For Valentine’s Day, it was Lobster Palooza at our house (expect several more recipes).  I wanted to make something special, out of the ordinary and luxurious.  Then lobster tails went on sale…we bought 10.  That’s 10 tails for 3 people, nearly ridiculous, but only nearly.  The tails were small, not langoustine small, but definitely on the small side.  We started off our meal with these refreshing Lobster Verrine.

Verrine is a French term for layering foods in a small glass.  They can be desserts or appetizers depending on whether you prepare them as, sweet or savory.

Even though there was a lobster tails worth of meat in each glass it was a nice light starter.  The Greek yogurt gave a nice tangy contrast to the sweet and slightly tart lobster layer.  It was beautifully finished by the bottom acidic layer.  As soon as the acid cleared from the palate you found yourself wanting more sweet and tangy.  The verrine makes a lovely presentation and can be made ahead and held in the refrigerator until serving time.

Next time I would use a smaller glass, or double my tomato base to get a more dramatic layering affect.  Because my small glasses were a little on the larger (small) side I only got three, but the recipe is for four verrines.  I found this recipe through Foodgawker, the original can be found here (in French).

I am still running giveaways all this month, don’t forget to enter.

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Informal Cookery Definitions A to Z

Beetroot.  Refers to the red part of the beet that is underground, typically referred to as only beets.  Interestingly, the beetroot used to be much smaller, so only the tops were consumed.  They have been

Belgian Endive (Source: Wikipedia)

deliberately cultivated to be larger so that the root can also be consumed.

Biegnet.  (Ben-yay).  Sounds fancy, but in all reality it’s simply what Americans call a ‘fritter’.  In French it literally means ‘bump’.  Beignets are a deep fried dough, similar to donuts,  and can be savory or sweet.  They are the official donut of Louisiana.

Belgian Endive.  (AHN-deev).  Is part of the Chicory family.  It is grown for the leaves and is grown underground in the absence of light so that the leaves do not turn green.  Endive has a slight bitter taste, it is good in salad or cooked.

Bigarade.  (bee-gah-RAHD).  A French term referring to a sauce flavored with orange or any dish embellished with the sauce such as Duck Bigarade.

The rumors on the web about me are true!  My Secret Club Recipe assignment this month is, Thrifty Veggie Mama.  Before I delve into SRC recipe stuff for this month, I have a funny little story involving Thrifty Veggie Mama.  One day I was heading home from running errands and my phone did the tada thing.  I checked it at the next red light and I had a direct message from Thrifty Veggie Mama (Jamie).  Huh?  Did she find out that I have her as my assignment?  I was starting to feel a little panicky.  With a sense of impending dome,  I read my message: It said “there are nasty rumors about you on the web” or something to that effect and there was also a web link.  After two seconds of thought I realized that Jamie had been hacked, I let her know and she took care of it right away.  What she didn’t realize was that she was my SRC assignment.  What a a co-inky-dink.  I was relieved.

A little about Jamie, she quit her job as a physical therapist to do an even tougher job, be a stay at home mom to her adorable three children.  Jamie and her family made a conscious decision in 2010 to become vegetarian, they already didn’t eat pork, then bit by bit they cut out the rest of their meats.  Jamie said it was an adjustment but well worth it, the family is definitely healthier for it.  Jamie started her blog to chronicle her experience with learning to cook vegetarian and of course, be thrifty about it!

Confession time for me.  I was absolutely petrified of getting a diet restrictive assignment through SRC.  My family are serious carnivores.  It’s not that we don’t eat a meatless meal once in awhile, but it’s easy things like a pasta dish, pizza or a veggie sub.  However, my hubby and I started on Weight Watcher’s about a month ago, so this SRC assignment ended up being the perfect fit!  I put my trepidations aside and got really excited about it, especially after checking out the awesomeness that is Jamie’s blog.

I made up my mind not to take the easy way out and make one of her drool inducing soups (I’m dying to try her roasted garlic soup she recently posted), or her pizza, or pasta.  I wanted a real vegetarian challenge.  When I read that Jamie’s Barbeque Red Bean Burgers was one of her most popular recipes for 2011; I knew I found my winner!  Plus, it has a nice familiar look that my guys would probably be more receptive to.

