Today Ryan and I are celebrating our third wedding anniversary! YAY! But the real celebration happened over the weekend when we went to Oslo, Norway.

A while ago we had taken the days off for a long weekend, but we hadn’t planned on what to do or where to go. After lots of brainstorming, we decided to go on Skyscanner and choose a cheap option. We decided on Oslo in part because we spent only £65 for two round trip flights. The other reasons we chose Oslo is because we wanted to see some Viking ships, but more on that later. The thing though about cheap flights is you have to go through secondary airports which are always farther away, and so add a little more time and expensive to the trip. But really, it’s not a bad thing. The original cheap fare got us to visit a place we hadn’t ever considered before.

Ryan and I left on a Friday. We took the Stansted Express from Tottenham Hale and then took RyanAir to Oslo Torp. From Torp airport we took the Torp Ekspressen Bus. That bus from Torp was more expensive than our flight, which was sort of painful but necessary as Torp is about 90 minutes away from the city center. Also, that bus schedule corresponds with Ryan Air flights so it’s super easy to take.

But while we’re talking money, let’s get it out there. Norway is expensive. For our London frame of minds it wasn’t too terrible, but it is expensive. The Norwegian currency is called a Krone (NOK) and £1 equals slightly more than 12.5 NOK. So, for reference I bought a lemon Fanta for 36 NOK, which equals about £2.88 – so expensive but not completely awful. Although convert that to US dollars and it will hurt your brain a bit. Don’t despair though! If you’re thinking of visiting Norway throughout this post I will give you some recommendations on low cost options. Ryan and I were able to have most meals at under 500 KOR for the two of us and we ate pretty well. Also, if you’re planning on doing intense site seeing check out the Oslo Pass which gives free entry to museums and public transportation as well as discounts on many other things. Ryan and I chose not to do that as the things we wanted to do added up to less than the cost of the pass – but check it out it’s a pretty good option.

We were staying with Bjørvika Apartments in the eastern part of the city near the Opera House. This area of town is clearly a business district full of new beautifully designed construction. We had fun just wandering between the buildings looking at the design, the art, the sculptures, and the plants. Our visit proper tourist visit was to the Oslo Opera House, which is a really cool building and free to visit. The slope of the building rolls right into – or alternatively bursts right out of – the water. And then people can walk all the way up the slope of the buildings front, which then winds around to the roof. In short, you can walk up the Opera House and stand on the roof. It’s gorgeous. You can see the water, you can see the city, and you can see the sunset. It’s a unique building with lovely views into different elements of the city.

After that we walked into central Oslo and wandered on Karl Johans Gate, which is the main commercial street. There are lots of restaurants and shops and if you continue far enough down you’ll get a great view of the Royal Palace (photo below). Walking around this street was a great way to get an introductory sense of the city. We saw people eating outside, we saw people shopping, and we saw people just sitting and relaxing in nearby parks. Oslo is very walkable and not very big. As we wandered around we saw some people who had been on our flight! But we immediately liked the city. It was busy but not too full, clean, and charming to look at. That first night we had dinner at Wurst, where we had beers and sausages loaded with toppings all for about 450 NOK.

Saturday was a rainy day so we decided to be low key and simply wander the city and visit the National Gallery. Before the museum we toured the Norwegian gifts sections of GlasMagasinet Stortorvet, a high end department store. We saw troll figurines, beautifully carved wood decorations for kitchens, cheese slicers (the Norwegians invented a particular cheese slicer – it’s the bottom right photo below), and lots of cozy looking sweaters. I was especially taken with some wooden pigs and the felt and leather slippers. I had never seen felt so thick and dense before! With those slippers my feet would never get cold!After that we went to the museum. Entry is just 50 NOK regularly and it is free on Sunday. You also get to use a locker for free so that’s awesome too. The museum is just one floor, which is wonderful because then I never felt stressed about missing anything. It’s also the most efficiently informative and organized museum I’ve ever visited. The artwork is arranged chronologically and each time period is given a color which you can see on the walls of the gallery. Labels for each room were just two paragraphs and about 10-12 sentences total. Enough text so I get an idea about the stylistic period and it’s specific tie to Norway, but not so much that I get tired of reading it.

And each room had the right amount of paintings that I felt I could look at everything and take it all in. I wasn’t getting inundated with paintings of old men or Madonna and child. It was the right amount to get an idea but not feel overwhelmed. I really loved the one gallery that lets visitors get involved. Inside this room was a big sculpture with tables, paper, and pencils. Visitors could sketch and then hang their art on the wall. How awesome is that?! It was cool to see the variety of skill and styles in these visitor drawings. I also think it’s cool that visitors have the chance to hang their art in a museum.

But the biggest draw for this museum is Edvard Munch’s Scream. Did you know there are four versions? One in this museum, two across down in Oslo at the Munch Museum, and one was sold by Sotheby’s to a private collector. Although all the same content, the color and materials used were different between the four. There were other Munch paintings in the museum as well, but the Scream is the one I knew the best. It’s haunting and beautiful all at once.

