Tacos or Death

Singapore Day 1/6

2011-04-18T20:02:00.001+09:30

Travel Blog from our trip to Singapore in 2010.

We arrived safely last night at around dinner time, and I know everyone told me that it would be hot here, but I didn't think they meant like this. It is a tropical, humid, sweltering heat. I quite like it! Makes it feel like holidays. I think it's about 32C but with the humidity factored in it's around 38C+.

Our hotel is pretty nice; a bit nondescript but very clean. The city, from what I've seen so far, isn't as "clean" as I've heard, but Australia is very clean, so it's hard to compare. It's probably cleaner than other Asian countries, and definitely cleaner than Italy. (My feet aren't BLACK after walking around... hello Florence and Rome.)

Onto the first meals:

We went through this little market near the hotel, and everything was pretty overwhelming at this point. I had never been to Asia before so it was a bit of culture shock for me. I'd read that Singapore is very multicultural, and indeed it is. There are a lot of Chinese, Indian, and Malaysian people. Most everyone understands English which is a life saver.

I managed to grab a bubble tea on the way to a little outdoor restaurant.

(We are right off the airplane/hotel so don't JUDGE.)

Russ ordered some tiger beer, which was gigantic. It came with peanuts, jalapenos (odd) and a mystery sauce.

For dinner he had sting ray (Steve Irvin complex, maybe?) which was ridiculously tasty. Very spicy (Russell was sweating) but he's a good sport. I had the red wine pork (tried to stick to something familiar for the time being.) It was also delicious.

I can't wait to get a little more settled and try some strange foods like durian fruit (I saw smoothies yesterday at the market), that chili crab and maybe fish head curry from little India.

Singapore Day 6/6 - Little Arab World and Little India with Henna and Khulfi

2011-04-18T18:09:00.012+09:30

Today we stayed near the hotel and explored Little India and a small
area filled with Lebanese/Arab shops and restaurants which I’ve
renamed Little Arab World due to street names such as Arab Street,
Baghdad Street, and Sultan Gate. Definitely thought of you Dad.
I think it might have been as hot as Iraq! Less Iraqis though.

Dad in Middle East

Little Arab world was interesting, it has Masjid Sultan, the
principal mosque of Malay and Indonesian communities. We could not go
in due to dress, and it has limited visiting hours due to five prayer
times a day. We sat outside and listened to the sounds of the service. The area has tons of shops packed tightly together, the number of people combined with lots of road traffic made for the hottest day so far.

Masjid Sultan

We ate lunch at a Lebanese restaurant, it was nice but I've had better Lebanese food in Texas.

view of seventeen aircons from the restaurant

Little India was a short walk away. We stopped here to have Khulfi
(North Indian ice cream made using Ayurvedic principals with only
natural ingredients: milk, honey, walnuts and fresh fruit) at a
recommended place. It was really interesting in flavour, I had
strawberry khulfi mixed with nuts and some type of cereal. I could
taste a lot of cardamon. Russell had chocolate with banana.
Definitely a spicy but refreshing taste, unusual.

Typical street in Little India

Also in this area they had tons of stalls selling what looked similar to Hawaiian leis. Lots of women were buying them but none wearing them; I think they are actually used in temples as offerings. I bought a tuberose one to wear, these are the same kind of flowers as my wedding lei was in Hawaii, and I just love the smell. Totally looked like a tourist, but I think the white skin, backpack,
sneakers and camera around my neck give it away anyway.

henna done at an Indian beauty parlor

The humidity broke for a little bit and it really poured this afternoon!

Overall, I highly recommend a visit (or two!) to Singapore. It's a great place with seriously amazing food, excellent and cheap public transport, great shopping and unique experiences. It's also very close to Australia compared to other travel destinations.

Singapore Day 5: Juroung Bird Park and Durian fruit

2011-04-18T17:33:00.006+09:30

Today we went to the bird park. While feeling kind of proud of ourselves for not doing a tour (meaning we had to take the subway all the way to the western area of Singapore, and then a bus, which saved us about $20.00 each) we’re now totally exhausted! Russell wants me to mention that in this part of Singapore no one spoke English anymore, luckily people were around to translate. The Singapore people are very friendly and helpful like that. However, Russell ordered a juice today and receive an ice cream sundae instead, complete with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, fresh fruit and mango ice cream. So there was a little bit lost in translation.

The bird park wasn’t my favorite part of the trip. I found it a bit sad to see all these nice birds in tiny cages, and a lot of them (ostrich included) were missing huge patches of feathers, due to picking them out from boredom I assume. Also they had an arctic owl area where the owls were in a concrete cages painted white to resemble snow, really sad I thought. (Especially when compared to the Night Safari where there were no cages. Both attractions have animals taken out of their natural environments but I felt the Night Safari made a bit more an effort to take care of its animals.)

However, there were interesting parts too.

I liked feeding the lorekeets, there were so many of them! Inside the lorekeet section there was a little Australian info area including outback “dunny” replica. Due to all the plants and waterfall (extra humidity!!) this was the hottest day so far, really like being in a rain forest.

The Rhea birds and I made a little connection, I think they thought I was there to feed them.

Also there was a real live Bald Eagle here. I took the opportunity to instruct the europeans and Australians around that this is what a real national bird looks like. Very regal and beautiful. Ok I didn’t tell them, only Russell. But I did admit if we had Emu’s in America they might be on our emblem too because they are just so weird looking....

Durian

After the bird park we came back into the city for more... Asian food! We finally tried the infamous durian fruit. They had little cute pancakes made fresh with durian filling for $1.50 so we figured, why not? Well, it was An Experience. I thought that it tasted at first like really strong garlic, and then kind of like how baby poop smells, and then finally a bit of a Warhead candy kind of flavor. Russell thought it tasted like “spring onion and just... horrible.” The aftertaste is much worse than the actual flavor. I’m not convinced it’s actually a fruit. Definitely worth a try, but we didn’t manage to finish the pancake.

Tomorrow is our last full day here, not sure what we'll get up to yet.

Singapore Day 4 - Sentosa Island, The Merlion, and Snakes

2011-04-18T17:11:00.007+09:30

Today we tried to visit China Town but ended up going one stop too far on the subway and ended up the Harbour. From here we could see Sentosa Island, so we decided we should just go over there since we were "so close." Well, Russ wanted to take a cable car over there (which he’s done before) so we went on an hour long walk to the cable car tower, only to find out they were down for maintenance until July, so after another very long hot walk back we found the Monorail station and took that over. The trains and other public transport are very organized, clean and efficient here (best I've seen in the world), but the problem sometimes is actually finding them from above ground which is made more for cars than walking. (The mall we were walking around to find the trains and cable cars is 3 MILLION square feet.... no wonder I was cranky...)

View of Sentosa Island from Vivocity Mall

Merlion

So, the Merlion is half lion half Mermaid/Merman, I can’t tell you much more than that, but it's a well known symbol in Singapore. He’s on Sentosa island. By this point of the day I was referring to him as either the “prawn cracker” or “prawn tiger” as I wasn’t sure all the effort was worth seeing him up close. (He’s visible from different points on Singapore.)

Sentosa island is actually quite cool though and worth the trip; they have beautiful gardens and lots of attractions including a universal studios theme park. I didn’t want to go to this, but we heard that 17 out of 30 rides are currently down anyway!

Luge and Sky Rail

luge carts as seen from the sky rail

So Russ wanted to do something fun so we went on the luge. However, you can’t buy a luge ticket on it's own, you have to buy a luge and sky rail ticket together. So we did, it was twelve dollars per person to ride both. The luge was really fun! They are kind of mini go-carts and they get some speed on them! I didn’t really know what the Sky Rail was, it looks like a ski lift, and I thought it stayed pretty close to the ground. WRONG it was SO SO SO HIGH. I was so terrified I couldn’t take my hands off the rails to take a picture of Russ while we were in it. After that we decided on some drinks by the beach to relax.

I hate heights, and Russell hates snakes. I had to get him back some how.

Singapore: Day 3

2011-04-18T16:56:00.006+09:30

Went to a little restaurant call Hand Burger where the gourmet burgers were made by hand. Like all eateries here the kitchen is within full view so you can see the cooking process, which makes the food very enticing! Most days we are out of the hotel for 12 hours straight in estimated 100F/38C heat (with humidity) and this is why I think it’s ok to eat all the time, we’re just replenishing all those lost calories. Root bear float and New Zealand beef burger for Russ.

Takoyaki at Gindayo

While browsing a hawker center I saw this huge line start to form for one of the stalls so I quickly jumped in, having no idea what they sold! It turned out to be Takoyaki, which as far as I can tell is a dumpling with all sorts of yummyness in the batter (veggies, onion?) with a big bit of octopus thrown in the middle during cooking. Yummy! With Pork floss and mayonnaise to top it off. 6 pieces for $4.80. Russ had satay chicken skewers for the 8th time :)

Night Safari

That night we went to the Night Safari. We rode an open sided tram all around the park through 8 geographical regions of the world, and saw tons of animals just after dusk. The animals are kept just off the track without cages or fences (they have holes around them) and it was the most amazing animal experience I’ve ever had. Just after dusk is when many animals are active so unlike the regular zoo where everything is asleep, everything was out! Unfortunately, flash photography is not allowed as it disturbs the animals, so we’ve only got one semi decent photo of the rhino. Seeing the rhino was spectacular! There were two, kept separately as they are very territorial, and they look like gigantic armadillos. I’ve seen them before but without cages is entirely different.

In the flying squirrel enclosure the squirrel flew dramatically from one side of the cage to the other as everyone gasped in disbelief!

And in the hyena area one of the laughing hyenas was really having a ball. When we walked past, doing the optional walking tour after the tram ride was over, he was zooming around his area laughing crazily. He reminded us of our dog when we have visitors.

Singapore: Day 2

2011-04-18T16:27:00.007+09:30

We woke up starving so we decided to simply go for the buffet offered at our hotel. It seemed a little pricey at $24 S a head (compared to all the other little treats for 3-5 dollars you can get in the city, but oh well....)

Can you pick whose breakfast belonged to whom?

I had a breakfast curry (when in Rome), carrot cake (think potato/carrot omelet), dumplings (sooo good), fish, dragon fruit (like a less flavorful kiwi fruit, it's the white one with black seeds), and Russell had, well... a full Australian breakfast plus some egg rolls. The quality of food is still surprising me though; it's outstanding!

We went to a Hawker Center last night; these are basically open air food markets. We had our first taste of chili crab, which is famous in Singapore. It is what it sounds like, but they take a lot of the meat out for you already and make a kind of stew out of it. We also ordered these delicious buns to go with it that you dip into the stew.

Before coming here I saw a travel/food documentary about chili crab and it said that a lot of the crabs in Singapore are from Sri Lanka, where they live in the Ganges river and they actually eat the dead (human!) bodies that are in the river. I guess I imagined that we would have to "seek out" something like this, but our server came over for a chat after the meal and mentioned that their crabs are from Sri Lanka. Yay. Still yummy though but super spicy.

Russ pictured in front of the Raffles Hotel, he was not allowed in due to looking like a dag. (Apparently armpit hair and singlets are out at Raffles!) We wanted to make reservations for their famous high tea, but they were really unfriendly; when I went in alone they gave me a number to call to reserve. They wouldn't let me stay inside long enough to reserve. Rooms start at $1,300 a night I believe so I guess guests are paying not to have to look at commoners like myself and Russell. We'll definitely be giving high tea a miss.

Ion center is one of the big indoor shopping centers, we spent a great part of yesterday in there. I took a 1 hour master makeup class with an international makeup artist from Urban Decay Cosmetics at the Sephora inside. Russ signed me up for it!

Tomorrow we're hoping to catch the night safari and probably another tour of some kind.

Black Beans, Saffron Rice and Corn and Avocado salsa

2010-09-14T19:01:00.011+09:30

I craved this recipe before I had even tasted it; it just sounds that divine. Easy enough to make on a weeknight, with enough variety in taste and texture to make it special.

Make the rice first. I adapted my dad's directions for this.

He said I could make it with turmeric or saffron, and being me, I went for the most expensive spice in the world. (I got a teeny thing of it for $6.)

Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a sauce pan. Add some garlic and onion, saute a few minutes. My trick for chopping onions is to have a candle in between me and the onion, it helps with the tears! Soak the saffron in boiling water while the onion and garlic are heating up.

I'd also like to mention my new garlic press, $10 from IKEA, I can't believe I was hesitant to buy this. Minces in 1 second instead of my stupidly trying to chop into teeny bits for 5 minutes.

Back to rice: Soak and drain the rice. Add the rice to the hot pan and fry lightly for 1-2 minutes. Next add 2 cups water (or stock), the saffron and some salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer 12 or so minutes until excess water is taken in. Take off heat, fluff with fork and cover. Rice can sit while you prep the salsa.

Beans: Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat and add 2 garlic cloves, pressed, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Cook for a minute, then add 2 x 15 oz (400g) can black beans. Simmer for 5-8 minutes, until the beans are heated through and have absorbed the seasonings. Stir in the chopped cilantro.

The topping is simply: 1 cup corn, 1 cup salsa and 1 chopped avocado mixed together with lemon or lime juice and salt. Top with cilantro.

Saucy Shame

2010-08-03T15:20:00.003+09:30

I have a confession to make.

I have never made pasta sauce from scratch. Ok, well, that's not true. But it was true until very recently. I had seen the magic performed; mostly by friend's parents. I have cooked with the essentials previously: tomatoes, basil and garlic. Just never for the sole purpose of making home-made pasta sauce. I thought it would be too hard. The thought also stirs up terrifying memories of my I-Ti (Italian American) mother opening a jar of tomato PASTE, putting it in a sauce pan, and declaring it fit to top pasta with no herbs or alteration of any kind. Perhaps when Northern Italy (mom's mom) and Southern Italy (mom's dad) meet and breed they don't quite know how to cook with each other and it results in culinary defeat? I don't know. (Yes, it was my Irish-Scottish heritaged dad whom I watched cook growing up, I suppose that is another shock.) My mom will kill me if she reads this, but it's all true! Yes, she fed us probably more frequently, but there is no question over who had more finesse in the kitchen.

Given all this history, I looked with great suspicion upon the "Simple Tomato Sauce" recipe in my cook book. Surely it wasn't so easy?

6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tbsp olive oil
28 ounces (800 g) of whole plum tomatoes
fresh chopped basil to taste
salt
pepper

In a saucepan on low heat, cook the garlic in the oil for a couple of minutes, until golden. Stir in the juice from the can of tomatoes.

