Home Cookin'
FEATURED NOV 2009 YOUR LIVING SPACES
It was my Dad that taught me to cook, and his secret was this “Rose, use what you have in the kitchen, and cook for those you love.” Today’s Sunday lunch with friends mean home cookin’, relaxed conversations,music and laughs. Here the table is set casually with Mick’s famous venison goulash, (the venison was a gift from another friend), organic oats and barley, and my German style home-made sourdough dark rye. Sharon and Charuhas have been getting my taste buds going over the past couple of weeks, so here’s some of your own treatment back at you friends!!
Bon Apetito!


As for the sourdough recipe- I have been using the same starter now for about six months, and fully expect this to outlive me eventually. For great tips on making sourdough, Youtube is hard to beat. This is where I gleaned much of my knowledge of how simple sourdough can be. I tried books before, but really needed the visuals.
Basically, I use two cups of my organic sourdough spelt starter, and combine with two cups flour, two tablespoons olive oil, milk added to texture, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of molasses sugar, two tablespoons of caraway seeds. Kneaded together. Allowed to rise for a couple of hours in a warm place. Baked in a steam oven, interrupting the bake every 10 minutes three times to add a spray of water over the loaves to give the crust the nice deep character I am wanting. Total bake time approx 50 mins at 180 celsius (but first introduce into a 250 celsius oven and reduce the temp immediately after steaming) .
The Starter is an easy enough principal. It uses the live wild yeasts in flour to create its own rise and amazing flavours and fragrance in the kitchen. I use spelt flour or dark rye for the starter, feeding it daily, as it’s a living thing, and it’s metabolism needs to operate within the krebs cycle, rather than ketone cycle. But if it starts smelling like nail varnish remover, don’t throw it out! Tip out the fluid part that is collecting, and just feed the remainder with flour. I feed my starter using a half cup of flour and a half cup of mineral water daily.It should be kept in a warm place, covered, but not airtight. Youtube has a great clip about the famous SanFrancisco SourDoughBoudin Bakery where the same starter has been alive and in use since 1849.
One last piece of insight from me about baking bread, and if you have read down this far, you certainly deserve the best of my insights, so here it comes…...I noticed years ago, every time I baked a loaf of bread, Mick would fall in love with me all over again.Drives him nuts..I use this knowledge to my own best advantage believe me!
This wouldn’t be a work from me if I didn’t include a funky video-clip from Youtube. I just love this one- turn it up guys :
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David Hibberd
Looks good, Sounds good, Must be good! Well done Rosie
rodeorose replied
Thanks mate- I can’t believe I actually snuck onto the Bubble while our good friends were here…it is their misfortune to love me dearly, and allow me all my naughtinesses…they enjoyed the piks before they left, and I regained my Brownie points with all.Now- off to check that link you sent me :)))
Esther's Art a...
Lol Love your writing. I sure agree about Sharon and Charuhas. ;o))
I love your table setting and the dark rye bread sure sounds delicious too with the goulash. Look at the steam coming from that pan, Yummy. Fantastic image !!
rodeorose replied
Esther thanks for your wonderful wonderful comments here- WOW! Also, since I see you are a Taswegian, and you folks have the best cooking conditions in the country where you are, you may be interested to chase up the links I have just added in the right column to Youtube where you’ll find the secrets of sourdough revealed so simply and step by step!
Charuhas Images
WOW!!..Love the top view. Looks so elegant. Food looks so delicious and aromatic. Fantastic setting and capture. I would love to join…LOL…Some other time ya.
rodeorose replied
Charuhas Welcome!!!!! I wanna try some of that sambal of yours my friend- I like it hot! But you know what was funny- it was such a rush to get this shot before everyone started eating, that the beer didn’t make it to the table- but let me reassure you- we have plenty of that my friend! LOL!!!
Sharon K. Shubert
YUM YUM! Your food and your table looks great! I’ll take a big bowl of the goulash! I’d love to have your bread recipe too. :)
rodeorose replied
Got the bread info up for you now Sharon in the right column- this was a joint effort by Mick and me. We both love to cook but lately have had little excuse.
RakeshSyal
Oh, lovely picture and food, feeling so hungry!
rodeorose replied
Now Rakesh- you are so very welcome here but be ready to trade your curry secrets my friend!!! I’m on a mission!!
lianne
A beautiful setting and a lovely description to complement the purpose of the day. Really lovely Rosie – and it sounds perfectly delicious. Enjoy your day, my friend – I’m sure your guests will! Fabulous!
rodeorose replied
We have all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly dear Lianne- our dear friends and Mick even allowed me to get on RB between courses, and in the end I redeemed myself when I shared the shots with them all…I think they were all so hungry, they didn’t notice how nice things looked till they saw the shots! LOL! You know what my friend- there’s room at this table for you of course! xxx
midzing
Oh Yummy,,, great shot,,, looks delicious!!
rodeorose replied
Middie- I was contemplating stripping down topless in my apron a la your kitchen-shoot-out, but this was before my first drink for the day!! Your benchmark remains in a class of its own!
anisja
Great food , nice table setting . It looks good , it smells good and it feels good . Bravo to the CHEF !
And thanks for the tips .
rodeorose replied
Welcome my friend! xxxxxxxx
autumnwind
a true artist and wonderful cook too! when my artist husband cooks, he insists it is important for the food to not only taste good, but look good as well. He would be very proud of you!!! what a wonderful treat for your guests!! xoxoxo
rodeorose replied
Hey Shar my wonderful friend- thanks so much for your great comments here. I’m glad your husband would approve!!! You’re so welcome here!Big Hugs!!!
WAY0FTHEWARRI0R
Mmmmmmm….Mmmmmm
rodeorose replied
Come on over then! Cheers!
eelsblueEllen
Looks great, love the downward angle, awesome atmosphere. :)
rodeorose replied
Hey Ellen- I’m so thrilled you liked this. I think the dinner table is so important to get right for ambiance – it’s how I won over my step-children years ago!
Maureen Maliha
Stop that :-) Wonderful, Rosie!!!
rodeorose replied
Maureen- we’re waiting for you!! xxx
Larry Butterworth
looks like great food and a great time with freinds, enjoy yourself
rodeorose replied
Cheers Larry!! Thanks so much for enjoying this one.
Isa Rodriguez
oh my.. what sweet wisdom daddy gave you !. this is sooo stunning.. i love your style at the table . I wish I had that gift you have for beauty in the home.. lol.. i suck at it:))
rodeorose replied
Daddy gave me so much wisdom Isa you would cry…as for style, for me it’s about making a home, and that has to only be through the heart eh? Much love to you and thanks for you very kind words my friend xx (ps- this table looks quite different through the working week believe me!!)
UnEasy
What can i add? A wonderful story, advice lovingly handed down father to daughter, Mick’s signature dish, friends. all the ingredients for a wonderful afternoon. I do love the photo, and the place settings are fantastic. I don’t know how you did it, but they manage to be ‘homey’ and ‘chic’ at the same time. Rosie, you are a magician. You make moments magic, relationships magic, words and images magic. You are truly a Magus.
rodeorose replied
Your comments are just so awesome Kevin- you blew the laptop off my lap! You are the word and photo Magus my dear friend. Thanks so much for this, and just let me know when we can expect you out our neck o’ the woods, and we’ll set a place for you!
Trenchtownrock
And she cooks as well…
rodeorose replied
Oh Chris- only with love. xx
Ninit K
wow, amazing photo, food and atmosphere! love the arms that are visible at the edge of the photo! :)
rodeorose replied
Yes Lina- I am so thrilled you enjoyed the arms there- when I saw them I really preferred to leave them in too!
Sharon K. Shubert
Thank you for the bread info Rosie! I love baking sourdough!!! You’re right about that last little tidbit of info. lol…..
rodeorose replied
heh heh heh…much love my friend!
toriyule
Rosie, this is beautiful. You make a beautiful home!
rodeorose replied
Thanks Neighbour! Just come by and we’ll send Mick and Eddie out to catch us something and get this going soon! We can do this together easy!
greenstone
am i invited???? yummey!!!!!!!
rodeorose replied
YEEEEEeeeesssssss! We’ve been waiting for you! XXXXXXXX
Béla Török
Lovely work, dear Rosie!
rodeorose replied
Thanks so much dear friend! Welcome!!
linaji
I just ate.. this table setting is exquisite and the menu Divine!! I am not a baker but I will look forward to the day of breaking bread with you and yours dear Rosie!!
rodeorose replied
That sourdough will wait as long as it takes Linaji, but I’m not sure about me- I’ll come lookin’ for ya if I have to !!! xxxxxxxxx
Esther's Art a...
rodeorose replied
Esther- thanks so very much for this fabulous honor of featuring our lunch table. I can’t tell you what that means to me- this becomes a sacred space to us at meal times, which for us are about creating, talking and sharing together. Many many thanks!!!
foppe47
Enjoy dinner .
Great view :-)
Foppe
rodeorose replied
Thanks Foppe!! Cheers!
Lorena Maria
What a wonderful gift you received from him dear Rosie!!!
rodeorose replied
There were so many Lore my friend- countless…I was born lucky xxx
Sharon K. Shubert
CONGRATULATIONS on your feature Rosie!!!!!
rodeorose replied
I can’t believe it Sharon- thanks for being such an inspiration to me!! Much love xxx
Veikko Suikkanen
Great capture Rosie! Really beautiful setting at the table and venison goulash show really as being delicious, I do self often goulash and venison too.
rodeorose replied
Oh Veikko!!! What a great comment- so glad you could relate!
Danica Radman ...
this is killing me – same sentence I”ve heard from mu grandma and keep living/cooking as she told me to
power of transsmision – * gorgeous photo, Rose*
rodeorose replied
Thanks so much for your beautiful comments shared here :)
rodeorose
Cynthia Lund T...
What a lovely shot. What a lovely cook and hostess you are.
Brenda Dow
YUm… venison goulash… sounds perfect for a comfortable day with friends. Your table is colorful and inviting…. great image Rose and congrats on the feature!!! Now, how did I miss my invitation??? lol I was a traveling girl Rosie!!!!
Everything about this view is just plain good!!!! Jazzy
rodeorose replied
Jazzy- plenty more where this came from!!! We’re expecting you!
Esther's Art a...
Congratulations !! Your image was placed in the Top 10 in the Meals at home challenge.

rodeorose replied
Thanks so much for the news Esther! Love the banner- great work!
rasim1 3 days ago
Wonderful!