After we went to Kaffistova to eat and tried reindeer cakes with potatoes (175 NOK for each of us). It was rich and filling and tasted like the most nourishing and delicious meatloaf I ever had. Kaffistova had a cafeteria vibe to it. You order at a register, they serve you, then you sit and relax in the dining area. The staff was nice and the clientele was a mix of tourists and old Norwegian men hanging out. After we wandered around Oslo a bit more. We walked by City Hall, admired the Akershus Fortress, stumbled upon a dockside flea market, and enjoyed watching the boats pass by. I found Oslo a fun place for wandering.

Sunday the weather was glorious so we set off for a more ambitious day of site seeing. We walked back towards City Hall and took the ferry to the Bygdøy a peninsula on the western side of Oslo. The ferry is 35 NOK one way (which we did) and 55 NOK round trip. Buy your tickets at the little kiosk next to the boat. Tickets are more expensive on the boat. You can also take a bus there, but why do that when you can enjoy wonderful sea breezes and views?  Bydgøy is home to a number of museums and we chose to visit the Viking Ship museum and the Folk Museum.

We started at the Viking Ship Museum (80 NOK for adults). The museum has four ships, most of which are in really great condition. They are burial ships so there were also other objects aboard the boat. We were able to see cloth, objects for food preparation, sleds, and other ornately carved wooden objects. It sort of reminded me of objects from Egyptian tombs because the objects are all the things a person might need to function in the afterlife. I also enjoyed that in addition to showing objects the museum talked about how they conserve the objects.

Some objects are deteriorating because of methods that used to be state of the art, but now are no longer used. I liked that the museum discussed the dilemma of how to preserve and whether or not current methods will really last. The museum also talked a lot about the people who were buried on the ships and who they might have been, and what could be told about them from their bones. It’s amazing you can tell about diet and ailments from bones! Overall so interesting.

After that we walked over to the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. We had lunch at the museum’s cafe because there wasn’t a ton of dining options in the area. Ryan and I were fully prepared for it to be super expensive, but it wasn’t at all. Very affordable (mains under 150 NOK) and the café itself is brightly lit and decorated with wild flowers and light colored wood furniture. It was a nice place to eat. Ryan had a salmon and shrimp sandwich and I had a salmon and vegetable pie. So yummy.

The museum is an open air museum showing Norwegian life from 1500 to the present. It costs 120 NOK to enter, but it’s worth it for a big site. I found the museum really enjoyable and also a bit all over the place. There are log cabins with roofs made of bark and peat and there is also a 1920’s gas station. They aren’t next to each other, but it’s all there and it’s pretty easy to wander between time periods. I loved the wooden buildings best though. The wood is dark and ornately carved. They were the physical embodiment of how I picture cottages in fairy tales.

Throughout the place there are costumed interpreters and educators ready to talk about the buildings, how things were used, and how things were made. We saw children being taught how to card wool and make yarn. Ryan and I also tried some traditional pancakes made with “soured milk.” They were hot off the griddles, slathered with raspberry jam, and very delicious.

Also, we saw pigs. I love pigs so I was very excited. I took about 20 pictures of the pigs rolling in the mud, snorting around, and pestering the mother pig for a suckle.

The real reason we went to this museum was because I wanted to see Stave Church (photo below). It’s originally from Gol and was moved to Oslo to preserve it when the Gol was going to tear it down to build a new church. It’s a medieval wooden church and it gets its name from the structural design of the building. Using the rings on the wood, the church is dated to 1212. There aren’t that many of these churches left, and apparently most of them are from Norway. It’s a cool structure and visitors can even go inside.

After this museum, Ryan and I went for a bit of a hike up to Frogner Park to see the Vigeland installation. Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland created over 200 sculptures of people and they are a permanent part of the park. Here’s the path I recommend to take it all in. Walk in the main gate, which has ornately designed gates. Keep walking straight and go over the bridge. On the bridge there are sculptures of people in what my guide book called “all stages of life.” There are babies having tantrums, people fighting, old people, people in love.

Don’t forget to look over the bridge and look at the birds fluttering about on the water. Keep going until you come up to the fountain which has more sculptures of people lifting up a giant bowl. The water crashes and flies all over and looked especially beautiful in the sun. Just beyond you can see the big monolith.  Hike the stairs and check out this big sculpture. It’s made of 121 people struggling to get to the top. Take your pictures, then sit on the steps and look over the park and where you’ve come from.

We relaxed in the park for a bit before taking a giant walk back to Oslo. Seriously it was over an hour we walked. However, I recommend it. We got to a bit more of the neighborhoods and shops during this epic trek than we would have if we’d taken the bus or the metro. We ended the trip with a dinner at an Italian restaurant. Ok, not very authentic but I like pizza. Deal with it. Monday we took the long trek back to London.

It was a wonderful long weekend beautiful sites, interesting museums, and good food. It was a great way to celebrate our anniversary too. There’s nothing better I like better than exploring a new city with Ryan. It’s always nice to relax and spend lots of time together. I highly recommend this place!

The post Tourist Tuesday: Olso, Norway appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Recently I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about eating outside. I’ve thought about having a birthday party picnic next month, I’ve reminisced about steak and pepper kabobs Ryan used to make on the grill, I’ve pined for chili cheese dogs at a Nats baseball game, and I’ve wished for a Leinenkugel summer shandy. The weather is nice, the sun has been out, and all I want to do is eat outside. Last week my friends and I sat outside at a pizzeria and in Greenwich we had a mini picnic, but still I want more summer flavor.

