Leaving the glitz of Las vegas behind, we now had a new plan, as we were ahead of schedule due to the snowfall in and around the Grand canyon. So where to go and what to do next. I had seen a programme on TV about one of the Californian Mission towns, San Luis Obispo, but himself seemed less than keen, until Yosemite came into the equation. The national park more or less on our route, home to El Capitain and the giant Sequoias.

Below is the view of Las Vegas with some Retirement homes in the foreground.

retirement homes with Las vegas in the background

We set our from Las vegas, for the 300 mile trip to Bakersfield, our destination for the night. We travelled along Interstate 15, which went through the Mojave National Preserve ( ie read desert). The Alternative route was to go via Death Valley, which is much slower and although we were not in a hurry, it was a lot slower, and besides we have driven that route once before. About 60 miles or so into our journey, and remember this is desert, it looked like a mirage upon the horizon, the closer we got the more bizarre it appeared, and there on the State line, were Gas stations, Amusement parks and yes more Casinos!

Here  are views of the desert, which includes casinos on the State Line, a Solar Panel Farm ( presumably with Chinese Solar Panels, an aeroplane graveyard, an isolated community and a lone cow!

Travelling this route apart from desert and more desert, we were on the lookout for somewhere to stop and have a coffee, preferably not a Starbucks, but at this point anything might do.And there it was a BillBoard or two. Billboards are everywhere in the USA, even in the desert, if you have seen the movie Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri, then you will understand. Our first sign of such a Bill Board, was ” Peggy Sues Diner, 75 Miles ahead, or Big Fat Greek Diner, 65 Miles ahead!. We came upon these diners, literally i the middle of nowhere, we did not stop.

Finally we came to Bairstow, a one eyed town, or so we thought. I do it an injustice, according to Wikepedia, it has a population of 22,00, came to promince because of gold and silver, there is an army training ground nearby, a huge train depot and 20000, tourists on tour buses. What do they do there? I ask myself, there wasn’t any to make me linger ! It has about a dozen fast food outlets, including a Starbucks, which we did not see and a Jack in the Box!! I have never been in a jack in the Box, before and not sure I will again. A fish burger and an Iced Tea and we were ready to move on.

And move on we did, to Bakersfield California, Dwight Yokem once had a hit song about Bakersfield, not sure I remember it though !

We woke this morning to a heavy snow fall ( Bathroom even colder at -16 C outside) but our thoughts were on where we were heading next. Monument Valley, an area in Navajo country in Utah. Monument Valley is a bit like Sedona, towering red sandstone structures, all typical of Cowboy Movies. But alas it was not to be. There are two possible short cut routes from the Grand Canyon National Park, but not that day, too much snow. After a quick telephone call to our lodge in Monument Valley, they confirmed our fears, no, not possible today. Even so, it took us 3 hours to drive over packed snow on a direct road to reach Flagstaff ( 80 miles away) We had the foresight to re-book our Flagstaff hotel, and just as well we did, Swirling snow and ice meant that even the mall was shut!! And it seemed like there was no room at the Inn, ( well we had ours). The only other time I had found a shopping mall to be closed, was in San Marcos Texas, Winter 1998. An ice storm hit Texas, my girlfriend  ( visiting from Belgium) and I were en route to an outlet mall, driving from Houston to San Marcos, about  4 hour drive. As we headed down I 10, it started to rain and it quickly turned to ice. If you ever see signs saying “BEWARE OF ICE ON BRIDGES” take careful note! The average Texan seemed to ignore this warning, hit the bridge at full speed, spin around and oops, crash. There were at least a couple of thousand crashes that evening, in and around San Antonio and San Marcus, the roads and streets were a sheet of ice. I’ve  just looked up the traffic reports for Texas 2016 and is makes for scary reading, 265,000 injuries in traffic accidents, 1 crash every 57 seconds! And we thought a road trip a good idea!

Back to Flagstaff, our hotel a new Courtyard by Marriott was across the parking lot from an Italian restaurant, which as you can imagine proved to be very popular that night. We staggered across the ice and propped ourselves up at the bar ( always entertaining) and had dinner, perfectly adequate, and perfectly nondescript, but I seem to remember the wine being drinkable. Unfortunately, the hotel had no dining facilities, which meant a trip to the closed mall,  for breakfast, where there was a Denny’s, and yes, it was open ( open 24 hours). Denny’s proved to be the cause of our only “Domestic” during our three-week trip. And so it was Denny’s for breakfast! Willowy brunette comments that himself has no right to be a slim man as in reality, he is a bit, of a gannet!