Cut the tomatoes coarsely with a knife while they're still in the can. Add them to the garlic with the basil, salt and pepper, bring to simmer, and cook on low heat for at least 5 minutes.

It's minimally harder than opening the jar on the shelf and tossing that on your pasta, but the results are tastier, chunkier, and I know just what's in it.

Sure, it's bare bones, and it didn't take hours, and there's no meat. It's a start though.

Hand-made Veggie Burgers: Southwestern Black Bean

2010-08-01T09:49:00.013+09:30

From my new cookbook: Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking for Health (More than 200 Vegetarian and Vegan dishes)

I cannot resist a good burger and fries. I've been feeling guilty about my once-a-week fast food burger habit, so this weekend I opted to go healthier and closer to home. My Moosewood book has five different burger recipes and I love black beans because they remind me of Texas, so I went with these first. This is the only recipe that wasn't vegan, I believe from the inclusion of egg as the binder. I found the black beans in the organic section, as they are a rare thing here; they should be with the regular canned beans on an American grocery store shelf.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of ground pepper
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 cup grated carrots
1 fresh chile, minced
or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup ground tortilla chips
(mashed until they reach the consistency of course meal)
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Warm the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper and cook until the onions soften, a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms, carrots, chiles, and orange juice, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.

(Onions, carrot, mushies, chiles, oj)

2. While the vegetables cook, combine the ground tortilla chips, beans and egg in a large bowl and mash well with a potato masher, or pulse in a food processor and then transfer to a bowl. When the vegetables are tender, drain (if needed) and stir into the bean mixture.

(Chips, beans and egg)

3. Form the burger mixture into six patties (a heaping 1/2 cup per burger) and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 25 minutes, until firm and lightly crusted.

Moosewood gives lots of serving options as well as recipes to accompany (Sweet Potato, Apple and Chipotle Soup).

9/10

Mexican Polenta Stuffed Peppers

2010-07-19T18:39:00.005+09:30

I picked these as my "tricky/time-consuming" recipe for the weekend, only to discover they are actually easy and quick enough to do on a weeknight! When I brought one to work for lunch everyone though I was a culinary wizz because of their delightfull looks. huzzah.

Serves 4 to 6.

5 large bell peppers (any color)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
sprinkling of salt

Polenta
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup polenta cornmeal
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped spanish olives

Salsa
1 16-ounce jar of your favorite salsa
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, but leave the stem ends on so the peppers will hold their shape (whoops, I forgot this part). Brush the pepper halves with oil, inside and out, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place cut-side up on an oiled baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender but still holding their shape, about 15 minutes.

While the peppers roast, in a heavy saucepan, bring the water, salt, and red pepper flakes to a boil. Add the polenta in slow, steady stream while whisking. Cook on medium heat, stirring often, until thickened. Stir in the corn, oil or butter, 1 cup of cheese, and the olives. Remove from the heat. (I put the olives on the side to avoid complaints!)

Fill the roasted pepper halves with the polenta mixture. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheese and return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Meanwhile, combine the salsa, black beans, and cilantro in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

A Vegetarian Disclosure

2010-07-08T12:20:00.018+09:30

I <3 Vegetables. I always have. I used to request to have all the veggie and fruit sides in the high school cafeteria instead of just the bread roll. I also used to feign occasional vegetarianism to get out of eating dad's overly-frequent burger dinners.

I also <3 Meat. Burgers, lamb, pork, seafood, poultry! (a favorite), there is something primal about hunting, preparing and eating it.

However, I consider that it's best to eat relatively little meat, and that fruits and vegetables are anti-cancer and anti-aging magic bullets. The meat processing industry deeply concerns me (though I wonder if it's as bad here in Australia as it is in the U.S.) As well as the over-fishing of our oceans.

So it recently occurred to me that I could start to develop a bit more of a vegetarian repertoire in the kitchen. I tentatively asked my Spaghetti Bolognese husband how he felt about this, and his reply was:

No, just kidding, he was actually into it. Shocking!

(Or maybe not that shocking, given the amount of times I try to cook a flesh of some kind and ask.... does this look done to you? Where is my meat thermometer? ... )

Newly rejuvenated, I began looking for renowned vegetarian cook books and recipes. Moosewood came highly recommended so I picked up two of theirs. And the Deorah Madison one got nearly 5 stars on Amazon out of 227 customers, so I figured I'd try that.

MR Cooking for Health - $24.00 AUD
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone - $39.00 AUD
both from: Book Depository (with free shipping!!)

MR Simple Suppers - $42.00 AUD - at Borders in-store with 40% off.

I still love my meat, but I'm cooking with a lot more vegetables at the moment.

And trying to figure out what tofu is really all about....

Thai Butternut Squash Soup + squash baking tips

2010-07-07T10:34:00.007+09:30

This one is for my dad because I think he will like it, but I also think he'll be disturbed by one particular ingredient, and I like disturbing the poor gentleman.

(slightly adapted) from Moosewood Simple Suppers

1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable stock
1 Keiffer lime leaf (optional but I did it)
half a fresh butternut squash for: 4 cups chopped, cooked butternut squash (or 2, 12 oz packages of frozen cooked winter squash)
1 lime
2 cups fresh baby spinach
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Pan-fried Tofu
1/2 cake FIRM tofu (about 8 ounces)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I use reduced salt variety)
1/2 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

I could not find frozen or pre-cubbed squash so I simply grabbed a giant butternut squash. (If you're using fresh squash, you only really need a half, as I discovered.)

Method I used to bake the squash - Preheat oven to 350F. Wash the squash. Cut the bastard in half, being careful. Coat the squash's exposed flesh with olive oil. I put the bastard cut side up into a roasting pan, and filled the pan with 1 inch of water. Bake for 1 hour. It really worked! Squash came out DONE and tasty (I had a bit with some sugar on top right out of the oven.)

Onto the soup - In a soup pot, whish together the coconut milk, curry paste, sugar, salt and broth. Add the lime leaf and freshly baked squash (or frozen squash), cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, until heated through, or if using frozen squash, about 15 minutes until squash is thawed.

Meanwhile, prepare the Pan-Fried Tofu. Cut the tofu into small cubes, delighting in it's texture, and put them in a bowl. Toss with soy sauce and the curry paste. Heat the oil in a small skillet on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Lightly grate the lime peel and juice the lime. Add to the simmering soup. Stir in the spinach and tofu and cook just until the spinach wilts. Add more sugar or salt to taste. Serve the soup garnished with cilantro if you like. (I used parsley, don't judge me.)

Variation: replace the tofu with 1/2 lb of shrimp if you like, either pan frying them like the tofu, or putting them in the simmering soup for 4-5 minutes before you add the spinach. After watching this Ted video on the ocean though, I'm not very likely to go for the shrimp option. Thanks for ruining my favorite seafood choice, TED. (I still eat them, just with shame now.)

Anywho,

As I went too large with my squash selection, I had lots leftover and visions of squash pies and breads flew through my head. I ended up just making this pumpkin bread recipe, from here.

Hope someone makes this delicious soup!

Scrambled Tofu with Greens & Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

2010-07-04T18:55:00.006+09:30

(adapted) from Moosewood Restaurant: Simple Suppers

This one goes out to Daniela :)

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups greens (I used chicory, the recipe recommends kale, chard or collards)
1 cake firm tofu (approx 500g)
2 tbsp soy sauce

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
1/3 cup raspberry jam
2 teaspoons minced chipotles in adobo sauce (sourced from the amazing Chili Mojo)
1-3 teaspoons lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions for a couple minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the greens, let them wilt a bit. (Chicory is quite bitter, so I let them wilt a LOT.)

While the greens wilt, in a bowl, mash the crap out of the tofu with the soy sauce. (Moosewood suggest a gentle fork will work; I used a knife, then a husband, and finally went for a husband/ potato masher combo.) Increase the skillet heat to high, stir in the mashed tofu and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the tofu just begins to brown.

While the tofu cooks, make the RC sauce. In a small saucepan, stir together the fruit spread, chipotles and 2 tablespoons of water. Simmer until hot and saucy! Stir in lemon juice. Add more water if too thick.

Serve the scrambled tofu topped with sauce.

Moosewood suggest to serve with rice; we just used buttered toast.

And dessert: vanilla Moo Premium Yoghurt topped with pomegranate seeds.

On Work

2010-06-21T15:52:00.003+09:30

After a series of base, repetitive and horrendous post-college jobs, I finally have one that, dare I say it, I like. Really like, actually.

I work at an all boys school that has a Christian background, for boys from Reception (Kindergarten) to year 12, with a per-year tuition that rivals my per-year college fees (which were moderate as far as an American education goes, but can really add up over a 13 year period, one can assume.)

After I got over the poshness of it all, my first real fear was that I wouldn't feel old enough around the boys I was working with: years 7 -9. That was quickly quelled upon finding out that most year 7, 8 and 9 boys don't really understand things such as every sentence needs a capitalized beginning, a "full stop" at the end, and generally a subject, verb, and object help to let us know what you're trying to convey. It makes one feel really old to have to say things like, "please capitalize the main character's name," and, "why don't you have ANY punctuation in this entire page of writing?!?!" (Ok, not something I put quite like that.)

Anyway, the specifics of how the current generation is almost entirely incapable of writing coherently due to a cross roads of technology and instant gratification is a topic for another time.

Once I realized that, yes, I am old enough to teach these not-so-little little people a thing or two, I began to have a bit of fun. My main work is with a variety of boys who are labeled with all kinds of learning disabilities ranging from dyslexia to Asperger's syndrome to central auditory processing disorder to low cognitive function. I say "labeled" because even though I have a psych background, and I fully appreciate that having a diagnosis can lead to funding, understanding and treatment, I definitely don't look at the boys I work with with their labels first.

Sometimes specific boys come to see me and another teacher where we work through a curriculum to support their learning in their core subjects, and other times I'm scheduled in core subject classrooms as a support person, and I go around and help the students out. At the moment my schedule is for mostly English and maths classes with some humanities on the side. (I was in one year 10 advanced maths class, but mercifully that was dropped from my schedule. I didn't like calc when I was in year 10, and I don't like it now. The teacher was fabulous though and I think if he was my teacher back then I might have gotten a decent grade!)

There are moments during the day when I look into the wide eyes of one of my boys and try to explain the symbolic meaning in a particular poem and it is so far beyond his grasp that I think, why bother, but there are also moments where I sit with students who have severe multiple disabilities, and they listen to me so earnestly and seem so grateful that I'm there to explain algebra in another way that it makes my heart sing.

There are times I read aloud to boys who can't read a sentence because of dyslexia and they look at me with eyes that shine because I'm not judging them, I'm just giving them what they need, the information through an auditory channel not a visual one. They will pick up every single word and discuss the finer points that other strong readers might miss. That is one of the greatest pleasures I take in this job; every boy can be a surprise. A boy with low cognitive function can be cheeky as hell, and more dedicated than the rest of the class. A boy unable to read smart as a whip, and usually the jerk making snide remarks at the back is only doing so because he needs a bit of help as well and doesn't know how to ask.

Sometimes they can surprise in less than lovely ways though. A few of the boys around are quite entitled and a bit arrogant, which makes them a pain to work with, but I try to devise how I might get through to them as well. I've also learned that a roomful of boys smell and sound exactly like a roomful of boys.

I've really enjoyed that unlike a teacher who has to cater for 20-30 students all at once, which often means a diminished capacity to work one on one, I have the luxury of doing this. I see what it's like inside a classroom and how difficult it really is to differentiate the tasks and assessments for all the levels of ability that coexist. I also find it energizing though. I've been reading and browsing lots of materials on the neurodevelopment of learning, and I find it fascinating. I also have the opportunity to work with the school psychologist in a pseudo-mentor role but I'm beginning to feel like I might actually want to ... become a teacher instead of a psychologist. I like the science behind the learning, but I also like the direct application and the teaching part of it.

Pappa al pomodoro

2010-05-03T11:17:00.003+09:30

this one goes out to my Firenze roomies :)

Pappa al pomodoro
bread and tomato Soup

Jamie Oliver's recipe

Delicious cherry tomatoes roasted with chopped garlic, olive oil and basil leaves.

Combined into more roasted garlic and basil stalks ( can you smell the essential oil?!) with cans of whole plum tomatoes.

Add bread, torn basil leaves and the rest of the olive oil in your house and you're good.

Optional: serve to Anglo (read: culinarily deprived) husband who will turn his nose up at it, and ask "innocent" questions such as, "do you like it?" More for you!

Rainbow Cupcakes

2010-04-25T11:18:00.003+09:30

What I made yesterday.

Regular vanilla cupcake mix.

Split the mixed batter into 6 small dishes, and color the batter in each dish a seperate color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue purple.

Then, color by color, put it into the cupcake molds. Don't worry that the colors don't make a full "layer" they will still come out distinct after baking!

Especially fun if you do this while someone is napping and they only see the top ish color.... until they bite in.

Take that shh to the next level!

2010-04-21T15:22:00.006+09:30

This movie and song are making my day a little brighter. stupid, yet funny.

At the moment I'm suffering one of those bouts of sickness where I alternately think I'll never walk again and go on mad cleaning/cooking sprees within the same 48 hour period, only to relapse back into bed/couch.

I've just been on such a spree and this is what I made:

Potato and Leek soup with Porcini Oil

and ohhh god it was tasty! Also, gave me a reason to cry other than my muscle pains! (chopping leeks)

my favorite part was the porcini oil:

but the crispy leeks that go on top were nice too...

Recipe in case anyone wants it:

50g butter
4 leeks, white part only, sliced
1kg pontiac (the pink-red ones) potatos, peeled and chopped
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
2 cups water
2 cups milk (or less, depending on how thick you like your soup)
sea salt and cracked black pepper
porcini oil
10 g dried porcini mushrooms
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
crispy leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the leek and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Increase heat to high. Add the potato, stock and water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or until potato is tender.

While the soup is cooking, make the porcini oil and crispy leeks. To make porcini oil, place the porcini and oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes. Strain and set aside.

To make the crispy leeks, heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the leek and cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper, set aside.

Remove soup from heat and using a hand-held blender, blend until smooth. Stir through the milk, salt and pepper. Return to the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Divide soup between bowls, spoon over the porcini oil and top with crispy leeks to serve.

Porcini Risotto and Apricot, Chocolate and Hazelnut Meringue

2010-03-17T15:50:00.013+10:30

I save my Jamie Oliver books for weekends when I have TIME to cook.

