In my kitchen:
Are some very cute oat bran muffins. I was attracted to the recipe because I have had some oat bran in the cool room for a little toooo long. Also, I like to delude myself that anything with oat bran in it must be good for me. It is a Charmaine Solomon recipe. Charmaine suggests grinding the oat bran in a food processor or blender until very fine. This resulted in a lovely, finely textured muffin. The muffins didn’t look like, or taste like, horse fodder at all. I was very impressed. These were orange and currant muffins. I am going to replace the currants with dark chocolate chips. I love orange with chocolate – I bet it will be good.
Calling all members of the “Feel sorry for Maus Committee”.
In my kitchen:
Is a burnt kettle. Maus decided to put the electric kettle on the gas cook top and turn the cook top on!! She pleaded two excuses: we had just arrived in Bridgetown from Perth. We don’t have an electric kettle in Perth so she was used to putting the kettle on the cooktop; and she was trying to do two things at once: watch TV and put the kettle on. Need I say more?
This is what an electric kettle looks like after it has been burnt to smithereens. I now have a new electric kettle in my kitchen.
Talking of Maus, it was her birthday yesterday. Maus does not like hot toast and she doesn’t like sweaty toast, so she is forever balancing her toast on the side of her plate to cool it down. I had the brilliant idea (if I say so myself) of getting her a toast rack for her birthday. As I am sure you would guess, toast racks are not all the go at the moment. They are quite hard to find. The only ones I could find were old ones on ebay. This item was described as a Walker and Hall 1910-1920 silver plated toast rack.
And this was described as a vintage Mappin & Webb silver plated princes plate toast rack. I think they are both very cute. I don’t know why I bought two. I just got carried away – maybe she can have one in each house. In any event, they are both in my kitchen.
In my kitchen:
Is my favourite dessert at the moment. It is Galactoboureko. It tastes like a light vanilla slice. It is so very good and very easy to make. The recipe is by Jane at Tea with Hazel. You really should try it – here is the link. I can’t recommend it enough. I have made it twice in as many weeks. Everybody loves it. Thanks, Jane, for a fantastic recipe. It is a beauty.
In my kitchen:
Is a big, beautiful loaf of sour dough bread. I love big, beautiful loaves of sourdough bread. They make me very happy. This one had amazing oven spring.
In my kitchen:
Are these very tasty mini filo tartlets. I particularly liked the one with parsley pesto, chicken and olives. I will be making them again. The little cases are so cute. They are made in mini muffin tins. Each tartlet is one bite.
In my kitchen:
Is beetroot from my garden. I made the beetroot risotto with these guys. I didn’t waste the greens, either. I read that you can treat them just as you would silverbeet. I was going to steam and then freeze them. Then I read that they are also really good for dogs and dogs should have lots and lots of greens. After reading this, I started feeling guilty that I usually only give the dogs the silverbeet stems so my three beautiful babies got to eat the stems and the green leaves.
In my kitchen:
Are more chillies. I have so many in the freezer, we wouldn’t be able to eat them all in a decade. I am thinking I will make some chilli jam or chilli sauce with them. I just have to get around to it. I can’t believe that a summer crop is still bearing – and bearing so prolifically. The capsicums have long since gone to God.
In my kitchen:
Is my new vinegar experiment. Since I have had success developing a mother with Bragg raw unfiltered vinegar, I thought I would use some of the apple cider vinegar from my plant and try to start a white wine plant. It is 210 mils of natural unfiltered vinegar, 140 mils of white wine and 70 mils of water, with a few strands of spaghetti. Here’s hoping. Only time will tell.
In my kitchen:
Is my new Pyrex jug Maus bought from Woolworths. They were on special and Maus loves a bargain. I don’t know whether to be really happy about it or really grumpy.
The first thing I noticed was it is made in the USA. Nothing wrong with that except it has US size cup measurements on one side. This really annoys me. If something is being sold in the Australian market, surely it should be made to have metric cup measurements. If you are really into cooking, you would know that a US cup is 8 fluid oz, whereas an Australian cup is 250 mils – and 8 fluid ounces is not 250 mils. I know it is not a big difference but ……
On the other hand, I am really happy because I didn’t have a fluid ounce measuring jug and, with so many American recipes on the web, it is sure to come in handy.
Finally, in my kitchen:
Is a packet of Jelly Bellys. Alas, there are only three left. They are seriously good. I love the way an American icon is made in Thailand, just like Australian icons are made everywhere except Australia.
If you would like to see what is in other bloggers’ kitchens this month, visit Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. Celia hosts In My Kitchen each month.
Passion Fruit Garden 
i love the produce, and the toast racks are gorgeous. what a shame about the kettle. i saw another blogger recently had done that too. eek!
