Q. When is it ok to stand on a table?A. When you are this cute!

Ok, back to Brazil nuts - Rexi is always right -they are very good for you - although a little high on the fat content.

• They are an excellent source of Selenium and a good source of Magnesium and Thiamine.
• The Brazil nut is a actually a seed.
  
• The Brazil nut is popular with the health & beauty industries, since its high selenium content (about 2,500 times the amount found in other nuts)
  
• It is a powerful antioxidant which has been found to slow the aging process, stimulate the immune system and protect against heart disease and certain forms of cancer.
  
• Brazil nut oil is frequently found in shampoos, conditioners, soaps and skin lotions.
• Like all nuts, Brazil nuts are an excellent source of protein and fiber, and are a popular source of nutrition and minerals with vegetarians.
  
• Brazil nuts are high in minerals including zinc and magnesium, and contain useful amounts of phosphorous, copper and iron.

Nutritional Information for Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts (un-blanched), 6-8 kernels (1 oz. [28g])
Calories: 186
Protein: 4.0g
Carbohydrate: 3.6g
Total Fat: 18.8g
Fibre: 1.5g
*Excellent source of: Selenium (839mcg)
*Good source of: Magnesium (63.8mg), and Thiamine (0.28mg)

Source: from the interweb!Pics from Rob's Prosecco birthday party.

Brazil nutsApparently 2 Brazil nuts a day keep the doctor away - according to Ms Annie Rexi. Need to Google it to see if this is true.

Jagabee



I am not sure what these contain but they are divine! It is like having McDonalds french fries in a can. They are probably really fattening but all the writing is in Japanese so will pretend the numbers 19g and 17g have something to do with the weight instead of having to do with fat content.

They were given to me by my Japanese sisters delivered by Momma Dolce last week. Arigato - is that how you say thank you?!

x

Too Sweet!The note that came with my candy package from my nephew - why can't kids stay this age forever? I love this note.

I shared the Sweet Tarts PM sent me with my work colleagues (they liked them, I didn't) and ate the package of Jawbreakers so it was quite a 'sweet' gift after all.


From Wiki:
SweeTarts are sweet and sour candies invented by J. Fish Smith, the owner of Sunline. The tablets were created using the same basic recipe as the already popular Pixy Stix and Lik-M-Aid products, in response to parents' requests for a less-messy candy. In 1963, SweeTarts were introduced with the same flavors as the popular Pixy Stix: cherry, grape, lemon, lime, and orange.

The Sunline company was later bought by Rowntree Mackintosh, of the United Kingdom, which was, in turn, taken over by Nestlé. Nestlé rolled the SweeTarts family of candies into the already-existing Willy Wonka Candy Company family of brands.

The current flavors in the SweeTarts roll are: tropical punch (blue), cherry (pink), grape (purple), green apple (green), lemon (yellow), and orange (orange). In 2001, Nestlé chose to replace the original lime with green apple. Also, the flavors are more tart now than in the past.

An old favourite


Dedicated to Pat & Bergy!

Enjoy the sunny weekend.

A gift for a celeb who has it all - an edible mansion

An 'edible sculpture' of Highbury for Prince Charles

What to give to the superstar who has everything? A reproduction in chocolate of their mansion may be just the thing. Prince Charles, Sting and Nicolas Cage are among those who have commissioned confectionery replicas of their homes - at £2,000 a throw - from a chocolatier in Bath. Kerr Dunlop and Flo Broughton take two to three weeks to create the "edible architecture", and begin by photographing the buildings. Machines spin gallons of chocolate, which is then poured into moulds. Dunlop said: "It's difficult. We build the [homes] in stages, as you would a model.

You can buy these chocolates at Harrods and Prince Charles also agreed to sell them at the Highgrove House gift shop.

Source: Steven Morris, Guardian.co.uk 25 July, 2008

& Daily Mail article with more pics.

What am I eating todayWell working late so eating lots of junk food as there is not really any other option. This is one of the things being consumed - Willy Wonka's Fun Dip which was sent to me by my cute and adorable little nephew! Hugs from me Mr. PM Quinn!!

Along with Snack a Jacks and loads of fruit bought at the market today we are running low on food supplies so will need to head home soon to eat. The Big Quinn has offered to make me dinner, or order Dominoes Pizza so am sure I will be 5lbs heavier tomorrow!

Dolci di Sardegna
Really nice Tiricche al Miele from Sardinia.

Tip for the day: food gifts are always better than junky souvenirs.

Tiricche or “Tilicas” as they are called in the north of the island, are tubular shapes closed into circles, composed of a thin sheet of white pastry which is filled mostly with “sapa” or “saba” which is boiled wine must.

In Gallura, they are made with a honey filling. The ingredients used to make them are: flour, lard, salt and sugar for the pastry and sapa, flour and orange peel for the filling.

Hale-e-luia!
Who's that handsome man cutting the cake? Well it is the man of the hour, Mr. Hale!
Pics are from a celebration on the Hale farm for Robbie's 60th. Am getting details on who made the cake (as it looks like there are Smarties on it) and what they are carving up for the guests to eat. Look at the lovely land they live on, lush green fields and gentle rolling hills.

