A Creative Spirit
For this week's #foodiefriday, I decided to focus on Bacalau (salted cod) because in Portugal, Christmas is not Christmas without it. I don't know why, because it is as stiff as a board, smells disgusting, and looks about as appetising as the prospect of munching on cardboard. In fact, it’s so stiff that it has... Continue Reading →
For this week's #foodiefriday post, I had intended to discuss herbal teas and which ones you prefer and why, but once I started my research, I got lost in the internet rabbit warren and the horrors of microplastics in tea and how they can potentially impact our health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LnXGB0ROs8&t=42s Further digging unearthed this research-based article,... Continue Reading →
I love discovering new recipes and more often than not adding a twist or two of my own. Thistles and Kiwis recently shared a recipe: salsiccia con patate e pomodori al forno, or sausages baked in the oven with potatoes and capsicum, which tagged my taste buds radar. I had some sausages in the freezer,... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food! Chestnuts roasting by an open fire ... not quite, but you get my drift. When we were in the UK, we never ate chestnuts... it wasn't a thing. However, in Portugal, we quickly discovered there is even a day dedicated to them: Dia de São Martinho, celebrated on November 11th, which... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about eating out ... I am not referring to basic eating establishments such as 'McDonald's', 'Pizza Hut', and other fast-food chains; I mean restaurants that create their own menus and food. Okay, so “Ambience” is just a fancy word for the feel or atmosphere of a place. If I walk into a restaurant... Continue Reading →
Okay, I did not intend to make pumpkin soup, but when I sent Mr P on a mission to buy a pumpkin for my Halloween light, I was not expecting him to return with the runt of the litter. Needless to say, it was spared from being turned into a Halloween pumpkin light, and I... Continue Reading →
We've just returned from visiting family in France, and I have no idea how I managed to avoid gaining weight! OMG, the pastries, chocolates, cakes, speciality breads, etc, were amazing! Just look and tell me how you could resist them ... Every time we went to buy a baguette for lunch, we were forced to... Continue Reading →
While on a boat trip to one of the islands on the Ria Formosa the boat's skipper proudly introduced us to these slimey critters. Sea cucumbers or “Sea rats” as they are aptly nicknamed by some fishers and divers because of how they move and feed—slowly crawling over the seabed, cleaning up waste and debris... Continue Reading →
For this week's Food on Friday, I want to discuss managing obesity, successes and weight loss failures, and the latest trend in what I have heard tagged as fat jabs to help you lose weight. I am obese and have been for years. Despite my best efforts to exercise (I have limited mobility), the excess... Continue Reading →
Yes, this is a serious question. I ask because whenever I see something sweet, it triggers an irritating voice in my head, which keeps niggling like the spoilt toddler intent on getting its own way until you lose the will to live and comply just for a quiet life. Recently, the niggling came in the... Continue Reading →
Do you prefer to use recipes you've sourced online, cookery books or both? Last week, during my shift at the charity shop, I spotted a vegetarian cookery book for sale. 'The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking with Roz Denny and Christine Ingram'. I do love books where each recipe is supported by a... Continue Reading →
They say a way to a man's good books is through his stomach. This is what I was banking on when I offered to make Mr. Piglet some Cornish pasties in return for his driving me down to Lagos once again on Saturday night to enjoy music at the Marina. I mean, how hard could... Continue Reading →
I am fooded out. My head is spinning like a whirling diva and my Facebook feed is jammed with this or that expert telling me NOT to eat certain food combinations or it will cause x, y or Z. These so-called experts are all pulling silly faces to attract your attention. Claims such as if... Continue Reading →
I've probably been in denial for some time, but after eating pizza last night, my stomach bloated to the size of a barrage balloon within hours. This is not an isolated incident. Perhaps it's time to reassess my diet and try a gluten-free approach. My body's reaction might not be to gluten. It could be... Continue Reading →
Hello fellow food enthusiasts. Let's talk about food. Today I experimented with a new-ish recipe inspired by Luna on FB. I am bored with eating Greek yoghurt and fruit every day for breakfast, so I thought I'd try something new. We will see. I am stuck in a breakfast rut. What do you eat for... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food. On Thursday, I spent the day chopping onions, zucchini, and tomatoes to make homemade chutney. Cheese and crackers, baked potatoes in their jackets, and cold meats are not the same without a dollop of chutney and shop bought chutney is full of preservatives. Ingredients2lb courgettes (peeled)1lb 8oz tomatoes1lb 4oz onions1lb 4oz... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food! Today's post is inspired by a visit to The Trout Inn, a traditional old English pub located on the bank of the River Thames in Lechlade. It is the perfect location to enjoy a traditional English 'Ploughman's' lunch. As I was basking in the sunshine, enjoying lunch, I pondered on the... Continue Reading →
and what do we eat on Good Friday? Hot Cross Buns! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN4SPwIXIAs And while searching for a simple recipe I came across the nursery rhyme I used to sing as a child. These kids are SO cute! Do you remember this rhyme from your childhood? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6CzbcKM7cg We or rather Mr. Piglet made some NOT Cross... Continue Reading →
I love fresh seafood, especially dressed crab, so today, we went to lunch at 'A Azenha do Mar' near Odemeira in the Alentejo. No, I didn't go to the tank to choose the live crab, I left that to the waitress. Do you like seafood? I do, but apart from prawns, I don't cook it.... Continue Reading →
Today, as I walked around my vegetable garden during the lull between heavy showers and gale-force winds to inspect the damage inflicted by Storm Martinho, I wondered how many of us--if push came to shove--could grow our own fruit and vegetables. A random question. Maybe not. With the world teetering on the brink of war... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 