So the date bars turned out pretty well - sweet (but not too sweet) and sticky (but you get to keep your teeth). They are quite crumbly and messy but tasty-good, plus they keep well and are also freezable.
Tried out Zumba on Monday in a small class of all ages and all sizes and came out feeling on top of the world. I forget how much I like dancing. I wouldn't quite say it had a party atmosphere. There were about 10 of us spread across a dull blue school gym which felt very empty. However, it was good fun, and despite feeling slightly mortified (if mortified is a thing you can feel slightly) at all the pelvic action, I am already looking forward to next week. I have also found new respect for Shakira.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Food
Been trying out a few new recipes this week.
First up, Cuban Chicken with Rice and Beans from Economy Gastronomy. I went in with high hopes for this one, having visited Cuba a couple of years ago and going mad for rice and beans/peas. In particular, the meal we had in scorching hot Trinidad, just off Plaza Mayor in a place aptly described as "slickly restored colonial mansion invaded every lunchtime by tour groups" (pic above), was surprisingly tasty.
So this recipe included lardons, red onion and green peppers. I'm not sure that's usual, but I certainly didn't object. Some well-crisped chicken which I should have marinaded for longer was nestled in among the other ingredients and a covered in chicken stock. Second mistake - I used a cube. These cubes normally do me proud in risotto, but I think what this recipe really wanted was some very fine, very tasty homemade stock because I just felt the whole thing tasted a little bland. The chicken was plumb and juicy, the rice was fine, but it just wasn't the same (though to be fair it was probably never going to be). That said, it went down very well with my partner in crime and I would cook it again. Next time I'll marinade longer, make some stock at home and perhaps even buy dried black beans and soak them instead of canned.
The next recipe I tried was from the same book - Macaroni Cheese with Artichoke Hearts and Bacon, also written by Allegra McEvedy who I really admire. Now I am not one for messing with mac and cheese. No mushrooms, no ham, no tomatoes or chilli or tuna or mustard, and certainly no fucking ketchup. No! I am a macaroni cheese purist!
...Or at least I was.
I raised an unsurprised eyebrow at wholegrain mustard and nutmeg; scoffed at the bacon, the artichokes, the garlic; and breathed a deep sorry sign at the tomatoes and herbs. But I was wrong. This is the macaroni cheese to end all macaroni cheeses. It is just so very tasty and I urge you to try it. Especially if you are a skeptic.
And finally, fresh out of the oven is the third recipe I tried this week, from the ever-so-sweet (and ever so slightly sickly), Rachel Allen. From her book, Bake, I have just put together Date Bars. The recipe was very quick and very simple and if the smell is anything to go by, very tasty.
First up, Cuban Chicken with Rice and Beans from Economy Gastronomy. I went in with high hopes for this one, having visited Cuba a couple of years ago and going mad for rice and beans/peas. In particular, the meal we had in scorching hot Trinidad, just off Plaza Mayor in a place aptly described as "slickly restored colonial mansion invaded every lunchtime by tour groups" (pic above), was surprisingly tasty.
So this recipe included lardons, red onion and green peppers. I'm not sure that's usual, but I certainly didn't object. Some well-crisped chicken which I should have marinaded for longer was nestled in among the other ingredients and a covered in chicken stock. Second mistake - I used a cube. These cubes normally do me proud in risotto, but I think what this recipe really wanted was some very fine, very tasty homemade stock because I just felt the whole thing tasted a little bland. The chicken was plumb and juicy, the rice was fine, but it just wasn't the same (though to be fair it was probably never going to be). That said, it went down very well with my partner in crime and I would cook it again. Next time I'll marinade longer, make some stock at home and perhaps even buy dried black beans and soak them instead of canned.
The next recipe I tried was from the same book - Macaroni Cheese with Artichoke Hearts and Bacon, also written by Allegra McEvedy who I really admire. Now I am not one for messing with mac and cheese. No mushrooms, no ham, no tomatoes or chilli or tuna or mustard, and certainly no fucking ketchup. No! I am a macaroni cheese purist!
...Or at least I was.
I raised an unsurprised eyebrow at wholegrain mustard and nutmeg; scoffed at the bacon, the artichokes, the garlic; and breathed a deep sorry sign at the tomatoes and herbs. But I was wrong. This is the macaroni cheese to end all macaroni cheeses. It is just so very tasty and I urge you to try it. Especially if you are a skeptic.
And finally, fresh out of the oven is the third recipe I tried this week, from the ever-so-sweet (and ever so slightly sickly), Rachel Allen. From her book, Bake, I have just put together Date Bars. The recipe was very quick and very simple and if the smell is anything to go by, very tasty.
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