I served it up to McGyver, who was loving it.  I asked him if he knew what kind of burger it was?  “Hmmm, tastes a little different, lamb?”.  Seriously!  He could tell it was different but assumed it was meat so he was “fooled”.  I gotta tell you that I’d eat these burgers anytime!  I got a nice crust on the outside and they were creamy and tasty on the inside.  I added a slice of cheese to give it that delicious cheeseburger effect and I resisted my urge to add turkey bacon, hope you are proud of me Jamie!  If you haven’t already been to visit Thrifty Veggie Mama, you really need too!

For those of you who do Weight Watchers this came in at 12 points!  You can reduce the points value by 4 just by omitting the cheese and the avocado, you could reduce it even more if you skipped the bun…but what fun would that be?

It also happens to be giveaway time!  February is my blogoversary month so I’m doing giveaways every week this month.

Congratulations to Leann for winning the salad set!

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I don’t know about you, but I personally love handcrafted anything better than purchased.  This week’s giveaway will be for handcrafted jewelry and homemade spice mixes.

You’ll get a choice of a Harley Davidson key ring and a biker chick necklace from the Biker Chick Collection by TKW Designs (I didn’t want to leave my wind sisters out of my giveaways).

OR

This jewelry set from the La Boheme Collection by TKW Designs (in case you aren’t into the biker chick thing)

AND

Homemade seasoning packs (because this is primarily a cooking blog).  The Magic Seasoning Salt is my special blend of seasonings with a peppery punch that is perfect for anything, plus my Smokin’ Spicy Chili Rub (it’s what makes my pulled pork the best).

The giveaway runs all week.  Oh and there’s no such thing as the Biker Chick Collection or the La Boheme Collection, I thought it just sounded kind of cool.  I just made some jewelry cuz I luv you all!

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Please check out what the SRC reveals are:

I was making some black bean soup in my amazing pressure cooker.  The soup takes a total of one hour start to finish and no soaking the beans; the pressure cooker has basically changed my bean eating world.  But I’m not posting about pressure cooker/bean love today, however when you have a pressure cooker to do all the work it gives you time to make other things.  Things like Chipotle Cornbread Muffins.

Cornbread and beans go together like PB & J, biscuits and gravy, salt and pepper, butter and …everything.  I think they pair so well together because true cornbread is a bit on the dry side, kind of crumbly but in a good way.  Beans are creamy and swim in a lovely thick liquid that makes cornbread the perfect vehicle for soaking up all that goodness.  You can dip it, crumble it or put the beans right on top of it, however you serve it, cornbread and beans are a perfect union.

I made up my usual cornbread batter and gave it a taste and I just wasn’t feeling it.  So I added a little more salt and re-tasted, meh, I still wasn’t feeling it.  Something, it needed something.  I double checked my ingredients and everything was there, I just wasn’t feeling it.  Have you ever been like that?  It’s the same cornbread I make all the time, but this time it wasn’t hitting the right note for me.

I remembered that I had some frozen chipotle cubes in the freezer, I immediately defrosted one and stirred it in.  Better, but not enough, I defrosted another cube, stirred it in and the angels started to sing.  Perfection, I guess must have been craving a little spice, I was so feeling it now.  When I served these up to my guys, they said “this cornbread is really good, what did you do different”  followed by “you can make these again”.  That’s how I know I have a real winner, when I get the “make these again” statement.

Today is also the last day to participate in my giveaway for a bamboo salad bowl set from Bed, Bath and Beyond and my favorite dressing emulsifier from Target.  The winner will be announced on Monday.

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Informal Cookery Definitions A to Z

Beefsteak.  While this name seems to be obvious of what it is, it is also a type of tomato.  The beefsteak (as in a steak cut from beef) is one contribution we can thank the English for.  A tender cut is grilled, pan fried or broiled where as a tougher cut is more likely to be braised.  The French term is Bifteck.  The beefsteak tomato is the largest cultivated tomato, it originated from New York.

Beefsteak À La Mayer.  Ground beef patties, with egg fine brad crumbs and liquid, cooked in fat until browned and served with a fried or poached egg on top.

Beef Stroganoff.  A beef stew with many variations, but made distinctive by the addition of sour cream.  It is of Russian origin.

Beef Tea.  Another name for a meaty clear bullion, it’s often served as a nutritional supplement.  There is a popular brand of condensed beef tea, called Bovril.  Hot water is added to the meat extract for an instant beef tea.  It is very popular in England and South Africa.

