Spice: A History of Temptation by Jack Turner

Spice: A History of Temptation by Jack Turner is an overview of the role spices have played in history. I have learned from this book that spices were a big driver in the European exploration of the New World and Asia. The book focuses mostly on the spices native to Asia: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace, ginger, and pepper. These grew only in Asia, and in the case of nutmeg and mace, on only the five tiny, volcanic islands of the Moluccas.

"Green Things" Pesto

While I am cooking, I set aside all the little green scraps. I keep them in the fridge until I have collected a large handful or two. Then I make "green things" pesto to use up the delicious green leftovers.

Apple and Cinnamon Mini Cake

Of course I collect the "MoneyBack" points that my local grocery store offers, since I visit the shop every day or two. Do you collect points? But what do you do with all those points? Well, I was just ridiculously excited when I saw that MoneyBack was doing a Le Creuset promotion. I redeemed all the points I had for two small stoneware bowls and two mini casserole dishes. I didn't really need any new kitchen items, but they were just so beautiful!

Pumpkin Custard

This delicious gluten-free and grain-free dessert is so simple. It's basically a healthy, whole food pumpkin pie without a crust. It's a one-bowl procedure to whisk together the ingredients and then the custard bakes away quietly for almost an hour. It emerges from the oven with wafts of cinnamon and warm pumpkin. It's great alone or topped with coconut cream or a sprinkle of spices.

Jackfruit and Durian Chips - Snacks from Thailand

I was in Thailand recently accompanying a school trip. One afternoon I tried these dried fruit chips from the hotel shop. I picked up two types: durian chips and jackfruit chips. Each packet cost me THB 40, which is about GBP 0.90 or USD 1.35. As I consumed my snack, I took tasting notes for you. Read on to find out more.

Weekend Links #28

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:
--This lengthy and thorough article (from the New York Times) examines why junk food is so addictive and how it is marketed. Eye-opening.
--Twelve best food movies (chosen by Serious Eats). Which ones have you seen? (The comments on this post are brimming with controversy about which films should have been included.)
--The Guardian explains that sales of horsemeat in restaurants and butchers in the UK has risen dramatically. It's healthy and tasty, too.
--Can you train yourself to love healthy food? The Guardian gives thoughts.

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn

Have you ever considered a radical career change? Sometimes I dream about what I might have done in an "alternate life". I think that I could have become an executive assistant to an important and busy person, making their life functional and organised. Sometimes I think I could have been a technical writer; maybe a science correspondent for a newspaper. Other times I think I could have set up a bed and breakfast by a lake.

I have never wanted to a be a full time chef, though. I have now read a couple of books about people who threw in the towel at their "ordinary" (non-cooking) jobs and went to culinary school. These brave souls are willing to give up their stability and life's work to date to retrain as a restaurant chef. I love cooking; I do! And perhaps you do, too. But would you want to train as a cook? Or work full time as a chef?

Cauliflower Hummus

Do you need more strategies to help you (or your family) eat more veggies? Here is one of my favourites: dip your vegetables in vegetables. Yup, skip the store-bought or homemade dairy-based dips and stick to veggie-based condiments.

This is a beloved way of eating for me and I have even talked about it before when I made sweet potato spread. And now I have experienced the wonders of cauliflower hummus!

Warm Bean and Courgette Salad with Mint

I read a lot of food blogs. Precisely 278 food blogs. I use Google Reader to do this - it aggregates all the new posts and if you've never tried it before, you should! Start by adding Simply Cooked and a few other blogs to your Reader and away you go! (You'll love it, I promise.)

Here's the thing. There is a big, gaping hole in my list of food blogs. I want, but can't seem to find, more food blogs that concentrate on vegetables. I can't get over my love to all things veggie, and I want to find more people who feel the same. I want to drool over pictures of beautiful salads. I want to find intriguing combinations of crisp and green things. I want to feel inspired to make more of my vegetables and inspired to buy more new-to-me items.

Bean Sprout Salad

Bean sprouts - not the sexiest of vegetables. In fact I find them kind of unpleasant. But I learned a new method of preparing them and I was mighty impressed. Blanch them - a brief dip in boiling water made them silky! I was amazed at how much more palatable, enjoyable, even, the sprouts became.