Sunday 1 July 2012

in my kitchen: July 2012

I am participating in Celia's In My Kitchen event again.   She has dedicated this month's event to Barbara of Winos and Foodies, who passed away on Friday.  I'd like to add my condolences to her family and friends.  I was aware of Barbara's lovely blog due to her fantastic event A Touch of Yellow that she held to raising awareness of cancer. 

So I start this peek into my kitchen with a touch of yellow in these Corn Crunch snacks.  Very crunchy, very moreish, and very very salty.  They come into individual packs.  Not good for the environment but great for throwing in your bag when you are out and about.

Another moreish snack that has graced our kitchen of late are tubs of these Chocolate berri-buds.  Balls of soft milk chocolate with dried berries inside.  It is hard to eat just one.

A healthier way to get a sweet fix is this Black Adder Liquorice tea.  I used to drink this a lot and haven't drunk a lot of tea for ages.  With the onset of winter I suddenly had a yen for a steaming mug of this tea.  I couldn't find it in the supermarket but fortunately our health food store stocks it.

While on the topic of teas, I can't resist sharing this cute teabag.  I bought E these RoyalTea teabags for Christmas.  He wasn't that impressed with the actual taste of the tea but the bags are fun.  Sylvia thought the man in the cup was hilarious.  (Apologies, your majesty!)

French walnut oil.  I bought this for a salad that I shall share soon.  It made a huge difference to the dressing.  I was surprised to find it wasn't the first time I had bought walnut oil.  Though not in such a fancy tin before.  I quite like the aesthetic of it.  Maybe I need to make these brownies again.

My parents had a recent trip to Sydney and brought back some goodies.  Above is the Hazelnut and Raisin Sourdough Bread from the Bourke Street Bakery.  I loved the dense bread with the golden chewy crust.  Great with soup.  She also brought me a peach tea pot from Adrian Zumbo.   It was delicious but I am less enamoured of creamy desserts.

Winter is the time when I struggle to find appealing fruit.  My favourite packham pears seem to be passing their peak but I am enjoying eating oranges and mandarins.  We only have one lime left on the tree but a few lemons still hang off the boughs of the lemon tree.

I discovered these Wallaby Bites in the health food section of the supermarket recently.  Dried fruit, nuts and rice bubbles covered in chocolate.  They hail from Byron Bay and are Gluten Free.  Work has been very busy lately so it helps to have these snacks in a drawer in case of a chocolate emergency.

I will finish with a word of caution.  Beware letting a 3 year old hold a baguette in the backseat of the car on the way home.  We bought this sourdough baguette after lunch at Sugardough yesterday.  It is hard to find a free table in the cute little bakery cafe.  It is even harder to resist all the wonderful baked goods upon leaving.  Seems that young children can't resist their bread either!

24 comments:

  1. Oh no! I'm so, so sorry to hear about Barbara. I just... too many people have been taken by cancer in the past year. I can't even... I'm sorry.

    On a lighter note, I do love those corn bits though when I'm up for splurging on mini packets, I tend to get the chicnuts instead. Must try licorice tea!

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    1. Thanks Hannah - it is really sad about barbara - cancer is a menace! We are also quite a fan of the chicknuts and have even tried the broad bean which are good too - anything crunchy and salty!

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  2. Yes, it is very sad news about Barbara.

    There are so many lovely things to eat in your kitchen. I bet that walnut oil is delightful. My favourite, though, is that tea bag. Her Majesty does not look happy sitting there in your mug.

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    1. Terribly sad about barbara!

      And yes lots of yummy things about - too many! Her majesty certainly does not look amused at being dunked in a teacup - who could blame her!

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  3. I was saddened to hear about Barbara too :( She was a lovely lady.

    Nice contribution to Celia's in my kitchen Johanna-the tea bag gave me a giggle!

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    1. Thanks Lorraine - I never met barbara but she seemed lovely!

      The teabags are hilarious - that was the last of the pack and I had to take a pic before they went

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  4. I am sorry to hear about Barbara - I didn't know her blog but it is always sad to hear of people passing. This was a lovely post to honour her memory and a lovey peek into your kitchen - I would happily share in many of the products here and indeed am enjoying liquorice tea myself this weekend. I have also been eyeing off those chocolate berry buds, but have had to step back from the Wallaby bites after eating far too many soon after discovering them and going off them a bit as a result!

