Crunchy Beetroot and Carrot salad topped with Creamy Goat Cheese

My parents came by this afternoon en route to London to off load their surplus food and toilet paper and paper towels etc. I scored some really nice cheeses and some smoked salmon and some other yum yum yummy goodies...but I had to find space for it all in my already packed to the rafters fridge and cupboards!! While squeezing and stuffing and mangling things I found two gigantic beetroots that I had completely forgotten about...Not only were they taking up valuable space needed for half finished bottles of milk, and juice and wine...but they also desperately needed to be used up (before any more show up in this week's delivery) so I made a HUGE bowl of raw beetroot salad to be eaten this weekend, and over the next week. 

This is a totally easy, albeit messy, salad to prepare (and even easier to devour!).  Just peel and coarsly grate a few carrots, and a honking big beet (or a couple of smaller ones...basically you want a good ratio of carrot to beetroot) and add a huge handful of chopped parsley.  The dressing is equally is simple...2 TBSP olive oil, 2 TBSP orange juice, 2 TSP honey, salt, pepper, 1 cloved pressed garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Mix it all together with a couple of shakes of sesame seeds (toasted).  I topped with with a bit of soft goat's cheese, which we all knows goes perfectly with beetroot!!

Spring has Sprung! Pasta Primavera for our first meal

While not technically our first meal as newly weds, last night was the first night I have felt like cooking (we had chinese take away sunday night and ate out at my parent's monday night) and I threw together a quick pasta primavera...to celebrate spring and our new life!!

You can make primavera sauce with or without cream, I happen to like it creamy and with lots of parmesan cheese.  Any vegetables can be used, the best are the stronger veggies like broccoli, peas, carrots, bell peppers and onion.  Some recipes suggest that you blanch the veggies first, but I prefer to just pop them in the boiling pasta water a couple of minutes for the pasta is finished.  Also, I like to sautee some mushrooms with onion and garlic before adding double cream and boiling up until thick.  I like lots and lots of freshly ground pepper and tons of parmesan cheese to season the sauce and then just mix it all up together! Last night I shaved some long strips of carrot, thiny sliced some broccoli and leeks, and I also added some chopped tomatoes to the sauteed mushrooms.  Oh! And don't forget a couple of HUGE handfuls of parsley!

WEDDING SPOTLIGHT....one pic of the bride and groom (and the dress)

I don't want to bore you with all sorts of pictures from the wedding, but I know that some of you are curious about the dress etc.  So, I am posting this ONE picture of me and David...

WEDDING SPOTLIGHT...the cakes!!!

Years and years and years ago...pre David (and pre Sex In the City) I knew I wanted to serve cupcakes at my wedding (if there was going to be a wedding).  Luckily, David has the sweetest tooth I have ever known and he didn't have to think very long about the options of dense icky fruitcake...vs...sugary, iced, and yummy cupcakes.

We ordered our cakes from an amazing bakery in North London called Lolas Kitchen.  I was fortunate enough to work very close to the bakery last year and Lolas Cupcakes were the treat of choice for staff birthdays so I had become very well versed in their selection and could testify to their amazing quality!!! They were hands down the obvious choice for our wedding cakes....PLUS they make reasonably priced layered cakes as well...making it easier to "cut the cake"!!!

Our wedding day was totally different to anything I have been involved in in North America.  We were married at County Hall by the Registrar at NOON, took many many many photos in the park (cold, but sunny and dry) and then headed to the hotel for a 3 course lunch with 30 guests.  After the meal we hung out in the bar and mingled and rested and took more photos in preparation for the evening reception at 7, to which all of our friends were invited to celebrate with us (and enjoy a BUFFET).  Because the day was split up like this we decided to "cut the cake" at the end of lunch and then put it out with all the cupcakes in the evening for the buffet. (Two of my favourite words....buffet and cupcake....mmmm what a perfect day!) 

In keeping with the un-official colour scheme of the wedding (and my all time favourite cake flavour) we had a perfectly sized 9" Red Velvet Layer Cake. 

 

The cupcakes for the evening, however, were a mixture of flavours...with a handful of red velvet ones!

 

I've been able to freeze about a dozen cakes (and a slice from the actual cake) so we will be enjoy this day for MONTHS to come!!! Although....all the chocolate covered ones managed to be eaten...hmmmm?

 

Mr & Mrs!!!

The best party I have ever been to! Relaxing but still buzzing with excitement! More when I return to reality! xo

WEDDING SPOTLIGHT...table centrepieces

It is 15 minutes to midnight Thursday night...leaving 36 hours and 15 minutes until our wedding ceremony will officially be underway!!!  It has been a busy busy busy day, and thank GOD my bestie Alice and my bro Charles have been here to help me! Today we picked up the loose flowers I ordered to make the centrepieces and got to work! Luckily we only have 9 tables to decorate...oh and the BAR of course!! 

Retro Hors D'Oeuvres for Auntie Sandi

Saturday morning mummy and I went to Heathrow airport with David's mum to meet my Aunt Sandi off the plane from Toronto.  It was a very early start to the day but I had a great little snackie waiting at home for her (and us) to re-juvinate us all and get the party started for this final week of madness and mayhem. 

I had been thinking about something special to make Sandi (something as exciting as the quinoa pudding I made for mum) and it really had to be JUST RIGHT.  My Aunt, like my mum, is a great foodie and is totally in love with everything to do with food and making food and enjoying food and just experiencing fantastic flavours and textures.  This presented QUITE a challenge for me!! 

On Friday mummy and I were wandering around the Waitrose in Marylebone when I spied a package of mini croustades and I just knew I had to use them to make a little treat reminiscent of family get together's at my Nonna's house cira 1985...

My Nonna used to make a tray of these gorgeous little crispy cups filled with cream cheese and topped with half a smoked oyster...totally divine and totally inexpensive! When I spied these little croustades on the shelf I knew I had found the perfect treat to accompany the smoked salmon we were already planning on munching on.

When I was assembling this easy and totally yummy hors d'oeuvres I was immediately taken back to my childhood and family parties at my Nonna's house.  How fantastic is it that a single whiff of smoked oysters can transport me back 25 years?!  My grandparents aren't able to travel to the UK to celebrate the wedding, so it was really special to toast them with cream cheese and smoked oysters!! And my aunt was totally surprised when I brought out the platter...she said she would have never guessed that these were her surprise...not in a million years! A true Nonna special!!

PS did you spot that I used a whole oyster for each croustade? Half an oyster is just not exciting enough !!