I have been dreaming about this quiche for a long time. So long that it was originally titled the Green Springtime Quiche, back when my mind first conceived of it in May. I daydreamed of a creamy filling packed full of green goodness, held together by a flaky butter pastry. Quiche is hardly a throw-together meal at the best of times, but I think you’ll agree that three months is a long time to wait, even for quiche. Read more…
I’ve been in a bit of a creative slump lately, in more ways that one. My list of “projects” keeps growing (finish upholstering those chairs, design and sew a dress to wear to a friend’s wedding in September, quilt those cushions that have been in the drawer for months), yet I can’t seem to find the time, or even the inclination, to actually finish any. Read more…
Brace yourselves, friends. As promised on Sunday, I’ve got a strange one for you today. I recently took a chance on an intriguing (some might say bizarre) new dish. A pizza that isn’t a pizza, a summer dish that seems utterly unsuited to hot weather, this meal had me second-guessing all kinds of preconceived notions. Read more…
Last month, I did something extremely (some might say uncharacteristically) clever: I bought a small glass Pyrex dish. Nothing fancy or all that pretty (it was only £2 at Sainsbury’s after all) but as it turns out, that little dish was an awesome buy. Read more…
I want to start this post with a great big Thank You to everyone who left a comment on this post last week. On Wednesday I flew home to Canada for my grandmother’s funeral, and spent the past week visiting with family and friends. Though I’m feeling okay and trying to present an upbeat front, dealing with death is never easy, and your words of support helped more than I can say. Read more…
I always like Sunday lunch to be an event. Even if it’s just Andrew and me, I tend not to turn to leftovers at this particular time of the week. Instead, it’s a time for experimenting with new recipes, often elaborate multi-step ventures. For lack of a better word, I like my Sunday midday meal to be “fancy”. Read more…
Lean in close, and I’ll let you in on a shameful little secret of mine: I’ve never successfully made a gratin before now. Absurd, right? The easy-peasy staple of French cooking, winter cooking and (let’s face it) 1950′s home cooking has never been my forté. Until now, that is. Read more…
I think I’m in a Mediterranean state of mind, today. Is there such thing as a Mediterranean state of mind? I’m sure there must be. Waking up with the sun in my eyes was probably what did it, and I haven’t been able to shake that “holiday” feeling all day. Read more…
I’m sitting here, having a slice of leftover tart for lunch, and thinking about how entirely inappropriate this meal was for an Easter dinner. I wanted to bring something to my sister’s celebration on Sunday, both to contribute to the table and so I’d have something “special” to eat myself. (She was cooking a ham, and I’m loathe to make a vegetarian meal out of side dishes alone. As good as the boiled buttered cabbage and scalloped potatoes were, they weren’t going to do me for such a festive occasion.) But the vegetables in the tart I made were so completely unspringlike- much more appropriate for Thanksgiving than for Easter. Read more…