The Tale of Two Breakfasts, a His and Hers!
After, this wonderful breakfast, and the to be avoided cup of stewed coffee, we set out on what would have been Route 66. It is for the most part no more, occasionally, one sees a sign” Historical Route 66 but we did not bother with a diversion, we were headed to Las Vegas. Actually, we had no intention of visiting Las Vegas, but it is convenient for the Hoover dam. The Grand Canyon, which is 277 miles long, has Lake Powell( named after a one-armed civil war veteran ) at one end and the Hoover Dam at the other along with Lake Mead. Both lakes are in fact reservoirs but serve as recreational areas.

Our sylph like blond, had recently spent a long weekend in Las Vegas, and had fun, but commented that ” one haemorrhages money” Still being very close, we had to at least see The Strip. It can be seen from miles away, after all it is in the middle of a dessert  surrounded by mountains.

We cruised the Strip, along with the rest of the world, the neon lights, the honking of vehicles and the crazy pedestrians, but we did not stop and were glad to escape back to our hotel and yet another Mexican restaurant.Tex-Mex, Arizona-Mex, or Nevada-Mex, they are all the same, not Mexican. One can decided before setting foot inside what to eat and it all comes with refried beans and Mexican rice. My order always “Hold the Beans and Rice”!

The following day, we took another “Pink Jeep” trip to the Hoover Dam, quiet amazing and well worth the visit. The nearby town of Boulder was built in 1931 to accommodate the workers ( 5, 000) of them who came to build the Dam. It was government-owned and run and as such they did not allow Alcohol, Gambling or Prostitution, all of this could be done in Las Vegas, a mere 23 miles away, which was run by the MOB. The Boulder Dam hotel has had many famous people stay, including Clark Gable, who stayed there whilst waiting news of his wife, Carole Lombard. She died in a plane crash on nearby Potosi mountain.

On our little tour, we met an older couple from Boston, who munched on their Doritos, in our Jeep, and bought more junk food at the way station. Unfortunately we were unable to descend to the generator room in the Hoover Dam, as 53 people were stuck in the lift !

I asked the aforementioned couple, what other plans they had whilst in the area ( meaning, really what else are you going to visit/see) I have to admit to being taken aback with the reply. ” Well tonight we will just stay and have the Buffett at the Biagio and last night we saw the volcano erupt at the Mirage !!! Umm is this where FAKE NEWS came from?

Having just returned from USA road trip, we were faced with home as a building site. As always seems the case, builders are always behind schedule and true to form, ours are! The reason? Bad weather, but they are working inside! But such is life, and so moving swiftly on, our 3 ex-Mexican grandchildren came for the weekend. We had decided to take them out for breakfast on Saturday along with Aunty Snowpea, she who works for the Toothfairy, in a senior capacity ( So make sure it is a healthy one). After breakfast in a Notting Hill Cafe, we moved onto Cliveden, a former stately home on the Thames, in Buckinghamshire. Here we met, the lovely baby Amelia and her parents!

This was our first visit to the gardens here, although we have stayed in the hotel and eaten in the restaurant previously. It would appear that they hold several children inspired events during the course of the year, and this weekend was a murder mystery hunt, very well done and kept the older little ones gainfully occupied for several hours.

We had to return home well before dark, one could say that Baby Amelia, needed her tea, or that almost three year old Sam was restless! But no! It was himself and RUGBY! However, I had planned ahead ever so slightly and had made some dough for Pizza, before we left in the morning.

I much prefer fresh yeast to dried yeast, but oh where to find it! Gone are the days, when one could pop into the bakers and buy an ounce of fresh yeast. The smell was quiet amazing.

To make a couple of reasonable size pizzas you will need

1. 2 packages of dried yeast
2. pinch sugar
3. 1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
4. 1lb plain flour
5. 1/4 cup olive oil
6. 1 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle the sugar over the yeast and then stir in 1/4 cup water. Leave it until the yeast starts to bubble. Add this to the flour and salt mixture along with the rest of the water and the olive oil. Mix well, best done with hands, then knead and bash the dough around until it forms a smooth ball. Put back into the bowl and cover it with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place, usually the kitchen will do, or an airing cupboard if your are lucky enough to have one ( what happened to airing cupboards?)

When you are ready to make your pizzas, knead the dough again ( normally called “Knocking back”), if it is a bit sticky, sprinkle some flour on top. I usually precook my pizza bases, just beacause I do not like Soggy Bottoms! So I roll out the dough, to fit my pan ( and I have to admit to having disposed of my pizza pans, so we had rectangular ones. I pre bake at 450 F/230 C or gas mark 8 for about 7 mins.

