I was invited to a pot luck luncheon the other day, which ended up being a surprise birthday lunch for me.  I was so surprised and honored and thrilled that people thought enough of me to want to do that!  Colour me gob smacked!  I guess you just never see yourself as other people do and it really cheered my heart to know I am thought of in a very nice way.  Anyways, I had baked several tea breads/loaves to take and made some of this delicious Cinnamon Honey Butter to spread over it.

I had some lovely lemon curd left from the lovely pot I was given by the English Provender Co  and decided to put it to some good use.  Of course I could have just sat and eaten it with a spoon . . .  and I confess I have been seen doing just that  . . . I simply adore the stuff you know . . . but for today I decided to do something a tiny bit different . . .

I just adore these potatoes.  They are one of my favourite ways to have potatoes in the summer.  They're so easy to throw together and there is very little mess.   You simply wrap and cool in foil, throwing them on the BBQ with everything else.

Afternoon Tea Week takes place this year from the 10th to the 16th of August and as a proper English Institution it's only right that afternoon tea should be conducted with only the best ingredients.  The English Provender Co. has teamed up with Afternoon Tea Week this year to sponsor the tastiest week of the year for a week of activities, themed menus, exclusive offers and competitions.

I  was wanting a quick and delicious salad at the weekend and so I cobbled together this salad from a bit of this and a bit of that and it all worked together beautifully.  We (Myself and my next door neighbor) quite enjoyed it.  Todd, the great pasta hater, tolerated it and ate it.   Personally I thought it was quite delicious and was very happy with how it had turned out.

I'm almost embarassed to call this a recipe.  It's really more of an idea than anything, but what an idea it is and soooooo simple and delicious to make!  Donut Sundaes!  If you have these on the menu, you'll be the most popular cook ever!

Well, it's the weekend and we all know what that means.  It's baked treat in the kitchen time!  Oh, I try hard not to eat cakes and such during the week . . .  but at the weekend I like to pull out the stops and bake us something nice for a treat.   Tasty bakes like this Peach and Blueberry Breakfast Cake are something which we both enjoy!

I love Pizza.  No if's and's or but's about it.   Pizza is one of my favourite foods, which is interesting when you consider that I had never even tasted pizza until I was about sixteen and a boyfriend of mine made us a Chef Boy Ardee pizza at our house.  It was love at first bite (the pizza not the boyfriend.)  Anyways, I have come a long way since then.  I no longer use boxed pizza kits.  I now prefer to make my own crust.

When I first moved over here we didn't have a lot of money for going out to eat.  Todd was working as a parking lot attendant and I worked in a care home.  If we went out to eat at all, it was a very rare treat. 

There was a pub within walking distance however (we didn't have a car) that served up pretty tasty meals for pretty cheap prices.   You could get a mixed grill for about £2.99, which was an excellent price.  Itwas hearty and very tasty. Once you had walked all the way there, you didn't feel too guilty at ordering a hearty meal. You knew you would be burning the calories off on the way home!




 This wasn't a meal I had ever heard of before I moved over here to the UK.  I had never seen it in Canada, at least not in my experience.  We are known for being hearty eaters in the Winter months, but three pieces of meat on a single plate. Its just not done!

A mixed grill is a plate containing a grilled sausage, a grilled chop, a piece of grilled steak, grilled mushrooms and grilled tomatoes, along with the usual chips (fries) and peas.  Meaty and incredibly hearty. And quite delicious I have to say.



Traditionally, the mixed grill was cooked over charcoal in the chop houses and grill rooms of our cities here in the UK.  If you have a grill don’t be afraid to use it!

Likewise if you have a griddle plate on your cooker, try using it for this dish as well, it will work perfectly!  You will be in for a real treat either way, I can assure you!




As always, it's important to use the best quality meats available, and that you can afford. It is so disappointing when you realise-from that first bite-that the meat does not match the amount of effort you’ve put in to preparing the meal!

Cheap and pasty sausages are a definite NO NO!  You want something rich and meaty.  This is where your local butcher can become your best friend! Our local butcher makes many different kinds of bangers (as they are loving called over here.) Meaty and delicious with skins that snap when you bite into them!


You can tell a good butcher from the quality of the sausages that he produces.  A good butcher will have several signature sausages on offer. Over here in the UK, a sausage/banger is much more than a piece of meat. It is a celebration for the mouth!


There really aren't any fixed rules when it comes to the meats you use, but generally speaking it will be steak, chop and sausage . . .  but you can also have ham steaks, bacon chops . . .  lamb's kidney's are also popular.  (Not in this house though.  ugh! I am not a kidney fan!)



The important thing is to have fun with this dish.   If you are a drinking person, a cold ale would go well with this.  An ice cold lager would as well.

The meats needn't be overly large bits.  Just go with what's comfortable.  I guarantee this tasty pub meal will become a favourite, and something your family will ask for again and again!




Heat 4 large dinner plates. On each place one lamb chop, one piece of steak, and one sausage.  Top the steak with a thick onion slice.   Place 1/2 grilled tomato on each plate along with 2 mushrooms, if using.   Add chips and peas and serve immediately!