Seriously, I have a cold that is just kicking my ass!  It has sucked the life out of me.  I have no energy, no will to do anything except hack my lungs out.  I’m wheezing, snoting and coughing so bad that even the dogs won’t sleep with me.  McGyver has relegated himself to the basement so he can get some sleep.  Everyone is sleeping but me, and what little I do get, I have to get sitting up.  This is the worst cold I’ve ever had!  Maybe it’s not a cold, maybe its pneumonia, maybe I’m dying.  Maybe my husband shouldn’t be reading The Stand by Stephen King right now and putting these ideas in my head.  I’m feeling sorry for myself and I’m whining, A LOT right now.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t show a little    my giveaway is still running all this week and I wanted to give you another opportunity to enter to win this bamboo salad set from Bed, Bath and Beyond and my favorite dressing emulsifier from Target.

Speaking of , Thanks Eliot’s Eats for showing me some bloggie love and awarding me the Liebster Blog award!  I’ve mentioned before how great she is and this is just another example.  If you haven’t checked out her blog you should, she’s busily cleaning out her pantry and freezer (which I should be following suit), and sharing all the clever ways of using up what’s on hand.

I’ll be sharing my love with some of my fellow bloggers….

Now excuse me while I try to find my lost lung and go through another box of tissue.

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No, I’m not having any holiday confusion.  I know it’s St. Valentine’s Day but it is also The Daring Cooks challenge for this month…patties!  Get it…Saint Valentine’s Day, Patties…heart shaped patty?  The Daring Cooks’ February 2012 challenge was hosted by Audax & Lis and they chose to present Patties for their ease of construction, ingredients and deliciousness! We were given several recipes, and learned the different types of binders and cooking methods to produce our own tasty patties!

This month our challengers gave us many options, I choose to do the Salisbury Steak plus an extra special patty.  I grew up my whole life eating mashed potato patties, they would almost always make their appearance in the morning instead of the typical hash browns we would have.  The beauty about these patties is that they don’t require a recipe.  It’s simple, take leftover mashed potatoes, form patties and fry them up.

How can you mess up something that simple, right?  You can, once I moved out on my own I tried doing my own and they just didn’t turn out right, that is until I spoke with my mom.  There are two cardinal rules: 1. the potatoes must be cold (like leftovers…hence their appearance at breakfast) and 2. fry them in butter so they get a nice brown and crisp outside.  That’s it!  I love them for breakfast, especially with a poached egg on top, but they also make a great side to any main you’re serving.

In case you are wondering, that’s spinach in my mashers (I adore sneaking in veg with mashers).  On our Daring Cooks challenge, the Salisbury Steak recipe they provided was a French Onion Salisbury Steak on cheesy toast.  I loved the idea of the French Onion Salisbury Steak, especially piled high on top of cheesy toast, but I’m trying to be more health conscientious (small sob).

I made several healthy changes and still kept the spirit of the dish.  I started by swapping out the ground chuck for ground venison.  Fresh ground venison.  I wanted a coarse grind because I wasn’t adding any fat.  The coarse grind help keep the lean ‘burger’ part from turning into a hockey puck. I was careful not to ‘pack’ the patty, rather I just barely gathered it together.  I crossed my fingers and hoped it would keep it’s nice patty shape, I wasn’t disappointed.

(please excuse my kitchen wall, we’re in the process of giving the kitchen a face lift).

I omitted the red wine and consequently the sugar and halved the oil.  One trick that I’ve learned is that you can sauté using items other than fats.  In this case, I sautéed my onions and mushrooms in the beef broth.  In order to do this, make sure you use a non-stick pan, add a splash of broth and stir frequently.  If the broth evaporates before the onions are tender, add another splash of the broth.  It works like a charm!

As you can see I also added some mushrooms to make it heartier, plus the mushrooms gave off some moisture while cooking which also helped in the sautéing of the onions.  The other thing I did differently was to cook the ‘soup’ and meat uncovered.  I wanted the ‘soup’ to thicken and act more like a gravy since I wasn’t serving it over a nice slab of cheesy bread that would soak up all the juice.

Every time I think of Salisbury Steak I think of the show ‘Mad About You.  In one episode, Helen Hunt’s character, cook’s Paul a Salisbury Steak.  Paul asked what it was and Helen replied “Salisbury Steak”, and Paul says “it looks like an oval hamburger patty”, Helen assured him that it wasn’t, “it’s Salisbury Steak, it only looks like an oval hamburger patty”.  I suppose Paul was technically right, I guess Salisbury Steak just make us feel like we’re eating fancier than a giant oval hamburger patty  Bonus, all the changes I made cut the fat and calories by more than a third!