For my toppings, I start by cheating. I take a can of chopped tomatoes, give it a whizz in a lender, add 1/4 cup oilve oil and some oregano and a clove of garic and a squirt of tomato puree. Spread this over the pizza base and then add the toppings you like. The best cheese to use is cooking Mozzarella, it is dry,  and can be grated or cut into chunks.

The classic plain pizza is  margherita, which is cheese and tomatoes and basil. Legend has it that in 1889, a baker by the name of Rafaelle Esposito made this type of pizza for Queen Marherita of Savoy, which she liked as it represented the colours of the Italain flag ! Although those were the most preferred, today there are  at least 33 different types of Pizza, ranging from New York style to Californian, to Sicilian to Turkish, to Greek to Mexican to thick to thin and everything in between.

My ex Mexicans have their favourites, Tess with pepperoni or saucisson, and not too much cheese, Alfie with ham and not peperoni and Sam, took what he could get. Me ?I love it with mushrooms, himself spicy hot. In France  to be found almost on every mountain street corner, a Pizza Hut, not as we know it in the city but a real wooden hut, where madame churns out made to order pizzas on a nightly basis. Stop on by and she will give you a glass of Vin rouge whilst you wait. On the other hand ( and I am not really a pizza fan) the best I have ever had was in New York, last January on our girls weekend.

We have spent the last two weeks cruising The Southwest USA. We started out in Phoenix and have ended up in San Francisco, with a couple of enforced detours along the way.

Road trip? Yes we did them when we lived in Texas, but this seems different. One trip, for the sheer hell of it was to drive from Houston Texas to Copper Mountain , Colorado. After 12 hours of driving we were still in Texas ! Our return route took us due east with the disappearing Rockies in the rear view mirror! The only things we saw were, a grain silo, a Sears catalogue store, a Dairy Queen and the odd isolated farm house or trailer. Another trip we did, I say we, I mean the Moms did, whilst the Dads flew, was to drive from Houston to Orlando, two Moms and five kids !

The one thing I had forgotten about the USA is that it is possible to eat 24 hours a day, even on a road trip like ours, but it is food like going to a gas station, fill up and move on! There is a plethora of eateries, even in the most obscure locations. Denny’s, ( most are open 24 hours, ) Macdonalds, Jack in the Box, IHOP, ( International House of Pancakes) Taco Bell, Long John Silvers, Dunkin Doughnuts, Popeyes, Pizza Hut and of course always a Starbucks ( I dislike Starbucks, but the USA have never fallen out of love with them), KFC, Subway, Sonic ( drive through burgers, eat them in your car !) Wendy’s, Luby’s ( where the old people stand in line at 4pm to get a cheap dinner) Dominos Pizza, Hooters ( where the waitresses all have to wear Hot Pants)Super Duper Burgers, Arby’s, Burger King, Dairy Queen ( where Anna Nicole Smith once worked, before she was a blond, before she was a model, before she married J Howard Marshal a billionaire,) or one of my favourites, ( by name that is ) is Freddy’s Frozen custard and burgers! What is that about?In fact there are over 250 national fast food outlets, so almost one on every street corner.

In Sedona, and you have to go, if ever you are in Arizona, a beautiful area surrounded by the nostalgic amazing red rocks. Very much native American country, many ancient historical ancient artefacts and wall art, you only have to look!

Dining out was a bit more of a challenge and ended up in a Mexican ( well, Mexican by USA standards) and as we went there twice, obviously it was not that bad! We did find an independent eatery for breakfast and I actually had my favourite, avocado on toast with an egg! This was a one off as two weeks on the treat has not been repeated! Himself? Chilaquiles, again, but said they were good! Not like our hotel, which was fine, spacious clean and comfortable, but dining, a small not very clean dining area, which doubled up as a restaurant at night. Breakfast was included, so all the world and his wife, descended upon it as if it were the last supper! This we avoided ( hence the double up on the Mexican! )

From Sedona, we travelled north to the Grand Canyon , which is 83 miles north of Flagstaff ( Route 66, from Flagstaff Arizona, don’t forget Winona). We had reservations at El Tovare, the place to stay in the National Park. It was built in 1905 and is grand in style. There are three lodges run by the same company, but I think they need someone to give them a kick, Blue Angel, had a no reservation Restaurant, Thunder lodge had apparently been recently renovated and El Tovare, had a rather cavernous Restaurant.

