Reading and Cooking

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reading

Although I read a lot, it has been a while since I just couldn’t put a book down until I’d finished it! That book was Lisa See’s Lady Tan’s Circle of Women! It was lent to me by a neighbour who’d read it for her bookclub meeting this week and she thought I’d like it. Set in China in the 15th century, See’s story is based on a wealthy family and the strict rules and structures of the era. The main protagonist is based on the records of a female doctor. A really good read.

Off to the library and able to request four of See’s many books from local libraries. I get the first one this afternoon. In the meanwhile, I have read a fast paced novel by Linwood Barclay called Find You First. The main protagonist donated sperm as a student to fund his education. In his forties he is diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease and tries to find the children he has fathered. His technology business has done very well and he wants to eave each child a bequest. Things go horribly wrong! Good to read, but I think it would scare me if it was made into a film. Pretty violent.

cooking

Our son is here for four days. I was already committed for two afternoons of those days so wrote a meal plan, went shopping and cooked up a storm so meals will go smoothly. I began by cooking a piece of corned beef. The brine is my Mother’s recipe; white pepper, vinegar and brown sugar in water to just cover the meat in a large pot, cook until it is done. I know there are no amounts listed and that’s because I don’t know, I just do what looks right for the piece of meat and it always works well! I can’t remember my Mother ever measuring the ingredients, either.

While the meat was cooking I boiled potatoes and some mixed vegetables. While that cooled I made a mayonnaise to add to the vegetables to make a Potato Salad. I think there’s more flavour if you make the salad a day before you intend to eat it.

The muffins looked much better cooked than as raw batter!

That was followed by two trays of blueberry muffins. The muffins cooked while I boiled some apples. While the apples were cooking I mixed the oats, flour, cinnamon and brown sugar to make a crumble. Drained the apples, leaving some juice as I spooned the apples into a Corningware dish. Covered with the crumble and into the oven for 40 minutes. That is about eight serves of Apple Crumble. Smells wonderful.

I also have a large frozen lasagne plus spinach leaves and celery to make salads and lots of sweet potato to roast and serve with corned beef and later, lasagne. We’ve just taken delivery of an order from a local supplier who has the best glacé ginger, crystalized ginger and ginger Turkish Delight. Also in the box, macadamia nuts, rocky road, Japanese rice crackers and vegetable chips flavoured with chili and lime. My husband can taste ginger and spicy things now, not just curry, although I have made curried sweet potato, fennel and carrot soup, too. We will not starve this weekend!

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Basket Weaving, Mother’s Day and Other Things

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basket weaving

I joined a friend at a basket weaving session. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the tutor had an array of beautiful baskets, from tiny ones to really big ones, hand woven from rope and stitched together with wool or cotton thread. Very inspiring.

The rope I’d chosen and the thread I used to stitch the bowl together.

We each selected a piece of rope, cut off some wool or cotton thread and threaded our darning needle. We began by making a loop to start forming the base. Everything was stitched into place using blanket stitch. Once we’d shaped the base we were shown how to make the ‘walls’. Three hours flew by. I came away with a small, slightly wonky basket. Really enjoyed the activity, the chatter of the people around the table and seeing the lovely baskets people made. The tutor offers other courses, so I’ll be looking them up.

mother’s day

Australians and many other countries celebrated Mother’s Day last Sunday. I hope all the Mothers had a lovely day, whatever they did with or without family. Our son couldn’t be here so he arranged two boxes of treats to be delivered from a French bakery. One box of croissants and one of mixed delicious cakes, scrolls and macarons. Superb!

A wonderful box of various delicious French treats.

My husband and I celebrated Mother’s Day by heading off to our favourite yum cha restaurant. We’ve been going there for years. We arrived quite early as the line builds up quickly on weekend mornings. The queue was already enormous! Often one member of the party lines up and the rest arrive later or sit on the walls. When the doors open and guests can enter, suddenly the person in front of you actually represents eight family members!