Maybe because it’s Memorial Day in the US, and a bank holiday here in the UK, and people everywhere are outside enjoying a good meal – all I want to do is immerse myself in summer. In short, it’s the perfect time to be thinking about summertime foods and drinks. One recipe that is perfect for the season is an Arnold Palmer. Sure, sometime soon Ryan and I are going to buy one of these disposable barbecues, head to the park, and cook up some burgers and hot dogs – but until then this drink is going to bring summer inside to my flat. Because look at it, this drink just looks like liquid sunshine.

Half lemonade and half iced tea, and named after the golfer Arnold Palmer, this is the perfect drink refreshing and delicious drink to cool down in the summer time. (You can see the fantastic Sports Center commercial with Arnold Palmer making one here) I always get excited when I see an Arnold Palmer on a menu or when I can buy a bottle of it in the store. It’s simply fantastic, perfect for summer, and I can’t believe it took me so long to make it.

Especially because, it’s so easy and inexpensive. You need four things: black tea, lemons, sugar, and water. I imagine in the US you’d use Lipton tea bags, but I used English breakfast. I think use whatever straightforward black tea you like best. The other you’ll need to do is make simple syrup. All that is, is sugar and water heated up so the sugar dissolves. This is an important step! Sugar doesn’t dissolve in cold liquids, so if you dump sugar straight in then your going to have some tart sips and some crunchy sugar sips. So peopple don’t wait! Get your pitcher, make a batch, and invite some friends over to sit outside, chat about nothing, and enjoy being outside. And if you’re having a barbecue, invite me over!

Adapted from Food Network.

Messy level: This is two spoons only because you’ll might need a few different vessels as you prepare you tea, lemons, and simple syrup. Overall though, so easy and not messy at all.

Arnold Palmer (Half Lemonade - Half Iced Tea)

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

Serves: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 2-3 black tea bags (use more tea bags if you like a stronger flavor)
• 1 cup lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 cups water, divided
• lemon wedges, optional for garnish

Instructions

1. Put 2-3 tea bags in a heat-safe pitcher or bowl.
2. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling pour the water over the tea bags. Let the tea steep for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the tea bags and set the tea aside to cool.
4. If you haven't already, juice the lemons. Add the lemon juice to the cooling tea.
5. In a small saucepan combine the sugar and 1 cup of water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stir occasionally.
6. Once the sugar has dissolved, you now have simple syrup. Add it to the Arnold Palmer mixture. You can add less than the whole cup if you don't want it as sweet.
7. Add the final one cup of water to the Arnold Palmer. Taste. Add more water if you find it too sweet or too tart. Make more simple syrup if you'd like it sweeter.
8. Put in the refrigerator to cool completely.
9. Once cool, serve in a glass over ice. If you like, dd a wedge of lemon for garnish.

3.3.3070

The post Arnold Palmer (Half Lemonade – Half Iced Tea) appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Think what you might about London weather, but this past week has been beautiful. And the coming week is supposed to be wonderful as well. It’s been sunny and warm, people have been wearing sandals, and I wore a dress without tights. Even better, the sun is up when I wake up and it’s still up when I come home from work. It’s been glorious.

It’s the kind of weather where it’s easy to be in love with London and all there is to see and do. This weather makes me want to run to the nearest park lie on a blanket, put my bare feet in the grass and have a picnic. A minor digression, but did you know that here you can buy a tray (about the size of a lasagna) that is a portable and disposable grill? And you can take it with you camping? And Ryan has seen people do this?! It’s amazing. 

So now I have dreams of a picnic with grilled burgers and sausages (Ryan says I won’t find hot dogs) some fruit and lemonade. Warm weather is the perfect weather for lemonade. I love lemonade because it reminds me of being a kid and making it myself from the Country Time container. It reminds me of the beach, the state fair, and baseball games.

I decided to try to jazz up lemonade after listening to a recent episode of the Sporkful podcast. Each week the host, Dan Pashman, has a food theme and explores it – talks about types of food, how to eat it, preferences. It might sound silly, but it’s funny, and interesting and everyone has at least one strong food conviction that it’s easy to relate to. Anyway, recently he had donuts and he had a bourbon blueberry basil flavored one – and I was intrigued by the blueberry basil combination.

I like mint lemonade so why not basil? And after a little internet research, I found blueberry and basil isn’t such an usual combination. I found it in a savory goat cheese pie and in a sweet lemon cake compote. Also, I think basil is very summery. It reminds me of fresh summer tomatoes on a caprese salad. And it reminds me of one summer in New York where my friend Emily and I planted basil in our windowsill herb gardens.

This blueberry basil lemonade is ridiculously easy to make, but feels like one of those fancy drinks you’d get at the farmer’s market or at a posh salad restaurant. The flavor is great because it’s simultaneously sweet and tart, with just a hint of fresh basil herb notes. It’s lovely! Make this, go outside, put on your sunglasses, kick you feet up, and enjoy.

Messy level: For a beverage, this is a little messy. You have to squeeze the lemons – which is one appliance and has the potential to spray everywhere. Then you need the blender. Then you need a strainer. Not at all difficult or labor intensive, but you will have to clean three pieces of equipment.

