Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone, I hope you have had a great weekend. We had a party on Saturday night and all got suitably dressed up for the occasion. It turned out to be quite the collection of costumes including a geisha (moi!), catwomen, the joker, a vampire, superboy, a rocker, pirate, cowgirl, horse, 80's prom queen and Greek God to name a few!! On the menu were some bat wings with mouldy dip, trolls toes, slime dip and an eyeball cheesecake....not for the fainthearted!



Bloody Good Cocktails

These recipes are a little late for Halloween now but the are so delicious that you can serve them at any party, perhaps just stick to their original names though!

Bat Wing's

(Honey Garlic Chicken Wing's)

Most often than not we cook these on the BBQ, however you can cook them in the oven and they are still delicious. If it's easier you can also cook the wings ahead of time then just warm them in the oven for about 5 minutes before tossing with the sauce. The wings I buy are quite small so if you buy the bigger ones you will need to cook them a bit longer than I have stated. I use half a packet of chicken wings for this recipe and use the other half to make some hot and spicy buffalo wings (see below). If you prefer though just double the amount of sauce and use all of the chicken wings.

½ large packet of chicken wings (roughly 24)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp ginger, finely grated

6 tbsp honey

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp light soy sauce

Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer gently for 5 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened.

To cook the chicken wings –

Season the chicken wings with a little salt and pepper. If cooking in the oven, preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F/ GM 6 then cook the wings for 40-45 minutes or until they are completely cooked through and crispy and golden on the outside.

If cooking on a barbecue, once the barbecue is ready (or preheated if using a gas one) cook the wings over a medium-low heat with the point of the wings on the outside and the meaty drums inside so that they cook evenly, for roughly 20 minutes or until they are completely cooked through and deliciously crisp and slightly charred on the outside.

When the chicken wings are ready transfer them to a large bowl and pour over the sauce. Serve at once with lots of napkins!

(If the wings aren't crisping up enough, simply turn the grill on for a minute at the end until the skins are crispy and golden brown)

Buffalo Chicken Wings

To make these hot and spicy wings I just cook the wings as above then right before serving drizzle over some buffalo wing hot sauce and toss well – be warned though, they will have a good kick!

Mouldy Dip

(Blue Cheese Dip)

125ml sour cream

125ml mayonnaise

85g/ 3oz blue cheese of your choice, crumbled

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Mix together the sour cream and mayonnaise then crumble in the blue cheese. Mix with a fork crushing the cheese a little as you do. Add the lemon juice and parsley and stir well. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Troll's Toes

(Honey & Sesame Chipolatas)

60 chipolata or cocktail sausages

125ml honey

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

Sprinkling of sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400F. Put the sausages on a non-stick baking tray so they are in a single layer. In a small bowl or jug mix together the honey, maple syrup, sesame oil and soy sauce. Drizzle over the sausages then toss well so they are evenly coated. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes or until properly cooked through and are sticky and delicious. Just before serving sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

*The slime dip was made by my brother-in-law and is my spinach and artichoke dip.

* The cheesecake my sister made was from Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food (as we are testing his cookbook), just slightly adapted with the topping!

Friday Night Chicken Curry

Nothing beats a good curry on a Friday night whether you are home alone, cooking for your family or for a crowd of people. I have loved curries for a very long time and whenever I go home one of the first things I want to eat is a curry from a local Indian restaurant or takeaway. Here in Canada where I live there aren't really any Indian restaurants so when I get that curry craving I make my own which is just as delicious and hits the spot perfectly!

My Friday Night Chicken Curry

This makes a lovely, creamy and mildly spiced curry with plenty of sauce to mop up with naan bread. The heat of the curry depends on how hot the fresh chilli is and also the curry powder you use. If you prefer a really mild curry simply use less chilli or miss it out completely. Also if you prefer a thicker curry half the quantity of chicken stock and cream.

I tend to use chicken breasts for this recipe and just add them for the last 10 minutes of cooking, to keep the chicken nice and moist. If you prefer however, you could easily use chicken thighs instead. This is a good option if you want to make the curry in advance as the thighs can quite happily cook for a while without drying out. If using thighs I would suggest 8-10 good sized boneless and skinless thighs and simply add them to the pan after the onion and garlic have sautéed.

