There are energy bars that are eaten daily in some part of the world (I think the article said Japan, but I'm not totally sure), often given to children, that include these little insects since they're such a power house of goodness.

I would top those off with curls of white chocolate. They look delicious.

It's incredibly easy to make. I just roast one bulb of garlic, squeeze out the contents and mix with (at a guess) 2 to 3 tbsp of softened butter. I find it offers a nicer flavour than doing it with freshly minced.

Or you could stand over the sink :P

Ahh, Devon.... Growing up I never saw what the big attraction was to my home county, but being older and a LOT further away from it I now appreciate it's tourist attracting qualities.

Your mentioning of jam makes me wish I could indulge in a cream tea.

Tonight was spring sauce (blended asparagus, peas and mint with milk) from the freezer with pasta and bacon. I also used up some of my roasted garlic butter and made some garlic bread to go on the side.

It was partially boiled and finished cooking on the pizza.

It took a few attempts to start it off right and I had to keep un-braiding it, but once I got the pattern right it seemed relatively easy, or at least not as daunting as it appears.

Yesterday was Victoria Day for Canada.

I'm feeling a little chuffed with myself today as I made bread braided challah style. Not perfect, but I feel a good first attempt.

I also made cookies today, just plain vanilla cookies with chopped up turtles (I'd like to specify the candy here, not the creature!) in place of the choc chips.

Plus I made a loaf of bread and I had a craving for a treat I used to make with my old neighbours daughter when I looked after her called malteaser cake (http://www.chocolate-source.co.uk/cho...), extremely easy to make.

I've been on a baking kick all day, so I topped the day off by making pizza dough. I made one big pizza, brushed it generously with roasted garlic butter, then sprinkled it with diced red onion, diced red and yellow pepper, bacon strips and hunks of lobster that I defrosted, finished with fresh ground pepper, salt, parmesan and torn up mozza. When it came out of the oven I sprinkled over roughly torn arugula.

Went down very nicely, plus I have a nice sized slice to take for my work lunch tomorrow.

I forgot to mention that I also added a little lime juice and zest to the lobster mix at the end of cooking. Probably half a limes worth of juice and a scant tsp of zest.

Because I only used a small amount of the seasoning, I also prepared a straight forward ground beef one too. I just made the sauteed onions and what not base the same. Surprisingly easy to adapt to suit different tastes in proteins without splurging any extra.

I love apricots used in savory dishes. Sounds like a great sub.

I've um'd and ah'd a little about including the lobster tacos I made a week or so ago, because I used (partially) a taco kit, but I feel that they still hold some merit.

Easy Lobster Taco's

I started with a base of sliced onion, bell peppers, mushroom, cooked on med-high until softened and lightly browned and then added 2 cloves of minced garlic.
I took the claw and tail meat from 2 partially boiled lobsters, added them to the pan. I then added a couple good glugs of tequila and some seasoning from the kit. I used maybe 1 to 2 tsp of the seasoning packet from the taco kit. I cooked it, stirring frequently, for maybe 5 minutes, to cook the lobster through completely.

I served it in a soft taco, with salsa, sour cream and a generous helping of homemade guacamole. It turned out pretty good, I do think that raw lobster meat would have worked better here as I did overcook it slightly. Also, nice big shrimp would work great in place of the lobster, which I'll likely try out of season.

STEAMED MUSSELS
STEAMED CLAMS
FISH CAKES

I also agree with a spice rub of ground chiles. Try buying them whole and dried, toast them lightly then grind them and add to your favourite dry rub. Smear generously on the meat and leave to marinate at least overnight. You could also score the meat to help the marinade work its way in.

What a great way to eat brussel sprouts.

You could use it as an excuse to have a play with vegetarian proteins to switch places with animal protein. As an example, instead of serving big juicy beef burgers, you could serve tasty protein rich bean burgers.

Who needs an air freshener when you can bake :)

I sometimes do this with potatoes destined to be fries, although I add a little sugar to the water.

When I was growing up, I remember all veg prep used to be done on Christmas eve for christmas day, including the potatoes, which were left to sit in water. Nothing bad ever came of it.

Last night was Zuni chicken, although my shift unexpectantly changed to an evening shift, so I cooked the chicken before work and ate it warmed up with sage stuffing and sauteed portabello's when I got home from a busy evening of work. Zuni chicken appears on the menu every fortnight recently!

Tonight was originally going to be pork hash, but after a brief trip to a nearby farm to buy a piglet for my BIL to raise for meat, I became rather turned off the idea of eating anything pork. So I used some leftover chicken and made a coconut chicken Thai soup instead, I just wish I'd had some bread to dip in the broth.

My husband runs on the same train of thought as your BF.

there's something deeply satisfying about preparing and more so eating a whole fish.

So sorry hopefully time will heal your loss. Anyone who has a beloved pet will know they are as big a part of the family as everyone else.

If you have space you should plant something to commemorate Dixie, even if it is in a plant pot, then each time you look at it you'll be reminded of all the great memories.

Sometimes a grilled sandwich just hits the spot.

I didn't really care for the film. The concept was clever and the acting was great, but perhaps it is just one of those ideas that can only be best portrayed in novel.

http://ten.com.au/tvshows/jamieoliver...

This spring sauce from Jamie Oliver is simple and delicious. I serve it with pasta and add crispy bacon instead of the trout. I've not made the salad either, because really, the pasta alone is plenty for me. It also freezes great.

It's Victoria day here on Monday, and normally I would be working but I have got it off. My SO will have to work unless the weather is bad. So I'm thinking I'll re-tidy the guest room so I have a room to sleep in when the snoring is just too much. I'm also going to knock out a couple batches of cookies, one will be some kind of oatmeal cookie. I'll likely make a couple loaves of bread too.

Hash, done well it is flavourful, homely and tastes like more. It is so easily made and customised too.