Category Archives: The Culinary Alphabet

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…20th December-26th December…Recipes, Whimsy, Music and Christmas…

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Welcome to this week’s edition of my weekly roundup of posts…Especially for you just in case you missed a few posts during this last week… Well, it’s over bar the shouting as they say…and now we have the leftovers… if you want some respite from the repeats on TV and you want some reality whatever your time zone grab a coffee or a glass of wine, a sausage roll, mince pie, chocolate or a turkey sandwich…take a pew, get comfy… have a read…X…

The first post out of the blocks was my last Mistletoe and Wine for this year…Mistletoe and Wine…No sugar quick-pickled Onions, ham with crackling and a Kamikaze Cocktail…

Ham- crackling-home cooked-sliced-platter

Home-cooked ham and crackling

This post contains recipes for Christmas or New Year ham which I love and pickled onions…Plus Ronan Keating who does have a lovely smile doesn’t he …x

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/12/21/mistletoe-and-wine-no-sugar-quick-pickled-onions-and-ham-with-crackling-and-a-kamikaze-cocktail-2/

Then came my Culinary Alphabet with a little twist …this time one of them was (cinnamoN)…

I  left some of the easy ones, like Salmon and Lemon for Pete who sometimes is a little minx… he sort of mentioned that he was thinking about palindromes…words which say the same frontwards and backwards example Naan Bread or Minim which is a measurement used to describe a single drop of liquid…I think I will pass on that one …DOES anyone want to take up that mantle?

I started with

Bambangan: A fruit found only in Borneo….

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/12/23/the-culinary-alphabet-with-a-little-twistcinnamon/

It was then Christmas Eve…where does the time go …like many after this year I think we are all running towards 2021…

 

 

With the Grinch in hot pursuit…

 

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/12/24/christmas-eve-2020/

Christmas Day…came and went like any other day…I ate too much and indulged in Turkish delight and chocolate…as I type it is 10.28 am…a sunny day and my bread is proving …I have drunk my green tea and I am still full up…I keep eying the mince pies and sausage rolls every time I pop into the kitchen to give my bread another knead…but I am still full from yesterday…maybe I should go for a walk?

I haven’t yet checked the state of lay here or elsewhere the world but I am fearful again about this Covid…sorry to be gloomy but it scares me once again all the positive tests even here we have testing stations set up already and our provinces have been colour-coded…

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/12/25/christmas-day-2020/

Boxing Day...Football and Bubble and Squeak…I purposely didn’t mention the sales…I d hope any sale shopping will be done online…

 

London is famous for its Boxing Day sales…The queues stretch for miles and people start queuing on Christmas Day…Yes, they do…Many people buy their Christmas presents for next year…It is mayhem and you certainly do need nerves of steel to get what you want…

This is NOT this year … An older video just to give you a perspective of how it WAS on Boxing Day in the UK…

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/12/26/boxing-day-2020-turkey-sandwiches-and-bubble-and-squeak/

That’s all for this weeks roundup…I hope you have enjoyed a safe Chrismas Season wherever you are…Thank you for dropping in today, I hope you have enjoyed reading this post, as always I look forward to your comments… you know I love to chat!

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – 6th – 12th December 2020 – New Book, International Carols, Foods XYZ and a Christmas Party with pets.

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Wow!… What week…Jam-packed with new releases including Sally’s ( Just) in time for Christmas, Christmas Carol’s and culinary delights…even some funnies to make you smile …Something for everyone …Please head over to Sally’s have read and maybe do some armchair shopping…Bliss…Enjoy the read xxx

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.

What’s coming up in the next two weeks.

I cannot believe that it is the Winter Solstice and the shortest day in 9 days time. On the one hand there is a sense of relief that this year is nearly over… and a wary expectation that 2021 is going to be better.

Whilst I could sit and philosophise all day long… there are things to be done to make sure this year ends with a few projects completed so I can move on fresh in the New Year.

In the last week I scheduled all the Christmas Book Fairs so they would be finished in time for Christmas and they will go out daily until the 23rd of December. I have also scheduled an updated version of The Twelve Days of Christmas from the…

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Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Food Column – Carol Taylor – A – Z of Food -X,Y,Z for Xawaash Spice, Yams and Zabaglione.

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My thanks go to Sally for rerunning this updated and revised Culinary Alphabet an A-Z of food and culinary terms…I do hope you have enjoyed this series as much as I have done conducting the research and writing…The follow on from this is a reverse alphabet where the lead letter is at the end of the word for example pizzA…great fun to research and write most of the time…lol…Thank you again, Sally you are a star…Hugs xx

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

In the last of this amazing series Carol takes us through the foods and culinary terms beginning with the letters X,Y and Z.  Look out for news of a brand new column from Carol in the New Year.

