TO TILE OR NOT TO TILE!

TILES OR WOOD? 

I can't tell you how many hours I have spent on my computer in the past few days researching tiles - all tiles - but especially en caustic tiles! I know I've brought this subject up before, but I still haven't resolved this issue yet and after today's site meeting,  I now have a day left to do so!

I have now developed a 'thing' about these tiles but  Mr R-I is convinced that I 'will grow tired' of these tiles and that it will cost a fortune and be a 'helluva mess' to rectify this in future. He is certainly right about the mess side of things! 

I am usually hugging the safe-side of traditional and yet I think these gorgeous tiles are traditional in a way and are also fun!   I am all for colour and moving away from the eternal safe neutrals.

The most important part of this decision is whether to use timber or tiles in the kitchen.  The kitchen flows into a sitting area as well as into a pantry.  I had a timber floor in my kitchen on the farm and grew to love it.  Tiles are more hygienic I know and easier to keep clean too.  I dont necessarily want to use a neutral tile or slate but perhaps something colourful - ie en caustic.  Bathrooms probably lend themselves to tiles of colour..but mostly on the walls 

What do you all think and are there any tile or timber owners who have strong views on the subject?

I like this tile


Colourful Bathrooms below 

Various kitchens with various floors

Slate floor

Love this tile!

Warm timber

Black and white

Lovely wooden floor

Grandma's chicken soup

GRANDMA'S CHICKEN SOUP

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A few of you have asked for this recipe and I am delighted to share it.  I tend to dole this soup out at the drop of a hat - and always at the birth of a grandchild or in today's case - to my son's family as their daughter Izzy is sick.    

Chicken soup is wholesome, nutritious and delicious, and we all believe that it has   amazing curative qualities!  It certainly is warming and comforting and just seems to hit the spot when one is unwell.  My children and grandchildren love this soup and it is so easy to make and freezes like a dream.

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I always use the very best chicken one can buy - Free Range/Organic/ with bells on! In fact I buy the best brand possible, as I find that this choice affects the taste and quality of the soup enormously.

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For one large pot of soup:-

One chicken

Two onions (white or brown)

6 carrots.

3 large leeks.

6 large sticks celery.

Fresh corn cut from 2 cobs.

Lots of flat leaf parsley.

Chicken stock - the very best quality (home-   

  made) would be best or Mordough.

Noodles - any kind - I use a small handful of                  

 spaghetti which I break into bite size pieces - the idea is to have just a little pasta as too much alters the taste of the soup.

Wash the chicken thoroughly and cut away any excess fat or skin and place in a large pot.  Quarter the onions, and roughly chop two carrots and 2 sticks of celery.  Add to the pot and fill the pot with water until the chicken is just covered.  I also add a little chopped parsley at this stage as well as a few black peppercorns.  

Put the lid on the pot and bring it to the boil. Once it has reached boiling point, turn it down to a simmer.  The chicken will take about an hour to cook. After an hour, use a wooden spoon to lift the chicken a little and if the chicken starts coming apart, it is ready.  Turn the heat off and allow the chicken to cool off in the pot - about an hour. 

In the meantime, chop all the remaining vegetables and cut the corn off the cobs.  Chop the parsley as well.  

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Then, lift the chicken carefully onto a plate and begin de-boning it, being careful not to overlook tiny bones.  Pull the chicken into bite size pieces. 

 Strain the remaining liquid in the pot, discarding the cooked vegetables and carefully retaining the liquid.   Pour the retained liquid back into the pot and you might have to add more stock.   If so,  add a very good quality stock.   I use Moredough chicken stock.  

Add the chopped vegetables as well as the corn kernels, and the pasta.  Cook slowly until vegetables are just tender.  Taste at this stage, and add salt or perhaps one or two Massel Salt reduced Chicken stock cubes.  Once the taste is good,  add the chicken pieces and heat through once more, being careful to not allow the the soup to boil too much as the chicken will shred.   Add more chopped parsley just before serving.  Obviously this recipe can be adapted and many more vegetables or flavours can be added.  Bon Appetit!

