Category Archives: Cooking

The Duke Does Dough

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It has been a busy week at work and today has been full of activity.  I had not given a lot of thought as to what I planned to write tonight but that was solved for me earlier this evening when The Duke removed the fruit loaf from the breadmaker.

He is often quick with mock ridicule at the things that I simply have to take photos of for a potential blog post, however, his first comment was, “Quick, get the camera – this is worth a photo”.  Naturally, it was just begging to be part of a blog post.

2015-03-14 01I have to agree – it is a pretty impressive loaf of bread.  I am not sure how he is going to slice it, though.

On very rare occasions, I have made bread in the breadmaker but generally speaking that is The Duke’s domain and he does a great job.

Kitchen Appliances – Part 2

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Thank you all for your thoughtful responses yesterday.  I have read them quickly and will go back and respond once I have written this post.  As for the list from last night, here is my response.

1  Blender – I have one as part of a combination with my food processor.

2  Electric Grill – we had one which we did use but when it died I did not consider replacing it.  A bit of a fad, I guess.

3  Baby Food Maker – it is a long time since I was making food for babies but I have no idea what this would be.

4  Microwave oven – yes, I have a microwave but I use it less and less.  If it died, I would not automatically rush out and buy another one.

5  Panini Press – I expect this is like my sandwich press which I use quite a bit.

2015-03-11 01This is my food processor and all of the associated gadgets in the cupboard.  The blender is with some of the other bits in the box at the back.  Like most things, I do not use it to its full potential although the blender, citrus juicer, grater and slicer attachments are well-used.

I also have a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer and the pasta attachment for it.

Kitchen Aid mixerHere are the rest of my appliances in the convenient appliance cupboard.

2015-03-11 02Top shelf:

Kettle – used on the gas stove if we lose power.  Also on the slow-combustion heater during winter.
Slow-cooker – very well-used for soup, baked potatoes, casseroles, refried beans.

Middle shelf:

Sandwich press – toasted sandwiches and I also use it for cooking pancakes
Bread slicing guide – very useful for home-made bread
Toaster

Bottom shelf:

Juicer – rarely used – very difficult to clean
Breadmaker
Jug

I also have a stick blender in another cupboard.

I have never been seduced by the single-purpose appliances such as a pie-maker, ice-cream maker, popcorn maker or hot dog thingummy but I still have plenty of gadgets.  If I were to get rid of any it would be the juicer, I think.  It is interesting to consider how our needs change, particularly as families grow and children leave home.  Our diet and the types of food we eat has changed over the years, also.  This is how clutter can become a problem – something that was essential 10 years ago is not longer required but we are loathe to move it along.

How do my appliances compare to what you have?  Everyone has different essentials and priorities.

Kitchen Appliances to Keep – Or Not?

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I am short on time tonight but I thought I would share this link which is food for thought.  It lists 5 kitchen appliances that you may not really need.  They are:

1  Blender

2  Electric Grill

3  Baby Food Maker

4  Microwave oven

5  Panini Press

2015-03-10 01I have been giving quite a bit of thought to this exact topic recently so when a friend posted the link it caught my eye and gave my a bit more to think about.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what you have and why.  I will be back with my own detailed response tomorrow.

Keep watching for a new series beginning on Friday.

Facebook Food

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If you are on Facebook you will be familiar with the dozens of recipes that seem to hit your newsfeed every week.  Most of these barely rate a cursory glance from me.  Even the ones that look interesting never actually end up being made as they are often special occasion treats or similar to something I already make.

However, last week I saw a food post which caught my eye so I had to try it for myself.  I cannot find the original Facebook post but here is my version which I think was a pretty good replica.

2015-03-09 01The girls were here for the weekend and they were pretty pleased with their treat for morning tea.

2015-03-09 02It is a simple and fun idea for a healthy snack.

Too Much Food

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I am sure you have seen the statistics which indicate that we discard between 20 and 50% of all food that is produced.  Although this is from the UK, the situation is similar in all developed countries.

