Getting back to basics

Stuart's Carrot Cake with Quark, Maple Syrup and Lemon Icing

2014-05-15T22:29:00.001-07:00

Stuart’s Carrot Cake with Quark, Maple Syrup and Lemon Icing.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup of sunflower oil

1 cup finely grated carrot

1tspn cinnamon

1 cup of spelt flour

1tsp baking soda

½ cup pineapple, finely chopped

½ cup of walnuts, 25g pistachio nuts, 25g macadamia nuts, finely chopped

½ cup honey

2 eggs

2 tsp ginger grated

1tsp baking powder

½ cup natural yoghurt

½ cup currants

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine oil, honey eggs and mix.

2. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, and spices and add to egg and oil mixture.

3. Stir in yoghurt, pineapple currants and nuts.

4. Mix thoroughly.

5. Pour into a greased tin and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the top is brown. Allow cooling in the tin.

ICING

1 punnet quark

2 tablespoons maple syrup

½ lemon, zest and juice

Blend all ingredients. Taste for desired sweetness, then swirl over the cooked cake. Decorate with crushed nuts on top

Where does one begin?

2014-04-06T00:53:00.001-07:00

Gardening is a love. It is a gift to those who reside there, look into it, get to work it, for visitors and for future generations. The desire to get stuck into the dirt, compost and mulch usually overrides the ability to claim this part of gardening a chore.

As a teacher I use my holidays to recharge the battery and to cleanse the soul. Nothing cleanses the soul like a lovely day's work in the garden. The benefit is watching one's efforts contribute to the overall feel of creating a peaceful yard where one is surrounded by plants that will mature beautifully. The gift from this effort is the fact that we get to appreciate the garden now and with age.

I love nothing more that to sit on the freshly mown grass while tending plants within reach. The fresh grass and "earthy" smell seems to carry me away to places I have been before. I think of the plants my Grandmother and Nana grew, and, the many gardens I have toiled in my life. I recall many different memories and have a lovely time reflecting, refreshing my memories of people I have met on my journey. Of late I have been gardening with my iPod playing Tina Arena's album Reset All! Every song is beautifully written and is perfect for those of you like to sing and those who love great lyrics presented with clarity and meaning.

When we initially bought the house we had many potted plants, as gardening has always been a passion, even in rental houses we had lived in. We simply 'quick planted' many of them purely to get them going. We were lucking in that I had a knowledge of what plants to place where - shade, sun or dappled shade. In our first year we spent time creating the bed and tending the many plant we had thrown in. Over the course of the next two years we purchased numerous plants and have created many beds in our desire to have a lovely yard. We are in that wonderful part of Garden creation and construction, where every bed we redesign and make over, we are able to fill with plant stock we have been growing. This is not to say that I do not need to buy plants, "Of course I do." Many of our beds are about to take the next step with us lifting and planting, for effect rather than survival. We have decided that the pool yard will be the next one to get a make over. We planted close to 200 bromeliads, different ginger varieties, bamboo and agaves when we initially made it over nearly a year ago. We have some lovely big plants that we will now be able to feature. We are simply going to lift, thin, tidy up and mulch the existing beds before we landscape. If I can afford them I am going to hunt down three large Silver Plum Alcantarea. These bromeliads make a lovely statement. This photo does not do the plant justice. I adore the rich colour with the dust grey colour.

In a previous blog entry I shared the construction of our gazebo. It has been lovely to watch the plants acclimatise to this new area. The plants quickly grew into the space, and now looks like a mature bed. The purple colour is the exact shade for the purple agapanthus that we have scattered around the yard. I am really looking forward to seeing them in bloom, as they will simply welcome the gazebo into the wider picture. To continue this theme I have planted blue and white petunias, mottled pink and white pelargonium, rich blue cornflowers and erlicheers. This would make for a lovely display should the rain assist.

It is amazing how a stepping stone path and a cluster of plants can make a huge different to the overall feel of the garden. I have planted 20 small alcantareas around this raised bed pictured above. With time, the agaves and the alcantareas will make a lovely display, softened by cottage plants, of all things. Watch this space!

People often ask me for gardening advice and I sometimes surprise myself with what I have learned by osmosis, over the years. I think the most critical advice I could give would be that - every good gardener has a rough patch. For some of us we have had time and opportunity to get to know the different micro climates we have for different garden beds around our yard and house. Identify the conditions of the bed - morning sun, hot sun, full shade, dappled shade, strong winds, radiating heat from concrete and brick structures.

If you take note of these elements and then find plants to grow with those elements, you should be right. Too often I think people rush in and buy everything that they like, plant it and then struggle as the plants die. Most times it may not be a matter of not having a green thumb, but rather the wrong plant matching.

Another big mistake a lot of people, myself included, make is to buy plants with the greatest intentions and leave them in the pot where often they get neglected and die. Once dried out for a couple of days it is can be difficult to bring the plant back. Even the greatest of gardeners will tell you that they too have done this. I will often leave a plant it it's pot, dug a little into the ground, to let the plant acclimates. This gives me time to watch the elements and the impact it may have on the plant.

Be brave, go for a drive or even better, a walk, and observe the gardens in your area. Be brave enough to compliment the creator/carer and then hit them with advice. The knowledge of your "new friend" may contained could be unlimited. A keen gardener in your area will give you far better advice than can most of the "hardware store" type nurseries. You never know, you may well be walking away with a few cuttings. A gardener is always willing to talk things garden. They have the time to share, to show and possibly even, to demonstrate something you may be asking.

Until later,
Happy Gardening.

A Gardener's Dream - our latest project.

2014-01-17T12:16:00.002-08:00

Well, I have achieved a tick against one of my Garden Task Bucket List. We have built ourselves a pergola and I have planted a wisteria to grace it. I have adored the look and the smell of wisteria since I first say one many years over an arbour that lead from a friend's house all the way through the yard to her garage. This photo I found on PinInterest. It does not belong to me. I have planted a white wisteria and two stephanotis plants over the arbours.

