Easy & Indulgent Bacon Brie Spaghetti
Have you ever wondered what a cross between carbonara and mac ‘n’ cheese might taste like? No? Well, neither had I and yet somehow that’s just what the bacon brie spaghetti my husband and I ended up creating for our late May Bank Holiday Monday dinner tastes like. Ben decided to take lead on this meal, and after a full-on weekend of cooking I was more than happy to take a step back. We had some Arla Lactofree brie and an open packet of bacon in the fridge that needed using up, and a strong craving for pasta. The rest, as they say, is history. This was very much one of those “throw whatever you have into a pan and see how it turns out” kind of meals. But boy did it work. Ben started by chopping the bacon up into small pieces and crisping them up in a frying pan. Meanwhile, I minced several cloves of garlic and readied ingredients for the next steps. After the bacon was nice and crispy, Ben removed it from the pan and got a nice roux going with the rendered bacon fat, some dairy-free spread, and the garlic. It might sound weird, but over the years I’ve learned that minced garlic added to a dairy- or lactose-free sauce really ups the “cheese” flavor. As someone who adores a strong, sharp cheese, a lot of dairy- and lactose-free cheeses just don’t stack up flavor-wise. Which is why we had so much brie to use up – normally it’d be gone in an evening! But if you’re using a more pungent cheese, feel free to omit the garlic. Once the garlic was golden brown and smelling nice (Garlic! Butter! Bacon! What’s not to love?), in went some flour to be whisked into a smooth paste. Then we added a decent amount of oat milk to thin it all out, whisking more to get rid of any clumps. Finally it was time to add the brie! As it’s such a smooth and creamy cheese, it melted in beautifully. We added some more milk at this point too. While the cheese sauce cooked down, it was time to get the spaghetti going. This is the kind of sauce you want to finish your pasta off in, so we under-cooked the spaghetti by a few minutes before adding it to the sauce. Don’t forget to save a mug-full of your pasta water before draining! This starchy, salty water is so helpful for thinning your sauce without losing its creaminess. When our pasta reached not-quite-al-dente, we tossed it in along with the bacon and some frozen peas. This beige meal was really crying out for a bit of greenery! Peas & bacon is such a classic combo, I knew we couldn’t go wrong. They added a nice bit of freshness, perfectly balancing out the richness of the cheese sauce. At this point, we added most of the saved pasta water. The sauce needed thinning and the pasta needed a bit more liquid to finish cooking. About 2 minutes gently tossing everything with tongs, and you’ll see it all come together! From start to finish, the meal only took about 20 minutes to make. And we spent the rest of the evening in a very happy food coma! Creamy, cheesy, salty – this bacon brie spaghetti was the perfect indulgent end to a lovely bank holiday weekend. Recipe:
Annual Girl’s Trip to Birmingham
The end of last summer saw the beginning of what I hope to be a tradition for many years to come – an annual girl’s trip! I’ve gone on trips with various friends before, and will do again. But there’s just something special about finding that one group of girls you get on so well with that you all decide to make going away together a regular occurrence, isn’t there? We were all first brought together on a weekend in May 2018, by yours truly, for my hen do in Birmingham. We were a ragtag bunch. Of the 6 of us, I was the only one who knew everyone attending. But a secret (to me) planning group chat, a Friday evening of Prosecco, and a Saturday morning nursing a collective Prosecco hangover while watching the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made fast friends of us all. There were of course other more usual hen do activities. Bottomless brunch? Check! Dinner out? Check! And at an incredible curry house no less – we were in Birmingham after all. Pub crawl into the city that ended at a club? Check! But I like to think it was the morning spent in a cuddle puddle on the sleeper sofa in our Airbnb’s living room, commenting on all the celebrity outfits and moaning dramatically about our sore heads every so often, that really sealed the deal. Fast forward to Spring 2019 The group chat that had been relatively quiet since the hen do perked back up with reminiscing about what a fun, food- and drink-filled weekend we’d had. It struck us all how easily we’d fallen into what felt like a well-established group of friends. What can I say, I know how to pick ’em! It was in that chat we decided a reunion weekend was a must. A Hen Do: Part Deux, if you will. The schedules of 5 20-something women being what they are, we didn’t manage to find a weekend where everyone was free until the end of August. But that ended up working out to our benefit – schools went back in session the following Monday so travel and Airbnb prices were a little bit less than they would’ve been a few weeks earlier. We did talk about going further afield than Birmingham again. But having left planning a wee bit late most of us didn’t have the holiday left to take a longer trip than Friday evening-Sunday afternoon. With all of us scattered around the south and east, Birmingham just made the most sense for a quick trip! Beginning of the Annual Girl’s Trip After a few group chat