cloth and fodder

Long time no see... and some Blood plum and tamarind sauce

2012-01-26T17:53:00.004+11:00

It's been a while since I've posted in this place, and there's been a few cobwebs that have formed (i.e. mountains of spam) which I'll deal with soon... maybe after I've deal with the real cobwebs around the house. I'm not sure if I'll be posting here on a regular basis again, but I desperately needed jot down some recipes so I don't forget them. There are a lot of projects that I'm super keen to document around here, but there's a PhD to finish...

I'm at the tail end of my PhD, and right at this very moment in time I'm writing papers, making blood plum and tamarind sauce and listening to the Triple J hottest 100. I'm pausing from my science writing because I didn't want to forget my recipe for blood plum and tamarind sauce. It's warm outside and so it's going to be Gin and Tonic O'clock soon, and then I'll definitely forget the recipe.

This weekend is pickling weekend with some friends, and I needed to get started because there are a lot of jars to sterilize and fill. 100 jars, to be precise. We're also going to be making my peach chutney and ajvar.

I kind of winged this recipe, based it on a few others like Maggie Beer, Gourmet Traveller and SMH. Here we go

Blood plum and tamarind BBQ sauce

2 large onions, finely chopped

1.8kg blood plums, skin on, halved, seeds removed

250 ml red wine vinegar

250 ml water

700g brown sugar

1/3 cup tamarind puree

4 cloves garlic

1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp tabasco

Sautee onions, garlic and ginger for 4-5 mins until softened
Add plum halves, red wine vinegar, water brown sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and tabasco
Bring to the boil then simmer for 30 mins. Puree.
Continue to reduce on a very low heat until a desired consistency is reached. Puree again.
Bottle and process.

Up and away!

2010-04-16T09:06:00.002+10:00

XKCD #726

It's all official. We're heading to Canada and the USA in July/August this year! Gib and I are going to his best high school friend's wedding in, do some hiking, shopping, train trips, sight seeing, I'm going to present some of the awesome work I've been doing for my PhD to another lab doing similarly awesome work, attend a conference, visit friends and relatives. There is so much stuff that I need to get sorted before then. I have to learn how to make a Pavlova. So much data I need to analyse. So much freaking paperwork too. It's huge.

I sent Possum Magic to our friends in Washington, who have a young son, and they said they liked the book but had no idea what Pavlova was. I know how to eat them really well, but have no idea how to make them. That's going to need to be rectified before I go. Top priority.

But I'm looking forward to the holiday. Seeing my wonderful relatives. And fabric shopping.

Nightmare after pancake

2010-04-11T22:00:00.007+10:00

I had my younger cousins stay overnight on the weekend, so naturally, being the awesome bigger cousin (in age, obviously not height...) that I am, I made a large stack of delicious pancakes for breakfast. In the process, I accidentally created this hilarious but rather scary looking pancake...

We thought the pancake looked very similar to Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas (even moreso after Gib "modelled" the pancake for us)....

Hope you guys all had a fun weekend too!

Easter baking and Easter hiking

2010-04-05T07:27:00.004+10:00

We went to the Grampians this weekend with a few of our adventurous friends. The trip was fuelled largely by this amazingly sickly sweet but delicious Easter egg caramel slice (a.k.a. diabetes-in-a-block) that I had baked, and some discount Wispa bars that we picked up a big armful of in Coles. In the recipe, I only used half the quantity for sweetened condensed milk, and really, it was enough! The recipe says that it makes 15, but for us it made about 24... really sickly. Really easy to make, would highly recommend this recipe for any people with a sweet tooth out there.

We camped at Mt Stapylton campground and hiked along the campground track up to Mt Stapylton. Gib and I have hiked this one before, but I never made it to the peak. I was keen to do this walk as payback to Jocelyn taking us up the near vertical climb up Sugarloaf Peak at Cathedral Ranges a few weeks back. However, it turns out that my fear of heights has improved since the first time I did Mt Stapylton, so I managed to make it to the top this time and it wasn't nearly as bad as Sugarloaf! There were a few differences this time though: it was warmer and less windy so it felt less exposed, I had better shoes, and made the smart decision to leave my pack on one of the rock shelves below. The same ledge before the final peak that made me terrified the first time is still terrifying, but was manageable with the guidance of our good friends.

The following day we headed to the Southern Grampians to climb Mt Abrupt and do some off-the-track GeoCaching. We don't have any photos as yet because the memory card in the camera was full so our friends took the photos, but here is a photo of pretty much exactly what we saw. I think it offers one of the best views of the Grampians I have seen. That said, the view from the spot where our geocache was was equally spectacular, looking up towards the beautiful Mt Abrupt summit.

Image from here

For Easter Sunday (we arrived home from camping Saturday night, Jocelyn had to work - poo!) I baked some Koulourakia, Greek Easter biscuits. The recipe was great, easy to follow, and the result is delicious. My Greek work colleague tells me they store very well, however I don't think they're going to last very long around here.

Image from here

Hope you all had a happy Easter!

Lime and banana cake

2010-03-30T13:51:00.001+11:00

For another baked treat for Gib to take to work, I combined this fantastic coconut banana bread with lime glaze recipe.

A very happy worker snacking on a slice of his Sticky banana, coconut and lime loaf for morning tea

It was fine stored in an airtight container for up to a week. It was moist, zesty and filling, and we'll definitely be making this one again to take to work.

Brain Awareness Week

2010-03-25T07:55:00.002+11:00

This week is Brain Awareness Week! (although, I don't feel particularly aware of my brain right now... another coffee needed...). And so to celebrate, I'm going to share with you some more crafty + brain stuff that I've found.

The Brain Hat. I love how it's half way between a brain and Princess Leia. That is cool.

Brain Ice Cream, by RachelEmmaWeaver on Etsy.

Purkinje Cells, burnt into watercolour paper, by Nuredduna. Purkinje Cells are my most favourite cell in the entire body (massive claim, I know). They are very beautiful.

The tunic and artworks above I have eyed off for some time. They are absolutely amazing. They are by etsy seller, NeuralNetwork. She's a great artist, but also a student of neuroscience. I love it!

And also, while I'm at it, anyone for a brain jelly mould?

Purchase from here!

If you're in Melbourne, you can check out what events are on here. There are still more events on if you're keen to get your neuroscience fix.

I think I need to visit...

2010-03-24T00:02:00.000+11:00

... Tessuti fabric shop in Melbourne. Why haven't I been there before??!

Peach and almond slice

2010-03-23T13:45:00.004+11:00

I used up some of my preserved peaches to make delicious snack for Gib to take to work. I used this very quick and easy Peach and Almond Slice recipe, with my peaches that I had preserved in a light cinnamon infused syrup.

It went from this:

To this:

The hard part was making sure Gib didn't eat it all at once! It kept well for about 5 days in an air tight container. Yumyumyum.

Pickled eggy weggies and other things

2010-03-21T21:59:00.003+11:00

Today I teamed up with some friends for another pickling day. I decided to keep my list of things to pickle nice and simple, just a pear chutney and some pickled eggs. There was an attempt at preserved rockmelon, which I personally wouldn't recommend...! The others from the day might have different thoughts on that. But we also made brandied peaches, tomato salsa, chili pickled onions and some of our own pineapple sweet and sour simmer sauce: our "Kan Tong" blend.

"We were/making Kan Tong/doesn't take long/to make your own!"

I can't wait to try my pickled eggs. Not the best photo, only taken on a phone, but I reckon they looked really ace in the jar. In a week or so I'm going to try them. I followed the recipe on this website, which had some great recipes, but the one called 'British pub pickled eggs' sounded most appealing to me.

The recipe for the pear chutney I picked up from a feature on pears in The Age's Epicure section a few weeks ago. I've heard a few references to pear chutney recently and how amazing it is, from all sorts of odd places, so I was itching to give it a go. The pears have been great these last few weeks, it was really hard not to just eat them instead of making them into chutney.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Drawtism: Play Pictionary and raise some $$ for autism!

2010-03-18T13:54:00.003+11:00

My karate club will be hosting a Pictionary game for the Drawtism fundraiser, maybe you'd like to host one too? The go is that you organise a bunch of people to play a game of Pictionary in May to help raise money for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders. ASDs include autism and Asperger's Disorder and affect about 1 in 100 individuals in Australia (although there is still ongoing debate over its true numbers). I reckon this is a pretty fun way to get involved, increase awareness and raise some funds. The game can be as big or small as you like: maybe with family and friends at home, or a session around lunch with your work colleagues.

Alpha is managing the fundraiser on behalf of state autism bodies in Australia and the money raised in each state will go to supporting services in that state. If you're interested, go here to register!

Chilling out with kiwi fruit sorbet

2010-03-14T06:48:00.000+11:00

Last weekend I had a bowl of kiwi fruits just sitting around looking unloved. So before they went to inedible mush, I mashed them up and converted them into a delicious, fizzy sorbet. This was the day before the ridiculous hail storm we had in Melbourne, in which we personally experienced golf ball sized chunks of hail. It was quite scary.

> golf ball sized chunks of hail. Crazy!

I kind of made it up as I went along, with a basic sugar syrup and some lime and cointreau to give it a lift. The cointreau also helps to keep it slightly soft to make it easy to serve. I reckon limoncello would go very well too. The key to making sorbet is breaking up all the little ice crystals so it's all smooth. I don't have an ice cream maker, but I do have a stab mixer that blends ice.

How I make delicious Kiwi Fruit Sorbet without an ice cream machine

8 kiwi fruit

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 tbsp cointreau

Juice of 1 lime

Pinch salt

Dissolve sugar in water in a saucepan, bring to the boil for 1 minute, then set aside until cool.
Peel kiwi fruit, blend in a food processor until they are an even slushy consistency.
Add cointreau, lime juice, salt and syrup, process until smooth.
Transfer into a container (I used an old ice cream container) and place into the freezer for 1-2 hours.
Using a stab mixer, blend up your frozen kiwi fruit puree until all the ice crystals are broken up. Smooth over, re-freeze for another 1-2 hours (or overnight, as I did) and blend once more.
Allow to refreeze, and eat when desired.

I'd recommend consuming this within a week. Although eating it all in that space of time should not be a problem, I'd say!

It's all about the little stuff

2010-03-11T07:18:00.000+11:00

Here are photos of some neat little bugs I found on our adventures over the past few months. I have no idea what most of them are, but I thought they cool.

We found this little guy in Sydney, wandering along a path at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

A native wasp? on a hike in Macedon

This little critter at Phillip Island. I thought he looked kind of cute with his head tipped upside down.

Some unknown but groovy looking bug at Cathedral Ranges

And here's the same bug now waving his butt at us. I'm not sure what that means... perhaps he doesn't like us?

An unusual find: We spotted this hawk moth at Cathedral Ranges, just sunning itself on a rock

The hawk moth, from all angles

This was a cockroach we found on the beach on the east coast of Tasmania. It did not look real at all, like it was a boy's toy made entirely out of metal, complete with little "rivets" down the side. Absolutely amazing find. We've never been able to ID it.

Enjoy! Hope you have a great weekend!

Peach chutney

2010-03-10T19:03:00.000+11:00

We had a few leftover peaches last week, so I chopped them up and put them in with a bunch of other ingredients and left them to "marinate" overnight in vinegar, sugar and spices. I've done this in the past with mango chutney, and it improves the flavour... and because I was feeling tired and lazy, but the peaches needed to be chopped up or they were going to go nasty. The peach chutney is a refreshing change to mango chutney.

I adapted this recipe over at the ABC website:

75g brown sugar
70ml red wine vinegar
6 -7 large firm peaches cut into chunks
2 tblsp sultanas
1 chopped onion
1 small diced capsicum
1 tblsp lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 teasp mustard seeds
1/4 teasp salt
1/4 teasp pepper

1. Combine brown sugar, red wine vinegar, peaches, sultanas, onion, capsicum, lemon juice, ginger, curry powder, mustard seeds, salt, pepper. Leave over night.

2. The next day, bring mixture to the boil in a saucepan and boil rapidly for 15 - 20 mins until the mixture is thick and syrupy

3. Transfer to sterilised jars and process in a water bath to seal.

We drink tea with a yellow submarine...

2010-03-07T10:04:00.000+11:00

A friend linked me this the other day and of course, I had to share. Hilarious. Can be pre-ordered from here.

CAR BOOT SALE!

2010-03-06T09:14:00.002+11:00

Next Saturday 13th March, my mum and I are pooling our resources and are having a stall a CAR BOOT SALE! My parents have recently sold up their place and are moving down to Gippsland, so they are doing The Big Clean Out. That's 25 years of fabric, teddy bear fur fabrics, books, magazines and crafty stuff my mum is clearing. If you happen to the in the area, come by and say hi!

It's at East Doncaster Baptist Church
47-53 Tunstall Road
Doncaster East
9am - 1pm

You can find more details here!

Strawberry delight!

2010-03-04T16:43:00.000+11:00

Yumyumyum. My little $3 strawberry shrub has been producing perfect strawberries that look like this:

And smell and taste divine! I just have to get out there before the blackbirds do...

Cathedral Ranges: Just a hike over a few boulders

2010-03-01T20:38:00.012+11:00

We took a day trip out to Cathedral Ranges on Sunday, with my friend Jocelyn. It's about 100 km north east of Melbourne, between Taggerty and Buxton, near Marysville. It's been just over a year since the Black Saturday bushfires, so it was a fascinating trip out to the area. Everything is a contrast of charred black with new bright green growth.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them!

Hues of green and black

I spoke to Jocelyn on Friday night and let her know we were thinking of heading out to do some hiking at Cathedral Ranges, and she said she knew of this great walk out that way, she'd been there only a few weeks ago. Her words were: "Oh, the track isn't too bad, but you need to climb over a few boulders along the way". By "climbing over a few boulders" she actually meant "do a near-vertical ascent up the entire rockface right the way to the top". Not that we minded at all, it was heaps of fun... just not quite what she'd described!

We started at Sugarload Saddle, took the Wells Cave track to Sugarloaf Peak, then along the Razorback to The Farmyard, with a detour to the South Jawbone Peak, to the Jawbone carpark and around back to the Sugarloaf Saddle carpark via the road (refer to this map). It took the three of us almost exactly 6 hours to complete, with breaks and time to take photos. Much of the track has had to be re-marked recently, as many of the rocks have shattered due to the fire and there is a lot of debris along the track. Apparently (I've only just read this then!) the track is for experienced hikers only... and that was before the fires.

The ascent to Wells Caves is very steep from the outset, and in some parts you need to throw your pack up first and then pull yourself up.

Near vertical

"Just climbing over a few boulders" says Jocelyn

The cave itself is steep but great fun. However I wouldn't recommend this track if you are overweight or claustrophobic. Wells Cave is quite narrow, fine for little runts like me, but Gib found it to be a bit squeezy (he's not overweight, but tall and broad). Again, you can't do this with your pack on, there isn't the room.

Wills Cave: a bit squeezy

The view after the cave is fantastic and well worth it.

The next section up to Sugarloaf Peak is a bit hairy in some spots, but there are lots of solid hand holds and solid foot places. It's more of a mind thing than anything.

