New paintings and regular art updates.
An advert for evaporated (condensed milk). But I’m more interested in the fruit salad portrayed here. That bowl represents at least one whole can of the stuff, I know because me and my sisters used to squabble over it in the 60s and 70s. If there was only one cherry in the tin our mother used to cut it into four. It also has peaches, pears and I think pineapple.
We used to have sliced white bread and butter with it. Oh the simplicity of the past.
Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.
One day hubby turned up from his work at a pottery with a very large casserole pot. He’d bought it and wanted to cook for friends.
We decided to make a chicken casserole and invite a few friends over. I was working that evening so he said he would prepare it. I told him what to do, put the chicken in the casserole pot, add carrots, potatoes, onion and a clove of garlic.
I came home to hubby and our guests. He opened a bottle of wine and we decided to serve the food. Unfortunately the smell of very pungent garlic wafted from the pot. My hubby had put in a whole bulb of garlic in by mistake. We were only young and were not used to the strength of the garlic. The flavour was too strong for us. I think we ended up having fish and chips from the chips shop.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Just lately I could have eaten ice-cream for breakfast, dinner and tea. That’s not good. It’s the only thing I feel comfortable eating!
I like pizza, lasagne, Thai green curry, masala, sushi, fish and chips, and lots of other things. But when it’s getting hot I like ice-cream, specifically the adult sort with lots of flavour combinations. Icelandic berries, peppermint and coffee, mango fizz, (not salted caramel).
I’m happy to just eat chocolate ice-cream as long as its not too sweet. I’d try different flavours. There is apparently an ice-cream parlor in London that sells odd ones, like piccalilli, vinegar, baked beans, coffee, jaffa cake. It sounds bizarre but they even have soy sauce flavour.
I’m thinking of going to the freezer now for a small tub of the stuff!
Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.
I guess the worst thing I ever did was to burn a cake! I took the risk of making it up as I went along, but I didn’t think of the oven temperature. I set it at has mark 7 and cooked it for an hour. More than slightly crispy even after I cut the outside layer off.
That’s why it’s good to follow a recipe. You can learn from your mistakes. But once you have the basic idea THEN you can add your own twist. But remember not to over spice things. Especially if you know nothing about chilli and the varying types that you can get. I also didn’t know about deseeding them and not to touch your eyes if you have chilli on your hands!
One meal I wasn’t responsible for was a chicken casserole. I left my hubby detailed instructions and friends came round to enjoy the meal (not). I didn’t realise that he would translate my clove of garlic into a BULB of garlic. Not a pleasant meal!
Weird thing! The gin my hubby bought me has infusions of cardamon, turmeric and dried mandarin… I just wanted a normal London dry gin. It had ice in it with tonic water, but that melted in the heat.
He also bought golden milk ice cream which also has Tumeric in it. Why? What is the point? I would not eat it, I told him I did not want any. CURRY flavoured ice-cream, I love curry, but not as a dessert.
Flavours are personal, if you’ve ever tried something it’s good to give it a try but not turmeric. No.
List 30 things that make you happy.
1 icecream
2 chocolate icecream
3 strawberry ice cream
4 toffee icecream
5 mint choc chip icecream
6 lemon sorbet
7 raspberry sorbet,
8 Lime sorbet
9 Strawberry sorbet
10 choc ice
11 grape juice
12 blackcurrant juice
13 pancakes with sugar and lemon juice
14 omelette
15 beans on toast
16 decaff coffee
17 Sunday roast
18 library books
19 science fiction
20 ceramics
21 ornaments
22 paintings
23 curry
24 Chinese food
25 Greek honey
26 hummus
27 olives
28 salad
29 fish and chips
30 Birthday cards
Why list 30 things? What if none of them make me happy. I’ve just chosen mainly food because it’s easy to list. Not much effort needed, and it’s not disclosing much about me. I might like things on the list, it doesn’t mean I eat them all the time!
Don’t dip your brush in your tea!
It might make it taste foul..
You’ll see!
Oil and water doesn’t mix
And you’ll be in a fix!
Cos your tea isn’t water
Remember you ought’a
Put your mug somewhere else
Linseed oil, or turps taste
Vile, what a mistake…
Take it from me!
A foil wrapped chocolate Easter bunny that we had for our yoga class chocolate meditation. You unwrap the chocolate, smell it, look at it and notice it’s shape and texture, then put the chocolate in your mouth without chewing it. Finally you chew it and notice how the texture changes. The process of slowly looking at, and tasting it gives you time to understand how lovely the chocolate was, and without just eating in a greedy or hungry way. You are exploring your senses. We also did yoga postures and breathing. It was a simple relaxing evening class.
I am not cold tonight
I’m hot
Spicy food got me
I feel heated up
My blood boils
Thirst grabs my throat.
A bit of spice attacks
Makes me blaze
Too much flavour
I like some spices
But chilli does not make me chilly
It makes me hot
Burning mouth
Need water
Less next time
Please
Oops, just made the mistake of adding too much chilli to our tea. My mouth has that bitter burning sensation that makes you want to drink something long and cold (possibly a pint of milk). I only intended to add a little flavour, and I deseeded the chilli (I only ever use one), perhaps it was very ripe. It certainly was a flavour enhancer with added oregano and garlic. I think my stomach is regretting my spice choices. Oh dear!
Mallaband-Brown