Can you believe I have my IMK post done on day one of the month? I’ve not had a good month so I’ve decided that June is going to be MY month where everything good happens and everything is done on time. Starting right now.
I received these gorgeous Rose Obsessions roasted macadamia nuts in rose flavoured dark chocolate from Duck Creek Macadamias when I won a giveaway from Liz Posmyk from Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things. They were definitely good things because I ate one, I photographed them quickly and when I went back later to have one, all gone. John loved them and so did his father.
Then I opened one of the boxes that John’s father had sent up from his house down south and found this beautiful Orrefors crystal platter. It’s never been used as the tag is still on there! It weighs a ton but I’m sure it will come in handy for entertaining.
I entered a giveaway at Hotly Spiced and Not Quite Nigella for some chocolate from Coco Chocolate Australia, artisan chocolates in Sydney. Charlie from Hotly Spiced sent me my winnings. I couldn’t believe my luck because this chocolate is really dark – 90% dark! It’s not the type of chocolate you can eat by the handful as there’s very little sweetness but a whole lot of dreamy chocolate.
The bars are $10.50 each and I got heaps of them. I was over the moon with the different flavours too. There’s plain, cardamom and cinnamon, rose and black pepper, cocoa nibs, fig and date, chilli, cinnamon and vanilla, raspberry, orange oil, cranberry, pistachio and cinnamon and hazelnuts and sea salt. I have them all to myself until John reads this post because I have said, “You can’t touch them until they’re photograhed!” He loves chocolate.
The chocolate people also have the Sydney Chocolate School where I would love to have the opportunity to attend a few classes.
I know, I can hear you from here, ‘not too exciting’. There are no such things as graham crackers in Australia so when I got this wonderful box from my friend Carolyn I was over the moon. She asked me what recipe I would use them on and I’ve been deciding for over a week. I don’t want to waste a crumb. I know they aren’t good for me and they are full of things I should do without but seriously… they’re graham cracker crumbs!
This ceramic water filter is a gift to myself. I’ve wanted one for a long time and I got the opportunity to buy this one and I love it. There’s a rainwater tank outside and I fill it from there and the water tastes just like, well… water. No chlorine taste for me.
This was one of my first items in the shopping cart at Costco North Lakes just before adding a giant 1.3 kilo (3-lb) jar of Skippy peanut butter and American bacon. Note that the jar of Jelly Bellys is 1.8 kilos!
Okay, this is technically not in my kitchen but we were both in the kitchen before we headed to the beach. It’s no easy trick to toss the ball and take the photo, I can tell you. There were 854 photos taken to get about 3 good shots. He’s worth it.
Can we please see what’s in your kitchen. Head over to Celia’s Fig Jam and Lime Cordial and see ALL the kitchens and add yours too.
Oh, that water filter brought me incredibly vivid memories… did you know that every home in Brazil had one of these? I don’t think they are popular anymore, but my Mom had hers for decades, and a full procedure to clean it and change the “filter”
and how cool that you won that giveaway for the chocolates!!!! Awesome!
I don’t even need to comment on the doggie… I’ve been melting over our photos on FB, but this one is a shot of a lifetime indeed – pure action!
(I will be joining IMK this month, after a 2 month disappearance…. )
I would go crazy over graham cracker crumbs if I had to do without them too! They’re so good!!! 🙂
What a fun post! I LOVE dark chocolate, the darker the better! I can’t wait to see what you do with your imported graham crackers crumbs…
I was starting to drool at the first picture as I thought it was a truffle but a chocolate covered macadamia nut … I guess I’d try one. Or two. Oh heck, shove the men out of the way and let the ladies at them. Speaking of dark chocolate, I picked up some 74% Swiss dark chocolate which was a lot less per 100gm bar.
I’d love to have that crystal platter. Especially as it may be sturdy enough to survive my klutziness for a while. Jelly bellies, I would love to have some of those as well.
The dedication of taking all those pictures to get a few good shots. I can relate. 🙂
Hello Maureen, you have been a very lucky winner and having heaps of chocolate in all those wonderful flavours such as chilli and cinnamon sounds blissful. Just make sure your sweet little furry friend does not get into your secret chocolate stash. Mine, (wink wink) is hidden under the broccoli in the cripser. My teenagers never look in there so we are good to go. Great shots of your pup, only 854 photos…lol you better buy another terabyte of storage. Have a super weekend. BAM
G’day! It is always fun and great being invited into your kitchen Maureen, true!
You would NOT have wanted to be here when I YELLED out, “”OMG GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS” lol …must be an American thing too! lol
I am glad June WILL be your month as you are deserving of nothing but the best!
Cheers! Joanne
Hehe great haul Maureen! BTW are you missing anything from the states that you can’t get at Costco? I’m here for another few days so let me know if I can pick you up anything! 😀
There’s that jar of jelly beans. It’s huge! 🙂 I’d much rather have a bite or two of those chocolates and those Rose obsessions – those look SO good! Fun post Maureen!