For some time I have been hinting about the need to build a gazebo onto which we could plant a wisteria. Finally, we agreed that an ugly area in the front yard would be ideal. This would provide us with a place where we could sit with a cool drink and admire the garden, the labour of love. The previous owners were Cocos Palm fans and we are adamant that eventually we will remove every one of them in order to help reduce mayhem on our national parks when bats drop their seeds.

We cleared out a total of six palm trees, with five more to go. The palm lined driveway in only half lined.

So with a barren piece of land towards the front of our block we decided to be creative.

Our apprentice was more than willing to tell us if the paint had dried.

We designed the pergola in three verandahs. Each one slightly shorter than the previous. The staggered height matches the staggered heights of out nearby water feature. This is a shot looking from the front of the yard to the house.

While we were building our pergola we also decided that a strip of paving needed to be built in order to provide us easy access, and to tidy up the rock edges of the garden bed on the left and the barren area along the side of the carport.

Before we put the pergola together we played with different spacing ideas. We decided to start with the large, middle and small white beams and then decided on placing three purple strips. The gaps between each beam corresponds to the width of the preceding beam. We chose purple as a feature colour as it is a perfect match to the purple colour found in the agapanthus scattered throughout our garden.

Well this is our unfurnished pergola. A little bit of Bali in the front yard. I have planted Magnolias in the pots that grace the entry and the side of the pergola.

We like it! Well that is a lie, we love it!

Pad Thai

2013-12-17T03:04:00.002-08:00

The measurements are simply a guide as I tend to cook from the heart.

You will need:

400g dried flat rice stick noodles
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 eggs lightly beaten (I use four as we have an abundance of eggs)
1 onion cut into thin wedges
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
red capsicum - 1/2 large
100g of fried tofu - trust me, do it - there is a lovely thai flavoured one in the vegetarian section of most supermarkets
6 spring onions sliced on the angle (go on you know you want to)
1 x bunch of coriander chopped
1 cup of bean sprouts
Handful of roughly chopped peanuts

Mix the following in a bowl;

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
Sambal oelek or chilli sauce (to taste)

Putting it all together;

Cook noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for 5 - 10 minutes, until soft. Do not over cook them. Drain and set aside
Heat wok, with oil…..swirl the oil around to coat the wok.
Add egg, swirl the egg a bit to create a omelette. Remove, place on paper towel. When cold chop it into 2cm cubes (ish)
Heat oil in wok. Stir fry onion, garlic, and capsicum over high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Add noodles, tossing well.
Throw in omelette, tofu, spring onion and coriander
Pour sauce mix over the noodles and toss well.
Sprinkle with bean shoots and nuts.

I serve this with condiments on the side - chilli, basil, salt, cut lemon and lime….people can then adapt it to suit their personal taste.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

2013-12-17T02:30:00.001-08:00

You will need

 100g packet vermicelli noodles

 1 tablespoon peanut oil

 3 shallots, sliced

 2 garlic cloves, crushed

 1 large carrot, peeled, coarsely grated

 1 ½ cups shredded Chinese cabbage

 1 x can water chestnuts, drained, roughly chopped

 1 tablespoon soy sauce

 A hefty shake of pepper white pepper

 2 teaspoons cornflour

 20 frozen spring roll wrappers (21.5cm square), thawed

 Vegetable oil, for frying

Optional Extras: cashews, mint, coriander, curry powder (I used them all)

What you need to do;

· Place noodles in a large, heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 5 minutes or until soft. Drain. Using scissors, cut noodles into 3cm lengths.

· Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add peanut oil. Swirl to coat. Add onion, garlic, carrot and cabbage. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add noodles, water chestnuts, soy and pepper. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside to cool.

· Combine cornflour with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl.

· Place 1 wrapper on a board with a corner pointing towards you. Brush edges with cornflour mixture (keep remaining wrappers covered with damp tea towel).

· Spoon 1 tablespoon vegetable mixture into corner of wrapper. Fold corner over filling then roll up from corner to corner, folding edges in to enclose filling.

· Repeat with remaining wrappers, cornflour mixture and filling.

Spaghetti with Lemon, Rocket, Basil and Cashews

2013-12-14T14:29:00.002-08:00

Spaghetti with Lemon, Rocket and Basil

What a lovely meal this is. I made the spaghetti from scratch, having received a pasta machine as a gift last year. I have decided it is time to take charge and command of the kitchen. Too often recently I/we have resorted to quick and easy – which doe not always equate to healthy.

To make the pasta you will need:

· 400 grams of flour – Graded 000 pasta flour or plain

· 4 fresh eggs (straight form Cluckingham Palace – thanks ladies)

The rest is very easy. Simply prepare the following, place it in a large bowl.

The following are rough guesses. I simply cook prepare this according to my tastes, what is available in the garden and what happens to be convenient. Except for the oil, feel free to chop and change accordingly

· 300g Rocket

· zest from one lemon

· handful of basil - chopped

· 1 small chilli chopped

· 125ml of extra virgin olive oil

· ½ cup of finely grated parmesan cheese

· handful of cashews, chopped

When the pasta has cooked, drain and toss it through the ingredient prepared in the bowl. Season with sea-salt and pepper

Banana, Coconut and Cashew Muffins

2013-11-08T21:53:00.002-08:00

Here we go.

Dry mixture: Sift into bowl #1
- 1.5 cups of self raising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder

Wet mix: combine in electric blender
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 grated carrots
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/2 cups coconut
- handful of nuts - any variety
-2 bananas

Combine bowl #1 into bowl number 2

Mix well

If it is too dry add some milk

Patty pan the mixture. (I spray these with olive oil so the cake does not stick to the paper.

15-25 minutes. I check on them every five minute as ovens differs.

