What I Did Last Summer

Did ya miss me? I haven't been blogging this year on account of not having a functional camera. There's not much point to a food (or art) blog that doesn't have photos is there.

Just before Christmas I got some junk mail which had a knitting pattern on it for little doggie jumpers. It's a project that the SPCA is running and I think it must be quite a sucessful program because when I googled it I came up with an entry from 2008. Check out the some pictures on Crafty m.e's blog or get your own pattern here from the Wellington SPCA site.

I thought it would be fun to have one of my kitties model a jumper but surprisingly they weren't having any of it and the photo here is the best of a bad lot. One thing about your average cheap and cheerful digital camera is that it's not so great on action shots and action shots were what I was dealing with as Sticky tried to back her way out of the jumper. It was kind of funny in a mean sort of way.

Mama's Got A Brand New Bag #2

I wrote this random post and filed it away in draft but since I've not been baking much lately I figured it was time for this little piece of randomness to be used.

Some time ago I had a day to myself in Wellington, my home town. Well actually Upper Hutt is my home town but Wellington is where I worked for over 15 years. They say you can't beat Wellington on a good day. Unfortunately the day I visited was drab and drizzly. This is a photo I took of Wellington harbour from the bus to Upper Hutt looking out towards Oriental Bay.


Here's a look at the sea from the east coast of New Zealand, this time looking across to Kapiti island. This was on my bus trip home to Palmerston North.



I had a lovely wander around Wellington and took the opportunity to snap a few photos. Here's a sculpture on Featherston Street that caught my eye.


And here's a picture of one of New Zealand's cultural icons - buzzy bee. It's right beside the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere.


It's quite appropriate that Buzzy Bee is not far away from "the beehive" - our parliament building.


I did a little shopping at Moore Wilson's which is an Aladdin's cave of foodie accessories. When I spied the little blow torch in my favourite shade of turquoise and at a reasonable price I just had to have it; similarly the lime green kitchen timer. I usually use the timer on my microwave but many's the time I've either forgotten to put the timer on or wanted to use the microwave for something else in the middle of baking. My new timer is magnetic and will stick to the fridge. It's also big enough to take with me if I leave the room to go update my Facebook page or whatever else might be on the agenda for the day. Here's a tip for you re timing in general which is quite useful. As you put your cake in the oven, note down the time on a piece of paper. Sure it won't help you if you leave the room and get distracted by something but it's a good standby if you are in the kitchen and had forgotten to put the timer on. The tea towels - well they're in my favourite colours and I couldn't pass them by. Lastly some Maldon sea salt which has been smoked - I've not tried it yet and I'm sure it'll be good although I'll be judicious about what I use it on/in. Once I made a rogan josh curry which called for paprika but all I had was Spanish smoked paprika. I can tell you it does NOT have any place in a curry and it's a fusion combination that doesn't work. I am the laughing stock of my Indian friends who take great joy in reminding me of my faux pas.


If you are in doubt about my favourite colours check out my shoes....

Announcing the Arrival of...

....well that's the thing really, they don't have names and I need help.

We went to visit a breeder in Levin on Sunday intending to come home with a couple of Burmilla kittens. I love the look of their silver coats and little round faces. However, we had decided that we would let the kittens pick us and each Burmilla we approached would put her ears down and pull away from us. We ended up coming home with two Burmese kittens.


Barinka Shine is an 11 month old Blue Silver burmese and her half sister, Tabitha is a five month old chocolate silver. You can check out their parents here if you are interested. Billy Boy is their daddy and Barinka's mum is Paris, a blue Burmese; while Tabitha's mum is Kelli, a Chocolate Tortie Burmese.

Husband and I are disagreeing about their names because I want pretty sounding names like Phoebe or Lucy (apparently cats like names that end in an "ee" sound although how a person can know that I don't understand). When we were first talking about getting a pair of kittens we thought we'd call them Guido and Luigi after the characters in the movie Cars but those names don't fit our girls. Husband is not a fan of people names unless they are a bit "out there" hence our last cat being called Scooter and the one before that Allie which was actually short for Alligator and not a person's name at all.

I quite like the idea of finding a pair of names However, Lucy and Ramona (from that song by Michael Nesmith), Patty and Selma, Phoebe and Ursula, Patsy and Eddy; and Thelma and Louise were all turned down.

I've even toyed with a foodie names like Cookie, Coco, Bailey or Lindy (short for Lindauer, a bubbly NZ wine). As a kid we had a pair of Siamese cats which were named Sausage and Mash.

Let's get those suggestions rolling in.

Update 09/10/08: Husband has come up with Smudge for the grey kitty which suits her personality because she smooches and smudges all over you and, well, she's smudge coloured. As for the young one, someone suggest Sticky since she sticks to her sister like glue. I'm not sure I can live with that but I'm thinking about it.

