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Saturday, 1 November 2014

In My Kitchen November 2014

Yep October was another hectic month in the Pickings household.  And here we are about to drive off to Sydney for a few days so I am hurriedly throwing up an In My Kitchen post just before we go!  I got some lovely things for my kitchen in October and hopefully I will pick up something special on our trip down south for the next In My Kitchen.  So let's join in with Celia from Fig Jam & Lime Cordial again and show off all our kitchen goodies.


another cookbook to try out plus Tassie oil and assorted yummies

I love this Tassie peanut butter, and my new Spode plate!

Had never heard of lychee balsamic before!
another cute primary school cookbook collection-love it!


I really love these wonderful community cookbooks.  It is like having your mum or grandmum in your kitchen giving you her recipes and advice.  Something very heart-warming about them.  You can see a few Tasmanian items here; sadly not because I have been there lately but due to me ordering from Bruny Island Cheese Co.  They have such gorgeous stuff. And they even mail cheese to hot and humid Queensland!
The peanut butter is seriously good eating.  Nutty and full of flavour; the roasting obviously gives it an extra flavour boost.  I had to try the cultured butter as I had heard good things.  To be honest, it didn't thrill me.  It seemed to have a really odd tang to it.  I have tried other cultured butters and really enjoyed them so I am not sure why this one didn't appeal.
You can see I bought Murray River salt and a hand-picked Tassie salt.  Silly me forgetting I had also recently bought some Maldon sea salt.  Oh well, I am prepared for the next 12 months!  I bought some very garlicky and wonderful aioli at the Good Food & Wine Show.  I get annoyed when they whimp out on the garlic, so this was a delightful surprise.  What haven't I mentioned?  Oh yes- the vanilla bean paste.  Can't wait to try that one.  I do make my own vanilla extract but the paste just has that little bit of extra oomph.
Well, hope to see you all at Celia's (virtual) place this month.   It is such a fun event, and I look forward to sharing everybody's kitchen each and every month.  See you there!


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42 comments:

  1. Milk and Honey1 November 2014 at 15:41

    Oh boy, what delicious goodies. I'm loving the sound of the peanut butter (pb being a particular weakness of mine). Looks like your set for salt for the next little while LOL! I do that sort of thing all the time. (Five jars of Dijon mustard in my pantry at the moment!)

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    1. Sherry's Pickings1 November 2014 at 21:09

      ah that's funny. 5 jars of mustard:) I have just made a new batch so we have quite a few jars around too.

      Delete
  2. Rachel (Rachel's Kitchen NZ)1 November 2014 at 15:42

    That lychee balsamic is interesting Sherry.

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    1. Sherry's Pickings1 November 2014 at 21:08

      i know rachel. sounds intriguing. i will have to find out how it tasted from the friend i gave it to.

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  3. Anonymous1 November 2014 at 16:27

    Hi Sherry, the Lychee Balsamic is new to me too. You will have to tell us what it is like.

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    1. Sherry's Pickings1 November 2014 at 19:39

      I gave it to a friend so I will ask her. It sounds really fascinating.

      Delete
  4. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef1 November 2014 at 23:33

    I LOVE community cookbooks because the recipes are always family tested, often for generations. No surprises there. Let us know how that balsamic is and what you do with it? Have a great time in Sydney!

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    1. Sherry's Pickings2 November 2014 at 08:33

      Hi Maureen
      Sounds like it will be hot in Sydney too. Eek.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous2 November 2014 at 15:56

    The spode plate looks gorgeous.

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  6. Joanne T Ferguson2 November 2014 at 16:17

    G'day! Love your Spode plate and one can never have too many cookbooks!
    Love tassie produce too! Thanks for this month's kitchen view also!
    Cheers! Joanne

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    1. Sherry's Pickings5 November 2014 at 02:59

      Hi Joanne
      Thanks for visiting. We must get down to Tassie soon. Haven't been for a few years. Love it down there.

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  7. Kirsty2 November 2014 at 19:14

    Sherry, what a fabulous haul indeed. You mentioned you make your own vanilla extract. I would love to know your recipe. I am running short at the moment and would love to try my hand at making it, rather than forking out for a little plastic bottle of it. xx Kirsty

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    1. Sherry's Pickings5 November 2014 at 03:18

      Hi kirsty
      Basically you soak a few vanilla beans in some sort of hard liquor like vodka for several weeks then decant it. It is not thick and sweet like the extracts you can buy but it is very vanilla-y and nice to know you have made it yourself I think I put up a post about it so you could check in my search button:))

      Delete
  8. Tania @My Kitchen Stories3 November 2014 at 21:08

    Hope you have a great time in Sydney. I really don't like the look of threat balsami, the colour of the bottle looks like it's hand lotion. I am a bit of a balsamic purist!. There is nothing like great recipes handed down.

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    1. Sherry's Pickings5 November 2014 at 03:22

      Hi Tania
      I know lychee balsamic sounds odd but here's hoping...:). I am enjoying the school cookbooks - so much love in them!