Hi Sherry, Poor kettles 🙂
Ah poor Maus I’m sure she’s not alone in doing that. I just bought 4 beetroot on a whim yesterday for some reason so I’m going to try your beetroot risotto in the next couple of days – perfect timing !
Hi Nancy, I hope you like it, I did.
Hi Glenda! What lovely produce and the sourdough loaf is mouthwatering! I have had an abundance of Chillies as well, and lots of plans to preserve them. I also make my own vinegar, and for the white mother, I add some ripe clean cut pears. It produced a nice mother pretty quickly.
Oops I didn’t realize I wasn’t logged in!
Hi Emily, How do you make the white wine vinegar mother, exactly?
For the white mother I also used the Bragg’s vinegar. I added the settled solids from the Bragg’s to 1 cup warm water, 1 cup of aerated white wine, and a cleaned cut cored pear, mixed it and let it sit in a porcelain jar covered in cheesecloth and checked it in about a week. After about a week I started to see the begins of a mother, opaque film and strands; if it starts to smell off and not vinegary you may have to start again. The one time I tried to make white vinegar in glass it went bad, too much temperature flux I think. Hope that helps! Please let me know if you need any other info. 🙂
Hi Emily, thanks so much for that. If my experiment doesn’t work I will definitely try it. What happens to the pear, do you throw it out? If so when?
Hi Glenda, I actually just leave the pear in. It helps give the mother the extra sugar it needs and a place to start forming. Once it’s formed a mother and you are ready to transfer it to another container then take out what’s left of the pear. PS- Grapes cut in half work well too! Good luck and let me know how it works out! 🙂
Love your little toast racks and I do not like sweaty toast either. Your Galaktoboureko, sourdough bread, muffins and mini filo tartlets look amazing and it looks like no one will go hungry in your kitchen. 😀
Hi Moya, thanks for your comments.
What a busy, busy kitchen you have this month… The kettle sounds like something I would do! And your lovely produce… I have exactly the same problem with my chilli’s and I think I have enough chilli jam for the apocalypse! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! Liz x
Hi Elizabeth, what do you do with the chilli jam? I would make some if I thought I would use it.
Hi Glenda, it goes in stews, spaghetti, casseroles, just like you would use a relish for flavour! I love it with steak and chicken… It is great in marinades… There is a recipe on my blog if you are interested… You can make it runnier and have a fantastic sweet chilli sauce that can be used for all the same things 🙂
http://www.themotherhubbardscupboard.com/chilli-jam/
I hope you enjoy 🙂 Liz x
Hi Elizabeth, I am definitely interested. I will check it out. I have a charity stall coming up, I may make some for that.
I sell lots of it at markets and things too! You can make a “hot version” by leaving in the seeds 🙂
Thanks
Elizabeth, I have just checked out the recipe. I have jars and jars and jars of preserved tomatoes in the pantry, do you think I could use them rather than fresh tomatoes?
Are preserved tomatoes liked the ones you get in the can, sort of crushed?
Yep, exactly.
Yes I have done it once… Because there is more liquid I just had to cook it longer 🙂
Thanks so much, it would be crazy to go and buy tomatoes when I have so many in my pantry. I will give it a go tomorrow. Thanks again for the heads up.
You are so welcome! Let me know how it goes 🙂
HI Glenda, another great month in your kitchen, well maybe not for poor Maus.
The chillies look great and I could probably have the whole tray of those tartlets!
cheers
Jason
Hi Jason, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Oh dear Glenda, I know that I read your IMK post and thought I’d commented but, alas it must have something to do with hitting the post comment button.. I’m so glad that your muffins didn’t taste like horse fodder although I’ve never known any horses to complain.
Of course I’m in that “feel sorry for Maus club” since I’ve melted plenty of things although I’m better known for breaking glass and china. Those tartlets look terrific and the pastry so flaky. I have the same Pyrex measuring cup with metric which you’re right, does come in handy.
Hi Diane, Maus’ best trick was to melt a kitchen spoon which set fire to the bench top. Don’t worry I read posts and forget to go back and comment all the time. It may be a bit of ‘old timers’
If you need to get rid of any chillies I’m willing to take them off your hands 🙂 I love chillies and have no luck growing them on a balcony. I’m sorry to hear about your kettle – funny story though! Thanks for a look inside IMK
I wish I could pass some chillies your way, I have far too many.
Perfectly honest mistake with the kettle 😉 The oven spring on that loaf is amazing Glenda. I love your vinegar experiments to. I would have given up ages ago so I admire your perseverance.
Thanks Tania.
Glenda, your toast racks are treasures and I’m sure Maus was delighted to receive two! The mini-tartlets are also tantalizing — your favorite combo sounds delicious ‘bite size.’
Thanks Kim.
Glenda you always have the most wonderful IMK posts. I battled finding egg cups like you battled with the toast racks.
