autumn kitchen

I've been meaning to make homemade muesli bars for yonks (the fowlers behind the loose muesli are packed with paper wrapped bars - ready for lunchboxes!)

Seriously, folks. Couldn't have been easier. What are you waiting for?!

I'm not going to include a recipe here - as it was a general trip to my pantry to grab all of the little half eaten bags of nuts and seeds and bits and pieces thrown together and mixed with a warmed peanut butter and honey mixture.  I then tipped it all into my newly refurbished FAN FORCED oven (hurrah for husband and Fermin!) and toasted it for a little while stirring it a couple of times before patting it down in the pan to make it firm.  I cooled it and then cut it up - all the scraggly bits ended up in the above jar and are stupendous atop fresh yoghurt and fruit.  There is no flour here. There is no white sugar here. There are no preservatives here. 

Victory for lunchboxes!

My next job on lunchbox list is to purchase a couple of good old fashioned glass thermos' for warm lunches through the wintertime. Anybody got any suggestions for those?

A couple of early harvested pumpkins are awaiting their fate. My friend Leonie sent me some saved seeds last year - and these are big ol' beauties, let me tell ya!

Apples gifted by a friend as our orchard is having a bit of a down year.

The four quince that I got off my tree this year. Last year we seriously had HUNDREDS. It was quince all Autumn long. This year our lovely returning woofer Fermin decided to make a quince syrup. Which I proceeded to burn this morning in anticipation of topping our sourdough french toast. oops!

Grandma's apple cake has been getting some business around here with tart Granny Smith's

The last smells of summer as the final batch of Blackberry jam has been brewed and bottled.

and this beautiful puppy - fresh mozzarella. Topped our homemade pizza dough with mushrooms and thyme and kalamata olives last-night. Delish.

What's been happening in your kitchen?

BTW - Fermin is Mexican and a professional chef from Italy. He's just left from his third visit with us wwoofing.  He made us Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Yellow Zucchini and Authentic Carbonara the other night. 

Hungry yet?

Oh yes - and we had dinner at the Fishy pub the other night - and Eric Bana walked in - the temperature lifted quite dramatically!