I've been tagged!

Anna, from Anna's Life, has tagged me, which means I have to reveal five things about myself that you don't already know...Here we go!

1. I got my drivers license in 1995 at the first attempt... but I haven't driven since my test!

2. I did French and Italian A-Level, and spoke both fluently. Unfortunately the Italian became neglected after spending 7 yrs in Paris and marrying a frenchman!

3. I've been a croupier for 12 yrs, dealing mainly blackjack and caribbean stud poker, and still really enjoy it.

4. My husband and I got married in Las Vegas in 2000, and are hoping to go back for our 10th anniversary with friends and family.

5. I'm allergic to Penicillin, and as a child I couldn't eat eggs- I still avoid them, unless they are in cakes ;-)

I hope you've learn't something new about me- now do I have to tag people???

Well, I guess I'd better fess up too!

Well, this is the reason I haven't been cooking and blogging recently! I found out on 1st March that our first round of IVF had been a success, and that I was expecting a baby for the 8th November. We were ecstatic, relieved, nervous and every other possible emotion under the sun. For various reasons we tried to keep it quiet until everything was confirmed and 12 week scans were done, as unfortunately things can go wrong, and after nearly 3 yrs 'trying' you become a little defeatist. I'm thrilled to announce though that all seems to be well.

My eating habits have totally changed, and looking in my trolley at the supermarket this morning I almost didn't recognise it as mine. Out with the exotic ingredients, fresh vegetables, baking supplies, and fresh herbs and In with the frozen pizzas, jacket potatoes with baked beans, fajita kits and oh the shame... tinned alphabet pasta shapes! My husband is pleading famine, and on our last visit to see some friends he literally pleaded to stay for dinner with them!

I still aim to finish my Forever Summer project, although I have invited a guest blogger in to drink their way through the cocktail chapter! I'm about two thirds of the way through the book, and might need some help with a couple of the seafood recipes too, any takers?

Lamb Kebabs

I apologise profusely for my absence, I think there has been a conspiricy to keep me out of the kitchen lately. Firstly, my shifts have changed at work, and I now get home around 8:30pm, which although being better than the night shift it means I have no time to plan meals, and most importantly no desire to cook them! Secondly, my oven died. I was in the middle of making Nigellas Norwegian cinnamon buns and went to take them out after the 25 minutes stated, and found a gooey tepid warm mess. I left them in for another 40 minutes, still uncooked, when I realised the oven was barely warm. GRRRRR! It took 4 days and a repairmans visit to realise the fuse had blown ( I know, silly me). The only reassuring fact is that even if I had known it was the fuse, I would never have found it anyway- it was hidden behind some secret panel I never knew existed!

Back to Forever Summer. Spring is finally emerging in Quebec, and the snow is beginning to melt. I have my eye on some of those salads that I put off during the winter. My husband had been hinting very loudly that after my latest soup binge he was in NEED of meat. Lamb kebabs was an obvious choice. I marinaded the meat a good 24 hours, and we both loved the lemony overtone. I made Delias pilaf rice to go with it, an household favorite. I think the kebabs will be even better when made on the bbq this summer, served with a crisp green salad and jacket potato. Roll on BBQ season!

Dime Bar Ice Cream

You might be feeling a little deja-vu here, as Sarah and KJ have both recently made this ice cream. I shared Sarahs apprehension that I was going to find myself with a tub of vanilla with dime bar chips in it (listen to me! As if thats a terrible fate...). Lets just say that all the other ice cream flavours in the book have prepared me for the most delicious combinations possible. I stocked up on Dime bars during my last trip to Ikea (months ago) and hid them in the cupboard so as not to be tempted. In fact I hid them so well I forgot about them as they would never have survived as long otherwise! Nigella and I share the fact that we both used to be Dime bar addicts, and although I didn't become a pusher like her, I have relapses now and again...

The ice cream actually absorbs the flavour of the dime bars, making it slightly malty tasting. I LOVED it, and shall run to Ikea as fast as my little legs can carry me to stock up on more Dime bars!

Lomo de Orzo

I've had a really busy week, but was thrilled at the interest shown in my raspberry ripple icecream. I think it wins the most popular post award! Now for the lomo: I made this for my husband as I was at work that night. For me it was perfect picnic food, and smelt fresh and summery. You make it the day before, and let it marinate 24hrs in the lemony and rosemary infused olive oil. I made a baked potato salad to go with it, and the five slices had disappeared by the time I came home!

Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

When I first bought my ice cream maker I was worried the novelty would wear off quickly, and it would be confined to a top dusty shelf in my kitchen. The truth is I'm embarrased as to the use it's had. I must have made over 30 flavours since June 06, and my favourites are in Forever Summer. The taste of homemade ice cream is so superior to bought stuff, that when hubbie came home with a tub of our (ex) favourite Haagen Dazs, we both took a couple of spoonfuls each, made faces at each other, and it's still in the freezer 4 days later- an unknown fate 8 months before!

I was keen to do this one, as it just looks so pretty. I made the regular egg custard ice cream, and the raspberry sauce, layered it up, and squiggled with a wooden kebab skewer. I sat patiently for a couple of hours for it to firm up in the freezer, and when I couldn't stand the suspense any longer dove in. One perfectly rippled scoop later... I was so proud! The balsamic vinegar in the raspberry sauce really adds another dimension to the flavour. To die for...

Porchetta

I must admit to being a bit dubious about this dish. I'm not a fan of meat sandwiches, and even after living in Montréal for nearly 5 years I still haven't tasted the famous local delicacy, the smoked meat sandwich. I live about 5 minutes away from Schwartz's, where the queues can probably be seen from a satellite in space on a typical sunday afternoon. Maybe I'm missing out on something huge, i'll never know. Anyway, back to porchetta. I bought a 'hunk a pork' a few months ago at the supermarket (before I took my vow to only go to a butcher for meat) and stashed it in the freezer for this very recipe. I hadn't really read the recipe beforehand, so when I had defrosted the pork shoulder, I realised I had to not only take the bone out, but butterfly it too. Long story short I'll never be a butcher. I made such a mess that in the end I cubed the meat, as I'd never have been able to roll up the pile of pork rubble I'd managed to make. I made the marinade and added it to the meat in a ziploc bag, and let them mingle for 24 hours. When it came to cooking I had to innovate, and placed the mixture in a foil covered pyrex dish for about an hour and 15 minutes.

I decided I'd have a go at making ciabatta and went online searching for a recipe. They all appeared to have bigas or starters and I didn't have 24hrs to spare (my husband already looked like he was going to keel over from starvation at this point). Colomba from the Delia site posted the following recipe for Ciabatta (di Jason Molinari)

500g flour

450g water (30°C)

7g dry yeast

15g salt

Place everything in the kneader bowl. Plug in the "K", switch it on slowly at the beginning then increase to mid-speed and let it go for about 10-15 minutes or until the dough "climbs" up the K or leaf-shaped hook. Leave it to rise for 2-3 hours. "Pour" it on a very well floured surface otherwise you will not be able to handle it. If you wish you can cut it into smaller "ciabattine". Heat the oven at 270°C while your ciabatta rises again for about 45 minutes. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then reduce heat to 220 C and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Really delicious.