View from Sugarloaf Peak along the Razorback

We made our way from Sugarloaf Peak along the Razorback, where we stopped part way for lunch. The Razorback is a fairly comfortable walk for most of the way. There is a made walking track in some parts, and only a small amount of awkward climbing with narrow ledges, and some parts of the flatter track are quite sandy and with a lot of loose rubble. Most of it is fine though. There are some great views along the way.

While making our way to The Farmyard (so named because there are lyrebirds that live nearby that make farmyard noises! We didn't spot any though) we stumbled across the most amazing patch of cherry tomatoes. Maybe someone dropped a tomato there one day and now there is this huge patch? The smell of it was absolutely divine, and we rummaged through and picked all the ripe ones. They were super sweet. I would love to go back there in a week or so I can gorge myself silly on all the hundreds of now-green tomatoes.

Like kids in a candy store: The enormous patch of tomatoes

The walk up from The Farmyard to South Jawbone Peak is relatively easy and offers lovely views. I didn't sit out on the edge like the other dudes I was with, and thankfully they didn't tell me what a long drop it was below until after we'd walked down the hill a bit.

The view from South Jawbone Peak

We took the track from South Jawbone Creek back to the Jawbone carpark, which is a pleasant descent via a creek and through cool ferny forest.

We then walked along the main driving track (uphill most of the way) back to the car.

Aftermath of Black Saturday, just over 12 months ago

Uphill home

Taste Sensation: Durios

2010-03-01T16:26:00.000+11:00

We were walking past our Asian grocer and spotted this: The Durio

Our last Durian Taste Sensation was completely vile, but we thought, given how popular durians are around the world, maybe it was just a bad one? Perhaps if we had them in the form of a durian-filled Oreo it would be better? And for only $1.90, how could we go past that?

Opening the package made us all dry reach. But Gib took it upon himself to give it a go. Or at least try to...

Even after we had put it in two plastic bags and left it on the bench, you could still smell the stench of the durios. The smell of urinal cakes, sewerage and rotting mangos permeated throughout the kitchen, until finally Gib's mum cracked it and threw them in the bin.

Lesson: Do not eat durian flavoured anything.

Doing the sweet and savoury swing

2010-02-28T11:09:00.000+11:00

On the weekend I tried out this 'Capetown Fruit and Vegetable Curry' from my Sundays at Moosewood's cookbook. Given that the ingredients list included many sweet things like apricots, apricot conserve, apples, raisins and bananas, I was a bit concerned that it would be too sweet for my liking. A bit too extreme. But the vegetables and yoghurt dressing really balance it really well, and it does fall right into the middle of both sweet and savoury, without going too far either side. It was new and different for me, and I was impressed.

A pickled rainbow

2010-02-27T16:59:00.000+11:00

A small selection of our pickles in their Fowlers jars. I think they look gorgeous!

I'm really enjoying the simplicity and of pickling. It's very rewarding to just open a jar of preserved something (chutney, tomatoes, fruit, onions) that I have on hand, it tastes great, and greatly reduces my cooking times, or having to go down to the shops to buy whatever it is. Preserved fruit goes great for desserts, pickled eggplant or onions goes well for an appetiser, and the tomatoes have been really handy for whipping up simple pasta sauces. I love it.

Baby stuff

2010-02-26T23:42:00.000+11:00

One of my buddies from undergrad had her first child back in late November. I had originally planned to make a blanket, and thought I had three weeks to spare... but then the little boy decided to come early. And my overlocker decided it didn't want to play nice. So no overlocker, no time... but thankfully my sister-in-law-to-be stepped in with this adorable bunting pattern:

I chose to make B which turned out to be exceptionally quick and easy and I made it in a couple of hours, and it was a hit with the new parents. I was tempted to make C, just so I could laugh at my friend's baby looking like a turd (it's supposed to be a carrot, but it looks more like a turd to me). I do think D is kind of cool, I might have a go at that in the future.

I also made these two little shoes for him as well. Quick and easy and cute and adorable. And well received.

... and isn't he a cutie?

Taste Sensation: Nacho pizza!

2010-02-24T16:02:00.000+11:00

We created the ultimate Taste Sensation at a friend's housewarming recently. The marriage of two delicious comfort foods: Nachos and Pizza!

The pizza dough was made from scratch, and the crust was stuffed with cheese. The base sauce was just plain old pizza sauce...

...topped with a single layer of corn chips...

Then a layer of cheese, salsa and jalepinos...

Baked for 15 minutes until golden and bubbly

And eaten with guacamole and sour cream!

For all of you non-believers out there who don't think that Nacho Pizza can work, you'll be surprised (as I was!) to know that it was a hit and there were demands throughout the night for more nacho pizzas to be made. Even from the people who hated the idea to begin with. The corn chips melded beautifully with the pizza base, but had enough crunch that it was still distinctly nachos. The sour cream and guacamole on top, with a sprinkling of spring onions, is a must. Go on, try it yourself!

Excited by aubergines!

2010-02-23T08:45:00.003+11:00

I'm thrilled! A feature on eggplants in today's Epicure (The Age). I'm just making a note here so I know where to find it later. And to remind myself to make the recipes. That relish sounds fantastic. Yum...

Eggplant Bake: From The Age

When baking and StarCraft meet...

2010-02-21T13:57:00.000+11:00

It all started when a friend sent us this picture...

It turned out that there was some sort of awesome competition going on around the time of the StarCraft II Beta release, where you had to bake a StarCraft cake and the best one won a product key. I was stunned at how many other baking and gaming nerds there were out there. Gib was so excited to make his own StarCraft cupcakes just for fun, so at our next StarCraft night we brought surprise cupcakes, icing and lollies to decorate. Here are the results:

Gaming Pants go international

2010-02-19T13:39:00.005+11:00

One of Gib's best high school buddies left for Canada last year with his awesome Canadian girlfriend (and they are now engaged too... look what we started!), but while they were still here we used to regularly catch up to play Star Craft and other games. So before they left, as their bon voyage present from us, we awarded them both their gaming pants, for their tremendous gaming efforts.

Gib's friend in Canada, boldly and confidently displaying his gaming pants

We also awarded Gib's cousin, a long-term dedicated gamer around these parts, with a pair of blue pirate print gamer pants, complete with skull and cross bone patch on the pockets. Gib's cousin, however has been a little less bold in his pant wearing, ever since driving home one night at 3am after a good Diablo session with Gib. A policeman pulled him over, breath tested him and asked him to explain what all of the computer equipment was in the back of his car. He explained that he'd been playing computer games at his cousin's house.
"Do you always go to your cousin's house wearing your pyjamas?"
"Umm... well, they're not actually pyjamas. My cousin's girlfriend made them for me. They're gaming pants."
At which point the officer looked him up and down, burst out laughing at him, and sent Gib's mortified cousin on his way.

The Engagement Party

2010-02-18T21:13:00.004+11:00

Our engagement party: a beautiful day, shared with beautiful people, eating delicious food and vegging out. I can't think of a better way to celebrate!

It has been almost a month since Gib and I celebrated our engagement with family and friends. It was the perfect day: Fine, sunny, 26 degrees. We were out in one of our favourite parks, and everyone was either vegging out in the shade or playing cricket or frisbee or whatever took their fancy. So often at birthdays/engagements/weddings the kids get bored (I do too!) so I delighted that the weather was nice and everyone could do whatever they felt like.

However, leading up to the party, I decided I wanted to wear a pretty dress. At the end of a long day of no-luck-shopping for a dress and feeling kind of desperate, I popped into Lincraft and actually found - quite to my surprise - a fabric that I liked (for a number of years now I have hated Lincraft's range of fabrics, but they are my closest fabric shop, so I was truly impressed!). And then there was a sale on patterns. And then I found a pattern that I liked and it had my favourite word: EASY. It was New Look pattern #6557, and I made D, the yellow one. It was indeed easy to follow, and I even learned how easy it was to insert an invisible zip. I love how it tells you how to adjust the pattern to fit your measurements. I would happily make this dress again. Including the pattern, it came to a total of $50 exactly to make.

Here is an action shot of me in the Engagement Dress, while playing tug of war (Beth vs. Gib). Except the rope broke. I think there will have to be a rematch at the wedding...

My absolutely wonderful cousin, Louise, did an AMAZING job at catering all of the sweets, which you can see wrapped in clingwrap next to the cake, below. Every year she makes the most spectacular Christmas treat hampers, so I asked her if she could do the catering for our party. She went over and above the call of duty on this one, and made biscotti, mini cheese cakes, shortbreads, lady's fingers, mars bar slice, meringues, lemon tarts (ohmygoshamazing), lemon slice...!!

I made our engagement cake. I am so sick to death of chocolate cake, everyone has chocolate cake (apologies to any chocolate cake lovers out there), so I decided to make a carrot cake. You can see Gib in the background threatening to cut the cake with his bare hands.

Recipe for Carrot Cake

And before I forget, here is the recipe I use for Carrot Cake. Taken from my absolute favourite cake book: Family Circle's 'Making Beautiful Cakes' (p. 12). This recipe is brilliant, so smooth, and it smells and tastes fantastic.

150 g self raising flour
150 g plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200 ml vegetable oil
230 g brown sugar
4 eggs
125 ml golden syrup
500 g grated carrot
60 g chopped walnuts

- Preheat oven to 160C fan forced.
- Line the base and sides of a 10" tin with baking paper, including 2" collar around the top (although I used a star shaped baking tin!)
- Sift together the flours, spices, and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl. Form a well in the centre.
- Whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and syrup. Gradually pour into the well, stirring into the dry ingredients until smooth.
- Stir in the carrot and nuts. Spoon into the tins until 2/3 to 3/4 full, giving preference to the cake to be used on the day.
- Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Allow to cool completely before turning out onto a wire rack.
- Wrap in a layer of cling wrap, baking paper and foil and place in the freezer.

A photo of my dad, ever the practical joker, making his speech

And finally, a picture of me, my handsome Gib and Gib's Grandma

Unfortunately, my grandmother (dad's mum) was unable to make it to the party. As we were packing up the party, my aunt came and told me that Nan had just been transferred to the Austin. She passed away the next day, but we were fortunate enough to spend the evening with her, and the next morning as well. Dad stayed with her overnight. She was 89 and her body had finally worn out; thankfully she wasn't sick for long.

Preserving the moment

2010-02-14T14:04:00.003+11:00

I was so relieved and excited to discover that another friend of ours (incidentally, the one I made sausages with) is also into pickling and preserving. I was also pleased to read this article in Epicure (The Age) this week that showed that it's not just us (excluding people >60 or in the CWA) that are doing it either.

And this is only a small sample of our preserving efforts.

We made:

Preserved lemon (both sweet and salty)
Preserved orange (sweet)
Preserved tomatoes
Tomato relish
Pickled onions
Mango chutney
Pickled cabbage
Pickled chilis and peppers
Preserved tomatoes with garlic and basil

Getting a bit carried away

2010-02-13T09:27:00.002+11:00

Ok, so this morning I was awake at 6am. I hadn't slept well... I was too excited about making chutneys and relishes. The colours, the flavours, the textures, the simplicty... the whole chuck-a-bunch-of-fruit-and-veg-in-a-pot-with-vinegar-sugar-and-spices-and-see-how-you-go. I love it.

So anyway, I'd planned originally just to make some caramelised red onion relish and orange curd. My list kind of grew to also include cranberry relish, date chutney and spicy carrot chutney. Oops! Before I forget what I did or throw out what I wrote, here's my recipes.

CRANBERRY RELISH

For this one I looked at a variety of recipes for inspiration, and then to the fridge/freezer for inspiration, and kind of made it up from there.

1 large onion, diced

250 g frozen cranberries, thawed

1 granny smith apple, diced

1 stick celery

75 g chopped dried apricots

175 g brown sugar

1/2 tsp curry powder

2 shakes ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

120 g sultanas

1 cup water

In a dutch oven, gently saute the onion in a bit of oil for 4-5 mins until softened. Add spices to the pot, cook for another minute.
Add all other ingredients, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Take off heat, and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken.
Transfer to sterilised jars, process for 20 mins in a water bath.

PRUNE CHUTNEY

I based this one on this recipe. I think this is my favourite one of the day. The texture and taste was just perfect. Can't wait to try it in a few weeks after it's matured a bit.

1.5 cups dried prunes

1.5 cups water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 sml onion, minced

1 tomato, chopped

2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

cayenne pepper to taste

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

In a container, combine the prunes and water. Allow to soak and plump up while other ingredients are being prepared.
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil, add the onion and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the mustard seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in the prunes and their liquid, the vinegar, brown sugar and salt and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until jamlike, about 20 minutes.
Transfer to sterilised jars, process for 20 mins in a water bath.

And finally, for the carrot chutney, I actually followed a recipe exactly (for a change). Check it out here. I made double quantity because we had a lot of carrots to be used up ASAP.

Red Onion Relish and Orange curd

2010-02-12T12:12:00.005+11:00

Gib is working tomorrow morning, so I think I'll get stuck into the kitchen and do some preserving. I have made red onion relish before, but I think I'd like to try a new version. I'm typing it up here so I can go straight here without having to remember where I put my written out version, which I always lose.

Caramelised Red Onion Relish

3-4 tbsp olive oil
12 red onions, sliced in the food processor
5-6 cloves garlic, crushed
330 ml white vinegar
330 ml apple cider vinegar
330 ml red wine vinegar (or even just red wine is fine)
3-4 cups brown sugar
2-3 bay leaves
~20 crushed black peppercorns
Grated zest of 3 oranges

Heat the oil a large, heavy based pan. Add onions, cook until starting to soften a little. Add garlic, cook for a further 1-2 mins.

Add brown sugar, cook 1-2 mins, then pour in the vinegars, bay leaves, pepper corns and orange zest. Bring mixture to the boil, then reduce to low heat for about 2 hours until well caramelised.

Transfer mixture to small, sterilised 250 ml jars, until mixture reaches 1cm from the top of the rim. Boil in a water bath for 15-20 mins

I have a habit of getting oranges for the orange zest, but never knowing what to do with the rest of the orange (apart from just eating it). Well this time I'm prepared: I'm going to make...!

Orange curd

4 eggs, at room temperature
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
170g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
2 tsp finely grated orange rind
185ml (3/4 cup) fresh orange juice
125g butter, chilled, cubed

Lightly whisk the eggs in a medium saucepan until pale. Add the orange zest and juice, caster sugar and butter. Place the saucepan over medium heat and whisk the mixture continuously for about 7-8 minutes until thickened. It will continue to thicken upon resting.

Can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Ok. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. Can't wait!

Edit: I think I'll use only 2 cups of sugar in the red onion relish next time! (18/2/10)

Vegetarian sausage-fest

2010-02-12T11:31:00.006+11:00

Last weekend I got together with some friends for a sausage making day. The meat eaters made real sausage with real intestines, while the vegetarians banded together to make some gluten free vegetarian sausages (we had some celiacs present). In fact, they go beyond vegetarian: they are vegan. Vegetarian sausages are stupidly expensive, and also impossible to buy gluten free as often the main ingredient is gluten flour, so I was keen to learn how to make them myself. I followed this recipe and instructional video, and went from there for the first one. And for the second variety I based my ingredients on this list. We tried steaming in both aluminium foil and cling wrap, however the aluminium foil gave much better results (they stayed the shape they were supposed to).

