I can make relish, jam and pickles, but I always assumed marmalade was in the advanced category. I think it’s because every recipe I read gave finicky and painstaking instructions regarding the removal of pith, zesting the skin, fine slivers of lime peel curling like the eyelashes of kittens…I’m as impressed by a croquembouche as [...]
Tagged adventures in cookingOkay, I’m sorry Black Coffee tunic. It was out of line for me to gripe so noisily about the length of your collar. I believed I described it as a load of codswollop-sprinkled bullshit that I should have to knit for nine inches. And I was right, but my anger was misdirected. Next time I [...]
Tagged Black CoffeeThere’s no point stockpiling and taking advantage of autumn’s abundance if you’re not laying down the groundwork for next season: For the record: today I planted shallots, broccoli, beets and snow peas. (This is less about writing an informative blog post than it is about reminding me what I planted.) Having pulled up all the [...]
Tagged abundancebethini had a pickle party and nobody was invited but her and Gojira becuase THAT’S WHAT MAKES A PICKLE PARTY Y’ALL. Tight. (Also a friend dropped by and asked how it was going. It was going well.) I did relish; I did carrots; next up: backyard sourcing. Time to harvest some beets, friends. Frosts are [...]
Tagged abundanceAs you can see, I’m pickling. The earth turns, seasons change, the kitchen moves with it. Pickled carrots combine two of my fav-our-ite things, so let’s go! I used this recipe from My Own Ideas, and it was easy as anything. (I haven’t tasted the results yet, which makes this blog post arguably premature.) Put [...]
Tagged abundanceIt’s wintry lately. Fog on the Brindabellas, frost on the car, etc. I could go on, but you get it. Winter draws its sexy cloak o’er the land and the fruits and vegetables swoon from the stalks. It’s stockpile time! Food traditions are interesting: in particular, I get a kick out of “use it up” [...]
Tagged abundance, adventures in cookingMy hard heart — Helen Garner This book of short fiction is another of my Library discoveries: I’ve heard Helen Garner’s name a lot — she’s pretty big in Australian literature — so I grabbed this book of short fiction to gain a taste of her work. It’s pretty awesome; the stories focus on the [...]
Tagged reading timeMy Dadini just came back from a trip up towards the north coast. While away, he stayed with some old friends who are avocado growers. Guess what I have many of? Many delicious, uber-ripe green friends are now crowding my fridge. A mix of Shepherd and Hass, if you’re interested. I’m not even sure how [...]
Tagged adventures in cooking, banging onYou know what’s great? Gnocchi. You know what else is great? Carrots. Boy howdy, those two things sure are great. Wouldn’t it be even greaterer if some genius combined them? Well, ’round Chez Spoonfully, we be smart. Enter M and his dynamic brains. He roasted four fat orange carrots until they were mashable, and then [...]
Tagged adventures in cookingI’m a writer, not a photographer. Stewed quinces! Yay! Peel, core and slice quinces; mix a spoonful of sugar and pour about two cups of water over. Add whatever spices plough your paddock: I used cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and nutmeg (in descending order of quantity). Boil until the quinces become lush and soft and [...]
Tagged banging on, food