Have a wonderful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Hi Mandy, I loved your egg cups.
Orange and currant – what a wonderful combination. I’ll have to make some of these cakes too. The toast rack is beautiful and your sourdough looks amazing too. Hope you enjoy my IMK. Emma.
Thanks for visiting Emma
Lots of goodies indeed. So funny about the kettle!
Thanks Bec.
Ha ha, my mum did that to a kettle once in our caravan. Caused quite a ruckus in the caravan park. Lovely toast racks, might look into that as I too like dry toast and have knives criss-crossed on the plate that toast goes onto to avoid it getting condensation build up. Thanks for sharing.
Now crossed knives is something Maus hasn’t tried, I will have to suggest it to her.
What a thoughtful gift for Maus and I think the kettle story is worth a giggle. Did you know that an Australian tablespoon measure is bigger than ours? Thanks for the peek into your kitchen 🙂
Hi Tandy, yep we have the biggest!!
glenda..your kettle story is funny although i’m sure it wasn’t at the time..i love toast racks too but i got rid of mine because i never used it..i rarely take the time to sit and eat breakfast..it’s usually a rushed affair..your galactoboureko looks spectacular..and thanks for the mention..x
Hi Jane, I was ok with the kettle after we put the fire out. Thank you for the galactoboureko recipe.
Glenda, one of these days Costco is going to open in Perth, and you’re going to have Jelly Bellys in containers so huge that they have to be seen to be believed. I loved this post, especially the two toast holders! Happy birthday Maus! And bugger about the kettle – ah well. Your sourdough looks absolutely stunning – just look at the ovenspring! Genius.. 🙂 xxx
PS. You have a COOL ROOM? I’m so going to give Pete a hard time – I’ve always wanted one of those!!
Hi Celia. Now I am really looking forward to Costcos. The cool room is really cool though it is only a baby one.
I love galaktoboureko and its cousin, bougattsa. Creamy and sweet in a flaky pastry! What a great find those toast racks are! I love the look of them, but sadly would never use them (not liking cold toast). I agree with you there about the measuring cups. I have both American and European measures to go with my varied recipe collection. I was surprised to learn recently that Australian measures were different. I’m coming to the conclusion we should all go metric.
Hi Debi, the only difference is the tablespoon, our tablespoons are 20 mils. Everything else is metric ie 250 mils for a cup.
G’day! I lovely post that I really enjoyed today Glenda as the toast rack brought back many wonderful memories!
Thank you for this month’s kitchen view and brightening my day too!
Cheers! Joanne
You are most welcome Joanne.
Maus might not be right about the best way to boil a kettle, but she’s definitely right about the best way to eat toast. I use a toast rack to cool my toast but mine isn’t half as nice as yours.
I don’t think I’d worry too much about the jug measurements as I find it hard to read them accurately anyway. The line is pretty thick and looking at different angles reads a different measurement. Filo tartlets look delicious.
Hi Anne, it is just annoying that they can sell something without complying to the local measuring system. We have 20 mil tablespoons here but most in the shops are 15 mils. I don’t get it.
What a feast of goodies in your kitchen this month! Everything looks delicious. But I am not sure that I believe you when you say that the dessert is easy to make — it looks like it should be complicated and tricky!
Hi Anne it is not tricky at all. It is so good.
What a lovely thought the toast racks are, and good idea to have one at each location; it’s annoying when you’re at one house, and the very thing you want is at the other. I’m often looking for something that is at the other residence.
I feel for Maus; it is hard when you go from one location to another, and for that reason we have many deliberate parallels. But not everything… at Taylors Arm I see the G.O at the microwave wondering why it’s not cooperating – it isn’t the same keypad configuration as Sydney.
Hi Ella, if only we could work out where we want to live. We nearly have two of everything but still the thing I want is always at the other house.
Lots happening in your kitchen as usual Glenda. You’ve got me wondering about my pyrex measuring jugs. Great idea using filo for tart cases, warm from the oven, I bet they were delicious! Bummer about the kettle…
Hi Sandra, it sure was a bummer, I calmed down once I realised the melted plastic would come off the stove.
Great round up, as always, Glenda. Poor Maus, bummer about the kettle! Love your toast rack, very stylish. Mmmmmm to the Galactoboureko, that is one I will investigate for sure when we come home from our travels. Your bread looks very yummy, as does the beetroot. I must check my Pyrex jug to make sure it’s Australian! Happy August.
Happy August to you too Liz,
The Galaktoboureko looks great- I love that Greek dessert, like comfort food, and will have a go with your recipe. The bread looks good too as I am now into Bread Making! I hope you do a post about those chillies as I have the same ones hanging about in my garden.
Hi Francesca. That dessert was absolutely fabulous. Jane needs a medal. There must be something we can do with our chillis.