Monday, July 30, 2012

adopt a pet: guinea pigs

Soon after our latest visit to the FSC (and much to my husband's disapproval) I decided that the children needed might like some guinea pigs. B was just so gentle with the guinea pigs on the farm and it would be an opportunity to nurture that gentleness.

I searched on the 'net and found this site where you can rescue a guinea pig that has been given up by its previous owners. I then came across a woman selling her two guinea pigs locally so we adopted the pair... a pair of males.

I do most of the caring of the animals, of course, but it has been so lovely. In the past fortnight B has raced out, changed into his guinea pig clothes and cuddled his two little pets, Simba and Narla. He chose those names. Simba has a particularly bushy mane and they are the most attractive guinea pigs I've ever met!

Little P (18 months) has taken the guinea pigs a container of carrot and can say "pig!"

I took this photo the other day. I came out into our sun room to find B reading to his mates. We had a discussion afterwards about how pets prefer space but how lovely it was to see them reading together!






Thursday, July 26, 2012

infinity sourdough





Years ago, when we lived in Elizabeth Bay, we'd walk about a kilometre and past six or seven cafes to get to our favourites on Victoria st. It's funny when I 'have a coffee' with my grandmother. She literally thinks we sit down to 'have a coffee.' Drinking a coffee doesn't take long once it's cool enough to drink.

Having a coffee is more than the syrupy crema and the little jitters from a hit of caffiene. For us 'having a coffee' has always been about being in the moment and usually on the street. There's nothing worse than a cafe with no atmosphere (oh - apart from a cafe with crap coffee!)

In the years before children we used to sit in cafes for at least four hours on the weekend. We'd read the paper from the front page to the back. We'd have a conversation... and finish it. We'd work on the crossword together. (Mind you we didn't have iphones then). On Victoria street there's so much to take in - the wealth, the poverty, the beautiful people, the dogs, the light on the church tower, the trees changing the shades of their leaves throughout the year.

Those days are well and truly behind us. We are lucky to have a good ten minute coffee these days (fair enough - cafe's aren't the funnest of places for children.) And, of course, we do love our kids. It's just that things have changed.

One of the icons of Victoria street, Infinity Sourdough - remember I mentioned their bread? - has opened a sister shop in Manly tucked behind the Corso. I like to go there on the days when B has preschool. It's a small shopfront which makes it perfectly atmospheric especially because there's always a steady stream of customers (for bread & take-aways mostly) but some, like me, are doing their best to remember what long and luxurious coffees used to be like.

sewing: yoga mat bag cont'd





Here's a sneak peek at my yoga mat bag to date. Gosh - I just had such a wonderful time at the sewing lesson. We got most of the way through and I finished a few stages at home. I'd like my teacher Kristie to be there when I sew the circle & lining to the bottom of the bag so I'll have to wait til I can get to another class.


The thing I was most impressed about Kristie (who studied fashion design) is that she could look at the pattern and the fabric pieces and visualise it already made. In her head she said she was working backwards to get to the step where I was up to! I found this a fascinating skill and one that would be very beneficial to a sewing project!

It's a treat to be working with such quality fabric.

I love the pockets on the outside of the bag- perfect for my gym pass, towel & a few other bit n pieces!

Watch this space! 

Monday, July 23, 2012

knit wear III





This is just a selection of the hand-knitted beanies in our house.... 
I used to wear the green beanie. You can see that the green & pink beanies both have a strap which buttons under the chin, bordering the face. They look divine on.

I look as these and wish I could knit. I'll add that to my bucket list!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

a quest to Canberra








We had a twenty-four hour visit to Canberra this week. J had to be in town for work so instead of staying at home with all the chores we decided we'd all head down.

Canberra isn't a place I'd choose to live again but those crisp mornings and clear, deep blue skies of winter are impressive. There was only a slight breeze so it wasn't too cold either.

We took the kids to Questacon (Australia's National Science and Technology Centre) in the morning. How ideal! Questacon is a place where children can touch, see and experience Science and Techology which makes it 'tangible,' easy to understand. Questacon has the addition of 'Mini Q' for 0-6 year olds. This area was great (fenced so easy to keep track of the kids) but children can get as much, if not more, from the other exhibits. I do get a little frustrated when learning is 'dumbed down' for children. You only need to explain things to children at a level they understand. It's no different to any other learning.