Blueberry Basil Lemonade

 

Print

Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

7 mins

 

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• ¾ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
• 1½ cup fresh blueberries
• 6-8 basil leaves
• 3 cups cold water
• ¼ agave or honey (or more to taste)
• wedges of lemon and blueberries (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Put the lemon juice, blueberries, basil, water, and agave in a blender. Blend on high until the blueberries and basil leaves are cut up into tiny little shreds.
2. Taste and adjust as fits your palate. (You know, add more blueberries or basil or agave as you see fit)
3. Let it sit for 30 minutes so all the flavors can blend and strengthen.
4. Sift out the solids from the lemonade. Do this by putting a fine mesh sieve over a pitcher then pouring what is in the blender through the sieve. You can leave a few bits, but I recommend taking it out because it's a lot and otherwise there will be separation (as you can see in the photo below).
5. If desired, add any extra wedges of lemon or blueberries to the pitcher.
6. Serve in glasses over ice and enjoy the weather

3.2.2925

The post Blueberry Basil Lemonade appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

My childhood memories of Easter holidays include fancy flower dresses that I was so excited to wear even though it was always still a bit cold, baskets filled with chocolates hidden among green plastic grass, and brunch with my family. When I was a little kid my family and I used to go to a hotel in downtown Baltimore to eat. In my memory, the place was huge with people and buffet lines on multiple floors. I remember it feeling like such a party and it was so exciting that I could eat all kinds of different foods at the same time.

From one of those occasions there’s a picture of me and my brother Eric standing next to the Easter Bunny giving him the side eye. We’re looking at him with a mixture of fear (because he’s a stranger and a giant rabbit) and respect (because earlier he had brought us a basket of candy). It’s a hilarious picture and one day if I find it I’ll post it here to show you. Anyway, I liked going to brunch with my family. And I like that brunch is a part of my Easter celebration memories. Most holidays are all about big roasted dinners and I like that breakfast gets its chance to be fancy.

One of the brunch foods I love is Eggs Benedict. Well, not Eggs Benedict because I don’t eat ham, but Eggs Royale. Eggs Royale substitutes smoked salmon for the ham and it is delicious. But, regardless of the meat there is just something about the presentation of fluffy poached eggs smothered in hollandaise sauce that feels special. It’s one of those dishes that  gives me a thrill when I can see a server coming over with my order and it’s a dish that I can’t wait to eat.

My mind was set on making standard Eggs Royale for Easter brunch – that is, until inspiration struck. Last last week Ryan and I went to a new place in our neighborhood called the Barn and I had an awesome breakfast. I had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with avocado and crushed red peppers. It was creamy with a little spice at the same time. It was an interesting combination of flavors, but using really familiar and easy to access ingredients. I decided I should turn this dish into our Easter Brunch. So here it is, a new twist on a recipe, Eggs Royale with avocado.

Part of what defines Eggs Royale (or Eggs Benedict) is the hollandaise sauce on top. Hollandaise is is an emulsion of butter and egg yolks. You can definitely buy hollandaise sauce from the super market, but it will be sweeter and tarter than if you make it on your own. Even so, I was feeling intimidated about making it by hand. And Julia Child even said I should learn to make it the traditional way. But, then I also found her recipe for making it quickly in a blender and I was less nervous. She literally says an 8 year-old could do it. Also, in a blind taste test Ryan preferred the homemade version over the store bought. So try making it for yourself because people will notice.

Messy level: This recipe is really all about the prep. There’s some amount of chopping, toasting, blending, and egg cracking – all of which leads to dishes or using some appliances. It’s not terrible and you shouldn’t have a horrible mess, but be warned you should be organized to keep your kitchen neat.

Inspiration from the Barn, hollandaise sauce recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1, and the poached egg method is from an earlier Cooking is Messy post.

Eggs Royale

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

A recipe for poached eggs, hollandaise, with avocado and an English muffin. This recipe is written to serve two people two eggs. However the recipe can easily be increased to serve more people. Additionally, the hollandaise recipewritten as is will serve more than two people.

Ingredients

Hollandaise Sauce

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper
• 4 oz butter

Poached Eggs

• water
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon vinegar

Other Sandwich Materials

• 2 English Muffins
• 8 slices smoked salmon (or to taste)
• 16 slices of avocado (or to taste)
• red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Start with the hollandaise sauce. Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper into a blender.
2. Cut the butter into small pieces and place into a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the butter is hot and foaming. Remove from heat.
3. Turn the blender on high and blend for two seconds.
4. While the blender is still on, open the top (if you don't have a small opening on your blender, use a towel to cover the top a little bit) and pour the hot butter into the egg mixture drop by drop. [Note: I wasn't coordinated enough to pour drop by drop but I could pour a tiny stream at a time. This made the sauce a bit runnier, but it was still tasty.]
5. Taste the sauce and blend in more seasoning if needed. Set aside.
6. Put about 2 inches of water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil.
7. Add the salt and vinegar to the water, then lower the heat so the water is just simmering.
8. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl. Bring the edge of the bowl to the top of the water and gently slide the eggs in. Cook for 3-5 minutes. The longer you cook the more solid the yolk.
9. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a low simmer then repeat the above step with the last two eggs.
10. While the eggs are cooking, cut the English muffins in half and toast them to your liking.
11. Take two plates and put both sides of one English muffin on each plate.
12. Put 2 slices of smoked salmon on top of each English muffin half.
13. Put 4 slices of avocado on top of the salmon.
14. Place one poached egg on top of the avocado.
15. Using a spoon, drizzle hollandaise sauce on top of the egg.
16. Sprinkle a generous pinch of red pepper flakes on top of the hollandaise.
17. Serve immediately so the eggs will still be warm.