My NZ mother Pat, the best lemon pie maker, is also in the pic with her hubby below.

Birthday wishes and hugs from the UK xo

Fit , fabulous and forty!A very nice cake served at a Mr.D's 40th bday party...am just not sure of the cake cutter's hand on the corner piece, am sure he washed his hands. I definitely grabbed a piece from the left hand side of the slab!

It was a vanilla sort of cake but all I really remember is eating the icing (sans hand prints) mmm.. so good. At the fest, they served watermelon martinis, which were divine. It was nice to have such a summery drink in such winter-y weather! When is the sun coming back to London?

Baker & Spice



This all looks delicious and it was - but it cost almost 10 quid?! Is that not a bit much for:

• a blueberry muffin
• a pain au chocolat
• a loaf of seed-y bread
• a fruit tart-y thing

In CDN$ that is over $20.00. Baker & Spice is located on a few posh high streets and is definitely for the slummy mummies who can afford to eat there after pushing their designer prams to pick up some expensive dry cleaning, get an over priced mani and pedi and then head to the organic grocer to drop another few hundred quid on the week's groceries.

Delicious fresh bread and great French pastry should be affordable to the masses, non? Parisians don't go broke buying their morning croissant. And the pain au chocolat tastes the same as the Tesco ones which cost something around 70p.

Don't mind me, I am just complaining again about the lack of decent bakeries in London. I should pull my uncle and aunt out of retirement to come show this town what an amazing loaf of Sicilian or Calabrese bread tastes like. Mr. & Mrs Tempo Bakery - you up for it?

Mini Guinness and Mini departsAt Mini and Jono's farewell party a mini Guinness felt appropriate - I think it is good for my iron levels (which is an old wives tale I found out via the interweb). The only thing I found online is an article on the BBC which said having a pint a day is similar to taking an aspirin a day to help reduce the risk of a heart attack as per a University of Wisconsin study.
J , Chris & Paddy enjoying their last pint together. Mini and J - last night at the Black Lion.

From the BBC:

The Guinness feel good factor:

The original campaign in the 1920s stemmed from market research - when people told the company that they felt good after their pint, the slogan was born.

In England, post-operative patients used to be given Guinness, as were blood donors, based on the belief that it was high in iron.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers were at one stage advised to drink Guinness - the present advice is against this.

The UK is still the largest market in the world for Guinness, although the drink does not feature in the UK's top ten beer brands according to the latest research

Good ol' magnum
How do you celebrate your last day in London town? With a magnum of Moet and some friends over for breakfast, of course!

It was a sad farewell to the Kirstens - we love you and miss you already!!!!
Come back already.

Dinner with the PopeSometimes after a tough day, I am afraid to say, this is what dinner consists of!

At least it is great wine - Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhone wine region in France, and corn nuts are part of the vegetable food group, right? After this instance, we then whipped up a smoked salmon and potato salad to add some nutrition.

Pape=Pope

Take a Seat
"When arriving at a restaurant table, it is considered polite for the gents to offer ladies a seat facing into the restaurant so that they get a more interesting view.
p.22 A Butler's Guide to Table Manners

Most men do not know this and women who do may be annoyed if they are facing a wall at a fabulous restaurant or dinner party.

Women put a lot of effort into looking great for a special dinner party or a dinner date and men should acknowledge this by allowing them to display their efforts to the room. Perhaps, it is also a traditional way of a man showing the room what a lovely lady he is having dinner with.

No teeth action...to hold cutlery to folding napkins.

I have a pet peeve about people picking their teeth in any way shape or form.
I got two great books from my friend who works at Buckingham Palace which are the Butler's Guide to Table Manners and Her Ladyship's Guide to Modern Manners. They are both entertaining reads to say the least. The Butler's Guide is written by Nicholas Clayton - a member of the The Guild of Professional English Butlers who has several years' experience in the field. On p.76 & 77 of his book he speaks about oral etiquette at the dinner table, he says:

Restaurants have supplied toothpicks for years and there are rules of etiquette for their use. There are a few more in the book but these three are my faves.

• Before gouging around with a pick, try a swill of water
• Go somewhere to probe the teeth in private, never do it at the table (SO many people pick their teeth on the tube and at dinner tables - it is just wrong!)
• Never do the thing with the flattened hand over the top lip in a failed attempt to hide the picking going on underneath, this is unparalled in its vulgarity (yes indeed)

Get the book for your friends who don't have the best table manners.

Sausage

Proof that Brits are crazy about their sausages ‘bangers’, salsiccia, saucisson or whatever you like to call them. This site –Sausage Links - is dedicated to the meat filled intestine wonders. There is a place to vote for your favorite sausage – check out the ‘sausage of the week’ section, buying guides, recipes, health benefits, pig farm info and anything else your little heart desires to know about the sausage which is believed to be invented in Iraq during the late 6^th millennium BC (a v. long time ago, indeed!)