Fun with Onions

New toy and program recommendations

2010-01-04T02:43:00.000-08:00

We decided to buy a laptop for Christmas. We were given some money for a family present by hubby's parents, some more from my brother, and we put in some, and found a decent laptop for a very good price. It came with Vista, but, being a Toshiba, we were able to upgrade to Windows 7 for about $30. Can I say - I'm in love! It works so much better than our other, second-hand, slow computers! I can sit in the recliner, with the laptop on my lap and fiddle with my pictures, write fanfic, and blog. ('Cause I'm back - honest!)
Anyway, along with the laptop, you also need programs. I like writing, amongst other stuff, and so need an office suite. Rather than pay more money than I have for Windows, I use Open Office. To be honest, I now prefer Open Office to Windows. For my photos, I use Picasa. I did get the Creative Memories program, but have gone back to Picasa. For me, Picasa is easier, especially since I use my photos for blogging, adding to Flickr, and other stuff. I don't do digital scrapbooking, so I don't need that functionality. And I just prefer the look of Picasa.
When I need to do more with a photo that Picasa can do, I use Gimp. This is a free Photoshop alternative. I don't have a lot of experience with it, and certainly can't justify the cost of buying Photoshop just to touch up some photos. I really can't compare it with Photoshop since I've never used the other program, but it appears to have similar functionalities.
So, anyway, I'm now a very happy camper, playing with my photos, writing my stories, and doing other stuff without huge lumps of money going to other people. Very happy :D And hopefully my experiences can help some others.

Lazy Beef Satay

2010-01-04T01:59:00.000-08:00

The original version of this recipe was for a satay marinade, and (from memory) consisted of:
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs oil
3 tbs ketchup
3 tbs peanut butter

Well, I never used it as a marinade, but decided to turn it into a sauce instead of using a packet mix for beef satay (one of my favourites - yum!) So this is what I made for dinner tonight (serves 5-6.)

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 capsicum, thinly sliced
650g beef minced
1 tbs sweet soy sauce (ketcap manis)
3 tbs tomato sauce
3 tbs crunchy peanut butter
1 tbs curry powder (to taste)
500g frozen mixed vegetables
rice to serve

Saute the onion and capsicum in the oil, then brown the mince. While that is browning, mix the sauce.
3 tbs crunchy peanut butter. I just used a generic brand, and am generous with this recipe. I use the Australian Metric measures (20ml tbs) and don't mind if it's rounded ;)

1 tbs sweet soy sauce (ketcap manis) - the original recipe implied the more typically known soy sauce, but since this is supposed to be an Indonesian dish, I use the Indonesian variety of soy sauce (which is also yummier, though thicker.) er... I also ended up using 3 tbs sweet soy sauce, so the dish ended up being a bit sweeter than usual. That will teach me to measure without thinking about what I'm measuring :o

3 tbs tomato sauce - not puree, but more like ketchup.

Because I'm a lazy cook, I freeze my mince in meal-portions (not the lazy part, just smart) and then just dump the frozen meat straight into the frying pan. It takes a bit longer, but I'm not hovering over the pan, so I'm fine with that.

I have to be quite generous with my curry powder, as it's *really* (really!) weak. I would easily use 1-2 tbs of the stuff. I need to get some more, and not buy that brand again. (Some generic brand mild curry powder, I think. Some things are better in a brand name.)
Brown off the powder a little, till it's aromatic, then mix the powder in with the sauce. (That way you don't get unevenly flavoured mince.)

I add extra water to extend the sauce, and to ensure the vegetables have a little something to cook in. Also, it seems to make the sauce creamier than without. I just use the original bowl I mixed the sauce in for the water, so that I can scrape the last of the ingredients in.

At this point, I just cook it until the vegetables are done - 10 or so minutes. When the vegetables are done to taste, serve over hot rice.

If you want to make this gluten free, you pretty much just need to watch the soy and tomato sauces.

My New Camera

2009-08-27T03:58:00.000-07:00

I got a new camera this week! I've wanted one for a long time, and had my sights set on a digital SLR because... you know... it's fancy! But I came across one particular camera last week which challenged my thinking. It was the Fujifilm FinePix S1500. It was in my price bracket (thanks to a tax refund) and you can't attach anything to it, except a tripod, and I'm seriously thinking about getting one of those. And that's the beauty of this type of camera. It does all kinds of wonderful things, but I don't need to spend much more money on it, unlike an SLR, where the basic camera is $1 000 (or more) and then you lenses, then filters, then ... It all adds up, and I don't have that kind of money to splash around. That's what I have my scrapbooking for (insert evil chuckle.)
So then I shopped around. I looked at what I was getting, and how much it would cost. After looking at a few different cameras, I came back to the Fuji. For the money I was paying, it was as much as I needed, and enough to learn on. Maybe one day I will upgrade to a proper SLR, but not this year. And, with shopping around, I ended up getting the camera, the camera bag, the memory card, and batteries for the price of the camera alone at the original shop.
So... Piccies :) All of these are straight out of the camera - isn't it wonderful?

