Lime-y Margaritas

England is terrible at mixed drinks. There. I said it.

But, it's not for lack of trying (or desire). I think it's actually because of The Weights and Measures Act of 1963. This law "made it illegal in Britain for businesses to give short weights or short measures [of spirits/alcoholic beverages] to consumers" (wikipedia). BUT, read conversely, this also means it is illegal to give "long" measures.

The result: alcohol is not measured to taste. Alcohol is measured by exact volume.

This means very good things for beer. Pints are huge here.

But, this means very bad things for spirits. Shots are tiny. As a result, mixed drinks come in super small glasses with hardly any alcohol. Sad.

So, when I get a craving for "real" margaritas, I make my own. I like them extra tart and lime-y (no pun intended — initially). Here's my recipe:

Directions:

(makes 1 margarita)

Fill a drink shaker with ice. Add 1 shot of tequila (I would use Patron, but I can't find it here), 1 shot of Grand Mariner, and 3 shots of fresh squeezed lime. Note: if you don't have a brother like John to squeeze them for you, I highly recommend investing in a lemon/lime squeezer.

Next, fill your shaker to the top with a good limeaide. Something not from concentrate, made with just limes, water, and sugar (my favourite is Simply Limeaide). Now, if you can't find limeaide (like me), add a shot of lime cordial and fill to the top with water.

Shake well.

Then, if you want salt (I always do): Use one of your squeezed limes to wet the edge of your margarita glass. Pour some sea/kosher salt on a plate. And roll the edge of the glass in the salt.

Finally, add ice. Pour. Serve.

And, yes. I served mine in pint glasses.

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Mexi Bowls

England has some amazing food. It really does. You can get pretty much anything. EXCEPT good mexican food. Oh, mexi, how I miss you. And, I'm not the only one:

"...I love that you can find the whole world in this one city (EXCEPT FOR DECENT MEXICAN FOOD MY GOD IS THAT SO HARD I MEAN JESUS CHRIST GET A GRIP LONDON)."

Really. It's hard to understand. Mexi is so easy: Refried beans + cheese + rice + lettuce + sour cream + tomatoes + guacamole. Bam. Burrito. Done. 

That's why, in a moment of mexi-deprivation, I came up with this:

Mexi Bowls (serves 4)

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Grannie's Sun Tea

When I was little, if the sun was out on a summer day, Grannie would make sun tea. She would take a glass jar, fill it with tea bags, water, honey, and a handful of mint from the garden, and put it outside all morning.

I'm not sure why, but I found it fascinating. I couldn't wait to drink it.

Directions: 1) Get a pitcher-sized glass container (preferably with a lid); 2) Add 5 or 6 tea bags (I used Yorkshire Gold, black tea), 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey (depending on how sweet you like it), and a handful of fresh mint leaves; 3) Fill it up with cool water; 4) Leave it in the sun.

When it gets as dark as you like it, give it a shake to mix in the honey, pull out the tea bags, and refrigerate (or add ice and drink immediately, like me!).

Make some. It's such a satisfying summer ritual.

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Grilled Chicken Wings & Mango Rice

The weather got warm and sunny just in time for the weekend. And, as summer weather requires summer food, I: 1) grilled chicken wings; 2) basted them in my favourite gf barbecue sauce (bone suckin' sauce) plus a dash of Tabasco; 3) sliced up a ripe mango; 4) served it all on a bed of buttery rice; 5) outside; with 6) a glass of coconut rum & diet coke.

Sun + Breeze + Sweet + Spicy.

[insert happy sigh here]

Yay summer!

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Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup

This recipe instantly became one of our favourites because it's cheap, fast, easy, and so so good. It's black bean & sweet potato soup.

I was inspired by all of the black bean & butternut squash recipes that have been online recently. Particularly this one on Sprouted Kitchen. It looked amazing. At the time, I didn't have any butternut squash; but I did have sweet potatoes. This was the result:

Ingredients:
olive oil
salt, to taste
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and roughly chopped
4 cups of chicken broth
1 16oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 hot red chili pepper, chopped (seeds optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon honey
fat free plain yogurt (optional)

Directions:
Put some olive oil in your soup pot over high heat. Add the onion and cover. Stir frequently until it starts to brown. Stir in a couple of pinches of salt and the sweet potatoes. Cover. When the sweet potatoes start to soften and brown a bit, stir in the rest of the ingredients. Bring it to a boil.

Keep it boiling for at least 5 minutes. Then, turn the heat to low and pulse with an immersion blender (if you have one) until it gets to your desired consistency. I like mine to be thick and a bit chunky. If it's too thick, add a splash or two of water. Then, salt to taste.

You can serve it now (I have), or let it continue to simmer, covered, on low heat for another 15-30 minutes. Ladle your soup into bowls and top with a dollop of fat free plain yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt.

I love this soup. It tastes so good, it's dangerous — I can't stop eating it!

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The Secret Gardens

Remember that movie "The Secret Garden"? I loved that movie; the idea of all those beautiful flowers, hidden behind ancient stone walls.

