In My Kitchen - March 2015

In my Kitchen this month it's about preparing for the future, sharing and a bit of luck.

 

In my kitchen...

....is the result of the annual tomato day.

 

A very small batch this year, just 20kg compared to the 100kg 2 years earlier.

 

I'm not a real "EYE-Talian" so it's just AB and I turning the press and putting the basil leaves in the bottle.

 

I would really love one year to do the huge full on tomato day with a crowd, the music playing and when we are all molto stanco (very tired) refuelling with an enormous bowl of pappardelle just glistening with the fresh tomato sugo, a touch of chilli and parmigiano. (not too much sugo though)

 

Mamma mia how many clichés could I get into one image.....

 

The sauce is really the only way I like tomatoes...yep I'm odd.

 

 In my kitchen...
....is the joys of friendships.

I was lucky enough to be given some moorish preserves, you can probably tell from the jars being almost empty before the photo was taken.

The cucumber pickles were made by Carly who I interviewed as part of the video Eurovision and Inclusion. We had a great afternoon filming which ended with a dinner of slow cooked lamb neck and chickpeas, with condiments brought by the guests! (that's really how you do it)

Carly's fiancé Adam made a hot and flavoursome chilli sauce and her mum made the fig jam and chilli jam...only a tiny bit left. I love that though we have never met Jeanette and I have exchanged fruitcake, pickles, jam and actually I better think of something to make next.......

 

In my kitchen...

....is a loaf of bread I made as an extra/prop to go with an upcoming post about a mystery ingredient.

 

I just wanted a quick slice of crusty bread as the base and didn't want to wait the time for a sourdough loaf.

 

As I put it in the oven I did a "half arsed" slash and am so annoyed by the result as it looks better than any sour dough loaf I have managed!!!!!!

I will keep practicing...

 

 
In my kitchen...
...is the spoils of a trivia night win!!

Who knew staying in school could lead to the reward of gin!

The Melbourne Gin Company gin is a match made in my kitchen for some Sinkonah tonic syrup, which has a much deeper flavour than premix tonic water. (hence the half empty bottle, yum)
On my to do list is try the syrup in an ice cream mix for a G&T icecream.

*not sponsored, I purchased or won the items with my team's cleverness 

In My Kitchen....
....is a lantern inspired by Celia's Chinese New Year post, I'd had some envelopes left over from last year....so once I grabbed some more it set to following the instructions.

 So easy even I managed it in about 10 minutes, the bonus is if you happen to hang it up side down just say you're from Hong Kong where they apparently hang the characters upside down to signify arrival.

I was told this on twitter by someone living in Hong Kong so I'm taking it as fact.

In my kitchen....

.....is the excitement of sharing the Chow Down to Eurovision with some wonderful bloggers.

 

Starting this week I will showcase 5 dishes that could represent Australia in the Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 as submitted by guest bloggers.

 

Stay tuned as you will have the chance to vote for your favourite dish and decide the winner!

 

What dish do you think should represent Australia?

Thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the monthly In My Kitchen, check out the other kitchens and join the community.

What is in your kitchen this month?

In My Kitchen February

There is something pretty exciting in my kitchen this month, so you know what I'm just going to get on with it!

In My Kitchen....
....its lights, camera, err, umm what's my line???? and eventually action!

In My Kitchen.....
.... Is the first episode of Don't boil the sauce! the TV show!! (well YouTube that's TV right??)

So if you haven't already please hit subscribe so you can get all of my videos delivered straight to you 100% FREE!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you join my on this new and exciting evolution in Don't boil the sauce!

 

Thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the monthly In My Kitchen, check out the other kitchens
 

In My Kitchen - Children of the Resolution January 2015

 

 

Happy New Year or "Operation: Cash in on the self hatred we create to survive" as the diet industry may know it.

 

Now this isn't going to be an anti diet piece, I just want to say in this time of life changing resolutions,  being healthy is a great goal but you don't have to hate yourself to get there.

 

2 years ago my resolution was to never eat anything from a restaurant with a drive thru and that's one I have kept, mainly cos the food is crap so it's not that hard.

 

I had thought about posting new resolutions but I don't think it is the right message.

 

I do have my own health goals but they don't come with a side order of "you're not good enough"

 

We are constantly bombarded with messages that we are not "whatever enough":

• Tall enough
• Short enough
• Small enough
• Big enough
• Smart enough
• Dumb enough
• Hot enough
• White enough
• Black enough
• Australian enough
• Male enough
• Female enough
• Trans enough
• Straight enough
• Gay enough
• Important enough
• Followed enough and the list goes on.

Don't let anyone ever sell you this message because it is absolutely 100% fucking bullshit!

(yep swear jar)

 

You are brilliantly "You Enough" and that is all you ever have to be!

 

At this point I'll get off my soap box and show you what's in my kitchen while you have Donna Summer and Barbara Streisand singing in your head....enough is enough!

 

And by the way, this isn't a licence to be horrible or be a bully and claim you are just being yourself.....nice try! 

In My Kitchen.....
.....is not quite a cornucopia but the makings of a ratatouille from the garden. It is remarkable what remembering to water can achieve.

