August- all ready?
It is- and that means that this summer is flying by!
A summer like none other I can remember- with temperatures
and rain out of control and my garden washed out
countless times.
But in my kitchen?
Things are always happening.
And by things, I mean mostly bread.
Surprise! I love to bake and I love to eat BREAD!
So, In my kitchen, there is…
Bread, glorious, Bread! A sourdough loaf, flat bread with green olives,
and a twisted pesto loaf. All delicious and all- almost gone! I need to bake
some more!
In my kitchen…
Cookies!
Jars filled with cookies- wrapped and ready for lunches and snacks.
In my kitchen…
caramel corn- and again, almost all gone- I need to make some more.
In my kitchen…
fresh garden vegetables- the tomatoes and cukes are from my garden- the
rest is from the farmers market. Okra, corn,candy onions, and potatoes- YUM!
In my kitchen…
a rose from from bush- a Peace rose that is so old it only gives me a couple of
blossoms each year- but one is ALWAYS on my birthday- so I consider it a miracle.
In my kitchen…
are giant blueberries. The biggest and sweetest I’ve ever tasted!
And Blueberry Almond Bars-recipe here.
In my kitchen…
are corks from many happy bottles of wine. We didn’t drink them all but I
want to make a cork wreath and so I get lots of donations from family and friends.
In my kitchen…
Chicken Gumbo (without tomatoes- Frank doesn’t like cooked tomatoes.
and my list of things to do…
and a messy table for someone else to clean up. (see note above!)
Well- that is my kitchen this month- productive, yummy and messy as it
is often.
Go to Celia’s blog Fig jam and Lime cordial and see all the other entries.
And add an entry yourself if you have an blog and want to join in!
Happy August!
Heidi, look at your breads! They’re always so perfect, you are the queen of bread! And your cookies look particularly festive wrapped up in cellophane in their jar! I’ve never made gumbo before – Pete doesn’t mind cooked tomatoes, but he hates okra! I love your IMK posts, I always feel like I’m sitting right there, at your dining table, drinking a cup of tea with you. And saying, “go on, Frank, you know it’s your turn to clean up..” 😀
The bread is not perfect- but it sure tastes good. I have a hard time eating store bought bread- and the pesto bread was pretty and delicious and perfect for sandwiches as well!
Frank doesn’t know he is eating okra. I’ve never pointed it out to him and he just assumed the green pieces were green beans.
As far as the cookies go- if I wrap them I generally won’t eat them. And Frank has an easier time grabbing them for his lunch when packing.
It would be nice to have you for dinner, Celia. Or tea, or for just a chat with coffee. I like this series because it does seem like we are having a nice little visit.
Hi Heidi. I just checked out your blueberry and almond bar recipe. Its sounds absolutely fab. I am going to make it. BTW Your bread is a marvel!
Hi, Glenda, thanks for visiting my kitchen. 🙂
Those bars are very good, and one of my favorite to make.
The bread is so worth the time to make it- especially the twisted pesto bread. I’m going to be making it a lot from now on.
Hi Heidi, I like visiting your kitchen. When I visit in person it has a wonderful aroma, with the offer of a taste to go with the delicious smells. Your breads are the best I’ve eaten. I love them! The deserts are always special. Love you!
Thank you, Cynthia.
The only thing I like more than baking something delicious is sharing it with the people I love! And next week in Scone week- so get ready for some treats!!!
Your bread is so inspiring – and I love the note about Frank clearing up. I think I might make a sign for Dave 😉
Sometimes a note indicating which direction to go works better than a request, Tandy. And Frank was happy to oblige 🙂
He’s even waiting before we eat for me to take a picture. In fact, the other day he asked ” aren’t you taking pictures of this meal?”
( I already had – while he was washing up for dinner)
The bread is such a joy to make- it makes me happy .
Goodness me you’ve been busy. I’d never thought of wrapping up biscuits before I put them in the jar – such a good idea as it would definitely stop people dipping in their hand to take more than one and would be ready for the lunchbox. Thanks for sharing.
And wrapping them beforehand really makes the whole lunch making process a lot quicker!
My husband has a sweet tooth- he wants at least two desserts for his lunch so I have to keep busy baking!
Hi there… wow, so many good things in your kitchen… envious that you’ve been baking… my oven is broken : ) Glad to see you are keeping busy and smiling again. xox
Hi Lizzy!
Sorry to hear about your oven- my kitchen oven died last week, too- so I am baking in my garage oven. It works out well, because I don’t like to cool my house with air conditioning and heat it with baking- but I can tell when I need to check on things by the smell and with it out there I keep slightly burning everything!
those giant blueberries made me snort from laughter. They’re humungous! Like plums! Great IMK tour 🙂
They are humungous! I couldn’t believe it when I bought them- and the whole carton was filled with berries that size. I put this picture up on Facebook and sent all my friends and family to buy them because I bought almost 4 pounds for around $7.50!