3.2.2925

The post Eggs Royale with Avocado appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Warning: This post is a little sappy.

This recipe for cinnamon glazed sweet potatoes, simply called “yams” in my family, is one of my Mom’s signature holiday recipes. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can always count on my mom to make an apple pie and this recipe. Sure, she can makes other things too, but those are staples. It’s a really nice dish. It’s sweet, and a lovely hybrid between baked and mashed potatoes. But, to be honest, it’s not my favorite Thanksgiving food, but it is my brother’s favorite. Eric’s Thanksgiving plate is usually 50% baked ham and 50% yams. He loves this stuff. And so today’s post is dedicated to him.

I’ve been thinking about Eric a bunch recently. It started at work the other day. I was playing on a piano thing with a little boy and his mom. All of a sudden, this slightly taller little girl (who turned out to be his sister) ran up to him, semi-violently grabbed his face, kissed him on the cheek, then ran away. Mom was very touched. I thought it was hilarious. And the boy was completely unfazed. It was that somewhat violent and tender moment that made me think of Eric.

See, he doesn’t mind if I squash him

It made me think of Eric because although he has been bigger and stronger than me for over ten years, he still lets me be the big dog. He lets me poke him, tickle him, squash him, tease him, and put my cold hands on his neck – and he is unbothered by all of it. Like that little boy, Eric accepts all my pestering and understands that it is meant to show affection. I’m lucky that Eric and I get along so well. We have a really similar sense of humor, sometimes he says exactly what I’m thinking, and of course he lets me pretend I’m the dominant sibling.

I’m excited about Thanksgiving in London, but I’ll miss my family and Eric most of all (sorry guys). So, even though this recipe isn’t my favorite it will be part of our Thanksgiving meal so my brother can be with me in spirit.

Messy level: Two spoons. This is really straightforward in terms of prep – peel and cut sweet potatoes, make some glaze, pour on potatoes, bake. Easy and not messy.

Cinnamon Glazed Sweet Potatoes

 

Print

Cook time

2 hours 30 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

Author: My Mom

Ingredients

• 6-8 medium sweet potatoes
• 4 oz butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375°F/190°C.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into circles that are 1.5-2" thick.
3. Place prepared sweet potatoes in a large tray - like a 9x13" pan with sides would be good.
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
5. Once the butter is melted, add in the water, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
6. Stir until sugar is dissolved, everything is well mixed. Heat until just about boiling.
7. Taste. Add more cinnamon or nutmeg if you like.
8. Pour the glaze over your prepared sweet potatoes.
9. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 2 hours, or until soft and can be easily pierced with a fork. Every 45-60 minutes, gently turn the potatoes and spoon sauce over them. Don't be too aggressive here or you'll turn this into mashed sweet potatoes.
10. Once the potatoes are soft remove the aluminium foil. Place back in the oven for 30-45 minutes more. It is ready when the liquid has begun to thicken and evaporate, and the potatoes are nicely coated.
11. Serve and spoon a little glaze from the pan over it before eating!

3.2.2807

The post Cinnamon Glazed Sweet Potatoes appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Fruit leather also makes me feel a little nostalgic for back to school and my colleagues at Live It Learn It who are back in the US. My coworker Erica and I were a little crazy for fruit leather at the end of last school year. It was our snack of choice during the many meetings we were having. She’d have a big stash in her backpack and I’d peak through and pull out my favorite flavors. Snacks are always a nice way to pep up the workday. 

But I almost never buy fruit leather because it’s usually expensive. It’s like $2 for four inches of dried fruit that I can eat in one second. With this recipe I made a 10.5×15.5″ baking sheet sized piece for less than £3 (about $5)! I’ll be honest it is way easier to buy it at the store. This is so easy to make and takes almost no hands-on time, but it takes forever – and I could still eat this whole tray in one second. However here are three reasons why I like this recipe:

1. I really like making things that I previously thought only came from the store. It makes me feel accomplished that I’m capable of DIY-ing something that seemed like a mystery.

2. It’s cheap! Seriously £3!!! The plums were £2, the lemon was 50p, and I don’t know what 3 tbsp of sugar costs, but you could swipe it from your local coffee shop if you wanted to.

3. Every ingredient in this recipe is normal and familiar and pretty healthy. It’s sort of nice to have a yummy and healthy snack where you can pronounce all the ingredients.

If you’re not into plums, you can do this recipe with any sort of stone fruit. But I do recommend the plums. They are so flavorful and the lemon makes it nice and tart. I also wholeheartedly believe you can do this with any kind of fruit if you just follow the pattern of the recipe.

Adapted from Sweets Made Simple.

Ingredients:

6-8 plums (I used 8 because mine were small)

200ml water (that’s .84 of a cup)

juice from 1/2 lemon

3 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Remove the pit from the plums. (TV tip: cut the plum perpendicular to the ridge and twist to remove the stone).