We were so lucky! Most groups were six or eight, but they had one two person table available! The line behind us was as long as the line in front of us, so some people were waiting ages to get a seat. But the little treats are so good! Brisk service, really good food and interesting watching the world go by. A huge selection of flavours. We had squid, crab, prawn and some pork dim sum plus a favourite turnip cake, all beautifully presented, all delicious.

One of my Mother’s Day gifts was Janelle McCulloch’s latest book, Where The Old Roses Grow. The sub title is Vita Sackville-West and the Battle For Beauty During Wartime. I am really enjoying it. Regular readers know I only buy books I really, really enjoy (I borrow books from the library, generally) and I have almost all of the books Janelle McCulloch has written. There are many.

other things

Forty odd years ago it was cold on our wedding day. Monday was 28ºC but there was a lovely sea breeze.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary on Monday. We went for lunch at a local restaurant with a great view over the Indian Ocean taking in Rottnest Island. It’s only been open a few months but has had very good reviews. We were not disappointed!

Half Shell Scallop Blue Swimmer crab tart.

Fremantle Swordfish Saltbush Fed Lamb medallions

Yuzu Tart Neopolitan Semifredo

more other things

I really like this small urn, one of a pair and struck some rosemary slips a while back put in both of them. They don’t have holes so I wanted to plant them in pots I could take out for watering. Problem was, I couldn’t find pots that fitted well!

So I cut the rim off two yoghurt pots which fitted well but were too tall. Then I reapplied the rims using double sided tape. Worked really well.

Washed the empty pots and sliced the rim off with a Stanley Trimmer. Reattached the rims to the pots using double sided tape.

Fits snugly.

I will toparize the rosemary plants when they are bigger. It will help them stay small enough for the pots. Bit of a long term project.

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Coffee, Reading and Eating

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coffee

The pendulum has swung back in favour of coffee according to nutritionist Dr Federica Amati in COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.COM March/April 2025. Coffee can make you feel alert and now, studies say coffee improves athletic performance and sharpens thinking. Recent research claims moderate consumption isn’t bad for coronary health. In fact, longer and larger studies show coffee can reduce the risk of heart disease. Interestingly, some more recent studies suggest moderate consumption of coffee can protect you against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Surprisingly, coffee contains 1.5g of fibre. Good gut health requires 30g fibre a day. Other studies suggest moderate consumption can reduce the likelihood of developing some cancers. The trick is to drink black coffee, although a little splash of milk is fine. Avoid sugar, syrups and other additives to get the best outcome. Good news!

reading

As usual, lots of reading, due to waiting at appointments and also not sleeping well. Actually, I use every opportunity to read. Have done, all my life. Books I’ve read lately vary from new releases to older books by preferred authors.

Martine Murray’s THE LAST SUMMER OF ADA BLOOM captured family life in small town Australia. I really enjoyed this book, even the happy ending!

I borrowed Maggie Alderson’s SHALL WE DANCE? as I really enjoyed a previous book of hers, WOULD YOU RATHER. Her books are easy to read and entertaining. I was pleased to see she’s written many more books. I try to get all my books from the library and will see what other titles they have on the shelf.

Another Elizabeth Strout novel featuring Olive Ketteridge. TELL ME EVERYTHING is set in the period of post Covid recovery in America. The characters are mostly in their 60s and 70s managing family dilemmas and friendships in typical Strout style. A good read.

A huge success when it was published I was late to find this book. Everyone seems to really like it, except me! I found Nina George’s THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP coyingly cute and overly descriptive. I gave up about a third of the way through. Let me know if you’ve read it and what you thought!

There’s a reason these two books are at the bottom of this list. Reviews of YELLOWFACE referred to it’s freshness. I think I’m about 40 years too old to identify with the behaviour of the main character. Interesting insight into the world of social media and it’s impact on publishing, promoting and reviewing books.

cooking

My husband’s taste buds are recovering slowly. What he can and can’t taste is unpredictable, so knowing he can taste curry, much of what we eat from soup to main courses involves curry. We ate Masaman curry two nights in a row and I froze some for later. Very convenient when his immunotherapy appointments finish well after 5pm.

Lamb roast at Easter and now he’s enjoying air dried lamb our son brought with him.

