Hello and Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog.

This is my very first one, so bear with me and enjoy reading about my adventures cooking all of the recipes from Nigella Lawson's new book 'Kitchen'.

From time-to-time I may post about things other than cooking, after all, Nigella does sell a lifestyle that most women would like have a slice of, so I would like to share a bit of mine - not quite as glamorous but fun none-the-less (may I add that most of my ideas and thoughts revolve around food anyway)!

Just to set the scene a little, I am based in Yorkshire, live with my husband and gorgeous toddler who is rapidly approaching his second year. I work in the events industry and love music, books, fashion, culture and of course... food.

Enjoy.

Goddess Mx (meant in the loosest possible sense, believe me)!

Monday 28 February 2011

A birthday bonanza

I feel like I have been in a bit of a whirlwind lately with job-hunting and my son's second birthday. Blogging has gone out of the window a bit, but I have managed to cook up a few recipes from 'Kitchen' and feel it would be rude not to share my experiences!


I decided to make Nigella's traditional cheesecake so that there was a little something sweet in the house (the alternative was Annabel Karmel's magimix yoghurt cake that I made for my boy). I was slightly apprehensive about this after the banoffee cheeseake I made from Kitchen last year which I overbaked, so kept a close eye on it during the baking process. The base for this dessert was pastry rather than your usual biscuit base. A pleasant change. The filling comprised of curd cheese, double cream, seperated eggs, lemon juice and sugar. I made the mistake of using a tin the right size in width/length, but too shallow by a couple of centimetres resulting in me throwing half of the filling away (what a waste)! I got the consistency of the filling just right, but due to the tin mix-up, the balance was wrong and there was too much base to topping. I liked the flavours, but as I have a sweet-tooth, I think I am more of a biscuit-base kind of gal. If you want to read some amusing lyrics about a love of cheesecake, look no further than King Missile's 'Cheesecake Truck'.


For an accompaniment to lunch time quiche (shop-bought) I made tabbouleh. I had been meaning to make this for a while after sampling some of my sister-in-law's delicious Morrocan version. The dish was made with cold cooked bulgar wheat; oodles of parsley, mint and dill; olive oil; garlic oil; pomegranate seeds; tomatoes; lemon zest and juice. A lovely fresh dish, and beautiful too.


I have had a rising urge to cook something spicy lately, so a trip to our local continental supermarket was called for to pick up some seeds: fennel, black cumin, green cumin and black mustard. My mum bought us a fab new authentic indian spice container which I joyously filled with my new purchases and other colourful powders. The seeds, some hot chilli powder and turmeric were sprinkled over diced potatoes, olive oil and unpeeled garlic cloves to produce some fabulous roasties to be eaten with a lemony roast chicken. The final touch was some lime-doused raw red onion for added crunch. The perfect end to a brilliant weekend with family and friends to celebrate Little M's birthday.

Goddess Mx

7 comments:

  1. All look delicious. I make tabbouleh all the time. Yours looks fresh and healthy. I will do a post on the one I make later. I really need to get to the book store for Nigella's book. Or would you suggest another one of her books you like better?

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  2. Hi Karen. Too bad you had to throw away half of the cheesecake filling. I'm gonna cook the Indian roast potatoes from 'the book' soon. I cannot wait.
    FYI, the poached chicken was delicious. I think you'll enjoy it. You can see the pic on my blog. just click on the link.
    Good luck with the job hunting. I have my fingers crossed for you. Have a great day.

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  3. I've really not explored 'Kitchen' enough ... funny that you should mention it as it is currently sat beside me on the couch so I can read it while the football is on lol. Shame the cheesecake didn;t work out as planned but the salad looks ace ;0)

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  4. I haven't picked up this cookbook yet! I'm excited to get it based on your post!

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  5. My mouth is watering! I am happy to say I am your newest follower! By the way, I have a contest giveaway on my blog you might find fun. Take a look. triumphandtears.blogspot.com

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  6. I haven't yet got this Nigella book either - have all the others except Express - so am interested to see what you make of it and some of the recipes.
    The tabbouleh looks really nice - have never made that so must give it a try.
    I adore making cheesecakes so will def try the cheesecake, and will take on board what you found with the tin.
    Thanks for becoming a follower on my blog - its meant that I have found your lovely one!
    Gill x

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  7. I'm also looking for a job! It ain't easy out there!

    We also love tabbouleh, one of our favorite lunch time sandwiches is tabbouleh & hummus on pita!

    I enjoyed my visit today, and thanks for visiting me! Have a wonderful week!

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