Finding my way in the kitchen

Thistles and Kiwis

As regular readers know, I enjoy pottering about in the kitchen. Chopping onions, peeling carrots and stirring things is all quite relaxing for me. I may not be the greatest cook, but I do love to prepare (and eat) food.

I’m now in a new kitchen, and still finding my way around. Working out how the cooker works, finding space for all my things, not being able to find the measuring jug and so on. Nevertheless, on Monday I tried out the oven for the first time, making a toad-in-the-hole with some good sausages and a grainy mustard and beer batter (recipe here). The batter rose perfectly and it was light and frothy – hoorah for my first use of the oven!

The oven was tried out again on Wednesday, with chicken breasts stuffed with leek mixed with ricotta, feta and seasoning. Full of flavour, this is a very easy after work dinner to make or when you have a bit more time like I did on Wednesday. I served it with a big salad and roasted pumpkin, which proved I could get two decent size dishes in the oven.

So far so good with cooking in the new kitchen. As to our eating space…still a way to go but we are getting there as you can see!

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com or lofgren@thistlesandkiwis.com

Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

31 Comments

  1. I never read such a long article in my life as that Toad in the Hole one, but I have to admit the end result looks and sounds great. I’ve never had much success with it but I might just try that. Your bowl of tomatoes looks is beautifully photographed. And hooray- you’re settling in!

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  2. Hi Barbara, I’ve never tried Toad in the Hole. The other evening I wasn’t sure what to make and we had a packet of chipolatas. I popped them in the airfryer, with capsicum, cherry tomatoes, red onions and made a sauce of olive oil and seeded mustard poured over during cooking. It was delicious. I’m sure it won’t take you long to find you way in your kitchen and the rest of your home. I love the sunlight coming through into your dining room. x

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  5. So glad you are getting settled! Alos that the ovn works. I recall a terrible apartment I had in which I decided to bake some bread shortly after we moved in. The oven thermostat was way off and suddenly I smelled burning. I had blackened loaves, raw in the middle, as if I had used the broiler to bake! Your results look delicious! Not common here, but I love a good toad in the hole!

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  11. By coincidence, we made toad in the hole yesterday. We tried the air fryer to see if it would work, and although the result was not perfect, it will be tried again soon. (I will mention beer batter to Mrs T.)

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