Photo diary: week 44, project 365

 I am still slowly recovering from the cold.

Most of the photos taken this week was of food and books, so if the sight of someone's lunch and dinner bores you to death, my apologies. 

It was Hallowe'en last Sunday. The only token gesture for the celebration on my part was the pumpkin carving. We never do trick or treating, but I've been carving pumpkins for years, each time coming up with a new design. I even did a post on Insta, of evolution of pumpkins in our family, from Meg and Mog to The Gruffalo, Dracula to Merlin's dragon, Baby Yoda to Loki. 

As we are big fans of the MCU and especially Loki, my pumpkin is the homage to the god of mischief. It's not the Tom Hiddelston's Loki, but more of a comics character. 

Unfortunately, the only pumpkin I could find on the day was an oval-shaped variety with a very thick green skin. I managed to break two of my carving tools, and never managed to finish the design as planned.

A few weeks ago I started a Ravensburger 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle Send Off for the Queen, which I bought in the charity shop. I had to abandon the project, as I couldn't find time to finish it. Then with the midterm break I had absolutely no opportunity to sit in peace.

On the first day of school I decided to have a quiet me-time, with a puzzle, cup of coffee and Netflix in the background.

And I finished my puzzle. Do you like it?

On Tuesday I was taking part in the blog tour for The Twelve Even Stranger Days of Christmas by Syd Moore. 

It's a collection of short stories, written in a mix of genres, from mystery to horror, with elements of paranormal and crime alternating. What unites them is not necessarily the concept of Christmastime (as not all stories are set at, or are about this special season), but the word "strange". A quick and easy read. I already passed the book onto my friend who shares my love of ghost stories.

Earlier this month I received a Cold Degustabox (all products are found in the refrigerator section of the supermarkets). 

I've seen a selection of fresh pasta kits from La Famiglia Rana in Waitrose, and meant to buy one of them to try, so I was pleased to see a pack of Rana Tagliatelle Carbonara among the Cold Degustabox selection. 

It is very easy to use, and takes hardly any time at all. 

I don't have a microwave, so cooked the pasta on the hob. I had a bite from Eddie's plate, and it was tasty, but the sauce was too runny.

Still going through the contents of the Cold Degustabox. One of the products in the box was What the Cluck vegan "chicken" from The Vegetarian Butcher. I haven't tried this brand of plant-based meat substitute before, and was rather curious to have a go.

I didn't like the look of the raw product, it looked just like ham chunks which have gone off. But don't scorn it before trying. Once cooked in the frying pan with sweet pepper, plum and carrot with honey, soy and miso sauce it was actually quite good. 

It doesn't take like chicken at all. I suppose if you haven't had chicken for years and forgot what it tastes like, it might resemble chicken, as the texture is wrong. It tastes more like ham.

For plant-based protein I prefer tofu, which I cook at least once a week, in Teriyaki sauce. But it's always good to have a choice, and I'd be curious to try more products from this brand.

Every time my husband attends the high table in his college, I ask him, What did you have for dinner? The answer is usually, I don't remember. Some vegetables. So, I asked him to take a photo of the menu. If you're curious to know just what is served at the high table at one of the Oxford colleges, here is the peek of the menu.

I love mushrooms, and would have been happy with the menu. Alas, I was not invited. :)

It is usually my very enthusiastic Mum who made the bonfires in our garden on the Bonfire Night. I didn't do it last year, and this year I couldn't find any enthusiasm either. 

I wish my Mum could be here. I know how much she would have enjoyed building the fire. She's like a child, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. 

This is a picture of my Mum and Eddie form two years ago, the last time she visited.

On Saturday we usually accompany Sasha and my husband to Cafe Nero or Costa, help them find the table, and buy the drinks and food. 

While Eddie has chosen a mac-n-cheese, I opted for a quick latte with a mince pie. This was my first mince pie of the season.

What else did we do last week? I started watching Shetland on BBC i-player. I completely missed the fact that it was on, until a friend mentioned it. I do love Douglas Henshaw, all windswept among the bleak landscape, in his duffel coat, and sleepy eyes with heavy lids.

I finished reading a couple of books, both for reviewing. I have so far agreed to only one blog tour post in December and plan to read some of the books I bought recently.

