Category Archives: CarolCooks 2 weekly roundup

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…12th-18th March 2023-Monday Musings…Do Mermaids Exist? ,Thursday Thoughts, Riverdance …Smorgasbord Magazine…The Digestive System…Part 2…

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Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of posts, you may have missed during the week…I hope those of you who are experiencing snow stay warm and if you have to drive heed the weather warnings and stay safe…the heat has turned up a notch here which means walks and gardening I did lots of repotting yesterday all my seeds and cuttings are doing well we have had a market here for the last two weeks with lots of lovely plants and trees the last day is today so I am hoping to get a couple of lovely desert roses…during the week I got two Ma Li(Jasmine) plants plus a finger lime that I hope will grow well and give me limes…

Monday Musings…

Last week in Mondays Musings it was part 1 of “Do Mermaids Exist?’…I know Disney tells us they do as does many a fairy tale or exposure of findings like in the video today…I would never say never as the world/Universe is so vast and much of it undiscovered…This video is on the side of yes they do ..when you have children, experts and government denials in the mix you can’t be blamed if you think just maybe mermaids do exist then on Thursday Thoughts came the denial the young lady who was very witty on occasion skillfully debunked the idea that mermaids do exist …two sides of the coin and I guess some very skilful editing…ahhh for the wonders of technology…manipulation at its finest…and then we have “Nessie”

Thank goodness for the music of the great Pavorotti…x

Monday Musings…13th March 2023…Do mermaids exist? most little girls think so…

The Culinary Alphabet…

Header letter S Culinary Alphabet

Welcome to the next letter in my first A-Z  the letter S… Sally of Smorgasbord Magazine is kindly rewinding this series and I am thoroughly enjoying rereading the series…Many of my favourite foods start with the letter S …Salsa, squid, satay sauce and sage are among them…To read the original post please click the highlighted link below it will take you to Smorgasbord Magazine where Sally has the coffee pot brewing…See you there xx

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Carol Taylor’s – Culinary A – Z Rewind – ‘S’ for Satay, Salsa, Salmagundi, Sage, Squid and Salt Hoss

Thursday Thoughts…

The saga of “Do Mermaids Exist” part 2…and septic tanks I gave it a mention on here prompted by a comment from Willow and although I couldn’t find anything concrete that agreed with what she was told the fact that chemicals, chemotherapy, antibiotics and numerous other medicines etc etc are harmful to septic tanks I suppose if someone diet consisted of solely processed and industrialised foods then that could indeed be the case…after coming up for air from that rabbit hole I wanted something lively and keeping within the Spirit of St Patricks Day I thought Riverdance was spot on…

https://carolcooks2.com/2023/03/16/thursday-thoughts-16th-march-2023/

Smorgasbord Health Column…

The digestive system is not voiceless…if you get a stomach upset, feel nauseous, or get a headache or a rash.. it is your gut-brain letting you know it is not happy. It works on the principle that after hundreds of thousands of years evolving, it knows very well what it needs and if it comes in a packet along with additives and artificial sweeteners, colourings and chemically produced nutrients… that is not it.

The Digestive System Part Two – The Oesophagus, Acid Reflux and Stomach…

To read the full original post please click the highlighted link below that will redirect you to Smorgasbord Magazine where Sally will give you a warm welcome and answer any questions you may have…See you there xx

Smorgasbord Health Column 2023 – The Body our Greatest Asset – The Digestive System Part Two – The Oesophagus and Stomach by Sally Cronin

Thank you for joining me today as always I look forward to your comments and appreciate any shares…I hope to see you tomorrow for Monday Musings…Where there is another milk alternative and tips on how to save your food when you have power outages and of course a tune x

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…5th-11th March 2023-Monday Musings… A Message in a Bottle,Thursday Thoughts, A chocolate Burger…Smorgasbord Magazine…The Digestive System…The Mouth…

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Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of posts, you may have missed during the week…I hope those of you who are experiencing snow stay warm and if you have to drive heed the weather warnings and stay safe…For those who are built of sterner stuff than me like the swimmers who braved freezing conditions in King Edward’s Bay, near Tynemouth, UK you must be mad…but kudos to you…you are hardier souls than many as it seems that you also do boxing day swim too …

Monday Musings…

I’m sure many of us have sent a message in a bottle as children hoping to get a reply but you never know it may be found some 100 yrs later…the clove was last week’s natural healer who hasn’t used it for toothache and keeps a bottle handy and is also very nice in cooking and baking with its distinctive smell and taste…music was from the film” Ghost” a beautifully sad and romantic film with lovely soundtracks…

Monday Musings…6th March 2023…a message in a bottle…the benefits of the clove…Ghost!

