tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-257419572024-03-14T14:21:31.589+00:00All Things DolceThe adventure of 'food, glorious food', simple Sicilian cooking & and running a cake biz!
Visit www.ledolci.com to order cakes.Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.comBlogger788125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-50800221408186073282010-11-17T15:03:00.002+00:002010-11-17T15:08:14.981+00:00<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Tetra-pak Tomato Goodness</strong></span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYkop8Fmj9ZrVFzJsCOZc7DBKnYEGKITHLz1g4_uYhpmHxYz0jnreXF5X6sxSBSQj1w7GwIITGeTz0Ooh4oCAmja_DJ4XwXXAgl8QC2SpVvLZPWE2B-tHCvlww5Z6hbC-yCyP/s1600/lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYkop8Fmj9ZrVFzJsCOZc7DBKnYEGKITHLz1g4_uYhpmHxYz0jnreXF5X6sxSBSQj1w7GwIITGeTz0Ooh4oCAmja_DJ4XwXXAgl8QC2SpVvLZPWE2B-tHCvlww5Z6hbC-yCyP/s1600/lady.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBgOeTS_nAYAlZDcVl6GsEUxrRQGtT0-T1yXauPiUy14I_TYNZ_1ELCyGC9qi0pQnA7G7vOlnTnJ0bYNhFrqUrCBm_nXZrYq3KRKWohEMoUdZ0YdBAsfN2yYy_3QyptsyNG8U/s1600/cirio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I did the classic Headwound (HW) thing last night; I got some great products to try but then came home from work starving, used them quickly then devoured them without taking any snaps. My friends call me a HW as I am forgetful; I did once receive a real headwound (20 stitches worth!) so the name is fitting and I have to admit, I am forgetful! </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hungry and craving something other than falafel (I have overdosed on this lately) I rushed home, pulled out the tomato passata that I was given by the lovely people at RH Amar and quickly chopped up some onions and garlic, browned them lightly in extra virgin olive oil, threw in some of the sauce and loaded it with oregano and basil, added a dash of salt and pepper and added a few chilli flakes for a bit of a spicy note –the final touch was one tiny teaspoon of sugar which made it complete. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBgOeTS_nAYAlZDcVl6GsEUxrRQGtT0-T1yXauPiUy14I_TYNZ_1ELCyGC9qi0pQnA7G7vOlnTnJ0bYNhFrqUrCBm_nXZrYq3KRKWohEMoUdZ0YdBAsfN2yYy_3QyptsyNG8U/s1600/cirio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBgOeTS_nAYAlZDcVl6GsEUxrRQGtT0-T1yXauPiUy14I_TYNZ_1ELCyGC9qi0pQnA7G7vOlnTnJ0bYNhFrqUrCBm_nXZrYq3KRKWohEMoUdZ0YdBAsfN2yYy_3QyptsyNG8U/s320/cirio.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The lovely red stuff comes straight from Italy and is apparently the number one selling brand there, which can’t be a bad thing! Need to ask my aunty’s what they use. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I threw the final sauce over some spaghetti for the J-Lo & I to eat. Baby Jacob watched and screamed as we ate; poor kid only gets to eat unsalted mushy stuff and we washed it down with some organic Italian juices I bought at the BBC Good Food Show the past weekend, a yummy prickly pear juice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I only realised I didn’t take pic when we were putting all of the dishes away but thought I would take a snap of the carton which is going in the fridge for us to have more sauce this weekend. Instead of our spaghetti feast you get a pic of the romantic spaghetti eating moment from the Disney doggy movie Lady & the Tramp – awwwh puppy dog romance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thx again to the Cirio peeps. Will try and take pics this weekend when Uncle Duncan comes for dinner</span>.Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-55307701629409357542010-11-12T17:03:00.001+00:002010-11-12T17:08:44.999+00:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">BBC Good Food Show this weekend!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jkO2IIlq6mM3dTvFcc6Dly07KgnByibB2RhkzVjEjCrBwSBhLn80_nwb8LtxCMR_FtJdAsy1Qtqh0yWVmzt3NTig9YnN3gChXjdIqc3hx2AkU_I2nauhY5IFSQqWcIsSs0A0/s1600/george_clooney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jkO2IIlq6mM3dTvFcc6Dly07KgnByibB2RhkzVjEjCrBwSBhLn80_nwb8LtxCMR_FtJdAsy1Qtqh0yWVmzt3NTig9YnN3gChXjdIqc3hx2AkU_I2nauhY5IFSQqWcIsSs0A0/s1600/george_clooney.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Winners have all been posted their tickets and here are some of their suggestions as to what they would serve George Clooney if he was coming for pudding:</div><ul><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">THE WINNER - Jen - she would just cover herself in chocolate and that would be it!</li>
</ul><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Others: </div><ul><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Home made apple pie with ice cream - for the little boy in George</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Zabaglione and AMOURetta biscuits -Alison wants to get to George via his Italian connection </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Eton Mess - for the Hot Harry in him and Lyn from Hazeldale said she would turn up the heat <em>slowly</em> while cooking it :)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Chocolate fingers</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Chocolate beetroot cake -interesting</li>
<li>Baileys infused chocolate cake - Clare was trying to get George a little tipsy !</li>
<li>and more....</li>
</ul>Thanks for all of your submissions and see you at the show this weekend and to the Birmingham winners have a great time and report back!Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-83861996812198280822010-11-11T10:50:00.003+00:002010-11-12T17:12:20.077+00:00<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5EFsWi_pXia7iVnaEMnLBQR-7rq8z0cPVAS9rlPlzxhkRBnLtOCocTzfU9kjoWMZu8jEX9aKi9Wo4eBWnXwZSl_EyFR9tW4sBykovqYAeAcVZ9YGG89yR5wUdsn_Ed0AZvqBRg/s1600-h/IMG_9684.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}">Inamo, Soho</a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5EFsWi_pXia7iVnaEMnLBQR-7rq8z0cPVAS9rlPlzxhkRBnLtOCocTzfU9kjoWMZu8jEX9aKi9Wo4eBWnXwZSl_EyFR9tW4sBykovqYAeAcVZ9YGG89yR5wUdsn_Ed0AZvqBRg/s1600-h/IMG_9684.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355097326319936066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5EFsWi_pXia7iVnaEMnLBQR-7rq8z0cPVAS9rlPlzxhkRBnLtOCocTzfU9kjoWMZu8jEX9aKi9Wo4eBWnXwZSl_EyFR9tW4sBykovqYAeAcVZ9YGG89yR5wUdsn_Ed0AZvqBRg/s400/IMG_9684.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /> </a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonKLVLMtVXsqjuwKiiZZ8sMww5bNNhPGN4P8xOy56j-m-l7eOztmn5c7pKkug5hsaEuWNvcol4jvEcwriPd-l_TGl5fVKbrA2VuwfFEptPMkaGd5_4-4nRoB_sN3mC9bMVqhCHQ/s1600-h/IMG_9681.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355097072198037938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonKLVLMtVXsqjuwKiiZZ8sMww5bNNhPGN4P8xOy56j-m-l7eOztmn5c7pKkug5hsaEuWNvcol4jvEcwriPd-l_TGl5fVKbrA2VuwfFEptPMkaGd5_4-4nRoB_sN3mC9bMVqhCHQ/s400/IMG_9681.JPG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /> </a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Do you:</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Like playing video games while waiting for dinner?</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Like playing video games against your dinner partner?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Like playing Battleship? </div></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Like seeing what is going on in the kitchen without moving from your seat at the restaurant?</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Like changing the lighting above your table to various shades of the rainbow?<br />
