Sunday, January 4, 2015

In My Kitchen - January 2015

My lovely friend Celia in Australia has the best food blog ever, http://figjamandlimecordial.com/ She calls me my mate "Maz" and inspires me to cook more for my family.

Every month she links to posts about "In My Kitchen" and what people all over the world are eating. Here's what's going on in Casa Aguas.



The mencats where on vacation for the holidays so we ate a lot of leisurely breakfasts like "Eggs in a Nest".


 I received so many lovely presents. My brother and sister-in-law gave us gift certificates to Barnes and Noble. (yay!) so I bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I'd seen the movie, Julie and Julia a couple of years ago and been curious about it. I've cooked several recipes out it already and they're honestly not as hard as I thought they were going to be. Her instructions on how to cook broccoli are perfect.

Most of the ingredients are pretty standard, there's no chia seeds, star fruit or gluten free flour needed and yes, there is a lot of butter involved. But Julia is up front in the foreword that this cookbook is for people who "can be unconcerned on occasion with budgets, waistlines, time schedules, children's meals... or anything else that might interfere with the enjoyment of producing something wonderful to eat."


Christmas morning I found this Le Crueset braiser under the tree. I love it like Gollum likes rings. It works a treat and goes right from burner to stove. It weighs a ton but I don't care.




 I used it to make braised short ribs for the mencats.



 My awesome hub also got me silpat muffin tins.  It worked great on homemade poppyseed rolls. They fell right out of the pan, no sticking.


Today, in getting ready for everyone going back to school and work tomorrow I made Almond Oat Bars. The original recipe called for apricot jam but I didn't have any so I made them with raspberry instead. http://www.thefamilyfoodie.com/2012/03/apricot-almond-breakfast-bars.html

My original intention was to make a healthy breakfast thing for January. This isn't quite that but they are dang tasty and easy to make.


So that's what's in my kitchen, how about you?

Marilyn.


Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
~ Harriet Van Horne

18 comments:

  1. Hi, took me back about 20 years with those eggs in a nest. My husband used to cook them for the kids and put the cut out bit of bread on an angle of about 45 degrees and called them 'funny seats'. Yes, we are a bit weird :). Ive downloaded the Julia Chilld movie, yet to watch it. Hope it teaches me a bit. Love those hooks on the wall too. Cheers, Maree

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    1. Maree, hello! Eggs in the Nest are great. I use my trusty biscuit cutter to make the hole. The little buttered circle is my favorite bit. I usually dab a little Nutella on it. Yum!

      I thought the Julie and Julia movie was fun. I liked the Julia Childs part, with her swooning over new food over the Julie cooking two recipes a day badly. The scene where she poaches the eggs made me twitch. You gotta slip the egg in low to the water, not plop it in from a helicopter height. :-)

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  2. Every photo in the post looked delicious. The colors, the beef- yumm! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Glad that you liked it Annie! Come to dinner again soon!

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  3. Your oven gloves look like Christmas stockings, hanging on the mantle. I loved Julie & Julia though Julie was a little dull in comparison don't you think? Julia was larger than life. Thanks for the festive tour. cheers Fiona

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    1. They do look like little Christmas stockings, Fiona! :-) And I also agree about Julia Child part of the story was way more interesting than the manic Julie.

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  4. Fig Jam and Lime Cordial is one of my favorite food blogs too. I don't have a lot of extra time, but I make time for Celia ... and for you.

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  5. I enjoyed the glimpse into your kitchen, but really loved the recipe for Almond Oat Bars. Thanks for the link!

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  6. Marilyn, love the look of those short ribs -- I just love braising in my Le Creuset pots! I posted my version of Julia's Mastering ... boeuf bourguignon nearly 5 years ago when my blog was brand new. (Warning: I do a little name-dropping in that post!) I haven't had Eggs in a Nest for decades; that's what comes of marrying a man who must have his eggs scrambled. Maybe I'll make them for myself now that you have inspired me. I did Celia's In My Kitchen thing this month for the very first time.

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    1. Jean, hello and welcome! That is so cool that you got to meet Queen Julia. I made her apple tart last night after watching her "French Chef" episode and absolutely bombing it. She was so graceful about it, it cracked me up. She used eating apples and everything turned to mush, then it slid right off the plate.She didn't bat an eye. :-)

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  7. My Mate Maz, that's exactly who you are to me! I was showing someone your book the other day, and I actually said (honest!), "My Mate Maz made this..." :) What great treats you received! I don't have the Julia book, but it sounds wonderful! And can I just say, the *shape* of your brasier is my favourite cooking pot shape ever. Only I have it in clay - too heavy for my hands in cast iron! Have a glorious 2015, lovely! :)

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    1. Thank you, awesome Celia! I did have a bountiful cooking Christmas. I also received a set of stemless wine glasses, a teflon whisk and a ricer. I love all my little kitchen gadgets. My current obsession is gnocchi. The last three attempts have been abysmal failures, but I am not deterred. :-)

      Cook on! Maz.

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  8. Happy New Year Maz, I'm loving all you items in your kitchen this month, especially the silpat muffin tray :) Thanks for sharing IMK see you next month

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    1. And Happy New Year wishes to you too. :-)

      The silpat muffin tray is the BEST, especially for popovers. They slide right out. So easy!

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  9. i love that expression- like Gollum loves rings. i will remember that for future use. Eggs in nests - yum. Mum used to make them for us but i can't remember what she called them. Good anyway. Well I think we can all call you Maz if celia does. Cheers!

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    1. I actually call my new red pan, "My Precious" I love the way it cleans up, like Teflon. Cook on! Maz. :-)

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