Marie Cookpad

  This salad I am sharing with you today has actually been in my recipe queue for a few weeks now.  I can't believe that it is the first of August today and I am just now getting to share it with you!  The summer seems to be just flying by!   We have had some really gorgeous weather thus far this summer, which means we have been really enjoying Al Fresco types of meals.  Salads, picnics and grills.  This was a salad I made a few weeks back that we both really enjoyed.   Well, in all honesty . . .  I don't think Todd ever really enjoys salad per se . . . .  but he will be the first to tell you that I have never made him a salad that he didn't find tasty.  He once said that my salads were never boring, which  . . . coming from him . . .  was a bona fide compliment!    A salad is only as good as its dressing and this one has a wonderfully flavourful dressing. Coriander and Lime.  It has a lovely green freshness from the use of coriander leaf. This is also called Cilantro in N

  If you have ever had the opportunity to go to a French market over on the Continent, you will most likely have seen Crepe Vendors.  Baking crepes in the open air and filling them with whatever your heart desires.  Folded into quarters, and wrapped in paper, they are very easy to eat while you walk around browsing through the market.   You can get them filled with fruit fillings, nutella, cream and even with savoury fillings. My favourites are always the ones filled with ham and cheese.  Kind of like a Croque Monsieur, but in a crepe, not bread.   They also make for a quick, easy and light supper during the summer months when you are looking for something to make that isn't going to keep you standing over a hot stove for ages and ages.   These are delicious.  I like to use Gruyere cheese, which is a lovely melty Swiss type of cheese, but you could use cheddar, or Colby, or even Jack cheese if you wanted to.  You could even use a combination of cheeses. I like cheeses with a lot of

  Usually on Sunday if  I am on the ball, I will put something into the slow cooker for our dinner before I leave for church in the morning. Normally it will be red meat of some kind. To be honest I am not fond of chicken in the slow cooker. I find it almost gets over-cooked and I don't like the texture of it.  Beef on the other hand, or pork, lends itself quite well to being cooked in a slow cooker, especially the cheaper cuts.   I especially love Beef Brisket done in the slow cooker, either whole as a pot roast, or as I have done today, cut into chunks and as a stew.  Brisket is one of my favourite cuts of beef and is beautiful when prepared this way.    And is is such a simple thing as well.  Cubes of brisket (I like to cut mine into 1 inch cubes) is tossed with well seasoned flour and then browned in a bit of oil, on top of the stove in a skillet.  Really brown it well on all sides. It is the colour from this initial browning that will help to colour your stew.    The juices fr

Whenever I come across a recipe with a name such as this I am instantly intrigued and here in the UK there is no shortage of recipes with unusual names.  Think of things like Spotted Dick , or Hollygog Pudding.  See what I mean??? With names like that,  you immediately want to know more! Such was the case when I ran across this biscuit recipe that I found in a baking book I have entitled Mary Berry's Baking Bible, over 250 classic recipes. Yes, Mary Berry of the GBBO fame. I saw this recipe and I thought to myself  . . . wow, I wonder what is the story behind those. I was determined to establish a history but alas, I was unable to find out.  I can only think that the recipe must date back to a time in English history when the church was held in very high esteem, and these were the sort of biscuits (cookie) that might be baked and trotted out on special occasions, especially occasions when the church Bishop might be in attendance!  It certainly makes sense as one would want to brin