Making Herb Pot Markers. I use wooden Tongue Depressors from the $2 Shop to make markers for herb pots. Using non-toxic paint, I colour most of the depressor as shown and when it’s dry I do the other side, making sure the edges are also painted. I use a waterproof marker to write the name on the stick ( I used a Sharpie) and a non-toxic paint, in this case a sample pot, for any food growing pot. Also, when Louis, our dog was a puppy, he chewed most of the labels one afternoon so I was glad they were non-toxic.
I usually paint ten sticks at a time.
Most paints only require one coat so this is a quick and easy job.
Cooking.
Cold Weather Cooking. I make several trays of pasties and freeze most of them for work lunches or weekend lunches.
Lots of nice spinach at the moment, so I made an egg, sheeps’ fetta, onion and spinach slice. Tastes best when cold, if you can wait that long.
Quick Apple, Almond and Coconut Slice. Didn’t add the coconut and it was still very good. Below is Ginger Caramel Slice. Irresistible. The recipe for both these slices comes from www.taste.com.au
Growing.
The Sweetpeas have begun blooming.
They look pretty and smell gorgeous.
The first tulip is blooming but there are lots more about to come. This is Tulip Leen van Mark.
August 21st is World Fashion Day. Thinking about the amount of clothing in good condition that ends up in landfill, maybe it’s time to re-fashion something you already have?
EATING Fish Curry. I spent so long preparing the curry I had to cook the rice using my no-fuss method. This involves putting the rice and water (one part rice to three parts water) in a pot and bringing it to the boil for about three minutes. I put a steamer on top with a handful of snow peas. After boiling for three minutes I stirred the rice, put the lid back on then when it was boiling again, turned off the gas.
Thirty minutes later I removed the steamer, re-lit the gas burner and cooked the rice for two more minutes then fluffed it up with a fork.
Easy rice and snow peas, delicious dinner.
READING a very old copy of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress for my bookclub. It is about two youths sent to the countryside for re-education during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. They were forced to carry human excreta down the mountain to fertilize the crops, but slowly new worlds open to them. Not a happy book, but partly an historical account and partly a love story.
PAINTING. Enrolled in a water colour course and went shopping for some paints and paper as some of mine are very, very old. After hand surgery and seven weeks of therapy I am able to use scissors, write for longer and longer every day and, I’m sure, paint! Very exciting.
DE-CLUTTERING the top shelf of my Walk-In-Robe as it was too full and I don’t need so many work clothes. Looking at the pile I have made to send to the church shop, I realised they have one thing in common: they all need ironing. I’m keen on things that don’t need ironing!
What to do if your Wallet is Stolen. On Monday my wallet was stolen from my bag at the supermarket. I didn’t realise until I got to the checkout and reached into my bag to pay. It was a really horrible feeling but it was only the beginning of a dreadful week. If your wallet is stolen you need to
Contact the police and get a report number.
Notify your banks to freeze your accounts and get replacement cards.
Notify other credit card providers and arrange replacement cards.
Notify Medicare if you are in Australia or your social security provider. Also contact your health benefit provider.
Notify stores where you have store cards or loyalty cards and arrange replacements.
Notify any airlines you have loyalty cards with to get new ones.
Notify your car breakdown service to get a new card.
Download your drivers licence replacement form, complete it and get a paper licence until a new one is processed.
Get a new wallet and try to return to normal as soon as possible.
Always zip your bag. This has been a really awful experience. Before I could contact them, one of my banks notified me about unusual activity on one of my credit cards at liquor shops, a jewellery shop twice (first purchase, a thin gold chain, second purchase, a gold crucifix) and a jeans shop for clothing and K-Mart for more clothing. She was very busy in the hour and a half before the cards were frozen.
On a more cheerful subject note, today is Lamington Day. This is an Australian cake made from a small block of sponge dipped into a chocolate sauce and then rolled in coconut. Enjoy a lamington, or two, today!
Microgreens are edible, immature germinated seeds and usually less than 5cm/2″ tall. These little nutrient powerhouses are simple to grow, packed with flavour and beneficial enzymes and they look pretty, too.
Within a few weeks of planting they’ll be at the cotyledon, or true leaf stage. Snip and enjoy scattered on your food! Some will regrow, otherwise tip the soil onto the compost heap and start again.
Common microgreens are lettuce, kale, spinach, beetroot and land/watercress. I’m growing lettuce, coriander (cilantro), spinach and beetroot. I grow mine outside, but they will grow well on a sunny window ledge indoors.
To add a little balance to all this healthy eating here’s the coffee cake, with coffee icing and chocolate dipped coffee beans, we devoured later!
Did you know today is Fresh Veggie Day? Get crunchy now!
