Welcome to my Kitchen for the month of September. September is a great month, it’s a month of promises. It’s the month of Buddy’s birthday, he’s 4 this coming weekend. Wow, where has that time gone? Canberra was seemingly looking warmer, brighter, cheerier, September is here! But, it’s still cold in Canberra, at the moment it’s freezing cold, wet, windy and cold. We saw the briefest glimpse of things to come, this past weekend, 18 degrees, it was almost summer, but there is more sun to come, there is the promise of warmer nights, longer days and Spring is here. Well, should be here. You can practically smell it. The cherry blossoms are blossoming, the Wattle trees are flowering bright yellow, and Hayfever is in the air. Who else is downing the antihistamines religiously each morning? Me, otherwise I’m a sneezing blubbering hot mess all day long. Spring is my most favourite season, but damn, do I suffer the entire 3 months of it.
Anyway, enough of the sinus concerns, a trip to Bali’s been had and thoroughly enjoyed, a 40th birthday is long gone, and there’s been some seriously fruity cookin going on here, so it’s time to jump into Celia’s In My Kitchen stories, and see what everyone one across the bloggin world are up to.
In My Kitchen this September…
…is many a box of tissues and not Ryan Gosling. I wish…
…are all my pretty things I bought on my trip to Bali. It seems like a lifetime ago that we went for our 8 day trip to hot, balmy, busy, cheap, exciting Bali. I wish I could show more photo’s of my trip, but I stupidly deleted my SD card whilst trying to figure out how to transfer them over to my new hard drive. Will just have to go back, c’est la vie.
So, I have spoons, fans, salad servers, bowls, more spoons and the coolest bottle of Lychee spirits. Have I tried the Lychee spirits? No. It smells like something that gets squirted out of an automatically timed bad room deoderiser every half an hour, but hot damn that’s a pretty bottle. What am I going to do with it?
…are these divine wooden Balinese bowls of different sizes and shapes. These bowls were my splurge. They’re so gorgeous I just had to have them. I have used the mini one at the front as a salt pig, it’s adorable. I’m very much looking forward to the warmer weather which means more bbq’s, parties and get togethers so I can show these babies off.
…are all these pretty spoons. A girl can never have too many wooden spoons. And I’ve given a few away to friends, they’re so handy, this is only half of what I bought back. Those little forks will be perfect for picking summer antipasto out of rustic little bowls, or a smoked oyster out of its tiny tin coffin and the long spoons are perfect for stirring chocolate through thick, rich, chocolate thickshakes, during hot summer evenings, reaching down to the bottom of tall glasses to get every last drop of melted chocolate goodness. The salad servers are absolutely massive, they don’t fit in my drawers, they’re so long, so they’re permanently on display. But, you know what? I’ve never owned a pair of salad servers.
…are these divine thatched net covered bowls. I kept seeing these bowls at a lot of the market stalls and they came in so many colours, I fell in love with them and wistfully pined after them each time I spotted a new colour or pattern. But they were far too delicate and I didn’t trust that they’d come back in one piece so I didn’t buy any. They’re also quite bulky, with the netting stretched over the frame and there’s no way I would’ve fit them in my suitcase with all the other must have Balinese purchases.
It’s lucky my mum loves me and she’s savvy enough to buy a set for me whilst I wasn’t looking and bring them back in her luggage, even though we were living out of each others pockets for the 8 days at the resort. I love my mum and I love my birthday present.
So pretty and with such intricate hand painted designs, they’re being proudly displayed on my kitchen shelves.
…are the cookbooks I received for my birthday, my family know me so well. Now to find the time to actually read them.
…and last but by no means least, is a box of Blood Oranges, from Red Belly Citrus. Well, it was a whole boxful, it’s now empty. But, I saved a lot of the skins and some juice so I could come up with even more recipes, considering I’ve done about 4 blood orange posts in the last month. Gee they’re lovely and so versatile, I’ve done both sweet and savoury dishes, with a mulled wine (or two) chucked in there.
Thanks for dropping by and checking out what’s in my kitchen. Head over to Celia’s blog Fig Jam and Lime Cordial to see what everyone else is up to.
The Food and Wine Marshall 
I also love those Balinese baskets with netting and plan to get some next trip, now that you have reminded me how gorgeous they are. Mums know how to get things back!
LikeLiked by 1 person
They’re beautiful. I’ll take an extra suitcase next time, so much stuff I could’ve bought, but had no space 😦
LikeLike
Great Balinese purchases! The difficulty is in getting them past customs. The name of that liqueur cracks me up…no idea what you would do with it! Add it to champagne? (Then it will be a ‘timed deodoriser cocktail’?) I think a blood orange sugar syrup would be nicer to add to sparkling wine mayhaps?
LikeLike
First trip o/seas and I was petrified of going through customs, I didn’t buy anything that was at all suspect and I declared everything! I know, Bad Angel, lol, should’ve been Bad Liquor. I’m sure I’ll come up with something, maybe a lychee sorbet with real lychees?