A Random Act of Blogging By Mail

OK so this isn't a recipe post as I promised but look at what I got recently!!

Have you ever participated in a Blogging by Mail aka BBM? The idea of getting a package full of goodies was one of the spurs that got me started with my blog and I have the wonderful Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness to thank for that. Then from my first BBM I became friends with the lovely Lis of La Mia Cucina who talked me into becoming a Daring Baker and the rest, they say, is history.

Seriously though back to the package. Stephanie and I have gotten to know each other a little since then and I've sent her a random package here and there - some Turkish Delight after she mentioned it in a post referring to The Chronicles of Narnia (wow hard to believe that was over a year ago); and a Donna Hay magazine. Well the randomness was reciprocated with a fantastic selection of goodies which Stephanie selected to try and give me a taste of Americana.

What did she send?
A box of Jiffy corn muffin mix - I love corn muffins and cornbread in any way shape or form; sweet or savoury
A selection of indivual servings of the kind of sugary cereal you always look at on the shelves but know you really should pick the low fat, high fibre granola instead
A contanier of Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies which says it's 4 servings but looks like just one to me! What's up with manufacturers and their inconsistent serving sizes?
A bottle of Annie's naturals organic yellow mustard
Some BBQ sauce - not her favourite kind she said but it was one she found in a plastic bottle rather than glass. It's Dinosaur brand from Syracuse NY and is described as "sensuous slathering sauce"
Some Chef Boyardee Ravioli - I'll keep this in my drawer at work for a winter lunch
San Marcos chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - Stephanie must have read my mind as my supply is almost out and they're only available by mail order in NZ. I use it for Rachel Ray's Park City Chicken
Some candy - Necco wafers, Nerds and orange flavoured TicTacs - mmmmmm sugar
and of course what package would be complete without chocolate - it's the good stuff, some Belgian milk chocolate and some Paul Newman brand peanut butter cups and and two kinds of Paul Newman brand milk chocolate bars. Their comment on the package which says "To find out how eating this chocolate helps the planet..." somehow makes you feel completely justified doesn't it!
Lastly a little personal indulgence - a travel sized selection of Burt's Bees products - they smell gooooooood.

Thank you Stephanie you really spoiled me.

I've signed up for the latest round of BBM and my package is winging its way to .... yeah I know it's a secret but I'll give you a clue......Pittsburgh. Is it destined for you??

The Great Pantry Cleanup of '07

My husband has been getting sick of opening the pantry door only to have something fall out at his feet. I can't see what he's worried about because whatever falls out has a safe landing on the gigantic pile of stuff on the floor of the pantry. Inspired by an article in a magazine I thought I’d give my pantry a big clean out. The end result was quite frightening because I couldn’t actually fit everything back in. I took before and after photos but apart from things being straightened up you can't really tell the difference although if you look hard enough you'll find the Easter Bunny that ended up in my chocolate caramel tart.


When we lived in Kentucky where the being snowed in during winter was a possibility there was very good reason to have multiple cans of things but now am close enough to swing my choice of four different supermarkets on the way home from work. If I run out of anything during a baking session at stupid o’clock then I’m less then 5 minutes drive from a 24 hour supermarket. Why then, do I have so much stuff in my pantry?

The article talked about what a person should have as basics in their pantry and also the kinds of extras you need to make cooking more interesting. That’s probably why I have various cans of tuna (in oil, in brine and flavoured); four kinds of mustard (Dijon, American, honey and hot English) five different kinds of rice (basmati, brown (meh!), sushi, Arborio, and although technically a grain not a rice - wild rice); five different kinds of syrupy stuff (maple, treacle, apple, golden and corn); five different kinds of vinegar (malt, white, rice wine, balsamic and white balsamic – oh and crema di balsamica); five different kinds of oil (canola, olive, sesame, rice bran and avocado); eight different kinds of canned fruit (plums, peaches, pineapple, pears, cherries, mangoes, apricots and mandarins) and for a little more variety nine different kinds of dried fruits (apricots, dates, prunes, figs, craisins, sour cherries, blueberries, sultanas and raisins and I didn’t include the crystallised ginger, glace peel and cherries in that count). I’m a little embarrassed to mention some of the more unusual extras I have but I will because if you've read this far I am sure you really want to know: tamarind paste, pomegranate molasses (what DO you do with that stuff? I haven't even used it), harissa, dukkah, liquid smoke, black truffles from Umbria, Italian mustard fruits, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, spearmint flavoured sugar for rimming one’s mojito glass, hibiscus flowers in syrup which you put in a glass of champagne, and a jar of iitty bitty little baba things in limoncello syrup.


What is the most unsual thing in your pantry?

Not my New Year's Resolution

I don’t set myself New Year’s resolutions because as you know I seldom finish what I start. However, I’ve set myself a few challenges this year and so far I’m doing well.