I made two pots today and we've just ours for supper!

Thank you for stopping by and I would love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to leave a comment!... 

Winter weekend at the Beach -

FAMILY WEEKEND
WONDERFUL FOOD AND FAMILY TIME!

Family holidays or weekends can sometimes be difficult,  but for some reason our holidays seem to work quite well.  The reason could be that we all enjoy eating and preparing good food!  There are a few cooks among us - all loving the ritual of preparing a meal from scratch and using the freshest ingredients as we are also quite "health" mad!  Even the three little grand-daughters eat well!.... There are two aged two and a 7 month old who, as you can imagine create a lot of noise!  Throw a couple of Shih-tzus into the mix and happy chaos reigns!

The family spent the past Queen's Birthday weekend  at Narrawallee Beach - 3 hours south of Sydney.  Chilly weather inspired warm hearty meals and soups! 

Narrawallee Beach is also 5 minutes from a little town called Milton.  Milton was celebrating their annual Scarecrow festival and judging by the number of scarecrows I saw,  I think they take this festival very seriously!  

There is an excellent butcher in Milton who took my order and then asked quietly whether I had lots of people staying!

My daughter-in-law Kristiina, wielding her chopping knife,  took multi-tasking to new heights! 

When I got home from the butcher, she had chopped masses of vegetables and homemade chicken stock was on the go,

 Two salads were being prepared     

and the beginnings of a delicious Bolognese sauce which she makes using Italian sausages which I had just bought!    

The Bolognese after the Italian sausages were added.

The weekend's meals included - Lamb Shanks with delicious creamy polenta which everyone took turns in stirring! 

Grandma's chicken soup, 

a BBQ, Pea and ham soup and more!  We always sit down to all three meals at a properly set table and seem incapable of "grabbing a sandwich", even after numerous attempts to implement a rule which cuts out lunch and allows everyone to do their own thing.    Most of us love cooking and we all love eating while sitting down together, enjoying the food, wine and banter.  

On one of the evenings,  my son whizzed up a delicious humus - homemade is so much more delicious as the store bought varieties usually contain preservatives.

  Breakfast is always a fruit salad - using mostly papaya and mango,  natural organic yogurt, boiled eggs and toast.  Occasionally, Kirk,  my son-in-law prepares a big cooked breakfast on the Bbq which always goes down well. Of course, with all of this cooking comes a huge amount of clearing up and cleaning.  This task is shared fairly I think - a couple might disagree though!!

In between all of this eating,  I walked on the beach. One evening was particularly beautiful.. see below

the colours were startling

Given to me by a good friend and a source of amusement to the little girls!

Early morning..

and this was sunrise - courtesy of my jet lag!! 

On the way home to Sydney,  we stopped off in Bowral to have a look at the new house... next post will bring an update on the progress! 

Thank you for stopping by and I would love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to leave a comment!... 

HOME AGAIN

HOME AGAIN!

I'm a bit intellectually debilitated by the jet lag so it's a short post tonight.  It's so lovely being home again in Sydney, Australia.  Seeing the adorable little grand-daughters,  shopping this afternoon for great produce for tonight's dinner and now, replete after a lovely meal!

We arrived in Sydney on Tuesday close to midnight and this was our supper before bed!

Yesterday was spent catching up with the family and in particular with the little girls - three of them under the age of two!

Isabel

Kitty

and Arabella - practising her sitting!

One of the things I miss most when away is cooking!

and fresh fruit

and this was dinner

I always bring the steak to room temperature and salt well before cooking.  This steak was about an inch thick - 4mins in a very hot pan or on a very hot BBQ on one side and 2 mins on the other.  We never rested this as the vegetables were ready!

Can't wait to see these little monkeys tomorrow.  Long weekend here in Australia and we are all going to spend the weekend together at the beach.  These simple pleasures are my idea of luxury...Wishing all Australians a lovely long weekend!