Bogey Art, courtesy of our dear friend Denise, from UK
Time to invite my readers for another virtual tour of our kitchen, a tour that usually takes place every three months, so there’s a lot to talk about. As I mentioned many times, credit should go to Celia who started the IMK series many years ago, and to Sherry from Sherry’s Pickings, who is hosting the event now. Stop by her site to say hello.
Starting with gifts…
From a former graduate student, Lorne
Straight from New Zealand, a honey infused with kiwi. Spectacular… Not sure how he was able to find it, but I’m sure glad he got a bottle for us
From a colleague in our department….
Bel Murabba, something I had never even heard about. You can learn more about it here. This one is a type of apple that is used exclusively in this type of preserve in India. It is stored in a heavy syrup, you simply rinse it well and enjoy a slice of the fruit. Apparently it is great for improving digestion. It reminded me of a Brazilian delicacy called ‘goiabada” which is made from guava fruit.
From our friend Cindy…
A lemongrass plant she brought when she visited us a few months ago. Phil took good care of it, and it really exploded into a huge, healthy plant in our backyard, living in perfect harmony with our basil and a few Serrano pepper plants. I feel incredibly virtuous when a recipe calling for fresh lemongrass has me walking outside with a pair of scissors. Thank you, Cindy, for making it possible.
From one of our graduate students…
The best caviar I ever tasted. The best. You know how caviar can taste fishy sometimes? I don’t “do” fishy very well. Well, this one is the smoothest, most amazing, creamy, luscious, delicious caviar ever. Cannot thank him (and his parents who actually brought it) enough.
From Phil…
Four little vintage plates he found at an antique store in Norman, Oklahoma, during a visit last July. I love them!
Moving on to regular items…
In our kitchen…
Small vintage Pyrex dishes I bought at the same antique store. They have a full room devoted to those, I wanted to grab a lot more pieces, but storage is a problem, so I settled for these. Adorable…
In our kitchen…
Sucanat, a sweetener derived from cane sugar with a bit of molasses taste to it, but not exactly like brown sugar. It is similar to jaggery and rapadura (the Brazilian homolog of piloncillo). America’s Test Kitchen great book “Naturally Sweet” uses sucanat in plenty of their recipes. A fun ingredient to play with.
In our kitchen…
Humongous caper berries. They are not very easy to find, so when I saw them for sale at Marshalls I pounced on the bottle like Buck on a snake.
In our kitchen…
Pineapple-infused vodka. We saw this concoction on a cookbook and Phil was intrigued. Basically you cut up a pineapple, add vodka to cover, keep in the fridge for 2 weeks. Drain the vodka, discard the pineapple pieces. The now pineapple-infused vodka can be used to make pineapple-tinis or any other drink your imagination comes up with.
In our kitchen…
Makoto Japanese Ginger Carrot dressing. I don’t normally go for bottled salad dressing, but my friend Tracy recommended it. It is very tasty! Not too sweet, in fact in terms of carbs this dressing is quite moderate: Excellent on cole-slaw, spinach salads, or squirted with abandon over turkey burgers.
In our kitchen…
That time of the year. Pumpkin time. How could I resist this bag of pasta? No need to answer that. I could not. I did not.
In our kitchen…
Another Marshalls gem. A huge bottle of fantastic roasted cashews. When I am hungry while making dinner, a few of those do a great job tidying me over until the meal is finally ready to be devoured. Phil will often have a Wasa-cracker smeared with peanut butter and some of those cashews on top for lunch. Very delicious.
In our kitchen…
Fresh basil from our backyard, almost at the point of harvest before the first frost (these two simple words are like a couple of sharp swords stabbing my heart).
In our kitchen…
Star-shaped edible glitter… Because, macarons… (stay tuned)
In our kitchen…
Two new decorative items… a cute (perhaps slightly kitschy) elephant, and a small candle holder I found at a store in Silverthorne, Colorado last month. The elephant had high hopes for a warm welcome to our pack, but sadly, it was not exactly the case (read on).
In our kitchen…
A little bit of public service, in the form of a picture (taken in the lab, actually) to show you how much sugar is present in ONE can of Coca-Cola. Thirty-nine grams. Nobody, absolutely nobody needs this amount of sugar in one sitting. Or two.. Or three… A full 20-ounce bottle packs 65 grams. Shocking, isn’t it? Now, back to our regular programming. 😉
In our kitchen…
A mug that I ordered from gearbubble, with a favorite picture of Buck, my little Tim-Tam, my little munchkin… Isn’t that adorable? It melts my heart every time I take a sip of my evening tea. And since I spoke of Buck….
IT’S DOGGIE TIME!
For three months the pups patiently waited to say hello, but now, tails furiously wagging, here they are!
