Author: Treeca
Why is peppermint the flavour of the holiday season? The Epicurious writes that the answer probably lies with peppermint candy canes, though there are competing theories on how the iconic treat became so closely associated with the holiday. Peppermint itself—the plant—is native to the Middle East and Europe, where the stuff has been around forever, including in medicinal uses, and where a lot of U.S. candy-making techniques come from. Whither candy canes? According to The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, a local choirmaster in Cologne, Germany, sometime around 1670, was looking for a way to keep rowdy young people quiet while…
Did you know that it is easy to grow your own tea plant? ‘Camellia Sinensis is the evergreen plant that can produce tea leaves for 50-100 years. It also produces a fragrant leaf that has pretty winter flowers. Although originating in the Himalayas, you don’t need a large garden to grow this tea plant, a planter on your wall or a simple pot will work fine, however it does need to be brought indoors or put into a greenhouse in the cold weather. This tea plant can make black, green, white or oolong tea. It’s obviously not as simple as…
Serves: 17-18 scones I love a good savory scone recipe and this is one that I highly recommend. I was cooking a breakfast skillet the day prior that …Bacon, Gruyere, and Leek Scones —
Coffee and chocolate go extremely well together so why not buy a gift that has both coffee and chocolate in the present? Quirky Chocolates have a Coffee Lovers Chocolate Hamper for £28 which has a hamper for a coffee lover, featuring three handmade artisan coffee bars and a stylish E-Coffee reusable coffee cup. A tasty gift for chocolate and coffee lovers, this hamper comes beautifully presented in a craft box, and ribbon. The three bars included are as follows: Cappuccino chocolate Inspired by the classic creamy frothy cappuccino coffee. We have mixed freshly brewed espresso coffee with milk chocolate to create a…
According to Whole Foods Market, on the Food & Wine website, the hottest food trends to hit your table next year will include; 1. Hibiscus – the supermarket chain recently released its annual list of the most anticipated food trends, which were compiled by a Trends Council made up of dozens of Whole Foods Market team members. 2. Local foragers, regional and global buyers, and culinary experts. They considered a wide range of factors, according to Rachel Bukowski, Whole Foods Market senior team leader of product development. 3. Sunflower seeds. 4. Prebiotic boosted vegetables. 5. Produce from ultra-urban farming. 6.…
We had a busy time in November which included 15 posts and lots of tips so here are links in case you missed any. What is flour and how should cook it?Who invented the first Teapot?19 Reasons to ready through Afternoon Tea4Two’s posts for October10 Tea Advent Calendars to start Your Christmas CountdownThree Tips to Cooking great food with Limited Ingredients7 Foodie Tips for Great ResultsThe Real Reason You’ve Turned Into An Insomniac4 Foodie Books for Christmas10 Baking Tips on Cooking with Flour 6 Top Pastry Tips7 Tips on How to Get Your Oven Clean Ready for Christmas10 Tips on…
If you are looking for some thoughtful Christmas presents to buy for a family or friend who loves the outdoors then Hawwl.store is where you will find something special. Life is now changing after our lockdown. More families and friends are spending time outside their protective walls. There is a rising demand for well made outdoor wear and accessories to use in multiple environments. Hawwl.store is a lifestyle online store, and if you read their ‘About Us’, page you will see that they have studied what products fit this idea perfectly with lights, blankets, outerwear, eat and drink products plus…
I bet most of you have got a few lace cotton handkerchiefs in your drawer. Well, like everything else at the moment, what goes around comes around. Handkerchiefs have been part of our life and culture for thousands of years, an indispensable part of any stylish woman’s wardrobe. But that was before the convenience of throwing away tissues in the 1940s. Mum’s would keep them handy in their aprons for wiping dirty faces, they were popular as a gift for Grandma or the teacher at Christmas. They were embroidered, appliquéd, trimmed with lace, initialled, hand stitches, colourfully printed, some of…
To enjoy your cuppa at Christmas, make sure you have the right flavour to pair with your Christmas food. When drinking Lapsang have it with turkey or smoked salmon sandwiches or walnut cake or Stilton cheese, to enhance the flavour of the tea and/or food. Try Twinings Lapsang Souchong, smoked pine flavour. Of course, Christmas isn’t Christmas without chocolate but with different strengths of chocolate, this does mean there is a choice of pairings. With dark chocolate, try Assam, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, Gyokuro, or Oolong. Try this Whittards Loose Leaf Darjeeling Black Tea. A distinctly delicate loose leaf black tea,…
With the countdown to Christmas nearly starting we all think about jobs that need doing at home ready for Christmas and one piece of equipment which is used the most is your oven. So, here are 7 tips on how to get it squeaky clean ready for all the cooking you will be doing over the Xmas period. Make sure your oven is cool then remove any cooked-on food with a metal spatula or ceramic hob scraper, then use a gel or spray-on oven cleaner. To clean any spills in the oven, sprinkle with automatic dishwasher powder, cover with a…
It really doesn’t matter what type of pastry you are planning to work with, it’s not easy. Filo, shortcrust, puff – you name it, we’ve probably eaten it, and that means you should know what goes into the perfect pastry options. Working with pastry of any kind requires careful handling, a cold kitchen and patience. Lots and lots of patience! Pastry is delicate. If you’ve had any kind of pie, pasty or tart, you’ll know how easily breakable pastry really is. With the right handling, however, it can be a delicious, buttery accompaniment that holds some of the tastiest fillers.…
Flour is often the main ingredient in thousands of baked items, and yet it is the most common miss-measured ingredient. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag with your measuring cup. In some cases, scooping the flour could give you 150% of the correct measurement. Use a spoon and scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Do not pack the flour down and do not tap the measuring cup as both cause the flour to settle in the cup. Use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Following the recipe to…