In my kitchen – June 2015, USA edition

Now you’re in Neeeew Yooooork
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it from New York, New York, New York!

I adore Alicia Keys, and I absolutely adore New York.

I’ve also left my heart in San Francisco. Because I adore that part of the world too.

My fabulous holiday culminated with two and a half weeks in the glorious U S of A. And while it’s lovely to be home and to see The Accountant, I do wish I was still travelling. And I don’t mean the whistle-stop visit to Sydney I had on my fourth day back.

My goodies in my kitchen this month are memories and souvenirs from the USA part of my holiday.

In my kitchen…

… was a fabulous breakfast I cooked while I was in New York. I stayed in a wonderful little one-bedroom apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and I completely fell in love with that borough. My first stop in New York was the Union Square Farmers’ Markets – I conveniently arrived in NYC on a Saturday – so I could buy a few supplies. The eggs, cheese and mushrooms in my omelette all were purchased there, and the other supplies came from a little grocery store a block or two from my apartment.

In my kitchen…

… technically in the kitchen of the two-bedroom condo my friend Linda and I rented in San Francisco, are these captivating pieces. While I fell in love with the gecko door handles and the wooden spoons hanging on the wall, I couldn’t stop pouring over the memories table. This was the dining table, and there was another similar coffee table in the living room. All the contents in the table (under a thick glass) are mementoes and reminders of loved ones of the condo owners who are no longer with us. Things like photos, a driver’s licence, jewellery, small collectables, ticket stubs. I can’t tell you how much I love this idea.

In my kitchen…

… are no more Trader Joes peanut butter cups. Cue sad face. Someone I randomly met in a shop told me how luscious and moreish these are, however silly me was still skeptical. Silly because I only bought one packet. WHAT WAS I THINKING! By the time I realised how fab they were it was too late. No more Trader Joes.

In my kitchen…

… is the San Francisco Ferry Markets cookbook. I love a cookbook souvenir from wherever I go. My very dear friend Linda bought this one for me. I met Linda (and her husband Tom) when I lived with them in Canada way back in 1988 as a Rotary Exchange Student. This is the second time we have met up in San Francisco for a week – and it was a week of laughter, reminiscing and lots and lots of great food and wine. And a margarita or three. And an Irish coffee. You get the picture…

In my kitchen…

… is chilli. Lots of different bottles of chilli. And maybe, just maybe, I bought three or four of some of these… Just maybe… My slight obsession with chipotle hasn’t waned at all over the last few years, so a visit to the US was a good excuse to stock up, given it is a fraction of the price we pay here.

And finally in my kitchen…

… are some souvenir magazines from the US and England. I love a good foodie mag and I particularly love the Food Network mag. Olive is a new one to me, and I’ve decided I quite like it too.

 So there you have it! My USA kitchen and a few souvenirs. Have you been to the US? What’s your favourite place to visit there? And do you have any favourite foods from there that are hard to find in Australia?

If, like me, you love having a gawk in other people’s kitchens, make sure you check out this month’s In My Kitchen roundup over at Celia’s website, Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.