Ode to the Pineapple

I recently visited GOMA for the Harvest Food Exhibition. I was not really impressed with the overall exhibition but they redeemed themselves with the Pineapple story.

The displays on the left hand side going into the gallery are usually very interesting and should not be missed.
This one was too too fabulous. Growing up in Queensland we all know about pineapples.

We all know someone who had one of these

I am sure that we owned one of those T towels bought from the Big Pineapple

Pineapple serving and salad bowls

One wonders where you store such things when they are not in use!

The fabric at the back has pineapple wreaths

I have never seen a pineapple wreath before. This lot of china was just ugly

I am sure that we also had one of those cook books

I certainly remember wanting to serve things in canned pineapple rings - so sophisticated. For some reason this remains me of the kitchen at Slack's Creek.

Cutlery and chillies

This was the next best thing at the exhibition. Starting in the centre with little butter and cheese knives then extending out using all kinds of cutlery mixed in with chillies - I loved this

New blooms

The tibouchina (sp) is looking just lovely. We had a very large tree of this in the last house that was a joy to behold at this time of the year. I had to settle for a dwarf plant here as there is no space for such a big tree

Orange trumpets

I have no idea what this is. It was here before me and never fails to flower and grow. The flowers are slightly sticky so I often find them in my hair if walk past

Plant in a glass bowl

This is all the fashion again. I remember planting things in big glass bottles in the 70's. There was stall at the Bulimba State School today just with plants in bottles.

Spring garden so far

My garden is a mixture of what was here originally when we moved into this house, plants I have bought on sale, cuttings that I have have begged or stolen. Most I do not know the names of.
The veggie and herb garden is looking lush after that week of rain.

You can never have too much parsley

If I have a good crop I make a parsley and macadamia nut pesto - it doesn't last long

Pot luck tomatoes

I bought a very expensive little punnet of fancy tomatoes, egg shaped, black, green with yellow stripes etc etc. Son M cut open one of each and squeased out the seeds to dry. I planted them and they all grew. Can't wait to see what I get

Asylum attracts the butterflies

Also makes a lovely border

Old school gerbra

This gerbra plant was in the garden when we came here. It still flowers every year - such good value

Ground cover

Neighbour C has this excellent ground cover in her garden - I dug up 3 pieces and within a week it was going great guns - better then weeds

Back again

The nastursians come back to visit every year. I even have a vase now especially for them

red geranium

I cut up an old geranium plant and made heaps of new ones. By summer these will be lovely

My favourite pink ones

Hopefully these will all fall over the driveway wall and greet us when we arrive home

These are packed away now until next winter

Iris for spring

It is not very often that I see white iris. So pleased with this bunch

End of winter post

Whilst I haven't been inspired to write for the past couple of months, I have been cooking (as usual) and taking the odd photo. I fell out of the pattern of regularly blogging when I had a bad bout of flu that returned, so it was a double wammy. It is still amazing to me how we can learn a habit and or quickly fall out of it if we are distracted by events or illness or life gets in the way.

I have been visiting the Op shops but have not found any treasures in the past 2 months. I did find a glass dish that I had seen originally in bed Bath and Table for about $10.

The dish cost me $1. It is next to the glass dome that I found on the side of the road earlier this year. The shells look good in this.

I can smell this as I write

I made Osso Buco again - it is just not winter if I haven't made this at least once. I make it from my original recipe from the 70's

Good old Supercook book

This series of books has been my cooking bible since 1974

I use more modern recipes now but for the original recipe and the history of a dish this is invaluable.

Pork and fennel meatballs

I finally made Ribollitta. An Italian peasant dish that is actually a vegetable soup with kale and the meatballs.

Delicious magazine

So easy to cook

I have made it 3 times now - it was so popular. Everything in it is good for you. Even the actual cooking - so soothing for the soul

With crunchy sourdough croutons and cheese

Pea and ham soup for the freezer

Lovely leaves from my neighbour's garden

I love the colours

I have been doing a lot of gardening. Nothing fancy, just trying to keep alive the things I have. more info in the next post.