Fun stuff! I was at Costco on Friday and say the massive Jelly Belly jar and thought of you! Not that I don’t love them (I do, I do!) but I have loads of opportunities to buy them. Or is that heaps? 😉 That’s a gorgeous Orrefors crystal platter! How I envy you! And envy really everything in your kitchen is month. Fun, fun post — thanks.
Wow seems like the chocolate is really and lollies are all the rage in your kitchen 😀
Nice one!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I might just have to get me some of those Chocolate Coated Macadamias, they look like truffles! I was thinking of becoming a member of Costco but north Lakes is about and hour away… do you think it is worth it?
Hi Maureen, Great shot of Charlie!!
I have decided to make some Graham Crackers. I was on the web searching for a Granita recipe and most of the hits I got were from expat Americans asking for Australian substitutes for Graham Crackers. It appears that Granitas are the closest you will get. So I figured, if you can substitute Granitas for Graham Crackers you may be able to substitute Graham Crackers for Granitas 🙂
Hi Maureen – I saw on Twitter that you were heading off to Costco. An ex-pats dream no doubt. I love Jelly Belly’s too and knew it was a big jar because they looked so small in the picture. Good on you for winning that chocolate haul. A great pick me up to start YOUR month! xxx
Thanks for a look in your kitchen. I’ve read heaps of recipes that call for Graham Cracker crumbs but just thought they were crushed digestives! Love the last photo 🙂
Pretty gifts you got there! I prefer dark chocs over any other chocs so I’m like drooling at the sight! This will be a good month for you, I’m sure ;).
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Nice things, love that platter…and the truffles…
ela h.
Hi Maureen, I love the fact that you are taking June to be your month, great attitude, you have a little bit of everything. Lovely bars of chocolate! Happy week-end!
The crystal platter is so pretty! Looks like you were having a fun time on the Beach. =)
Love the chocolates too!
Have a great week! =)
I’m so glad the chocolate arrived safely. How fabulous that you won two giveaways and both were chocolates! You are certainly good at catching Charlie in action shots. I see so many US blogger recipes calling for Graham crackers! I always let them know we can’t buy them here. I remember the days when Orrefors was huge – everyone had those super-heavy platters. I’m glad there was some treasure in all those boxes that came up from the south xx
That jar of Jelly Belly beans is such a Costco item – I have one in my pantry too, and I can’t get through it (I keep running into hideous banana flavoured ones), so I tried to portion them out at Halloween. Didn’t work – still have heaps left! Congrats on all your wins, what wonderful prizes! And love that Orrefors plate, how beautiful is that! How high did you have to toss that ball to get your camera out in time to take a photo of Charlie mid-air? 🙂
I’m even more jeslous of your costco visit now. We drove out yesterday. After spending about 20minfrom highway to carpark we spotted the line at least 300 deep to get in the door and turned around and went home 🙁 love the pic of Charlie. Definitely worth it.
Oh Maureen, I’m so delighted that you are enjoying (or make that, enjoyed) the Rose Obsessions! They really are quite exquisite… I could eat a truckload! Loving that action shot of Mr Charlie… I wish I had his energy, bless him!
The platter, wow, I can imagine how heavy it must be. You will get good use out of that, I’m sure. Wishing you the BEST month ever! June is the beginning of the second half of the year and I think things are going to be much better for you from here on in. Certainly with your positive attitude, they must! Besides, you deserve no less. xoxo
Typing this again as the first comment seems to have disappeared! So delighted that you enjoyed the Rose Obsessions, Maureen. They are quite exquisite, I could eat a truckload. Love the action shot of Mr Charlie, wish I had his energy, bless him.
June is the start of the second half of the year, and this represents a fresh beginning for you. May it be the BEST ever. You deserve nothing less! xox
Hi Maureen: Thx so much for stopping by TC, it was so nice to hear from you! 😉 I like this rundown and post of “in my kitchen” wasn’t sure if it was a monthly regular or series, but great idea! Are those chocolate truffles with macadamias??? Yes please!
Have a lovely week. 🙂
You lucky dog!! All that chocolate, oh man! Why does there have to be a huge ocean separating us? Love, love, love that picture of Charlie. How in the world did you ever capture that? It’s amazing!!
So happy you have Costco now. To us, it’s just one of life’s delightful treasures. (We’re weird, I know, but when the kids were younger, we’d sometimes get a babysitter and go on a Costco-date. We were thrilled.)
Lucky you with all those chocolates! I hope this month is much better for you sweetie xox
I’m so excited for you!! I actually got a little giddy when I saw the graham cracker crumbs!! I too would give it a lot of thought before using them. I think I would make small individual sized pies so that I could have more than one type. Simply because I’m indecisive and wouldn’t be able to make up my mind! Great look in your kitchen this month! Hope June is a really good month for you!
Graham crackers!!! Oh how I adored them when I went to America. The crumb mix would be so handy to have in my kitchen. Those chocolate macadamias look divine too.
Krissie x – http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au
Maureen that is one gorgeous plate and perfect for entertaining. Great shot of Charlie mid catch it’s always lovely to see him. Sending you good vibes for June x
Charlie is just too cute – even soaking wet! Yes – this photo is so worth the 853 others! Those “Rose Obsessions roasted macadamia nuts in rose flavored dark chocolate” sound heavenly! And congrats on winning these giveaways!
