bluekarin Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I would love to have access to fresh citrus fruit. Me too! The amount of lemons alone I get through in a week Would be amazing just to step out your back door and pick one fresh off a tree. Bliss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I have to say picking your own lemons is one of the biggest thrills of all the things I can think of about living in another country. We can pick them 12 months of the year. They don't taste any better than a shop bought lemon, its just knowing they are ours I'm not that adventurous with them, but we probably use 3-4 a week, mostly in salad dressings and to tenderise barbecue meat and fish, plus the odd G&T and cake or biscuit. I remember reading years ago that lemons were introduced in Elizabeth I reign, and each one cost 6d, a small fortune. In fact, we are a couple of miles from a serious lemon grove, with hundreds of trees and tens of thousands of lemons. Its quite high in the hills, I've spent my life thinking lemons only grew on hot plains, but obviously not! The land round about is quite inhospitable so olives and citrus are planted in terraces on the hillside, the retaining walls are beautiful - dry stone walls made of yellow sandstone . The lemon grove is for sale - and at a bargain price Tonight's dinner was complemented by a gift of oranges from a neighbour for pud, and OH decided to make some flapjacks, scented with the orange zest, as a reward for all our hard work in the garden today as an extra pud whilst the oven was on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 OMG Daphne that sounds gorgeous. You should write it all down. I love lemon in cooking especially in rice and with chicken, it's surprisingly savoury. I made a lemony/buttery rice with tea tonight. I have bit of a passion for rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Yesterday I did a ham boiled in cherry Pepsi! with an onion, bay leaves and a couple of star anise added. Was delicious. The kids and OH had it with chips, pineapple and egg and I had a sarnie as I had a huge lunch with my best friend. Today the kids had the ham in sarnie a for school lunch and the remaining slice I used in a ham and pea soup, with added mint. Very very tasty, never made it before but is now added to my soup repertoire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Ham, pea and mint That's a new one on me too, I can imagine the mint 'lightens' the whole thing and makes it a bit more Spring like, rather than a winter warmer. If I remember I will give it a go next time we have a ham, which is likely to be when we are back in the UK, they don't seem to sell them here. Tonight we are having 'Mediterranean' veg roasted with a bit of black pud, and couscous/chickpeas mixed together for the starch, and some more lettuce. I am also soaking some bacalau (salt cod) ready for cooking in the oven tomorrow when I shall mix it with some julienned spuds and sliced onion. Its sort of a cross between fishy bubble and squeak and a glorified latke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Macaroni Cheese. I'd forgotten about it really so that's what I've made for tea tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 I tend to forget it for a while then cook it and be so glad that I did, simple but tasty, enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Yum - one of my favourites OH has had an upset tum so has been on a toast diet for a few days, but feels that this evening he'd be able to face some 'chicken rice' (imagine rather feeble voice) I'm going to have rather more interesting spicy prawn rice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Marmalade, my first time of making it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Macaroni Cheese. I'd forgotten about it really so that's what I've made for tea tonight. Thanks for the reminder that's what we had for really tonight, with a bit of cauliflower thrown in for veg and tomatoes on the top for fruit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Roast butternut squash and pearl barley soup for lunch. Delicious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 This morning OH made some goulash soup with a bit of beef that was tough. In fact he said he thought it must have died a natural death (old age) rather than an unnatural one I have made some bread pud to try to get rid of the stale bread mountain in our kitchen and later I shall be making chicken escalopes to get rid of some more of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Vegetable and lentil soup, quiche and mince and potatoes in slow cooker. Some pastry left over put into muffin tins and made small quiches for lunches this week - they are quite cute. Some of the mince and potatoes has gone into the freezer in boxes - I am going on holiday for 3 weeks and my husband will have 21 days food in the freezer - I just cook extra every week till I have enough = think I am almost there already - he must be spoilt!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 My first ever Mary Berrys Queen of Puddings is currently in the oven. Smells amazing! The custard seemed to set perfectly with no cracks (despite my oven packing up halfway through, but thankfully just a fuse) the jam spread beautifully (jarred and not homemade, but hey ho!) and the meringue is super glossy and very voluminous! See how it comes out in about 10 minutes - can't wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 That sounds yummy How was it? Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Lovely, but boy is it sweet! Will remake it with less jam ( I did the lesser amount) add the correct amount of breadcrumbs to the custard base and grill the top instead of baking as I think baking to brown the top made the jam and custard a bit too runny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Boiled egg Later I have 6 hungry cyclists to feed so pork chops on the barbie with various salads, bread and potatoes for the carnivores and chick pea veggie curry for the rest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Quesadillas - had them in a restaurant and thought well, even I can do that. Very nice, crunchy outside and melty inside. Quick, easy and fun. I love cooking adaptable food that can be the same but different every time you make it which is why I enjoy cooking rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSilver Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Shirred eggs in cream with fresh herbs, wild garlic and topped with cheese. Sounds posh but dead easy to do. And I've certainly got eggz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 What are shirred eggs please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSilver Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Shirred eggs are just baked; shirred is a word lost somewhere in ye olde English. Take a ramekin or ovenproof dish, butter the sides and bottom, snip herbs into dish, crack eggs over herbs, add a tablespoon or two of cram, cover with a bit of cheese, bake till yolks reach required done-ness. Eat with toast soldiers (I had croissants with it). There are a thousand variations: without cream, different cheeses, add mushroom, or bacon, or ham, or avocado, or.... Great use of eggs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Currently have a Simnel cake in the oven. This is the cake recipe http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3474/simple-simnel-cake with chopped dates, cranberries, mixed peel, sultanas for the mixed fruit. I have even made marzipan to go in the middle and the top, this recipe http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/almond-icing.html I never realised that marzipan had an egg in it! I never even knew how it was made, so something new learnt today Let's hope it turns out ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I really should have made a simnel cake, I have so many eggs, OH made yummy hot cross buns on Friday, I made a delish lemon cake, with home made lemon curd and lemon frosting, for DS's birthday yesterday and we had turkey and all the trimmings today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I'm feeling homesick, save some cake for me Nothing remotely Easterish being cooked in this house, although I have witnessed vast feasts being bought at the meat counter of the local supermarket, and when I say vast, I mean vast! I think these ladies must have been catering for a village fete, I stopped counting after 2 sides of pork, all the chops in the shop, 4 chickens, and 2 kgs of beef slices and another 2kg of pork slices.... OH has made brandade de morue (a French way with salt cod and mashed potato) so at least we are eating the national dish of Portugal in some form and he made flapjacks this morning for a sweet treat No sign of an Easter egg tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Gluten free carrot cake for someone from work's birthday on Tuesday and mince in the slow cooker for later in the week. Roast potatoes and cabbage to go with the rest of the turkey pie left over from yesterday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
