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Tuesday, 1 February 2022

In My Kitchen - February 2022

Hello dear foodie friends.  Great to be back, and almost well at long, long last.  I hope you've all had a marvellous festive season.  Ours was incredibly quiet - just me, Mr P. and a chicken sandwich :-)  But that's okay.  We ate, we walked, we took drives and visited a few art galleries.  Very relaxing.  

(I'll just quickly mention that I had a very nasty Anonymous comment before Christmas, decrying my photos and with a mean reference to copyright issues.  As you know, these sorts of comments are moderated and deleted, so it's pretty pointless.  I realise it was just a nasty spammer, so I'm not having a go at the lovely bloggers I know you are!  But just in case he/she is reading this: go away!  You will always be deleted!)


In My Kitchen:


pulling apart garlic heads/bulbs for the freezer

I got around to pulling apart these biodynamic bulbs that I buy online from Patrice Newell's farm.  My freezer is groaning with lots of lovely bags of cloves, ready for use throughout the year.


gorgeously green round bowl

I love this emerald-green Batch Ceramics bowl, given to me by friends as a hurry-up-and-get-well-soon gift.  This really cheered me up.  Thanks, Cooper family.  Oops, no.  I've just remembered it was a Christmas gift.  Still good :-)


a Chrissie gift from hubby

We use a lot of sesame oil in this house, so phooey to those who say: "only use a few drops 'cos it's so strong!"  We like a lot!  I've been using pure black sesame oil for ages, but decided to try this one.  The bottle looks so pretty, don't you think? ...


cute little jug

My cousin sent me this sweet little jug for Christmas.  Love its terracotta bottom, and white overlay.  


and there were pecans ...

A kilo of beautiful farm-fresh pecans from Boyne River Pecans.  They were delightful!  So fresh, and I didn't have to shell them!  Ever tried to shell fresh pecans?  It's a misery I tell you.


and a Tassie tea-towel

The ever-delightful Miss P. the Poet landed on our doorstep for dinner one night from the wilds of Tasmania.  She kindly handed over a tea-towel, knowing of my fetish.  And of course, I love Hobart and I love Salamanca Square.  All that history ...


and there were books ...

I love Stanley Tucci.  Look at those soulful eyes, and his cute round head.  I had no idea he had cancer, so that was a shock towards the end of the book.  And I am excited that Emily Blunt is his sister-in-law.  Love her!  And Dr. Annie Gray - what can I say?  She is a wonder; funny and smart, and writes interesting books.  


and my Christmas mugs

Once again, I gave lots of people mugs with my Christmas designs.  Whether they liked it or not - tee hee.  The printing place does a great job I think.  (Background: Platter by Starr; bronze sculpture by Denise Murray.)


my filtered and bottled Worcester sauce

Here is the end result after two weeks sitting in a nice, dark cupboard to absorb the flavours.  (Not me; if only.)  It's one of my best, says hubby.  Must have been that extra jalapeño :-)


and the wildcard!  Miss P. the Poet showing off dinner

and also Miss P. displaying my homemade berry 'ice cream'

We had a lovely catch-up, and a healthy dinner - baked salmon on couscous salad, plus a dairy-free instant 'ice cream'.  And that slurp of cherry liqueur hit the spot.


Crumbs! I look a bit stupified :-)

And as a final kind of wildcard - here's a bit of a promo for our recent talk.  For anyone on Facebook, you can view the talk Mr P. and I (and our friend Niles) gave at the local Historical Society.  My post is dated 17 January, under my name Sherry Mackay.



Righto, here's the drill.  The link is open from the first of the month to midnight on the thirteenth of the month.  Let me know if you need help with adding your post, or if you would like it added manually by me after the 13th (if you're running late). Here's how to join in:

Options for adding your post to IMK:

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

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

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





In My Kitchen:


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Click here to enter
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64 comments:

  1. Mae Travels1 February 2022 at 01:30

    Great to see you back, Sherry! I hope your health has returned and that you'll be sharing lots more things with us in 2022.

    I'm amazed that you would get such a mean comment, but there are trolls all over the place. Whoever it is must be very dull to think you would publish his rubbish.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings1 February 2022 at 11:15

      thank you Mae. i am feeling much better thanks. yes i was a bit surprised about that comment but i know they are just brainless morons! keep well.