Like changing the look of your table to various colors and images? </div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Like checking out what to do after dinner via the table computer?</div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Like to order beers/dinner with the click of a button? Like to never have to speak to a snarky or rude waiter.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVf07PU2TFEU8XtdieHU9aE_hbzwLdteQ4o7VnbYtBmVvMQakSLwt1b625yb1grIlr7XZPgHLbzId5AODkj0svUOMx6-kcOMG5aWqoX3ZkICsLLglLqz387UIHE3LvrjdER9_HuQ/s1600-h/IMG_9682.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355096967267495666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVf07PU2TFEU8XtdieHU9aE_hbzwLdteQ4o7VnbYtBmVvMQakSLwt1b625yb1grIlr7XZPgHLbzId5AODkj0svUOMx6-kcOMG5aWqoX3ZkICsLLglLqz387UIHE3LvrjdER9_HuQ/s400/IMG_9682.JPG" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well then go to Inamo in Soho! A must visit as it is so high tech and cool (the oriental fusion food isn't the greatest) but it is such a novelty being there. I highly recommend it and think it is good fun and very futuristic. It is hard to get reservations at this hidden gem on Wardour street so don't expect to just pop in around dinner time, book ahead!</div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">134-136 Wardour Street,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Soho, London,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">W1F 8ZP </span><br />
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="color: #666666; font-size: 1em;">☎</b> 020 7851 7051 <br />
<b style="color: #666666; font-size: 1.2em;">✉</b> <a href="mailto:reservations@inamo-restaurant.com" style="color: white;">reservations@<br />
<span style="text-indent: 40px;">inamo-restaurant.com</span></a></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" /></a></div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-5696760107379508502010-11-09T09:11:00.001+00:002010-11-09T09:11:00.345+00:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVFxrGtfGjGGFry5xNVTIxcJHCtbEHM5ayx6W0G_lG7g_Fttvd-FsKldoh7Jen3UtFB5h5A2ZD8fJCwzZHtolE93YNcB1ESSvIjKLWYFaN8Ts5mzWXGoblCTRxHuRrHWIAqWQ/s1600/bitterballen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Bitterballen -party snacks from the Netherlands</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVFxrGtfGjGGFry5xNVTIxcJHCtbEHM5ayx6W0G_lG7g_Fttvd-FsKldoh7Jen3UtFB5h5A2ZD8fJCwzZHtolE93YNcB1ESSvIjKLWYFaN8Ts5mzWXGoblCTRxHuRrHWIAqWQ/s320/bitterballen.jpg" width="317" /></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bitterballen - the croquette-like meatballs which are very popular in the Netherlands. I don't think anyone in the Netherlands actually makes them but instead only eats them at the pub. </div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In case you are ambitious and want to impress some Dutch freinds try this recipe out. Thanks to <a href="http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,161,158184-231207,00.html">Cooks.com</a> for the recipe. </div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; padding-left: 20px;">3 tbsp. butter<br />
4 tbsp. flour<br />
1 c. milk<br />
1 tbsp. very fine minced onion<br />
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce<br />
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
1 tbsp. chopped parsley, fine<br />
1 1/2 c. finely chopped cooked meat<br />
Bread crumbs<br />
2 egg yolks, beaten with 2 tbsp. water<br />
Fat for frying<br />
Mustard</div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; padding-left: 20px;"></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Melt butter, stir in flour and add the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, to make a very thick sauce. Add onion, meat, parsley, nutmeg, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Spread mixture on cookie sheet to cool. Shape into small balls (1" to 1 1/2" diameter). Roll in bread crumbs. Dip in egg mixture, making sure they are completely covered. Roll again in bread crumbs. Let them stand for 1 hour until completely dry. Deep fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve with mustard.</div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-6892788193099197322010-11-08T08:19:00.027+00:002010-11-08T08:19:01.001+00:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttXqluZS6AgGn3-MH7Lw8N7EgFxYbJ_Xq1L_t28GMXjyXm2lJWsdqIwJ2MEKR4kcJ-NCRO6bQboXrL5_k8m_ZO8RiJktAFQZiemQgS96RqiVao0eqCqSqwZGEVJf2T55Q9Zjc/s1600/IMG_0835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Albert Cuyp Market, Amsterdam</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttXqluZS6AgGn3-MH7Lw8N7EgFxYbJ_Xq1L_t28GMXjyXm2lJWsdqIwJ2MEKR4kcJ-NCRO6bQboXrL5_k8m_ZO8RiJktAFQZiemQgS96RqiVao0eqCqSqwZGEVJf2T55Q9Zjc/s320/IMG_0835.JPG" width="320" /></div>So we were aiming for the Spui Book Market but obviously my attention to detail once again failed me and instead of reading that it was only held on Fridays. We found this out after venturing into town looking for it, to only be told by someone at the Albert Cuyp market that this was the only market open and there were NO books. Ooops!<br />
<br />
Oh well the Albert Cuyp market was a great alternative, we had no idea what the book market would be like anyway. The market is a complete feast for the eyes and perfect for people watching; it has everything from food to tacky clothes to furniture imported from Indonesia and China. It is apparently 100 years old and is said to have over 300 vendors.<br />
<br />
My favourite part of the market was of course, the food vendors. If my eyes weren't bigger than my stomach I would've eaten much more but instead I just had a giant stroopen wafel for 2 Euros. It was freshly made and tasted AMMMAZING, it melted in your mouth and is just the best Dutch dessert ever - two wafels hold a soft caramel centre, it doesn't get better than that.<br />
<br />
If I had more time in the Netherlands I would've bought a load of fish and cheese and made a big feast, instead we ate bitterballen (deep fried meat and cheese balls) and drank beer at the pub overlooking the canals. Not a bad second option. <br />
<br />
<i>Get to the market on your next trip to A'dam (Amsterdam) -Yum! </i><br />
<br />
<i>Location: Albert Cuypstraat (in <a href="http://goamsterdam.about.com/od/wheretostayinamsterdam/p/np_depijp.htm">De Pijp</a> neighborhood)<br />
Open: Year-round, Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o3-gmJNP9d5lB-m_e9KfWmagEo-9pYlquF1grz1cXsUfEHcRpGUIomGh-hjuG0ftYIZeiYPtQ6taOpbSXt1idxhdZ5mm1qWlZ6LzIoPgSSxuu21RWXb5bYzuaqHsV1UcbVLR/s1600/IMG_0838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o3-gmJNP9d5lB-m_e9KfWmagEo-9pYlquF1grz1cXsUfEHcRpGUIomGh-hjuG0ftYIZeiYPtQ6taOpbSXt1idxhdZ5mm1qWlZ6LzIoPgSSxuu21RWXb5bYzuaqHsV1UcbVLR/s320/IMG_0838.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmT8RHPQu18DbJOA9JaTxrdlrSO4cb08aj0fPbNN3znXip_JUyZ3Ltn1Xpw_58NaQlHyrpccRxgSPdqvJ3Ma4m6YJi-PmNF4lecAJI9-IZTYebzygAYOm3u-7Y8vCvGQzuYMp/s1600/IMG_0845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmT8RHPQu18DbJOA9JaTxrdlrSO4cb08aj0fPbNN3znXip_JUyZ3Ltn1Xpw_58NaQlHyrpccRxgSPdqvJ3Ma4m6YJi-PmNF4lecAJI9-IZTYebzygAYOm3u-7Y8vCvGQzuYMp/s320/IMG_0845.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAACHCDri2iYkSpEZGPtO2EAsjowZgh-e9ezBK8-6JyQgVr_7OGjaKvqkquFhYFB6k1K5lKI2sE-5M3nbuIsA5FN46jefM6_OW4v0-0_wxRwNBUXsbiXORkePwr6IQjHA1gtWw/s1600/IMG_0855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAACHCDri2iYkSpEZGPtO2EAsjowZgh-e9ezBK8-6JyQgVr_7OGjaKvqkquFhYFB6k1K5lKI2sE-5M3nbuIsA5FN46jefM6_OW4v0-0_wxRwNBUXsbiXORkePwr6IQjHA1gtWw/s320/IMG_0855.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-18763978104029060462010-11-07T19:56:00.000+00:002010-11-07T19:56:14.792+00:00<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Goat's milk - fresh from source</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_6XD_9SWRXe2_nk0WX1UIDNMGFHRgLRKNTwsm54aRdACIkF89pRLCYIbh9AvWtBf6EQG_dcCGm9BKs1RJ5ab4i_yIDfvst-ArE32soRhGbTjzzaoySKaZCpSc8SEedmf3u8G/s320/goat+2.JPG" width="320" /></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For those lactose intolerant there is goat's milk which is a suitable alternative and tastes just as good. Goat's milk is also the blessed white substance that creates the most delicious ricotta cheese which is used in my ever favourite cannoli. That is why they taste different in Sicily, it is the goat's cheese! Ricotta sold in England doesn't always state if it is made with goat's milk but I think it is usually cow's milk - boo. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We visited this farm out in the middle of nowhere and got to see an age old style of milking goats using special gates for where the animals needed to stand, these gates were in a stone wall that must've been there for hundreds of years. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1VyIbqZ9ihYpzA2mZIAk5YSNgPLiucxEaYhPU3hVWGARlntezlZB-fl1hz9T3aKBtWZohLLICBLNs-wV1Ok86v1TtL-jo3ejuolYBWtwid2NcaO_46h-iIqvqWMPe24nroRU/s1600/goat+e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1VyIbqZ9ihYpzA2mZIAk5YSNgPLiucxEaYhPU3hVWGARlntezlZB-fl1hz9T3aKBtWZohLLICBLNs-wV1Ok86v1TtL-jo3ejuolYBWtwid2NcaO_46h-iIqvqWMPe24nroRU/s320/goat+e.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Everything was super ancient and the view from the farm where we took these pics was spectacular. This farm is very hidden, even to the locals, and is situated atop a hill overlooking thousands of acres of vineyards -just beautiful. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the farm, we stumbled upon a barn with a hidden secret. It was a church in the 1600s. The inscription on the door said 1641 - how crazy is that?! Jake took some great photos in there of a horse and its baby and we got some great shots of the farmers for the project. I wish I could show you all of the pics but I can't just yet, they must go to publishers first! </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The centuries old practice of shepherding and milking the goats was great to watch and sooo old except for one thing.... the mobile phone rang (!) and the chief milker answered it. It was kinda funny but he went on milking with one hand and chatting away - classic! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVx-SLyOn3AHiGSuLlywcJXoBHP2fCODLMWQ5O5wK8bJFaIkWwk_7sQxe1keNUn76hFUod86V5QfCBy0BQSNsh7NVnCV3WQEN6FNGjkvg4-sOd1nwvi_5iWtAJOFDG-dWZpWL/s1600/goats+milk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVx-SLyOn3AHiGSuLlywcJXoBHP2fCODLMWQ5O5wK8bJFaIkWwk_7sQxe1keNUn76hFUod86V5QfCBy0BQSNsh7NVnCV3WQEN6FNGjkvg4-sOd1nwvi_5iWtAJOFDG-dWZpWL/s320/goats+milk.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-72606892457281825192010-11-01T07:14:00.006+00:002010-11-01T07:14:00.673+00:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSIw7MwWySMNbzH2gc7py0B_QcXh3sdP6Q_sISt3A7QqZ0op_EPDlANZkKdrRAj_SRvueB4QPsTMTHSinHcXZk32K4kRMx0CpqrN6IuzLP2xR_kK3tlakux2HQ8B4yq7jY_71/s1600/IMG_0597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Walnut tree for me</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSIw7MwWySMNbzH2gc7py0B_QcXh3sdP6Q_sISt3A7QqZ0op_EPDlANZkKdrRAj_SRvueB4QPsTMTHSinHcXZk32K4kRMx0CpqrN6IuzLP2xR_kK3tlakux2HQ8B4yq7jY_71/s320/IMG_0597.JPG" width="320" /></div>Did you know they come from a tree? I don't think I have ever seen a walnut tree before or even thought about where they came from but saw a walnut tree recently. I now want one in my backyard Santa. <br />
<br />
The Latin name, <i>Juglans</i>, derives from <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_%28mythology%29" title="Jupiter (mythology)">Jupiter</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glans" title="Glans">glans</a></i>, "Jupiter's acorn": figuratively, a nut fit for a god.<br />
<br />
Just some foodie education for the day. Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-22134785520862380542010-10-31T22:05:00.001+00:002010-10-31T22:07:36.794+00:00<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S7LaTHdl9gL0cg3vDFOuqvJ2dUdp9-4XIYDv70_rB7GQs6rTKIiIeGvvEPFpaILeWUV0S-xL7BhImQszPod0jkw_RkHJbaMN32SBvEFXv3DnvmdNHvYbwBbN6SLow9LtB_5s/s1600/IMG_2870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Watermelon Man</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S7LaTHdl9gL0cg3vDFOuqvJ2dUdp9-4XIYDv70_rB7GQs6rTKIiIeGvvEPFpaILeWUV0S-xL7BhImQszPod0jkw_RkHJbaMN32SBvEFXv3DnvmdNHvYbwBbN6SLow9LtB_5s/s1600/IMG_2870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S7LaTHdl9gL0cg3vDFOuqvJ2dUdp9-4XIYDv70_rB7GQs6rTKIiIeGvvEPFpaILeWUV0S-xL7BhImQszPod0jkw_RkHJbaMN32SBvEFXv3DnvmdNHvYbwBbN6SLow9LtB_5s/s320/IMG_2870.JPG" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Job: selling watermelon and freshly pressed olive oil by the side of the road in Greece</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Name: Santos </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Age: 85 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I love watermelon and can't get enough of it in the summer especially while trying to survive the scorching heat of Greece in the summer. We stopped, had some water, ate some watermelon and had a chat with Santos for a little while. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">He spoke perfect Italian as he went to school in Greece when it was under Italian rule. He remembered the change over to Greek power and was a great person to speak to about the history of the region and politics at the time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">He's a lovely man that told us about all of his grandchildren and his life growing up in the beautiful hills that surrounded his truck - he came here each day to sell the olive oil that was produced by his family nearby and was happily listening to the radio when we arrived. He said he meets people from all around the world each day that stop to take photos of the vista and to eat his watermelon. It's always nice to meet locals and hear their life stories, he had a blessed life and was a very cheeky, happy and enthusiastic man. After purchasing some olive oil and grapes he washed them for us and even added a few extra sweet sesame seed goodies in our bag. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Kindness, a smile and great olive oil - lovely things that remind us about our travels in Greece now that the nights are getting shorter and darker and colder. I hope any of you that travel around the island of Rhodes see Santos on your next trip. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-XuDpJWTbmDM0KY727J-vKd2_sIXTQ5eRnPYo2ecebsZHZpqvCiDr4A6Xbk8gAXPd8jnf-EzGoCE4n0QJHhagks7FMnNI_mHiQ4aafeJsDQw4GbW2VMSWYM5IpMGtEt-m80OW/s1600/IMG_2866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-XuDpJWTbmDM0KY727J-vKd2_sIXTQ5eRnPYo2ecebsZHZpqvCiDr4A6Xbk8gAXPd8jnf-EzGoCE4n0QJHhagks7FMnNI_mHiQ4aafeJsDQw4GbW2VMSWYM5IpMGtEt-m80OW/s320/IMG_2866.JPG" /></a></div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-9326071035274072232010-10-26T15:31:00.003+01:002010-10-31T19:14:25.988+00:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> What pudding would you make for George Clooney? <i>Win, win, win</i></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQJbv1SRLs40EZ0nUQszPQl7qU_vQ8JxTvfhpysoJk7PvmkQfoZrJbN9AnTNBkN-Wjig8D3IilHAtCXibTFwMevF3NGqKM-Fu-pdaDFCE6KEVkfUD36CkMjiTyqrdEYGf9zTX/s1600/261109_GWLIVE2010-575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQJbv1SRLs40EZ0nUQszPQl7qU_vQ8JxTvfhpysoJk7PvmkQfoZrJbN9AnTNBkN-Wjig8D3IilHAtCXibTFwMevF3NGqKM-Fu-pdaDFCE6KEVkfUD36CkMjiTyqrdEYGf9zTX/s320/261109_GWLIVE2010-575.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The lovely foodies at the BBC have given me some tickets to give out to you lovely blob readers – there are two events – one in Birmingham at the gigantic NEC and one in London at Olympia – the London one consists of MasterChef Live & Wine Show which I will be attending. If you are going or win the tickets we can have a taste of some red vino together.</span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bring comfy shoes and some cash as am sure you will be tempted to buy some food and drink and for all of you very organised Christmas shoppers you may even tick things off your list. My only advice is to wear light clothing as you are usually hot and exhausted by the end of walking down just one aisle –and come on an empty stomach!