How did your week go?

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Let's Visit Santa 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger

"I know what I really want for Christmas. I want my childhood back. Nobody is going to give me that. I might give at least the memory of it to myself if I try. I know it doesn't make sense, but since when is Christmas about sense, anyway? It is about a child, of long ago and far away, and it is about the child of now. In you and me. Waiting behind the door of our hearts for something wonderful to happen. A child who is impractical, unrealistic, simpleminded and terribly vulnerable to joy."
Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten


Let's Visit Santa 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger will thrill anyone who has fond and funny memories of visiting Santa as a child or taking your children to a grotto to meet the old chap with a fluffy white beard.

I remember taking little Eddie to the grotto in Oxford, and he was rather shy, hiding behind my back and refusing to come and say Hello to Santa.

Working on this puzzle, I thought about my own childhood new year's eves parties and Russian Santa called Ded Moroz (Father Frost).

This festive jigsaw puzzle shows a very busy scene: there is Santa himself with his visitors, a cheeky elf, a kind snowman, a magic merry-go-round, three kings in the background, and lots of animals of all sizes. A little boy hugs Santa and whispers his Christmas wishes in his ear. His older sister seems to be happy to wait for her turn, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace and twinkling lights.

The Christmas tree is festooned with candy canes, baubles and other ornaments.

There are so many wonderful presents scattered around. The puzzle is exceptionally detailed and colourful, and captures the spirit of the season perfectly. It is such a kind, nostalgic scene.

This is the 22nd Limited Edition puzzle designed and developed by Ravensburger's UK team.

The puzzle measures 70x50cm when completed. It's suitable for ages 12+.
Like all Ravensburger puzzles, it's made from strong premium grade cardboard, with linen finish print to minimise the glare on puzzle image.

This is the last jigsaw puzzle of the year for me. And what a lovely puzzle to end the year with!

If there is a jigsaw puzzle fan in your life, they will be thrilled with this gift for Christmas. 

Disclosure: I received the puzzle for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Pumpkin, sweet potato and lentil soup

To appease my younger son and just mark the occasion, I carved a pumpkin yesterday. It is sitting now on the shelf in the entrance hall, surrounded by smaller pumpkins.

Have you been carving a pumpkin for tonight?
Rather than waste the scooped insides of the pumpkin, use them in cooking.

Whip up an easy soup with pumpkin and any other orange-coloured veg and fruit and pulses - sweet potato, butternut squash, lentils, orange, carrots. Use coconut oil, or flavoured olive oil, cream or coconut milk, there are so many different variations of the same basic soup. And again, vary spices - chilli, garlic, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, garam masala.

Pumpkins for carving available in the shops tend to be rather bland in taste, and need a pick up with a good seasoning. I don't mean those pretty turban squashes which are gorgeous to look at, and taste lovely, but not really suitable for carving faces.

Pumpkin, sweet potato, butternut squash and lentil soup
Ingredients:
1/2 big onion, finely chopped
2tbsp coconut oil with turmeric
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 carrot
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of ground ginger
3tbsp red lentils
350g cubed sweet potato and butternut squash mix
350g pumpkin
salt

Finely chop the onion and fry it with the coconut oil for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chilli, chopped carrot and spices, and fry for another 3-4 minutes.
In a big pan put the lentils with the fried onion, cubed sweet potato and butternut squash mix, carrot, pumpkin, season with salt, pour enough water to cover all the vegetables and bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 35+ minutes, until all the vegetables are soft.
Blitz it with a hand blender. If the soup consistency is too thick, add a bit of boiled water.
Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, soured cream or pour single cream.
For a vegan version - add whichever plant-based yogurt you fancy.

If the idea of the pumpkin soup doesn't appeal to you, Steve Smith, Head chef at Bohemia offers top tips for taking advantage of pumpkin season.

The arrival of autumn means one thing - pumpkins will be rolled out in their thousands to supermarkets isles across the country. If you've had enough of carving Halloween faces into the winter squash, why not take advantage of the gloriously low pumpkin prices and make use of that fibre-rich flesh?
Pick up a pumpkin that feels heavy for its size, with a smooth, firm skin and get cooking!

