Welcome to what’s in my kitchen, a monthly series hosted by Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.  What I have isn’t much this month.  I haven’t done much shopping and I think that’s the best way to get new things in your kitchen unless you get lots of gifts. No such luck.

So first we have my favourite sandwich in the whole world.  It’s chicken breast (or turkey) that’s been well cooked but still juicy, a layer of stuffing and then a layer of cranberry sauce.  Back in Maine at Big G’s Deli just up the road from where my mother lived, it’s called the Miles Standwich (of Miles Standish, Pilgrim Thanksgiving fame).  John rolls his eyes but that doesn’t bother me.

He’ll say, “Who puts cranberry sauce and stuffing on a sandwich?”

I reply, “Who dreamed up Vegemite?”

BOOM!  Then I quit while I’m ahead before he thinks about a fluffernutter.

I did get a lovely gift this month from Sara at Belly Rumbles when I won her Halloween giveaway. American candy, people!  I tossed in a few of those pumpkin kisses in Joan’s Halloween basket and she fished them out one by one and ate them all.  I should have said, “That’s American candy, Joan!”  When John and I got together his mother was convinced Americans were all like you see on tv who talk loudly and chew gum.  She learned to love me in spite of my American ways.

My second favourite sandwich is tuna salad with onions, mayo and celery then dusted with a bit of ordinary paprika.  John doesn’t do mayonnaise so it’s all for me.

I went to Costco recently and all this was on Rob’s shopping list for his room at the nursing home.  “Why so much?” I asked him.

When Joan comes to his room to visit she eats all his chocolate covered raisins and takes a jar of mints back to her room.  We’re not sure whether she’s eating them or giving them away but either way, Rob’s out of mints and raisins.  He gets a dry mouth from some of his medication and the mints help.  The tin of cookies we brought for Joan and in spite of being no bigger than a minute, went through quite a few within minutes of opening them up.

I went to the Noosa Beach House restaurant created by Peter Kuruvita for the Sheraton Noosa Spa and Resort and came home with these two gems. (post coming soon)  I wish I could invite you over for dinner when I crack these two bottles open.

Finally, my best four-legged friend is in dire need of a haircut.  He wants it shorter but he doesn’t like to go through the trauma of getting it done so we wait til the last minute.  He’ll look like a sheared lamb this time next week.  The wonderful woman who helps me tidy the place up didn’t have her thinking cap on when she put two bags of treats (open!) on the bottom shelf of the pantry.  I often leave the door open when I’m cooking and I left and went upstairs.

“Charlie, did you get in the treats???”

wag wag wag