The morning routine changes very little in our home… Bogey’s food bowl is always full to the top, and not a molecule of nutrient is left behind when he is done, 2 and a half minutes later.
Oscar seems to find new objections to food items with every passing month…
But poor Oscar had some bad karma flowing his way…
He’d developed a small abscess on his neck that had to be drained.
Hi, friends… My name is Oscar For the Love of God Stop, and I am here all groggy from my torture at the vet. They said I will be ok, not sure I believe them.
Mom and Dad gave me lots of treats and petting… Maybe I should go back to the vet next week again?
Maybe Mom and Dad gave my brother a lot of attention, but Mom dressed to complement MY beautiful fur, not theirs! How about that for special attention?
Plus, Dad helps me stretch in the morning! I don’t see him helping my two silly brothers.
Well, I can stretch on my own. What matters is, I am the one with the photo on the mug, and Mom told me she got this necklace made to match MY beautiful paws. So there!
I am just sexy. And I know it….
Seriously, Osky? You must be kiddin’ me!
Mom brought a new friend home… We are not quite sure what to make of him.
Something about his smell does not feel right to us. Any of us.
But into every life, a little rain must fall…
Yes, unfortunately we’ve had quite a few trips lately, and the pups had to endure some time in The Dark and Scary Place, as my friend Jill describes it. But they know that this is their forever home, and Mom and Dad never leave for too long…
They all promised to be very well-behaved forever. Which, in dog time is a bit tricky to determine.
Should we trust them?
Would we ever lie to our humans? What do you think?
Thank you, Sherry for hosting! I invite my readers to stop by Sherry’s Pickings to take virtual tours of many kitchens around the world!
ONE YEAR AGO: Little Bites of Paradise
TWO YEARS AGO: Coxinha de Galinha: A Brazilian Delicacy
THREE YEARS AGO: Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp Skewers
FOUR YEARS AGO: A Simple Dinner
FIVE YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Tomato Salad
SIX YEARS AGO: Spelt and Cornmeal Rolls
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Potato and Olive Focaccia
EIGHT YEARS AGO: Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire
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Bewitching Kitchen 
So much fun! I’m a huge fan of Marshall’s and you can find so many cool kitchen thingies there. Also, those vintage plates are so cute, and, as always, the pups are adorable. But you promised more info on the star sprinkles!!!
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ooops, big ooops – link was not there for some reason… Fixed it. I got it from amazon, but you can probably find in Jo-Ann type stores, Hobby Lobby etc…
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Such lovely new treats and goodies in your kitchen, and outside in the case of the lemongrass, but my favourite remains the pups and the lovely captions you’ve added to their photos.
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I confess it is my favorite part of the post, obviously… I have so much fun playing with their photos, and what can I say? They keep giving me material…
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I am a serious spoilsport this Long Weekend Sunday in E Australia – I know I am. But THE most important photo message on this lovely long post which will be reread in a moment is your ‘Public Announcement’. I find it impossible to believe that Coke and Pepsi are still allowed to be sold and that there are parents who actually let their children drink this wicked stuff. And for those who virtuously state theirs is the artificially sweetened one: you are on the Net, you can talk to Mr Google – well, before you have one more glass: DO !!! Back to ‘normal programming’ – a heap of interesting stuff in that kitchen and garden of yours, Sally, but am so, so glad you have lemongrass in your garden – you will find it quite hardy and taking up space like a beloved weed from here on in. AND then there are the boys and they take over the blog, as usual, each and every time . . . what more can we say except that last photo of the four of you is a ‘put away and file’ one . . . .
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shocking indeed the amount of sugar in one can. I debated whether to include it, as it goes a bit out of the scope of the IMK posts, but felt it could be an eye-opener for some. It is shocking, no other way to put it. The interesting thing is that bottled fruit juices can have a ton of sugar too – I almost never drink juice straight as bought, might dilute it 1/4 with water, using it more as a flavoring than pure juice to kill my thirst – eating the whole fruit is much better
Glad you enjoyed the post!
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What fun! LOVE the pumpkin pasta! Sorry the weather is turning for you. I have a few summer-loving friends, but most of us are in the chilly weather, sweater-wearing, fireplace-going camp. Oh, I had to order my stemmed caper berries from Amazon. Probably smart for you to grab them when you saw them!
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One thing I’ve learned, when you see something at Marshalls, grab it – you never know when and if they will have it again… those capers are amazing!
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Love the dog pictures. And I am going to use that vodka method to make some sort of ‘tini.
Cheers,
Peter
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we did that later with mango too – but the pineapple worked better…
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I love Denise’s drawing, it’s lovely. And of course I LOVE the doggies ❤️❤️❤️
And all of your gifts, and your Marshalls finds, and your kitchen goodies, it’s all fab! X x
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Loved the drawing too! His expressions are soooo cute! I already have a bunch of photos saved for next installment – but you know that already, as I send you often some “sneak previews” 😉 Fun, fun,, fun….
