Thursday 3 April 2014

In My Kitchen - April 2014

In my kitchen this month is an eclectic selection.  Firstly feast your eyes on this red, blue and white cupcake.  When I decorated my St Patrick's Day cupcakes with green frosting, I also had red frosting leftover from Sylvia's toadstool cake.  On a whim I had some fun with decorating and photographing it but the colours seemed wrong for St Pat's Day so I saved it for this post.

In my kitchen is Sylvia's lego.  I am amazed at all the kits you get with lego.  Sylvia got about four for her birthday.  We had had a convertible car, an ice cream cart, a beauty salon and a castle with a slide.  She has had great fun with them.  I love the little lego girl with the laptop on her knee.  Don't know where Sylvia's got the idea!  The downside of the kits is that there is less left to the imagination.  They are very good for following instructions though.

In my kitchen is a limited edition packet of Magnum Mini ice creams.  They are pretentious enough to only put the flavour in French on the front of the packet.  I found myself checking the back because my French is not brilliant.  This meringue and berry flavour was amazing.

In my kitchen are Tim Tams by Adrian Zumbo.  It seems that Magnums are not the only food producer going all pretentious.  Here we combine a classic Australian bikkie with an Australian baking superstar chef.  I found the raspberry and white chocolate too sweet but I loved the salted caramel one with a passion.

In my kitchen are snacks for school lunchboxes.  And the occasionally inappropriate snack.  This is my first year of doing lunchboxes.  They must be nut free.  I sent these vanilla biscuits with chocolate coating along with Sylvia for playlunch.  That evening I read the packet a bit more carefully.  Hazelnuts!  Oops!  Must try harder.  (At least I am not aware of any nut allergies in Sylvia's class - other than her own peanut allergy!)

In my kitchen is a cute new chicken plate and some bird shaped sponges.  They were sent from Ireland by my sister.  I started using the sponges after throwing out the current sponge after a foolish attempt to polish school shoes on a school morning ended up a a shoe polish fiasco.  The sponges are a triumph of style over usability but they are cute.  The plate is a fine addition to some other melamine plates and bowls I own.

In my kitchen I donned my domestic goddess halo.  I have been baking sourdough bread and making stock and cooking up dried beans.  The last loaf of bread was lovely but was on top of the preheating oven while I was at the movies (highly recommend Wadjda if you are looking for a film to see) . It resulted in the mixture spilling over the edges and baking razor sharp.  It has ripped two paper bags!  The stock seemed good but got tipped down the sink by mistake by an over zealous dishwasher.  Thirteen cups of beans are in the freezer awaiting their moment! 

In my kitchen are oatcakes.  We were delighted to find that Woolworths is selling their own brand of oatcakes.  Everyone loves them in our household.  They were great with spinach dip or mixed berry jam or just plain in Sylvia's lunch box.

In my kitchen is chocolate almond milk.  I bought it to make chocolate cupcakes.  I was surprised how quickly Sylvia drank the leftovers.  She has more chocolate milk today at school.  They had a morning tea with hot cross buns and flavoured milk.  It just reminds me of blueberry Big M that was so popular for a short time when I was at primary school and tasted like dishwashing water or something equally horrible.  But I guess there are worse things Sylvia can drink than flavoured milk.

In my kitchen is farmers market produce.  A couple of weeks ago I finally made my first farmers market visit of the year.  I was motivated to go by a desire for some new season apples.  I also bought up on plums because we have been enjoying stewing them to eat with yoghurt and in a crumble.  The golden beetroot was great in nut roast.  I loved the fruit bread but we are yet to sample the Golden Axe apple cider.  I am pretty excited about using the combination of wild rice, brown rice, bamboo rice, white rice and red quinoa.  Any ideas for meals that can feature the rice combo?

In my kitchen are cruelty free products.  I finally made it to the Cruelty Free Shop in Fitzroy that has excited veg*n bloggers of Melbourne.  I can see why.  It has so many amazing products.  I practiced restraint in my purchases.  I was excited to buy some Vegusto vegan mozzerella cheese, Seed and Bean lavender chocolate, and Beanfields pico de gallo bean and rice chips.  And I picked up a tin of black beans because they are not so easy to find in my local shops. 