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    1. Thanks Kari - it is sad you wont get a chance to know barbara - I didn't visit her blog often but always enjoyed it when I did.

      I thought of you with the liquorice tea as I remember your tea post a while back - I have only bought one pack of wallaby bites - they are very moreish but I was taking muesli bars to work and finding them too bit so these suit more for the moment! The berry buds are more moreish so be warned!

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  5. I scrolled through and read Wallaby bites, and then immediately saw the nibbled bread! Glad it was Sylvia who was the nibbler!

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    1. Thanks Helen - I got a good laugh out of your comment - probably just as well we didn't have a wallaby in the car nibbling our bread

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  6. Ha ha, that hole in the baguette made me laugh as did the irreverent comments about the Queen. I always enjoy these In My Kitchen posts because I just love nosing about other people's kitchens. And I'd love some of that liquorice tea.

    Apologies about the blackcurrants. I must confess I assumed that if people couldn't get hold of the actual fruit, they would be able to get ribena or some other blackcurrant flavoured product. I think they can be grown in some parts of Australia, but they are more of a cool weather plant. I'm happy for you to substitute some other berry (preferably black) if you are struggling.

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    1. Thanks Choclette - shh - don't tell E about my irreverent comments about the queen! It is fun to nose around others' kitchens - and I have done my fair share so thought it was time to show a bit of mine!

      No worries about the blackcurrants - an interesting challenge but just so far off my radar that I am not even sure if it is easy to find blackcurrant jam - it must be - though I know ribena is readily available - will see how I go

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  7. Lovely post Johanna, thanks for playing! The tea bag is a giggle, I wonder if Her Maj is amused? :)

    I use the hazelnut oil (which I adore) in a crumble recipe and it's really an interesting twist on butter. Here's the link (hope it's ok to post it, if not, please delete)..

    http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/06/02/rhubarb-berry-apple-and-hazelnut-crisp/

    I've never tried licorice tea, but I'll look out for i. Thanks for the headsup! :)

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    1. thanks for the link celia - the idea of walnut oil in a fruit crisp sounds wonderful - hope you find some liquorice tea and glad that at least you were amused by Her Maj (if not Herself!)

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  8. So many great treats here! Love the tea bag, that you grow your own citrus and the bread nibble. It's like driving home with the pizza, one slice almost always disappears!

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    1. Thanks Spoonfest - Food in the car is so tempting - there is not much else to do is there! Sadly the cute tea bags have now gone but our citrus trees in pots are doing well

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  9. Thanks for the peek in your kitchen! Also, thank you for alerting me to Barbara's passing - I was not a regular reader but had followed her on and off for a few years, so I am sad to hear that she has lost her battle with cancer.

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    1. Thanks Cakelaw - I was glad that I found out about Barbara - I followed her on and off too and read her last post just recently and she seemed so full of life!

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  10. I'm not familiar with Barbara's blog but am sad to hear of her passing. Cancer is such a terrible disease.

    The Corn Crunch snacks sound interesting, just my type of thing. Love the shot of the baguette, I don't blame Sylvia for not being able to resist it.

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    1. Thanks Mel - yes cancer just takes too many precious people (and animals) from us!

      I got into the corn crunch because they are near the roasted chickpeas in safeway - they are great but seem very salty to me! Far better to chomp on some good bread :-)

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  11. Haha how funny that Sylvia took a bite out of that loaf!

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    1. Thanks Joanne - I had thought she might nibble an end but not that she would just eat into the middle and then grab as much bread out of the bread stick as possible! Kids!

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  12. Love the baguette!
    I've always just torn the heel of the bread off for the children to enjoy on the way home- it keeps the rest of the bread tooth mark free!
    You've got quite a good selection of yummies! I'd love to try them all but except for the corn nuts- I'm not sure they are available over here! :)

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  13. Love the walnut oil... walnuts are a firm favourite in my kitchen. Good to 'meet you'.

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