Food and drink

Quick and easy smoked mackerel pate

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After 2 months of sitting on my backside due to a knee injury and the arrival of all that white stuff on the ground I decided last night to get back in the game. So as soon as I got home it was into the track suit and I cleared some space in the spare room for the little rowing machine we’ve got (still too much snow in Banchory for me to brave running). But before I got stuck in I needed to decide on what to eat for tea afterwards. It needed to be something I can prepare quickly, preferably beforehand and leave it while I do my session and is quite light as the last thing I want after exercise is a big meal.

I always see smoked mackerel fillets in the supermarket, but aside from fish cakes never really thought of anything to do with them. They’re delicious on their own of course, with a very sweet flavour and I could happily eat a whole packet for dinner (would be good sprinkled with lemon juice with some new tatties and some spring onions I think). But it’s not very exciting and doesn’t seem worthy of a blog like this (like I have standards all of a sudden). Continue reading “Quick and easy smoked mackerel pate” →

Thoughts

Getting into the Christmas spirits

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I’ve had a quiet few days recovering from the office xmas lunch on Friday. It seems like everyone’s immune system got a right kicking from the festivities and now the whole team is sniffling away. So for medicinal reasons it’s time to break out the big guns.

The Balvenie is one of my favourite whiskies. I don’t know if it really does cure the common cold, but I feel better already and I’ve only had a (not so) wee dram.

It’s supposed to start snowing again in an hour or so. It seems to me that if Shackleton needed to take a few cases of whisky with him to the Antarctic then I’ll need to get stuck in to see me through this continuing apocalyptic cold snap.

Food and drink

Winter Stew

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As we’re in the merciless grip of the worst snow for 45 years it’s definitely time to break out the big guns. Winter stews, casseroles, anything that takes a few hours of cooking with lots of big flavours, root vegetables and plenty of leftovers. Continue reading “Winter Stew” →

Food and drink

Brrr! It’s a bit chilly for chilli

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A foot and a half of snow! In November!?

We’ve had a remarkable week of weather featuring the heaviest November snowfall for 17 years, record low temperatures for the month and thunderstorms during snow showers. It’s bitterly cold and I spend most of the day clearing the snow off our driveway only for snow to return as soon as I go back inside. Even more annoying the snow plough comes along to clear the road and piles the snow across my nice cleared driveway. Then the pavement plough comes along and puts even more snow on the pile.


Continue reading “Brrr! It’s a bit chilly for chilli” →

News

Inspiration Chain Update

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The second link in the Inspiration Chain is up! Kate at domestikated was the lucky recipient of my link, Ripailles by Stephane Reynaud.

Now she’s put up the second offering for the chain, The Wagamama Cookbook. To get involved head on over to http://domestikated.wordpress.com.

The Inspiration Chain is a blogging chain passing on sources of inspiration from one blog to another. I gave away a book that always gives me great ideas and makes me want to cook, Ripailles, and the idea is that whoever receives that book gives away another book on their blog that inspires them. The chain continues like that as long as we can keep it going. Keep track of the Inspiration Chain progress at the dedicated chain page.