Xawaash Spice Mix.

Xawaash (pronounced Hawash) comes from the Arabic word Hawa’ij (حوائج). Hawa’ij can be translated as ‘requirements’ or ‘essentials.

For example, there are the essential accompaniments for Arabic coffee, Hawa’ij al-Qawra (حوائج القهوة). The Hawa’ij spice mix is believed to have originated in Yemen.
In the southern regions of Somalia, Xawaash refers to the spice mix that is added to savoury dishes: meats, stews, soups, etc. However, in the northern parts of Somalia, Xawaash is used in a broader sense and it refers to any spice mix, even the spices that are added to tea and coffee.

Keep in mind that the types of spices used and their proportions are…

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Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Food Column – Carol Taylor – A – Z of Food ‘W’ for Wakame, Wasabi, Walnuts, Watercress, and Wax Beans

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The letter W…Where does the time go? Only one post and this series will come to an end…It has been lovely of Sally to rerun my updated series of the A-Z of food aka The Culinary Alphabet…Thank you, Sally xx…
If you are loving this series then you will love the following series where thanx to another blogger I am working on foods and cooking terms where the end letter comes into play I.E. ( herB)…Challenging but fun…In the meantime enjoy the letter W…X

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

The A-Z of food…a culinary tour through the alphabet today the letter W for Wakame, Wasabi, Walnuts, Watercress, and Wax Beans etc.

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Culinary Alphabet…Where I am exploring some culinary delights beginning with the letter W…

Wakame…

Wakame is a species of edible seaweed and classed as a sea vegetable. Popular in Japanese cuisine it is used in soups and salads.

Walnuts…

Classed as one of the world’s healthiest foods the Walnut originated in the Mediterranean region and Central Asia and has been part of the human diet for thousands of years. These nuts are rich in omega-3 fats and contain higher amounts of antioxidants than most other foods.

If you’re looking for a snack food that lowers your cholesterol levels, research shows that you should get cracking! HaHa…

In a study published by The Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that…

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Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Food Column – Carol Taylor – A – Z of Food – ‘V’ for Vacherin, Vanilla, Veal, Vegetable Spaghetti and Vichyssoise

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The letter V…we are nearing the end of the alphabet which means the festive season is nigh…I do hope you are enjoying this series as much as I have enjoyed researching and writing it …my thanks go out to Sally for republishing what is one of my favourite series…Enjoy the letter V and please stay safe and well xxx

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

The A-Z of food…a culinary tour of the alphabet…The letter
V…Vacherin, Vanilla, Veal, Vegetable Spaghetti and Vichyssoise etc.

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Culinary Alphabet…Where I am exploring some culinary delights beginning with the letter V.

Unusual for me as I am a savoury girl and not a sweet girl…I am starting with a dessert…

Vacherin

Well, it could be one of two things they are both spelled the same…although they couldn’t be more different…one is a cheese the other is a light very pretty meringue French dessert.

Photo credit: eltham_mob on Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC

Swiss people call this soft, washed-rind cheese as Vacherin du Mont d’Or, in France it is called Vacherin du Haut Doubs (or just Vacherin in local shops).

Vacherin is made from pasteurized cow’s milk, which offers a full-flavoured and slightly acidic taste. The cheese becomes almost liquid after maturation. It has…

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Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Food Column – Carol Taylor – A – Z of Food – ‘U’ for Upside Down Cake, Udon Noodles, Ugli Fruit and Unleavened Bread

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Time for the next letter in the Culinary Alphabet which is the letter U…I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I have enjoyed the many hours I have spent researching and writing it…Enjoy!

Please head over to Sally’s to read the original post…xxx

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

The A-Z of Food… A culinary tour through the alphabet which today stops and explores the letter U.

The Culinary Alphabet,The letter U, yes we are on the letter U.

Halloween is nearly upon us, the trees are changing color and what glorious colors we are seeing around the world. I love the changes of the seasons and Autumn is one of my favorites. At this moment in time, it is 104 nights of sleep which sounds a lot. The reality is before we know it, it will be Christmas Eve.

Without further ado. let’s look at the letter U – not so many this time although maybe as I write some more will spring to mind.

Udon Noodles.

Udon noodles are a type of thick, wheat flour noodles which are often used in Japanese cuisine…Often served hot in a noodle soup called Kake Udon which is a mildly flavoured…

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