"On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does." - Will Rogers

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From my kitchen in November (pictures from the 2 group cookouts will come in a later post):



BLT Pizza


Before putting the lettuce and mayo on


Very bagus. Instead of glazing it with vegetable oil I used the bacon drippings.


Bacon mushroom chicken with Frigid Girl:




Before and after baking


Making sauce from drippings


Final. A bit too little sauce and mushrooms, and the garlic was cremated, but this simple recipe still came out well.


Pork curry.


Ingredients. I added chicken stock later.


I should've half-cooked the potatoes before throwing them in (or cut them even smaller) but I was lazy, so I let the thing stew for a while more and the potatoes came out alright.


The first time I tried making curry it turned out really weird-tasting, but this round was good. Personally I thank the cream.


The first time I made Focaccia (at least in the latter half of the year; I love this recipe - it really is the "Easiest Focaccia Recipe"):


It looked alright, but the crumb was horrible.

Why, you might ask? The yeast bottle read: "Made in Malaysia", so despite it being a few months from expiring; even their microrganisms CMI!

I should put no yeast next time and it'll probably turn out like this.


I don't know what happened to my Balsamic Vinegar. French Dressing works as a substitute, though it's a bit acrid.

My second round of focaccia was much better (Yeast bottle: "Made in Singapore):


I also put more herbs - Herbs Provencale (versus Rosemary, Marjoram Tnd thyme previously)

I forgot to put salt into the dough decided to be authentic and rub the dough with salt before baking, but I didn't like the inconsistent taste that produced.



The third time I not only mixed the herbs into the dough (to get more consistent flavour), I soaked them in olive oil for a while before dumping them in. This improved the product somewhat (even if you're not supposed to do it).




Honey Bread:


Before and after second rising.


Glazed and ready to bake


Baked

It didn't taste of honey at all (there was a slight fragrance though). I guess the small amount of 1 tablespoon is all eaten up by the yeast, but I feel cheated by the description!


One night I was hungry, so I went to grate some potatoes to make potato pancakes.


Grating is a thankless job. !@#$


After you add flour and an egg the pathetic amount grated doesn't look so pathetic anymore.


I put ham in these (was trying to finish my ham chips) so they weren't *that* good. Bacon would've been better.


Pancakes:


Batter


I preferred the pancakes I made during Sausagefest. These were too eggy.


I was more or less out of Maple Apple Delight. They taste better with Nutella though.



Bratkartoffeln. The last time it wasn't fried enough but I took care to make the potato bits crispy this time.


Fried Rice


Fried pasta. The colourful garnishing didn't make it taste better, but it's one reason I didn't suffer from scurvy.


Word to the wise: putting lemon in your water works for the first few hours. Overnight, it becomes bitter.


Pork Stew. I also added the last of my frozen Red Wine and some cinammon for a hint of sweetness.