Memphis - The Arcade Restaurant

So now we were finally in Memphis. I've wanted to visit Memphis since I was about 14 and I fell in love with Elvis, but never did I actually think I would ever make it. But here I was, making sure I looked the part with my victory rolls on point and heading out to explore.

OK, so newsflash, Memphis was cold. I don't know why, but I just didn't expect it. I'd heard it was going to be cold, but there was snow and layers of ice and icicles everywhere. But hey, I have Norwegian fish blood, I could deal with it...just. We were staying at the Crowne Plaza which was really nice and had a great shuttle service that would drop you off and pick you up generally anywhere in the downtown area, which is where everything is so that was great.

The first thing we had to do was, duh? Eat some pancakes. It was Shrove Tuesday and we couldn't let the side down. We headed straight down to The Arcade Restaurant, (540 S Main St, Memphis) the oldest diner in Memphis since 1919. Rumour has it that Elvis used to have his breakfast there - so this is where I'm going to have mine.

 ....look! I'm in a diner!

Walking in it was still fully kitted out like a diner from the 50s, but not in the fake 'newly decorated in old style' way, it looks like it had been like that since the 50s which was just what I wanted.  The booths had seats covered in blue and cream with old school and retro prints hanging from the walls and even a milkshake/drinks bar stretching across the other side of the room.

After watching countless episodes of Man vs Food I had a big list of food I wanted to try, the first of course being pancakes with bacon and maple syrup...oh and of course biscuits and gravy. I would be lying if half the trip wasn't based on the fact we all wanted to eat amazing food.

We had the loveliest waitress too called Victoria who was great especially when advising what we should have and what we shouldn't, like "no you couldn't eat both of those dishes, it's too much, trust me', so we had one dish each and split the other. I like things like that. One thing I forgot about my trip to America when I was 13 was that Coke refills are free, and you just try to finish your glass before it gets refilled...JUST.BLOODY.TRY IT! Basically you can't, so don't even bother - damn they're attentiveness right?

Anyway, the food - THE FOOD. So we had been traveling for a day and a half now on about 4 hours sleep so we were so happy when we were presented with the most amazing pancakes we had ever seen, or so it felt anyway. If it had been closed, there would have been blood. I'm joking...sort of. I'd never actually had American style pancakes with England favouring the crepe style, no lemon and sugar, whaaaaat? I also wasn't sure how I felt about maple sauce, but when in Memphis? And seriously, look at it - that is one handsome dish. My brother and I shared a plate of pancakes, smokey bacon that I can't even put into words how incredible it was - I just want their secrets. I also now feel like I should be in 'Elf', where maple syrup is a food group, I know we get it here but I miss it. We then also had the 'Eggs Redneck', which came with scrambled eggs and hashbrowns (but not as you know then, scary frozen bag of stuff from Tesco be gone!), biscuits and sausage smothered in country gravy. I've been looking forward to trying this gravy for so long and the closes thing I can compere it to only works if you're Norwegian called 'flesk og duppe', beautifully smokey, peppery and thick and just, ugh, incredible, I wish I could put it into words better but I just can't, sorry guys.

Anyway it was all amazing, and we'd hoped, nothing had disappointed. So we were off to our next venture which was a bit of exploring the town and looking for Beale Street for a drink and of course, lots more pictures.

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Easter Weekend - Visit From The Vikings

 

I love Easter, who doesn't? It has to be my favourite time of year, second to Christmas of course. The daffodils are out, everything comes in yellow....and you get a few cheeky days off too which always helps. This year we had Norwegian family visiting for my cousins 16th birthday which fell on Easter Sunday, this is who I made the One Direction cake for.

 

I managed to get an extra day off as my mum couldn't so I could spend an extra day with them. We've done so much this weekend this is mainly going to be a photo post. On Thursday I took them around St Ives, it's a typical English town with historic features that couldn't be more 'English' and almost villagey in areas. We did some shopping, exploring the old roads by the river and even managed to fit in some lunch at the River Tea Rooms, my favourite place.

 

Friday and Saturday were spent in Cambridge. They'd never seen Primark before, everything in Norway is so expensive compared to here so it was no surprise that my cousin and I spent 3 hours in there..THREE! And I have to say it was great, trying on mounds of clothes and laughing at the awful ones, then comes the scary count-up at the end and trying to get the total down which at one point did hit £145! We then hit Nandos which again you can't find in Norway, and mainly because One Direction eat there, ate a stupid amount but completely worth it. 

 Saturday was a tourist day and we spent the day punting along the river Cam, walking around the old streets, seeing the Universities, the famous fudge shop, gold clock, man playing guitar in a bin (true story) and eating more food of course! In the evening we went out for Chinese and had the funniest evening ever, quite literally spent the whole evening in hysterics which was brilliant.

 

Easter Sunday came and I think I was more excited than the birthday girl and we didn't even let her have a lie-in! I love giving people presents and this was no exception. The family came over at various points, brothers and fiance/wife and my gorgeous niece so we could give them their eggs. Norwegian cardboard eggs filled with chocolates, my niece of course got the biggest (and pinkest). My little brother got one too which I sent down to him the week before. As not many in the house that day liked lamb we decided to have a big turkey dinner followed by the One Direction cake.

 I have to say I love my Easter 'egg', a giant chocolate cupcake!! How perfect...not eaten it all yet... My mum loved the Mozart chocolate balls (don't laugh), so I got her a load of those and even tried making her an actual egg from the moulds I got in Poundland, I think it's definitely much easier to just buy them! But it still looked cute. Keep posted for all of the Easter treats I made.

I love the cupcake headband my niece got...I got one too! Handmade by Norwegian designer Fam Irvoll. These will now be our new baking gear for whenever we're together
Hope you all had a lovely Easter!!

Nom! x

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Sexy Eggs Benedict

I know this isn't a cake...but it's bloody gorgeous so I had to include it. It's a recipe I'd wanted to try for a long time and while ago I decided to try it....it was stunning.

It doesn't take as long as you may think so do give it a try, you'll be so happy you do. This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

• 2 Large farm eggs, free range if poss and from a real chicken farm if you can get them, they give a better yolk colour and quality.
• 4 rashers of streaky bacon, I just think they taste better.
• 2 English muffins ( I hadn't used these before, but loved them!)

For the quick hollandaise

• 2 Large egg yolks, beaten.
• 10ml lemon juice (2 tsp)
• 10ml white wine vinegar (2tsp)
• 115g butter (NEVER margaringe ok? It's just bad)
• 15ml chopped fresh tarragon (1 tbsp)
• salt and ground pepper

If you can poach the eggs, then excellent, do it now. I havn't triumphed over it yet so I fry them. Meanwhile grill the bacon until cripsy and gorgeous, you'll know when it's ready..it'll look a bit bubbly (odd I know, but trust me, it's good).
Toast the muffins, I find they toast easier than bread so keep an eye on them, no one likes a burnt muffin, luckily they usually come in packs of 4 so you have 2 extra just incase.

Now for the sauce, season the yolks, beat well in a medium bowl. You can do the next bit with a food processor, but I don't have one so I use a whisk (or a stick blender will do), put the lemon juice and white wine vinegar in a pan on a medium heat until it starts to boil. Starting whisking the eggs and immediately add the boiling liquid to the yolks. Met the butter until it starts to foam, again turn on the whisk and add the butter to the mix in an even stream. You can now add the tarragon, you may need to add some water to thin it out but I like it this thick.

Place eggs onto muffins, top with cripsy backon and add lashings of sauce. Feast, nom!! Pin It Now!