Our room in El Tovare was small, with a quaint old fashioned bathroom, WITHOUT heating ! Not even a heated towel rail! Consequently, we had to leave the bathroom door open to get it just a tiny bit warmer than freezing ( it was -16C outside,and no double glazing!) but this resulted in the Hot Air Heating system blasting very noisily all night long!

This was our third visit to the Grand Canyon, the first over 30 years ago, more recently about 20 years ago, when my son and I dared to take a small plane over the canyon and now, I quiet fancied the mule ride down into the canyon, having seen how sure footed they can be, after my trekking in the Himalayas, where donkeys trek up and down carrying everything, including the kitchen sink, a washing machine and refrigerator or two ! Himself declared, that there was a weight limit for the mules, and he was over it! We were saved from making any kind of decision ourselves, by heavy snowfall!

But back to the El Tovare, the Restaurant , large, for the most part gloomy unless one was lucky enough to sit in the windowed smaller room.

Usually in most American restaurants. One is greeted with “Hi! I’m John, Sara, Jane! And I’ll be your server tonight! Etc, this is mostly because, the wait staff depend heavily on tips, not sure if this is the case in El Tovare, because their lack of enthusiasm would not warrant too much of a tip. The restaurant was overseen by The Dragon Lady, reminiscent of such ladies from the Soviet era! ” Your reservation is for 9 ( but read behind this, it really means, I gave you a reservation for 9 and even though there are plenty of empty tables, for your audacity to come 15 minutes early, I will not seat you until 9 and on the gloomy part!)

So for that we had a very mediocre dinner, I chose the Salmon ( and here you have to think me Stupid! We are miles from Salmon producers). It was edible but everything I hate, smothered with this and smothered with that! Don’t take the Salmon ! Himself? Well he took the Australian Lamb! Equally a bit daft, a bit over cooked and not a lot more to say about it.

After a very noisy night with the heating system, a very chilly visit to the bathroom, Breakfast ! Or maybe not! A days calorie intake was available in all that was on the menu, completely mind blowing, but what was and still is even more amazing, is the amount of food that is not eaten, but then stuffed into a styrofoam box, and taken away, whole families, walking out, each clinging onto their box! What were they going to do with it? Congealed poached eggs, cold soggy pancakes! It blows my mind!

Himself took the Quesadillas, which should be made with flour tortillas, but Grand Canyon version was with corn, thick flabby and guess what covered with a Day Glo sauce! Ah well. At times he will eat anything! Me? I had a protein bar!

Moving swiftly along we took the tour around the rim of the Grand Canyon, along with 3 other intrepid souls, braving the elements and it was well worth it! Our moustachioed guide/ driver has once been a ?? In Houston Texas which gave another twist to his tales.

But let us move more swiftly onto Dinner and another Breakfast. For dinner and for breakfast we were allowed into the smaller nicer dining area, already a plus. Our waiter marginally happier than the ancient John of the previous evening. For the first time in our lives we Split a starter and a main course! Perfectly acceptable in the USA but we had never done it before! A salad big enough for 4, followed by a reasonable Weiner Schnitzel, perfectly, fine adequate. Breakfast? Ah, ah there was oatmeal on the menu ( porridge to you and me) probably the most expensive porridge ever served at $9.95, but it was oatmeal with berries. To give them their due, it was freshly made, I assume that as it took at least 15 minutes to come, longer than the fried eggs, or the pancakes, but when finally it did arrive, I said to the poor waitress, ” Berries? This is a joke” 15 of them and Just blueberries ( which by the way are very good for you, full of antioxidants) , she was a bit taken a back, but did go and bring a small bowl of blueberries for me! Another choice could have been the pastries? Maybe not !

End of this section, am I a bit negative? Maybe about the hotel or lodge as it is called in the Grand Canyon, but not about the Grand Canyon itself. It is awe inspiring and massive, 270 miles long, up to 2 miles and a mile deep, going from Lake Powell in the East To Lake Mead in the West. Imagine the first woman to navigate down this raging river, in her long skirt, it is almost mind blowing.

Have you ever seen a Javelinas? Know what a Javelinas is, or even cooked a Javelinas? For most of us the answer is No.

Looking at the pictures ( thank you Texas A and M) they look similar to pigs, or wild boar. They aren’t ,they are peccaries, which are distantly related to Hippos!

Javelinas are found in central and South America and also in parts of the southern USA. In Texas, where they have a problem with wild hogs and as such hunters cull them but often mistake the Javelinas as wild hogs. Rumour has it ( and according to himself,) Javelinas stink ! There is a sweat gland along their backs, which is all part of the territory marking process!