Challenge #1 was to go to an RPM or “spinning” class. If you watch Men in Trees you'll remember that Marin was horrified to find that Elmo didn't offer spinning class. For the uninitiated it’s an exercise class on stationery bicycles where the instructor tells you when to dial up the resistance on your bike, lean on your handlebars, or get up out of your seat to simulate a hill climb or a race. Supposedly it’s the equivalent of a 20km ride and can burn up to 900 calories. I’d done a class years ago and all I remembered was that it was very hard work. This time I went along with a positive attitude, knowing I was a little fitter and that whatever happened I could just go at my own pace. Unlike the stationary bikes in the gym with their large cushy seats, the RPM bikes are more along the lines of a road bike and have teeny weeny seats. Not only are they small but they are hard – very hard. You are provided with a gel pad to cover the seat but I still felt like I was sitting on a very very small brick. Did I mention the seats were hard? The phrase "Lorks a Lordy! My bottom's on fire" springs to mind and just thinking about it now makes me wince. They tell me it gets better the more you do it but I’m not convinced.

Challenge #2 is still ongoing. The Manawatu Striders run a Super Seven Series each year which is a 7 week series of 7km (four mile) walks through the lovely gardens at Victoria Esplanade and around the streets of Palmerston North. The idea is to try to beat your own time each week. The first week my friend and I made it round in 1 hour 7 minutes (we forgot to count the seconds) and on week two we slashed an impressive 6 minutes off our time. Week 3 there was a bit of a head wind (well that’s my excuse anyway) and we only managed to cut our time by a minute and a half. I heard there was a record number of attendees that night – approximately 1,000 people. Week 4 we shaved yet more time off and completed the course in 58 minutes and on week 5 we warmed up with a walk for the first km and then walked and ran alternate kms. Sounds impressive but we only took 3 minutes off our time which means we don't really run very much faster than we can walk! People bring their kids (in strollers or on foot or sometimes in backpacks) and their dogs. There are downsides to both - call me miss whiney-pants if you must but I can really do without being downwind of a walker with warm and noisome dog doody in their pocket and recently I had to resist a strong urge to shove… er I mean…..nudge a young rollerblader who was travelling in the opposite direction from the walkers. Seriously though it's a fun, well organised event with the added bonus of spot prizes and a sausage sizzle afterwards. Between us my friend and I have won three spot prizes. The past few weeks there have been giveaways of packs of yoghurt by the kind people at Yoplait - I think I will have to search out some baking recipes to use it up. Perhaps something exciting for Muffin Monday.


Tonight was the penultimate event and because I'd donated blood earlier in the day and it was an extremely warm evening, we decided we'd take a nice leisurely stroll and enjoy the scenery.

Starting off...


The duck pond...


Pretty flowers - the light was kinda weird in the shadows and I don't remember the tree trunk looking purple...


A swan plant and monarch caterpillars - yes they're there - it isn't just a picture of a tangle of greenery...


More pretty flowers - I'd love to say that the misty look was on purpose but it was a lucky accident...


The river...


Hope you enjoyed my walk.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No it's Comet McNaught which was discovered by Australian astronomer Robert McNaught on August 7 last year. He discovered the then faint comet on a photograph taken at the Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales. On January 13, its orbit takes the comet within a distance of 25.4 million km or one sixth the distance of the Earth from the Sun.

The comet is going to be visible in the Southern Hemisphere for a few more days yet. I'd love to see it with my own eyes but I live inland and have issues with buildings impairing my view not to mention very crappy weather of late so I will have to content myself do with these terrific photos my brother took in Wellington a night or so ago.





This is the first picture "autocorrected" with my pathetic computer photo editing program. Isn't it pretty?

What I'm doing this weekend

... I'm going to Quilt Symposium Manawatu

The event opens at lunchtime today and runs through til Wednesday the 24th of January. I have a friend coming from Wellington to stay and I hope to have the chance to catch up with friends from my old quilt groups over the weekend. There's the usual associated activities - exhibitions and a merchants mall; the latter representing a major threat to my wallet despite my groaning fabric shelves. I mean really - you can't go to an event like this and not buy something. Need is such an ugly word don't you think?

I've registered for two classes:

On Monday it's Artist Trading Cards with Jan Mullen of Stargazey Quilts. I've been a admirer of Jan's work for a long time and I love her fabrics - they're so bright and vibrant.


On Tuesday I'm doing a class called The Art Quiltlet with Deanna Hartman which I hope will stretch my artistic ability (or lack thereof) a little.

Both workshops involve small projects and there's a slight chance that I might actually finish something.