</span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some great chefs will be there including James Martin at both, while Gordon Ramsay and Rachel Allen will be at the Birmingham show (why are there not more top female chefs?? That’s another blog post) Details are: </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">• The Wine Show & MasterChef Live at Olympia, London - 14 Nov </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">• BBC Good Food Show Winter, NEC Birmingham - 28 Nov </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How to win?? Send me your reply to this question:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">• If the gorgeous and sexy George Clooney were coming to dinner next Friday what would you bake him for pudding/desert?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The most creative responses win two tickets for the Sunday sessions! Just tell me if you prefer London or Birmingham. Email answers to: allthingsdolce @ gmail.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VGXQUXZ2yCrZnrAs6M7wZF_b-F7Kwe5wvd_CorffgCtnfw0vu-ApJDeMp0f7eZYicrnHjziaJE_1ThEkDgM_1xDRSjs6GRjBWwGN2qvOlBbmBuOELYvXgLij6-yiRLnV6Qqn/s1600/James+Martin3+667x1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VGXQUXZ2yCrZnrAs6M7wZF_b-F7Kwe5wvd_CorffgCtnfw0vu-ApJDeMp0f7eZYicrnHjziaJE_1ThEkDgM_1xDRSjs6GRjBWwGN2qvOlBbmBuOELYvXgLij6-yiRLnV6Qqn/s320/James+Martin3+667x1000.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be creative foodies!</span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">x </span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Cute James Martin cooking with croutons (?)</span>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-18227272717796051122010-10-25T16:18:00.001+01:002010-10-26T21:32:59.219+01:00<b> Mandorle</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVm4oETEEl3jCZfMQQfJGY6ADYE79vTojZuNQoFD8H5XTNukHiDuLwtW4BCr5hh_OhzhF4Kf6KqGKDJYHll4UYxpx8BADSwVprS6fSu8lrAg7YqCFFJdkYsWzx-tD0cMkn8Uby/s1600/almond-info0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVm4oETEEl3jCZfMQQfJGY6ADYE79vTojZuNQoFD8H5XTNukHiDuLwtW4BCr5hh_OhzhF4Kf6KqGKDJYHll4UYxpx8BADSwVprS6fSu8lrAg7YqCFFJdkYsWzx-tD0cMkn8Uby/s1600/almond-info0.gif" /></a>The lovely almond is found around all over the island of Sicily. Several years ago on my first trip to Sicily, when my uncle peeled the little, green, fuzzy pod and took out the small, white contents, I didn't know what it was. After chewing the soft nut ( it only gets hard when it is dried to be sold) with its fresh and light taste, an almost muted apple one -he told my sis and I that it was an almond! Strange how you never connect what a food item looks like at source or how it grows. On my last trip there I saw a walnut tree which again I was shocked to see as I had no clue how those little round wrinkly forehead-like nuts grew either. </div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In Sicily, almond trees blossom in February and are usually harvested in July. The island's almonds are used in confections, sweet liqueur and even almond-flavored wines - which are thought to be an aphrodisiac. At weddings when I was younger, there would be chocolate and sugar coated almonds in a bowl for guests to eat and with each thank you gift there were a few sugar coated almonds attached to it too. <br />
<br />
These 'confetti' were for good luck and apparently with a little bit of research I found out that it stems from an ancient tradition in Sicily. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The throwing of the almonds at the bride (we didn't throw them at our brides- the priests didn't like that) symbolised a marriage by capture (I guess throwing the almonds were part of the tactics of capture?) Now we use paper confetti, which the priest also doesn't like, or some people are not using this tradition anymore. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
On our last journey to the sunny island, the almond was present every day in our food and the trees were always visible along our travels. After Jake excitedly plucked one open that he found on the ground, I ate it as we had not seen any ripe ones since the harvest had just passed. I had some initial reservations about eating it as it was quite dark in color but I quickily ignored it and popped it in my mouth - to my surprise it was rotten and tasted vile! I tried to spit out as much as possible, gracefully of course, and my mouth proceeded to sting for about an hour afterwards (!) I was hoping I wasn't going to have some reaction to the rotten almond like one does to eating the wrong wild mushroom. I survived to tell the tale of course and ate lots of fresh almond cookies to compensate! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
At the next Italian wedding I go to I hope they have some almond confetti.Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-83940675173433498332010-10-21T17:26:00.000+01:002010-10-21T17:26:37.930+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Winter-y hot chocolate nights are coming</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoa66NyzZbov2sLSO-OK6WKt_X1_AXxwCBQ0XVgj1aQ3EhrmcCOSCE9n1GY2qnFjo-NIDXqE17XRY7uMO1FQxajWvBwM0iJaJXrsCTLH4mTR3ikQlvO_TAbB1VHiDt8MWqluWr/s1600/aero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoa66NyzZbov2sLSO-OK6WKt_X1_AXxwCBQ0XVgj1aQ3EhrmcCOSCE9n1GY2qnFjo-NIDXqE17XRY7uMO1FQxajWvBwM0iJaJXrsCTLH4mTR3ikQlvO_TAbB1VHiDt8MWqluWr/s320/aero.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Helv; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Helv; font-size: x-small;"><br />
Tried Nestle's Aero hot chocolate today from a package. I liked it and it doesn't taste like the crappy hot chocolate you get from a machine. Made with water it gave me the 4pm chocolate hit I needed today. I always remember burning my tongue as a child when we would have tiny white Styrofoam cups of it after skating sessions. I never did think it warmed me up, the only thing that did was getting into the car and getting home! Today is a nippy day in Londontown, frost on some cars this morning - old man winter is coming! </span></span>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-58507185219086209442010-10-20T17:06:00.000+01:002010-10-20T17:06:03.836+01:00<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thankful</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQtNZaJl-4WuQhUeA2epejWShHuNer1VT4um5OySeRhiWIGN-9sHbzKV04fxCUlnEpY0FZ6RbN6WUcQmqAAFChDw2Sw63XEeff3Cu8In_aDcKyQIpik-eK8Q3XpSVxX4WkhFl/s1600/chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQtNZaJl-4WuQhUeA2epejWShHuNer1VT4um5OySeRhiWIGN-9sHbzKV04fxCUlnEpY0FZ6RbN6WUcQmqAAFChDw2Sw63XEeff3Cu8In_aDcKyQIpik-eK8Q3XpSVxX4WkhFl/s320/chicken.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I missed Canadian Thanksgiving due to travels but I am hoping to still secure an invite to an American one. Considering I don't know any Americans in London I may just have to re-create a Thanksgiving dinner on any random day – like an un-birthday (does anyone remember that from Alice & Wonderland?!). I miss my annual Thanksgiving dinner as it is a time when I gather some of my great friends for a sit down meal and before the start of it we do the cheesy thing that my family always does and say what we are thankful for. I think this year we should hold hands while doing it too; mostly people’s statements are general ones relating to family, friends, health and happiness and sometimes it is something specific - some years there have even been tears. Once the sappy sharing of love is over the big bird emerges, it's not always a turkey, but it is carved like it is. There usually is lots of wine for us to forget how cheesy we were at the star of the meal and everyone goes home like they were a stuffed turkey, which you are not to do anymore due to health and safety reasons (boring).</div><br />
<br />