1. Pumpkin Pie
If we can thank Americans for introducing us to a dessert, it's Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin Pie makes a delectable autumn treat and is served best with a dollop of fresh cream on top. For optimum results, spend an extra hour in the kitchen, making your own crust - it will be worth it!

2. Pumpkin Pancakes
Ditch the usual pancakes in favour of the pumpkin variety. Simply puree a cup of pumpkin and mix together with buttermilk along with the usual ingredients to create a stack of perfectly fluffy pumpkin cakes.

3. Pumpkin Curry
Combine pumpkin with chick peas and coconut for a delicious dinner for the whole family.
Make this dish some time ahead of serving so that all the wonderful flavours can fully develop.

4. Pumpkin risotto
This resourceful take on risotto is a great dinner party dish. The pumpkin pieces add texture and substance to the popular rice dish, making it the ultimate autumn comfort food to enjoy on a cosy winter night.

5. Pumpkin loaf
This healthy snack is the perfect alternative to a carb-heavy loaf cake. For those with a sweet tooth, a thick layer of cream cheese icing will take your loaf from healthy to heavenly in minutes.

These tasty tips and recipe ideas come from the Head chef at Bohemia, which last September was awarded 5AA rosettes for the second year in a row. It now holds the record for being the first restaurant in the Channel Islands to receive this accolade.
Bohemia was also ranked the 14th best restaurant in the whole of the UK in the Good Food Guide 2019 and at number 57 in Square Meals Top 100 Best Restaurants 2018.

Kilgharah the dragon pumpkin

In the last couple of months, Eddie and I have been binge-watching 5 seasons of Merlin.
After the very last episode we were let bereft. I suggested we could watch it on a loop.
It was inevitable that our favourite dragon Kilgharah will appear on this year's carved pumpkin.

Are you carving a pumpkin for Halloween?

Happy Halloween!

Photo diary: week 44, 365

It feels like I've only just finished the post for the previous week, and another seven days have gone by. It has been a busy midterm break week.
On Sunday Eddie went to yet another birthday party, which was also a costume party. Eddie was only too happy to oblige, as he loves dressing up. He went as a King. Here he is, with a balloon, waiting for the party to begin.

On Monday we held a Twitter party, and did a lot of crafts. We also had a blast, decorating Frankenstein cupcakes. Eddie loves a good company and he loves colouring, as you can see from his beaming face, he was very happy.

Autumn is a great artist, its palette is amazing and versatile. I can never get bored, looking at all the changing foliage.

Last week we were in charge of feeding our friends' guinea pigs. We went every morning to give them their food and drink, and they particularly enjoyed a sliced apple. The son of the family was rather anxious that we shouldn't give any apple pips to his precious guinea pigs, as apparently it might harm them, bless him.
I must say, what they eat and what comes out of the other end, look very similar.
This is one of the three guys, not sure if it was Gary, Speedy or Ryan.

On Thursday Sasha spent a day with Barnardo's, while Eddie and I did a bit of shopping, and as usual, stopped over in Costa for a quick cup of latte for me, and some chocs for him. Not sure now why we were laughing, but laugh we did.

I was taking photos of dinosaurs in the garden (as you do), when I spotted this little ladybird. I didn't expect to see a ladybird this late in the year.

You cannot avoid Hallowe'en altogether. We didn't celebrate it, when I was a child, as it was not a Russian custom. I'm in two minds about it. One one hand, it is a bit of a harmless dressing up, baking and indulging on sweets. On the other, all the commercialized paraphernalia, sexualized children's costumes (some frocks for girls are just awfully inappropriate) and a custom of trick-or-treating which is often bordering on menacing. A few years ago we lived in an apartment in Woodstock, and Sasha was still a little boy. We didn't open the door to the teenagers who buzzed and buzzed, so in revenge they pushed heavy planks through the letter box and lots of rubbish too.
But Eddie was very excited about Hallowe'en, and we did some lovely crafts and baking activities last week. I have also carved a Dracula pumpkin for him, as he's a big fan of Hotel Transylvania.

How did your week go? Did you celebrate the Hallowe'en?

