Cakes, Community, Food

Discover a New Friendly Friday Photo Challenge

Forestwood

In these strange times of pandemic, we are called to act differently from the norm. We adjust our lifestyle to accommodate the lock downs and social distancing, according to our own countries. I like to think of it as the beginning of something new, rather than something lost.

Friendly Friday

A New Kind of Photography Challenge

With new beginnings, comes change.

Friendly Friday is changing. Slightly.

It is our intention to expand the Friendly Friday challenge.

In the first two weeks of each month, participants are encouraged to dig a little deeper into the theme with their response. adding a short narrative, a story or recipe along with their photo.

Guest Bloggers Wanted

Furthermore, we will be publishing a guest post from a Friendly Friday blogger, in addition to the theme, which will be published on our blogs, in the second week of each month.

If you would like to nominate for a guest post slot on either of the host’s blogs, please let us know in the comments below. More details below.

Friendly Friday Photo challenge
The original Friendly Friday Logo

How has Friendly Friday Changed?

This week and for the first week of each month following, we will set the F.F. theme and, in addition, post either a story, a recipe or a narrative of some kind, along with our photo, addressing the Friendly Friday theme for that week.

As always, it is up to you to interpret the weekly theme, as you see fit. You are only really limited by your imagination.

Bloggers who prefer to simply post a photo, will not be left out as the remaining two or three weeks of each month, will be devoted to the regular Photo challenge in the previous format. i.e. You will be presented with a different photo prompt suggestion for you to interpret as you wish, each week. In this way you will still have an opportunity to publish a photo or photos, on Friendly Friday, if you so choose.

Friendly Friday Theme for this Week

This week, I am challenging you to post a photo and story/recipe/narrative about:

Something New/Something Different

It might not be a food you have tried or a recipe that is the “something different” for you, it might be some other kind of activity, or something from your past that you have suddenly had the opportunity to revisit, something new in your garden, or a different way of doing things.

For me, it was baking with a different food! Read more of what I made, below. But first a reminder on how to participate in Friendly Friday.

How to Join Friendly Friday

To participate in the Challenge this week, you need to:

  • Create a Friendly Friday Post titled: ‘Something new/something different‘
  • If you can, include a recipe or write a short narrative or story, but most importantly, include a photo interpreting this week’s theme.
  • Link back your post to this blog, forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com and Sandy’s blog
  • Tag your post,“Friendly Friday – Something New, Something Different”
  • Leave a comment below so that the hosts and others can find your post (ping backs don’t always work)
  • Let the hosts know if you would like to be featured as a guest blogger.

My New Beginnings with Something Different

Most people say they don’t have time to cook. Has Covid given us more time? Or only reduced distractions so we are willing to do things we have not done avoided before?

Cooking New and Different Foods

I’ve never in my life used Figs before. Neither have I made a Sourdough Mother. My kids might teasingly say I am a sour mother, so I guess I am halfway there! Lol!

So it is definitely a new beginning in the kitchen.

But let’s get back to the figs.

Fig and Walnut Loaf

I don’t really know anything about figs. Figs are something new and different for me. I might even confess to being a bit terrified of using figs. But I don’t want to admit ignorance. They are, after all, very much on trend at the moment.

Not only do I not know how to prepare figs, or how they can be eaten, I don’t know what they go well with, or their nutritional benefit. In fact the only contact I have had with Figs prior to this, is from my local cafe.

They served a mean Fig and Walnut Loaf, sliced and toasted, with lashings of warm butter, strawberries and icing sugar! Garnished with mint.

It was fantastic, it was filling and I was in love.

heart

Soon after discovering the delight that comes with eating figs, this local cafe closed down. I went into an a kind of fig/walnut withdrawal that might see me raid the walnut jar late in to the night! So it became my mission to find a recipe that would equal the cafe’s culinary delight of Fig and Walnut Loaf.

Today it was done and happily shared with neighbours. It was good, really good and now my addiction has been properly fed, the body will no doubt, demand a repeat performance. Figs may be on the menu for some time to come.

