For this Valentine’s Day, I decided to make a chocolate cake, albeit with a few unusual ingredients. Chocolate with cardamom is one of my favourite combinations. Cardamom brings a wonderful aromatic quality to dark chocolate. For me, it makes chocolate taste lighter, almost citrusy with a hint of spice. Continue Reading…
We recently had very enjoyable afternoon tea in Reid’s hotel in Madeira. The tearooms are ideally situated on a balcony, overlooking a tropical garden and the glistening blue sea. The whole experience was idyllic and felt a little like walking back in time, to an age where afternoon tea was all the go. Our table was covered with pristine starched linens and we were presented with shiny silver teapots, fine bone china cups and tiered plates of delights. We nibbled on delicate prawn sandwiches, pillow soft scones with clotted cream, and a whole array of sweet pastries and cakes. It was such a relaxing afternoon and we savoured every bite. Continue Reading…
I always thought marshmallows would be really difficult to make. Much easier to buy them surely? I don’t know exactly what possessed me to make them last week, but, you know what, I’m really glad I did. They tasted exactly like …marshmallows. They were the perfect texture and consistency, springy and chewy but slightly crumbly and crusty on the outside. And the greatest thing about making marshmallows was the actual making of them! They take a bit of time, but they really are very easy and fun to make. Continue Reading…
Back to simpler fare this week with another summer salad to test your taste buds. I got the idea for the beetroot and feta salad from this great blog called Taste Food. However, I made a few adjustments. I love fruit in salads as it always entices me to eat more green leaves, when I add some sweetness in the form of fruit. Pears work so well with cheese and nuts but I was unsure how it would go with beetroot. Surprisingly beetroot and pear taste great together. The creamy, slightly acidic cheese offsets the earthiness of the beet and the sweetness of the juicy pear. The mild white balsamic dressing brings them all together and the pistachios add a great nutty texture. Try it and see what you think? Continue Reading…
You can find some of my favorite gluten-free recipes in my eBook available from Amazon.
I'm Vicky and Stasty is my simple and tasty food recipe blog. I love to cook and I love to talk about food, so this blog is really my ramblings and thoughts about cooking and eating. Some of the recipes are my own and some are ones that I found on the net or picked up from my favorite cookbooks. I cook everything in our little kitchen in beautiful Washington. I am aided and abetted by my I.T guru/tantrum-trouble-shooter/editor and chief-taster otherwise known as the OH or Nelius.