September was interesting, and quick, and busy. We took a road trip back to Maryborough to pick up the sculpture that I bought in August. She sits proudly in our lounge room on the plinth made by an old friend. Spring has sprung; flowers are blooming and it's getting warm again. They say we may have a La Niña summer, so cyclones and rain are expected. We could certainly do with some rain, as the brown grass testifies.
Time for another IMK; I have no idea if the link will work this month, so it may come to me doing manual links again. We shall see, my friends! Please do join in, if you can. Tell us about your kitchen and garden delights: foods, produce, recipes, cookbooks, gadgets etc. Just to make it abundantly clear once more: In My Kitchen is about your previous month's kitchen goodies, feasts and events. I am more than happy to include everyone, but your post needs to fit the theme!
In My Kitchen:
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| another spoon! |
This is Italian juniper wood hand-carved by Wyldwood Spoons. They use various types of foraged wood, and carve them in the forest. It is a beautiful implement, and sits happily with my (many) other spoons. Stop that laughing, Tiffin Fiona!
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| sweet little jug by Starr |
I love jugs! And this gorgeous tiny jug by Starr was irresistible. Starr has just opened her own gallery in the historical town of Ipswich. Mr P. and I headed out there for the opening day, and I fell in love with this sweet jug. It joins the other Starr pieces I have, like the Easter bunny, a platter, and a cup and saucer. Such cheerful and colourful pieces.
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| more herbs and spices from Herbie's |
I ordered a few more herbs and spices from Herbie's, as they can be hard to find in the shops. I love the freeze-dried chives!
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| and there's homemade strawberry jam |
Our good friend who lives nearby bought some strawberries on special. I think she ended up with four kilos! So she made jam, and gifted us a (huge) jar of it. Thanks Miss M!
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| as per the label |
Okay, what's this weird stuff, you ask? Apparently there were a couple of blokes on a TV show - Shark Tank - who invented this vegan seasoning, and now make mega bucks selling this stuff. I've only used it once in a stew, and couldn't taste it at all. I guess I'll have to try it again, maybe on a boiled egg:-)
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| we ate pecan and almond loaf |
Having bought a kilo of farm-fresh pecans, I had a few lurking so I made this loaf. And it was delicious, my friends - moist and nutty. I even forgot to add the glacé icing it was that tasty.
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| and I made some relish |
And I made eggplant relish. The recipe called for 375 mils of oil! What the?! It was just swimming in oil, so I strained it through a strainer, and now it's not at all bad. I had it on a snag sanger (sausage sandwich) today and I found it pretty good.
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| the anthology in which resides my story |
And here's a wee bit of boasting: the anthology where my (short) story sits. I was so very chuffed to have it chosen for this anthology. As you can see, it is stories and poems of grief and loss. There are so many beautiful stories in it.
Okay folks, that's it from me. Now add your post so we can all enjoy your In My Kitchen happenings. Everyone is welcome, but stick to the theme, my lovelies. I've had a few more weird and wonderfuls lately, but you know the drill - kitchen and garden items and events over the past month. Okay!? Thanks!
The link is open from the first to the thirteenth of the month, but if you are running late, just Tell me about it! I get no magic feedback when you've done a post - it has to be done by you via the linky, or by me manually. I am very happy to add it manually if you're late or having problems adding your post. So here's how to join in:
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:
Always enjoy the monthly peek into your kitchen. Lots of nice goodies this month! The herbs particularly interest me. I don't think I've used freeze-dried chives -- gotta look for those.
ReplyDeletethe chives are great KR. Unlike the normal dried ones which taste like grass, these actually taste like chives! Brilliant.
DeleteHooray! The linker is working this time, and I have used it successfully. Have a great October and please share lots of food ideas!
ReplyDeletebe safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
hi Mae
Deletethanks for being here. So glad i got the link to work this month. i assume Google/Blogger re-jigged something so inlinkz wasn't happy. I can write my posts in compose view but i have to add the link in html!! what the!!
Sherry,
ReplyDeleteHappy October. I'm still few hours behind in september.Interesting how time zones separate us but food connects us all. Loved your spoon and huge congratulations for chosen to be in the grieve anthology, surely it takes a heart full of courage to write anything on that subject/topic. I would love to try your eggplant relish. Thanks for a lovely post!
thanks so much Hasin. I was very chuffed to be chosen for the anthology.
Deletecheers
sherry
Lots of fun stuff this month, Sherry. I want to try that bacon seasoning! Sprinkle on some sunny side ups :-)) Love that juniper wood spoon.
ReplyDeletehi angie
Deletei think i need to try the seasoning on something plain like an egg so i get the full effect:) Yes that spoon is so wonderful.
cheers
S
That bacon seasoning sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteyes it is that, Raymund:)
DeleteI love the spoon and the story behind it. Such a treasure. I love handmade items. The little jug is divine. I have mainly been plodding through the days trying to avoid food waste and cook decent meals. I have made strawberry jam this year but I cannot remember if it was September or August.