It is a pretty shop.  I loved the clean neat shelves of the shop.  It reflect a change in veganism.  It is quite different from the cluttered hippy co-ops and health food shops where I usually find such products.  Though I hope there will still be a place for the old school shops.  Then I went across the road to the Vegie Bar and had an amazing huge piece of chocolate cake for lunch.

I am sending this post to Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for her In My Kitchen event.  Head over to check out what is happening in other bloggers' kitchens.

36 comments:

  1. Love your In My Kitchen series! Thanks for the link to my blog too!

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  2. There is so much I want to comment on here - what an amazing kitchen you have this month! I love the vibrant cupcake and equally so the plate it sits on, and also love the new bird plate and sponges. I laughed at your description of the chocolate almond milk (milk may be even less your thing than mine!) and am excited that you have that lavender chocolate as I loved the block I bought in England 2 years ago.

    I'm a little ashamed to admit I have never thought to freeze cooked-from-dry legumes (what is wrong with me?!) but I will be doing so once I have a new freezer to stock up instead of run down.

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    1. Oh, and I have heard great things about Wadjda - thanks for adding your approval to further convince me I should try to see it.

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    2. Thanks Kari - the plate I put the cupcake on is a favourite - it is melamine and always cheers me up so I love it for picnics and to take places. Yes milk leave me cold (and not in a good way). I am not quite sure about the lavender chocolate - E says he is getting used to it but I still find it a bit medicinal but it is a nice chocolate so that helps. Hope you get to see Wadjda - it really gives great insight into Saudi Arabian culture but with warmth and humour

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  3. THOSE TIM TAMS...I wonder if we can get them in the US? I love the regular versions and I see salted caramels becoming a new obsession.

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    1. Thanks Joanne - the salted caramel tim tams are dangerously addictive

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  4. I'm hoping to participate in In My Kitchen Series now that I'e moved home, as I do enjoy nosing in what other bloggers have in there kitchen and your kitchen moreso, maybe cos your a veghead like me. Im looking forward to having a go at decorating cupcakes soon, its a skill I'd like to master as some of the cakes I take to market look plain - and you know what they say, people eat with their eyes first! You've done a fab job. I'm loving those bird shaped sponges too. There's a shop in Cardiff that sells that kind of stuff, maybe I'll treat myself :)

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    1. Thanks Shaheen - would love to peek in your new kitchen. I was pleased with my piping frosting on these cupcakes as it is not something I excel at - but I have found a silicone piping bag and well fitted piping attachments works well for me (after quite a bit of trial and much error). If you are ever in Dublin and not feeling too skint you should check out Avoca - an amazing shop with a great kitchen section - which I think is where my sister bought these.

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    2. I was in Belfast a few years back (work related) and I am sure I visited a shop called Avoca in Belfast then, it was lovely yes I remember. I do have an Avoca cookbook too, Will have to wait to visit Dublin one of these days - I am sure I will.

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  5. There's always so much to comment on in these posts!
    1. I immediately thought UK or US when I saw that cupcake but realized I didn't know what the Aussie flag looked like and it turns out you've got the same colours!
    2. Oatcakes & Seed & Bean Choocolate are both loves of mine. I haven't tried the lavender though I've had Rococo lavender choc and really liked it.
    3. Those plums look beautiful! Takes me back to Summer and my little garden plum tree whose fruit I ate single handedly!
    4. Have you tried the Vegusto no-moo melty before? Interested to hear what you think. I reviewed some of their products a while back and thought they were pretty good.
    5. Oh, and I Wadjda is a great film! One I actually want to see again and think about a little more.
    Happy April!

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    1. Thanks Emma - 1. I did the cupcakes as there are too many times I wish I had some nice red, blue and white images - quite a few countries have that colour combination and when I realised I had the colours on hand I thought I would experiment. 2. Not sure of the lavender flavour but the chocolate is lovely. 3. you have a plum tree! I am jealous. 4. I have had my first go with the vegusto last night and it does seem melty - but I need more experiments. 5. Wadjda is great - it is one of those films that really made me think deeply - about my own life and about what it must be like in Saudi Arabia.