messages syncing schedules and several cocktail tinnies on the train, we descended upon Birmingham. Our Airbnb was a short walk from New Street Station so we made our way there, dropped our stuff off, and headed to the nearest grocery store to stock up on provisions for the weekend. We decided to cook Friday’s dinner and Saturday’s breakfast ourselves to save a bit of money in anticipation of Saturday’s festivities. A full kitchen is definitely one of the perks to staying in an Airbnb over a hotel. One of the disadvantages, though, is when an issue comes up (say you’d booked a flat claiming to sleep 6 and there was hardly sleeping area for 5…) there’s no concierge at a front desk to help you sort it out. Luckily for us, our hosts were quick to respond. After a short back and forth, they refunded us a bit of the rental fee. We also managed to cobble together a 5th sleeping space out of couch cushions and spare sheets. Friday evening was spent catching up over a quick and easy conchiglie bolognese, plenty of snacks, and copious G&T’s. Saturday’s Festivities We stayed up into the wee hours of the morning catching up, but still managed to be up with enough time on Saturday to sort a lovely brunch of sausage sandwiches and cinnamon rolls. A 1pm start to the festival meant we could also take our time getting dolled up for the day ahead. Such a carby brunch was 1)Delicious, simple, and filling and 2)Good preparation for a day of drinking at Saturday’s main event: The Gin to My Tonic gin festival! I would be lying if I said we didn’t partially pick this weekend in August after we found the festival through a quick search of upcoming events in Birmingham… If you’re looking for a fun and different event, I can’t recommend this one enough. It of course featured loads of incredible gins from near and far. But they also had plenty of other alcohols + thoughtful mixers available for those who aren’t too (gasp! horror!) gone on gin. Tickets were ~£15 through the event, but I found them for ~£9 on Groupon. It pays to search for a deal! With the ticket you got 4 hours entrance, a gorgeous gin goblet, a stainless steel straw, a guide to all the drinks on offer at the event, a pen, and a cute little bag to hold everything. Once inside the venue (the Custard Factory in Digbeth, which was an absolutely perfect space for the event), we picked up tokens for our drinks. We each got 4 tokens for £20 up front. That made each drink, which included a 35ml pour + a Fever Tree mixer, only £5! Considering the cost of the drinks, the various free tasters, and everything we got with the entrance fee, the event was good value for money. And it even helped turn a few of the girls into gin drinkers! Our big breakfast came in handy, as the food vendors in attendance weren’t particularly dietary-restrictions-friendly. I’m dairy free and 2 of the other girls are vegan, so a grilled cheese cart didn’t do the majority of our group any good. We also weren’t sure we’d be happy with only 4 hours, but it was the optimal amount of time. And choosing
A “Saftastic” Takeaway From Saf’s Kitchen
We had our first Saf’s Kitchen takeaway earlier this year, and it surely won’t be the last! The food is delicious, ordering and pickup a breeze. I messaged Saf on Facebook with our order and paid via bank transfer earlier in the week. On the day of pickup, I called to let her know we were on our way. Upon arrival, we simply honked our car horn and announced our name outside her house. In no time, they delivered our bag of food through the passenger window! We ordered the coconut cauliflower spinach, cinnamon cardamom pilau, chicken jalfrezi, a veggie samosa and (not pictured) poppadoms and chapatis. This was plenty for dinner and a light lunch the next day! An added bonus: virtually everything on Saf’s Kitchen curry dinner takeaway menu is freezable. I know some people order extra portions solely to freeze them for a future meal. I might just have to do that next time, because wow, what a powerhouse of a meal! There was a nice sweetness in the cauliflower thanks to the coconut milk. The jalfrezi was beautifully spiced in a way that creeps up on you but didn’t overpower the other flavours. And the cinnamon pilau pulled them both together perfectly. In fact, the pilau was so delicious I’ve tried to recreate it several times myself! But the main star for me was the samosa. It was big and crispy-soft the way the best ones always are. And Saf stuffs them to the gills with a delightful pillowy potato + veg + spices mix. It brought me back to my first experience of eating samosas at a friend’s house as a kid. They were so tasty I couldn’t stop stuffing my face with them, far past the point of being full. And if I had unlimited access to Safmosas, I wouldn’t be able to stop stuffing my face with them now either! So completely more-ish. Saf’s Kitchen offers so many other takeaway options too! This meal is from her more “classic” Indian curry takeaway menu, but she rotates through several menus. These include Punjabi barbecue packs, street food, and Punjabi burgers, all of which look absolutely lush. And she always makes sure to have a variety of options that cater to every major dietary restrictions. That is another major plus in the this lactose intolerant girl’s book! It’s become one of my (more attainable) missions in life to try everything I can on her various menus. But until then I guess I’ll have to sustain myself on dreaming about those samosas.
