General eatings

I've been doing some good eating lately (whilst trying to lose a bit of weight, hmmmm, not working), so I thought I'd condense some of the yummy things into one post.

First off, lovely greengages in my garden. The wasps are eating most of them but we managed to save a few, a recipe coming up soon for Plum Crumble Bars.

Have any of you been watching The Good Cook? I'm sure I've seen Simon Hopkinson before but I can't remember where, and wikipedia doesn't jog my memory, but that is beside the point! I have really been enjoying the programme, the filming is interesting - sometimes over the top - and the recipes are really really good. I made the aubergine feta and parsley recipe over the weekend and it was fantastic. Sure to please veggies and meat eaters. Next on my list is the baked parpadelle, cheese and onion pie and the piedmontese peppers.

Next up, broccoli pesto. I like pestoing (I made a new word!) things. Asparagus, peas, broad beans, and of course basil. In my attempts to be healthier I tried out the Double Broccoli Quinoa recipe on 101 cookbooks for lunches this week. The pesto is nice, a little more woody than other vegetables - I think a handful of sweet frozen peas would help here. Although I also skipped the cream to be healthier, which is probably what it needs.

Last Saturday I asked Twitter where to go for a decent  coffee and a slice of cake in Cambridge, The lovely Miss Sue Flay suggested Jocalatte on Burleigh Street. I was not disappointed! Lovely fresh homemade cakes, great coffee and in a beautiful vintage style tea room setting. I'll be going again. They also do little homemade chocolates and cute cupcakes.

I think that is my foodie round up done, a new recipe featuring greengages coming tomorrow :)

Deepa

Weekend pictures

Lots of pictures from the weekend. A vintage looking Jess, making lavender sugar, coffee and cake at Greens Coffee Co , Jess atop a fence, making catnip 'strawberries' from Mollie Makes tutorial, made a gingham cushion cover, salt and pepper popcorn, found 'Home' old sign in the garden, first garlic harvest.

weekend pictures

Even though it has been hot for about 2 months now it really feels summery now that strawberries are in season. I got my first fruit and vegetable box from Walden Local Food and it contained a lovely punnet of strawberries which were eaten up in minutes! This weekend our little Flossie kitten turned 1 year old, no longer a kitten *sniff*.
I did lots and lots of cooking over the weekend so I have some recipes coming up this week - elderflower cordial (to be bottled tonight, hope it has worked out!), brownies, pad thai and cucumber pickle.

Watch this space!

The Obligatory Round Up - 2010

My google reader is full to the brim of round ups so I thought I'd join in with a foodie one. I've blogged more about food this year than ever before and I have discovered some really yummy recipes in 2010.

These are my favourites, I hope you try them in 2011 if you haven't already.

Bacon Brownies
Don't knock 'em til you've tried them! They are seriously good, and we all know salt and sweet is all the rage.

Courgette & Squash Blossom Pizza
(and the ultimate pizza dough)
2010 was the year I perfected pizza dough! This soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside pizza base is inspired by No Knead Bread, effortless to make and bakes up beautifully every time. We feasted on squash blossoms on pizza this summer, I can't wait for the summer to roll around again so we can enjoy this seasonal treat.

Easy Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Lots of people made these after I blogged which tells you how good this recipe is. Four ingredients and cookies in less than half an hour. These are perfect for a quick cookie fix. 

Cacio e Pepe
A simple pasta recipe which tastes amazing, this was on my 'to make' list for a while. Authentic, simple and yummy.

Ricotta Gnocchi & Sundried Tomato Pesto

I've never made potato gnocchi since I found this recipe. Makes beautiful pillowy gnocchi with a creamy flavour without the hassle of watery potatoes. And the pesto goes well with all kinds of pasta, not just gnocchi.

And a 2010 round up wouldn't be complete without a mention of our fabulous meal at Le Gavroche. Find a special day (or just any day) and go - book a table for 2011!! I want to go again, but we are setting our sights on other 'must eat' places instead - maybe the Waterside or The Ledbury this year.

Happy New Year!
Thank you for reading and cooking my recipes in 2010, i'll be back with something new and yummy soon.

Deepa