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Shhhhhh…..don’t tell everyone! They’ll all want sneak previews 😀😀😀
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I’m glad you are enjoying the lemongrass. It needs to be dug up before the frost. Pick a couple stalks with a good set of roots attached, cut the stalks back to 4 inches long and plant in a pots to overwinter in a sunny windowsill. the rest of the stalks can be put in a bucket with a couple inches of water and set in the garage to use as needed. They should last a couple months.
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Will do! It was wonderful on the soup I posted earlier – Tom Kha Gai
really a great gift that I’m glad we did not end up killing… well, we tortured it a little bit, “great” gardeners we are…
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I was holding it together quite well until I got to Oscar’s sexy and I know it pose (OMGeee) but all the fur babes had their edible moments. Your herb garden … I’m so impressed! I’d feel virtuous too on the lemongrass front ;o) Looking forward to seeing more of that edible glitter ☆☆☆
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I gotta say that photo of Oscar was really something… he is so funny, because in a way he is pretty handsome, but his fur sometimes and the way it goes all over the place, makes him look.. how can I put it? special? unique? or as Phil says – he is the Scrufalopagus Scragglepuss.. 😉
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Well, you know how I feel about those adorable dogs! All the photos are gorgeous but that mug with the picture of Buck really tugs at the heartstrings.
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Confession time… I look at that mug and I have to fight back tears. No other dog has grabbed my heart like Buck did. It goes beyond anything i can express or comprehend.
enough said…
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oh those dogs are gorgeous aren’t they? love all the photos. well so many good things on your post. the NZ honey sounds amazing. Lemongrass would be very useful in the kitchen for Asian dishes and tea. I am very envious of that caviar; you have to rob a bank here to get it. and your cute little vintage plates. so lovely. and i love the pyrex and i adore caperberries which are hard to get these days for some reason. they were very trendy for a while. Beautiful basil too. the scrub turkeys eat our plants! I think a lot of people would eat that much sugar on their brekkie cereal each day:=) thanks for joining IMK this month and the mention. cheers sherry x
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thanks for stopping by! It is true that caviar is very special, we savored every little bit of it…
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Your dogs all look so sweet and well-behaved … I hope they aren’t just faking it for the camera! And your treats from various places all look quite tasty.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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they do seem well-behaved, but don’t let their looks fool you! 😉
we love them, though…
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Thanks for the glimpse into your kitchen, the pics of your pups are special and gave me a giggle. We all love our fur babies. The amount of sugar in coke is shocking!
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So many goodies in your kitchen Sally. As always, I love seeing the puppies. Happy October to you x
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Sallybr, your “dog-umentary” was delightful! They’re definitely lucky dogs to have you as their people, even if they weren’t wild about the elephant you brought home. 🙂 Apparently your ‘humans’ treasure you, too — what a nice array of gifts. A friend introduced me to pineapple infused vodka recently, but instead of discarding the fruit she served it (drained) with a charcuterie platter. Best pineapple I ever ate! (Was thinking it would make a great sorbet, too.) Loved your Oklahoma plates!
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So nice to “see’ you here! Well, now I am kicking myself for discarding the pineapple! What was I thinking? Next time!
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You had me at homegrown lemongrass and basil in your garden Sally. I hope when I have a backyard garden to grow many Asian herbs. I’ve never heard of ginger dressing but I’d love some in my fridge for sure 🙂 Kaluga caviar has to be some of my favourite, it’s so creamy and not fishy at all. It’s a bit moreish for sure! That NZ honey infused with kiwi fruit sounds divine – yumm xx
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great to “see” you here! indeed the garden this year gave us a lot of pleasure, including a lot of tomatoes and peppers too
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I always thought Phil must be a really top notch guy from your anecdotes and praises over the years. But taking responsibility for the lemon grass plant from Cindy and actually getting it to produce — you lucky woman! I have such a hard time getting it out here unless I go to the Asian market which isn’t that conveniently located. Maybe I’ll try to find a plant and grow my own.
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told ya! He’s a keeper!
that’s why I walk around with a smile plastered on my face… (wink, wink)
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I think that I need some pineapple infused vodka in my life!
http://goodfoodweek.com.au/2017/10/life-whats-kitchen-10/
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who doesn’t, right? 😉
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Isn’t pineapple vodka delicious?! I’ve also infused it with pineapple and jalapeno, nice bit of heat with the sweet.
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now that’s a great idea!!!!!
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seus cachorros!! 💙 [e aqueles pratinhos!]
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olha quem taqui! 😉 Que legal ter sua visita!
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I had missed this post in all my busy-ness last month. I am a huge fan of vintage Pyrex. I have to restrain myself when I see some. 😀 (And yes, I actually cook/use them when I can!)
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