Friday 31 May 2013

Hee hee!


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31 May - Solution for the last clue and the next cryptic crossword clue


Be circumspect ,at first, over hot meal cooked in a sauce (8)

Solution – Béchamel

This was a charades clue – by adding up the constituent parts of the first part of the clue you got to Bechamel which is a famous French sauce.

Be = be

Circumspect, at first – the first letter of circumspect ie c

Hot = h

Meal cooked – ie the letters in "meal" are cooked ie mixed up

Be + c + h + amel = Béchamel


Today’s cryptic crossword clue – solution tomorrow

Other ranks row about a decree
Hint – the last letter is n

Food on Friday: Cakes


ON

Yep – you got it!  Food on Friday is about cakes!  Apologies to those of you watching your weight.  The links will not help you.  But they will be delectable.

Please link up all your favourite cake recipes – just put your name and the name of the cake into the first Mr Linky box and copy the url for your post about the cake into the second box.

I only recently realised that in the US a coffee cake is not a cake with coffee in it!  I kept seeing coffee cakes and was amazed at how popular they were until I finally twigged that a coffee cake was a cake you ate with a cup of coffee… duh … I am obviously a slow learner!

Happy linking!

You can check out the Pinboard that I will be pinning each link to as soon as I can.
  
Ps -  For those that like to plan ahead, the next Food on Friday's topic is Veal.

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Thursday 30 May 2013

But some things are sooo nice!

Things are just things Don't get too attached to them

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30 May - Solution for the last clue and the next cryptic crossword clue


Chauvinistic teams split group (6)

Solution – sexist

Chauvinistic = sexist
Teams = XI's ie elevens in Roman numerals - cricket teams are known as elevens
Group = set

se + xis +t = sexist


Today’s cryptic crossword clue – solution tomorrow

Be circumspect ,at first, over hot meal cooked in a sauce (8)

Hint – the solution is a name of a sauce – go all you foodies!

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte


 Hands up those who have read Jane Eyre – ok, forgot I couldn't see you for a minute!  But I am sure almost all of us have read it – probably at school.  But maybe we should revisit some of these classics as adults.

Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre in 1847 – that's 166 years ago.

It was a book written in the first person through the eyes of Jane – very unusual for its time.

It is a rags to riches story and has a so-called happy ending – although whether she would have been happy over the long haul with Rochester we will never know.

If you want to revisit Jane's adventures, and have an e-reader, you can download it for free from Project Gutenberg and other sites.

Charlotte Bronte was the eldest of the Bronte sisters. She was a tiny and delicate woman.  She died while pregnant at the age of 38.  A tragedy.


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Wednesday 29 May 2013

Love the colours of this...

Live in the sunshine swim in the sea drink the wild air

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29 May - Solution for the last clue and the next cryptic crossword clue


Nearing resort, hittable (2,5)

Solution – in range

If something is "in range" it is hittable.

And it is also found if you "resort" ie re-order the letters in "nearing".


Today’s cryptic crossword clue – solution tomorrow

Chauvinistic teams split group (6)

Hint – this is a container clue.  A bit tricky because a cricket abbreviation is involved.  Good luck.

Need some inspiration - Prawns and shrimp




Here are some super shrimp and prawn dishes to inspire you today.  They were linked in to Food on Friday: Prawns and shrimp.

All the dishes that were linked in looked good – to see the Pinboard I made for them, click here 




Today's first inspirational dish is BBQ Shrimp Flat bread by Cook with Sara.



I just loved this mouthwatering Shrimp Fra Diavolo by Savory & Sweet-Hearts.



Thanks go to The Pescetarian Journal for these Oregon Shrimp Quesadillas.



Feeding Big called this the Best Shrimp Recipe Ever – who am I to argue with that?



I love the idea of this Sesame Shrimp Salad by Fort Mill SC Living.  Way to go Christin.



Finally, a little shout out to myself for this PepperedPrawns and Snow Peas dish – which turned out well and is so simple to do.