ReplyDeleteI second a request to read your eggplant pickle recipe. My mother likes it so it might be a good thing to have on hand.
Have a brilliant October everyone.
thanks suzan. handmade items are the best. I will add more spices to the relihs if i make it again, and will use waaaay less oil.
Deletecheers
S
Hurray! Linkz worked.
ReplyDeleteyay thank heavens. last month was a bit of a nightmare with it:)
DeleteHappy October, Sherry! love the different dried herbs, and the hand-carved spoons, great collection! I love to buy handmade items, but as you said, I have never used them, it is just showcased. The pecan loaf looks delicious, have an wonderful day!
ReplyDeletethanks aarthi! you too. yes the pecan loaf was fabulous. we ate it all up in 2 days!
DeleteI love catching up with you on your IMK posts! That pecan bread looks fantastic, by the way. And the strawberry jam? That's a really nice friend you've got there! :-) Also, thanks for translating snag sanger...I wouldn't have had a clue what that was. Haha!
ReplyDeletethanks david. i thought the snag sanger might have been a bit confusing for folk in the other hemisphere:-)
DeleteWonderful round up of stuff! I am glad you managed to make that eggplant relish work, I sometimes feel recipes have big mistakes and not always with a happy ending... ;-)
ReplyDeletehi sally
Deleteyes the relish turned out okay in the end even if still a wee bit oily. it could have been worse...:-)
Well done with that story. I would like to read the book one day.
ReplyDeleteI have once again linked to my post and wish you a wonderful October!
thanks veg hog. i hope you have a marvellous october too!
DeleteOne can never have too many spoons. I like your new pitcher too!
ReplyDeletehi judi
Deletei agree - never enough spoons! and i can't resist a wee jug or two.
cheers
S
What a delicious month! I love Herbie's - my favourite is their Mexican seasoning - I should make an online order, you're right it is so hard to find! We should compare eggplant relishes, I have a recipe for one on the blog and it is super spicy!
ReplyDeletehi sammie
Deletei've never tried herbie's mexican seasoning but i love the chives. i've seen your eggplant recipe; the one i used is a bit different. i like spicy.
Another lovely post Sherry, but I can't believe it's another month gone by.What's new in my kitchen I ask myself as I think about what to contribute. Love the Starr jug, obviously a big name in Brisvegas, haven't heard of her, and good to know that Herbies Spices is still a good resource. We know Ipswich well, hubby was born there.I was rather excited when I saw your bottle of bacon seasoning as I thought it might be great as a seasoning in my lentil soup, I guess the vegetarians have much more sensitive taste buds to such flavours than us carnivores. I can see you are quite the collector of jugs and spoons and perhaps teapots? I love that, join the club. Hope to contribute soon. Well done on being published, it is a big achievement. Best wishes, Pauline
ReplyDeletei know what you mean. the month flew by. we were in ipswich again today. such a great little historical town full of great buildings. yes i think the bacon seasoning would go well in lentil soup. i have a few teapots but mostly spoons and jugs. thanks re my story.
DeleteI always love what is in your kitchen... the spoon (we always need more spoons - and that one looks sturdy!), the herbs (oh, how I love togariishi), lucky you (strawberry jam), and I think I can skip the bacon seasoning and just have bacon (spoiler alert: I don't love bacon!). Your story in the anthology. Congratulations - but that is an odd thing to say about stories of grief and loss. Is your story viewable elsewhere? Take care and have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeletethanks david. you don't love bacon!? oh my. thanks re my story. i was so pleased. have a good month.
DeleteI'm also a strong believer that one can't have to many spoons. Especially, wooden ones. Lovely kitchen goodies this month. I must admit, I've not heard of bacon seasoning before. If someone sent me a jar I'd likely put it on my bacon.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great achievement to be published. Well done Sherry...
hi ron
Deletetrue - too many spoons is never enough:) thanks re my story. i am so happy about it!
You are a spoon curator, Sherry! Love the jug, too. Have some eggplant that needs picking (which I forgot to mention in my IMK post) so may have to find a recipe for eggplant relish. Sounds delicious. You always highlight the greatest items. Sorry about the bacon seasoning. Hope it works better on eggs! :)
ReplyDeletethanks debra. i adore wooden spoons. and jugs! plenty of eggplant relish recipes online. just google 'em. cheers sherry
DeleteI love spoons and Jugs with I call pitchers! I also like your idea of buying dried herbs in quantity- Lovely post.. thanks
ReplyDeletethanks judee. yep i am a mad jug person and spoon person... i buy the herbs online cos they're hard to buy in the shops for some reason. cheers S
DeleteCongrats on seeing your story in print. I am in love with that jug and the spoon. We have quite a few spoonvilles around us - not sure if they are for lockdown or everyone but I can imagine you would find these spoon towns fun. The bacon seasoning sounds interesting and I love the sound of some eggplant relish (with less oil please)
ReplyDeletethanks johanna. spoonvilles/spoontowns? a mystery... thanks for being part of IMK.
