Whoa, it’s getting cold down under. Not only do I have shoes on in my kitchen but jeans too! I know! I’m the woman who shouldn’t wear shorts and go barefoot all the time but I do.
When I was in Adelaide for #wordstogo14 I was given the most wonderful Smoky Bacon Mushroom dust or spice. I’ve made this before in my Thermomix but the Mushroom Man from the Adelaide Central Market took it commercial. It’s very bacon-y and totally vegetarian.
I suppose I should admit that I got a small package of chorizo and when I went to the kitchen there was an empty packet sitting on the bench. When John came in I said, “BEFORE the photo? You ate it before I took a photo of it??”
He laughed and said, “Where did you have it?”
“In my suitcase, I haven’t unpacked.”
“Then it wasn’t me that ate it,” he said as he looked down at the short one and “Charlie? Did you eat Mummy’s sausage?”
Yes, it was him. He even had red lips. It must have been hot for the poor little thing.
So instead we have for your viewing pleasure this wonderful savoury bread twice baked like an almond bread. It’s served with cheese and is really delicious. Therese from Salta in Bocca in Adelaide gave it to us as a gift during our Flavours of Campbelltown tour. Here’s what the other variety looks like in her cheese platter.
The other day I picked up the most interesting pistachios – they’d been coated in Asian sweet chili sauce and they are wonderful. I’m going to give making them at home a try. I got them at the IGA and *someone* tossed out the packet so if anyone needs to know what they are, I’ll be happy to buy another package. They are a bit spicy and I could only eat a few at a time but they are delicious.
John LOVES olives and when I said I brought home a packet of kalamata olives with chilli, garlic and oregano, I could tell he was just waiting for me to get the photographs done before he got the scissors out. He didn’t take them to the room under the stairs so he could have them all himself but I wouldn’t have been surprised.
I have a new cookbook to review in my kitchen this month. I received Colin Fassnidge’s Four Kitchens and I’m dying to make his chicken. Watch this spot. Imagine roasting a chicken on a bed of carrots, brioche, olive oil and thyme? Yeah, I can too.
Before Rob left for his new home (where he’s really fitting in well, thanks for your lovely comments) he had a load of treasures from his home in Victoria. In one of the boxes were these gorgeous Spode plates that he wants me to have. They are absolutely gorgeous and I’m eager to photograph something sitting on them.
I told you previously about the wonderful honey that Australian Masterchef Callum Hann told us about from Kangaroo Island. This is natural, raw, organic honey from the only pure strain of Italian Ligurian bees in the world. Because nothing but a quick straining has been done to this honey so it does crystalise. Warming to barely 30C should return the honey to liquid. I tasted it crystallised and it was magical on my tongue.
Stuff. I have things like this lying around with no home. Do you toss things like this away when you get home? It seems uncivilized to do that but chances are I’ll never need it again.
And finally. my friends, here’s my second best friend.
I’d love to see what’s in your kitchen. Head over to Celia’s Fig Jam and Lime Cordial and see ALL the kitchens and add yours too.
Fullstar Vegetable Chopper - Food Chopper
Olive Oil Dispenser Bottle for Kitchen
Uh, oh. Charlie must not mind spice 🙂 Those dishes are fabulous…and good to know John is settling in well. Great treats in your kitchen this month!
Great photos! Love the last few especially! 🙂 That honey sounds fabulous!
It IS fabulous honey!
Oh Charlie! Freddie hates water and won’t even go out in the rain. I love what is in your kitchen, Maureen and I love this once a month series! Those dishes? Well, blue and white is right!
Charlie swims every day of the year, rain or shine, hot or freezing cold (okay it never gets freezing here). I love the In My Kitchen series.
Oh I laughed when I saw your very first photo as I have also been begrudgingly wearing shoes all day recently. Some lovely items in your kitchen, I’m very keen on getting that cook book!
What an amazing selection of products you have this month! I particularly love the sound of those spiced pistachios – I don’t think I have ever had pistachios except as plain or salted. The savoury bread sounds lovely too.
Haha. That really made me laugh about Charlie sneaking your chorizo. Sounds like my 13 year old son… and he does that shaking thing that Charlie does when he gets out of our pool too. LOL! You’ve got some delicious treats in your kitchen this month Maureen, lucky you.
That honey sounds beautifully delectable. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. Also, that mushroom spice sounds fantastic!