Welcome to the March edition of my Green Kitchen…In this edition I looked at how to store and use bananas as the figures on waste for bananas are horrendous…some eco-friendly cleaners that also save you money plus the differences in kWH use on kitchen appliances and how it varies between low-income countries and developed countries like the US…I love shrimp and I  shared a great podcast from Food Print for you to listen too while walking or jogging my favourite way to listen…

Carol Taylor’s Green Kitchen…March 2023…Endless Shrimp Podcast, Eco-Friendly Cleaning, Rising Energy Costs, Going Bananas…

Thursday Thoughts went from Hershey’s limited edition chocolate burger to an interesting and scary post from Sally about processed food v Industrially Manufactured Foods that prompted an interesting comment from Willow about septic tanks…I leave you to read the comment…Food for thought…and in between, I thought I would liven up the proceedings with a rousing intro to 42nd Street…

Thursday Thoughts…9th March 2023…Hershey’s Chocolate Burger, 42nd Street plus Processed Food v Industrially Manufactured Foods.

Finally although no less important is Sally’s post on “The Digestive System”…the more I learn the more I marvel at the wonders of the human body and how one system is reliant on the well-being of another system in our bodies…this next series is starting with “The Mouth” this is a very informative post so please click the highlighted link below and have a read…the coffees on and if you are experiencing snowy weather I’m sure you be grateful of a nice hot cup of coffee…See you there xx

Smorgasbord Health Column 2023 – The Body our Greatest Asset – The Digestive System Part One – The Mouth by Sally Cronin

Thank you for joining me today as always I look forward to your comments and appreciate any shares…I hope to see you tomorrow for Monday Musings…x

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…2nd-7th January 2023-Monday Musings , #Culinary A-Z the letter N, Thursday Thoughts and from Sally #The Brain…

 

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of posts you may have missed during the week…weather wise it heating up a little during the day but we still have colder mornings but they are better for an early morning walk and I have to tell you that today I jogged in short spurts for the first time in 40 years and I am so proud of myself I’m buzzing even my son was impressed…Yeah! Go me!… Today my early morning walk/jog was 7.26km…

As you may know, I am cutting down on my blogging to enable me to finish the 2 cookbooks I have been working on…so this will be a shorter read…

Monday Musings…

Monday Musings will stay as it’s generally not too long a post and it’s a chance to showcase other posts I have liked during the last week or snippets of news…

Monday Musings…2nd January 2023…

Every other Wednesday, Sally is rewinding my very first A-Z and this week it is the letter N…There are not just noodles and nuts but nettles(stinging) and more so please head over and have a read…just click the highlighted link below…See you there xx

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Carol Taylor’s – Culinary A – Z Rewind – ‘N’ is for Nicoise, Nori, Nuts, Noodles, Nettles and Naan Bread.

Thursday Thoughts…

Jennie asked me if Thursday Thoughts was replacing Saturday Snippets …it wasn’t but maybe now it is… it’s good to change the day of the week and I can find little snippets whatever day it is-smile-and Thursday was no different it was “Twelfth Night” which is still celebrated in the UK and in Sweden plus in Spain they celebrate with a “Three Kings Parade” thank you, Darlene, for mentioning this I hope you had fun x

CarolCooks2…Thursday Thoughts!…5th January 2023…The Twelfth Night…

Saturday I repeated Sally’s rewind of the start of her Health Series…in this first series Sally is exploring the brain and its functions…having seen my mother with Vascular Dementia and how traumatic it is to her loved ones plus I’m sad that my mother has been robbed of her memories ….this means that I am making a concerted effort to do everything I can to stave off the sands of time it is important for me to reread this series and implement anything that I believe will help me and my brain stay healthy …if it doesn’t and nobody knows what the future holds but I will have done everything possible and that’s the bottom line…Please click the highlighted link below to read the original post x

