In my kitchen this month was a collection of odds and ends.
Often there has been washing. July has been so cold, grey and wintry, we have been using the heater to finish the drying.
But also there have been jonquils and daffodils to brighten our days.
In my kitchen there was mess created because we have a new caravan. That meant taking all the things out of the old one before putting them in the new. Of course it happened in my kitchen!
However, there has been some food in my kitchen! These brownies were given to us by a wonderful man in Sydney. His cafe, Twenty8Acres was right next door to the apartments we stayed in, and the delicious food drew us back a few times. Good coffee too. On our last visit — breakfast before the plane home — I told him that it was my Mum’s birthday. His response was to say “You can’t have a birthday without cake!” and wrapped up three brownies for us to take away. How sweet was that, and they were sinfully luscious!
But I did cook a cake for Mum’s birthday lunch. I was impressed with my fancy decoration! The slightly burnt edges were a cunning way of keeping the lemon syrup from running down the side of the cake. 😉
Here’s the recipe. It was so simple I may even be able to remember the recipe for next time.
http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/4679/simple-vanilla-cake.aspx
In my kitchen there has been proper food too. 🙂 I cooked goat for the first time, slowly and in lots of extra liquid.
Thanks to Celia because she inspires us each month to post about our kitchens. Go over and have a peek into kitchens from all over the world.
Anne Lawson Art 
27 replies on “In my kitchen”
Oh yum Anne. Those brownies. And such gorgeous flowers.
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The brownies were delicious, rich and moist and eaten in small portions.
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Your cake looks absolutely delicious, Anne. Hope your Mum had a wonderful birthday. Stay warm! xoxoxoxox
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I was surprised at how tasty the cake was. Especially considering that I don’t have a mixer and have to beat the ingredients together by hand. Mum had a lovely birthday, marred only by my sister not being there. She is over in London, busy being my London Correspondent!
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Oh I have to ask – how was the goat? Our local IGA has some but I haven’t been game to buy any.
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I was surprised at how little flavour it had. Goat cheese has such a distinctive smell and taste, so I expected more from the meat. It is very lean so needs to be cooked slowly with lots of moisture. Even after quite a few hours it was tender but dry, if that makes sense. I will give it another go, maybe a different butcher. If you try it, let me know how successful you are. (I like the idea of eating feral meat too 🙂 )
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I know I had goat in Spain, decades ago, and it was melt in your mouth. I might try looking up some Spanish recipes. Or maybe Pinky will know some. I wonder if you have to add some fat? Hmm.
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EllaDee’s recipe with Madeira sounds the way to go. More testing of goat is needed 🙂
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Hmm… madeira is nice. Almost a waste cooking off all the alcohol!
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So many things happen in the kitchen, it is true.All sorts of things get cleaned and sorted. Loved the jonquils.
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Especially in my kitchen!
Jonquils are one of my favourite flowers and I adore their perfume.
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I think the little crunchy/chewy bits on the edge of the cake add to the interest for the eater! I’ve only cooked with goat once to make a massaman curry and it was delicious. It is around in Brisbane but not handy to where I live. I don’t shy away from it on menus though. Thanks for the tour. xx
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The tour was my pleasure — thanks for dropping by. I am going to give goat another try. My Fella is not fond of curry though, so I will have to do other recipes.
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A new caravan 🙂 Is there a trip imminent to christen her? And, I’m so pleased you cooked goat meat. We buy goat meat pieces on the bone at $6.99 kg from Woolies at Tempe, and slow cook it in the big chasseur cast iron pot 140 dec C for a few hours then up to 160 for an hour – depending on how many kgs. Sometimes with tinned toms, dried onion & garlic if we don’t have much time for prep, or with Madeira, stock, potatoes and carrots if we have more time. It has a regular spot in our cool weather dining repertoire.
Inside flowers are a lovely way to brighten up winter 🙂
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Yes, we traded in Alice the Caravan 😦 We did get down to Portarlington for a few days, which is why I have been tardy in replying to comments. I will write about the new van soon, but I will say that we appreciated the heating system when it was a very chilly 5 degrees one morning.
Your goat sounds delicious. Madeira may be the secret ingredient that I need!
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Seems your kitchen has seen a lot of action! Those brownies and the cake look delicious. I hope your mum enjoyed her birthday. I haven’t tried cooking goat yet but do enjoy eating it at Indian restaurants.
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I wish I could just pick one of those brownies off the screen! I’ve cooked goat a few times and always enjoyed it – we bought it straight from the producer who could tell us how old it was and the best way to cook it.
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Straight from the producer would be the way to go. Last week there was an interesting article on a farming programme, Landline, about goats. There are many feral goats in inland Australia and they are now being rounded up and sold for their meat.
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I’m impressed that you tried goat, I haven’t been game as yet. The birthday cake looks yummy and the brownies delicious. A busy time for you! Thanks for sharing
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Thanks for dropping by. I am hosting my Book Club this week, and intend to make the cake again. I hope it works as well second time around!
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Anne, those brownies look AMAZING! And a new caravan sounds like great fun! We have washing drying too – only in the dining room, not the kitchen! 🙂
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I do wish I could claim cooking ownership of those brownies, because they were as delicious as they looked.
Our heater is in the kitchen/lounge room/back area. I was quite excited the other day because we managed to dry all the washing on the line outside. That hasn’t happened for a while.
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Thanks for sharing you wonderful kitchen this month! It looks like a very busy place 🙂 I have never cooked goat… did you like it? Thanks for sharing. Liz x
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Brownies and jonquils, what a feast! You can’t be sad while looking at daffs and jonquils! Yes, we want to know, did you like the goat? Did it taste like chicken? Haha. Thanks for posting Anne.
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What a fun post, Anne! I like the ‘slice of life’ flavor. Kitchens are the heart of the home, aren’t they. And those brownies…I can almost smell them.
I’m just back from holiday in Victoria, BC. I’m hoping to catch up in the next few days.
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I am so looking forward to finding out about your adventures in BC. Did you get to do anything excepts sit on the porch and natter?! 🙂
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We did plenty of nattering…and eating, drinking, walking, movie watching, people watching, water taxiing. It was a great time away.
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