This is a cactus/succulent/thing that is growing in my garden for some obscure reason.

This is growing in the lawn. It has escaped from someone else's garden, which these plants are notorius for. Mum has some, and they are forever popping up in random spots in the lawn.

The bottle-brush has just started blooming. This shot is looking up at the plant, and then to the eaves of the house, but because it's on Macro setting, it just sort of blurs into that greenish background.

No idea what this is. I thought it was a camellia, but the flowers don't look like it. Any ideas?

This is the old Toowoomba Council Building at night. I could not have gotten this photo with my old camera (I tried - blech!)

I'm actually entering the Coucil Building and the Bottlebrushes into a local photography competition with the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. The photos have to be a minimum of 4mp, and my new camera is 10mp, so that means I can crop the photos a little, if I need to. My old camera was 5mp, and that means you only have a very little amount that you can crop before it drops too low.

Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-08-19T07:42:00.001-07:00

So I had some bananas going bad in my fridge, which is just such a shame - don't you think? What to do? What to do? I know - Hummingbird Cake! (Insert evil laugh here.) (Wipe drool - sorry.)

This is what is left after 2 days. Actually, less now :D

Hummingbird Cake

So... Grab your 23cm x 30cm roasting pan or 9" x 13" baking pan (as the case may be) and line it with some baking paper while setting the oven to 180C (approx 360F.)
You will need
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour OR 1 1/2 cups plain flour, and 3 tsp baking powder
1 cup brown sugar (I don't press down, but suit yourself)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sultanas ('cause - hey! extra fruit!)
3 eggs
3/4 cup melted butter
2 cups mashed bananas (I used 3 really(!) ripe, medium-sized ones)
1/2 cup undrained crushed pineapple

Mix the flour (and baking powder, if needed) sugar, cinnamon, and sultanas, and set aside.
Mix the eggs, butter, banana, and pineapple.
I've found it better to dump the dry onto the wet in this sort of recipe, since you want to be quick with the mixing, and this way you don't get flour hiding at the bottom of the bowl when you pour it into the pan. So mix - pretend it's muffin batter - and pour into your lined pan, then bake at 180C/360F. This took me 30 minutes, but my oven tends to be a little slow, so start checking after 25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing

250g cream cheese, softened
80g butter
2 tsp vanilla
500g icing sugar

Mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then add the vanilla, then the icing sugar. (I used a icing mixture, but pure icing sugar is fine, and gluten free, as the packet proudly proclaims.) I didn't use all the icing last time I made this, so I still have some left over (threw it into a ziploc bag, and put it in the freezer before I ate it all) but I don't think I would bother next time - it wasn't that much, and it spreads well over the cake.

You should get about 24 serves from this cake - about 5cm x 5cm squares (2" x 2".) Not an overpowering flavour, but very nice.

Coming Home

2009-07-09T03:44:00.001-07:00

We drove into Brisbane today - 110+km, about 90 minutes, each way - so that David could look at some trucks. He wants to get into driving trucks, and already has work lined up for him, so it's just a matter of getting the vehicle. I drove home, as I have done other times, and found myself waiting for one particular moment - the first view of Toowoomba. About 5km east of the Helidon exit, you come around a corner, and, if it's dark enough, you see the lights of northern Toowoomba spread out, and I know that home is finally not that far away. And I smile.

Who's Morticia?

2009-07-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Daughter tried on a skirt today. She doesn't usually wear skirts, but she had a bad case of "nothing to wear!" so I braced myself, and entered the dungeon. er... Bedroom. Yeah.
Anyway, the first thing I did was look at her bed. She has one of those bunk beds with the double at the bottom, and the single at the top. Since her room (the former garage) has a long set of shelves high on the wall, she uses the single top bunk. The shelves run the entire length of her bed (a little longer, actually) and it gives her a massive bedside table thing. And the double bottom bunk is her teen-wannabe dumping ground. I don't think she realised I had entered her lair ... I mean bedroom ... until those dreaded words boomed out (I can have a carrying voice at times), "Beth, come here!" "That doesn't sound good"
So we had a conference. "What is clean and what is dirty?" The pile decreased. Well, shifted, anyway. Then I started looking through her drawers. We won't go into the whole folding issue at this point. She has promised (ha!) to fold her clothes. I started pulling out clothes, and found a long pencil skirt in dark brown. It has buttons up the front, and a split at the back. "Mum, it's broken!" "No, that's just so you can walk. So you won't be like Morticia."
"Who's Morticia?"

