Food on Friday ~ Soup
only the pure in heart can make a good soup
In many parts of England and the USA it’s cold, dark, and miserable. At times like these I believe that we all need comfort food, and what better than a nourishing, warming, interesting soup?
And, if you are pure in heart, then you can make a decent soup over an open fire, if you have to. Better still would be an unfashionable wood burning stove. The people of Texas will tell you that relying on electricity is not always a good idea, nor mains gas either. BTW, never, ever use petrol, (gasoline) to start a fire ~ not if you want to go on living.
First up this week, from Chungah at Damn Delicious we have this Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. You know what? If you don’t have a slow cooker, then get one. At this time of year it will be a brilliant investment.

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Tiffany at Creme de la Crumb has a recipe for Easy Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup. Tuscany is one of my favourite places in the entire world.

Easy Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
Holly at Spend with Pennies has a wonderful looking recipe for Chicken Corn Chowder with Bacon; how very American! This really is a meal in a bowl.

Chicken Corn Chowder with Bacon
Dana the Minimalist Baker has a collection; Healthy Winter Recipes for Cold People, and from that I’ve chosen to feature her very easy, very healthy, gluten free, one pot, Curried Potato and Lentil Soup, (with kale).

Curried Potato and Lentil Soup
Meanwhile, Jessica at How Sweet Eats offers us 20 of Her Favorite Soup Recipes for Winter; from which I give you this Easy Lemon Chicken Soup. OK it’s the second lemon chicken recipe this week but they are very different.

Easy Lemon Chicken Soup
Finally for this week Country Living has a collection of 55+ Extra Comforting Soups and Stews to Warm You Up on Chilly Winter Nights. How about this Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup for something very different?

Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
they even get snow in Arizona
I know, I was there
Food on Friday ~ Quick and Easy
my friend cooks with wine, sometimes she even adds it to the food
In an ideal world each of us would have a gorgeous kitchen, a larder full of exactly the right ingredients, and lots of time to create wonderfully, brilliant, healthy and tasty dishes. Mostly the world isn’t like that, and for many of us there are so many other things we need and want to do rather than stand over a hot stove. Particularly when the weather is wonderful ~ or we have to go to work. Or have a long, hot, soak in the tub.
This week we’re concentrating on quicker and easier wonderful, brilliant, healthy, and tasty recipes.
First up this week, from Tieghan Gerard at Half Baked Harvest; 15 Minute Garlic Butter Ramen Noodles. Simple, easy, fast, and looking delicious.

15 Minute Garlic Butter Ramen Noodles
Another noodles dish, this time from Chungah at Damn Delicious; Quick Chicken Ramen Noodle Stir Fry. I like stir fry dishes, my perfect one pan meal every time. This one should be ready in 30 minutes.

Quick Chicken Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
Something I must try, from Tiffany at Creme de la Crumb is a Cajun Shrimp and Rice Skillet. This is a one pan dish you should be ale to prepare and cook in just 30 minutes, less if your seasoning is ready mixed.

Cajun Shrimp and Rice Skillet
At this time of year some of you may have peppers growing in your yard. From Jessica Merchant at How Sweet Eats we have these Grilled Marinated Peppers with Burrata and Breadcrumbs. This dish may take a little longer than the others we’re looking at this week, but it’s a very relaxing kind of longer.

Grilled Marinated Peppers with Burrata and Breadcrumbs
Our first collection this week is from Diane, The Minimalist Baker 26 Quick & Easy Recipes, all of which should be ready in 30 minutes or less. As the weather is not only mostly sunny, it’s also probably hot where you are, I’ve chosen to feature this Greek Goddess Bowl ~ something an Aphrodite would enjoy.

Greek Goddess Bowl
Another collection, this time from Country Living; 77 Best Quick, Easy Dinner Recipes You Can Make In 30 Minutes or Less. I’ve chosen to feature this dish of Grilled Pesto Chicken with Summer Squash ~ and talking of things you may have in your vegetable patch, how brilliant if you have squash growing in your yard.

