Let's talk about kitchens! Not much happened in mine during May, but I do have a few things to show you. I did do a lot of cooking, but not much for the blog, and nothing very exciting. But it is a comfort to be tootling around in the kitchen, I find.
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| blanching celery |
Exciting stuff! I needed a wee bit of celery recently, but Mr P. brought back a huge bunch from the shop. Not his fault; that's all they had. Our mate Princess Pia happened to be over, and suggested freezing it. So I googled it, and yes you need to blanch it for a few minutes, then freeze it. Yeehah! I used to throw so much away (sorry, guilty as charged), but now I am the freezer queen:-)
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| my collection of supoons |
I am a mad keen supoon fan. As you can see, I have a few. I use them so often that I wonder how I did without them before. Believe it or not, I often use more than one at a time. So useful to scrape out jars, etc.
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| lime curd |
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| Greek olive oil and salt |
In my COVID madness, I went and bought some Greek goodies online. Total madness! Don't know what came over me ...
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| Greek oregano and sea salt |
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| birthday cake |
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| chillies |
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| an exciting shot of my kitchen drawer |
This is COVID-clean:-) My new term for all the decluttering I've been doing during the social iso. I bought another wee tray and shoved lots of excess things in it, so now there is actually some room there. Especially now I have de-registered some old stuff, and sent it to the archives. Sorry, librarian-speak; can't help myself.
So that's it for this month in my COVID kitchen. I'm looking forward to your posts as usual. It has been fascinating catching up with people virtually, and seeing how they're coping. Many bloggers have gone great guns, and ramped up their output. I am merely puttering along, but doing my best. Take care!
Here's how you join in, my hearties:
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
2. Comment on this post, providing a link to your post so I can add it to the list below.
3. Email me: sherrym1au@gmail.com, with your link or any queries about the link process
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
In My Kitchen:
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| Moya @ Food and Tools |
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| Pauline @ Happy Retirees Kitchen |
I have never thought of freezing celery..but why not? Those chillies are looking pretty good :-) Homegrown one is definitely way to go. Lucky you!
ReplyDeletethanks angie. yep freezing celery was new to me too. thank goodness Princess Pia was there:)
DeleteDidn't everybody get online shopping fever this spring (to us) fall (to you)? I bought lots of canned goods, which will not go to waste. I'm sure your delicacies will also be put to very good use. Good to hear you are opening up -- I hope the rationale for it is better in Oz than here on the sad planet (not quite Kansas but close).
ReplyDeletebe well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
oh dear me Mae. I feel for you guys in the U.S... So scary, so sad, so awful. We have been lucky i think with our government taking control and making sure we don't get the virus. It has been amusing reading all the conspiracy theories too. Poor old bill gates - seems he's to blame for everything...
DeleteI love that set of spoons! I need to put those on my I-want-this list.
ReplyDeleteyep they are fab supoons jeff! really handy.
DeleteSherry,
ReplyDeleteHope you are keeping warm. Those blanched celery sticks looks so good and I didn't think we could freeze them before this post. I'm eyeing those cakes and hope they had a great birthday. Red chillies look luscious. The lockdown rules are getting a bit relaxed here in the UK but the scare is still there amongst the people. Thanks for keeping us all positively connected with all that you have managed to accomplish. I haven't cooked much either but definitely getting charged with each day, counting our blessings. Take care.
my suggestion with the frozen celery is either to cook them in soups and stews, then chuck the pieces out, or to chop them very finely indeed before putting them in a dish. I did that last night, and they were fine. but i think big pieces might be too limp:) Cheers, take care and thanks for dropping by my blog. x
DeleteHappy birthday to Mr P. and Princess Pia....
ReplyDeleteCake look delicious...yummy
thanks tanza!
DeleteI think all you can do (in these strange and regular times,) is your best! Love the birthday cake with the gold bling and next time I buy celery, I'll be freezing some too - thanks for the tip! Now I'm off to google supoons, this is the first I'd heard of them! Hope your June is very jolly - I hear restrictions are easing in your neck of the woods!
ReplyDeleteyes indeed sammie. as of midday today, we can travel all over QLD and actually go away for a weekend. Yay! country cottages here we come. Have a merry June.
DeleteI'm decluttering too! It's so satisfying. How many spoons do you have Sherry? :)
ReplyDeletei have those 4 supoons lorraine. but plenty more wooden spoons:)
DeleteBeing busy is good doing these times. I love your supoons,I never heard of them before. Is it like a spatula? Stay safe and healthy.