170 degrees C

They should brown up nicely. Poke them with a skewer - if the skewer comes out clean, you know they are ready.

Ice with cream cheese icing…….we keep ours nude……although we love the icing.

Pumpkin Salad with Honey and Balsamic Dressing

2013-11-02T00:06:00.001-07:00

Well here is a simple yet lovely salad. One of my favourites.

There are few quantities:

Gently roast pumpkin that has been cut in to cubes. Before roasting gently toss through some olive oil.

Once it has been roasted, place it into a bowl.

I then add a handful of almonds or cashews and some sultanas.

The dressing is simple. In a saucepan I slightly heat ¼ cup of honey and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and mix it well.

I pour this over the pumpkin and gently toss. A lot of people throw spinach leaves through this. I do if I have them on hand, but not necessary.

A walk through the back yard.

2013-09-28T04:54:00.003-07:00

Hi there, we have a new camera and we decided to experiment with some lovely shots of the back yard, which is springing to life around us. Spring 2013.

This is a beautiful close up of a day lily in the yard.

A beautiful ginger flower.

A glorious Canna Lily.

Hippeastrum Annabelle

A tract of Cannas.

Wisteria and Evening Primrose

Greeting the sun.

Canna Lilly.

The pink and white garden with a sneaky bit of blue lobelia.

Arium Lily.

Beaming bright.

Butterfly Bush.

Feeding frenzy with Cluckingham Palace.

Our hairy garden gnome.

Looking back at the house.

Tall and Proud.

Playing hide and seek.

Sweet Peas

Pam Crichton's Rocky Road Cheesecake Slice

2013-08-02T20:33:00.002-07:00

1 packet of chocolate ripple biscuits, crushed
125g unsalted butter, melted
3teaspoon of gelatine, dissolver in 1/2 a cup of boiling water, left to cool
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar
300g cream, whipped,
250g Cadbury block of Rocky Road Chocolate, melted.

Crush biscuits finely

Add melted butter and place in a slice dish (I use crockery that I would normally use to make lasagne. I line mine with baking paper so that I can lift the finished slice out with ease. I also give th e paper a little spay of olive oil spray.

Press the biscuit mixture into the dish so that it covers the bottom of the dish. I actually use paper towel...takes any excess butter out of the mixture.

Place biscuit base into the refrigerator.

Beat the sugar and the cheese in a blender. Scrap mixture of the side of the mixing bowl to ensure lumps are removed.

Add cooled gelatine mix.

Add whipped cream.

Add melted chocolate.

Spread over base and refrigerate.

Once set, grate white chocolate over your slice.

Vegetable Curry in a Hurry!

2013-06-22T17:59:00.001-07:00

Vegetable Curry

I have decided that it is time to get back in to the kitchen again. Much of our life recently has been about the garden and work. I am now into my sixth month of living on a vegetarian diet. I feel much better physically and ethically.

Tonight’s dinner is a curry, enjoy!

Stage One – Ingredients and method:

Knob of ginger approximately 1 inch square – I leave the skin on

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 onion, peeled

1 sweet chilli (However, use what you prefer)

1 bunch of coriander, washed

1 bunch of spring onions, washed and tidied

a) Combine everything into a food processor and until pulverised.

b) Place in to the slow cooker.

Stage Two – Ingredients and method:

2 tomatoes, diced

1 medium tin of coconut milk/cream

1 tin of chickpeas, rinsed and strained

1 tin of Australian produce pineapple chunks in juice (Keep the juice for the recipe)

a) Place into the slop cooker.

Stage Three – Ingredients and method:

½ cauliflowers, cut in to small flowerets

¼ butternut pumpkin, cut into cm cubes

2 tablespoons of oil, I have been using grape seed oil of late

1 decent teaspoon of mustard seeds

1 decent teaspoon of fenugreek seeds

1 decent teaspoon of turmeric

2 teaspoons of curry powder

Throw in some curry leaves if you have any

a) Place everything in a pan and heat on medium to high heat until the mustard seeds start to pop.

b) Add to slow cooker.

I then leave the slow cooker going all day giving it the odd stir here and there.

You could very easily cook this in a casserole dish and place in a moderate oven until cooked.

Serve this with steamed rice – into which you can add cloves and lemon zest before cooking.

Extras: pappadums, flat bread, minted yoghurt etc

So! What have we been up to?

2013-04-04T13:02:00.004-07:00

It has been ages since I have written an entry: I know I do not need to apologise for that, but for those in the loop - all know that we have not been idle.

So much has happened since the last entry, so here goes....in a snippet!

I love this BEFORE shot of the yard as it just about sums up the starting spot for us. There was a decent canopy of trees throughout the yard, but upon closer inspection a lot were weed trees.

We bought this house nearly three years ago and now we are finally seeing evidence that we have made a difference. We set about cleaning up the yard, ripping out approximately 50-70 weed trees/ saplings and then "Creating!" We brought with us over 100 pot plants, some very large and heavy. We planted most of these just to make them less time consuming to look after and to use them for mother stock in the yard.

The yard then got pretty trashed during the 2011 flood waters coming from overland water flow and in from the river.

This is the council easement that runs between our us and our neighbours on the right. Many plants have washed away in an attempt to make his area work for us.

We received a massive torrent running between our two houses during the 2011 floods. The Brisbane River came up into the front of yard, to within 20 m from the house, about shin high on the street. We then straightened things up, raked beds back together and sugar caned everything that was not lawn.

We have just completed a phase of stoning areas and improving the areas where water sat.

We have now created a Swale garden bed to assist in directing the water to flow smoothly on to and through the council's easement - which runs between us and our neighbours on the right. Our neighbour's, who are wonderful people, have the same vision as us.....to get the water through and off the block, swiftly, cleanly and without ruining or flooding our garden beds or yards. We have spent time working on the garden beds that frame the water path. This is the garden bed that now flanks our side of the "Creek-way."

