Outlander Kitchen

Historical and Character-Inspired Food from the fictional world of Diana Gabaldon.

Archive for the tag “scotland”

Looking for Outlander – One Fan’s Scottish Adventure – Part I

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Moored on Loch Dochfour – the last stop before Loch Ness

It was after nine when we arrived, and the guide Frank had called for was awaiting us on the edge of the loch with a small sailing skiff.

“An’ it suits ye, sir, I thought we’d take a wee sail down the loch-side to Urquhart Castle.  Perhaps we’ll sup a bit there, before goin’ on.”  The guide, a dour-looking little man in weather-beaten cotton shirt and twill trousers, stowed the picnic hamper tidily beneath the seat, and offered me a callused hand down into the well of the boat.

Diana Gabaldon, Outlander (Chapter 2 – Standing Stones)

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Jura – The Weekend Whisky Write-Up

She stretched out her hand toward the table by her chair, not bothering to look.  She didn’t need to; the butler set down a crystal tumbler softly, just where her fingers would touch it.  Her hand closed around it, and she lifted it, passing it under her nose and sniffing, eyes closed in sensual delight.

“There’s a good bit left of it yet.  A great deal more than I can guzzle by myself, I’ll tell ye!”  She opened her eyes and smiled, lifting the tumbler toward us.  “To you, nephew, and your dear wife – may ye find this house home!  Slàinte!

Slàinte mharl” Jamie answered, and we all drank.

It was good whisky; smooth as buttered silk and heartening as sunshine.  I could feel it hit the pit of my stomach, take root, and spread up my backbone.

Diana Gabaldon, Drums of Autumn (Chapter 10 – Jocasta)

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How Outlander Changed My Life – Guest Post

This week it is my pleasure to introduce you to Lee Ann Monat.  She and I first met online over a year ago, when I posted my first recipe from the Outlander series over on my other blog.

We’ve been friends and mutual fans ever since.  Over at Lion Art Creations Lee Ann shares her photography, art and her thoughts on changing her life’s path and re-creating it with intention.  She began this journey years ago, inadvertently, when she opened her first copy of Outlander…a parallel journey to my own, which involved quitting my job and walking into a bookstore…but I’ll save that for another time.

Because today the spotlight is on Lee Ann, who recently began a much-sought-after tenure as a volunteer in the Abbey kitchen on the Isle of Iona in Scotland. Just the latest stopping point in a very interesting life, that has really only just begun…

(The following photos and words are Lee Ann’s.)

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Photos of Scotland

I hope you enjoy the new page with a video and some photos that I just put up of our trip to Scotland in April of this year — we rented a boat and cruised the Caledonian Canal (Loch Ness and more) for a week during a fantastic stretch of sunny, warm weather.

We had such an amazing time, we’re going to do it all over again — same time, same place, NEXT year.  I can’t wait.  Going through all of the photos has got me excited…and I only have  7 more months to wait!

It’s a good thing I’m busy in the Outlander Kitchen…speaking of which, come and join the chat over on the  OK Facebook page…things can get a little silly over there at times, but we do have a good time!

As for Twitter, immediately after I set up the @OutlanderKitchn account, I did a search for #jamiefraser and #outlander and then quickly followed everyone who had used those hashtags. More accurately, I actually followed the 6 people who had used them most recently.  And then an angry red bar appeared at the top of my Twitter page — SUSPENDED?  What?

Six days later, I am happy to report that my account has been allowed out of time out.  Twitter’s bots accused me of “agressive following behaviour,” for which I have contritely apologized.  You’ll now see a little Twitter badge under the Facebook one over on the right side of the page.

If you’re looking for OK on Twitter, you’ll find us @OutlanderKitchn (notice the missing e) — give us a follow, and I’ll give you one right back!

Mrs Fitz’s Porridge from Outlander

“Weel now, that’s verra gude.  Now, ye’ve just time for a wee bite, then I must take you to himself.”

“Himself?”  I said.  I didn’t care for the sound of this.  Whoever Himself was, he was likely to ask difficult questions.

“Why, the MacKenzie to be sure.  Whoever else?”

Who else indeed?  Castle Leoch, I dimly recalled, was in the middle of the clan MacKenzie lands.  Plainly the clan chieftain was still the MacKenzie.  I began to understand why our little band of horsemen had ridden through the night to reach the castle; this would be a place of impregnable safety to men pursued by the Crown’s men.  No English officer with a grain of sense would lead his men so deeply into the clan lands.  To do so was to risk death by ambush at the first clump of trees.  And only a good-sized army would come as far as the castle gates.  I was trying to remember whether in fact the English army ever had come so far, when I suddenly realized that the eventual fate of the castle was much less relevant than my immediate future.

I had no appetite for the bannocks and parritch that Mrs. FitzGibbons had brought for my breakfast, but crumbled a bit and pretended to eat, in order to gain some time for thought.  By the time Mrs. Fitz came back to conduct me to the MacKenzie, I had cobbled together a rough plan.

Diana Gabaldon, Outlander, (Seal Books, 1991)

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