2. Roughly chop the plum flesh.

3. Put the plums and water in a saucepan. Heat on medium, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. It will turn a beautiful color!

4. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Take a potato masher and squash everything in the pot.

5. Heat for 10 more minutes.

6. If you have an immersion blender, mix up the fruit in the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the fruit to a blender and mix it until it is a smooth puree.

7. Cover a baking tray with plastic wrap. (Check that it is microwave safe). I know it seems weird to do this but I promise it will be ok.

8. Preheat the oven to it’s lowest setting. For me it was 50°. Maybe for you 130-140°.

9. Slowly pour the fruit puree onto the baking sheet. Use a silicon spatula and spread the mixture evenly on the tray. If you don’t have a rimmed sheet don’t worry, the mixture doesn’t ooze and spread too much. Make sure the plastic wrap doesn’t fall back on the fruit puree – if it does that part won’t get dry and harden.

10. Heat in the oven for 10 hours. I know, that’s forever. Do it before you go to bed and in the morning it will be ready. Or, do it on a weekend when you’re home all day.

11. When it cools peel it off the plastic wrap. It’s a pretty stained glass piece of fruit leather!

12. Put it on a cutting board. Cut it up how you like! You could do it in strips, roll it into bundles, cut it into shapes with a cutter, or roll it with parchment and store in an air tight container.

Messy level: I would say 1 spoon if you have an immersion blender, two spoons if you don’t. It’s easy, simple, and doesn’t make much of a mess.;

The post Plum Fruit Leather appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

On Tuesday, Ryan and I had an appointment to set up a bank account. We arrive at the bank and the person we were supposed to meet was out sick. Also, part of the ceiling had collapsed so things were a mess. We had to reschedule. Sigh.

I then had an appointment to see an apartment. The place was very close to the tube station and in a cute development, but in a very residential place, and we wanted something a little more urban. I get to the place and the owner shows me around. Some parts were really nice, and some parts were not. There was black gunk on the bathroom floors! It must have shown in my face because the owner asked me twice why I didn’t like it. Awkward.

Next, I went to a department store to buy some underwear. (Sorry for the intimate detail) The sizing is all different and I’m holding things up and Googling size conversions to see what might work.

Finally, I went to a coffee shop. I had a huge pile of coins in my purse and I was trying to figure out if I had enough to pay (because I don’t know the coins by heart yet) and then I spilled everything all over the floor. So embarrassing! Ryan and I had just read an article that said only Americans help other people in distress. And maybe that’s true, because no one offered to help me clean up my scattered coins. I took my coffee and pastry and slunk to a hidden seat in the back of the cafe.

But, the day turned around and Ryan and I explored a new neighborhood and had a great dinner at a small Turkish restaurant.

Since then, I’ve had some really great wins too. I went to the Globe Theatre! I love Shakespeare. Ten years ago, I visited London and didn’t see the Globe and I’ve regretted it ever since. I decided to walk there and I’m so glad I did! It was sunny, I walked along the Thames and took pictures of the skyline. The theatre itself was pretty impressive and I loved learning the history. I loved picturing what it would have been like in Shakespeare’s day, and I hope I can convince someone to see a show with me there.

I then got lunch and ate outside along the Thames. Only a few weeks ago I was in DC surrounded by snow, and here I am now eating lunch outside.

Ryan and I also have successfully set up a bank account, done some laundry, and gone to the grocery store.

In general I love going to the grocery store, and it has been especially fun seeing the new and different things here in London. Grocery shopping and cooking has really helped this place feel like home. There’s so much here I don’t know how to do, but shopping and cooking feels like an adventure I do know about, and is something I can do well.

They have all kinds of cool stuff in the grocery store. Their cheese section is huge! Seriously, there are about 4 different sections for cheese. There’s also a huge section for beans. The portion sizes are way smaller than we’re used to. The family sized juice is about the size of regular juice. The eggs aren’t refrigerated. But what I really thought was cool was that the cartons tell you the breed of chicken. I also saw quail and duck eggs, which I’ve never seen before. I will definitely need to figure out how to use those. There’s also beet juice! I need to try that, although I’m a bit afraid. Also, I saw brown sugar, which is totally normal. But, it was advertised as “treacly.” I didn’t know what that meant, so I had to look  it up. Finally the milk jugs look different and so do Starbucks to-go drinks.

Also, next time I go to the store I’m going to do a “myth busters” edition, where I’ll hunt down all the things people said we couldn’t find here in London. Stay tuned!

Anyway, I didn’t go crazy shopping in the store. Ryan and I are in temporary housing so I don’t want to make things that need a lot of ingredients. I need recipes that are low maintenance, can be made exclusively on the stove, and fairly healthy. A stir fry seemed perfect.

This is really an improv dish, so use the vegetables you like and trust your instincts. Use more veggies if you like. Cook until it looks good to you. Do what feels right. This is a super easy dish, quick, and great for people not wanting to do a ton of work.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked rice

1 large carrot

1 1/2 cup broccoli florets

½ cup peas

4 (or more) white mushrooms

1 pound chicken breast, cut into chunks

About 2 tbsp of concentrated chicken stock (you could also use regular chicken stock, I just bought the small concentrated packets from the store)

olive oil

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Put 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water in a medium sauce pan. Heat on high until the water comes to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.

