Tag Archives: Mango

CarolCooks2…weekly roundup 26th April-2nd May 2020…Recipes, Mango Jam and so much more…

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Good Morning and welcome it’s time for my weekly roundup of posts…Like everyone else, I am getting used to being cocooned in my home and garden with just the occasional quick trip out for essentials…Cooking has always been a passion but not like this…There are not really abnormal shortages of food here but I am not popping out every day or at will…Shopping is planned and the storecupboard and those tins/packets at the back of it are seeing the light of day…

Any shortages are because people can’t travel between provinces unless absolutely essential which means when I sent the betel nuts for mother in laws habit last week I saw many people packing mangoes and putting them in the post…Just as well we have excellent postal services always next day between provinces.

Our Thai family are keeping is well stocked as they drop boxes off when they come shopping last week it was mangos and bananas…bless them…Which meant yesterday and today I was in the kitchen pureeing and cooking mangoes and today will be the same…When I walk downstairs I am greeted with the smell of beautiful mangoes.

Which means the green tea has been shelved and it will be mango or banana smoothies for the foreseeable future…

mango-smoothie

Cheers!

Now to the business in hand…Last weeks posts…Grab your tipple of choice, settle down and enjoy the read…

Monday: Recycling and Climate Change…27th April 2020…and Covid-19…

I would love to say this is a COVID-19 free zone however it has crept into every aspect of our daily lives…it is also affecting climate change/recycling.

The world we live in has changed much in these first months of the year some things for the better and sadly we have lost many, many people to this terrible virus…Lots of shops and leisure facilities, hairdressing salons, schools, colleges have been closed…food stores have remained open but with restrictions in place..there are lots of rumblings of when are these restrictions going to be lifted…we are seeing a slight relaxing of restrictions from tomorrow but whatever is lifted I will be proceeding with caution…Will you?

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/04/27/recycling-and-climate-change27th-april-2020and-covid-19/

Tuesday: Thailand…The Betel Nut and the Jujube Fruit…

Although banned the Betel nut market is very much alive and thriving…

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/04/28/thailandthe-betel-nut-and-the-jujube-fruit/

Wednesday: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Food Column – Carol Taylor – A – Z of Food – ‘H’ is for Honey, Hamburgers, Hummus, Herbs, Haggis and Hoisin Sauce

Last week I was over @Sally’s with my A-Z of Food…A popular series which Sally is rerunning this year to allow me time to write and collate my cookbook…

Have you eaten a Hangtown Fry?

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2020/04/29/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-food-column-carol-taylor-a-z-of-food-h-is-for-honey-hamburgers-hummus-herbs-haggis-and-hoisin-sauce/

Also on Wednesday, I invite you to come and join me and my whimsy…

Whimsical Wednesday with Carol…

Like most of you, I have been cooking even more and eating even more…This cocooning doesn’t help the snacking, does it?

I have also been cooking some foods, even more, it is always the yummy foods which are the fiddliest to prepare and give the washer up more to wash..You get more bowls, pans and the mess but the end result is some delicious bites…

man washing up

Photo credit: Nationaal Archief on Visualhunt.com / No known copyright restrictions

Battered and breaded food being one of them…also the quesadillas last night were delicious…but fiddly to make and cook…Give me one-pot cooking or a stir fry any day…well almost unless its fried chicken…

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/04/29/whimsical-wednesday-with-carolcooks2-5/

Thursday: Smorgasbord Health Column – Food Therapy – Watermelon – A quick way to hydrate by Sally Cronin

Watermelon the fruit which I acknowledge wholeheartedly is good for me and healthy…I just don’t love it! Although the lemonade recipe using watermelon on Sally’s post sounds quite delicious.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2020/04/30/smorgasbord-health-column-food-therapy-watermelon-a-quick-way-to-hydrate/

Thursday was also National Raisin Day…

I love fruit bread, scones, bread pudding, bread and butter pudding and use raisins for all of those…why you put them in a curry I will never know…There is a place for everything and for everything a place…Not a curry…

Now cinnamon and raisin Bagels …Yummy there is definitely a call for those…

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/04/30/carolcooks2-national-raisin-dayus/

Friday: CarolCooks2…National Egg Month…

An egg…Zero Carbs and no sugar… 

Who remembers this?

