Rattling On...

Give me soup...

I was overcome with a yen for stilton and broccoli soup yesterday, so I only went and made some!

It's really easy and incredibly tasty, works just as well with cauliflower but that has a slightly pasty appearance. If you too suddenly get the urge to eat this tasty treat, here is the receipt:

2tbsp olive oil

1 onion, 1 stick of celery, 1 med potato- all chopped

1 portion of stock

1 largeish head of broccoli

Some stilton- how much is a personal thing (I love it...)

Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and cook the onions until soft and golden (mine was a red onion-works with any); add the diced veg including the broccoli stalks (but not the florets yet); sweat off this concoction for around 5 minutes (ie put the lid on the pan and lower the heat).

Now, add the stock liquid, how much depends on the consistency you want. I like soup to have body so I used maybe a pint. Cook this for 15 minutes until all the veg is as soft as you like it. If you cook it less there will be more substance to your soup. Add the broccoli florets and cook for a further 10 or so minutes.

Whizz it up. I used a stick blender but you may have a processor or liquidiser. You can add most of the stilton at this stage as well, saving some to crumble on top before serving.

Mine is served in an old Burgess and Leigh (Burleigh) breakfast cup, which has the dimensions of a small bucket. Yum.

Cabinet reshuffle...

 

This was more the sort of picture I'd intended for the After view of the drawers. I've had time to tittivate now. I thought this would be the ideal corner to display my toy  cook ware and I'm really pleased with how it all looks.

The shelf thing was £1.50 from a charity shop, a nasty brown colour. But with the Annie Sloan treatment it looks quite modern. I think so anyway!

Everyone is battening down the hatches here as 'substantial snowfall' is expected starting tomorrow. A friend who works in M&S reports panic buying, I just like to know there's enough cat litter as it's so heavy to carry!

It was just above -8C yesterday and I took the opportunity to turn off the outside water supply, I don't want another burst. The ice on the pavements is horrendous, my car driver's door is frozen shut and the rear heated window doesn't work (the car isn't three years old yet...). It works when it's warm, just not when it's cold- as in when you actually need it. I rang the dealer last time this happened and they weren't at all surprised. Say no more. If/when it snows I won't be using the car. Problem solved.

I feel like getting the Christmas tree back in and putting the decorations up. What with all the illness I felt a bit cheated out of the festivities and this weather would just have been the business. There's still the matter of the cake and pudding as well...

Things to do with a jelly mould...

Why, put a candle in it of course. These are vintage glass moulds; quarter, half and a full pint. They cast lovely shadows as well. If the gloom here is anything to go by we all need as much illumination as possible.

I have been very busy lately, both at work and at home. I have been doing more de-cluttering, ruthlessly. I feel like I have more breathing space, but there's a long way to go. I never used to hang onto stuff and it's a relatively recent thing, but the charity shop is benefitting and happy to keep helping me unload the car at the back doors!

I won't be getting rid of much kitchenalia, although it may be time to say goodbye to the Tupperware. It takes up too much room. The jelly moulds will certainly be staying.

Look how this one shows off the wood chip to best advantage. Irresistible, nay? And I love the way it appears to be floating above the table, an optical illusion caused by the bubbles on its base. Or magic.

Sometimes things just don't turn out...

... quite literally!

That's what you get from a commercial jelly these days. A flop. And it's supposed to be blackcurrant, very anaemic if you factor out the red tea towel.

So, in the next holiday (which is at the end of the month) I shall be having a go at concocting my own jelly from scratch.

Let's face it, it couldn't be more disastrous than this effort could it?

Things to do with a roll of wallpaper...part 2

Covering shelves, of course. But not any ordinary old shelves.

Although they are old, these shelves.

As are the pots and pans sitting on them.

It just so happens that the shelves are in an old wooden medicine cabinet and the pots and pans are vintage tin toys. Another form of kitchenalia I am rather fond of.

The cabinet doesn't usually sit on the mantelpiece, but it was very hard to get a picture of it, with the door closed, that had as little reflection on the glass as possible. This was the least bad option.

I have a large cabinet that I fancy doing a similar thing with, I think the contents will show up a lot better than they do against wood. Like with this little one I won't stick the paper down, just tack it in places, so it can be removed or changed easily. I was going to paint it but thought this was less permanent.

Floating...

A broken flower and a cup only really fit for display, a perfect combination. Something bigger and more blowsy, a dahlia or pom pom chrysanthemum would make a really lovely table decoration. There are still some big daisies in the garden, they'd be good as well. Sometimes simple is better.

In other news: I was contacted by Laura from ITV yesterday about a new TV show they have planned, Food, Glorious Food. There is a filming event on Saturday, I was asked if I'd like to go. A two hundred mile round trip isn't on the cards for me, but if you live near Malvern maybe you'd like to go? The link has an application form and details of how to enter (and the rather fabby prize...).

I have the best friends...

