I wish I could say that 2018 was a great year, but it was not the case. I am happy to see it go and hope that 2019 will be lighter and better on many levels.  Today, on the first day of this new year, I invite you for a virtual walk around our kitchen, a tradition started by Celia and now hosted by Sherry, from  Sherry’s Pickings. It’s been three months since my last IMK post, so there’s a lot to share. Ready? Let’s go!

Starting with gifts…

From our dear friend Denise, shipped all the way from England, a great environment-friendly and personalized coffee cup. Isn’t it adorable? Made from bamboo wood, it’s light and keeps beverages hot for a while. She also gave me a hot cocoa mix that is absolutely divine, albeit dangerously addictive. I like to add one (or two) teaspoons right into my morning cappuccino, but only on Sunday mornings. You know, that moderation thing…

From our dear friends from Oklahoma, Marijo & Vlad, the world’s tastiest pears, from Harry & David.  You cannot have better pears. Ever. Last year they gifted us with amazing bottles of balsamic vinegar, and we just opened the second one not too long ago.

From our dear friend Cindy, also from Oklahoma, a collection of wonderful goodies, proving she knows us very well. Because… sprinkles?  I am addicted. A very colorful plate? That has my name all over it. And an oyster knife? We inhale oysters in obscene amounts from September until the weather warms up. Thank you so much, Cindy! Oyster knife tried the very day we got your package, and approved by the resident Oyster Shucker.

From our friend Ines, straight from New York… A cookbook that could not be a better fit for me! Thank you so much, he is absolutely great, his recipes always work. I’ve been a follower of his blog for a long time… Thank you!

My turn to give a gift… This was a gift for Phil, could not resist having this cup special ordered for him. Isn’t it adorable?

I cannot believe that even the mark on the back of the Jack Russell resembles Buck, although his is a little lower, right on his butt. Oh, well – close enough. To order one, click here. (free advertisement, I get nothing back if you order, just sharing the love).

In our kitchen…

A batter dispenser, that was featured in a recent dessert post. In this picture you can see it has three different nozzles (two hanging from the handle, one installed) that twist on and off the bottom. Each has a slightly different diameter, so  that depending on the fluidity of the batter you can decide which one to use. I love it. It would also work to make perfectly shaped pancakes, if you are into that sort of thing…

In our kitchen…

Organization time! We got some sturdy shells for the basement, so I could finally organize all my baking items. A second shelf – to be assembled soon – will hold baking pans and glassware, hopefully I’ll be able to show it on my next IMK post.

Still in organization mode, my stencils are now much easier to find and choose. I placed them inside plastic folders with sturdy color paper inside so the pattern is clearly visible.  Have I mentioned I’m a bit obsessed with stencils?

These are a little bigger, each is a 6-inch square. Perfect for cakes or breads, but some might also work for macarons with the help of the air-brush.

In our kitchen…

My gorgeous bread lame holder, sold by Elaine from foodbodsourdough.com.  You have no idea how light it is, a pleasure to work with. No two holders look the same, each is a unique piece of art. She ships worldwide, in case you are tempted.

In our kitchen…

Mycryo, a fantastic product that I had to order online, but if you are lucky enough to live in a big city with a specialized baking store, you might be able to find it more easily. It is cocoa butter in powdered form. Not only you can add to custards and mousses, but apparently it makes the job of tempering chocolate a lot easier. I haven’t tried it for tempering yet, but once I do, I’ll report back. One great use for it, is sprinkling on sweet pie crusts after blind baking. Not only it provides a subtle flavor, but it helps sealing the crust.

In our kitchen…

Elderflower is one of my (many) passions. The cordial is lovely added to carbonated water and a few ice cubes. Recently I got introduced to elderflower tea. It is Zen in liquid form, my favorite way to end the day.

In our kitchen…

A sourdough boule with decorative scoring… I am having a blast with different patterns, baking at a pace of two loaves per month. Even at that pace it is more bread than we can consume, but some slices end up as croutons, they elevate some salads to Hail Caesar level.

In our kitchen…

Some festive serving platters, all found at Marshalls for very cheap. I love the golden one, which you will have an opportunity to see very soon, holding a batch of macarons. Side note, can you imagine I have not one, not two, but FIVE macaron posts waiting patiently to show up on the blog?

In our kitchen…

My very first attempt at cookie decorating. These are not sugar cookies, they were made from leftover sable dough from one of my entremet type cakes. My plan was to just cut them in round shape and be done with it, but the man I married insisted that “you need to practice a new skill, look at all the cookie cutters we have, go for it”.  The cutters are actually his, he used to do a lot of Christmas cookie decorating back when the kids were young. As far as taste is concerned, I like them even better than sugar cookies. On the subject of looks, all I can tell you is that the Road to Hell is Paved with Royal Icing, and it will take me a while to face that nightmarish flowing substance again. Enough said.

