3/4/12- Taste of Britain Tuesday- Chouquette

"Little Paris Kitchen" is a new cooking show on tv here. The host is Rachel Khoo, a British gal who moved to Paris to attend Le Cordon Bleu. 

I have yet to buy her cookbook from the show, but have tried a few recipes that were posted online. Today I tried chouquettes - a French pastry. 

She suggested you could sprinkle the pastries with chocolate chips, or a granulated sugar, but I just used icing sugar this time around. (You can also make them savory by adding cheese). 

Very easy to make, and with a delicious result- light and airy and so lovely! (By the time this post is finished, all of them will most likely be gone).

Like the other baking book I mentioned last week, prepare to hear me mention Little Paris Kitchen in the near future. 

I mean - a show that includes Paris and food? Amazing!

Before baking

After

12/3/12- Comfort food

A few weeks ago Alice from Quaint Living posted this lovely recipe for homemade granola. I think granola is a comfort breakfast, and I enjoy that you can make it yourself! 

I highly suggest giving this recipe a try, it's nice to adjust the seeds/nuts/fruit yourself according to your tastes. Not only that but granola is healthy breakfast and makes the house smell lovely when its toasting. Thanks Alice! 

Lovely golden granola toasting away

This batch included walnuts, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds and dried fruit

24/1/12- Taste of Canada Tuesdays- Perogies

Well, it's  back. Taste of Brit- I mean, Canada Tuesdays!

Just for this one week, lets take our taste buds to Canada. (Ultimately we are taking our taste buds to Poland and the Ukraine, but that's just details).

Though I am back in the UK now, a couple weeks ago I got to try the Perogy Boyz- a food truck in Calgary thats been getting some serious buzz around town. 

As a perogy lover and maker (see Christmas traditions), I had to give these Boyz and their 'rogues a try before flying back to England. 

My cousin and I (my compadre perogy maker) took a trip downtown one chilly (-30) day to find the roaming truck, and to have some lunch. Thankfully due to the cold temps there was not a huge queue for lunch. 

We both got the traditional perogy (though they did have some other interesting mixes), and I have to say they were fantastic. (Better than ours? That's debatable). I love the idea of these food trucks, and how the Perogy Boyz are making 'rogues the hit meal for lunch. Check em out next time you are in YYC.

Now that I am back in the UK- the land where perogies are not common- I am keen to whip up a few batches to freeze for those perogy-kinda-days. 

17/12/11- Traditions

Traditions. 

What traditions do you carry on every Christmas? Have your traditions changed after getting married or having a family of your own?

One of our traditions is our awesome traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner. We've always celebrated Christmas that way, and I can't imagine not doing so. It's a very special dinner, with lots of family history. Part of the dinner involves perogies, which my cousin and I make every Christmas Eve morning...

 So tell me, what traditions do you cherish?

25/10/11- Who needs a boat?

Last week I went for dinner with a fellow sushi lover. Sushi is something that is not so prevalent in my English home, so I take advantage when I am in Canada. 

We tried a new place, and the best part was the sushi train they had going around! How cute. A sushi boat is always lovely, but this was my first time picking food from a moving train. (And a CP Rail train at that).

If you live in the UK, tell me where your fave place to get sushi is. (So I know for the future!)

21/10/11- Waiter!

Waiter, there's a shoe in my drink!

Milestones creates amazing belinis, which used to come with tiny plastic animals sitting on top of the creamy, delish slush. 

When a friend and I had one on a patio in the beautiful autumn sun, we were pleasantly surprised to see shoes this time around, how fun!

On that note, have a great weekend everyone, cheers!

26/9/11- Oreo

The other day I whipped up these homemade oreos, a recipe I found via Canadian Livings Pinterest, via Flour Child. 

They were SO easy to make, and delicious. If you check out the original recipe and read her commentary on the cookies, you will want to make them too. 

Taste of Britain Tuesday- Aubergine, red pepper and tomato tart. 28/6/11

Well it's time for another Taste of Britain Tuesday...This week I've chosen to make tarts.

I'm not sure if savory tarts are a British thing, but I've noticed more tarts on menus and in cafe's here, than at home. This is a nice summer savory tart, and gives you a nice serving of veg.

