digestive health as a route to true health with a plan which promised to help to boost your energy and rebalance weight safely through a nutrient rich diet designed to give you everything you need nutritionally, in order to face the demands of modern life.

Dispelling the misguided notion of ‘detoxifying’ through spartan, punitive regimes the plan focuses instead on regaining good health by eating foods which will aid with  the body’s natural detoxification. The Plan can confidently recommend quality grass-fed red meats, fish, eggs, fermented foods, butter, avocado, and organic vegetables.

This is not a plan of deprivation,  but instead it is plan which includes a sensible and satisfying approach to food that brings you back to feeling great. The first section introduces you to the Plan, providing information and meal plans for a short-term course which promised  to help  rest and repair your digestive tract. The Post-Plan sections instructs you on how to introduce more foods into  your diet and keep your gut healthy.  The recipe section contains 100 delicious meals split into breakfasts, soups, main meals, vegetable sides, salads and special occasions.



Normally I would show you a recipe which I had prepared from the book, but the plain truth is that I just have not had the time with Christmas and everything.  There are quite a few in the book however that have really caught my eye.  My sister is always making her own ferments . . .  sauerkraut and kimchi to name just two.  She often encourages me to do the same, but in all honesty I have been a bit afraid to do so.  After reading this book, I feel that I can do so without too much concern for poisoning myself by following their exact instructions and balance of ingredients.


 

I am looking forward to trying their fermented red cabbage.  It does take several weeks to create but watch this space.  I hope to show it to you soon.   There are also recipes for a delicious looking range of smoothies  along with some great looking soups and salad dressings.   All in all I think this is a really good book and well worth investing in even if you didn't want to follow the plan.  You'll find some fantastic recipes and great ideas, and maybe even eat that little bit healthier. 

GutGastronomy
by  Vicki Edgson & Adam Palmer
(based on the health regime created by
Elaine Williams and Stephanie Moore
of Grayshott Spa)
Photograpy by Lisa Linder
Colour, hard back, 250 pages
ISBN - 978-1-909342-83-5

Published by JacquiSmall

RRP £30.00 UK  $45.00 USA, $49.99 Canada

 

One of the things I have learned to embrace over here in the UK, and which I had very little experience with prior to moving over here was curries.  I think my sum experience of eating curry had been when, living on a British Army training base in Canada back in the early 1980's, a British friend of ours cooked us a curry.  I really enjoyed it, but I couldn't tell you now or then if it was authentic or not.  

"Curries with their vast partioned platters of curious condiments to lackey them, speak for themselves.  They sting like serpents, stimulate like strychnine, they are subtle, sensual like Chinese courtesans, sublime and sacred, inscrutably inspiring and intelligently illuminating like Cambodian carvings."
~Alistair Crowley (1875-1947)

I can remember when I discovered Miss Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pies.  Oh boy were they some good.  It was in an American Grocery store and it was love at first bite.  Two delicious flattish oatmeal cookies with a layer of marshmallow cream sandwiched in the centre.   *slurp*  I also liked their Star Crunch Cakes.  I think most of them are available in Canada now, but when I first discovered them they were exotic to me!

I have to confess that when I first moved over here to the UK, the idea of cheese and onion anything really grossed me out.  It was just not a flavour combination I was used to  . . .  kind of like the way peanut butter and jam grosses out  a lot of Brits!

Todd fancied a nice hot bowl of soup today for his dinner.   I never use tinned soups if I can help it.  Homemade soup is so much tastier and not that hard to make.  I had leeks in the vegetable drawer and so I made him a pot of Potato and Leek Soup.  I was actually surprised that I had not posted my recipe on here yet, so here you go . . .  today you get my recipe for Potato and Leek Soup!

This is one of those dishes that is made from simple things which most of us probably have in our cupboards and larders at any given time. It is incredibly easy to make and quite delicious. 

The simplicity of it might cause one to believe that it's not special in any way, but that is where you would be very wrong.   This is probably one of the most delicious supper dishes that you could ever want to eat.


Admittedly it is not all that attractive to look at. In all truth it looks a bit like a dog's dinner. Don't let what it looks like put you off.  

This is a case where you truly cannot judge a book by it's cover.   If you pass this by, you are missing out on a real gem.  Its a tried and true, family favourite, having been a staple on British tables for many, many years.




I think I had been over here for several years when my friend Angie asked me had I ever eaten Corned Beef and Potato Pie.  No, was my response.   It was not something which I had ever heard of.

Angie assured me that it was a most delicious dish and quite economical too and gave me the recipe to add to my big blue binder of cooking treasures.  My big blue binder is something which has been travelling with me all over the world since I was a very young woman. A teenager in fact.


It is fairly bulging with recipes that I have collected through the years from family and friends, newspaper clippings, magazine clippings. You just know that all of them are quite delicious. Yes, I have been a lover of food and recipes for a very long time.

All of the recipes in this binder are tried and trues, family favourites. You just know if someone cares enough to want to share a recipe with you that it is going to be one of their treasures.  You cannot beat an edible treasure.




It has a delicious bottom filling, created by stewing corned beef with beefy juices, onions, seasonings, herbs and ketchup. This filling is topped with a fluffy mashed potato topping.  Then there is a  layer of  crispy cheese topping blanketing the top. This spells a winning combination all round.

It is somewhat like a cheaper, but tastier cousin of cottage pie.  I always keep tins of corned beef in my cupboard.   Don't turn your nose up at it! Tinned corned beef is a real store cupboard gem! You can do ever so much with it!



 I normally buy the lean tins of corned beef so it's not all  that fatty.   This Corned Beef and Potato Pie is really delicious.  The first time I made it, I couldn't help myself,  I went back for seconds.  So did Todd. It very quickly became a real favourite around here.

It makes a perfect and economical weeknight supper, just perfect for January when the temperatures are dropping and our bank accounts are depleted after all of the indulgences of Christmas. 

Cheap, cheerful and simple is the order of the day . . . and this is certainly all of that and more!






Top the corned beef with the mashed potatoes.  I like to rough it up a bit with a fork on the top.   Mix together the cheese and bread crumbs.  Sprinkle this evenly over the top.   Bake for 20 minutes, until well heated through and nicely browned on top.   Serve hot.



Note - Sometimes I use crushed cracker crumbs instead of breadcrumbs on the topping for an extra crispy topping.   You won't want to pass this tasty dish by!  Trust me!


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