The Kitchen Playground

Yesterday was a bottling day again here at chez KP.
While I labelled the results this afternoon and found some room in the pantry, I contemplated the potential meaning behind my ridiculous levels of self satisfaction, safety and comfort, when viewing a shelf full of bottled food. DId I die of starvation in a depression or [...]

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Something about cooking is both comforting and cathartic. Which means I did a lot of it yesterday. I needed to feel safe, secure, to vent my sense of desolation at the terrible suffering so many families were suffering due to the fires that burn across Victoria. And more than that, my sense of helplessness and [...]

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What could be more satisfying, frustrating, and completely fulfilling as a day spent between vegetable patch and preserving? I’m sure the majority could think of lot’s of things but I’m know I’m not alone in thinking it nigh on the perfect day.
From an early trip to the farmer’s market, I launched straight into bottling peaches, [...]

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Way back in Seattle’s peach season, I started salivating at the thought of my own personal peach season. The reason was a tempting little salsa recipe posted on the Shibaguyz blog. Today was the day and it was worth the wait. Once I stock up on capsicum and coriander I’ll be making at least two [...]

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Once the weather warms up, the Ankle Biters consume vast quantities of watermelon. Both in chunks and whizzed up in the thermomix and frozen as icy poles. They can’t get enough of the stuff.

photo by kurisurokku, some rights reserved
Growing up I read and reread the ‘Little House’ books and ‘Farmer Boy’ by Laura Ingalls Wilder. [...]

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Downright fruity. That’s what my chilli plants are. It seems that every few days I have another big clump all red and ripe and delectable. I use a lot in day to day cooking but I reached a point of excess today so I decided to make a chilli sauce.
Because I totally live on the [...]

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Bulk buying fresh food means lot’s of cooking when you get home. Particularly when the Bread Winner has not made lunch for the Ankle Biters and dinner also needs to be prepared.
So, today the Kitchen Playground produced leftover coriander pesto burger and cheese in sandwiches for lunch. Adzuki bean soup with cheese and thyme scones [...]

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I have identified another luxury item in last week’s shopping that could have been avoided and saved me another $4. Rhubarb. But I’m glad I splurged. Because I made Rhubarb Champagne.
I used cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. Instead of sugar, I used 2 cups of dark muscavado and 1.5 cups of light muscavado. It [...]

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Oregano grows like a weed around here. We always end up pulling out massive clumps, more than we can use, dry or give away. I decided on a new plan this year. I’ve made a pesto like concoction to use in cooking rather than dried stuff. Which of course loses it’s flavour very quickly.
I harvested [...]

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