Smorgasbord Health Column 2023 – The Body our Greatest Asset – The Brain- Introduction and Anatomy by Sally Cronin

Thank you for joining me today as always I look forward to your comments…My Green Kitchen will be restarting on 11th January where I will tell you about my visit and tour to a local organic farm I had a really lovely afternoon and learnt a lot…I hope you are all enjoying a lovely weekend and I will repeat I hope you have a “Happy and Healthy New Year” the emphasis being on healthy as without good health we would have a reduced quality of life …x

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…27th November-3rd December 2022-Monday Musings, #,Chicken and Mushroom Pate, #Christmas Recipes, #Edible Flowers #…

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of posts you may have missed during the week…weather wise it has been heating up so much for being “winter”…its nice weather to walk in though especially in the early mornings before the sun gets high… I am increasing my daily steps gradually and feel much better it certainly clears the cobwebs …It is enjoyable walking in the early morning nice and quiet plus you get the best of the markets and walking around the lake is so beautiful early in the morning plus and I am so excited that for the first time in absolute years my weight falls within the ” normal range” and I have been working so hard to achieve this…I am really, really pleased albeit it is at the top end of the chart and I want to be around the middle of the chart …the end is in sight…or the beginning I should say …

I have started testing the last of my Christmas dishes…next week I have Christmas menus to finish writing and have decided to do a vegetarian Christmas dinner for one as many of my friends are the only vegan or vegetarian in their family and their Christmas dinner is sometimes put on the back burner as they are so busy sorting out the menus for everyone else…

Due to family commitments, I am not spending as much time online but I am enjoying just being… cooking,  walking and enjoying life away from the screen …it clears the cobwebs and I can get my thoughts in order…x

As bills are rising daily and many people are wondering how they will pay their energy bills and manage Christmas…well Christmas comes every year and giving someone a lovely jar of homemade jam or chutney, some dried herbs beautifully packaged, a mini Christmas pudding or mini Christmas cake, homemade sweets like fudge or coconut ice is always a winner as most adults don’t want for much and a homemade gift implies thought and love …so with the money, you save on Supermarket deliveries you can get creative and cooking…if its recipes then John Rieber has a delicious recipe for turkey so please if you already haven’t then pop over and have a read and if Turkish Delight is your Christmas treat then there is also a recipe from Sheree so you can make own one for you and maybe a couple for some gifts…

Monday Musings…28th November 2022…How to save money on UK supermarket food deliveries, delicious bacon wrapped maple glazed turkey and homemade Turkish Delight!

My chicken recipe last week was for a Christmas Pate..we love chicken and mushroom pate on some lovely bread or crackers or on some delicious fresh crispy veggies like celery, peppers, and batons of carrots all lovely with a touch of pate…

CarolCooks2 in my kitchen…Chicken and Mushroom Pate…

I’m a big fan of homemade smoothies and they are a great way to use up bits and bobs of fruit and veggies…plus if you are busy they can make a great meal replacement sometimes…

CarolCooks2 in my kitchen…Banana Espresso Smoothie.

I love to look at a dish where flowers are used they always look so pretty…I also loved stuffed courgette flowers…and camomile tea is one of my favourite teas…I am just such a nerd that I love to know what I could use and what I can’t…

Friday Food Review…Edible Flowers…Part 2…Cornflower, Rosella and Jasmine flowers…

We all want to enjoy Christmas and I have learnt over the years to prepare as much as can and it really does make a difference…

CarolCooks2…Christmas Recipes…Prepare now…Freeze for later…

Thank you for joining me today as always I appreciate your visit and love to read your comments…I hope you are all having a great weekend x

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…6th- 12th November 2022-Monday Musings, #Macaroni and Chickpea Bake , Health, Morbid Obesity, #Edible Roots…Grow your own Sea Holly and how to plan for those social Occasions…

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of posts you may have missed during the week…weather wise it has been hot during the day but the temps are dropping a little as we get into our “winter”…its nice weather to walk in though and I am increasing my daily steps gradually and feel better for it…It is enjoyable walking in the early morning nice and quiet plus you get the best of the market today I was lucky to see some beautiful prawns(shrimp) plus they cleaned them for me and just left the tails on…tonight we have a lovely Kaeng Phet Goong …Thai Prawn Curry…Plus the 21st will soon be here and it’s “Stir Up Sunday ” time to make those Xmas Puddings…as I told you yesterday Saturday Snippets will be on the back burner until after the New Year its a post I thoroughly enjoy writing but I have a lot going on at the moment… I am off to Bangkok for a few days next week and I have Christmas menus to finish testing and writing plus I am not spending as much time online as I am really into my walking and enjoying it …it clears the cobwebs…x

