how are you?
Birdie love
xxx
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
of late...
how are you?
Birdie love
xxx
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Baking Sundays
Sunday is usually the one day of the week where I take my time and bake. Be it a roast dinner, bread or cakes for the week ahead, I take advantage of having a slow day to cook and enjoy the whole process from start to the end!
Of late, I've been getting into baking bread. Its the one baking art I'm still mastering and the one thing I struggle with it is patience! Without it, the bread won't rise, it won't cook right and you are left with a harden lump of dough you can barely cut let alone eat!
Patience is something I am learning and its through baking I'm gaining this lesson! In this world of fast food and high demands, we are craving the tastier, home made, slow foods....and that in itself isn't instantaneous no matter how hard you try to speed it up!
Getting your hands on fresh products is a satisfaction you can't beat, and it really helps putting you in direct
contact with what you are creating!
The senses are stimulated and comes alive and you become more alert, enjoying the moment...from feeling the dough being pounded beneath your fingers, to smelling the basil as you cut it....
Here I was making a cheese and basil pinwheel loaf and my own recipe of sandwich bread which is bread with the sandwich filling already in it...a popular thing amongst friends already!
Having a nice bright day to bake on really helps too!
freshly baked bagel with home made danish blue cheese spread....simple but so very nice!
This piece of roast I picked up the night before for 89 pence just as the store was closing! Awesome!
I got it home, trimmed it up and applied a homemade rub of garlic, honey and spices and literally left it to slowly cook in the oven at the lowest temperature I can go for a minimum of 12 hours...!
The end result it beef so tender it really did melt in the mouth with wonderful sweet tang of the rub to flabvour it!
What days of the week do you find yourself cooking the most? Do you enjoy it?
Birdie Love
xxx
Of late, I've been getting into baking bread. Its the one baking art I'm still mastering and the one thing I struggle with it is patience! Without it, the bread won't rise, it won't cook right and you are left with a harden lump of dough you can barely cut let alone eat!
Patience is something I am learning and its through baking I'm gaining this lesson! In this world of fast food and high demands, we are craving the tastier, home made, slow foods....and that in itself isn't instantaneous no matter how hard you try to speed it up!
Getting your hands on fresh products is a satisfaction you can't beat, and it really helps putting you in direct
contact with what you are creating!
The senses are stimulated and comes alive and you become more alert, enjoying the moment...from feeling the dough being pounded beneath your fingers, to smelling the basil as you cut it....
Here I was making a cheese and basil pinwheel loaf and my own recipe of sandwich bread which is bread with the sandwich filling already in it...a popular thing amongst friends already!
Having a nice bright day to bake on really helps too!
freshly baked bagel with home made danish blue cheese spread....simple but so very nice!
I got it home, trimmed it up and applied a homemade rub of garlic, honey and spices and literally left it to slowly cook in the oven at the lowest temperature I can go for a minimum of 12 hours...!
The end result it beef so tender it really did melt in the mouth with wonderful sweet tang of the rub to flabvour it!
What days of the week do you find yourself cooking the most? Do you enjoy it?
Birdie Love
xxx
Onigiri and The Japan Centre
If you go to London town and you fancy a little twist of something Japanese in your day, make sure to head down to The Japan Centre which is located right down the bottom end of Regent Street which is the quieter end away from Piccadilly and happen to have an array of Japanese stores, cafes and spas so it is worth a little gander if you fancy seeing something a little different.
I often take a gander there when I can as The Japan Centre have evolved from a small on line and street shop to a proper market, offering all things authentically Japanese and selling goods from the far east that you don't often get to see in person or online.
What more, they are pretty reasonable in price which is a bonus!
They now have a wonderful on site restaurant and food court where you can pick up japanese food to go and see for yourself just how quick, tasty and easy it is to eat japanese style!
Seeing this, I decided to pick up a piece of Onigiri, a popular snack known mostly for its convenience of being able to eat on the go with flavoursome fillings.
I got the tradition pickled plum (or known as ume) rice ball wrapped in nori seaweed and its actually a chunky little thing to have in your hands! Already I'm thinking it will have you full up in no time!
Onigiri/rice ball isn't actually sushi...as sushi is made with vinegar, sugar and salt whilst the rice here is simply salted a little and pressed into shape. You can see the pink ume plum filling already and the nori is packed separately so you can eat it with or without which is a nice touch as many people are put off by seaweed...it can be an acquired taste.
I couldn't finish all the rice ball...I was right in saying the little thing really does fill you up in a few mouthfuls!