I am now turning into Calogera Snr (my mother) who usually serves a 'turkette' (a fat chicken), this was always disappointing as children since the other kids at school always boasted about their big turkeys and came to school with dry turkey sandwiches for the whole week after the holiday, but since my parents were a bit foreign to the whole Thanksgiving thing, they served chicken and told us it was turkey! <br />
<br />
Our turkette was served with lasagna and Italian wedding soup and a whole host of other things that were traditionally Canadian thanksgiving-y but we didn't care. The pumpkin pie would always be bought, sliced up for everyone to eat, but the plates would all return to the kitchen un-eaten except for my sister who bizarrely is the only one that acquired a taste for it. The rest of us ate something like my mother's amaaazing tiramisu. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My travels this year have been weird, wonderful and always full of sunshine, love and laughter, the one thing that all of them did was remind me how lucky I am and to this I am very thankful. I have been blessed with love, luck and happiness coming from some of the greatest friends and family around the globe. Thanks to my favourite sisters in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, London and my real sister in Toronto for being part of the reason for this sappy post. Ok enough sap! Smell ya later readers! Off to make friends with an American to snag an invite to eat some real turkey – I’ll bring the tiramisu! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGduGm0uk8-5hnpzOxEmR_8g43YIrO_hTIFO8TdN13ODZM2ln00EIm9fgEy3uU49DNanKtRAeO8Bo_JKM5ix7v43ykKtA27Owa6RxVhN1tQjcLCT-SIiFQprEERvoTeP3zkXsP/s1600/4c0341-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGduGm0uk8-5hnpzOxEmR_8g43YIrO_hTIFO8TdN13ODZM2ln00EIm9fgEy3uU49DNanKtRAeO8Bo_JKM5ix7v43ykKtA27Owa6RxVhN1tQjcLCT-SIiFQprEERvoTeP3zkXsP/s320/4c0341-002.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-85568959673351496542010-10-04T09:58:00.000+01:002010-10-04T09:58:05.450+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFyd472_0TNj4-gePh8uZf4E3W8VpGFxsS-3oY97q1jVc92Y9XY58XYazPyA7T3w8ydaogmVtsnVMLnveDzCWHNCfG_B6fW9oenVEDDsnhIbaJAeKIt4lYIEJKVORA_8Uqkkp/s1600/coconut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">I heart Asia</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Asia is such a magical place with weird and wonderful sights, sounds and smells at every corner. Every day, the goal was to have a fresh coconut water which revitalizes and hydrates the system and comes with a long list of health benefits <i>(apparently Madonna is a now a big fan and has bought shares in a coconut plantation).</i> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But for us we just LOVE the fresh, cool, crisp taste and needed to have at least one freshly cracked open for us a day, if not two! The picture below shows one of our yummy coconuts - a heart shape was created when it was hacked open.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFyd472_0TNj4-gePh8uZf4E3W8VpGFxsS-3oY97q1jVc92Y9XY58XYazPyA7T3w8ydaogmVtsnVMLnveDzCWHNCfG_B6fW9oenVEDDsnhIbaJAeKIt4lYIEJKVORA_8Uqkkp/s1600/coconut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFyd472_0TNj4-gePh8uZf4E3W8VpGFxsS-3oY97q1jVc92Y9XY58XYazPyA7T3w8ydaogmVtsnVMLnveDzCWHNCfG_B6fW9oenVEDDsnhIbaJAeKIt4lYIEJKVORA_8Uqkkp/s320/coconut.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In Singapore you can get the best street food for under five Singapore dollars or eat at a Michelin starred restaurant for $500 on the same street. Trying out the street food at local hawker markets is an experience, they are hustling and bustling places with Indian, Malay, Thai and Chinese foods all being sliced and diced and served up under one roof. There are stalls for every type of food imaginable and even some interesting market traders selling delicacies that we were curious about but never seemed to get around to trying - next time! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI-7efwfL_gXia0Bj2rE_6egOpuaW0lg9vsMBkNu9kB7PiCeKSQN1g5OG3lxddu03lP6QmhFF5M3JKDM7MbW8kdZbOU85Cm744RUTfZ3o_xHbZA-BVTwQFdmcyen6CTooPZkO/s1600/PIGS+ORGANS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI-7efwfL_gXia0Bj2rE_6egOpuaW0lg9vsMBkNu9kB7PiCeKSQN1g5OG3lxddu03lP6QmhFF5M3JKDM7MbW8kdZbOU85Cm744RUTfZ3o_xHbZA-BVTwQFdmcyen6CTooPZkO/s320/PIGS+ORGANS.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> We took a pass on the pig's organs this time.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKrwKYZnZYZ6JdT24cwQdDXylbKtmE0RpYXg1aGDCVrpnKv3urIbyRIg3rp_69dbK-chlx9NDiBHZ7ULBUY-uPEDHDyRSODM2ejdGslvqtM3jbRnzBBfTUvuA3mX72bqUdY0S/s1600/Thunder+Tea+Rice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKrwKYZnZYZ6JdT24cwQdDXylbKtmE0RpYXg1aGDCVrpnKv3urIbyRIg3rp_69dbK-chlx9NDiBHZ7ULBUY-uPEDHDyRSODM2ejdGslvqtM3jbRnzBBfTUvuA3mX72bqUdY0S/s320/Thunder+Tea+Rice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The above is from an award winning Hawker stall called Thunder Tea rice - the dish is made with green tea and packed with extremely healthy ingredients like fish, beans, basil leaves, green tea leaves, mint leaves, parsley, coriander leaves, okra, cabbage, tofu, long beans, and spinach. It is amazingly yummy and you can feel the goodness go into you while you are eating it. <br />
<br />
Check it out if you are in Singapore any time soon. There are 3 locations.<br />
<br />
<i><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Thunder Tea Rice</strong><br />
China Square Food Centre<br />
51 Telok Ayer St.<br />
#01-31<br />
<br />
Amoy St. Food Centre,<br />
7 Maxwell Road<br />
#-01-11<br />
<br />
Food Republic @ Vivo City<br />
No. 1 Harbour Front Walk<br />
#03-01 </i>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-4111547546420606592010-08-26T11:57:00.000+01:002010-08-26T11:57:57.314+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVlzW6akhh3Pze2jd_bxzIqADlFY2CHk5iaui29CfMi54tuUM6VoYZ0O1BWkgIzxoUAeNf7zb2fP9fwrrO5NvkST8DOiLFHLDoi9Qw-vSeCqOT35tR4QzhtVhU73kFDjTir7J/s1600/IMG_2743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Taking indoor bars outdoors</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVlzW6akhh3Pze2jd_bxzIqADlFY2CHk5iaui29CfMi54tuUM6VoYZ0O1BWkgIzxoUAeNf7zb2fP9fwrrO5NvkST8DOiLFHLDoi9Qw-vSeCqOT35tR4QzhtVhU73kFDjTir7J/s320/IMG_2743.JPG" /></div>Trendy bar alert: <a href="http://www.rodosnightlife.com/en2/content/angel-club-old-town-rhodes-dj-figo-april-2009">ANGEL CLUB</a> - Rhodes, Greece. <br />
In the back streets of the old walled town of Rhodes, in an amazing setting with cobble stones below and the warm walls of the ancient buildings all around, the bar had 3 large chandeliers hanging outside, they looked like they were suspended from the sky!<br />
<br />
The music was also piped outside the bar which made it feel like an outdoor club in the middle of a few winding residential alleys. Unfortunately the night we visited it was very empty, maybe it was too early as the Greeks go dancing at 1am. Check it out as a place to have a late night after a day out in the hot, hot Greek sun.Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-68913261581916793252010-07-30T07:48:00.003+01:002010-07-30T07:48:00.783+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Garlic trick</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2evyAEgJK4P_we49rqst9fLN8DcWCtsqDGx7Icsqsg8yrzrK8nFJiEVM-M3CWvnI4v1FeduqV3etvln88JAp5G5nWQTHrAeSEH7KQah7WO5gGcWWYbM1Bh3dqKVi35asvQag/s1600/garlic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2evyAEgJK4P_we49rqst9fLN8DcWCtsqDGx7Icsqsg8yrzrK8nFJiEVM-M3CWvnI4v1FeduqV3etvln88JAp5G5nWQTHrAeSEH7KQah7WO5gGcWWYbM1Bh3dqKVi35asvQag/s320/garlic2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So you don't get stinky breath from eating your favourite garlic laden dish, take out the green bit that is inside the garlic. This piece is the one that makes you burp (eek!) and is the one that makes the lovely garlic smell linger. </div><br />
<br />
That is what a chef just told me - am going to try it out and see if it works! <br />
<br />