2. On medium high, heat a little oil in a sauce pan. Add the carrots and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Add 1/2 the chicken stock concentrate. Also add about 1 tbsp of water to help make the stock saucy. Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally but not constantly. It might take longer than 10 minutes, but you want the vegetables to be easily chewable with a little bit of crunch.

3. Remove from pan, add a splash of olive oil, then add the mushrooms and peas. You’re doing this in steps so everything can cook evenly and the vegetables that need longer get longer. Cook for about 5+ minutes. You want the peas to be soft and mushrooms to be soft and a bit smaller and wilted.

4. Remove mushrooms and peas from pan. Add a flick of olive oil and add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is all the way cooked through. This could take as little as 5 minutes, but close to 10 minutes depending on thickness of the meat.

5. When the chicken is all the way cooked through, add all the vegetables back in. Add the rest of the chicken stock and another tablespoon of water. Stir to get everything coated. Taste it and adjust seasonings as necessary.

6. Serve the stir fry on top of the rice. Eat and enjoy!

Messy level: 2 spoons. The messiest part is just switching out everything between the pans. You could do everything in multiple pans if you wanted, but I only have 2 burners, and that would be super messy. Mostly, this is a super clean dish.

The post Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Now, back to cooking. For today’s post, I’m offering a recipe that is perfect for these cold days we’ve been having here in the DC area. This recipe is hearty, filling, and spicy. I guarantee this dish will warm you up. Now, I’ve told you about my tagine before but just in case you don’t remember, it’s a Moroccan earthenware slow cooker. As a kitchen appliance, it’s so pretty. It’s so pretty, I wasn’t sure I’d ever use it. And at first, I was having a hard time with the tagine, that is until my mom and I came across the cookbook Tagines & Couscous.

My mom and I were shopping at a Lecruest outlet store when I spotted the book. The lady who worked in the shop raved about it! She said it was so user friendly and they had made plenty of amazing dishes for their classes and taste tests. We were sold. Literally. Both us got a copy. Now I make this recipe (well, below is my adaptation of it) all the time. Honestly, I make this recipe almost every other week.

I have found some of the ingredients in the book hard to find (like rose water), but, when I really can’t find them, I’ve powered through with the recipe and it has still come out delicious. Also, please don’t be afraid of how many spices this recipe calls for. It’s an investment at first, but I’ve found them to be worthwhile and useful for other recipes. Additionally, If you don’t have a tagine, try this out with a dutch oven.

Finally, I heartily suggest making couscous as a side. You can find couscous in the same aisle as other grains. It’s such a great complement to this dish because it’s buttery and subtle and helps to balance the spiciness of the dish. And believe me, this dish does have some kick.

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp turmeric

1-2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp honey

2 cups carrots, cut diagonally into 2″ pieces

1 lb lean beef, cut into cubes (I use what Trader Joe’s packages as stew meat)

1 14oz cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (you can use up to 2 cans if you love chickpeas)

sea salt

chopped cilantro (optional, for garnish)

Directions:

1. If using a tagine, put the your heat diffuser over the burner. Put the bottom of the tagine on top. Pour in the oil and heat over medium-high until warm.

2. Add the onion and garlic. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the turmeric, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, and honey. Stir to coat the onions and garlic. Let the spices toast a bit, just for 1 minute.

4. Add the carrots. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Make sure they get coated with the spices.

5. Stir in the beef. Saute for about 3 minutes. Make sure you get the beef coated and it has started to brown. It’s ok if it’s 50% brown and 50% pink.

I’m sorry this picture is a little blurry, but I wanted you to see you don’t have to completely cook the meat.

6. Pour in enough water so everything is 50% covered. Bring the water to a boil. Place the cover on the tagine, and turn the heat to low.

7. Let everything simmer in the tagine for 40 minutes.

8. Add the drained chickpeas to the tagine. Stir everything together so the chickpeas also get some seasoning. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

9. Turn off the heat. Make sure the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked through. You should have a nice stew-like meal swimming in some spicy broth. Season with salt, if desired. Garnish with cilantro, if you’re  using it. Serve over a bed of couscous.

Messy Level: I give this one three spoons because it is undercover messy. Yes, everything is in one pot and that makes it pretty clean. But turmeric is a sneaky nemesis! It makes the liquid yellow and everything that liquid touches will be dyed yellow. If you have cheap counter tops, like I do, you might end up with some stains so please be careful!

The post Spicy Carrot & Beef Tagine appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

And then, I was on my way to work listening to the America’s Test Kitchen podcast and it got me to curious about how to cook the best tasting pasta.  They were talking about salting pasta and they asserted that salting pasta makes a huge difference in taste. Could it really be that serious? They said that it especially made a difference when you put sauce on your pasta. They said if you tested it at home, you’d definitely be able to tell the difference.

Could I really tell the difference? I had to know. Ryan didn’t think salt vs no-salt would make much of a difference. I thought we could tell the difference without sauce, but once the sauce was on I didn’t think we’d know the difference. And so, with our hypotheses set we were ready to test.