Too many Easter treats means we are still eating our way through chocolate and nougat. The Fig and Raspberry nougat we had yesterday for morning tea was delicious!

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Scents, Recycling Bins and ANZAC DAY

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You can consider this blog very late or a day early. Your choice! Last week was very, very busy.

scents

Apparently, 75% of human emotions are triggered by smell. Aromachology, is the science of how fragrance effects your mood. In 1997, Clinique launched a new fragrance called ‘Happy’. Apparently this scent could make you feel happy. Scent triggers the part of the brain that processes emotions., releasing endorphins, the happy hormones and GABA, a relaxation agent.

I was in New York when Clinique released ‘Happy’. We were bombarded with ads for this revolutionary perfume. Every department store, bus, train and gallery seem to be scented with ‘Happy’. I actually bought a small spray but don’t remember using it very often. Surprisingly, I recently found the atomiser and a refill vial when I was sorting through a drawer. I suspect the scent has deteriorated in the past 18 years! It is very strong. Instead of making me happy it made me sneeze! It’s a nice scent but too intense for me now.

There’s a whole new selection of scents available now. Brands talk about a ‘wardrobe’ of fragrances to suit different occasions and emotions.This is alongside a plethora of home scents and body sprays and mists. These scents are intended to make you feel invigorated or relaxed or happy. They are aimed at emotional well being and claim science backs the impact the scents can have on how we feel.

I’ve used the same perfume for years so thought I’d try some of the lighter, fruit based scents. The brand I chose offers scents based on energising citrus, grounding wood and calming florals. One also has notes of burnt caramel but I don’t know what emotion that evokes, except it is very strong! Unfortunately, these ‘mists’ are very strong and actually awful. They linger for hours with an overbearing scent. Made me think of air fresheners. These scents are often called ‘mists’ as they are generally a lighter version of traditional perfumes. There’s also a range of stick on fragrance pads for your car. They’re very strongly perfumed, too. None of them for me.

glass recycling

I wasn’t really sure if glass face cream jars should go in the glass recycling bin, so went looking for more information. ( www.recycleright.wa.gov.au) In our area, this bin has a yellow lid, the general rubbish bin has a red lid and the plant matter bin has a green lid. Glass things you can put in bin for recycling are glass jars with the lid removed, glass drinking glasses, cleaned, empty glass cosmetic jars and glass bottles. Any bottles with the label saying 10c can be taken to the Containers for Change depot.

Here is a list of things which shouldn’t go in the yellow lidded bin:

Pyrex and any other heat resistant glass ceramics, light bulbs, nail polish bottles and spectacles. Spectacles can be dropped off at many optometrists or contact your local Lions club if you’re in WA.

anzac day

Commemorated on the 25th of April, ANZAC ( Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day is to remember those who fought in all wars. Many of us have parents, grandparents, greatgrandparents or siblings who have served in the armed forces.

We used to go to the local ANZAC memorial for the early morning service, but that ended during Covid. Like many people, we stood out on our driveway with a candle and listened to the service on a radio. By the end of the service the sun had risen and it was a very beautiful beginning to the day. One of our neighbours suggested we all sit on her verge. We got our folding chairs, she brought out her coffee machine, we sat, properly distanced and a new tradition began.

This ANZAC Day was held, as usual, in a neighbour’s carport. It was a cold, clear morning and we stood together listening to the service, each with our own memories. Then the breakfast began! My husband worked the coffee machine and we all brought treats to share. Lovely to catch up with everyone’s news and plans and neighbours who have moved away but came, too. A special way to begin the day.

All images used in this blog supplied by Pixabay.

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Propagating Plants, Muffin Cases and Happy Easter!