 
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Back when I was a lot younger, it used to be the done thing on Saturdays to meet with family at a local restaurant and enjoy a tasty brunch together.  I can remember one place in particular that we would go where they served the most amazing omelettes!  They were rich and delicious and filled to the hilt with all sorts of peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, etc.

I was recently sent this cookery book, CHINATOWNS, Asian Cooking from around the world in 100 recipes to review.  This is a visually stunning cookbook, by author Jean‐Francois Mallet, a trained chef and photographer.  The author actually goes behind the scenes in Chinese communities around the world in order to understand how and why the food changes so much depending on location. As well as intimate portraits of these fascinating communities, the book contains a hundred delicious recipes capturing the essence of China Towns from across the world and their various geographical influences.



It is divided into eleven chapters covering everything from starters to dessert . . .   Dumplings, Soups and Broths, Chicken and Quail, Beef, Pork, Duck, Fish and Seafood, Wierd and Wonderful, Vegetable, Rice and Side Dishes, Noodles,  and Tea, Drinks and Desserts.



Each recipe is accompanied by a colour photograph.   I like this in a cookbook, especially when the book is about food I am not familiar with.  It helps me to understand what the finished dish should look like.

 

It also acts as a virtual tour of different Chinese Communities around the world and the restaurants you would find within them.   I found this quite interesting also.



There are also handy step by step photographs for several recipes throughout the book, which would come in very handy when attempting to do some of the more complicated dishes.

If the book has any drawback at all it would be sourcing the more unsual ingredients required for some of the recipes.  Unless you live in an area which has a Chinatown, some of these might be quite difficult to aquire.  I would recommend this book for the keen cook who really wants to stretch their Asian cooking skills and doesn't mind sourcing out unsual ingredients.

I always like to try at least one recipe from the books I am sent so that I can let you know how they work.   This time I chose Broth with Wonton Dumplings.   It seemed to be one of the simpler recipes in the book.  I was unable to acquire all of the ingredients necessary for the dish, but  did end up with quite a delicious soup at the end of it all.




Meanwhile chop the spring onions with the pork and mix with the sesame oil, egg holk and soy sauce.  Peel the shrimps, add them to the filling and season. Place a wonton square in the palm of your hand.  Add 1 tsp of the filling, then fold over to form a triangle.  Press down and pinch the edges to seal tightly.  Cook the dumplings for 10 minutes in a pan of boiling water.  Divide the dumplings among four bowls, pour over the hot broth and serve.

Chinatowns
Asian Cooking from around the world
in 100 recipes
by Jean Francois Mallet

Recipes and photographs:
Jean-François Mallet, words Emmanuelle Jarry, illustrations Marie-Paule Jaulme

Published by jacqui small 
ISBN 978-1-910254-23-3
Hard cover,  colour photographs, 416 pages
RRP £30.00 UK, $35.00 USA, $38.99 CAN

 August is my Birthday month and this year it is especially special because I am turning 60.  I know  . . .  it's hard for me to believe too . . .  I still feel 16 inside.  It's that first look in the mirror in the morning that's a shocker!  Where did that woman come from?  haha

I was recently contacted by Find-a-present.uk and asked if I would like to try out their site.  Find-a-present.uk a website specializing in finding the best gift to suit your needs. What better excuse for me to go shopping than my 60th Birthday!

Find-a-present.uk was very helpful in helping me to find a gift that I would enjoy. The search box was quick and easy to use, with a vast amount of items to browse through. You simply add a keyword that relates to your gift idea and the search box will bring up any item relating to it. For example other keywords I tried were ‘Kitchen Utensils’ and ‘Books’. Or you can click BROWSE on the top right hand side of the page, where you will be taken to a page listing presents by recipient, occasion, category, colour and material, which help to narrow it down if you are out of ideas for a family member or friend. Once I found the item I liked I clicked on it and a pop up box appeared, a new window opened where I could purchase the item from Amazon or the Hub for example. Find-a-present.uk also has the option to click more info on an item of choice, and will list and compare prices of the gift from the web, this is less time consuming for you when searching for a gift and you can rest assured you are getting one of the best deals available online.























I know it's not really food related, but one of the gifts I chose to order was this lovely Rose Petal Beauty Box.   Even a cook likes to pamper her hands once in a while.  The gift was ordered via Amazon.uk and arrived in a timely manner.  I found the site very easy to use and was pleased with the way the whole business operated.  I am still trying to decide what to do with the rest of my Gift Certificate, but did not want to let any more time pass by without telling you about my experience!

Many thanks to find-a-present.uk for affording me this opportunity.   Although I was provided with a gift certificate to go shopping with I was not required to write a positive review.

Note -

I know it may not seem like it at times, but I have been trying to eat a bit healthier lately.  Having a heart scare does that to you I guess.   IN any case, I know it is impossible to be good 100% of the time, but even if I can be good 80% of the time that's an improvement and these delicious Branana Chocolate Muffins really help me to do just that!