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  6. How cute is that cupcake? Not nearly as cute as Sylvia's Friends Lego, but isn't that a slippery slope - there are SO many packs and characters to buy! My young friend across the road even has a Kendo playing character from Japan! Sponges are very cute, and is there anything better than having a good stash of beans in the freezer? Instant dinner, whenever you need it! :)

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    1. Thanks Celia - I could see us having many lego kits but I am unsure if we need to find somewhere to display it all or have a box with lots of odd shaped bits. Very happy with my beans in the freezer - much better than them going to the weevils in the pantry :-)

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  7. I am keen to try the new Magnums and Tim Tams - this is the second time I have seen the Tim Tams on a blog, and I am soooo tempted.

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    1. Thanks Cakelaw - I would recommend the magnums first - I liked the Tim Tams but the white ones were too sweet and I quite like the original

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  8. Lego is so great, isn't it? We have lots of fun with it here too. And we also love Vegusto cheese! We bought the choc almond milk once but my Sylvia wasn't too keen on it- I liked it though!

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    1. Thanks Kate - amazing how enduring the appeal of lego is - am enjoying the vegusto cheese - must try it melted on toast - my Sylvia has a thing about chocolate milk - probably because I so rarely buy it :-)

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  9. Lego is such a fun brand. It's got to be one of the world's most loved brands. I remember getting my Lego kitchen set when I was little. It was so much fun!

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    1. Thanks Lorraine - a lego kitchen set sounds like fun - it is amazing what you can make with it

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  10. 13 cups, that's impressive! I really must get to the bags of dried chickpeas in the pantry and do the same. Do they defrost well?

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    1. Thanks Daneille - I cooked these beans because I thought it would make me use them and I have some - but I still have dried chickpeas as well. They seem to defrost ok though I think most I have used were the ones in the fridge - since then they are a bit out of mind out of sight in the freezer :-)

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  11. G'day! Love your cake and your sponges, Magnum minis!!! YUM!
    Thanks for your kitchen view this month too!
    Cheers! Joanne

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    1. Thanks Joanne - yep I could go a magnum mini right how :-)

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  12. You have so much going on, Joanna. I buy that brand of almond milk but I haven't tried the chocolate variety. That's great produce from the farmer's market. I've seen all those new varieties of Tim Tams but I haven't tried them yet - I was actually concerned they may be too sweet xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie - I usually buy the vitasoy because it has B12 but it has a small amount of gluten in it so I thought I would try something different for a gluten free bake - you are probably right about the tim tams being rather sweet - esp the white chocolate ones

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  13. I looove that chocolate in the corner of one of your pictures - cocoa rhapsody? The guy sells it at my local farmer's market and the salted lime is delish. Ooh and the caramelised nut one...mmmm. I love those bean and rice chips too, and vegusto melty cheese is sooo yummy, I bought a pack like that and ate both logs in a week. Oops. I just had to put it on EVERYTHING.

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    1. Thanks Caeli - well spotted with the cocoa rhapsody - they have new packaging since I bought it last - the salted lime is probably my favourite - never had the caramelised nut but might need to try it - am very excited to have the vegusto cheese - have read about it before and wanted to try it but never seen it previously

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  14. Lots of fun things in your kitchen. t love it that lego is a part of it, even if it is a little more elevated than my old bricks ;-)

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    1. Thanks Choclette - the lego seems fancier than our old bricks too - but it doesn't seem to come in plain bricks these days - just fancy kits - they are rather fun

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  15. Interesting farmers market haul. I too freeze cooked pulses - so much easier to pull them out of the freezer at short notice.

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    1. Thanks Sally - I think freezing pulses is a good way to go - though I don't have much freezer space but love to have them on hand

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  16. Hi GGG - I love reading your IMK post. I always get the head's up on what's new in the supermarket. I love oatcakes too so will look out for them tomorrow. I can let you into a secret and tell you that you can buy Magnum minis from Aldi - $4.99 for $12! Of course they're not called Magnums but something like 'Marcos' but they are from the same factory & identical. Thanks for the tour.

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    1. Just an update - got those Oatcakes today! Can't wait for next weekend to crack them open.

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  17. Hi, I happened on your blog when searching for veg sausage rolls. Love all I have seen. How do I subscribe to your post..I can't seem to find where! I am originally fro Melb but grew up overseas and ended up in Adelaide but family in Melb. Great to see you were at the refugee rally on Palm Sunday.

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    1. Hi Jackie - welcome to the blog - I have a Follow By Email field towards the bottom of my lefthand side bar - or you can click on the RSS icons beneath it that says subscribe to post and/or comments

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