Spicy vegetarian sausage

250 g dry soy meat/TVP, purchased from my local asian grocer
1 - 1 1/2 cups chickpea flour, depending on how wet the mixture is
3 tbsp vegetable stock
1 whole onion, minced
2 tbsp fennel seed
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground
2 tbsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried chili flakes (I'd add more of this in future)
3 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp salt

Cook the soy meat in about 750 ml water until all the water is absorbed. Drain off any excess water.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add more chickpea flour as required until it is a thick mixture.
Scoop out mixture and make little logs to desired thickness. Place onto aluminium foil and roll up, twisting the ends. Steam for 30 mins. Allow to cool.

Your sausages can now be placed on the BBQ, in the fridge or in the freezer until you're ready to eat them.

Makes 8 fat sausages, or 12-14 smaller sausages.

Freshly steamed spicy vegetarian sausages, waiting to be BBQed!

Black bean and corn sausages

1 onion, minced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups cooked black beans
3 teaspoons Salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 medium green capsicum
1 small carrot peeled, minced
1 tub (125 g) silken tofu (probably firm tofu is better to use, in hindsight!)
400 g can corn kernels, drained
1 1/2 cups chickpea, corn or rice flour
1/2 bunch fresh coriander (optional)

Mince the onions and garlic, beans, carrot, green capsicum and tofu. Transfer to a large bowl.
Transfer to a large bowl. Mix through spices. Add whole corn kernels. Add enough flour so it all binds together to a sticky but relatively firm mixture.
Scoop out mixture and make little logs to desired thickness. Place onto aluminium foil and roll up, twisting the ends. Steam for 30 mins. Allow to cool.
To serve, remove plastic and cut on the bias into 1/2-inch- thick slices.

Makes 8 fat sausages, or 12-14 smaller sausages.

Just a minute in... November

2009-12-08T12:02:00.003+11:00

I'm still catching up after my holiday, so I'm kind of a week behind on everything! But this is what I've been up to...

Listening... to Raindrops by Basement Jaxx. It's currently at the top of my 'most listened to' list.

Travelling...to Tassie. After The Engagement, I stayed on in Launceston for 7 days of karate training, while Gib went back home for work. It was great (the training that is, not Gib having to go back to work). Usually training twice a day. Being on holidays, and with a training regime like that meant I slipped into my natural rhythm of waking up early (training), having a nap in the afternoon, (more training) then going to bed late. I'd love to live in a country where they have siestas. I felt so refreshed and energised.

Organising... an engagement party. Christmas presents. The family Kris Kringle. Posting stuff. It's all go go go.

Re-organising... our living quaters. We've swapped our study and bedroom around. I now have an entire wardrobe to myself in the bedroom (which I can keep clean without all that boy mess) and Gib has another one all to himself in the study next door (where he can throw his clothes in, and if he loses his socks and undies, then it's not my problem)

Reading... Gourmet Traveller. 'The Waterbug Book'. Mostly non-fiction.

Preparing... for my first grading at the new karate dojo I'm now at. I'm a little nervous, not quite sure what I'm in for!

Cooking... some interesting dishes. New flavours from parts of the world I haven't tried before. Just generally having fun in the kitchen. I'm itching to do some baking, but haven't found the time in the past few weeks.

Loving... cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines... all of those delicious stone fruit that summer brings! They are my favourite fruit.

Writing... engagement party invites. Christmas cards. Christmas letters to friends overseas.

Sewing... little shoes for my friends new baby boy, an adorable star shaped bunting, some bibs... all sorts of other baby-related things. He's completely adorable. So tiny. This is my first friend from my age group to have a baby... I'm now officially in the whole 'engagements, weddings and babies' phase with my friends. I think it's time for my Christmas sewing to start too... perhaps I've left my run a bit late!

Growing... tomatoes. Lots of them. Too many in the one pot. I didn't quite expect them all to grow!

Hope you had a lovely November too! Check out what everyone else did last month over at August Street.

Amusing nursery find

2009-12-08T10:58:00.004+11:00

Found at the nursery, side by side. Clearly I have a very primitive sense of humour...

News flash!

2009-12-03T22:55:00.006+11:00

I'm back and sewing again, mostly because I have a new purpose to do so. It's Christmas time, my friend has just given birth to a lovely baby boy... lots of things to sew! I've also been into the garden, and cooking a few exciting things too. Maybe I'll get some time to post some of what I've made?

But for now, I have some exciting news! A couple of weeks ago we headed over to Tasmania again. Gib only had a few days to spare because he's recently started a new job, so he only came for the weekend, but I stayed on afterwards in Launceston for some karete training. A couple of days before we left, we both came down with rotten colds. We arrived in Tassie and it was a lovely 10 degrees (we had just left Melbourne's heatwave! We're not summer people). We headed east to Binalong Bay, one of our favourite little spots. Our room where we were staying wasn't quite ready, so the guy at reception advised us to go for a drive or take a stroll along the beach.

Me, strolling along the beach. Look at those awesome storm clouds.

It was drizzling, we were sick and miserable, but having fun walking along the beach. It's one of our favourite spots. As we wandered, Gib just casually commented that we'd been together for 4 years now and wanted to know if I'd marry him? After I'd overcome the surprise and shock, I hugged him, said yes!! (there's nothing like saying yes to marrying your best friend!) and burst into tears (good tears). So now we're engaged!

He asked me right there!

Ahhh... the newly engaged couple.

Now, I'm not really one that is into jewellery. Mostly because the work I do, and the hobbies I enjoy, are not really conducive to wearing jewellery. I'm a practical, no fuss kind of gal. So we decided that I wouldn't have an engagement ring (we've decided to put it towards custom wedding rings) so instead we got an engagement painting:

The engagement painting: A lino print of a SCUBA diver swimming in kelp. Apologies for the poor photo quality.

It's a lino print by an artist, Craig Worby, who is a local at Binalong Bay. It was on the wall of the restaurant we went to, and we both liked it as soon as we spotted it. So they called him up and he popped by to wrap it up and sign it for us. It's different, but then again, we're not a typical couple.

Example:

About 5 minutes after Gib had asked the Big Question, we both spotted this dead chiton:

The dead chiton

We were pretty excited to find it. I love

Background information: Gib and I did zoology together at uni, and for our end of year exam we had to dissect sea snails. I hate snails. Nothing makes me shudder more: They are cold and slimy and gross (but I love chitons, which are close snail relatives. They are less gross and much prettier, and don't eat my strawberries). Specifically, we had to dissect the snails with bare hands, find the radula, which is the "tongue" of a snail. The radula is tiny, very thin, quite transparent and breaks easily (see photo below, you'll see how small it is). When I dissected my snail for my exam, I succesfully found my radula but then accidentally dropped it (but managed to find it again on the table, about 10 minutes before the end of the exam), and Gib had made a mess of his dissection, but managed to squish about blindly and find his by accident. Either way, we both have vivid memories of radulas.

So anyway... we were quite excited to find that this chiton must have been freshly eaten, because its radula, which is the two dark lines protruding at the lower end of the chiton with a blob of sand stickign to the the end, was still intact. We were excited enough about finding a chiton with its radula still there, we had to take a photo.

Perfect match: We get engaged, then 5 minutes later take photos of sea critters. It must be true love.

So Gib left for home, and I stayed on in Launceston for another week to do my training. The training was awesome, but I have no photos because the camera ran out of batteries and I had no way to recharge it. Oh well...!

And now we're organising the engagement party for late January and things like that. I'm currently having fun making the engagement party invites. It's going to be a while before the wedding due to the PhD and us saving for other things first. We're planning for the wedding to be some time in Autumn 2012.

Hope you're all doing well out there!

Just a minute... in September!

2009-10-06T15:43:00.003+11:00

So there hasn't been much gardening, sewing or cooking around here. The garden is under threat (see below) and I've been sewing the same old things and cooking nothing particularly new or exciting. Except that it's spring now, and there are tons of new fruit and veg to eat. It's mostly been karate and my PhD studies, both of which are going well, but aren't really the topic of this blog. I've toyed with the idea of starting a karate and science blog (the two do have a surprising amount in common), but I haven't thought of a way of doing it without sounding arrogant and self obsessed (two things that shouldn't be in either karate or science).

So... here's how I spent September:

Fearing... walking down my street. It's magpie season, and we have a family that is doing an excellent job of defending it. They used to only swoop once, but now they're making multiple dives. And if you're watching one, while you're distracted, the other one will get you from behind. Even walking from the front door to the car in the drive way, or hanging out the
washing in the backyard, is enough to provoke our angry little maggies. They're even trying to work out how to attack us through the windows. The weather has been great for running, but I've changed my running path so I run around work, rather than around our block. Eeek!

Reading... the rest of Dune trilogy. The Princess Bride. Lables on the back of cereal packets while eating my breakfast.

Despairing... from Gib getting screwed over in his job (along with a few other of his work colleagues).

Celebrating... Gib getting a new job. A new, improved job. One that means he gets to wear a suit on a regular basis. I like that. I also like that one of his first sites that he'll be working on his directly opposite my work.

Recovering... from tendonitis, in both shoulders. The two week break from karate is killing me, while I have treatment, but I get to go back tonight with improved shoulder strength and flexibility! Hooray

Enjoying... asparagus. artichokes. broccoli. dutch carrots. all sorts of other delicious spring vegetables. Berries are cheap, and it's almost stone fruit season. This is definitely my favourite time of year for fresh produce! Artichokes are definitely my vegetable of choice at the moment, and I'm having a ball preparing them and eating them in all manner of different ways. And when they're so cheap (90 c each at our local grocer!) why not?

Loving... my PhD. Maybe I'll get tired of it soon. I've been saying that for about 18 months now, but no, I still love it. I'm testing participants, meeting all sorts of awesome people. My supervisor even told me that I was "on track" (I was gobsmacked: they are words that
every student dreams of). Science is still rocking my socks.

Wondering... what the hell I've signed myself up for. I'm heading to Tasmania to train again. This time by myself for a week (well, under guidance of the sensei there). I keep wondering why I've just decided to spend my annual leave in considerable physical and mental discomfort. I'm terrified, but at the same time it's exciting (or maybe just crazy) to put yourself outside your comfort zone... at least, that's what I keep trying to convince myself of anyway.

Progress report

2009-08-18T09:04:00.002+10:00

The PhD is going through another hectic but very exciting stage as I start recruiting my first participants, set up some Brand Spanking New Test Equipment and get my experiment protocols in order.

Karate is also busy, but is keeping me sane. I've come to realise that I'm not really built for entirely office based work, so by the end of a long day in the office, I am busting to get to the dojo. Now that it's not so cold outside I have been running more, and going for a run really helps clear my head and approach problems with a fresh perspective.

But in amongst all that, Gib and I have been going for a few walks and tidying up the garden a bit.

Here's a picture of the backyard now. The bare-looking patch on the bottom right is what we cleared from the noxious, blue periwinkle. It has taken 2-3 rounds of weeding and I think it is finally gone in that area. It's horribly tenacious stuff, so I hope we've finally got rid of it. It has now been planted out with a Christmas bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum), Darwinia citriodora and a Kangaroo Island spyridium (Spyridium coactilifolium), which should take up most of the space where the periwinkle was. I look forward to seeing how they over spring. Apparently we're not the only ones who hate weeding out blue periwinkle. It was mentioned on Gardening Australia on Saturday night that Greening Australia are clearing it from near the Maribyrnong River and "five and a half thousand were put in a couple of years ago to replace the weedy Blue Periwinkle".

We've found a patch in the front yard which kangaroo paws seem to love. So we're now trying our hand with a conostylis, a somewhat fussier relative of the kangaroo paw. The two conostylis that I got last year for my birthday are still going very well in pots at my parents' place, so we thought we'd try planting one.

My indestructible ptilotus spathulatus. We have two of them now, and I decided to move them from the pot to the ground. It was a smart move: they love it! I think we have a baby one popping up in the pot which the other one was in originally. We're letting it grow to see if it's a weed or the real thing.

So finally, here's the progression of our garden over the past 9 months. There's been some pretty radical changes. It's gone from being almost entirely mint, to not much at all thanks to the drought, and then finally having happy little ptilotus, asterolasia and kangaroo paws. The bare and scraggly looking area behind the kangaroo paws has been planted out with some correas, which will grow to about 1-1.5 m high and wide (they're about 10-15 cm tall at the moment). We're not trying to get rid of the mint altogether, but just keep it in a semi-controlled area.

Front yard: November 2008

Front yard: March 2009 (see the two tiny little kangaroo paws in front of the stump?)

Front yard: August 2009 (now look at the size of 'em!)

Bye to my first ever car...

2009-08-17T20:56:00.004+10:00

Today I saw the first car I ever owned get towed away. It's going into the hands of two young guys who are dropping a new engine into it and using it as a drift car. I had mixed feeling about watching it go: that car was both an absolute joy and also a massive thorn in my side. At least it will go out on a high note now. These young guys will have fun with it. The bonnet and front guards were sold on to some other guys (which is why the car looks so sad) who smashed their car into a wall, so the love was spread around a bit.

The nail in the coffin wasn't all the water lines being replaced replaced, or even the engine and turbo dying... it was when we were in the process of replacing the engine and decided to re-spray the engine bay while we were waiting for the new engine, and found a weld in the chassis rail. Actually, I should have known from the start: its original number plate had three numbers followed by three letters: F I X. The time it was on the road was tons of fun. And I learned so much about cars and had a great time working on it. Now I own its bigger brother, a specimin that is in better condition and just as enjoyable to drive.

Byebye Silvia.

Plushy anatomy

2009-08-17T09:48:00.000+10:00

Here are some wonderful Etsy finds!

A felted brain pendant... love it!

Peri the paramecium plushy

Saving the weirdest 'til last... the plush pelvis! I respect the detail and work that has gone into it (I hate whenever I have to sew holes in the middle).

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope your week is a good one.

Eye spy... something red!

2009-08-15T17:51:00.006+10:00

Introducing... my new gumboots! I bought these at the mid-year sales, and I think they were supposed to be some fashion item? Gumboots as fashion isn't something I don't understand. Gumboots are practical for walking in mud and are great for being hosed down after walking in the mud, but aren't practical for walking through shopping malls or even simply walking in a co-ordinated way. I think most other people had the same idea as me, which is why they were so heavily discounted. However, they're cute and keep my feet clean and dry while weeding and planting out the garden. And there has been plenty of time spent in the garden recently!

Thank you to Ellieboo for this week's theme! (I've been wanting to show off my new gumboots for a while!). And also to Cindy, the lovely host of Eye Spy...!

Babar birthday cake

2009-08-15T17:27:00.004+10:00

Oohh... time for another cake-related post!

It was Gib's mum's birthday recently, so I baked her a cake. She loves Babar, so it's a Babar themed cake. Decorated with just some ready-to-roll icing.

I modified this recipe and it was absolutely delicious. So I'm recording it here so I can make it the next time I have a gingery carrot cake craving:

A terrific tasting Carrot, Orange and Ginger cake! (dairy free)

2 ½ cups wholemeal flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
6 carrots, peeled and grated (about 3 cups)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar (I substituted for CSR Smart sugar)
½ cup packed light brown sugar (I used low GI cane sugar)
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup vegetable oil safflower oil, or canola oil
½ cup orange juice
½ cup finely chopped glace ginger

Preheat oven to 180 C. Spray and line a 25cm round pan with parchment, with a 5cm collar.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in large bowl; set aside.

