... and I should know! You see, I'm a gadget freak... if it's quirky or fun or interesting or just a little bit Star Trek, there's a good chance that I'll love it :-) Of course, there are different categories of gadget... there are office gadgets (and I have a fair few), garden gadgets, general household gadgets and - of course - kitchen gadgets! Hold on a second while I throw something at the Other One.... *thwack*. She's sitting in the corner sniggering and muttering about "other" gadgets. Got her mind in the gutter! To give you an idea, she's slouched over drinking her martini's straight out of the shaker with a straw! I think that she's more than gotten into the holiday "spirit". Anyway - where was I? Oh yes, gadgets. Well... as you all know, today is Christmas Day and as you can imagine, it's been a day of gifts and family, food and laughter and as I sit here, the cold meats & salad of lunch are still keeping me full and don't get me started on the trifle :-) Yum, but way too filling :-) So Christmas is always a great time in our home. NOT because of the gifts I receive (although that's pretty good too), but because I get to spoil the people I love. Even in a year when I'm financially a bit strapped. The Other One wouldn't know what that's like, but at least I know that Miss Twinset knows how to budget. Of course, as I mentioned before.... it's also a crazy busy baking time of year and I've spent the whole week baking Christmas cake. I kid you not... Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. It would've only been Tuesday and Wednesday, but Ruby had a bit of a laugh at my expense... I can laugh about it now, but it really wasn't terribly funny at the time. Miss Twinset has started to laugh so hard in anticipation of this story, that her champagne just came out her nose! Disgusting, but at least it wasn't eggnog ... Ok, so what had happened was that Tuesday wasn't really my day. It was
hot and humid and it had been a busy and irritable kinda day. Then to top it off, the outside door handle broke off of the drivers door of my car... Not my day. Then of course I started baking. Normally, this is a very relaxing activity for me and one I look forward to ... even when I don't really feel much like baking :-) For me, it's the calming effect of the measuring and mixing that makes a world of difference at the end of a long day. So, I set to work doing all the prep. I ran through all the ingredients and when all was prepared and the cake mix was ready to pour, I thought something looked a bit "odd", but I couldn't figure it out. I ran through the list of ingredients - twice! - and couldn't see anything I'd missed, so I spooned the mix into the dishes and popped them in the oven. Four (4) hours later, I opened the oven to discover the world's only fruit filled, slightly liquorice flavoured "toffee". The cakes had flopped and I was in such a state. How could this be?? The recipe is foolproof.... 24 hours later, when I baked round 2, I realised that although the recipe is foolproof... the chef is only human! As I said... Ruby was messing with me on Tuesday night.... You see I double checked the ingredients twice and never saw the word "eggs" at all. Yup... I never put the eggs in. Feel free to say "duh" in your loudest, most superior way. It still won't beat the Other One (who couldn't bake a brick) tormenting me all week about it. Naturally, the next two batches were perfect and my folks say the fruity liquorice toffee isn't that bad. Pity there's just under 3 kilo's of it (about 6 pounds).
So this morning, my folks woke up at 5:30 eager to get to their gifts, which was so much fun! Of course, I was keen to see what Santa had brought me too. Apart from an awesome book and CD which I'd asked for, I also got some really awesome - just for you and your kitchen - gifts! *picture high-pitched squeals of delight*. It started with a DVD on sugarcraft which is exactly what I was looking for as I really want to step up my decorating skills. That was followed by a book that is thicker and heavier than the average family bible... Kitchen by Nigella. I just skimmed through the book this morning, but I can already see that I'm going to love it!! Neither one of these was on my Christmas list and because I love surprises, they are perfect. Because I love things to do with my kitchen... they're splendiforous! I have to say, that Santa guy sure is paying attention to us good kids :-). If you've been paying attention so far - and not dwelling on the image of eggnog coming out of Miss Twinset's nose - you'll be wondering which part of Christmas involved gadgets. Don't worry, you haven't missed it... I haven't told you yet. You see, inside each person who loves to bake, there's a kid who would LOVE to have the gift I got today... and for this particular gift, I'm very grateful :-)
You see, I unwrapped a large - heavy - unassuming package and inside I found the most amazing kitchen gadget
EVER! A Kenwood mixer! A large, beautiful, accessorised Kenwood mixer that is my newest member of the family. The Tipsy Tarts have already been warned that I will destroy ALL their booze (even the stock they thought I hadn't found, that they'd hidden in the Winter wood pile) and I think that it's a fairly good incentive for them to keep their paws off of my baby. She is the most beautiful thing I've seen in a long time and not only because she is going to make my life so much better! I think this is the start of a long and faithful relationship. I promise to care for her... accessorise her and use her only according to instructions. I also promise to try new and exciting recipes and to feature her when I can in this blog. As you can see... she's quite a looker. With a 6+ litre bowl, there's not a lot to limit me here. I'm really looking forward to seeing what attachments I can get and to trying her out. I know that many of you will be shaking your heads at the gushing praise that I'm heaping on an appliance... but out there, I'm sure that there will be some of you that have experienced the same sense of "love at first sight" when you see something that you need... something that you want.... even if it's "just" an appliance.
My kitchen gadget collection includes all manner of things and some are tiny. I coveted a small whisk that can be used in a mug and didn't rest until I had it. I needed (couldn't live without) a citrus zester and then there was the micro grater that does everything. I have juicers, mixers, blenders, donut makers, sandwich toasters and a collection of knives that makes me very happy whenever I see them, but pride of place in my kitchen is going to be MY Kenwood (my precious) lol.
I'm going to love and leave you now as I hear my cherry brandy trifle calling me from the fridge.... but I hope that you've all had a fantabulous Christmas! Here's to many new kitchen adventures for me to share with you all in the years to come...
Until next time....
I know it's been a while since I blogged... and if you're a regular reader, you may be wondering why. Well... it all started when Miss Twinset upset Ruby. She sat there in her corner of the kitchen, waving her wine glass wildly, complaining about the fact that her favourite bottle opener had vanished and blaming Ruby without thought to the fact that the Other One had borrowed it the week before. She then proceeded to burn sage bundles and waft the smoke all around the kitchen in a "cleansing" ceremony... Naturally, this is one of the quickest ways to tick off a kitchen pixie... You may be wondering how this affected my ability to blog... well, to be honest... it didn't :-) It was rather distracting though! The Other One eventually had her housekeeper 'fess up to having "stolen" the bottle opener and a thimble of the good Sauvignon Blanc was left for Ruby to appease her, but in the meantime, I deemed it too dangerous to cook while Ruby was in a snit... who knows what damage could've been done.My blogging silence is going to come to a halt though and if you think about it, you'll see why. After all, it's at this time of year that kitchen's all around the world start to work overtime, using the total energy production of a small country (or several for that matter) and producing more goodies than should ever be eaten by the average family in a year, let alone over the Festive Season! Naturally, mine is no different! You see, it's at times like these that in most homes Granny's trusty recipe book is dusted off and opened reverentially on the counter top where wives, mothers, daughters and daughters-in-law hunch over the "magical tome" trying to figure out what their husbands, sons and fathers are after when they reminisce about Christmases past. For like it or not, all men have dishes that they remember from their childhoods, without which a celebration like Christmas simply "isn't what it was" when their Mother did it. For us girls, it's the memories we have of endless baking, the house all full of the scent of all-spice and cinnamon or perhaps it's the shortcuts of local supermarket mince pies and tinned ham that we remember. I know that for Miss Twinset it's the almost unattainable "Stepford Christmas" ideal that she has in her head and she has a special Twinset and matching apron (along with antique pearls) that she has put aside for the occasion. She invites family and friends and tries to colour co-ordinate everything... it may sound good, but I have to tell you, that it's a whole different story when you sit down to a green and white table where most of your meal is also green! Picture plenty of broccoli, brussel sprouts and spinach. The gravy was green! The Other One is of course a different thing all together... She hires an event company to stage manage her home ("money is no object dahlings") and throws a serious party that most of the town is invited to. She had to hire a planner after the year when she purchased the entire stock of the local bottle store, but forgot to order any hor d'oeuvres! It took the phrase "liquid diet" to a whole new level and although most of us still can't remember a damn thing after the first hour or so, we have it on good authority from the local police that it was a party for the record books!So... what is Christmas in our home? That has changed over the years as I think many traditions must. As a kid, I remember my Gran baking mince pies with fruit mince that she had made herself and bottled months before. Those are still the best mince pies in the world, though it's been many many years since I've had them. There was a flurry of baking as the season began with my Mom making literally (and I do mean LITERALLY) a 100 dozen biscuits of different types. I don't remember them lasting long, but I do remember our kitchen filled with the reassuring smell of warm cookie dough, with counters covered in trays holding biscuits in various stages of production. As a child, that kind of kitchen co-ordination is truly magical and watching simple things like eggs, flour, sugar and butter turning into mouthwatering delights, was the first time I realised that you don't need to buy the things you love to eat! Then, for a day or two before the big Christmas Lunch, my Dad (who always has and always will do all the cooking) prepared and cooked the various meats ... sometimes turkey, or goose or duck or chicken, but always tongue. Which I never eat. In fact, the Other One is noticeably paler at the thought. Miss Twinset doesn't eat it either... as she said, you never know what butt that tongue last licked. I know they wash it, but she has a point :-) He loves it though and I love him, so the rule is that he's welcome to it as long as he cleans the pot and keeps it separate from what I eat :-) It's important to note that down here in the South of Africa in the grand old Town of Cape, that Christmas takes place in the middle of Summer... in the hottest time of the year. This doesn't exactly lend itself to a full roast with six (6) vegetables as you can imagine. However, this is what we did for years as most of my family is of English descent. It was traditional