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 →
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 →
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 →
Let's talk about food and healthy options. Recently, I've noticed an increasing number of cookie and cake recipes on my FB feed that use oats instead of wheat flour. Keen to discover more, as part of my quest to reduce the number of ultra-processed foods in our diet and replace with healthier alternatives, I dived... Continue Reading →
With a name like Piglet, you've probably gathered I love food, whether it's growing, cooking, or eating out. More recently, as part of my drive to get fit, I have been researching the health benefits of different ingredients, experimenting with new recipes, and logging some of my successes and disasters on Foodie Friday. ARE HARD-COPY... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee I'd confess I had never really considered how our diet could impact health until I was diagnosed with gut issues and needed to drastically review my diet and lifestyle--I made some changes, but apparently not enough. By chance, I listened to an interview with Tim Spector, the co-founder of Zoe.... Continue Reading →
As part of my drive to step outside my foodie comfort zone, I searched Pinterest for some Christmassy 'aperitivo' ideas and found this Christmas Tree cheese and spinach breadsticks. Great. I had fresh spinach in the garden, begging to be eaten before the slugs and snails ate it all. I adapted the original recipe to... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food! This morning, I was waiting to be served at the butcher's counter when I spotted half a pig's head awaiting a new home. I admit I am squeamish, and the thought of putting it in the oven to roast or in a large pot to boil, let alone eat it, turned... Continue Reading →
Yes, you read the title correctly! The cake sounds weird, but I was assured it tastes delicious—a shame I'm on a diet and it's loaded with sugar. I am no stranger to carrot or apple cake, so I wonder if I could jazz up the beetroot cake by using oats instead of flour, finding a... Continue Reading →
Hands up. Who knew the tiny Chia seed packed such a nutritious punch? I didn't. When someone suggested I try them to help with weight loss, I bought a packet, thinking it was a type of tea. I probably made that assumption because chia and chá are similar, and chá is the Portuguese word for... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food. Last week, we celebrated our wedding anniversary at Dos Artistos in Lagos. On learning we were celebrating a special occasion, the restaurant added an extra special touch to the presentation of our creme brulee dessert. How sweet! * On Thursday, another trip to Lagos to see the Algarve Jazz Orchestra at... Continue Reading →
The days have flown by so quickly that I've barely had time to catch my breath. This week, I had planned to prepare a meal using the homegrown kale I planted at the end of August. At the mention of Kale, I can already see many of you running for the hills. Trust me, kale... Continue Reading →
Kefir? Is anyone familiar with Kefir? Have you tried it, and do you make it at home? Kefir was recommended to me as a probiotic for gut health. At the moment I'm buying from the local supermarket. I read this article which offers a lot of maybe's: Top 10 health benefits of kefir. Kefir is... Continue Reading →
One of my favourite treats is a Portuguese custard tart, Pastel de nata. But beware—not all Pastéis de Nata are equal, as Mr. Piglet, a pastel de nata connoisseur, will tell you. We avoid ordering from the big supermarket cafes because they offer poor imitations (in our opinion). One of our local bakeries supplies them... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 