In my Kitchen June 2015

And as the calendar flicked over to June, so did the weather. Going from lovely Autumn days of     18°C and sunshine to freezing cold 13°C with snow in the mountains! They say it’s been the coldest Melbourne has experienced in 20 years! And you can tell – flannelette sheets on the bed, wearing ugg boots (wool lined casual boots), fires burning (pictured above at my sister’s house, which isn’t far from her kitchen) and wearing beanies everywhere I go! And the good news about Winter is it brings us warming soups, stews, casseroles, slow cooked curries and pies. I’m looking forward to testing some new recipe ideas I have. I’m just hoping I can get them ready before the sun goes down (at 5pm-5.30pm) – which can mean if there’s no sun, there may not be photos! What do I do in this case? Any ideas on natural-looking lighting to use? Join us as we explore all the goodies in our friends’ kitchens from all around the world. Hosted by the lovely Celia at Fig Jam & Lime Cordial, we’d love to see what’s in your kitchen too. Make a cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy all the fun that is In my Kitchen. To start with In my Kitchen this month . . . . . . is our 3rd year Wedding Anniversary presents. I bought my husband a lovely crystal decanter and matching glasses. My husband bought me these beautiful Japanese blue pearl earrings. Bit spoilt! I somehow feel a bit like Julia Childs wearing pearls while cooking 😉 In my Kitchen . . . . . . is the brand new, you-beaut stainless steel steamer from Ikea ($9.95). I needed a new steamer that had quite small holes so I could steam my couscous. Steaming couscous is the traditional Moroccan way of cooking couscous, which is now my favourite way to cook couscous as it always turns out extra fluffy. In my Kitchen . . . . . . are new chopping boards, also from Ikea ($4.99). While at school, we used colour coded chopping boards to prevent cross-contamination. I needed a blue board for my seafood and fish as well as a new vegetable (green) board, as I can never have too many chopping boards! I only use wooden boards for breads and cheeses. In my Kitchen . . . . . . is a new spatula that I found at Aldi for $3.99 and my gorgeous new hot pink turner or egg flipper from Myer when they had 40% off utensils for $7.60 – bargain! I love them both, not only the funky colours in my kitchen drawers but the spatula is great for serving mash potatoes and the turner just feels perfect in my hand. It’s my new favourite gadget. In my Kitchen . . . . . . is Murray River pink salt flakes, which I bought at South Melbourne Market. My salts are stored in jars right near my stovetop for easy access. I just love the pale coral colour of this salt. In my Kitchen . . . . . . is ground ginger. There’s a place I found at South Melbourne Market that sells this brand of herbs and spices. They’re about $3.50 a packet and have no preservatives or additives. They fill up my spice jars perfectly. Ginger is something I always use in my Asian, African and Indian dishes. And the last item In my Kitchen this month . . . . . . is hot chilli flakes, which for their hotness, they’re just a bargain! I get these from a little Asian grocer in Prahran Market. I spent a good 20 minutes in there (there’s only 6 aisles), just looking at everything. I can get lost in any Asian grocery store! What’s your favourite place to get lost? Recipe roundup for June – my no cream carbonara. Come join us. Write your post about all the goodies in your kitchen, linking to Fig Jam & Lime Cordial by the 10th of every month. Hope to see you soon 🙂