Dracula pumpkin

Eddie asked me to do a Hotel Transylvania pumpkin. So here he is, our Dracula.
Happy Hallowe'en!

Roast Lamb with Quinces and Marmalade Glaze

If you read my blog even occasionally, you might know that I love culinary challenges and projects. I was delighted to be asked to take part in Mackays Christmas project which challenged the bloggers to create a festive dish, using new preserves from Mackays. To celebrate my husband's birthday last week I cooked a roast leg of lamb for dinner. And though it was technically not a Christmas dish, it is easily adaptable for Christmas, if you are a bit fed up with the traditional turkey.

Roast lamb with quinces and marmalade glaze
Ingredients:
a leg of lamb
2 big quinces, quartered
4tsp Mackays Christmas marmalade
40ml brandy
sea salt
1tsp sumac

 Mix the marmalade with brandy and sea salt and pour over the leg of lamb. Cover with the foil and let it marinade for a couple of hours, turning the meat over a couple of times.
Place the tray with the lamb in the oven preheated to 200C and roast for half an hour open. Then cover the meat with the foil, lower the temperature to 180C and cook for two hours.

Add the quartered quinces for the last hour of cooking and sprinkle both the quinces and lamb with sumac. Roasted quinces are excellent with the red meats, and they add a beautiful aroma to an overall dish. The meat was melt-in-the-mouth, very moist and flavourful. The marmalade & brandy glaze added a touch of citrussy sweetness and enriched the gravy.

As a side dish I served a selection of roasted vegetables: a sliced turban pumpkin, 5 little beets (skinned and quartered), a fennel (thinly sliced), several baby carrots, 3 banana shallots (halved lengthways), a handful of baby tomatoes with pomegranate seeds scattered in the last few minutes of roasting. I have used some dried herbs too, cannot remember now if it was Italian mixed herbs or French.

Roasted pumpkins are simply fantastic. I usually first pre-cook the whole pumpkin in the oven for half an hour, then it is easier to slice and remove the seeds. Later the slices go back in the oven for another half hour or so.

I didn't take the picture of sliced lamb with veggies on a dish on the day. The next day I had a bit of lamb with the floral salad. Nasturtium leaves are very tasty, they remind me of rocket. I mixed a handful of nasturtium leaves and flowers, a couple of small marigold flowers and pomegranate seeds.

For the glaze I used a newly launched Christmas marmalade with cranberries from Mackays. This festive marmalade is a pure delight. I love the combination of oranges, cranberries and ginger. Superb on a toast, it is also an excellent ingredient in cooking. I recently used it as a glaze for a gammon steak (will post a recipe separately). If you are making your own Christmas hampers as gifts, this is a great addition to any foodie hamper.

Disclosure: I received four jars of jam and marmalade from Mackays for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Pumpkin, pork and chorizo stew

It's cold and miserable outdoors, just the right time for slow-cooked stews and casseroles. Imagine ladling a rich smoky stew in a deep bowl and dipping a chunky bread in it. As I have just had a big delivery of colourful pumpkins from Abel & Cole, I am cooking everything with pumpkins these days, from cupcakes to stew. Pumpkin, pork and chorizo stew is a great comfort food and a belly warmer.

Pumpkin, pork and chorizo stew (serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 small pumpkin
700g pork belly
2tbsp olive oil
pepper
100g chorizo
3tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
1 cube of Knorr ham stock
1tbsp fresh thyme, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic
2 parsnips
1 carrot
9 dried apricots, sliced in half
1 tin of plum tomatoes (400g)
1 tin of butter beans (235g drained weight)
1 potato

Wrap a small pumpkin in foil. Cook it in the oven preheated to 200C for a half an hour to soften a tough skin.
Once the pumpkin is cool, remove the skin and seeds and cube the flesh. Set is aside.
Cut the pork into big size cubes. Heat the oil in a big pan and fry the pork for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle it with fresh thyme & pepper and pour 1tbsp soy sauce over it.