Wild boar and therefore Feral Pigs need marinating and long slow cooking. Maybe this is where a Sous Vide machine will come in useful. ( have not tried it ).In the USA it is impossible to buy any Wild Game, unless it is USDA approved, which of course as it is wild, is impossible! However, it is possible to get any game from friends who hunt!

I have cooked game in Europe, where of course when the Game season is on it is very easy to buy, even from stores such as Costco!

One of the best recipes for cooking wild boar is Elizabeth David, how to cook pork like wild boar, and this I have done many times.But onwards to Javelinas! Javelinas eat whatever is going, after all when you live in the desert, what choice do you have. Their favourite is Prickly Pear and apparently the spikes on the Prickly pear does not bother them at all! They just eat it as it is! In Mexico where the Prickly Pear is know as Nopales, the prickles are removed before buying, and yes they can be bought in the local market! Whilst on many of our Mexican trips we did indeed try Nopales , and I have to say, did not think they had too much to offer!

I have read several accounts on how delicious roasted Javelinas can be, but on the other hand I have read even more on how disgusting it is. But, if it is the only food available, then it will become edible and presumably could be described as delicious. One can assume, that the native Americans who ate Nopales, would also have eaten Javelinas, but I have to say that during our stay in Arizona and the American southwest it was not on offer on any of the local restaurants that we visited!

We went on a tour of Sedona, a beautiful location, about halfway between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon. This is very much into Native American country, amazing rock formation and definite signs of earlier civilisation including wall art and ruins.

Whilst in this tour, Ed from Kentucky, who was a great guide and very entertaining, told us of the ultimate method of cooking Javelinas and so here it is!

First capture the Javalina, obviously kill it, and by this time you will be pretty stinky! Skin the animal and gut it. Take a whole load of assorted fruits, apples, oranges, lemons and limes, Chop, and stuff The Javalina with the fruit.

Take an old Hessian sack and soak it in red wine, until thoroughly soaked. Wrap the stuffed Javalina in the sacking and soak the whole lot in more red wine! Leave for 24-48hours, the longer the better! When ready to cook and eat, unwrap the Javalina, throw away the fruit. Throw away the the Javalina and eat the sacking as rumour has it, it will taste better and be more nutritious than the Javalina !!

We are on a Road Trip in the USA. We started out in Phoenix at Golf Boot Camp, and as such the hotel was maybe not what we might have chosen, but it was where the golf camp was held. It was fine, convenient and actually it worked well.

I have decided to keep a pictoral record of meals we have eaten.

For starters, Breakfast. I chose the same thing for 5 days, yogurt, with granola, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. For me it was perfect. Himself, little piggy that he can be ( think 3 Krispy Kreme doughnuts whilst watching rugby) decided to go native and try the more substantial foods that were on offer.

Day one, Huevos Rancheros, which came on a kind of fried bread with beans, salsa and eggs ( over easy). In Mexico, they are very different, tortillas, salsa, refried beans, avocado and of course the eggs. Sonora the area of Arizona,in which we found ourselves , served them a piece of fried bread which was actually plate size. The verdict, not bad!

Day two had, himself trying out the Chilaquiles.

Chilaquiles, are very popular in Mexico, it is yet another way of using up day old tortillas . Served with a salsa, red or free, with sour cream, maybe avocado or guacamole, maybe refried beans and of course eggs! Scrambled or fried. The verdict, ? Umm a bit soft, but they are meant to be soft!

Day three he took the buffet, and am not sure what he ended up with !

Day four, it had to be the short stack pancakes, along with crispy bacon and tons of Maple Syrup, and if it were only maple syrup and not just sugar filled sauce. However, he seems to enjoy them!

Day five, umm he didn’t fancy the breakfast Burritos. Actually a bit like Chop Suey and American Chinese invention, Burritos are an American invention and not at all Mexican. But never mind, they were not fancied and so it was back to the Huevos Ramcheros! Oh what a shame! Not as good as on day one, and he actually left some!

And now we have left Phoenix and have headed on to Sedona, beautiful red Mesas all around and it is cold Negative degrees!

We warmed ourselves up with giant Margaritas ( me) and. Triple Mezcal ( him) I can only blame this on the server not have having a clue to the size of a Mezcal shot and to Son Inlaw for introducing Himself to the joys of Mezcal! My memories of being in Oxaxca at a Mezcal tasting, willowy blond I were not so impressed, so passed along our tastings to the boys, who seemed to manage ours and theirs with ease!

