“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” -Julia Child A beautifully cooked fillet is a thing of beauty, but they are so expensive that I find cooking them extremely stressful. My dear friends Ginger and Howard […]

If you look closely at the photograph of the green salad, just to the left is a bowl of beautifully roasted potatoes.  Have I mention my potato obsession? I have not met any  meal which cannot be improved by the addition of potatoes.  I find […]

So who would have thought that the humble sprout would become so ‘popular’ ( you have to toss your hair and think ‘Wicked’ as you say this).  Soggy sprouts are banished forever as their new, sexier, roasted cousins hit the scene.  Add the cranberries and […]

I always feel like a bit of a fraud when everyone says how much they like my key lime pie, because it is so easy. I mix up the base, but generally use a cheesecake base of either digestive biscuits or graham crackers.  I tend […]

These Grits appeared as part of the ‘New Orleans and the South’ Art Lecture Lunch.  I think of all the dishes offered that day, this was the most loved.  It was prepared by my fabulous friend Ginger, who reckoned it could be much improved by […]

This new coleslaw was served as part of the New Orleans and the South American Art Lecture lunch.  It is a slightly punchier version of the traditional coleslaw with spices and herbs which give it a little kick.  It pairs very well with pulled pork or […]

Pumpkin Galore! It is all about pumpkins at Trader Joe’s at this time of the year. The store tries to outdo itself by adding more pumpkin flavored items to its shelves, everything from pumpkin beer to pumpkin salsa.  Not a big pumpkin fan myself. Growing […]

Perfect Summer Salad This salad takes fresh summer ingredients, sweetcorn and green beans, and balances all that healthy goodness with a large amount of finely grated cheese! Delicious! You can cook both the beans and sweetcorn in advance and just finish the corn at the […]

I wanted to make a meatloaf for the Art Lecture lunches as part of the Mid West theme and this is my go to recipe.  I am sure this meatloaf is great hot but for some reason I have only ever served it at room […]

As I am sending out an addendum to September’s Newsletter anyway thought I would share where to find the best pumpkins. And the winner is Trader Joe’s. They have the most amazing fantasy pumpkins at a bargain price of $6.99, and it was all I […]

Goldenberry In New Canaan, purveyors of wonderful British foods and products. Also they are very friendly. Shoprite! I found out that Shoprite is the only place that sells fresh pasteurised eggs in the neighborhood.  But while I was there I also found so many unusual […]

This is based on the fabulous Delia Smith recipe from her ‘Summer’ cookbook.  I love using the baby peppers and filling them with the mini multicolored heirloom tomatoes when they are in season.  The anchovies are not essential, and I sometimes miss a few peppers […]

My friend Julie wowed us at one of my daughters rowing regattas with this fantastic salad dressing.  We were all gathered around the jar of dressing trying to guess the ingredients from the look and smell.  For me the tarragon was the most distinctive, whilst […]

My neighbor BB very kindly invited me to play bridge at her house this summer with some of her bridge crew. Afterwards she served us supper and introduced me to this delicious asian slaw.  She suggested serving it with some cooked chicken, pork or shrimp. […]

Welcome Back Tea! Thursday, September 10th, 2015 11:30am – 3:00pm (last booking 2:00pm) $25 DCA members, $30 public Reservations required by Tuesday, September 8th Welcome back! Catch up with friends after the summer in a pop-up British Tea Room created by Carolyn’s Absolutely Fabulous Events. […]

I have found a fantastic combination of ingredients to make what I, with great imagination, am calling my ‘Summer Quinoa’.  To be honest, add any green vegetable you have to hand although the combination of avocado, asparagus and sugar snaps is particularly pleasing.  I have […]

I missed the side walk sales in town last week so I was delighted when I finally found time to visit my favourite new store in town, Kirby and Co, and found this gorgeous toast rack in their sale section.  I bought two, you can […]

  I already have a few lentil recipes on this site, but I suddenly had a need to make one with cranberry compote. I suspect this cranberry compote will turn up again as it is so pretty and would work well with all sorts of […]

If you try this or any other recipe on my  website I would love feedback.  If you like this recipe feel free to pass it on.  If you love this recipe please subscribe using the link below, and I promise you a regular supply of […]

Men’s Member Guest Greek Yogurt Parfaits Smoked Salmon Mini Bagels Bacon, Avocado and Tomato Toasted Sandwiches Scones Lemon Drizzle Cake Lunch Pesto Orzo with Shrimp Chicken Kebabs, Pork Tenderloin and Sausage with Onions and Peppers Potato, Green Bean and Tomato Salad Mozzarella and Tomato Salami and […]

A few weeks ago I helped out at the Darien Men’s Association Soiree at Weed Beach.  The full menu appears under the menu tab on my website.  The food was fabulous, Roberto and two other members of staff from Tokenize club helped out at the […]

This is one of those accidental salads, which happened because  I undercooked the potatoes first time round.  I then threw them into the oven and the combination of hot roasted potatoes and a mustardy dressing was so good, did I mention my potato obsession, that […]

There are a couple of posts coming your way.  I have been playing with salads this summer and really want to add them to my archives.  I am starting with some essential summer salad dressing which are the building blocks for many of the dishes […]

Costco has some fantastic knives as part of a special stand, so do not know how long they will be there. I bought the small paring knife last weekend, then  went back for two more and a boning knife.  The chef at the stand tells […]

House Tour Menu Stations Cheese Board Crudities Passed Appetizers   Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef and Horseradish Sausage Rolls Grilled Cheese and Chutney Bites Mozzarella and Tomato Pesto Hearts with Goat Cheese and Tomato Smoked Salmon on Potato Pancakes Devils on Horseback (Prunes wrapped in Bacon) […]

I have put together a list of dishes I do, and already have noticed some omissions, no desserts, but we can use these as a starting point and take it from there.  I will update and add recipe links as and when Soups   Gazpacho […]

Darien Men’s Association  Elegant Beach Soiree Cocktail Hour Fabulous Cheese Board Prosciutto wrapped Melon Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce Blue Chips with Guacamole and Corn Salsa Bob Smith’s Rather Wonderful Korean Pork Wraps The Main Event Bob Smith’s Fabulous Flank Steak Roasted Salmon Sliders Roasted Chicken Chicken […]

GRADUATION TEA – OUR LAST AFTERNOON TEA BEFORE SUMMER Description: Graduation Tea Thursday, June 4th 11:00am – 3:30pm (special 2:30pm last booking) Reservations required by June 2nd Before the kids are out, and your days are no longer your own, take some time to enjoy […]

Plant Sale and Tea – Friday, May 8th, 2015 Click here to go to registration page  This might be one of my favorite days of the year.  My wonderful greenhouse group works hard all your growing beautiful plants which are sold to raise money for the […]

This recipe,  together with the lentils recipe, was suggested by my sister in law, Avril, who has spent many years living in Spain.   I thought it might be a little exotic for Darien but it proved to be the star of the show at the […]