Today I have a special guest Abbe Townsend, she is the proud owner of the blog Abbe's Cooking Antics
If you don't belong to the finicky group of eaters and believe in wholesome food indulgence then Abbe's is a must visit space.There are so many filling soups and pasta dishes that you will be spoilt for choice. Let me not pick a few but here is the recipe Index for you to have a look .
Abbe is widely popular in the Tastespotting site and people just flock to her space because the food pictures are really inviting,something not arranged in a fancy setting for a shot but most often a glimpse of how it would look on a real dining table.Something people would like to make on a daily basis without too much slogging. Infact Creamy leek and bacon pasta bake topped the site chart on page 1 itself as most favorited of that month. I honestly believe the realistic presentation draws a visitor to her space as the recipe is promising and the results are easy to achieve.
1. Tell me more about you...
Well, I'm 41 years young and have been cooking since I was about 3 years old when my mum and dad bought me a toy cooker and a packet of cake mix. When I left school I went to catering college for two years and have mostly worked throughout the leisure and catering industries in a variety of jobs ever since. I live in the beautiful county of Cornwall in the UK (with my hubby and son) and couldn't imagine living anywhere else... except when it rains. I love food and cooking, but don't always have the time to indulge. When I'm not cooking, or blogging, I can usually be found in the garden with a good book and a glass of wine.
2. What type of food do you cook on weeknights.
I have a slight obsession with alternating rice, pasta and potato throughout the week - so it could be anything from a curry or risotto to a pasta bake or simple roast dinner. Mostly it depends on what I have that's fresh that needs to be used up the quickest and how much time I have available. I absolutely love to cook and eat vegetarian food, but can usually only manage to swing that past my hubby once a week or so unless I tell him fibs. He eats so fast he doesn't always notice!
I fall in and out of love with blogging, because there's far more involved than just cooking a meal, taking a few photographs and writing it all down and it can get a bit tedious at times. However, I absolutely love sharing my successes (and sometimes my failures too!) with friends, family and complete strangers. I love getting feedback, and making new friends and seeing what everyone else in the food blogging world is getting up to. So the short answer would be "Community".
5. Which are the best recipes your family and friends enjoy the most that you would like the readers to try?
Total time - 1hr 30 minutes
150ml sherry
150ml creme fraiche
- Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in 100ml of boiling water (from a kettle) for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in the pan and sear the chicken in batches. Season with salt and pepper, then remove form the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Cook the onions until soft, then add the chestnut mushrooms.
- Strain the porcini mushrooms and retain the liquid. Roughly chop the porcini and throw into the pan. Add the garlic and thyme.
- Turn up the heat and add the sherry. Cook over a high heat and then add the chicken pieces and any juice. Add the stock and strained mushroom liquid. Stir well.
- Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, then gently stir in the creme fraiche and chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately with brown rice and garlic bread.
Thank you so much Abbe,for obliging to do a guest post for me .Wish your blog all the good luck.Hope you succeed in all your endeavors in the years to come.
Meena Kumar
Thank you so much Abbe for coming over to my space.he hee.. Abbe,compliments are honest dear they are really worth showering on u :).
Sona - quick picks/pick quicks
Kudos to both of you. .Meena and Abby. Lovely dishes. And eda ..about the yucky eggs ..haa haa..thought they were too cute. .the images n couldn't resist not sharing them 😀
Divya Pramil
Lovely guest post, the platter looks so delicious!! And nice to know more about Abbe 🙂 Cheers!!
Meena Kumar
Thank you,Sona.
Meena Kumar
Thank you, Divya.
Abbe Townsend
Thanks again for this fab opportunity, Meena - and for saying such nice things (no one else would!). I think I need to keep you in my pocket and demand compliments on an hourly basis - can you imagine? I'm already unbearable... 😉
Priya Suresh
Thats an incredible and my kind of casserole, chicken and mushrooms are my fav, nice to know about Abbe, such a delicious guest post, hugs to both of u.
Meena Kumar
Thank you so much Priya.
Maha Gadde
wonderful guest post n nice 2 meet u..I hooked up vth header 1st.dis is d first time Iam seeing dis design..lovely..catch me at my space ven u free..Thanku:)
http://www.mahaslovelyhome.com/2013/08/papaya-honey-smoothiepapaya-dates.html
Rekha Vengalil
Lovely guest post and great to know of Abbe. Loved the recipe as well..:-)
Navaneetham Krishnan
Wow so much of flavors from the mushrooms and the rest of the ingredients. Its really inviting and I need the rice.
Sebeena Loyd
Lovely guest post and casserole. Hoping over to Abbe.
Shahina Rasi
Lovely guest post,Now i'm also becoming a fan of Abbe
Ambreen (Simply Sweet 'n Savory)
That's a lovely guest post by Abbe, delicious combination of chicken and mushrooms in this creamy casserole. Thank you Abbe & Meena!
Reni
Lovely guest post Meena ! looks so comforting and delectable...Hoping over to Abbe's space 🙂 Hey like ur new header,'Talking student -Meena'..I hope u aren't standing outside your home and blogging,as punishment 🙂 Just kidding !
Chitrangada
What a flavorful mushroom and chicken combo.
Nilu A
Lovely guest post Meena.. Glad to know Abbe through you... Hopping over to her space to check some more amazing recipes... The casserole looks delicious and rich.. Wonderful clicks too 🙂
Anupa Joseph (Palaharam)
Lovely guest post Meena...Chicken and mushroom combination sounds great to me...Good to know Abbe...:)
Abbe Townsend
I'm quite liking these hugs 🙂
Abbe Townsend
Thankyou, Chitrangada! 🙂
Swathi Iyer
Beautiful guest post, Nice to meet you Abbe, You are a good interviewer Meena. Delicious dish.
Rafeeda AR
Awesome guest post meena... I'm drooling @ the platter there.. 🙂
Cathleen
What a fantastic guest post. This is making me so very hungry right now, this looks great!
sushmita pandit
Thats a lovely and easy recipe...wonderful
Meena Kumar
Usha,thank you the header is designed by me :))
Meena Kumar
Thank you Sabee.
Meena Kumar
Thank you Shahi do hop over to her space.
Meena Kumar
Thank you Nava.
Meena Kumar
Hey Ambreen glad u liked it dear!
Meena Kumar
Reni, u too feel it is comforting to see creamy hardy meal I am so happy to hear that.
My name used to get a permanent place in the list so the header has no typo but is a ditto of school years:))
Ya at this rate of my obsession I don't think that day is far:))
Meena Kumar
Thank you, Chitrangada.
Meena Kumar
Thank you, Nilu.
Meena Kumar
Thank you Anupa.
Meena Kumar
Thank you Swathi for all the complements 🙂
Meena Kumar
Thank you, Rafee.
Meena Kumar
Thank you so much Cathleen for stopping by.Glad u liked the casserole.
Meena Kumar
Thank you, Sush.
Priya
So nice to meet Abbe through the post Meena. The Casserole looks really delish. Hoping over to her space now 🙂
Meena Kumar
Thank you Priya.