My "Baker's Dozen" favourite Foodie Adventures in 2015

We're on the final day of 2015 and time to reflect on the year that has passed and that just to come. The 9 photos above are my most popular on Instagram. You are following me over there aren't you?! I'll also be doing a round up of my top 10 most popular recipes from the blog but you'll need to wait until next year for that. Suffice to say that both my Irn Bru Pulled Pork and Ham will be featuring. Today I'm sharing some of my favourite adventures of the past year. I was aiming for 10, but it crept up to 12 and because I was struggling with what to leave out its ended up as lucky 13. A baker's dozen seems somewhat appropriate for a food blog. Without further ado here are my favourite foodie adventures of 2015. In time honoured top of the pops fashion they come in reverse order...

13. Walter Gregor - the first Scottish Tonic Water

12. The Store - Open Farm Sunday

11. Fishing, Golf & Local produce at Forbes of Kingennie

10. #Love Fife - Chocolate, Seafood & Gin in the East Neuk

9. Foodie Treasures in Royal Deeside & The Cairngorms

8. A stress free Dinner Party with La Belle Assiette

7. #FoodFest15 The Bread Maker, FoodStory & MacBeans

6. Young Fish Pie Master at Macduff Marine Aquarium

5. A Meaty visit to Donald Russell Butchers

4. A day at BBC Good Food Show Scotland

3. Making Butteries at JG Ross for Craft Bakers Week

2. Food Playground Cookery School Singapore

1. A trip to River Cottage with Foodies 100

SPAM® and Eggs = SPAMbled™ Eggs

SPAM® + Eggs = SPAMbled™ Eggs. A recipe that does exactly what it says on the tin! Shake up your scrambled eggs by adding chopped pork and ham. Perfect for breakfast or brunch this quick and easy SPAM® recipe would also be ideal for camping as tinned SPAM® requires no refridgeration.

We're now at at that strange time in between Christmas and New Year. I believe the official name that has been coined is "twixtmas". We've all eaten and drank ourselves silly and after days of slaving over a hot stove just want to get back to some kind of food normality. The recipes I'm sharing today are super quick and easy to make and use an iconic ingredient that over the years has been maligned, celebrated and musicalised. We're talking SPAM - chopped pork and ham. It was one of my absolute favourite school dinners back in the day in the form of Spam Fritters and the two recipes below give a new twist on a traditional family favourite. 

Discover more SPAM® recipes on Foodie Quine

SPAM® Mac ‘n’ Cheese

SPAM® Hawaiian Style Pizza

Sizzling SPAM® Fajitas  

SPAMBLED™ eggs (serves 4)

Ingredients

1 x 200g tub or can of SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham

3 x large eggs

3 x tablespoons milk

2 x spring onions - finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

15g butter

Method

1. Beat the eggs, milk and salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl.
2. Fry cubes of SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham, turning until golden in a dry frying pan. Keep warm.
3. Melt butter in a frying pan on a medium hot heat, sauté the spring onions lightly then add the egg mixture. 
4. Scramble with a wooden spatula until still soft and glossy.
5. Add SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham and mix.
6. Serve with extra black pepper.

SPAM® Fries

Ingredient

1 x 340g can of SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham - cut into 1/2" sticks

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 350f 180c/160c Fan
2. Spread the SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham sticks on a baking tray and place on top shelf of preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes until golden but not crisping up
3. Serve in an empty SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham can with a selection of dips

Disclosure: This is a commissioned post for SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham. As always, all views expressed are my own. Images and recipes courtesy of SPAM®.
Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me as a passionate Scottish Food Blogger to continue to share my Edible Food and Travel Adventures with you. I’m super choosy who I work with and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.

Festive Tortilla Pizzas

Keep the kids (both big and little) amused making these oh so cute Festive Tortilla Pizzas. Using wraps makes these fun savoury Christmas snacks super quick to prepare and cook.

My final post before the big Ho Ho Ho. I can't believe Christmas is almost upon us. My two don't finish School until Tuesday night but for those who have already finished up, today's festive food idea would make the perfect lunch in the countdown until Santa arrives. Like yesterdays Party Ring Christmas Wreath Biscuits I actually feel a wee bit of a fraud sharing a recipe/instructions as once you've seen a photo of them you know exactly what to do. 

Festive Tortilla Pizzas

Wraps

Tomato Passata

Grated Mozzarella

Pizza Toppings

Cut out Christmassy shapes from tortilla wraps using large cookie cutters or go freestyle with scissors. 

