Coconut Almond Macaroons (and Sherry Trifle)

Sometimes, in cooking, one thing leads to another. 

For example, last week I made a double quantity of plum upside-down cake, the last pieces of which were beginning to go stale.  I also had some tinned peaches in the fridge that needed using up, and some leftover whipped cream.  What to do with it all? I could have thrown the food out but decided to make a trifle instead.

I sliced the cake and lined a bowl with it, before drizzling the cake with a little sherry.  I drained the peaches and tipped them on top of the cake.  I made a rich custard with four egg yolks, 600ml of combined milk and cream, a little vanilla essence and a tablespoon of sugar.  Once the custard had cooled, I poured it over the cake and peaches, then spread the leftover whipped cream on top.  Not a low-cal dessert, I know!

However, after I made my trifle, four egg whites were left over.  I didn't feel like making meringues, so I made macaroons instead.  This recipe comes from Ruth Berolzheimer (ed.) Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook (1948).

Coconut Almond Macaroons

5/8 C sugar

5/8 C confectioner's (icing) sugar

2 Tbsp cake flour

4 egg whites, beaten

2/3 C ground, blanched almonds

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 C shredded coconut.

Sift together both sugars and flour.  Beat egg white until foamy throughout then add sugar 2 tablespoons at a time.  Beat well after each addition.  Fold in almonds, vanilla and coconut.  Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased heavy paper.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees F (about 160 celsius, less if oven is fan-forced.)  Makes 26 macaroons.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Enjoying Epsom Salts

Sore and tired after a long and exhausting week, tonight I ran myself a hot bath supplemented with a handful of Epsom salts.

Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) get their name from from the town of Epsom in Surrey, England, where the salt was first distilled from the springs that arise where the porous chalk of the North Downs meets non-porous London clay. 

A traditional component of bath salts, Epsom salts have a diverse range of uses, from a coagulant in the making of tofu to a saline laxative.  Some of the more common household uses for Epsom salts are:

• Fabric softener: Place 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts in the washing machine before commencing the rinse cycle
• Fertiliser: To help overcome magnesium and sulphur deficiencies in soil (symptoms include yellow between leaf veins and curling of leaves), spread Epsom salts over the soil.  For citrus crops, tomatoes, lettuces, etc, also apply as a foliar spray (375g to 20L).
• Baths and footbaths: soothing and relaxing, and can be absorbed into the skin reducing inflammation

Have you ever used Epsom Salts?  What do you use them for?

(The information in this post came from a Faulding Epsom salts box and Wikipedia)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Chookie Ice Cream

Somebody once told me that silverbeet is like ice cream for chickens.

Judging by the way our new little hens guzzle down the silverbeet I pick for them, I'd say this information is correct!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

DJ in the house

Depois de uma semana de trabalho intenso, consigo vir aqui estar convosco e mostrar-vos mais algumas das pequenas mudanças em minha casa, se bem que fico sempre um pouco descontente com as fotos, pois a luz não é das melhores... A minha casa sofreu bastantes alterações desde que me casei, pois a entrada de mais uma pessoa no pequeno apartamento, com a sua logística de DJ (ou seja, centenas de discos em vinil mais aparelhagens), tornou bastante difícil o aproveitamento do espaço. Os discos tiveram que ficar na sala e, esteticamente, nunca corresponderam àquilo com que eu tinha sonhado... Lá conseguimos arranjar a melhor solução possível e ontem lembrei-me de tapar o móvel com este tecido antigo que tinha pensado utilizar numas almofadas. Não consigo deixar de me rir quando vejo esta foto, pois imagino o Rui no meio das florzinhas, com um booth totalmente efemeninado! Já lhe propus pintar as colunas... já esteve mais longe! :)

(As cores do pano... não tem cor-de-laranja, mas assim o parece na foto...)

(The colors of the fabric... it doesn't have orange, but in this photo ot looks like it does...)

Mostro-vos ainda o resultado final da pintura desta peça aqui, que ainda não pendurei na parede. Ainda me falta pintar outros pássaros, mas não decidi em que cor, por isso vou aguardar para depois pô-los todos em conjunto. Gosto tanto de pássaros na parede!! Esta árvore fica linda pintada, não fica?

After a hard work's week, here I am with you at last, to show you some more small changes in my home, although I'm a little sad with the photos quality, as the light isn't that great... My apartment suffered great changes when I got married, as my husband is a DJ and that means that he carries along with him hundreds of vinyl records and all the music equipments. The records had to stay in the living room - not what I had planned in terms of decoration, but we've managed to find a solution... So yesterday I decided to experiment and cover the records with this vintage fabric and I can't help smiling when I start imagining Rui playing his records in this feminine booth!... I already proposed him to paint his music columns as well... :)

The second photo is of the trivet that I showed you here - I painted it in light turquoise. I still didn't hang it in the wall, as I have two other birds to place along with it and I still haven't decide in what color I'm going to paint them. I love birds in the walls! The trivet looks cute, doesn't it? :)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

We Have Chooks

We have two new family members, 15 week old brown hens named Caramel and Temple.  Yes, I know Temple is an unusual name for a chook, but the namer was most insistent that Temple was what he wanted to call her.

At present Caramel and Temple are terrified of us, so they're staying in their pen while they settle in.

Now we're a five pet family; two chooks and three goldfish.  The kids are hoping for a dog next, and I am reliably informed that it will be called Popcorn - whatever breed it is.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Crocheting away

Ando numa de crochet. Não de o fazer pois, infelizmente, não me lembro como se faz. Mas de ter alguma coisa em crochet cá em casa: uma toalha, uma manta, uma fronha rematada com renda... um quadro!! Há tantas hipóteses de utilização de peças feitas em crochet que a lista é infindável... Deixo-vos algumas dessas hipóteses, sempre com a minha habitual curiosidade... qual é a vossa favorita? :)

Credits: Wood and Wood Stool, Ida Interior Lifestyle, Dottie Angel, Heine, Via Decco-Chic

I'm on a crochet mood. Not making it, because unfortunately I forgot how to, but to have something in crochet at home. A blanket, a tablecloth, maybe some crocheted pillowcases... maybe a wall hanging doilly! There are so many things made of crochet that the listing is endless... I leave you some suggestions, always curious to know which ones are your favorites. :)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Eggplants and What to do With Them

This year has been my most successful season ever for growing eggplants; a combination, I think, of hot weather plus more summer rain than usual.I am growing two varieties: long purple and black beauty.

Eggplants are definitely one of those vegetables that taste much better when home-grown.  I think this is because home-grown eggplants can be picked smaller when they are less bitter and have fewer seeds.

By the way, if you look closely at the eggplant photo below you can see my reflection in it!

At present I have an eggplant glut, so we are eating them at almost every meal.  Apart from adding eggplant to curries, risottos and other dishes wherever possible, my three staple preparations are:

• Marinated, grilled eggplant: I either fry or grill the eggplants then marinate them as I did zucchinis in this recipe;
• Eggplant parmigiana (no recipe: just egg-and-crumbed, then fried, layered in fresh tomato sauce and baked with grated parmesan or other cheese on top)
• baba ghanoush (I'll publish a recipe in the next few days) 

 I always salt the black beauty eggplants before I cook them to draw out any bitter juices, but I don't bother with the long, skinny ones.

What I would like to do is bottle some eggplant chutney or preserves.  I'm still looking for a recipe, so if you have one you can recommend I'd be delighted if you would share it with me!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad