The Messy Kitchen

 My kitchen is rarely clean and lovely like you often see on social media. 

It is often clean and pretty, only to be messed up again by the next cooking session. 

Today, when I was making a chocolate loaf cake, I looked the mess and thought how wonderfully functional it was. 

This kitchen is literally the heart of the home. It is where the cooking and the talking all happens. 

This long weekend, we cooked quite a few meals. I cooked some, our visitors cooked some, Hubbie cooked some and at other times it was all in. 

The containers in this photo are from my baking centre. I realised as I got them out to cook with today that I have had these containers for so many years. The post that I have linked here is from 2007 - that is 17 years ago. 

They may not be the latest trend, they are not the glass pretty ones I see on instagram, but they are functional and hard wearing. Because they are made of plastic, I want to use them for as along as I can. You see, if we followed 'green living' advice it would tell us to buy all new eco friendly containers with no thought of where all the old plastic containers end up. We all know they go to land-fill so we buy new ' eco friendly' ones. Don't be fooled!. 

So... I stand in my messy kitchen with my old storage containers and I am joyful! 

What do you have that you hold onto in your kitchen ? You can leave a comment below. 

Cumquat Marmalade: Winter Sunshine in a Jar

 

This year's cumquots have made the most delightful marmalade. It's like winter sunshine in a jar! 

YOU WILL NEED: 

About 500g of cumquots 

a cup of sugar

The juice of half a lemon 

METHOD: 

Slice the ends of the cumquots and cut them in half. 

Chop the fruit and pulp coarsley 

Mix in the sugar and lemon jouce

Cook on the stovetop sitrring constantly until the mixture thickens 

Bottle in clean jars whilst hot and seal. 

This is one of those experimental recipes. You can try different citrus or blend flavours together. 

All I know, is that when you have a smear on sourdough it is a burst of sunshine in your mouth ! 

Rustic Lavash Cracker Recipe

Ingredients 

315g of flour ( your choice of plain, rice, wholemeal etc) 

1/2 tsp of sea salt 

1 tbsp poppy seeds 

1 tbsp sesame seeds 

1 small egg ***

1/3 cup milk ***

30g butter *** 

***i swap these ingredients for good quality olive oil. I don't measure it, I just keep adding until the consistency is not too sticky and easy to roll. 

I use the pasta maker to roll the mixture into sheets, but you can also use a rolling pin. Then I transfer the sheets to baking trays and slice across them with a pizza cutter. I don't bother moving them apart, as they separate once they're baked. 

Then bake at 180 degrees for about 8-10 mins or until they are golden brown. When you get the crackers of the tray, they fall part where they were cut. 

This recipe makes a huge container of crackers and is worth the time investment for the beautiful result. It also means that you have crackers on hand in the cupboard whenever they are need and they extremely cheap when compared to buying rusti crackers from the store. 

As an added bonus there is zero waste because you are not bringing home any packaging. 

You could change this recipe to any flavour by adding spices or other seeds or change it to a gluten and dairy free option. The best way to find out what works is to experiment. 

Do you have a similar recipe to share ? 

Earthy Quiche

I love this quiche and I bake it regularly. It has become a really good breakfast food for hungry teenagers - it keeps them going all day!

I start by browning some onion and garlic, perhaps some bacon or sweet potato cubes. You can add anything you like that needs pre-cooking.

I whisk 4 eggs, some corn kernels, chopped spinach, half a cup of self-raising flour, half a cup of milk,  some grated cheese... you get the idea, basically anything you have on hand.

I add  lots or rosemary at this point. It is my secret ingredient to give the quiche a really earthy deep flavour.

Stir everything together and pour it into a glass pie plate. I have used a sheet of frozen pastry under this one to hold everything together, although you may find it is okay without the pastry.

Bake for 50 minutes at 180 degrees. Slice into 8 pieces when cooked.

Do you have a quiche recipe ? Do you add in anything you have on hand ? If you try this one or have an interesting recipe, please share in the comments below or on Facebook. If you know someone who will love this recipe, use the buttons below to share the love around!