I have failed.

I have failed my duty as a parent, and especially as a mother, by neglecting my daughter's education so disastrously. How could I not introduce her to that most elegant of sitcom mothers? To the show that poked fun at everthing bland and banal? To the reason I love black ;)
Well, I made a good start with YouTube, but I think that I'm going to have to hunt down some DVDs. Wish me luck.

Oh, and once we had the whole "Who's Morticia" issue settled, then came the "What do I wear with this?" issue. I hunted through her drawers, and came up with three tops - one pink/purple/other colours stripey thing, one plain pink (bit more muted shade), and a green top. "Does green go with brown?" she asked.
"Sure it does," I assured her. "Have you never seen a tree?"
Now she's claiming tree status.

Learning to Cook

2009-06-30T01:16:00.001-07:00

I don't really remember much about learning to cook. What I remember is, at age 10, being told to go upstairs and put the sausages on and start the potatoes. By age 14 I was the Chief Cook and Bottle-Washer, as Mum was working full-time, and was pregnant/had a baby, who turned out to be intolerant of cows milk, and required soy milk. And not the nice, neat soy formula you can get now. My 24yo brother was on tinned, concentrated soy milk that stained everything it came in contact with, before, during and after consumption.
Anyway, I want all my children to know how to cook before they leave home, and to be good at it. I want them to be confident that they can cook healthy, tasty meals from whatever they have, and also to be able to plan weekly menus to look after themselves and their respective families. So Bethy is learning to cook.
These photos came from a recent foray into the kitchen.

Having peeled the potatoes (because they had green skins) she is now carefully cutting them into chunks for mashed potatoes.

Carefully adding them to the boiling water.

I bought 'rissoles' from the butcher - they were cheap, but not something i really like to buy regularly.

Mashing the potato. Bethy wanted Vege Mash, which is something I started years ago to get the children to eat their vegetables. Simply make your mashed potatoes (butter, milk, cheese - yum!) and then stir in your steamed mixed vegetables. Of course, this won't work if you have a fussy child that can't abide things touching other things. I understand it happens, but thankfully none of mine are like that.

Drain the rissoles on paper for a few minutes before serving.

And I didn't do a thing. Just gave directions when she asked.

Tonight she made Tuna Casserole while I was shopping. Which involved several phone calls ;) I made her wait until I got home before adding the milk to the roux, as hubby has absolutely no idea, and he was the responsible-parent-at-home. The onions were a little ... caramelised ... but that was ok. It just gave a little more flavour to the sauce. The eggs were perfect! Hard-boiled without being rubbery, and no green rings around the yolks. I had been very clear about the cooking of the eggs (wait till they come to the boil, boil 10 minutes, remove from the heat and immediately drain the hot water, cover with cool water, and replace the water when it got too hot) and she did them perfectly. I let her know, as I was cutting them, that they were, indeed, perfect.
Unfortunately, there were no left-overs. Sigh...

I am a bad, bad mother

2009-06-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

I forgot to buy boy-themed wrapping paper, so Mark had to open presents wrapped in red and pink loveheart paper. Poor boy.

Webb Park - Part 2

2009-05-28T18:24:00.001-07:00

Look at this fine fellow. He just sat there as I walked closer and closer to get a good shot. Finally, he condescended to look at me. I grabbed my shot and left :)

How's this for a view? You stand a the top, and the park drops away in front of you. The play area in the foreground is one of the upper areas. Over the edge it drops down to the lower playing field/area.

Lower down, and looking through the trees. This is right on the edge of the range - any further, and you're just about falling off Toowoomba.

I think this was from another area of the park - halfway down?

From the top, the other side of the play area.

And again. Magnificent.

There's a boarding school right across the road from the park. Their boarding accomodations are located and aligned so that the boarders have an even better view out over the valley. Although I don't think you would want to be there if you were frightened of storms!

Autumn Colours

2009-05-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

We didn't get much in the way of seasonal colour in Brisbane - it is a subtropical city, after all. Actually, the Japanese Maples would change colours twice a year - mid-winter and mid-summer - but that was really the only thing that would happen.

I have been meaning to take some photos for weeks - there have been some wonderful displays of Autumn colour - lines of large trees in the most spectacular reds.