3. In a food processor, combine granulated and brown sugars, eggs and the orange zest until frothy. Add oil gradually. Process until the mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the carrots, glace ginger, and the dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

4. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (took 60-70 mins for me), rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. Cool the cake to room temperature in the pan (for a denser cake) on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

Taste Sensation! ... Vegetarian kidneys?

2009-07-21T20:28:00.000+10:00

We have yet another new and exciting Asian grocer that has just opened up in our area. They are chocked full of exciting products that the other 5 Asian grocers in our area don't sell. Including this:

Can't tell you how it tastes. We're going to let that one remain a "potential" Taste Sensation! for a while longer.

Eye spy... a favourite children's party game

2009-07-20T14:04:00.002+10:00

(Still catching up on Eye Spy's here...)

Growing up, my parents always threw amazing dress up parties for my brother and I at home. We'd go all out and decorate the house, have appropriately themed foods and mum would always make an awesome birthday cake. One year, Dad even dressed up as an astronaut, decked out in a bike helmet wrapped in silver foil and aluminum foil ducting pipes for his arms and legs. Even now, I still love dress up parties, birthday cakes and games. Can I be a child forever, please?

I think my favourite game was The Mummy Game, followed very closely by The Fish Game.

The Mummy Game is where children (or adults) pair up, and they decide which one of them will be "the mummy" and who will do the wrapping. Give the team two rolls of toilet paper.
Then the mummifier has to wrap the other child up in toilet paper, creating a mummy. We always used to play it so that a song or timer was on, and they had to wrap as quickly but accurately as possible, and the person with the most complete/best looking mummy at the end of the song/timer wins.

Photo from here

The Fish Game is where each child cuts a few fish out of newspaper, about 30 cm long. They are then given a rolled up newspaper and asked to stand at a starting line, with their fish placed on the starting line. At the "go" signal, they have to whack their newspaper roll just behind the fish, which creates a gust of air which propels the fish forward. They keep whack-whack-whaking and the first to get their fish over the finish line wins!

Head over Cindy's to see what other games people are playing!

Eye spy... a sign

2009-07-19T21:03:00.001+10:00

I'm doing some catching up on some Eye Spy's. Better late than never, as they say! I spotted this on Brunswick St last night, at Aboh Shoes. Hehehe. I've lost my voice so writing blog posts a month after they were "due" is helping me cope. I don't do well if I can't talk. Hope you had a good weekend!

How to make a leafy sea dragon cake

2009-07-19T07:49:00.007+10:00

I lie. It's not really a cake. It's a bunch of cookies glued together. And a word of warning for anyone else insane enough to attempt a leafy sea dragon cake: this project is not for the faint hearted. Many times I stopped and said to myself "Why the hell are you doing this, woman?!" and walked away shaking my head. It took several hours, and I nearly cried at one point.

I am not a pro cake maker, I've never attended any cake lessons. It all started when my mum made cool animal cakes for me as a child and I've carried on the tradition. So if there are any people out there thinking "oh, why did she do that/use that, there's a much better way!" you're probably right, but I don't know about it! I had fun anyway. Eventually.

Some background on Leafy Sea Dragons

Phycodurus eques is related to the sea horse, and found in the southern and western oceans of Australia. We tend to get the Weedy Sea Dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) on the east coast which are much less elaborate than the leafy. The appendages aren't actually used for swimming, which is what I first thought when I started investigating, but have little fins along their back and head that they use for that. The leafy appendages are just for camouflage. They grow up to 30-40 cm. I highly recommend watching this video of them. They are stunning to see in action. I've only ever seen them in an aquarium in Western Australia.

Some background on how I decided to make my Leafy Sea Dragons

I had quite a few ideas for how to make it, given the constraints of making a leafy sea dragon: the legs and leg joints would be fragile so the head and body either needed to be light or the joints made strong (or both!). I thought about using meringue because it is both strong and light, but my attempts at meringue failed horribly but I'd had in my mind "cookies!" the whole time so I decided to go with that. Meringues also take a long time to cook, and I am an instant gratification woman, so cookies it was. I think gingerbread would work too, but I know many of my friends hate gingerbread.

I experimented with the royal icing you use for gingerbread houses, which is very strong and sets like cement, but at the same time is exceptionally messy and there isn't much room for mistakes. If you muck up, it's set like that forever. However, if you'd prefer to use "gingerbread house glue" then my recipe is:

3 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 - 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

Instead, for appendage glue, I decided to use white chocolate. It is strong but can be re-moulded. I used a good quality brand so it didn't go funny after heating and cooling.

I had made a small scale prototype the week before, using a variety of icings, cookie recipes and "glue". I went out for about half an hour, and Sylvester, our cat with strange food prefences, decided he wanted to have a taste. I came home to find the whole thing smashed on the floor and bits eaten. Another good lesson learned from my prototypes.

How to make a Leafy Sea Dragon

Ingredients:

For the structure:

1 quantity of cookie dough
1 block of good quality white chocolate
Orchard ready-to-roll icing

For decoration:
Yellow food dye
Blue sour straps
1 block of good quality white chocolate
Cream (for the ganache)

Method

I wanted to attempt to make my leafy 1:1 scale, so took this photo (inverted the colours to save on ink) and printed it A2 size (4 x A4 paper stuck together) and used it as a template for the cookies.

Courtesy of this wonderful website

I cut out the head and body as one piece, and cut out each of the leafy appendages. I rolled out my cookie dough to 4mm thick, placed the template on the dough and traced around it with a knife. Most of the leafy appendages were baked for about 10-12 mins, but the body took 20 mins.

I rested the body in my potato masher, which placed on a small box to elevate it, because it was a convenient width to support the body vertically. I glued on the rear legs with a blob of white chocolate, then the middle legs.

I also stuck on some read to roll icing to fill out the cheeks, chest and body. The stark white is the icing, and the off-wihte stuff is the chocolate. You can see in the background the individual leafy cookies. I placed a shot glass under its body to help take some of the weight off the legs while it was drying. In the end I decided to keep the shot glass in there permanently because I didn't want the legs to break while I left him overnight. The glass under his nose is temporary.

The head actually snapped off at one point. One of those moments when you have a few heart palpitations. It actually worked out well because it meant I could attach the front legs more easily. The head I cemented back on with tooth picks, chocolate and icing.

I iced him all over with white chocolate ganache dyed yellow, starting from the rear and finishing with the head. I wanted to smooth him down more but I was terrified he would snap. I experimented with a few different icings in my prototype stages, but I love ganache so I rolled with that. I used blue sour straps for the details and his head piece nad whiskers. The eyes are just Orchard icing with a blue chocolate dot in the middle. I poke sour straps into the underneath of the body for the dangly, weedy bits.

I made sure to keep a washing basket over the top of the cake and to lock all doors to the kitchen to make sure Sylvester could not get his paws anywhere near the "cake". He's a rotter, that one. Every time he came into the kitchen while I was making the final version, he looked at me with adoring eyes, but I knew it was because he really wanted some chocolate covered cookies. He's cunning and mischeivous.

Then when Gib got home from work he told me that he was only joking when he said I should make him a leafy sea dragon cake. He said he didn't think I'd actually make it but thought it would be amusing to put the challenge to me. They do say pets take after their owners.

Here's the finished product:

Gluten free failure

2009-07-11T00:49:00.002+10:00

In my last post I mentioned that if I succeeded in my gluten free desserts, I'd post awesome photos and recipes etc etc... well, let's just say that I now hate baking with gluten free flours. The desserts looked fine, just like the regular, non-gluten free versions. I've certainly made better tasting things. I think we all know when someone has made something that is a bit below par, however that doesn't warrant ongoing gripes and complaints from the male diners about substandard desserts (except the ones with dietary requirements, who were just happy to have a choice other than 'fresh fruit' for dessert for a change), so it has been decided that they will be doing the cooking at the next get together we have. And they wont be allowed to get take away.

I also tried my hand at meringues that day. They failed too. They totally lacked fluff. They looked like little pink and yellow turds.

...but they weren't nearly as fluffy as the one above.

I think it's on those days you throw in the towel and head down to the store.

Dietary complications

2009-07-05T08:58:00.000+10:00

Every couple of months I catch up with a bunch of friends I went to uni with in undergrad. We take turns at hosting dinner and everyone contributes something to the meal. We have a diabetic celiac, two vegetarians, one who is pregnant with borderline gestational diabetes, and another with egg and nut allergies, so our food has to cover all bases:

Gluten free
Low GI
Nut free
Egg free
Meat free
Alcohol free
Caffeine free
No deli meats or pre-made salads
No uncooked soft cheeses

We are all quite adventurous and I am astounded at the variety and tastiness of the food we all bring to the table. It's my turn to host tomorrow, and it's my turn to make dessert. I'll be making a gluten free chocolate and raspberry baked ricotta cake and a nut free and diabetic friendly version of this gluten free apple crumble. Hopefully I'll get some good photos, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Crazy cakes and cake tins

2009-07-04T15:42:00.007+10:00

It's heading up to "birthday season" in our household and while doing some research for my next cake creation, I found this amazing sculpture of a centipede made from recycled bundt tins. The whole process is shown here. This is my kind of art!

Gib and I are both July babies and are having a combined birthday party. After the fish, axolotl, wasp cake and giant squid, I'm about to embark on my craziest, most ambitious cake ever. I'm a bit nervous. Gib has decided he wants a leafy sea dragon cake. Bloody hell! Any suggestions are welcome.

What does a scientist look like?

2009-06-28T08:39:00.004+10:00

I have still been crafting away to myself. Part of that reason for my quietness is that I decided to cut down on blog reading while working, and have instead allocated blog-reading time in the evening. It means that I have about 300+ unread blog posts which I feel kind of bad about: you all do such fabulous things and I want to read it all! However, I have been really inspired to get some awesome science done, and sometimes some things need to take a back seat. I have thought maybe I should have a science and karate blog to run along side my more crafty blog, and then realised that it would probably eat away more of my time. I think a crafty/baking/gardening blog is far more entertaining for me to maintain anyway.

But on reflecting about crafting/baking and science, I realised recently that when I was a teenager thinking about "what I wanted to be when grew up", I didn't really think that the two could exist. I was invited by my old high school biology teacher to come and give a presentation to a group of Year 9 students and it got me thinking about when I was in Year 9 what I thought about "scientists". I always loved science, but I never thought I could be a "scientist" because:

Scientists are very serious people
Scientists are rarely female and must be tall. And old.
Science is only conducted in a laboratory. Chemists and biologists only look at little things, like chemicals, genes, cells or other microscopic things. Or alternatively, they study the behaviour of exotic animals, out in the middle of nowhere in extreme weather conditions. Physicists sound boring and is only for old, serious, grumpy, balding men.
All scientists only wear lab coats and gloves and dorky glasses.
All scientists must be super intelligent.
If I do science and creative things like baking and sewing, I can't be a serious scientist.

We went on some excursions that only confirmed my stereotypes: we went to a university to do a day course in genetics (at the time, one of my least favourite subjects - so dry!) in flies (boring!) lead by an intimidating old man with greying hair wearing a lab coat, gloves and glasses. He was very serious.

Gib and I being what scientists should be: super smart but boring, labcoat/glasses wearing dorks, who never, ever have any fun.

I finished high school loving science but being confused as to what I could be. All because my concept of what a scientist is was very skewed. I have since learned:

Scientists can have a sense of humour.
Scientists can be short, female and young.
Not all laboratories are stark white with bottles of strange liquids and pipettes everywhere.
Not all laboratories are designed for studying little things, but can for studying big, whole things too, and you don't always need to wear a lab coat and protective glasses.
Not all scientists are super intelligent.
Scientists can also bake, sew, fix cars, take part in contact sports, sky dive, make sculptures, knit, have children and still be scientists.

Cook up to save $$$

2009-06-16T06:25:00.000+10:00

We've had to tighten our belts a bit around here, and one of the easiest ways for us to cut back on expenses is to not eat out to so much. I work in a place where there is only one cafe and they charge you $9 for pumpkin soup and a tiny piece of bread, so I always take lunch to work, usually leftovers (rarely sandwiches. 13 years of taking sandwiches to school kind of broke me). But Gib has now realised after several years of me persisting that buying lunch is expensive and he should take his own. So we did a big cook up of three dishes:

Brunswick stew (I note that Curly Pops has her own, vintage Weight Watchers recipe for Brunswick stew! Hehehe)
Jungle curry (I used a commercial curry base)
Pasta bake (except ours was a vegetarian version).

The thing I love about doing batch cook ups is that it actually takes less time overall: I can chop up all the onions for all three dishes at the same time, all the carrots, all broccoli... etc, and put them into their respective pots at about the same time, and there are fewer chopping boards to wash.

Total cost per serve - and they are big serves for my hard working man - was $2.42 each!

Eye spy... my perfect invention

2009-06-14T22:05:00.002+10:00

Before going on to list my perfect invention, I should mention that I was so excited when I read this week's topic. My dad is a bit of an inventor, and many of my favourite childhood memories are of helping dad with his wacky inventions. The word "invention" conjures up so many hilarious family memories for me. My dad would always make a grand announcement over dinner that he had just come up with a new, amazing invention... and then a few weeks after that we'd always discover that his inventions had already been invented... and usually 10x less elaborate than his. But that never stopped him. My dad was, I think, the only person who was completely in his element during the 1998 Esso Longford gas explosion: he spent the entire two weeks coming up with new ways to heat water for our showers (like buying 50 m of black piping and leaving it on the roof filled with water, for some real "solar hot water"). I was always the guinea pig for his new shower inventions... and it resulted in me having many cold showers!

My dad loves to modify things too and he loves a good bargain. Recently he was after a paper shredder, but didn't want to spend $45 on an electric paper shredder when he could spend just $15 on a manual, hand crank one. Within 15 minutes of him manually shredding paper he was tired of turning the handle and was coming up ways to make it go faster. He made an elaborate attachment so he could fit his power drill (set to ~200 RPM) onto the handle pulled the trigger. It worked great... for about 20 seconds. And then the shredder cracked. And he ended up having to buy the $45 electric shredder.

So... anyway... being my father's daughter, I do like a bit of inventing too. I guess that's how I ended up in science. I have no trouble coming up with hundreds of new, cool and exciting medical inventions. However today as I sit here, just having come back from a weekend long karate training event with a big full of stinky clothes and no motivation, the idea that comes to mind for my perfect invention is a bit closer to home. It involves a device where I could put all of my clothes:

It would automatically sorts between clean/'worn once but still ok' and dirty clothes (perhaps via some sort of chemical detection for armpit odours?)
It would sort between white/coloured/dark coloured clothes (colour detection)
It would puts them in the washing machine and selects the appropriate setting (cold for those clothes that shrink, like my karate uniform)
It would then dry them appropriately (again, cooler settings for shrink-prone clothes)
It would fold my clothes and place them neatly in a basket. Ultimately it would sort between the folded clothes into three piles: pants, tops and underwear.

This Whirlpool Ultimate Care washing machine is not ultimate enough!

Go visit Cindy to see who else is playing!

Nerd craft... awesome!