Well, it turns out, places like that exist. This past weekend, I went to The Secret Gardens of Sandwich. For 25 years, the gardens surrounding The Salutation manor house and hidden behind old city walls were neglected and became badly overgrown. Then, thankfully, the property was purchased (rescued) by its current owners, who have spent the last four years restoring it. From what the locals say, the transformation is remarkable.

Now, it's a beautiful and peaceful spot in the middle of Sandwich. If you go, check out the White Garden, the Vegetable Gardens, and the Main Perennial Borders. Then, grab a bite (raspberries and clotted cream!) in the Tea Room. You will be impressed.

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New Potatoes

I went to the White Mill Farm Shop yesterday, because they have this sign out front that says "Freshly Dug Potatoes From Our Own Farm". And by "fresh" potatoes, this time of year, they mean new potatoes.

I was curious: Why are they called "new"? Is it just a name, like "red" or "Idaho"? The lovely woman who works there explained: These potatoes are, in fact, new. They were only planted in February. This is why new potatoes are small, their skin is so tender, and why they're so delicious. They are the earliest of the season and a late-spring/early-summer treat.

On the other hand, the potatoes you see with thick, tough skin stay in the ground until Fall and are what we store and eat all winter.

She advised that the best new potatoes are the smallest ones, if you're patient enough to wash them. So, I dug through the box and picked the smallest ones I could find. Then, I took them home and — in what is probably a serious offense to British cooking — barbecued them to perfection. 

Officially, I should have boiled them and served them with butter, but I couldn't. I will do it at some point, though. They taste amazing that way, too.

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The Wheat

Around the end of last summer, I started getting an itchy throat (you know, between your ear and throat where you can't reach but you want to scratch with a fork?) every evening. For about a week, I kept thinking, "What am I eating with gluten in it?!" And then I realized: They were harvesting the wheat. Huge clouds of gluten were blowing around my neighborhood. I was breathing it. Crazy. 

But this time of year, the wheat is in its innocent and beautiful grass-like form. I recommend taking a walk through a wheat field, if you get the chance. We have so many of them here. Seas of green stretch as far as you can see, and the wind whispers across the leaves in waves.  It's incredibly peaceful. 

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Lemon & Honey Dressing

I came up with this recipe basically by accident, in one of those empty-cupboard-what-else-can-I-stick-in-here? moments. 

It's easy. Just: 1) Put a bunch of lettuce — and whatever else you like — in a bowl; 2) Sprinkle a generous pinch of sea/kosher salt on top; 3) Drizzle honey over it (I used orange blossom this time, but any kind will do); 4) Drizzle olive oil over that; 5) Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon (I grilled it this time, but I usually don't) on it; and 6) Toss.

I use this dressing a lot on green salads because they're so easy, but it tastes good on pretty much anything. Give it a try. It's one of my favorites. 

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Apple Blossoms

Apple blossoms in spring are fleeting, like cherry blossoms. A bit of wind or hard rain, and they're gone for the season. But, when they're out, they cover the orchards in pretty pink and white flowers. 

These are Cox apple trees; a very popular local variety. And for their next performance: apples.

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Avocados

The conversation went like this:

Husband: Do you have any avocados?
Shop Keeper: For when?

I had heard of this practice, but had never witnessed it. Apparently, a true produce man — one who knows what he is doing — will always ask when your fruit or veg will be consumed and will know exactly which of his items is right for you.

We said, "Tonight." He came back with two gorgeous avocados and warned, "These are perfect. You must be very careful with them." Then, he put them in a paper bag and told my husband that only I was allowed to carry them because they were so delicate.

I have never seen such perfectly ripe avocados; the seeds basically fell out. And, yes. I made them into guacamole. Though, I was tempted to just eat them with a spoon.

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Ash Church Tower

Every once in a while, the Ash Parish Church opens its tower and allows people to climb the slightly steep 114 steps to the top. As you climb, you pass the bell-ringing room first. The bell ringers play the 10 bells (I'm told10 is a lot for a small parish) by pulling very long ropes that go through small holes in the ceiling and up 2 levels to where the bells are.

The clock room is on the next level. The mechanism is housed inside a glass case that spans the entire width of the tower. As the clock moves, one of the bells chimes the hours. The simple mechanics of it are remarkable.

The top is breathtaking. It's one of the tallest buildings in the area, which makes the view spectacular. On a clear day you can see the sea. You could spend hours observing Ash from above or just reading the vintage graffiti carved in the steeple.

If you ever get the chance, climb the tower. The experience is one you won't forget.

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The Barbecue

I have learned there are many little US/UK language differences with the potential for serious confusion. For example, in the UK, it's not called a grill. It's called a "barbecue". A "grill" is actually the part of the oven we call the "broiler". Sigh.

It makes me crave something familiar. Like Barefoot Contessa Guacamole, and grilled chicken wings covered in Bone Suckin' Sauce (note it says "American Cooking Sauce" on the label — ha).

Plus a variation on Shirley's black bean salad: a can of black beans, a can of corn, a handful of frozen soy beans, chopped romano pepper, chopped red chili pepper, finely chopped red onion, 

the juice of one lime, a couple splashes of white wine vinegar, and some cumin.

Note: There is nothing confusing about guacamole and chicken wings.

PS: A bed skirt is called a "valance", which is what we would put over a window and — by the 

way — there is no such thing as a box spring.

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