Without being a cliché - Life has been lovely. All aspects are aligning and making the ride enjoyable. As some of you may know, a lovely lady Julie, (who I met on line) and I have a Sustainable Swapping Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/Poultry.TradeOrBarter/

I have met some seriously beautiful people online. The joys of enjoying cooking and gardening tends to create a bubble of loveliness when sharing this with others. Through the site, I have learned about poultry -which the girls in "Cluckingham Palace" are loving.

I have given away, traded plants, chilli sauce, relish, Mum's knitted wares and much more. I have received numerous plants from people all over Australia. Recently a lovely online friend, Jan sent me what looks like 30ish Skating Iris bulbs to plant in an all white garden bed.

Julie has sent hippeastrums and agapanthus that her father had cultivated. A lot of plants in the garden have a nice tale to accompany - making the garden more enjoyable.

Helena has given me an abundance of beautiful Canna lilies too.

I have met some wonderful people in to Bromeliads and collected some lovely plants.

I split some of the first five bromeliads purchased and was able to plant 37 of the following plant:- nice work for little effort.

I knew very little about them, at first, but after losing a few to flood, sunburn, neglect while being busy and watching others grow beautifully my knowledge is slowly increasing. I have bought a lot online and from the Bromeliad Club and at markets. Some could be rare, some could be common and others were purchased simply because I loved them. Another friend, I met online, gave me some beautiful bromeliads from her collection and our long time friends Barry and Jenny came to visit and left a stash of broms from their beautiful garden. Bronwyn, Jane, Jan and Dags, Deb, Mel and Simon, and seriously, a heap of other people, have all added to our plant collection.

My Mum has enjoyed mailing pieces from her garden and enjoys sharing her bulb news and news from her garden. When she was last flew up (September) we went to many nurseries and bought an array of hippeastrums together - on the condition she gets the first set of bulbs produced.

When she was on holidays with us she said she enjoyed spending time in our garden. She enjoys it when our Christmas money is spent on plants for the garden. In recent conversations, Mum asked if we would create a garden filled with plants she loves so that when her time comes, we will have a garden that reminds us of her. We started by planting the hippeastrums and day lillies in a row.

It is funny, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, every garden we create has a bit of Pam in it as she has pottered, she has assisted and she has enjoyed seeing the transition of our garden and the tales associated with it.

Work has been rewarding for us both, the dogs and chooks are great, and life is good. We even have installed Pool Security.

Pool security also has a motto....

And an assistant...

They sometimes need to take a break as it is an exhausting job.

....go to the loo.

.... or have a treatment

We have almost completed the pool yard area. Building decked walkways and mural.

His water feature was given to me as a parting gift when I left Greenbank State School. I think it is truly beautiful.

We constructed new pool fencing.

Built a raised pond with a water feature.

Now it is time to hit each garden bed that had been neglected while we had a different focus on diverting water and building in the pool yard. To be honest with you, I am simply loving splitting our plants, and creating a new look, a look that I did not think would come around so soon. They say never judge a garden until it is in it's third year. Well I have one year to go, thankfully.

If our garden was a clock, we are making over the 12 and working our way around the front. We build a partitioning fence that splits the front and back yard, giving the dogs a lawned area during the day.

This happy little chappy waves to us whenever we leave or arrive home.

Miss Maddy watching me in the garden, Mr Spirit guarding the carport.

The pots that we initially had, had grown and have multiplied etc. Having done some beautiful swaps, trades and having been on the receiving end of people's interest and generosity lovely, we are now in a position to apply compost to all of the beds and plant at a rate I was not expecting this early in time.

The joy of gardening is to make it easy, to work for you and to share this with fellow gardeners on a level that only gardeners can. I also will endeavour to make my garden a place where people like to be and where they can relax in a way they may not be able to in their own garden. Please note the size of the massive bromeliad in the garden. Peter found this at the tip. It was unloaded next to him as he was unloading our garden refuse. Somehow it managed to jump in the trailer and land in our garden. A very nice find.

These photos are only of the right hand side of the drive....we have a massive garden bed on the left that we are going to cut back and place stone, or lawn features in a hope to lower maintenance. The back yard is hardly tropical at all, we have planted a frangipani in the middle of the lawn, otherwise it is fairly casual.

Tiger grass across the back fence for privacy, clumps of canna lillies and that is about it. We have moved the raised garden beds to run across the back of the block.

I was going to fence them off and let the chooks free range in the back yard. We instead built the girls two different runs and we didn't need to fence around the veg gardens.

As a result of hit and miss attempts in the back, it is now time to make the gardens work for us. I am happy to change this area into an area where we are growing most, if not all of our own vegetables. But like all gardeners we often get distracted on the journey.

I would love an urban farm a bit like The Good Life, but without the animals. I am hoping that the bulb swaps and the bromeliad pups will assist in me developing more to give away or trade accordingly - to make the garden pay it's way and become a little self sufficient. I currently supply the owners of our local nursery with two dozen eggs a week for plants and my Sweet Chilli Sauce and Relish gives us great discount at a hardware store and also the Nursery.

I love the hit and miss method to vegetable planting as I tend to get healthier produce if is seeds itself, but I think I need to learn more. Hopefully my next post will be about the Vegetable garden.

I want to get these beds working for us. This will give me the confidence to make changes in the produce area as I learn. BRING IT ON! Sorry for the ramble but, hey...I am on holidays and I have the time to do so.

Until next time. Enjoy every moment!
Stuart.

Winter turns to Spring! Oh how I love thee.......

2012-09-04T00:57:00.003-07:00

A long time over due, I know! Now that winter has gone, we can come out of hibernation. Just for the sheer love of it, I shall split this post with some of the glorious plants we have in our garden. I find peace in my garden and thoroughly enjoy coming home.

The last few months have been ridiculous in so many ways. Why you may ask?

