I have fresh eggs In My Kitchen this month. After many months with only a couple of eggs proffered as rent, we sent the freeloaders in our chicken coop back to the farm and replaced them with four Isa Browns that are starting to earn their keep. I had been buying eggs when I couldn’t get any from my parent’s chickens, so it is lovely to be self-sufficient once more.
A wander through IKEA (goodness me that place is dangerous to the wallet) resulted in three new cutting boards. They are made from bamboo, which is a great lightweight wood for the kitchen, and are three different sizes which is handy when you only want to slice a single tomato. I also came out of the store with these simple tea towels which will find their way into food photos from time to time. I think I may have a tea towel obsession. Maybe I should seek help.
My friend Matt and his family visited the United States earlier this year and when we finally caught up with them, he gave me this poultry rub and white truffle oil which he had picked up for me in New York. I have used the poultry rub on roast chicken and it is very, very good. I have yet to put the truffle oil to good use.
Normally I perform a hit and run on the supermarket, but recently I had some time to kill as I was waiting for The Princess. I slowly wandered the aisles to see what new products were on the shelves and came across this coconut sweet spread. It is a mix of coconut, coconut oil and coconut nectar. I used it with great success in a quick apple tart and, despite her initial protests that it was too sweet, I have seen The Princess sneaking spoonfuls as a snack.
There are numerous batches of kale chips moving through the kitchen at the moment. The kale plants are ridiculously abundant this year, and I am struggling to keep up with the supply. I even turned a large batch into kale pesto. It is the kale chips that are the most popular use of this vegetable though, and I often find a trail of kale crumbs leading from the dehydrator soon after I make a batch. At least I know The Princess likes them.
I was really excited to win a copy of The Homemade Flour Cookbook in an Eat Your Books competition last month. I had been coveting this book and was on the verge of buying it myself anyway, so winning a copy was a wonderful thing. I love making my own flour as I feel that there is a difference in flavour between flours that you grind yourself and shop purchased flours. The book has many great ideas for legume and grain flours that I had not even considered, so I am looking forward to cooking from it.
A recent browse through a local bookstore saw me emerge with I Quit Sugar for Life and Fermentation for Beginners. I do like Sarah Wilson’s philosophy and, whilst I don’t agree with everything she says, her ideas and recipes are a good introduction to eating well and dropping the processed foods from our diets. The fermentation book has a handful of recipes that I really want to try. I have already made sour cream with buttermilk, and have my eye on the pineapple vinegar next.
That about wraps up a look into my kitchen this month. Don’t forget to head over to Celia’s at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for a peek into other kitchens around the world.
Great looking haul there! I have a tea towel obsession too! Love the kale chips… our kale has gone beserk.
Thanks Liz. Yes the kale is towering over everything in our garden too. It is good to hear I am not alone in my obsession.
Looks wonderful. I wish we could have chickens for fresh eggs, someday maybe we will move to the country and finally get some! The coconut spread sounds quite interesting.
Thanks Gretchen. We are only on a small-ish city block but have managed to tuck the chicken coop into the back corner. They get let out from time to time to scratch around, and even though they make a dreadful mess of the garden it is truly lovely having our own eggs.
G’day! Thanks for this month’s kitchen view too!
I admit I have a tea towel obsession too!
Cheers! Joanne
Thank Joanne. It is good to hear I am not alone 🙂
A very interesting tour of your kitchen Tania…a girl can never have a enough chopping boards, right? I am very impressed that you grind your own flour. That is awesome. Fresh, home produced eggs are the best, I agree. Yours look lovely!
Thanks Jane. You are absolutely correct … you can never have too many 🙂 I only grind small amounts of different flours for baking. I still buy flour in bulk for baking bread. My little machine couldn’t keep up otherwise. I am very happy to have our own eggs once more.
Tania, there’s something about backyard eggs – I know exactly how you feel, because when our old chooks stopped laying, I was really annoyed at having to buy eggs from the supermarket. I’ve realised we need our girls to lay, so we’ll be retiring these chooks once they stop and getting new ones. I did the same thing as you did with chopping boards only at Aldi – I came home with two large ones at a ridiculous price, thinking they’d be good for serving food on. Mine were made from acacia wood. No kale in our garden this year, but heaps of broccoli raab. It doesn’t make great chips though! 🙂
I realised the same thing Celia when we went for months without home grown eggs. It is interesting but I even find myself using them differently. I am happier to reach for a home egg than I am for one I have had to pay big dollars for. Ridiculous I know but there it is. I love the sound of acacia wood boards. Such a lovely wood. I need to try and grow broccoli raab next year, seeing how much you use it.
Looking at that bowl of eggs, I definitely have chook envy! The cutting boards and everything else look very good. Love the things in your kitchen this month!
Thanks Maureen. I am so happy to have home grown eggs again 🙂
Hi Tania! I’m enjoying your blog which I found via IMK a couple of months ago. So far I’ve made the oat and buckwheat jammy scone (really good and went down a treat with a scone loving friend) and the pork bao (forgot the mushrooms and didn’t quite get the filling to bun ratio right but they were still good). Now I have kale and a dehydrator so kale chips are next.
Thank you Jo. That is so lovely of you. I am glad you have been enjoying the recipes. Somebody told me that they made the bao and had some dough leftover so they dipped a strawberry in cinnamon and sugar and wrapped it up to steam. Apparently it was quite good. Beware, the kale chips are slightly addictive 😉
i love tea towels too and have a huge collection. not sure about kale chips. i know kale is healthy for you and super trendy but i just can’t bring myself to eat it:( I love the wooden boards.
I’m glad to hear other people share my tea towel obsession. As to the kale chips, you should try them 🙂 I was skeptical too but they are very good.
OMG coconut sweet spread! Sounds like the holy trilogy of coconut right there in a jar. Right, I will have to track some down, thank you! : )
It is pretty good Kirsty. Well worth tracking down.