But I didn't get those photos. Still I like these. Some nice contrasts in colouring.

We don't have any of these trees on our street. Not quite sure what we have, but their leaves don't change colour with the seasons.

Webb Park - Part 1

2009-05-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

Would you believe this came out? All of it. Of course, the slope at the park is now totally denuded :o

You better believe it! I walked up that path twice! (What was I thinking?)

This actually was quite a slope. Even more so, I guess, from the top looking down.

There was also a play area at the top where we all retreated to after the children had had enough. (Or rather, we parents decided the children had had enough ;) )

There was also a flying fox.

Both girls had a go, though Gracey only went once or twice.

Poor Mark wasn't feeling well, so he didn't go :(

Crazy Woman Alert

2009-05-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

Oh, wait... It's just me (blush) We went to the park on Sunday, and it was a little... blowy, shall we say. And cold. But the children had fun - we were there with a church group, supposedly doing box sliding, except that the slope, which last year reportedly had leaves several inches deep, was bare this year. It's amazing what Napisan Oxy-Action will get out!

Note to self...

2009-05-25T03:29:00.000-07:00

Scones require leavening.

Making scones with plain flour and no baking powder means you *aren't* making scones. You're making biscuits, and I don't mean the fluffy American kind.

My scone recipe also needs some salt.

So, the way I *should* have made it was:

3 cups flour
1.5 tbs baking powder (2 tbs for NZ, US, UK or anyone but Australia)
1 cup butter
2 cups milk (thereabouts)
Flour for dusting
A whole heap of grated cheese
A good pinch of salt

See, a masterpiece of planning, etc. My recipe had 3 cups SR flour, but I usually only have plain flour, and then add baking powder. But the recipe didn't state how much baking powder (didn't even mention baking powder) so I totally forgot about it. Until a few minutes before they were done, when I was wondering why the scones weren't rising? Duh! Well, that's what permanent marker is for: adding notes to the laminated recipes.
Anyway, I probably added 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese. The process is: combine flour and baking powder; rub in the butter; dump in the cheese and coat it liberally with the butter/flour mixture; add in the first cup of milk, and stir together with a knife; add the rest of the milk a bit at a time, until you get a soft dough. I used 1 3/4 cup milk, and probably used a bit much.
Dump the dough out onto a floured bench, and knead very briefly (30 seconds, maybe) before patting into shape, at about 2-2.5cm (1") thickness. Cut into rounds, and place onto a lined (or heavily floured) tray, and bake at 200C (400F) for 20-25 minutes.

They actually turned out ok, provided you weren't expecting scones. The only ones left are the 2 that didn't want to come off the non-lined, only lightly floured tray. sigh... I guess that's what soaking is for.

Oh, and no photo because someone (naming no names) left the camera on, and the batteries (rechargeables, thankfully) ran flat.

2009-05-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

If you look really carefully, you will see a little hand. Give you a hint - it's just above the Pooh Bear quilt, on the brown cushion cover.

See it? That's all I could find of my little girl. Obviously she was feeling the cold. And it's not even Winter yet! Oh dear!

And this is why you turn taps off before walking away...

2009-05-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

Yep, she over-filled the sink.

Water play! Oh, wait... She's 12yo, and it's a sink, not a pool. hmm...

At least she took pictures *before* the water got mucky! I just wish she had actually emptied the sink a little. sigh...

Yes, we have a redundant, third tap, that doesn't even have a handle. And yes, the agency knows.

Grr...

2009-05-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

I'm getting annoyed with my camera >:( It's losing photos. I'm not sure if it's the batteries (I've got some Energiser batteries, but not the ones advertised for cameras) if it is because I've dropped it one time too many (blush) Of course the problem really comes up because I took a photo of Mark licking his plate at dinner tonight. I was going to post it and say how I told him not to do it in front of either of his grandparents, but it didn't save, so now I can't and... oh well. I know it was taken, because I noted that I would have to do red-eye removal before posting. Just checked the card again, and - nope, not there.
On the up side, I may be able to upgrade. er... When we get some money. hmm... Could be a while.

Chicken Normandy

2009-05-18T01:58:00.000-07:00

The original recipe came from Fresh and Tasty Casseroles, but you can find quite a number of variations on the internet. I didn't go by the actual recipe (I rarely do ;) ) so I'll post what I actually did.

