SHOWCASING IN MY KITCHEN : August 2020

Where has this month gone or in fact the year? I am way behind with In My Kitchen this month, partly because I was thinking about what I could write, have I done anything exciting enough to warrant a post, and now because of the procrastination I hope I'm not too late? I've just spent the morning in the garden with Mr. HRK which is the routine for us this week if retail therapy isn't enticing me out of the house, and it's warming up so we definitely need to back inside by 11 am for a cuppa. However there's been lots of cooking with fresh fruit and vegetables, sourdough bread making, lots of gardening, and a visit to a strawberry farm nearby to pick some strawberries.

I went shopping yesterday and bought myself a new spoon, and not just any spoon. I've had my eye on these for a while, and it's actually a very large spoon rest. This will sit mainly beside the stove, keeping me company, with my stirring spoon sitting comfortably in it whilst I cook. At $9.95 I thought it was a good buy. I also thought these would make nice gifts, with Christmas coming up. Occasionally we need a little extravagance and retail therapy don't you think, and we are being encouraged to shop to help the economy.  My Mum's old cooking tablespoon fits in this spoon rest beautifully. There's just something about spoons that I love. I feel very fortunate though that I can go shopping and not feel that I have to wear a mask here in North Queensland.

I love old cookbooks and this one is a 1986 edition of a New Zealand cookbook published by Edmonds, a New Zealand company, titled "Sure to Rise", and originally published in 1955 when 120,00 copies were printed. Amazing. My friend Lulu lent it to me when I made my Afghan biscuits recently, and the original recipe is in this Edmonds cook book. Lulu bought it in New Zealand when she was living there, and she now has two sisters living over there so she has a real New Zealand connection over the ditch. I was pretty excited by this, and there is also a cheats recipe for Afghan biscuits in it which I have added to my recipe post for Afghan biscuits.

 This is the photo of Afghan biscuits on the top left from the book, and others from the recipe book. I haven't made the cheat's version yet, but there are times when we need a cheats recipe based on a packaged cake mix to speed things up, don't you think? Take a look at all the products that Edmonds produce, similar to Betty Crocker, White Wings and the other packaged cake mix companies, however perhaps their claim to fame is their Sure to Rise Baking Powder. There are some great original recipes in it though. Lulu is in no hurry for its return so I am having fun with it in the meantime.

Here are a few photos I took this morning whilst wandering through our garden. This beautiful lush flower is from our Fraser Island Creeper which is also starting to creep up into our Golden Penda Tree which is fine.

This Phalaenopsis orchid is a beauty and spends much of its flowering life in my kitchen, not today though.

My Medinilla continues to flower well. I originally bought this from the Garden friends at the Cairns Botanical Gardens and it seems to like growing in a pot. It needs light but not hot sunshine so today we moved it to hang under the lychee tree.

Mr. HRK loves mulberries, and we are so happy that this potted mulberry is now bearing fruit, alas not that sweet so far and not enough to make a pie. However it is progress as last year it didn't bear fruit at all.

Our raised garden of Silverbeet continues to provide us with valuable greens at mealtimes. I tried some companion planting and the yellow marigolds seem to have successfully repelled the grubs. Each time I harvest the leaves, new ones grow, and this is the third flush of leaves ready for harvest again. I enjoy eating it steamed and served with butter and freshly grated nutmeg. Delicious.

An Ivy Bouganvillea below, always a source of vibrant colour in the Tropics.

My potted leafy Dancing Lady Orchids (oncidiums) are just starting to dance, which means they are sending out flower spikes. I always find this really exciting with a hint of Spring, and now it could take a couple of months before these spikes transform into beautiful sprays of yellow flowers.

Last week Mr. HRK and I drove up to Ballantyne's Strawberry Farm at Cameron's Pocket, just North of Mackay, which is where the Wintermoon Folk Festival is held each year, but not this year sadly because of the pandemic. There were lots of people filling punnets with hand picked strawberries, a few made their way home to my kitchen, but not many.

Morning tea was delicious. We chose strawberry crepes with homemade strawberry ice cream, made with fresh strawberries. I was tempted to try the Eton Mess, but crepes win me over every time.

Lots of happy strawberry pickers also soaking up the sunshine, not much social distancing in evidence though unfortunately.

This is my August submission to the #IMK series, hosted by Sherry from Sherry's Pickings. I hope you enjoyed reading it.Each month bloggers from around the world gather to share what is new in their kitchens. With local shopping being a challenge for many, and for me too, I am not purchasing much new stuff for my home or kitchen, however there is always plenty happening in my kitchen. Travel over to Sherry's blog to take a look at what everyone is doing.

Best wishes,

  Pauline