2009-06-12T11:56:00.001+10:00

I spotted this over at Hoppo Bumpo, who was the lucky winner of a swine flu softie created by clutterpunk! I think this is awesome, with bonus points for accuracy.

While we're at it, I was also sent this by a friend: a free pattern for 'Baby's first DNA model'

I hope you are all flu-free!

Overwhelmed with colour

2009-06-09T12:08:00.000+10:00

When I go to a fruit and veg market, I always become overwhelmed with the amazing colour of the produce. The bright oranges and pinks and reds and purples and greens...! I even think my heart sometimes skips a little bit with all of the excitement. So how could I contain myself when I found this amazing bunch of Swiss chard: the bright oranges and reds of the stems with the green and purple leaves. I think the man at the stall thought I was a bit mad when I was saying to Gib "Just look at those colours!". There was also an amazing kohlrabe too, with purples so purple that it almost looked fake (my camera wouldn't do it justice though).

Almond biscotti!

2009-06-08T21:05:00.006+10:00

Yesterday I had an itch to bake. I was tired and sleepy, but I really wanted to get into the kitchen. It was Gib's cousin's birthday, and there was a bit of a family gathering and there was an Italian food theme so I decided to try my hand at making biscotti. About half way through the process I realised it was kind of pointless, because right now me and crunchy food, especially seriously crunchy foodstuffs like biscotti, can't be friends. I think my hips and thighs might think it's a good thing though.

I used this biccotti recipe from Joy of Baking and it was actually surprisingly quick and easy to make. By quick I mean that the dough was quick to make, and cutting up the biscotti for the second baking was quick too. Baking time was a while, but if you're already hanging about the house doing other things then it's really not a problem. Dead easy. I thought biscotti would be an arduous task, but I was wrong. And they store so well, I think I might have to remember these again for Christmas time.

Biscotti: Dipped into a nice mug of coffee, it then becomes more edible for those who can't chew

Eye spy...

2009-06-08T09:28:00.002+10:00

This week's theme is a challenge, even despite there being a choice of two! There's not much blooming in our garden, or nearby. Lots of green but no bloom. And while I could show you my new, recent scars, even I think they're totally gross and you wouldn't really like to see them either. I had my wisdom teeth out last Monday and the wounds are healing nicely. I am not a huge fan of lots of sweet things, so I was onto solids within a day or so. However there are still some aches and pains in my jaw, but the swelling has gone right down. I can't wait for them to finish with their healing though. Back at work tomorrow.

The only other scars I have are from when I had my tonsils out. Again, these are not photos you want to see. It's funny, but despite all my outdoor adventures and contact sports, I don't have any scars. All of my injuries have been internal ones (like when I fell off a trampoline and tore the muscles in my lower back), with no blood and gore (dislocated thumbs generally don't result in blood), or have healed so neatly I have nothing to show (like the times I've sliced my finger to the bone).

No more trampolines for me, please!

Go check out who else is playing over at Cindy's place!

Recipe reviews!

2009-05-31T22:07:00.003+10:00

I'm just doing some cataloging of some cool recipes I've tried over the past month, and using my blog as a bit of a scrap book for them all. Maybe you will like them too?

Roasted onions: from the Cook and the Chef. I think anything slow roasted is delicious. Reheats well.

Madhur Jaffrey's Swiss Chard, tomatoes and chickpea s. Made with fresh Swiss chard and amazingly sweet cherry tomatoes from the market, this tasted amazing. I really should have used freshly cooked chickpeas rather than tinned because they really let the rest of the meal down. It was so quick and tasty, but the simplicity of this dish means that the ingredients have to be super fresh.

Falafel: I have tried many falafel recipes, but this is without a doubt the best one I have found. Just like a bought one! It seems as though where I've been going wrong all this time has been using cooked beans instead of just soaked beans. I used parsley and mint instead of parsley and coriander, because Gib has a very strong aversion to coriander, even in minute quantities.

Best ever mudcake recipe: this is, in fact, the best ever mudcake recipe. I've had so many mixed results with mudcakes in the past, but this one is fantastic. I love how adaptable the recipe is too!

Eye spy... a morning ritual

2009-05-31T21:27:00.004+10:00

I am a big fan of routine. It keeps me sane when there's so much going on in and so many things to fit in, and my mornings are particularly sacred. I have both a pre-work and work routine that goes something like this...

7:30am: wake up. I seem to wake up at 7:30am regardless of how early/late I went to bed or whether it's a weekday or weekend. Boot my computer.
7:35am: shower. I have now perfected the 4 minute shower. Check the weather on the bureau of meteorology. Get changed.
7:45am: breakfast. Porridge, or weetbix with a sprinkling of muesli with soy milk. Check whether the rats require breakfast as well, or if their water needs to be changed. Ignore the cat despite his pathetic pleas, because he is likely to have conned other members of the household into feeding him two breakfasts already.
7:50am: out the door for work!
8:00am: Arrive at work. Make a coffee. Spend the next 20-30 mins catching up on news, a few blogs and anything else that is exciting and non-work related.

Thankfully Yarra Valley Water gave us one of these cute electronic shower timers, and not one of the dodgy hour glass ones (I have often wondered how much water went into the manufacture of those dodgy ones!)

And then on the weekend...

7:30am: wake up. Laze in bed, looking out the window.
7:45am: shower. I have now perfected the 4 minute shower. Get changed
7:55am: breakfast. Porridge, or weetbix with a sprinkling of muesli with soy milk.
8:00am: Dawdle. Make a to-do list for the weekend (there's always something on the go). Read the news, a few blogs and anything else that is exciting and non-work related. Start some baking, or work on a sewing project, put on a load of washing, do general cleaning and tidying until Gib gets up. It's always easier to clean when he's not around.
10:00am: Coffee! at one of the local coffee shops.

Thanks Angie for this week's theme, and Cindy for hosting Eye Spy!

Just a minute... in May!

2009-05-31T08:17:00.002+10:00

Things have been a little quiet around these parts. It's because, I have to admit... I haven't been doing all that much sewing, gardening or noteworthy cooking. The garden has been looking after itself, the sewing has been kind of non-existant (Gib has taken over my sewing space - grr!) and cooking has just been same old for the past month. So what have I been doing this past month?

Listening... to Max Tundra, a guy that only uses Commodore 64 sounds to create his music. Then there are the old favourites: Daft Punk, Flaming Lips... oh and then yesterday 'Heart go boom' by Apollo 440 jumped into my head randomly. I love that song!

Waiting... to get my wisdom teeth out. It's finally happening tomorrow!

Reading... ethics applications (so I can say that I'm not harming anyone/anything and they give me a big tick to start on my experiments), exciting research papers (at least I think they're exciting) and product information sheets for exciting new equipment I'll be purchasing for the lab.

Watching... Mary and Max, a claymation movie made by the same people who make Harvey Krumpet. Go and see it. You may need tissues. They sampled a beautiful song, Perpetuum Mobile, from one of my favourite groups, Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

Traveling... to Queensland for the first time ever! It was the only Australian state that I hadn't visited. It was Gib's cousin's 21st birthday, and so there was a massive family reunion to celebrate. It was quite an amazing trip up to Hervey Bay: we were fog bound in Melbourne the morning we were supposed to leave, so our first plane was canceled, the replacement plane couldn't land, so eventually we had to go from Melbourne to Sydney, Sydney to Brisbane, and then a 3 hour bus trip to Hervey Bay. 14 hours after checking in at Melbourne airport, we finally reached our destination! When we finally arrived there I just couldn't get over how thick and green and carpet-like the grass was. I kept saying to Gib "Look how green it is!" and I kept feeling the need to touch the soft, spongy grass. We just don't get that down here any more. I got to meet members of the family I've never met before and spend a day on Fraser Island - heaps of fun!

Eating... porridge (I never get over eating porridge in winter). Fresh vegetables from the market. Discovering an amazing Thai restaurant just minutes walk from home. The satay sauce that goes with the roti is out of this world. Also, here is the best recipe I have found to date for making falafel from scratch, with a great video tutorial to go with it.

See who else is playing over at August Street!

A classic mother's day!

2009-05-12T08:48:00.000+10:00

Sunday I went out with Gib and his family for the Mother's Day classic, which was fundraising for breast cancer research. Gib did the 4km run, I did the 8km, and then we joined up with his parents (his mum is a breast cancer survivor) for a "cool down" walking lap - they did the 4km walk. Unfortunately my mother couldn't join us. As much as she would have liked, unfortunately she has polymyalgia rheumatica which makes it difficult for her to walk up hills (she can walk for miles on flat ground, but up hills is bad). It was an amazing event though, so many people in such good spirits! For my friend who I did the run with, it was the first time she had ever run 8km! And she did it so easily too. We worked out that from all of our walking to and from the car park to the meeting point, and then to the start of the track... we probably would have walked/run about 16km for the whole day! No wonder by about 3pm I was ready for a nap.

From here

To date, the Mother's Day Classic has raised $4.1 million for breast cancer research.

For lunch, after the run, we went to an Indian restaurant and had a lovely combined mothers day feast with both our families. I hope all of you mothers out there had a lovely mothers day!

Recipe Box Swap: No theme month!

2009-05-08T07:45:00.003+10:00

This month I baked macaroons!

Macaroons have terrified me for ages. I don't even know why. I think it has something to do with heating the egg whites and then fear of burning them in the oven. But now that I decided have a go I'm sitting here going "What was all the fuss about?!". They were easy, turned out perfectly, with a light crunchiness on the outside and soft, chewiness on the inside. So good with a cup of peppermint tea. This is my grandmother's recipe.

Beth's grandma's macroons

¾ cup blanched flaked almonds
3 egg whites
140g caster sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 140°C fan-forced.

Toast almonds in a small, dry pan until golden brown (be careful to watch them, don't get distracted!!). Allow them to cool, then blend until finely ground.

Combine egg whites, sugar and tartaric acid in a medium bowl over a small saucepan of gently simmering water until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Beat the egg mixture with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer until mixture has tripled in volume and has cooled. Gently fold in almond meal. Spoon mixture into a piping bag and pipe small rounds of mixture onto baking paper lined trays (looks cute with a star end too). Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a golden colour. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I have photos, but unfortunately my camera cable has gone missing. If I get organised (ha ha) they'll be coming later. But mine looked like this:

Courtesy of here

What did you make this month?
Why not post in on the Recipe box swap?

Just a minute in April

2009-05-08T07:13:00.001+10:00

Umm... where did April go? And why did I have this post sitting in my 'drafts' folder and forget to post it? Here's what I did in April:

Sewing... or at least trying to. I picked up my overlocker from the serviceman the other day, so hopefully everything will be back and running smoothly.

Eating... mostly healthily during Easter! Amazing but true. It does help when you live with someone who is lactose intolerant and another who is diabetic. I am also thoroughly enjoying the new autumn fruits... mandarins, and the absolutely delicious, crunchy fuji apples (they are my favourites). The cold weather is kicking in and all of my favourite winter recipes are coming out... porridge, baked rhubarb, risottos, soups. Yum!

Enjoying... my local area! I'm training for the Mother's Day Classic and jogging around my neighbourhood. I love looking at people's gardens, the local parkland, seeing the other regular joggers as well. Oh, and I spotted these school kids in these awesome costumes, I suspect for some sort of school project. I didn't get a chance to compliment them as they hurried off in the other direction, so instead I'll give them credit on the internet. I hope they got A+. And there is a new Italian cafe that has recently opened too... brilliant coffee. I do love my community!

Reading... 'Irresistible Forces: Australian Women in Science', by Claire Hooker. It's actually listed on Google books but I picked mine up on sale for $5! So often I sit in my cosy office with my office buddy, a mature age student with two children, and is now doing her PhD. We have an office to ourselves and we both have fantastic supervisors who encourage us to have a good work/life balance and always want to hear the ideas and new findings we have. For women in Science, my situation is not the way it's always been, and still isn't for many women, and I enjoy reading about the women who helped pave the way so that I could do what I'm doing today.

Wanting... to find my routine again in May.

Feeling... the coziness of autumn and the approach of winter. This is definitely my favourite time of year.

Thanks to Jen at August Street for hosting Just a minute!

Nude and native gardening

2009-05-04T17:38:00.004+10:00

On Saturday, May 2nd, it was 'World Naked Gardening Day'. I missed it. It would have been good weather for gardening in the nuddy in these parts, but somehow I don't think my family or neighbours would have appreciated it. They have 'days' for everything these days!

However, I was in a garden. I visited the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne. I'd never been there before and I was seriously impressed. We visited their Australian Garden, which features a variety of examples of native Australian gardens, as well as examples of plants from all different native habitats. I really liked their visual representation of different native gardens and how much water they need: 6 big red watering cans for a low-water garden, 10 yellow watering cans for a moderately watered garden and 14 cans for a water intensive native garden. One of the highlights was getting to see the Sturt Dessert Pea in bloom:

Photo courtesy of RGB Australian Garden blog

They have a display creek bed there as well, with a section where you are invited to take your shoes off and go for a paddle. There was a father there with his two young boys, and one of them was in awe: "Are you sure we're allowed to play in the water, dad?". A sign of the times: playing in water is such a rare and special treat these days.

Eye spy... a work in progress

2009-04-26T19:53:00.007+10:00

My current work in progress is my work-life-everything balance. It's been knocked askew. Exciting things are happening but they're also causing considerable stress.

Gib and I do lots of stuff together. We have many overlapping hobbies, but enjoy different aspects of the same interest, but we can still function independently, do our own thing. Since going back to karate a few weeks ago and with my PhD workload shifting for preparation for recruitment of participants and running experiments, and also Gib starting an awesome new role at his work with ridiculously early starts and some long hours (I'm a morning person, but 5:30am is a rude time to be awake) it's been a struggle to keep up. Gib and I used to head to karate together, but with his new work hours it's just not possible, as he needs to be in bed at the time I'm getting home from training. Our house cleaning routine and cooking routine, where we cook meals together and thus have time to catch up on each other's news and discuss cool things, is out of kilter too (although strangely, the house is tidier and more organised than it's ever been).

The multiple changes to our routine and more time apart than usual is making our little abode a mad house. We're tired, stressed and cranky. But on the plus side, neither of us have any struggles discussing anything, so despite our crankiness we've been nutting out battle plans to overcome and work around these new and exciting times. I honestly don't know how people do it all with kids too. How do you people do it?!

Yes, sometimes it does feel like I'm balanced precariously and I really have to keep my s*** together or I'll be falling down that sheer drop below. Photo from here.

Thanks Michelle for this week's theme! I love seeing what everyone else is up to. And to our host, Cindy, for organising Eye spy!

Eye Spy... a magic elixir

2009-04-22T20:52:00.005+10:00

When your nose is blocked and you can't taste a damn thing, Vegemite on toast is where it's at. I swear it cures colds (or at least makes them more tolerable)

Courtesy of bababooie

For a general all purpose item though, my favourite is toothpaste! (the non-gel, non-whitening kind)

Clean CDs/DVDs
Cleaning pencil marks and crayon off walls
As an antacid - only use a small amount! (the peppermint, calcite and sodium bicarbonate help neutralise acid late at night when you've had too many nachos and your local supermarket has closed)
Cleaning silver
Cleaning grime off your sneakers
Removing water stains from wood

Thanks Amy for this week's theme, and to Cindy, our lovely Eye Spy host!