LikeLike
It’s a nerve wracking process hey! Our elderly neighbour was once given a really hard time about bringing in a couple of Walnut Whips (a UK chocolate confection all wrapped up and sealed). Poor dear. I think a lychee idea may just be the solution. I wonder what lychees poached in the liqueur would taste like?
LikeLike
I reckon any fruit poached in grog tastes good. I wonder if I could do some of my Christmas mince soaked in lychee liquor? Actually my dad just gave me a stack of little cumquatty type fruit that I have to soak…I have a plan.
LikeLike
Looking forward to seeing the end result of these ‘lychee hard liquor machinations’!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What wonderful purchases from Bali. I absolutely love all the spoons! Seems we have a few things in common, our youngest turns 4 this month as well. Plus my hubby turns 40 in September as well.
LikeLike
4 is a wonderful age, no? I say whilst grinning through gritted teeth. The little angels…
LikeLike
Four is a wonderful age, except for the times it isn’t! My youngest is the whiner in the family so he is already a challenge at every age.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh wow! I’ll take a bottle of bad angel, how pretty is that?!
LikeLike
Pretty bottle definitely, yet to taste it, it could taste much better than it smells.
LikeLike
Well at least it’s nice to look at!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love all your goodies from your trip but especially love the “Bad Angel”! The bowls are pretty and the baskets are great – I wouldn’t want to cover up the bottom of them! How about a Bad Angel / Blood Orange combo…
LikeLike
Blood orange, lychee combo, sounds intriguing. Need to pop down to my local Aldis and pick up some more blood oranges, and am now on a mission. Or, I could just pour some over ice and suck it up?
LikeLike
Canberra is just so beautiful at the moment isn’t it? Sorry to hear that you get hay fever though! I definitely agree with your sentiment that a girl can never have too many wooden spoons 😉
LikeLike
I’m quickly filling up my drawers with wooden spoons, they’re overtaking the wooden spatulas as my fav kitchen tools.
I managed to get through today without a hayfever tablet, so it may be in the wane…
LikeLike
Everything is so lovely in your kitchen. I have been searching for mini wooden spoons for the longest time and just cannot find any anywhere.
Have a super day.
🙂 Mandy xo
LikeLike
Thanks Mandy. Look, you’ll just have to go to Bali! They’ve got millions of different types of small spoons. Incredibly hard to make a decision, actually.
LikeLike
Tell you what, I would be in Bali in a heartbeat if I could. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
blood oranges and Ryan Gosling…life is good.
LikeLike
Lol, yes, indeed it is!
LikeLike
G’day! Love your baskets and Pink Lycee Liqueur caught my eye!
Thanks for a peek in your kitchen this month too!
Cheers! Joanne
LikeLike
Hi Fran, the Balinese Bowls and Baskets are beautiful! 🙂
LikeLike
They are, aren’t they, Emily. I’ll get plenty of use out them if I can just bring myself to actually use them!
LikeLike
You’ll get plenty of use out of those baskets and nets if you can ever get outside once the weather warms up and the pollens settle. I laughed when I read the words Ryan Gosling and tissues – I thought for sure you were going to tell me how you cried your eyes out when you heard that Eva Mendes was having his baby! Anyway… I froze the last of by Redbelly oranges after many recipes too. Snap! Thanks for the lovely tour Fran. xx
LikeLike
Thanks Fiona, Eva who? Lol.
LikeLike
Just love the wooden bowls!! When you come over I’ll show you some of my Balinese collections too! 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
I look forward to it.
LikeLike
Oooh thank you…I’m catching up on posts at 6am and that photo of Ryan Gosling was a great treat..hahaha. Love your treasures from Bali, especially the little bowls and the covered baskets, but truly Fran, Bad Angel liqueur? That smells like air freshener? 🙂 I hope you love that Jamie book as much as I have! Happy birthday to Buddy and a belated Happy Birthday to you too! xx
LikeLike
Ryan’s a blessing any time of the day, lol. Thanks, Celia, for your birthday wishes, we both had fantastic birthdays. And yes, Bad Angel Liquor…but seriously, look at that pretty bottle, how could I not!
LikeLike
Happy belated birthday and what a wonderful place to enjoy your birthday – Bali! Loving everything you brought back and received as your birthday present, very spoilt. I’m a bit of a cookbook collector too, I can’t get enough. Let me know what you think about the Slow Cooker cookbook, I’ve been looking at it for a while but keep putting it down (as I don’t really need it 😉 or do I!?) Thank you for sharing IMK, nice meeting you
LikeLike
Gawd Ryan is a beautiful man. I have this picture of him on my desk. Sooooo pretty!
Dang the Berra is bloody beautiful at the moment, feeling blessed to call this fine city home. Such a stinker you suffer from hay fever tho. Gahhhh! Love that bottle of Bad Angel Liquor, even if you never drink it, still a fine purchase I reckon. 🙂
LikeLike