Hope its a sweet one, no matter what you’re up to, and who you’re spending it with. <333333
July 10th, 2010
Soft Crust Victory!!
I’ve been making bread most every day now since Greg’s favourite commercial loaves are no longer available. Previously I’ve been making rolls, pullaparts and crusty loaves. SO, this was first attempt at making soft crust loaf, WORKED AWESOME, I RULE! *laughs*
I took all the tips I could find on how to attain a soft crust on a loaf of bread (since all the recipes seem to make crusty ones – not that I don’t like those! But not the greatest for sandwiches xD), narrowed out the ones that I thought would work the best in our rather archaic kitchen set up, and VICTORY WAS MINE!
Baking? Chemical voodoo, mang.
Although, the only problem with baking your own bread?
You eat it SO fast.
*flail at massive spike in bread intake*
Not that Greg’s at all complaining xD
June 15th, 2010
And it makes for a super delightful aroma too…
Someone just put dinner on the stove...
Its gone on a little late (about an hour now and its 5pm!) but that’s okay as we’re up till after 6am every night because of the World Cup at the moment anyway. But honest to goodness! There’s just something SO exciting about a pot full of wine, stock & stock vegies (GO GO YOU NOMMY GARLIC SHOOTS! EE!), and a great piece of meat, all sitting cozily in a pot ready to be slow cooked… <333 Though, time to break out and dust off those bemused eyerolls: it DOES mean your partner attempts to ~BEDAZZZLE~ with terrifying entendre about meat and two veg…
1. Pot Roast Lamb, 2. pot roast ingredients, 3. pot roast 046, 4. Drunken Pot Roast
June 11th, 2010
Time to squeal over some kitchen stuffs!
Kitchenaid Artisan Mixers: Blueberry or Apple, that is the question
OKAY SO THIS LIST HAS LESS SUPER GORGEOUS THINGS ON IT THAT I WAS EXPECTING! It also has less quirky stuff on it than I was expecting. Apparently most of what I want is achingly practical. WHAT’S THAT ABOUT!? xD But still, the IDEA of a lot of these things has me salivating – especially as whenever I try and make anything on the Damn Daring Bakers Challenges, they always require me to use something that I don’t own so I dodgy up other things in their stead. xD I’d like to be less dodgy – or as a friend put it, ~~INNOVATIVE~~ – especially when it comes to using a stand mixer with all the delicious attachments.
The faithful and long serving electric hand beaters we have are on their last legs… Recently using it its motor started to kinda.. Burn… ^_^;;
May 8th, 2010
Roast Pumpkin Soup!
Because my Mum gave us a third of the HUUUAAAGENESSS pumpkin that she bought at the Crystal Brook Craft Market last weekend and I had to do SOMETHING with it.
Turns out my something was pretty FREAKEN delicious :D Recipe improvised by me from a few I’d checked out online and then largely ignored. You know, as I do. xD Shared SUPER FAST to reciprocate my friend Cat sharing her Ripoff Zuppa Toscana (from Olive Garden) recipe yesterday. :D
Roast Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients (serves 8 approx)
- 2kg your choice of pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, coarsely chopped into even(ish) sized pieces
- 2 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 80ml (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large brown onions, halved, coarsely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves (minimum), 4 whole, 4 crushed
- 7 cups of vegetable stock
- 1 cup white wine
- Extra virgin olive oil
- (Optional) Pinch of smoked sea salt
Method
1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Combine the pumpkin, rosemary and half the oil in a large roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper, & pop four of the garlic cloves and half your coarsely chopped onion in between the pumpkin pieces. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until tender. You can test this by popping a knife into a thicker piece of pumpkin and if it goes in and out easily without force from you, its time! :D
2. When the pumpkin is done, remove from the oven.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining onion, garlic, a little ground pepper (& the smoked sea salt) and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until onion softens. Add the roast pumpkin, stock & white wine and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin starts to easily fall apart (can take around half an hour). Remove from heat.
4. When cool, either blend the mixture in a blender in stages, then pour into a clean saucepan – OR – grab a stick mixer and ‘blend’ directly in the saucepan.
5. To serve, heat soup up in saucepan on a medium heat, then ladle into bowls. Season with salt & pepper, garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche (or thickened cream if you’re feeling a little more decadent) in the middle and sprinkle with finely chopped spring onion. Serve with crusty bread.
EDIT! Red aka Draganin totally sleuthed it out! I had no idea what kind of pumpkin it was – just that it was LOOOOOONG and had a mottled ‘Queensland Blue’ skin to it. Bec guessed it was possibly a Queensland Blue crossed with a trombone. BUT! It looks like it was a Gramma Pumpkin. MUST FIND MORE! (or try and grow them myself O_O;; – NOT LIKELY! xD).