Old School Date Roll

My friend and neighbour C makes an excellent date roll in a very old date roll tin. As I was dropping off some bits and pieces at the local Anglican Church Op shop, I noticed a date roll tin in the box of baking items. By the way the best place to buy used cake tins of old fashioned shapes - and cheap. My date roll tin cost $1.

Bargain of the week

Then I had to borrow C old handwritten cook book for the recipe.

Place in a bowl: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup of chopped dates and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Then pour over 1 cup of boiling water until all combined.
Sift in 1 1/2 cups of SR flour and beat well. I added half a cup of chopped walnuts. Place in very well greased tin and bake in moderate oven for 50 minutes, or until an inserted skewer come out dry.

I can't see why this cannot be made in a normal loaf tin.

It worked

Great for morning tea

Not forgetting the butter

More cooking for pleasure

My friends R and S spent last weekend working moving their book shop to another location. I volunteered to make sunday night dinner as I knew that they would be exhausted.

I arrived just after the dogs had been walked and they had both had a good hot soak in the tub. Ready to eat.

I made celeriac remoulade to start.

This doesn't look good to start with

But when grated, plunged in boiling salted lemon water for 2 minutes and then mixed with mayonaise flavoured with mustard, parsley, red wine vinegar and a polish dill pickle it is wonderful.

Lots of grating, plunge in boiling water and then dry

Left overs made a lovely lunch

Lasagne is always a favourite and can be prepared way ahead.

Ultimate comfort food-lasagne

R loves a dessert. I have never cooked with quinces before and they are always eager to try my new recipes.

Preparing the quinces

I was nervous making the syrup

Keeping the pieces whole while making a syrup

But it all turned out well

Excellent with yoghurt

I have also just made my orange syrup cake for a dinner tonight at my neighbour C's house. Her neighbours are off on another European jaunt for 2 months so we will be wishing them well with good food and wine - fun times ahead.

Again served with yoghurt

Autumn mornings

The sun has been shining and the skies are so blue. I have been having breakfast on the back patio to sit in the early sun. Not something that we can do here in Brisbane most of the year - it is just too hot.

I made my breakfast and went back inside to get a napkin and something to read and found this bird trying to eat my food.

Not at all concerned when I caught him out

He just sat and stared at me and when I sat down just moved a little.

Moved to the chair to wait for snacks

The cats were too busy sun baking to worry about a bird on the table.

Two cats on a mat

The start of minestrone

I used some left over speck, bacon rinds and end of the leg of ham from Christmas. Grand daughter G had to cut the end off the ham bone so that it would fit in the oven.

Such a lovely lunch

I stir a big spoonful of pesto through the soup and top with parmesan.

My flowers are lasting well because of the cooler weather.

Cheap and cheerful

I cooked pickled pigs trotters this week, and made them into a brawn. I remember pigs trotters from my childhood. I just love them.

Lovely with a polish dill pickle

My next food experiment is with quinces.

New Recipes and a Sunday lunch

The cooler weather really inspires me to try new recipes.

I decided to try pork rilettes. A very french peasant dish I imagine was devised to use up the fat belly pork. It is cut into small pieces and popped in the oven for 3 hours with garlic, bay leaf and a big sprig of thyme, plus half a cup of water.

All cut up

Then blended together and then traditionally put in bottles and bought out to be served with hot toast and cornichons.

Served like this

A good pot full

My sons call this the 'pate pot'. We always used this for chicken liver pate their favourite snack. The recipe was a perfect fit for the 'pot'.

Bendigo Pottery

This was purchased from the pottery direct in the early 1980's.
We had the rilettes for lunch when son M and daughter in law C visited. I also made a 'salt cake'.

This has feta and yoghurt in it

A savoury cake that I have wanted to make for a couple of years.

Served with tomatoes

This was very popular.

We also had salad

Neighbour's flowers cheered up the kitchen