Well hello there 2015!
I’m a little late in posting this month’s contribution to Celia’s In My Kitchen partly due to a frangelico, amaretto & licorice vodka shot hangover and partly due to the internet freezing up, being unable to access google and gmail and the VPN not working. Which just gave me more time to watch back to back episodes of Million Dollar Listings LA and crochet more granny squares.
Moving swiftly on! In my Kitchen…..
….is a new addition to my growing enamelware collection. It cost me 30RMB – around $6. Bargain. You can never have enough double happiness in your life can you?
In my kitchen….
…oh whoops. More enamelware. The small bowls are great for serving Shanghai beer nuts and olives. The larger plain bowls on the left will be great for soup and salads. Again, they are cheap as here – I think I paid 20RMB for 3 bowls. I keep telling Rich I’ll sell them on eBay when we eventually move back…….
In my kitchen…
…is the new love of my life. I’ve always wanted a substantial mortar and pestle and this one is pretty hefty. Again things like this are cheap to pick up here – less than $10. It sits on the window sill within easy reach and makes quick work of guacamole and the Thai hot, sweet & sour salad dressing I shared before Christmas.
In my Kitchen…..
…is a batch of Lorraine’s Lemon Curd. Quite by chance I had made Hotly Spiced’s Hazelnut Meringue Torte and had 6 yolks left over so I was very happy when Not Quite Nigella’s 2014 round up post came through and there was a link for The Best Lemon Curd. I cut the sugar down to 3 tablespoons and the curd is on the sharp side of sweet – but I’m happy with it. And yes, it was dead easy.
In my Kitchen…
….are Marmite Cashews. Who knew they were a thing?! Good job I’ve only discovered them I think. Jen brought these back from the UK for me and to be honest I haven’t opened them yet – I keep looking at them knowing I should share them but not really wanting too…..so they are sitting on the sideboard tempting me still.
In my Kitchen….
…is this gorgeous recipe book. It’s on loan from Jen and I’m struggling to give it back!!! At first glance I dismissed it because there were loads of mushroom recipes and then I thought the recipes looked too simple. Then I decided to make the pork ragu and OMG – the. best. ragu. ever. Mind officially blown – simple ingredients, slow cooked. Even more mind blowing was the fact that I stuck to the recipe.
In my kitchen….
…is my sourdough starter from Celia. And Jen got one too. I’ve struggled with flour here and I’ve been reticent to start it off but Jen assures me she has it sussed and is buying the right brand of flour for me so hopefully next week we’ll have some sourdough action…..Fingers crossed because I am hanging out for a chicken, salad sandwich like you would not believe!
What’s been going on in your kitchen this month?