Using Facebook I found a dear teaching friend of mine from my first school placement. Assunta Mancini, a true lady, a beautiful woman and a teacher who teaches from her heart. It was so much fun sharing life with Assunta and reminiscing over the children we taught. I was deeply moved when she shared that, her husband Glenn, had passed away. This news was a total shock considering a beautiful man is no longer able to love his wife and children and enjoy the joyous thing we call LIVING. Assunta floored me with that news, as like many of the good ones, Glenn was taken way too early. I am glad she is back in my life and look forward to sharing the future with her. I cannot tell you how often Assunta comes to mind during my every day but I the fact that she is in my thoughts.

Canterbury College lost one truly amazing teacher recently. Susan Gouchee was a talent teacher too who again, taught from the heart. Susan had an impact on so many children and did so through the forum of her music program and talents. From all accounts her send off was moving, memorable and embraced with a rainbow at the right moment. Her passing really made me reflect upon how precious and fragile life can be. Rest in Peace Susan.

For the duration of this term I have been plagued with stupid sickness, but after what others are encountering, I have nothing to complain about. Gastro, middle ear infection, 8 weeks of deafness in my left ear and influenza – I am thrilled that winter is no longer here. It is hard to feel miserable when the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the garden embraces the seasonal change.

We have been working flat out every weekend to get our garden in shape. I cannot tell you how much pride I get when I see our once plain block taking shape. Our recent efforts have seen the creation of a small deck and seating area behind our pool and the planting of many bromeliads.

We have placed a fence around the outside of the pool area creating a dog run as well. Time was spent staining this so as to preserve the fence and to provide our lovely neighbours with a better vista.

Once we stain the inside of the fence we will be able to complete the planting in the pool yard and we can plant an agapanthus row along the front fence line.

We have decided to move the vegetables gardens as we realised we had planted them in the incorrect spot. Wasn’t that fun moving raised beds????? Never again! Now that they have a new home we were able to stone around them. Hopefully the next post will see the inclusion of another agapanthus row in front of the beds to create a nicer edge between the lawn and the stones.

As I end this post I promise that coming soon will be many posts that you will enjoy. I have convinced my mother to part with her sacred recipes…….I shall be posting them in order to have them forever.

Mosaic: Heliconia

2012-07-04T00:04:00.003-07:00

As I write this post I feel a little anxious. Anxious because I have allowed myself to say I will run a Mosaic workshop. There are so many talented people out there, and to be honest with you, I feel like I am in no position to run a workshop. That said though, I have learned a few tips and tricks in order to slap a few broken tiles together to make something others willingly call "ART." They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, I have had people admire my work and have asked me to make them some, so I guess I could say I have some artistic ability. My thanks goes to the ladies who attended. It was lovley to chat freely while, "slapping down a few tiles."

I have written down the steps that I follow. I provide no guarantee for your piece of work, but what I have written has worked for me in the past. I started my first piece nearly eight years ago. It is still on the wall and looks brand new (touch wood).

First of all, you need to acknowledge what you want to create, where it is going to be housed and what design elements you which it to contain. to date, I have placed mosaic designs on pots and blue board panels. I believe that you need to take your time to ensure you have everything you need. I would encourage you to research before you begin. This should ensure that you have the right adhesive agent for the materials you will wish to use and the correct grout for the elements the piece will be exposed to.

Setting up the board and the border.

Once I have identified my design or have found a picture. I sourced it I draw it up. For this project I am going to produce a large mosaic of a picture of a flowering heliconia. It is 2.4m x 1.2m. It shall be hung portrait style on our pool fence.
I have purchased blue board to stick my mosaic tiles to. I like using blue board as I know it is waterproof (it is used as the backing in bathrooms and showers/wet areas). It is ideal for outside as it will not rot. I have cut it to size before, but I simply try not to do this unless I have a specific sized piece to do. I usually adapt my design to fir the board.
I draw/trace my design on to an overhead projector transparency. I lean the board up against the house and, using the overhead projector, draw my design onto the board. If I can be bothered I will use different coloured marking pens to assist in making it easier to see different parts of the design.

Make sure you have got enough space to work. It is best you set up where you have access to all sides of the board. Our family room have become my studio. In the centre of the room I set up to carpenter horses. On top of these I place two lengths to timber to ensure the blue board does not sag once it has been placed on top of the horses.

Starting to place tiles

If I am making a panel, like I am this time, I like to give the piece a frame. I find black is a lovely way to make the work stand out. I simply use my hands, one tile and a texta pen and run a line around the entire edge of the board.
I usually start my piece by sticking the tiled border in place. This ensures that there is a nice blend between design and border, you can mosaic up to the border without having to guess where it fits.
Take care to ensure your edge is straight and that no part of the border tiles hang over the board. If they do hang over, there is a chance that they may fall off during transit as they can be pulled off when resting or knocked on the ground etc.
I find it a lot easier to do the border and then leave it to dry. On the few occasions I have decided to work through with a wet border, I have knocked the edge and have had to recorrect the alignment of the tiles. I know leave it well alone.

Now that the board and border has been set up, it is time to commence work.