Congrats on your chocolate winnings- wow! how delicious!! and the packaging looks so pretty too! Thanks for sharing your kitchen goodies x
Looks like you are off to a great start! The chocolate looks amazing. You are one lucky lady and hope the whole month goes just like that! Love the platter – beautiful.
How lucky you were to win that amazing chocolate!
I love your Costco loot, lol! That ceramic jar is beautiful.
You always have the best stuff going on in your kitchen.
90% chocolate sounds dreamy!
But, you know, you can make your own graham crackers! I’ve made my own for s’mores for my site before and they’re very simple to bake. If you plan to grind them, the process is even easier because you don’t need to cut out pretty shapes.
Maureen you had me at “roasted macadamia nuts in rose-flavored dark chocolate.” They sound positively divine, I’m jealous!
This is your lucky month! That chocolate looks amazing. We spent some time in SAF and no graham cracker crumbs there either. They said to use tennis biscuits. I made 7 layer or Magic Cookie Bars. They are good even w/o graham cracker crumbs but much better with! Have fun!
Really appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Excellent.
You take the chocolate class and I’m taking a Texas BBQ class and we can swap notes. Deal? I might be insane for signing up for a bbq class in June, in Texas. Praying for cool weather.
I bought one of those jelly belly jars and filled up my gumball machine. best thing ever.
Mmmmmm … chocolate, chocolate, chocolate (plus a gorgeous crystal platter and a super-cute doggy-on-beach pic)! Yep – June is gonna be your month for sure! Ok – so I have to admit that any photo of a happy dog will pretty much always be my fave, but those gorgeous chocolate bars are a close second! Cardamom and cinnamon? Chilli?? Hazelnuts and sea salt??? I’m all in! What a fun post! 😀
surprisingly enough I use graham cracker crumbs in so many things! I think its a genius move on keebler!
All of that chocolate has me very envious of your kitchen this month! And I’m envious of your Costco too – we have a Sam’s here, but no Costco. But, no graham crackers in Australia? That is sad 🙂
It’s good to see when someone wins a giveaway. I often wonder who they are. How wonderful to be able to drink filtered rainwater; ours has been through goodness knows how many people and is heavily chlorinated.
love the crystal platter~ its so beautiful!
oooh yes maureen those rose flavoured dark choc macadamias have been my fave for quite some time. When i do buy a jar i’m afraid the whole thing disappears down my gullet quick smart. hubby doesnt get a look in! thanks for sharing your fun stuff and hope you have a good month.
I understand graham cracker excitement! I was so delighted to try them in the US last year, and wish we had them in Australia. I am also excited on your behalf with your chocolate winnings. That’s a great platter you discovered too – very pretty.
Lots of cool things in your kitchen but I love your water pitcher, it’s just gorgeous.
You don’t have Graham crackers crumbed or whole in the UK either we have a similar biscuit but I always have to adapt recipes from the USA that use them. I wouldn’t know what to do with them first if I was given some 😀 I would be all in a dither not wanting to waste them! And that is a super size tub of jelly beans!!!
Nice post, chocolate and more chocolate, it’s my favorite, especially dark chocolate with macadamia nuts! I would use the graham crackers crumbs for a cheesecake!
Rose flavoured dark chocolate ? YUM! Sounds like it’s time for you to take up gambling since you’re on a winning streak. 😉
Graham cracker crumbs? Um, that would mean cheesecake around here, but you can’t really go wrong.
I am craving a big handful of that chocolate right now. Of course I’d eat it slowly… of course. 😉
Oh now I’m craving those chocolate macadamias, divine!
The dark chocolate macadamia is my favorite! And your new ceramic water filter looks beautiful! I’ve never seen one like that (I only see those plastic bottle one). It’s such a nice present to yourself. 🙂
Oh that water urn is devine! I think I need to spoil myself and get me a present of these days too.
I’m yet to shop at Costco, I think it could be dangerous and i’d need to take a friend or someone with logic to hold me back otherwise i’d have a trolley full of bulk items like those jelly beans. The problem is of course, i’d eat them all in one seating so smaller quantities are safer in this household 😉
So glad to see such a strong focus in your IMK post on the most important food group – chocolate. I’m quite jealous. 😉
Looks like lovely finds…. I adore that water filter 🙂 I know what you mean about taking a ton of photos to get a good photo… that seems like what I do all the time. 🙂
Ah, Jelly Belly. My all-time fave is the green apple flavor. — Congrats on getting out of Costco alive. 😉
I’m ready to go back again, Adam, how wacky is that? I’m an American the minute I cross the threshold. 🙂
Maureen, it looks like you hit the mother lode of chocolate this month! (Sounds like you may need to hide a couple of those bars.) 😉 Your Orrefors platter is exquisite — heavy crystal platters make whatever you serve even more special — such a nice “feel” to them. Loved your action shot on the beach, too — no easy feat capturing ball and pup in mid-air. Cute!!!
I also don’t joke with chocolates, i can even eat them without taken any other food. Oh yea……the green Apple flavour is also a never missed.
Thanks for sharing.