weekend links #20

Weekend Links is a way of sharing all the engrossing things I see around the internet. I publish Weekend Links approximately every two weeks. As usual, I welcome your ideas and feedback.

food reading links:
--I am always looking for ways to have space for more cookbooks in my kitchen. This post on kitchen design (from The Kitchn) has a photo of a brilliant shelving solution.
--Some nutritionist talk that it's best to avoid (from Small Bites). http://smallbites.andybellatti.com/?p=7279

recipe links:
--A recipe for eggless mayonnaise that uses silken tofu instead (from Foodista).


--Raw and sugar-free banana cream pie that looks incredible (recipe and image from Spoonful of Sugar Free). I have already made this once and the crust twice.
--Lime and garlic topped sweet potato fries (from This Mama Cooks!) sound like winners; I would make these and leave out the agave nectar since I think sweet potatoes are deliciously sweet enough.

off-topic links:
--How to create an emergency document (from Lifehacker). This is on the list of grown-up things you really should do. Along with learning to poach an egg and invest for your retirement.
--A useful post on how to start organising when life is total chaos around you (from The Organizing Junkie).

What engrossing things have you seen around the internet?

Or tell me... What is your favourite blog post (of your own or someone else) these last two weeks?

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

The Sugar Queen is an easy-reading, fluffy novel about Josey, a young woman who lives with and looks after her aging, cantankerous mother. Her daily excitement is to day dream about the handsome mailman as he arrives with the mail. This book is chick-lit to the core! The Sugar Queen was our July Kitchen Reader selection and was chosen by Karen of Shortbread.

ginger and peach muffins (whole grain baking)

I think peaches may be my favourite summer fruit. And summer is the perfect time for eating juicy peaches in every way possible! How about these ginger and peach muffins? They are made with oat flour and whole wheat flour.

carrot recipes: best of the blogosphere

Carrots are my favourite vegetable. They are ridiculously cheap, very versatile, and oh so tasty. I love their crunch and sweetness. For about three months this year I had a daily Google alert for blog postings with carrot recipes. I am pleased to report that there are some fantastic carrot recipes out there! (And I promise that none of them are carrot cake.)


This stunning image is from the Babble recipe below.

--Inventive carrot and maple souffle (from Reluctant Entertainer).

aubergine fries

Aubergine (eggplant) has a slightly odd texture, don't you think? When it's sauteed or roasted I find that it can be a squidgy: the skin squeaks on my teeth while the innards give way in a ballooning mush. So in my quest to find a different texture for aubergine I came upon these fries. Success: these aubergine fries are not mush-like at all.

creating blog community -- and party pinwheels

How do you increase community connections on your blog? This is a key question for successful bloggers. We try to create a feeling of camaraderie here on our blogs and recently I have felt very much befriended and involved with others on the web. One strategy that has helped me was joining blog events like this one, the Secret Recipe Club. My assignment this month was Jam Hands, written by Ali. She uses some incredible methods for improving the community on her blog--simple ideas that are effective, too. (Oh, and she makes some mighty tasty party pinwheels.)

weekend links #19

Weekend Links is a way of sharing all the engrossing things I see around the internet. I publish Weekend Links approximately every two weeks. As usual, I welcome your ideas and feedback.

food reading links:
--All about the quest to improve airline meals (from the Guardian). I'm eating a lot of these this month.
--Criteria when shopping for props for food photography (from Still Life With). Prop shopping has become a favourite hobby, much to my husband's consternation.
--Nathan Myhrvold's TED talk about his cookbook Modernist Cuisine. It's the only cookbook I've ever heard of with differential equations. It illustrates and explains the physics and chemistry behind types of cooking, with photographs of food in the act of being cooked.

recipe links:
--I am utterly taken with the idea of a peanut butter beef burger. This is actually a link to a restaurant review, so now I need to find the recipe for such a thing (from Suzie the Foodie).


--I am seeing bacon recipes everywhere at the moment, both sweet and savoury. For instance, bacon slices dipped in balsamic reduction and chocolate (from My Cup of Creativi-tea), a bacon swizzle stick for Bloody Mary cocktails (from Tastes Better with Friends), and bacon cinnamon rolls (from Jam Hands). The picture above of bacon swizzle sticks is used with permission from Tastes Better with Friends.
--There is a chance I might like avocado made into a dessert, since, you know I do like beetroot brownies. I think this avocado and grapefruit cream sounds interesting, or how about this chocolate avocado mousse? (Both from Cooking Books.)

off-topic links:
--I fancy me some Ctl-Alt-Del coffee mugs (from Shareables).

What engrossing things have you seen around the internet?

Or tell me... What is your favourite blog post (of your own or someone else) these last two weeks?

buckwheat spätzle--German pasta

Spätzle is an easy pasta to make which uses flour and eggs. The imperfectly shaped pasta are moulded by hand and can be called "rustic"!

Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for spätzle and fresh egg pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with.

whole grain onion flatbread

Possibly the easiest flatbread ever, and also 100% whole grain. Just whisk together, let it rest while the oven warms up, then pop it in. Simple.

Now, equally easy: describing something as 100% whole grain when it is, in fact, all whole grain. Or saying that a colleague gave 100% effort when they did actually do so. Why do some people say that they gave 110% effort?

snapshots around my kitchen

I will soon be leaving home to go on a four week trip. This will be a really long time away from my husband and my kitchen. I will be able to talk to my husband on the phone and Skype, but, sadly, you can't chat over Skype with your kitchen. I have realised that I will miss it--even though I frequently berate its tiny size and many limitations. Here are a few shots from around my kitchen.

weekend links #18

Weekend Links is a way of sharing all the engrossing things I see around the internet. I publish Weekend Links approximately every two weeks. As usual, I welcome your ideas and feedback.

food reading links:
--"What does a 2000-calorie diet look like?" from Eating Well. This is an informative article. But don't assume that the pictures are representative.
--Where can I get myself a ginger beer plant as a pet? It's like a sourdough starter but for ginger beer and it sounds intriguing (from The Guardian)!
--Here's a Channel 4 Food article about the best bread blogs, and it features our very own Fresh from the Oven! Neat-oh.

recipe links:
--How to make pizza dough with vegetables instead of dough: use potato or cauliflower (from LRX Cuisine and Your Lighter Side). I think you could also use spaghetti squash or onions in a similar way.


--Seared watermelon slabs (pictured above): a summer appetiser. Intriguing idea (from Herbivoracious).

off-topic links:
--We all know the two main components to managing our weight and health: eat healthy food and exercise regularly. The third essential behaviour is not as obvious: get enough sleep (from LifeHacker).
--Beautiful photographs of icebergs, including a video of an iceberg rolling (from TED).
--Mellissa at A Fit and Spicy Life recently provided me with some important wisdom about being more authentic and less "perfect" online. Good on her for her transparency; her humble cheeriness is very affirming.