Don’t you love rediscovering an old favourite? Whether a book, old movie or cherished item of clothing, it’s always nice to stumble across our long-forgotten loves. That’s what happened this week in my kitchen, with (predictably) a recipe for (perhaps unpredictably) a stir-fry. Read more…
Yup, I’m a fan of vegetables and Sundays, though sometimes I wish the two weren’t so extricably linked for me. I’ve got a lot on my plate this week, so my trip to the farmer’s market was slightly less relaxing than usual. That said, this week’s shopping post (to be followed closely by a new recipe) will be brief. Read more…
What do you eat, when you’re eating alone? Say your husband/boyfriend/roommate is out for the evening, and you’re settling in to dine solo. You’ve got your favourite embarrassing music on, or maybe you’re eating in front of the TV, watching that show you love that they just don’t get (my choice would be Gossip Girl or Ugly Betty, depending on the night). What’s on your plate? Read more…
As you might have noticed, I’ve been going a little pumpkin-crazy lately. Sure, the little £0.75 numbers I get from my local farmer’s market don’t seem that big, but just one makes a heck of a lot of pumpkin purée! I’ve been using it in so many ways: a pumpkin and goat’s cheese lasagne from Nigella’s Christmas book, in some festive whoopie pies, even as a light-but-creamy pasta sauce with sage, nutmeg and ricotta. I’m watching myself closely for signs of becoming round and orange, convinced as I am that I’m thisclose to actually turning into a pumpkin. Read more…
I didn’t linger at the market today; there was rather a lot of rain coming down (is it just me, or am I always saying that?), making the weekly shop a get-in-and-get-out affair. Read more…
When I was 17 or so, I caught whooping cough. There was an outbreak in several of my city’s primary schools, and I caught it from some kids I was babysitting at the time. On the surface, whooping cough isn’t all that bad. You cough a lot, you get a couple weeks off school- as highly contagious diseases go, it’s pretty great. The thing you probably don’t know about whooping cough (unless you’ve had it yourself) is that even after you’re not contagious anymore, even after you feel healthy again and go back to normal life, you keep coughing. For several months. Read more…
Last night, Andrew and I went out for drinks and food with a friend who’d recently moved back to London. Because I like cooking and am pretty good at it (and yes, am somewhat of a cheapskate), we don’t go out for food too often. Restaurant meals can easily lead to conversation like “Oh, I could make this so much better at home” or “This would be great if you just replaced x with y, or served it alongside some fresh z“. You get the idea- hardly a relaxing way to spend an evening. Still, we were both looking forward to this night on the town, and ventured out with optimism. 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…
Today’s photoshoot was delayed for approximately ten minutes on account of a search for a missing onion. Yes, you read that correctly- my veg are running for their lives. Read more…
Look, I tried. To the best of my ability, I attempted to hold off the holiday season until next month. It’s only mid-November, and nobody really wants to be bombarded with Christmas recipes yet. But through a (misguided) desire to review my copy of Nigella Christmas on Kitchlit, I accidentally opened the floodgates. Because reviewing means recipe-testing, and recipe-testing means recipe-posting. So here I am, waving the white, red and green flag in surrender: it’s started. Bring on Christmas! Read more…