May 2026 was brutal! The month started off quiet and calm. I flew back from Johannesburg on the 1st and Dave and I spent the long weekend doing as little as possible. The following Saturday we celebrated my aunt’s 70th birthday. This was special for many reasons, but mostly for seeing all of my cousins. The following day my aunt and uncle came to visit, seeing our house for the first time. Rain had been forecast for the day, but it was not as bad as predicted. The following day, the storms started. One of my staff members had his roof damaged, and the other one was without electricity and water for 2 weeks. Roads and schools were closed, flooding was extensive, and all we could do was wait for the weather to clear. The destruction has been vast, and many farms have been affected.
Recipes from my blog in May 2026
I created a recipe for sourdough naan using an active starter. In the summer months my sourdough is always on the go, and this seemed like a great recipe to create to use what I had fed. I made mini Basque cheesecakes for a friend’s birthday, and spiced almond biscuits for our work coffee breaks. For a Saturday night dinner I baked Mediterranean roast vegetables with Tuscan chicken bake. And for the long weekend, I made Easter bread (even though it was not Easter!).
One new thing in my kitchen
I make myself microwave popcorn nearly every afternoon. This healthy treat takes less than 4 minutes to be ready for devouring. My latest topping for the popcorn has been olive oil and salt, and so in May 2026 I bought myself a spray bottle specifically for oil. This is not the best version of what is out there, but it was the only one I could find at the time. It leaks slightly, but it does what it is meant to do. And, Dave is using it for when he does vegetables on the braai, which makes it a worthwhile purchase.
This is my June submission to the #IMK series hosted by Sherry. Each month bloggers around the world gather to share what is new in their kitchens.
See the links below for blog posts I published on June 2:
- 2024: Island In The Sun
- 2021: May 2021 Showcasing In My Kitchen
- 2019: Battle Sight Zero
- 2017: Soft Pretzels
- 2016: Bone Broth
- 2015: Potato And Anchovy Salad
- 2014: June 2014 Showcasing In My Kitchen
- 2013: Smoking For The I Made It Challenge
- 2012: Food Quiz Number 27 For A Friday
- 2011: Crayfish Curry
- 2010: Babotie (Bobotie)
I’ve asked hubby to buy me a Dreamfarm oil spray/bottle thingy for my birthday! We’ve had weird weather here including flooding and massive storms. So weird for Queensland as winter is usually very dry. Sounds like a busy month was had with you. Hope your June is fabulous.
cheers
sherry
That is odd for you to have winter storms! I hope they don’t get worse xx
Oh My- sorry to hear about your storm and devastation it caused. I also make myself microwave popcorn almost every day as a snack. I usually just put some salt on top..I’ll bet spraying it with oil tastes great.
I hope you enjoy it with the oil 🙂
I need to get one oil spray bottle too. Happy June, Tandy!
It was a good buy, despite the fact that it leaks slightly 🙂
Olive oil on the popcorn is genius! Thank you. Everything looks delicious, I always enjoy looking at your submission, kind of like a menu, “So, what do I want to eat?” I am going to have to check into a spritz bottle for our kitchen and out on the grill.
I hope you find one that does not leak 🙂
You did some yummy cooking this month. I’ll have to try olive oil on popcorn. Yum.
Hope you enjoy it Pam 🙂
June, so soon! I truly have no idea where the time has gone. Still, looking forward to seeing what you create this month!
Thank you!
the weather here has been mental too, we had a week of terrible heat and it’s back to “winter” and rain. there was a huge hailstorm that even damaged an outdoor exhibition over Pont Neuf that I was looking forward to visit but its opening is now delayed…
now that oil spray thing is interesting because there’s nothing like that here, people like to put big SLUGS of oil and generous pats of butter. I’m always amused when I watch cooking TV in Italy and they say olio d’oliva quanto basta (some quantity of olive oil) and then proceed to coat the bottom of the pan with a good 2cm of oil!
Well, in Italy, that would not count for a lot of oil haha! Can I bring you one as a gift?? I am watching the Paris weather in hope it stays warm for our trip xx
Sorry to hear about the weather – May was crazy here too, we had a heatwave (hottest May day on record or something…) and now it’s grey, raining and in single digit degrees! I recently invested in an oil sprayer too – so handy isn’t it?! Everything looks so delicious, as usual – I really need taste-a-vision for those sourdough naans! YUM!
Taste-a-vision would be a good thing!
Everything looks delicious but I am particularly partial to cheesecake so your mini basque cheesecakes are calling my name!
Hope you make them Marg 🙂