We visited Weston Park, a place I used to go as a child as my grandparents lived in nearby Yarralumla. It had been years since I'd been to Weston Park. My only memory is of the maze so I went to find it.....

but it was taken out about five years ago. I was a little teary, I must admit.

I had no memory of the train that operates in the park but we stumbled across it looking for the maze. It's seen better days (it takes you through a tunnel with old Disney and Hanna Barbera cartoons) and past piles of what were probably 'good ideas at the time' (think: cement toad stools, a waterfall that's full of algae, an ex merry-go-round horse protruding from a bush). Still, B loved it.

Afterwards, standing out on the edge of the lake, while the kids played in the park in the last of the winter sun I felt like I'd taken a step on the journey of creating new memories in Canberra.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

dinner tonight

Tonight we are having cauliflower soup with Gruyere crostini.

Variations to the recipe (you know it's not me cooking if there aren't any!):

Add teaspoon each of freshly ground cumin and fennel seeds (mustard & coriander seeds would also work well) to the onion and garlic.

Add a few small potatoes (mine have been piling up so I must use them before they sprout).

I also added a PURPLE carrot! I love the colour & it will be an incentive for the children to eat all their dinner!

The fresh ciabatta I picked up from the Brasserie Bread stall at Warriewood Organic Markets this morning will be the perfect crostini.

knit wear II


Our 3 year old's socks.... again. Not sure whether we inherited these from Granny's collection of knits or they were an op-shop score!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

common regrets of dying

from the Sydney Morning Herald:

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/common-regrets-of-the-dying-20120716-224y2.html

sewing: yoga mat bag


Tonight I am attending my first ever sewing class. A lovely woman runs small classes (4-6 people) locally for three hours of a nighttime. Since updating my yoga mat a few weeks ago I've decided the perfect project for me is a yoga mat bag. I found this Amy Butler pattern so I'll be working from that and I called Valerie at My Patch Fabrics and we talked through the best kind of fabrics for the bag.

Look at this divine linen that My Patch stocks from Free Spirit! The pattern has a lining and pocket.

Friday, July 13, 2012

pasta master






Years ago, when I lived at home Mum came across a secondhand pasta machine. Jamie Oliver had just become 'big' and we (the cooks of the family) decided that we'd attempt Jamie's recipe. After all, he made it look dead easy!

We soon discovered why the pasta machine had be turfed out. It left tiny shards of metal throughout the pasta! Still - we went through with the drying process- probably just to prove we could do it.

I still have an image of all the pasta lined up drying along our laundry clothes horse! Needless to say I don't actually remember sampling the metal-freckled pasta! AND we ate supermarket pasta from then on (we couldn't afford a new machine).

__________

In memory of this beautiful family moment I made my own pasta with my new Marcato pasta machine) based on Jamie's original recipe recently. Apart from the herb & pepper pasta I made a couple of months ago I hadn't attempted any other 'flavoured' pasta so I made beetroot pasta!

I served it with roast pumpkin, goat's cheese, toasted pine nuts, steamed beetroot leaves & a dollop of pesto. Sorry- no pics- we ate it too quickly! There was a slight sweetness from the beetroot that added an extra dimension to the dish.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

where do I go from here: conversation with my 3 1/2 year old

B: Mummy, have you seen a ghost? I haven't seen one before.

Me: No darling. They aren't real.

B: They actually are.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

darrell lea ... not a sweet legacy

... I read the news this morning that the confectionery company has gone 'bust'.

Sadly many will lose their jobs and their livelihoods but my first thought was that of the Lea family.

Some years ago I met the author, Diana Georgeff, who wrote the book Delinquent Angel about Shelton Lea. He was adopted as a 'play mate' for the Lea children and suffered abuse in their family.

Although I haven't yet read the book, Diana was a very interesting person to talk with. And encouraging too - about getting one's own story 'out there.'

ten recipes everyone should know by Jill Dupleix

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/cuisine/the-10-recipes-everyone-should-know-20120709-21qqo.html

Saturday, July 7, 2012

urban pantry...

 

 

 

 


Thank you Canberra. We had a table of five adults and four toddlers (!) on Sunday at the Urban Pantry in Manuka. These days I don't think it's worth spending money on food if it isn't good food. (Am I getting snobby?!)