It's funny how some people just 'get' you. Like my friend B who saw these about to be thrown away (horrors) and rescued them for me. They are so far from being up her street, but she lugged them home and then to me; where they fit into my general kitchen decor perfectly. The cabinets are painted almost the same shade of faded yellow.

Anyone who knows me also knows that storage jars are irrisistible to me. Kitchenalia could be my middle name. They're not perfect and a some are a bit crazy, they should feel right at home here!

My jar collection is about at critical mass right now, it looks like I've got a strange form of storage OCD, but I don't really use the vintage stuff. I have new in the cupboards. And tins, that's another storage fetish.

Did I mention that, as well as Ebaying lots of stuff (not kitchenalia...) I also donate to a particular charity shop. At the beginning of the summer holidays they asked if I'd do giftaid, no problem. Today I got the first letter saying how much my donations had raised (they all have a special barcoded sticker). Over £200 so far. I am amazed. This is from clothes, books, general this and that. 

If you donate and don't already Gift Aid please consider just filling out the form. It gets your chosen charity extra much needed funds. You can also do it for loads of other places, I did at the Bronte Parsonage Museum for example. Money better in their coffers than the government's...

Pain à la banane...

Banana bread sounded dull for a title so I Frenchified it, I made it à la française. Possibly, French grammar not being my forte.

The recipe is Nigella's, from the Domestic Goddess book, but free on-line as well. I used hazelnut pieces and raisins as they're what I had in, and I scattered some brown sugar crystals on top for added crunch. Oh, and I didn't do all the separate mixing gig, just banged it all in one bowl and combined. It was fabby. Eventually, because...

I lined the tin, added the mixture , put it in the oven and then had a tiny taste from the mixing bowl. Something I don't usually do but it must have been fate. I had left out the sugar and it wasn't a pleasant modification.

I got it out of the oven, slopped it back into the bowl and stirred in the sugar before re-lining the tin and putting it to cook again. No harm done. And I'm not boasting here (much), but mine isn't sunken in the middle like Nigella's. Boo yah.

I have made this recipe before, sort of. Nothing ever seems to be made the same way twice. That wasn't sunken either...

A bit of Belgian fun...

I've had a waffle iron for some time, and never got round to use it. This morning I decided to give it some time out of the drawer.

I heated it up under the grill while I mixed the batter. I spooned in some batter and banged it back under the grill. Without greasing it first. Back out and into the washing up bowl for a scrub.

Oiled and with a little less batter, ahem, and off for the second run. After about five minutes, and having turned it, I got it out for the grand reveal. Ha!

The good old fashioned frying pan did a sterling job, and I placed small sheets of greaseproof paper between each 'waffle' as I cooked them. I made the lot in around five minutes. A much better use of five minutes than the so-called waffle iron. Though goo-producer would be a better term in this case.

It was as hot as it could be, it was greased. It was useless. But it looks nice, in a kitchenaliaholic's mind at least. Do Belgian's really use these things?

I know you can get electric versions. I shan't be bothering. My little pancakes will go in the toaster later for a quick re-heat and can be eaten with any number of delightful toppings. Or just buttered. (The waffle batter recipe is here, and is very tasty. I used Flora Cuisine instead of oil, I use it a fair bit now and it's good.)

Note to self: Do not be tempted to use bank holiday mornings to try something different. It just makes washing up...

What's cooking?

On Saturday I went out of town on the hunt for something in particular. A piece of furniture that used to be everywhere, going for a song. When I didn't want one. Now...

Anyway, in the window of a charity shop was a poster for a little local antiques and collectors fair, on in the church hall at that very minute. And it wasn't half bad. I got this casserole dish which I will probably use more as a serving dish. Nice.

Nicer was the sandwich, brownie and mug of tea I had with some older ladies who were visiting from Liverpool. I never got round to asking them how they found their way to a little village in Derbyshire.

Nicest was on the way out, a book stall manned by a laconic chap (all sold in aid of church funds on this stall) who just couldn't understand why I fell over myself to get into a box at the back.

Five for a pound. And even then he thought he was robbing me and wouldn't take any more. I'd paid to get in and bought lunch so I didn't feel too bad about it. You can bet someone else wouldn't have had qualms if I hadn't taken him off at the elbow.

I am now checking what to expect when summer arrives, as surely it must? The sun was out yesterday...

Easter bunny...

When you have a few (who am I kidding) vintage jelly moulds you'd better also have a child that isn't averse to eating jelly. Unless you only use them for decoration; but I like to try them out as well. Other than a tiny bit at the front that stuck, this one was most successful, possibly a little more patience would have helped.

Old moulds like this often won't stand level, and I have a cunning solution to that. I jammed this one into a large gravy boat, with a kitchen roll buffer to prevent scratching.

I don't know who designed these moulds but they are a bit on the odd side. The strange rippling on the back adds a prehistoric exoskeleton touch, while the feet are a little too rat-like for comfort. But I suppose you're not meant to scrutinise these things too deeply.