I tend to start towards the middle of the board and work my way around. I select one colour and place as much of this colour down as I can. In this case I had already smashed up a heap of yellow tiles. I have gloss and matt tiles of two different shades of yellow.
In order to smash a tile without the glaze cracking I place the tile face down on a thick newspaper. A towel is also as effective. I simply drop the hammer with some force onto the tile. The minute I hit the tile I retract it back into the air. I describe it to the kids like a snake bite. Quick, fast, and then get out of there. If you force the hammer too far into the tile you crush it. I simply ensure all pieces are face down and continue this procedure until I have the size I required. Make sure you wear safety glasses as the fragments tend to scatter and fly. I smash my tile inside an A3 photocopy paper box lid. This tends to collect most of the tiles and debris.
Sweep up after you have smashed any tiles as the shards are sharp and can induce a decent wound.
Select the part of your design you wish to commence working with. Like a jigsaw, place your pieces to form nice line around the edge of your work. Stick these into place with tile adhesive.
I mix my tile adhesive in to old takeaway containers with a plastic knife. Mix it until it form the texture of peanut butter. On the back of each tile place enough adhesive to stick it into place. Press it down slightly, clean up the excess and continue. Follow this procedure until all tiles have been placed down.
Make sure you press the tile down as you cement them in to place. Do not push them too hard or else you will squeeze all of the cement out from underneath the tile. Tidy up the edges and do not let the cement fill the gap between the tiles completely. Some excess is good as it means you do not have to use as much grout later on. I keep a most rag handy and use this to wipe my fingers after each time I use them to clean up any excess cement.
Once you have completed one part of the design, gradually work your way around your design. There are two ways to complete a mosaic. You can either work top to bottom or side to side, or you can complete certain parts of the design. I prefer to select a part of the design to work on and then complete one colour at a time within that part.

When you have completed your design it is time to grout. I always buy grout to suit the location of my piece. If I am placing it outside I ask for non staining pool grout. Grouting can be messy and without thought can be hazardous to your fingers. Some people will use a tiler’s plastic scraper to push the grout into place. I prefer to use the palm of my hand and my fingers. I usually end u with a few minor cuts, but this way I can guarantee not to dislodge any tiles in the process of grouting. I am not recommending this to you, but in true form, you will find your own way to make this process work for you. Strictly follow the instructions on the grout packet as this will ensure it is not too runny or too thick.
Once I have made up my grout I push it around your board filling all gaps. I tend to start at one end of the board and work my way down. I use a soft damp cloth to wipe away the excess as I go. I then to use many rags as I go as they become very dirty. If your cloth is too dirty you will find it drags through the grout and does no make for a smooth finish.
Sometime I wipe down the board three or four times before it starts to look clean.
Once I am happy that the board is relatively clean I let it rest until the grout has dried completely. During this time I may touch up certain areas, particularly if I find excess cement on a tile etc. If you are certain the grout has dried it is time to polish the piece with a soft cloth.

I shall post pictures of the grouting procedure when I get to it.

What a beautiful part of the day:

2012-06-17T02:55:00.005-07:00

Serenity.....
Dew covered grass
Cool wet toes in thongs as I release the hens
The noise of the wild birds slowly awakening those around
A lone rooster crows....

The smell of freshly made coffee
The thoughts of what to do today
Shuffling events to make the most of it all
... Doctors Appointment
Brookfield Produce Market
Planting tree ferns.. watch them grow
Palm fronds to the tip
Antique rustic bench seat ... to pick up my ebay purchase
Mt Crosby SS garage sale

Ideas swirling, should I get creative, should I clean or should I simply say, "NOPE?"
Maybe I could whip up that dessert I have been wanting to bake
Star anise chocolate Pie!
The choices, the life and the freedom
Oh Saturday how I love you.

2012-06-17T02:53:00.001-07:00

17/06/12

The chook house

Darkened sky surrounds me.
The crisp cool air dances on my cheek.
The resonating taste of coffee lingers in my mouth.

I move forward, slowly, watching.
Dodging divots and unlevelled ground.
Hesitantly.
Carefully.

I open the gate…..
The metal cold to my touch.
I greet the girls and Mr Woo.

What is it? I see it sit.
I watch it glare.
I watch is startle.
It runs towards my legs, my dressing gown.

A rat.
I nearly pooh as I muffle my internal girlie squeal!

Butter Icing

2012-06-16T23:28:00.001-07:00

BUTTER ICING

250g unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups of sifted icing sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence/extract
3 – 4 tablespoons of milk or cream

Beat butter in a mixer. Turn mixer speed down I preparation of adding icing sugar.
Add icing sugar.
Increase mixer speed while adding vanilla, salt and ½ of the milk or cream.
Beat for 3 minutes –check for consistency. Add more milk/cream if necessary.

2012-06-16T16:06:00.001-07:00

Scrumptious Slow Cooked Meatballs

There is something about mince meat and winter….well .....okay then, and summer..... and autumn and spring actually! Such a versatile item that with the addition of other ingredients can go far. The meatball recipe I have made today will be consumed for dinner with the rest being turned into school lunches.

I shall post a picture fo the finished recipe this evenign after it has cooked.

The best thing about using a slow cooker is the minimal use of dishes. I place some hot water in the sink as I commence cooking and wash and dry the dishes as I go.

You may prefer to brown you meatballs prior to placing them in the slow cooker, but I am not fussed either way. They still taste the same and the sauce covers them anyway.

What you need:

1 bunch of parsley, chopped
1 finely chopped white onion
1 stalk of finely chopped celery
1 medium zucchini, chopped
800g heart smart/organic beef mince
2 teaspoons mixed herbs
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red chilli (optional)
1 beef stock cube
3-4 sliced of chopped raw bacon (optional
¼ cup of grated cheese Tasty or Parmesan
¼ cup breadcrumbs
2 farm fresh eggs (do not use caged eggs please)
salt and pepper (1/2 teaspoon of each)
2 cups of chicken stock (homemade preferably)

1 pouch of tomato paste (sometimes I cut the stock in half and use 1 tin of tomatoes)
white rice and wholemeal self raising flour to roll meatballs in

Now I cheat here. Except for the beef, bacon, cheese and breadcrumbs, I simply place all ingredients in a food processor and give it a quick whiz. DO NOT PULVERISE!

Place this mixture in a large bowl with remaining ingredients.

Roll meatball size patties in your hand and place these on a plate to rest.

Once you have finished making all of your meatballs. Roll these in white rice and then wholemeal self raising flour.

Refrigerate or freeze them for an hour. That said, I very rarely do this as I simply want to get them in the cooker.

Now for the slow cooker part. Lightly grease the inside of your slow cooker. Place your meat balls into the slow cooker.