500g chicken breast fillet (roughly - mine came skin on, and so I ripped the skins off, because I don't like them)
1/2 cup flour
nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste (a few shakes, a pinch and a few grinds, respectively)
butter for sauteing (however much you need to keep the chicken from burning)
4 small apples, cored and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbs cider vinegar (note, AU tbs = 20ml, instead of 15ml for most countries, therefore 2 2/3tbs, or 3 tbs for ease of use)
1 cup apple juice
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch in the States)

Season the flour, then chop the chicken into chunks and toss in the seasoned flour. Only do enough chicken as you will saute straight away. You don't really want the chicken sitting in the flour as it may make the flour clump.
Saute the chicken in batches, and transfer to a bowl when the batch is done.
Saute the apple in the same pan, adding butter if you need it. Transfer the apple to the same bowl as the chicken, and saute the onion. Remove the onion to the same bowl, and let sit while you deglaze the pan.
Pour the vinegar and juice into the pan and let it come to a simmer. Start scraping the pan to make sure any caramelised bits get collected. When that's done, return the chicken, apple and onion to the pan, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes, checking every now and then. I had to add water at one point to prevent it from burning.
When the chicken is cooked, whisk together the sour cream and cornflour, and add to the pan. Allow to simmer and thicken, then serve.

I took a lot of photos, but for some reason they weren't on the camera when I went to upload them. Anyway, some notes on the photos...
This the apple chunks sauteing after the chicken had been removed from the pan. Notice the brown bits on the pan from where the chicken had been. Normally I don't bother dredging my chicken before sauteing it, but this time I did, and that helped thicken the sauce later on.

Apple cider vinegar, and apple juice, in their respective amounts. Ready to be added to the pan, after the onions.

The onions were the last thing to saute before adding the liquids.

It's a pity you couldn't hear the sizzle, or smell the aromas. The apples sauteing gave off a rich, sweet aroma, as did the juice. I really wasn't sure that apples would go so well with chicken, but it all disappeared, and quickly. At this point, I have scraped most of the pan, but some bits still remain.

The chicken, apples and onion had been returned to the pan, and left to simmer for ... actually I'm not sure how long I left it. Let's say 20 minutes. I actually had to quickly add water to make sure the sauce, etc, didn't burn. After this, I added the sour cream mixed with cornflour, and stirred it through. I'm not sure I would use cornflour again. I don't think it was really needed when cooking it in the pan like this. The original recipe called for baking in the oven, and implied that there would be a lot of pan juices, but in the frying pan the juices reduced quite a bit.

I served this with 'dirty' mashed potatoes. I would love to say that I also had extra steamed veges, but I didn't. I haven't been feeling well today, and didn't get around to doing them in time. And when I say 'dirty' mashed potatoes, I mean that I just boiled and mashed the potatoes with the skins on. Didn't even peel - just sliced into 1-2cm thick slices and boiled until soft. You don't need to dice the potatoes - they will cook just as evenly if you slice them only.

Well, this recipe certainly got thumbs up from everyone. It was sweet and apple-y without being too much so. (After all, it was a savoury main dish, not a sweet dessert.) Definitely going into the rotation.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

The week in which I aim to actually cook all the recipes I actually nominate. There have been times over the last week, where I have forgotten to pull the meat out in time, or didn't get to the shop in time, or hubby has wanted to do something, or something has happened. As for Saturday night - we we so full from the party, and I was so over making, that we just had something light and available. Anyway, moving on.

Menu Plan Monday! With thanks to Org Junkie for hosting this.

My plans for the week

Monday - Chicken Normandy. Have the chicken out, defrosting, the apple juice bottle is actually open, I have no excuses.
Tuesday - Beef Casserole. I have also pulled out the packet of stewing beef, so it should be well and truly defrosted for tomorrow morning.
Wednesday - Chicken Satay. Using the last packet of chicken in the freezer. I love satay, and this is so simple.
Thursday - Daube of Beef. Using the rest of the beef currently defrosting (I knew that I would make 2 meals out of it when I bought it.) This recipe appears to be just my casserole with leeks. Well, I have leeks to be used, might as well use them.
Friday - Tuna Casserole. An old standby. Must make sure I have eggs.
Saturday - Meatball Parmigiana. Really want to make this, really haven't so far. Sigh...
Sunday - Lamb Casserole. Love lamb. Love Casserole. Have lamb necks in the freezer, waiting for this. Yum.

We shall see.

Happy Birthday Bethy!

