In My Kitchen: February 2023

February starts and the year is well underway.  January was a nice holiday month with trips to the beach, catch ups with friends and a trip to the Grampians.  I even got a bit more time for blogging!  But February is back to work.  It's busy.  School is back.  I have two work trips in the next 3 weeks. Our weather continues to be fickle; official covid numbers are down, and politics feels like groundhog day with more boosters, more interest rates rises, and the Robodebt royal commission showing the worst of politicians. 

One of our holiday treats was a trip to Moon Cruller in 50 Rose Street, Fitzroy.  Sylvia was fascinated by crullers, crispy doughnut rings of choux pastry, which she had seen on Private Practice.  We got the 6 pack: original glazed, vanilla, raspberry, passionfruit, cream and jam, and the daily special black sesame and cherry.  They were really good so crispy outside and light inside, but I think I prefer the yeastiness of doughnuts.  I really liked the cherry and black sesame flavours but it had too much cream in it.  The passionfruit was one of the beset with a tang working nicely with the sweet rich dough.  And I finally got some new bathers in Ftizroy.

Another fun shopping trip was when we finally made it to Terra Marde in Brunswick (775-781 Sydney Road).  It was quieter than the Northcote Terra Mardre but perhaps that was because we went in early evening.  I just went for some black salt and seemed to come back with the rest of the shop.  I exaggerate.  A little.    It was an Aladdin's cave of temptation.  

We bought facon that really looks like bacon "without the oink", vegan sour jubes that were too sour for Sylvia, vegan Artisa Gladstone aged cashew cheese smoked with Tasmanian applewood, Moo Free Bunnycomb chocolate "for dairy dodging chocolate chompers", instant cheezy broccoli soup, Tony's chocolonely chocolate bar, Terra Madre maple syrup with a cool label, etc etc.  I hope to find time to tell you more about the facon soon.

We also bought kombucha.  It amused me to buy one that was called "way better" so I could tell Sylvia mine was way better.

After one of our measuring spoons got badly bent on hard frozen ice cream,, I was determined to buy a new ice cream scoop.  Sylvia was less keen until she tried it and then needed me to buy more ice cream so she could enjoy scooping.

This is a random photo of vegies and tofu we cut up for Rice Paper Rolls.  They were one of the foods we were enjoying in the summer holidays.

These are Jelly Fruits that Sylvia saved up to buy online.  Apparently they are a tik tok sensation.  They are really weird.  I found it unnerving to have to bit a hole in the plastic to suck the jelly through.

I got a little carried away at Christmas and as well as making nut roast and tofurkey, I bought this Nature's Kitchen Christmas Roast.  Actually I think I had it on standby in case I didn't manage anything else for Christmas day.  About a week or two after Christmas I baked it with the tomato chutney on top - like my mum used to bake meatloaf.  I am not a fan of gluten heavy mock meat and I think that might be why I wasn't so keen on it.

For those who have never heard of cheezels, they are a ring shaped "chip" that is an Aussie classic.  I really enjoyed these cheezel flavoured crackers.  They were very moreish and left a lot of cheezy yellow powder on my fingers.  Sylvia was right when she said she missed the fun of putting cheezel rings on your fungers and eating them off one by one.

This is another dinner with bits and pieces: brown rice salad, potato salad without mayo, corn on the cob, peas, fried onion and veg sauce.

 

 

I have made this antipasto focaccia a couple of times lately.  We made it once and took it straight out of the oven to the pictures when we saw Lyle Lyle Crocodile.  The second time I took it for a picnic with friends at the Fiztroy Gardens.  It is such an easy thing to make that is satisfying and impressive.

At the end of the month we went for a holiday at the Grampians.  I bought this Desert Quandong Jam at the Brambuk Indigenous Centre.  We had it with scones and cream that my mum brought to my place.  Quandongs are Australian native peaches, if you want some idea of how it tastes.  Behind is a picture of our holiday cottage.

This is the lollies Sylvia got on our holidays.  She was a big fan of the lolly shop!

Here is a slightly healthier photo from our holiday kitchen at the Grampians.  When I have more time I will write more about the holiday.  

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 gorgeous hand drawn header.