Tagine refers to both the cooking vessel and the dishes made with it.

This beautiful ceramic tagine introduced a whole new line of cookware from Emile Henry. Two years went into developing the innovative Flame-top line and the tagine was one of the first pieces perfected.

The tagine is made from glazed clay and features a distinctive  hat like lid that allows the steam to circulate inside.

The entire range of Flame-Top ceramic cookware has exceptional heat resistance and versatility. These pieces can be used directly on a gas flame, electric or halogen burner without the use of a diffuser.

There are many recipes available to get you started with your beautiful tagine, but keep in mind that Moroccan cooking allows for you to be totally imaginative and it won’t be long before you are creating your own free thinking fabulous meals.

There are a number of tasty tagine recipes on the Group Recipes website including this one for Moroccan Lamb Tangine

The Emile Henry Tagine is available from:

Cooking.com

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Over the past few days I have been trying out some of the recipes that I have found on various food blogs on the internet.

The first was for Baileys Creme Brulee which I found at the Berry Simple blog. I love Creme Brulee at the best of times but when I saw that this one had Baileys Irish Cream in it I had to give it a go.

This was a really easy recipe to prepare. Basically whisk the eggs and sugar and then add the warmed cream and Baileys.

The result was a beautifully creamy dessert and since we had a blow torch we were able to recreate the hard caramelized top that is characteristic of creme brulees. This is definitely a ‘must try’ so head over to Berry Simple for the full recipe.

While you are over there you may as well try their recipe for the Cauliflower Cheese which you will find in the same blog post.

We gave this a go as well since I love the taste of Dijon mustard which I thought was an interesting addition to this recipe.

The cook in the house had to end up making double the quantity of sauce since one big cauliflower was really way too much for the amount of sauce in the recipe.

This was good though and we will be making it again. You can get the full recipe here.

The last recipe I tried was the Pumpkin Pie. Now I am a big fan of Pumpkin Pie but I wanted a really simple recipe and I found one over at Cuisine Capers.

Since I am terrible at making pie crusts I just purchased a pre-made – which is why the pie crust in the photo looks so good. My pie crusts normally fall to bits and really I just couldn’t be bothered with the effort.

I actually made this recipe twice as the pies came out so well and it was so easy to do. The first time I made it I didn’t really have the right quantities of ingredients but I just mixed what I had together and just made sure it tasted good and surprisingly enough it came out great.

To view the full recipe head on over to Cuisine Capers.

I know this is totally unrelated to cookware but I couldn’t resist posting this. I think we have all heard of Robby The Robot.

Robby has appeared on numerous tv shows, movies and ads since 1956. My most vivid memories of him are from a couple of episodes of Lost in Space but he has also appeared in Forbidden Planet, Gilligans Island, Columbo and even The Simpsons.

When I saw this life size 7 foot copy of the original robot I just thought how great it would be to have one of these working in the kitchen. This robot is remote controlled and does speak.

I want one!!! I think I will be putting this on my Christmas list for next year.

How do I get one?

Just click on this link and you can buy your own Robby the Robot —> The Genuine 7-Foot Robby The Robot.

What a great gift idea for friends who love the taste of chili.

Chillies are available in a number of varieties from mild to very hot and are used to add heat and flavor to a variety of dishes especially Mexican, Tex-mex and they are also ideal for use in spicy Thai and Chinese dishes.

Just another useful cooking item.

Here is a link to a Chinese Chili Chicken recipe that has the addition of japones to add to the flavour.

And for the guys !!

Prove that you’re a real man! And not by downing 10 pints, but cooking and eating chili!

The Extreme Chili Cooking Kit includes a sachet of genuine red hot chili xxx flakes, a chili fridge magnet and “Extreme Chili” recipe book containing recipes for “real men”.

It really does prove that real men don’t eat quiche! Tip: Remember, size matters! The smaller the chili, the bigger the “heat” factor!

Extreme Chili Cooking Set

This weeks Blog of the Week is

‘Smitten Kitchen‘

What a great blog we have for you this week. Smitten Kitchen is written by foodie Deb and her husband Alex who assists with the photography.

Deb has some fantastic recipes that are easy to make and a joy to taste.

Apart from all the great cookie recipes why not try the Fettucine with Porcini as a quick and easy dinner dish or an absolute favourite of mine, Sweet potato and sausage soup in which I use the Spanish Chorizo, simply cause I love it.

This is a great blog with lots of recipes, easy to follow instructions, great photos and lots of humor. 