T-shirt making adventures

2009-04-21T09:11:00.001+10:00

I have decided to delve into the world of making my own tshirts. It all started when one of my most worn singlets finally started to wear through and I was concerned that one day the stitching would give way at work when I was least expecting. Also, being a not-so-financially-flush student, I can't always afford the new and trendy clothes that I want all the time. So I decided to make my own.

I cut apart my singlet top and used it as the pattern. It fits so well, so I thought I may as well use it. I found some great quality stretch knit fabric for cheaps at a vintage fabric sale at the Camberwell Market. I will also freezer paper stencil a design on the front. In all, my tshirt is going to cost about $2 in materials to make.

However, it's going to cost me more...

As I have previously mentioned, I am completely enamored with my overlocker. It doesn't do cover stitch, but I have my overlocker and sewing machine set up side by side so I can lock the edges with the overlocker, and sew them flat with straight stitch on my machine. It was all working fine.

I overlocked the edges for the neck and arm holes, then made the binding for them. Sewing the binding on the neckline and armholes was a b****. Attempting to make my own tshirt has made me realise the effort that goes into making the humble tee. They are an essential part of daily life and we want them cheap. It makes me wonder what the hidden costs are.

However, when it came to sewing the two sides together, the tension wasn't so great. The stitching was pulling apart. It looks as though there's something amiss with the left needle as the right left stitch isn't catching. Maybe the timing is out. Time to take it for a service...

So my $2 tshirt is now going to cost me >$70! Oh well, I guess that's all a part of home sewing...! This machine hasn't cost me much so far, so I don't mind. Although, without my overlocker on hand, sewing just seems less appealing. It's hard going back now I've had a taste of what it can do.

Marvellous meatballs!

2009-04-18T12:58:00.000+10:00

On top of spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball,
When somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled out of the door.

It rolled in the garden,
And under a bush,
And then my poor meatball,
Was nothing but mush.

Hehehe oohhh my childhood! I remember there was a little video clip that used to be played on the ABC, but alas YouTube doesn't have it. Anyway...

...as you've probably gathered if you've checked out my profile, or have been hanging out at this blog for any period of time, I'm a vegetarian. However, just because I don't eat meat myself doesn't mean I'm not prepared to cook it for my friends when they come to visit. I used to cook these meatballs up all the time before I became vegetarian, and are something I can cook without needing to taste. I think this will be the first meaty recipe post ever for this blog! These are great for starters, served with some fresh pita, hommus and tzaziki.

Meatballs

500 g rump steak mince
1 egg
1 slice fresh bread, crumbled finely
1/2 cup chopped bacon (optional)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch nutmeg
Pepper
Salt

Sage, basil, rosemary
1/2 cup stock
60 ml orange juice

Place mince, bacon, bread, garlic, spices and S&P in a food processor
Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball
Roll in flour and reserved spices
Fry in oil with herbs. When browned, add the stock and orange juice
Simmer until liquid is absorbed (or place them in a pan in the oven). Serve hot.

My other favourite way of making meatballs is to boil them up first (they're done when they float to the surface) which cooks some of the fat out of them, and then bake them to crisp them up. Very light tasting but flavoursome meatballs.

Because it's hard to get a good photo of meatballs to make them look appetising, I used a photo from here

Anti-Theft Lunch Bag‏

2009-04-17T14:28:00.004+10:00

A while ago a friend gave me some awesome plastic storage containers to deter workplace lunch thieves. She received the following in an email and forwarded it to me, so of course I had to share. The quick and easy anti-theft lunch bag. A nifty trick indeed!

Hehehehe...

Eye spy... a surprise

2009-04-17T06:58:00.007+10:00

Hmm, it's now Friday, and this was supposed to be posted Sunday! To make up for it I'll kick this post off with a Lolcat, one of mah faves...

I thought I'd include that because, well, I'm going to discuss some not-so-girly things now... hold tight or click on past!

Surprise #1:
Two weekends ago while doing the final preparations before we spray the engine bay of my car (literally, we'd even ordered the paint) when we discovered *surprise!* a large weld in the chassis rail! This car was just giving no love back at all! While some people might think that a weld in the chassis rail is OK and are willing to keep forging on, given the other dodgy mechanical and repairs found on this car, I wasn't prepared to trust the quality of their welding work. Especially given that it was on the driver's side. Death or paraplegia isn't the price I ultimately want to pay for trying to save time and money now. Thankfully the guy at the paint shop hadn't started making up our paint yet so now the car is being stripped, parted out and the pieces sold. Bye bye car.

Surprise #2:
As a result of Surprise #1, I spent a large part of last week trawling car sale sites, car forums etc. Most of the cars we inspected were crap, but we did find one little gem. (I have to say, if you're looking to buy cars 2nd hand cars right now, it's definitely the time to buy! So cheap!). Gib and I looked over it, we sent my dad down to look over it, took our friend who's a mechanical engineer to look over it. Brilliant. So we snapped it up and took it home Wednesday. Definitely weren't expecting to pick anything up so fast. So, Hello new car!

An artist (my brother)'s rendition of the rear end of a similar model to my car: Nissan Skyline R34 (mine is a 32).
You can even buy this as a tshirt!

Surprise #3:
I started at a new karate dojo last night. It was a surprise - I wasn't expecting to find a dojo so soon. It felt good to be back in my "white pyjamas". Even though I have trained for a considerable period of time in a similar school, I was nervous about all sorts of things: How I'd fit in, my technique, my attitude, their expectations, my expectations (and trying to remove my expectations a.ka. emptying my cup), how I'd fit in the new knowledge around old knowledge. I think the movie, Karate Kid, has some good reminders on matters like that though:

Miyagi, from Karate Kid:

In Okinawa, belt mean no need rope to hold up pants.
Daniel-san...
[taps his head] Karate here.
[taps his heart] Karate here.
[points to his belt] Karate never here. Understand?

First day back after no proper class for 6 months. I think I need a massage.

Thanks Miss Muggins for this week's surprising theme! And to Cindy for being a fantabulous host of Eye spy!

Make your own cheese!

2009-04-16T09:33:00.001+10:00

I decided to make my own cheese. Well, kind of cheese. Labne.

I couldn't believe how ridiculously easy this was to make.

Take a 1kg tub of Greek yoghurt. Take a large piece of muslin, or, alternatively cheese cloth (makes sense, doesn't it?). Up end tub of yoghurt onto your cheese cloth.
Draw up the edges of cloth around the yoghurt. Drain as much of the fluid as you can initially then tie a string around it so it's a tight ball. Suspend the ball over a bowl (suggestions from here): tie the ball to a wooden spoon, then rest the spoon on the top of a bowl (or jug!), allowing the ball to hang down. I thought I'd be able to do it with some bamboo skewers, but they couldn't take the weight, even when I used 3-4 skewers. Wooden spoon is definitely the way to go.
Leave to drain in the fridge for 5 days. You can leave it for less time, but it just tastes like thickened yoghurt. 5-6 days mean it's starting to mature slightly.

Spoon it out. Roll in spices or herbs (dukkah, paprika, parsley etc). Mix in dried fruit, like apricot. Serve with bread, marinated vegetables, with roasted mushrooms, on anything really! It's creamy and slightly tangy... and too good because I can't stop eating it. It keeps for up to a week.

Cheese made using cheese cloth. Who'd have ever thought?

When art and science meet...

2009-04-15T08:17:00.006+10:00

When art and science combine. You know I love this stuff. Avert your eyes if you're a little bit shy when it comes to anatomy and things.

I've just stumbled onto this blog: Street Anatomy. I love it.

The site was featured on Boing Boing with a photo of this awesome plaster cast:

Cool hey??

Also on Cake Wrecks a while ago was this weird cake made in a restaurant in Latvia. It's a restaurant with a hospital theme, where all of the cutlery are surgical instruments, and you dine in operating theatres. Creepy. Even too creepy for my tastes.

But the one that cracked me up was this other feature on Cake Wrecks:

"1946. Admiral and Mrs. Blandy celebrate operation crossroads with an atomic cake. This frequently reproduced photograph captures an uncanny resemblance between Mrs. Blandy's hat and the mushroom cloud." From here.

Hahaha! Anyway, hope you're having a good week and settling back into the work routine ok after the Easter break.

Easter baking

2009-04-14T16:08:00.000+10:00

I hope you all had a good Easter! The weather in Melbourne this Easter has been terrific.

This year we decided not to buy Easter eggs or hot cross buns and it the home made way. Mum made hot cross buns, and on Easter Sunday I decided to make Tsoureki, Greek Easter bread. I know I'm a week early for Greek Easter, but... oh well. I grew up near one of the biggest Greek communities in Melbourne, and love the Greek Easter treats! I prefer caraway in mine, so I used this recipe and added 1/2 tsp caraway seeds to the dough. I didn't have enough eggs, so unfortunately no bright red eggs in the middle either. Although the recipe said it made two large loaves, it only made one. I took a look at some other recipes on the web, and there was definitely half the quantity of flour than the two loaf recipes.

I've never done much work with yeast and bread and all of those things, but I kind of had a theoretical understanding of what's supposed to happen and why, so I was quite please with how the thing rose and came out! Yummo!

Blindingly beautiful beetroot risotto

2009-04-13T07:07:00.000+10:00

For those of you out there who love beetroot, this recipe is definitely for you! However if you're trying to convince someone that beetroot is an awesomely delicious food, perhaps this isn't the best recipe to start with. It's exceptionally beetrooty. This risotto turns out vividly pink/red, so is visually stunning (or startling?). I made my risotto with 2/3 barley, 1/3 arborio rice to lower the GI for a diabetic member of the household, and the slightly nutty flavour of the barley blended well with the walnuts and the earthiness of the beetroot. The flavour and appearance is offset with goats cheese or fetta and finally topped with roquette, or if you have a fresh bunch of beets you can use the beet leaves.

I made this a week or so ago. I don't make it very often but it's definitely a fun meal. I think people would get a bit put off if I cooked them blindingly bright pink food on a regular basis. If I take leftovers to work it always gets a (positive) reaction over lunch from my colleagues.

Beetroot barley risotto

1 large bunch of baby beet
600 ml vegetable stock
150 ml red wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
160 g barley
85 g arborio rice
2-3 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
75 g walnuts, roughly chopped
125 g soft goats cheese or feta cheese
Fresh roquette or lightly wilted beet greens to serve on top

Thoroughly wash the beetroot. Trim the leaves leaving about 1-2 cm near the root, and leave the tails. If you trim them too far they will ooze pink juice everywhere (which is a real pain). Cook the beetroot using your preferred method: steaming, microwave or boiling. Remove the skins. Dice into 1cm cubes and set aside. This can be done while waiting for the rest of the risotto to cook.

Fry the garlic in the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the onion, saute for 5 minutes or until it's just soft.

Add rice, barley and thyme, stir and coat in the oil.

Add the red wine, cooking until the red wine is absorbed.

Add the stock mixture, about 1/4 at a time, adding the next part when the liquid is mostly absorbed, stirring regularly. Cook for 30-40 mins or until the barley is al dante.

Add the cubed beets and 2/3 walnuts and continue to stir to distribute the pinkness throughout the risotto. That's the best bit. You made need to add a dash of extra stock at this point (I usually do).

Distributing the colour evenly throughout the risotto: Aii!!

If you're cooking up the beet greens, just wash them down and steam them for about 2 mins. Otherwise, bowl out your risotto, sprinkle crumbled cheese over the risotto, and top with the remaining walnuts, some S&P, and roquette or wilted beet greens.

Too cute

2009-04-10T09:06:00.000+10:00

I found this adorable bias binding in Kim Anh fabrics. The cuteness of stuff like this makes my heart skip a beat and go weak at the knees. The little duckies are definitely my favourite.

Nectarine and strawberry slice

2009-04-09T08:45:00.000+10:00

Oh, here's yet another photo of food taken on my phone! This recipe was delicious too. All pieces gone within minutes. Unfortunately strawberries and nectarines are just going out of season here, but hopefully for our friends in other parts of the world they'll be able to make it soon. Or just substituted for tinned peaches and frozen fruits. I had some nectarines that were a little soft, and some strawberries that were threatening to go fuzzy, so I found a recipe for peach and almond slice and adapted it appropriately.

Beth's nectarine and strawberry slice that is guaranteed to make you awesomely popular*

Melted butter or spray oil for greasing the pan
1 punnet strawberries, washed, drained, cut in half
3 nectarines, cut into 6 pieces each. (I could have blanched them and peeled them, but I couldn't be bothered. The baked skin was soft and didn't affect the overall taste or texture.)
100g butter, cubed, at room temperature
110g caster sugar (or substitute artificial sugar. CSR Smart sugar is my preferred brand)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
75g self-raising flour
75g plain flour
100g ground almonds
Icing sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 16.5 x 26cm (base measurement) slab pan with melted butter or lightly grease with spray oil. Line the pan with non-stick baking paper to cover the base and extend over the long sides.
Use electric beaters to beat the butter, caster sugar and vanilla essence in a medium sized mixing bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined.
Sift the self-raising and plain flours over the batter. Add the ground almonds and use a large metal spoon or metal spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth the surface. The mixture is quite stiff so you must hold the paper in place.
Arrange the nectarine pieces and strawberry halves in an alternating pattern on top of the batter and press down gently so they are slightly embedded. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes (mine took 30 mins) or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the slice comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes before lifting out.
Serve at room temperature as a slice, cut into 12 portions. Or, cut into 8 portions and serve warm for dessert accompanied by cream or ice-cream. Dust with icing sugar just before serving. Best eaten on the same day.

* Guaranteed only if you are a nice person to start out with.

Tension headache

2009-04-08T09:44:00.003+10:00

I've become a bit ambitious in my sewing endeavours. I'm attempting to sew knit fabric with my overlocker. Things are getting a little heated around here. It was all going well with just locking the edges of a single piece of fabric, but now I'm trying to sew two bits together it's becoming a bit of a nightmare. I have been carefully and methodically playing with the tension according to the instruction manual but I can't get it right. It's time to walk away before I do anything rash...

I think maybe it's time to enrol in some lessons?

Bulgarian Red Pepper Stew

2009-04-08T08:17:00.000+10:00

While going through all of the old photos on my phone I found a photo I took at work (hence poor lighting). This is one of my favourite stew recipes. It's so hearty and tasty and nutritious and the red capsicums are absolutely delicious. I know the photo is ugly. It really doesn't do it justice: the red peppers are really red! Just focus on the ingredients instead.

I originally found the recipe in Sundays in Moosewood Restaurant, but there have since found other versions of the recipe online. Here's my version below, with notes of the variations I've made. This is definitely a stew that takes time, so I have it ticking away on a Sunday afternoon while I'm sewing and doing other things. But sometimes I get a hankering for it on a cool Sunday afternoon and haven't had the foresight to put the lentils on to soak the night before, so I do substitute for tinned but they don't hold their shape or texture nearly as well.

