Good morning all! Rosie from Craftbotic is taking over my blog this morning & sharing her current Foodie Heaven and Hell (love this idea by the way!). Rosie is the our first ever Spiked! Recipe Challenge winner from January's bubbly champagne inspired recipe competition! (Psssstttt... the ingredient for the March Spiked! Recipe Challenge will be announced on the blog this coming Tuesday!)
Hi! I'm Rosie, the face, mind and writer behind Craftbotic. You might not have visited me in this grand ol' blogosphere yet, but you may have heard of my Craft Challenge or Blog Angels, a scheme for creating community in Blog Land.
Please don't be fooled by the name of my blog, you'll find more there than your regular crafts. I believe that all creative pursuits from writing, blogging, creating, designing and (of course) cooking are essentially crafts and you can find me writing about any number of topics.
That was why I was thrilled to take part in Carrie and Julie's Spiked Challenge and to write this guest post.
You can find out more about me here, but for now, why don't you grab a nice 'cuppa' tea (I'm English) and explore my Food Heaven and Food Hell.
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| Click here for Rosie's winning recipe! |
I've always had a rocky relationship with food. As a child I was never really forced to eat anything other than what I wanted, resulting in a narrow diet and a mountain of separate cooking for my mum. I genuinely never ate pasta until I was 20 and didn't like it until I visited Italy at the age of 21. I had also never sampled Chinese, Indian or Mexican cuisine.
While I did eat some salad items and most fruits, my vegetable diet extended to peas and potatoes. I know....potatoes don't really count as vegetables, do they?
I now eat many of the foods that I didn't have access to as a child. So what made me change my attitude to food? What tickled my culinary taste buds?
Well cooking, of course! At University and then later as I moved into my own flat, I started to try new foods. How I coped without vegetables before now, I have no idea. So with that background out of the way, here are my current foodie dreams and nightmares.
1. Italian Antipasti - give me olives, prosciutto, roasted peppers, aubergines, zucchini mozzarella and some lightly toasted ciabatta drizzled in olive oil, balsamic vinegar or basil and I will be your friend for life. When I lived in Italy, I used to go to a small wine bar because they used to shave off chunks of Parma ham as a bar snack. You'll be pleased to know I didn't jump over and chew it straight off of the leg.
2. Indian 'vegetarian' style - Indians know how to make seriously amazing vegetarian food...none more so than in Southern India. I have now been a rice eater for a whole 6 months and cannot believe I missed out on a gorgeous feast of vegetarian curry, tarka dhal, chutneys and naan bread. Absolute perfection. The lentil classic of tarka dhal is so quick to make and delicious. Find a great recipe for it here.
3. I adore smoked salmon. There is nothing that screams luxurious treat more than smoked salmon, cream cheese, black pepper, a squeeze of lemon and a lightly toasted bagel, hot pancake or gnocchi. The best bit - if your supermarket sells the 'trimmings', you can get quality smoked salmon at a third of the price - a frugal win all around.
1. I cannot stand mushrooms. Whether it's the slimy texture, woody taste or brownish colour, I don't seem to be able to swallow the little devils. Ironically I accidentally ordered a mushroom soup at a really fancy restaurant recently. I managed about three mouthfuls....luckily my boyfriend loves the gross little things.
2. I'm also not good with onions....unless pulped or juiced, the texture sends me running for the sink. The good news is that most dishes work just as well with leek, which I love.....so no baked onions, French onion soup or onion rings for me I'm afraid.
3. I would rather eat a pile of raw onions and mushrooms the size of my car than put a mussel anyway near my mouth. You can keep your oysters, whelks, winkles and clams too. I had a bad experience in Belgium involving grit, mini crabs and what appeared to be mussel hair that put me off for life. They also look a bit cheeky - but that's another story!
So there you have it folks - my foodie heaven and hell. What are your favourite foods? Why don't you hop over and let me know. I'd love to hear from you.