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  9. Anonymous3 November 2014 at 21:30

    Lychee balsamic sounds fabulous!
    Have a wonderful trip.
    ;-) Mandy xo

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    1. Sherry's Pickings5 November 2014 at 02:57

      Thanks Mandy. We are having a fun time. So much to see in Sydney.

      Delete
  10. Nancy @ Plus Ate Six3 November 2014 at 22:53

    I wonder if the lychee balsamic vinegar would be nice in a cocktail? I bet it would! That's a beautiful spode plate.

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    1. Sherry's Pickings5 November 2014 at 02:55

      Hi Nancy
      I really like the plate. It has such a soft blue colour. I gave the balsamic to a friend. I must ask her for a report.

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  11. Unknown4 November 2014 at 10:58

    Lychee balsamic sounds very interesting. I have used other fruit flavors but this is new to me. The peanut butter also sounds great, that is one of my favorite things!

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    1. Sherry's Pickings5 November 2014 at 08:45

      Hi gretchen
      I hope my friend likes the balsamic. And yes the PB is great. Full of flavour.

      Delete
  12. Joanne T Ferguson4 November 2014 at 17:03

    G'day! I left a comment the other day, but don't seem to see it...never heard of that balsamic, so thanks for allowing me to learn something new!
    One can never have too many cookbooks, eh? Thanks for this month's kitchen view also!
    Cheers! Joanne

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    1. Sherry's Pickings4 November 2014 at 17:54

      Thanks Joanne. Am on hols so being very slack social media-wise.

      Delete
  13. Tandy | Lavender and Lime (http://tandysinclair.com)4 November 2014 at 19:22

    Safe travels, and thanks for the peek into your kitchen this month :)

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    1. Sherry's Pickings5 November 2014 at 08:26

      Thanks Tandy. We are having a fine time in Sydney. There is so much to see and do. We are like country bumpkins!

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  14. Hotly Spiced5 November 2014 at 19:38

    You certainly do have some wonderful things. I do love the butter and I agree community cookbooks are a great investment. I hope you had a great time in Sydney xx

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    1. Sherry's Pickings5 November 2014 at 19:41

      Having a great time in Sydney thanks Charlie. Went to east coast lounge today on your advice. Was great.

      Delete
  15. celia6 November 2014 at 09:43

    Sherry, that Tassie peanut butter looks amazing! I like the Pepe Saya butter, but I've had friends who've had mixed experiences with it - we buy it direct from the factory, but it has a short shelf life and tends to go a bit funny if it's not stored properly by the retailer. Is the Buderim book filled with ginger recipes? :)

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    1. Sherry's Pickings6 November 2014 at 19:42

      Hi Celia
      The buderim book is recipes from the local community but not any ginger recipes😃. Perhaps the butter wasn't stored properly. It tasted a wee bit weird.

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  16. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella8 November 2014 at 21:33

    I quite like cultured butter to be honest I love salted butter the best :D The peanut butter looks fantastic!

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    1. Sherry's Pickings8 November 2014 at 22:30

      The PB is great stuff. I have to agree I love salted butter. Unsalted just never tastes right. :)

      Delete
  17. Kim | a little lunch11 November 2014 at 01:21

    Sherry, for a 'hurry up' post, I'd never know it. Your photos are chock full of goodies! (Mine, not so much this month, lol!) Thanks for sharing your IMK treasures, many of them 'new to me.' Fun!

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    1. Sherry's Pickings11 November 2014 at 11:37

      hi kim
      my secret is that i take photos of my new goodies along the way so at the start of the new month they are all ready to go!

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  18. Anonymous11 November 2014 at 06:31

    Sherry love your spode plate as it reminds me of tiered cake stand that my mother had. Lychee balsamic sounds interesting. Enjoy your few days away. :)

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    1. Sherry's Pickings11 November 2014 at 11:39

      yes it is a lovely plate. i have always liked blue! i will ask my friend about the balsamic, and see if she recommends it. (it was a gift to her so i didn't get to try it).

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  19. Emily13 November 2014 at 05:34

    Hi Sherry! Lychee Balsamic Vinegar sounds awesome, you have to let me know how that tastes! Thanks for sharing. :)

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    1. Sherry's Pickings13 November 2014 at 13:00

      hi emily
      i gave it to a friend who has used it as a salad dressing and on strawberries. she said it is fab!

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  20. The Mother Hubbard's Cupboard23 November 2014 at 22:24

    Nice kitchen this month!!!! How good is peeps cultured butter, it makes the very best caramel :-) thanks for sharing! Liz x

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    1. Sherry's Pickings24 November 2014 at 11:41

      hi liz
      thanks for dropping by. can't believe it is nearly time for the next IMK:)

      Delete
  21. Sandy28 November 2014 at 19:12

    Oozing with jealousy that you got to the Good Food & Wine Show - I was meaning to but didn't quite get thee.
    Your Spode plate is especially gorgeous :-)

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  22. Sherry's Pickings29 November 2014 at 13:53

    thanks sandy. i do love that plate:)

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