Thank you Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting the “In My Kitchen” monthly event. This is a facinating peek into kitchens around the world. There are some amazing cooks and photographers taking part, it’s a wonderful collection.
Here’s what is happening in my kitchen…
Blue Chair Spiced Bourbon and Tomato Conserve
I picked up this delicious conserve at the Blue Chair stall at our local farmer’s market. They were giving out tastes, wonderful! I was sold immediately. I think I will use it as a glaze with a roast chicken or duck. Their cookbook looks interesting as well, I need to take a closer look before I decide to purchase. My mother used to say that a cookbook was worth the price if there was even one excellent recipe. She always had a stack beside her bed as I do.
The market stalls are also full of root vegetables, the beets spoke to me and I pickled some ruby red and gold ones. They were delicious in a goat cheese sandwich with some arugula from the garden.
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- Pickled beet and goat cheese sandwich with arugula
I bottled the lemoncello, just in time for the holidays.
Limoncello
A friend sent me a funny picture to go with my Jerk chicken recipe. I think something was lost in translation!
Lost in Translation – Jerk Chicken
I saw this lovely shallow bowl and couldn’t resist, my splurge this month.
I picked up these persimmons at a farm stand, the colors are beautiful. I’ve seen two recipes recently for persimmons that I want to try. One is a carpaccio of thinly sliced persimmons with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and toasted hazelnuts, the other a caprese with mozzarella and pomegranate seeds. Can’t you picture the colors? They seem perfect for the holidays. And, of course, persimmons are lovely by themselves. When I lived in Italy as a child we would eat them with a spoon for dessert.
Persimmons
My orchids are blooming, I can see them from the kitchen sink.
And I have lots of leftovers from Thanksgiving. I’m getting down to the end, time for soup.
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- Stuffing Panini
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- Makings for turkey soup
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- Leftovers in salad
For a class assignment I was asked to make a video. Please be kind as it’s my first time on film!
I have a few new cookbooks and am looking forward to trying new recipes. If you have cooked from any of them, do you have any favorites and suggestions?
New cookbooks
And lastly, I picked up some Christmas crackers at the store. They sell out quickly, not being as common here in the states. Because my mother was British, we always had them at part of our Christmas day dinner celebration. I keep the tradition going.
Have a wonderful holiday everyone. Thank you for visiting and I look forward to hearing from you.
Laughed outloud at funny translation! I have Flavour Flours on my Christmas wishlist Liz, it’s received great reviews here. No Christmas table is complete in our house without bonbons, yours are beautiful. My orchids have just finished, until next year, nice peek into your kitchen, thanks
Thanks for visiting. I haven’t had a chance to really delve into the Flavour Flours yet. It was on sale at Costco and I couldn’t resist. Let me know if you have any favorites if you get the book for Christmas.
G’day your bowl and limencello too! Your crackers brightened my day and Happy Holidays to you and your family! Thanks for this month’s kitchen view too!
Cheers! Joanne
Hello Joanne, thank you for visiting and commenting. I am really enjoying all the lovely kitchens and creative foodies I’m meeting through this monthly series.
Your stack of cookbooks is making my mouth water. And when you can see orchids from the kitchen sink you know all is right with the world.
Thank you. Isn’t that the truth!
Liz, I love the translations too and I love your plate. Bonbons are big in Australia. We always have them at our Christmas table.
They are not traditional here in the states so I have to buy them as soon as I see them in the stores. They don’t stock many and they sell out. I think it’s a lovely tradition and lots of fun.
Some beautiful things in your kitchen Liz, but I have to say I’m particularly envious you can buy Blue Chair Jam direct from the source! I have the book, and it’s fabulous! I’ve got a couple of posts about the marmalade I’ve made with her recipes. I really love your bowl with the pumpkin vines too, beautiful design…
Thanks for showing us around your post Thanksgiving kitchen 🙂
Beck
Hello Beck, that bowl is very striking isn’t it? Couldn’t resist.
Blue Chair is based in Oakland and is at our local farmer’s market every Saturday. I feel fortunate because they let everyone taste their newest creations. Thanks for the recommendation on the book, I will add it to my Christmas wish-list. I’ve only started preserving, pickling, and canning in the last 4 years. I purchased a few books early on and have found them very variable as to usefulness (or success of the recipe).
I also buy Christmas crackers and yes, I buy them early because all the best ones go first – you have to be quick if you want a great cracker! The only time I drink limoncello is at Christmas time. How lovely to have leftovers from Thanksgiving – I always hope to have leftovers after our Christmas so I can revisit all the beautiful foods we prepared xx
My husband and I were in Sydney last year in November, what a lovely city. It reminded us a lot of San Francisco. Besides the sweets, are there traditional foods in Australia which are different than the states? I am enjoying the education of reading all the posts regarding December in the kitchen.
Christmas crackers are great aren’t they, they always put a smile on my face when we crack them & read the jokes 🙂 Your orchid looks beautiful and I’m a big fan of cookbooks too but have none of those, let me know what you cook up from them. Look forward to a look in your kitchen next month. Merry Christmas
I will definitely post my favorite recipes. Crackers are fun, and different as they aren’t common here. I like the silly hats. Isn’t it fun to share traditions?
What a mix – Thanksgiving, Christmas and dash of hilarity with that unreasonable chicken sign! I’ll have some of those beets on a sandwich please. Thanks for the tour. xx
Thank you for visiting and commenting, we are in the middle of things at the moment! The holidays are close together this year.
The beets were amazing in that sandwich.
It’s fun for this New Englander to see what you can buy at a farmer’s market in December! Our markets have moved indoors and feature squash, turnips, and more squash. Let us know which cookbooks you like. Always looking for something new to try.
I love cookbooks! Regular books I frequently purchase as an e-book, but for cookbooks (and garden books) I need the actual hard copy so I can make notes in the margin or spatter grease on my favorite pages! Isn’t it interesting to see what is happening in different climates in the same month? I’m envious of the tomatos being harvested in Australia. I’ve given them up for the winter months.
But, I appreciate the winter veggies as well. Squash is very tasty.
I love you rnew bowl I can see why you splurged. You video is great and you made it look easy. have a great Christmas
Thank you for your kind comment about my video. We only had one chicken to disjoint so it was “do or die”. My son is highly critical of my husbands camera skills. I think there is a do-over in my future. A friend has also asked for a video on how to clean a whole crab, it’s Dungeness season in N CA.
What wonderful goodies in your kitchen. I adore homemade limoncello! The persimmons and recipes for them sound fantastic as well.
Hello, thank you for visiting. Persimmons are a new fruit discovery for me. They taste amazing and I love the look of them on the wintery trees, bare branches with lovely orange fruits hanging like Christmas ornaments. I cannot imagine why I haven’t appreciate them before!
The orchids are beautiful. I would love to get my hands on those cookbooks. Emma.
Aren’t cookbooks wonderful? I’m running out of shelf space for the ones I’ve collected over the years, they have changed so much! I still have a few from my grandmother and mother as well. The pictures seem to be the major change in recent years, sometimes at the expense of the recipe unfortunately.
I feel the same way about many restaurants lately (am I getting old?). Too much emphasis on presentation and not enough on flavor.
Hilarious translation! I once walked into a roast duck bbq shop and they were offering “chicken with ginger smell”.. 🙂 The crackers are absolutely stunning, as is that beautiful bowl! Lovely and delicious things in your kitchen this December, Liz! 🙂
Thank you Celia, I am so enjoying your “In the Kitchen” series. The world seems much smaller and intimate.