 

In My Kitchen....

...are some addictive zucchini pickles that I found on Lorraine's blog Not Quite Nigella. I do get a little buzz when I type a recipe into Google and the results come up with some of the IMK gang.

 

With zucchini being something I can grow well there will be many more batches, I used malt vinegar as that was what was in the cupboard and reduced the sugar as well you know I am sweet enough apparently....apart from the swearing before, sorry about that it's my first and last F word. 

My lunches have been pickles on sourdough and blue goat cheese...I have usually eaten it by 9.30am

In My Kicthen....
....is the joy of the blogging community brought to life.

The incredible (flirty) Celia sent me some of her sour dough starter Priscilla as I'm sure many reading this would have also received.

 

I was instructed that she had to have a glamorous name and so she was christened Conciabatta and we all know everything I do has to have a Eurovision connection.

Check out my Conchita Wurst Christmas angel....   

What was the most wonderful part of this process was that Celia held my and others hands through the birthing process and followed along on twitter to see how the loaves were progressing.

There was a real sense of community with the baking of these loaves and a great connection with people that have may have only met on social media.

Thank you Celia, I am not off the sour dough killer register yet but I know I am off to a great start..er...see what I did there!

 

 

 

 

 

From the first loaves to panettone, nothing like a bit of a challenge.....

Then Conciabatta moved onto oliebollen for new years and a sneak peak at Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 which will come to you live from Vienna!


In My Kitchen....
....is a wonderful Christmas sized block of cheese from the farmer's market. If he brings cheese, then yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus!!

I'll be bringing you a lot more recipes this year developed with the delectable produce on offer at my local farmers market. I'm not on their payroll so they aren't sponsored posts but they could always pay me in cheese......though how does one declare cheese on their tax???

 

 

In My Kitchen.....

.....is probably the reason for my earlier rant, over the Christmas break I became older and wiser!

 

Yep, I hit 40!

 

My philosophy about age is that if the number doesn't get bigger it's because you are dead, so bring on the numbers!

 

I love that at 1 day old I was already expressing my opinion so clearly!

 

The Darling AB assisted with the recreation and had the pearls of wisdom when I complained I didn't know how to make the face..."well you've done it before!"

 

You may not believe that I didn't take a picture of my cake, but it's one I've already blogged so that is my excuse.

 

Thanks to Faye who tweeted a photo of the wonderful celebration with friends and family who I am very blessed and grateful to have in my life.

 

@dbtsauce @botherambo Scrumptious & the cake was delicious too! pic.twitter.com/ql5GdGhg8I
— Faye Simpson (@Notfayzed) December 26, 2014

Some festive face fun....that sounds worse than it is!

Hope you all have a safe and happy break and look forward to this new year together...

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen, I hope I wasn't too ranty? If you're reading this now it must be ok...

Thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the monthly In My Kitchen, check out the other kitchens

In My Kitchen - November 2014

Now that spring has sprung, it is mostly my backyard that is In My Kitchen this month.

 

In My Kitchen...

...is the promise of future pies, jams, and sauces as the first signs of this year's apple crop develops.

 

In My Kitchen...
...is the excitement with the possibility of fresh sun kissed strawberries of an afternoon and the reality of knowing that most likely the bloody birds will get to them before I get home!

 

In My Kitchen...
...is a weird sense of the seasons as I have Brussels sprouts growing!

 

In My Kitchen...
...is a lovely head of broccoli that was hiding under taller plants, which is maybe why it hadn't sprouted before I had the chance to pick it, which is my normal trick with broccoli.

 

In My Kitchen...

...Is a green cauliflower just poking through the leaves waiting to grow up to be covered in cheese sauce. We all have dreams!

In My Kitchen...
...is something purple, what a surprise! I think it might be another cauliflower but I've actually forgotten what it is!

 

In My Kitchen...
...is a hipster's paradise with a tonne of kale!
I just love it and am so proud of my little crop, if there is a world disaster at least I know I could feed myself on kale.

 

In My Kitchen...
....are some crabs I got from the farmers market. I was thrilled to find seafood this week at the market. While I can normally get the most plump, sweet and juicy mussels ever, I had been missing a variety of seafood. These little darlings found a home dressing some asparagus in a crab sauce.

 

In My Kitchen...
...is a new home for my cake tins, which is a little fuller now than when the photo was taken.
You can never have too many cake tins right???

 

In My Kitchen...
....soon to be framed are some Tom Hovey prints from The Great British Bake Off,  just to add to my  Bake Off obsession.

In My Kitchen...
....is the product of my Bake Off  #Lets_get_technical "training".
AB's parents were arriving home from a trip and AB asked, if I was going to the shops, could I pick them up a loaf and some milk.
My response was "how long is the flight?.....2.5 hours? I'll make the bread"

 

In My Kitchen...

...is the memory of a wonderful night at the Spice Journey wrap party at Maha* with another blogging friend Carly Findlay from Tune into Radio Carly. I still reminisce about the zucchini flowers!

Another highlight was the pumpkin Turkish delight which on the way back to the car AB did announce "You need to learn how to do that pumpkin Turkish delight.....and you could do a steamed custard bun version".....um ok then!

