How the months are flying by! Only 47 more sleeps until Christmas! Already! It seems like only yesterday we were cooking up a storm for Christmas lunch! It’s almost here again . . .
. . . and it’s that time of month for another look into people’s kitchens from all around the world! Would love to see what’s in your kitchen. If you’d love to join us – we’d love to have you – come over and see Celia at Fig Jam & Lime Cordial for lots of amazing inspiration in the kitchen.
In my kitchen this month . . .
. . . our new pride & joy – brand new LG 407L fridge! Now we have room for all my food I cook at school as well as my husband’s beer 😉 This fridge is almost double the size of our old one and it still gets full! I love the way it beeps at you if you leave the door open longer than a minute!
In my Kitchen . . .
. . . these cute little espresso cups from Aldi. They were on special for $1.50! I couldn’t go past them. I now have to turn our coffee maker on a little more often, to use them.
In my kitchen . . .
. . . is this Himalayan Pink Rock Salt, which is all the rage at the moment. I just love how each individual grain of salt is uniquely pink (my favourite colour.) If you haven’t tried this salt yet, do try it. It’s has a slightly earthy taste compared to sea salt and is way better for you than any iodised salt. And at $3.99 (Aldi) it’s a bit of a bargain! Have been using this on eggs, hot chips, steak and will possibly use it for my salted caramel sauce I’ll be making during the week.
In my Kitchen . . .
. . . Pukara Estate Wasabi oil and Caramalised balsamic vinegar! I know, they sound good right!? And they taste absolutely amazing! Around the corner from school there’s a store at Queen Victoria Market and while I was buying our teacher a going-away present, I bought myself some too. I haven’t used them yet as I have a feeling that I’ll become addicted to them and will want to use them in or on every dish I make!
In my Kitchen . . .
. . . are some more infused olive oils. I went to the Fine Food Australia show in October, which is a hospitality event where you can buy almost anything and everything to do with food. I stopped to have a look at this one stall, where they sold everything from truffle pesto to olives to nougat (chocolate and raspberry were my favourite) to burst-in-your-mouth mustard (delicious!) and these lovely olive oils. And let me tell you, their fragrance when you open the top is amazing! We’ve had the orange infused oil with a steak and mushroom broccoli quinoa. The bush herbs has a very earthy & nutty aroma while the lime would be fantastic to try with all my stir fries I make. Will keep you posted.
In my Kitchen . . .
. . . as pictured at the start of my IMK post, the cake my nephew actually decided he wanted! I’m not sure if you remember me saying last month he was happy to have the Sacher Tortes I made. Well, as a seven year old does, he changed his mind and wanted a hidden lolly cake in orange or red instead. This is what I came up with, what do you think!? I’m impressed, especially with the icing splatter on the plate, and so was my nephew – phew! How hard is it to make red icing from scratch!? That’s why it was orange. Do you have any ideas on how to get that perfect red icing?
In my Kitchen . . .
. . . lastly but definitely not least (lots more goodies coming your way next month) is my bargain op-shop Gordon Ramsay books, only $2 each! Have you read them? Any good? Need to finish Anthony Bourdain first before I start with these.
In my Kitchen . . .
. . . my recipes round up from the month – ginger, garlic and soy chicken with turmeric rice and these wonderful taco cups – a change from having the traditional taco dinner.
It’s great seeing you all again. Would love to hear from you if you have any ideas about what I could use my infused olive oils in or with, I love hearing some new inspiration to try.
See you all next month x
Hi Nicole, sounds like you need a second fridge, it’s amazing how quickly you can fill one up. Loved that you added a surprise to the cake and I am sure your nephew will be placing his order for next year. I remember seeing that Jamie Oliver likes to drizzle good quality extra virgin oil over ice cream and your infused oils might be perfect for such a dessert. Thanks for the peek around your kitchen 🙂
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We’re still trying to sell the 2nd fridge – we don’t have room for two in our apartment! Flavoured oils over ice cream! I think that’s a must try – just made chocolate ice cream at school 🙂 Thank you for joining me on my food journey – you’ve made my day. See you next month at IMK x
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Hi Nicole, so this is why you need the lovely new blender, to match the lovely new fridge 🙂 I love the infused olive oils too, I can never resist those myself! Congrats on the cake, I think it turned out fabulously…but I second the recommendation for powder or paste colours if you want really strong colours. I like the Wilton gel colours but there are other brands, and there’s always beetroot, apparently you can even colour a red velvet cake with it 🙂
Beck
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Thank you Beck, those are kind words (about the cake) I will keep the Wintons & beetroot powders in my mind. I do already have a Cuisinart food processor & blender but there’s always one more, isn’t there 😉 Loving my infused oils and can’t wait to being a bit more adventurous with them, See you next month at IMK
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HI Nicole, What a great cake! and congrats on the new fridge, it looks like it was just made to be there.
cheers
Jason
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Thanks Jason for your nice words about my nephew’s cake – he loved it, that’s all that matters. The fridge space was measured prior to buying the fridge and I was super excited to find one that fitted exactly! You’re right, it was made for that space. Great seeing you, see you next month at IMK
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It’s never wrong to upgrade and up-size a fridge 😛 Love it when the fridge is always full 😀
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A well stocked fridge means you’ll never go hungry or thirsty! Lovely meeting you
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I always reckon your fridge can never be too big – not matter what size we have, we all fill it! 🙂
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Too true Sandy. Lovely meeting you, thank you having a peek inside my kitchen, see you next month at IMK
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Oh look at all these awesome things happening in your kitchen! I’m going to Aldi today so am totally going to look for some of those cute cups! How great is it having a new fridge – enjoy!!!
