In My Kitchen, August 2013

I haven’t done an ‘In My Kitchen’ post for a while; mostly because I didn’t want to bore you with the mundane items that fill my kitchen in order to fill the mouths of hungry uni student and reluctant eight-year olds.  Not terribly exciting!

Coconut and Pineapple Cake

A cake is  a lovely gift

But this month I do have a few things worth sharing.  A few days ago I had lunch with Celia and Lorraine.  And it is ingrained in them that food bloggers are generous souls and so arrived with takeaway containers filled with home-baked goodies.  My heart sank because yet again I was under-prepared and had nothing in my bag to give them apart from my car keys and half-melted lipstick.  Next time we get together; I’m going to surprise them – I’m going to arrive towing a trailer with an all encompassing assortment of home-baked goodies.


Lorraine gave me a pineapple and coconut cake.  Being Lorraine, of course my expectations were high and I wasn’t disappointed because this cake was so moist and the coconut gave it wonderful texture.  I actually attacked it before remembering to photograph it.

Coconut and Pineapple Cake

Coconut and Pineapple Cake

In my kitchen I have wonderful home-made chocolates.  As you all know, Celia is masterful at making chocolates.  She gave us gifts of her peanut butter chocolates.  They are a beautiful, glossy and tempered chocolate filled with a salty peanut butter.  They had a lovely smooth texture (note the past tense) and a richness from the dark chocolate.  I had to hide these from Carl who could have kept going until he’d eaten more than the lion’s share.

Peanut Butter Chocolates

Peanut Butter Chocolates

In my kitchen I have Hazelnut Crunch Chocolates also made by Celia.  They were very pretty with little bows on top of them and these were so good I felt rather indulgent enjoying them on a casual night in front of the TV.

Hazelnut Crunch Chocolates

Hazelnut Crunch Chocolates

In my kitchen I have a pretty jar filled with quince jelly.  Celia’s husband made this and it is beautiful and glossy and sheer.  This will be wonderful served with roast meats or even a cheese platter.

Quince Jelly

Quince Jelly

In my kitchen I have a few new cookbooks.  My friend, Linda, gave me the Gweneth Paltrow cookbook for my birthday.  I haven’t cooked anything from it yet, but I’m looking forward to giving it its first outing.

Gweneth Paltrow's Cookbook

Gweneth Paltrow’s Cookbook

In my kitchen I have a book that gives you recipes and produce from the Blue Mountains.  This was given to me by Carl who found it on one of his many trips to the area earlier this year and thought I would like to see the wealth of produce that comes from the region.

What's on offer in the Blue Mountains

What’s on offer in the Blue Mountains

In my kitchen I also have the latest cookbook from Spirit House.  I haven’t cooked from this cookbook yet either because this book is all about cooking on the bar-be-cue and a few months ago our bar-be-cue ended up on the nature strip.  We’re saving up to buy another one.

The latest cookbook from Spirit House

The latest cookbook from Spirit House

And these are the lovely things I currently have in my kitchen.  If you’d like to show us what you have in your kitchen, be sure to link back to Celia who will include you in her monthly round-up.

If you liked this post, you’re welcome to share it.

Comments

  1. I like what is in your kitchen

  2. You have some good reading material and some yummy gifts!

  3. I’ll be ever so interested to hear how you go with goopy Gwyneth’s cookbook. I find her to be a bit preachy, and I’ve always wondered how her recipes would actually turn out – whether she is all talk and name or whether she can actually turn out fabulous, healthy food. Our bbq is a bit crap, and I’m longing for one of those amazing outdoor kitchen bbq/spaceship things – are you looking to get one of those?!

  4. How fun that you are able to get together with Celia and Lorraine again. I would love to sample Celia’s chocolates.

  5. Well, Charlie! You are one lucky girl! Such wonderful friends and husband… Everything looks great and the table where you took the photographs is stunning. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

  6. Wow, what a haul at lunch! I love your books too. I haven’t done an in my kitchen because I don’t think I’ve got much. I’ll go look. 🙂

  7. How lucky for you to meet up with two special food bloggers. Your photos, as always, are lovely, thanks for sharing. xxx

  8. It was so gorgeous to catch up Charlie! And never worry about bringing things, it’s your company that we treasure! 😀

  9. You do have a lot of lovely treats in your kitchen! With my trip home to Michigan, I am bringing back loads of fun treats. I should do a post that shares my many treats:-) I have never had quince jelly, but am very curious now. I honesty have been wanting to get Gweneth’s cookbook, let us know how it is! Sending hugs, Terra

  10. Lovely treats in your kitchen! Love that book from Gwyneth! She has easy recipes that makes you feel better! I love Celia’s chocolates too! I have made the pb ones too, they rock! that other book from the Blue Mountains region, intriges me! I wished I lived naar you, naar the Blue Mountains! That piece of cake that Lorraine gave you looks smashing too! MMMMMMMM!

  11. Coconut cake and chocolates, you’re kitchen is a dangerous place to visit. My brother has the same gift/bow mold for his truffles but the mold used for the peanut butter ones is so cute, I should show him. Unfortunately he’s too busy working at his ‘regular’ job these days and the chocolatier part has been on the back burner for about 5 yrs now. Maybe once he retires he’ll go back to it.

    The quince jelly is so visually attractive that I’d keep it around to look at in the bright sunshine.

