In my kitchen - November 2012

In my kitchen we currently have vegemite and promite.  Thanks to Kathryn I know that vegemite has less salt than promite.  I told Sylvia.  This has results in no end of fascinating conversations on the topic.  I grew up on vegemite but prefer promite these days.  E brought the vegemite out of curiosity.  To me that is the sign of a migrant.  No Aussie would ever wonder what it tasted like.  We grew up on the stuff!

I bought some of these Cadbury's Marvellous Creations after being intrigued by Hannah's review.  Unlike Hannah, I love the popping candy and could eat this chocolate by the bucketload.  It was very sweet and moreish and full of fascinating textures.  In the interests of eating this chocolate in moderation, E and I decided to try the smaller bars.  However in the interests of our waistlines, we have not been buying even the smaller bars often.

I bought the Ghirardelli squares out of curiosity.  It is a brand that I often come across on blogs but have never found in our shops until recently.  This chocolate was far more grown up than the aforementioned Marvellous Creations.  I loved the sweet caramel filled milk chocolate squares but also loved the mint filled dark chocolates.  Yet you can have too much of a good thing.  So we haven't bought more of this chocolate either.

I am a big fan of Emma and Tom's juices.  They have lots of interesting flavours and taste great.  So I was interested to see that they are now producing these Life Bars in a range of flavours.  Predictably, I decided to try the chocolate one.  It was delicious and a healthier chocolate fix than the Cadbury or Ghirardelli offerings.  I think it is fairly similar to Lara Bars (US)and Nakd Bars (UK) in that it is mainly dates and nuts.

Despite my recent vegan cheese experiments, we eat a lot of cheese in Chez GGG.  Unlike the UK where the Vegetarian Society wields some power, most cheeses in the Australian supermarket use animal rennet and are not vegetarian.  We usually buy Nimbin Cheese from NSW.  Recently we have been enjoying a new local vegetarian cheese that has appeared in the shelves.  Sylvia calls it 'man cheese'.  You can see why in the photo.

It had been a long time since I ate potato gems.  Then I bought them on a night I fancied fish and chips.  They filled a void.  E and Sylvia loved them.  Frankly though I doubt I will be hurrying to buy them again.  They are so salty and need 30 minutes to cook.  They seem neither healthy nor much of a time saver (mashed potato takes less time). But nice for a trip down memory lane.

These Twisties ghosts are a Halloween purchase made while shopping after work.  The lesson is that I shouldn't go to the supermarket while tired.  It skewers my judgement.  I quite enjoy regular cheese Twisties.  They have a pleasing crunchy texture though they are junk food through and through!  These Twisties ghosts tasted more like flavoured polystyrene.

A while back we found ourselves in possession of a seed kid thanks to a child care fundraiser.  Sylvia and I planted them and kept the baby seeds in a sunny place on the kitchen windowsill.  I remembered to water them often enough.  I quite enjoyed watching their progress.  My mum has recently repotted them outside.  I fear we might never see them flower as they should.  One seedling has already withered away and one seems to be the food of insects.  I still have hope and will share any flowers we might see.  Fingers crossed! (Update December 2012 - our flowers)

I recently bought this glue in the supermarket.  Have I been incredibly ignorant all these years or it is a new thing.  It is blue when wet and clear when dry.  This is great when Sylvia uses it as I can easily see if she has put enough blue on the paper.

My friend Yaz came to dinner this week and brought us some chocolate orange sticks.  They were enjoyed by all.  Even more importantly, he helped to attach the engine and tray of our craft truck.  It was a very tricky operation of threading wire through two holes in a box that I had accidentally sealed without leaving space to get in.

Life is incredibly busy right now with holiday preparations.  I have been meaning to bake but just don't have the energy.  Thank goodness that cherries are coming into season.  We bought some today after a long day of swimming and shopping.  They were a highlight of the evening.

This post is being sent to Celia as part of her In My Kitchen event.