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So, we are nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century. Politically and economically, things feel off balance. Immigration is under the spotlight, especially in Europe. Changed working conditions, instigated during Covid, are now being reconsidered in developed countries. While academically successful countries begin formalised schooling for children around seven years of age, Australia is planning school entry for three year olds. Such a saving on child care costs! One teacher and maybe one assistant for 23 three year olds! Absolute craziness.

muffin cases

Much more relaxing to concentrate on decorating the home. I’d like to repaint throughout but the thought of shifting everything away from the walls almost brings me out in hives. I’m thinking of smaller plans. Jobs in the garden. I’m propagating some spearmint scented lavender, some rosemary, a deep red geranium and two olive trees. The lavender is to bulk up an existing one which smells lovely when you rub against it walking by, the rosemary is to replace a bush which has become so big it became straggly around the base and the olive trees are cuttings I’ve struck from two olive trees I struck 25 years ago from the farm where I grew up. The original olives were planted there more than a hundred years ago. Erratic watering and being pot bound means I need to replace them. ( Although I had the cuttings, except the olives, in water until little roots appeared, they are now in pots )

The cuttings for the spearmint scented lavender and the rosemary were left to grow roots in water. I have now put them in pots as they all rooted.

Both cuttings from the old olive trees have developed new leaves.

Do you decide on projects when the season changes? Does the constant heat of summer and repetitive salads make you list jobs you want to do and clothes you need to buy as soon as it is cooler? Sometimes I find lists from previous years and I’m surprised how similar the ‘job lists’ are, year after year.

paper muffin cases

The muffin pans looked scratched and tired. The muffin mixture often overflows the paper cases and I soak and scrape endlessly, meaning the muffin baking pans look awful. I’m experimenting with today’s blueberry muffins. Half of the mixture will go into paper, lime green gingham cases and half will go into baking paper cases I’ve cut and folded from squares of baking paper.

I made the paper cases by cutting baking paper into 19cm x19cm squares then folding the square to make a triangle then again to make a smaller triangle. Unfolded then placed the paper under a bottle that fitted snugly into the patty pan. Then I just worked around the bottle folding the paper. Pressed to crease the folds. The baking paper patty pan looked like a tulip!

Found a bottle a similar size as the patty pan so shaped the baking paper around it’s base.

The baking paper shapes retained their shape when I pushed them into the muffin holes in the baking pan.

Put each one into the patty pan hole in the tray. Filled the pretty lime green gingham paper case tray and the tulip lined tray and into the oven. I use an old icecream scoop to fill the cases as it delivers perfect amount of batter.

The overflow was actually the additional crumble on top, but it was still a sticky mess!

Two of the muffins in pretty little paper cases overflowed despite careful measuring of the amount put into each. None of the baking paper cases overflowed. Closer inspection revealed it was the added crumble on top of the muffins which over flowed, but I still had to scrape the pans clean again. I think it took about five minutes to make the baking paper cases. They look like the ones cafe muffins are served in. Both lots of muffins were delicious!

The new tray after baking the muffins poured into baking paper cases. No overflowing batter.

Interestingly, the paper peels away from the muffin cleanly. My new preferred way of lining the muffin pans.

easter

If you celebrate Easter I hope you have a wonderful break, surrounded by family and friends and all the things you like to eat.

HAPPY EASTER

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Are EV Vehicles Really Green, Butter Bells and Sweetpeas

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are e.v. vehicles really green?

Are EV Vehicles really green? No! We have been massively tricked. And our Minister For Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, is complicit in this hoax.

Nickel mining is essential in the production of EV cars. China dominates the production of EV cars and sources it’s nickel from Indonesia. Nickel is essential in the manufacture of rechargeable batteries. The two main nickel mines are in remote areas of Indonesia. There are no environmental laws or worker safety regulations and visitors are forcefully discouraged. There are no limits on the destruction of native rain forest, forced destruction of towns and farming land and pollution of fishing grounds.

Image Pixabay

The energy to drive the smelters and power stations used in production comes from low quality and cheap coal barged into the area from nearby Kalimantan. No records are kept of worker injuries but fatalities are apparently common and not necessarily recorded. This has all been funded by the Chinese Belt and Road initiative. So, how ‘green’ are these cars?

( Since I wrote this I have watched 7NEWS Spotlight, Sunday 6th April, an exposay of ‘the dirty truth behind so-called clean, green electric vehicles.’ Then the next night Channel 7 news showed parts of the documentary plus the response from our Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen. He had no answers and stormed off, refusing to be questioned. Shocking.)