ReplyDeletethey're a bit like a spatula with the flat edge, but also a spoon for measurements. the small ones are one teaspoon. very handy!
DeleteThat cake looks yummy, I have resisted making sweets because there is just to two of us. We settle for chocolate bars. I am not a big fan of celery but it's also good pickled, put a small spoonful of blue cheese on it and serve as a starter. Stay well, NZ and Australia have done a good job in controlling the virus...not so much here in the US.
ReplyDeletei don't mind celery in soups and stews. yes our mum used to spread soft cream cheese on the celery sticks, and we'd nibble on them. yep i think we have done very well in keeping the virus down, and the deaths. The U.S. is a worry... and you have Trump to deal with. oh my!
DeleteI've been decluttering too, weird when you find out you have multiple pastry brushes but where have the butter knives gone?? Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteyes it's amazing what you can find lurking in the backs of cupboards and drawers:-)
DeleteWow, I didn't know you could freeze celery. I'm guilty of tossing more than I suppose one should. I'll have to give it a try with the bunch I have in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI love your supoons, I also not not seen them.
hi ron
Deleteyes it was news to me too about celery but it works! the supoons are from an aussie company. maybe they sell online?! Dreamfarm is the name.
Hi Sherry, I'm a new kid on the block. I got to your blog via Mae's food blog and I decided to join the party.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you have discovered one can freeze celery. I suppose you can freeze anything, but what is it like when defrosted is always the key question. Celery stalks might go limp. I'm sure you will tell us when the time comes.
I smiled (in recognition) at your silicon spoons. I swear by mine. Although I do no have that brand, I have similar ones in different sizes and wouldn't know what to do without them.
I love your sponge coveredin 'bling'. Great fun, and surely very yummy.
Kudos for making your own lime curd. I have never tried that. We don't have limes here but lots of lemons so I could try that. Hubby loves lemon curd.
I'm really envious of those chillies. I can't buy fresh chillies here, but I hope my plants will eventually yield some beauties.
It must be such a feel-good factor to have your kitchen drawer neat and tidy. I only wish it would stay that way, lol.
Keep smiling!
hi lisca
Deletehow lovely to 'see a new face.' the celery is a bit limp after freezing but it works well; just chop finely and put in stews etc. i am lucky enough to get chillies from friends now and then; i haven't bought any for years! i am determined the drawers will stay that way.:-) keep well
cheers
sherry
I agree with you about seeing how folks are coping with COVID. For me, I started ramping up blog posts like crazy during the first couple of weeks, but then I hit a wall. (To be fair, we also adopted 2 10-week old puppies.) Now it's all I can do to keep my head afloat...or should I say keep my head from hitting the pillow. Haha! Thanks for sharing us a peek inside your kitchen. Oh, and a peek of the elusive Mr. P, too!
ReplyDeletetwo puppies david? wow is all i can say... braver than i am. but how wonderful. Mmm maybe i will have to add a bit more of Mr P. on the blog...
DeleteOpening up? What's that?! Actually we are, somewhat, but probably shouldn't be. :-( Anyway, I've never frozen celery! But will -- terrific idea. And now that winter is there, spring is just around the corner, right? :-)
ReplyDeleteyes i was surprised that freezing celery works. it's a bit limper than fresh, but it does the job in cooking. Just chop it finely. keep well.
DeleteI've never seen supoons. They look wonderful -- I must check online for these!
ReplyDeleteAll that food looks fabulous! So delish. Oh, and thanks for stopping by my blog, too!
hi jeanie
Deletethe supoons are from dreamfarm, an aussie company. they may send stuff overseas. Perhaps they are even sold overseas? i really love them! cheers S
I love my supoon and need more! We are allowed 50 people at a funeral and at a place of worship, but still no-one at our homes! Crazy ;)
ReplyDeletehi tandy
Deleteit's crazy isn't it? none of it makes much sense. where did you get your supoon? online? it's an aussie brand so i don't know if you can get them overseas. thanks for being part of IMK this month.
cheers
sherry
Lots of great lockdown baking and cleaning and online shopping!!!! I love your tip about the celery - I often buy a whole head of celery as the half ones look mingy and too clingwrapped but by the end of it the stalks are often so sad and wilty. Love your supoons - I have a dream form chopula that I love. I think I could not resist purchasing greek salt that is called Salt Oddessy! Hope you are enjoying some easing of lockdown - it is tough getting out and finding life is still not at all returned to normal but it is still lovely to see friends and family.