2009-05-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived the birthday party. As it turned out, there were 2 guests, and none of the parents stayed for the whole party, so, naturally, I over-catered. I didn't even get to probably half of the stuff I arranged. I still have cookie dough in the fridge, as well as bread dough (was going to make pizza rolls - will now make dinner rolls.) I gave my Mum a box of crackers, all the left-over marshmallow cones, and something else that I forget at the moment, and still have a lot of stuff left over. We have plenty of party food, which I'm trying to reserve for the next party, in about 3 weeks. Cheerios/cocktail franks are sitting in the freezer, along with the spare kabana. In the meantime, it's back to eating real food (poor kiddies, having to eat veges :D )
Beth ended up getting 5 complete outfits (which she needed - the girl's been sprouting up unbelievably!) as well as a password diary, a jewellery making set (from her guests) and some other gifts. On her actual birthday we gave her a Bible (very pretty) and some things to go with it. She's reading through it now.
Anyway, I have uploaded photos to Flickr for your viewing pleasure.

[singing] I can see clearly now....

2009-05-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

I recently got some glasses. I was told some time ago (er... 15 years ago?) that I needed glasses, and the original optometrist was said she was surprised that I wasn't getting headaches without them. Didn't get the glasses then. Didn't get glasses for at least 5 years after that, and when I did, they were cheap ones which didn't impress me. They wore out, and I didn't replace them.
Well, I had been noticing blurriness when I get tired, so I went out, got some health insurance, and bought some glasses. Yikes! The cost! And that's without getting the Donna Karan frames that I liked! And I didn't really notice a difference, except that I did get a headache (sometimes) with the glasses. And when I went to put them on while driving at night, after not wearing them during the day, they blurred my vision. I couldn't wear them!
So I went back to the optometrist. She explained that I had been so used to forcing my eyes to focus that when I put the glasses on after not wearing them all day, my eyes couldn't adjust quickly enough to the change in focus. Apparently I a) am long-sighted (Really? I would have sworn I was short-sighted!) b) with a strong astygmatism, and c) a lazy eye (or something like that.) So my lens prescription involves bringing the focus to the right length, making it into the right shape/focus point, and forcing my eyes to both look in the same direction.
I have now been wearing my glasses fairly regularly for a while, and I am now finding that I want them a lot more. I can still get by without them, but it has become easier to wear them. Thinking about it, I can actually see the point about long-sightedness. I have always hated being too close to the monitor - maybe a sign? Also, I now know I have my mother to blame. She apparently also has an astygmatism. It's all her fault! I can't remember if she is long- or short-sighted, though.

Having a party!

2009-05-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

My baby turns 12 on Sunday! Well, when I say 'baby', I mean, of course, my eldest. Beautiful Bethy is turning 12, and we're having a party. On Saturday afternoon, and unknown number of children, though less than 6, will be turning up for munchies and fun. So what do you do for a 12yo birthday party? We've been pretty low-key with parties for a long time, mainly just celebrating within the family, maybe with the cousins. Do 12yo's do pass the parcel, or is it only if there's make-up, jewellery or phones up for grabs?
As for the menu, I'm planning, well, party food. Food that there's no way I would serve to them ordinarily, but let's have fun! Cheerios/cocktail franks/whatever, pizza scrolls, kabana, cheese and Jatz crackers, dip, chips, stuff like that, along with some sweet stuff, but not so much. Beth has decided on a Mega Cupcake cake for her birthday - 2 butter cakes, baked in pudding bowls, and one placed on top of the other to create the cupcake shape. Ice and decorate for a full-on sugar rush. I'm also thinking of fairy cakes (hubby wants them renamed 'angel cakes' as we don't do fairies ;) ) and marshmallow cones. I already have some flat-bottomed ice-cream cones, so I might as well.
Anyway, it should be fun, and I have orders to take heaps of photos. Must buy spare batteries.

Menu Plan Tuesday

2009-05-12T05:22:00.001-07:00

Because I got slack and forgot to do it yesterday ;)

Well, tonight we had savoury mince, with bread on the side, for those who wanted it, because I had run out of potatoes, and didn't want to cook either pasta or rice. And I forgot to defrost the mince, which is why it was savoury mince, not meatballs. So... For the rest of the week.

Wednesday - Chicken Normandy. Trying again with this one - I got into a rush, and fell back on a recipe I knew.
Thursday - Meatball Parmigiana. Trying again with this one. Again with the rushing and not doing.
Friday - Tuna Casserole (because we didn't end up having it last week.) I love this dish, although making it on a regular basis means that I am now (seemingly) incapable of making a small amount of white sauce. But how easier can you get? White sauce, large tin each of tuna, corn and potato, 6 diced hard boiled eggs, diced onion, and cheese. Saute the onion in the butter used for the white sauce, make the sauce, add the tinned stuff, add the eggs, add the cheese, and you're done. And so yummy.
Saturday - Chicken Geneva. Devestatingly simple, and the children lapped it up. Dice onion, carrot, celery and ham, and saute in butter. The recipe said to dredge the chicken breasts in flour and pan fry, but instead I sliced them thinly (because I'm using 2 breasts for 5 people) and just pan fry them without the flour. Very quick. Then you place them in a shallow tray, cover with the onion, etc, mix and then top with grated cheese. I happened to have some grated parmesan, which I combined with grated cheddar.
Sunday - Lasagna. I did it with purchased lasagna sheets last week, and I may or may not used the other box this week. Or I may try making it myself. That's why I bought the pasta maker, after all. Oh, and the children voted lasagna Best Meal Ever. Top of the list, and they want it every night. Yeah, right.
Monday - Chicken and Bacon Gravy? Really don't know about this night, which is why I have just put down an oldie. So either this, or Satay Chicken.

