In my kitchen - July 2022

How is it July!  How is it past the winter solstice!  How are we passed the halfway mark in the year!   How are we here when I haven't blogged much this year but I have photos, drafts and ideas!  How it life still so unsettled and askew!  Not to mention the disturbing news that the Supreme Court of America has overturned Roe vs Wade.  It is a reminder that life is cyclical not just moving in one direction.  We can't take the good times for granted nor should we forget in bad time that it will change.  This too shall pass!  In Australian news we have airport chaos (brought to you by Covid and Qantas) but at least our new Prime Minister Albanese is warmly welcomed by foreign leaders, as though in relief it is no longer Scomo!

There have been improvements and moments of light for me: a Sammy J gig, meeting a friend for a meal, and a centre-wide meeting at work where I could sit and chat with members over lunch.  And Covid is not over.  A few family members have had it recently.   So, unfortunately, I am not the only one to see life pass me by!  But there are plans for more good times ahead.

June has seen a few more home cooked meals in my kitchen.  Not all cooked in my home.  My mum has brought me  the above pumpkin soup with spiced chickpeas and also enchiladas with bean and cheese filling.  Both have been fantastic meals to have about for busy days.

We have had quite a lot of fresh ravioli for meals.  Recently as I was draining a saucepan, the pasta started to sink lower than it should and I realised the bottom was falling out of my colander.  I am so sad to have had to say goodbye to this colander which has been useful for many years of draining pasta, rice and beans.  It had the perfect handle to hold, the right shape, the right size holes.  I have looked for a similar colander.  No sign of one.  So I have a cheap one to keep me going until I find my dream colander.

These groceries are from our local supermarket which has rearranged everything and seems to have increased its range.  The tortellini that comes with a pumpkin sauce was ok but not as nice as pasta from the fridge.  The Turtle cups were quite moreish with soft chocolate filling in crisp layers.  Sylvia ate the seaweed crisps which were quite savoury.  And the crispy broccoli florets indeed shatter in the mouth but it is a bit disconcerting how much they taste like broccoli.  I guess they are healthy!

This soy crisp and cashew mix was a nice snack to take to work.

I cooked a huge Shepherd's pie ("Shepherd's lie") that gave me lots of lunches and dinners over a week plus more in the freezer.  I made a tomato tahini sauce filled with vegies and then a cheesy mash on top that was baked until crispy.  A great winter warmer.

I made this fried rice with tofu scramble for dinner when I had leftover basmati rice.  The I fried some pumpkin and purple cabbage to eat on the side.  Sylvia had quite a bit of the fried rice but not the vegies on the side.  I enjoyed quite a lot of leftovers.  

Oh and I photographed this with a pamphlet from our local Moreland Council which has recently discovered the name comes from a slave plantation in Jamaica.  They are on a crusade to change it to an Indigenous name and have chosen Merri-bek meaning rocky land but is yet to be formalised.

Sylvia wanted this brown sugar bubble tea.  She liked it.  I still find the concept very odd!

We tried a new flavour of ice cream - Butterscotch and Gingerbread.  It was quite nice but I was not as taken with it as Sylvia.

At work I tried tiramisu for the first time in my life.  One of my thoughtful colleagues made a regular tiramisu for her birthday and I declined because I don't do coffee.  She then made another with green tea which I tasted and it was really nice - I was pleasantly surprised that the lady finger cake layers were so soft.

And I am constantly amused by the notebook I bought to make notes at work.  The small print is not so easy to read on the screen but worth a read.

I am sending this post to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen event.  If you would like to join in, send your post to Sherry by 13th of the month.  Or just head over to her blog to visit more kitchens and her wonderful hand drawn header.