What a fantastic line up of what’s in your kitchen; poor pup eating that sausage! It looks like you had a great time at that conference.
You have some awesome stuff in your kitchen! Those crisps with cranberry and pistachio look so darn good! And that blue-white plate looks gorgeous!
Ridiculously pleased to hear that Rob has settled in well as it can be so traumatic. Those plates are absolutely stunning! Your kitchen is full of wonderful things – those spicy pistachios the honey and that wonderful looking biscotti type breads really caught my eye. Poor old Charlie though it looks like he really enjoyed his swim! I always seem to hang onto momentos and enjoy coming across them a few years later when I am having a clear out! Fab post Maureen!
What a fun post! There are some seriously good eats hanging out in your kitchen! Those olives?!?!? I WANT those! And loved the comment about being a shorts/no shoes girl – I’m soooo with you on that one! Also loving … adorable “second best friend” pics! We have a little Jack Rat rescue and a lovely manicured pond in our back yard … but my “second best friend” has no interest in doing anything more with water than daintily wading in thigh-high! What a waste of a great dog pond, right!?!? 😀
okay give me that bacon mushroom spice right now:)))) Seriously though I need to have it! what wonders it would do in a burger or chicken recipe. the possibilities are endless.
Wow, what a fantastic instalment of IMK! You have so many wonderful things I would love to try, especially the Smoky Bacon Mushroom dust spice.
Have a wonderful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
The honey jar labelling is fantastic, def. eye-catching. Nice to meet you through IMK
Maureen all these treats look wonderful. The pistachios with chili spice and that smokey bacon mushroom spice and olives all sound like a real treat. I’d love to hear what you use the spice on.
Your pup is so cute. Mine love the water. Once summer comes you can’t keep them out of it. I love that shot of him shaking off the water.
i love the way you captured “Charlie” superb shot.
Oh men! Animal pictures are always winners for me!
You know what you really have in your kitchen? Warmth. I can go right over, slide over on a stoll, drink coffee and talk to you whole day.
Those olives look so good and that honey sure sounds amazing and your doggy is so cute! This month I have been given a bunch of freeze dried strawberries and raspberries so I am looking forward to experimenting with them. Hope you have a great week.
That smokey bacon mushroom pie sounds interesting, never seen something like that before
Charlie rooted around in your luggage to get the chorizo? Wow, it must have been pretty aromatic to let him sniff it out through the packaging. 🙂
The ‘stuff’ … I have some in a drawer upstairs in my tv/computer room from Star Trek conventions I used to attend in the 90’s. I just can’t throw them away. Everything from booklets to pins advertising movies.
Charlie has a great life doesn’t he? Swimming followed by a nice snack and then, I’m sure a nap in the sun to dry off.
Hi Maureen, Charlie looks like he has a great life, swimming every day eating and eating sausage. You always have the best things in your kitchen, love those crackers, they look delicious!
Poor Charlie! Our Kasha licked up some spicy chipotle off the floor the other day (the can off the bottle went flying and she was too quick) and got this bad cough! I missed the event in Adelaide, sounds like there was plenty to taste and explore.
I love everything about this post Maureen. First your cute little feet, then that cute little Charlie. I think I would have fought him over that chorizo. That Spode plate is absolutely gorgeous. I am dreaming up a beautiful arugula salad to serve on it. Please bring it along if you come to visit me and I’ll make the salad for you. It would only work on that plate so don’t tarry too long 🙂 I love your kitchen, it has the BEST stuff!!
I left a comment earlier, but it doesn’t seem to have been successful. Just wanted to say, you’ve got some really delicious treats in your kitchen Maureen.
Maureen, now I MUST visit your kitchen!!!! Let’s say that I may be in the OZ area early part of next year….will you and John be around?
Looks like Charlie was able to wash off his chorizo ‘red lips’ when he splashed into the water. The look on his face says, “Mummy, you forgive me for eating your chorizo, don’t you?”
Good stuff in your kitchen! Love the feet shot — we should all do that. 😉 And Charlie really scored a treat — chorizo is wonderful stuff, isn’t it? Not that you know about that particular one! Fun post — thanks.
That is too funny… Charlie, you naughty little sausage stealer! Sounds like TA was wonderful, as always. So sorry to have missed it. The plate, wow! And I bet it’s good to be home xox
So many neat things in your kitchen today!