      Delete
  2. Angie's Recipes1 February 2022 at 05:21

    Miss P knows you well :-)) I would love to try that roasted sesame oil too..and yes, the bottle design is nice, so I assume the quality wouldn't be too bad. That green bowl is so lovely.
    I am so glad that you are back to blogging world, Sherry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings1 February 2022 at 11:14

      thanks angie. good to be back! hope your festive season was great.
      cheers
      S

      Delete
  3. Happy Retiree's Kitchen1 February 2022 at 17:47

    Great to read your post Sherry and to know you are much better. My next book will be Stanley Tucci as well, thing he's terrific. I collect tea towels now too, but used to think it was something that only people like my Mum and old Aunts did:) When I get back to my very own kitchen I want to make Worcestershire Sauce too, we love the stuff, and people are charging a fortune for it. Hope I can pull together an IMK before the 13th. What a beautiful green bowl. Your Christmas mugs look very professional.Take care Pauline

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sherry's Pickings2 February 2022 at 14:16

      thanks pauline. what a long haul it has been getting well. I have a huge pile of tea towels but i do use them! looking forward to your (possible) IMK post.
      take care
      S x

      Delete
  4. Bridget Larsen1 February 2022 at 18:34

    I love that worcestershire sauce, is there a link to the recipe? Love the look of that icecream too

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sherry's Pickings2 February 2022 at 13:41

      hi bridget
      yes just type it into the search button and it will bring up the recipe.
      cheers
      S

      Delete
  5. 2pots2cook1 February 2022 at 21:51

    Hello Sherry ! I can totally relate to "shell experience"; we have the same issue here with walnuts. Awful job, indeed !

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ron1 February 2022 at 22:06

    Sherry, it's always a pleasure to see what's in your kitchen and I'm also glad to hear your doing well in your recovery.
    Don't let that troll get to you. It still amazes me that people set around and surf the net looking for bloggers to bash. You know I think most non-bloggers have no idea how much work and love we put into our post and for many of us without any remuneration. I have the same policy on my blog as yours,if your mean, use what I deem not to be G rated language you get deleted. That goes for all. I've gotten my share of mean comments, but I realized that the greatest defense we have against such morons is our delete comment button.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sherry's Pickings2 February 2022 at 15:02

      thank you Ron. i thought i'd never get better! but it's happening. Yes i don't know why trolls bother. that's why we have delete buttons! Just in the middle of a huge summer storm. La Nina is definitely around. keep well!

      Delete
  7. Kitchen Riffs2 February 2022 at 00:57

    Welcome back! And some great stuff in your kitchen. I'm going to have to check out that talk. Re the troll, yuck. I don't get many nasty spammers (most of my spammers post incredibly dumb stuff, and haven't had that many lately), but they do show up from time to time. Weird way to get one's jollies. Anyway, glad to see you posting again, and glad you're getting healthy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings2 February 2022 at 15:02

      thanks KR. Yes please do have a listen :) Keep well.

      Delete
  8. judi graber2 February 2022 at 04:00

    Stanley Tucci is also a good actor - he played Julia Child's husband in a movie about Julia. I watched an interview with him about the movie (forgot the name) on a Cherry Bombe zoom discussion. I have one of his cookbooks :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sherry's Pickings2 February 2022 at 15:04

      yes he is indeed a good actor. and yes i saw that movie. Worth a read of his book.

      Delete
  9. Nil @ The Little House by the Lake2 February 2022 at 07:57

    I didn't know that you could freeze garlic.

    Thank you for the tip, Sherry!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings2 February 2022 at 15:03

      you are welcome Nil. yes it keeps for ages! I don't even take the skin off.

      Delete
    2. sillygirl4 February 2022 at 01:18

      Wow - I have always taken the skin off before freezing - a fiddly job. Why didn't I realize that isn't necessary - they will easily come off when you take them out of the freezer to use! Live and learn!

      Delete
    3. Sherry's Pickings4 February 2022 at 09:15

      yes indeed. no need to pre-skin 'em! it slips off readily when out of the freezer. cheers S

      Delete
  10. mjskit3 February 2022 at 12:44

    Welcome back Sherry! It's good to see you and hear you had a great holiday. Lovely items in the kitchen. Love the ceramics, the garlic is amazing (wish I could grow garlic like that), and you make your own worchestshire sauce. I'm impressed!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sherry's Pickings3 February 2022 at 13:22

      thanks MJ. Good to be back. I tried to grow garlic once but i think it's too hot and humid here in sunny QLD. thank goodness for online shopping and the farms that grow it.