His books and recipes are beautiful, beautiful things, but all the ones I've tried definitely take time and effort, yet yield worthwhile results.

and without further ado:

His Grilled Mushroom Risotto

Is there a way to make risotto other than stirring constantly for 45 minutes while putting ladle after ladle of stock into the arborio grains? I know not, but it certainly yields nice results. (Just don't try to bring this to a dinner party because this is something that is best eaten right after it's made, it can not be resuscitated.)

and mine:

On to the meringue, the beautiful beautiful meringue.....

His Tray-baked meringue with pears, cream, toasted hazelnuts and chocolate sauce

The base: next time I will make this thicker as the lovely squishy part inside was a bit too thin for my liking, but the recipe said to make an A4 size (thank god I know what that is, bloody Australia) so I did.

The one you've been waiting for:

Sadly, I don't really like the apricots in this, but it's still amazingly delicious. I add banana to mine. Next time I'll do banana instead, and maybe pear as the recipe suggests.

The chocolate sauce is made with pear juice and ginger slices melted in 70% chocolate.

(Are you hungry?!)

The cream is double cream mixed with vanilla pod seeds and icing sugar.

(I just got some cellulite writing that.)

The hazelnuts add the perfect crunch.

P.S. Please keep voting on my entry... I need to move from 7th to 5th place :)

Pretty Powerful

Sponsored by Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown's Pretty Powerful Contest: please help me win :)

2010-03-13T11:11:00.005+10:30

A few weeks ago I made a video about Bobbi Brown's makeup philosophy for her Pretty Powerful contest.

Her team choose me as one of 15 Semi-Finalists!

I was then sent a nice package of makeup goodies and made another video for this portion (final) of the contest.

The Top 5 videos will be seen by Bobbi Brown, and she will choose 3 winners to have a trip to NY from their hometowns (in my case, San Antonio). On this trip the winners get to have a lunch with Bobbi Brown as well as a private makeup master class.

Please vote for me by clicking the green Vote button.

You can vote every day until March 26th.

Thanks!

Pretty Powerful

Sponsored by Bobbi Brown

For every vote $1.00 is donated to Dress for Success - an international organization that helps disadvantaged women find employment by providing them with a professional network, career tools and professional work attire.

Total votes made so far: 4,095 out of a possible $10,000 donation.

(If you're interested, here is my screen shot of my video editing... hard work!)

Woman versus Man

2010-03-08T16:47:00.003+10:30

Man (standing unclothed in front of a full-length mirror, looking quite pleased with himself): I have little dimples on my bum.

Woman (wondering when he would notice): Yes, honey, that's called cellulite.

Man: What? Men don't have cellulite. I always thought of them as golf ball dimples. They improve my aerodynamics.

Woman: Then I must say, you're looking quite aerodynamic lately.

Man: (continues looking pleased with self)

Tiramisu and Chicken, Eggplant and Avocado sandwich

2010-02-22T11:34:00.003+10:30

I have been living off of lite n easy for 3 weeks now, due to time-poorness and exhaustion but this weekend I was a teeny bit motivated to make something that was more involved than using a microwave (but not by much.)

First, the sandwich:

From bottom up:

Toasted Bread

Baby Spinach

Grilled eggplant (with evoo, salt and pepper)

BBQ'd chicken

Avocado

Aioli on other side of bread.

Then, Tiramisu:

I used, of course, Donna Hay's recipe.

Unfortunately the mascarpone I like is $5 a tub and the recipe called for 2 tubs, and I just couldn't justify it so I tried to use one. I think it would have been better with 2, but it was still nice.

Total cost of dessert: $18.74

$5.00 mascarpone

$1.59 for thick cream

$3.15 sponge cake

$2.50 shot of espresso

$6.50 tiny Kahlua

Free chocolate in the pantry

Expensive but I made 4 servings and 1 serving cost 13.50 at the restaurant we went to on Saturday. (Gusto at Norwood, delizioso food, but I couldn't fit in a tiramisu because we were on our way to see Shutter Island at 9:20 pm... night owls!)

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, topped only by my dad's black bottom pie, and this recipe could definitely be improved. Will continue the search for a perfect make-at-home version.

Australia, explained for Americans

2010-02-15T08:42:00.003+10:30

Loving these

What you are about to see may disturb you.

2010-02-02T20:19:00.006+10:30

I am an American married to an Australian.

We have our differences.

For example, his people preference inappropriately short-shorts on men, sport games that take 5 days to complete, and inefficient workplace processes. (Generally speaking.)

My people preference imperialism, real freaking hot dogs, and main roads that go over 40mph. (Generally speaking.)

This weekend my husband presented me with a "snack" that he made while we watched a movie. It consisted of crackers (which he called biscuits which is why I was utterly confused when I saw the final product) covered with a layer of butter, Vegemite and topped with either cheese or a slice of pickle.

I had been suffering through a bout of gastro-intestinal disturbance all weekend and I didn't want to eat ANYTHING, but by this point in my 3-day illness I momentarily lost my dignity and thought , "who doesn't eat pickles with butter and vegemite?"

After my husband asked what gherkins were.... which lead me to wonder why he had BOUGHT them in the first place if he didn't know what they were, and why he thought they would go well with Vegemite, I thought nothing more of the incident.

The following sight, however, after almost 2 years of marriage and constant lectures on what we do (ketchup and bbq sauce) and do not (my gourmet chocolate) put in the fridge, horrified me.

Yes, you might see the bottle of opened gherkins. Nice and toasty on the pantry shelf in between a box of bread crumbs and vinegar.

And I had wondered why the pickles weren't as crisp and chilly as they usually are when we had our little snack...

Avatar

2010-01-12T09:59:00.005+10:30

I saw it twice, and then whipped out the blue face paint.

There's not much more to say than that, really.

luvz it.

Happy New Year

2010-01-05T09:38:00.004+10:30

9 currents:
mood: not applicable
taste: general morning taste, but I brushed and flossed last night so its ok

clothes: a wife-beater and pseudo-maternity workout pants
desktop: some modern art with primary colors and strong lines
nail color: It's called "give me Moor" from the Spanish collection of OPI, dark dark purple, very chipped, do I have remover??
time: 9.42
surroundings: makeup, pawpaw "ointment", camera, rubbing alcohol; it's either some s&m bordello or my desk/vanity table
annoyance(s): thinking about my interview next week and my 5 homework assignments I haven't done for my course yet
thoughts: procrastination

8 Favorites:
color: I can never pick but we'll say at the moment hot pink and electric orange, with some red
food: Italian. with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, sausage, evoo, orrechieti pasta, parmesan, basil. the red white and green and I'm good to go.
book: Mrs. Dalloway
sport: swimming
season: summer in Europe, winter in Texas, or any time that it's 27.5C
day of the week: this question perplexes me
ice-cream flavor: tiramisu or biscottino, or chocolate with raspberry, or vanilla.
time of day: evening

7 firsts:
best friend: an adopted Korean girl
kiss: I prefer not to think about that
pet: chance, she is still alive............... we're about to enter the Guinness book of world records
piercing: belly button, I was 16, everyone else got their tongues done
crush: he was really tall with dark hair and we had computer class together, circa 6th grade, but there were a few red-heads before that haha
music: first stuff I liked? the beatles.... 2nd grade I went fanatical and used to wish that I could marry John or George or both, or at the very least go to their concerts and cry my eyes out
car: first one I drove? Nissan Maxima in white.

6 lasts:
food: lemon curd ice cream from maggie beer, I don't rate it.
drink: water
kiss: last night
song played: Television - marquee moon
tv show watched: the sopranos
car ride: back from Semaphore the other day, we took the doggins on a walk

5 have you ever(s):
Dated one of your best friends: always, but never the females
Broken the law: I thought that's what they are there for?
Been arrested: no
Skinny dipped: yes
Been on tv: no but my mom aunt and cousin just were.

4 things:
you did last night: slept like the dead, read the newspaper, watched gerard butler on tv and wished (aloud) that I had married a sexy Scot with close access to Europe rather than a sexy Aussie with close access to.... South Australia), edited a video
you can hear right now: my Italian neighbor Pasqual talking on his phone on his porch
you’ve done today: woke up, did the internet rounds, made an appointment for a pedicure, and sent my husband a text message, all that and it's only 10 am!! :-p

3 people:
you can tell anything to: I don't even tell myself everything.

2 choices:
black or white: Black babies are cuter but white tea is sweeter.
hot or cold: warm but if I had to shiver or sweat I would pick sweat, but in the shade please.

1 wish:
I wish I had gotten to eat more of my dad's black bottom pie before I came back to Australia.

In this place, that is circling all round the sun.

2009-12-16T17:54:00.009+10:30

It has often been said, accompanied by an exasperated voice and furrowed brow:

If only there were more hours in a day.

Well, my readers, there are about to be many more hours in my day, for tomorrow, I journey to the U S of A.

I will wake at 4:30 in the middle of the night on Dec 17th. (I reserve the title "morning" for those times when sunlight may be seen and I have had approximately eight hours of sleep, though even then, I detest speaking during or of this time of day.) And after approximately 23 hours of travel I will arrive in Texas at 3:30 pm December 17th.

As you see, my tomorrow will hold approximately 16 more hours than usual, amounting to a rather long and tedious day. (If my math is wrong, just know, that's why I'm not in med school right now.)

I should be packing, but instead I decided to write.

I always leave my packing to the very last moment, under the guise that I like to have as much clean laundry as possible with me, but really, I'm just a through and through procrastinator, and I run off adrenaline. (Also, my husband is on afternoon shift till after 10pm and he's not here to molest me into packing.)

But what I really wanted to write about was this feeling I've been having. This feeling of ennui towards the country, and some of the people in it, that I've been living in. (Now, to be fair, I base my not-liking of Australians based on how annoying their various accents are, and I would expect the same from them regarding mine.)

This feeling has swooped over me like that fog of arrows from 300, I don't feel it everyday, but at the moment, I'm definitely ennui-ed.

I've become someone who sends links to things like this Commonwealth bank commercial to my friends and family back home accompanied by diatribes demanding to know why their advertisements, apparently, focus on the message that Commonwealth bank is an Australian bank and therefore understands the needs of its Australian customers better than these U.S. advertising execs. I don't understand why this is even a selling point when most banks, as far as I know, in Australia ARE Australian not American. (Furthermore, Commonwealth bank has abominable customer service: my husband and I had to switch our home insurance from theirs when we had a ceiling leak that took them 8 months to properly take care of. (I am SO happy we were with AAMI when both of our cars were stolen the next year, huge thumbs up for them.)

Anyway, I've been trying to pinpoint what it is exactly that's pissing me off, and I don't think I'll arrive at a clear answer, but I'll have a go. All I have to compare Australia to are the other three countries I have spent a total of 4 years living in (I won't go into the various U.S. states and cities I've lived in because they were more or less similar to each other for the purposes of my arguments here. I will say however, rural Illinois, thumbs down from me.) and at times even though I was depressed and angry for living so far from my friends in Texas, I always loved those countries. (Ok, Ok, save England... I have a hypothesis that maybe I just don't like commonwealth countries.) But I did enjoy England, it was just too much of a hassle to live in London and commute 2.5 hours one way to some of my classes on the other side of the city. Also, it was too bloody expensive when you're living off the dollar. (And, my adorable boyfriend that I had been dating since high school in Germany also moved to England for university at the same time, but he was now living a very long train ride away, attending an art school with (what I thought at time) lots of art school "sluts" and I grew tired of all the self-created drama surrounding our long distance relationship.)
...

I also think perhaps things are different now that I'm not a "carefree" student like I was in those countries, and I have to actually make my way in a work environment and after two years, it's just getting to be a bit much. In an age when many people in my generation are living at home into their late 20's, sometimes I feel a bit gypped.

At the same time, I think one of the reasons I'm most angry is because I've moved around so much I feel like I deserve a phD in cultural anthropology. I've been through cultural shock so many times, and reverse cultural shock (it's evil bitch sister) an almost equal number. I know what it's like to sit here and seethe over my situation in one place while greedily eyeing the grass on the other side, and then once I'm there speaking non-stop about how things were different where I was before, and suddenly realizing how good I had it.

For instance, I know that here my husband gets 4 weeks paid annual leave and unlimited sick days, yet if he transferred to the U.S. to work for the same company he would only get 1 week paid annual leave and a limit on sick days. I also know that when speaking to friends about our post-college salaries I feel pretty happy with my 23 that I've been getting. (It's apparently a sub-par number considering I'm in a position that requires a uni degree, but compared to the U.S. I think it's quite good.) Then they say things like "oh I don't make much more... I make $27. Later I realized that I was talking in dollars per hour, and she was talking thousands per year, with a Masters degree. Insert, OMG thank God I don't live in that hell-hole moment here.

So in some ways I know that these lifestyle factors are different, but who wins? Which place is better? I'll know I'll have to live in both places post-school to really decide, I just hope I don't hate myself if we move over there for a few years to figure it out and then I realize we had the better deal over here.

I really must pack now... so I'll leave you with this half-finished stream of consciousness and this lovely bumper stick that I've recently seen:
and say, why thank you, I will leave this stinking red-sanded pit (hey it was 105.8F today!) to celebrate the holidays with my family and friends in a climate that is more suitable to such festivities.

Avocado Ice Cream

2009-12-12T16:11:00.008+10:30

Jaime Oliver's Avocado Ice Cream

I love limes! (Sonic Cherry Lime-Aid anyone?)

However, I'd never juiced one before.

Place your sugar, lime and lemon zest and juice, and 2 vanilla seeds with their pods into a pan.

Make dangerously hot, yet tasty, syrup!

Grab your Ice Cream Maker. (Mine is pictured below, her name is Laine.)

Blend your syrup and avocados together. It is unnecessary to have a real ice cream maker, you can simply put it in the fridge and whisk every 30 minutes until frozen.

Sadly, despite it's beauty, its flavor is definitely reminiscent of Playdoh. (I've always been an adventurous eater.) I think I fall firmly into the category of salty, not sweet, avocado enjoyment.

A Recipe for Inducing Diabetes

2009-12-08T09:41:00.021+10:30

Also known as Blackout Cake.

This version is based on one from a famous Brooklyn bakery.

Step One

Sift your dry ingredients ('cept sugar) into a bowl:
plain flour (450g)
unsweetened cocoa powder (165g)
bicarb soda (2 tsp)
baking powder (1 1/2 tsp)
salt (large dose! you don't want diabetes without hypertension!)

Should look kinda like this:

Step Two

Mix until thick but still grainy:

Sugar (600g caster sugar)
vanilla seeds (from 1 pod)
buttermilk (284ml)
eggs (4 large)

Then beat in the vegetable oil (250ml).