The Calphalon Tri-Ply Copper 10-Piece Cookware Set features graceful curves and a combination of  tri-bonded metals making this new collection is as beautiful as it is durable.

Tri- ply copper cookware has a brushed copper exterior and aluminum inner core that combine for superior conductivity (the best that there is) and precise cooking control for spectacular results.

The fine-satin, brushed stainless steel interior won’t react to foods and won’t tarnish or change colors even when cooking acidic foods like tomato sauce.

Other features include flared rims for easy pouring, well-riveted, curved handles that stay cool to the touch during stovetop use and stainless steel lids that trap steam, heat and flavors. All Tri-Ply Copper cookware is oven- and broiler-safe.

Hand wash and dry thoroughly to avoid any spots.

This 10-pc. set includes:

• 8-in. Omelette Pan
• 10-in. Omelette Pan
• 1.5-qt. Sauce Pan with Lid
• 2.5-qt. Sauce Pan with Lid
• 3-qt. Saute Pan with Lid
• 6-qt. Stockpot with Lid.

Where Can I Buy the Calphalon 10pc Tri-Ply Copper Cookware Set?Amazon.com

There is really nothing nicer than having fresh herbs on hand to add to your cooking. I have little pots of herbs standing on my window sill. I like to have fresh parsley, sage, thyme, dill on hand.

The system I have is similar to Emily’s hydroponic system in that the plants sit in a it’s own planter which is filled with a growing medium in a nutrient rich solution. A pump ensures that the nutrient solution circulates around the plant.Your plants absorb food and water as they need it. You simply have to pour in a little of the nutrient and water each week and that’s it.

The system is not restricted to growing herbs, you can also grow flowers and vegetables. I have used my system for a number of years with great success.

Emily’s hydroponic system includes everything you need to get you started.

So not only do you have an excellent source of fresh herbs on hand, the system is easy to use.

Well here we are at yet another Christmas and hasn’t the year just zoomed by.

This year has been pretty quiet as Christmases go. I went out to the shops yesterday and didn’t see the usual rush of people that I would normally see on Christmas Eve. Maybe the rising interest rates are curbing the spending a little this year.

I also took a trip up to our local hospital yesterday to visit a good friend who suffered three heart attacks over the past week. Spending Christmas in hospital is not the most fun. I’ve been-there-done-that so I know the feeling. A couple of Christmases ago my appendix burst and I spent the week before Christmas in hospital. Fortunately they let me out of the hospital on Christmas morning but as you can imagine I didn’t really enjoy dinner that day.

Today we just spent the day relaxing, or at least I did, as I didn’t have to cook. Mind you I did have to wash up and that can be harrowing enough but thank goodness the cook in the house knows how to clean up as he goes along so the washing up was minimal.

This year we decided to go with a more traditional style lunch so we had Pepper Crusted Fillet of Beef, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, peas, cauliflower and brussel sprouts.

Yorkshire Pudding would have to be one of my favorite foods so I had three of these. These didn’t fluff up like they normally do but it didn’t matter as they tasted great.

The gravy was actually from a Delia Smith recipe. Since the gravy was for beef her suggestion was to add Madeira which helps to enrich the flavor of the beef.

For pre-dinner snacks we had Empanadas which are a Spanish pastry that can be stuffed with a variety of fillings. In this case the fillings included hard boiled eggs, green olives, ham and cheddar cheese.

These were delicious and kept off the hunger pangs I was having while waiting for the roast to cook.

We have plenty left but they won’t last long. We will most likely eat them tomorrow while we are watching the Boxing Day cricket match on TV.

The cook also made a traditional fruit cake which was extremely easy to make and turned out beautifully with an almost caramelized crispy crust and moist centre. I can see myself having a piece tonight with a nice cup of green tea.

I think we have been in a perpetual state of drunkedness over the past few days with the constant state of alcohol which has been entering our systems. We made Mulled Wine from a recipe I found somewhere on the net and that was just wonderful and very warming.

We have also had some Limoncello brewing over the past couple of months and we love a nip or two of that. Plus the bottle of Baileys Irish Cream in the fridge that was bought for the Baileys Creme Brulee recipe (which I am yet to make) is quickly running out.

And then there was my contribution for the day which was to make up the egg nog. I found a recipe for Coconut Eggnog with Rum over at the bFeedMe blog. According to the recipe I am supposed to refrigerate it overnight but there wasn’t a chance in heaven of that happening. As I am writing this blog post I have a glass of this delicious eggnog sitting by my side. I am sure we will have it finished before the nights end.

So as you can tell, it has been a great Christmas. Hope you all had a great one as well!