Bloody Mary's at Dawn

Is there anything better than a spicy sherry filled Bloody Mary to welcome in the New Year? I think not!

Followed by a bracing seaside walk, it blows all of last years cobwebs away!

Watermelon!!!

Yum!

Daffodils!

Brightening up a rather grey spring day! It's just not spring without a sunny bunch of these and nothing cheers up my little flat like some lovely fresh flowers!

Beer and a Burger!

Mm I love lazy Sunday afternoons! Mine involved a sunny stroll through West Didsbury, discovering a wonderful new beer shop, Epicurean, and a vintage stall! After purchasing a few tasty beers and some lovely 1970s beer glasses I headed home. Burgers for dinner paired perfectly with my pickled red onions and a delicious bottle of Summer Wine's Diablo. Heavenly!

Hope you've all had good weekends!

Pickled Red Onions and Goats Cheese

 

Earlier this week I made these delicious pickled red onions and ever since I have been dying to try them. Finally at lunchtime today, I gave in...

 

I decided to pair them with the rest of the goats cheese, and some lovely fresh rocket, I also added a sprinkling of spring onions, plus a splash of olive oil and balsamic. Perfection! The creamy goats cheese, and the sour, sweet, salty onions, it was an awesome salad. Happy Saturday!!!



A Spring Salad...

Well, the climate hasn't improved very much here in rainy Manchester, but in my little flat spring has well and truly sprung. I popped to my nearest market after work in search of a little dinner inspiration on was absolutely thrilled to find fresh peas! I know I need to get out more, but it did give me an idea...

 



Fresh peas, radishes, a bit of mint and some delicious soft, creamy goats cheese, that's one heavenly, fresh salad. I dished it up with some grilled chicken, drizzled with lime juice and sprinkled with mint. It's even good for you!

 

Clearly the healthiness of dinner needed to be counterbalanced somehow! Luckily, I had leftover mint and half a lime at my disposal. With the help of a bottle of pear cider I've managed to faithfully recreate the Pear Cider Mojito of Friday night! I'm in spring time heaven!

 

Pea, Radish and Goats Cheese Salad

 

Serves 2 as a side

Approx 250g freshly shelled peas

Bunch of radishes (sliced)

Handful of finely chopped mint

50g crumbled soft goats cheese

Drizzle of olive oil

 

- Briefly boil the peas, two minutes should be plenty

- Combine peas, radishes, mint and olive oil

- Plate up and top with crumbled goats cheese

- Voila! You didn't even need the recipe!!!





Monday Night Comfort Food: Cheesy Garlic Bruschetta

 

Comfort food, it's the best thing about Mondays isn't it? That weekly excuse of 'Eugh! Monday! I'll have to something to cheer myself up...' Or is that just me?

 

 

Regardless, a huge bowl of pasta and some cheesy bruschetta was top of my agenda for this evening. I was lucky enough to find a three cheese sourdough loaf in my local supermarket and it was perfect for this! It's really simple, ten minutes is all that stands between you and garlicky deliciousness.

 

 

Cheesy Garlic Bruschetta

Makes 1 loaf

 

1 Crusty White Loaf (sliced)

5 Cloves of Garlic

Butter

Handful of Parsley (finely chopped)

 

- Halve one of the garlic cloves, and finely chop the other four. You can use less garlic, I'm a bit of a garlic fiend!

 

- Lightly toast the sliced bread under the grill on both sides.

 

- Rub half a garlic clove over one side of each of the slices.

 

- Spread butter very thickly on the slices and top with the chopped garlic.

 

- Return to the grill for 3-5 minutes.

 

- When going golden around the edges and all the butter has melted, remove and sprinkle with parsley.

 

- It's ready to nom!!!

 

If all this thinking about bread is making you want to read more about bread, this is an amazing article about food obsessions! I'm not quite there. Yet.

 

Food obsessives: the people searching for the perfect cheese, bread and coffee