Place on a baking sheet and spread on Tomato Passata then sprinkle with Mozzarella Cheese. 

Finish with a selection of your favourite pizza toppings which can also be cut into festive shapes. 

Cook for 6-8 mins at 200c 

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Tunnock's Teacake Christmas Tree Baubles

Every time I post something about Tunnock's Teacakes there is an outpouring of love for them. When I made a huge batch of Christmas Puddings with them for the School Fair I carefully removed their foil wrappers as I had plans for them. I've got a wee bit of a collection of foodie themed Christmas tree ornaments and I'd tweeted about looking for some new additions and was told of Tunock's Teacakes Baubles being sold at craft fairs by Bumble Buttonz. I got in touch with them but unfortunately they are based in Glasgow and don't do mail order. Only one thing for it. Make some myself!

Tunnock's Teacake Christmas Puddings Recipe

Click on > to play and view

Tunnock's Teacake Christmas Tree Baubles

Cheap Plastic Baubles (mine were 10 for £1)

Tunnock's Teacake Wrappers - 2 for each bauble you want to make

PVA Glue

Red & White String

Carefully remove the foil wrappers from your Teacakes and flatten them out.

For each bauble you will need one whole wrapper and the circular section cut out from a second wrapper.

Brush PVA glue over the front half of the bauble and the hanging cap. 

Stick on the whole wrapper and ease it over the bauble and the cap.
Brush glue onto the back of the bauble and continue to flatten down the foil. 

Trim off any excess.

Brush glue on the back of the second circular section of foil and stick it down. 

Smooth down any lumps and bumps. 

Use a skewer to poke a hole through the foil in the hanging loop and tie on a loop of red and white string.

My Tunnock's baubles have now joined all my other foodie decorations on my Kitchen Christmas tree. Do let me know if you have a go at making them and how they turn out. I was pretty ham-fisted with the first one I made but it gets easier! Don't worry about getting them all smoothed out and no lumps and bumps. If you look at the foil on an actual teacake you'll see plenty of creases and that's exactly the look you are aiming for! If Pinterest is your thing the photo to pin and share the Teacake love is the one below. Happy Crafting! 

Brussels Sprout and Cranberry Pasta Bake

The quintessential flavours of Christmas combine in this hearty recipe for Vegetarian Brussels Sprout and Cranberry Pasta Bake. Comfort food at its best with a festive twist. 

I can't quite believe that I'm posting a a Brussels Sprouts recipe. I doubt I've ever eaten them at any time other than as part of a Christmas dinner. Even then its only because I feel obliged to do so. They are the Marmite of the vegetable world and seem to have more haters than lovers. There are jokes a plenty about mother in laws putting them on to boil in August so that they are ready for 25th December. However over the past few Christmases I have found a most palatable way of eating them. Sophie Grigsons Brussels sprouts gratin with bacon, cream and almonds. This year will be its forth appearance on my Christmas table. Its so good that last Christmas I pondered that it could perhaps be turned into a pasta dish so when the little green cabbages started making an appearance in the shops I bit the bullet. I've lightened the recipe up a bit by replacing the double cream with single and losing the butter. I've also made it vegetarian by removing the bacon lardons and adding fresh cranberries in its place for a further seasonal twist. Give it a go, you might be converted!

Brussels Sprout & Cranberry Pasta Bake

300g Pasta shapes

450g Brussels Sprouts, trimmed

50g fresh Cranberries 

20g flaked Almonds 

300ml Single Cream 

2 teaspoons Lemon juice 

Salt and freshly ground black Pepper 

40g Breadcrumbs 

50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or vegetarian hard cheese alternative)

Preheat the oven to 200c

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and return to the pan. 

Meanwhile place the sprouts in a pan of salted water and cook for 4-5 minutes, until almost, but not quite, cooked. Drain thoroughly, allow to cool slightly, then cut in half.

To the pan of cooked pasta add the halved sprouts, 25g of the grated Parmesan, cranberries, almonds, single cream and lemon juice. Warm through and season to taste with salt and black pepper. 

Remove from the heat and spoon into an ovenproof gratin dish.

Mix the breadcrumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese together in a bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the top of the sprout and pasta mixture. 

Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden and the cream bubbling. 

I asked around my food blogging friends for their sprout recipes and got plenty of inspirational ideas. 

