When I started writing this post in the middle of July I was really excited to share some final glimpses of my Korean kitchen. I had planned on sharing photos of a few things like my rice cooker that had helped me so much in the 3+ years I had been there. However, the madness that led me to go home early and the subsequent seven weeks have meant that picking up a camera and even writing a little bit has been tough! Technically this kitchen is more of a July Kitchen than an August one as I still am having difficulty having any desire to take a photo or to even cook but it does show some of the things from my kitchen that I loved and some of the things I made in my last few weeks in Korea. Additionally, I do have a few things to share from my kitchen at home.
My Korean Kitchen
First up, in my Korean kitchen were these rather wonderful pull out shelves. For anyone who has a small kitchen and/or are incredibly short, they are the perfect solution for extra space. I find, it’s a lot handier to reach frequently used items like oils, vinegar, soy sauce than having to climb on to a stool to get to the shelves above the counter. I placed them on top of my fridge and I can easily reach 3 of the four shelves. The “baking” shelf is a little harder to reach for me though! Whenever I have a kitchen of my own again, this will be one of the things that I buy.
In my kitchen, was my toaster oven. I bought this three years ago for less than $50 USD and it was definitely my favourite thing in my kitchen. I’ve made lasagna, shepherd’s pie, roasted a turkey breast and much more in this little thing.
Since the last IMK, I have made Jhul’s Nutella French Toast Rollups (pictured below) and Elaine’s Sweet Potato Hummus (not pictured as my camera’s batteries had died). They were both amazing and you should check them out!
I also had a girls cooking night with some friends. We did this on the 3rd July for 4th July (and for Canada Day). Patriotic cheesecake cake, traditional Canadian butter tarts, blueberry blondies and a twist on the above Nutella French Toast Rollups were made. We had a bbq on the day and all these delicious deserts as well as many other amazing dishes were eaten.
And that is everything from my tiny Korean kitchen. I definitely won’t miss it in it’s entirety but I will miss aspects of it especially since it challenged me to be creative in how I cook.
In my Irish kitchens
Since coming home I haven’t cooked very much – except for sausages. I really, really missed Irish sausages in Korea. They are so full of flavour and are great no matter how they are cooked: grilled, roasted, fried, baked, boiled… you name it! Sausages are my dad’s favourite food and he likes to have them as often as possible. For us that’s on the weekend but if he got his way it would probably be every day!
I really got into making my balsamic roasted tomatoes. I made them for my sister when she got out of hospital (I have a new niece!) and I offered to make dinner for her. I don’t have any photos of the spread but I made a few salads and these tomatoes to be served with some hummus on french rolls. My sister and brother-in-law were impressed and since then I’ve made three more batches. They keep well for around a week (Ok, they could probably keep a little longer but I am still learning a lot about canning, preserving etc) and are handy for sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes galore!
![IMG_1520[1]](https://spooninasaucepan.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/img_15201.jpg)
In my kitchen (my Mam’s kitchen to be precise). I have a jar of Tesco brand roasted peppers. This is the next project that I want to do when I get back from my holidays: make my own roasted peppers and preserve them.
Lastly, my friend Kate is visiting me and we went to an Afternoon Tea at Gallaher’s Bistro. This is my third Afternoon tea in about a month and my second time there. It’s great fun and for one who wants to do something a little different with their friends, or on a trip to Ireland.
Be sure and check out the rest of the In My Kitchen posts available at Celia’s wonderful Fig Jam and Lime Cordial blog. Every month, Celia hosts this series with bloggers contributing from all across the world. It’s definitely worth a look see. I love to browse all the entries at the end of the day in work – a little treat for finishing my tasks or at home with a cup of tea. I usually pick two or three every few days. It’s a great way to make some pleasant reading for the whole month!
Spoon in a Saucepan 
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What a wonderful IMK post despite the challenges you’ve faced lately, Maggie, xo. Thank you! I used to have a 3-drawer pullout bin (a “shallower” version) that I housed my spices in — one drawer for savories, one for baking-related, and one for whole spices — you’ve inspired me to get another one! They’re such space savers and I like how you organized yours. You’re definitely a creative cook (oh, the lessons we learn along life’s way!) and your photos are superb. Again, thanks!
They are great space savers! I love them. I may look for something like it as a present for my sister! She has a small house and could probably use it. Thanks for the compliments – you are very sweet! Have a good week!
Hi Maggie, thank you so much for making and liking my recipe 🙂 🙂 that makes me very happy! And I love the tomatoes, they look so good! x
But, of course, Elaine! It was o good – I am going to look for some tahini so I can make it again – properly this time! Hope you get to try the tomatoes at some point. Take care!
You can make your own tahini but it is a labour of love…
Yes, I have a friend who makes it quite frequently but I have to get around to it – it’s on the list of things to do this year! But I want hummus sooner than I will want to make tahini 🙂 When I do, I’ll let you know how it turns out!
That sounds fair enough to me 🙂
I love those pull out drawers. Looks like a great way to store things with limited space. Afternoon tea sounds wonderful, wish we had a great place for it here, unfortunately the only way is to make it myself. Irish sausages, I can imagine how you missed them. Welcome back to the kitchen and happy cooking.
Yes, that is a problem! Thankfully Afternoon Tea sounds like it is becoming “hip” so you never know but you may get a chance sooner than you expect. I have had way more sausages than I ever probably should in the last two months but I still crave them! Thanks so much for the welcome back – I was just away for two weeks so I need to get back stuck in soon!
I’ve been using a bench top oven similar tooth for nearly 3 years now and it is amazing what it can do, yes creativity can blossom! You have some beautiful tomatoes there, have you ever tried sprinkling some sumac over them? Mind blowing. Beautiful looking afternoon tea, yum! Thanks. Maree 🙂
No, I haven’t tried sumac but I will do so and let you know how they turn out! Thanks, Maree for the suggestion!
I love the Korean and Irish kitchen, Maggie. Thanks for the mention and for sharing the French toast roll ups. Nice to have a peek. 😉 Have a lovely week, Maggie. Hugs! x
Of course, Jhuls! They were just amazing! I am going to try and make them for my siblings here so they can share in the goodness! Thanks, have a great one yourself! Hugs and thanks!! x