In our kitchen…

Direct consequence of the above. Just in case I get crazy enough to attempt cookie decorating in this life, I will try it with an icing pen. It cannot possibly make things worse than they were on a certain Sunday morning.

In our kitchen…

A set of 9 star-shaped piping tips, to give me the incentive to get better at all things buttercream. Also very nice to fill macarons, as you will see before this month is over.

In our kitchen…

Where we live, frozen açaí pulp is not available. Buying the stuff online seems reasonable until you move the product to the shopping cart and add shipping charges. They insist on FedEx overnight, only option. Yeah, sure. All of a sudden açaí pulp costs about the same as platinum. Thanks, but no thanks. I will give this powder a try, my goal is to make açaí mousse. If anyone has advice, leave me a comment, will you? And just to make sure all my readers are on top of it, here’s how you say the word as a native (any other way makes Brazilians cringe and run away screaming).

In our kitchen…

I am in complete awe of this one…It’s a micro-scale to weigh less than 15 grams with great precision. The first picture shows my hand next to it, giving you an idea of how small it is, so cute. The balance, not my hand. Obviously. In many patisserie recipes this gadget comes in handy. Think gelatin, pectin, but also salt in bread baking, I prefer to measure it with more precision. In the central picture you see the balance in action, measuring 0.5g of osmo-tolerant yeast. I know. Posh to the limit. This baby came with a standard for 50g weight, which was immediately used to check accuracy of my other, regular-size balance, several years old. Spot on!

In our kitchen…

A nut cracker, recommended by America’s Test Kitchen as their top choice. I dislike chopping nuts, and this gadget does a beautiful job. Uniform pieces, fast and without the mess I normally do all over the countertop. In fact, the moment I start chopping nuts, Bogey QT™ and Buck approach the area, waiting for catapulted goodies. Full disclosure: they did not approve the acquisition of this gadget.

In our kitchen…

I caved and bought peeled hazelnuts from Nuts.com.  They are worth every penny, in my opinion. The road to hell might be paved with Royal Icing, but then when you get there, your job is to peel hazelnuts. For. Eternity.

But, what the heck?
Why is Bogey Quit That™ so upset?
And why is that Jack Russel telling me to talk to the tail?

Well, it looks like I hurt their delicate feelings. I better let them have their five minutes of blog glory.

The weather has been pretty tough on the pups lately, which means staying inside the whole morning, going out a little bit at lunch time, then back inside until we come home from work.

But, they seem to make the best of it…

Even though it is so cold outside, Oscar manages to get in trouble. Our resident Burr Boy.

Of course, he has to whine and howl as if he’s being skinned alive while we work hard to get the nasty burrs off his face.  Fun times.

He is not the only one giving us grievances. Bogey Quit That™ decided to treat his fur to a nice mud rub, 24 hours after he arrived squeaky clean from a visit to Petsmart for special shampoo and brushing. I was not exactly thrilled. The stuff had already dried up by the time we arrived home. He seemed quite pleased with himself.

Here we are, ready to help Dad get that roast chicken ready for dinner. He is making Mexican-style chicken fajitas. We like chicken fajitas. We like chicken. Any chicken.

You might have some chicken tomorrow, for the time being we have some dog treats for you, but first you need to answer us… have you been naughty or nice?

Dog food bag: another great find at Marshalls… love that store!

Actually, their Mom has a different opinion. She hopes to get a bit more respect in the New Year. Here’s what happens when she asks the pups to sit for a picture…

And here’s what happens when Dad is the one asking…

Maybe we could behave a little better with Mom, but I still think I don’t deserve this type of treatment. My personal scent was at its best to receive the New Year with paws up. Now, I am gonna smell like a bag of clementines.

We’ll feel sorry for you when we wake up, brother… Right now we are too comfy to care…

Naughty or not, we find them impossibly cute. Osky and Bogey QT can wink, and no one does a head twist as cute as Bucky Boy…

We might wink, but don’t ever expect us to see eye to eye…. HA!

To close this post, the pups offer a few bits of wisdom
for your New Year!

Oscar says….
Always show affection to the ones you love!

Bogey says…
Enjoy to the fullest each good moment of your day…

Buck says…
Play hard, but take the time to relax too. It’s important.

 

I hope you enjoyed the first tour of the year through the Bewitching Kitchen… My plan for 2019 is to focus even more on baking, but still keep the blog as varied as possible, with “regular” recipes posted weekly.  It is hard to believe, but in a few months the BK completes 10 years of life!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

ONE YEAR AGO: Happy New Year In My Kitchen!

TWO YEARS AGO: Happy New Year In My Kitchen!

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: Happy New Year!

FOUR YEARS AGO: And another year starts…

FIVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: January 2014

SIX YEARS AGO: Tacos with Pork in Green Sauce

SEVEN YEARS AGO:  Maui New Year!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Natural Beauty

NINE YEARS AGO: Sunflower Seed Rye