In my Kitchen March 2015

 

WOW! Where has time gone so far this month!? I almost forgot to share with you everything that’s been happening in my kitchen this month. I’ve been so busy preparing food for our Grand Prix party (which is only 2 weeks away now!) I just haven’t stopped! Everyday preparing over 150 mini sausage rolls (using all 10 sheets in a puff pastry pack!), 160 chicken & coriander dumplings (recipe coming soon), 160 pork & prawn potstickers and 50 chicken patties – and there’s still salads and slow cooked pork belly to go! Oh and not to mention the 40 plus kilos of tomatoes from my brother-in-laws veggie patch, which is now passata! I have loved every minute of cooking and prepping this month in my kitchen.

Let’s start with this amazing sunset above! Isn’t it beautiful? It’s the biggest sun I’ve seen all summer and when it got to the horizon, I couldn’t help myself, I ran inside and grabbed the camera. It felt like we were on holidays in Thailand! If you didn’t know that it was Albert Park Lake in the foreground and Port Philip Bay, I’d swear we were overseas, not Melbourne, Australia. #balconyview #untouched #AlbertParkLake #beautifulmelbourne #sunset #nofilter #noediting

In My Kitchen . . .

. . . is my goodies I picked up at Aldi. New egg poachers, which I still haven’t tried out but when I do, I’ll share my success with you all 🙂 New cast iron mini pans. I couldn’t resist these little beauties after seeing Sweet Paul cook mini skillet bread, I wanted to try them. But I did prepare a smoky bacon bean and egg brunch in them and each mini pan the perfect portion size for one person. They came already pre-seasoned, I just must remember to now wash them with water, or they’ll go rusty.

In My Kitchen . . .

. . . are more cookbooks! I know, I know, I have a small (bookcase overload) problem but I can’t help myself, especially when they’re on special at the op-shop for $2 each! I love Ainsley Harriott’s witt, he makes me laugh every time I watch him, so this was a must for my collection. I have a lot of Asian cookbooks in my collection but do you believe I didn’t have a Korean cookbook! This one is fantastic, all the classic dishes plus extra to experiment with.

In My Kitchen . . .

. . . are delicious Australian made veggie chips that everyone loves, even Kojiro. Woolworths have them for $4 a packet and we go through a pack (or sometimes two) a week. My nephews can eat a whole pack in one sitting!

From My Kitchen . . .

. . . are Date Vinegar sample bottle that I received from Exotic Date Vinegars. Made form 100% dates, this vinegar is imported from Iran and can be used as you would balsamic vinegar. No artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives, no chemical filtration and no added sugar or salt – perfect! If you have any ideas on what you’d like to see me use them with, please leave a comment, any ideas would be fantastic.

In My Kitchen . . .

. . . of course, is Kojiro, in the saucepan cupboard! He was happy to hop up on the shelf to be closer to me while I cook. Funny little fella. He makes me laugh so much 🙂

In My Kitchen . . .

. . . is some new dumpling flour I found at the Asian grocer in Victoria St, Richmond. I thought I’d give it a try to see if it makes my dumplings taste better! The lady at the register was trying to sell me pre-made frozen dumplings – I told her I make my own, hence the flour. But she continued telling me that Australians love these dumplings! I love my dumplings more 🙂 I’ll let you know the verdict after Grand Prix party.

And lastly In my Kitchen . . .

. . . is some new champagne glasses. Over the years, the champagne glasses, whih we received as an engagement present, have broken. These were on special at a shop down Chapel Street for $10 as it was the last box – perfect! I just couldn’t go past the orange stems to add colour to my kitchen.

Oh and just in case you missed a healthy alternative to rice pilaf, why not give my freekah & bulgar pilaf a try – super tasty and good for you, enjoy 🙂

Looking for some kitchen inspiration? Come and join us, Maureen from Orgasmic Chef hosts this wonderful kitchen party. We’d love to see what’s in your kitchen, so come and join us by the 10^th of every month to make new friends and find food inspiration, while learning and laughing together over a cuppa, or glass of wine xx