Wednesday 1 August 2018

In My Kitchen - August 2018

I don't like August!  There, I've said it.  July was not great for me, with lots of illness and family squabbles, so maybe I'm wrong, maybe this August will be fabulous:=)  Okay, moving on...  I've got lots to show you, anyway.




coffee-flavoured honey
   

I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds good.  I mean, coffee is great with everything.  And I'm careful to buy Aussie honey, local if possible, since a lot of the stuff you buy in shops is Chinese, and not even real honey, just rice bran syrup with a dash of honey.  So buy carefully, folks.  Lesson over :)  




olive oil, and birthday plates
  

As regular readers will be aware, myself and a mate went off to Northern Rivers for a cooking class on my actual birthday.  We stayed at Brunswick Heads, a gorgeous little coastal village.  She bought me these lovely serving plates "for the blog."  I had better make something wonderful to put on them.  I do have a cake recipe I'm dying to try out...




ceramic oil decanter


Yep, another gift, another beauty from our potter mate Miss B.  I love its sinuous lines, don't you?  And so useful too - always a winning aspect to any gift, I feel.




oh no, another cookbook?!:)


Just what I need - another cookbook, ha ha!  Here we have Joanna, superwoman, mother of five, interior designer, cookbook author, tv host and so on.  I've not had a good look at the recipes yet, so I can't tell you if they will be useful.  Here's hoping for some gooduns.




Japanese soy sauce mini jug 


My cousin brought this wee jug back from Japan for me.  It is so very cute.  (Oh yes, that's just reflections on the jug from the cloth.)  We love soy sauce in this house, though we mainly use organic, wheat-free tamari, so this little jug gets a workout.




pear slices tossed in olive oil and salt, and baked



I chopped up a few too many slices for the pear bread I made recently, so I turned them into pear chips.  Very delicious!




a knife and a Japanese wood cutter


The two way wood cutter is also a gift from my cousin.  I love the way you are told to 'Enjoy Cooking Time!'  I'm a bit afraid of this cutter to be honest.  My track record with mandolins is not good:=)  I bought the knife after the cooking class I went to for my birthday, even though my mate sliced up my finger with one of them.  (Sorry to dob you in, Lady M.)




a Japanese strainer


Another useful gift from my cousin.  I used it for grabbing peas out of the saucepan, but who knows what esoteric uses it may really have?:=)





and another one:=)


This is such a fabulous cookbook.  I've already made one recipe from it, and am about to make another.  Nice to find an author whose flavours and methods suit me so well.




Violet the violinist


Almost in my kitchen is Violet, a new artwork I bought myself for my birthday.  Well, that was my excuse anyway.  I love her fat thighs and the paintbrush which is her bow.  I can almost hear her playing sweet sounds...

Hope everyone had a great July, and hope to see you here for IMK - August.  Cheers, Sherry.



Here we go again with your 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
 
 





   
    An InLinkz Link-up
   


34 comments:

  1. You are so right about honey -- we have to watch for Chinese fakes here, too. And not just honey! Your new ceramic objects like the black oil cruet and the little lady are wonderful. Sorry your July wasn't altogether pleasant: I wish you better & healthier times in August.

    My kitchen doesn't have much that's new in July so I did sort of a wrap-up of the month in general. I like to be retrospective for the end of each month, which puts me in synch with the beginning of your wonderful blog event. Thanks for doing it!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. thanks so much Mae. lovely to have you here each month. cheers S x

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  2. Oh I'd love to know what the Joanna Gaines cookbook is like, I'm a big fan of her show! Have added my post https://bit.ly/2AqCszI

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    1. thanks The N A . I'll let you know about the book. they have stopped filming that show. too much to do, i think with their new restaurant and new baby:) thanks for joining us. cheers S x

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  3. What amazing gifts Sherry. Happy Birthday. I love that little sculpture.

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    1. thanks francesca. isn't she adorable? i love her fat thighs:) cheers S

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  4. Here's to a fabulously healthy and peaceful August lovely Sherry :)

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    1. thanks unknown:) i hope to have a lovely august. cheers S

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    2. Sherry- love the idea of pear crisps and that Iraq cookbook looks divine. Live your violin player. She reminds me of those exagersted Fernando Botero figures. Hope this August proves to be exception to the rule.

