BKD Cookbook club, all things bready.....

 Hot Buttered Fruit and Nut Sourdough Toast for breakfast or anytime: makes 1 loaf

It's time again for BKD (Brookford Kitchen Diaries) cookbook club. Sometimes I manage to link up, sometimes not depending on whether or not life gets in the way. I'm promoting cookbooks in a circular kind of way in this post, and bread, yes I'm a fan. Most of my bread baking is with sourdough. This month we're talking about all things bread, whether it be toasties (formerly toasted sandwiches), jaffles or hamburgers. I am thinking sourdough, as that is what I mostly work with, however does pizza qualify? Why not I say, it's really an open Italian sandwich after all.

Ginger Scones, #ISW 2026

2026 International Scone Week

It's International Scone Week 2026, beginning on the 10th August, which is a celebration of scone making, and a shout out to all those cooks who have enjoyed baking a great scone over the years. The perfect scone is a joyous thing.  Let's have a conversation about scone making, over a cup of tea or coffee and eat a delicious warm scone. A memorable scone should have puffy height, a soft, tender crumb, be a little crisp on the outside, and shouldn't flake like a biscuit. This rustic style Ginger scone ticked all of those boxes. Thanks to Tandy from Lavender and Lime for continuing to host this event.

A Spanish Vegetable Stew with Chorizo and the Gilda, a Pintxos recipe from a cooking Masterclass in beautiful San Sebastian

 

I had an abundance of vegetables in my refrigerator crisper needing to be used during the week, and rather than do a traybake with them, or donate them eventually to the compost bin or the worm farm, I decided to make a rich vegetable stew with a Spanish theme and Mediterranean flavours. In the process, I also rediscovered the Gilda, a delicious and famous Spanish Pinxtos.

Roast Garlic Chicken on Potato and Leek Gratin

If you enjoy a delicious home roasted chook, a potato gratin, and leeks, then you will love this dish. If you aren't fond of garlic or can't eat it, then leave it out and just use salted pure butter mixed with fresh herbs. It will still be delicious. All of those elements cooked in one baking dish, and the result is a dish that's perfection for a dinner party and quite economical when shopping for ingredients.

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Gnocchi (or Potatoes if you wish), a simple traybake

This is originally a Nigella Lawson recipe for Spanish Chicken, which I have adapted for us and for you, and as Nigella does, I enjoy a good tray bake. When cooking, particularly in Winter, I do love to have a large pot of food bubbling away on the stovetop which preferably can be finished off in the oven. However, if I'm a bit frazzled, or even feeling a bit below par, a traybake definitely takes the pressure off, allowing the oven to do the work, and leaving me to just enjoy sitting back, enjoying everyone's company, or just my own, and relaxing until the meal is cooked. Perhaps I would add a Spanish style salad to add to the meal in Summer. So simple.

Ginger Syrup Cake

 

It's Winter here in Tropical North Queensland, and we've just harvested our annual crop of fresh ginger, and whilst we've dehydrated a large percentage of it, and ground it in the spice grinder to make the most fragrant ginger spice imaginable, the pink-tipped young ginger  pieces reminded me that I must make this very gingery cake. I've been working on perfecting this recipe for a long time, and now I'm very happy with the result. I hope you love it too.

In My Edible Tropical Winter Garden, July 2026

"Gardens shouldn't be static, but a place for change and evolution" by Tim Pilgrim - Landscape Designer

 It's winter in the North Queensland Tropics, and it's our favourite time of the year to grow vegetables, in fact it's the only time to grow actual vegetables, except for eggplant(aubergines), some spinach,  chillies, and whatever else we feel brave enough to persevere with in Summer. You might have had other successes, and I'd love to hear about them if you have.