All posts filed under: appetiser

Salmon and Pesto Toasties

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All sorrows are less with bread. – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Happy New Year, everyone! I’m so sorry that this post is late! I had wanted to get it out in time for New Year’s Eve but I’ve been exhausted since Sunday and all I’ve done is work and sleep. Even on New Year’s Eve, I managed to only stay up until 11:15 before passing out. All the festivities combined with STILL being sick (5 weeks and counting!), my body gave in and cried for sleep. However, it IS a New Year! Wow, 2014 was great and weird and wonderful. 2015 seems to promise as many adventures as 2014 did: the end of somethings as well as a lot of new beginnings. For one, come June I’ll have access to a proper kitchen again! Thanks, Mam! I haven’t quite decided all my resolutions, I’ve been too tired and too busy but I’ll sit down next week and write them out. How about you? Did you make any resolutions yet? Regardless of what your resolutions are, I wish …

Apple and Bacon/Rasher Stuffed Mushrooms

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Fat gives things flavor  – Julia Child Not long now! I can’t believe how close Christmas and my birthday are! I will keep this short this week as I know Christmas is coming and everyone (myself included) is busy finishing year-end projects and goals as well as trying to get everything ready for the festivities. This recipe came to me in a moment of inspiration the week of Thanksgiving. I was really sick, but trying to think of things I wanted to bring to our Thanksgiving dinner when this popped into my head. I ended up not having time to make it then, but I’ve been working on them since and I’m quite pleased with the result. These are easy to put together, and are based on the flavours and scents of this time of year—much like the Tomato, Orange and Lentil Soup from last week. I love the combination of rasher and apple mixed with nuts Every bite makes me reminisce of Christmas at my Mom’s with her mouthwatering stuffing. The apple, in it’s turn, evokes …

Tomato, Orange and Lentil Soup

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Soup is the song of the hearth…and the home. -Louis P. De Gouy Christmas is here! I am so excited! After all, December is one of my favourite months—Christmas and my birthday rolled into one glorious wintry month! So, in honour of both those great events I have dedicated this month to Christmas inspired food. First up, things have been insane lately: before Thanksgiving even hit Korea, I had been sick almost a week. Now, it’s over two weeks later and this cold is hanging on with its icy toes. It doesn’t help that the weather has completely changed over the last week or so. Before Thanksgiving, the weather was a bit cold, but mostly decent and you could do things like go for an 8k walk. Since the 1st December, though, snow has hit on average 5 days out of 7. It’s much colder and this hasn’t helped me to recover at all—despite mostly staying inside, wrapped in a blanket, with the ondol (floor heating) and space heater on full blast. To top it all off, …

Breaded Fried Aubergine/Eggplant With A Kick

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There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American. – O. Henry Despite the fact that I am Irish, I have always grown up with Thanksgiving as my Mam hails from Nebraska. While we never went all out for 4th of July, Thanksgiving was a sight to behold. Mam would have us on clean-up duty the entire week ahead of time, and, while we cleaned, she would bake and prepare tons of delicious food like her almond slices (to die for!), salad jelly (jello–which is one of my favourite Thanksgiving foods), and, particularly when we were younger, her homemade brown bread. By Thanksgiving day we’d be in a state of restless anticipation. Besides my own family, which numbers nine, over the years we’ve had several different guests, but some of the consistent ones include two of my Mam’s best friends in Ireland and my Dad’s cousin who is like an aunt to us kids. When the guests would arrive we’d usher them into the sitting room to chat …

“Pizza” Baguettes and English Muffins – Cooking with Kids

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  Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It’s about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity. – Guy Fieri One of my favourite little people, The Jam, loves cooking. Sometimes, when we Skype, he is in the middle of baking something delectable with his parents. This made picking an activity to do with him (besides reading stories) quite easy! In fact, when I was home in January I decided to get him, and his family, two cookbooks – The Usbourne Beginner’s Cookbook and Ella’s Kitchen: The Cookbook. When I returned in August, I picked a recipe from the former of these books to make with him. So, off we marched the local shop where we picked up some baguettes and where he conned me into buying ice-creams for his parents and a King Cornetto for himself (smart kid!). One reason why I feel this recipe is a great one to do with kids is because they can choose their own toppings based on their own likes and dislikes, and can help at a variety of levels depending …