Millions of people in 32 countries have read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. In its homeland, Sweden, enough books have been bought for more than a quarter of the population to own a copy. There’s a Swedish film version called Men who Hate Women, and talk of a Hollywood movie in [more...]
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are perhaps one of the easiest herbs to grow in your garden or in a container. They require little attention and bring a late-spring colour to the garden. Chives are part of the onion family. You can eat the bulb, leaves and even the flower head. Most people just use their leaves for [more...]
The first flower salad I ever saw was covered with bright nasturtiums like the visual treat in the photo. It impressed me with the idea that some garden flowers are not only edible, but look wonderful on food. You can grow them as well as the better-known herbs to add interesting colours and flavours to [more...]
Lavender likes a temperate climate with sunny summer days and cool winters. It will grow in most of Europe and in American zones 5-10. While it is happier on well-drained soils than on damp clay, it’s not too fussy otherwise. Mix sand into the earth round lavender roots to help it cope with heavy, wet [more...]
Put a large flat stone in the oven, leave it to get hot, and then cook pizza or other flat breads on it. Except that the stone is in a modern oven, this is pretty much like ancient ways of cooking dough on stones heated at an open fire. And it’s not unlike old methods [more...]
A pizza peel could be handy even if you only cook frozen pizzas! But of course it’s more likely you’ll be interested in getting one if you make your own dough. And if you bake bread too, a peel will also be useful for getting that in and out of the oven. The peel helps [more...]
This kind of colourful cooking pot is usually much loved by its owner. Is it valued most for its looks or does it pull its weight in the kitchen? Firstly, enamelled cast iron shares some good qualities with plain un-coated cast iron cookware. It’s solid, spreads heat evenly and retains it well. The enamel isn’t only there [more...]
January 25th is Burns Night, an evening for honouring Scottish poet Robert Burns. All over Scotland, and anywhere in the world where people celebrate their Scottish heritage, there will be Burns Suppers with haggis, poetry and whisky on the menu. If you’ve heard haggis is made with a sheep’s lungs, heart and liver chopped and stuffed [more...]
For beautiful and nutritious spinach soup, hold back half the spinach until after cooking. When you’re ready to puree it, blend the raw leaves with the rest. You get a tempting green that’s not too sludgy-looking, and you haven’t destroyed as many vitamins in the heat. For green pea soup, preserve the colour by not over-cooking. [more...]
Most of us have heard the old line, “As American as apple pie.” But, just how American is it? Actually, known recipes for this favorite stuffed pastry date back to the European Middle Ages, long before there was an America. And since the ancient Romans and Greeks were noted growers of apples, it would be a surprise [more...]
Briefly, eating to satisfaction healthy and filling foods. Weight Watchers has evolved over the years and to those of you who remember the good ‘ole days of measuring and weighing, I have good news. The Simply Filling option (a technique within the new Momemtum Plan which may be used as a stand-alone plan for those who [more...]
It’s particularly easy, and just about foolproof, to cook white rice in a microwave oven. Set some water to boil. While it’s heating up, get a mug. Any kind of cup or mug will do, but a coffee mug is about the right size for the amount of rice that I like to cook at once. Fill [more...]