Monday Musings… this is where normally I share some things that have thrilled me, made me think or smile or even have a mini-rant but generally it is my happy place and I hope yours too…

What would you do if you were driving along minding your own business and realised that some enormous silver balls were heading your way?… Yes, it’s true it is not a stunt and the aliens haven’t land landed…yet!

Please click the highlighted link below to read the original post in full.

Monday Musings…7th November 2022…

Those of you who have been with me for a few years may have noticed that I  am updating and reposting some of my healthy eating posts for two reasons the most important is that new followers may not have seen them the second is on the advice of Hugh in our quest to foil the spammers by rescheduling older posts..housekeeping as scammers tend to target older posts it seems…This post is about healthy breakfasts…a good start to the day…and my first Xmas advert I do love the British Xmas adverts…

Eat Smart! Eat Healthily…Breakfast is a good start to the Day!

A lovely bake is one of my favourite meals …one pot cooking…means less washing up …

CarolCooks2 in my kitchen…Macaroni and Chickpea Bake…

Lunch needn’t be boring and if you eat on the go then it still needn’t be boring a good lunch sets you up for the afternoon and hopefully stops the snacking…Now I have retired lunch is my main meal of the day I find it better for me to eat earlier rather late…

Eat Smart, Eat Healthily…Time for Lunch!

I love A-Z’s and have done a few now this one is my first A-Z and Sally is rewinding it we are now on the letter K and I am thoroughly enjoying revisiting it I hope you are too it’s always good to have a recap…

Khao Soi Kaffir Limes Noodles

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Carol Taylor’s – Culinary A – Z Rewind – ‘K’ for Kale, Ketchup, Kippers and Kanom Moo Krob (Crispy Pork and Kale)

Eat Smart, Eat Healthily…It’s time for Dinner!

Welcome to another edition of healthy eating...Today I am looking at Dinnertime some eat it in the middle of the day others in the evening…I am trying to show that if we eat healthily then losing weight is a bonus I am already being bombarded by all these apps and at what cost? I truly believe that if we really, really want a healthy body then the first place to look is to what we put in our mouths…

For me, too many people count calories and don’t count the chemicals in their food…

You will not hear or read a calorie on here …neither will there be any food with and preservatives or chemicals…

Eat Smart, Eat Healthily…Time for Dinner!

In the last 36 months, we have seen how quickly a pathogen can spread around the world as millions travel between countries and spread it like wildfire through their own communities and beyond.

There has been barely a mention of the Common Cold in the media, as the focus rightly has been on Covid, preventative measures and vaccines. It is likely that there has been a reduced number of common cold infections as billions isolated and wore masks. However, with the world opening up again, and restrictions lifted, this opportunistic pathogen will be ready and waiting.

Sally is absolutely correct when she says that whilst those who have had the vaccine, will have had their immune systems nudged into action to tackle the virus, for many, the long period of isolation is likely to have made their immune systems lazy…we need to give a jog,, wake it up and Sally has just the right hints and tips for us to follow…

Smorgasbord Health Column – Winterise your Body – Nothing more common than a cold…by Sally Cronin

COP27…Leaders of countries flooded or parched due to climate change are pleading at the COP27 summit for an urgent financial lifeline from richer nations…This brings me to the point raised by some as to why to save on fuel, reduce carbon footprints blah blah blah…these types of global meetings are not held on “Zoom” or something similar…

Would it work when countries like the Bahamas are pleading with the bigger countries for help? Does it not have more impact when pleas as important as this are made in person???

CarolCooks2…Thursday’s Thoughts!..COP27 and beyond…

Time for some more edible roots…

Today I looked at Breadroot…no not Breadfruit but root, growing your own Sea Holly and Bulrush Roots…

CarolCooks2…Friday Food Reviews…#Edible Roots…Part 5…

The clock is ticking and it’s still early to put up the tree…but the round of Xmas parties and Jollies will very soon be starting and if we don’t want to pile on all those lbs we have lost then we need to manage those jollies whether we are going out, on holiday or staying at home…and when you can’t enjoy! But with some planning, you can have the best of both worlds…it’s all about balance!