If you’d like to check out more patty recipes please visit The Daring Kitchen, you’ll see things like Swiss chard, chicken and fish patties just to name a few.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway this week!

I’m giving away a bamboo salad set from Bed, Bath and Beyond and my favoritist emulsifier form Target.  The giveaway runs through Friday.

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I’m one of those people who are super lucky to have great in-laws.  My father-in-law happens to be one of the coolest people I know.  He’s always full of entertaining stories, I never get tired of hearing them.  My in-laws occasionally send us newspaper clippings from the local area or some stuff that they’ve dug up from their archives.  When we see mail from them, we’re never quite sure what we are going to get. We always receive mail, the real snail mail kind. See, my in-laws are in their 80’s and they don’t have a computer at home.

LaVern (on left) Jim (on right)

A few years ago (2007 to be exact) we received a letter in the mail from my father-in-law, who is affectionately called Grandpa HoHo by the kids.    Inside the letter was a copy of a newspaper clipping.  Something you would never expect from a Grandpa HoHo.

Yes, my father-in-law (LaVern) was arrested and put in jail, this happened in 1948.  With the copy of the news clipping, he sent a letter with a little more detail:

Dear Lonnie & Rhonda,

The newspaper article above was from 1948.  Butte, Montana.  Jay Lewis and I was working in Anaconda that summer.  It all started when we stopped at the H.D. shop, kind of a hole in the wall place.  There was a glass case up front with a whole lot of unanswered traffic citations.  Impressive for a boy of 18.  We decided to leave and pulled out onto the street.  Jay first, a cop pulled up behind him lights and siren on.  I pulled out and stopped about 30 – 40 feet behind the cop.  The cop ticketed Jay, then came back to me.  (The bike was not running) “Might as well see yours to” he said.  Than he wrote me up.  We ended up having to follow him to the station and was put in the drunk tank.  Jays Uncle lived in Butte, we were able to phone him, (one phone call permitted) and he want our bail.  Uncle came into the cell block with a bag of peanuts.  As he tossed them through the bars he said “feed the monkeys, feed the monkeys.”

Bail was forfeited as you see was $10.00.  A lot of money then.  Jay had to mouth off to the judge and to my embarrassment, I could have clobbered him.

Lon, you may remember what I had on the Low Rider.  I had them made in Boise. (still have them), they look like this [see drawing in letter] two of them.  On the ‘48’ HD they were lowd and had a beautiful sound.  The Low Rider doesn’t sound as good.

So anyway, I will tell you about the rumble that never happened and how glad I was that it didn’t.  Ask me sometime…

My father-in-law and me at Devil’s Tower in 2005.

He was a bad ass in 1948 and still is (in the best kind of way)

And the giveaway this week is…..

A bamboo salad set from Bed, Bath and Beyond and my most favorite dressing emulsifier from Target, which I posted my adoration for here and here.

I’ll be hosting the giveaway all week and notifying the winner by email over the weekend so I can announce the winner on Monday.

Speaking of Monday, last week’s winner was Sherry for ‘Liking’ The Kitchen Witch, thanks Sherry and Congratulations!

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Sometimes I just know what I want, I crave it, think about it, plan it, prepare it and eventually devour it with delight.  Other times, it’s all about whatever I have left in the fridge that absolutely needs to be used up.  Other times, meal decisions are based  on time, and way too many times they are based on the hunger factor.  In other words, I’m hangry and I need to eat NOW!

I am not a big fan of box mixes or prepared sauces, etc.  I usually prefer to make my own.  There are a few that I do keep handy, I like Patak’s Tikka Masala for quick meals and Goya Sofrito.

Sofrito is an aromatic cooking base combining the bold flavors of tomato, onion, green peppers, cilantro and garlic, saving you valuable prep time in the kitchen. A heaping spoonful of Sofrito added to soups and stews is a classic first-step ingredient to authentic Latino cooking.

Only I didn’t use a heaping spoonful, I used the whole jar, instead of being a first step ingredient, it became the sauce.  While the rice was cooking, I chopped up some veg, sauteed it, and then added the sauce and beans.  By the time the rice was done cooking my veggie loaded meatless dinner was ready.

My hangry monster was soothed, from start to on the table in 25 minutes!

Don’t forget today is the last day to enter for the giveaway.

