February 8, 2010 by sparrowhopes
One of my favorite things about British breakfasts is the soft boiled egg. Before we even arrived in Scotland I’d picked out a set of egg cups in anticipation of making this delightfully simple breakfast. For those of you who’ve never had this yummy treat, it is like a hard boiled egg, only you remove the egg from the heat while it is still a bit runny in the yoke. This creates a delicious little sauce to dip your bread into, all warm and creamy. The whole arrangement is so pleasing to the eye, adding a little bit of domestic art to start your morning. Also, tapping the top of the shell off is so gratifying, it leaves you feeling as if you’ve already accomplished something before even sitting down to breakfast. Lovely. I’m not sure why this isn’t a more common breakfast in the States, but I for one plan to import it back in as a family favorite once we return to the good ole’ US of A in a few years. It’s really quick to make and then you can start your day off right with something warm and full of protien. Give it a try, I bet you’ll love it!
Directions for soft boiling an egg:
Place the egg(s) in the saucepan (make sure the sauce pan is not too large as the eggs will roll around and bounce off each other, possibly cracking), cover with cold water by about 1/2 inch (1cm), place on a high heat and, as soon as they reach boiling point, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and give the following timings:
3 minutes if you like a really soft-boiled egg
4 minutes for a white that is just set and a yolk that is creamy.
5 minutes for a white and yolk perfectly set, with only a little bit of creaminess in the center.
Posted in musings, recipe | 7 Comments »
February 6, 2010 by sparrowhopes
This is a very exciting day in our household… honestly I had trouble sleeping last night I was so excited. It felt like Christmas Eve! Today not only is our long awaited cargo shipment set to arrive, (filled with books for J, clothes, kitchen supplies and fabric(!)) we have also been reconnected to the world. Yes, the nice internet man just finished setting everything up and I am once again online. It is a little ridiculous how much relief I feel in knowing that I can now surf the web at my leisure, but honestly the past month has been hard as I’ve felt totally disconnected, not knowing when I’ll have access to the internet next. But now, I can surf in peace from the comfort of my own home. Delightful. I have a fun sewing project to post about soon as well as the long awaited for tour of our little flat. So stay tuned. I’m once again a happy member of the virtual world. Hurrah.
Posted in edinburgh life, musings | 5 Comments »
February 3, 2010 by sparrowhopes
J and I have gone very nearly vegetarian, now only eating meat about once a week, if that. (This has been a long movement for us, and I’d be happy to share more about our reasons if you’d like to know.) As a result, we’ve been trying lots of great vegetarian dishes that are also a good source of protein. When we made gado gado this past week I knew I had to share it here as it is so tasty and something fun and different to add to the repertoire. This is a very unusual dish from Idonesia that J and I first had during the food course we took last spring on Galiano Island. At first it sounded a bit out there for me, but the flavors somehow work together beautifully and neither of us could get enough! It’s also a great way to use up leftover veggies as just about anything will work in this dish. I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we do!
Gado Gado
Sorry for the poor quality picture. This is right when our camera battery died so I couldn't take a better one. Photography lesson #1: food + flash = bad picture
Makes: 6-8 servings
Preparation time: approximately one hour
The Sauce
1 cup chopped onion
2 medium cloves crushed garlic
1 cup good, pure peanut butter
1-2 Tbsp. honey
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (more, to taste)
juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar [or lime & lemon juice]
3 cups water
½ – 1 tsp. salt
dash of tamari
2 Tbsp. butter for frying
In a saucepan, cook the onions, garlic, bay leaf, and ginger in butter, lightly salted. When onion becomes translucent, add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Simmer on lowest possible heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Underneath the Sauce
The sauce goes over an artful arrangement of combined cooked and raw vegetables. Extra protein comes from garnishes of tofu chunks (bean curd) and hard-cooked egg slices. Base your arrangement on a bed of fresh spinach. Here are some recommended vegetables and garnishes.
shredded cabbage
carrot slices (steamed or raw)
celery slices (steamed or raw)
broccoli spears (steamed)
fresh. whole green beans (steamed)
fresh, raw mung bean sprouts
tofu chunks, either raw, or sautéed in oil with sesame seeds
pieces of egg
Garnish with
a drizzle of sesame oil
apples, lemons, oranges
raisins, toasted seeds & nuts (we used raisins)
Posted in recipe | 3 Comments »
January 25, 2010 by sparrowhopes
As I’m really trying to keep this space as a creative outlet, I thought it would be a good idea for J and I to start a family blog. This will be a spot for us to write about our daily life in Edinburgh, while allowing me to keep Sparrow Hopes a separate place for my latest creations, thoughts, and other interesting tidbits that I can’t resist sharing. I’m sure you’ll still get doses of life in Edinburgh here as well, but the majority of this overseas journey will be recorded on the family blog for your reading enjoyment. If you’d like to check it out just let me know and I can send you the link.
Posted in edinburgh life, musings | 1 Comment »
January 25, 2010 by sparrowhopes
So, we sort of, kind of, accidentally packed our camera battery charger with our cargo shipment that is currently somewhere in the Atlantic ocean slowly making its way to Edinburgh. Unfortunately for us, all three camera batteries we packed with us as “back-ups” are now dead. Boo. I guess the grand tour of our apartment will have to wait for a couple of weeks. (Supposedly all our stuff will get here on Feb 6th… please keep your fingers crossed – J needs some socks!:)
In the meantime, I thought I’d share with you part of the view from our flat. We are surrounded by these beautiful stone buildings all built around the turn of the 19th century. It is so picturesque, complete with cobblestone streets. Don’t you just love the colors they’ve painted these garages?
Posted in edinburgh life, musings | 1 Comment »
