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   Yay, its the first of December and do you know what that means????   The Mincemeat Fest can begin!  I refuse to eat a mince pie until the first of December, even though the shops have been full of them for at least 2 months already.  Mince pies are a Christmas thing and I will not entertain anything Christmas until at least the first of December!  When I was a child I did not like mincemeat at all.   They actually put meat in mincemeat back in Canada you know, and I did not like it one little bit . . . the mincemeat over here doesn't have any meat in it at all and is a lot tastier to my way of thinking.  Mince pies are like tasty little spiced raisin and currant pies, with some mixed peel and candied cherries thrown in for good measure.  I quite like ADORE it now. Of course you can make your own and I often do.  The recipe I like to use is Delia Smith's, which you can find here .  It's the best in my opinion.  She is one of the best of the female cook's here in the

     If any of you have been reading my blog for very long you will know by now that I am rather lazy when it comes to cooking.  Not that I am not capable of doing complicated and labor intensive recipes.  I am more than capable . . . but if I can find a quick and easy way of doing something and have it come out top delish, then I am all for it!     I was watching food tv the other day  while I was dusting, as you do (doesn't everyone??) and I just caught the end of this recipe that a guy (don't even know his hame) was making and it looked simple and easy.  I kind of caught the grasp of what he was/had done and I could remember certain elements and so I kind of threw them together and this is what I came up with.   I love brioche . . . those sweet, soft butter buns . . . so good with a nice hot drink, or warmed and spread with butter and ham . . . or nutella.   (Don't judge me!)  This recipe used those lovely little finger brioche, along with bananas caramelized under a gr

I do get sent the nicest things.   This week I got this handy candy apple red Kitchen Aid Mezzaluna from the people at Red Candy.   If you aren't familiar with Red Candy, it's a company which specializes in all things red!  If Funky Home Accessories and ravishing Red Kitchen Accessories are your cup of tea, then this is the place for you! The Kitchen Aid Mezzaluna is a fine edged stainless steel cutter.  You cut things merely by rocking the sharp fine edges stainless steel blade over them.     It has a comfy red sure grip handle which feels really comfortable in the hands and comes with a matching red blade cover which helps to protect the blade from scratches and you from getting cut when you reach into the drawer. It's also dishwasher safe. I've been using it all week for chopping all sorts . . . onions, carrots, herbs, etc. and it has performed very well.   It also comes with a one year hassle free replacement and Lifetime Limited Warranty.  It's ace, which is

  I recently received a lovely Halogen Oven from Argos.  This was something which Todd and I had been thinking about getting for quite some time.   Our friends Sheilagh and Ralph had gotten one last year and waxed rhapsodical about it's qualities and how deliciously it roasted chicken. You may be wondering that is a Halogen oven?  Well, a Halogen oven is a portable, multi-purpose, table-top oven which uses halogen technology which enables food to be cooked using infrared waves from a halogen light source.  It is said to cook up to 40 % faster than a conventional oven, and in doing so, uses less power and is therefore very economical to use.  A Halogen oven will roast, grill, defrost, bake and steam with the convenience of merely plugging it into an earthed mains power socket. It consists of a large glass bowl, which rests on a metal base.  The workings are all in the lid which sits atop the glass bowl. It should come with two racks (a lower one and a taller one) and a set of tongs

  The 2013 Christmas Wine Guide With Christmas just weeks away you may have started to plan your sumptuous Christmas feast - and there's a lot to consider. Do you opt for the old favourite, turkey, or perhaps something a little more adventurous such as goose? That's before you start worrying about the myriad of side dishes and desserts you'll need to prepare. The choice of table wine however can often make or break a festive feast, and it can be hard to know exactly what species of grape will accompany a particular meat perfectly. With this in mind, the experts at Hard to Find Wines have put together this guide, offering some suggestions for your Christmas meal to take the stress out of the decision-making process.   Turkey or Chicken Both of these birds are the popular choices for the Christmas meal, and one of the best things about them from a wine point of view is that they go so well with a wide range of different wines. Instead, consider the side dishes and a