Zucchini & corn fritters (a little overcooked.) Avocado & tomato salsa. Sour Cream (A little less would have been ok). A bed of rocket and divine smoked salmon.

The coffees were almost perfect. The staff coped with the four babyccinos (and the fact that they didn't all end up in the kids' mouths).

If breaky hadn't been so tasty I would have snaffled up a yummy sweet treat. I do think it's very sad that a bakery hasn't yet been born in Canberra that can supply good bread to the masses. Sonoma makes some of the best bread you can eat but it travels from Sydney (even to the Farmer's Market on a Saturday at Epic).

Friday, July 6, 2012

wafu: after the backlash by Stephanie Gardiner

After the backlash, ranting chef does the unexpected

BY Stephanie Gardiner smh.com.au
July 6, 2012 - 1:56PM

Wafu chef: 'Yes, I'm rude'

People need more communication skills and should learn how to eat properly, says Yukako Ichikawa, chef of the notoriously strict Wafu restaurant.

"Stop there!"
It seemed a typically unwelcoming greeting bellowed from the kitchen of Sydney's "iron chef" Yukako Ichikawa.
The Herald was left standing nervously at the door of her Japanese restaurant Wafu for five long minutes yesterday, wondering what might happen next in the presence of a woman famous for kicking out wasteful diners and "non-members".
Yukako Ichikawa ... wants to come into your kitchen. Yukako Ichikawa ... wants to come into your kitchen. Photo: Ben Rushton

There she was artfully wielding a knife just hours after she'd made headlines around the country for announcing the closure of Wafu in a scathing review of Sydney's "inconsiderate, greedy" and "intolerable" people.
But on hearing the overwhelming reader reaction to Wafu's notorious rules and her frank verdict on the city's diners, Ichikawa did something unexpected.
Letting out a loud giggle, she happily cleared space on her bench for the Herald's notebook.

Membership policy ... Yukako Ichikawa's Wafu is closing down. Membership policy ... Yukako Ichikawa's Wafu is closing down. Photo: Ben Rushton

Highly passionate about sustainability and healthy eating, Ichikawa explained the majority of Sydney's diners had left her feeling very negative.
"If I open to all people, money is OK, but I don't want to fail my philosophy in myself," she said, while making a brown rice roll.
"If I'm negative, I can't take any big action.

The sign outside Wafu, telling diners what's expected of them. The sign outside Wafu, telling diners what's expected of them. Photo: Stephanie Gardiner

"I just have to stop and refill my energy levels."
Ichikawa chopped, fried and steamed with precision, while sharing her views about chemicals in food, the dangers of eating too much, and pondering how people could eat huge meals while others are starving.
And watch out: Ichikawa wants to come to your house.
When Wafu closes in two months, she plans to teach people how to cook and eat well in their own kitchen and wants to show school children how to grow vegetables.
"I want people to know how to make variety.
"If I cook at their place I can show them how to cook restaurant food in their home."
Ronni Kahn, the founding director of OzHarvest, which collects surplus food from restaurants and cafes to feed the needy, said Ichikawa took an admirable risk in the way she operated Wafu.
"I have been there when she's kicked people out. So she is an extreme example," Ms Kahn said.
"She was eccentric, but had a mission and she didn't want to compromise and it has cost her greatly.
"I respect that she tried to do something that's quite unique and that was based on principle."
Herald restaurant critic Terry Durack said he was sorry to see Wafu close.
"I love that Sydney is big enough to support restaurateurs of all philosophies - even highly eccentric ones.
"Yukako Ichikawa has decided to enforce a way of eating that she considers is respectful and healthy; it was our choice as to whether we took her up on it or not.
"Wafu was part of the wonderful mix of Sydney dining in all its mad diversity, I'll be sorry if it goes. Not that I've eaten there - too scared."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/after-the-backlash-ranting-chef-does-the-unexpected-20120706-21ksn.html#ixzz1zoPW5WMt

Thursday, July 5, 2012

mind your manners by Stephanie Gardiner

Surry Hills restaurateur with notorious rules lashes Sydney's 'greedy' diners as she announces closure with online rant

AUTHOR: Stephanie Gardiner smh.com.au
July 5, 2012 - 11:41AM 
The sign outside Wafu, telling diners what's expected of them. The sign outside Wafu, telling diners what's expected of them. Photo: Stephanie Gardiner
It's not just financial reasons behind the latest Sydney restaurant closure, but "inconsiderate, greedy" diners, "intolerable" customers and "fast-food junkies".
News that Surry Hills restaurant Wafu is soon closing its doors swept the city's food scene yesterday, after chef Yukako Ichikawa gave a scathing review of some of Sydney's wasteful diners.