Bulgarian Red Pepper Stew

½ cup dried lentils (or 1 tin brown lentils, drained)
½ cup dried navy pea beans/great northern/borlotti beans (or 1 tin borlotti beans)
2 larges onions, chopped
6 mediums red capsicums, de-seeded and chopped. I quater my capsicums and just slice them on a mandolin. (I have also made this recipe with tinned tomatoes substituted for some of the red capsicums: 4 capsicums and 400 g tinned or fresh tomatoes)
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
¼ tsp dried thyme (I've also used fresh herbs and increased the quantity and they taste great)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (I looove pepper, so I put in loads of the stuff)
750 ml vegetable stock (although sometimes I've needed up to 1 L)
60l dry red wine (optional)
2 tbsp dry sherry (optional)
¼ cup tomato paste
Fresh parsley and Greek/natural yoghurt to serve

Soak legumes overnight, drain. In a fresh pot of water, bring to the boil then simmer until just tender. Drain, set aside. I prefer to cook mine beforehand and add later in the cooking, because I find that the salt from the stock makes the beans a bit tough.

In a large, heavy based pot, saute onions in olive oil until soft. Stir in bell pepper and saute for 5-10 mins more. Add paprika and cayenne, stir through for 1 more minute.

Pour in stock, wine and sherry. Add herbs and legumes. Bring to the boil, lower heat to a simmer and leave for 1 1/2-2 hours uncovered or partially covered, stirring occasionally. Mix in tomato paste and S&P to taste. Simmer for a further 5-10 mins, adding a little extra stock or water if the stew is too thick.

Serve with a good dollop of yogurt and chopped parsley sprinkled on top. Goes very well with a good, crusty cob bread.

Just a minute in... March

2009-04-07T10:12:00.006+10:00

Better late than never, eh? I'm hoping I'll scrape in for the March one, given that we're less than a week into April!

Reading... magazines this month. Food magazines. Martial arts magazines. Medical/science magazines. Good for making time fly.

Loving... watching the garden recover in all of this wonderful rain. I'll have to update the photos of my herb garden. Everything has taken off again since the heat. The near-dead thyme is now going bonkers! This is what I love to see:

Courtesy of Bureau of Meteorology

Lamenting... the dire state my car is in, but having an absolute freaking ball with it at the same time. I've always thought cars are pretty cool beasties, I guess growing up with a family who are all petrol heads. But now I appreciate them on a whole new level. I really am a how-stuff-works kind of gal.

Mmm. Rust.

Creating... girly things. I like doing girly things as much as boy things, really I do (I even managed to work a sewing project into working on cars!). I'm working on an idea for a tshirt, based on a tshirt that's falling apart. Also there's the hoodie scarf idea I've been working on. And arm warmers. So many ideas and half finished projects. They are getting together though.

Learning... to swim. I did learn way back when I was in primary school, but I was always in the group for the really uncoordinated people. The face under the water thing always freaked me out. My friend has started teaching me with a snorkel and mask, which has made things so much easier!

Soon this will be me!

Finishing... the first year of my PhD. I'm no longer on probation. Ethics submissions are now in. Hooray!

Getting back into... running! I'm all booked in for the Mother's Day Classic. For ages I hated running, but now I love it. I can't stand treadmills though - I'd rather poke myself in the eye with a red hot poker than run on a treadmill - but I love running outdoors. I managed 5km the other day, after a period of inconsistent training, so I was quite pleased with myself. I need new shoes though, because I can feel the curse of tendonitis creeping back.

The Story of Stuff

2009-04-07T09:44:00.002+10:00

It's worth spending 20 mins of your spare time watching this. Or maybe 4 x 5 minutes of your spare time.

"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."

Definitely interesting. Opens your eyes up a bit in a friendly and non-confrontational way.

Why I love Melbourne...

2009-04-07T08:11:00.002+10:00

I've temporarily misplaced my cord to download photos from my camera, but instead found the cord for my phone which I had lost for some time. I found this little gem in amongst the collection on my phone, taken on Napier St (I think?) in North Fitzroy. I thought he was pretty damn cool.

I love Melbourne!

Phat overalls

2009-03-29T11:04:00.001+11:00

Whooaaa.. it's been a while since I've been here. Finally I'm a confirmed PhD student, not a silly probationary one. I'm back to working more regular "9-5" sort of hours again. I have been keeping up with your blogs (although sorry for not commenting with regularity) so now I'm hopefully back to my regular blogging schedule. At least until the next time I have a massive deadline, which hopefully shouldn't be for at least a few more months.

Edit: Oopsies, I should clarify!! I've just finished the 1st year of my PhD, which is a probationary year. Now I get to call myself "PhD candidate" rather than "PhD student"... another 2.5 years to go (with luck!) before I get it all over and done with.

I've made my overalls and I think they're hilarious - no, ridiculous - but incredibly comfortable. Not the best sewing I've ever done (there is wonky cutting and wonky sewing) but I was aiming for function, not perfection, as they're going to be oil and paint stained and snagged and covered in dirt, so I wasn't going to put in my best effort. Have I mentioned that I love my overlocker? The one I was too scared to use for a year? I'm now super keen to learn about my overlocker's potential, because it's such a fantastic tool. And I love how fast it goes. Going back to my sewing machine seems kind of lame now.

The pattern itself was very simple. I made the legs slightly longer (8 cm) so they were full length for me. In my excitement to have overalls ASAP, I forgot to sew the pockets on first, a mistake which I wont make in future because it's a massive pain to sew on pockets once you've sewn the rest up. It worked out ok in the end because it meant I could applique on some big white stars onto the pockets. I realised once I'd finished the overalls that they were a lot like phat pants (not as wide as my friend's pants though) and I just couldn't help but play that up a bit. Anyway, they're fun, comfortable and cheap to make, so I can feel free to work on my car in my rad new overalls!

Me, my boy and my dad, working on my poor car

Overalls, full length view

Recipe review: Leek & Aubergine Tart Tatin

2009-03-08T19:58:00.004+11:00

I decided to follow Maggie and Simon's Leek & Aubergine Tart Tatin recipe, featured on the program last Wednesday. We substituted vino cotto for balsamic vinegar, sugar for honey in the syrup and made the dough half with wholemeal flour. Although, I did that silly thing when you take a hot pan out of the oven and place it back on the stove top, and then forget that it's been in the oven and grab the handle of the pan... not so smart. It was a joint success between Gib and I: It took a little bit of time to put together, but worth every minute. It was a definite success, smelled divine, tasted absolutely delicious.

Gamer pants!!!!1!!!!11!

2009-03-08T15:52:00.007+11:00

We had some friends come around yesterday to play computer games with Gib. While I don't mind some games, yesterday they decided to play Diablo 2, which just leaves me cold. Gib decided to wear his gaming pants, and our friends were very jealous. I offered to make them some, because we know from experience that wearing gaming pants definitely increases gaming prowess, so we took a trip to Spotlight, they bought some polar fleece, and I merrily spent the afternoon sewing their gaming pants while they played away! By late afternoon I'd finished them, and after wearing them around a bit, they decided that their gamer pants had an area affect of +5 to everything (or, for the uninitiated: while wearing the pants, everything around them becomes awesome)

My friend said he wanted the fattest pants possible, so I used the entire width of the fabric for each pant leg. He was very satisfied with the result. Our other friend's fabric, with the little aliens, made my eyes go funny while I was cutting it out hehehe. Here's the lounge room gamer pants photo shoot:

Recipe box swap: Open theme month

2009-03-05T13:22:00.001+11:00

Mmmm... I absolutely love this rain we have finally been getting! It was so lovely to go to sleep last night to the pitter-patter of rain falling. This sudden cool change is wonderful and already I've pulled out my nice, warm hoodie and have been flicking through my cosy comfort food recipes! Bring on autumn! So this month for the Recipe Box Swap, hosted by Randi, I'm going to share with you one of my favourite comfort foods.

Grilled polenta with melted cheese

1 cup instant polenta
1.5 cups water
1.5 cups milk (I used reduced fat, but you can use either full fat milk or water)
Olive oil spray
Your favourite cheese: mozzerella, blue cheese, camembert, good ol' tasty cheese! (but never, ever use Kraft singles)
Fresh herbs: basil, thyme

Spray a 24 x 16 cm dish with oil
Bring milk and water to a gentle boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add polenta gradually, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until thick (I love watching polenta bubble up! Like lava bubbling away). Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into prepared dish and smooth out with a spatula. Refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.
Cut into squares/triangles/fingers, and cook the bottom in a fry pan until golden.
Top with herbs and cheese, and place under a grill until bubbly and golden. Alternatively, you can make them into little polenta and cheese sandwiches, layered with polenta/cheese/herbs/polenta, and grill the whole lot until warm and the cheese has melted through.

Serve as a side, or with a hearty tomato soup, or just eat on its own!

Photo courtesy of Patricia Scarpin

A day when maths and food meet...

2009-03-05T09:34:00.004+11:00

Hahaha, this cracked me up! Janet at Adventures in Ethics and Science pointed out that Tuesday's date, 03-03-09, was a Square Root Day! She marked the occasion appropriately by creating an evening meal that included square roots: diced sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, chiogga beets, and potatoes, and sliced leeks, roasted in olive oil.

Veg about... in the hot weather

2009-03-02T15:06:00.001+11:00

Last year I shared with you my flourishing herb garden as a part of Bellgirl's Veg About. I'd just thought I'd like to update you on how my herbs are going during all of this crazy hot weather...

I had started pushing the native mint back a wee bit to make way for some kangaroo paws and correas, but then it just died right back all by itself in the heat. It has almost all died, in fact. Even though it looks really feral, cutting it back will prompt it to start growing again, and then die again in the next heat wave.

Native mint before...

...native mint after

We lost our oregano, but the parsley and thyme survived, although is looking a little spindly. Our regular mint pot is looking fine though, although a bit burnt at the bottom.

Herb pot before...

...and after! Uh oh! Oh well, it'll grow back.

Regular mint, looking happy as ever.

However, there are two plants that didn't bat an eyelid during this weather (although not veggies):

The ptilotus spathulatus, a perennial shrub native to Melbourne's western planes, and the asterolasia phebalioides, a rare native found in highly exposed, rocky/swampy areas of the Grampians. I bought another one and decided to see how it would go in the ground rather than potted. In fact, these plants thrived in the 40+ weather. I bought a second ptilotus (my first one is in a pot, see below) and royally cocked up planting it: I completely mashed the roots and it didn't get much watering, and two days after planting it was when the real heat wave hit. It dropped a few leaves, but then bounced right back within days. In a pot or in the ground, this plant is indestructible.

My two awesome indestructible plants!

Eye spy... something that makes me happy

2009-03-01T13:34:00.003+11:00

Exercise. It doesn't matter what: Karate, jogging, weights, skipping... but if I don't get my daily dose, things get nasty. I get surly and I don't really like being like that. In fact, just the other day Gib said to me, in a very serious and concerned tone "Beth, you're sounding quite negative today. I think you need to go to the gym". But with a daily work out, I feel happy, positive and often like a super hero. I feel totally invincible.

Easily pleased: exercise - anything, anywhere, anytime - makes me happy!
These are a slightly cleaner version of my shoes. I love orange (my orange runners make me happy too!)

Thank you Iris + Lily: I love happy themes! And Cindy, our wonderful host of Eye Spy!

Messenger bag trials

2009-03-01T10:57:00.006+11:00

I've been playing around with a messenger bag design for some time and I think I've finally got to a pattern I'm happy with. I love the convenience of messenger bags, being able to carry large items comfortably but still have hands free. Making messenger bags is fairly easy and a little bit time consuming, but it's just been things like how to do the base of the bag, the best way to attach the strap so it can withstand a lot of wear and tear and how to attach the cover flap for both strength and so the seam is nicely and easily concealed. I tend to load my bags up with loads of books, papers and wallets full of annoying change, and I've destroyed many messenger bags from flimsy strap and flap attachments. In my messenger bag making endeavours, I also made my first ever trip to Lefflers, the leather and saddlery heaven, where I spent ages sorting through their slides and clips and threads and buckles and twill tape and leather scraps and rivets... ohhh I spent so long poking around there, and a bit of money, hrmm.

So here's the first messenger bag I made that I'm happy with and prepared to share with you all. It's big enough to carry A4 sized books/folders and has some cute pockets in the front. The base of the bag I constructed in the same way as for the jordy bag tutorial that I found a while ago. It's a convenient way of adding width to the bag, and it sits well. I have some more ideas for messenger bags, and have some cute girly fabric to make them with!

I'm pretty happy with the quality of this one, so I think I'll mail it off to assist with the Handmade Help cause!

Eye spy... love

2009-03-01T09:36:00.003+11:00

When I saw this week's theme I just had to share this. It's one of my all time favourite songs, by PJ Harvey.

Thank you to Cindy for hosting another wonderful Eye spy!

On dagginess and overalls

2009-02-27T13:40:00.004+11:00

A while ago I lamented how overalls are just extraordinarily uncool these days, unless you're under the age of 4 or pregnant. I'm a bit proud like that, concerned about first impressions and running into people I know down at the shops while looking frumpy. I would love to wear overalls in public anyway, but just don't have the charisma to carry it off. And I don't really want people thinking I'm expecting when I'm not.

Anyway, I have been working on my car recently and I usually just wear grotty old clothes that I don't mind destroying, but then Gib said to me "Geez dude, you totally need a pair of overalls". Why had I not thought of it before? Finally an appropriate place to wear daggy overalls! I did some searching at all of my local op shops and online, and it seems that overalls for people my size are quite hard to come by: the kids sizes don't quite extend to size 12-14, and adult overalls are mostly men's ones, and are far too big for me. So I decided to just buy a pattern and make them myself.

As an aside and while we're on the topic: why do all pattern magazines always have models with really dorky hair-dos? And poor colour coordination? I always wonder when I buy a pattern: am I really going to look as un-cool as this person in the photo? Will my clothes be poorly fitted like on that model? Pattern magazines have a way of making really hot people look ugly. It all adds to my nervousness about making my own clothes.

There were only two overall patterns I could find, both in Burda's "Young fashion" magazine. This pattern was "easy" and had wide legs (I love wide leg pants). Although, I think these might be a little too wide-leg to the point of being impractical for my purposes, so I might need to make them narrower, and and I'll need to check the length, but often 3/4 pants are just right for me. We'll see. So soon I'll have my own pair of overalls to wear in the comfort of the garage, where it wont matter if the pattern does turn out to be a bit crap and where it doesn't matter if I look like a big dork! Here's the pattern:

Burda 7822: These two sporty and super-comfortable outfits really fit the bill for leisure and holidays/vacation! [...and even working on cars]

8 foot giant squid pillow

2009-02-18T07:24:00.000+11:00

Following up from how to make a giant squid cake is how to make a giant squid pillow! (Not by me this time though). I'm seriously impressed.

Just amazing...

2009-02-17T17:08:00.009+11:00

I've been lying low a bit this week, one of the few times when I have been totally lost for words. Everything seems to pale in comparison to what's been going on around me. It's impossible describe the devastation that the bushfires have caused, but we all have seen the enormity of it so I wont even try.

Courtesy of The Age

It's amazing to watch everyone rally around though to help out. I've been cleaning out the cupboards (which we've been meaning to do for some time anyway), donating old blankets and sheets for the RSPCA, donations to the Red Cross, and scrounging together bits and pieces to furnish a house that Gib's parent's church is offering to fire victims who have lost their homes. I'm absolutely amazed and inspired by the work of Cindy who has established the Handmade Help blog featuring all these wonderful things that wonderful people are making to raise funds, and Meet Me at Mikes for getting together the Handmade Help recipe book.