First up, Easy Peasy Foodie gives us not one but seven ways to make sprouts interesting

Brussels Sprouts and Goat's Cheese Tart - Planet Veggie

Christmas Soup - Knead Whine

Caraway, Apple & Brussels Spout Slaw - Recipes from a Pantry 

Sensational Sprouts - Munchies & Munchkins

Christmas Vegetarian Bake with a Brie Mash Topping - Emily's Recipes & Reviews

Maple Glazed Sprout Tops and Crispy Pork with Polenta - Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Pecans - Nadias Healthy Kitchen

Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Toasted Nuts - Rough Measures

Finally, if you're still not converted Butcher, Baker, Baby Blog shows us how to make a Brussels Sprout Wreath. 

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Candy Cane Rocky Road

Rocky Road just got festive. Smashed up red and white Christmas Candy Canes bring a minty twist to this quick and easy to make no bake treat. Mint, chocolate, marshmallow and biscuit is a winning culinary combination.  

Candy Cane's and Christmas go hand in hand. But only in recent years it would seem. It's not something that I remember at all from the Christmases of my childhood. I suspected they were an American import but a wee bit of Googling showed that their history appears to stretch back much further. The story goes that in 1670 the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral, Germany wished to keep the children quiet during the Christmas Nativity service. A local candy maker was commissioned to make some candy sticks and a curve was added to signify the shepherd's crooks. Alternative theories include the shape being a J for Jesus, the red and white symbolising blood and purity and the peppermint flavour from the biblical hyssop plant. It could of course be that they got their shape simply because it makes them easier to hang on a tree... Whatever their origins they have now firmly established themselves as an integral part of festive food and decor.

Necessity is the mother of invention and when I ran out of the crafty bits I needed to make Candy Cane Reindeer for the Cake & Candy stall at the School Christmas Fair, Candy Cane Rocky Road was born to use up the remaining sweets. 

If you fancy making some Candy Cane Rudolph's they are really very simple. Glue two candy canes together (hot glue gun works best). Wind brown pipe cleaners around them then glue on a pair of googly eyes and a red pom pom. Best to buy enough candy canes so you can make plenty of both. 

Candy Cane Rocky Road

300g Milk Chocolate

300g Digestive Biscuits (I used Chocolate ones)

100g Mini Marshmallows

8 Candy Canes

Candy Cane Sprinkles (mine came from Home Bargains)

Red Edible Glitter

Put the digestives in a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin. You are aiming for a good mix of crumbs and chunks.

Do the same with the candy canes in a separate bag and remove a couple of tablespoonfuls of crushed canes and set them aside to use as a topping.

Melt the milk chocolate in a large bowl and fold through the crushed digestives and candy cane pieces, then add the mini marshmallows.

Tip into a lined traybake tin. 

Flatten with a spatula and sprinkle over a mixture of the reserved candy cane pieces, candy cane sprinkles and red edible glitter.

Refrigerate until set and then cut into squares with a sharp knife.

Candy Cane Bark www.foodiequine.co.uk

Some more great festive ideas using Candy Canes from me and my food blogging friends below:

Candy Cane Bark - Foodie Quine

Peppermint Candy Cane Christmas Chocolates - Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

Santa's Mintshake (A Peppermint Candy Cane Milkshake!) - Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies - Taming Twins

Two Ingredient Chocolate Fudge topped with Candy Canes - Eats Amazing

Candy Cane Cocktail - Transatlantic Blonde

Slow Cooker Candy Cane Fudge - Baking Queen 74

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Haggis Shepherd's Pie with Scotch Lamb

Post in collaboration with Quality Meat Scotland

The ideal comfort food for Autum/Winter. A real taste of Còsagach. Topped with 'tartan' mash this Scotch Lamb & Haggis Shepherd's Pie is perfect for St Andrew's Day, Burns Night or Hogmanay.

Many people tend to associate eating lamb with Springtime, but for Scotch Lamb the best time of year is the Autumn when it's at its peak of seasonality. Scotch lambs are bred in the spring so whilst a newly born Easter lamb may look cute, it won't be ready to eat until the Autumn. The Scotch Lamb label has European PGI status which ensures quality, safety and taste. The label also guarantees traceability of the meat from farm to fork meaning it has been born, reared and slaughtered in Scotland.