A couple of months ago, for whatever reason, I was tempted to buy a suckling pig. Costco the big American owned Super Store, would deliver, and so it was one Saturday morning early December, that said Piggy arrived on my doorstep. He was much bigger and heavier than I had thought him to be. The next question, was, what to do with him. So off came his hind quarters, cut into two, well almost, one bit still had the tail, whilst the other did not. Wrapped those and stuffed them into a freezer. Next the front half, which of course still had the ears and snout. Again wrapped and stuffed into the freezer. Now, when on earth was this little pig going to be eaten?

The lovely little Amelia Rose and her parents were visiting for the weekend and although she is only eating deluxe baby mush  ( pear and ginger?) an opportunity had arisen at least for part of pig to be eaten by her parents.

I decided to use the wonderful Sous Vide machine and started googling, Sous Vide, Pork Leg. Not much joy there, I m afraid, most of the recipes submitted are by amateur cooks like myself, so actually did not find pork leg at all, but at least found pork shoulder. The instructions varied from 12 hours to 48, so it was a matter of take your pick. So I opted for 20, as that fitted in nicely with my schedule! ( on reflection, maybe a tad too long, it was a very young pig, after all!)

Twenty hours on, Piggy pings and is ready to be finished in the oven, again, I’m not sure how long this will take, but at first glance the meat already seems very tender. Skin is scored and initially put into a fairly hot oven to start the crackling process.

Our Sunday dinner timing was to be determined by young Amelia, and so it was that after she had eaten her supper, had her bath and her milk and had gone to bed, we sat down for ours. I started with some Arancini( can you see I’m feeling better? First time in the kitchen for about 7 weeks!) More on Arancini another time. Onto the pork, it was tender and crackling, crackled. Along with some rosemary potatoes, green beans sautéed with garlic, piquilino peppers and almonds, it was indeed very nice. Son, who dissected piggy commented that his bones were very tender and rather than trying to carve, ended up “Pulling” in an attempt to avoid small bone fragments.

Pork a tad on the dry side, should have done a sauce, but by this time, I had, had enough of being in the kitchen and handed over the role of beans to himself! Dessert ? A time old classic, mixed fruit crumble, I’m not a crumble fan, but son and daughter in law chose it as a dessert at their wedding and himself, will eat anything sweet! Think, 3 Krispy Kreme doughnuts at Twickenham! What a glutton! He doesn’t deserve to stay slim !

We only have two bits of little pig left, watch out you might just be invited to partake !

As I have been kind of out of action for going on 6 weeks, himself has been in charge ( well at least he thinks he has). And has cooked so many meals that soon we shall have enough for our own cook book!

Many years ago, my son, who is severely dyslexic, found a love of cooking. The reading part proved difficult though, so made him his own cook book. Simple instructions, not long-winded ones. I find, even today when checking out  new recipes, either in  a magazine or a cook book, the instructions are way too long winded and complicated. I usually get out a marker pen, scrub out at least half of them and substitute, my way.

When living in Bruxelles and had my own cooking school, I also sought ways to make the instructions as easy as possible for my pupils, to encourage them, as normally faced with instructions as long as an arm, one can easily get discouraged! My pupils in this instance were on the whole American expat wives, who were suddenly expected to have dinner parties, Brussels style and not just hamburgers around a pool, so the emphasise of my classes were always, a three course dinner party, the order in which to prepare and cook, what coud be made ahead of time and what could be frozen. The class ended with them sitting and having lunch. Himself teases by saying that the local council had a bottle bank installed outside our house ! But on the other hand, said son would race up the drive from the school bus, saying ” Mommy Mommy can I have sausages and chips”?, but then his face would fall and groan “oh No. cooking class !! He had no choice but to become a very competent cook !!

So the latest offering in our house is Chicken Curry. No sooner had we returned from the mountains than the baby brother of himself and his lovely wife arrived.

Hunting around, through my various books, it was decided that a chicken curry would fit the bill, but which recipe. I have books by Atul Kocher, the Michelin starred chef, but maybe this would be throwing someone in at the deep end ( make a paste, make another paste, grind your spices, type of recipe) No, we needed something a little more straightforward! And along came Keith Floyd, he lately departed of TV fame, the forerunner, of, if you like Rick Stein ( though I think they did not like each other) et al. On his TV shows, even when in a boat he had a glass of something in his hand ( usually wine) and he dreamt of cooking for Gorbachev, so that they coud drink vodka together!!

And so it was to Floyd’s India that we found ourselves.