Britain has gone ‘green’ on many fronts and doesn’t hesitate to highlight its policies on limiting climate change. I enjoy British decorator magazines but after 120 pages focusing on recycled everything, ‘green’ paints and glues and wearing more clothes to stay warm in winter, comes the 30 odd page review of holiday destinations. The Maldives, Iceland, Mauritius and anywhere with saunas and spas feature as desirable destinations. I assume they all walk or swim to these exotic holiday destinations.

Image Pixabay

I feel cynical about the politicians, reporters and all their support people flying from one end of Australia to the other, leading up to the Federal Elections. I think they should ride their bikes. I’m also tired of all the money being promised by ‘the government’. That’s tax payers’ money, our money. Just stop it!

butter bells

Butter bells or butter crocks date back to the 16th century. I started investigating butter bells due to frustration cause by butter left out over night in a covered dish turning liquid and tasting rancid. Butter left in the fridge overnight was hard and I had to almost slice off pieces to put it on my breakfast toast. Not ideal. Softening the butter in the microwave resulted in it separating and tasting awful very quickly.

My butter bell sits on the counter top in a cool corner and keeps the butter soft and fresh. I bought a ceramic bell but there are also glass bells. ( I originally bought one from an online auction site online but had to return it. The lid didn’t fit properly on the base. Annoying. Go into a kitchenware shop and check the fit first!) To set it up, spoon the softish butter into the top cup smoothing the surface with the back of the spoon. Then estimate the depth of water needed so the butter is in contact with the butter. I change the water morning, some sites say every two or three days.

I am really pleased with the butter bell. Soft spreadable, fresh butter.

planting

Image Pixabay

Traditionally I’d plant sweetpea seeds around St Patrick’s day. It was easy to remember as the 17th of March was my parents wedding anniversary. I’ve just planted them because it has been too hot until now. It’s still warm during the day but getting cooler at night. My Mother grew forests of sweetpeas, mostly self seeded in the later years. They had reverted to various shades of purple and were highly scented. They will probably be a surprise to the new owners of her house. I hope they enjoy them.

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Eating 30 Different Things, Reading and Should You Wash New Clothes?

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gut microbiome health.

Eating 30 different foods a week, including herbs and spices, plus nuts, fruits and vegetables, is a re-occuring number mentioned by many renown scientists and doctors. A diverse diet is closely linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases, better immune function and even improved mental health. It isn’t as easy as it sounds and takes quite a bit of planning. Part of the problem is we are not a vegetarian. I do occasionally add tinned beans, chick peas and lentils to recipes but they are not our main source of protein. So fish, chicken and beef don’t count. Some plans allow eggs, some don’t, but we eat eggs regularly. Anyway, this week I got to thirty!

reading

Circumstances have meant I have spent a lot of time reading. I’m averaging about four books a week! Usually I read one or maybe, two, books a week. Added to that number is my usual haul of magazines, too. Now my husband has started immunology every three weeks we spend a great deal less time at the hospital.

Not a murder but a cleverly crafted story about a young, dominated wife escaping her husband and starting a new life in another country. Lovely travelogue throughout France, too.

My preferred books are murders! Not always, there’s some biographies and non fiction in amongst the murders, but often I read everything available by the same author if I’ve really enjoyed their books previously. I cannot explain why I find a clever murder so relaxing and like to have one on the go to read when I go to bed.

Not a murder, either but a series of emails between an Australian and American woman. They begin exchanging emails by mistake (the American has a very similar address to the Australian women’s ex-husband). A friendship develops resulting in regular contact via emails. Very engaging story with a satisfying outcome.

In January I read a book reviewer’s plan to read 100 books a year, but she quickly changed that to 80 books early in the year because her longtime boyfriend proposed and she had a wedding to plan. Valid excuse! It’s week 13/52 and I have read at least three books a week. Some I haven’t photographed nor named as they’re health books I’ve flicked through from the past, tracking specific information.