I'm not mad keen on aluminium, the mess it makes of tea towels and the gritty texture. Do you remember the big scare over aluminium pans and the fear that they were causing some forms of dementia? I suspect you'd have to eat a few pans before it became much of a threat.

Some baking is in order today, I think.

Me (new) old china...

I got to work on Monday morning to find a mountain of crockery on the bench. Hmmm... couldn't resist a quick shufty through... oooh, lots of vintage. Pangs of retro-induced wanties coursed through me.

M saw me eyeing it all up. 'I thought you'd like that.' He said. 'I saw you looking at all those old plates in Food Tech the other day.' Indeed.

After what I considered to be a polite pause I ventured to enquire to whom it belonged.'Me' he said 'Or at least it's from my Grandma's house'...

Maybe I slobbered or something, but he laughed and said 'I know you like that stuff so you can take whatever you want and school can have the rest.'

I think I may have even run over to the piles. School has gained a lovely plain white dinner service and I got all the groovy stuff. M and his Mrs think I'm slightly insane, they may well be right.

Let this be a lesson to anyone trying to hide an addiction. You can't. Something will always give you away. In my case it was the Tams 70s plate in a cooking lesson we were giving. I just had to turn it over in my hands and make an admiring comment.

He likes caravans and fishing. There's room for everyone in this big old world. Tell me, is there anything you'd like to share? We're all friends...

 

Eat me...

I have some little terracotta pots outside on the front doorstep which have primulas in them. The birds really like to eat the plants. So, I went to the local pet shop where they also sell seasonal garden stuff, and bought myself three new ones. Two to replace the snack pot and one for inside this mug, bought in a charity shop.

The cat, as I soon found out, also like eating them. I only left the bag by the sink for a couple of minutes and came back to find him chowing down. He tried to pretend he was sniffing them, but the raggy edges gave the game away.

I put the compost inside a small sandwich bag first, to save the mug being spoiled as it has a little bit of crazing and if dirt gets in there it's nigh on impossible to shift.

I know this as a few years ago we had a new boiler fitted while we were away on holiday. I came back to find the fitters had used my little, very old, decorative blue and white bowl (kept in the kitchen window) for teabag slops. I tried everything, soaked it in all manner of recommended concoctions. Then threw it in the bin.

My trusty assistant, Coco, helped with the photo shoot. At one point she too gave the plant a good sniffing and started to lick her lips. What is it with primulas?

In other news:

The pond is now full enough for the blackbird to have a good soaking whenever he chooses.

The blog counterfeiter is still happily at it.

And, here I was going to get something off my chest. Something to do with a comment I left on another blog, and to which I got a rather curt and moral reply. I took it like a man and continued reading the blog. Then I go and read a post endorsing what I got remonstrated with about. (That looks like nonsense written down but you get my meaning) This person has done an about face on their original, and let's face it strident, standpoint. People can be very frustrating. So, I won't mention it...

Please release me, let me go...

What's the point in having a thing about kitchenalia if you never use it? I sometimes find half the fun in baking, for example, is choosing the tin ( I have them in all shpes and sizes), wondering where it's been on its travels, that sort of thing.

Mostly the baking tins are old family relics, ones that were thrown out to make way for non-stick versions. I don't mind all the greasing and lining and would line a non-stick anyway. Just in case. I have old pie plates and pudding basins as well. The main rule is that I wouldn't make food in anything cracked, chipped or crazed. Partly, mostly, for hygiene reasons, but also as anything damaged is liable to break once in the oven. But that's where displaying comes into its own. 

I love this old aluminium 2 pint jelly mould and have used it a few times over the holidays. I always rub a little vegetable oil over the inside before filling it, to make release easier. But if it's stuck there's only one solution... the hairdryer. On full blast and played for a minute or so over the outside, it works wonders, and there's a very satisfying suck as the jelly leaves the sides of the mould.

I am very easily amused...

Light fruit cake...

Is the title an oxymoron? It is not a dark cake, I'll grant you, but in dietary terms it wouldn't pass any sort of calorie controlled test. But it's the name of the recipe in any case, and it tastes good.

I think making interestingly shaped cakes adds a bit to the process. Don't ask me why, it's just a fruit cake, but the moment it pops out of the tin is special. Mostly because it's a relief it hasn't stuck to the interior and fallen to bits! 

I have a few interesting tins now, the best of which is a somewhat seasonal affair, but has been used every year since I bought it. And on that basis was worth the silly amount I paid for it. I was seduced again the other week, in a local cookware/crockery shop. They had a sale on, and I was drawn in.

There, on display, with one third off, were some Nordic cake tins. The rest is history, but you'll have to wait a little longer to see that one as, once again, it has a bit of a seasonal theme to it, though could be used on on more occasions than a fir tree tin...