Christmas and Holidays…How to balance your eating and plan for social events…

Thank you for joining me today for my weekly roundup as always I look forward to your comments…I hope my family and friends over the water are having some respite from the rain and wind…

I also hope wherever you are in the world that you are having a fabulous weekend I hope to see you here next week x

 

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…24th October- 5th November 2022-Monday Musings, #Chicken Pot Pie with filo Pastry , Health, Morbid Obesity, #Edible Roots…Grow your own herbs and Saturday Snippets where “Ginger” is my one word prompt.

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of posts you may have missed during the week…weather wise it has been a mixed week but the temps are dropping a little as we get into our “winter”…its nice weather to walk in though and I am increasing my daily steps gradually and feel better for it…It is enjoyable walking in the early morning nice and quiet plus you get the best of the market I am enjoying some huge passionfruit at the moment instead of being golf ball size they are like bigger versions of a cricket ball and full of lovely sweet and sour flesh…

Monday Musings… this is where normally I share some things that have thrilled me, made me think or smile or even have a mini-rant but generally it is my happy place and I hope yours …

Last week’s Monday Musings focused on Halloween as it fell on Halloween not something I grew up with we focused on Guy Fawkes which was yesterday 5th November… we loved making the guy and watching him burn and there were fireworks, baked potatoes, and chestnuts we had always had a lovely time…

Monday Musing showcased these elephants enjoying their fresh pumpkin treat it was such a cute video if you can apply that to elephants…smile..plus there were some great Halloween recipes from John… some really cute spiders.

Monday Musings…31st October 2022…Halloween…

When is a pie not a pie that is always a debate should it have a top and bottom or just a top?…this one had a top only and was filo one of my favourite pastries…I hope you enjoy!

CarolCooks2 in my kitchen…Chicken Pie with a filo Pastry top…

A healthier dinner alternative…but just as delicious,,, Onions stuffed with sundried tomatoes and cheese…

Eating for health… Roasted Onions with sun-dried Tomatoes.

Time for part 25 of my A-Z of World Cuisine and it’s France …a long-time leader around the world in fabulous food and wines,,, many dishes that wherever we live are now our favourite like Boeuf Bourguignon, Baguettes and pastries, the macaron, French Onion Soup so many dishes that are loved around the world…

CarolCooks2…A-Z World Cuisines…Part 25…France…

Obesity is not just about how much food and the type of food we eat…

Sometimes our bodies can work with us and others against us. In this post, Sally of Smorgasbord Magazine takes a closer look at Leptin which plays an essential role in our weight management.

Leptin – The Obesity Hormone.

If you are like me then I had heard of leptin but didn’t really know what part it played in our weight management..I found this post very enlightening and interesting…Please click the highlighted link below to read the original post.

Smorgasbord Health Column – #Obesity #Hunger – The role #Leptin plays in weight loss

Edible Roots…

I am always amazed at the food we could be eating especially if our survival depended on them and we don’t know because we don’t have the knowledge…I wish schools would do more to keep traditions and knowledge alive as we never know when we may need to utilise that information and have those skills and knowledge…Just saying.

CarolCooks2…Friday Food Reviews…#Edible Roots…Part 4…

Freshly picked herbs…

There is nothing like freshly picked herbs and even if we only have a window sill it’s still so satisfying…my coriander has already grown…yes it’s about 2 inches tall I didn’t expect it to sprout that quickly…

Healthy Eating….Fresh herbs from the garden or your window sill…

Saturday Snippets…my one-word prompt is “Ginger”

Saturday Snippets…5th November 2022…my one word prompt is “Ginger”

Thank you for joining me today for my weekly roundup as always I look forward to your comments…I hope my family and friends over the water are having some respite from the rain and wind…If you have your firework celebration this weekend… it’s Guy Fawkes in the UK I hope the rain stays away and you enjoy and if you have any pets that don’t like the fireworks I hope it doesn’t affect them too much…

I also hope wherever you are in the world that you are having a fabulous weekend I hope to see you here next week x