      Delete
  11. David Scott Allen3 February 2022 at 15:00

    I always love seeing what’s in your kitchen every month, and… more than that, I love seeing you back! Glad you were almost fully well. Ceramics this month are beautiful, but the sesame oil is what really caught my eye! And I’m totally with you… a few drops just doesn’t do it. I love the flavor, and we use it quite often.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings3 February 2022 at 15:57

      thank you david. yes to lots of sesame oil! keep well.

      Delete
  12. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella3 February 2022 at 16:09

    Some lovely purchases there Sherry! What an interesting looking sesame oil!

    ReplyDelete
  13. David @ Spicedblog.com3 February 2022 at 22:43

    Oh I have so many thoughts here, Sherry! First off, that green bowl - I love it! The deep color is quite alluring. Homemade Worcestershire sauce? Say what!? I need that! And those Christmas mugs are so festive and fun. Perfect for the season! And that troll? I get them on my site on occasion, too. They get marked as spam - I don't put up with any of that nonsense. Some people... Glad you are on the road to recovery, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sherry's Pickings4 February 2022 at 09:12

      isn't it a great colour? thanks. i'm finally getting there. what a long and painful time it has been, tho.

      Delete
  14. Jean | DelightfulRepast.com4 February 2022 at 02:00

    Sherry, pay those spammy commenters no mind. Sometimes they haven't even looked at the post, they just have a "stock" nasty comment that place on as many blogs as they can. I love your In My Kitchen posts (and now know not to link because I don't do a specific IMK post). Glad you're almost well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings4 February 2022 at 09:13

      true jean but it's so annoying. how dumb are they to even bother?! thanks for your kind comment. I'd love to have an IMK post from you...

      Delete
  15. The-FoodTrotter4 February 2022 at 03:20

    Well I must say that I'm quite surprised by Stanley Tucci cooking book, but I'm very curious :) I hope you had a great and festive time

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings4 February 2022 at 09:13

      this is actually a memoir but he has written 2 cookbooks as well!

      Delete
  16. Abbe@This is How I Cook4 February 2022 at 03:55

    I just love what you have in your kitchen! And you are looking so well. Now what I would do for that homemade bottle of worcestershire!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings4 February 2022 at 09:14

      thanks muchly abbe. i am feeling tons better. yes i am a bit proud of my Worcester sauce!

      Delete
  17. Tandy | Lavender and Lime (http://tandysinclair.com)4 February 2022 at 18:44

    Those nasty anonymous comments belong in the trash, and nowhere else. Your cups are lovely and that berry ice cream looks glorious! Wishing you a healthy, happy and peaceful 2022 :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings6 February 2022 at 12:33

      thank you tandy. yep i deleted him with glee. (bet it was a bloke).

      Delete
  18. Marg4 February 2022 at 19:36

    I am having a Stanley Tucci kind of February!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mae Travels4 February 2022 at 22:42

    Added comment: your Stanley Tucci comment pushed me to decide to read his memoir (also recommended by other bloggers). I have now even reviewed on my blog here:

    https://maefood.blogspot.com/2022/02/tuccis-taste.html

    Thank you, I enjoyed it... mae

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jeff the Chef5 February 2022 at 00:58

    I'm convinced that meanness is born of misery, and I marvel with sadness at how miserable someone must be to put such energy into trying to inflict hurt on a stranger. In the end, I hope you realize that this spammer's actions say nothing about you - and really have nothing to do with you. It says everything about them, and is all about them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings6 February 2022 at 12:32

      you're so right jeff. these people are very sad little morons. i do know that it's all about them, but sometimes you just want to smack them!!

      Delete
  21. shirleysimplerecipe5 February 2022 at 08:17

    Hi! Sherry, nice to see you have lots of garlic! We like also garlic for our cooking 😁. Happy cooking 😀!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings6 February 2022 at 12:31

      hi shirley
      yes garlic is a must in our kitchen. adds so much flavour.
      cheers
      S

      Delete
  22. The VegHog5 February 2022 at 19:15

    Oh would you just look at those garlic bulbs! I also want some! And all those ceramics and the tea towel are very nice. It's good to be back in everyone's kitchen. :)
    I will post my own contribution soon.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Debra Eliotseats7 February 2022 at 02:36

    Wow. You really were saving up for February's IMK. As always, I love the tea towel and your pottery acquisitions. Tucci may show up in the next Cook the Books round. I want to check out both of those reads!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sherry's Pickings7 February 2022 at 09:34

      oh i had more, debra :-) Yes stanley has 2 cookbooks out too, with his italian family recipes. He's wonderful.