If you already know this then just act surprised when you read this post :)Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-69342166391355032952010-07-29T16:47:00.000+01:002010-07-29T16:47:33.321+01:00<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Spaghetti throwing contest?</strong> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBPGFU5bxCZT_ySE247e0pkezF80Jhxrmhm5OestxuRBI6ESCfBHE-H8LCpDhz38MiSUHi5PRtLiA47vFt5YGaHrTgiyO5bnoTLXt0MiR-vYC6-_DOXOuL7mqTD7IUNsUJ8RM/s1600/_MG_7210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBPGFU5bxCZT_ySE247e0pkezF80Jhxrmhm5OestxuRBI6ESCfBHE-H8LCpDhz38MiSUHi5PRtLiA47vFt5YGaHrTgiyO5bnoTLXt0MiR-vYC6-_DOXOuL7mqTD7IUNsUJ8RM/s320/_MG_7210.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">No, it is not a pasta explosion, like my several icing sugar explosions that my kitchen has witnessed. </div><br />
<br />
Here is a mini trick to see if your spaghetti is cooked – if it looks like it is getting to the point of being ‘al dente’ – grab a piece of spaghetti and throw it against the wall, if it sticks without immediately falling down or sliding down the wall then it is ready.Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-48709356493872606422010-07-23T12:06:00.000+01:002010-07-23T12:38:59.277+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>T for Tapas</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmII0va1MKKOiFyalOB65PPkEBdhKqmykoG2jU7q2zOqsYPWpEbjnVDakTtdb5jHxR3-wvXqDl2FLn6dWYvZPK_OAd8zjnnBAT3KeGv9nfPK7pfUycxoP25quxM-bM5XnaTgke/s1600/4817405673_1ede80554b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmII0va1MKKOiFyalOB65PPkEBdhKqmykoG2jU7q2zOqsYPWpEbjnVDakTtdb5jHxR3-wvXqDl2FLn6dWYvZPK_OAd8zjnnBAT3KeGv9nfPK7pfUycxoP25quxM-bM5XnaTgke/s320/4817405673_1ede80554b.jpg" /></a>The Tapas Revolution has started & two fresh faced Spanish chefs (Omar trained at the famous El Bulli in Espagna and Danny his quiet and sweet sidekick) are at the helm of it. With a big leg of jamon serrano (cured ham) in hand; they are making their way across the UK –in the shape of a big ‘T’ with only a motorbike and a few cooking utensils. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQXlVxJmtSedFerYEZ_UrbUjK2B7g4cKqqax1yY_V2kfT7cNOE4q8CJ9XH3c4ajO-KzSTfpyf3Cp-17gIQzvuQ4bHZwQWInZS8lZfpInJ25hVThwygEDm7WOoo8vQgScJgEeH/s1600/4817399263_83c7646cae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQXlVxJmtSedFerYEZ_UrbUjK2B7g4cKqqax1yY_V2kfT7cNOE4q8CJ9XH3c4ajO-KzSTfpyf3Cp-17gIQzvuQ4bHZwQWInZS8lZfpInJ25hVThwygEDm7WOoo8vQgScJgEeH/s320/4817399263_83c7646cae.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Chef Omar said that he is going to cook for anyone that crosses his path and with only the ingredients they have in their kitchen (err…that might be tough, as if he came to mine he’d only find a pineapple, popcorn kernels and cupcake supplies!). </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3O4oX_ok4ayozG7UWo8hOaKYkCcPC_tOQ5nNn7h94axPIUGisSjOE2R02PfAQeb7dTEw2hQgsO9yBtA5A4APZ6V3DOgpk3y4yPhMDFbY8IlRWZDtDaRQXkR3C08IYTknBnZf/s1600/4817404405_964a40e7bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3O4oX_ok4ayozG7UWo8hOaKYkCcPC_tOQ5nNn7h94axPIUGisSjOE2R02PfAQeb7dTEw2hQgsO9yBtA5A4APZ6V3DOgpk3y4yPhMDFbY8IlRWZDtDaRQXkR3C08IYTknBnZf/s320/4817404405_964a40e7bd.jpg" /></a>Before their grand departure for first stop, glamorous Liverpool, the charismatic chef and his sidekick invited a few peeps to a farewell dinner in Westbourne Grove at the lovely <a href="http://www.elpiratadetapas.co.uk/">El Pirata Detapas</a> for a send off. After this dinner I remembered how much I love Spanish food and how I don’t have it enough! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4jjJd4WQC8WPzgn7MdvN5kuL-2CxMNQA0iM0J_D_rH1B-vweOetJPCW_wRvm7df8bROYA1NCJW4SRrrSARqfk9h55gntI4leZwVefVPUeMtrPlYn3v_ywyJtYOYhu2q64n9q/s1600/4818022744_db11c3c6ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4jjJd4WQC8WPzgn7MdvN5kuL-2CxMNQA0iM0J_D_rH1B-vweOetJPCW_wRvm7df8bROYA1NCJW4SRrrSARqfk9h55gntI4leZwVefVPUeMtrPlYn3v_ywyJtYOYhu2q64n9q/s320/4818022744_db11c3c6ee.jpg" /></a>The menu consisted of the loveliest foods ever. First up was my favourite of the night - Ajo Bianco, a drink made with ground almonds, milk & garlic. Divine! Then there were piquillo peppers with the tastiest and softest baccala (salted cod) served on toasted bread – I think I hogged the whole platter of this; following that, there was a lovely salad with chick peas, orange, sultanas and veg served with a thick red pepper dressing –yum. And, yes there was more, a large rice dish was carried out that had a bit of fish, sausage, rabbit and other meats and treats inside –yum again. All served with sangria that was drunk too quickly on a hot evening and on an empty stomach; the Burger warned me that there was alcohol in there (you could only taste fruity goodness!) Well, with a light head and full belly we bid the energetic chefs off and skipped off home to meet the visiting Dutch and Czech visitors. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Have a watch of their videos and if you live along the ‘T’ in the UK – get out there and ask Omar to cook you a meal – you won’t regret it! <a href="http://www.tapasrevolution.com/">http://www.tapasrevolution.com/</a> <br />
<br />
And a big thanks to Niamh at <a href="http://eatlikeagirl.com/">Eat Like a Girl</a> for the wonderful photos! <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKzaNBDu6YKwf1rIUpf3EqLLjeA19MOWL4B3LBBCaHC-SOSDnJfAtB1TRW0FfIGp_8hvjrElGhB9zdVKu77AXDPSB8uspNP0k0z1VnZBztvfpzOXxda60mQ49uxz3Q6lYpo0m/s1600/4817398831_e61862487f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKzaNBDu6YKwf1rIUpf3EqLLjeA19MOWL4B3LBBCaHC-SOSDnJfAtB1TRW0FfIGp_8hvjrElGhB9zdVKu77AXDPSB8uspNP0k0z1VnZBztvfpzOXxda60mQ49uxz3Q6lYpo0m/s320/4817398831_e61862487f.jpg" /></a></div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-62857708187868217452010-07-22T16:38:00.000+01:002010-07-22T16:38:13.994+01:00<div class="mobile-photo">Today's snack 'o the day!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimluipvohjk3pxU1cgzCJYx_3qJIAYVH3-7pgcOG9rvz5ZKV9VwxWJQA6lqlyxHOaFvNe51LXs5MT4F9lbJOApyChQf8mRINqz8sEKhdonh4GPZMRsAKrzzEywMQNRa90Ia-5T/s1600/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FSU1HMDA5MTAtMjAxMDA3MjEtMTYyNC5qcGc=%3F=-796167" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496386026718761426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimluipvohjk3pxU1cgzCJYx_3qJIAYVH3-7pgcOG9rvz5ZKV9VwxWJQA6lqlyxHOaFvNe51LXs5MT4F9lbJOApyChQf8mRINqz8sEKhdonh4GPZMRsAKrzzEywMQNRa90Ia-5T/s320/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FSU1HMDA5MTAtMjAxMDA3MjEtMTYyNC5qcGc=%3F=-796167" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Am sure they are extremely unhealthy but they taste good and are a nice treat for an afternoon pick me up! I won't even try and look at the nutritional values of these little parcels. </div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-22721139804576848502010-07-21T16:35:00.004+01:002010-07-21T16:41:11.512+01:00Cooking for dummies<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXZrZaEDpGBtAFfRfC4cbZVSWSO62vUDmZyvA4bPyqU9QhWLHxHLR_ox8UzSWKEtxZAaS4ynj6mtj42MZfwUCu2LDCY1OzrTZwO7XTz8u32PTY7szgLOcH1qMBuJfQueD3rOG/s1600/242709m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXZrZaEDpGBtAFfRfC4cbZVSWSO62vUDmZyvA4bPyqU9QhWLHxHLR_ox8UzSWKEtxZAaS4ynj6mtj42MZfwUCu2LDCY1OzrTZwO7XTz8u32PTY7szgLOcH1qMBuJfQueD3rOG/s200/242709m.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At a certain lunchtime spot I have frequented a few times due to freelance work I undertake, I have on occasion tried the lunch in the staff canteen (cafeteria). Each time, I have looked at the yummy offerings, filled a plate at the lunch bar then eagerly got back to my desk to chow down to then be extremely disappointed. The salad bar wasn’t cheap either and each time I paid for an overly salted, terrible meal – I swore to never go again! This has gone on for a while, so it was boycotted altogether and the predictable Prêt or Eat sandwich was then consumed in greater quantities. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I am not sure when the ball dropped but someone must’ve complained to the canteen manager (not me!) and the food has had a major overhaul since – people around me started saying mmm...and yum and the salad bar became popular again. There are now wonderful salads made with mushrooms and tofu, spinach and feta cheese salads with lentil, cold meat offerings, pasta salads, thai noodle salads and lots of freshly cut veggies that you can load onto your plate. It is almost unrecognisable as the same place that I had salt overdoses from. So, what was the secret to the food quality overhaul? </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Simple cooking lessons!! A few simple cooking lessons were given to the staff. How to toast croutons with day old bread, how to make light, fresh simple salads that are filling and healthy (rice and lentils are cheap) how to taste what you make – so it is not like licking a salt shaker anymore but it is yummy and delicious. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">SO for those of you who say you can’t cook – here’s proof that it can all be turned around with a few short simple lessons by an expert, or just pick up a Cooking for Dummies book, ask your mum (if she is a good cook) or just try(!) recipes that aren’t hard to follow, or even watch a YouTube video on how to make a stir-fry - it isn't that hard. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Good luck to the cooking challenged! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">x</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-1991208856963087772010-07-01T17:19:00.000+01:002010-07-15T17:19:33.030+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Taste of London</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia49ytjLNIsGl9Z3X5HgiXstq1MCWICY6V2C-Yvtq01E7LpsH2hyphenhyphen5Yyf8mWFG3sp4coyc9DMc21YTsKVm4PabptgXChjroE5y53cIspNJJP5LE7erj-nEilyNK4Fe9W5QS8HTu/s1600/June+2010+329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia49ytjLNIsGl9Z3X5HgiXstq1MCWICY6V2C-Yvtq01E7LpsH2hyphenhyphen5Yyf8mWFG3sp4coyc9DMc21YTsKVm4PabptgXChjroE5y53cIspNJJP5LE7erj-nEilyNK4Fe9W5QS8HTu/s320/June+2010+329.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFhr9OYLqKvtLID2_oELfQ1e6tBOtvMeigL243RN76IQiWPvaFYA20na-AslfLl8aT-uzV_qL0Yo538940zn3CGMS6x65KdxE0EQqC8hMbGJeTDM-fpnOWyMfeIJdUIJ9UjnV/s1600/June+2010+338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFhr9OYLqKvtLID2_oELfQ1e6tBOtvMeigL243RN76IQiWPvaFYA20na-AslfLl8aT-uzV_qL0Yo538940zn3CGMS6x65KdxE0EQqC8hMbGJeTDM-fpnOWyMfeIJdUIJ9UjnV/s320/June+2010+338.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqummUDyEQJQ5dCUNkr8edm-eHxG0avba4DWMtSyNUb_U7vFl8kuoX8wejh7yPu0vmva4W4iZ0zweOeQkqDRklKiEK2XcgvRnmdvd2huFMW_vwOVB3nx9iimOYSy6ZF6SFk1XA/s1600/June+2010+334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqummUDyEQJQ5dCUNkr8edm-eHxG0avba4DWMtSyNUb_U7vFl8kuoX8wejh7yPu0vmva4W4iZ0zweOeQkqDRklKiEK2XcgvRnmdvd2huFMW_vwOVB3nx9iimOYSy6ZF6SFk1XA/s320/June+2010+334.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQZhOR8cyk4QBBEMQqpkYTlTcox7LsuEdirDBdBmVOjgdfPyWjN2s1bMNNqnldxbkYlnqI05jOfL5jn9t_vr50FtgSrKSDiwG2DlSdGdMOdOemPmAf6YLXhZLgvgm_79DwXIp/s1600/June+2010+332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQZhOR8cyk4QBBEMQqpkYTlTcox7LsuEdirDBdBmVOjgdfPyWjN2s1bMNNqnldxbkYlnqI05jOfL5jn9t_vr50FtgSrKSDiwG2DlSdGdMOdOemPmAf6YLXhZLgvgm_79DwXIp/s320/June+2010+332.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6svY-DHxzry0jemm3VEyA_8EU52ufKolSu4l6fRF7GspUISYBUzX_DMB_HQ8VRBslFpNqGZlLBca88kWsS2OhTCi3wo9Z0oLqlJ8JTr38VBEuMA8aUZMVmvjMG1lTtm7L5EYS/s1600/June+2010+330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6svY-DHxzry0jemm3VEyA_8EU52ufKolSu4l6fRF7GspUISYBUzX_DMB_HQ8VRBslFpNqGZlLBca88kWsS2OhTCi3wo9Z0oLqlJ8JTr38VBEuMA8aUZMVmvjMG1lTtm7L5EYS/s320/June+2010+330.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSATrW6cu68pXYyZHlNcaqlI7Fdb8rZMDf6RmtdHIL7IgsHnVpXgxSb_vqj5loFWle7pExUGKXBAAwTbYIM5XGEvaFEcH45p0geSHRQAypK7X8_EMaiFp383_5o0kgCejcVG2h/s1600/June+2010+322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSATrW6cu68pXYyZHlNcaqlI7Fdb8rZMDf6RmtdHIL7IgsHnVpXgxSb_vqj5loFWle7pExUGKXBAAwTbYIM5XGEvaFEcH45p0geSHRQAypK7X8_EMaiFp383_5o0kgCejcVG2h/s320/June+2010+322.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's been busy in the kitchen but here are a few pics of the wonderful Taste of London food festival that I recently went to. I saw Heston Blumenthal speak, tasted the wares of some of the city's great chefs, ate some fresh New Zealand apples, tasted some lovely organic sparkling wine, won an evening of even mmore yummy tastings and wine at Whole Foods (next week!) and generally filled my tummy with lovely baked, broiled, boiled, salted and cured meats, sweets and treats. What a delightful festival! A must attend for any foodie. </div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-22280683381814337562010-06-24T07:36:00.003+01:002010-06-24T12:38:16.039+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sweet evening with Canderel</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZe1ONIi1LxxLK8L64smX-DrjAJz3ygSIMakCHt9qj1Qih3QdLWQfmljzwNNegsdQeqngI2Eg_1T8LGA21vf5KRajvAHAPoB0gIDjMN9oRZQJRv3sfUXUsi9yiefjhHQXKjbLz/s1600/June+2010+319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZe1ONIi1LxxLK8L64smX-DrjAJz3ygSIMakCHt9qj1Qih3QdLWQfmljzwNNegsdQeqngI2Eg_1T8LGA21vf5KRajvAHAPoB0gIDjMN9oRZQJRv3sfUXUsi9yiefjhHQXKjbLz/s320/June+2010+319.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The lovely ladies from Canderel invited me to an afternoon tea party to test out some recipes and after being stuck in London traffic for one hour - to go a distance of 4 miles, I finally made it to their lovely and peaceful kitchen! When I finally made it I was treated to lovely cocktails, amazing olives and a mini cooking lesson with Canderel. For those of you that enjoy sweetners instead of sugar (less calories for those of you watching your weight), Canderel has some great recipes that you can make (that are very easy!) I missed the walnut bread making but made it for the brownies, mini strawberry trifle pot, (easy & yummy) and the chicken tagine (divine). </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWU7kCGS-xYb3DlQt5Md7pD6pqWgfvglDYwfX3Ewh2677ltMLN60JE2b0EYhvYRrCBne1ZGR8KrSCr8YXbq6VwK04xxF8Ie4Pu4i-DvbGEi16fm9Wca3c4Nhm_E9wJ8nx37b6/s1600/June+2010+308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWU7kCGS-xYb3DlQt5Md7pD6pqWgfvglDYwfX3Ewh2677ltMLN60JE2b0EYhvYRrCBne1ZGR8KrSCr8YXbq6VwK04xxF8Ie4Pu4i-DvbGEi16fm9Wca3c4Nhm_E9wJ8nx37b6/s320/June+2010+308.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div>Below is the recipe for the uber delicious walnut bread. I think I am just big fan of bread and anything with added nuts or seeds is always a healthy bonus. Thanks to the Canderel peeps for such a lovely evening and <a href="http://www.canderel.co.uk/">check out their site</a> for more recipes and vids. Bake away!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div></div>Walnut Bread (Serves: 8)<br />
Prep time: 10 minutes<br />
Cooking time: 40-45 minutes at 180C or Gas Mark 4<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<ul><li> 8 tablespoons Canderel</li>
<li>225g plain flour</li>
<li>1½ tsp baking powder</li>
<li>½ tsp bicarbonate soda </li>
<li>Pinch salt</li>
<li>50g half fat sunflower margarine</li>
<li>1 large egg</li>
<li>Grated zest from 1 medium orange</li>
<li>150ml fresh orange juice (use the juice from orange in this recipe and compote recipe)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">100g roughly chopped walnuts</li>
<li>4 tbsp skimmed milk</li>
</ul>Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line with non-stick parchment paper or pre-formed liner.<br />
Put the Canderel, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl and stir together.<br />