I also really like decorator magazines and subscribe to several, well, maybe five or six. I get a magazine from France, three from the UK and two Australian magazines, which sounds very indulgent, and probably is, but I don’t buy many books, preferring to borrow them from the library. If I really like a book I’ve borrowed I’ll go and buy it. If something on the cover of a magazine catches my eye, I will probably buy that, too. Apparently, regular reading assists in a healthy brain.

Talking to a friend about brain training activities online has also increased the number of online activities I do now. I do Wordle before I get up in the morning and now I’m doing a few other online brain training activities. When I have the time I’d like to investigate Scrabble (I haven’t played for years) and jigsaw puzzles, both recommended online for brain training. I play mahjong every week, but shy away from bridge! Some friends who play are fiercely competitive and don’t encourage chatting whilst playing.

The other behaviour recommended by brain training sites refers to social interaction. Well, this pretty easy. Unfortunately, my time is committed to other things at the moment, but that will pass.

should you wash new clothes before you wear them?

The chat around this subject really surprises me as my Mother washed everything from tea towels, to bed linen and clothes, even socks before we could wear them. So, I thought you always washed new things before using them. It’s a topic online at the moment.

Image Pixabay

Apparently, everything should be washed before they are used. This helps remove chemicals, dyes and germs resulting from the manufacturing process. Washing helps remove bacteria, fungi and parasites which are presented during manufacturing, storage and transport.

Articles based on research refer to garments tested from popular chain stores that had been tried on then put back on the rack or shelves. The research found norovirus, strep and staph and fecal germs. Scabies, lice and fungi were also found. Dyes, resins and tanning agents, such as formaldehyde, used to keep garments wrinkle free, can cause skin irritation, dermatitis and eczema.

Image Pixabay

So, my Mother was right; give everything a really good wash before you wear it! This includes bed linen, tea towels and towels. Interestingly, several articles I read suggested baby clothing, blankets and bedding should be washed and, if possible, line dried twice before use.

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Early Onset of Myopia and a Quick Lunch

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Myopia and Children

Myopia, short sightedness, is increasing at an alarming pace in children. Globally, the rate of myopia rate tripled between 1990 and 2023, according to the British Journal of Ophthalmology. In fact, the World Health Organisation predicts that by 2050, half the world will need glasses. Ten percent will be high myopic which can result in severe complications and even blindness.

Myopia increases the risk of ocular disease. This includes cataracts, glaucoma, plus retinal detachment. Alarmingly, the greatest rise in retinal detachment is amongst young patients. One third of all people suffering from myopia go on to develop macular degeneration. This leads to visual impairment and eventually, blindness.

It’s estimated percentage of children in Britain with myopia is 15-20%. East Asia and Singapore are way ahead in data collection. In Singapore, the ‘myopic capital of the world’, 80% of adults are myopic. Myopia affects around 96.5% of 19 year old males in South Korea. Typically, East Asian children start school earlier, work longer days, do far more homework and spend very little time outdoors.

Why has this happened? Put simply, children are not spending time outside. Daylight is thought to stimulate the release of dopamine in the eyeball, inhibiting eyeball growth and distortion. The other critical change is the amount of time children are spending in ‘near work’ on screens. The recommendation for children to prevent myopia is 20/20/2, that is for every 20 minutes of near work, spend 20 minutes focusing on something in the distance, and the most important part, spend 2 hour outdoors every day.

Leisure activities have changed for children, too. China has the highest rate of video gamers (12.4 hours a week) and myopia in the world. Screens are blamed for the massive increase in myopia. Jonathan Haidt, who wrote the best seller The Anxious Generation claims the wide adoption of smartphones since 2010 plus the gradual erosion of outdoor play has resulted in a catastrophe of poor teenage mental health and higher rates of suicide and self harm. He refers to the current generation of teenagers as ‘anxious, sleep-deprived, narcissistic, and susceptible to terrible influencers and the rest.’

