Monday, February 4, 2013

In my kitchen - February 2013

I am linking this post in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

In my kitchen, there are, at long last, vegan marshmallows made up from my UK-purchased but New Zealand-made mix.

From this...

...to this. The wonderment!

After reading some of the comments on this post, I used slightly less sugar with the mix than recommended (1 3/4 cups instead of 2), and coated the marshmallows in corn flour instead of icing sugar or anything else sweet. The marshmallows are still sweet, but at the level expected for marshmallows - and I love them. 

The process of making these was also quite an adventure, and as a result, there are a few sticky spots in my kitchen too. 

This picture didn't really need to be included, 
but the unintentional posing of my right foot made me laugh.

Whipping marshmallow mix up should have been included in chemistry lessons at school. Between the heating of water and sugar to 120'C, the thickening of said sugar on standing, the change in form of the marshmallow mixture when beaten, and then setting of the mixture from liquid-gooey to solid-gooey...what more does a chemistry lesson need?

This picture did need to be included,
because this is a dish that invites one to dive in.


In my kitchen, there is a free calendar provided by a local chemist.


I am not usually one to use chemist-provided calendars, but this one is above average and the picture for February is particularly soothing on hot summer afternoons.


In my kitchen, there are soaked great northern beans and dry puy lentils.

Great Northern Beans, from Canada, apparently

These are the first puy lentils I have bought and I am looking forward to trying them.

Puy lentils, from the Le Puy region of France, because that's how they roll

They are also the first lentil variety that I am deeming beautiful. Truly, gorgeously beautiful.



In my kitchen, there is a new cereal, bought on a whim whilst on special.



I quite like it. Mostly for snacking, though, rather than breakfast-ing.


In my kitchen, there is a renewed love affair with quinoa. When I rediscovered couscous at the end of last year, quinoa seemed to drop off my grain rotation. I have now brought it back on high rotation.

Quinoa with salsa and chilli flavoured kidney beans

My quinoa love affair has also been taken to new heights by the combination of quinoa and star anise. Thank you to those of you who left advice (or just comments of enthusiasm) on my recent star anise purchase. You are all right. It is divine. I adore it.

Star anise flavoured quinoa. Oh, the deliciousness.


In my kitchen, or at least adjoining it, there will soon be a bike. This is because I am not the bike repair person in this house, and having a bike inside the house (normally Not Allowed Never At All) seems a worthwhile trade off for someone fixing my bike.

Why the bike fixing? After riding into a fence a week ago, temporarily interfering with my bike chain and with the intactness of my leg, this week I blew my back tyre about 10 minutes from home. Please note that the 10 minutes from home refers to cycling time. It turns out that 10 minutes in cycling time is more like 40 minutes in walking-your-bike-home time.


Riding my bike into a fence was the consequence of trying to re-arrange fresh produce in my bike basket while riding. After my tyre difficulties this week, our fruit and vegetables were purchased with a car, and came home in a box.

And so, in my kitchen, there is also a box worth of fruit and vegetables and a fridge filled with watermelon, rockmelon and grapes.

What is happening in your kitchen?

30 comments:

  1. I have never tried vegan marshmallows but I'd love to make them some time. I do love chemistry! I always have beans soaking in my kitchen and quinoa still reigns supreme in a lot of my meals. Is that what Feb looks like in your part of town? The temp is in the 70s around here...
    I've always wanted a bike with a basket!! But after your story, I may have to rethink the basket...I get easily distracted and prone to accidents...its contents may lead to many disasters hehe

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    1. February definitely doesn't look like that here :P We are having one of our hottest summers on record, so this is about as opposite as you can get...a nice visual contrast for the hot days!

      I am definitely re-thinking my bike basket too! I wish I'd got panniers!

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  2. My kitchen is definitely not as healthy as yours! My husband and I eat as polar opposite as anyone can get. My counter is currently covered with his fruit snacks and pop tarts. YUCK. My kitchen might look more like yours if it wasn't for his crap, lol. Last night I had fresh salmon, sweet potatoes and green beans for dinner while he went out for fast food.

    I have a love affair with quinoa too. That stuff is amazing!

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    1. Your dinner sounds lovely - I like yours much more than your husbands ;) But there is plenty of less healthy food in my kitchen too, it just didn't feature here!

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  3. I have yet to try quinoa ... I know. I know. Total kitchen fail.

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    1. It usually takes me ages to get to new things too, don't worry :)

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  4. Beautiful post, Kari, thanks for sharing! I love puy lentils - you're so right, they're beautiful to look at before they're even cooked! And the marshmallow mix sounds intriguing - we always make ours with egg whites, but your finished ones look perfect! :)

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    1. Now I'm intrigued by your marshmallow making! I have never made it from scratch (and this wasn't properly scratch) before, so don't now much about the various possibilities. I imagine that all ways would be fun!

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  5. I feel like everyone who has ever eaten quinoa has a love affair with it- it's just SOOOO good and so versatile! Love the little peek inside to your kitchen Kari- especially those marshmallows- so cool!