  12. What lovely treats! Aren’t foodie friends the best???? My cookbook shelves are filled to the brim…but there’s always one more I must have! I hope you enjoy your new treasures. xo

    PS…I baked two batches of chocolate chip cookies sans nuts this week…Bill is finally pacified 😉

  13. Charlie, wasn’t Lorraine’s cake fabulous? Pete smashed it when I got home – and he’s not a fan of either pineapple or sweet coconut! I’m so glad you got to eat some of the choccies, and thank you for your kind words – Lorraine is right though, we’d drive a long way and fight for parking spots in congested inner city locations, just for your company. 🙂 xx

  14. I love all the goodies in your kitchen. Those chocolates are gorgeous. I adore the lovely plate on which you displayed the cake. I’ve seen that Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook. Seems to me she did some cooking and tasting with Mario Batali.

  15. Delicious looking cake!

  16. G’day and thanks Charlie for inviting me into your kitchen, true!
    The lovely Lorraine cake and Celia’s chockies look very yummy and wish could come through the screen and try some now too! 🙂
    Look forward through your cookbooks in future posts what you do!
    Cheers! Joanne

  17. I love the Blue mountains book. I have been to Blue mountains and really love the wonderful scenery and its fresh air. I wonder what is in that book 🙂

  18. So many good things in your kitchen, this month! Love the books, especially the Blue Mountains one. Happy cooking xo

  19. This is a post full of treats. Lucky you. The cake and chocolates look delicious, and the recipe books I’m sure are full of wonderful food-to-come.

  20. while I’m not the biggest coconut or pineapple fan, that cake looks amazingly moist and I could so do with a piece right now. So many lovely treasures in your kitchen this month 😉

  21. Thanks for sharing. Those chocolates look tempting.

  22. Huh! I know I am kind’of one track impossible, but I would just love to sneak in one quiet night and pinch the books for a good read! [Promise; They would be returned!!]

  23. This is definitely going on our weekly meal plan soon!

  24. Oh, those chocolates! And that cake! What wonderful gifts and I can understand you diving into the cake pre-photos. Those are some great cookbooks too – I hope you enjoy exploring them 🙂

  25. How lucky to get all of those fabulous treats! The cake and the chocolates…wow! I would have to hide the chocolate from my husband too.

    I just bought Gwyneth’s cookbook but haven’t made anything out of it yet either. I’m a bit of a cookbook addict and love sitting and reading through them and bookmarking pages for “future” reference. Maybe this winter I’ll sit down and finally start cooking more recipes out of all the great cookbooks I have. Ha!

  26. Love your books. Haven’t read any of them.

  27. I always love receiving homemade goodies! You got some good ones. And I always enjoy peeking into other people’s kitchen – always fun to see what’s going on!

  28. What good company you keep Charlie! Even better when they load you up with yummies like those 🙂 I have and love the Spirit House cookbook, but I’m sceptical of yet another celebrity who thinks they can cook-book, let me know if I’m wrong though. Xox

  29. I love gwyneth paltrow, I didn’t know she had a cookbook! Let me know how you like it 🙂

  30. Aaarrghhh… the peanut butter chocolates… I need to learn to make those almost immediately… excuse me whilst I dash over to her blog.

  31. I’m soooo jealous of your chocolates from Celia. Yum yum yum!

  32. I give you credit, Charlie. If Celia should ever give me chocolates, I doubt that survive the ride home, let alone have any left for a photo shoot. 🙂
    And what a nice assortment of cookbooks. They should give you a wide variety of dishes to play with.

  33. You are a better woman than I am Charlie – I would have hidden Celia’s chocolates from my husband just so I could eat them all myself.

  34. Your kitchen looks like a great place to be. Apparently Gwyneth’s book is terrific and ever so healthy.
    Carolyn

  35. Such loveliness in your kitchen Charlie – how special to be able to meet up with fellow bloggers.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  36. Oh, for a bite of those chocolates…

  37. What gorgeous friends to have – and so generous too. Only a special person attracts special people like that hun, its a testament to you xx

  38. I also have such good intentions, Charlie, often thinking I will bake something nice to take to a friend and in preparing for the visit I just run out of time. Just the other day I told myself I’d like to be better with this! So you made me smile. You did receive some lovely gifts! And I will tell you now that it’s because of a previous post, some time ago, that I learned about Spirit House and have since bought a few of their cookbooks for gifts. So taking a look around your kitchen is always fruitful! 🙂 ox

  39. Those chocolates are absolutely perfect looking. What craft she has!

  40. Wow! Your kitchen is packed with all sorts of delicious treats! That cake looks so good and the chocolates are so adorable 🙂 And I love all those books – you can never have too many cookbooks 🙂

  41. e prepared to buy duck breast for many of Gwyneth’s recipes.You had me at the pineapple-coconut cake, let alone the hazelnut chocolates! ME want!

  42. Well, that was fun! I love “in My kitchen” posts. Definitely jealous about the quince jelly. My mother use to make it and so I know how good it is. Enjoy!

  43. Thumbs up for the quince jelly – doesn’t it have a beautiful aroma? I just like to have it on toast and butter myself – great stuff!

  44. Again I love this series! I heard from my friend Gweneth Paltrow’s Cookbook is pretty good. I have to go to a book store and check it out!

  45. Love all the books you have and have seen the Gweneth Paltrow cookbook a few times but haven’t picked it up and had a read of it 🙂 Love the look of the coconut and pineapple cake!

  46. Past tense on the chocolates duly noted, Charlie. 😉

  47. MMMMmmm, cake. MMMMmmm, chocolate. MMMMmmm, cake. MMMmmmm, chocolate. I mean, What lovely items you have in your kitchen! I love Gwyneth Paltrow! Isn’t she divine? MMMmmm, chocolate…. can you tell I’m dieting again?!?!? 😉 xo

  48. …and in your kitchen you have the most wonderful table to display all of your treasures and goodies….

    Lovely post and I also enjoyed your bio on the sidebar. Famous indeed! How do they think people become famous?

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