Winter Spiced Apple Fizz

We have been seeking out soft drinks with a winter flavour. Marks & Spencer's always have interesting products on their shelves at this time of year, so I picked up a few bottles of their winter themed drinks and snacks. Apple is a very sweet flavour. I know our guests always seem keen on Appletiser, …

Irish Cream And Chocolate Mousse Pots

Winter tends to be a time when we want a little luxuriant treat to help us through the grey months. I found a Waitrose card in my collection for a very simple but very pleasing dessert. Chocolate mousse is a decadent treat, but the Irish cream and coffee flavouring really enhance this dessert. Although if …

In Anger, Unkind Words Are Said

Jim has picked a sort of melancholy theme for this week's Song Lyric Sunday. I thought of first of choosing a rather obvious track from Oasis. But then decided to try to find something different. This is a time of year when we end up playing a lot of Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett …

Disaronno Velvet Cream

Since I was a child I have had a partiality for almonds, and although I generally do not have a sweet tooth, I make the exception for almond flavouring. My first cake love was a Bakewell Tart - cherries and almonds. I also love amaretto above and beyond all other liqueurs. Back in the spring, …

Mushroom, Spinach And Cider Pie

Wintry weather means comfort food. The humble pie has incredible potential to wow hungry family members who are tired after a long day at work. I have made many meat pies over the years, but now we are switching to vegetarian cuisine (with meat on rare occasions) I was very impressed by this Waitrose magazine …

Turned On The Lights, The TV, And The Radio

There was one song that immediately sprang to mind when I saw Jim's theme for Song Lyric Sunday included "TV". I featured a Duran Duran track a few weeks ago on Song Lyric Sunday, which caused me to listen to some of our Duran Duran albums. This group experienced the fickle music industry, enjoying success …

Finca Las Moras Malbec

Apparently this is the produce of a large wine estate in Argentina. I read up about the Finca Las Moras estate in San Juan and about the Malbec grape variety and I still struggled for something to say to you about this wine. It was adequate. I was not embarrassed to have it at the …

Lentil Ragù Tagliatelle

My sole reason for wanting to try out this recipe was that I had a packet of red lentils in the cupboard and I wanted to use it up. I am so glad that I did. This vegetarian ragù was absolutely packed with flavour. The lentils worked so well instead of mince. If you would …

Ska-badabadabadoo-belidabbelydabbladabbladabblabab-belibabbelibabbelibabbelabbelo-doobelidoo

Oh dear! I was scrolling through my Reader looking for my own Song Lyric Sunday post wondering why I could not see it. My fault - after picking a song, I had forgotten to finish the post and schedule it. The track I have chosen is from Scatman John, and is called "Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop" - I …

Meantime Chocolate Porter

Winter weather calls for some sturdy brews. Meantime Chocolate Porter is just the treat to warm you from head to toe. What a delicious waft of chocolate erupted from this bottle! This was a sweet smooth yet malty beer and it was very delicious. It was filling though. I would have to skip dinner if …