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    1. Thank you Gabby :-) Mr Bite doesn't quite have a love affair with quinoa, truth be told, but perhaps one person per house is enough...;)

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  6. I love this post. Sorry to hear about your bike mishap! I haaate when stuff happens with my bike and I have to walk it. I get so annoyed at how long everything feels when you're on foot compared to bike wheels. ;)

    And way to be adventurous with the marshmallows!

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    1. I definitely appreciate the efficiency of biking right now!!

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  7. hehehe i love this idea - its very very cool! :D I might have to join the 'in my kitchen' fan club!!!!
    That marshmellow mix looks awesome! I love your reference to "breakfast-ing" hehehe it sounds like something I would say ;-)
    And yes that calendar is very cool - esp for a freebie! :-)

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    1. Thank you Sandy! These are really fun posts to do, so I hope you enjoy taking part if you decide to do so - Celia holds them every month :)

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  8. That fruit box looks really good. I had never thought of marshmallows as not being vegan. I guess it's the gelatine that vegans wouldn't eat? Sorry to hear about the incidents with the bike! I would not like to push my bike home when just 10 minutes away (which is actually 40!) xx

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    1. It is the gelatine...it's also in liquorice allsorts, to my dismay! I did go most of my life without realising it though, and the sad thing is, they're not even vegetarian.

      I've gone off my bike at the moment, as you might imagine ;)

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  9. Hi Kari! I totally hear you on the quinoa- I put it in nearly everything (to the point where my friends make fun of me!). It's just lovely to have on hand. Did you like the cereal? I just started seeing that brand pop up here in my local markets. Thanks for sharing your kitchen :)

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    1. I do like the cereal :) It is quite sweet and works well with yoghurt / fruit / as a snack, but I like that it's sweet without being artificial. The crispiness of the oats is great too!

      I'm glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Quinoa goes in in waves for me too, I'm currently riding the quinoa crest. I think cereal is always best for snacks, it's perfect for that Mmm...bit hungry now, time at 9pm.

    Bike...eek, ow, ohhh...no good at all. Stay back fences! (I'm thinking about a new bike at the moment...or maybe a scooter... )

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    1. 9pm is definitely cereal o'clock :) Although also 3pm...and sometimes 5pm...it's a sneaky kind of food.

      I'm excited vicariously for your new bike / scooter! The crash was entirely my fault really, so I wouldn't let it put you off - I am missing my bike already (and it's here, just has a flat tyre still).

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  11. In my work-kitchen, I have a container of puy lentil salad with orange zest and mango-chilli sauce. I am looking forward to lunch!

    Our bike crash stories sound similar. Mine was me trying to re-arrange my paniere bag after it came loose, while riding. It came off in my hand, I tried to stop quickly, put my feet down while still going too fast, and came off! While a guy stood in his driveway and looked on, only asking if I was okay *after* I untangled, re-chained, and assessed some of my wounds and had started to ride home!

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    1. I was looking forward to your lunch for you when I read this comment! Yum :) I may have to try and create something like that with my own lentils, as the idea has now got stuck in my head.

      Your bike crash sounds more traumatic than mine - ouch! You've also dashed my hopes that panniers would be better than a basket. I was thinking that swap would fool proof things but perhaps not!

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    2. I think I need to fool-proof *myself*... I should have stopped to adjust them, but I thought I could do it while moving. Obviously not! Panniers are generally great though :)

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    3. I agree with theresa that paniers are great - I had some for a few years until I lent them out and never saw them again - and I can't remember when I last had a basket but I was told that they aren't good for balance

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  12. Whoa, marshmallow mix - I didn't even know such a thing existed! Also I didn't know great northern beans were a Canadian thing, ha ha. :) I like the idea of using star anise in grain dishes...nom. And sorry about the bike tragedy!

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    1. I'm really not sure if they are! It is entirely possible I have misattributed them to a country that doesn't want them ;)

      I definitely recommend star anise in grain dishes! I'm yet to use it any other way but love that mix.

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  13. am excited you have made the marshmallow - looks like it holds together well - I have another packet of this that is waiting for me to use it so I will have to try it with less sugar (if the ingredients hold up beyond the use-by date!)

    enjoy the puy lentils - thay are truly lovely to look at and lovely to eat - and your quinoa with star anise sounds interesting - unfortunately my tub of quinoa is mostly in the bin after I got distracted and spilled most of it last week - grrrr

    Sorry to hear about your bike accidents - I used to carry too much fruit and veg on my bike and it wasn't good for it or my balance. Maybe it is time to get fruit box delivered - or are you doing that already?

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    1. The only problem with the marshmallows is that it's looking quite like I'll eat them all without making anything with them!

      Sorry to hear about your quinoa :( And I like your idea about getting fruit and vegetables delivered - I looked in to it ages ago and didn't pursue it due to cost and lack of easy choice, but perhaps I should try again. Our vegetables are pretty consistent and if I was just buying fruit it would be much easier!

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  14. Vegan marshmallows!?! Man oh man I will have to keep a lookout for that brand when I go to NZ for Easter :) Oh yes I agree, Puy Lentils are so pretty - and SO yummy!

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  15. What a great idea - posting your kitchen's contents. It's very interesting and educational to find what other wares food lovers keep! Thanks for posting.

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