Thursday 1 November 2018

In My Kitchen - November 2018

November you say?  No, not possible.  But yes, Christmas stuff has been up in the stores for weeks, along with Halloween things.  Mind-boggling really.  Now don't get mad at me if I tell you this.  The other day, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman dressed in a beige burqa.  That was a surprise - I'd never seen a burqa other than in black.  For a nano second, all I saw were these big black eye holes, and my brain said 'Trick or treat!'  But hey that's just my crazy old Halloween-inflamed brain.  Anyway, moving on ...

October has sped past, and I bet you're all feeling that the year is flying by like greased lightning.  But I absolutely refuse to panic about Christmas this year.  Hubby and I have decided to do a Grinch, and just let it slide on by without us.  Hopefully it won't be like that movie with the Krank's, where they decide they have to do Christmas right at the very last minute, with panic ensuing.  Nuh uh, not these little black ducks.


In My Kitchen:




local chutney from the tiny village of Clunes 


Clunes is a tiny village in the Northern Rivers hinterland.  It has the most fabulous corner store, which sells pretty much everything including booze.  I picked up this beaut local chutney a while ago - good on everything.



unique chocs from Byron Bay

Salted roast pistachio is such an unusual taste.  I really enjoyed this interesting flavour.  But sadly, I can't remember what the pink ones were.  Delicious anyway.



local olive oil

Have I put this up on a previous IMK?  No matter.  I bought it last year and thought it was ok; this year I loved it.  Just a good crop, I suppose.  A wonderfully aromatic and grassy oil.  I love trying new oils, so my pantry usually has half a dozen different bottles.    
  


yep another cookbook

I really enjoy the sense of community and history that you find in local cookbooks.  This is one put together by the Emmanuel Anglican College in Ballina.  Recipes came from the families of the school, along with their stories.  You may see a dish or two on the blog soon.



another Clarice Cliff piece

I bought this small platter in the Janice Rose pattern at an eclectic little shop in Brunswick Heads last month.  I have a few pieces now, even though my cupboards are bursting.  No more, Sherry:=)
  


decoration for my strawberry blondies

These looked so pretty on top of the strawberry blondies that I made last week.  It had to be pink, as it was in aid of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  Blog post coming up soon.



yuzu kosho

As you can see, this is a mix of yuzu and green chillies, yuzu being a Japanese citrus fruit as I'm sure you know:=)  Great in stir-fries.  I've got a bit of a Japanese thing going on at the moment.  I just love trying out new items, even when I don't know what they are.  Which is all the time really, as I can't read the script.

October was busy and I know November will be busier.  Keep your heads above water, my friends, and let it all flow around you.  Or just grab a bottle of gin and let rip.



Here come the options for adding your IMK posts.  In order for me to add your posts (i.e. if you prefer that I do it), I must have your email address.  Inlinkz now demands one!  I used to be able to leave it blank, but no more.  I am happy to do this for you, but just let me know and leave your email address too.


1. Adding via the link button at the bottom of this post.  Instructions can be found on the sidebar of this page,   under Add your IMK link


2. Comment on this post, providing a link to your post so I     can add it to the linky list below


3. Email me: sherrym1au@gmail.com, with your link or any queries about the link process
  



I would loooove to see your posts my friends, so please add yours by 5pm on 13th November at the latest.


   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   





                      

Sherrys Pickings

44 comments:

  1. Your yuzu spice combo is intriguing. I keep hearing about yuzu and hoping I will get a chance to taste it. I love every other citrus flavor I've tried.

    My October wrap-up is done, along with a bit of Halloween. I'm thinking nonstop about the terrible situation, especially for all minorities, in our country, but I just can't find any way to write about it. I just hope our election next week will help stop the madness and bigotry.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. thanks for being first again Mae. such a pleasure to have you here. good luck with the election. cheers sherry

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    2. I hope things improve in your country next election, Mae, with regard to bigotry, racism and the situation regarding minority groups. Sadly, some of those white supremacist notions are spilling over from the USA to Australia. Difficult times.

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    3. scary isn't it how prejudice is still so prevalent?

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  2. Love your food collection Sherry! Michaela xx

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    1. thanks michaela. glad you dropped by:) cheers S x

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  3. Oh Sherry,
    You crack me up - love your sense of humour.
    Great idea in letting Christmas pass you by. I will be doing the same here in Canada. Never feels like Christmas here to this kiwi girl, even after living here for many years. Really miss my Christmas at the beach !! Love your collection of goodies, especially the chutney. I was able to buy quince for chutney this past summer, and now a friend generously gave me a bag of persimmons. I will freeze these for now, and make a chutney later on. Can you buy persimmons in Aussie land? Ann added note. It's Halloween night here, and the fireworks are going nearly non-stop!!! Money going up in smoke!!
    Bye bye for now.

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    1. thanks yvonne. very kind of you to say. it's funny isn't it? how we get so used to a particular kind of xmas. i want prawns and champers and salads and to drink rosé. yes we can buy persimmons here. we actually have a tree in our backyard not that it fruits much lately anymore. happy halloween to you! and thanks for dropping by. cheers S

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  4. Interesting haul Sherry, I particularly like the yuzu kosho and have had that on some dishes and it adds a lot of flavour.

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    1. Yes I love a bit of citrus 🍊 on my food:)

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    2. Lorraine, it might be my "internet ineptness" :) but I couldn't find a comment section on your blog so I'm replying here -- sorry to intrude, Sherry. Your Mandarin Delicious dessert does indeed look delicious. Thanks for the recipe! I also enjoyed your thoughts on the tea you recommended. It's getting cold here and my thoughts oft turn to tea.