Serve this curry with saffron and cardamom rice (see below), mango chutney, raita and lots of naan bread.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped

5 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground ginger

2 tsp curry powder

1 stick of cinnamon, broken in half

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & finely grated

100ml passata or crushed tomatoes

400ml tin of coconut milk

250ml chicken stock

½ tsp sugar

2 small bay leaves

125ml whipping (double) cream

4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper

4 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped

In a large saucepan or wok heat the oil then add the sliced onions. Cook over a medium heat for roughly 5 minutes until they have softened but not browned. Add the garlic and chilli and continue to cook for a further minute before adding the cardamom pods, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, curry powder, cinnamon stick and half of the ginger. Stir well and cook for a couple of minutes then add the passata, coconut milk, chicken stock, sugar, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Leave to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes before adding the chicken and half of the cream. Simmer and reduce again for a further 7 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and the cinnamon stick and continue to simmer gently for a further 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is properly cooked through. Just before serving add the remaining cream, ginger and half of the coriander. Serve with the rest of the coriander sprinkled over the top of the curry.

Cardamom & Saffron Rice

285g/ 10oz basmati rice

Small pinch of salt

Small pinch of saffron strands

3 cardamom pods, crushed

2 tbsp coriander, chopped (optional)

Cook the rice according to the packet instructions adding the salt, saffron and cardamom to the water. Once it is ready, drain well then fluff up with a fork. Just before serving scatter over the chopped coriander.

Cucumber Raita

250ml/ 1 cup plain natural yogurt

½ cucumber, cut in half lengthwise

1 fat spring onion, finely sliced

Handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Salt & pepper

Remove the seeds from the cucumber halves then cut each piece into 4 batons, then cut across the way so that you have small diced pieces. After that simply combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Season to taste and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

A toast to the new Mr. & Mrs!!

Today one of my best friends is getting married! I've been so excited for them since the day they got engaged, however unfortunately as much as I wanted to I wasn't able to make it back to Scotland for their wedding. So to make up for the fact I was having to miss their big day I decided we would have a mini celebration for them here and what better way to celebrate than with cake and champagne! So Paula and Phil this is for you.....Congratulations to you both, I am so delighted for you and hope you have a fantastic day xxx

Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate & Vanilla Icing

For the cupcakes I used the recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook then added my own icing and decorations.

White Chocolate & Vanilla Icing

100g white chocolate

150g unsalted butter, at room temperature

150g icing sugar, sieved

1 tbsp milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until completely melted and smooth. Leave to cool. Mix together the butter and icing sugar until smooth then add the milk, vanilla extract and white chocolate. Continue beating for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Top the cupcakes with the icing and smooth with an off-set spatula. Decorate as you please, I used some edible gold glitter and edible wafer roses.

Day in Vancouver Part 2 - Hamilton Street Gill (Taste of Yaletown 2010)

At night we were heading out for a meal to meet a friend from home that we hadn't seen for a few years who is now living in Vancouver. We had spent quite a bit of time trying to decide where to eat before we left as we wanted to have a nice meal out but something that wouldn't cost us an arm and a leg. Whilst looking at a few restaurants I realised that Taste of Yaletown 2010 had just started which meant we could take advantage of eating at a lovely restaurant in Yaletown and have a 3 course meal for between $25 and $45. As it turned out both of the restaurants we had been considering were taking part in this so we booked a table at the Hamilton Street Grill.

The table was booked for 8pm and when we arrived the restaurant was completely full with a lively atmosphere to walk into. We all opted for the $35 menu and ended up pretty much ordering the same meal! To start I ordered the west coast mussels which were served in a chipotle cream sauce with house cured bacon and a cilantro (coriander) lime pistou and my sister and friend had the goats cheese salad with pickled beets and vanilla white balsamic vinaigrette. Both dishes were lovely and the perfect sized portion, however I didn't detect any coriander/cilantro or lime and think it may have been forgotten (since you can't really miss the taste of coriander!!). Similarly the goats cheese and beetroot salad had no hint of vanilla but was delicious regardless. Presentation was nothing special for the salad but they did use both yellow and red beetroot which I always think looks beautiful. Normally I like to choose a different meal from everyone else so we can try a few things but this time since we only had a couple of choices we all opted for the steak. That being said since Hamilton Street Grill is a steakhouse it seemed to make sense to pick something that they are known for and therefore should cook perfectly. They did just that and all of our steaks were perfect. Served with a red wine shallot demi glace and a compound herb butter all three were melt in your mouth. The steaks were served on creamy mashed potatoes with carrots and green beans which were lovely and crisp – just as they should be. We were all so full after our main course that we had to wait a while before we could even consider dessert. Thankfully our waitress was fantastic and we were told to relax, take our time and enjoy ourselves which was really appreciated since there is nothing worse than being made to feel rushed when you are in a restaurant. When we were finally ready we all rather boringly opted for yet again the same dessert, despite having a choice of five! The vanilla bean creme brulee won us all over as it seemed the lightest of the options, however as a good creme brulee should be it was rich, velvety smooth and thick with plenty of vanilla. I was reassured to see that the vanilla specks had all congregated on the bottom of the ramekin as this was exactly what had happened to me last time I made my creme brulee!! The sugar was scorched perfectly – not overdone as it sometimes can be leading to a dark bitter taste. My only criticism was that it was a rather large portion and so I was only able to eat half of it (that plus the fact I had already had mussels and a large steak!) but that really isn't a criticism, more of a disappointment that I had to waste some of it since it was so good!! For the three courses we each paid $35 (not including taxes and 15% tip) which was fantastic value for money, the only negative was the cost of the wine which was $40 a bottle but that seems to be standard now for a meal out. I would definitely go back to the Hamilton Street Grill with or without Taste of Yaletown, however having never been before, it was the perfect way to try out a new restaurant and see what it is like as there is nothing worse than going somewhere new and leaving disappointed. Taste of Yaletown runs until October 30^th and is definitely worth taking advantage of it. For a full list of participating restaurants and their menus visit http://yaletowninfo.com/ 