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Informal Cookery Definitions A to Z

Béarnaise Sauce. (bay-ahr-NAYZ).   Is a classic French sauce thickened by egg yolks, with butter slowly added in and seasoned with tarragon.  The sauce is named for Henry IV, a native of the province of Bearn, France.

Beat.  To vigorously mix ingredients in a steady motion until they are well blended.  It can be done manually or motorized.

Béchamel Sauce.  (bay-sha,MEL).  A milk sauce thickened with a roux (butter and flour mix).   It is essentially the same thing as a white or cream sauce.  The sauce is named after Louis XIV, Lord Steward of the kitchens, Louis Béchameil.

Beouf Bourguignonne. (buf boor-gee-NYOHN).  A French beef stew “in the style of Burgundy”.  A traditional bourguignonne is made with Burgundy wine and small white onions.

TKW has made it to it’s terrible twos!  I can officially have temper tantrums, watch the cooking TV shows over and over, and have someone read me cookbooks at bedtime.  I can say NO to everything and refuse to eat or drink anything based on it’s looks.  Isn’t being two grand!  McGyver might say that nothings changed…

If you read my post on Monday, you know that I went through my kitchen drawers and I’m giving like new stuff away in a brand new bamboo utensil holder.  I thought I’d elaborate on what’s in the holder, sometimes photos don’t do something justice.  Starting from left to right:

1. This curly guy is actually a bag holder, it’s a brilliant little handle that allows you to put approximately 10 bags on it and carry them at once.  I have two of them, I keep one in my purse so I don’t really need the other.
2. WMF Whisk which is a great brand, but I have 3 whisks, one matches a set I have and the other, well it’s my favorite (shhh, don’t tell the other whisk).
3. This is a stainless steel nutmeg and ginger grater by Oneida.  I think I used it once?  Using it only once in 5 years means that I just don’t need it.
4. The Ginsu knife (knock-off).  My baby boy and I tested this, it really will cut an aluminum can (with a lot of effort) and then slice a tomato, with no effort.  It has serrated edges, so of course it’ll slice a tomato!  The best use for this knife is to put it in a camp box/camper/cabin.  We have a full knife set at our cabin, we’re set.
5. Cuisinart spatula.  Simply a duplicate, plus I have a number of other spatulas.  I’m like the spatula queen, love em, but I can’t keep them all.
6. I bought this taco shell fryer because I was going to deep fry my own taco shells.  I’ve had it 3 years and have never once used it, probably not going to either.
7. Lastly, this was a “swag” gift.  It’s a salad/herb chopper.  It has two blades and you put it in a bowl, scoop up the contents and snip, snip, snip.  My baby boy played with it, but I haven’t touched it in 2 1/2 years.

Here’s another chance to enter:

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Informal Cookery Definitions A to Z

Batter.  A semi-thick mixture, typically made up of flour, a leavening agent such as baking powder or soda, seasoning and liquid.  It can be the basis for a dish such as pancake, muffins, and cakes or it could be used as a coating such as a tempura. Batters can be thick or thin, sweet or savory.  The word comes from the French term battre which means to beat, many batters require vigorous beating.

Bavarian Cream.  All my life I thought Bavarian Cream was a filling inside a donut with a chocolate glaze.  In fact, that is only an Americanism, it’s actually a pastry cream.  The real Bavarian Cream is a  custard dessert that is thickened with gelatin, and just before it is set, it is blended with whipped cream and placed in a mold to set.

Bay Leaf.  A bay leaf is an herb from the Mediterranean variety of laurel.  It is used to season, meats, fish, soups and stocks and is an essential part of a bouquet garni.  It’s most common form is dried, it is very strong flavored so 1 or 2 leaves is sufficient for seasoning.  If the bay leaf is used whole, leaves should be removed prior to serving.

Bean.  Refers to the edible seed inside certain plants, such as legumes.  Examples include broad, haricot, snap or green, lima, fava, kidney, navy, black, soy, pinto and on and on.  Dried beans provide year round food.  Beans provide a good source of protein.  The term bean can also be used to describe a shape that’s not part of the legume family such as coffee beans and cocoa beans.

I love photo props.  Some of you other bloggers apply the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid), but me, I can’t help myself, I keep finding adorable little things.  I really love vintage things (including McGyver).  My children will attest to my love for vintage items, I think I spent a good portion of all my money in Europe on antiques and what-nots.  Thinking of Tongeren…

I get why people say, “why spend your money on something old when you can buy something new and perfect?”.  Character folks, I love the character.  The history of an item intrigues me, who used this item, what was lovingly prepared and served in it?  Was this great grandma’s favorite?