Quality Meat Scotland's Good Family Food Facebook Page asked me to come up with an Autumnal Scotch Lamb dish that would also celebrate St Andrew's Day. Keeping with an all Scottish theme I incorporated Haggis, Neeps and Tatties to make a Shepherd's Pie. My daughter declared this dish the best thing I have ever made, which is high praise indeed! I've often combined haggis with beef but it worked particularly well with the flavours of Scotch Lamb Mince. A perfect winter warmer with which to raise a glass and toast our Patron Saint.

Haggis Shepherds Pie with Scotch Lamb

1 Tbsp Scottish Rapeseed Oil

1 medium Onion, finely chopped

1 large Carrot, finely chopped

500g Scotch Lamb Mince

1 Lamb Stock Cube

75g Petit Pois

450g Haggis

800g Potatoes

500g Neep (Swede) 

25g Butter 

Preheat the oven to 200c 

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the finely chopped onion and carrot until softened, approx 5 minutes. 

Add the Scotch Lamb Mince to the pan and stir gently until broken up and browned. 

Crumble in a lamb stock cube and add the frozen peas. 

Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile peel and roughly chop the potatoes and cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until soft. Once cooked, drain the potatoes well and mash along with the butter. 

In a separate pan of boiling salted water cook the peeled and roughly chopped neep, also for 15-20 minutes, or until soft. Mash until smooth and season with black pepper. 

Remove the haggis from its outer cover and cut into small cubes. 

Take the Scotch Lamb Mince off the heat and stir through the cubed haggis. 

Transfer the lamb and haggis mix to a large ovenproof dish. Top with the mashed neep and finally the mashed potato. Use a fork to make a criss cross 'tartan' pattern on the top of the pie. 

Cook for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. 

For further inspiration with Scotch Lamb have a look at the Wham Bam Thank You Lamb website. Plus here are some more recipes incorporating lamb mince from food blogging friends. 

Lamb Keema Nachos - Foodie Quine

Moroccan Shepherds Pie - The Hedgecombers 

Pastitsio - Greek Macaroni Pie - Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary 

Samosa Pie - Supper in the Suburbs 

Greek Lamb Shepherds Pie with Feta Mash - Foodie Quine

Shepherd's Pie Jackets - It's not easy being Greedy

Moroccan Lamb & Egg Tagine - Gingey Bites

Greek Lamb & Feta Spirals - Eats Amazing 

Yiouvetsi - One Pot Greek Lamb with Orzo - Foodie Quine

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Disclosure: This is a commissioned post for Quality Meat Scotland. As always, all views expressed are my own.

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me as a passionate Scottish Food Blogger to continue to share my Edible Food and Travel Adventures with you. I’m super choosy who I work with and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.

Scottish Tartan Shortbread Kilts

A no bake biscuit treat which is ideal for any Scottish celebration be it Hogmanay, Burns Night or St Andrew's Day. Decorate petticoat tails shortbread with wrirting icing to design your very own clan tartan on these Shortbread Kilts. 

As Scotland's Patron Saint, poor old St Andrew doesn't always seem to get the attention he deserves. Celebrated on 30th November St Andrew's Day is often overshadowed by the Burns Night celebrations of 25th January. However in recent years, particularly since 2006 when the Scottish Parliament designated St Andrew's Day as an official bank holiday, there has been somewhat of a resurgence in celebrations surrounding the date. But how can we celebrate our Scotish heritage with food? There's not much more Scottish than Tartan and Petticoat Tails so I made some Shortbread Kilts!

These are absolutely ideal to make with kids be it in the nursery or classroom or in a Brownie or Cub Scout pack. Those with less OCD tendancies can let the kids go wild and create their very own tartan. They'll work well for whatever the Scottish occassion be that St Andrew's Day, Burns Night or Hogmonay. 

Shortbread Kilts

• Petticoat Tails Shortbread - shop bought or use my Grandma Monearn's recipe
• Writing Icing 

Use a sharp knife to cut the points off Petticoat Tails Shortbread (you can buy or make your own using my recipe above).

Then create your very own edible clan tartan using writing icing.

Great fun for both little and big kids. 

Continue celebrating all things Scottish Food with the 12 recipies that I've collated in this roundup post, including Tunnock's Teacakes, Haggis, Thistles and Irn Bru - A Dozen Scottish Recipes for St Andrew's Day 

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Fishing, Golf and Local Produce at Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort

A couple of in-service days, 2 kids to occupy and a husband working in South East Asia. All these factors collided perfectly with an opportunity to visit Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort. Situated in Angus just 5 miles from Dundee meant a journey time of just shy of an hour for us. The weather on our arrival was a typically driech Scottish Sunday afternoon however even then we could see what a fabulous setting and great views were on offer. These became even clearer the next morning when we awoke to autumnal sunshine streaming through our lodge windows.