Stack them nicely folks.

Place stock and tomato paste in a bowl, whisk and pour over the meat balls.

Slow cook for five hours and serve with rice.

Variations: add a bunch of coriander/basil.

MAYONNAISE

2012-06-05T23:48:00.003-07:00

MAYONNAISE.

INGREDIENTS

1 x egg yolk,
10 ml of water and/or lemon juice,
200 ml grape seed oil.

Mayonnaise is the emulsification of oil and egg yolk to create a rich, creamy dressing. The secret to a decent mayonnaise is making sure you use enough water or lemon juice to make it hold together perfectly.

Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Whisk the yolk of one egg in a bowl with 10ml of water /and or lemon juice. Whisk it until is it foamy.

Keep whisking while you gradually drip up to 200ml of oil. Your mayonnaise will gradually appear before your eyes. Your mayonnaise should be beautifully glossy.

If your mayonnaise is too thick simply gradually add a little water to ad viscosity to the mixture.

- Season to taste with salt, lemon or chilli, garlic, fresh herbs, mustard or sweet chilli sauce.

2012-06-01T16:11:00.003-07:00

Well it has been some time since I have touched base. I guess getting my head around a new school and the new National Curriculum has taken a toll. That said, we have been busy nesting at home. I have decided that the 10 things in my life right now....will be about the home.

1. Listening

I have discovered the joys of listening to my iPod while mowing the lawn. I feel for the neighbours when I break into spontaneous song, but I guess there are far worse habits a neighbour could have. They may be celebrating the fact that our lawns are in resting phase and now no longer require a weekly haircut. It is time to service the mower and put new blades on in preparation for Lawn Warfare in the ‘burbs.

Speaking of lawn – oh it is coming along nicely. We are now in a position where we can really see a huge difference from when we moved in two years ago.

I adore a couple of songs at the moment:

* Check out Ronan Parke – This 12 year old has an amazing set of pipes – singing one of my all time favourite songs. I have always felt a connection with this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WIkjasLRNI&feature=share

* Keith Urban’s Tonight I Want to Cry - totally within range and can be belted out at high decibels. This song resonates with me too for some reason. To acknowledge pain in life means you have reached higher ground and can look back on times that have formed who you are today. I guess for me, this song allows me to look back on times in my life that have hurt and allows me to appreciate the good place and space I am in now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czb5P_pw8Fc

* Jes Hudak’s Different World – I wish I had written this song.

2. Eating

There has been a bit of a lull in the kitchen recently. Normally I am cooking up a storm, but every now and then I take a break. Simple pleasures like home made pizza are understated. Fresh vegetable and rissoles – another favourite.

The larder is stocked with supplies, as is the freezer. I am LIKING online shopping very much. It saves the incidental unnecessary purchases and allows me to sync my cooking with my shopping list. I shall promise to find my MoJo and share more recipes and ideas soon.

3. Drinking

Well it is great to report that I have severely cut back my coffee intake. I start the morning off with the juice of ½ a lemon in boiling water. It started off as a chore but I now find it cleansing. During the day I am drinking T2’s Ginger tea. I am probably only having two coffees a week, if that.

4. Wearing

Well we have started winter and I am enjoying the cooler weather. I love the crisp air in the morning as I wear my dressing gown and thongs when letting the cooks out each morning. I deliberately take my time to appreciate the morning. Wearing a scarf brings back many a childhood memory. I have heaps of scarves, many have been hand knitted by m mother to compliment my wardrobe. She asks for colours, patterns ideas and length. I love the short scarves we have designed that simply wrap around the neck and have enough length to tuck into a vest without the bulk.

I love wearing AFTERSHAVE too. Nothing better than a hot shower and a squirt! Grey Flannel is the favourite and Oldie but a Goodie.

5. Reading

I really have not been doing very much reading for leisure of late. I have read a bucket load of report comments and no doubt as I edit other teacher’s there will be more to come too. I have done a lot of reading on line in order to ensure the deck we are building will last.

I have read heaps about caring from Bromeliads – these are some of my latest ones.

6. Weather

I simply want to cut and paste from last time…. “I love what Mother Nature is throwing at us. I love the feel of the cool air upon my face when I am sleeping. I love the crisp morning air as I venture outside at 430am to hit the chook run….”

The days are slowly becoming cooler, but nothing horrid. I love the fact that there is no humidity and that the gardens are getting enough rain to flourish.

7. Wanting

The last time I touched base I wanted to complete the mosaic project I had been working on for Graham and Lin. It is great to report that this has been completed and is up on their pool wall.

I am wanting:
To complete a mosaic for home. I am going to do these three for us at home. I am planning on putting them on the fence in our pool area.

To get creative by building a garden feature.

To organise a mosaic workshop in the next holiday break. I have had a number of people contact me to ask me to share some tips. GAME ON.

To hit the garden in preparation for the open day that is looming…last weekend in September

To extend the chook run.

To help Peter to finish the deck around the pool.

To give away and sell at least ten items that we have not touched or used in the two years we have been here.

8. Feeling

I am feeling pretty good actually. All facets of life seem to be aligned.

We have made new friends with Pauline and Andy from our local Hardware store. We had a set DATE NIGHT each month where we visit a different restaurant.

I feel satisfied with the manner in which I have settled in to my new school and feel that I a now in a position to slowly weave my magic.

9. Thinking

I am thinking that I need to be vigilant in preparing another visit to Camp Eden. I think another visit will allow me to reconnect with myself and form a stronger appreciation of the skills I have but often let sit idle.

I think I and to improve my organisational skill with regard to FILING at work.

I think I love everything around me at the moment!

10. Enjoying

I am enjoying the prospect of spending further time in or garden. We have a number of people coming to stay this year who will notice the changes that we have made around the place. I am enjoying Cluckingham Palace and I am enjoying the prospect of building a little chook house our next clucky hen and place her on fertile eggs.

Green Mango Chutney.