The poor old egg has been much maligned over the years much like fats, butter and many other foods…Yes, there is the case for free-range eggs and not battery farmed…All our chooks and Turkeys roam free…It was also vilified and we were told if you have high cholesterol keep off the eggs…Now we are told by the heart foundation that they might have got it wrong ..Hang on…A bit of extra reading…

eggs

I believe that anything is bad if eaten in excess however moderation is key…so unless you have a proven, medical diagnosis or an allergy an egg is ok eaten as part of a balanced diet. For those who can’t, I will be experimenting over the next few weeks with alternatives…

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/05/01/carolcooks2-national-egg-month/

Saturday: Saturday Morning…In my kitchen…Mangoes…

smart

Mangoes

Lots of them…However the dried mango came out tasting just like the ones I brought…However, there is a nack to the rolling of them and I should have used a flat square tray not a round tray…Take two is today…My ones looked decidedly ragged for want of a better description but tasted ok…sigh…I love mango…I do love mango…but will be happy to see them gone for the moment until next time…Enjoy the recipes…xx

https://carolcooks2.com/2020/05/02/saturday-morning-in-my-kitchen-mangoes/

That’s all for this week…I hope you have enjoyed this weekly roundup xx  

I invite your comments…Let’s chat!

About Carol Taylor: 

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all are having a great weekend, stay safe and wash those hands xx

The Culinary Alphabet: The letter M

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carolcooks 2 culinary alphabet M

Welcome to this month’s The Culinary Alphabet my monthly guest post over @ Esme’s Salon this month it is the letter M which means I am exactly halfway through the alphabet.

Starting with Mayonnaise which is so much better made from scratch and it is also easy to do…

Mayonnaise

There is nothing like homemade mayo once you have made it you will never buy a shop made one ever again.

Ingredients:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp of mustard
  • 240 ml of good olive oil
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp of lemon or lime juice.

Put the egg whites in a bowl with the Cider vinegar and blend gently until they are well mixed. With the blender still going slowly start to add the olive oil starting with just a drop and increasing to a steady stream as the mayo starts to thicken. Blend well until the mayo is your desired thickness and season to your taste.

How easy is that?

Mascarpone

A silky and slightly sweet Italian cheese which is made using only two ingredients whole cream and citrus which is why it is easy to make at home. Because of its high butter content, it spoils quickly so once opened it should be used quickly. It is made using no rennet so is suitable for vegetarians. It is used to make that traditional Italian dessert of Tirasamu, to thicken soups, it can be added to mac and cheeses for a creamier sauce and makes a lovely dip when herbs are added.

Now you have had a little taster…something to tickle those taste buds you will have to pop over to Esme’s to see what else begins with the letter M…x

https://esmesalon.com/the-culinary-alphabet-the-letter-m/

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great Valentines Day xx

 

Fresh Fruit Salad anyone?

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The beauty of a fresh fruit salad is that you can make it as large or as small as you like one portion or ten. You can use any fruit that you have and it can different every time.

 

The one I always make is very simple I use Oranges, Apples, Grapes, Pear, and section and slice them and add lemon/ lime juice to stop the fruit going brown.

Sometimes I  also add some freshly squeezed orange juice or other fruit juice.

This is now when it gets interesting as you can add a little freshly grated ginger, some crushed lemon grass even treat yourself to one of those exotic fruits you have seen in your local shop or farmers market just to liven it up, change it.

Maybe even a touch of chilli???

Some sesame seeds? Some poppy seeds??

And of course and how could I forget? Well, I did and it was only when my dear blogging friend Marian told me of her gift of a mint plant and that she was going to pair it with some strawberries that I remembered I had forgotten one of my favourite herbs. So thank you, Marian Beaman, from Plain and Fancygirl   

If I use a soft fruit like banana, melon,  mango, strawberries, peaches, apricots, watermelon or kiwi then I put those in about 15 mins before I serve the fruit salad. Otherwise, they can go too mushy and we like our fruit salad fresh and vibrant, nice and crisp.

And of course here I have access to plenty of fresh pineapples, Lychees and Dragon fruit are plentiful and in season here at the moment so into the mix they go…What is your favourite fruit salad mix???

You can use any combination of fruit that you like just make sure you use lemon/ lime

juice to stop the fruit from discolouring and keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

It can be served quite simply with fresh cream or clotted cream if you can get it… Ice cream or even custard which hubby prefers.

Serve it with your porridge oats or other cereal with natural yoghurt… the possibilities are endless… Have fun when you make one and try different fruits.

Enjoy!