Chop the chorizo and fry it for about 3-4 minutes in the pan where the pork has been cooked. Chop the parsnips and carrot, put them in a big pan and add boiling water. Put the pork and chorizo in as well. All the vegetables and meat should be well covered with water. Add 2tbsp soy sauce, a cube of ham stock, finely chopped garlic and sliced apricots. Open tins of butter beans and plum tomatoes and add the contents to the pan. Cook simmering for half an hour, then add a chopped potato, and cubed pumpkin. Cook for another 30 minutes on low.

I didn't add the salt, as the stock cube and soy sauce gave all the saltiness that was needed.

I used Kikkoman's naturally brewed soy sauce in this recipe. It is a versatile ingredient, which is much more than an Oriental cuisine product. In fact, it is a universal seasoning, and I often use it instead of salt in salads and roasts.
I was recently invited to make a one-pot warming winter dish as part of Kikkoman Blogger recipe challenge. The task was to make anything so long as it not oriental in style.

Disclosure; I received a bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce. All the other ingredients were purchased by me.

If you are looking for seasonal recipes, check out this delicious soup recipe from Cheryl (Madhouse Family Reviews) called Autumnal Hug in a Bowl.

Spiced pumpkin cupcakes for #UnileverHalloween

My little man has been off school today, as he is not feeling well. He spent most of the day in bed, watching the CBeebies and sleeping. To cheer him up, I baked a batch of spiced pumpkin cupcakes, though it is still two weeks until Halloween.
The weather has been ghastly for the last few days, and baking cakes is always a good way of spending day indoors.
I love culinary challenges, and was thrilled to be invited by Unilever Kitchen to join in a Halloween and Bonfire night challenge, testing my cooking skills - spooky style.
They said:
"Now, we much prefer the ‘treat’ to the ‘trick’ here at Unilever kitchen , so we’d like to challenge you to whip up some ‘treat’ snacks and dishes to keep the family warm during the Halloween and Bonfire season. The most inventive dish will then be awarded the top place, with the creator receiving tickets to the London Dungeon Experience for four people.

To help you on your spooky challenge we’ll provide you with a delicious foodie Halloween and autumn themed hamper, full of mouth-watering seasonal treats, Unilever products as well as some Halloween inspired surprises. Whether it’s ghostly cupcakes, banging stews or frighteningly good soups, the choice is yours!"

Since the hamper arrived, my son Eddie kept asking me when I was going to bake the spooky cupcakes.

Earlier today I had a delivery of glorious pumpkins from Abel & Cole, and just had to use some of them in baking.

Spiced pumpkin cupcakes (makes 20+)
Ingredients:
140 g cooked pumpkin
1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/3 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
3 medium eggs
200g caster sugar
100ml olive oil
135g yogurt
1tbsp molasses
1tbsp golden syrup
240g plain flour
210g cornflour
80+ ml water
Start by cutting a small sized pumpkin into big chunks and scoop out the seeds. Slightly brush with oil and roast at 180C for half an hour. I used 3 pieces of pumpkin for the cupcakes ( the rest I served for dinner with venison steaks).

Remove the skin from the pumpkin pieces and mash with a fork in a big mixing bowl. Add all the spices, sugar and mix well. Add the olive oil, yogurt, molasses and golden syrup, and mix well again. Finally add the flour and cornflour. At this point the cake mix will be very thick. Add water a little bit at a time, until you have a smoother consistency, which is easier to ladle into the muffin cases.
Place the muffin cases in a big muffin tin and pour the cake mix leaving 1cm at the top.
I also used a silicone cupcake mold, as my son Eddie was very eager to try fancy-shaped cupcakes.
Bake the muffins/cupcakes at 180C until the wooden skewer comes clean (about 20+ minutes).

Let the cupcakes cool completely before decorating with the glace frosting.
For the frosting mix 250g icing sugar with 4tbsp lemon juice and 2tbsp coconut oil. You might want to add a little bit of water, to make it easier to spread over the cupcakes. Also add a bit of food colouring. The actual frosting is much more orange in real life than in the photos, but the light is abysmal today, and I couldn't get it right when I took the photos.
I used Dr Oetker icing writing pens to add a few touches.

We also did some ghostie cupcakes by adding the marshmallows on top of the frosting and painting faces with Dr Oetker icing pens.

Baking with veggies is this month's theme for Tea Time Treats hosted by Lavender and Lovage and The Hedgecombers.