The next in this series will be drawn from Food on Friday: Ham.
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Tuesday 28 May 2013

I'm hoping this won't be me after the next Food on Friday!


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28 May - Solution for the last clue and the next cryptic crossword clue


Power plant lacks a spiritual leader (6)

Solution – rector

Power plant = reactor

Reactor lacks "a" ie you delete the a and you get "rector" which is a name for a type of church minister or spiritual leader.


Today’s cryptic crossword clue – solution tomorrow

Nearing resort, hittable (2,5)

Hint – this is an anagram clue

Potato and onion cake – a partial success


Potato and onion cake: Carole's Chatter


This potato and onion cake tasted great but wasn't that successful at looking like a cake that you could serve in wedges – which was supposed to be the idea.  I suspect my potato wasn't cut finely enough.

You butter and line the base of a cake tin with baking paper.  And heat up your oven to reasonably hot.

While it is heating you gently fry off your onions and garlic (3 onions, 3 cloves of garlic) in butter until they are soft.

Slice 6 or so potatoes finely – I hand cut mine so they were "rustic" – a mistake.

Then layer your potatoes and onion mix in turns until you get to the top potato layer.  The first layer is also potato.  Put salt and pepper on top of each layer as it goes in.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and pour it over the top.

Bake covered for 40 to 45 minutes until potatoes are tender then uncover and give them another 10 minutes or so to brown the top.

Let it stand for 5 minutes then turn it out onto a plate.  Take the paper off and turn over onto your serving plate.  You are then supposed to be able to serve it in wedges – ha!  As if.


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Monday 27 May 2013

A vintage take on Memorial Day in the US for you


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Capital city of the week - Brussels




Brussels is credited as being where Brussels sprouts came from – although this is far from certain.



Brussels is the largest city in this country.


Brussels is a bi-lingual city and the majority of its population were not born in the country.  One of its twin cities is Atlanta.


This weird structure is in Brussels.








Brussels is the capital of BELGIUM.

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27 May - Solution for the last clue and the next cryptic crossword clue


Heard no sound from the stable? (5)
Solution – neigh

When you hear the word "neigh" it sounds like "nay" as in No.
But a "neigh" is a sound you might hear in a stable!


Today’s cryptic crossword clue – solution tomorrow

Power plant lacks a spiritual leader (6)
Hint – this is a deletion clue

Crowded House - no not my house – the band!


Crowded House New Zealand rock band

Crowded House is claimed as Australian – but you can judge for yourself.  The lead singer/songwriter and another member of the band were born in a small town in New Zealand – they are Neil and Tim Finn – both of whom were also in the successful band Split Enz.

Crowded House had a big international hit in 1986 with Don't Dream It's Over – written by Neil Finn.  It did well in the US, Canada and, of course, New Zealand and Australia.

I am posting about Crowded House today because 27 May is Neil Finn's 55th birthday – just reaching his prime in my view!


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Sunday 26 May 2013

Sorry, couldn't resist this one!

Sometimes I feel like I have the worst job in the world

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26 May - Solution for the last clue and the next cryptic crossword clue


Kind disposition (6)
Solution – nature

Nature can mean both 'kind' as in "sort" and 'disposition'


Today’s cryptic crossword clue – solution tomorrow

Heard no sound from the stable? (5)
Hint – this is a "sounds like" clue

Mustard and parsley sauce using Greek Yoghurt


Mustard and parsley sauce using Greek Yoghurt on Carole's Chatter


As you know I often use crème fraiche in my sauces etc instead of cream.  I wanted to see what I could do with Greek yoghurt.  A little googling suggested that it would split in a sauce unless you stabilised it.

I lightly whisked together the Greek yoghurt (plain) with an egg white, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a ¼ teaspoon of cornflour (corn-starch). 

This was then heated very gently and Dijon mustard was added.  Right at the end I added chopped parsley.  It was an ok sauce (and I guess, healthier) but a bit more fussy to make than I would like.

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