root veggie crisps.

 inspired by the root veg crisps from our picnic MD was excited at the idea of home baked ones (I think he's secretly enjoying to cook). 

preheat the oven at 200c/400f. a quick peel and slice is all it takes. drizzle with olive oil a dash of s&p and in the oven they go for about 15 minutes or until the edges become light in colour. was a nice little nosh while we waited for our pizza dough to rise.. watch this space for grilled pizza!

parsnips, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots.. which root veg crisp is your fave? 

two bite picnic delights.

at last! summer vacay is finally here. it's been a glorious start to freedom and since summer weather has found London it's all about the picnic. picked up a few things on the way and had a chilled out arvo in Kensington gardens with MD. (awaiting the arrival of baby prince G) in honor of his favorite dessert i wanted to make something more picnic friendly. am usually apprehensive to experiment but pleased with how these came out..and think he was too!

This recipe made 8 cheesecakes in a muffin/American cupcake pan, however for future would fill each cup more and make 6. 

Adapted from Jamie Oliver and Giada De Laurentiis..

the ingredients 

200g digestives (graham crackers)

100g butter, just under 1 stick 

1/2 c sugar

1 tbsp corn flour 

200g / 7 oz cream cheese

1/4c soured cream 

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla

a bit of lemon zest

optional compote:

cherries or blueberries or any other fruit of choice

sugar

water

Optional- splash of port if using cherries 

the temperature

180 for the base then turn up to 200 for cheesecake

the preparation

prepare the base by combining digestives and combine sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. add cream cheese and mix until creamy. add the egg and then soured cream, vanilla and zest. spoon the mixture (about 2 tbsp) into each muffin. 

bake for about 20 minutes but keep an eye after 15 minutes depending on the size pan. let cool then refrigerate for about an hour to set.

for the compote:

combine all ingredients over medium heat until warm then lower as it thickens.

fourth of JUly fun.

although the Fourth of July isn't quite the same over on the other side of the pond, i still embrace it with the Brits.. and whatever Americans i can gather round. no celebration is complete without a flag cake and think this was one of the best yet. This year I used Ina's strawberry country cake recipe and whipped cream.

another success from Ina!

nom nom nom

some days you just don't feel like cooking and indulge with an unhealthy but i don't care because it's tasty, take away.  sometimes they hit the spot and other times you actually think about what it is you're eating. my last Chinese food craving of sweet and sour chicken brought these thoughts exactly and remembered our wonderful cooking class in Vietnam when we made it in a few minutes with fresh ingredients from the market, easy. couldn't remember the recipe just roughly the ingredients so had a look online and Mills and i had fun trying to recreate our meal with Lee in Vietnam.  it's such an easy recipe that I've already made it again. adjust measurements for the sauce to your liking, this was just my starting point. I've seen recipes which marinade the chicken but didn't seem to make much difference. will just have to try again!

We ended up with lots of veg and enjoyed a much tastier and healthier (because we knew what was in it) version! 

The ingredients

For the sweet & sour sauce 

1/4 c ketchup

1 tablespoon corn flour

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 c rice vinegar (or white wine) vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar 

The preparation 

cut the chicken into cubes, dust with corn flour and fry with peanut or olive oil. add a splash of soy sauce. remove chicken once cooked and add veggies until softened. 

meanwhile, combine ingredients to make the sauce. start on medium heat then lower as it begins to thicken. 

once veggies have softened add chicken  again. pour sauce over the entire mixture or when serving.

easy alternative to egg fried rice:

cook rice as usual. whisk one egg into a saucepan and cook, slowly folding into thirds like an omelette.. or just scramble the egg if it doesn't go as planned! cut into strips and add to rice along with peas. 

enjoying our Vietnamese creations, at the market in Hanoi

back in London