You can use a food processor, but I like using a whisk,

it makes me feel all colonial.

The secret ingredient, I might add, was the 4 eggs which my lovely neighbors gave me from their chickens :) My advice when accepting eggs of dubious (read: cross-cultural French and Italian marriage) origins is to crack into a bowl first to make sure it's all ok in there.

Will look kind of like this:

Check out those real vanilla seeds in there!!

Step Three:

Combine the two bowls of ingredients in the biggest bowl you can find. Until just combined, don't go crazy.

Will look like something that, were it in a giant vat, I might try to take a swim in, only to drown to my glorious, chocolate covered, death.

Pour into 2 butter-greased 25 cm cake tins lined with circles of baking paper. I didn't have 2 cake tins so I used 2 cheesecake tins of differing diameters....

(Hey when the urge to bake a $22 dollar cake arises, I don't back down!)

If you use 2, 25cm tins it should take 40 mins in a 170C oven to cook. Mine were done at 30 minutes and 40, respectively.

Meanwhile, make the filling:

Sugar (300g caster)
Corn flour (4 tbsp)
pinch of salt (again, don't be stingy!)
Vanilla seeds (of 1 pod)
750ml whole milk

As my husband would say:
don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk.

I got the real stuff.

And please do: shake well.
Bonus: the leftover milk goes very well with the finished product.

Put all your filling ingredients in a pan (including the milk, but here are shots of before and after the milk)

Put your vanilla pod in there too. Put it on medium heat, let it boil, NEVER leaving it's side, always wisking. Once it boils, continue to wisk for 2-3 minutes until it has a custard consistency. Turn off heat, remove vanilla pod, then drop this much expensive Lindt chocolate into the pan (200 g, 70% cocoa):

Once the chocolate has melted, tip into a large dish so that it cools quickly. Resist the urge to give up and eat the whole thing. I recommend having a stand-by chocolate custard on hand to eat while you make this cake. It ensures you can make it through successfully, and

preps the pancreas for the sugar intake later.

Once cakes are done, cool completely on wire racks. Then cut each one into 2 (horizontally) to make 4 rounds. It was only with the grace of God that I managed to do this. (And the recipe helped too, these cakes are much more substantial than any other I've made.) Spread the filing in between each layer and again on top.

"That's the best cake I've ever tasted." - The Hubs

And for the more astute of you, with 900g of pure sugar, it damn well should be!

It has no butter though, so it's pretty healthy, right?

anyone know of any job leads?

2009-12-06T18:48:00.001+10:30

My contract ends in one week.

Bachelors of Psych.

Interested in research, autism, education, and everything else :)

To a worm in horshradish, the world is horshradish

2009-12-05T10:25:00.001+10:30

Ikea

2009-11-24T07:46:00.002+10:30

After a bit of cleanup: (Still out-of-control, but slightly better.)

Before Trip to Ikea:

After Trip to Ikea: My new vanity and desk so that I can move my permanent residence of crap from the kitchen table into the back bedroom.

I am an Electrical Bogan

2009-11-16T19:01:00.003+10:30

I present you with my evidence. Now, this is a new set-up, and, hopefully, a short lived one, but here it is:

Exhibit A: The old-ass computer that has an "un-legit" version of Windows on it that prompts me every 3 minutes to turn myself in, or whatever. (Purchased by my husband, who swears he didn't know it wasn't going to have real windows on it even though he bought it under questionable circumstances, and even now a half-decade later is sad when I speak of it's eminent death in a less than solemn manner.)

This computer is on it's last legs. The internet also stops working every 15 minutes,with the only option being to reset, which is unappetizing.

If it doesn't die soon, I will kill it.

Exhibit B: My dearly beloved HP laptop. 3+ years old. With a 500+ repair bill due the screen just "not working" for no recognizable cause. Unwilling to pay that price, I realized that I have a "perfect" solution!

Exhibit C: Monitor from old-ass computer plugged into beloved HP: works great! Esthetics: Not pleasing. Functionality: internet better, doesn't shut off, but no more printing will happen in this room for a while as I can't be bothered to switch the monitor (or the printer cord) to and fro.

Exhibit D: I may, or may not, be eating some McVities chocolate covered, wheat containing digestive biscuits. Bogan? Perhaps not. Admissible evidence? Most definitely.

and finally, Exhibit E: my filing that's I've been hoping will disappear while I'm at work.

A bit about my week

2009-11-06T09:43:00.003+10:30

So I went to the doctor last Friday, and was ordered to take this week off.

Our conversation went something like this:

Me: (States a list of complaints.)

Doctor: Right, you'll need to take next week off work and then we can reassess, and here's some medicine that's highly addictive, try not to take too much of it. Only 3 days worth in fact, and take 1 tablet instead of 2.

Me (Dazed and a bit puzzled, yet slightly amused) : Are you sure?

Doctor: Are you listening to me?! You're not going to work next week! And you're coming back to see me on Friday and I might do some blood tests! Shazzam!

Me: Yes, Sir!

So... I've had the entire week off work. I'd like to think I put it to good use. Here are the things I've done:

Went to the Medicare center and got my new Medicare card because my dirty immigrant interim version had expired. Almost wasn't able to get it because I don't carry my visa around with me, but then I explained how my new card was sent to our last house, where another dirty immigrant now lives and he obviously didn't forward it. She bought my story, and low and behold, somewhere in their system this American was eligible for a full-fledged Medicare card.

Also got $100 back from doctor visits throughout the year while I was there. Shazzam!

Booked in for my Taxes (2 year's worth!) for this afternoon. Went around and found end of year statements for the bajillion different employer's I've had during that time span. (Next on list, American taxes.)

Watched my beloved laptop of 3 years die. Took it in to a Clinic for electronics. Currently waiting on quote for parts but all I know is that my LCD screen is shot, I'll need a new one, and I'm contemplating taking what I'd spend on that and putting it towards either a Sony or a Mac.

Made a great chicken salad with real live (or dead) fresh fruit and veggies!

Got blinds in our 3 bedrooms installed. No more newspaper window coverings for us!

And finally, but quite pitifully, confronted my fear of sitting at a desk top and wrote this blog entry in the haunted back study in our house.

'Twas the last night of October

2009-11-03T13:12:00.003+10:30

A pumpkin was purchased,
Redback cobwebs were found

Candies were nestled in a bowl by the door,
Christmas Santas abound

Cupcakes were made,

dyed-orange, and iced with great care.

And while no trick-or-treaters came,
We still did our thing,
dressed in animal masks,
and watched Halloween.
With some friends and some cheer,
which reeks oddly of beer,
we celebrated All Hallows' Eve.

It's Decorative Gourd Season!

2009-10-28T21:41:00.004+10:30

The following writing is by Colin Nissan, and is orginally located here.

I had to post this because it made me laugh so hard. Harder than I think I've ever laughed about something written. My pleasure was doubled when I read it out loud to my Australian husband who just... didn't get it but all the same thought it was funny that it was so funny to me.

IT'S DECORATIVE
GOURD SEASON, MOTHERFUCKERS.

BY COLIN NISSAN

- - - -

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to get my hands on some fucking gourds and arrange them in a horn-shaped basket on my dining room table. That shit is going to look so seasonal. I'm about to head up to the attic right now to find that wicker fucker, dust it off, and jam it with an insanely ornate assortment of shellacked vegetables. When my guests come over it's gonna be like, BLAMMO! Check out my shellacked decorative vegetables, assholes. Guess what season it is—fucking fall. There's a nip in the air and my house is full of mutant fucking squash.

I may even throw some multi-colored leaves into the mix, all haphazard like a crisp October breeze just blew through and fucked that shit up. Then I'm going to get to work on making a beautiful fucking gourd necklace for myself. People are going to be like, "Aren't those gourds straining your neck?" And I'm just going to thread another gourd onto my necklace without breaking their gaze and quietly reply, "It's fall, fuckfaces. You're either ready to reap this freaky-assed harvest or you're not."

Carving orange pumpkins sounds like a pretty fitting way to ring in the season. You know what else does? Performing a all-gourd reenactment of an episode of Different Strokes—specifically the one when Arnold and Dudley experience a disturbing brush with sexual molestation. Well, this shit just got real, didn't it? Felonies and gourds have one very important commonality: they're both extremely fucking real. Sorry if that's upsetting, but I'm not doing you any favors by shielding you from this anymore.

The next thing I'm going to do is carve one of the longer gourds into a perfect replica of the Mayflower as a shout-out to our Pilgrim forefathers. Then I'm going to do lines of blow off its hull with a hooker. Why? Because it's not summer, it's not winter, and it's not spring. Grab a calendar and pull your fucking heads out of your asses; it's fall, fuckers.

Have you ever been in an Italian deli with salamis hanging from their ceiling? Well then you're going to fucking love my house. Just look where you're walking or you'll get KO'd by the gauntlet of misshapen, zucchini-descendant bastards swinging from above. And when you do, you're going to hear a very loud, very stereotypical Italian laugh coming from me. Consider yourself warned.

For now, all I plan to do is to throw on a flannel shirt, some tattered overalls, and a floppy fucking hat and stand in the middle of a cornfield for a few days. The first crow that tries to land on me is going to get his avian ass bitch-slapped all the way back to summer.

Welcome to autumn, fuckheads!

Vegemite, Marmite, and Vegemite Cheesybite

2009-10-12T17:35:00.007+10:30

I love them all.

I fell in love with Marmite in 2004 when I studied in England for a year. I tend to get really excited about foods that I know a large portion of the population hates the taste of. So of course, I went and got some marmite and it was love. So much so that I would occasion to wander around my boyfriend's English university asking his house mates if they wanted to have some marmite toast with me. Surprisingly, the answer was usually no, with the excuse that they didn't actually like marmite! (Thus demonstrating the love or hate drama with the product in the U.K.)

This relationship is not rivaled in Australia, with most Australians actually liking Vegemite. At least most that I have met save one investment banker who spoke of his detest while his colleagues made toast with Vegemite on top every morning in the office. So much Vegemite toast that I, as the mail room clerk and general office minion, had to go pick up 4-5 loaves of bread each morning for the month that I worked there. (Rest assured that if you do your investment banking through Macquarie that your money is being handled by well-fed and well-dressed men and women who shall never lack for a cookie or a bite of toast.)

My love of marmite was once extended to the point that I made a marmite recipe. Marmite pasta to be precise. With a simple, yet flavorsome sauce of only butter and marmite. Hey, I was a college student, and it beats Ramen. Plus, it's more worldly.

This photo was taken while I was having my wedding makeup done. Our photographer found one of the 10 jars of Vegemite my husband brought with us to Hawaii to share with our American guests, and decided it would make a nice photo. Surprisingly, none of our guests would even taste the Vegemite due to it's smell. Fortunately the rations were used up by the Australian guests who had neglected to bring their own supply, and took delight when they learned of our stash. Tim Tams (which I detest!) were much more popular with our American guests.

Regarding the latest edition of the yeasty extract family, Vegemite Cheesybite (as newly christened): this stuff is delicious! It's actually reawakened my yeast extract desires. (Is that a weird sentence?) I can really give or take Vegemite, but this 2.0 version I crave. It's creamier, cheesier, more like Marmite, and a bit less harsh than the original.

And yes, I have considered the fact that I may have a B vitamin or folate deficiency, but I'm cool with that.

What I did on the long weekend....

2009-10-05T18:11:00.008+10:30

1) Relaxed, saw Mao's Last Dancer
2) 3 homework assignments for my makeup course including a 15 page cosmetic chemistry research assignment and 20+ slide powerpoint presentation.
3) Lamented that Rundle Mall wasn't open on Labour day for shopping purposes.
and...
4) Baked!

First was a rhubarb and strawberry tart of my own design, on a sour dough (store-bought) crust, accompanied by mascarpone cheese mixed with powdered sugar and lemon peel. I'd never had rhubarb before but it looked delicious, and indeed it was. Nice and tart but cut by the sweet creamy cheese.

Then it was an eggplant, parmesan, and ricotta bake. The filling had eggs and basil as well. It was sort of like an eggplant lasagna quiche.

Doing one of the eggplant layers...

Mesa Lunga: Restaurant Review

2009-09-22T18:14:00.002+09:30

The husband and I went out for our first real meal since we went on vacation in June. This happened a few weeks ago, on a real live Saturday night.

Place: Mesa Lunga, Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar on Gouger Street
Food: Pretty Darn Good
Atmosphere: Stellar

Normally I research the hell out of any place that's going to see any of my money because I'm kind of anal like that, but in this case my husband had made the reservation and "couldn't remember the name or how to pronounce it" so I didn't know where we were going until the night of.

When we walked in the first thing that struck me was the scent of wood and leather. In a really good way. The floors, tables, chairs, beams, everything in the place is solid heavily scented wood. And the wooden chairs are topped with outrageously thick luxurious leather seats. Imagine your grandfather's smoking den. Not exactly the scent you think you're going to get as you walk into a restaurant, but welcoming and cosy nonetheless.

The next thing I noticed is that everyone (except for about 2 private tables) is seated at one long table. (Including a Channel 10 news anchor who was seated directly next to us.)

I normally dread this kind of seating, unless I'm at Wagamama, but it was very well executed. The restaurant had tomato planters placed all along the table, and they were placed so that we were blocked from seeing the couple in front of us, as well as the group to our right. Sounds complicated, but it was really quite intriguing. After we ordered our drinks I realized that the fresh tomatoes hanging over the sides of the planters also had candles placed under them making the scent of warm ripe tomato waft around the restaurant. It was lovely!

On to the edibles:

We ordered the red-wine sangria, which was the best I've had outside of Sevilla, Jerez, or Barcelona. I'd love to go back and try their other versions. Drinks were accompanied by delicious olive oil and vinegar with bread and olives. (Again, some of the best olives I've had outside of Spain, and Spanish olives are my fav.)

For my main I got the Paella. A bit unoriginal you might say, but it didn't have the traditional cray-fish, which I hate to look at. Instead it was a slightly Australianized version with chorizo, mussels, squid, and prawn. Very yum indeed.

Russ got the pizza, which was outstanding. If we go back, we'll try out the tapas menu, which everyone around us ordered and it looked even more delicious.

They also have a bar which is located on the other side of the place where you can order their drinks including sangria pitchers and try their tapas. It's close enough to people watch, but far enough away that it's not noisy or distracting.

Definitely recommend.

My little mouth, my winter lungs, don't tell me now what can not be done. *

2009-09-17T21:19:00.005+09:30

I'll tell you what can't be done.

My new job, whilst keeping my sanity. A little insane-ness isn't always a bad thing though, right?