Our accommodation was one of the waterside lodges just a stones throw from the Restaurant, Bar and Sport's Reception. The lodge sleeps 6 and with only the three of us we had a room each which pleased boy and girl very much. All the rooms in the lodge were very spacious, bright and light with plenty of storage space. I even had a walk in wardrobe in mine and a jacuzzi bath in my ensuite, much to the consternation of my daughter. The bedrooms and bathrooms were downstairs and there was a huge open plan living space upstairs with lounge, kitchen and front and rear balconies. There are 14 lodges on site, some of which are dog friendly. They sleep from 2 - 10 people and all offer four star luxury self catering facilities. They are all named after Angus glens (ours was Glen Shee). The Leannan Boathouse looks like the most fantastic romantic hideaway. It was built in 1855 and when the resort first opened it was the fishing shop. Now many of those who get married at Kingennie spend their wedding night in it.

Two of the main things that bring visitors to Forbes of Kingennie are fishing and golf. Our previous fishing experience was zero and golf to us means crazy golf. We took a fishing lesson under the expert tuition of Grant who soon had us casting like professionals. He assured us of a catch and before too long boy got a bite and reeled in his first ever fish. Girl wasn't too far behind and over the course of an hours lesson they each caught two good sized trout. No tales of the one that got away as both proudly displayed their catches and weighed them in. Girl wasn't quite so keen on the gutting part but ever the foodie boy borrowed a sharp knife form the kitchen and did the needful. 

Next on our to do list was the Angus Thistle Maze however we were disappointed to find it was closed for a couple of days due to maintenance. All the more reason to return at some point to tackle it. Green and Copper Beech and a trail of questions combine in the shape of a thistle. Instead the Cairngorms Putting Green was to be our next challenge. 18 holes spread over a course designed to emulate the Cairngorm Mountains complete with Glens, Corries, Passes and Munros. The fishing lesson proved its worth as a number of balls had to be retrieved from lochs along the way. We didn't keep score but I'm pretty sure I won. At least I didn't have to go fishing on the golf course. 

We headed to the Waterside Restaurant for lunch where local produce features prominently on the menu. The family farm next door to the resort supplies peas, strawberries, free range eggs, rhubarb, pork, beetroot, raspberries, blueberries, haskaap berries and salad leaves. They also support other local family run suppliers and have been awarded a Taste our Best award from Visit Scotland. I had the pork dish of the day which was a fantastic chunky chop with peppercorn sauce. The Forbes Peas with my daughter's sausage and mash were some of the sweetest I've tasted. These definitely need to make an appearance more widely than just on the kids menu. I was joined over coffee by Marketing Manager Libby Forbes who took me for a tour of the function and events facilities. With such a stunning setting and a location central for the whole of Scotland they can cater for everything from conferences and weddings to family gatherings and birthdays. Upstairs from the restaurant the Inglesmaldie Suite can hold up to 150 with stunning view over the fishing ponds, golf course and countryside. Meanwhile the high ceilings, beams and natural light in the Buddon Burn Suite is perfect for more intimate events and I can imagine it looks wonderful for a small wedding. 

Our lodge was fantastically well equipped when it came to cooking facilities, plenty of equipment, utensils, pots and pans plus basics like tea, coffee, washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets and dish towels. Things like these make such a difference. The first night we cooked up an Orzo, Chorizio and Scallop Risotto before getting cosy on the couch for a movie night. Breakfast next morning was Bacon In Pancakes with Maple Syrup. The Maple Syrup also made an appearance for dinner as we combined it with wholegrain mustard as a glaze for our freshly caught trout. Leftovers were served up for breakfast alongside scrambled eggs. That's almost another item ticked off my foodie bucket list although I did specifically want to catch, cook and eat a fish on a riverbank. Perhaps its a case of close but no cigar.

Two days passed way too quickly and all too soon it was time to pack up and head home. Recharged, relaxed with some new found fishing skills and a couple of trout for the freezer. Hopefully it's not too long before we can return and conquer the angus thistle maze.

Disclosure: We lunched, fished, putted and stayed as guests of Forbes of Kingennie. All views expressed are my own. 

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to continue to share my Edible Scottish Adventures with you. I’m super choosy and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.