Grilled Pesto Chicken with Summer Squash
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
we each have our own idea of an Aphrodite
Food on Friday ~ Scallops
you can keep your oysters, but give me Scottish Scallops
Just around the corner from the garret is a fantastic old-fashioned fishmonger ~ well this is an old-fashioned fishing harbour, although because of the European Union we don’t do that much fishing from here at present. But, this fishmonger is the real deal, they have fresh fish and shellfish you just wouldn’t get at the fish counter in your local supermarket. They may be slightly pricier, but you get what you pay for, and do these guys know their fish…..
So, this weekend I have a fancy for scallops, and I know the fishmongers usually has great Scottish King Scallops, (a.k.a. great scallop, clam, Couquille St. Jaques).
Now all I need is a great recipe.
Andrea at Cooking with a Wallflower has a really nice recipe for pan seared scallops pasta carbonara. I know this recipe is very fast and very easy, as well as being something you could serve at a posh dinner party. I love this.

Pan Seared Scallops Pasta Carbonara
Now, from Tieghan Gerard at Half Baked Harvest I can offer you these honey butter blackened scallops with herby polenta. I love that these scallops are just seared in a hot pan with spices, honey, and butter. Perfect if you just happen to have a skillet in you pan drawer. Simple, easy, perfect.

Honey Butter Blackened Scallops with Herby Polenta
Next up is Chungah from Damn Delicious with her garlic butter scallop bowls ~ I love the cilantro lime rice and pico de gallo too. Now that summer is with us, (even here in England), this is a perfect dish for an alfresco luncheon.

Garlic Butter Scallop Bowls
Another dish from Chungah at Damn Delicious; bacon scallops with garlic butter sauce. I just had to include this recipe because of it’s 3 great components; scallops, bacon, and garlic butter. What’s not to like?

Bacon Scallops with Garlic Butter Sauce
From Petra at Food Eat Love we have this delicate dish of scallops with mango and spring onion salsa. Perfect to serve with drinks, and so very, very easy.

Scallops with Mango and Spring Onion Salsa
Last for this week is a collection of 18 scallop recipes from Delicious Magazine. I’ve chosen to feature this warm salad of pear, scallop, and chorizo. I think the disparate flavours in this dish will go well together, and you should be able to have it ready in under half-an-hour.

Warm Salad of Pear, Scallop, and Chorizo
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
I don’t think they’re after scallops
Food on Friday ~ Pot Luck Christmas
Good food is at the heart of a great Christmas and a Happy New Year
The theme for this Food on Friday was suggested to me by a friend in California ~ I would never have thought if it on my own. Here in England the traditional Christmas Day fayre is exactly the same as a Thanksgiving Dinner ~ only better. The idea of having a pot luck Christmas lunch / dinner is alien to an Englishman, but it does sound brilliant. As a matter of fact, we don’t do pot luck at all in England.
Ergo these recipes should not only be fantastic in their own right, but should also be suitable to take along to a pot luck meal.
First up this week, here’s a simply delicious dish from Dianes Kitchen; baked chicken Parmesan meatballs. Diane says these are great eaten right of the oven, or with your favorite sauce. These look as though they would be very welcome at any pot luck.

Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
If we’re looking for an appetiser to have with drinks then we could do worse than go for these fabulously festive brie bites from Erin Clarke at Well Plated by Erin.

Brie Bites with Puff Pastry
Here in England, just about the only time we eat brussel sprouts is at Christmas, so I felt I just had to include a sprouts recipe. From Tieghan Gerard at Half Baked Harvest we have these roasted bacon brussels sprouts with salted honey. A great side dish to take to a pot luck.

Roasted Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Salted Honey
In all my visits to the USA, I have never, ever had a decent baked potato. That’s because you guys cook them in the microwave. A proper jacket potato needs a very hot oven, and I’ve yet to see anyone in the USA actually use their oven, So, since great baked potatoes would go down well at a pot luck here’s Ali from Gimmie some Oven to tell you how to do it.

The Best Baked Potatoes
So, you’re going to a pot luck and you want to really help the table along / show off how rich you are, then why not take along a whole maple glazed ham. We have the perfect recipe from Chungah at Damn Delicious.

Maple Glazed Ham
Our collection this week comes from Taste of Home, 40 last minute Potluck ideas ready in 30 minutes or less. From this collection I’ve chosen to feature herb-roasted olives & tomatoes, partly because the recipe is by Anndrea Bailey from Huntington Beach, California. I like Huntington Beach. Anyway this is a great vegan side.