      Delete
  24. Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid8 February 2022 at 15:19

    There's always so much delicious in your kitchen! Nothing much happening in mine except packing! We're moving this week. Very impressed that you made your own Worcestershire sauce - bonus points for extra jalapenos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings9 February 2022 at 10:43

      thank you sammie. good luck with the move. yep absolutely - more jalapenos the better!

      Delete
  25. handmade by amalia8 February 2022 at 16:52

    I always enjoy my visits to your kitchen, Sherry! So cozy.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  26. dreams of sourdough9 February 2022 at 06:06

    Oh that garlic catches my eye the most, and I had no idea you can freeze them! Intrigued by the beautiful sesame oil too though I'm in the phooey camp of a couple of drops. I'm so glad you're back and loved the piccies you shared this month, do you ever find yourself thinking - I'll take a piccie of that for next month's IMk? I do sometimes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings9 February 2022 at 10:41

      the garlic cloves go a bit soft in the freezer but it just makes it easier to peel when using. sesame oil rocks! thanks for the kind words. i do in fact take photos of potential IMK items throughout the month:-) so when doing my post, I just pick out the best things.

      Delete
  27. Cristina9 February 2022 at 15:26

    So much happening in your kitchen Sherry. I looooove both of your new ceramic pieces! I listened to Stanley Tucci's 'Taste' as an audiobook and I would recommend it as he is the narrator. Yes, I guess the title of the book comes from the fact he lost his sense of taste for a year or 2. I hope the nasty commenter gets the message and doesn't return! Ciao, Cristina

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sherry's Pickings9 February 2022 at 17:31

      thanks cristina. yes he would be great reading his own book. i don't listen to audiobooks but i may do some day :-)

      Delete
  28. Liz12 February 2022 at 06:01

    I am so glad you are feeling better. Shame on the nasty commenter!! The green bowl is lovely, I have something of a bowl fetish myself. Let me know how you like the kitchen cabinet book. The reviews online are mixed. And, thank you so much for continuing to host us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings13 February 2022 at 13:00

      thanks muchly liz. I did indeed like annie gray's book. i can see why the reviews would be mixed but i loved it anyway. and you're welcome, my friend!

      Delete
  29. Anonymous13 February 2022 at 09:28

    Hello Sherry, best wishes for the year ahead. There are always a few spammers hanging around and so glad for the delete button. The green bowl and cute jug are just gorgeous and the fresh pecans I bet taste wonderful. Sesame oil is a lovely ingredient and a little goes a long. Moya :)

    https://foodandtools.com/2022/02/13/in-my-kitchen-february-2022/
    Sorry for adding my link here but I didn't seem to manage joining .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings13 February 2022 at 12:59

      thank you Moya. Yep 'delete' is my friend :-) Yes fresh pecans are great but soooo hard to shell. glad someone else has done it for me. that glorious green bowl is just a wonder I reckon. and yay for sesame oil. cheers!

      Delete
  30. Johanna GGG13 February 2022 at 13:50

    Hi Sherry - always love your photos, your drawings and your enthusiasm so I am sad someone had a go - that is not on! So many wonderful photos - that gorgeous green bowl, the tea towel with great building pictures, the sesame oil bottle and your fun Christmas mugs. I am now glad that I have never tried to shell pecans, admire the colour of your ice cream (also admired your dragonfruit ice cream) and am never afraid to be heavy handed with sesame oil because I agree it tastes so good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings16 February 2022 at 12:59

      you are very kind! Yes i was surprised with the spammer and it seemed so random - after all these years, and on an old blog post. heaven knows how they found it even! Yay to sesame oil.

      Delete
  31. Johanna GGG13 February 2022 at 13:54

    BTW Sherry, I mentioned in my post that I was really sad to hear of the sudden death of Catherine from Cates Cates last week but forgot to mention that she had participated in the In My Kitchen event years ago - even though I don't think she had recently.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherry's Pickings16 February 2022 at 12:58

      that's so sad johanna. No i've never heard of her nor seen her blog nor an IMK post even back in celia's day. I'll check out her blog.

      Delete

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