The Experiment:

1. In two large pots I boiled 10 cups of water (2 and a half quarts).

2. I measured out 10 ounces of pasta and split that in half (the amount is a bit random but it’s about what we had in the house).

3. When the first pot came to a rolling boil I added 5 ounces of pasta.

4. When the second pot of pasta came to a boil I added 1 tbsp of salt and then I added the pasta. If your eyes are popping out of your head at 1 tbsp of salt, don’t worry it doesn’t all get absorbed into the pasta. As well, after doing a lot of research experts say pasta water should taste “like the sea” and that a good ratio is 1 tbsp to every 2 quarts of water. Once you drop in that salt, taste the water. I definitely tastes like the sea.

5. I cooked the pasta for 9 minutes until it was al dente.

6. I drained the non-salt pasta first, then drained the salted pasta.

7. I tasted the non-salt pasta plain, then salt pasta plain, then non-salt with sauce, then salt pasta with sauce.

8. After I tasted I made a sample for Ryan, who did not know which pasta was which before tasting. The first one he tried was salted pasta, and he knew it immediately. He then sort of sampled back and forth and tried all four combinations of pasta.

Conclusions: 

We could definitely taste the different between salted and un-salted pasta when it was plain. Although plain pasta tastes fine ordinarily, when compared right next to the salted pasta, it tasted bland.

Ryan and I were most surprised about the difference the pastas took on when we tasted them with sauce. Ryan simply said that the salted pasta “made the sauce taste better.” I agreed. I found that with salted pasta, the sauce tasted more complex and interesting. So, America’s Test Kitchen was completely right!  They said that adding salt to the water is the only chance you have to season pasta. I never thought of it like that, but it does make sense, and as I tasted it does make a difference. I’ll be sure to salt my pasta water from now on!

The post Pasta Taste Test appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

And I’m serious when I said Papa’s the only cornmeal-maker in my family. Once when I was a kid, Mom made it for me and it came out lumpy. In college, I found a recipe online, and what I made came out as a dry and thick cornmeal lump. Papa is the one who makes the creamiest and tastiest cornmeal. So when I came to visit for the holidays I asked him to show me how. I’ll be honest with you that I’m still a bit intimidated. Papa showed me how to do it, but I think it’s going to take some practice before I’m on his level. So maybe that’ll be one of my New Year’s resolutions: to master Papa’s cornmeal.

Before we get started, let me provide a few of Papa’s tips for success.

1. He prefers Quaker brand cornmeal, but any regular cornmeal will do. He does not recommend ultra-fine cornmeal because he says it’s harder to work with.

2. This recipe is about finesse and whisking. It doesn’t take that long to make but you will need to be attentive and whisk constantly. You want the cornmeal to be smooth so you have to whisk a lot to keep it smooth. Lumps can happen, if you end up with a lot in the beginning then you’ll need to start over.

3. Think of this similar to how you think about making mashed potatoes. When you make mashed potatoes you add milk and butter until you get the desired creaminess. The same is true here. I’ve given amounts for ingredients, but you can add more butter and milk as you go until you get your desired consistency.

4. This whole thing takes about 20 minutes or less, but I don’t have specific times for these things. Next time I make it I’ll use a timer.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 cup water, divided

2 cup milk

3 tbsp butter (plus more just in case)

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar (or more to your taste)

cinnamon for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix 1 cup water, milk, vanilla and salt. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally.

2. While that’s heating, in a small bowl mix together the cornmeal and 1 cup of water. Whisk so that all of the cornmeal gets wet. The cornmeal and water will never get completely smooth, but you want it to be mixed enough so that the cornmeal does not stick in the whisk. See the picture below to see the cornmeal mixture stuck in the whisk. You want the cornmeal mixture to still be a bit thick and lumpy, but when you take the whisk out of the liquid clumps of cornmeal mix easily fall off.

3. When the liquid in the saucepan is bubbling (but not boiling over) add the cornmeal. WHISK LIKE CRAZY!!! Whisk, whisk, whisk until everything is smooth and there are no lumps.

4. When the mixture is smooth add the sugar. KEEP WHISKING!

5. Lower the heat (or remove quickly from heat if mix is thickening too quickly) and whisk, whisk, whisk. Taste it! Does it taste buttery and creamy? If not, add a splash more milk and a sliver more of butter. Whisk, and taste. You can also add more sugar if you like things sweeter.

6. Keep whisking until you have the consistency of grits or non-runny oatmeal. You want some of the liquid to evaporate and thicken, but not so much that it makes the cornmeal dense. Think back to the idea of mashed potatoes, you want them light, creamy, and buttery – and that’s the same idea here.

7. Pour cornmeal onto plates. You know the cornmeal is ready to pour when you lift the whisk, the cornmeal should run off smoothly. (Another hint, Papa recommends heating your plates in a 225° oven so that you’re cornmeal will stay warm as you eat.)

8. Sprinkle cinnamon on top for taste and garnish.

9. Eat with a spoon. My family scrapes around the plate in circles from the inside to the middle, that way you’re eating the coolest part first. Enjoy!

Messy Level: This is a two spoon mess recipe. It really doesn’t create much mess because most of the work is done in a single saucepan. But, it can be a little drippy so that’s the only reason I’m giving it two spoons.

The post Papa’s Cornmeal appeared first on Cooking is Messy.