In my kitchen…
Is a reconstituted sourdough that traveled all the way from Australia!
Meet Thing Two,Priscilla’s American progeny!
Celia sent me some dried starter with two requests- that I named it and let you know
that Priscilla is the mother – and that I share some if anyone would like some. So if you
would like some of Thing two, let me know. In fact, if you want some of Thing one– which
is an all American starter and very sour- you are welcome to have some .
In My Kitchen…
is a beautiful loaf of bread made from Thing Two!
My husband, Frank, really enjoyed this loaf. It is so different from Thing One- the sour
taste is very mild, and it isn’t quite as chewy as my first starter.
I know this because I made a loaf out of Thing One– and it has the sour x8 and is very chewy!
They both are delicious – THANK YOU, CELIA!!! I love the different flavor and texture.
In my kitchen…
are many different flavors of sugar!
I’ve had lot of salts from bacon to truffle, Hawaiian red to French grey, Lava Black to
Himalayan Pink- vanilla salt, hickory salt, all kinds of salt.
But I just noticed all the sugars I have. Ginger, Lemon, Orange, Lime, Tangerine, Demerra, Vanilla,
coconut, Espresso, Dark Cocoa- I’m going to have to start using these- soon!
In my kitchen…
is a dwindling stash of TimTams.
In my kitchen…
Is a pile of crocheted cotton dishcloths made by my sister.
Thank you, Cynthia!
In my kitchen…
are dried herb wreaths and swags- Lemongrass, sage, bay leaf, and assorted soup herbs.
I’m making a big pot of soup this weekend and using up the herb wreath I made for
Christmas.
In my kitchen…
is a molasses cake with whipped cream.
Notice the little metal tab on the side of the pan? You swing that all around the cake
once it is baked and it loosens the cake from the pan. I found this at a thrift shop and
LOVE IT! (The molasses cake was very good,as well! 
)
In my kitchen…
are dragons,and leprechauns,and cats,and turtles and rabbits!
In my kitchen…
are red tulips- from the florist- everything outside is frozen. 
In my kitchen…
is a Steak salad with edamame and red onions. YUM!
Well- that’s all I’m sharing right now- What’s in YOUR kitchen?
Join us at Celia’s blog, for a list of kitchens around the world.
Heidi, You have a very interesting kitchen from around the world. I’m sure it also has a wonderful aroma to it as well.
Thank you, Cynthia. You will have to come over for a taste test.
Isn’t it fun Heidi to have something ‘Alive’ in your kitchen that was alive in Celia’s kitchen and which has made the journey so far round the world. I find this ‘reaching out’ which happens with blogs so ‘happy-istic’ (I know that’s not a word – and so does my iPad). Tim Tams – more Oz – did you know some people have perfected the art of dunking them in their tea/coffee and effectively using the Tim Tam as a straw? I believe there is move afoot to have that included in the Olympics!
Hi Jan.
I love having Thing One and Thing Two in my kitchen- they are so different and I do think of Celia the whole time I’m working with Thing Two.
I have learned to dunk them and draw up the coffee into the TimTam- Brydie at Cityhippyfarmgirl gave a tutorial a while ago. It is hard to get anyone to join me here, though. They just shake their heads politely and say “I like them this way so much better!”
Thanks for stopping by!
Greetings Thing 2 from Sydney ben Celia in Bristol, UK! You are looking good (as they say at NASA I believe 😉 )
I have never heard of flavoured sugars, apart from lavender and vanilla, that is a bit of an eyeopener for me. Herbs, and salts, and beautiful fine salads, it all looks so wonderful and happy in your kitchen this month xx Jo
I rather like having starters in common, Joanna- although I’m going to be very careful to keep them separate so that it remains different for a while anyway!
A lot of the sugars say to use them on the rims of mixed drinks- but I’m thinking they would go well on sliced cookies.
How beautiful are those tulips! Love all the good things you have in your kitchen… and that wreath was lovely!
It was lovely, Lizzy- now I’m hoping it will be delicious!
The tulips were a get well gift from my sister- they are beautiful- but face next to her beautiful heart!
Heidi all those different flavoured sugars sound lovely. I’ve never seen most of them.
Now your timtams…. don’t fret. If your stash seems to be dwindling, it can ALWAYS be topped up. You just have to say the word. Now tell me, have you been biting the corners, and sucking your coffee up through the middle of them? You know it’s the only way 😉
Hahaha- Brydie- I have been eating them just like you taught me. I take a long time to finish off a box of TimTams- it is the jelly snakes that go so fast that it seems I’ve just opened a bag and it is half empty. It stays that way until my son come over- I really don’t like the yellow ones so I leave them for him.
oh me either… and the boys only like them if there are no other ones left. I wonder what it is about the yellow ones?
Hi Heidi, It is so interesting about the different taste of the bread made with the different starters. I have read that after a while a starter replenished in a particular place will taste like all other starters replenished at that place (because they are exposed to the same bugs). I would be very interested to know if your two starters end up the same or stay different.
I absolutely love your breads. You are very talented indeed. Your grandson is a lucky boy.
I love that nifty cake tin with the slide on the bottom. You can get some great pieces as Op (Thrifty) shops, can’t you?
I was wondering the same thing, Glenda- so I’m going to spend extra time baking with Thing Two to see if it changes up. I saved some of the flakes, though, so I can still have the original from Celia when I want it!