Herb Roasted Olives and Tomatoes
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
one of the best soup recipes ever.
I’ve made this.
Food on Friday ~ Healthy Salmon Recipes
if you want something beautiful on the table, pick up some salmon
If you’re trying to eat a very healthy diet, then salmon should be on your shopping list. This attractive fish has a stack of health benefits, not just that it’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, eating salmon is supposed to reduce the risk factors for several nasty diseases. Salmon is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet, and fresh line-caught salmon should be clean ~ not full of all the crap that is in some of the food we eat.
Buying the right piece of salmon is important, starting with the basic rule ~ never buy anything that looks manky. Anything that says wild is probably better than farmed, and some farmed salmon is better than others. Usually the rule is the more you pay the better it will be, but not always, but don’t sweat it. Go to a good grocery store or fishmonger, and you’ll be fine.
First this week we have one of my favourite salmon dishes; Thai salmon in foil,from Chungah at Damn Delicious. I think cooking in foil is a brilliant technique, and it reduces the amount of washing-up no end.

Thai Salmon in Foil
Another recipe for cooking in foil, and following on from last week’s post which was all about cilantro; from Averie Sunshine’s archive I have chosen this foil pack lime cilantro salmon. This is so easy to make, and it will be ready to eat in 10 minutes ~ you heard me right, just 10 minutes to produce this wonderful healthy dish.

Foil Pack Lime Cilantro Salmon
Now we have a fabulous 30 minute recipe from Sabrina Modelle; grilled salmon with peach salsa. This dish has so much going for it; you can cook the salmon on the BBQ, which means you can make the whole recipe in your yard. Anything with grilled salmon looks really special, so this is something you can serve to guests. And, best of all, it’s a 30 minute recipe that will make a great lunch, dinner, or something to take to work the following day. (This recipe was found for us by Elise at Simply Recipes).

Grilled Salmon with Peach Salsa
Until I saw this from Tieghan Gerard at Half Baked Harvest I had never heard of cooking on a BBQ grill by placing the food on a cedar plank. But, now I’ve seen this cedar plank salmon with watermelon feta salsa from Teighan this is something I must try the next time I’m somewhere warm and sunny ~ that’s if anyone friend will let me. I’m an Englishman, and as everyone knows we are terrible at cooking on a BBQ.

Cedar Plank Salmon with watermelon Feta Salsa
This brilliant sweet and smokey cedar planked salmon is from Kate Merker at Country Living magazine. Apart from soaking the plank for a couple of hours to stop it from catching fire, this is a very easy BBQ recipe!

Sweet and Smokey Cedar Plank Salmon
With healthy eating in mind I so like the look of this dish of braised salmon from Heather Christo; Paleo red curry braised salmon with sweet potatoes Fabulous!. Paleo is good, I think. This 45 minute recipe not only uses coconut oil and coconut milk, it also has more than enough garlic. Nice.

Paleo Red Curry Braised Salmon with Sweet Potatoes
Our collection this week is from Olive Magazine, their 40 best ever easy salmon recipes. And I’ve chosen to feature the very first recipe from this great collection Thai salmon parcels with jasmine rice.

Thai Salmon Parcels with Jasmine Rice
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
BLT salmon salad with creamy avocado green goddess dressing.
Food on Friday ~ Cilantro
Cilantro ~ the Devil Herb.
In England ‘Cilantro’ is called ‘Coriander’, which is the word Americans use for just the dried seeds of the plant. Funny, in England we say ‘Coriander Seeds’. The difference arises because ‘Cilantro’ is a Spanish word, and there a big Hispanic influence in the USA. Here, just about the only Spanish influences are that we beat the Spanish Armada in May 1588, and some of us go there on vacation.
Coriander is also known as Chinese parsley, and can be used both in salads and as a herb in cooking.
Some really great dishes use this adaptable plant, which goes really well with lime.
First today we have this cilantro lime chicken dish from Chungah at Damn Delicious. The other fabulous seasonings used in this recipe are brown sugar, oregano, and basil.

Cilantro Lime Chicken
A similar dish from Tiffany at Creme de la Crumb. Except now we have a recipe for one pan creamy cilantro lime chicken and rice. I really like one pan dishes, but it’s coriander here, not cilantro. Nice by any name.

