In my kitchen - springtime 2015

A Poem for Mornings

Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee. 
Coffee, coffee.
Everyone shoosh, pretty, pretty please.
​Coffee.

- Unknown.

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Mornings at my kitchen table have taken on a fresh meaning with my new coffee cup and saucer set. The brilliant apple green sits beautifully alongside a vase of cheery flowers. With the warm spring sunshine streaming in through our French doors, a double shot macchiato at hand — and in the background, soft bird song from the fairy wrens in the garden — I can sip my coffee and wake up in peaceful contemplation.

In her book, The Call of Solitude, Ester Buchholz, Ph.D says that quiet and solitude is an important route to creativity. And that "the natural creativity in all of us — insights, bursts and bubbles of imagination — are found as a result of solitude", or what I like to call 'quiet time'. It's true in my case, for I do much of my creative thinking (and problem solving) in solitude, mostly first thing in the morning, and sometimes in the middle of the night. Well, I try.

My beloved, on the other hand — who has a new coffee cup too, the same, but in burnt orange — loves to chatter, and dissect the morning news. Bless! On that note, a friend shared the above Poem for Mornings recently and somehow it resonated with me. Know what I mean? ​​♥‿♥  ​ ◔ ⌣ ◔ 

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Since arriving home from overseas, life is busy and the days are whizzing by. We've been catching up with family and friends — both entertaining and visiting. We've made a couple of trips to the coast. Once for a South Coast Food dinner and to visit Peter's mam. And, this week, for a whale watching adventure. More on those trips in a later snippet. 

There's been springtime gardening, cycling by the duck ponds, cinema and reading. Lots of reading! Peter and I have both been preoccupied with family history. His and mine. I found my father's handwritten life story, safely tucked away behind the glass doors on one of my bookshelves. Using a magnifying sheet, I've been painstakingly translating his precious words from Magyar to English, for inclusion on the family memoir/cookbook I'm working on. There's been laughter, melancholy and tears, but I have managed to draft the Prologue! 

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In my kitchen... 

So anyway, it's October and time to take a peek into my kitchen. ​Among the goodies we've discovered are these frozen snow-skin moon cakes, an impulse buy from our local Costco. We had bought some similar frozen snacks from an ice creamery in Stockholm a couple of months ago, and loved them. In this Canton Road range, there's vanilla choc-chip, cookie 'n' coconut milk cream, matcha with red bean, and strawberry with 'real strawberry pieces'. Perfect bite sized, non-dairy morsels. An occasional indulgence.

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Books...

There are books galore in my kitchen — cook books, travel books and food books, from one end of the kitchen to the other. Some are pre-loved bargains picked up at the Lifeline ACT Book Fair, others purchased from the UK Book Depository. And, there's a pile of books borrowed from my local library, too. If that's not enough, among the piles are these delicious new titles awaiting my review. Please stay tuned for my write ups, as some of these will be the perfect Christmas gifts for your loved ones. 

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Food news... 

And finally, I'm road testing these Greensaver produce keepers from OXO, the brand recognised for innovative kitchenware and clever solutions. The containers are designed to prolong the life of fresh produce and thereby help reduce food wastage. The good folks at OXO kindly sent me a 4.0 litre produce keeper, as well as a 4.7 litre produce keeper to trial in my kitchen. Thank you! A head of lettuce fits perfectly in the 4.0 litre unit, while more than a dozen good sized lemons went into the other. In the top of the lid there's a crisper insert with an activated carbon filter that absorbs ethylene gas, slowing down the ageing process and keeping produce fresh for longer. The filters are made from coconut husks, thus they're all natural and non-toxic, too. It's worth noting that the filters need to be replaced every 90 days and a four-pack costs $9.99. I'll report back in the fullness of time. 

In closing, my dear friend, Celia, from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial has moon cakes (proper ones) and OXO products in her kitchen this month too. Pop in and say hello to Celia and my fellow bloggers and cooks from around the world who participate in the In My Kitchen round up.

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Now tell me dear readers, are you a chatterbox first thing in the morning, or do you need quiet contemplative time, too? And what's happening in your kitchen this season?