Let me know if you want any recipes.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-04T04:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the last couple of days have been a little different - we ended up going to Mum's for a big dinner there to celebrate her and her twin's birthday, and also to meet my brother's new girlfriend. Apparently I have met her before, but I really don't remember. Anyway, my previous plan didn't go to ... er ... plan. But we move on!
Laura, from I'm an Organizing Junkie asked how do people select new recipes. Well, I usually just stick to stuff I know when it comes to main meals, but I have been branching out. This is a list of what I look for in a new recipe.

Is it something that I know of, ie, something that I might have tasted elsewhere, and been impressed by?
If I don't know what it is, does it at least sound workable/interesting?
I'm not scared of long lists of ingredients, provided they're not obscure/expensive. In fact, I tend to steer clear of recipes only utilising 2-4 ingredients, unless I can see that they will work, and be tasty. I don't use cream-of-something soups, for example.
I'm also not concerned about recipes that may take a long time, as I already try to allow an hour for cooking dinner, as my own recipes usually require simmering time. I may just have to start it while doing something else.
I don't use shellfish, pork (I do use bacon) or otherwise expensive meats, but if I think I can substitute meats that I can use, I will try the recipe.
I don't deep-fry, but I will saute or shallow fry, so that changes what I will do.

So that's how I generally go about choosing recipes. Now onto my plan for the week.

Menu Plan from Tuesday 5th May, 2009

Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognese
Wednesday - Chicken Normandy
Thursday - Lasagna
Friday - Tuna Casserole
Saturday - Meatball Parmigiana
Sunday - Chicken in Mustard Cream
Monday - Savoury Mince

I will start adding links to my recipes from where I post them at Scribd. In the meantime, you should be able to click on the button to the side.

Mum, I give up

2009-05-02T06:17:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, Mum bought me a bread maker. She knew I like to bake and all that, and got one at a great deal. But I don't like using bread makers. They're noisy, and take forever (it seems) and you just can't let the bread cook in there! Not if you want a decent looking loaf, anyway. So it went to the top of the freezer, and sat there. When we moved here, it went into the bottom of my pantry, and sat there. Until tonight.

You see I have arthritis in my hands, and even my wrists and elbows hurt at times. Writing gets painful after a little while (not long, actually) while typing is ok - I can do that for ages. Mouse-clicking does aggravate it, but only after a while of concentrated work. And kneading dough.
Although, looking back, it might have helped to add the extra 1/4 cup of water that I missed, but still, 10-15 minutes of kneading is a bit much. I know there are other methods, but they tend to produce a more rustic loaf, and I wanted just a normal loaf.
Well, I made one loaf today using the normal methods, but then I pulled out The Beast. I measured. I placed. I switched on. And I went into another room. 90 minutes later, it squealed (yes, it squeals - meh) and I went in and retrieved the dough. White (I used plain flour) stretchy, soft dough awaited me. I pulled it out, played with it for a while - very different texture to the wholemeal dough that I did by hand - and then made it into buns. If you do happen to use the recipe from Simple Savings (or my version) it will make 8 big (say, hamburger-sized) buns, which I then cooked at 200C for 20 minutes. The loaf is supposed to cook for 30 minutes. Next time, I will make it into at least 12 buns, and try 15 minutes.
I think this break maker is about to get a workout ;)

Making Bread

2009-05-02T05:33:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make bread for some time, but, well, it turns out that my yeast was dead, so I ended up making bricks. Also, I wasn't happy with the recipes. But maybe it was the yeast. Anyway, I now have new yeast (yay) and when I received my Simple Savings e-mail, I decided to try the standard bread recipe offered by Sophie Gray. I couldn't get you straight to the recipe, but if you scroll (all the way) down to section 5, and then down to the 3rd recipe, there you go.
Well, I made it up with my stone ground wholemeal flour, by hand, and formed it into the loaf and baked it. The only differences I made were to simply mix the yeast, sugar, and salt into the flour, and then pour the liquids (and I've just realised that I missed out the 1/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon sugar in the very first step) and go from there. It made quite a good bread - standard, normal, not going to win any prizes with it, but a normal loaf of bread. I'd need a different recipe for making ciabatta (yum!)

