Well, the end of the year jumps on you before you know where you are. Just a few more sleeps and we will be at the beginning of another new year.
As always a big thank you to Celia over at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting this fun monthly event. It’s great fun peeking into so many beautiful and different kitchens each month. Please remember Celia needs all IMK posts submitted by the 10th of every month.
In my kitchen…
A full month ago (I really do need to keep up to speed) were cupcakes for our neighbours. Their beautiful little daughter Jasmine was born after mommy went through 2 days of labour so I thought celebratory cupcakes were in order.
Love the detail on the teddy’s
All pretty in pink for baby Jasmine
In my kitchen…
Is a red quinoa salad. Not sure the red is any different to the white and would probably mix the two just for colour effect. I keep saying quinoa on its own is very bland but in this salad is an absolute winner!
In my kitchen…
Well, actually in my bathroom but I wanted to share with you the beautiful hand crafted ebony candle stick Pete brought back from Malawi for me.
In my kitchen…
Is a new kettle. Our old one suddenly gave up the ghost and was I in for a surprise to see how expensive kettles have become.
In my kitchen…
Is a new shelf in the spice cupboard. What a difference a little extra space makes.
Things are still skew from the water damage we had. Oh what a memory, something I hope never to endure again.
In my kitchen…
Is some raw honey Pete and I bought on a trip away and on reading the label comes from just down the road from where we live.
What’s in your kitchen this month? Please remember to link back to Celia’s blog Fig Jam and Lime Cordial if you partake in the fun and drop her a quick note to let her know when your post will be up.
The Complete Book 
looooooooooooove everything, Mandy.
those cupcakes are magical w/ the glitter & little bears.
your candle! YES.
And “YOU” are so organized in your pantry! WOW. Everything in perfect little rows…. xxx KISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
Awww Kim, you are too kind! Sadly I am one of those who likes everything in order – silly me. One day you can come and muddle them all up for me. Have a beautiful and happy day friend. 🙂 xoxoxo
Those cup cakes are just gorgeous!.. c
Thanks C! Must say, I loved decorating them. I would love to find kitty decorations 😀 Have a wonderful day. 🙂 xo
The cupcakes are so adorable! Really love your post ❤
Hi Arielle, thank you so much for your beautiful words. Have a wonderful day. 🙂 xo
Seasons eatings to you Mandy… love all the goodies in your kitchen this month… and those cupcakes… wow, very pretty indeed!
Thanks Lizzy and seasons greetings to you too. Have a wonderful day. 🙂 xo
The best honey for you is one harvested from close to where you live. Love your candle stick and the sugar bear is beautiful 🙂
I love my candle stick – it was a perfect gift. Have a wonderful afternoon Tandy. 🙂 xo
You did a fantastic job in creating those cupcakes, Mandy. I wish my cupboard as tidy as yours.
Have a great week ahead!
Angie
Thanks Angie – have a great week ahead too. 🙂 xo
I love that candlestick. How handy to have an extra shelf in your spice cupboard. Those cupcakes are so gorgeous xx
I could do with double the amount of cupboard space Charlie – then again I would probably just put more in them! Have a beautiful day. 🙂 xo
I love the potential of a spice shelf … all those jars tempting us
I love the way you think Claire – think I will have to get creative. Have a super afternoon. 🙂 xo
It is funny about the honey coming from a location right down the road from you but that you found it while traveling.
Something only Pete and I could do. 😀 Have a wonderful week ahead Karen. 🙂 xo
Oh no…it sounds like something I would do too. 😀
😀
Beautiful kitchen this month Mandy as usual. That candle stick is divine and well worth sharing! how do you get your cupcakes icing all glittery like that? And really there is nothing better than an organised spice rack 🙂 mine is a bit of a mess at the moment because I have run out of containers! Thanks for sharing! Liz x
Hi Liz, thank you for your lovely compliment. 😀 I get little containers of edible glitter which I flick on to the top of the icing using a silicone pastry brush. I have just replaced a few of my old spices so felt a tidy up was in order. Have a beautiful day. 🙂 xo
Hi Mandy, what a great idea to add another shelf. I love your new candle stick and, of course, your cup cakes look gorgeous.
