Food

[Marty_d]

We had non traditional Xmas today, pizza and sushi (all homemade).

Pizza bases were sourdough and we did 9 - one of which was leftover roast turkey from the 1kg breast last night,  with cranberry sauce, sliced brie and fresh basil from the garden.  Delicious!

[Litespeed]

1 hour ago, Marty_d said:

We had non traditional Xmas today, pizza and sushi (all homemade).

Pizza bases were sourdough and we did 9 - one of which was leftover roast turkey from the 1kg breast last night,  with cranberry sauce, sliced brie and fresh basil from the garden.  Delicious!

Nice, had the same at a restaurant this week, wood fired, awesome.

 

Doing the seafood and beer on the marina. Feeding the fish and chilling out.

No travel no stress.

Even had a visit from a great eastern Egret in full breeding plumage.

 

The oysters were grown here in the port and bloody tasty.   

Edited December 25, 2023 by Litespeed

[willedoo]

I got home a while ago from spending Christmas day with some relatives and am as full as a goog (with food not grog). Started off with some of those small fruit pie things followed by a bunch of salty sticks like straight pretzels. Then an entree of sushi with some other objects, main meal of salad and a vegetable loaf type affair, pudding of something called moose with berries and swags of fruit punch. Followed that up with a bunch of chocolate, lollies, more salty straight pretzels, potato chips, a couple of cups of coffee and a pile of medium tiger prawns.

 

It was gluttonous and beastly behaviour eating a lot of stuff I'm normally not allowed to, but by crikey it was fun.

[red750]

I know what you mean by eating more than you should.

 

My daughter worked like a slave. Goodness knows what time she started this morning. Had this enormous turkey which she rotisseried in the BBQ on the back patio, despite the rain. At the same time, she had a roast leg of pork in the oven (with crackling), together with roast vegies. I have to do the carving and all the washing up. This lunch served at around 3 o'clock, was followed by boiled fruit Christmas pudding (plum pudding) with custard. 

 

Then this evening we had a baked ham with salad. We have enough leftover meat in the freezer to last a fortnight. A few days ago, she baked a Christmas fruit cake, and this morning made shortbread Christmas biscuits with cooky cutters, and melted chocolate beans into molds, dark, milk and white chocolate.

 

By the way willie, the dessert you had is spelt mousse.

 

[old man emu]

Well! That shit is over and thankfully, due to 2024 being a Leap Year, the next dose is 365 days away. 

[nomadpete]

1 hour ago, old man emu said:

Well! That shit is over and thankfully, due to 2024 being a Leap Year, the next dose is 365 days away. 

There is good reason to call it the silly season

[spacesailor]

When I was a child we were given mouse , not , mousse .

It Was really ' bad. ' for your teeth as they were solid " SUGAR " .

TAKES A LONG TIME TO CHEW THROUGH ONE MOUSE .

And , I'm still full as a boot from all the food .  LoL

Next year a different Grandchild will be " IT " .

As this granddaughter was exhausted  by evening. 

A great dinner, & marvellous party. 

 Another granddaughter had to show off her "  brand-new MG Car " .

And,  it is an IC , ! , PETROL 

spacesailor

Edited December 26, 2023 by spacesailor
Missed word

[onetrack]

Had a pretty quiet Christmas Day, just SWMBO, stepdaughter and myself. Everyone else either lives 4000kms away or was working, keeping the country running.

 

It was pretty warm, 36.6C just before midday - but we've got split system A/C and it was going full bore!

Rather than heat the house too, much, I pulled out the BBQ and cooked up some scotch fillet steak, marinated chicken skewers, a couple of pieces of turkey breast, and pan-fried two lots of local fish - Pink Snapper and Red Emporer.

SWMBO and SD like scallops, so they cooked up some Shark Bay scallops (I detest all shellfish).

 

I put on some parboiled roast potatoes at 11:00AM (boiled for 6-8 mins, tipped into a steel mesh strainer and rolled around a little to roughen them up, then rolled in olive oil, rosemary, oregano and salt, and roasted at 180C for an hour on a tray lined with baking paper). They were absolutely scrumptious!!

 

SMWBO made salads, dips and chips and trifle for dessert. We've got individual-serve trifle dishes (SWMBO say she got them in a Coles free giveaway, about 35 years ago!), and with individual servings, she can put in ingredients that the individual person prefers. Plus, they're a good size.

 

Finished off with local watermelon, rockmelon, strawberries and cherries from Manjimup - plus some QLD pineapple. All delicious. Didn't pig out to the point of gluttony, but we sure ended up full! We've got enough food left over for about 3-4 days.

 

Had a really relaxing time sitting around chatting for about 4 hrs, and got some nice presents. I got a new Caterpillar belt from SWMBO (because my old one is worn right out!), and SWMBO got a fabulous body-care kit from son and DIL in QLD. It's an Australian body-care products promotional kit from a company called "Retreat Yourself", and SWMBO was wrapped to get it. In an interesting coincidence, I bought SWMBO a gift box of body-care products from L'Occitane.

I gave SD a tin chook that holds mozzie coils (because she's the Chook Lady, she loves her chooks) and Kobi, her comical little Chihuahua, got a toy fluffy orange elephant to chew on, and play with.

SD gave me a couple of Scratchies and an OzLotto ticket and $50 in cash to buy what I want. Both Scratchies were winners! - I won $8!

Plus, we both got a handmade padded dish-carrier from SD, for hot microwave dishes. These are locally made by a farmers wife, they're quite neat.

You put your dish of food/soup/whatever inside them and heat it up, then grab the padded holder to pull the dish out of the microwave, it saves burning your hands!

 

https://retreatyourself.com/

 

https://www.mozziemunchers.com.au/

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=microwave+bowl+holder

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by onetrack

[red750]

As if we didn't have enough cold meat, after son no 2 took his home with him, my daughter just got back from the shops with a turducken she is freezing for her birthday, marked down post Xmas.

 

 

 

 

[red750]

Saw an interesting article on FB the  other day. Do you know where paprika comes from? It is dried and ground capsicums.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Christmas this year was typical fayre.. Roast turkey and the trimmings. The turkey wasn't bad this year, to be honest.. Must be losing sensitivity in the old taste buds!

 

The stuffing was nice - bread, stock, pine nuts and herbs. I can live without Brussels sprouts. We actually skipped desert (called pudding here) and when friends arrived, we had a combined array of cheeses that would make the French salivate.

 

One thing I got was a Yorkshire pudding maker. One of the easiest things to make, so, at the last minute, I went to my trusty recipe (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-yorkshire-puddings), and we had those as well...

 

Made with fresh eggs from the hen, they are divine. There is an honesty egg box down the road.. Yummo.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Do honest eggs taste better?

[facthunter]

I don't honestly know the eggs act answer to that.

[Jerry_Atrick]

13 hours ago, Marty_d said:

Do honest eggs taste better?

They honestly do

[old man emu]

Dose that mean that a "bad egg" is a liar?

[onetrack]

I wouldn't know what a dishonest egg tastes like. Isn't stolen stuff supposed to taste better?

 

Did you know that cheese is reportedly the most stolen food on Earth? I would've thought stolen fruit from orchards would have been the highest on the list. 

 

One thieving delivery driver stole the biggest mango on my mango tree one year. I waited and waited and watched it from the lounge room window for months, as it got to about 800 grammes - then this prick pinched it in milliseconds on the way back to his van in the driveway.

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by onetrack

[facthunter]

IF you watch the Mango, you are too late. Nev

[red750]

 

 

These little strings on the bananas are intended for this purpose.

When a banana’s yellow skin is removed, they are revealed—haunting you. They must be carefully removed since they run vertically along the fruit. They cling viciously to less ripe bananas but hang lifelessly from the flesh of ripe ones. In any case, they are never wanted. We are discussing “phloem bundles,” which are the more technical term for those bothersome white strings found on bananas.

To begin with, those strings on bananas are known as “phloem packets.” A plant’s phloem makes sure that nutrients are transported from the leaves to the fruit. Phloems play a significant role in a plant’s development and well-being. Thus, the threads serve a purpose beyond only the banana itself—they are fully edible!

Phloem does not need to be removed before eating a banana.

 

If only these had a slightly better flavor… According to scientists, phloem is not necessary for the creation of bananas in theory. But since diseases claim a lot of bananas, breeding disease-resistant bananas is far more crucial.

Though they might not taste very good—or perhaps you’re just dreaming—phloems are actually rather healthful! In addition to playing a crucial part in the development of bananas, they are rich in vitamins, including potassium, fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin B6. These vitamins stay in the phloem of the banana after it is harvested, which makes them extremely nutritious.

 

According to a recent study, bananas with brown spots are even healthier than ones without any. Thus, these are unquestionably the ones we ought to consume. There might be some unanticipated advantages to eating an overripe banana. Eating a brownish banana has been found to have a plethora of health benefits. They greatly impress us, thus we have compiled them into this useful little list:
Lower your risk of developing cancer! They have a component that kills cancer cells.
Control your blood pressure! Overripe bananas have more potassium content, which promotes steady blood pressure.

[facthunter]

Not correct. The ripeness of the banana has NO EFFECT on the amount of Potassium in it..    Nev

[red750]

You're right Nev, I just copied the page that was linked on FB. I've done some more digging, and it's a bit of a mixed bag, especially if you have blood glucose concerns.

 

Bananas and potassium

 

Brown banana facts

[spacesailor]

But they are good for " banana bread  " ! .

spacesailor

[onetrack]

I rarely eat bananas - but I have to eat "just ripe" ones. If I eat an overripe banana, I fart like a corn-fed horse for days. So I steer away from bananas, except maybe for one every few months.

[spacesailor]

onetrack

You should try cooking those banana's. .

They ' digest ' better & peacefully. 

spacesailor

[old man emu]

Back in the day, the Chief Engineer at Air Ag at Bankstown loved over ripe bananas and kept a box of them in his office.The stench was overpowering.

[Jerry_Atrick]

As a young adult (I left Aus when I was 30), I really ad no idea of cooking. And to be honest, today I would struggle to whip up a decent meal from what's in the fridge without a cook book. But since meeting my partner, who is a gifted cook and hence added to my girth, I have picked up a few things.

 

Over Chrimbo, we seemed to eat a lot as usual and have picked up a small cheese factory amount of cheese. Today, we both wanted some simple pasta. Partner wanted a cheesy thing to get rid of the cheese. I just wanted a simple bolognaise, so, it was "Jerry - i you want a simple bolognaise, you can cook it..."

 

Here is my recipe easily serves 4.

• 500 grams of lean beef mince (5% - 10% fat - if you can't get quality mince from the supermarket, buy chuck steak or similar and mince it).
• 2 smaller red (salad) onions - chopped  finely.
• 1 large  carrot chopped finely.
• About a punnet of finely chopped mushrooms (don't need to be fancy ones, but preferably not button or white mushrooms)
• 1 - 2 sticks of celery - chopped finely.
• 2 - 3 cloves of garlic - crushed
• Dried oregano and thyme
• Salt (literally a couple of pinches - preferably sea salt).
• Black pepper - preferably dispensed from peppercorns via a grinder.
• Medium white wine - around 100ML + a little
• 400 - 500 gms bottled passata - good quality (I used 400gms).
• 2 tbsps of tomato paste/concentrate
• 1 tsp of sugar or honey
• Parmesan or Pecorino cheese to taste.

 

Method:

• In a wide and shallow dish or decent sized frying pan, fry the onions on a medium heat in olive oil stirring occasionally for 7 or 8 minutes. Don't let them caramelise.
• Add the finely chopped carrot and celery. Stir occasionally for another 5 minutes
• Add the crushed garlic, enough dried oregano and thyme to lightly cover the vegetables and stir occasionally until the vegetables are nicely softened.
• Add 100ml of medium white wine and allow it to reduce by 1/3 to a half..
• Add the meat allowing it to cook... Can add the salt and pepper at this stage.
• During the whole process above, make sure when stirring the ingredients don't stick to the pan. Add little bits of olive oil incrementally to prevent if required.
• Once cooked but before the juices reduce too much, add the mushrooms and stir well.. Give them up to 5 minutes to absorb the juices, etc.. Again, they don't have to absorb all of the juices.
• The ingredients should be at a decent simmer. Add the passata and tomato paste/concentrate. Pour a little wine (around 50ml) into the passpata bottle, cover with the cap and shake to attract the remaining passata in the bottle; pour into the pan and stir in.
• Stir occasionally the simmer returns. The texture should be pretty close to where you want the bolognaise texture; a little bit of moisture but not too watery. Reduce the heat to about 25% and cover.
• Stir occasionally allowing the evaporated liquid to return to the pan. Cook for around an hour or when it tastes good. It should be running at a very gentle simmer...
• Check the flavour for bitterness. A teaspoon of sugar or honey should be added for taste.
• We used fresh spaghetti; Boil the water and set the timer to 4 mins after putting in the spaghetti. That will allow a minute to boil again and 3 minutes boil. If you are using dried spaghetti, allow 10 minutes from adding to boiling water. Always use a pinch of salt and some olive oil for flavour and to stop the spaghetti becoming a stodgy lump.
• 10 minutes before serving remove the lid from the pan to allow some evaporation to escape.
• with about 2 mins to go, turn the heat back up to medium heat and replace the lid to ensure it is piping hot.
• Server with the pasta in the bottom of the bowl and the meat on top; add required parmesan or pecorino to taste.
• Serve with a milder red such as a Malbec, Merlot or a more robust Pinot Noir.

 

We have an induction hob/stove, between 1 and 9 (with 1/2 increments) + B for fast boil. Medium was 5 and the lower heat was 2.5 for the lower heat longer cook. As the consistency was more or less right for a bolognaise, I covered the pan to stop evaporation, but if yours is wetter, then leave the pan uncovered for a while.

 

The trick is to have the vegetables (ex. mushrooms) absorb the herbs and 1/2 of the wine before adding the meat and mushrooms to absorb the rest.

 

Everyone went back for seconds. And the remainder freezes nicely.

 

[edit] For an extra twist, add a teaspoon of dried tarragon; kids love it when I do, but we learned it doesn't feeze well, so only add it if you are sure it is going to all be eaten, or you don't mind turfing any leftovers.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Jerry_Atrick