Ballerinas need to keep their strength up. All those pirouettes, plies & grand jetes take a toll on a chick. (Ok so she was just galloping about but in my dreams, she's Darcey Bussell already)
The delightfully domestic Doris Day....
Ballerinas need to keep their strength up. All those pirouettes, plies & grand jetes take a toll on a chick. (Ok so she was just galloping about but in my dreams, she's Darcey Bussell already)
The delightfully domestic Doris Day....
Posted at 09:46 PM in Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I gotta get out more. 9.30am on a 'sick' day at my house and I find myself clicking over to Live with Regis & Kelly only to see that pocket sized pixie Ripa in the kitchen of the Momofuku Milk Bar. Usually the sight of a ripped, skinny bird in a kitchen (its even worse when they claim to eat junkfood) has me reaching for the remote in disgust but this particular cookie she was making was intriguing! Fritos? Potato Chips? Pretzels? Goldfish? Candy? Chocolate Chips? I'm interested.....
Cookie ingredients or a bulimic's afternoon snack?!
Posted at 09:38 PM in Beyond Palm Beach County, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If there's one thing my girls enjoy its a challenge and a little friendly competition. Who can finish the green things, how many chicken pieces do you have, who uses the sticks the best?! You get the picture. One of my favorite tricks to include all the food groups AND ensure empty-ish plates is a) to stir fry and b) to bust out the cute little chopsticks. This easy cooking method is quick, simple and even the busiest and laziest of us can chuck something together and produce a kid friendly, edible result.
Continue reading "How to get your kids to eat what You want....." »
Posted at 08:40 PM in Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If you'll do anything to stay away from the big screen this Sunday (there's some kind of American Football match happening apparently) then use the opportunity to make some guacamole from scratch. Its very satisfying to actually know what you're putting into it rather than purchasing one of these Exorcist style green slime concoctions from the market.
Posted at 08:11 AM in Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If you're a busy, frequently shopping Mum like I am, you'll be absolutely sick to the back teeth of being asked the following question, "would you care to donate to ......". Guess what, I did already, I don't want to, I can't... blah blah blah. Long and short of it is we are SICK and TIRED of being asked for CASH!!!! I'm not talking post Haiti, I'm going way way back. Every time you check out at a store the script is the same.... You squirm, you fidget, you reluctantly give a dollar or two that you worked hard for an really can't afford to hand over or you just say NO and feel like an arse for the rest of the day.
Continue reading "Home Baked for Haiti - Cookies & Cream Cupcakes" »
Posted at 11:41 PM in Current Affairs, Food and Drink, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
5pm on a weeknight is Mummy's special time.... No, I'm not reaching for the martini shaker or uncorking the chablis but settling on my big comfy sofa in front of my big tv (as opposed to my teeny kitchen one) with my cup of tea and my absolute favorite Food Network Star, Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa; Premier hostess of the Hamptons.
I've yet to see Ina cook anything I didn't want to eat, lay a table I didn't want to copy or cook for anyone I didn't want to meet. I have a major case of Ina envy. Heck, I'd even iron Jeffrey's shirts she'd throw in some breakfast.
Last night saw the airing of an episode featuring Ina rustling up an outdoor brunch for some rather fabulous Ralph Lauren clad chums. Mia and I were watching together and she decided that Ina's Corn Muffins were to be on her menu for the following day. 'Oh Mummy, those look really delicious right?' (she knows I can't stand corn!). Some negotiations were undertaken and Ina's Corn Muffins were promised for a post preschool treat.
Ina's Recipe is available in full by clicking here
The smell whilst these are baking is amazing, rich and buttery yet strangely as they're called 'muffin' they really don't seem half as sinful as they actually are.
Ina says you get 12 from this mix, I got 16 but I was using kid friendly muffin papers. I also baked them on convection and they took about 5-7 minutes less than her recommended 30 minutes.
Mimi's Surprise!
I think I've made it plain I'm a fan. Everyone should own at least one of Ina's books full of failsafe, authentic recipes. Her latest, 'Back to Basics' is a must have for anyone lacking kitchen confidence or who just wants a 'go to' book for every day.
Do yourself, your kitchen bookshelf
and your family a favor and buy Ina's book HERE
Posted at 08:24 PM in Cookbook Reviews, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Let my morning experience be a lesson to anyone who decides to indulge a selfish whim at a local (unnamed) Tanning Salon in ABACOA!!! Now that my Ceci (2) is in preschool I get 8 hours a week free and rather than scrub stuff at home and wallow in the crushing loneliness of my empty nest I thought I'd get me a little tanning action. There was I, lotioned up, laid out, zoned out and sporting only a pair of goggles and a smile. I upped the fan to max and felt a little tickle on my shoulder, *mmm, nice breeze* I thought...zzzz, ooh, another tickle and a little buzz, WTF?... I removed my goggles to squintily see what can only be described as the Mike Tyson of all hornets crawling across my shoulder. Aggressive, persistent and facially disturbing. Being somewhat of screamer I did. Loudly! Much squealing, thrashing and disrobed bashing ensued and hornet Mike eventually met his end under the heel of my Tory Burch pump... well if you're going to go....
My morning sparring partners....
Continue reading "The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread" »
Posted at 09:03 PM in Recipes | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Back by popular demand is my 'on sale' section. (Apologies to my coupon mavens). Right now you can find at least one brand of fresh tomatoes on sale be they plum, beefsteak or in Publix case the dinky sweet grape (2 for $4 'til Thursday). Combine these with some of your BOGO stash of fire roasted canned tomatoes with garlic, chicken stock and other storecupboard goodies and you can put together the best lycopene (still channeling Dr. Oz) packed soup you ever tasted.
Posted at 09:48 PM in Pick of the Week, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Got many craisins and other cranberry related products left lingering in your pantry? I have a whole kilner jar packed with craisins from a recent buy one get one at Publix and after having them staring at me for several months I was low on inspiration, however a lightbulb went off when I reached for the oatmeal. The jar of Dr. Oz favorite ground flax seed was adjacent so in a rather genius move in my part I 'healthied up' an oatmeal raisin cookie.
Now, there aren't many cookies these days you can feel good about. The minute I see that 'high fructose corn syrup' ingredient I try to put it back. I say 'try' because its in such an array of products in the regular supermarket isles that your trolley would be bare if you attempted to banish it completely.
Take your favorite recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies (even the one from the top of the lid on the rolled oats) and substitute the raisins for craisins and add 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds. I hope I'm not insulting anyone's intelligence here, but it really worked well and gave a much more flapjacky result then regular cookies. Pat on the back for supersmart Mummy.
Chewy, flapjacky end product; they won't stay on the plate for long!
Posted at 08:25 AM in Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Regular stalkers of my blog will know that I'm a megawatt Francophile. I've been plugging 'Ripailles' by Stephane Reynaud for months now (a.k.a. 'French Feasts). Its a true French home style cookery bible, a celebration of all those animal bits that only the French can make palatable; no entrail, trotter or dangly part is overlooked in this 299 recipe tome.
Try as I might, I just can't follow a recipe to the letter. Rules, regulations, ounces, tsps, tbss, ugh, sometimes you've got to be creative; in this instance I took inspiration from the Bourguignon de joues de boeuf and the Boeuf braise aux carrots and produced some delectable, slow braised short ribs.
Here's a guideline to produce a similar ripaille.
Brown first, color = flavor
Mimi was a fan of the 'chicken'!
Posted at 10:02 PM in Cookbook Reviews, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)