Hi Glenda, thanks very much. Can’t believe it took so long to add the shelf! Have a super day. 🙂 xo
Your shelves are so neat….. Mine are a higgedly-piggedly jumble of things. Of course, I can lay my hands on exactly what I want. 🙂
Hi Aruna, thanks so much. I am somewhat painful about neatness although I am starting to relax a little with it as I get older. 😀 Have a wonderful day. 🙂 xo
Your cupcakes look absolutely delicious, wouldn’t mind a nice big batch myself 😛
Great in my kitchen!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Aww thanks CCU! Have a lovely day. 🙂 xo
G’day Absolutely love the cupcakes and just viewing in your kitchen this month brightened my day! Thank you! Cheers! Joanne
Joanne, thank you for such lovely kind words. Have a wonderful month ahead. 🙂 xo
Always love this series Mandy. The handcrafted candle stick is beautiful. Glad you included it. And I can’t believe we’re already flying through December either. 🙂
Scary to think we will be starting another new year soon Kristy. Have a wonderful and happy day. 🙂 xo
Oh boy, oh boy those cupcakes…
Thanks Jennifer! Have a super day. 🙂 xo
Okay I am seriously jealous of your spice cabinet. I wish mine stayed that neat throughout the day lol. Unfortunately it does not. Loving the kitchen
Thanks Kay! I am quite painful with my neatness. Have a wonderful day. 🙂 xo
Loving that salad, Mandy! Is it still in your kitchen? If it were in mine it’s already gone after taking the photograph, LOL.
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
Sadly the Salad never lasts more than one sitting in our home – I was taking mouthfuls from another dish while photographing this one. Have a wonderful day. 🙂 xo
I’m so impressed with your very neat spice cupboard! How adorable are those cupcakes, loving the glitter. Have a great month ahead. x
Thanks Vicki! Have a wonderful month too. 🙂 xo
such lovely cupcakes, Mandy, and how thoughtful to make them for your neighbors … oops … neighbours. I’m sure they were very much appreciated. Too bad there’s an ocean between us. We could barter pasta for cupcakes. 🙂
Oh John what a brilliant bartering idea! Now, if I can find that string to pull to bring us closer together, I will let you know. Have a wonderful day – hope it is full of colour – color. 😀 xo
I’m with everyone else on the cupcakes, they’re gorgeous! But what i really want to do is light the candle int he beautiful candlestick and sit by candlelight dipping into that honey with a little spoon 😉
Aww thanks Tanya! I love the way you think although I will skip the honey and tuck into a cupcake. 😀 Have a beautiful day. 🙂 xo
Every inch of shelf space counts in a kitchen, a whole new shelf must have felt like Christmas! Thanks for the peek into your kitchen Mandy
I agree Sandra, I could do with double the amount of shelf space and it was just like Christmas when the extra shelf went up. Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by. 🙂 xo
Very impressed by the cup cakes also, I’m hopeless at icing! I love the look of that salad too, such great colour contrasts and I’m sure tasty as well.
Thanks for giving us all a peek!
Beck
Hi Beck, thanks for stopping by and for your kind words. The salad is an absolute winner – one I will definitely be making more and more as the weather heads into summer. Have a super day. 🙂 xo
Hi Mandy, how sweet of you to bring your neighbor cupcakes. My spice shelf is a complete mess, I can never find anything, your looks so nice and organized. Happy Holidays to you!
Thanks Cheri. Happy holidays to you too. 🙂 xoxo
Mandy…… Happy December my friend! 🙂
Loving everything happening in your kitchen (& bathroom). Especially the glittery cupcakes, so cute. Your pantry looks amazing, I cant believe how organised you are. If anyone looked at my pantry, they would be disgusted, its a total shamble.
As always, its a treat to see what’s cookin in your world.
Hugs and love across the oceans.
PS: I have started researching flights for my visit next year, and I have taken leave from work for the month of October. Tiny steps closer to finalising my trip to see you. Yay! 🙂
Happy December to you too hon. Tell you what, you can come and rearrange all my kitchen cupboards when you are here. 😀
Woohoo, its official, the first steps have taken places, leave put it, looking at flights, soon we will be officially counting the sleeps. Can’t wait.