I'm also going to three lectures. Priscilla Bianchi will share her experiences about about how she started quilting (and got hooked); and how she overcame obstacles living in Guatemala without any quilting tradition, community or resources. My houseguest is doing Priscilla's workshop. Lecture two is Jan Krentz who is going to present a collection of her work including recent quilts seen from her three books. I have her Lone Star quilt book and it is pure eye candy. Finally, Jane Sassaman will give a pep talk and slide show about accomplishing your work in spice of obstacles - family life, space limitations etc.

See you in a few days.

Garden Makeover

After 20 years of home ownership I have finally accepted the fact that I hate gardening. It's something that many people are passionate about and I always used to have a slightly guilty feeling when I admitted that gardening wasn't my thing. Now that I have come out about it I feel great.

Our house is about 10 years old and we've owned it for two years. The garden is small but had got to a point where the shrubs were getting woody or diseased and the trees were outgrowing their space. Our neighbours all around us are keen gardeners with manicured lawns and very tidy gardens and I didn't want us to be known as the people with the worst garden in the street. After a little negotiation I managed to persuade my husband to let me have the garden replanted. I pretty much gave my landscaper carte blanche to do whatever he thought would work and my brief was that it needed to be easy care but other than that I didn't have strong views on what I liked or didn't like. The only tree that was to remain was the lemon tree. It's not a pretty tree and is in a really dumb place but it is just so prolific there's no way I could have it dug out.

Here are the before and after photos...

Left hand front of the house - I'm not even sure what plants we had to begin with that's how little I know or care about gardening! I do know the taller plant by the door is a pretty pink camellia.



Right hand front of house. I know the photos don't look much different but they are. The taller shrubs along here are small camellias.



The famous lemon tree.



The tall trees in the before photos are pittosporums and the white blooming shrub is a Mexican orange blossom. Note the tangle of weeds in the corner strangling the last of my freesias. Did I mention I hate gardening?




My landscaper told me that he wasn't the kind of gardener who over planted. He said that our garden area was so small we'd just be pulling stuff out before we knew it. Despite that advice my initial reaction when I got home to see the garden was complete horror at the nudeness of it all. I had the lanscaper come back and put in a whole bunch of pansies to fill in the gaps and now they are flowering the garden looks a whole lot better. The new plants have taken root and some have even come into flower but I need to wait until it stops raining to take some more photos. Stay tuned for a garden update soon.

Red Wine and Pizza

Happy Happy Joy Joy Joy - I won a prize!! I received a letter from one of my local supermarkets with a handwritten address on it. I wondered what it might be and thought perhaps I'd left something at the store. Well I most certainly did leave something in the store - an entry form in a competition to win a pizza maker. Taking into consideration that this particular supermarket is not my usual one and the fact that I always have good intentions of filling out competition forms but hardly ever do, it's a miracle that I won. We are not a big pizza eating household but I guess we will be now. I'm thinking I might try Lis's pizza recipe.



The item I purchased to qualify for the draw was a bottle of Rosemount Cabernet Sauvignon which is a cheap and cheerful red from Australia.

New World Supermarket awarded the Rosemount Cabernet Sauvignon a silver medal in its 2006 Wine Awards Under $20 Challenge. It was described as Ultra smooth, with mouthfilling body and fresh, vibrantly fruity flavours of blackcurrant and plums. This Aussie red will make heaps of friends. The Judges' comment was "forget cellaring - this is ready to roll!"

Marmite - Love it or Hate it?

In my BBM box of goodies for Lis of La Mia Cucina I included that "world famous in New Zealand" food item - Marmite. It's one of those things that you usually either love or hate and are seldom ambivalent about. I have tried to foist it on various American friends and so far no-one has taken a liking to it. Guess it's one of those cultural things that you really have to grow up with to appreciate - just like I don't care for grits! Lis told me that she was a little scared about trying the marmite (and was going to make her hubbs try it first - how evil is that?) because it looks so nasty. I don't blame her. Marmite is a dark brown, almost black paste with a slightly salty, yeasty smell. No surprise about the yeasty smell because that's what it's made of.

Marmite and Chippie Sandwich - the great Kiwi afterschool snack

Very fresh, soft white bread. (I'm normally a whole wheat girl but for this sammie it must be white)
Butter
Marmite
Plain, salted potato chips

Butter both pieces of bread - butter all the way to the edges so the chips will stick!!
THINLY schmear the marmite on one piece of bread
Top generously with potato chips
Smoosh together firmly
Hold on tight as you bite your sandwich or else all the chips will fall out

For Lis's benefit I demonstrate below the construction of the abovementioned sandwich. Note the deathgrip on the sandwich in the final photo.





Check out the Marmite website for all you'll ever need to know about this curious kiwi delicacy.

Spring has Sprung

Cherry Tree
Originally uploaded by Morvalicious.

Look at my garden's early birthday present to me. I thought I'd better take a photo before the winds blow all the blossom away. The tree has probably got a good 2-3 weeks blooming in it yet.