All images in this entry Pixabay

Children need to avoid myopia. It can’t be stopped or reversed, so best avoided all together. Apparently, the best way to avoid myopia is put down the screens and send children to play outdoors.

baby cos lettuce with Pesto dressing

After twelve weeks of attending appointments we had a little break. All my husband’s post radiotherapy scans are now back, as are blood tests. Good results. Next week he starts immunotherapy. One of the problems with spending hours at the hospital was the food available. It was pretty grim unless I went to the Childrens Hospital. Although that added several thousand steps to my step count, it also took a lot of time, even though I didn’t sit down to eat.

So I’ve mastered quick meals I can make. My new favourite was so easy! I just washed and halved a baby cos lettuce, then drizzled vinaigrette over it. The dressing was simply 6 dessertspoons of olive oil and 2 dessertspoons of vinegar, then a grate of black pepper and a sprinkle of salt. I added a dessertspoon of pesto, shook the jar, then poured it over the lettuce. The second time I made this salad, I added slithers of preserved lemon to the dressing and would do that again. I crumbled sheep feta over the lettuce, but if you were eating at home you could add smoked salmon, tinned tuna or shredded chicken.

Added a spoonful of pesto to the vinaigrette, shook until it blended in, then poured over the lettuce. Crumbled feta on top.

My husband’s sense of taste has not returned although sometimes he can taste tea, but it doesn’t taste like tea! Today I made a buttered chicken curry. I was heavy handed on the spices and chopped the chicken pieces into slithers when I served my husband. He can taste the heat but not the flavour. Fingers crossed this improves with time.

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Pesto, Nutrition and Sharpening Knives

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making pesto

It’s that time of the year when the tomatoes are mostly finished but the basil is still thriving. So I make pesto. You can buy the basil if you don’t have any growing but make sure it’s not an Asian basil which has a slight aniseed flavour. The leaves should be medium sized and green with no yellow tips or black spots. Wash the basil then collect the other ingredients.

PESTO

45g toasted pine nuts (about 5 minutes in the oven, don’t let them burn)

1.5 cups basil leaves

60gm pecorino or parmesan cheese

5 tbspn olive oil

2 small cloves of garlic

Process the basil, pine nuts (cooled), garlic and cheese, then drizzle the olive oil in a steady stream into the machine. Purists use a pestle and mortar, I use a food processor. Scrape into a jar when you’re happy with the texture. Coat with a layer of olive oil to prevent oxidisation.

Pine nuts can be replaced by pumpkin seeds or walnuts. I’ve been reading Norman Swan’s What’s Good For You. ( He also promotes the usual; daily exercise, avoiding processed foods, getting enough sleep and maintaining social connections) Based on years of research he recommends following a Mediterranean diet. Pesto ingredients get the tick of approval. And it tastes amazing!

I use sheeps pecorino because I like the strong flavour. I only made a small amount this year as my husband can’t taste anything at the moment. I stir a spoonful into tomato pasta sauces, a smear on cheese and tomato toasted sandwiches and a drizzle on cheese on crackers. If I was making gazpacho I’d drop a teaspoon of pesto into each bowl. Enjoy!

a nutritionist’s hints for well being

Laura Southern, a nutritionist, in this week’s The Australian Weekend Magazine writes about optimal gut health. She says the way we combine foods can increase the absorption of nutrients and antioxidants and help good bacteria to survive the digestive process. Here are her six top recommendations.

Add honey to Greek yoghurt. Honey’s prebiotic properties feed and support the probiotic in the yoghurt as it is digested. This can reduce infection and inflammation.

Image Pixabay

Eat black pepper with turmeric. Research suggests turmeric has anti-inflammatory, antioxident and anti-cancer properties. It is also thought to strengthen the intestinal barrier, balance the microbiome and also aid digestion. The piperine in black pepper can increase the absorption of curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric by 2 000 percent.

Drizzle olive oil on salads. The antioxident properties of olive oil to lower bad cholesterol and raise levels of good cholesterol is well known. Now there’s evidence showing the polyphenols in olive oil can be absorbed by the intestine, increasing beneficial bacteria in the gut. Eaten with green salads, olive oil helps balance the microbiome.

Image Pixabay

Miso paste and bok choy. Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans and grains. It is packed with millions of probiotic beneficial bacteria which nurture the gut. To feed the good bacteria, add bok choy or seaweed flakes.