One Pan Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice
Tiffany at Creme de la Crumb has this super recipe for one pan Spanish chicken and rice, a bold and zesty dish you can make in a half-an-hour. Strangely, Tiffany calls one of her ingredients coriander, which we now know better as cilantro.

One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice
Also from Tiffany at Creme de la Crumb, this is interesting; garlic lime shrimp marinade. And this is a fast marinade that will be ready for the grill in just 15 minutes. Lots of cilantro. Tiffany seems to like Cilantro.

Garlic Lime Shrimp Marinade
From San Diego’s Averie Sunshine archive I have chosen this foil pack lime cilantro salmon. This is so easy to make, and it will be ready to eat in 10 minutes ~ you heard me right, just 10 minutes to produce this wonderful tasty, and very healthy dish.

Foil Pack Lime Cilantro Salmon
Heather Christo has a different kind of cilantro recipe for a warm summer afternoon, this tomato peach and avocado salad with cilantro vinaigrette. Heather says that this is a beautifully simple 30 minute salad that will totally blow your socks off. I tend to agree. Nice to take to work for lunch too.

Tomato Peach and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
Food on Friday ~ Cooking in Foil
Cooking is fun, eating is fine, clearing up afterwards is a drag.
If, like me, you like cooking but don’t like clearing up afterwards, then cooking in foil packets is one way to cut down on the mess. And, don’t believe the urban myth that aluminium foil is bad for your health ~ you can wrap food in it, and you can cook in it, and it won’t hurt you one little bit.
You can use foil packets to cook on the grill, in a fire-pit, in the oven, (and I’ve even baked potatoes wrapped in foil in the engine bay of a sports car). Using a packet like this helps to seal in the flavours, and keeps your food moist and tender.
Add your herbs, spices, and other seasonings to the foil packet, but it’s also a good idea to use a flavouring that will add moisture to the meat, fish, or vegetables you’re cooking ~ for example; lemon, orange, honey, butter, olive oil…..
Chungah Rhee at Damn Delicious has a fantastic recipe for Asian salmon cooked in foil ~ and trust me, this is a brilliant way to cook salmon. This dish uses fresh ginger and lots or garlic, as well as honey ~ all on the superfoods list.

Asian Salmon Cooked in Foil
Another salmon dish from from Chungah, and we have this seriously easy and seriously good recipe for lemon dill salmon in foil. Really this great looking dish is a 30 minute effort, tops. And, I’m pretty certain anyone can make a great job of cooking this damn delicious dish.

Lemon Dill Salmon in Foil
For a mid-week dinner or a weekend lunch here’s a recipe for a hearty potato dish you can prepare ahead ~ sausage, potato, and green bean foil packets. If you have an oven in the lunch room you could cook these packets at work, or you could cook them ahead and eat them cold, or whatever… And, you could swap bacon for the sausage…

Sausage Potato and Green Bean Foil Packets
From San Diego’s Averie Sunshine archive I have chosen this foil pack lime cilantro salmon. This is so easy to make, and it will be ready to eat in 10 minutes ~ you heard me right, just 10 minutes to produce this wonderful tasty, and very healthy dish.

Foil Pack Lime Cilantro Salmon
I know how much you like recipe collections, so from Wide Open Eats here are 20 foil packet recipes making dinner a breeze ~ how cool is that? Anything that makes mid-week dinners easier is a good idea. Included in this collection is a great recipe for lemon chicken and asparagus from Creme de la Crumb.

Lemon Chicken and Asparagus
From Taste of Home we have a collection of 30 Wrap-and-Cook Foil Packet Recipes, including this delicious-looking crab and shrimp stuffed sole. If you can get a decent Dover Sole this would make a fabulous dish ~ even for your high-end dinner party for two.

Crab and Shrimp Stuffed Sole
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jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
Food on Friday ~ Summery Pink Drinks
Pink isn’t just a colour, it’s an attitude.
I saw a girl driving a shocking pink car today. It could have been worse, it could have been a guy driving a shocking pink car. (It could have been the Pink Panther.) I started to wonder if anything really looked good in pink, and I came up with pink drinks for a summer’s weekend.
Well, actually you could drink these pink drinks at any time of the year, but I think they all look very summery and cooling for a stinking hot and humid day.
And yes, there are cocktails called The Pink Panther, the recipes vary, but girls should beware of all of them.
The ever elegant Heather Christo has some very ‘cool’ drinks recipes, including; spicy watermelon sangria, cherry pomegranate ginger vodka lemonade, and this really pretty in pink watermelon cucumber gin lemonade.