The pickled plum isn't too much to my taste in all honesty, I've tasted a few in the past and this one is rather salty and got lost amongst the taste of the rice. Its OK but I rather would have liked a touch or wasabi somewhere for a little kick and flavour diversity. I could see myself dunking this into a large pot of soy sauce and enjoying this but on it's on...I think I rather have sushi or something else. At least I gave it a go and here in the UK, getting a chance to pick up a piece of Onigiri is quite rare as these aren't often made in restaurants.
The Japan Centre is really worth a look around! The aisle upon aisle of foods and sweets is really quite a visual treat and you are bound to come across something you want to take away and try at home. There's sushi kits, bento lunch boxes, home ware items, loads of magazines and books and a nice array of beauty products which I picked up a few things (like rice paper to clear your greasy skin...they do the best!)
You can also see a wide variety of sake including ceremonial barrels that are traditionally smashed open at ceremonies which was nice to see.
I also managed to pick up a few rare and hard to find books as well so Japan Centre has been pretty lucky in their sourcing!
What I like about this place to is you can get a chance to pick up some sweets and goods that appear in cult films...like that distinctive tin of hard sweets seen in the ever amazing studio ghibli film "Graveyard of the fireflies" right down to the brand of ramen usually scoffed by Inuyasha!
If you like things Japan, then this is a stop in London I recommend you make!
You can check out more here on the Japan Centre website
I often take a gander there when I can as The Japan Centre have evolved from a small on line and street shop to a proper market, offering all things authentically Japanese and selling goods from the far east that you don't often get to see in person or online.
What more, they are pretty reasonable in price which is a bonus!
They now have a wonderful on site restaurant and food court where you can pick up japanese food to go and see for yourself just how quick, tasty and easy it is to eat japanese style!
Seeing this, I decided to pick up a piece of Onigiri, a popular snack known mostly for its convenience of being able to eat on the go with flavoursome fillings.
I got the tradition pickled plum (or known as ume) rice ball wrapped in nori seaweed and its actually a chunky little thing to have in your hands! Already I'm thinking it will have you full up in no time!
Onigiri/rice ball isn't actually sushi...as sushi is made with vinegar, sugar and salt whilst the rice here is simply salted a little and pressed into shape. You can see the pink ume plum filling already and the nori is packed separately so you can eat it with or without which is a nice touch as many people are put off by seaweed...it can be an acquired taste.
I couldn't finish all the rice ball...I was right in saying the little thing really does fill you up in a few mouthfuls!
The pickled plum isn't too much to my taste in all honesty, I've tasted a few in the past and this one is rather salty and got lost amongst the taste of the rice. Its OK but I rather would have liked a touch or wasabi somewhere for a little kick and flavour diversity. I could see myself dunking this into a large pot of soy sauce and enjoying this but on it's on...I think I rather have sushi or something else. At least I gave it a go and here in the UK, getting a chance to pick up a piece of Onigiri is quite rare as these aren't often made in restaurants.
The Japan Centre is really worth a look around! The aisle upon aisle of foods and sweets is really quite a visual treat and you are bound to come across something you want to take away and try at home. There's sushi kits, bento lunch boxes, home ware items, loads of magazines and books and a nice array of beauty products which I picked up a few things (like rice paper to clear your greasy skin...they do the best!)
You can also see a wide variety of sake including ceremonial barrels that are traditionally smashed open at ceremonies which was nice to see.
I also managed to pick up a few rare and hard to find books as well so Japan Centre has been pretty lucky in their sourcing!
What I like about this place to is you can get a chance to pick up some sweets and goods that appear in cult films...like that distinctive tin of hard sweets seen in the ever amazing studio ghibli film "Graveyard of the fireflies" right down to the brand of ramen usually scoffed by Inuyasha!
If you like things Japan, then this is a stop in London I recommend you make!
You can check out more here on the Japan Centre website
Friday, 5 April 2013
Hobbycraft
Recently I had the rare pleasure of coming across a Hobbycraft in Bristol...now for those who don't know...Hobbycraft is basically a huge store dedicated to all things crafty and all the bits you would need to complete your various projects
I have a small weakness for little railway people and trees..something about them being so small and off scale yet perfect in details just has me weak in the knees! I wnated these trees but didn't get them...I mean, there's not a lot i can do with small railway trees just yet!
A lot of shiny stuff too for all the magpies out there! A nice selection of jewellery making stuff to get started with and build your collection.
A shout out to those I know who love drawing comics...Hobbycraft now stocks a nice array of manga and comic pens and inks. Nice to see they are moving with the trends!