It truly warms my heart to see the work and efforts of all of these people, and all of the generous actions from the whole community.

Eye spy... my secret (food) shame

2009-02-17T16:42:00.003+11:00

I loved this week's theme. I do have a massive food shame. No, really, it's truly awful, and actually I'm really embarrassed to admit...

I love eating butter. That's right, you heard it:

Beth eats butter. On its own.

Salted butter, of course.

Tragic. I know you're cringing. This is, I think, is my worst habit. In my defense, it's not something you'll find me doing every day (I know the harm of saturated fats), but if I just happen to be cooking with butter, then I've been known (ok, I can't resist) to shave bits off the block and just pop it in my mouth, like thin slices of cheese. There, I said it. It's off my chest.

Thank you, Jade, for helping me admit my shame to the world and Cindy, the wonderful host of Eye spy!

How to make a Giant Squid cake

2009-02-08T14:39:00.011+11:00

Yesterday was the hottest day in Melbourne on record: 46.4°C. We have massive bushfires raging throughout the state. Needless to say things have been a little stressful* in these parts. It also means it's not the best weather for making a birthday cake. However, I headed to my parents' place where they have air conditioning in the kitchen and a spare fridge out the back. I started nice and early in the morning, so it was all done before the worst of the heat kicked in.

The specifications:

Make a giant squid cake. I couldn't do a 1:1 scale giant squid, and I wasn't sure how people would know it's a giant squid if it was cake-sized, because it would just look like a regular squid then. So I went with some sort of giant squid reference point: a boat.
The cake should be a white chocolate cake. That didn't happen. I ran out of time, and the day that I was able to make the cake was way too hot and it was going to be really nasty for the oven to be on for that long (1.5+ hours cooking time). So a vanilla cake it was (only 40 min cooking time). Sorry Sarah!
Must be iced with butter icing (my friend dislikes the sugary soft, mouldable icing). Butter icing, in 46.4°C weather, was going to be far too unstable. So I went with white chocolate ganache, in the hope that that would be more stable and would make up for the lack of white chocolate cake.

How to make a giant squid cake

You will need:

Double quantity of vanilla butter cake batter (I doubled the vanilla so it was more vanillary)
1 large loaf pan (23 x 13 x 8 cm)
1 slab pan (25 x 25 x 4 cm)
750 g white chocolate
250 ml cream
Plastic ice cream container lid, cut into 2 triangles for fins
Red & blue food dye
Candy necklaces (I got a massive bag for $2 at the Reject shop)
Toy boat
Toothpicks

Baking the cakes:

A few days before you need the cake is a good time to bake them.

Transfer ¾ of the double quantity of cake mixture to the loaf pan, and ¼ to the slab pan. Make sure your pans are well greased and have a layer of greaseproof paper on the bottom. Bake the slab for 30 mins, and the loaf for 40-45 mins.
Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Freeze the cakes. (I do this even when it isn't hot weather, so it makes the cake easier to cut, and it crumbs far less).

Shaping the cake:

Allow the cakes to thaw slightly before carving.
Using a sharp knife, shape the loaf cake into the shape of a squid's mantle. I used this squid anatomy site as a reference. I wont feature the pictures here because they're kind of gross. Because it's a cake and we need to maximise the amount of cake to be consumed, mine is somewhat more squat than an actual squid. Refer to the shape below. I also made a slight ridge (0.5cm) where the mantle finishes and the eye section begins.

From the slab cake, cut the arms and tentacles by making wiggly strips from the cake. Cut 8 arms and two tentacles. Each arm is about 3 cm wide and 18 cm long (although I then later cut some shorter to fit on the cake board). Each tentacle is 25 cm long and 3 cm wide. I cut the two tentacles from the bottom 6 cm of the slab. The tentacles have a little diamond shaped bit at the bottom. Be careful with your arms and tentacles. If you break on don't fret. Use some icing and toothpicks to glue them back together.

My wiggly squid arms and tentacles. You can see that some of the legs have been cut shorter to fit on the cake board.

Make the ganache:

Melt together 700 g white chocolate and 250 ml cream over a double boiler. Set aside the spare 50 g white chocolate (don't eat it!). Stir through 5 ml red food dye and 1 drop of blue food dye. Beat together until blended, allow to cool to room temperature.

Assemble the cake:

Prepare the cake board. I used a wooden chopping board covered in a couple of layers of blue plastic.
Place the mantle in a back corner of the cake.
Arrange the bottom legs around the cake, below the ridge of the mantle, and use toothpicks to hold them in place. I had 7 legs/tentacles below, and 3 on top. Don't bother with the top ones until later.
Ice the cake with the ganache.

The toothpicks poking out there are just place holders for the top legs

Add the plastic fins. Ice them too. I saved the fins until a bit later so I could ice the sides of the cake better.

I used two white chocolate buttons and placed them in the centre of the bottom end of the mantle/head area, for a beak.
Place the boat at the end of the cake board. Drape the top legs over the top of the boat, and use toothpicks to insert the legs into the body, and carefully ice them too.

Beak and positioning of legs against the body. You can see it was getting a little messy in there! It's ok, ganache cleans up really well.

Put the squid in the fridge for a bit to set the ganache. Once firm, take it out and wtih a spatular or knife dipped in hot water (be sure to wipe off the water) smooth over the icing.
Add your candy necklace suckers along the sides of the arms and tentacles.

The eye:

This was a bit of serendipity. I didn't have any Orchard icing to mould into an eye and refused to go out into the heat. My mum had these small glass spice bowls. Originally I was going to use them as a chocolate mould (with the leftover 50 g white chocolate): fill the bottom with a centre of white chocolate dyed black, let it set, then fill in white chocolate over the top, then tip it out once its all set together. However, they didn't tip out. So I then decided to just keep the chocolate eyes in the spice bowl, and use the whole think as the eye. It really got that freaky eye lens thing going that squids have. I just pushed the eye/glass spice bowl into the side of the head.

The clean up and presentation:

Using a damp paper towel and some ear buds, carfully clean up around the cake board and tidy up any icing that has oozed into weird corners. And here it is...

Happy birthday, Sarah!

And, because I am lazy, this is also going to come under this week's Eye Spy something delicious theme, because, you know, white chocolate ganache is freaking delicious. This week's theme was suggested by the super crafty Handmaiden and hosted by the wonderful Cindy!

* My aunt lives in Whittlesea, one of the townships south of Kinglake where the worst has been that is assisting with feeding people and providing temporary shelter. We have friends who lives in Wallan and they managed to rescue their horses, fire came to within 3 metres of their house, but their house was been saved.

Phantom ant syndrome

2009-02-07T07:17:00.000+11:00

We have ants in our kitchen. In the bathroom. In the cupboard under the stairs. You know, I've even found them in my undies drawer. Everywhere. Is. Crawling. With. Ants.

In the last few days the hot weather has brought them out in what seems like the millions. I'm now so used to flicking them off my arms, my legs, the back of the neck, extracting them out from under my clothes, that now I'll be anywhere - even at work or on the bus - and think I have one of those little blighters crawling on me. It's driving me completely mad!

Toys for girls and boys

2009-02-06T10:11:00.000+11:00

Just as Gib has discovered overlockers...

... I have discovered the Dremmel!

Recipe box swap: Fun foods!

2009-02-05T07:55:00.003+11:00

It's the first topic for the year and it's a good one! Ohhh I can't wait to read everyone else's submissions! I think you should join in too. Head over to I have to say... and just add yours to the end.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love raspberries? We used to grow them in our backyard until it grew into our next door neighbour's yard and they poisoned it! Oh well. We have blueberries growing now and they are just as delicous. Actually, I'll take any berry thanks! I love this white chocolate and raspberry muffin recipe from the ABC. I am never just a straight-out sugary treat person myself, I love to have fruit mixed in. Fresh and dried fruit are so sweet, but they give a treat such an interesting texture and flavour. The best thing about muffins is that they are so quick to make, so when you have a naughty food craving, muffins are just the thing!

White chocolate and raspberry muffins

2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup buttermilk (if you're feeling really decadent, try it with coconut milk instead!)
1 egg
90 g butter, melted
1 punnet fresh raspberries
1/2 cup white chocolate bits

Eye spy... a small object

2009-02-01T21:11:00.002+11:00

I quite liked The Crafty Librarian's topic this week. I mean, honestly, who doesn't like mini things? For me, my favourite mini object is this little elephant dongle for my phone. It's cute, it's small, it's pink and it contrasts beautifully with my silver/white phone. And he keeps my phone screen clean. But I think it's great to have something so cute hanging out with me all of the time!

This is one of my other favourite mini things. This is one of our two pet rats, posing for the camera. They're going through an exceptionally cuddling mood at the moment when all they want is to be played with and snuggle in. They survived just fine in all of this heat. Normally rats aren't so keen on swimming, but we give our little ones a big tub of water and they will happily go for a paddle (especially if we add some frozen peas!) so it's been easy to keep them cool.

Thank you to Cindy over at Bug and Pop for hosting Eye Spy!

Adventures in Ethics and Crafting

2009-02-01T07:28:00.003+11:00

There's an interesting article over at Adventures in Ethics and Science that crosses over into the craft world. Not so important for us, but more for our American crafty friends out there. Following last year's issues with China's production of children's toys containing lead, the American Government passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which requires that a sample of products from each batch of products aimed at children under the age of 12 be independently tested for lead. The law in its current state, has some big implications for those who craft and sell children's products. The article runs through the costs of testing products, implications for not just crafters, but libraries and sellers of antiques. "One of a kind toy and children's clothing makers would be out of business or face $100,000 fines.

It sounds like they rushed it through to please everyone without thinking of the ramifications. It's so utterly ridiculous that I assume they'll have the common sense to change it.

Stencil-along results... just a tad belated!

2009-01-31T20:26:00.004+11:00

I've finally managed to get in my results of my stencil along, hosted by HoppoBumpo four months late! I had printer issues and for a while there couldn't afford some new printer cartridges - or rather, decided to prioritise fabric over ink cartridges. Melbourne's current weather isn't great for doing much right now, however it is awesome weather for stenciling, especially for people like me with a short attention span and who like instant gratification (wait, why am I doing a PhD again?). The hot weather dries the paint fast and I can peel back my stencil almost instantly to see results! I was originally going to do a robot, but he's a WIP right now as I'm still having a play with the islands, but here's an octopus I did. I'm quite pleased with the results.I used contact paper for the islands and just plain acrylic paint with fabric medium mixed in. I am so stoked with the quality of the freezer paper stencils: the crispness of the edges, how firmly they stay stuck down without bleeding underneath. Thank you HoppoBumpo!

During and after...

Low priced legumes and the edible heart attack!

2009-01-29T06:17:00.006+11:00

I was over at Dr Isis' blog reading about the discussions in the science blogging world on Obama's pledge to "restore science to it rightful place" and then right at the end she linked this article on how beans and rice are making a comeback (well, she said it in the context of science living on beans and corn). I've been saying for months now, after reading all of these articles on how to cook a "budget meal" in recipe magazines and in the paper: "Where are the legumes in all of this, people?!". Beans and rice is the cheapest and, done properly, one of heartiest, tastiest and versatile meal combinations ever! But you so rarely see any legume recipes! (with chickpeas being the exception, I think).

So, moving along, I then found myself clicking on and finally reading about The Bacon Explosion. I think this is the true definition of The Edible Heart Attack.

"He [Jason Day] bought about $20 worth of bacon and Italian sausage from a local meat market. As it lay on the counter, he thought of weaving strips of raw bacon into a mat. The two spackled the bacon mat with a layer of sausage, covered that with a crunchy layer of cooked bacon, and rolled it up tight.
They then stuck the roll — containing at least 5,000 calories and 500 grams of fat — in the Good-One Open Range backyard smoker..."

Cakes: brains, hearts and squids

2009-01-28T09:01:00.006+11:00

It's my friend's birthday coming up. The one who requested the axolotl cake. And she has requested a giant squid cake. She said she doesn't mind if it isn't 1:1 scale (I wasn't sure how I'd fit a 12 m long cake into my oven), so long as she can pretend that it's a giant squid. While doing some research, I did spot this seriously impressive squid cake:

That is a truly amazing cake. I hope I acquire skillz like one day that so I too can make such awesome cakes.

There is one stipulation on the squid cake: it is to be made with butter icing or similar (otherwise I'd happily use the mouldable icing the dude above used). Butter icing and I don't really get along. Butter icing and I have arguments and it gets messy, but I'm happy to work through our differences and one day perfect our relationship. I now have a new set of icing spatulas and piping tools, so hopefully that'll help the reconciliation process.

And while we are on the topic of cakes, you know how I just love anatomically correct art? Well there was a feature over at Cake Wrecks on organ-inspired cakes.

There was the brain, kidney and heart (complete with infarct!). It's reassuring that there are other people like me out there in the world that like these cakes!

Just a minute in January

2009-01-27T19:41:00.002+11:00

Listening... to TV on the Radio, Quan... I cannot get enough of The Prodigy's 'Invader's must die' (for the past few weeks Gib and I have been randomly jumping about and shouting in our most ominous voices 'Invaders MUST DIE') or their other new track, 'Spitfire'. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle has also been a regular feature on the playlist - and the film clip is cool. Triple J has been playing some great stuff lately.

Reading... Geroge Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm. And a book that was given to me by both Gib and my grandpa: The brain that changes itself, by Norman Doige, MD (I was able to exchange one of them). It's about different case studies and research in brain plasticity, how it adapts and how you can teach it to "re-wire" itself. I'm completely hooked and much of it is very inspiring and both directly and indirectly relevant to my PhD.

Writing... my essay and presentation for my confirmation of PhD candidature. I'm still in a slight panic. Had a meeting with both of my supervisors today and feel like I've had a firecracker placed under my rear end (in a good way). I'd love to blog more about the work I'm doing, however it would severely compromise my semi-anonymity around here. Not because I'm famous or anything (give it time, this science is smoking hot!), but because my field of research is a bit specialised.

Enjoying... housesitting while Gib's parents were away in New Zealand for a month (they came back today), hosting a few parties, making the most of the BBQ before we started having total fire bans, snoozing with the rats while attempting to read on lazy Saturday afternoons.

Changing... the front garden layout (we're slowly moving back some of the mint and replacing it with some other things). It seems to be mostly surviving in the heat. Changing my fitness/martial arts routine to accommodate the shift in pace of my PhD and the current crazy weather. Changing my addiction to coffee... to being not-so-addicted to coffee.

Sewing... with my overlocker! Oh yes, I finally did it. You know what? It really wasn't that scary. What on earth have I been worried about? Threading it, while obviously more complex than my sewing machine, honestly wasn't that bad. Also because it was a 2nd hand one from eBay, all of the tension settings were already done for me and they were perfect. And it goes SO FAST. I love it. All of those stretchy and fraying fabrics I've been putting off sewing are now fair game. I also was also lucky enough to get a walking foot for my sewing machine Christmas, but I am yet to use it. Hopefully that will take less than a year for me to get the courage to use.

See? Threading the overlocker really wasn't so bad after all!