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    3. Hi kim
      I’ve passed on your message to Lorraine today. She’s here in brissie for a few days!

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  5. I love Yuzu so the idea of Yuzu with Chilli sounds wonderful. We hope to go to Japan next year. Re: Christmas, we are a bit the same. I think I have mentioned that we are going to Tassie for Christmas and that suits us fine. Don't tell anyone but I gave away the Christmas tree earlier in the year as we hadn't put it up since the kids were little...

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    1. you're making me jealous. i wanna go to japan!! stamps foot. yes tassie will be fab at xmas. you will meet all your brissie friends down there:) there is always a massive exodus from here to there and you only seem to meet fellow brisbanites at xmas..yes we are getting rid of our tree too. ssshh....

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  6. Here we're getting ready for Thanksgiving which officially marks the holiday season for me. I always love to see the things in your kitchen, Sherry. Try one of those chocolates and see what they are!

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    1. hi debra
      the chocs are long swallowed and i can't remember what they were at all:) must have been good tho. happy halloween and thanksgiving. cheers sherry

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  7. You have some very interesting products in you kitchen this month but I especially like your pretty platter.

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  8. I love Yuzu so that little jar sounds delicious to me. Isn't it funny, I never even thought of it until you said, that different bottles of olive oil do taste different even if the brand is the same. How funny that it's so obvious but the reason just didn't occur to me

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    1. Hi Lisa
      Yes it’s interesting how the crops can be different each year. Mother Nature is fascinating. Thanks for dropping by. Cheers sherry

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  9. It is that time of year when if you haven't got yourself organised, you know it will be an uphill battle - hope your grinch plans go well :-) Love the sound of your chutney (interesting you have a clunes in queensland - my great-grandfather lived in Clunes in Victoria). I love your pretty purchases from the essential ingredient and that your olive oil tastes so good this year.

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    1. hi johanna
      yes it's funny about clunes. every time i look it up, google brings up the one in victoria. Grinch here we come! thanks for joining in too. cheers S x

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  10. Happy November to you! I'm a huge pistachio fan so I'm very intrigued by those artisan chocolates you got a hold of. And that platter is so sweet, I'm not at all surprised you had to buy it! Hope you have a lovely month, thanks for hosting as always. =)

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    1. thanks Jen. great to have you here. yes i do love that platter. i keep buying stuff even tho my cupboards are groaning. silly me. have a great month yourself:) cheers S

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  11. What fun! I just love buying fun gourmet goodies - especially condiments!

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    1. hi mimi
      i know what you mean. i just can't resist exotic items for the kitchen and pantry even tho i may not use them/need them... but i want them:) cheers S

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  12. I know I would love those chocolates and the chutney. Good luck with forgetting the holidays, we did that last year as we were getting the house ready for sale. If was a great relief not to deal with it. This year I am looking forward to having a tree and decorations again but much scaled down. It was a good experience to concentrate on friends and not the commercial part of the holidays.

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    1. yes i'm tired of going thru the Xmas hula hoop Liz.:) just need to share food and drink with friends and family I reckon. cheers S x

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  13. I love rose petals and have a new recipe I want to try using them. Great collection of local goodies in your kitchen this month :)

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    1. Thanks Tandy! Thank you for joining in. Cheers S

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  14. I sure like the idea of grabbing that gin! It's been hectic already and the stores seem to just push Christmas on us so early. We are definitely relaxing this year.

    This is my second linkup with IMK and i thank you for hosting. It's such a pleasure to see what people have in their homes all over the world.

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    1. hi tina
      lovely to see you here. newbies are always very welcome:-) isn't it fabulous to check out kitchens all over the globe? cheers sherry

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  15. Hi, Sherry! Your kitchen is full of fascinating things and I love the way you write. Such fun! Also loved the labeling on that jar of chutney -- no doubt about what it contains. If only the holidays were that simple, eh? "Expectations" are probably the biggest bugaboo about them and I totally understand your desire to bypass the hoops. We do the same! Have a wonderful un-holiday-ish season. Just linked up!

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  16. Hi kim
    Thanks for dropping by. Lovely to have you here again. Yes i have a sinking feeling that xmas won’t slip by so easily and that i will be dragged down into its rapacious maw, like it or not:). Thanks for linking up. Cheers sherry xxi

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    1. "Rapacious maw" is an entirely apropos description for the upcoming mayhem, Sherry. :) Keep your wits about you, do what feels right to YOU, and above all else ENJOY! Thanks again for hostessing IMK, xo.

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    2. I’m going to try my best kim :)

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  17. No Christmas panic here yet! And hopefully not at all, but time flies... Anyway you have nice stuff there again. It's always nice to find a good oil and those strawberry crispearls look like a lovely baking decoration. I also added my link above. Have a relaxing November!

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    1. hi VH
      thanks for joining us here at IMK. yes the strawb pearls are delicious and cute. very useful for baking. great november to you too. cheers sherry

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  18. Always love seeing whats in your kitchen as its always different to what is in mine. As always thanks for hosting, just linked up.

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    1. Thanks shaheen. A pleasure to have you as always:). Cheers S

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  19. Hi Sherry, yes it's a busy time of year with time passing so quickly. Ive just managed to get this post in right before your deadline. It has been a bit hectic in my neck of the woods. Love the sound of the salted chocolate pistachios and a good chutney is wonderful condiment to have. You can never have enough plates so keep on collecting :)

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    1. oh that's fab moya. so good to see you here for IMK. oh you enabler you:-) i love that crockery so it's hard to say no when i see it lurking in dusty corners in the little shops.

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  20. Still catching up with life. Good to read your post, we must get down to Northern Rivers, it’s been a while

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