So I've had many, many things that I would have liked to have written about over the past 5(?) weeks at my new job but I haven't had the time, energy, or clarity of thought. I'm not claiming to have the second two currently, but time I do have time tonight as it's one night when I don't have classes in the evenings.

A brief explanation of my job that I'll attempt not to extend into unnecessary detail, whinging, and suicidal ideation. (That's a psych term, look it up.)

I see 14 students a week, 3 students each day except for Fridays when I see 2 students and then have 2 hours of office time. I'm supposed to see each student for 2 hours. 2x3 = 6 hours of "in school" time per day. Students are in school for only 6.5 hours a day, approximately. I have to drive to 3 schools per day, some of which are 50 minutes away from each other.

I've been doing about 300k a week. I have driving calluses on my hands. Actually only on one hand, because with my other hand I eat whatever isn't attached to my car in between driving to the next school and calling my husband or mother to bitch about how crap my life is. (Now don't get me wrong, I'm LOVING having a job where I'm (questionably) using my degree. It's just sucking the life out of me.)

Anyway, back to work load. So 6 hours a day in school even though I have to drive between 20-50 minutes to get to each school. It doesn't add up. I'll spare any more explanation except to say that generally my job entails Assistant Principals shooting out from corners yelling at me about something I have no idea about, 70 year old teachers who don't believe in autism and therefore reject every suggestion I make or implement for the child I'm there to see, and bosses who suggest I'm fabricating work hours simply because I wrote down that I didn't have my lunch break one day. (Um, what day DO I have my lunch break?) Well, let me tell you folks, in Australia, that's not legal. I mean, it's totally legal to write down you have had your lunch break on your time sheet when you haven't, but it's not legal to say "I don't have time for my lunch break because my work load is ridiculous." Cause that's not O Hache and S compliant, ya'll.

Anyway, today's incident was someone at a school in a leadership position wanting to know why I hadn't seen Boy 1 very much. Well, I replied, because whenever I come to see him (on a designated day of the week, of which his parents have been notified in writing) he is not at school. Why can't you come see him at another time? She asked. Well, I replied, I have other clients to see, and as noted on my fax to the school if a client (or I) miss a session due to illness or other reasons, it cannot be made up. Let's also note that Boy1 knows in advance when he will be "ill" because his Dad tells him that he won't be making the effort to drive him to school that day. *Insert exasperated face here* On one occasional, he told me he would be babysitting his older brother. (Who is 17 with no impairments, and this boy is 13, with a stay-at-home Dad.) ?

and etcetera.

So flash forward to this morning, when I was making my usually chirpy morning joke to my husband that goes something like this, "well maybe today I'll get in a moderate car crash and I won't have to go in for a few days!!"

Then I spoke to a colleague at a school this morning and she told me that she was hoping for an ankle break for the same reason, but asked me if I thought that was a bit drastic?

No, no honey I don't. I least I'm not alone.

* The most beautiful impromptu music video ever.
(Filmed on a roof in the cold with a banjo and a few French Canadians tossed in for good measure, of course.)

Dear United States of America,

2009-08-20T07:31:00.003+09:30

Once again, I'm feeling disappointed in you. For one of the youngest, and one of the best nations in terms of achievements in education, sport, research, and the level of health care available, you are really starting to turn into an inbred old stick in the mud.

When will you look outside of yourselves and realize that putting some money into the collective pot so that your neighbor down the street who has cancer, with 3 kids and a wife, who can't go to work anymore, and can't pay his medical bills anymore, can get subsidized health care? So that his wife and family can stay in the house they've worked all their lives to have, until this arbitrary C-word came to take it away?

Don't you find it barbarous to turn a blind eye to those that truly need medical attention and cannot afford it? Doesn't everyone deserve a top-notch standard of care?

So what if in some countries the socialization of health care might mean longer waits for elective (not life-saving/necessary) surgery? I say, don't worry about them. The U.S. is not England. Implement the changes into the system, let the chips fall where they may, and then re-evaluate the plan. I'm betting this great nation can figure out a way to minimize wait times. Furthermore, if we can spend billions on an unsubstantiated war with not much to show for it other than thousands of American men and women with broken hearts and broken families (hi soldiers, god bless you), can't we spend on health care, and just see what happens? I think it's a better cause to spend on than war.

There are a few things about the health care system in the U.S. that I personally feel should stay-put. I think doctors should be paid vast amounts. They work their backside's off to get where they are, and I think they should be paid accordingly. I don't think just anyone should be able to get into medical school. I wish that the standard and quality of American care (which I find pretty excellent) should remain, just simply that it be more widely available.

The last time I visited the U.S. after living in Australia where everyone's health is for the most part taken care of, it just looked a little bit heathen. Dirty. Homeless people with infected legs that we all turn a blind eye to. (Now, yes, they might have some mental health issues that are preventing them from seeking treatment, but I haven't seen anything like that in Australia for a long long time. I think most people would go get their infection taken care of, regardless of the state of their mental health.)

So, Dear America, just think about it. I only want the best for you, and for us. I don't like to see other nations look upon you in dismay. I see the faces of American's living abroad who were once joyous, but reserved, about the new president who was in office: maybe, America will be brought up to standard. Now, I see disappointment in the nay-saying and filibustering.

Love,
Danielle

P.S. This was hastily written before going to work today, but I had to get it down. Yes, it probably over-generalizes on everything, but it's how I feel. I will also say that I think that perhaps to minimize costs people with higher, but malleable, risk factors for disease, such as obesity, should have to pay a higher premium or gap for their health coverage so that it's not the system that is covering for things that can be individually influenced. Some people will balk at this, but I think it will promote personal responsibility in areas where it can and should be taken, and alleviate it where people shouldn't have to worry.

Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

2009-07-30T16:36:00.002+09:30

Or: I poached a chicken for the first time, and it had no flavor.

The soup itself was really nice due to the corn and leek, but the chicken lacked flavor. I'm guessing that's because A) it was chicken breast which is pretty lean, and B) I accidentally used vegetarian chicken-LIKE gourmet chicken stock instead of the real deal. (Hey I had it in the pantry, and figured the other flavors could carry off the soup. They did, but the chicken flavor was just a bit lacking.) I would make again but probably with a bbq-ed chicken instead.

Serves 4-5 I'd say.

50g butter
2 leeks, washed and sliced
1 liter good-quality chicken stock
Kernels of 3 fresh corn cobs
2 chicken breast fillets (500g total), left whole
salt & black pepper
Handful fried shallots (in a jar, or fry yourself before the rest of the recipe), to garnish
1 red chili, seeded and sliced, to garnish
fresh coriander to garnish
crusty bread, to serve

1. Melt the butter in saucepan, add leeks and cook for about 3 mins until softened. (If you look in your pan and think "damn that's a lot of leek," you're on the right track, they will soften right down.) Add stock and bring to boil.
2. Add corn and chicken to pan and cook over gentle heat for about 10 mins, poaching chicken until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside on plate.
3. Blend soup, leaving some chunky pieces for texture if you like. Return soup to pan. Shred chicken with your fingers and return to pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fried shallots, chili and coriander. Serve with crusty bread.

My Husband Cooked! Using a Recipe!

2009-07-22T11:25:00.013+09:30

This is a first. We've been married for 15 months now and I have never seen my husband look at a recipe to cook. Not that everyone needs recipes, but in his case, not using one means we're either having spaghetti out of a can with curry powder added in, spaghetti bolognese using home-made meatballs of questionable quality and flavor (I love you!) or something he refers to as mock-fish. (Small tangent: I've mentioned it before but "mock-fish" is essentially hash browns. I don't know why it's acceptable for him to serve hash browns and only hash browns for dinner when they are labeled as "mock-fish" but when I suggest having a true breakfast with eggs, pancakes and bacon for dinner he makes it clear that this is not a pleasing option. The wonders of a cross-cultural marriage.)

Anyway, this past weekend he took it upon himself to look up two recipes online, print them out, buy the ingredients, and make them. Will wonders never cease! (Oh yes, 15 months of marriage is all it takes for this level of thinly veiled cooking resentment to build!)

In reality, I'm actually very proud of him! His first creation was the following Spicy Lentil and Chorizo Soup, made with those ingredients plus tomatoes and onions. It was delicious!! It wasn't thick and potatoey which is kind of what we were both craving with this cold weather but it hit the spot anyway, which was a surprise. I love tomatoes and chorizo so really, he couldn't go wrong with this one.

Photo: Chris Court
Spicy Lentil and Chorizo Soup Recipe

Next, oddly, he chose a chocolate cake. His first made from scratch actually. So even though it turned out dry I was very impressed. In the end we decided that the mousse recipe for the icing would go nicely on either a made-from-box cake or on top of the fresh pineapple in the fridge because it's luscious and chocolaty, but the cake base itself wasn't a winner. Photo: Con Poulos
Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe

Favorite quote of the evening from him: "I'm sure it will get better if we just leave it in the fridge uncovered."

My husband comes from a group of people who like to refrigerate their chocolate. I find this practice abhorrent on a visceral level. (Can't you just tell by those SAT words I put in there?!)

I understand when it's 115F outside that the need for this might arise, but in the middle of winter I cannot and will not do such a thing. Especially to a chocolate cake that required my asking several times, "are you sure you put the right amount of butter in here" as dry crumbs shot out of my mouth.

We're able to joke about our different preferences though, and he said to me shortly after, "Oh I just like the way it makes a nice dry crust around the outside of cakes when you refrigerate them."

Sadly, he's not joking; he would like a nice dry crust on his cake, but fortunately he compromised and we stored it inside the microwave.

Our Wedding Photo Teasers!

2009-07-22T09:45:00.006+09:30

Our wedding photographer was the amazing Frank Amodo. His work was recently published in Pacific Weddings Magazine : those photos in his blog. You can also view his blog through my sidebar because I follow him :)

Here is the link to our teaser page.

http://danielleandruss.amodophoto.com/

If you're getting married in Hawaii I highly highly recommend Frank!

Where the Wild Things Are!

2009-07-20T09:45:00.006+09:30

Oh excitement. I remember seeing this trailer a few months ago and thinking, "yesssssssss" but this time I actually remembered to look up the music and such when I got home.

Now I'm sure some of us 80's babies remember this one....

They are re-making Maurice Sendak's classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are into a movie! With monsters and real people, and if I can judge by the trailer a possibly awesome soundtrack. Weeee!

Where the Wild Things are - trailer

The trailer song is "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire, who I don't think I've ever listened to willingly before, but you can bet this song is going to take me to work and back today :) I love finding new music and movies to look forward to, no matter how silly.

How was your day?

2009-07-17T15:08:00.002+09:30

I was kicked in the head (repeatedly) at work on Tuesday. Now don't get me wrong, I've been kicked in the shin, spit on, and headlocked by 6 foot 3 clients before (all in the past 2 months), but this was different. Usually I work with adults, but this was a little boy. Usually I'm not terrified. Usually I'm not alone. Usually I don't have to fight back.

This was different.

I was terrified, I was alone, and I tried to beat the hell out of the little brat in order to defend myself. (Quite unsuccessfully.)

I won't go into the full details of my day but I'll just describe the incident itself. I was sitting in the van, parked, with 2 clients while the other staff member popped into the store quickly to grab something for one of the clients to drink. (Shall we call him the perpetrator? Is that a little too dramatic?) While we sat there, I was in the middle seat buckled next to a little 6 year old client, and behind me sat a much bigger approximately 12 year old client. (He was taller than myself, but that's not saying much.)

He was pretty irritated because we had gone to do a children's activity where there were LOTS of other kids because it was school holidays and raining, so the park was out of the question. We had to leave early before he had a "meltdown." (Code term at my workplace which means: do something shitty. This ranges from running across a street half naked into oncoming traffic, screaming in a public place in such a manner as to make other people question parenting and/or caregiver skills, or attacking someone.)

As we sat in the car I was helping the other boy to sort out his lunch, peel his orange, etc. The "perps" dad hadn't packed a full lunch for him, as he requested we just grab him some "hot chips and a coke." (Absolutely no comment on how many times a week I hear this comment.) While the other staff was grabbing him a coke I turned around to offer him a slice of the other little boy's orange.

Wrong move, apparently. He instantly grabbed my right arm with both his hands and a look came over his face that I can only akin to the look my dog gets right before he runs throughout the whole house covered in mud and carrying something he's found outside in the dirt.

I asked him to please let go of my arm. He took the orange slice so I relaxed a little bit, but wouldn't let go and then thew the orange towards the front of the van. I asked him again to let go. His grip tightened. Starting to get a bit worried, but failing to hide the strain in my voice, I asked him again. He proceeded to start screaming, and put his legs up on the back of my seat, on either side of my head and began kicking with full force. I tried to stand up but was buckled in, and my pulling on his arm only brought his legs closer to my head and face. I turned away from him and this only made him aim at the back of my head with his legs. I began screaming at full lung capacity. "LET GO OF MY ARM!" over and over again.

(All of this with the van door wide open in an extremely busy parking lot, but with no bystander intervention.)

It is truly a miracle that I didn't curse at the boy because I do curse like a sailor, but that's besides the point. At this point I started to do the only thing I could think of: digging my nails into his arm. This was unsuccesful.

Finally, the boy slipped and kicked the 6 year old in the head.

After that I don't remember what happened, I only know that I must have unbuckled my seat belt and done some extreme lurching because the next thing I knew I was carrying the little boy out of the van, had sustained a sprained hamstring, and the other staff member was back shortly thereafter.

She asked if everything was ok because I was putting the other little boy upfront.

I was shaking and shaking (but not yet crying) and told her what had happened. I'm shaking again as I write this, but at least I'm not crying anymore.

After we got back (we can't drop the boys off before 3:15 because there is no facility for them to sit and wait or play, so we had to just drive around for the next several hours with very irritated boys in the car) we made an incident report about what had happened.

I drove home crying. I got home and cried some more. I called my mom at 2 AM in Texas and cried to her (a rarity for me). I went to my media make-up course and cried when someone asked "How was your day?" I got home and saw my husband and cried to him. I went to training the next day and found another supervisor at work to tell again what had happened in more detail, and cried to her. And then I told her I won't be doing those shifts anymore, but that if they had another position in a different capacity I would think about that.

They offered me counseling of course because I looked like an insane person, but this happens all the time at that workplace; I declined. The woman I spoke to in detail told me it would happen again, it always happens again, she just couldn't tell me when. I told her that given I normally work with adults, if this had been one of them, I wouldn't have any teeth at the moment, so I think I'll call it a day.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Pasta with Pesto

2009-07-01T13:59:00.005+09:30

I love you DH!