Eating Out at Anatolia Turkish Restaurant
Milton Keynes: The City of Dreams and Turkish restaurants! Growing up outside DC we had loads of Greek restaurants, enough for me to have several favorites (oh Cava Mezze, how I miss thee…). But I can’t remember ever going to a Turkish restaurant. So imagine my surprise when I moved to Milton Keynes and learned just how many different ones there are here! Enough that I am once again back to having multiple favorites… And eating out at Anatolia Turkish Restaurant in Stony Stratford definitely tops the list. Despite rarely going out to eat, I somehow managed to eat out at Anatolia three (3) times between November 2019 and February 2020! Those times were: A friend’s group birthday meal A belated work team Christmas lunch A welcome lunch for new team members And each meal has been an absolute delight. 1. A Friend’s Group Birthday Meal The first time I tried Anatolia was part of a friend’s birthday festivities. There were at least 10 of us in the group, so to start we got several warm and cold platters to share. I didn’t manage to get a picture of the platters, but if you’ve had a Turkish mezze platter before you can probably imagine them quite well. They were loaded with meats, fried fishes, various dips, and some veg to brighten it all up. Everything was lovely, but I remember particularly liking the fried whitebait and slices of sucuk on the warm platter. And tarama, featured on the cold platter, is always a favorite of mine. I ordered the Whole Sea Bream for my main and to say I still think about it regularly would not be an overstatement. The fish was cooked perfectly. It was nice and flaky without being dry, with lovely crispy skin. And as a grilled item, the charcoal flavor came through pleasantly. But what took it to the next level for me was the bed of sauteed new potatoes the fish came placed on. They were absolutely luscious – melt-in-your-mouth soft but with the skin still, adding a nice bit of texture. I could have eaten those potatoes all night and never tire of them. 2. A Belated Work Team Christmas Lunch My second time eating out at Anatolia Turkish Restaurant was for a very belated Christmas work team lunch at the end of January. I was more than happy to suggest it after such a lovely first experience, especially as it’s dairy-free-friendly as well. I knew they didn’t skimp on portions so this time I went for 2 starters instead of a main. It’s never fun spending the rest of the workday fighting a post-lunch food coma! I got the vine leaves (another favorite of mine) and falafel. The vine leaves might be some of the best I’ve had. The leaves held everything together well but were buttery smooth to cut through and not chewy in the slightest, which they can be. The rice stuffing was perfectly spiced and cooked just how I like it for these. While slightly over for regular rice, the grains were separate and fluffy yet still held together nicely. No fighting to pick up individual grains after cutting into the vine leaves here! And oh my goodness those falafel! Lovely and herby and crispy and fluffy. They were, and I do not use this term lightly, perfection. Pillowy light insides and crispety crunchety outsides. Despite being fried, they didn’t feel oily at all, and were not the slightest bit dense the way falafel often can be. They came with a really generous helping of creamy hummus too. My colleagues all got lamb dishes and they looked absolutely lush. The sarma beyti and lamb chops were the most visually stunning of the dishes if you’re looking for a meal that excites all the senses, but none were ugly to look at by any means. 3. A Welcome Lunch For New Team Members My third time dining at Anatolia within four months was completely by happenstance. We’d meant to eat at Calcutta Brasserie in Stony Stratford but it was closed when we got there (despite calling ahead to see if they were open…) Being the middle of February, it was very cold outside. So instead of waiting around to see if they’d open up for us we simply headed across the street to Anatolia! I got the falafel again, as I loved them so much the month before, and they were just as good as I remembered. I also decided to try another starter (they do offer it as a main as well) – the Seafood Trio. It was a mix of mussels, prawns, and calamari in a rich tomato sauce. The flavors were lovely, and it was the perfect amount of food for a lighter lunch. I just wish the trio had come with a carb of some sort (bread, chips, rice even) to soak up all that nice sauce! There was simply no way for me to get as much of it as I wanted with just the seafood and a fork to pick it up, and at that point the bread they bring at the beginning was long gone… The Takeaway I would highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a top-notch Turkish in Milton Keynes! MK has loads of Turkish restaurants, and they are definitely not one and the same. But I have consistently been delighted by my experiences eating out at Anatolia Turkish Restaurant. Great thoughtful food, lovely atmosphere, and they are always very helpful with helping me find dairy free options.
Girl’s Brunch at French Affaire
After a year of having French Affaire in Stony Stratford on my radar (thanks to a Sophie etc review I stumbled upon when trying to find a local restaurant for my birthday dinner) I finally managed to get there for brunch in January. Service was a bit slow, but with food that good it’s hard to fault them too much. And it made for a leisurely late breakfast catch-up with good friends as well. I got an Americano to start. It was a bit bitter as I prefer to drink my coffee black if I can, but that was nothing a little Demerara sugar couldn’t fix. Of course, the real star of the show was the crepe, and what a star it was! Being extremely lactose intolerant, I’ve avoided them and their dairy-filled goodness in restaurants for years, and you just can’t make them the same at home. So it’s been awhile since I’ve had a crepe of any sort, but it was the best welcome back a girl could ask for. I got the Crepe Aux Legumes with a poached egg and it was beyond delicious. The veg (peppers and mushrooms) were cooked perfectly, and the vegan cheese (Violife Greek style if my taste buds weren’t mistaken) was the perfect accompaniment – soft and creamy, a bit salty, the closest thing I’ve tasted to goats cheese in years. My egg was a bit more done than I usually like, but I love a very runny egg and this one was by no means hard so very much a middle of the road poached egg. Between the food and the adorable design aspects, I’m so glad I’ve finally had a meal at French Affaire, and I can’t wait til the next time I get to go back! Their dinner menu is definitely high on my “to try” list.