Wisdom

A little something I found recently. Rings true. Don't you think?

You scream. We scream.

Made up these little babies yesterday. After buying a tray of 20 mangoes for $22 (yes- that's $1.10 each!) we have been gorging!

I had some coconut milk left over from a curry. I cut up a lot of mango and drop that in, followed by mixed frozen berries then poured in the coconut milk.

Today it wasn't the 34ºc that it was yesterday but that needn't stop us from having ice-cream. Yum!

I also cut up a few mangoes and popped them in the freezer for the summer days ahead.

Bargain Envy

Today a woman, at my local shops, hopped out of her Merc. I watched as she came into the cafe where I'd stopped to have a quick lunch and feed my baby. As I got up she smiled at me and commented "I have the same dress as you. Great to see someone else wearing it too."

I love my dress. It's pure silk with a great pattern - red white & blue. It's comfortable and airy- perfect for this humid weather.

I replied "I love it too. I just have to fix this tiny hole where the thread has undone." "Because of my height," she replied, "the split comes up a bit far. I have to put in another button."

I hesisted then responded "I only paid $6 for it." Her face dropped. She managed to gather herself "Where from?" I told her "Salvo's - near the mall." She was stunned and she suddenly looked very hurried- probably going home to add that button and make the most of her $300 purchase!

The second dress in these pics is my pure silk Alannah Hill dress I picked up for $25!

Wedding Wares

We're attending a family wedding this week. In the time it took my husband and our son to visit the hardware and grocery store last weekend I hemmed a dress for our daughter to wear, finished some bunting for decorations and whipped up this little headband for the wedding.

Forecast says rain but we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for fine weather!

Breakfast

I do love using our eggs in cooking. I use Stephanie Alexander's recipe to make pikelets aka drop scones. They are as light n fluffy as they look but not as charred!

At home in the garden of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie

This morning we waved goodbye to my husband for two weeks while he travels to PNG to assist with a Defence exercise off the island of Rabaul.

So, as in each time he leaves, we busied ourselves with ideas about how to spend the morning. I wanted to get out and do something different that the children would enjoy. It was due to be a hot day here today so I was also mindful about getting out early to avoid the midday sun.

Nutcote, the home of the late May Gibbs' home was open to the public (as it always is) but this time for the Open Garden Scheme. Nestled in Neutral Bay in Sydney, Nutcote is a beautiful home, in particular, the gardens, where you can imagine May gained her inspiration.

We packed morning tea, though we needn't as the cafe served scrumptious scones with jam and fresh cream. Two was not enough! (There I go - on about food as usual!)

I was most surprised to learn that May Gibbs was somewhat of a feminist. Her husband had a smaller room than she, and a decidedly smaller bed. She had the largest bedroom in the house (with the best view) and was the main bread winner of the family.

Or guide commented that at the time of her publications she drew an eighth of the wage than that of Jimmy Bancks (creator of Ginger Meggs) purely because she was female.

The gardens are particularly beautiful at the moment. The roses are out and they have the most magnificent scent- like a old rose. And some of them date back to the early 1900's! One banksia, right down on the harbour and just beyond May's boundary fence, was planted circa 1850.

When I am down by the harbour I often wonder what it may have been like before Europeans arrived. Imagine: the harbour, with all the beauty she has today... but without the noise of traffic, the buildings- the bush, the smell and the wildlife. I wonder how May would have painted had she been alive in those days.

Still, we had a beautiful morning, we will visit again and I am ever appreciative for these little glimpses that, while we do live in a huge city, there is magic at our doorstep. As they say... you just have to know where to find it!

(Excuse the iphone pics)

 

  

 

  

It's all about the food...

Yesterday I went in to the old stomping ground. I do love it. Nothing much changes but little things change...

a lane way is painted, a carshare spot is added, a gutter is landscaped, a new cafe opens, an old restaurant closes..... essentially it is still the same as it was about 25 years ago when my husband first began visiting the area as a boy.

I would love to listen to the stories from a resident of many years...

Sadly our favourite, and iconic, Indian restaurant, India Downunder (on the corner of Crick Ave and Macleay St) has closed. I just visited their website to find they are relocating so it's not as sad as I first thought!

We made time to visit the newly opened bourke street bakery in Potts Point. I sampled their lamb and harissa (sausage) roll. The lamb was perfectly cooked- not too dry- with yummy flaky pastry. Dessert was a dark chocolate, raspberry & meringue tart. Delicious!

My companions ate the gluten-free chocolate cake and the moist and light carrot cake which also looked a treat! This morning we chomped on our ciabatta loaf- so light & airy but not holey enough to feel ripped off!

Thankfully I didn't miss out on a peruse of the Wayside Op Shop. It's currently located in a side alley while the renovations continue. A silk Alannah Hill dress was a steal for $25 and I also picked up a set of vintage clown stacking blocks for a few dollars.

Tonight we, once again, had to head in that way, so we stopped in at Miss Chu's for dinner. There is something about eating on the street that I love! Our children were well-accomodated but after tasting the beef with vermicelli I realised I needed something with less chilli for our toddler. We ordered prawn dumplings and it was SUCH a shame he didn't feel adventurous enough to try them... we had to gobble them up for him!

In the end our toddler became slightly more adventurous and devoured some of his dad's pork dish. 

We finished off dinner with my favourite- coconut pudding with water chestnut in pandana leaf... (and some mango sticky rice).

I like to be organised so we popped the kids in their pj's and by the time we were home our baby was fast asleep and our toddler suitably exhausted and ready for bed.

he didn't know he couldn't fly.... so he did.

Remember those wings I mentioned? 