I won't post the recipe I'll just link to it because this one is available online. And yeah, my picture isn't that great but dammit I slow-cooked lamb for 2 hours! I made pesto by hand! I found buffalo mozzarella! and it was delicious....

I'm pretty sure it was a heart-attack in a bowl due to all the fat melting into the sauce, but it's worth it. And besides today I made that chickpea and spinach dish (previous post) to help cleanse the arteries out.

I normally don't really like lamb, unless it's in a kebab/gyro in Germany covered in garlic sauce, but this was pretty tasty.

Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms with Chickpeas and Poached Egg

2009-07-01T12:58:00.009+09:30

A Quick Veggie Dish:

Inspired by-
Shauna's Chickpea and Spinach Fry

olive oil and/or butter
1 clove garlic chopped
1 container sliced mushrooms
1 400g can chickpeas
1 bag fresh spinach
juice of 2 freshly squeezed mandarins
salt and pepper
poached egg

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Lightly fry the garlic for a minute.
2. Add the mushrooms, and some slivers of butter to help them moisten. Wait until these are almost all the way cooked, then add the chickpeas and warm through.
3. Add the spinach and wilt down.
4. Add the mandarin juice, salt and pepper.
5. Top with poached egg.

Hello, it's me again

2009-06-30T11:48:00.011+09:30

I'm fresh back from my two week long wedding number two/ friend and family reunion/ introduce the Aplins to America trip in Hawaii, and then a second mini'moon to Melbourne, and I'm ready to delve into something psychologist's call a counterphobic mechanism. Being away from everyday life for three weeks and watching my bank balance slowly dwindle and then drift into overdraft nearly twice has started to crystallize one of my biggest fears to date: that I will be a loser with no career, abilities of worth, or contribution to society.

First, let me explain my overdraft situation, as it totally relates to my job hunt. While I was in Maui for the first leg of the trip I was contacted by a fellow destination wedding (Hawaii) bride online. (I frequent a website famous (or perhaps infamous) for bringing brides together to help each other plan their wedding's.) We were discussing job prospects for new graduates in an open forum when I shared my experience of job hunting so far and she wrote privately to me asking if I might be interested in a job opportunity to help develop an Amazon.com-like venture in Australia. I certainly would! I am continually lamenting the lack of an Amazon-ish service down under. We spoke on the phone and I forwarded her my resume to give to her husband who is a business partner in California, originally from Hawaii, and looking for potential employees in Australia. Him and I spoke shortly and arranged a long phone interview for later in the week, when we'd be staying on Oahu.

Fast forward to the interview during which he offered to call me but I said don’t worry about it, and our nearly 2 hour "discussion" (read: one-way conversation) during which he unsuccessfully tried to convince me to buy into a pyramid scheme. (Amway global anyone?) I knew things were awry when phrases such as “Australia is so technologically ahead of the U.S.” and “I know everyone has had digitally recorded satellite TV over there for years" were dropped. (Hold up. Wrong…. and wrong.) But I couldn't get a word in during his speech. I almost laughed when his crescendo was, “Remember when you had dreams in college? Dreams that you'd get a great job and soon own that Lamborghini? Well now you can remember those dreams again.” Oh yes, I remember thinking: I can't wait to have a $1,000,000 salary so that I can spend half of that on a car that I won't be able to drive because I don't "do" manual. Um, newsflash, I have a psych degree, lots of self deprecation, and while I may have a dash of narcissism, I obviously lack the grandiose ideation necessary for this fantasy. What a flipping moron. (Mini-tangent: My dream car is only like $25,000 in the U.S. anyway: Volkswagen Beetle.)

Anyway, he tried to convince me that I should begin selling flavored sport-enhancing water and energy bars to my friends and family and that, with enough effort I could make about $10,000 a year through this. (While also making monetary contributions to the company for the "opportunity" or something like that.) I tried to explain that here in Australia, we get paid to work, we don't pay for the "opportunity" to work. (Well, except for my run-afoul internship that I paid to do here in Adelaide, but we won't go there, and besides I did receive university credit for that.) He asked me something like this, "If I asked you to drink 4 cans of Coke a day, and sell 4 cans a Coke a day to friends for $10,000 a year, would you say yes?" And I said, "no I wouldn't. I don't like Coke, it's bad for you, and it's not worth $10,000 a year to do that." His reply: "Most people would say yes to that." Sir, I applaud your fantastic salesmanship. Or not. (I only wonder how much money he actually makes from doing this, and if his wife-to-be really knows what he does for a living...)

Well anyway, moving on to my phone charges from my hotel in Oahu. Unbeknowst to me, they were charging me $11.87 per minute to calls to the mainland U.S. and $6.00 per minute to calls to anywhere on the island of Oahu. Yes, you read that correct. Twelve DOLLARS PER MINUTE. I flipped a gasket. (Is that even a phrase anymore?) How about this: I freaked the f out.

Up until this point in our trip I had kept mum about the craptacular room we were placed in. Here's why:

That is the view from our room.

That, and the fact that a lovely lovely friend of mine had managed to get us a discount of about $400 per night OFF. (It's a 5 star hotel in the heart of Waikiki, normally priced at $550 and up a night.)

But, we'd had a few problems with the room:

A) a pube on a hand towel was found when I went to use the bathroom for the first time.

B) The entire bathroom smelled like urine, and would not go away. I had to light a candle in the bathroom to try to overpower the scent. Then it smelled like fruity urine.

C) The shower/tub combo would not drain properly so I had to take all my showers in about 4 inches of water. In a bathroom that smelled like piss. Gave me the WILLIES.

D) The exhaust fan in the bathroom was broken, and as my husband and I are quite a "private" couple with regards to bathroom noises, this was displeasing. Also, my husband discovered black mold directly above the shower head as a result of the broken exhaust fan.

All in all, I could totally deal with these issues especially given our steep discount, and the view was spectacular. But then, my debit card went on hold. I couldn't figure out why because I had really budgeted for the trip and I knew I had at least a G left in my bank. I tried to log-on to my internet bank from the room, but after I paid $15 for a DAY'S usage of the internet, the internet died. (Think: the day the music died, but worse.) We eventually went downstairs and I had to ashamedly ask to see the room bill so far just to see if they'd accidentally charged us the full rate, etc.

Well, it turns out they were holding my card for $1500 OVER the estimated cost of the room for 5 nights. When I asked why they were doing this, and if they could reverse it they could not. Further inspection however led us to find $630 of calls on our room bill. $630!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This was on day three of our stay in Oahu.) Our total stay for 5 nights was not going to be much more than that figure.

Irate, I managed to call a conference with the manager and discuss all the shortcomings of the hotel that I had let slide. I told him that I pay 2 cents per minute to call the exact opposite side of the world using my calling card, and that I do not expect to pay 6-12 dollars per minute any where else. I told him that I made numerous phone calls from my more expensive, more private resort on Maui and my total call charges for 7 nights stay were $25.00. He tried to tell me that it was stated on the phone what the call charges are. And if not on the phone then in the room's literature. It was nowhere, I assure you, and I assured him. My husband also mentioned that to watch a movie in your room you are asked "would you like to pay $15.00 for this movie, yes or no?" As you should be asked, "This one minute phone call to your friend will cost 12 bucks, are you ok with that?"

After all this, he eventually took some of the phone charges off. I paid about $250 in the end for the phone charges. I'm pretty thankful to have the $400 something removed so we'll just leave it at that. Also, my friend asked me to "keep things quiet" regarding my dissatisfaction with the hotel, and unsure of what that means... I just won't name which hotel we stayed at... unless people want to know where I don't recommend you stay in Oahu. :)

In any case, after all that drama I was feeling pretty down on myself for being so stupid as to end up listening to this a-hole go on for 2 hours on the phone. On the bright side, I put myself out there for a possible opportunity. On the dark side, I've been doing that for.... 18 months now and I'm still waiting.

Thus we come to: counterphobic mechanisms. This is a psychological process whereby your subconscious steers you towards that which you most fear. For me, at the moment, I think one of my biggest fears is that I will end up working at McDonalds. (If you're American, you know what I mean.) In order to get things back into order, it is said, that you should imagine the absolute worse case scenario or outcome of your current path and this should help you realize that things really aren't all that bad, etc.

Ok here we go: I can't figure out what to do with my life so I continue flailing about helplessly until I'm so overcome with grief and disgust that I end up working at McDonalds.

No but really, I'm still working on this one...

I'm currently applying for a few jobs (including a perm position where I currently work) and will be starting a 7 month part-time course in Make-up Services in July, and doing something is better than doing nothing, right? (I still have my regular job, but it's casual, and I'm earning a lot less than when I was doing admin.)

It's 15 minutes till Midnight on a Monday

2009-06-01T23:43:00.003+09:30

and I'm home alone so... I started to clean "the back bedroom."

Contents of a backpack I last used on my trip to move to Australia: Euro coins, English pence, and American pennies, tampons with applicators (an unheard of amenity over here, ok they do have them but they come in gigantic grandma (read: not cool) containers and they have cardboard applicators so I don't buy them), an assortment of 15 pens and mechanical pencils from a time when I used to study, a plug used to convert U.K appliances to European, a clock from my dad that has the world time zones on it and "go army", a long lost necklace from a German bazaar, and a broken luggage lock.

Sad times it was. Normally I see all this crap and it doesn't phase me but today it's a bit different. I've lived here for a year and a half .... and that has kind of been my maximum limit per country for..... 8 years? let's see:

11th and 12 grade- Germany
first year uni -London
second year uni- rural Illinois (a country of it's own, really, surrounded by a sea of corn and filled with people I like to refer to as "midwesterns in the mist" (see: Diane Fossey's Gorilla's in the Mist to get an idea of how I felt living there)
third year uni- Italy
last year uni- Illinois
Age 22-23 - Australia

time for a change!!!!

Maybe this has something to do with the fact that I just watched Vicky Christina Barcelona tonight and it reminded me of when I went there with a group of good friends and roommates. (And by "went there" I don't mean that we had a threesome with some Javier, I mean "traveled to Barcelona".) Not that Barcelona is a particularly amazing town, no offense, but I loved Southern Spain with Sevilla and Jerez way more. But that was because I had my own personal tour guide who is Spanish (well, half anyway, his dad was American) and showed me all the great places to go to and where to eat :) Thanks Thomas!

I've been a little down on myself for thinking that Europe is the center of the world for a while now, but I just met someone here who thinks America is where it's at, and that kind of put it in perspective for me. Also, Thomas from Spain, which I long considered the most perfect place in the world to live, (HELLO siestas!) now lives in Turkey with his girlfriend. When we went to college together in London, he would always lament how he wished he lived in Germany (where I spent my summers at home with my parents) and I would talk about how I wanted to live in Sevilla.

I think some of us just want to explore. Here's to hoping I get to see and do most of what I'd like to....

Attention Deficit: a ramble on attention and the modern age, with a brief detour to the town of "why I don't write frequently"

2009-05-29T15:40:00.006+09:30

In Defense of Distraction
- Sam Anderson

Above is a link to an article that my lovely friend Daniela posted on facebook. Here is a quote from it:

Herbert A. Simon wrote maybe the most concise possible description of our modern struggle: “What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it."

Now, the article is pretty interesting reading in my opinion. It's not something new, but I really liked the way he brought a few ideas together to give a nice overview of the issue. (I actually finished it amid watching an episode of Medium on TV and simultaneously having approximately 15 firefox tabs and 3 email drafts open!) It does lack a bit of cohesion in its thesis as some of the commentators have pointed out. He spends the majority of the article wondering if now that we're a super-connected, internet-bound, ADD civilization with all the information ever known at our fingertips that we might be losing something. Say, the free time to create masterpieces that is otherwise taken up reading silly articles on the internet. The problem is at the end instead of leaving it a bit doom and gloom he kind of says,"no if Lennon and Einstein (his examples of pinnacle genius) were around today they would find new ways to synthesize this abundance of information and still be productive." But, if this is true, who are our generation's Lennon and Einstein?

I frequently ponder this question. Not who our generation's artistic and scientific geniuses are, but if we'd be making more breakthroughs, making more art, more novels, poetry if we weren't so connected to possibly time-wasting activities. Maybe this is because I spend a great portion of my day just reading online. Seriously, anything I can get my hands on. I can spend 8 hours reading articles, watching videos, etc. But they do tend to have some kind of focus (unlike this author's ADD reference to the Boston Molasses Tragedy, or whatever.)

I think it's partly a social issue, partly neurobiological (as the author points out, the internet is addictive). One thing this article left me with is the great want to go back and study, which I always have, but now with another concept to think about. Another thing is the desire to start a book club. I don't think there's much inherently wrong with the way some people currently use the internet/magazines/tv to get quick sound bits of information, but I think what's missing is the real sense of satisfaction that comes from finishing, living through a great masterpiece.

As my Shakespearean teaching Literature Professor Mr. Buckingham, (seriously read his bio, it says uber-English things like "He read English at Cambridge, and his graduate school was Harvard) used to say in his English accent and through his jovial beard while we read King Lear (ALL OF IT) and watched the 4 hour version of it in London at the Royal Shakespeare Company, "You will come out of it bedraggled, tired, dirty, like you have lived it yourself." (Just make sure to check your eyes haven't been gouged out as well.) He was speaking of both reading the play and watching it/living through it on stage.

That is how I feel about both writing and reading in general; if I don't feel absolutely wasted at the end of it, either I haven't done my job in unraveling the words, or putting it down, or I'm not reading something that has impacted me in the way that it could have, had it been written better. This is the reason I write so infrequently. Perhaps a reason why I should try to write more often?

Another one of my favorite and most influential literature professors once said to us as he was ripping apart our papers and making otherwise A students cry (I kid not) (Hello Mr. Minette!) : writing should feel as if you are squeezing blood out of your forehead. If you're not utterly tormented doing it, you simply aren't trying hard enough.

Amen.

Bangers and Beans on Toast: I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so.

2009-05-25T17:58:00.004+09:30

The evening meal alone at home... and what do I turn to?
A slightly sexier version of my husband's favorite fall-back: Heinz beans out of a can, on toast. It is hearty, warm and quick though.

Smoky Baked Beans
1 onion, chopped
2 x 150g chorizo sausages, chopped
400g can butter or lima beans, drained and rinsed
400ml tomato passata
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
cracked black pepper
buttered toast, to serve

Heat a medium frying pan over high heat. Add onion and chorizo and cook for 5 minutes or until well browned. Add beans, passata, stock and parprika and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Stir in pepper and serve with toast. Serves 2.