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    3. thanks so much debi. i'm hoping august is a good month! cheers S x

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  5. haha - I think I left my comment on last month's post;) I love the reflection of the cloth on the jar! Hope August is a better month for you. Just to let you know, I am hosting International Scone Week and it would be great if you could take part: http://tandysinclair.com/international-scone-week-2018/

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    1. yes i saw and remembered about scone week. mm i'd better think of something soon... cheers S x

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  6. Interesting new additions Sherry! The Iraqi cookbook sounds fabulous. Will you share the recipe that you made?

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    1. Yes Lorraine I’ll blog it soon. Cheers sherry

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  7. We're lucky when it comes to honey -- loads of local honey around here, and it's in most of the stores. Anyway, great stuff in your kitchen this month! Hope August isn't too much of a downer for you this year! Fun read -- thanks.

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    1. you can buy local rooftop honey here too. they put the hives on top of city buildings! such a fab idea.yes i'm hoping is ok this year. cheers S

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  8. I love Violets thighs as well, she is stunning and a good present for yourself. And I really want to flick through the Iraqi cuisine cookbook. I hope August is kinder for you. I will come by later in the week to join in with IMK, not quite there yet.

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    1. that's fab shaheen. hope to see your post soon.:) cheers S x

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  9. Oh yum espresso honey! That's for me!!! Sounds like you had a birthday, Sherry? Happy birthday and you got yourself a great gift too!

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    1. thanks marcellina. yep it was a big birthday:) fun to buy myself a present...cheers S x

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  10. Hi, Sherry! Sorry to hear July was such a challenge. Here's wishing you a better August, along with belated birthday greetings. How "big" was the big" one, if you don't mind me asking? :) Great idea to celebrate more than one day! Your IMK offerings are a delight, including the cookbook by the same name, and I especially love your mini-tamari jug and olive oil decanter. Apologies for being so sporadic, but I've been gone more than home. (No internet either, argh!) Hope to catch up w/u soon. xo

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    1. hi kim
      lovely to hear from you. yep it was a biggie ... 60! gasp! i can't believe it either. hope to see you here soon on IMK. cheers S x

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    2. Sherry, my post is finally up and running, YAY. I, too, turned the big "6-0" this year. Thanks for answering my somewhat snoopy personal question, but life seems so short at this point and IMK has helped me savor every moment. I've also learned to take risks (gasp) more than ever before! What have we got to lose? (Other than sleep, LOL!) Take care and thanks again for keeping IMK going. Such fun!

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    3. hi kim
      it seems that life gets busier and dare I say better when we turn 60?:) so much to do so little time. and the wonderful thing is the freedom you feel - i just don't give a hoot anymore what people think of me - mostly:) happy birthday to you too! thanks for joining in. cheers S xx

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  11. You always have such interesting things in your kitchen - I love your violinist and the plates and your little japanese jug. I am fascinated by the pear chips - were they crisp pears and did they crisp on the outsides

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    1. thanks johanna. i kept the pear chips soft but i could have taken it a bit further till they got crisp. they went nice and crispy on the outside tho. cheers S x

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  12. Espresso honey, yum.I also love all things Japanese and you have some nice things there. Also interested in the Iraqi cookbook.Have fun in August, Pauline

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    1. thanks pauline. so far august is okay:) have a good month yourself. cheers sherry

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  13. I usually start out my IMK posts with "I hate this month..." :) I absolutely adore and covet your violinist!!!!!!!! I want one.

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    1. hi debra
      i don't know why august is such a beast, but i just can't get to like her. isn't she a splendid girl, violet? Here is the artist's FB page if you want to check her out. cheers sherry

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  14. That ceramic oil decanter really is a thing of beauty! You always have such nice ceramics. I also love that soy sauce jug.

    I have also shared my post here.

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    1. thanks heaps Veg Hog. lovely to see you here. Yes we are lucky to have such a talented potter friend. cheers S x

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  15. Hope your well Sherry and all the feuds have settled :) Lots of goodies in you kitchen, How was the espresso honey? Love the birthday plates... isn’t it love when someone buys with your blog in mind. Love Violet too :)

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    1. hi Moya
      yes thanks i'm much better and things are settling down now. still haven't tried the honey. we don't eat it and i really only use it for cooking... i adore Violet. she is so cute. I love sculptures! cheers S

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