Stir cinnamon into stewed apples. Cinnamon increases the anti inflammatory impact of polyphenols in apples. Their soluble fibre, pectin, is also a prebiotic.

Image Pixabay

Sprinkle seeds on porridge. Betaglucan, the fibre in porridge, acts as a prebiotic. Adding chia seeds and flax will supply vitamins, minerals and cancer protective antioxidants and stimulate gut movement.

sharpening knives

Blunt knives are really annoying. I like to keep ours well honed. I use a whet stone to sharpen them regularly. The name derives from the actual process of sharpening the blade, called ‘whetting’, using a whet stone. The whet stone needs to be submerged in water until bubbles stop rising.

I place the stone on a hand towel so it doesn’t move then hone the blade in smooth motions along the stone. I start using the coarser side then finish with the finer side. Quick wash and it’s all done!

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Beef Stew and Other Food, Plus Making a Notebook

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really good beef stew and other food

If you live in Western Australia where it is still really hot, you’ll wonder why I’m making beef stew. Last November my husband was diagnosed with Parotid Salivary Gland cancer. Initially he was going to have it surgically removed but a PET scan showed the cancer had spread. What followed was radiotherapy, usually five days a week, plus frequent visits to the radiologist, the oncologist, a dermatologist, a speech therapist, a swallow specialist, a dietician, three different sorts of dentists all orchestrated by the wonderful cancer co-ordinator. Immunology and three monthly PET scans to follow.

He can now swallow soft, finely cut real food! He has no sense of taste but was tired of meal replacement drinks, scrambled eggs, chicken soup, Weetbix mushed into milk and cool, easy to swallow but tasteless icecream. I stumbled upon this stew, called Martha Stewart’s Beef Stew on https://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/martha-stewarts-slow-cooker-stew/ I made it in the slow cooker and then stored portions in the freezer. It is a really wonderful, easy, quickly reheated stew and I can slice or mash the pieces so he can chew and swallow. No flavour, as he has lost the sense of taste, but he enjoys eating real food again. So I keep making it despite the heat!

I didn’t have diced tinned tomatoes with chili so used plain tinned tomatoes and I didn’t add garlic, either. Otherwise, I followed the recipe. I think the vinegar ensures soft, fall apart meat but also makes the gravy really delicious, too. I used Apple Cider Vinegar, but the recipe suggests any vinegar will work. I cooked it on high in the slow cooker. Easy, tasty, ingredients on hand. No one knows when or even if his sense of taste will return.

Meanwhile, I made myself a feta and spinach pie. I had thawed the spinach, diced the onions and crumbled the feta, left the eggs to reach room temperature and went freezer hunting for the roll of filo pastry. Found it, but instead of sheets of pastry I found shards of broken, shattered sheets of filo. It had reached the end of the road! So, as I have done before, I used some shortcrust pastry. Tasted good but I missed the crunchy, crumbly, buttered flavour of filo pastry. Also, my usual recipe makes three meals for the two of us, so I was really tired of it! To use it all I had it for lunch and dinner for three days. Enough!

I’m still trying to eat at least thirty different foods every week. I wasn’t meeting this goal in the last fortnight, at all. Cooking for myself came last on my To Do List. Trying to make smaller meals to eat over a few days. Made ratatouille and added shaved Massadam cheese both times I had it. I don’t make big pots of it as my husband doesn’t eat it, anyway. This has resulted in a greater variety of foods, but not thirty different ones!

making a notebook

I write in a journal everyday and have done for more than thirty five years. I buy notebooks from the newsagent, cover them and add marbled papers as inner lining pages. So when I saw an advertisement for a notebook making session I was quick to enrol.

We were shown how to stitch the signatures (pages in sets of five sheets, folded in half to make ten pages and stitched down the spine.) how to sew and knot them together, glue a mull, or fabric strip, along the spine, then glue on a ribbon page marker. Next the outer fabric cover and finally, the lining pages front and back. Lots of cutting and gluing and I’m really pleased with the outcome and hoping the class will be offered again. I loved it!

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