I later tried it with plain flour (just ordinary Woolworth's Home-Brand Plain flour) and made buns from the dough. I was wanting to be able to replace the dinner rolls I had been buying, and this looked like a good chance. Well, I made 8 rolls, and I think next time I'll make at least a dozen out of the dough. They turned out to be big babies! Oh, and only 5 survive ;)

Yeah, they'll do;)

After consideration, I'll post how I did it.

500g flour
10g yeast (I use Lowan Instant Yeast)
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot water (probably should have been 1 cup)
3/4 cup cream

Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix the water and cream, then stir into the flour. When mixture gets too stiff, turn out onto a floured or greased benchtop (either works, and if you grease the benchtop, then you aren't incorporating extra flour and possible drying out your loaf.)
Knead for 10-15 minutes, or until your can do the window pane test.
I never quite got to this point, but stopped, and let it rest for an hour or two. It wasn't warm enough, so that's how long it took. Also, it allowed the yeast to work on the dough, so that I could knead it again later. After a rest and a second (short) kneading, and a good bit of rolling, I felt happy with baking it off.
Anyway, knead, rise 40 minutes or until doubled, knead again briefly and shape into a loaf. Heat the oven and wait for the loaf to rise again, then bake at 200C for 30 minutes.

In the breadmaker, I combined room temperature water with the cream, then added the sugar and salt. Cover with the flour, and then yeast on top. Choose the dough setting and let it do its work. Once done, pull out, knead into shape (I made buns) and let rise while the oven is heating. Bake at 200C for 20 minutes (buns) or 30 minutes (loaf.)

Interesting book

2009-04-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

I found this book at an end-of-lease sale at a local bookstore, and thought it looked interesting. Written by a British foodie, it discusses traditional British dishes, and compares them with modern styles. I found it an interesting and chatty, and there are some recipes there that I am interested in making, including a recipe for catsup.
Some of the recipes, especially one like sooan scones, are all but impossible to replicate, since they require an ingredient that is specific to a region. (To make sooan (or sowan, according to Wikipedia) you take the husks of the black oats, a low-producing but highly nutritious, variety grown in Orkney, and soak them in water until they ferment. The liquid is now sooan.)

For anyone interested in traditional foods, or just food in general, this is a very interesting read. If you're interested, you can purchase it from the Book Depository. (FYI - I get nothing from this. I just like them as they have free delivery, and that's important when you live in Australia.) And for more interesting information about traditional foods, check out Fight Back Friday on the Food Renegade blog.
Soon I'll discuss the cookbooks that I actually use. There's a whole 3 of them.

View from the kitchen window

2009-04-30T05:12:00.000-07:00

This is what I see when I wash dishes. Sunset, facing East to Picnic Point.

You have to move to one of the other East-facing windows to see the 150-foot flag pole on Picnic Point. It was erected to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Queensland as a separate state. One a side note, my uncle recently discovered that our family were are Pre-Separation family - ie, we were here when it was still New South Wales.

Menu Planning

2009-04-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's the plan. I write down what I intend to cook, and I cook it. Complex, I know, but what can y0u do?

Thursday - Lasagna. Own recipe for meat and cheese sauces, and I'm going to try making lasagna sheets.
Friday - Tuna Rissoles with mashed potato
Saturday - Meatball Parmigiana. I had this at the carvery at the local K-Mart Plaza, and it was yummy! Of course, I'll have to make my own recipe, but that won't be too hard.
Sunday - Lamb Casserole
Monday - Chicken Normandy. Adapted from Fresh and Tasty Casseroles, a cookbook that I picked up at a discount store. Looks interesting - chicken with apples, pretty much.
Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognese. Well, my version, anyway.
Wednesday - Tuna Casserole. Must remember to get eggs from Mum.

I'll probably re-post some of this on Monday, when I join in on Menu Plan Monday.

Fun with Onions

2009-04-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's not all about onions. But I do use a lot of onions in my cooking. I had a near disaster last night - no onions. We survived, but I have to go shopping today. Anyway, this is where I intend to blog about cooking, eating, cleaning (as little as possible) menu planning, shopping, and anything else that I think about. I do have another blog, which I'll try to bring back to just homeschooling, because, after all, that is what I set it up for. So... here goes. Fun with onions.