I love around the store, they show local artists' works to not only demonstrate the products and things you could do yourself but also, more importanly the local talents which is great! Loving the "superman vs the Hulk style painting!"
I picked up a few bits I have been either wanting for a while or was tempted by...like that t-rex cookie cutter! Can't wait to use it!
Got some gloss medium gel for painting but its also an excellent transfer agent and I use it a lot to transfer magazine images and the likes onto fabrics. A felting needle as the singular needle i had was lacking some oomph! This baby got three! A rather cool snap frame you can build to whatever size you like and stretch the fabric across to sew into...think of a lego-build-your-ownembroidery hoop! I seen this at the craft group I go to and wanted one for a while so I'm please to get this! And finally some various sized oval embroidery hoops for a project coming up I have in mind for my bedroom! Hopefully I shall share with you soon!
...plus there's nothing better than the rare chance to bring home a box of krispy kremes too....!
The great thing is Plymouth is getting a hobbycraft soon, which will be only 5 minutes from my house! yay! We use to have one in the city but at the start of the recession, It was forced to close so now an even bigger one is coming back....excellent! Can't wait!
Feel free to visit the hobbycraft website here
Where do you go for your art and craft supplies?
Birdie Love
xxx
A lot of shiny stuff too for all the magpies out there! A nice selection of jewellery making stuff to get started with and build your collection.
A shout out to those I know who love drawing comics...Hobbycraft now stocks a nice array of manga and comic pens and inks. Nice to see they are moving with the trends!
I love around the store, they show local artists' works to not only demonstrate the products and things you could do yourself but also, more importanly the local talents which is great! Loving the "superman vs the Hulk style painting!"
I picked up a few bits I have been either wanting for a while or was tempted by...like that t-rex cookie cutter! Can't wait to use it!
Got some gloss medium gel for painting but its also an excellent transfer agent and I use it a lot to transfer magazine images and the likes onto fabrics. A felting needle as the singular needle i had was lacking some oomph! This baby got three! A rather cool snap frame you can build to whatever size you like and stretch the fabric across to sew into...think of a lego-build-your-ownembroidery hoop! I seen this at the craft group I go to and wanted one for a while so I'm please to get this! And finally some various sized oval embroidery hoops for a project coming up I have in mind for my bedroom! Hopefully I shall share with you soon!
...plus there's nothing better than the rare chance to bring home a box of krispy kremes too....!
The great thing is Plymouth is getting a hobbycraft soon, which will be only 5 minutes from my house! yay! We use to have one in the city but at the start of the recession, It was forced to close so now an even bigger one is coming back....excellent! Can't wait!
Feel free to visit the hobbycraft website here
Where do you go for your art and craft supplies?
Birdie Love
xxx
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
early days of spring
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| A masssssssive chocolate bunny for my hubby which he had to find in Bruce's cage...who wasn't impressed! |
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| The smashing of the giant 1KG family easter egg!..it actually did the hammer more damage than the egg! |
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| The egg was so big, my brother could wear it on his head...and thus putting us off chocolate for the rest of the day... |
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| first day back at work and chocolate bar was waiting for me from a friend! Awesome! |
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| Daffodils out in the park, squirrels playing....what a lovely walk! |
My family this year gathered at my brother's place who lives a few cities away so we don't get to see him as often as we like. It was a great day with family, especially when I presented to everyone the giant easter egg! That thing lasted us for hours and gave us so much fun messing with it! Until my brother put it on his head to demonstrate how large it was....it kinda put us all off....dandruff chocolate anyone?!
Right now, our home is a mess...literally everything been pulled out so we can start tidying and going through all our crap...one corner of the spare room alone yielded 4 large bin bags o f crap...and that was just my hubby's stuff...I'm now going though my bits! It's amazing the amount of things we accumulate no?! Trouble is, the mess is making me feel all itchy, like I can't relax or switch off until its tidied....and I don't know where to start! Argh!
The great thing about tidying is the small bits of textiles I had lurking around without realising it...it's like rediscovering things all over again!
We literally spent the whole day this week just going through bags and bags of stuff until so late in the evening that we wandered down to Chiquitos, a local Mexican resturant. Nice mexican food that hits the spot, it's not the best but when you have a craving for a coke float or some enchiladas...it will do!
The city is still so cold, even with the weak sun out, shining some light back into our lives, finally! Its slowly....really slowly getting warmer again, and the evenings are getting longer. I cant wait for long summer days, wearing skirts and feeling all warm again!
How is everyone?
Birdie love
xxx
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