N.o 7 Fish Bistro Torquay

Last night Andy took me to our local seafood bistro by Torquay harbourside. It's always good sign to see a packed restaurant. We went before for Andy's birthday a few years back when he reminded me I wore a see-through top.. I didn't realise it was that see through! Anyway, me and Andy always do a very clever thing whereby we order two mains and ask them to come out one after the other so when one main comes out we share that one then the other main can get cooked and be fresh! We like to share everything and have a bit of variety.

So above is the first main an assortment of King Prawns, Baby Scallops and Mussels soaked in a very very very garlicy buttery sauce. Very nice and we polished off the frying pan and had garlic burps all night :-)

The second main below is grilled red mullet fillets with more scallops and chorizo sausage in a what can only be described as a 'f'izzy' vinegary sauce.

This was my fave dish the red mullet skin was soo crispy with a lovely texture and taste and the chorizo really worked well with the fish and scallops. This dish also came with some spinach, red cabbage, sweet potato and herb mash.. lovely.

So if I wasn't full enough, greedy Law here had dessert..Chocolate moosecake..

A Birthday Dinner - Sushi Boat

So much for my 30 minute cardio work-out today - was invited to a birthday dinner. Though the sushi/sashimi boat was relatively healthy - we all had to eat a slice of strawberry/chocolate gateau with chocolate-covered strawberries. The cake is taller than you think and the whole cake was covered with cream. Yes, it even defeated me. Had to leave some on the plate....

The tastiest heart attack you'll ever have

I've eaten a lot of greasy, artery clogging crap in my time, but the worst thing i ever ate (in terms of calories and sheer obesity potential, not taste) was labelled 'The Coronary" and you can see the monster below.

This thing is a beast of a meal, consisting of a bufffalo burger, an ostrich burger, and a slice of bacon, topped with melted cheese and relish, in a large sesame bun with a side of steak fries. In the background you can see the Kangeroo burger, not half as nice but hey. You can find this bad boy at the Pig & Fiddle pub in Bath - good times, good times..

Too much time on your hands or a work of art?

My sister's gift to her hubbie last christmas every kids dream a real homemade gingerman house! Yes, she really made this.

Perks of the job - the Chocolate Fountain bribe

I first started work at a small local law firm back in the summer of 2005. My colleagues were, shall we say, people who looked like they enjoyed their food! This was fine by me of course since I equally loved my food but my waist size never showed it hehe. I like good food but wouldn't pass the odd Haribo sweet brought in and the delight when I hear 'cakes in the kitchen' when one of my 35 or so colleagues' birthday it was, they would kindly leave an assortment of cakes in the kitchen for the rest of us - to celebrate another year gone, another belt size slackened.. so this cake treat would happen EVERYTIME someone in the office had a birthday.. I love this job. I'd also like to announce that I was the founder of 'Bacon Roll Friday', what better way to end the week?

So anyway, the point of this blog and pictures of a chocolate fountain - the bribe. My boss let me down last year when she made the new years resolution of dieting and keeping fit, and keeping the bloody resolution! By then my greedy eating and 3 course lunches were notorious, people knew the way to my heart was through my stomach. So one day a secretary was particularly busy with work, we're a team but lets face it - who wants to mop up someone elses mess? My boss, sensing my blatant *snort when it came to 'helping others' gave me a little challenge.. help shift the other secretary's work and my prize would be a chocolate fountain. The bitches knew how to get me. So that I did and slaved away for the rest of the week to win this beauty. Our office chocolate fountain. Ok, it's not mine but heck on every special occasion which can range from a birthday to it's sunny today it comes out and gets a rinsing. Long live chocolate covered bribes.

Recipe: Warm Asparagus Pesto Salad

Ingredients (to serve 2 as main or 4 as side dish)

10-15 asparagus spears (ends trimmed, halved)

2-3 Baby Red Potatoes

2 handfuls of dry pasta (shells, tubini, whatever)

3-4 Small Tomatoes on the Vine

2 tablespoons of fresh pesto (I just bought a jar from refridgerated section in supermarket)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Handful of argula/mixed greens (optional)

1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese flakes

1. Cut the baby red potatoes into small pieces - you can be healthy and boil or if you're feeling indulgent, roast them. If roasting, pre-heat oven to 350F - cover with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt, pepper and mixed italian herbs if you have them. Should be done in 30-40 minutes. Check half-way through the cooking to give the potatoes a stir.

2. When the potatoes have about 15 mins cooking to go, start cooking the pasta shapes. I always add a tad of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt to the rolling boil before adding in the pasta. When the pasta has a few more minutes to go, blanch the asparagus spears. To cut down on washing up, I just add the asparagus to the pasta that is cooking. Only needs about 2-3 minutes - just use chopsticks to fish the asparagus out.

3. Cut the tomatoes in quarter-sized pieces (no need to cook). Drain the pasta. Once all the ingredients are ready, mix the asparagus, tomatoes, potatoes, mixed greens (if you want) and pasta with the pesto and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Serve!

*Note: In the pic, I have forgotten to add the parmesan cheese...*

Home-made bread

Since time is a commodity I possess these days, I've taken to making my own bread! Turns out Paul's mum was given a bread machine which she has never used. The bread machine is totally automated - you just dump in the ingredients, it kneads the dough in two cycles, allowing time for the yeast to rise and then bakes the bread. The idea is that you can walk away and in 3 hours time, the bread will be ready to eat! There are several settings for wholemeal bread, french bread etc. The only thing about baking is that exact measurements of the ingredients is key. Measuring out everything in cups and fluid oz reminded me of my school chemistry experiments...Above is a pic of the kneaded doughball but before the yeast has risen. And below is a pic of the loaf taking pride of place in the New Year's Day Dinner!