Day in Vancouver Part 1 - Granville Island

This past weekend my sister and I headed to Vancouver for a girl's weekend leaving Mr. Vanilla and baby at home for a boy's weekend. We lucked out with the weather and despite it being mid October we were treated to clear blue skies and even a little heat! As soon as we got to Vancouver after dropping off our bags it was straight to Granville Island which has to be without doubt my favourite place in Vancouver. I know that's a strong statement since there are so many great places to visit in Vancouver but being the foodie that I am this is my place to go. Thankfully my sister also loves it there so she wasn't dragged kicking and sreaming!

Granville Island is as described on their website “an urban oasis filled with fine waterfront restaurants, theatres, galleries, studios, unique shops, cafes and the most spectacular fresh food market you've ever seen”, and that couldn't be any more accurate. You can spend hours wandering around taking it all in, which hundreds of people do every day. I have yet to go there and see it as 'quiet'. It is always buzzing with both tourists and locals all doing some shopping, taking in the sights, soaking up the atmosphere and of course eating and that is why I love to go there – for the food! As well as all of the lovely shops and galleries there is the huge food market which is unbelievable. Stalls are always overflowing with the freshest, most delicious looking produce you can imagine. Everything you could want (and more) is all there under one roof.

                                                                                                                      

Whenever I go there I have to resist the temptation to buy everything and instead settle for just meandering through the aisles in awe of all the wonderful food. One place I can never resist however is the South China Seas Trading Co. where I always have to bring back a spice or two. This trip resulted in a few spices and condiments to add to my cupboards that I just couldn't resist including lavender, Korean chilli threads, a jar of hot and sour paste for making authentic tom yum soup (which was actually for Mr. Vanilla as it is one of his favourite soups), some Thai curry pastes and a couple of tubes of Harissa paste (which oddly enough I find quite difficult to buy here). Next stop was conveniently next door at Edible British Columbia which is a beautiful shop filled with local artisan products. Jars and bottles of jams, oils, vinegars and chutneys glisten under the lights tempting you like a kid in a sweetie shop. I managed to restrain and instead only bought a little box of 'Bacon Salt' (another little thing for Mr. Vanilla being a lover of both good quality nice salt and bacon) otherwise I think I could have quite easily have blown my budget for the weekend as there were so many things I could have bought! We continued to wander around taking it all in and 'ooh-ing and aah-ing' at everything including the most delicious looking cakes, bread and patisseries, rows of fresh pasta, olives, cheese, hams, beautiful cuts of meat, fish, chocolates and of course stacks of fresh fruit and vegetables. 



After a couple of hours of doing this we realised just how hungry we were so headed up to another place we like to visit on Granville Island – The Sandbar, where we sat outside under Granville Street bridge overlooking the market as well the waterfront and across into downtown Vancouver. It is stunning and no matter how many times I go there I still love it as much as the first time. Since it was our girl's day away we ordered a half bottle of Prosecco and shared some crab cakes and BBQ ribs which were coated in honey and ginger and were therefore deliciously sticky and sweet and incredibly tender. The crab cakes were also wonderful and were served with a smoked red pepper coulis and a lemon aioli.

With time ticking on we walked back to where we were staying along the sea wall having to stop every few minutes for my sis to take even more photos. For 5pm on a Saturday night the area was filled with people jogging, rollerblading or leisurely strolling with family and friends taking in the beautiful sunny October day.