discovering a simpiler life

discovering a simpiler life

Friday 5 June 2015

In my kitchen ~ June 2015

It's June....and that means winter here and my goodness it has been cold.  It's mid afternoon as I type this and it's 6c (42f), the heating is on and if Coco the cat gets any closer I think she might get singed.  It's also time for In my kitchen where I hook up with 
Celia from Fig Jam and Lime cordial along with hundreds of other food obsessed bloggers from around the world.  If you love to see what's in other peoples kitchens, pop over to Celia's blog and get stalking!
Lots of lovely things have been happening in my kitchen this month.  
So grab a cuppa or a wine and settle in cause here we go.....

I made these grissini sticks that have been eaten up with slices of salami and into my daughters lunchbox.  
Our Granny Smith apple tree is almost at the end of its production so I whipped up some crumbles for the freezer - perfect fodder for this bitter winter that's hit.
Seeing as we have been doing lots of preserving, especially our tomato passata, I ordered these nifty jar tongs off ebay and they are awesome.
We are at the end of what was a bumper chilli crop this year.  Mr.GW makes chilli sauce and pickled chillis with these.  I think he has enough jars for 2 years instead of one!
I was given this jar of raw honey from a friend awhile ago.  I finally used it this month in banana muffins.
My baby Kromilla has been getting a workout - lots of baby meringues and meringue nests and a few breads....
This delicious bacon and cheese ring braid was dished up with soup and not a crumb was left.

A friend had me care for her beloved 15 year old sourdough starters while she was overseas-big responsibility!! But I love the job.  I used the recipe I played with awhile ago, before I killed my starter.  I've got another on the go now and will try my hardest to nurture her for longer this time.
I adapted this recipe for bap rolls - I don't use a bread machine so did the proofing next to the heater - once until the dough had doubled in size (approx. 1 1/2 hours) and then knocked the air out, rolled into 8 rolls and then proofed again for an hour.  They were scoffed straight from the oven with this yummy soup.
This is my tomato passata served as soup with a poached egg, crispy bacon and cheese - perfect Sunday night dinner.
I played with ricotta gnocchi and marvelled at the ease of the recipe compared with the potato kind.  I like to have it with a simple sauce and a big leafy salad freshly picked from the garden.
And lastly, we've been pickling our olives and I can hardly wait to crack them open.
So that's me....thanks for stopping by and if you leave a comment I will pop over and see what's been happening in your kitchen.  

Ciao, Jan x

31 comments :

  1. Oh Jan, that looks all so yummy!!! I finally have a sourdough starter going and gave hubby instructions on how to feed it when I'm away at work. Fingers crossed!

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    1. I hope you do well with your sour dough Frances - it's so worth the effort! x

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  2. I can't wait to try your chilli sauce Jan! And everything looks so warming and delicious in your kitchen right now :D

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    1. You must let me know what you think of it Lorraine...I've got your dumplings bookmarked to make very soon!! x

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  3. Your kitchen has been in full swing, might have to check out those bread rolls....I have attempted a sourdough starter twice and failed and then Celia sent me some starter and again I failed...summer didn't help I don't think and I agree I think it was a big responsibility to mind your friend's 15 year old starter ....like a human being. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

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    1. Your hamburger rolls look great too Kathy, I've saved that recipe to try this month. Bummer about the sour dough but maybe it's just not the bread for you. I'm still making the no knead one with awesome results and it's so, so easy xxx

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  4. love seeing what you get up to with your cooking, always so interesting. loved the rose plate set there with the soup too, gorgeous!
    & no, i don't cook, just the basics here, simple
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Thanks so much Selina, I'm a bit in love with my new pre-loved dinner set, I love using pretty plates :)

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  5. Fabulous! Love the look of those bap rolls

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  6. Jan, I opted for a glass of wine at your suggestion ;) and sipped and savored my way through your entire post -- so much goodness going on in your kitchen! Your tomato soup with poached egg, bacon, & cheese sounds like a wonderful meal to ward off the cold, and all of the bread baking you've accomplished surely must keep your kitchen cozy. Thanks for the lovely read.

