sade080

There is nothing better, in my world, that coffee flavoured stuff.  And here is a fantastic little recipe for Coffee flavoured Crepes :) :)

Potatos are a large portion of the British diet.  Yet essentially they are a really boring vegetable, tasteless and a pain to prepare.  Why do we like them so much? Because they accompany most dishes without obliterating the flavour, they make are softly spoken and don't offend anyone.  Which makes me realise that when they become the main focus of a meal, you have to make sure you put plenty of zing in to it. Luckily for us, there are lots of cool potato recipes that do just this.  In this recipe, onions and seasoning provide the backbone of the flavour.

There is a distinct lack of seafood recipes on this blog.  The main reason is that I don't really do seafood, and the idea of it makes me turn a little green. But, I know that the hundreds (HAHAHA) of emails and comments that I get on this blog each week do request that I do a few more seafood related posts.  So here is one... and as we're on a theme of soups and chowders today, this one is quite apt.

The temperature has dropped here in Exeter.  And now is the perfect time to start looking at Soup and Chowder recipes for an instant hot savory fix.

For someone that writes about food, has a general preoccupation with culinary matters and mixes with those who have brilliant gastronomic taste, I have very crude food tastes.  And the idea of Nettle Soup doesn't really do anything for me, despite the majority of people who I have spoken to over the years who have said how nice it is. I encourage you to give it a go.  If it is nice, tell me and it might encourage me even more to go and pick some and see what happens!  Nettles are a free and abundant plant, but be careful you pick from a spot that you know has not been treated with weed killer.

A few notes with this recipe.  First off it needs gelatine, so make sure you inform any vegetarians who you might be offending.  Alternatively you could try using pectin, but the consistency might suffer if you do so it might need a bit of tweaking to make a vegetarian-friendly version. It requires lots of Ginger Biscuits, so by default I am in love with this recipe already just by reading it!

The great thing about Christmas is presents.  Sometimes, however, it isn't that easy to fork out lots of money for presents especially when you know that the stuff you're buying them could be easily made yourself with all that spare time that you might or might not have. Our friend Hannah makes fudge for people, normally different flavours in different wrappings, but all hand made.  It is a sweet idea (literally) that has given me a few ideas myself for Christmas presents. Marguerite Patten is a great lover of sweets and nice things, as well as the staple 'Roast Beef' stuff she has many other books dedicated to sweets and making thereof.

Beef Bourguignon is one of those classic 'childhood' recipes, a staple classic that your mum shows you how to make before you disappear to university and ultimately fending for yourself. It can be slow cooked, or like this recipe, it can be used in a Fondue. This is a party piece, a classic sixties non-cheese fondue.  There is quite a bit of prep, but it'd be perfect for that authentic sixties/seventies feel to any themed occasion.

I have included this one for its pure weirdness.  A Marshmallow covered Christmas Pudding and a Happiness Tree Cake...also covered in marshmallows.

Without a doubt the best part of Christmas is the excuse to have Mulled Anything.  Wine and Cider tend to be the traditional choices, but here is a fascinating little recipe for Mulled Ale!

A theme tonight.  Now its the sister of the Christmas Pudding, again this needs lots of brandy!  Christmas Cakes have mixed origins, but take a gander at this lovely website to get the full fascinating history.

Love it of loathe it, that time of year is bearing down on us.  It is about this time the foodies among us, start thinking about Christmas Pudding, which takes a lonnng time to make if you do it properly. So I invite you to have a go at Marguerite Patten's version, and see if you can make one just like you used to have when you were a kid (hopefully a good thing).