 It's mid January already and here we are in the midst of a searingly hot Australian summer. Since December, the days, weeks and months have flown by so quickly. Many of you (myself included) will have enjoyed a short and refreshing holiday. I'll soon be back to my Monday to Friday office job and, while I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into the new challenges that 2013 will deliver, I'm also looking forward to winding down towards the end of this year, as Peter and I plan for our retirement from full time work. While I would normally not wish for the time to pass swiftly, I can honestly say that at this point in time I'm already looking forward to December! One of the delights of being at home for the holidays (and I imagine in retirement, too) is that I have had the opportunity to spend much more time on the things I love: cooking, cycling, gardening, reading, visiting friends, taking photographs, writing and generally pottering around the house. The garden is much happier and the folk at our local garden centre have almost come to know Peter and myself on first name basis... we've been popping in so often! Speaking of time (well, actually, thyme), in my kitchen (garden) is a pot of very healthy-looking Thyme that I couldn't resist buying during one of our hardware store visits. I love to sprinkle these fragrant leaves on roasted vegetables and salads. Also in my kitchen this month, there's... Lovage, with its delicate foliage and celery flavour. A perennial that will, hopefully, survive our bitter winter frosts.  Beautifully aromatic basil is flourishing in the kitchen garden, ready for a variety of sweet and savoury dishes  Ripe tomatoes, fresh from the local farmer's market. Ours in the garden are not doing so well this season!  Hearts of Palm that I found in a Sydney store. Will follow up on a Twitter message from my food hero, Luke Nguyen, suggesting I try this Heart of Palm salad recipe from one of his books.  A trio of honeys from my friends, Carmen and Todd from Honey Delight. Thanks!  An assortment of birthday cards received from loved ones for my Boxing Day birthday  The Oz Harvest Coobook, a Christmas gift from my Peter  White enamelware and some crisp vintage linen found in a secondhand store in Robertson  Sweet jars with their faux gingham lids, perfect for my preserves  Chestnut puree... now I can make that layered chestnut torte for Peter!!  Mangoes.... mmmmmmmm, so GOOD this season!  My mango relish, the recipe appears on my blog  A Lebanese cucumber and tiny capsicum fresh from the kitchen garden  And finally, a container gardening book from my dear friend, Christine. In closing, a note of thanks to all those who take the time to read this little blog. I'm delighted to be able to share my passion for fresh produce and cooking with so many friends. So, thanks for your support, kind words and feedback. One of my friends and fellow cook, Celia, at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, brings together cooks, bloggers and food enthusiasts from across the globe with her In My Kitchen posts. Make sure you pop in and say hi!
Now, tell me, what good things have you on the agenda for 2013? And what's happening in your kitchen this month?
21 Comments
Lizzy
13/1/2013 09:08:34 am
Hi Glenda... thank you! The cucumbers are delicious! Not at all woody, watery or tasteless. Tender and fresh tasting. Two little plants have kept us supplied throughout the season! 13/1/2013 06:45:59 am
Love this post! We've also been gardening up a storm, and are beginning to harvest tomatoes. Things are so much Moore delicious when you grown them yourself!
Lizzy
13/1/2013 09:09:28 am
Thank you Clare! Wow, I am a little envious that you have tomatoes. Our are not doing so well this year. Actually, most years the self sown ones provide more fruit! 13/1/2013 07:11:06 am
A bountiful kitchen this month Lizzy, full of beautiful summer things. So interesting to see people using hearts of palm a bit now, When I used them years ago they were ceremoniously snubbed. That was before we embraced South American cuisine i suppose. Its really interesting to see Luke using them, I didnt know they were used by the Vietnamese. Happy january and happy birthday
Lizzy
13/1/2013 09:11:12 am
Hi there! Happy January to you as well. Are you still using Heart of Palm? I had not heard of it at all until I saw the recipe. Would be interested to know what you do with them in your cooking, please ; D Lizzy, that is SUCH exciting news about the planned retirement! I bet you'll be excited about it all year! :) Beautiful treasures in your kitchen this month - and where did you find heart of palm, please? I've never seen it in my travels! Your Lebanese cucumber is huge! :) xx
Lizzy
13/1/2013 09:12:34 am
Hi Celia, fingers crossed that it all works out for us! We are looking forward to it. The heart of palm was from Thomas Dux, a wonderful store that I am sure you know of. Why WW can't have more of those around the country amazes Peter and I. It's quite like walking into another world!
Karen Rush
13/1/2013 07:49:19 am
Hi Liz - I fell in love with lovage and all its culinary possibilities while visiting and cooking with Kate Hill in Gascony where she runs a cooking school and is busily doing amazing things on the internet to explain life, produce and cooking of south-west France where she has lived for 25 years. The visit was life-changing for me. I recommend you take a look at her work. Anyway, back to the lovage. Upon my return 14 months ago from Gascony, I went in search of lovage plants which I found at the Yarralumla nursery. Those two plants have proved to be indestructible. The root deeply and refuse to be pulled out. Through all seasons it produces wonderful foliage. I use it for long slow cooking of white beans, duck, lamb to great effect. I even put handfuls in my green smoothies from time to time. Hard to imagine the garden without it now. Welcome to the world of lovage.
Lizzy
13/1/2013 09:14:40 am
Hi Karen! Wow, your visit to Gascony sounds amazing... I will look up Kate Hill, thanks for the heads up. I hadn't seen lovage until we went to a new hardware store and nursery near the airport... pinched off a piece of the leaf and tasted it. So fresh! Given what you've said, I hope I've planted it in the right part of the kitchen garden! Can't wait to use it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your kitchen stories ; D 13/1/2013 08:42:49 am
What a load of goodies, and a very happy birthday to you indeed Lizzy!
Lizzy
13/1/2013 09:15:03 am
Thank you, Bec! 13/1/2013 04:58:08 pm
Lovely treasures, I envy your fresh tomatoes and mangoes!
Lizzy
13/1/2013 06:12:32 pm
Hello Laura... yes, when it's cold in your part of the world, it's summer here... happy cooking and thank you for popping in ; D 13/1/2013 07:01:21 pm
Lizzy what wonderful treasures you have in your kitchen this month!
Lizzy
13/1/2013 07:03:34 pm
Mandy, thank you so much ; D
Lizzy
17/1/2013 04:06:58 am
Thank you Maureen, let me know if you need more details about it. 19/1/2013 09:22:57 am
Love all the goodness in your kitchen- mostly the garden stuff. 21/1/2013 08:01:19 am
Beautiful herbs Lizzy! I bet they'll be super tasty in a salad with those hearts of palm ;) I love your white enamelware too! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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Photo Jay Cranon, The Canberra Times
Hello. I'm Liz, a writer, cook and traveller based in Canberra, Australia.
Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes, postcards and morsels from my adventures, conversations with cookery writers and chefs, and news on food and cooking.  Search by topicNB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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