Archives
Everyday London
A behind-the-scenes look at everyday London life for an ex-pat family in this fascinating, historic, funky, fun city.
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, home again, home again, jiggety-jig! Well actually, we didn't buy any fat pigs (the customs patrol at the airport would have frowned on that), though we did return home with a suitcase full of fun and distinctively unusual things ...Read More →Chicken Chilaquiles Verde
Never heard of Chicken Chilaquiles Verde? With corn tortillas simmered in a chile/tomatillo sauce and topped with other delicious ingredients including shredded chicken, avocados, sour cream and cheese; what's not to love?
Have you heard the old expression "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach?"? With my husband, it's a bit more specific than that. I would have to ...Read More →A Visit to Cornwall, England
The Café has taken up residence "on the other side of the Pond", in the UK for ten days where we've been visiting our daughter and her family in London. Scott and I snuck away for three days and visited Cornwall, located in the lower southwestern tip of England. I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but, before this visit, I actually thought Cornwall was a city in England. Was I ever wrong! ...
Read More →Old Fashioned Butterscotch Pudding
You may have already guessed this but, I'm quite a "prop junkie". If you're not a food blogger these might be foreign words to you but, to me, well, let's just say that I'm beginning to think "prop junkie" might be my long-lost middle name! I love scouting everywhere I go: tiny, eclectic (junk) shops, consignment and antique stores, fabric stores, yard sales and flea markets. I'm always on the ...
Read More →Caramelized Apples
It looked like something out of a fairy tale, or at the very least, a Disney movie. The Café is posting from London this week, where we're spending time with our daughter and her family. We don't have to do a lot of fancy, touristy stuff while we're here, we just love spending time with the family. That said however, it's really fun to see some of the things you've heard about all your life, but ...
Read More →Honey Roasted Carrots
You've got to try these delicious, Honey Roasted Carrots inspired by a trip to Nopi, an amazing Yotam Ottolenghi restaurant in London.
Do you ever feel like you've stuffed ten pounds in a five pound sack? That's how we've been feeling since arriving in London yesterday morning. We're here visiting our daughter and her family and, despite a bit of jet lag, we've already had way more fun ...Read More →Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream
It was a memory-making, not-so-quintessential-London spring day. The skies were a brilliant, exhilarating blue and there was no need to tote the customary English umbrella. A perfect day for a visit to a nearby park; a lovely park surrounded by ancient, ivy-covered stone walls. There was lots of space for the children to run, play and burn off their storehouses of exuberant energy. I wasn't ...
Read More →World's Easiest Apple Crumble
"Have you shared this one on the blog?", my husband asked a few days ago. We had spent the day with family and halfway through the afternoon, I decided a sweet treat would be nice. I spotted the bowl of pink-blushed golden apples and knew exactly what I'd make. I flipped on the oven and by the time the little bell went off, letting me know it was pre-heated, my dessert was ready to go. Thirty ...
Read More →Ridiculously Easy Caramel Sauce
This has been a favorite Café recipe for years, and though I shared it in the early days of the blog (with these Cider Poached Apples w/ Cinnamon Pastry Stems), it's difficult, if not impossible to find in the deep, dark recesses of The Café archives. I felt like the delicious, unadulterated sauce needed a page of it's own, so here it is! Once you make it, I think you'll agree; it's so ...
Read More →Butternut Squash and Smokey Ham Quinoa
Have you tried quinoa? Do you like it? I have to be honest. I didn't like it (at all) when I first I tried, and it neither did Mr. Café. It was a little weird to us; kind of soggy, a faint bitterness, a bit of a strange texture ... I didn't want to rule it out because, well, I was supposed to like it. Right? After all, it is known to be one of the "super foods", loaded with protein, fiber, iron, ...
Read More →Pumpkin Style Sweet Potato Brioche Rolls
Trouble. It seems that I'm forever getting into the T-word in one form or another; for example, I'm often, almost always in a hurry, (aka as in major multitasking). Consequently, when opening a package of cereal, popcorn, crackers, etc. I don't usually do it "the proper" way; I just tear open the box any-which-way. My husband and son say it looks like "a wild animal" got into the box after I'm ...
Read More →