It is disgusting that so much food is wasted while there are millions of people on this planet who go hungry every day.

When I first read these figures, a couple of years ago, I found it unbelievable.  However, since then I have realised that many people have very different ideas to me when it comes to food usage and storage.

I work in a city office of a large global corporation and from time to time there are catered events.  I understand the difficulties of predicting quantities when catering for unknown numbers and tastes.  However, the fate of the leftover food is disappointing, to say the least.

This week (Tuesday) there was a large tray of untouched green salad – specialty lettuce, red onion, cucumber, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrot and corn kernels as well as breads, dips and fruit.  This was placed on the bench in the kitchen area and generally announced in the open office.  I decided to have a plate of salad with hommus and basil pesto for my lunch and save my packed lunch for another day.  There may have been one or two others who had a little salad but there was still a substantial quantity left a few hours later.  I did not want to see it spoil so I packed it in the fridge.  I put as much as I could into a square plastic container that I had plus I filled this container that was on the bench.

2015-03-05 01That accounted for about half of the salad so I put the rest in 2 large noodle bowls, covered them and placed them in the fridge.

I brought the 2 plastic containers home which provided enough salad for 4 lunches plus dinner for both of us tonight, alongside our hamburger patties and some fried mushrooms and onions.  The salad remaining in the container is enough for my lunch tomorrow – last of the 4 lunches.

I was not in the office yesterday and when I arrived this morning the 2 bowls of salad were untouched but the midday they had disappeared.  I cannot be certain but most likely they were discarded into the bin.  I am constantly astounded by the lack of interest in using up perfectly good food.  I am not suggesting that people gorge themselves on the excess but rather use it for future meals.

On a similar note, I went to a small community gathering yesterday evening and the request was to bring a plate of supper to share.  This is what I took.

2015-03-05 02Does it look meagre?  I constantly witness over-catering at events where there is ‘bring a plate’ catering..  If you think about it logically, you should really only contribute the equivalent of what you or your family group would reasonably eat if there was no other food to choose from.  If everyone adhered to this principle, rather than bringing huge cakes or platters of sandwiches, there would be minimal wastage and less over-indulging.

What do you think?

New For Old

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Apart from consumables such as food and to a lesser degree clothing, I do not have a need to buy a great deal of stuff.  Household items sometimes need to be replaced and I think this purchase falls into that category.

I bought a set of two china mixing bowls from Aldi for the princely sum of $10.  It bothers me a bit because how something can be produced, transported across the globe and sold at a profit defies logic.  Someone is losing out and I suspect it is the worker.  This is a good reason to minimise your purchases, particularly of cheap, imported products.

2015-03-02 01They are to replace these two bowls which have seen better days.

2015-03-02 02The white bowl is a Tupperware one which came to me from my grandmother about 37 years ago.  The surface is crazed and discoloured.  The yellow bowl (36 years old) is more of a salad bowl and not ideal for mixing and it has a crack in the surface which makes it impossible to clean properly.  It is time for them both to go and make way for my shiny new bowls.  I hope they stand the test of time as the others did.

Get Growing

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If you live in a location with a reasonably warm climate, there is one thing to grow that I cannot recommend highly enough.  Sweet potato.  It is a nutritious, versatile vegetable that will grow with the minimum of fuss.  There is a heap of information here.

I have had them growing for a couple of years and there are almost always some available to harvest.  This is my latest haul.

2015-02-27 01Sweet potato can be boiled, baked, steamed and mashed.  You can make chips or soup.  I grate it coarsely and stir-fry it and serve instead of rice or pasta with chicken stir-fry or bolognaise sauce.  You can even use it to make chocolate brownies.

Basil Day

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Six months ago, while we were overseas, our housesitters bought a small pot of basil as it was actually cheaper than buying a bunch of basil.  When we arrived home I planted it in the ground.  It is now doing its best to take over the garden!!

I took this photo yesterday morning.  The rain had finally stopped and the sun was shining.  You can see the ‘lake’ in the background.