And they were so sweet and flavorful!
I like doing IMK posts- like you I plan all month on what I’m going to share- and these berries were like OH YEAH- these are going in the IMK post!
Your bread is just gorgeous, especially the twisted pesto bread. I love making bread, I especially love kneading bread (by hand) and I have just bought some local wholegrain spelt flour that I cannot wait to play with. Thanks for the peek into your kitchen!
Thanks- me too! I love hand kneading- it is so therapeutic and invigorating. The pesto bread is shaped by rolling the dough into a rectangle, srpeading the pesto , rolling it up and then cutting it in half except for about 2 inches on top. Then you turn the inside up and twist them together and sprinkle with sesame seeds and Romano cheese. So good!
your kitchen is so full of warmth and homely baking and good food that I really want to drop by for a cuppa tea, a cookie and a natter while we watch frank do the dishes 🙂 Sounds like you are enjoying the summer. Love your breads, caramel corn and your kind rose bush
And you would be welcome, Johanna!
I’m trying to get a surplus of goodies made up and frozen for Frank when I leave for 2 weeks at the end of the month. I’ve made some meals- but he isn’t real good at heating things up- so he may just go out for fast food while I’m gone- but he NEEDS his desserts!
How busy you have been Heidi. I wish I had your energy. That bread looks so good, I can imagine how good the pesto bread is. I just threw out a bag of corks. I had been collecting them for years. The girl guides used to collect them but now none seems to want them which is a shame.
Hi Christine- bread is lovely. It doesn’t matter who makes it or how it looks- I’m so glad I can eat bread and enjoy making it. My niece is on a wheat free diet and honestly, I just feel sorry for her.
I’ve been saving corks for a long time- I need just to make the wreath- but I’m afraid I can’t live up to my own expectations there. 🙁
And it really isn’t about energy- no one else will make me bread- so I have to make my own!
Heidi, what wonderful tasty and tempting treasures you have in your kitchen again this month. Wish I could pop over for a lesson in bread baking. Pity about all these miles which separate us making it difficult for a one on one session.
I have so many corks which fill an entire drawer in the garage, I could have supplied you with plenty more. I am looking forward to seeing your wreath.
I love the idea of wrapping cookies – need to investigate getting some mini packets.
Have a super day Heidi.
🙂 Mandy xo
Hi Mandy- I use Wilton’s cellophane packets- they come in 100 piece envelopes and are quite handy.
I have taught a lot of bread classes- put up tutorials- but you are right- one on one sessions are the best. I’m still waiting for the technology to beam us from one place to another- or the ability to tesserect- Star Trek and Madeleine L’Engle have ruined me for this age. I had a hard time getting into computers because I wanted one that would be voice activated and inform me where my son was in the house! 🙂
Nice hearing from you- have a great day!
Love to visit your kitchen!!
Everything looks yummy…..specially the bars and the bread!
You are a high tech baker!!
Thank you – I don’t know about high tech- but I do love to bake!
Thanks for stopping by.
G’day Heidi! Love your bread and can almost smell it through the screen too!
Love Gumbo and your Peace flower brightened my day too!
Thank you today also for your kitchen view!
Cheers! Joanne
Cheers, Joanne!
I love IMK because I get to hear from some of the neatest people around the globe.
Thanks so much for stopping by- that Peace rose has some powerful properties for cheering up one’s day!
How dedicated you are to wrap all of those cookies for lunches and such. Corks, a thing of beauty and purpose built. We don’t see many anymore as almost all wine is now under stelvin (screw cap) in Australia. We have a few remnants in our cellar but the only time you really see them is in imported bottles. As Australia has such a flourishing industry, it means we hardly buy imports.
Thanks for stopping by!
I have to wrap them either way- so it is easier if I just do it while they are fresh and they stay fresher with the added cellophane. We don’t have as many corks here either, any more- I just have a vision in my head for what I want my wreath to look like and I keep collecting rather than just making it.
🙂
I really enjoyed your In My Kitchen Post and I agree with you — bread is glorious! (So are your cookies and gumbo.) Sounds like birthday wishes are in order? The rose is beautiful.
Thanks , Kim- glad you enjoyed this post!
I love IMK- it is so homey and friendly.
Actually- I got two perfect rosed this year- My birthday was in June- but thanks! 🙂
Your bread is fantastic. I can never get my free form loaves to look that good. I have been thinking of making caramel corn. It is on the long list of things to make one day. Those blueberries are lovely and fat. I have been toying with buying a couple of bushes for our garden and the variety also produces nice, big, fat berries.
Thanks Tania- lovely to hear from you.
The problem with making any thing like sweets or caramel corn, it that my husband (who has a sweet tooth but still looks thin no matter how much he eats) finishes everything off almost before I can post it. Today I made a pie, a panful of fruit bars and a cake. It will soon be gone and he will say “Why don’t we ever have any desserts to snack on?”.
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