Welcome to the new year everyone! Thanks again Celia from Fig Jam & Lime Cordial for being our conduit for IMK. With the festive season now well and truly wound down, things are getting back to normal. The decorations have been packed away so they can be dragged out again next year. Recycling bin emptied of many wine bottles and stubbies and there is room once again in the fridge! Not loads to report this month but in my kitchen there is (was): A couple of sourdough loaves I made NY eve. One to take to our friends home and one for us.
Ours is just about finished because of things like me having it toasted and topped with goat cheese, smoked salmon and capers. Mmmm!
I bought myself a Christmas present of a new Turkish hand painted plate. Just love the design and colour.
I’ve cured the garlic, cleaned it and strung it up. I bagged the loose heads in an exclusion bag, these are handy for all sorts of things. I’ve stored some incredibly hot chillies by threading them onto a piece of string. I also bagged up some shallots into another exclusion bag.
I made stuffed mushrooms to take NYE and unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of the finished product because they were really good, even of I did leave them in the oven a bit too long. I made a filling of olive oil with some roast pumpkin seed oil blended in (love the colour of that), S&P, mixed in some crushed garlic, grated parmesan, a chopped hot chilli and added enough sourdough breadcrumbs to make a stuffing. Mushrooms were filled with this then baked until done and crumble was crispy (in my case a bit more). I served them with some feta cheese finely grated over them and a thin slice of red capsicum on top. They went down well at our NYE gathering!
I also made some samosa which I wasn’t at all pleased with (pastry mainly) but they were all eaten enthusiastically. These were served with spicy hot peach chutney, that went on the platter where the black lid is.
I finish this post with the video of our annual family smashing of the gingerbread house. I know it looks wasteful but I just love it. The cumin that is mentioned in it was used to hold up one of the walls until the royal icing set. I forgot to take it out, finished the house then went nuts later knowing I’d seen the cumin but couldn’t find it. Sent son to shop to get some more. This video is the second attempt, first try didn’t do it. This is what the house looked like before the demolition. Decos are removed before we ‘do the business’.
Let the fun for 2015 begin!
PS: I forgot to mention that I made Maureen’s mango ice-cream for Christmas day and it was great. Might just have a serve now on this very hot afternoon. Wonder if we have any ginger nuts that I can crush to put on top?
I just love the story about the cumin. Now that is a good Christmas story. Any fun family activity at Christmas is a good one in my books. Even the dog feels important and involved. Happy New Year
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Thanks Tania. It certainly was fun.
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That is an amazing gingerbread house! I have never smashed one but can imagine a certain freeing fun in going at it – and of course then there’s no reason not to eat all components of it too 🙂
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I burst out laughing when I saw the house go over and the cumin fall out. What a happy post!
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Ha, I keep watching it and still giggle. Of course my son thinks I’m ready for the loony bin now!
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I cracked up when the house fell over when being placed on the skateboard. I yelled out ‘oh, don’t break it!’… haha! then it got demolished. Did the skateboard cause the crack in the bin? if it didn’t then well done for lining it up exactly 😉 Thanks for sharing your happy times. Cheers, Kirsty
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Hi Kirsty, yes the skate board was responsible for the crack! If you listen carefully to the audio you can hear one of the hecklers from the balcony ask that very question! Bin was used to prevent the house going out and over the road. That’s another years plan I think 🙂
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Maree maybe next year a GoPro could make it strapped onto the skateboard (or the house) to get a ‘house’ view of its demise. Or a drop off the balcony?
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Love your thinking Kirsty! Wish I’d thought about the go pro, my son has one. I would love to actually organise blowing it up somehow but that’s a bit risky. 🙂
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Another good reason to make a gingerbread house next year!
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Loved the video, fun! What a well-mannered dog you have, our Aussies would have been all over the house as soon as it got near the ground. The plate is beautiful; I wouldn’t have been able to resist either. And, I am amazed at the talented bakers who post on IMK, gorgeous loaves. Happy New Year.
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I didn’t watch your video as my internet is being annoyingly slow this morning!
Your photos made my mouth water though! Perhaps it isn’t a good idea to read beautiful food filled blog posts at lunch time when I’m at a loss as to what to make for lunch? 🙂
Happy New Year!
