I come from a very diverse Background. My dad is 50% Puerto Rican and 50% Cherokee Indian. My Mother is 100% British (well both her parents migrated to Canada from there and then onto the USA) So all through my life I have had influences from different cultures. Though I must admit that my grandfather on my dads side, the cherokee indian, wasnt around he and my grandmother divorced so I didnt have much influence from him. When we were very little we lived in CA a town called Palmdale in LA County. We would see my moms parents quiet often and the British heritage played through while seeing them. When I moved to England for example I was so surprised to see that a lot of the dishes that my mom made us when we were growing up were common every day dishes here. Then when we moved to Utah we lived right around the corner from my Grandma House (My dads mom) and we got to enjoy her Puerto Rican Influence in our lives a lot more. I remember sitting in my grandmas kitchen one day while she was cooking watching spanish Soaps with her. This is all going somewhere I promise. Lee and I are looking very seriously at moving back to the states. In fact we have sent off his visa papers and hope to be living there by the end of the year. Saying that my children are half british. Well if you want to be more accurate since I am half british my children are actually 3/4 British. I want my children to be able to know where they come from, the traditions and the foods of all their ancestors. I love to cook. Quiet often I will make Mexican (Puerto Rican Style) and we love it. Plus my children recently met my grandma and got to experience her Puerto Rican Flavor. Kaylee still talks about Grandma house and we have been calling her on the phone a lot since we got back from the states. Since living in England I have been able to learn how to make a lot of British things and I am so glad.
So on this subject tonight for dinner I am making Beef Wellington. This dish is like AmAzInG! Seriously. It is one of the Great British dishes and it has a great story to go with it:
A national hero for defeating Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, Arthur Wellesley was made the first Duke of Wellington. He loved a dish of beef, mushrooms, truffles, Madeira wine, and pâtécooked in pastry, which has been named in his honor.
Anyway if you would like to try your hand a Beef Wellington, which Honestly this is one of my favorite British Dishes, then here is a link to the You Tube Video of Gordon Ramsey (No swearing in the video I promise). I will put some pictures of my Beef Wellington up here this evening after I make it. If you try your hand at it let me know how it goes.
