Weekly Love: Week 143
I’m in that sort of mood where the holidays have made me feel like I don’t want to be doing much past mixing up cocktails, Christmas shopping in Canterbury and eating. Big emphasis on the eating there. But, this is okay because it ’tis the season after all, right? If you think about it, there are only 12 days (yes, less than 2 weeks) left of 2014, so I’m making the most of the excuse to relax and indulge before 2015 dawns, and with it a whole slew of juice recipes, healthy salads, eating proper breakfasts and soups. Well, at least until February 1st.
1. Leek, scallop and cream buckwheat galettes at my favourite local restaurant in Combourg in Northern France. | 2. Public service announcement for all of my Canterbury based readers: Pork & Co. are now selling pulled pork rolls out of a converted horse box on the High Street. | 3. Plotting festive food in the drawing room with my copy of Jamie’s Comfort Food. | 4. Decorating the giant Christmas tree in the front hallway of the house. | 5. Mulled Wine and Jamie Magazine in front of the television at the French house. | 6. Curling up in front of a roaring wood fire.
- This blog post of a trip to Canterbury last year I stumbled across perfectly illustrates how beautiful my city is, and why I love living here rather than in London.
- David Lebovitz shows us how to line baking pans with aluminium foil. A must read, because this is my preferred method for thinks like brownies also!
- Spoon Fork Bacon show us how to make homemade lip balm.
- Love and Lemons has put together a brilliant roundup of the best ginger beers on the market.
- Photos from her recent supper club photos demonstrate why I need to go to Tess’ next one!
- Of course, rather than making a typical gingerbread house, the amazing Molly Yeh made a gingerbread farm. This is the best Christmas blog post I’ve seen this year!
- A Beautiful Mess shows us how to make dried citrus Christmas tree ornaments – I do these!
- Next time I stay overnight in London, I want to stay at Artist Residence.
- Joy has put together a roundup of L.A.’s best eats this year.
- Claire shows us around the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen at Christmas.
- This piece on attempting to teach university students in North Korea (from an American perspective) how to write an essay is fascinating.
- Serial listeners? The Guardian interview Adnan Syed’s family.
- Do you live in London and like neon signage? Pay a visit to God’s Own Jungle before January.
- Another one for you Londoners: have you ever been to the top of Monument?
- Over at PUNCH, Getting Drunk on Bootleg Soju in South Korea.
- The difference between lox, smoked salmon and gravalax.
- Olivia has put together a fantastic tour of Brighton.
- Homemade Mulled Wine Syrup.
Over in my ‘Student Suppers’ column this fortnight I’ve got two cold yet seasonal recipes that are great to stash in the fridge so you always have something fresh yet filling to eat over the festive period when you’re hungry, but you really don’t feel like doing much in the kitchen. My Roasted Pepper & Caramelised Red Onion Pasta is made from completely store cupboard ingredients, and my Cold Winter Vegetable Asian Noodle Salad is great to lighten up the load of all the rich and heavy food we all seem to eat this time of year.
I’ve got some other stuff going on around the web too, if you fancy a look. If you are after any festive canapé ideas, I’ve contributed a board of nibble ideas to Pinterest’s Christmas food round up this year. Over at Wozedu I’ve written a piece on how to start a successful blog, which has a fair bit about my own personal blogging journey in it. Finally, for all you Serial fans out there, I’ve written an op-ed for Wannabe Hacks about what young and aspiring journalists can learn from the hit podcast.
What have you been enjoying this week, and what do you have planned for the weekend? I’m looking forward to my parents heading out to collect a table from another county on Sunday (it is best if we don’t ask!) so I can have the kitchen all to myself for a bit of festive cooking, and so that I can wrap their Christmas presents and pop them under the tree!
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