2015-02-23 01I knew it was collapsing everywhere so I had intended to cut it right back and use as much of the leaves as possible.  When I got closer I discovered that the bees were loving the flowers so I could not destroy their fun so I have left the flowers and just picked lots of leaves.  Mind you, it is hardly noticeable where I picked them from.

I could afford to be picky so I chose only the best leaves and rinsed them thoroughly.

2015-02-23 02Then spun them in the salad spinner.  As an aside, I only bought this quite recently as I had never really seen the need for one.  After seeing my sister use hers, I realised that a salad spinner could be quite handy and I was delighted to find one at Aldi soon after.  It cost the princely sum of $6.99.

2015-02-23 03Next step was to chop the basil in the food processor.

2015-02-23 04I had about 2/3 can of chopped tomatoes in the fridge so that was added to the mix.

2015-02-23 05Then I used a small spoon to fill ice-cube trays with the basil and tomato mixture.

2015-02-23 06Finally, I double-bagged the trays in re-used bread bags and sealed them tightly before putting them in the freezer.  The basil blocks will be useful for when there is no basil growing.

 

The Backyard & Dinner

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We have been lucky here so far because while we have had a lot of rain of the past 48 hours we have not lost power.  There has been a bit of wind but nothing of any consequence so I am hoping that continues to be the case.

The rain eased off for about an hour this afternoon so I shot this video of our backyard ‘lake’.  I was standing on the verandah.

The view at the beginning of the video is where the water comes out of the drain which runs under our driveway.  It is not much more than a trickle when I took this but earlier in the day you could have white-water rafted from the top of our driveway to the rainwater tanks if you were feeling adventurous!  While some of this water is what falls on our property, the majority comes from the top of the escarpment which forms the rear part of our property, via a couple of substantial waterfalls, then heads down the roadway until it reaches a low point – the puddle near the western boundary of our place and the neighbour’s property and thence into the lake.

The ‘lake’ exists because the driveway of the property to the east of us creates what is essentially a dam wall.  In 2011 the volume of water flowing into our property exceeded the available space and overflowed down the road, damaging the surface and creating problems for properties on the low side of the road.  Ah, the joys of living on the side of a mountain!
Enough of the weather and floods.  It is highly likely that we will get more rain over the next couple of days but as long as we do not lose power that will be fine.  I have plenty of sewing to keep me occupied.
At the end of the working week it is time for a quick and easy ‘takeaway’ meal.  Here is one of the pizzas I whipped up with some home-made bases that I partly cook and freeze.  A few things from the fridge and here it is ready for the oven.
2015-02-20 01And 15 minutes later, dinner was ready.
2015-02-20 02Do you have a favourite takeaway meal at home?

More Pancakes

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Last year I wrote about Shrove Tuesday.  You can read the post here.  This year I decided to be a bit more creative and I managed to make gluten-free, egg-free crepes.

I modified the basic batter that I posted last year.  Here is my recipe for the crepes.

100g gluten-free flour *see note below*
20g flaxseed meal
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
250ml milk
Whisk all ingredients together and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Pour a small quantity of batter onto a hot griddle, spreading thinly with the back of a spoon.  Cook until just set then flip and finish cooking.

NOTE:  The gluten-free flour that I use is a combination  of 4 different flours in specific proportions that I learned about in a gluten-free cookbook.  I cannot put the details of the flour here as that would not be fair to the author.    Here is a link to the book if you are interested.  No, I do not receive any commission.  🙂

2015-02-17 01Like any crepes these can be eaten in a variety of ways, either sweet or savoury.

I decided to use them to make a main course for dinner and filled them with a bolognaise sauce.  As you can see from the photo they are a bit delicate to handle once they are cool, especially if you make them fairly thin as I did.

2015-02-17 02The crepes will be heated through then topped with a little grated cheese and finished under the grill.  I am going to serve it with a green salad.

Are you making pancakes today, gluten-free or not?