Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
cooking up a storm at the edge of the world
It’s January, with the New Year bringing in new possibilities and opportunities. In Shetland it also means Up Helly Aa! Shetland is the home to Europe’s largest fire festival – the annual Up Helly Aa is held in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of January.
It was yet another cold, dark, dreary day here in Shetland on this, the last day of 2012. It was pouring down with rain and the children are on their school holidays and were desperately needing entertained. What to do?
Making your own soup stock is a simple, inexpensive process and the result is loaded with nutrients, unlike the MSG-laden supermarket varieties.
I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a very long time, ever since I tore the recipe out of one of those supermarket magazine Christmas features years ago. I can’t tell you which supermarket it was because since I’ve lived on this island one supermarket in particular has changed hands four times, so it’s either a recipe by …
Making a gingerbread house has always been on my Christmas to-do list, but I’ve never mustered up the courage to try it until this year.
This amigurumi is my own design, made as a Christmas present for my daughter using some scrap yarn.
While browsing through my local wholefoods shop yesterday I noticed, packaged in a handy grinder, a Seaweed Sprinkle, sustainably produced from local seaweed by Böd Ayre Seaweed Products.
Regular visitors to my blog will notice that I am particularly fond of granola. I like to try out new varieties because who wants to have the same kind of cereal for breakfast every morning?
The OH fondly remembers these sweets from his childhood in Norway (when they didn’t have as politically correct a name!) We’re quite fond of them too and they whip up in no time at all. No cooking required.
This delicious fruit pizza is another one of the many recipes my father has shared with me. Simple to make and incredibly… mmmmm!
This super easy, incredibly moist and flavoursome cream cheese cherry pound cake is the perfect centrepiece for an afternoon tea or any celebration event. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 min Difficulty: Easy A Cape Breton recipe This cream cheese cherry pound cake recipe comes all the way from Cape Breton Island …
Garlic fingers (French: Doigts à l’ail), also known as garlic cheese fingers, are an iconic Atlantic Canadian dish. This recipe tastes as good as you’ll get from Pizza Corner in Halifax. Prep Time: 1.5 hours Cooking Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: Easy One of the biggest things I miss from my time living on the East …
Kransekake is a traditional Norwegian celebration cake made with ground almonds, egg whites, and icing sugar. It has a light texture and nutty flavour, quite similar to marzipan. Prep Time: 3 days Cooking Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: Moderate Christmas traditions This recipe comes from my children’s Norwegian grandmother, and every few Christmases, I make one for …
Pepperkaker are traditional Norwegian gingerbread cookies. They are a deliciously spiced, slightly sweet festive treat and make perfect edible gifts for friends and neighbours. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 36 hours Difficulty: Easy What are pepperkaker? Pepperkaker translates as ‘pepper cakes’. They are traditional Norwegian gingerbread cookies made at Christmastime. They are gently spiced …
Shetland Black potatoes are an heirloom variety of potato from Shetland (little island, 60 degrees North, middle of the North Sea, check it out on your map!). They have a gorgeous dark purple skin, yellow flesh and a distinctive purple ring inside and they make wicked roast potatoes.
These Polish potato, cheese and onion pierogi are easy to make and they’re utterly delicious when served fried with plenty of bacon, onions and soured cream. Prep Time: 2 hours Cooking Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Moderate I love Polish pierogi. When I lived in Canada, I used to be able to buy packages of ready-made ones …
My father is visiting for a few weeks and our elderly ex-whaler neighbour took him loch fishing yesterday and they caught dinner!
I came up with this interesting take on the Black Forest Cake for our weekly Wednesday Pudding Night. My children are so hard done by they usually only get pudding once a week – but Wednesday’s Pudding Night is something they really look forward to.
My father has been visiting from Canada and he introduced me to this fantastic barbecue dish. Something happens to pineapple when you barbecue it. It becomes even more heavenly – caramelised, sweet, chewy, perfection. Just try it!