*not my client

 Carly Findlay, Shane Delia and I.

Shane is the handsome bald bloke, no, the one in the middle, not on the right, easy mistake!

 

In My Kitchen...

...is a shameless plug and a "note from home" as to why I may not have been as active here of late.

Terminal Three is a Eurovision show I do with Matt and Fraser and we post a new show Sunday nights. You can subscribe at YouTube, completely free of charge!

Thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the monthly In My Kitchen, check out the other kitchens

In My Kitchen - August 2014

I'm back In My Kitchen with a post that's short and sweet but could this be in the new Shane, Manu or Miguel???

Maybe more Gordon.......I did need the swear jar once!



More saucy than Fifty Shades of Grey!

 

Thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the monthly In My Kitchen, check out the other kitchens. 

In My Kitchen - June

Maybe I'm getting old but I think I have to start another In My Kitchen post with has it really been another month already??

 

At least it's not just me as when AB asked what I was writing he responded with "but didn't you just do that?"

 

Ok so that's how many sleeps till Christmas I hear you ask??????

 

In My Kitchen.......

......is an epic purchase fail!

 

I had people over dinner but didn't have a menu planned so it evolved while shopping.....the best plan.

 

Dessert ended up as pandan ice cream with kaffir lime and coconut cake and chilli almond praline just to ensure every course had chilli!

 

I spied these coconut flakes and thought they would be a great addition to the cake for a garnish with height. 

One slight problem, I believed they would be crisp like a chip but no old wood shavings is probably a more accurate description!

 

I then soaked them in water thinking they might soften like a shitake mushroom which I thought could still work, but no, nothing changed.

 

So has anyone used them and what on earth do you do with them??? Potpourri??

 





 

Recipes for both will be coming soon

 

The cake was inspired by a bay cake I saw a while ago, I think from someone in the In My Kitchen gang.

 
In My Kitchen.....
.....are some cute little radishes that are not only delicious but so easy to grow they will be a permanent addition to my garden.

 

In My Kitchen....

.....is a braided loaf I made as part of the Sunday Bake Club "inspired by another member" week thanks to Paul for his instructions. Now that we have done 4 braids, I think 6 should be the next adventure! Do I hear 8?

 

 

 

 

 In My Kitchen, and to be honest everywhere I go...
....Is a pedometer as part of the Global Corporate Challenge. I am not a competitive person I just have to win!!

It has actually been really enjoyable finding little ways to add more steps each day, especially that 30 minutes of fresh air in the middle of the day.

I had a goal yesterday to get to 40K so after walking over 10km I didn't know if I needed to lay naked in a vat of cake batter or call an intensive care ambulance!

The pedometer froze and stoped counting steps for about 1.5 hours before I noticed.....annoyed is not the word!!

I suspect they are not the most top quality/accurate item, has anyone got a Fitbit or the Nike version?
What are your thoughts?

Don't worry I didn't lie in the cake batter but I did make muffins......pants on I promise!!

 

 

Thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the monthly In My Kitchen, check out the other kitchens.  

In My Kitchen - May

May is the most beautiful month of the year because it's Eurovision month.

While currently all things in my life are solely focused on The Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 I thought I could still squeeze in a mini in my kitchen.....referring to the size of the post for "In My Kitchen" and not my ability to wear a tiny skirt. (I'm pants all the way unless there is cash involved and then we can talk.....)

Ok moving right along before it is obvious that my balance of sleep and quantity coffee isn't quite in harmony this morning.

In My Kitchen....
....are my latest cookbook purchases and a bonus.

To continue my all things Bake Off obsession the latest from John Whaites and Mary-Anne Boermans which after the Chow Down to Eurovision I will try and cook my way through, just so that there are no recipes that feel left out

The Stephanie Alexander was a free gift with a magazine subscription (though it was cooks companion that was advertised but mag shop has never been known for their reliability*) *in my experience

If anyone knows next week's lotto numbers can you let me know?
I need to have so many more hours to just read, learn and cook......I'm sure you are all with me on that!

 

 

In My Kitchen...

....is a range of Italian products I am very fond of and am surprised I haven't shared with you before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 If you hadn't guessed by now they are all fridge magnets!

 

They are my most prized possessions from my trips to Italy, but they are not available everywhere or exactly cheap like the mass produced souvenirs.

 

I have only found them at the airport, and a couple of shops near Fontana di Trevi.

I look forward to my collection increasing...soon I hope!



We even have a Dutch addition when I went all Tonia Todman and made one myself from a packet saved (not stolen) from a hotel breakfast buffet in Amsterdam.

 

OK so you can't escape my kitchen Eurovision free.........

 

In My Kitchen....

...is a podcast interview I did for Eurovision Canada. It was great fun and they have done a wonderful job putting it together. #Spoiler alert they do play snippets of this year's songs

The podcast is available on iTunes or on their website.

 

I was going for devouring the cookbooks but I look a little more like back off these are mine!

I guess Fabio is safe in his job......for now anyway!



Thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the monthly In My Kitchen, dont forget to check out the other kitchens and say HI.