Indulge In {Fish & Chips}

The London Olympic Games start tomorrow and I can't wait. I've already got my schedule booked for 7:30 tomorrow when the Opening Ceremony begins. With a beer in hand, I will be curled up on the couch watching with bright eyes. So, in honor of this year's host country, I wanted to share a traditional English favorite, fish and chips. I hope that tomorrow I will be throwing the diet out the window for the night and chowing down on my own plate. But for now, I will have to admire this recipe and hope that Rob breaks out his frying skills and makes it for me! Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::

• Beef dripping or oil, for deep frying (beef dripping is used in the traditional method and gives a far better flavour, but sunflower orvegetable oil will work just as well)
  
  
  For the Fish

• 4x175g/6oz thick cod or haddock fillets, taken from the head end rather than the tail end of the fish
• 225g/8oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 300ml/10fl oz fridge-cold lager

    For the Chips

    6-8 large floury potatoes, such as maris piper, king edward, desiree (depending on how hungry you are)

:: Directions ::

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and preheat the dripping or oil to 120C/250F.
2. For the chips, peel the potatoes and cut into whatever size you prefer. Wash well in cold water, drain and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Put the potatoes into the fryer and allow them to fry gently for about 8-10 minutes, until they are soft but still pale. Check they're cooked by piercing with a small, sharp knife. Lift out of the pan and leave to cool slightly on greaseproof paper.
3. Increase the heat of the fryer to 180C/350F.
4. Season the fish and dust lightly with flour; this enables the batter to stick to the fish.
5. To make the batter, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and whisk in the lager to give a thick batter, adding a little extra beer if it seems over-thick. It should be the consistency of very thick double cream and should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and thickly coat 2 of the fillets with the batter. Carefully place in the hot fat and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove from the pan, drain and sit on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, then keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining 2 fillets in the same way.
6. Once the fish is cooked, return the chips to the fryer and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Shake off any excess fat and season with salt before serving with the crispy fish. If liked, you can serve with tinned mushy peas and bread and butter, for the authentic experience!
   
   
   
   
   *Image and Recipe: BBC Food

Color Me {Stars & Stripes}

I know it might look like I'm trying to celebrate the 4th of July all over again, but I'm not. It's time to celebrate my favorite athletic event (or series of events), The Olympics! It only comes around once every four years, so it's time to do it big and bust out the stars and stripes and root on the U.S. in true American style.  For your Olympics viewing party, stars and stripes are a must. Not only is it fun pattern play, but incredibly patriotic. If you can't be there in person, I must say that this is definitely the best way to celebrate! Striped linens, flag cupcake or burger toppers, and star shaped foods will complete the setting in perfect patriotism.