I've used courgettes (aka zucchini) instead of aubergines (aka eggplant), as Waitrose didn't have any aubergines in, and frankly I am not a huge fan!

This recipe is from 'Popina book of baking'. Lots of lovely recipes in this book.

Taste of Britain Tuesday- Pimms! 5/7/11

Pimm's is a wonderful British drink that makes it's presence known at backyard gatherings, weddings, summer functions, and just plain warm summer days.

There are a few variations on how to make Pimm's but the standard is three parts lemonade (and lemonade here is like 7-up at home), to one part Pimm's. Then you add the fruit- strawberries, lemon, orange. Generally mint is included (but it was sold out in three stores!), and sometimes oddly cucumber.

It's Pimm's o'clock!

Taste of Britain Tuesday- Victoria Sponge. 28/6/11

A exciting day here at "This is Great Britain", the first installation of Taste of Britain Tuesdays.

Every tuesday will feature a British food (or drink), allowing me to share with you a recipe that is quintessentially British. There are so many different foods here than at home, why not share them?!

Today's first Taste of Britain Tuesday (or TBT in short) is Victoria Sponge cake by Nigella Lawson.

It's a beautiful and light cake, and perfect for raspberry season- right now. I have a baking guru here in the UK that I am lucky to know. She bought me these double cake tins, used for a layered cake such as this. She's also shown me the beauty of creaming very hard butter and sugar, and whipping up a cake without a recipe. She also explained that making a layered cake does not always need to be for an event, but just a regular day. I agree.

Cheddar 24/6/11

This weekend it's a rather substantial birthday for me, so the celebration is leaving England and will be in another country. I may show a photo or two come monday. ;)

Until then I will leave you with this photo of an interesting colored cider. My cousin and I went to the pub the other night before she left, I mean, what's a visit to England without a pub!? The cider was delicious!

Happy weekend everyone!

Chutney 16/6/11

Yes, this post is about chutney.
I have a friend here who is such a lovely domestic goddess- so inspiring! She made this tomato chutney the other day and gave me this lovely little jar of it yesterday.

(Chuntey- like bread- does not photograph well. But believe me, its delish)

Have you ever made chutney? Jams or preserves? I am so interested to do it, but would love to hear if you've dabbled in this process.

Savory 11/6/11

Fishcakes are not something we eat in Canada- are they?
I was only introduced to them via my British partner (He's a chef extraordinaire). They are a nice light meal, or a good snack.

I made the Nigel Slater haddock fish cake recipe for dinner, along with some homemade sweet chili sauce.

2/6/11

Perry from Waitrose- really lovely on a warm weather day.
Today is my Mom's birthday- happy birthday Mom, cheers! xo

7/4/11

Yum yum yum!!!! Homemade sushi- becoming a bit more adventurous this time around. It's those darn inside out rolls I have to work on getting tigter. This time around also had some homemade sweet chili sauce- amazing!

17/3/11

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

16/3/11

This post is a couple days late- whoops!
As mentioned in my previous post, I was on about independent coffee shops and how great they are. This is one that just opened in town here. It's right on the main street across from the train station- which in my opinion is a great location.

Two doors down is the town bakery which I've raved about since moving here. They are supplying cakes, savory snacks and the like to the coffee shop which is great as well. It's a bright space with large windows, cool decorating and some local art. Nice prices and most important good coffee. In the future they plan on opening the lower level for more seating, and having live music gigs there in the evening.

18/2/11

Sushi!
Have I commented on the lack of sushi there is in England? The only place to get sushi where I live is the local M&S, and its really not that good. It's all about the rice, and grocery store sushi never seems to get it right. I decided to finally try it out, and make my own. I've heard some horror stories of homemade sushi so I was crossing my fingers.

A shop in town supplied all the ingredients and the woman was very helpful...hours later....great success! It turned out amazing and not only looked pretty good, tasted like the real thing.

17/1/11

This snap was taken in Heathrow Terminal 5 the day I flew home for Christmas...just remembered it on my phone the other day! A bit of sushi before jetting off, really loved this sign. The sushi was ok, not as good as the stuff at home however.

Day 361- 28/9/10

Got my Jamie Oliver Italian cookbook today in the post. Can't wait to make some fantastic dinners from it!