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I love our new fridge especially with all the cooking I’m doing at school at the moment – it does get quite full! Good luck with Aldi – I’m sure you’ll find a bargain or two! x
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Nicole, it looks very red to me, I think you did a wonderful job! Please do feel free to send me the sacher torte your nephew rejected.. 🙂 New fridge is a joy, but I should warn you that the Pukara caramelised balsamic is very, very addictive.. 😉
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I was scared of the caramalised balsamic becoming addictive – I’ve heard a few people say that! Sacher torte got eaten -, you a sorry, my bad – but next time I make some I’ll keep one just for you, promise. Thank you Celia, your comments make my day x
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Lovely peek into your kitchen this month. Those oils look fantastic can’t wait to hear what you make with them. I got a flavoured one the other day and couldn’t go past just dipping bread into it. That cake is amazing, I don’t know much about food colouring but it looks pretty good and I’m sure your nephew thought it was the best.
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Hi Vicki, which oil did you buy? Always love trying new flavoured/scented oils. You’re right, my nephew did love the cake colour, I’m just a perfectionist – it’s my star sign 😉 Thank you for coming past, see you next month at IMK
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Those oils sound fantastic! No matter how many fridges we have, they are always full. I think the fairies come at night ….. One would think that all salt would be so pure as the Himalayan one you bought. Lovely cake as well 🙂
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Just lost my comment! I’m really impressed with your cake and I’m sure your nephew was over-the-moon about it. If you want to make icing a true red, you need to buy red colouring in powder form. I buy it from The Essential Ingredient. I’d love to try that wasabi oil. How fabulous to have a new slick fridge xx
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I will keep the red powder colouring in mind for next time – I’m grateful for your expertise. As soon as I try that wasabi oil, I’ll let you know how it works – I’m a bit excited to try it too! See you next month x
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Don’t you just love Aldi? And the Vic Market….Sorry, but I can’t help out with the icing (it looks fine to me) but I am curious about how the smArties got in there. Did you scoop out a hollow after you had baked it?
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So it was a 3 layer sponge, cut out the middle of the middle sponge layer & added in the m&m’s and jaffas. This needs to be done the day/night before the party otherwise the chocolates go soft. It’s lovely meeting you through IMK & thank you for following me on my food journey x
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Impressive. (One of my few goals in life is to never make a sponge cake! Don’t know why I decided that but I am on track so far!)
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Your kitchen sure looks busy this month… Which Anthony B book are you reading? Your cake certainly does look impressive 🙂 and only another foodie would understand how amazing a new fridge is… I am single at the moment and I have a 520 litre all to myself… It is heaven 🙂 thanks for sharing! Liz x
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I’m almost finished Kitchen Confidential & I’ve read a Cooks Tour too – brilliant! Kitchen Confidential means a lot to me at the moment with studying commercial cookery 🙂 Too true about foodies & fridges – can’t believe your fridge though! It must be heaven. Thanks for stopping by Liz, see you next month at IMK x
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A new fridge is always very welcome. I dont know how you survived with a smaller one. You have to keep your eye n Aldi becaiuse there is always a bargain to tempt you. What kind of red colouring did you use?
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Originally, where we lived before moving to Melbourne, there’s wasn’t enough room for a bigger fridge. Now with school & entertaining a little more, the decision was made to get a bigger fridge my husband & I love it! With the icing, it wasn’t anything special, just red & yellow food colouring – I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to cakes & decorating, so any tips or advice you’ve got, I’m willing to take – please 🙂
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Flavoured olive oil and pink salt, a little bit of luxury in the kitchen. The cake is amazing, I think its very red as it is.
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Sometimes it’s nice to spoil yourself in the kitchen, having some new & exciting flavours to try. I love trying new condiments, even though they may sit in the pantry for a couple of months until I figure out what to use them on. It’s lovely meeting you, see you next month at IMK
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I love Pukara Estate oils, especially the caramelised balsamic vinegar one which I often use on salads and for grilling vegetables.
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Mmmmm . . . using it on salads instead of normal balsamic, I like the way you think 😉 Lovely meeting you, see you next month at IMK
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love all the stuff in your kitchen! those coffee cups are a most glorious colour. and always great to have a new fridge. we keep meaning to replace ours but as it still works, we don’t! it is old and has a rusty door but keeps on keeping on. ours is 410L but is way too small. Love the cake and the oils too!
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Thank you Sherry, the espresso cups are just the best colour – I’m a red girl but the red wasn’t that nice! Big fridges are awesome & there’s nothing wrong with an old fridge, as long as it does its job – keeping everything cold 🙂 I can’t wait to use my oils & share with you all what I used them for. Lovely meeting you, see you next month at IMK
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Congrats on the new fridge! I’ve always wanted to try a surprise inside cake, maybe for the hubby’s birthday! 🙂
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Thank you Katie, I’m a bit spoilt with a new, bigger fridge. You can’t go wrong with a surprise cake – it’s the cake that keeps on giving. Lovely seeing you at IMK
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Woo hoo, a new fridge, now that’s exciting… and you’re right, who could go past those Aldi cups?! Well, I did, but that’s because I have plenty of coffee drinking vessels… but they are a bargain. I love that salt too! We have a smoked version, which we bought at a farmer’s market in Noosa. Happy cooking xo
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I just love our new fridge Liz, can’t believe I still manage to fill it up though! The smoked salt you have, is it Himalayan or another salt? I do have a Salish Alder smoked sea salt from Gewurzhaus which I haven’t used yet – looking for inspiration (hint, hint 😉 It’s great seeing you x
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