In My March Kitchen 2015
I’ve abandoned my kitchen for a few weeks and left it in the capable hands of my house minder. As you read this I’m swanning around New Zealand’s north island, leaving no stone unturned in search of local and unique food and wine experiences. That said, the days are not totally aimless, thanks to the recommendations of family, friends and fellow blogger Francesca @ Almost Italian. Look out for postcard posts.
During February “Please Pass the Recipe” celebrated its third anniversary with a total of 447 posts about food. That’s a lot of food, but also it’s words, photos, likes, comments, views, follows and new friends.
Without a doubt the best part of blogging is the people you meet, among them the lovely Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial who hosts this IMK series, where bloggers from the four corners of the globe share their perspective on daily life in their kitchens. Take a visit, join in….
There was a flurry of activity during February as I made raspberry jam in a bid not to miss the season.
The beginning of the new season’s fresh ginger season prompted me to make a huge jar of pickled ginger. Hopefully it will get me through a year of eating sushi. I love seeing the transition of the paper thin slices of young ginger into a delicate pink beginning immediately they make contact with the pickling liquid.
There were numerous clean out the fridge and freezer dinners.
A languishing frozen been brisket I turned into Kylie Kwong’s seriously delicious Crispy Orange Peel Beef, the most delicious beef dish I have ever eaten. The effort of poaching the beef in red master stock before proceeding with the recipe is returned to you tenfold in the flavour.
I finally got around to making Amarena cherry stuffed macaroons, almost 12 months after adding them to my to do list and stating my intentions on this forum. Now that’s slack! They were an expensive treat for us humans and a super expensive treat for my thieving pooch. They must have tasted great!
And in my caravan kitchen I prepared DIY sushi for sixteen hungry jazz lovin’ friends. I found the perfect picnic scenario for fussy eaters, many with dietary limitations, simply provide the ingredients, let them make their own.
Inspired by The Cheergerm and the Silly Yak, I also made a huge batch of bite sized frittatas to contribute to another outdoor meal. They disappeared in a flash.
So, what’s been happening in your kitchen?
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31 comments on “In My March Kitchen 2015”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
Pickled ginger is on my to-do list too. Must get onto that one. Your frittatta platter is genius – such a great idea for feeding hungry hordes. Have a great holiday – exploring the North and South islands in a camper van is on the to-do list one day too.
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Nancy NZ is gorgeous, do it!
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Have a wonderful trip in New Zealand. The ginger pickles look fabulous and beautiful in color.
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Add NZ to your must see travel list Fae. It’s a beautiful country with warm friendly people, incredible food and interesting history
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Kia Ora, We were there right after Australia in Oct~Nov 2012 – Fiordland National Park, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Auckland. The best tasting and tallest pavlova by far I had was at hangi /feast at the Tamaki Heritage Experience in Tauranga, New Zealand! 🙂
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Have a wonderful trip!
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You have the best ideas! I love your recipes because you are from “over there” and I’m from “over here” and I never get to hear of recipes from around the world. I mean real recipes. I love the idea of the pickled ginger…I don’t make my own sushi but I might if I start making the ginger!
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Aw, thanks Claudia! I love hearing about what’s happening in other parts of the world too, an unexpected bonus that blogging has delivered!
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Join others in hoping you are having a healthy, happy, productive time in the Shaky Isles with ne’er a shake to be felt! Those small frittatas are mind-boggling . . . yes, please, Ma’am, can we have that cookery book please as I seem to have a pile of your recipes printed out in my kitchen ‘to do now!’ folder!! A book would be nicer!! But you have also made me wonder where my Kylie Kwong books are: so believe in the lady [her ‘My China’ must rank amongst my most favourite books ever and not just for cooking!] and just have to try that beef recipe if I find it! Bon Voyage again!!!
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Thanks Eha, no shakes so far, though the locals find them reassuring
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Oops, trigger finger, I meant the small shakes! One day when I have nothing to do I might put the recipes in a book…
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Everything looks so tasty. I have decided, despite our demographhic, that it’s time you made that book! Everyone in the land of IMK and other lovely blogging networks, will promote it. I have seen so many tempting things emanating from your kitchen in the last year- all photographed superbly- and with so much attention to detail, that I think it’s time. Every now and then, I slip back through the 200 or so earlier posts that I missed before I discovered your site through Celia’s IMK. I am saving them all for that magical day when ‘I take to my bed’.
Those little frittatas based on Cheergerm’s recipe look like a caterer’s dream platter.
Can’t wait to see your NZ posts.
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Francesca, you flatter me!! What’s this taking to your bed business?
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Sometimes it just seems like a good idea.
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Great time to be in NZ – hope you Hawke’s Bay on your places to visit – if you are here on a Sunday you must go to our Farmers’ Market – enjoy you time in our lovely country. Get in touch you want any tips on where to visit.
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Thanks so much Rachel, some eating our recommendations in the Hawkes Bay region would be great. We have a couple of nights in Gisborne Sun, Mon, then Tues Wed in Napier next week. We’re loving NZ, wonderful friendly people, great wine and food and incredible scenery
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Hi Sandra, so pleased you are enjoying you time in NZ. Grab a Food and Dining Guide from an i-site – this includes some great places to eat plus artisan food businesses which has shops etc. Suggest you consider – Clearview, Elephant Hill, Craggy Range and Black Barn as places to eat – all winery restaurants – all quite different but all very good.
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Thanks Rachel, appreciate you recommendations
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The frittatas sound fantastic. Hope you’re enjoying New Zealand, and manage to try some Waiheke (red) wines.
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We loved the Waiheke reds, even sent some home to Oz….
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Have a wonderful time, it sounds like a lovely holiday. That raspberry jam looks delicous, my favorite. And, I’ve pinned the beef recipe for the future.
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That beef recipe is fabulous Liz, I earnestly encourage you to try it out,
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Hope you have a wonderful holiday, Sandra
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Forgot to add – made a batch of your (absolutely fab, brilliant, wonderful) olive salt. It’s nearly finished and on the must do list for another essential batch.
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Glad you liked it!
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Hope you are having a wonderful foodie time away from your kitchen! I must have missed Cherry’s mini frittatas – must look it up. They sound the perfect party food. And isn’t that slight blush pink of pickled ginger lovely?
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I made the ginger a couple of days before leaving for NZ, I couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on it’s fresh young pink tipped glory….this country is soooo beautiful!
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It all looks so wonderful. Raspberry jam is one of my favorites! The pickled ginger does indeed look fantastic and those frittatas, well I think I would have to sample one of each. Enjoy your holiday.
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Raspberry jam is a hot favourite in our house, followed closely by blood plum, but I fear the plum season will be over by the time we return. Thanks we’re having a wonderful break
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Oh Mrs Recipe! So glad to inspire you, what amazing mini frittata combinations you came up with! I will certainly be trying some of them next time around, oh yes I will. Happy bloggy third anniversary. I find your blog inspiring, thought provoking and delicious. Enjoy the land of my birth. (Even if you are in the North Island, ha!)
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Knowing you’re a Kiwi explains a lot Cheery, especially the dry, self deprecating humour!!!
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