Wetermelon Cucumber Gin Lemonade
Tieghan Gerard from Half Baked Harvest has some really great looking ‘pink drinks’ too; frozen watermelon rosé sangria slushies, raspberry rosé tequila kombucha, and this vicious sounding jalapeno bloody mary.

Jalapeno Bloody Mary
San Diego girl Averie Sunshine has a drink that’s sort of pink in this Malibu sunset, which is made with pineapple and orange juice, coconut rum, grenadine, with some added cherries. Malibu Coconut Rum is a pretty cool spirit with lots of mixers; try it with Coca-Cola for a different tasting Cuba Libre.

Malibu Sunset
At Honestly Yum Todd has this cool and very pink watermelon, fresh herbs and sotol cocktail. Sotol is from Mexico, it’s a bit like tequila, only crazier.

Watermelon, Fresh Herbs and Sotol Cocktail
Seattle girl Heather, the Flourishing Foodie has this recipe for a rhubarb collins, and she also tells us how to make simple syrup ~ an essential ingredient for many, many long cocktails.

Rhubarb Collins
Chungah at Damn Delicious has this dead easy and very refreshing strawberry thyme prosecco ~ I love that Chungah uses limoncello in this recipe. This drink is very pink indeed.

Strawberry Thyme Prosecco
And finally for now, found in Allrecipes magazine, we have this recipe for Jewel’s watermelon margaritas created by Rainbow Jewels. How cute.

Jewel’s Watermelon Margaritas
Please always drink responsibly ~ you know it makes sense. Girls, beware apples laced with anything alcoholic, narcotic, or soporific.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
guys need a cocktail recipe book
Easy Weeknight Dinners
Nothing is better than going home to good food.
For some of us, midweek dinners can be a real chore, so we resort to take-out or pre-prepared meals bought from our local supermarket. Yet we can do better than that. These recipes are all delicious, easy, quick and healthy. So why not try spending a half-hour cooking something, rather than buying an
The last thing you want to do after a long day at work is spend ages standing at the stove making dinner. So, from Averie Cooks we have this baked ham and cheese omelette, and ham and cheese are such a great pairing.

Baked Ham and Cheese Omelette
A pasta bake is such an easy and versatile dish, and Amanda Wren-Grimwood, at Chez Le Rêve Français, has this great recipe for a chicken and broccoli pasta bake. Most of us should be able to whip this up in a half-hour. Looks delicious to me.

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
If you are having friends over, or you just want something more exotic, Petra at Food Eat Love has this onglet steak with loaded fries. This will take you 10 to 15 minutes to prepare, and you can make yourself a great salad while it’s all cooking.

Onglet Steak with Loaded Fries
Talking of great salads, Tieghan Gerad at Half Baked Harvest has just posted this utterly beautiful Tuscan summer stone fruit, tomato, and burrata panzanella salad. I love Tuscan and this is one recipe I am certainly going to put on my own regular diet.

Tuscan Summer Stone Fruit, Tomato and Burrata Panzanella Salad
If you are vegetarian, or vegan, then maybe try this fresh tomato spinach garlic pasta from San Francisco Lady Andrea at Cooking with a Wallflower. This dish has just a few ingredients and should be ready in 30 minutes.

Fresh Tomato Spinach Garlic Pasta
Finally for this week, from Chungah at Damn Delicious we have 10 weeknight chicken breast recipes ~ including this fabulous chicken lazone. Always worth keeping some chicken breasts in your freezer, all you have to do is remember to take what you need out of the freezer in the morning and put it in the refrigerator.

Chicken Lazone
If you have a slow cooker, then try using that to make a weeknight dinner, which will last you a couple of days ~ and you can also take to work for lunch. There are some slow cooker recipes on an earlier post of mine.
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
click the link
And that’s how to make Planters’ Rum Punch, an Englishman’s preferred drink to go along with a summer barbecue. The strong is Caribbean Dark Rum, (







jack collier
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