I have NO, NONE, NADA, ZERO self control around pistachios. I ca rat a whole bag by myself. Seldom do, but could.
Smoky Bacon Mushroom Spice/Dust sounds heavenly….but would not try on pistachios.
The shower your best friend gives looks delightful…but maybe not so much as winter is just around the corner.
Happy Charlie photos surely have made my day !! You must have been waiting with the camera to capture shots like these!!! Hope that timber planking was outside tho’ 🙂 !
Great photos of Charlie. He must have thought that was so kind of you to bring him back a sausage but probably confused as to why you bought one with the chilli and spices. I hope he’s recovered! It looks like you got some lovely things in SA; I would love to try the honey. The cookbook looks great and I look forward to seeing that chicken dish! xx
Oh poor Charlie I bet that was pleasant for him the next day 🙂 You’ve certainly got a kitchen full this month – I especially like the look of those pistachios they wouldn’t last long here.
G’day Great photos Maureen and glad you enjoyed your time in Adelaide and local produce too!
Cheers! Joanne
That honey sounds divine and I love the Charlie photos!
Oh wow, look at that Spode plate, M! Just stunning! Charlie is very clever – he can unwrap packaging and then leave the wrapper on the bench! 🙂 And savoury almond bread! Why haven’t we thought of that before? 🙂
I love the cold weather but it always comes as a shock to have to wear shoes around the house – love the gorgeous spode plate – I think I have plate envy – and that bacon mushroom spice sounds so yummy – I need some new spice mixes and wish for that one in my kitchen – love to see what is in your kitchen
Oh Charlie, the poor thing, He must have been pretty determined to riffle through your luggage for the spicy sausage. Hopefully it didn’t mount a revenge later — that is not a happy ending. Great photos of him shaking the water off — there is so many wonderful things in your kitchen, but I think he stole the show. 🙂
Just love those Spode plates, AND your second best friend. My mate Monty would love to swim and body surf with Charlie!
I can’t believe Charlie ate a chorizo! And not even sick? Everything looks fabulous and I want to go to Tasting Australia next year!! wow! But the best? The gorgeous plate!
Any woman can wear shorts any time she damn well pleases! I believe that with every fibre of my being. Just as much as I believe that I want that honey so I can dip the pistachio crackers into it.
It’s not often I am envious but it seems like everyone had such a lovely time at #WordsToGo that it made me really regret my decision not to apply. And the goodies everyone brought home! (even if some were taken by a naughty little spicy dog….). Great round up Maureen and glad to see you using the Spode rather than keeping it packed away. Thanks for the tour.
Is that Charlie cooling off after he ate the hot sausage? That’s just too funny he got to it before yall did! 🙂
I think am heading over to raid your kitchen – those pistachios sound amazing and that Smoky Bacon Mushroom dust/spice – WOW!
Is that Charlie cooling off after he ate the hot sausage? That’s just too funny he got to it before yall did! 🙂
I think am heading over to raid your kitchen – those pistachios sound amazing and that Smoky Bacon Mushroom dust/spice – WOW! !
Maureen, was Charlie taking a swim to cool off his tell-tale chorizo lips? What a cute story — and a cute thief. That twice baked bread with cheese and some of the spiced Kalamata olives (if you can get them away from your hubby) would make a great Mother’s Day snack… wishing you a very happy one! xo
I love the Charlie pictures! You know, he could model for a dog calendar and earn his keep. 😉 All of your kitchen treats look great – I love the honey!
I love pistachios but they are high Fodmap and I can’t eat them any more. They used to be my favourite nut. That bacon and mushroom dust looks intriguing. Love the dog. Oh to feel the joy they feel.
Seeing that honey brought back memories of a wonderful holiday on Kangaroo Island. I wish we could have brought back some of the honey – it was delicious. Beautiful plate.
Lots of great stuff in your kitchen this week!!! Would love to be there when some of these treats get opened. Thank goodness Charlie didn’t do that shake in your kitchen.
Lots of yummy things but that photo of Charlier shaking his booty dry was the best 😀
Charlie, not Charlier!! Slip of the fingers there.
The Spode plates!!!! I love their collection, and I looooove blue plates (I correct Japanese blue plates too). I can’t wait for you to use it in your food photography!
Loving those last shots of your second best friend, I can imagine how good that feels to jump right in!