ReplyDeleteyes i have a few dreamfarm items, including a chopula. but i really adore the pepper mill from them. simply the best! take care
Deletesherry
I love the accidental purchase of flaked salt with your oregano. That never happens to me. (Hah!) The chilies are gorgeous.
ReplyDeletenothing nicer than a fat red chilli! Yes i actually bought half a dozen items from that greek store...
DeleteWhy is it I go crazy in stores like that? We have a Bosnian store and I just want to buy everything that isn’t familiar!
Deleteoh yes it's dangerous for me to go into any local delis. i end up buying so much stuff. there's a fabulous Greek one in a nearby suburb, and i go crazy...
DeleteThanks, I've learned a few new things here - blanching and freezing celery and supoons, which I've now a "mad craving" for :) Celery sticks are my go to salad when there's no energy left for something more involved.
ReplyDeleteremember the bad old days when celery had heaps of stringy bits down the sides? thank goodness they've bred them out:-)
DeleteWe freeze everything these days! And we make a creamy celery soup when we have tons of celery in our house. Check out our recipe! Love those suspoons, we have them too and can't live without them.
ReplyDeleteoh do you have the dreamfarm brand of supoons? you're in the US aren't you? i will check out your soup recipe... cheers sherry
DeleteGood to hear that the restrictions are getting less also in your area, but it's nice to keep on cooking at home!
ReplyDeleteyes the restrictions are very much loosened and getting even looser! let's hope it all works out okay, and no second wave. keep well.
DeleteGreat hack on the celery. I did not know you could freeze it. Love to see all the products in your kitchen every month, Sherry. I made a b-day cake for the FiL, too. I was lazy but figured out how to make an Italian Cream cake with a mix. :) Be well!
ReplyDeleteyep freezing celery was new to me too. i just made another cake today and used up lots of odd things like Philly cheese from the freezer, and peanut butter chips etc. i felt very virtuous and the cake tastes wonderful. phew!
DeleteThe Greek store purchases look great - I think accidental shopping is the best, sometimes you just happen on a find which you wouldn't otherwise buy. I like the idea of freezing celery, though we generally eat it all (or juice it - then it doesn't matter if it's limp). One veg I do freeze is cherry tomatoes because we grow them and never manage to eat them all when they're ripe - and so into the freezer (and subsequently into soups and stews and roasts) they go. Happy weekend!
ReplyDeletehi katerina
Deletedo you puree the tomatoes first before freezing, or just chuck 'em in whole? i have become much more diligent about not throwing foods out, and i feel very virtuous... thanks for dropping by.
Never heard of freezing celery. Some of mine usually ends up in the compost. Let us know how it works. I always wonder about the texture of frozen vegetables. Lots of good stuff in your kitchen. A lovely box of oregano and sea salt.
ReplyDeletehi MJ
Deleteyes the celery worked out fine. slightly limp but fine when chopped up and cooked up:) I think the blanching first helps it stay a wee bit less limp - maybe! keep well!
I didn't have many new items to share for this month but wanted to share a dinner and our garden tomatoes so...not an exciting addiiton from me. It's always nice to visit though.
ReplyDeleteI have similar sppons like spatulas and I make sure I can get every bit of something out of a jar. No waste!
I very much like your Greek store purchases. And the cake - yes!
thanks tina. yes things have slowed down during covid but i'm starting to make up for it by buying new gadgets etc...
DeleteHi Sherry, That lime curd sounds good. Enjoy your Greek treasures and Happy birthday to Mr P. and Princess Pia!
ReplyDeletethanks emily!
DeleteI thought I had replied to your IMK Sherry, where has this month gone. I don't have any supoons at all, but I know that if I see them now I will have to buy a couple. I freeze end bits of celery which are left over, for use in soups, stews etc, and have quite a bag of them, so I suppose I am freezing it. Works really well in cooking doesn't it. Working on my IMK for June. Won't be long hopefully. Best wishes, Pauline
ReplyDeleteexcellent. thanks pauline. let me know and i will add your post manually for this month ...
DeleteHi Sherry could you please add my post manually. I just tried to link but I must be a bit late with it. Thanks Pauline
ReplyDeleteNo worries pauline. Will do!
Delete