Have a beautiful day Anna. 🙂 xoxoxo
I love your cupcakes! They are so pretty and perfect for a new mother of a little girl with the gorgeous presentation box. I enjoyed reading the raw honey label, poetry in motion and how sweet of hubby to bring you back a candle from his travels. Super red quinoa salad too, I have enjoyed reading your blog 😀
Hi Merryn, thanks so much for stopping by and for your very kind words. I can’t wait to get shopping for some Christmas decorations for on top of festive cupcakes. My husband is a sweetheart and always finds the most apt gifts for me, love him so much! Have a super day. 🙂 xo
2 days of labour? Lordy! As for the kettle, it’s always the way. When something dies my first thought is usually ‘What? How can that have stopped working? I’ve only had it for a few years.’…checks paperwork…’Oh. 12 years!’. Thanks for the tour and for also taking the time to read my posts and leave a comment. cheers Fiona
I am exactly the same when it comes to warranties – just shows how quickly time goes by. Have a wonderful week ahead Fiona. 🙂 xo
I think we should pour a cup of tea together Mandy, because now we have matching kettles! And it’s really very good, but as you say, expensive. Beautiful ebony candlestick and hon, those cupcakes are just gorgeous! You’re SO good at this decorating bit! Have a wonderful Christmas, my lovely friend.. xxx
Oh how lovely to know we have the same kettles Celia. A cup of tea with you would be lovely! Thank you for your lovely compliment but I can only really ice cupcakes the way you see them – I can’t for the life of me pipe beautiful roses like you have recently. Have a super week ahead. 🙂 xo
that salad and those cupcakes are just simply divine!
Aww thanks Belle. Have a beautiful week ahead. 🙂 xo
Iiiiiii would love those cupcakes while my husband would love that quinoa salad! 😉 yummy.
I’m a piggy – I love both. Have a super week ahead. 🙂 xo
That red quinoa salad has caught my eye – must have a good search and see if it’s stocked here in Dubai.
I do hope you find some Sally. Have a happy week ahead. 🙂 xo
We’re enjoying the late fall/early winter veggies–kale, mustard, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, senposai, komatsuna–along with ll the goodies we put up in the summer. And breakfast has been especially delicious lately, now that we have our pastured pork sausage in the freezer. 🙂
Sounds fabulous Bill, although I had to look up senposai and komatsuna – seems they are both mustard spinach, sounds great. I bet your pork sausages are incredible. Have a wonderful and happy week ahead. 🙂 xo
Hi Mandy. What gorgeous cupcakes and what a pretty box to gift them in! 2 days labour – I can’t even think about it!! The ebony candlestick is gorgeous and so modern too. My kettle gave up a couple of years ago and I too was surprised at how expensive they had become. And guess what? I bought the same one you did! That is just a bit spooky! What a wonderful name for the honey – Badgers Gold – just love that. Have a wonderful December!
Hi Selma, thanks very much. Its great fun decorating cupcakes and I adore my candlestick. We clearly have good taste in kettles. 😀 Have a wonderful December too. 🙂 xo
The cupcakes are absolutely gorgeous, what a lucky neighbor. Your red quinoa salad also looks delicious. The candlestick is also beautiful, such a wonderful gift. Loving the extra shelf in the panty. My husband is building me a new pantry soon and I am planning how he needs to space the shelves, will have to keep this in mind!
Hi Gretchen, thanks very much for your lovely kind words. How lovely to have your hubby build you a pantry, nothing like a custom build cupboard. Have a wonderful day. 🙂 xo
I prefer the red quinoa that has a more nutty flavor then the plain white one! Those cupcakes you made to celebrate the birth of your neighbor’s child look just so beautiful & stunning! It is all in the detail! 😉
I should cook some white and red quinoa (separately) and see if I can taste the difference. I loved decorating the cupcakes, always a fun thing to do. Have a wonderful December Sophie. 🙂 xo
The teddy cupcakes are adorable and I love the way you have packaged them so beautifully. That Quinoa salad looks amazing and healthy too. What more can you ask for. Emma.
Thanks Emma! Have a happy day. 🙂 xo
those cupcakes are beautiful. not sure about quinoa. healthy i guess but maybe not so tasty:)
i just love that ebony candle holder. how gorgeous it is.
have a great xmas.
Hi Sherry. I am only a fan of quinoa in this salad, it really is well worth making. On it’s own, quite honestly it tastes like nothing but has a great texture. I am in love with my candle stick and light a candle every evening when I get into the bath. Happy holidays. 🙂 xo
Where could I get hold of a bottle of that honey in USA!?? Something that is Badger-Friendly?? Need advise… Thanks!
Unfortunately I am in South Africa so sadly can’t help you. I am sure you will be able to purchase it online. Hope you find it. Have a super day. 🙂