Each month I seem to collect a few Weird and Wonderful bits and pieces
Ingredients, utensils, cookbooks- whatever, as long as it's food related I'm interested. Sometimes I don't really know what to do with them, but I sure have fun figuring it out!
That's just one of the reasons I love sweet Celia's In My Kitchen Posts that give a monthly roundup of what's new and interesting in other kitchens around the Blogisphere as well. If you'd like to have a stickybeak with me, check out all the action at Celia's blog over HERE and feel free to join in the fun
In My Kitchen is...
a Cake Pop stand. They're not something I make very often, but they certainly need to be displayed well after all the effort they require. Littlej and I are going to make some over the holidays and now they shall stand tall and proud in their new stand!
In My Kitchen...
are some Cake Stencils. Great for adding a nice dusting of icing sugar or cocoa powder to the top of a pie, tart or cake. Nice and easy to add a bit of bling
In My Kitchen...
is a Mushroom Cookbook from Australian Mushroom for even more Mushroom Inspiration. I loved playing with all my little Funghi Friends last month
In My Kitchen...
are a set of cute little Dumpling Press that my Mum bought me. They have lanterns on them that should stamp an imprint onto the little dumpling cheeks and help them look pretty. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm looking forward to some Yummy Cha soon
In My Kitchen...
is a Windmill Cookie Cutter to add to my collection. I thought this would be nice to use when I make Speculaas, yummy spiced Dutch biscuits
In My Kitchen...
is some Jasmine Syrup and some Jasmine Tea Flowers from T2. I'm thinking of poaching some pears in jasmine, but it's still in the planning stage
In My Kitchen...
are some gorgeous Pickled Vegetables. Each 600gm jar cost just 99c- too good to be true!
In My Kitchen...
are some cute tin Tea Canisters. My old ceramic ones met with a sad accident recently, so until I replace them these cheery sayings will brighten up my benches and keep my Earl Grey nice and cosy
In My Kitchen...
is a big jar of Honey I bought off a little Greek man, literally from the back of his truck. I was poking around an op-shop when he came in and bought a few dozen empty jars of various sizes. When we asked him what on earth he was going to do with them, he told us he was in the middle of his honey harvest and had run out of jars to put it all in. He had boxes of golden goodness in the back of his truck that he was planning on selling at the markets, but we got first dibs as we were there first :)
In My Kitchen...
is a bright bowl of home grown Mandarins from my lovely Italian Nonna Neighbour. They are so sweet and just the right size for a quick snack. They add a nice splash of colour to the Winter bleakness outside the window
In My Kitchen...
are some terrific truffley treasures- Truffled Gouda and Truffled Brie- yummo! What a lucky find at the market deli indeed :) The Brie is French but the truffles are local, I'm not sure about the Gouda and I actually don't even care, as it is by far the yummiest thing I've come across in a long time! After trying the Brie, I've stuck in back in the fridge for a while to let the flavours develop a little more, but the Gouda is good to go right now and it is GORGEOUS
In My Kitchen...
is a beautiful big bag of local Chickpeas I picked up at the Capital Region Farmers Markets. I've popped them in soup and they are gorgeously creamy when cooked. Yummo
In My Kitchen...
also from the Farmers Markets, is another treasure indeed- a pile of Prunes! I love prunes, I'm really not too big a fan of raisins or sultanas, but prunes have a lovely, subtle sweetness that suits both sweet and savoury dishes. I'm thinking a classic tart, or a lamb tagine, or poaching them with spices, or just eating them as is perhaps while I think about it. Better than lollies or candy any day!
So Dear Readers, what's your favourite snack and what's going on in your kitchen this month?