I could spend hours and hours rummaging through antique and second hand stores, or even the Goodwill (never know where you might find the ‘one’). A few weeks ago, McGyver and I hit an antiques mall…a two football field long antique mall. “Danger Will Robbinson, danger!”

I could easily empty my bank account and max out all my credit cards, and use a few bank loans to purchase all the cool stuff that I find.  For example, I fell head over heals in love with a Spanish iron wrought table and chairs set.  Sure it needed some work, and a new glass top.  Oh, but the scroll work, and that perfect patina/rust weathering that no ‘fake’ aging can do just sang to my heart.  Alas, one look at the price tag and I say, I’m not paying that much for that junk”.  It makes me feel better to call it junk when I can’t afford it.

Fortunately for me, I can dig through kitchen booths and their gee-gaws and not leave the store empty handed.  For example, I found this little red and white enamelware pot, part of a set of 3, for $28.  I decided to keep the little one as a prop and take the two larger ones up to the cabin, where my vintage stuff actually gets used.  I didn’t know what I was going to use my little pot for, I just know that I loved it.  Then along came Smoke Turkey Soup; finally a marriage of my little pot, food and a fun little photo session.  Can you feel my little pot love?

Let’s not forget, my give-away is still going on.  You can enter every day this week for a chance to win.

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Informal Cookery Definitions A to Z

Bar-Le-Duc.  (bahr-lih-dook).  Is a red currant jam, named after a town in Lorraine, France that is famous for producing red currant preserves.

Basil. (BAY-zil).  It’s a green leafy herb from the mint family.  Although it is most popular in Italian cuisine, it actually originates from India.  Common varieties include: “Thai Basil”, “Genovese”, “Purple Ruffles”, “Mammoth”, “Cinnamon”, “Lemon”, “Globe”, and “African Blue”.  Basil has been touted as having health benefits, from curing headaches, tummy aches, to stimulating breast milk production and an antidote for poisons.

Bass. (ba-es).  Bass is a common name given to many popular freshwater and marine fish.  Bass are part of the perch family and are a highly sought after sport fish, especially the “large mouth bass”.

Baste.  basting is a technique used to keep foods moist while cooking.  An example of this would be roasting poultry and using a baster or a spoon to pour the juices over the meat.

Because the day belongs to lover’s, because the day is a Hallmark holiday, because if you don’t do something special for Valentine’s Day you’ll be in the dog house…

Truthfully, McGyver and I aren’t big on Valentine’s Day, but it is a great excuse to have a special cocktail in the middle of the week.  This year I created the Cosmo Kiss.  The drink is based off the famous Cosmopolitan; cranberry juice, hints of citrus and bubbles…

The Cosmo Kiss is definitely a cocktail for lovers, but not every one is celebrating with someone special in their lives.  But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a drink also (might be even more reason to drink).  For them, I created the Bleeding Heart….made from what else?  Blood Oranges.

I know I teased you all with these lip smacking and heart breaking photos, but you’ll have to head over to Pig of the Month, where I am a staff writer, to get these recipes.

Good news, it does give you another opportunity to enter the give-away.  A bamboo utensil holder stuffed full of kitchen accessories.

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Informal Cookery Definitions A to Z

Bamboo Shoots. As the name implies, they are the edible shoots or sprouts of the bamboo reed. They are mostly used in Asian cooking. They can be eaten fresh, pickled or canned.

Young Bamboo Sprouts (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Bannock. (BAN-uk). Bannocks are a Scottish staple. They are a flat, round cake made with oatmeal, blaked like a pancake on a griddle and toasted until crisp.

Barbeque. A term derived form a Mexican-Spanish word, barbacoa. This term has different meanings depending where you are from. I grew up believing to barbeque, was cooking outside on a barbeque (grill), and a barbeque was a gathering of people where barbequed food was to be served. And a barbeque sauce, was any sauce (typically red/tomato based) put on while barbequing. After living in the South, I was informed that you can have a barbeque, use barbeque sauce but you gilled food, you grilled them on a grill not on the barbeque. Also barbeque sauce is always red and everything else is a grilling sauce. I won’t quibble over which term is more correct, but I will say the term barbacoa was coined and the method of cooking over a simple frame of green sticks and an open fire was adopted by the Spanish when they went to Central America in the sixteenth century.