Sarah
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Hi Sarah. Let me talk you through the vid. Imagine my lovely gingerbread house tied to a skateboard (decorations removed) and let loose to fly down a very steep driveway where it crashes into the ‘wheelie rubbish bins’ that have been laid on their side to prevent the house and skateboard hurtling out onto the road. Board hits the bin, pierces the heavy duty plastic and the house goes flying off. Just like when a horse stops at jump and the rider goes over the horses head! Pretty funny really (house not the horse rider). Thanks for visiting 🙂
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Love your gingerbread video…I had a giggle when you found the cumin 🙂 those stuffed mushrooms sound delish as well….will definitely have a go at making them! I love serving food on beautiful plates – love your new pressie 🙂
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Thanks for visiting Nathalie. Hope you enjoy the mushies.
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It seems it’s not an IMK post this month unless there’s a sourdough loaf in it! So many… I love that Turkish plate but when you look at it, it actually seems more Hungarian or Bulgarian, because of the colour and also the style of decoration. Lovely. Thanks for the ‘smashing’ tour or your kitchen! cheers Fiona
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Boy you must know a bit more about design of plates than I. I just loved the colour and pattern and went on the fact the sticker said it was hand made in Turkey! Cheers, Maree.
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OMG, from fresh sourdough with smoked salmon to appetizers and a finish with mango ice cream – what an IMK foodie delight, complete with gingerbread house smash! I’m still giggling and wonder, how do you follow this one?
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Thanks. Salmon was indeed a delight! We have been doing the house for so many years now I’m always trying to come up with a new idea for its demolishing. If you can think of any let me know! 🙂
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Hahaha…that’s a big jar of cumin to lose inside a gingerbread house! Lovely to “hear” you on the video, it sounds like you’re all having such a fun time! That Turkish plate made me sigh – it’s so beautiful! And I love the fact that our sourdough loaves look similar, probably because we’re baking them in matching enamel roasters. How cool is that! 🙂 Happy New Year, Maree!!
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Hi Celia, yes, I was amazed I managed to construct the rest of the house around the jar without really thinking. If you only knew how annoyed I was when I couldn’t find it. Lots of expletives were getting tossed around I can tell you. I’ve gone back to using the cast iron pot for my bread just too tight a squeeze for the falcon in my toy oven. Cheers.
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Happy New Year Maree, your sourdough looks amazing – what’s her/his name? I love hearing the names 🙂 Your Turkish plate is stunning and I’m impressed with your garlic & chillies drying – looking good.
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Hi, starter I named vessie as in Mt Vessuvius. Hope it doesn’t explode too much though. I now have a white starter going and that’s going to be called queenie because she is just bubbling along like a lady. Those chillies are screaming hot!
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Your sourdough is impressive- lovely slashing and professional looking. The tied up chilli looks good too.Is that an old Rayburn stove they are hanging near? I would demolish those samosas- in fact, I could go one now. We are often too critical of our own cooking. And as for your ginger bread house- didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! At least you found the cumin.
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Ha Francesca definitely laugh! That oven is an everhot and works well. Just takes far too long to heat to justify its use on a regular basis, not to mention the amount of wood it uses. I save using it for ‘treats’. Thanks re bread, working hard at it. 🙂
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I am so jealous of all your beautiful garlic and chillies – my husband would loose his mind with all of that beautiful produce! Love the Turkish plate as well – just gorgeous!
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Thanks, I love growing anything and I love presenting it on beautiful plates!
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oh those savouries for New Year’s look really good – and I love your sourdough loaves – wish I could slash like that! your gingerbread house looks so cute – and the demolition looks lots of fun but does it mean you don’t eat it! We have a gingerbread house kit someone gave me – the gingerbread men in another kit were so dry I haven’t had the heart to make the house but perhaps I could just have fun demolishing it (I did make a gingerbread house a few christmases ago and the kids loves demolishing it on the table)
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Hi, we used to have all the kids smash the house around the table at the end of the day but no one was up eating any more after a big meal and they are all grown up now so we just keep getting more ridiculous with the demo. Usually just pick off the lollies now.Didn’t happen this year after hitting the bin though. Gee we laughed a lot as well. 🙂 Slash with a razor blade at about 30 degree angle, usually works a treat!
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