Angry outburst ... Yukako Ichikawa is closing her Surry Hills restaurant, Wafu. Angry outburst ... Yukako Ichikawa is closing her Surry Hills restaurant, Wafu.  
Photo: Marco Del Grande

Ichikawa's restaurant has a notorious set of rules to cut food waste, with customers expected to eat everything on their plate and bring their own containers for leftovers and takeaway orders.
The Japanese eatery is often described as Sydney's most exclusive restaurant because only members, which include those who attend an "orientation", can make bookings.
But in an announcement posted online, Ichikawa said Wafu would close in the coming months partly because not enough diners were willing to abide by her policies.
"First, many potential customers, and even some members, have entered Wafu without doggie containers," she wrote on the Wafu website.
"I could not accept such inconsiderate people. The refusal of this most simple, basic request shows that Wafu's ways are not respected. Intolerable.
"Further, I found it distressing when, after eating, with obvious self-satisfaction, people said, 'SO FULL!'.
"Perhaps this was meant as a compliment, but to me it meant that the utterer had deliberately damaged their body by wasting food through over-eating.
"It meant also that the utterer did not understand Wafu's ways, and had not bothered to make the effort or take time to find out what these are.
"Wafu is viable, as a business, if I continue to accept inconsiderate, greedy people.
"But I couldn't do it. Wafu has always been, and will remain, more to me than simply just another business."
Ichikawa also wrote that the "ongoing global economic crises" played a part in her decision, as well as "the disheartening effect of seeing people walking whilst cramming fast-food in jaws that cannot even chew".
The chef said Wafu's doors would remain open to members, or anyone willing to bring their own containers, while the restaurant is up for sale.
She said Wafu would be "re-structured" and a new, smaller Wafu may be set up at some point.
Ichikawa, dubbed "iron chef" by the Herald in 2010, made the strict policies that year after nearly shutting shop because wasteful eaters made her "sick of people".
She also granted a 30 per cent discount to customers who ate all the food they ordered, with the exception of garnishes like lemon slices, sushi ginger and wasabi.
Wafu is the latest Sydney eatery to announce its closure, with many notable restaurants closing or going into administration.
The Berowra Waters Inn, Ad Lib, Bilson's, Cotton Duck, Montpellier Public House, Bird Cow Fish, and Tabou have all closed, while chef Justin North restaurant group, including Becasse, under voluntary administration.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/surry-hills-restaurateur-with-notorious-rules-lashes-sydneys-greedy-diners-as-she-announces-closure-with-online-rant-20120705-21icb.html#ixzz1ziP07vtV

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Sunday, July 1, 2012

monte carlos... by Caroline Velik


Monte carlo biscuits

BY CAROLINE VELIK, (cuisine.com.au)
November 1, 2011

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/cuisine/baking/recipe/monte-carlo-biscuits-20111031-1mruq.html#ixzz1zLB4lq7F

 

A classic combination of coconut biscuit sandwiched with raspberry jam and a creamy vanilla icing.

Ingredients

  • Serves Makes 28 filled biscuits
  • 190g butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 125g brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 150g self-raising flour
  • 100g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
  • 75g dessicated coconut
  • 1/2 cup raspberry jam
  • For the cream filling
  • 75g butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
  • 2 tsp milk
  • 190g icing sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Beat butter, vanilla and sugar with an electric mixer until just combined. Add egg and beat to combine.
Sift flours with bicarb soda and add to butter mixture in two batches, alternating with coconut. Mix well.
Roll two teaspoons of mixture into ovals, place on lined oven trays and flatten slightly with the back of a fork. Allow room for spreading.
Bake for seven minutes to 10 minutes. Remove and cool on trays for a few minutes to cool completely.
To make the filling, beat butter, vanilla , milk and icing sugar, in a small bowl until fluffy.
Place a small amount of raspberry jam on the flat side of one biscuit and spread some icing on the flat side of a similar -sized biscuit.
Sandwich biscuits together. Repeat with remaining biscuits.