2012-01-14T01:15:00.003-08:00

My neighbours Ray and Kay gave me eight green mangoes yesterday and I decided to have a crack at making my own Green Mango Chutney.

The following recipe suits 1kg of Mangoes.

The first thing you do is skin and cut up the cheeks of mango. Weigh this. Today my mangoes came to 1.3kg. To alter the recipe to suit I simply multiplied the measurements x 1.3 to get balance it all out.

What you will need:

1kg mangoes
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of chopped onion
100g sultanas
1 garlic clove
1 small knob of ginger, grated
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of dry chillies
3 cardamom pods

I have not done this yet, but I am thinking 1 bunch of coriander could also be a nice addition.

What you need to do:

Place sugar, vinegar into a large pot and bring to the boil. Stir this until the sugar dissolves.
Add in the remaining ingredient and simmer for one hour ish. I tend t leave mine on the stove until it all looks soft.
Remove the cardamom pods and puree with a blender
Place in sterilized jars.

Home made Fettuccini.

2012-01-05T00:51:00.000-08:00

Well what a buzz one gets from cooking something completely from scratch. Today I made my own fettuccini for the first time. I am sure with time I shall experiment further.

I cannot believe how easy this was to make. I simply placed 300grams of flour, three eggs, salt, pepper, a handful of finely chopped basil and a splash of olive oil into my mix master. I am fortunate enough to have dough mixing blades. One could easily use a mixing bowl and a knife as a stirring implement.

Once mixed I briefly kneaded the dough before covering it with a damp cloth and placing it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

It was then time to run it through the pasta maker. I used the thickest setting and ran it through ten times. Each time I would alternate the end that I placed in to the rollers so that the flour combined further. Once fed through I altered the setting to the required thickness. Then it was left for one hour to dry.

I covered a clothes drying rack with tin foil and WHAMMO!

Done!

10 Things Right Now

2011-12-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

10 things in my life right now....

1. Listening

I love listening to music. I love the way it can transport me off to a distant memory, how it can engage my emotions and how it can set the mood for the day ahead. Some very special songs are:

-Send in the clowns: First girlfriend, of a world away, recorded it on a tape for me.

-Sweet Gypsy Rose: My bestie Jude and I use to do a superb rendition with me playing my fake trumpet.

-Boom Bang a Bang Bang: Mum singing in the kitchen.

-How could an angle break my heart: Ugly time with my ex.

-This is the moment: Wedding song

I know it sounds very queer, but Barbara Streisand, Josh Groban, Il Divo, send me away from the routine that can sometimes be called life.

I use to spend 30 – 45 minutes each way, driving to work. During this time I deliberately selected music that allowed me to appreciate beauty and to enjoy my solo, in private, singing career. Years ago I use to dabble in musical theatre. I never ever thought I was great, but somehow I managed to audition and pull off the role. Bernardo (West Side Story), Schroeder (You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown) and Peter, Understudy to Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar). Some days I still wish I had the motivation, drive and personal belief that I could do it again.

I so love singing knowing that no one is watching. Sometimes I deliberately reach the DIVA high note, knowing there is no bloody way in the world it is obtainable. I nearly poop my pants and crash the car on the rare occasions when I hit the note superbly. I love the fact that when I am on my own I will sing like there is no tomorrow. I am even more courageous when I am sharing a glass of red with the iPod. I have learned to accept myself with regard to where I choose to sing – in private. I appreciate my imperfections and idiosyncrasies because I believe that these are what make me unique. I know I have varied talents – a lot of these are unknown by those around me.

2. Eating

Well, this past fortnight has not been that much better. I have managed to squeeze in a few salads – which I do enjoy. Christmas was pretty much under control. We had a simple fare shared with beautiful people to boot. Nothing overboard, but I think it is purely the fact that there is plenty of PICKING FOOD that is the problem. I am prepared to throw it out there and say that I am going to address this commencing tomorrow. Now that I feel I have made enough excuses the time is right. I shall report back with some positive news here. I am spending tomorrow working out the meal plan and I am going to log some exercise - Me Time! It is great to report that this past week has seen the eradication of hot buttered toast.

Next week I am planning on getting some exercise. Here is the Plan

Monday: Walk the dogs

Tuesday: Swimming and walking the dogs.

Wednesday: Walk the dogs.

Thursday: Gardening

Friday: Walk the dogs and Qigong

Saturday: Mowing, gardening and house cleaning

Sunday: REST

They say it does not take a lot of effort to incorporate exercise and movement into your life. So I plan on BOOKING IT IN!

3. Drinking

My morning coffee consumption was slowly doing my head in. The first thing I do in my morning is to make myself a coffee and to head down to the chook run. It is the nicest 30 minutes in my day. Well, not really, but it is certainly a lovely way to great the day. This is followed by another coffee the minute I hit my classroom, another when I get to the staffroom and a few more throughout the course of the day. All in all, I am probably consuming six cup a day. I am aware that this needs to be reduced, but again…ARGH! I am thrilled to share that alcohol consumption is nearly non existent. I hate the effect it has on me the next day. A night of insomnia and a crook tired feeling are too much to ask for. The perils of getting older! Now all I have to do is limit the coffee intake and I shall be a happy man. It is interesting to note that now I am on school holidays I only consume one cup a day. I wonder if it is behavioural addiction.

4. Wearing

I love the fact that summer is here. “If only they could see me now.” All those years ago where I prided myself in wearing labels only and spending WAY to much money on shoes, clothing and aftershave. Now I like nothing better than to get home and to slip into my footy shorts, singlet and hit the garden. Oh yeah…………..I LOVE MY GUMBOOTS and THONGS! I do have to hit the wardrobe and to do some sorting. Simply shutting the doors and running like hell does not cut it anymore! There should be some goal setting here.

5. Reading

I have been manically reading about chook raising. Initially we commenced with the desire to house 6 chooks. