Saturday 1 April 2023

In My Kitchen - April 2023

Mmm - April?  How did this happen, my friends?  Aren't we still feeling those post-Christmas vibes :=)?  March has flown by, with lots of cooking, reading, seeing friends, and repairs on the house.  Autumn is ostensibly here, but we are still sweltering, and they say it won't cool down till May!  

Woke up in the middle of the night to a thunderstorm, and had to jump up to close the windows.  Just the southern windows, as storms come from that direction.  I had someone laugh at me once for saying that about shutting certain windows.  They seemed to think that rain only came straight down?!  

We've had carpet pythons and possums running rampant (and don't forget the neighbourhood foxes who love (to eat) the local chooks).  Our resident possum loves to throw herself across our roof, and run and stomp like a mad Sumo wrestler.  I think she may have (had) a baby joey in her pouch.  Did you know their gestation period is only 17 days?  I bet many a human mum would love that idea :=)  


a scruffy brush-tailed possum hiding from the sun under our porch roof


In My Kitchen:


roasted capsicums from our neighbour Princess Pia

The Princess roasted up some capsicums, and kindly gave us some.  Perfect on all sorts of dishes.  Thank you South America for originating them (and potatoes of course!)


chicken tray bake dinner with green olives and potato, put together by moi

a gorgeous wooden spoon that I commissioned from a Sydney woodcarver

She uses reclaimed and found wood to make her beautiful spoons.  I wanted a particular size, so I got her to make this beauty.  (Vintage Japanese bowls, Rainbow Bob (by our mate Chainsaw Newton) and Delilah by Denise Murray, a local artist, in the background.)


a gorgeous tea mug by Rainforest Ceramics

sweet potato ready for roasting

lovely Japanese-style tureen (by Belly Fire Pottery) from the Design Market

a plethora of Japanese goodies from the local Japanese shop

Oh my, those matcha choco mochi were the biz!  Sooo delish.  And so many interesting oddities - like the truffle and squid ink crisps!  Japanese flavours are so interesting and different.


artwork by Adam Tovell-Soundy

My curveball is this 'fish', made with a corkscrew, bits of steel decking, and lots of glitter provided by the artist's daughter.

That's it for me this month.  Hope to catch you all for April's IMK!


Be a part of our friendly IMK community by adding your post too - everybody welcome!  Here's how to join us:

Tell us about your kitchen (and kitchen garden) happenings over the past month.  Dishes you've cooked, preserves you've made, herbs and veg. in your garden, kitchen gadgets, and goings-on.  And a curveball is welcome - whatever you fancy; no need to be kitchen-related.  

The link is open from the first of the month to midnight on the thirteenth of the month, every month.

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, or if you would like it to be added after the 13th ('cos I'm happy to add it for you later)


C. Sherry M.

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52 comments:

  1. Your possums look very different from the ones I see in Florida. Love those roasted peppers.

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    1. yes they are very different to opossums! none of those huge sharp teeth :) I'm just roasting some more capsicums myself.

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  2. You had me with the possum but it is an interesting post. Love the pottery and that fish. Sweet potatoes are a favourite in this house for sure.

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  3. I love all of your mugs and bowls...are they all handmade, ain't they? That possum looks so adorable :-)

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    1. thank you Angie. yep all handmade. I buy them from the makers. And yep cute possum.

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  4. That possum is fascinating. Definitely not the kind we have here, though ours are also marsupials. I love your new ceramics, too. Thanks for hosting IMK!

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. yes quite different to opossums. thanks for being part of IMK

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  5. It's still so weird to think you're melting and we're still wearing our woolies! I love Rainbow Bob and that mug is so pretty! I can relate about the possum - we once had a squirrel in our loft and when he used to scurry about at night, he sounded like he was doing Olympic sprints! LOL! Thanks for hosting another delicious link up :)

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    1. thanks for joining in Sammie. Yes we are still very hot and humid here. tho it looks like it's threatening to rain.

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  6. I couldn't wait to write this month's IMK so I'm the first commenter! I'm even cheating, because it's still March 31 in Canada :) I also ate roasted capsicums recently and they were ridiculously delicious, so easy, but so delicious.. and I love your Japanese haul

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    1. yay. thanks for joining in and being first commenter. yes roasted capsicums are so easy and so delish as you say.

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  7. We have had unseasonable rain and like you have to close certain windows. Love the new spoon!
    from Tandy I Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com

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  8. Such an interesting post as always Sherry. Yes we are sweltering here too, hoping for a late storm. Cute possum, but they can become a problem. We tried to take one in our roof for a long drive away from here many years ago, and she found her way back home across a river and all, Hubby watched her, true story, not an April Fools joke, promise. They have an incredible sense of direction. Your curve ball fish with corkscrew backbone is the best. Fancy having neighbourhood foxes, and I thought you were a city girl.....Love all your ceramics, I'm always envious. Let's hope it cools down soon. Take care. Best wishes, Pauline

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    1. thank you Pauline. Our poss has decided to live somewhere else these days tho she does drop in for a snack now and then. Yes they do tend to come home even when moved. We are indeed city folk so it's interesting that foxes have moved into the inner city burbs!! all the best.

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  9. Love, love, love that wooden spoon . . . and your pottery! . . . am just wondering how you know that the very handsome wombat is of necessity a lady ;) ? Previous little ones ? As well as thunderstorms there must be lovers calling . . .

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    1. thanks Eha. I love it too! She tended to lie along the beam with her underbelly showing so it was obvious which gender she was :=)

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  10. The picture with the wooden spoon is PURE ART! love it!!!!!!!

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    1. thank you Sally. THere is a lot of art in this house :)

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  11. I love handmade wooden spoons. There is a local that makes them here and they are amazing. Love all of your pottery as well. Food looks delicious as always. Hope it cools off there soon!

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  12. Please don't tell me a carpet python is a snake.

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  13. Darling Mimi - of course, but they are so sweet! I had one about 4=5 metres long living on the property next door - the trouble with him/her was one had to get out of the car 'cause he went to sleep right across the road and tell him off and then he decided to go home . . .

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    1. the one in our window took him/herself off after a few days and the one next door slithered back up the hill, I guess :)

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  14. You had a thunderstorm too? We had a dilly the other night. Love yoru resident possum and hope she behaves herself. All your kitchen bits look wonderful!

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    1. and another brief storm today. Yep apart from leaping all over the roof in the middle of the night, Miss Poss. is a good girl.

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  15. We are at the airport in Queenstown, waiting for our flight to Auckland and then on to San Francisco. I am looking forward to getting back into my kitchen after a three week break. Lovely new things in your kitchen, i especially like the tureen.

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    1. Oh wow, Auckland is great as is San Francisco. Thanks for dropping by my post!

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  16. Peppers, pythons and possums. It has really been a "p" month for you. That dreadful heat seems quite awful and I bet you will be glad when winter brings cooler temperatures. It's little wonder the possum seeks shelter under your eaves.

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    1. Sadly we had a massive tree cut down recently so she was finding her way to new shelter I think.

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  17. Love that cute possum, bet she wants to raid your kitchen pantry. Love the wooden spoon and the rainforest tea mug...you do have beautiful pottery in y our kitchen. Glad I managed a post this month. Have a wonderful April Sherry :)

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    1. Thanks Moya and thanks for joining in. Have a great month and happy Easter. I am unable to comment on your post BTW!

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  18. So funny about the rain. Yes, it comes in different directions, and yes, you have to close some of the windows, depending on the direction!

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  19. Hi Sherry - gosh your kitchen feels warm and inviting and yummy food in those photos! That possum is cute and I had no idea their gestation period was so short! Loving the artworks and ceramics in your photos. I'm wondering where in sunny Qld you're living. I'm thinking probably quite a bit north of me in Brisbane? I didn't know you had an 'in my kitchen' linky either so great to discover that. Time is difficult for me lately but I'll keep it in mind for if I do a post that is suitable to link up. Hope you have a very Happy Easter! xo

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    1. thanks Min. We're in the inner north of Brisbane. Please do join in with IMK sometime; we'd love to have you :) Happy Easter!

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  20. Ah! I forgot to come by at the beginning of the month to check and see what you've been up to. Better late than never, right? :-) So the thought of "carpet pythons" is enough to keep me laying awake all night long. No thanks!

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    1. Carpet pythons are lovely. I really enjoyed watching it sleep every day in my study window sill!

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  21. Ah the possums. I was fascinated by them when I stayed in Melbourne with my cousins. One came down their chinmey when they were on holiday and made such a mess of their living room! Anyway Sherry, Happy Easter!

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    1. Oh yes a friend had that happen too. they destroy everything on their search to get out! Happy easter.

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  22. OK--Your possums are cute! Way cuter than our Opossums that are just huge rats. Again, love all your collected art!

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    1. yes they are very cute and also very loud when they want to be :) THanks!

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  23. Lots of wonders in your kitchen this month, Sherry - but my favorite is the opossum! You have quite the wildlife there, don't you?

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    1. thanks David. Yes indeedy, the wildlife is quite ... wild. It's the foxes that intrigue me. There are heaps of them in Tasmania and down south but how the heck they got up here is a mystery!

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  24. I love the tureen, Sherry. We just got back from New Zealand and they have a very negative opinion of opossums. I think he is very cute though.

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    1. Thanks Liz. How lovely to have been in NZ! It is so beautiful and interesting. Yes possums were brought there from australia and are a huge pest now in NZ. There is or was a possum cafe there where they served possum pies!

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  25. The artwork made from a corkscrew and glitter is definitely a unique and fun addition to your kitchen, definitely artsy

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  26. That possum looks cute - we see them outside occasionally but I am always happy to admire at a distance because they are not to be trusted up close. It is nice to hear you sounding cheerful with lots of nice crockery and good food and interesting art. The photo with delilah behind the spoon amuses me because she looks like she is sighing "not another spoon".

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    1. Our possums are very feisty and cute. I hope I sound cheerful; do I usually not? :=)

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