Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
cooking up a storm at the edge of the world
I had one of those I love my life moments yesterday. That’s me standing on the edge of that cliff you see there. Taking advantage of the predicted fine weather and the long school holiday weekend, DD and I packed a packed lunch, gathered our provisions and met up with a friend for some coastal …
A 3 layer ice cream cake with an Oreo cookie base. When I was a little girl growing up in rural East Coast Canada (a tiny village on Cape Breton Island, to be slightly more specific) we lived a 45-minute drive away from the nearest supermarket. This meant that we did our big shopping trip …
In collaboration with Bertolli – A Taste of the Mediterranean. Pasta has got to be one of those ultimate comfort foods, wouldn’t you agree? It’s a remarkably versatile ingredient, inexpensive and quick to cook too, so you’re never more than a few minutes from a steaming hot bowl of indulgent carbohydrates. I find it fascinating how …
In collaboration with Delicious Alchemy: Gluten Free Magic. One of the most common food intolerances in the UK, and in fact much of the Western world, is that of gluten – a protein found in many cereal grains, especially wheat, which gives bread its characteristic elasticity. More and more people are becoming intolerant to this …
For when you’ve got those chocolate cravings and don’t want to break the healthy eating plan! I’m not on a diet. I don’t even like the word diet. It implies that you are denying yourself something, a restriction of enjoyment, a temporary solution to a problem. Fad diets aren’t sustainable, and they’re not a healthy …
A Redmond Multicooker recipe – only 225 calories per serving! I love a good curry, me. I’ve been making variations of this particular curry recipe for some time now – it began with using sweet potato and adding handfuls of kale or spinach at the end, but, like many people, I’ve been on a sensible …
Just imagine it – a grand replica Viking galley, a squad of big burly bearded axe-wielding men and a procession of nearly 1000 individuals with torches parading through the streets of Lerwick, Shetland. This is followed by singing The Norseman’s Home, a dramatic burning of the galley and then an all-night party in the local halls. The …
My husband is an ectomorph, bless his 69% merino wool Smartwool socks. This means that it doesn’t matter what or how much he eats he just doesn’t put on weight. Sometimes I stare at him from the other side of the dinner table, nibbling on yet another low calorie salad, glaring at him while he, …
I’m always looking for speedy supper ideas. As much as I love spending time over the cooker, some nights I really can not be bothered. Those nights tend to be the three nights in the week I’m working in our village co-operative – my ‘getting out of the house’ job where I work a few …
Scones were one of the first recipes I learned how to make as a child. Baking powder biscuits, they were called, back in the rural Cape Breton of my childhood. They were served warm with plenty of butter and, bizarrely enough, lashing of blackstrap molasses. Oh my goodness gracious me what fond memories I have …
An Optimum ThermoCook recipe. It’s our wedding anniversary this coming weekend. Two years ago in gale-force winds my husband and I got married. It was a small ceremony with close family and friends with an overnight stay in a hotel and a lovely meal afterwards. Nothing too extravagant. It was a steampunk wedding though. (You …
While listening to BBC Radio 2 over my morning cup(s) of coffee I am listening to stories of flooding in the Lake District, and how, despite the weather, people are being encouraged to visit the area (where it is safe, of course) and enjoy its natural beauty. We had the pleasure of visiting the Lake …
I’m not a boxed dry cereal with milk for breakfast kind of gal. I used to be. When I was a child I loved my Alphabits, Froot Loops and Cornflakes (sprinkled liberally with sugar – ah the things we did in the 80s!), but as an adult… I’m not. I’m not sure when that transition …
In collaboration with Merchant Gourmet #EatWellLiveWell. “Shetland to avoid scurvy epidemic as boat brings fruit and veg”, reads the latest headline from Shetland’s spoof news website, Da Bonxie. They’re not kidding. After a spell of poor weather and cancelled ferry sailings, it’s been slim pickings in the fresh fruit and veg departments at our local …
Happy New Year! I hope you have had a lovely festive period, and that the New Year was greeted with a bang. Have you made any resolutions? What sort of things did you get up to? Over the last few years we’ve started a new family tradition of bringing in the New Year watching the …
The idea for these raw chocolate and clementine mini cheesecakes with a chocolate hazelnut crust has been bumping around inside my head for quite some time now, ever since I tried The Rawtarian’s raw cheesecake recipe a few months ago and was really impressed with how light and creamy the cashew based filling was after blending …
In collaboration with Expedia and their #WorldonaPlate Challenge. It’s funny how our tastes change as we grow up. My childhood diet was quite limited – baked meat and mashed potatoes being the staple, supplemented with seasonal wild fruits harvested ourselves (one wild strawberry for the basket, three for me!). I was very reluctant to try …
Something a little different for Christmas pudding. It has many, many years since I last made an ice cream bombe – 14 or 15 of them, to be honest. Back then I’d taken to cutting recipes out of supermarket magazines while I was learning how to cook for my new family. One Christmas there was …
This week saw another birthday come and go. It was also my blog’s 4th birthday. I haven’t quite reached the big 4-0 yet, but 39 is too darn close for comfort. I don’t know how this has turned into A Thing for me, but it has. It’s been playing on my mind for awhile, so …
I might have said this a few times, but there are very few trees in Shetland. We live on a wind-swept, saltwater-battered rock in the middle of the North Sea. There are a few little groups of trees here and there, and one deciduous area which gives a tiny taste of what it feels like …