And  the cook in chief was asked yet again to perform. One night was the new star turn, the fish pie, but the second night the chicken curry. Not just any old chicken curry but, Murgh Tikka Makhani. There are of course as many variations of this recipe as there are of any other. Floyd went to India, mixed with some locals, ate their chicken and came up with this version> I saw on TV this week Rick Sten doing exactly the same, trying out Goulash in Vienna and then creating his own version)

And so onto our version.

• 2lbs chicken ( use either thighs which have been boned and skinned, for a good flavour, or breasts, again skinned.
• 2 Tablespoons of Ghee or unsalted butter ( ghee is better as it will not spit at you)
• 150 mls double cream
• 5 cloves of garlic crushed  and chopped
• some fenugreek leaves, ( optional)
• some vegetable oil to fry the chicken

For the tomato sauce

• 2 cans chopped tomatoes ( you can use fresh but this is so much easier)
• 3 red onions peeled and cut in 2
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2 ” bit og ginger peeled
•  5 fresh green chilies
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground coriander and ground cloves

Put all of the tomato sauce ingredients into a food processor or blender and process to make a puree.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the chicken in batches and stir fry until they are golden and cooked. Repeat until all is cooked.

Fry the garlic, taking care not to burn. Pour in the sauce, add the chicken and heat until heated through. Just before serving, stir in the cream and the butter/ghee.Taste and add salt and epper to taste. Decorate with a few prigs of fresh coriander and of course serve with rice of your choice, or how about some naan or other Indian bread. There is a good selection of frozen ones in most Indian stores.

It’s that time of year again, we are in the mountains, but to be honest this year has been snow ( along with several days of rain but higher up, there will be snow). Being mildly incapacitated, Himself has become, nursemaid, cook, housemaid, chief bottle washer, and in fact Uncle Tom Cobley and all !

He has cooked very well, under instructions, not allowing me up to the cooking floor but keeping me well supplied on the lower level with wine, recharging my glass and asking instructions! Out of all of the meals, whether it be Tarte Abondance , Cheese Soufflé, or Cauliflower Cheese, he has absolutely surpassed himself, except on two occasions. The first was when he did not realise that there are several types of rice, hence ham and egg fried rice made with Carnoli rice ( Risotto) was a a trifle on the sticky side. The sauté de Veau, was however not his fault but the meat! Tough it was ! Too bad as the mixture of assorted sautéed peppers was great! And not mention the Moules ( Mussels) Provençal. Made with tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and of course white wine!And the piece de resistance was the fish pie.

Long standing friends arrived-from Brussels, Dinner on the night of their arrival was none other than Raclette! Aka heart attack central, but oh so good and cook your own is the way forward. But, the following night Fish Pie. He did go a bit off script, showing some independence in his new found freedom in the kitchen. We had bought, salmon, cod and large shrimp, but let loose in the supermarket came home with scallops as well! The result, was outstanding, enjoyed by all.

We ventured out one day to Le Marché in Thonon Les Bains. It is about a 30 minute drive from our Mountain abode, on a road, that I would be less than keen on driving at night, twisty and turning, gorges on one side, mountains on the other, still on a sunny day, not too bad!

The market is busy year round, even when the temperatures are below freezing. In the summer of course, there are many 0more traders and many many more shoppers. Summertime, means usually having to park by the lake, upper parking is always full but also very claustrophobic. Down by the lake is usually not a problem and there is a funicular to take one up the rather steep mountainside. One could easily walk down, but of course by then one has shopping! So maybe not such a good idea!

The market encompasses the whole spectrum, meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, fruits, plants, flowers, clothes, old clothes and general junk.

My interest is always with the food stalls. There is always a queue for fish, and I am amazed at the cost. I realise that cod has become endangered so become more expensive, but at €39-€45 a Kilo ! Wow, that is expensive! Cheese ( well we are in the middle of a cheese producing region) is always good value, and always a good selection of fruit and vegetables, usually more so and of a better quality than in the local supermarket.The one stand that is always popular is the cooked chicken stand, people stand in line, waiting for the perfectly cooked chicken. The only thing I can compare it to is either Marks and Spencer or Waitrose, both my local stores offer bbq cooked chickens, but not on a rack like these, but then also considerably cheaper, about £6.00 a chicken and in the market they are €10 upwards.

One vegetable that I was on the lookout for was Cardoons! They are not really well known in the UK. They are part of the Thistle family, the same family that includes artichokes. Whereas, it is the globe of the artichoke that is eaten, here is the stalk and leaves. I have only tried once to cook these, very much with mixed results. Himself declared “don’t bother, and not sure that I will but having found that they are now pre-prepared I might not give them another trial, not anticipating too much as even then, they do not look very enticing!