and something to look forward to and looking back, it amuses me how much food we cooked, as dinner plates are only 'so' big and simply can't hold much food. I'm sure it's the same in many of your homes too. Of course, as I said, traditions change and adapt, re-inventing themselves into fresh versions as needed, until we come to the Christmas meals of today - my adulthood. My Dad still cooks a tongue (gulp), a corned beef and a ham, but we eat them cold on the day with a selection of salads and garlic bread (oh so traditional huh)... sometimes there's a braai (bbq) as well, which is how we know it's a South African Christmas. Totally foreign to most of the Northern World as they roast chestnuts on open fires, but perfectly logical to those of us in the South :-) It's also a great excuse for cold beer :-) HA! From the look on the Tipsy Tart's faces, beer is something they won't touch... so I've finally found booze that's safe! Success!!Some things remain unchanged though... although the mantle has fallen on my shoulders. It's now me who bakes a range of biscuits (several dozen dozen!) and of course, the Christmas cake, which is served with brandy butter (home made of course). The only thing I've yet to nail is the mince pies, but I suspect that the secret was in the mince that my Gran made... unfortunately, it's something she never wrote down and I've trawled through all her recipe books! Hmmm. Guess I'll have to experiment until I come up with a recipe that rocks and becomes a family tradition from here on out! I suppose that's the secret of it all... We all have Christmas traditions, but they all started somewhere, so if you want to change something or introduce something new... go for it. Take the leap!Until next time...
hot and humid and it had been a busy and irritable kinda day. Then to top it off, the outside door handle broke off of the drivers door of my car... Not my day. Then of course I started baking. Normally, this is a very relaxing activity for me and one I look forward to ... even when I don't really feel much like baking :-) For me, it's the calming effect of the measuring and mixing that makes a world of difference at the end of a long day. So, I set to work doing all the prep. I ran through all the ingredients and when all was prepared and the cake mix was ready to pour, I thought something looked a bit "odd", but I couldn't figure it out. I ran through the list of ingredients - twice! - and couldn't see anything I'd missed, so I spooned the mix into the dishes and popped them in the oven. Four (4) hours later, I opened the oven to discover the world's only fruit filled, slightly liquorice flavoured "toffee". The cakes had flopped and I was in such a state. How could this be?? The recipe is foolproof.... 24 hours later, when I baked round 2, I realised that although the recipe is foolproof... the chef is only human! As I said... Ruby was messing with me on Tuesday night.... You see I double checked the ingredients twice and never saw the word "eggs" at all. Yup... I never put the eggs in. Feel free to say "duh" in your loudest, most superior way. It still won't beat the Other One (who couldn't bake a brick) tormenting me all week about it. Naturally, the next two batches were perfect and my folks say the fruity liquorice toffee isn't that bad. Pity there's just under 3 kilo's of it (about 6 pounds).
So this morning, my folks woke up at 5:30 eager to get to their gifts, which was so much fun! Of course, I was keen to see what Santa had brought me too. Apart from an awesome book and CD which I'd asked for, I also got some really awesome - just for you and your kitchen - gifts! *picture high-pitched squeals of delight*. It started with a DVD on sugarcraft which is exactly what I was looking for as I really want to step up my decorating skills. That was followed by a book that is thicker and heavier than the average family bible... Kitchen by Nigella. I just skimmed through the book this morning, but I can already see that I'm going to love it!! Neither one of these was on my Christmas list and because I love surprises, they are perfect. Because I love things to do with my kitchen... they're splendiforous! I have to say, that Santa guy sure is paying attention to us good kids :-). If you've been paying attention so far - and not dwelling on the image of eggnog coming out of Miss Twinset's nose - you'll be wondering which part of Christmas involved gadgets. Don't worry, you haven't missed it... I haven't told you yet. You see, inside each person who loves to bake, there's a kid who would LOVE to have the gift I got today... and for this particular gift, I'm very grateful :-)
EVER! A Kenwood mixer! A large, beautiful, accessorised Kenwood mixer that is my newest member of the family. The Tipsy Tarts have already been warned that I will destroy ALL their booze (even the stock they thought I hadn't found, that they'd hidden in the Winter wood pile) and I think that it's a fairly good incentive for them to keep their paws off of my baby. She is the most beautiful thing I've seen in a long time and not only because she is going to make my life so much better! I think this is the start of a long and faithful relationship. I promise to care for her... accessorise her and use her only according to instructions. I also promise to try new and exciting recipes and to feature her when I can in this blog. As you can see... she's quite a looker. With a 6+ litre bowl, there's not a lot to limit me here. I'm really looking forward to seeing what attachments I can get and to trying her out. I know that many of you will be shaking your heads at the gushing praise that I'm heaping on an appliance... but out there, I'm sure that there will be some of you that have experienced the same sense of "love at first sight" when you see something that you need... something that you want.... even if it's "just" an appliance.