Thyme Pork (and Lamb!) with Parmesan Parsnip Mash

2009-05-18T19:49:00.005+09:30

80g butter
4 x 200g pork cutlets
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
400g green beans, trimmed and blanched

parmesan parsnip mash
6 parsnips, peeled and chopped
500g sebago (starchy) potatoes, peeled and chopped
75g butter, chopped
1 cup (80g) finely grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk

To make the parmesan parsnip mash, place the parsnip and potato in a saucepan of salted, cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Roughly mash, add the butter, parmesan and milk and mash until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.
Melt half the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the pork (or lamb) for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Add the remaining butter and thyme to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the butter just turns brown. Serve the pork with the mash and beans and spoon over the thyme butter to serve. Serves 4.

So... this is really a pork recipe, but I made some lamb as well because the husband refuses to eat pork, even though he eats pork sausages all the time. But he pretends they aren't pork. Anyway. Tasty recipe! I actually enjoyed the pork cutlet; I don't usually like pork that much when I cook it, but I'm getting better :)

Gnocchi with burned sage butter

2009-05-06T09:57:00.003+09:30

4 x 200g sebago (floury) potatoes (aka 800 grams)
1/2 cup (40g) finely grated parmesan
2/3 cup (100g) plain (all-purpose) flour
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 egg yolks
120 g butter
1 bunch sage, leaves picked
1 tablespoon lemon juice
finely grated parmesan, extra, to serve

Preheat oven to 180C (355F). Place the potatoes on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until soft in the middle and crispy on the outside. Allow to cool slightly. Cut in half, scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash until smooth. Add the parmesan, flour, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the egg yolks and stir until the mixture comes together and leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute or until a soft dough forms. Divide dough in half and roll each piece into 64cm lengths. Cut into 2 cm pieces and place on a lightly floured tray. Cook the gnocchi, in batches, in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until they float to the surface and are firm. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Heat a frying pan over high heat. Add the butter and sage and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sage is crispy and the butter just turns brown. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Divide the gnocchi among serving bowls and spoon over the butter. Sprinkle with extra parmesan to serve. Serves 4.

Success! My first time making "true" potato gnocchi (I've made cheats ricotta and spinach gnocchi before) and my first time making a successful burned butter sauce. Normally the butter goes... too burned. This time I took it off the heat before it was too dark, and when I added the lemon juice there was some magical chemical reaction, the sauce bubbled and went brown, carmelized (or something!) a little bit and turned into something far better than any butter sauce I've made before. It was a bit tangy, sweet, buttery, but light. Ah delicious if I don't say so myself :)

Crispy Sage Potatoes with Fried Eggs

2009-05-03T18:27:00.001+09:30

2 tablespoons olive oil
400 g sebago (floury) potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
sea salt and cracked black pepper
8 sage leaves
2 eggs
Worcestershire sauce, to serve

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the potato, chili, salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the sage and cook for a further 4-5 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden. Move the potato to the sides and crack the eggs into the middle. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce to serve. Serves 2.

Saturday Brunch. :)

Sometimes Ugly Things are Really Tasty or: Rosemary-Roasted Chicken with Beetroot and Feta

2009-05-03T18:16:00.003+09:30

2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed
1 x 450g can whole baby beetroots, drained
1/4 cup rosemary leaves
500g pumpkin, thinly sliced
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
200g feta, crumbled
1 bunch rocket (arugula) leaves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 220C (425F). Place the chicken, beetroot, rosemary, pumpkin and 2 tablespoons oil in a baking dish and toss to combine. Roast for 20 minutes or until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Slice the chicken and beetroot and place in a bowl with the pumpkin, remaining oil, feta, rocket and vinegar and toss to combine. Serves 4.

YUM. Unfortunately, the looks are a bit lacking... because the chicken was stained by the beetroot, but I still wanted to put this up so I remember to make it again, but maybe next time I will use golden beetroot (as mother-in-law suggested :) ) or just try to keep it seperated from the chicken. Simple, quick, tasty, and I felt like I was eating some nutrients.

Eggplant and Beef Bolognese

2009-04-28T11:37:00.005+09:30

I promise I love Tex-Mex :) I just cook Italian way more frequently.

Eggplant and Beef Bolognese
Donna Hay - Apr/May 2009

400g pappardelle pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 eggplant, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g beef mince
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup basil leaves
240g bocconcini, torn (oops)

Cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted, boiling water for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and keep warm.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the eggplant and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Add the beef and cook, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until browned. Add the tomato and cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add the pasta and toss to combine. Top with basil and bocconcini to serve. Serves 4.

My hand-picked olive oil from Hugo winery that I got this weekend in the Fleurieu. This is the most expensive bottle of oil I've sprung for since living in Italy, and it's fantastic! (Less than 20 dollars.) But I still have my gigantic EVOO for general cooking.
The bolognese.... mmm beef.

Finished product: I forgot to tear the cheese. I didn't like this basil at all... I got too used to my cinnamon basil from my herb garden, but the caterpillars are back so I had to use store bought. Ah well. Still delicious. This recipe makes quite a lot of pasta...

Living in Australia, a semi-ramble

2009-04-23T19:25:00.004+09:30

so... I don't write much about this, on my blog anyway, but a recent reading of Susan's blog post this morning got me thinking today. (America vs. Australia.) Now obviously her post is just one quick observation about some differences in our cultures (ours referring to Australian and American, because Suz and I are two Yankee Doodles as my husband likes to say.) I'd venture to say as her and her commenter before that it does have a lot to do with geography. But from my experience people here do seem ever-ready for a chat. Grocery check-out people, the police man I went to see the other day, ladies I meet on the street, folks in Lush stores. It's different. Having said that, I've lived a large part of my life in foreign countries where the language escaped me most of the time so even if someone did try to chat with me, I usually was not fast enough to respond so just choose to make gestures to indicate "I have no idea what you're saying." Well, I could understand Italians, and they are ALWAYS ready to chat. (And by chat, I mean.... tell you how great you're looking haha... another story, another day.) But compared to the U.S. anyway, I do notice a difference. Especially compared to big cities. But I think it's completely understandable; it is much easier, cognitively, to just walk around and not consider any one else around you.

Anyway, I fear that I'm coming apon "the turn." Not meno, but the turn where after living in a country for a certain amount of time you finally start to settle a bit. For me, it's been a kicking and screaming thing for the past 15 months that I've lived here, but I think I'm starting to like it. I've gotten to the point where I'm not AS self-concious of being American as I was when I first moved here. I can more or less move about my day with no one asking me "hey... where's the accent from?" And when it does happen it's not bothersome, or embarassing anymore.

(Actually, this week an ambulance accidently came to my front door after 10 pm, and through the screen door that I wouldn't unlock [lest they were rapists dressed as Ambos like in the U.S.] the paramedic goes "that's a lovely accent you have! have a nice evening!" Never hurts to hear that!) (Does this reinforce Suz's point that Americans are scared of each other? haha, maybe, but I think it's safe practice to not open your screen door to anyone at night if you're home alone and you don't have your trusty rifle with you, because you left it in Texas. kidding...)

More importantly though, I kind of like to crap-talk the U.S. It's a little hobby of mine, and over here it's quite welcome. If I moved back to the U.S. it's hard to find people willing to have the same conversations. (And I use the phrase "crap-talk" in a completely patriotic way. Crap-talk as in, question our government because I love my country, and think it can do MUCH better than it has been doing, so why don't we talk about what's going wrong, so we can make it right?) Australians don't have a problem with questioning, protesting, or "crap-talking" anything at all. They're an easy going bunch, but, on the whole if they care about something, they'll let you know, and it's not considered unpatriotic!

I don't think I'd be thrilled to live the rest of my life in Adelaide because I really want to live in Europe (if possible) for at least a few more years (by a few I mean, till I'm 60, but whatever), and probably in the U.S. just to see what it's like to live "in the real world" (aka Past College) over there, but it's not so bad here. New American advertisting/tourism slogan for Australia? It's not so bad here!

And to make a quick comment to Suzer: the only real difference I notice in Australian magazines is that in Cosmo here they usually have naked woman in them... and they don't in the U.S one. I wonder why my husband keeps buying me every months magazine? (But I don't read the yoga mags here... and I still <3 Oprah even though it can be semi-vapid in the sense that there is lots of stuff to buy, she covers great ideas and books.)

Baby Back Ribs

2009-04-19T11:23:00.005+09:30

For starters, this picture is not mine. It's from a blog called Black Tie, White Lie. I tried to roughly approximate what my ribs looked like, because unfortunately they were eaten before I could take any pictures. I will update with one of mine when I make them again.

This isn't really a recipe so much as a method....
time warning:it does involve overnight marinating

American:
2 pounds pork baby back ribs
1 x 18 oz bottle barbecue sauce

Australian:
1 kilo of American style ribs
500 ml bbq sauce

For the bbq on Saturday I doubled this recipe for 4 lbs (or 2 kilos) and that was 3 long strips of ribs. If I made it for just me and hubs I would do the 2 lb version.

I recommend the aluminum foil baking/bbqing dishes for this because it's very messy.

1. Trim the ribs if necessary.
2. Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs. (The bone side.) Do this by taking a knife or other object and inserting underneath the membrane on one end of the ribs until a little bit comes lose. You should be able to grab hold of it and carefully peel off the whole membrane in one sheet. Apparently the membrane is impermeable to sauces, rubs, smoke, etc. and also becomes tough when cooked so it's best to remove it.
3. I would recommend a dry rub to add to your ribs before you sauce... but I skipped this step for my first time making ribs. Here is an example recipe, you can mix and match from these ingredients.
4. Slather with sauce! Don't use the whole bottle(s) because you'll want to re-sauce while baking and after. But be generous!

I used 2 sauces for my 3 strips.
From Chili Mojo's: Road House Original Recipe Bar-B-Que Sauce. 1 bottle in 18 oz size.
(150% recommended it was delicious and chunky!)
From Golden Grove Village fruit and veggie area: Beerenberg Smoky Bourbon Sauce & Marinade. (Good option as well nice smoky flavor.) I used 2 x 300 ml bottles of this.

5. Marinate at least 8 hours. I marinated overnight in aluminum dish covered tightly with foil.
6. Preheat oven to 300 F or 150C. You don't want your oven to be much hotter than this so watch it. :)
7. Bake ribs for 2.5 hours. After 1 hour I took them out, flipped the ribs, sauced the undersides, and baked upside down for 1 hour. Then I returned to meat-side-up for the last 30 minutes.
8. Take the aluminum foil off the top and put under the broiler/grill for 10 or so minutes to get a nice gooey crispy finish to the ribs.

enjoy!

Speechless (aka Blueberry and Plain Ricotta Hotcakes with Maple Butter)

2009-04-09T10:36:00.004+09:30

Is five pictures worth 5,000 words?

Blueberry Ricotta Hotcakes with Maple Butter
Donna Hay Issue 44 Apr/May - cover recipe

1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups (375ml) buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g ricotta, crumbled
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar, extra
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
maple syrup and lemon wedges, to serve
maple butter
80g butter
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

Best things I've ever made! I think that sums it up. Seriously, so so delicious. Better than most pancakes I've had at pancake houses. If I ever have a bed and breakfast this is the recipe I will use for my hotcakes. so good. (ok I'm done.)

To make the maple butter, place the butter and maple syrup in a bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Place flour, sugar, egg YOLKS, buttermilk and vanilla in a bowl and mix to combine. Whisk the eggwhite until stiff peaks form and fold through the flour mixture with the ricotta.
Heat a lightly greased large non-stick frying pan over low heat. Cook 2 tablespoons of the mixture, in batches, for 3-4 minutes each side or until puffed and golden. Combine the extra sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the pancakes. Top with the maple butter, drizzle over the maple syrup and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 4.
For blueberry ricotta hotcakes, add 1 cup (150g) fresh or frozen blueberries to the flour mixture with the ricotta.

I finally had an excuse good enough to spend 10 dollars on "real" maple syrup and go hunting for the ever elusive buttermilk. Turns out they hide the buttermilk right on top of the regular milk at my grocery store. I'd never seen it before because I buy lactose-free long-life milk that's kept on the regular shelves, not in the fridge section.
The syrup we had in the fridge is called "Maple Flavoured Syrup." So not cutting it for me.

Let's see... I had my husband beat the egg whites because as anyone who bakes knows, it can take a while to get them to form stiff peaks, and I knew he'd never beaten eggs before so I lured him with the fun promise that the eggs "turn white and start to look like the ocean.... yes just keep beating them... just a bit longer!" hehehe I've used fresh blueberries. Oh and the ricotta is so nice in the hotcakes, you'll find pockets of it. I found the sugar sprinkled on top to be a little excessive but hey... I made breakfast for dinner that's always a treat!

I just made these again this morning, I wasn't sure if the batter would keep overnight but they are still excellent.

the photos:
1. blueberry hotcake cut into
2. first plain hotcake before I added the blueberries to the batter
3. blueberry hotcakes
4. maple syrup
5. maple butter

2009-04-08T10:32:00.002+09:30

Prawn, Zucchini and Basil Rice
Donna Hay - Issue 44 Apr/May

I'm not going to reprint this recipe because I feel like I've been doing too many Donna Hay recipes. If you want it, go buy her mag, or call me :) I think you might also be able to find it on her website....

To the photos:

Basil... from my herb garden!! I should have taken a picture of this while it was still in the garden but I wasn't thinking. My cinnamon basil plant was getting ridiculously big and I needed to use it before the evil caterpillars came back
p.s. basil is my favourite herb.... I love it. a lot.

Part of the recipe involves combining 200 g long-grain rice (I've used basmati), 400 g diced canned tomatoes, and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Then you cover and let sit for 20 minutes. After I took off my aluminium foil and stuck the prawns in there, it quite resembled a paella, except no scary cray fish antlers/eye stalks sticking out.

Let the prawns cook for 6 minutes and then top with... 1 zucchini sliced thinly, basil, and parmesan. num num num num! Even Hubs liked the prawns, and he doesn't like prawns. I don't usually eat "raw" basil either, it's usually mashed into a pesto when I eat it, or covered in pasta sauce, but this variety was really nice and sweet eaten naturally.

An Ode to Autumn

2009-04-06T17:04:00.003+09:30

It's cold today. Not freezing, but a bit blustery and I've turned the heater on for the first time this year. (And by heater I mean the Swedish heating pads we have in our ceiling.... that still miraculously work which is a damn good thing because I doubt there is anyone left around that knows how to repair these freaking things.) Anyway, I digress:

An Autumnal dessert, and some red meat.