So back to fish pie, simplicity itself, but oh so good, made ahead of time and then baked to a golden crust, served with a green vegetable or a salad, what could be better?

Actually, although one could give an exact recipe, just winging it also works. In my house, or when I am cooking, it just depends on what I have in the freezer, so no two pies are ever exactly the same.

Take a quantity of fish, ( use, salmon, cod, Coley Shrimps, Scallops, haddock or smoked haddock) maybe for 2 people about a pound ( if any left over, it will keep or freeze for another day.) take some fish or vegetable stock or even better half bottle of white wine and poach the fish gently until cooked. Drain and pat dry but keep the cooking liquid. Boil 2 eggs so that they are hard boiled, peel and cut into 1/4’s. Then I always make my white sauce by the all in one method, in the microwave, into a microwave container put an oz of butter, along with an oz of cornflour, a pinch of salt and about a cup of milk, mix, put into the microwave and microwave for. Minute on high, stir and repeat, repeat this until you have a sauce, If it should go lumpy never fear, just beat and it will go smooth. If a trifle thick, thin using the fish liquid. Cook a couple of potatoes, again I cook then in the microwave, 1 large baking potato takes about a minute on high. Mash the potatoes with some butter and some milk. Now it is time to assemble, mix the fish mixture carefully with the sauce, so as not to mash the fish to smithereens, add the eggs. Pour into an oven proof dish and top with the mashed potatoes, this can be done by simply adding on top of the sauce and fluff it up with a fork, or try being posh and use a piping bag and a large nozzle and make the potato look a little more Sophisticated. Over this sprinkle some Panko Breadcrumbs and some Parmesan cheese.

At this stage it can be refrigerated even for a couple of days and then reheated until golden brown and hot.

You could be forgiven, for thinking that I only eat in amazing restaurants, as I seem to do so, on a regular basis. Actually, it could be a burger bar, or street food as in Bangkok or Mexico City, or a noodle bar in a remote village in Japan,or freshly cooked egg fried rice, as in a bus station , somewhere in Yunnan, as long as the food is good, then I am happy. But if they put themselves out there as being High End or todays by word”Fine Dining”, then they had better be.

So it might be a surprise to you, that we recently ate in one of Her Majesties Prisons, and we were very pleasantly surprised .

There are indeed several of theses establishments, well 4 to be precise, one in Surrey, one in Cardiff, one in Brixton ( London) and Styal in Cheshire, as well as a farm that serves the Surrey restaurant in a village called Send.

The idea of having a restaurant within a prison was the brain child of Alberto Crisci in 2009, and is now run as a charity . The aim is to give prisoners during their final months of incarceration professional job and life skills. It has been so successful that the re-offending rate has dropped right down, with 87% of graduates, managing to not re offend, but hold down a regular job.

Nowadays, inmates can apply to go on any of the courses that the Clink offer and they are always oversubscribed.

They learn professional skills, either in the kitchen, or the restaurant itself as wait staff, bar staff or as receptionist/hostess skills, they follow the GNVQ, NVQ and City and Guilds courses, so it is a recognised skill. However, it is a prison, rules and regulations apply. One has to register beforehand, then check in with a photo ID, along with having finger print taken, photo checked ( a bit like going though US immigration), diners have to arrive at an allocated time, no stragglers allowed. When every one has been checked, then we were allowed to go though security doors, etc into the restaurant itself. However all mobile phones, tablets, most of your money has to be checked beforehand, not allowed! The restaurant itself is very smart, nice tables and comfortable chairs.

We went with a group of people and the restaurant was almost full. There were separate tables for staff and as it was a Friday apparently Friday is extremely popular, Fish and Chips Friday!

Two very smart young men came to take ur drinks order, they all had spoof names, which made you believe you were really drinking something alcoholic, but no, no alcohol allowed, but at least the pretence means that staff learn the race, albeit, pretending to serve cocktails!

We had preordered our lunch, not sure if this is the normal process or not, but we had a very enjoyable three course lunch.

Our waiters were very professional, smartly dressed and very polite. I could not bring myself to believe that these young men were criminals, they could have been my son! The feeling left me deeply shocked.

Our menu was for a three course lunch, all of it beautifully cooked and served. I can thoroughly recommend a day trip to one of these restaurants. Not only will you have an excellent lunch but you will be helping an extremely worthwhile charity.

The graduates, are supported upon release by an extension of the charity, with help towards finding a placement as well as accommodation and setting up bank accounts. Many notable establishments give their support to this endeavour including The Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall, where they have even given kitchen equipment to help get the charity up and running.