Plantmania

As I am an unlucky person with no garden (btw why do people with gardens always moan about what hard work they are, so tactless...) my growing energy is channelled into my houseplants. I have eighteen currently in a small flat. If you are worried about growing plants do just give it a go as most are pretty forgiving really. Most interesting are... venus flytrap (carnivorous plant, I am very fascinated by these) cycad (dinosaur era fern, grows new leaves in a big batch annually) and aloe vera (a new one, sap from leaves heals sunburn).I rescue plants from work and from the 'almost dead' section in B&Q. Sadly in Aberdeen the long dark winters kill many of my herb plants including all my attempts to grow indoor chillies.

Bruges Report I

Places we visited......
Stadhuis, town hall dating back to 1375
Basilica of the Holy Blood, with actual blood from Jesus
Church of our Lady, tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgandy, Michaelangelo sculpture
Gruuthuse Museum, 1400s house with lovely interiors and old chapel
Hans Memling Museum, interesting medieval hospital with amazing altarpiece by Hans Memling
St Salvator Cathedral, huge church from 1100s on
Groeninge Museum, art and applied arts from early Renaissance
Folk Museum, in old almshouses
St Anna's Church, amazing baroque interior in black, white and gold

Bruges is a great city for walking, crammed with tiny old streets and interesting shops.

Food culture

Had interesting cooking session with my Stepmum today. In Chinese culture, noodles are for welcoming and dumplings are given when you leave. I always wondered why weird dumplings were forced on me often as I was legging it towards the car! The Chinese have symbolic foods for just about every occasion, as do we if you think about it. She showed me how to make boiled dumplings which are a bit like stuffed pastas. A mix of pork mince, prawns, cabbage, spring onion, ginger, garlic bound with egg is placed on a dough round held in the hand. This is then pinched and folded together to make a parcel which is boiled. They are dipped in Chiangking vinegar as you eat. This is a traditional dish from northern China.

Great Food Magazines.

For me there is only one great food magazine; Gourmet (US publication). Which I first discovered at my bros house in St Louis. Try it, you'll like it. From hence this summer dessert triumph. EASY. One sweet pastry case. One big tub marscapone cheese (mixed with 1tspn each vanilla and lemon juice if you can be bothered) Strawberries or possibly raspberries. Bit of syrup made with booze (port preferably)or fruit juice and sugar. Put cream cheese in pastry case. Top with fruit. Top with drizzle of syrup. Like cheesecake but easier. No accompaniment needed, it's all in there. Gorge down not worrying about fatty cream cheese and concentrating on healthy fresh fruit part.

Stew in a Jar

I am currently experimenting with stews in jars from our nice local French deli. When I had horrible flu Alistair bought the cassoulet in a jar which was fantastic. Cassoulet has a bit of everything....duck, sausage, white beans in a yummy, gloopy and I fear fatty base. This week I got the Coq au Vin in a jar which I am currently heating on the hob. Should I progress to try tins? I have a fear of tins but perhaps worth it if I can find anything interesting in a tinned format? From my childhood I fondly remember tinned foods....Fray Bentos pies, ravioli, spaghetti rings, corned beef and condensed milk. Is the tin a victim of food snobbery perhaps?

French cookery bender

To try and expunge the horror of my gruesome First Aid Training from my head, this weekend is devoted to a French Cookery Bender. Sat dinner: lettuce with french dressing and walnuts, steak with bearnaise sauce and chips, pears in butterscotch sauce. Apart from spraying bearnaise sauce over myself as I stirred crazily on the hob and waking up in the night trying to remember how much butter I'd eaten in it, totally excellent. Today: pistachio macaroons, chocolate pots, chicken in cider. Chocolate pots is the easiest ever. Melt dark choc in same amount double cream, put in ramekins, put in fridge. This one had orange in and tastes (surprise?) like Terry's chocolate orange. Which is basically good. I don't know how the French stay thin though, it's not the healthiest food in the world......

Feed blokes and get them to cook...

This may seem a bit un-PC but seeing as I'm married and all that. The thorny question...what do blokes like to eat and how can you get them to make stuff? Answer 1: red meat. Steaks with frites and any French food seems to go down well. Any pudding involving custard, preferably the kind with real cream and eggs. A big no from my bloke to veggie food, vegetables generally and anything low-cal (unless stealthily presented). Answer 2: Buy him The Len Deighton Action Cookbook. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Action-Cook-Book-Len-Deighton/dp/0007305877 It's by a thriller writer, it has a gun on the cover (on my edition although the others are also seriously kitsch retro-cool), features top advice on wine, parties, cigars and how to make proper French food. I gained interest in it btw after seeing Michael Caine's famous shopping and cooking scene in The Ipcress File, by Len Deighton. You could also try the excellent Hairy Bikers cookbooks for the more adventurous...