I do love Op shop shopping. My son was telling a friend of his the other
day that traveling with me means you go to every bakeryshop, used book store and Op shop in sight. (And farmer’s markets- but he forgot that one!)
We had cake pans like that growing up, I always thought it was a great idea. I maintain a sour culture too and have found whenever I do bring another into the kitchen, it isn’t long before they smell, look and behave the same. So interesting!
I wonder if you kept them in different refrigerators would they maintain their individual characteristics?
Thanks for this enjoyable glimpse into your kitchen, you’ve been busy!
I haven’t seen any new pans with this particular innovation on them, so it must be an idea that never really took off- but I’m happy to have at least one.
Separate refrigerators? Now that is an idea- I’ll try keeping one in the downstairs fridge and see if that makes a difference.
I really like the idea of keeping two with such different characteristics.
Thanks for stopping by- I’ll let you know how the separate idea works.
Such a lovely post, Heidi! Thank you for taking such good care of Thing Two! The feedback I’m getting back from friends is that Priscilla really isn’t very sour – we’ve never used anything else, but I always knew she never made bread that was nearly as sour as most artisan loaves. That suits us very well actually, as the boys really like her flavour! Your shaped bread are always so gorgeous, and I love Cynthia’s dishcloths! And flavoured sugar is something new to me – we have vanilla sugar, but that’s it! I’ll have to look out for them.. 🙂 xxx
Thank you again, Celia- I’m watching out to try and keep Thing Two in the same condition I got her- in fact- I’ve already dried out some of her into flakes to keep her qualities separate from Thing One. I think part of her “sweet” character comes from constant feeding- so I’m going to keep her well fed- or at least I will try to.
I’m also going to keep them in different refrigerators- and hopefully that will stop Thing One’s influence.
I’m just experimenting with some of these sugars, I’ve always made my own orange sugar and lemon sugar to go on top of sugar cookies- I rather like the coconut sugar.
Thanks for hosting and coming up with IMK- Celia- I enjoy these excursions into others kitchens!
Thing two is a nice mild starter – and I love the texture so far! I have not seen one of those pans for ages – lucky you to have one. PS – your blog is dated 2012 🙂
Thanks Tandy- it has been a rough weekend. I just dried up some more of Thing Two- I really want to keep it the way it is- so before it gets a chance to go wild and sour I’m saving some of the early stages. Have you make bread from it yet?
I do like the pan- wish I had a couple more- but I’m happy to have even one!
Thanks for dropping by and reminding me what year it is! 🙂
I loooove the things in your kitchen this month!
Thanks- me too! Love these IMK posts!
Heidi, you always have the most incredible and interesting things to share in your kitchen.
🙂 Mandy xo
Why, thank you, Mandy. My kitchen is truly the center of my house. And for years now, bread has been central to my kitchen- so I’m pretty happy with the new addition of Thing Two. It/she has expanded my bread horizons! LOL!
A kitchen full of goodness.
I too wondered whether your new sourdough starter will end up like your first because of the environment. Good to have two different ones though. Keep us posted.
Much to my excitement (sad I know) I discovered a packet of TimTams in the pantry that my sister had brought over from Oz and nobody else had found. The trouble with perfecting The Tim Tam Slam is that one cup of coffee needs at least 3 Tim Tams!
Hi Anne-
Thanks for stopping by- sourdough baking is a commitment of time and planning and constant feeding, so I have become very serious about the starters. With Thing One- I was rather haphazard and that may be the reason for the extreme sourness that I get from it. If I am diligent to keep feeding Thing Two every 5 days or so, I’m hoping to keep it in the same condition- but who knows?
I agree about the TimTams- 3 to a cup sounds about right- and there you are slurping away, chocolate smearing around your lips- and your husband (or at least MY husband) shaking his head in disgust over the whole display. I told him to go away before I started but he keeps wandering back to comment.
I am jealous of your cake tin – that is genius – I have never heard of the like. The cake sounds rather yummy too. Love the sugar collection and your breads. And I was surprised to see tim tams in an american kitchen – have you seen the snack pack tim tams they have recently been promoting – they are very tempting because they are just a few!!!
I know- why don’t they make ALL cake tins like that???
And the TimTams are because my niece lives in Australia and sends me a stash every once in a while!
I’ll have to ask about the sampler packages- all my friends think it is funny that they don’t package them by the dozen.
Hello Heidi, your bread looks beautiful. Sourdough has a special way of connecting us to a wider bread community doesn’t it?
Mmmm….I bet those Turkish Delight Tim Tams are good.
I love your molasses cake too, I can almost smell it from Australia!
Hi Jane- Bread is so good- to taste – smell- look at- and honestly- I love to knead and shape bread- very therapeutic for me. It does touch so many people in a bonding sort of way.
And I have a penchant for anything molasses- I love it in breads, cakes, cookies, barbecue sauce, baked beans, and on and on. This cake was very good with just a little whipped cream on top!
Fascinating glimpse into your kitchen, Heidi! It’s full of interesting happenings! Love all your different flavour salts. I have some pink salt that I’ve never used and am not sure what it should go with. Ay suggestions gratefully received! Also that molasses cake looks super-delicious. Is it a gingerbread? Or one of those absolutely delicious American since cakes? Any chance you might post the recipe? I’d be making it straight off! (and then eating it!) Elizabeth x
Sorry, spice cake not since cake! iPad playing up big time with posting this comment so I hope it works eventually! E x
I put up the recipe for the cake-today- so two posts after this one. We love this cake- it is, as Goldilocks said, “Just right!”.