Weekend Cooking: In My Kitchen - June

Welcome to the first Saturday of the month where I usually share everything I have made over the previous month. 

I had big baking plans for June. The Lambs Ears Cook Book Club chose Emelia Jackson's latest book Some of My Best Friends are Cookies as the June selection, and I had selected a number of recipes to make as I already owned the book. But there is that saying about best laid plans and all that, and mine came crashing down when I got some kind of winter lurgy and I have been sick for the last couple of weeks. I am getting better but I sound terrible and when I cough...well... it's not pleasant.

So what did I make. 

The first thing that I decided to make from the book was traditional Scottish shortbread as it is Robert's favourite. I also saw that there was a variation which was Sour Cherry and Pistachio Shortbread. I have a bag of sour cherries in the pantry and so it was an opportunity for me to use some. I made both recipes from the same batch and both were delicious. I will make them again!

Speaking of pistachios, is it just in Melbourne, or is everyone going crazy for pistachios at the moment? Many years ago now, I had some friends come to visit us and we went to a night market and we had a conversation about why there was so much Nutella everywhere. Now, that conversation would be about pistachios. We recently had a new Costco open near us, and the thing that had everyone excited was a pistchio cheesecake. Now, I would love to try it but the reality is I can't justify buying one because we would never be able to eat it all, so it would be a waste.

That doesn't mean that I am averse to the pistachio craze. I mean, I used it in my own baking this month, and intend to make another recipe that has them as a garnish as well. And we did try these Pistachio Scrolls from our local cafe to see what all the fuss was about on their socials.

We did have a couple of very nice meals this month, before we got sick. It was my birthday in early June so we took a drive down the coast and had lunch at a beautiful winery which had great views and more importantly, great food! It was a pretty cold day, but it was still very enjoyable. I imagine this place is even more popular in summer.

We also had to take a quick trip up to Brisbane for our eldest daughter's 30th birthday celebration. We had dinner at a restaurant on the Skydeck at Star Casino, and the whole experience was exceptional. We were sitting outside on the deck, and it was a bit chilly but there were heaters which helped. The views over the city lights were fabulous, and the food....the food was spectacular. This is just some of the food which included a smoked carrot tartare, spanner crab served with tiny crumpets, a beautiful dry aged bistecca and a whole baked fish. 

Finally, I had to say farewell to my favourite pyjama pants this week. It's very sad. I had no option but to buy some super cute breakfast themed replacements, especially seeing as they were on sale!

52 Recipes Challenge

Here are the new recipes we tried this month.

Scottish shortbread

Sour Cherry and Pistachio Shortbread

Air-fried sweet potato cubes

Beef Casserole with Herb Dumplings

Given that we are halfway through the year, I thought I would see where we are up to with the 52 recipes challenge. If my count is correct, I think we have tried 23 new recipes this year so far. It does feel like it should be more, but it shouldn't be too hard to catch up. Famous last words

Weekend Cooking posts from the last month

In My Kitchen - May

Sticky Apricot Chicken Drumsticks

Everything is Indian by Justin Narayan

Blog Tour: The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey

Weekly Meals

Saturday - Takeaway
Sunday - Tuscan chicken pasta bake
Monday - Beef casserole with herb dumplings (new)
Tuesday - Tomato, Zucchini and Parmesan risotto
Wednesday - Pork Nachos
Thursday - Meatballs
Friday - Butter Chicken and Rice

I am sharing this post with In My Kitchen hosted at Sherry's Pickings.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page