Tag: food

March 18, 2011
Got back to Fisherman’s Wharf, after the cinema. Having had a large picnic for lunch, I planned to have something light in the hotel restaurant, but I was late for that – I could have been served, but it would be rushed. So, having dumped my bags, I went out again and came across a Mexican restaurant. As I hadn’t had Mexican this trip, I went in.
I ordered the combination platter of beef taco, beef burrito and cheese enchilada, which came with rice and refried beans, to which I added a side of guacamole. Washed down with a long island iced tea (I am currently contemplating a second), it was great!

March 17, 2011
I am sure I will go into more detail later, but for the past two evenings, I have had the pleasure of dining with Joey; and boy, does he know how to work his way around (and sometimes off) a menu.

I thought last night’s sushi was amazing, but tonight I was taken to a Peruvian restaurant, and it was brilliant!

January 26, 2011
I’ve had half a large tub of brandy butter in the fridge since Christmas, and it seemed a pity to let it go to waste. So I had a think about what is in brandy butter – butter, brandy and sugar – and what I could convert it to. Adding more sugar to the mix, and then heating with some milk (I didn’t have any cream), I unexpectedly ended with something remarkably like fudge.

Yum.

January 24, 2011
Earlier this month, I was asking Do I Really Need A Microwave. Having had my old one blow up just before Christmas, I wondered whether I need to replace it.

I decided I did, and have bought this. Much smaller (and cheaper) than my previous model, it has a round back and fits nicely into a corner. It doesn’t have a convection oven setting, but it does have a grill.

January 5, 2011
A short while before Christmas, my combination microwave went up in a puff of smoke – quite literally. There was no actual fire, but a smell of burning, and a minor temporary smog.

I immediately unplugged it, and it has been sitting in the corner waiting for an opportune time to take it to the tip.

December 24, 2010
I’m at friends for Christmas Day, but a man’s got to eat on Boxing Day, so I have the smoker going today, cooking some stuff to have cold over the next few days. I’ll have friends popping in on odd days over the holiday, so I thought I would do something special.

First up is a Turkey Crown that I got reduced from Tescos. I’ve removed the skin completely, wiped it with a thin layer of butter, then covered it completely with a new “skin” of good quality unsmoked streaky bacon. It’s then gone into the smoker on low, to cook throughout the day.

August 28, 2010
Just go back from a wonderful day out with ,,, and Smitty; we met up to see today’s matinee perfomance of “Into The Woods”, at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

I know this show pretty well, having seen it twice before, and owning the DVD of the original Broadway cast. So having thought about it on the train home, I can honestly say that this was the best of the shows I have seen live, and comes a close second to the original Broadway cast.

August 19, 2010
August 19, 2010
I’ve wittered about this to two people on the phone today, and sent one of them a long email because the poor soul sounded vaguely interested in my demented enthusiasm. So I thought I might as well post about it.

As some of you have gathered, I have been having fun with BBQ. In fact, I have been grilling regularly for about 2 years now, but have only recently tried to do some proper advanced BBQ, like smoking and slow-cooked joints of meat, which I have covered here.

August 9, 2010
Read about this on one of the BBQ forums I am reading and had to share.

Make a hamburger, and top with cheddar cheese. Wrap with bacon. Then cut some frankfurters (or similar) in half, shape as appropriate, and insert into bacon wrapped burger to form head, tail and legs. Then cook.

August 9, 2010
I’ve been running around a bit lately, and so haven’t posted much about the work going on here.

Tim and Nev finished their bit over a week ago, although the kitchen isn’t quite finished yet. All the units are fitted, the tops are in and the walls between the units are tiled; the new coving (boxing in some pipes, and the tops of the wall cupboards, which are a pain to clean) is done. The only thing not done is painting the remaining walls, and fitting a floor covering.

July 30, 2010
No, I haven’t been cooking again, am going to a BBQ on Sunday, and that will be plenty enough for me this weekend.

But I did pop in to my local butcher’s today, which is run by the local pork farm, and asked about the specific cut of meat that the pulled pork recipe I have asks for. In the States, it seems to be called a “Boston Butt”, but I described it to my butcher as a “bone-in blade shoulder of pork, 4-5lb approx.”