Shulgum da Saag

I've been having a pretty crappy week. My phone fell to a watery grave, my bathroom sink is out of commission, and I was stuck unburying my car after yesterday's storm. And I didn't feel like cooking today.

I'd been planning to make this for a while. I had leftover turnips from another recipe and searched on that ingredient specifically. This curry dish - Shulgum da Saag - popped up. But today, I didn't feel like cooking, and I especially didn't feel like tweaking a recipe that wasn't quite working.

I followed it pretty much exactly, my only sub was 2 parsnips for 2 of the turnips (more leftover veg), and you know what, it was amazing in the end. Really, really tasty, healthy, filling, a nice thick curry, and so simple to make. I'm going to have to remember this as a quick meal option, too.

So it ended up being a nice ending to a long week. Yes, I'm ignoring that it's only Monday :)

Welsh Shearing Cake

The Encyclopedia of British Cooking was wrapped under the tree for me this Christmas. One of the things I love about British culture is their national passion for tea and teatime sweets. About a third of the recipes are dedicated to various sweet dishes :)

I had candied peel leftover from last fall's adventures in mince pie making, and decided I wanted to highlight it as a main ingredient. The next step was to find a recipe that did just that, and voila, I stumbled across Welsh shearing cake. The cake has a high flour to liquid ratio, resulting in a dense cake, perfect for dipping into tea or coffee :)