cookbook addict

The Xmas Eve afternoon table, with mulled cider in our Xmas market mugs (I have an obsession for them, and funnily, each one I have reminds me of a different time in my life). Gingerbread house -my first, with some online help from my friend Maria;-) Nigella's rugelach, uncharacteristically (for me that is) baked on the first day of Hannukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights Nigella's "Incredibly Easy Chocolate Fruit Cake", the chocolate Xmas cake fom her latest book (but a 98% reprint from Feast ) I used Triple Sec (a generic Cointreau/Grand Marnier) in place of coffee liqueur. Carving the Xmas capon (a capon is a male chicken that has been castrated, turning into a Ware chicken with a lot of fat, hence a great bird to roast with succulent moist flesh) I used a meat thermometer as well as stuffing between skin and breasts to ensure juicy breasts (omg, this is verging on food porn) Stuffing on the side, the Anglo way, this is not the traditional French way (stuffing is ...

Long time no see, dear Reader. So many things have happened in the last few weeks, on a personal level and on a global level, that I won't bore you with details. Those of you that know me know, those of you that don't know me don't necessarily want to know. And so it is that I'll move on directly to the recipe. (Just let me say yay! for Obama's victory) It is inspired by Nigella's latest granola recipe in Nigella Christmas , a book you know you want, even if you don't really need it . It is a Christmassy twist on her granola recipe from Feast. I made Andy Fairfield's granola (or was it Andy's Fairfield Granola???) and besides the fact that I nearly let it burn, I didn't like the cinnamonney undertones. So even if it is seasonal, I left it out here too. Then I proceeded to weigh the ingredients, but found that there were way too many sunflower and sesame seeds for my taste, so cut those down, then added some grated coconut, and instead of u...