I stumbled upon this beautiful website recently. I was inspired to make the kids some wings too. Over a few days (including some time outside on our lawn) and using a bunch of random fabric I came up with these. 

They aren't completely finished. I just need to add some ribbon for the thumbs...

Turning Japanese

Whipped these nori rolls up for lunch yesterday.

I was going to buy some teriyaki sauce for the chicken but read the ingredients on the label of the jar and, realising it was so easy to make, I made my own. I used this teriyaki recipe from cuisine.com.au

The result: carrot, avocado, cucumber & teriyaki chicken sprinkled with black/white sesame seeds with nori flakes.

Wings

A blog I found. I do like these wings... watch this space.

http://www.littleecofootprints.com/2011/10/more-kids-dress-up-wings-made-from-recycled-t-shirts.html

And another I came across...

http://llevoelinvierno.blogspot.com/2011/03/make-alitas.html

Steamed chicken, coriander & water chestnut wontons

Yesterday I decided that I'd try to make my own steamed wontons. Having never made them before I did what I do and checked my favourite websites for recipes: Cuisine, Donna Hay, Jamie Oliver (no recipes). Then I did a general search and found a few recipes on various other websites.

I decided that, given the ingredients already in my fridge, and the range of recipes I'd melt a few together that I liked the sound of. So, this is the recipe I came up with:

500g Free Range Chicken Mince
1 heaped teaspoon ginger, crushed
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 bunch of coriander, including stems
1/2 cup water chestnut, tinned, chopped

1 packet of 30 Shanghai Wonton Wrappers (these cost me $1.75 from a local Asian grocer!)
Peanut Oil (for brushing)
1 egg, beaten

For the dipping sauce (amounts to your liking):
Hoisin sauce
Fresh coriander, chopped finely
Chili oil
Peanuts, crushed
The juice of half a lime

In a large bowl mix the chicken, ginger, garlic, coriander and water chestnut. I found it easiest to mix with my hands.

Use a teaspoon to scoop about 2 level teaspoons of mixture into each wrapper. Brush egg on the inside corners of the wrapper. The egg is used to 'glue' the corners together. Fold opposite corners together and pinch them so they sit in the middle of the wonton.

Brush a little peanut oil onto the bottom of each wonton to ensure they don't stick to your bamboo steamer.

Fill a wide saucepan with enough water so it sits just below the shelf of the steamer. Put it on high so that it begins to boil.

Gently place each wonton on the steamer. Depending on the width of you steamer you should be able to cook a batch of 8-12 wontons at a time.

Steam the wontons for 8 minutes. By this time the chicken should be cooked through. Gently remove the wontons using tongs. If you are cooking in batches keep the wontons warm on a warm plate cover with foil.

For the dipping sauce - mix ingredients.

Best served and eaten immediately!

3 parties in 3 days!

I have been to three kids parties in three days. They are fun and a great source of inspiration for planning our kids' parties.

At Friday's party there were a few girls in tutus and it made me wonder how hard it would be to make one after all they are not the cheapest of accessories!

So on Friday evening I researched i.e. Googled "no sew tutu" (I dreaded the idea of sewing tulle!!). I read through many patterns all saying virtually the same thing. I always check youtube before I decide on a pattern from the 'net. I am comforted by watching somebody actually complete a pattern.

This seemed to be the best video (short & sweet):

On Saturday (yesterday) I bought some tulle and satin ribbon from my local Lincraft. Last night I worked for a couple of hours cutting the tulle and then making a very 'foofy' first attempt. I do love it but my 9 month old wouldn't have been able to see in it, let alone crawl in it! I will save this one for when she's older- walking.

This is my second attempt. I only knotted one length at a time (whereas with the first one I knotted three).

I half-finished this tutu when I realised that, in fact, it would be best to leave it as a half tutu. That way it will just sit on my daughter's back and it won't impinge on her crawling!

And here's the finished product. Day Three (Sunday) and she had a tutu to wear to the party! (It looks eve better in real life!)

Sweet at heart...

I have been poring over Kylie Kwong's cookbook this week. I love the pics of food, produce and it's origins.

My Darling husband returned from a conference in Hobart last night only to bring us home some of our very own honeycomb. We had a good lesson with our two year-old in sucking out the honey then chewing it before spitting out the wax which lead into a discussion about bee hives and the roles of bees.

Tasty and educational!

Yes. It does Kylie!

Check out that price tag! $69.95 down to $24.95. You know I love a bargain. I do love Humphrey's Newsagency for a good book at a bargain price.

A few night ago, with my mum staying, I decided to try out a recipe from my new cookbook. Cambodian-style fish dish. It did not disappoint and, again, the adults and childrne could all dine on this meal making my life a whole lot easier.

I served it with brown rice, lots of fresh coriander and some asparagus with miso and sesame seeds. Delish!

Tasty Chicken

Remember that coconut oil? 

I decided to have a little experiment and made these very tasty little morsels. I simply mixed the sesame seasoning (black & white sesame seeds with tony flecks of nori from Spiral Foods) with some plain flour. I coated the free-range chicken pieces with the flour mix and added them to the hot coconut oil and fried them until they were golden.

The result is an easy, guilt-free protein hit with a slight crunch! (I am reluctant to call them 'nuggets' as they bare little resemblance to the commercial equivalent).

My two-year old loves these with a plate of vegies. A sprinkling of sea-salt is a tasty addition for adults.

Martinis & Mani's

Yes please!

Manly in the Morning

What a perfect morning in Manly! Great breaky followed by a visit to the beach - making sandy mermaids and a splash (not warm enough for a swim). A caffeine hit at Barefoot (and a sneaky Zumbo pastry) made coming home to chores a tad more tolerable!