Click here to see the full recipe

Writing a Guest Post for Friendly Friday

Are you interested in being featured here as a guest blogger?

Would you like to write a guest post to be published here on Friendly Friday?

You may choose your own theme or alternatively use our suggestions, but a guest post would follow the format:

  1. Address the weekly Friendly Friday theme by writing a post.
  2. Include suitable Photograph/s
  3. Add a Story / Narrative piece or/
  4. Post a Recipe relating to the theme
  5. Submit to Sandy or Amanda


Guest posts will be published the second week in each month.

For further info on how to become a guest blogger, please contact Amanda or Sandy who will happily provide you with more information.




Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

73 thoughts on “Discover a New Friendly Friday Photo Challenge”

  1. Ah, a bit of a change! Just to make it clear: Is the theme going to stay the same the whole month or will it be different each week as so far? I am not volunteering to be a guest host, let’s give others a chance. I love figs straight from the tree the best, or maybe after a couple of hours in the fridge, but I’d love to try your treat.

    Liked by 1 person

      3. I haven’t heard that they are trendy. (Another word I hate, just like “potential” and “ambitious”.) Off the tree they taste like straight from the Garden of Eden. 😉 My parents have two fig trees in their Piran garden. They bear fruit a few times every year.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. How lovely that you can eat them straight off the tree. That is the very best way to eat any kind of fruit, or vegetable. The taste is more intense!
        I don’t like the word trendy, on trend, and I don’t really like the concept of trends. So transient and shallow. Not anything of substance.

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Yes as I remember so it was an italian entry at an Eurovision Song Contest in the first part of the 80s with the couple Alice and Franco. Maybe best known for the three german female opera singers as background vocals. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      11. Wow! I know it from the Eurovision Song Contest but I completely forgot the opera singers. 😀 Good memory! I had another look of this performance and heard the backup singers in action only at the very end. I’d never guess they were German.

        Liked by 2 people

  2. I know of figs but have never bought one. They don’t show up in our markets. Your bread looks delicious. Best of luck with your new photo challenge. I enjoy seeing what you share, and now what you’ll be writing here.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I am so excited about our Friendly Friday change! I always enjoy reading about the stories behind the photos. They tell me something more, about the place, the time and the blogger. I look forward to seeing everyone’s response to our challenge!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I agree Sandy, blogging is often about writing and getting to know and understand others. When there is additional words – They do tell us, “something more, about the place, the time and the blogger.”
      It will be fun to see how this unfolds.

      Liked by 2 people

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  6. Fig and walnut loaf sounds delicious. I often buy fresh figs in the Summer months. Unfortunately our tree is still too young to produce fruit, but hopefully in a few years time it will.
    Fresh figs are delicious pan fried or barbecued with haloumi cheese. I slice the fig in half and caramelise it on the BBQ and serve with the cheese. The sweet and salty combination is amazing 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. That sounds like a beautiful combination. I had wondered how I would prepare them when they were fresh. As I do like haloumi cheese, I love your suggestion, Lorelle! Would this be an entree, dessert or light meal?

      Liked by 1 person

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  8. I remember, many, many years ago, my grandparents had a fig tree in their garden. This tree was absolutely ginormous and every September weekend was spent picking figs before the birds got to them. I never liked figs although they were always sweet… I think it was the texture that did it for me. The tree is long gone now, which is a shame as maybe I would like them now, who knows?

    Here is my post to this new(ish) Friendly Friday
    https://photographias.wordpress.com/2020/05/09/friendly-friday-something-new-different/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey Sofia, Many thanks for your contribution to Friendly Friday. I will pop over and have a look in just a sec. What lovely memories of your grandparents garden. These sound like strong and happy memories and remind me of picking fruit in my own Grandmother’s garden, except it was wild Chinese Gooseberries, not figs. So you don’t eat figs now? Is that due to any particular reason such as issues with supply in Scotland?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I’ve never seen them in supermarkets here, maybe there’s dried ones but I wouldn’t go look for them anyway, not too keen on dried fruit in general 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  9. That is so creative of you to make a sourdough fig and walnut loaf. It looks delicious. You got me thinking about where I’ve eaten fig before. Like you, I’ve had fig a few times at local cafes – with sweet pancakes or toast. I’ve also heard of fig tarts, and I guess figs usually go well with sweet dishes. I think for many of us with work and other commitment such as families and social activities, there isn’t much time to cook or we might not plan well in advance to get ingredients and cook. Cooking doesn’t have to be done everyday, and you can cook a couple of dishes (or prep and cook different protein/vegetables/carbohydrate portions to mix and match) say twice a week and eat that for a few meals over the week.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You are so right, Mabel. When I lived alone, I used to cook up a dish such as a Lentil Lasagne and that would last me three evening meals. It saved a lot of time to do this, even though it was a lot of work initially. I found it quite difficult to just cook single portions and be a little creative when it was just one serving. Now I have almost gotten used to cooking for two, now the adult kids have left home, and now they are back….
      Figs I think would go very well in sweet dishes as they did give the cake a delicate sweetness and it is great that they are healthy too, I think?

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      1. Cooking single portions can be hard. You’ll need to carefully plan for the week ahead if you’re cooking at home as one person, carefully portioning out your ingredients if you intend to cook fresh every night. I think figs can go great with any sweet dish. It’s just a matter of not putting in too much or too little – needs to be just right so the taste stands out yet blends in with the entire dish.

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  11. FIGS!!! I love them. One of my favorite marmalades is a lemon, fig and ginger marmalade. I used to use it as a baste for pork roast and you’ve reminded me of it. Thanks so much. And I’ll hope to remember in time to participate in your Friday Photo (or is it Foto?) Challenge. What a great idea.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Madeline! You had my mouth watering at the thought of lemon fig and ginger marmalade on roast pork! IT sounds absolutley delicious. Do you make the marmalade yourself?

      Like

  12. When I was young living in Brisbane, we had a prolific fig tree in our backyard. My mother LOVED figs, but just the look of them turned me off. The summer before last, my local supermarket was selling fresh figs and I started having them sliced on my breakfast muesli with Greek yoghurt. Yum! Then I read how good they are for you. Six decades later, I’ve discovered fresh figs!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You lived in Brisbane? I am north of there now, but spent much of my life there. I had no idea that they would grow in the backyard. I haven’t looked into the health benefits of them yet, but I had some notion that they must be full of goodness. It is strange the way our tastes change, isn’t it. I used to never eat tomato as a child, but many of the dishes I eat now have tomato in them. I love it. Especially anything Italian and they do like their tomatoes! Figs will breakfast muesli sounds delicious. I think I will give that a go. What part of Brisbane did you live in?

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. Happy birthday for next week. An important milestone. I know it is not how you planned it to be but you can still celebrate when this is over. Make it a virtual birthday to remember. No drinking and driving worries for anyone.

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. I was surprised that I liked figs, JoAnn, as I thought they weren’t for me. And of course, they may not be for everyone. We are all individuals when it comes to food preferences. I love that you are joining in on Friendly friday. Looking forward to reading and seeing your post.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much. The photo challenges are a lot of fun… digging through old photos and bringing back memories. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

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  24. Hi Amanda. Thank you for recently stopping by my blog. I’m glad you enjoyed my “What’s Cooking at the Cafe?” post. Happy to meet you. I’m enjoying browsing your posts.

    Fun to see figs as your “something different” ingredient for this Friendly Friday photo challenge. I’ve loved figs since childhood when my grandparents always had the sweet, chewy dried ones on hand. The fresh ones are my favorite though. One of the perks of a law firm I once worked for was a giant fig tree on the grounds where I could climb up, pick, and eat the fruit along with the bees and wasps. Your bread looks good. Stay safe and keep baking!

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