Crunchy Baked Apple Stacks
Donna Hay -No Time to Cook

1/2 cup (80g) blanches almonds, finely chopped
1/4 cup (55g) sugar
pinch ground cinnamon
15g soft butter
2 red apples, cored and thickly sliced
double (heavy) cream, to serve

Preheat oven to 180C (355F). Place almonds, sugar, cinnamon and butter in a small bowl. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place 2 slices of apple on the tray and top each slice with a spoonful of the almond mixture. Repeat with remaining almond mixture and apple slices. Bake stacks for 25 minutes or until apple is just soft. Serve with a dollop of double cream. Serves 2.

Coring and slicing the apples was easier than anticipated. I simply sliced them first, then cored each slice individually.

I used my trusty (but too small!) mortar and pestle to grind the almonds.

Ok the apple on the right is ridiculous, but on the way to the oven it fell over and two slices were "dissapeared" by the dog, so it became much more manageable.
All finished! As usual if I find something a little lackluster (as I did these apples), the husband loves them.... oh well :) They weren't bad, just not amazing.

Prosciutto-wrapped steaks with blue cheese
Donna Hay - No Time to Cook

2 x 220 g thick sirloin or eye fillet steaks, trimmed
2 field mushrooms, stalks trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard
4 slices prosciutto
50 g baby spinach leaves
70g soft blue cheese

Brush steaks and mushrooms with the combined oil and balsamic, and sprinkle generously with pepper. Spread steaks with mustard, wrap in proscuitto. Preheat a char-grill pan (broiler) or barbecue to medium-high. Cook steaks and mushrooms for 5 minutes each side or until done to your liking. Divide spinach between serving plates and top with mushroom and steak. Finish with a wedge or cheese and allow to melt slightly before serving. Serves 2.

The eye fillets that I used for this were really thick so 9 minutes on each side resulted in a pretty rare result, which I loved but might be a little rare for some. I thought the mushroom was great, I didn't know I could simply put these under the broiler. I <3 blue cheese. Husband doesn't though, so I substituted plain goat cheese for his topping.

Cookies

2009-04-05T15:48:00.003+09:30

Listen hear, I like me some cookies. See below for pic of me enjoying a real, live, American oreo circa 1990. I wonder if they are double stuff? And yes, I had straight hair when I was little... random.

Now..... see below for picture of a THIN MINT that I bit into a few days ago. Here in Australia.

I've been on a hunt for these for a while since while I was trapped at college in the middle of nowhere, population 8,000, Illinois, I didn't exactly have girl scouts running around handing out boxes of cookies either. They are even more impossible to find overseas. Or so I thought. Enter: ebay. That's right. Apparently tons of Nanas bought a bajillion boxes to support Little Susie's girl scout troop and are selling them online for little profit (in most cases). So I'm finally able to enjoy some Thin Mints and Politically Correct Caramel Cocount Wonders or whatever they're calling Samoas now. thank god for the internet.

I was actually going to make some thin mint copies based off this recipe: Baking Bites Blog and I gathered all the ingredients but I couldn't be bothered to make and freeze cookies. I'll probably get around to trying them when my 2 boxes of thin mints run out. In any case, again, thank god for the internet and dupe recipes :)

Smoked Salmon

2009-04-05T15:11:00.005+09:30

Two recipes today!

Both Donna Hay :) And yes, I do have other cook books, but... I'm on a Donna Hay kick. She pretty much just rocks. (Well her and her kitchen and staff!)

Creamy Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon
Donna Hay Magazine - Issue 44 Apr/May 2009

4 free-range eggs
1/2 cup (125 ml) single (pouring) cream
sea salt and cracked black pepper
20 g butter
200 g sliced smoked salmon or trout
toasted sourdough or rye bread, to serve

Place the eggs, cream and salt in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until just set. Serve with salmon and bread and sprinkle with pepper. Serves 4. For extra flavour add finely grated parmesan or fine herbs, such as dill or chives, to the egg mixture or drizzle over truffle oil to serve.

Wow this was yummy. I've never made scrambled eggs like this before (meaning with cream in the eggs, and butter in the pan.) I actually substituted thick cream and some milk instead of single cream. They were so delicious and creamy. Low in fat... they were not. But this is more of a treat than a healthy breakfast.

Smoked Salmon & Avocado Enchiladas
Donna Hay- No Time to Cook

4 small flour tortillas
1/3 cup (80g) sour cream
8 slices (200 g) smoked salmon
1/2 avocado, sliced
100g watercress sprigs
1/3 cup flatleaf parsley leaves
1/2 cucumber, sliced
2 green onions (scallions), sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
sea salt and cracked black pepper

Warm tortillas in a warm oven, microwave or toaster until heated through. Spread with the sour cream and top with salmon. Toss together the avocado, watercress, parsley, cucumber, onion, lime juice, salt and pepper. Spoon the salad mixture over the salmon. Roll tortillas to enclose the filling and serve. Serves 2.

This was delicious! I was (as usual!) unsure about the smoked salmon. I can't recall ever trying it, but I just thought it might be a bit strange, probably because it's eaten cold/semi-room temp. It was actually really nice. The lime juice added an unexpected tang to the salad part, and I substitude a bag of washed mixed salad leaves for watercress since I couldn't find any. After I made this I had smoked salmon leftover the next day, thus the scrambled eggs from above. :) The avocado was perfectly ripe so I added almost all of it instead of half.

Corn, Chilli and Prawn Fritters

2009-03-26T14:10:00.004+10:30

Donna Hay
Issue 43 - Summer

These were so yummy! And easy. I made them for lunch before Russ went to work on afternoon shift. I accidentally read the recipe as "high" heat instead of medium so mine came out a little more dark than I would have liked, but this was my first time making them so I can forgive myself. They rise up nicely and become quite springy when cooking because of the self-rising flour. The mouth-feel is excellent because of the crunch of the corn, the springy prawn, and then the light pancake-like fritter. Will make again! oh, and I don't really like spinach but.... it's good for you so I try to eat it :)

Curiosity of the day: Australian spelling of chilli is with two l's
American spelling of chili is with one 'l'

I'm trying to spell it with two but it looks so bizarre.

1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour, sifted
1 egg
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
sea salt and cracked black pepper
3/4 cup (150g) fresh or canned corn kernels
1 green onion (scallion), chopped
120g green (raw) prawns (shrimp), peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes, plus extra, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons veg oil, extra
lemon wedges, sliced tomato, coriander, baby spinach leaves, and olive oil, to serve

Place flour, egg, oil, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the corn, green onion, prawns, coriander and chilli and stir to combine. Heat the extra oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook 1/4 cupfuls of the mixture, in batches, for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with lemon wedges and a tomato, coriander and spinach salad drizzled with oil and sprinkled with chilli. Serves 2.

One of the great pleasures of a life-abroad: Amazon.com

2009-03-23T10:32:00.007+10:30

Hallelujah.

I ordered some books on March 7, 2009 from Amazon and didn't expect them till April 3-5th. So imagine my surprise and delight when 2 of the 3 packages arrived today (9 business days early)! I selected the option where they will ship the packages separately, but at no extra cost to me, so that they arrive faster.... ahhhhhh customer service!

Anyway:

The books I ordered:

Augusten Burroughs - A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father

Burroughs is one of my favorite authors. He grew up in a rather messed up household and I really "get" his twisted humor. The finding things funny, or ordinary, when they are totally not funny, or ordinary. He's gay, he's wry, and he's a tad OCD. I love him. This latest book though is not supposed to be a dark-humor memoir like the rest of his books, it's really a memoir of how it was to grow up with his alcoholic father and his attempts to gain his approval, supposedly sans humor.

Marsha Mehran - Pomengranate Soup: A Novel

Iranian sisters move to Ireland, open a cafe, and a "foodie-lit" book ensues. I enjoy books that make me hungry, and this one has recipes as well!

Bill Bryson - In a Sunburned Country

Bill Bryson was born in the Midwest of the U.S. but lived in England for almost twenty years, and he's a travel writer. This is his book about traveling to Australia. I bought it soley based on this quote, which describes his impression of cricket:

listening to two men sitting in a rowboat on a large, placid lake on a day when the fish aren't biting; it's like having a nap without losing consciousness. It actually helps not to know quite what's going on. In such a rarefied world of contentment and inactivity, comprehension would become a distraction.

Now this quote is based on listening to the game on the radio, but I will tell you, it's equally boring watching it on tv, or in person.

Richard Yates - Revolutionary Road

Saw the movie. Loved it. Had to get the original novel.

Andrew Doughty - Maui Revealed

We're going to Maui and Oahu in June (2 months and 19 days.....) I've heard that this "Revealed" series is the best from several places.

Salmon-Potato Parcels

2009-03-20T15:53:00.003+10:30

One-bag wonder
Donnay Hay Spring '08 Issue

recommended ingredients:

4 x 200g salmon fillets, pin-boned
400g chat potatoes (baby), thinly sliced
2 x 175 bunches asparagus, trimmed and sliced
70g butter, softened
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
sea salt and cracked black pepper

before

et viola!

Comments:

I've made these parcels a few times before, but this time was different. First of all, I actually was going to make a different recipe, from Delicious magazine which called for first boiling some asparagus, then grilling/frying in a grill pan some skin-on salmon. I misplaced my magazine, so I went back to this good old staple but with some twists. Normally this recipe calls for broccolini. (baby broccoli.) Instead I had the asparagus, which I was a little afraid to bake (who BAKES asparagus?) but it actually turned out great! Very tender and flavourful, and much better than the broccolini ever tasted. (It tended to get too dry in the oven and overly crunchy.)

Then, instead of chives for the butter and lemon rind sauce over the top, I had fresh tarragon. I've never used fresh tarragon before, only the dried kind for steaks. On first whiff I wasn't too sure, but once I cut into it, it smelled quite pleasant and a little bit like licorice. (Which I don't like to eat, but the smell was good.) I wondered if it would morph into some foul black-licorice smell in the oven, but it didn't.

(by the way: Liquorice = U.K. / Australia spelling. Licorice = U.S. spelling. THAT's a doozy.)

Overall: would definitely do again with the fresh tarragon (if I can find it again) and the asparagus. Husband's complaint: still not enough baby potatoes, even though I used 350g and the original recipe only calls for 250 g. The man likes his carbs.

Recipe changes:
changed butter from 100g to 70g
substituted asparagus for broccolini
used 350g chat instead of 250 g chat, but I recommend 400g

Preheat oven to 180C (355F). Cut 4 x 30 cm-squares of non-stick baking paper. Lay the potato in the centre of each piece. Top with asparagus and salmon. Combine butter, lemon rind, tarragon/chives, salt and pepper in a bowl and spread onto the salmon. Fold the paper to form sealed parcels and place, seam-side up, on a baking tray. (The "parcels" never seal for me, don't worry about it.) Bake for 20 minutes. Remove parcels from the over and set aside for 5 minutes before opening. Serves 4.

To pin-bone: ask the fishmonger or just feel for the small bones with your fingers before preparing.

Risotto Bianco Con Pesto

2009-03-20T14:43:00.003+10:30

white risotto with pesto

Recipe from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Italy

While it cooking was in my "big orange miscellaneous pot"

Finished cooking, but before lovely garnishes (the green bits are celery)

Topped with freshly made pesto, lightly warmed pine nuts, baby basil leaves, and freshly grated Parmesan.

Review:

So I write this with a slightly cheese-addled and starched out brain. I enjoyed making this, but it took much much longer than expected, even though I've made this before. I had just mentally blocked out quite how long Jamie's version of risotto takes. I much prefer Donna Hay's (stick some arborio rice, mushrooms, prosciutto, butter, stock, etc into a baking dish, cover with foil, stick in oven, and out pops PERFECT risotto.) Oliver's version is much more labor intensive. It probably takes about the same amount of time (45 minutes to bake a risotto I think) but with this one there is considerably more labor. AKA stirring. for 45 minutes.

I did enlist the husband to help me chop the 1 large onion and half a head of celery. I don't think he could help himself when he saw my carefully applied house-wife for a week mascara streaming down my face from the onion. Ten minutes later, however, he was having a tanty over our lack of kitchen space so I kicked him out and I finished it up.

Deliciousness: 8

I think I need to figure out a way to combine Jamie's gourmet-ness (the freshly made pesto, with mortar and pestle, my FAV, and the 2 wine glasses of dry vermouth added before the stock) with Donna's easier method.

Musk Life Savers: or the most disturbing thing to happen to me recently

2009-02-24T19:55:00.004+10:30

So today as I was stopping by the newsagents to pick up a new bus ticket I saw some traditional five-flavour Life Savers. Not normally a candy-in-line kind of person, I thought to myself, "I haven't had any of those in a while, why not?" THEN, next to the "regular" life savers I saw the Musk life savers. I had heard the horror stories of Australian candy... and this was apparently evidence. I needed to try them.

Being disturbed by the pink packaging and the word "musk" on the tube, I hid the candy in my bag while I tried to open it and sneak one out on my way to the bus. This resulted, mercifully, in the first "candy" breaking into several pieces, so naturally, I threw some of the pieces onto the ground (biodegradable, right?) and ate a small piece.

My thought process:

This tastes like Lush smells. Not good. I love Lush, but I don't EAT soap. Or potpourri, or musk. Can I spit this out? Will people look at me? It's not MELTING! It's hard! It's disgusting! I can't even CHEW it because it's so hard. Why would they make this flavor? I wanted to CRY. Eventually, I recovered, wiped my tears away and got on the bus.

Later that night when my hubs called from work I told him about the Musk candy.

Me (innocuously): "Have you ever had musk life savers?"
Him: "Oh, they are so NICE." (said in a way only Australians can use the word nice, as in to convey: magical, total approval, great. aka noooicce.)
Me: Testy Silence.

Him: They are BEAUTIFUL! (Again, Americans tend not to describe candy as "beautiful"... then again, we don't turn the anal glands of deer* into candy flavors)
Me: Are you joking?
Him: No can I have some?
Me: Well, I've got a whole pack left.... and etc.

* ok so technically musk is a discretion from a gland located between the stomach and genitals of the musk deer. Like I said, anal glands.

2008-06-03T22:18:00.000+09:30

I'm not an Immigrant to Australia; I'm an American, and I'm not really an American, I'm a Texan. Furthermore, I'm not simply a Texan, I'm a military brat, truly making me all of the above, and more. I'm a third culture kid, a partial European, and half-Australian, by marriage, and at home almost no where. I feel pangs of longing for Europe, and more recently America, for the first time in years. It took moving 28 air travel hours away for me to realize, "maybe I did like America." oh well, here goes.