DeleteI've been able to comment on many of my blogger friends so hopefully this goes through. First of all congratulations on being included in the book. A slice of your pecan cake would be lovely with a cup of tea. Actually perhaps with a little bit of homemade strawberry jam on the side.
ReplyDeleteyes thanks karen. it came thru! yay. thank you re the book. i am so pleased. it is lovely i have to say to see one's name in print! cheers S
DeleteFabulous goodies! I love getting food gifts from my foodie friends. They’re the best! And congratulations on your essay getting published. Impressive! Although the subject matter..... I’m lucky in my life to have not had to grieve. I had many friends who have lost their children. I think that must be the worst type of grief.
ReplyDeleteyep food gifts are fab! thanks so much re the essay. i am still very chuffed. you are lucky indeed not to have to grieve, but sad for your friends who have. nothing worse i think than losing a child. not that i would know:) sadly we will all have to come to terms with grief eventually... so it's good to read other people's views on it.
DeleteVegan bacon? Now I've really heard of everything :) I did have an urge to make jam recently with so many berries around, but I was wondering how to stop them from going mouldy!
ReplyDeletehi DoSD,
Deleteif only i knew who you were :-) Are you male or female, and what is your name? Sorry, just curious, you don't have to tell me. Yep apparently the seasoning is vegan. very bizarre. Here in sunny australia we put our jams etc in the fridge. they don't go mouldy. have a great month. thanks for joining in this month.
cheers
sherry
Hi Sherry, congratulations on being published! Was it the story that you sent me? I'm curious but slightly suspicious of the bacon seasoning only because I tried one once and it was so processed I didn't want to eat it. It did have a strong flavour though!
ReplyDeletehi lorraine
Deleteno it's another story. i'd forgotten i'd sent that old one to you... the bacon seasoning just seems really bland. i think my tastebuds have died off in my old age:)
HI Sherry! We need had eggplant relish, can you post the recipe? Would love to see your recipe for it. Also, thanks for your recommendation of the Book of Grieve, I have a friend who may find it comforting.
ReplyDeletehi there
Deleteyes i will do a quick post of it soon. the book has so many amazing stories; worth a read.
Congrats (maybe again) on being published! And I cannot see the point of bacon seasoning for vegans. Either you eat meat or you don't! I am coveting that juniper wood spoon. We were meant to be in Italy this weekend so double that desire for anything Italian :)
ReplyDeletehi tandy
Deleteyes this is my second story that has been published! yep i agree with you - bacon seasoning for vegos? bloody stoopid:) i love my spoon too. it is actually a woman who does the carving. i thought it was a man. see? inherent sexism in myself :-) oh no such a shame about italy for you! thanks for joining in.
Congratulations on the publication of your short story, that wonderful. And I love all the new spices. My husband eats strawberry jam by the quart and would love that jar. The cake would be perfect with a cup of coffee. Thank you for hosting Sherry and stay well.
ReplyDeletethanks liz. it's always wonderful to be published. well it's only happened twice in the past year:) thanks for your kind words. keep well!
DeleteFirstly like to echo what everyone has said Congratulation on the publication of your short story in the Anthology. I do like reading Anthologies. Secondly Your kitchen has me excited as i am really LOVING so many things - the hand carved juniper wood spoon is a delight, i love the sparkles in the jug, 'bacon' seasoning - oh my i really want this one as i just like the smokiness that often comes from paprika to douse homemade popcorn, i think calling it 'bacon' is a ploy just to get more people talking about it and a sale tactic, as without it - who's buy smoked seasoning! The aubergine relish sounds lovely, even though it was dripping in oil. I note that you have made jam and poured it into a recycled douwe egberts coffee glass jar - does it keep well in it? I keep mine for spices, but have never used them for preserving? Also love the herbie spices - Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe sent me some a couple of years back - i think i may still have one unopened - oops. Sorry for the long comment, but i am honestly excited by your kitchen contents. I hope to join in the next couple of days - work has been busy and i also look forward to my weekends.
ReplyDeletethanks so much shaheen. i don't think there's any paprika in the bacon seasoning but who knows? it's not really smoky. yes the jars work fine for jam. just keep them in the fridge like we do here in queensland. no it's great to have your long comment. i really appreciate it. please do join in!
DeleteCongratulations on the publication of your story Sherry. The wooden spoon is a work of art, and so lovely. I've been keen to make some eggplant pickle too, and will certainly take note the oil in recipe.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit late this month, as I'm struggling to adapt to Wordpress 'new writing editor. And struggling with staying on top of things generally. But as today is the 13th, I'll attempt to add mine later today.
thanks francesca! yep that spoon is so lovely. she is a very clever carver indeed. oh so wordpress has new stuff too? the new blogger is driving me nuts. as soon as i think i know what i'm doing, they go and change it again! hope to see you here! just let me know and i can add it in for you later.
Delete