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    1. cheers Kim!! The tomato soup is so simple but ticks all the boxes, thanks for stopping by and look forward to seeing how things in your kitchen are coming along. xxx

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  7. Everything you make looks absolutely scrumptious, Jan. It's hard to believe you're going into winter as we head into summer. We had temps as low as -12F this winter so the warming sun feels wonderful. I can certainly see why you're cooking up soup and breads. Enjoy the season.

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    1. Oh you are sweet Susan, thank you :) You make the most of the sunshine, I can't imagine living with those minus temperatures!! Brrrr that's super duper cold xxx

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  8. Hi Jan, I've tried commenting on my tablet but your Captcha won't co-operate :( I'm starving after having read this post. And thanks for the reminder to go and check on my chillies! Hope it doesn't get much colder (and hopefully using my mobile to comment works) xx Tandy

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    1. It worked!! Technology miss behaves sometimes doesn't it!! Thanks for stopping by, hope your get a bumper chilli crop too. Jan xxx

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  9. I'm away for 6 weeks in the summer and I'm leaving Rich with instructions on how to feed Lucy - I'm not expecting her to survive though! How long do you leave your olives to pickle for? Sorry it's so cold - if it's any consolation, it's hot and humid here and hasn't stopped raining for the last 48 hours.

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    1. I hope Rich proves you wrong, you might come home to him in an apron nursing sourdough!!! The olives take between 4-8 weeks - first brine is for 4 weeks then you check them and change the brine to less salt until they are ready. xxx

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  10. Yes to apple crumble and the like. I always have a stash of these types of things to surprise Mr Tiffin. I'm not sure why he's surprised, but he always is... As for the bacon and cheese ring. Shut up! That looks so good.

    Always interesting to see what's happening xxx

    ps: is that smoke I can smell from Coco's whiskers?

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  11. It took me quite a few minutes Jan to read through your IMK post this month, as I kept linking off to your scrumptious recipes! That bacon and cheese braid bread looks utterly divine, and so adaptable! A little more full bodied than the local chain bakery stores offering. Ya-ummm. Oh and your ricotta based gnocchi looks really interesting! I must say I have always steered away from standard potato based gnocchi being a little too stodgy for my liking, but your ricotta one sounds right up my alley and little lighter. I do love ricotta. I've bookmarked both recipes for later consumption! cheers and thanks, Kirsty xx

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    1. Oh that's kind of you Kirsty!! I hope you have great results with all of them xxx

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  12. Those apple crumbles look divine. What a great idea to make ahead and freeze! I want to eat that bacon and cheese ring braid! I can imagine how easily it was scarfed down!

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    1. It's great to have those crumbles at hand - especially for unexpected visitors :) And yes, lots of scoffing done here Maggie! X

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  13. what a fab lot of things in your kitchen. i really enjoyed pickling my own olives this year. and my neighbour had heaps of chillies and gave them to me so i have a freezer full. keep warm.

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    1. Thanks so much Sherry, I'm really looking forward to the olives this year xxx

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  14. the grissini sticks will be a hit with the boys...and crumbles - perfect for after sports nights, when they are starving and looking for something sweet after dinner! x

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    1. Sadly the crumbles are all gone :( Hope your boys like the grissini Monique x

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  15. Jan, your sourdough looks amazing!! And we used to bake grissini too, only when our boys were little, we called them "grizzle sticks", because they helped to stop the hungry grizzles. We have a pair of the jar lifters as well - aren't they a godsend! We used to burn ourselves stupid trying to get hot jars out of the boiling water! :)

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    1. Oh thanks Celia!! That is a different 'recipe' to yours. I've now made that one a 100% hydration starter and have been having success with your overnight sour dough recipe - your bread section on your blog has been fabulous so thank you for all your work and inspiration :) x

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  16. so much lovely baking! I have a jar lifter too, so handy for water bathing!

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    1. Thanks Cate :) aren't the lifters fab! Thanks for stopping by x

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