It’s officially winter and the lime tree is doing well. Our favourite salmon dish is a generous squeeze of lime and a splash of maple syrup on the salmon fillets a few hours before roasting then some more lime as it goes in the oven for about fifteen minutes. Delicious!
I like using seasonal produce so made a batch of Jamie Oliver’s Lemon Butter Biscuits. They went very quickly.
Cool enough in the evenings for a roasted shoulder of pork.
Hand surgery during the week and pleased with how this plastic sleeve meant I could shower. Very clever.
Did you know yesterday was Leave The Office Earlier Day? Good advice as it is a long weekend in Western Australia!
Bought a worm composting farm and dug it into a garden bed in dappled light.
It’s citrus time in Western Australia, so I made a Lime Cake. This recipe has olive oil instead of butter and was very moist.
Neighbours put out a basket of oranges at their gate so I made an Orange Cake. It was very good.
Another neighbour gave me some lemons, so we had Lemon Delicious Puddings.
These Brussels Sprouts were oven roasted in olive oil. I stirred through sweet chilli sauce and put them back in the oven for 15 minutes. They tasted wonderful!
Cooler weather means our son uses the slow cooker to make delicious ragu. He serves it with pasta or couscous. The smell wafts enticingly throughout the house for hours before we eat it!
A recent article in delicious.com.au (A Wasted Opportunity) talks about the cultural, environmental and economic problem of food waste in Australia. I have redoubled my efforts to not throw out food, so more Bread and Butter pudding.
We are a family of keen readers. We had shelves built on three walls of this upstairs room and all the shelves are full. I think we need to curate this collection!
Some recent holiday reading.
We have another break coming up and have already bought a pile of books to read, ready to pack when the time comes.
Just finished this bookclub book, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and really enjoyed it. Based on historical fact and rounded out with some fiction, it was a good read.
Tomorrow, the 25th of April is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, when we remember those who courageously fought to keep Australia and New Zealand free. These biscuits were made from oatmeal, flour, sugar and golden syrup to stay fresh for long periods. They were sent by sea to the Middle East and France to the soldiers and all those men and women who supported them and we eat them on Anzac Day. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corp.
The very moist centred chocolate cake is delicious!
A special Good Friday treat to share with friends and family.
The thermal wrappers were bought online and were very easy to use. Boil the eggs, let them cool, slip the egg into the wrapper and then place it on a dessert spoon. Dip the spoon into a bowl hot water, submerging the egg, hold for a few seconds then remove and allow to cool.
Very pretty eggs!
I hope your Easter time is restful and lovely and spent with people you love.
Sculptures by the Sea on iconic Cottesloe Beach is an annual event which has been running for 14 years. The concept began at Bondi Beach in NSW in 1997. It is enormously popular, featuring works from various local, national and international artists.
The landform on the horizon is Rottnest Island, a favourite holiday destination.
In cooking news, I watched Food Author Harold McGee cook pasta by an unconventional but fast method and tried it myself. Put the pasta in a wide frying pan and cover with cold water. He says the larger surface area and shallower depth means the water heats more quickly and the heat is more evenly distributed around the pasta. He recommends using the smaller and thicker amount of leftover water as a great base for sauces. Verdict….took 25 minutes to cook al dente but tasted really good! I used an entire packet of Spaghetti No 4 from the supermarket and it tasted home made. I’ll do it again.
Hope you enjoyed World Meteorological Day yesterday, where ever you were.
Celebrated St Patrick’s Day with Pea and Ham Soup served with Irish Potato Scones. I froze the ham bone in January and made the soup on Friday because it needs to be boiled for several hours and it’s becoming a bit cooler. My parents married on St Patrick’s Day 67 years ago.
Visited my mother for the day in Australind, a town on the Leschenault Inlet. Her swathes of lavender are full of bees, smell beautiful and look lovely.
Her Cape Gooseberries (physalis peruviana) known as Goldenberry and the French name amour en cage, (love in a cage), are so pretty and she loves eating them.
I helped myself to some of her wonderful roses. They smell divine!
Our chillies love this hot weather. Delicious curries coming soon.
Enjoy International Read To Me Day where ever you are in the world.
Roasted kumara, beetroot with beans, dressing and toasted pine nuts. A garden salad with a vinaigrette dressing. Too hot for too long to have many flowers to choose from in the garden, so cobbled together cannas, carnations, alstroemerias and one Father’s Love rosebud. For years I’ve had a well established work wardrobe but now I’m semi-retired I’m not sure what to wear at home. I’d like clothes suitable for gardening, housekeeping and craft activities. I want to look reasonable if people drop in, I’d like wash and wear but can only come up with athletic gear! Not sure I’m quite the right shape for all over Lycra! Any ideas?
Hope you enjoyed Plant a Flower Day yesterday wherever you are in the world!