Beat the butter and egg with orange zest until creamy (the mixture will look curdled, this is OK). Add the orange juice and stir well. Add the dry ingredients and walnuts then mix until just combined. Add the milk to give a soft consistency. Spoon into the tin and bake in pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a rack to cool completely.<br />
<br />
Enjoy with jam or butter! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXUEinKplxxSvsmlJb3OGI6JHkO8YLlztacCg189azFQZx4aZEd0E7Ab5lMqmYF9SxfJCtUEK-rdrAKL1dYP0Luu3qAZMmNmv2-D8C2qEOW6yFolFZpST1Vj6oZnxGteQvb5p/s1600/June+2010+315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXUEinKplxxSvsmlJb3OGI6JHkO8YLlztacCg189azFQZx4aZEd0E7Ab5lMqmYF9SxfJCtUEK-rdrAKL1dYP0Luu3qAZMmNmv2-D8C2qEOW6yFolFZpST1Vj6oZnxGteQvb5p/s320/June+2010+315.jpg" /></a></div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-38500552101709662922010-06-23T11:54:00.002+01:002010-06-23T14:46:03.315+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's Brownie Month!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU66YgMC74ZuVlc2NbRh0KUYZnKK8Et1Yczxw_GTUmOUTto7CH2LdtHllERTahXlJ3dWs7ilRGjfmRmtmxmtbHEseQW_5RmFYpeVloB2kZzPLKYZea6VMYC3Y4mn8H4Ro23HJF/s1600/jun+22+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU66YgMC74ZuVlc2NbRh0KUYZnKK8Et1Yczxw_GTUmOUTto7CH2LdtHllERTahXlJ3dWs7ilRGjfmRmtmxmtbHEseQW_5RmFYpeVloB2kZzPLKYZea6VMYC3Y4mn8H4Ro23HJF/s320/jun+22+025.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And we have been busy working with lots of lovely chocolate in our kitchens! The lovely peeps at Hackett were treated to some of our brownies last week and more lucky recipients are getting deliveries -maybe you are on our list?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6_GQ1yY7fSNPOO3iqKy4gCXNXUCJfdaN-sSFSyOKsjTzGYNqiMBjRXiyeXUDvDxVmWO8l4llFaSSoBrTfDxlfOu-CQeEC-U9GyH5H2EIW6rLGCX-dKGQE3b339Eq8DwMmDrK/s1600/jun+22+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6_GQ1yY7fSNPOO3iqKy4gCXNXUCJfdaN-sSFSyOKsjTzGYNqiMBjRXiyeXUDvDxVmWO8l4llFaSSoBrTfDxlfOu-CQeEC-U9GyH5H2EIW6rLGCX-dKGQE3b339Eq8DwMmDrK/s320/jun+22+006.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDRNqOJ7VlBmHXWzJBChIi9Uzvt1ZtUrcQ0cdtrixZVAqXk5Qww3vPQA0igyrw8BdOgtrsYXAQhW8JppEl2jZs87ksxxOsiwqJJJnKNMcTlXxBT2i1RKyUic1HMnTszTlykSx/s1600/jun+22+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDRNqOJ7VlBmHXWzJBChIi9Uzvt1ZtUrcQ0cdtrixZVAqXk5Qww3vPQA0igyrw8BdOgtrsYXAQhW8JppEl2jZs87ksxxOsiwqJJJnKNMcTlXxBT2i1RKyUic1HMnTszTlykSx/s320/jun+22+030.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhAg76RPHT_V_2-KgZ0EVdlCebr6gwhiMACAFxgmpPzTrX54z7-oE0oSC0dXpEG0TReKgpusy3mYPL0HmpDxgsRnomf3BsVqXuuxtPnFVljrO7DqTh-uE_s08NaFVW22_fbHW/s1600/jun+22+038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhAg76RPHT_V_2-KgZ0EVdlCebr6gwhiMACAFxgmpPzTrX54z7-oE0oSC0dXpEG0TReKgpusy3mYPL0HmpDxgsRnomf3BsVqXuuxtPnFVljrO7DqTh-uE_s08NaFVW22_fbHW/s320/jun+22+038.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hGUPMOG-PjbQXU7EgLF_FV-Q8VQ3iuSaH-i44CQ7GSCggrw-DUJgvNnGBtsHqg4aGkifN3wxT-8JEeLca3O3Gj3fXjx8zZoLlA5B6oZRbmr5L94R-Ks879b7ig3fWcBkl5W4/s1600/jun+22+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hGUPMOG-PjbQXU7EgLF_FV-Q8VQ3iuSaH-i44CQ7GSCggrw-DUJgvNnGBtsHqg4aGkifN3wxT-8JEeLca3O3Gj3fXjx8zZoLlA5B6oZRbmr5L94R-Ks879b7ig3fWcBkl5W4/s320/jun+22+040.jpg" /></a></div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-28723154441503099402010-06-17T18:11:00.004+01:002010-06-18T15:03:50.359+01:00My next stop - Tom's Terrace<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLiwb-532ToUeLzHvdcUOHz3htO9o9nZRsjtrmcjoTRj8utUSSEicpSjqnBuj-koP4EB21SbmH7GlvU8btBne8C_Rn_w8he4mbxxlw-UhX6myp2mMplE37UeTO8YBhd3q6w9-/s1600/tom.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLiwb-532ToUeLzHvdcUOHz3htO9o9nZRsjtrmcjoTRj8utUSSEicpSjqnBuj-koP4EB21SbmH7GlvU8btBne8C_Rn_w8he4mbxxlw-UhX6myp2mMplE37UeTO8YBhd3q6w9-/s320/tom.bmp" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I personally think Tom Aikens is quite cute and have been to his restaurants and always had a great time, my ex-boyfriend even had to stop me from staring at the cute chef in action (he was reading his boring Sunday newspaper so I had to entertain myself, non?) </div><br />
Somerset House is one of my favourite spots in London with the lovely water fountains and fab architectural beauty that surrounds it so how fitting to haev a great and cool patio restaurant with Tom at the helm. I walked by it the other day and was definitely impressed, the pics on the Somerset House website don't do it jsutice but check out <a href="http://mathildescuisine.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/the-summer-shines-at-toms-terrace/">Mathilde Cuisine's</a> blog for her review and some great pics! And check out my review that will be posted soon as when it finally gets warmer I would love to sit on the patio and enjoy some delights from Hottie Tom and co. The maitre'd said that they close, <em>'well whenever, depending on the evening and the weather'</em> my kinda place indeed.Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-78301152185924410822010-06-07T07:54:00.000+01:002010-06-07T09:35:37.639+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Shop shelf latte</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRur3nB6L84JK2fqGgBnloumuAVllfUQapbqUv3WuyluDHqNS6PGgb5U5VNtsndJQzG-oJjTUFYGI8qNpPgW55uPBuwgh0nEBMJTqzM1TDiA172O64Svf-K2cz9M1p0DYzuCbK/s1600/starbucks+discovery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRur3nB6L84JK2fqGgBnloumuAVllfUQapbqUv3WuyluDHqNS6PGgb5U5VNtsndJQzG-oJjTUFYGI8qNpPgW55uPBuwgh0nEBMJTqzM1TDiA172O64Svf-K2cz9M1p0DYzuCbK/s320/starbucks+discovery.jpg" /></a></div>I got one of these cold Starbucks lattes from Sainsbury’s and once again my attention to detail failed me. As I ripped off the lid, peeled off the foil and unpeeled the straw, I realised that at the end of the straw there was a sharp end meant for poking through the lid and the foil. Oh well, it just wobbled a little in its nice packaging until it was fully consumed. I was curious to taste this and compare it to the real thing you get in store and also to the famous Canadian Iced Capp from Tim Hortons. It was very nice indeed and has just the right amount of sugar. I think they need to create a soya version of this or a lactose free version (maybe they should team up with Lactofree!) but it was a nice treat on a sunny afternoon! <br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks Starbucks for being there for those important times in life when a little pick me up via caffeine is needed. I had to share the rest with my favourite bear James but he was happy to sip up the rest; another problem is that my eyes are always bigger than my stomach!Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25741957.post-14317427181297844472010-06-04T15:03:00.000+01:002010-06-04T15:03:21.012+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oranges, olive oil and black pepper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVurCI6NjlFv_FBfEvhJ5-1dZEKZN2IkysAN4Wu3pSISAngJJOWtlXkPSmkhLlYXDd5mbodeINJsiaRmUXeWQmsbRZltK_2_t5fLfiXkPn0zWxUvzIU7-7di2E2jTE2QVt6CD/s1600/_MG_7383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVurCI6NjlFv_FBfEvhJ5-1dZEKZN2IkysAN4Wu3pSISAngJJOWtlXkPSmkhLlYXDd5mbodeINJsiaRmUXeWQmsbRZltK_2_t5fLfiXkPn0zWxUvzIU7-7di2E2jTE2QVt6CD/s320/_MG_7383.JPG" /></a><br />
This may sound like an odd combination but it is a Sicilian favourite! I can recall my grandfather eating this in his garden on sunny summer afternoons. He always had a little paring knife he would use to carve at fruits and vegetables he would pluck from his garden. The sun is shining in Londontown and everyone is outside enjoying picnics in the park, pints on the patio and eating lots of lovely fruits and ice creams. I have had this little combo a few times with some lovely oranges from Spain. Long live summer….</div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Try it yourself, you will be surprised. Happy Weekend x</div>Dolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09792203020011850146noreply@blogger.com1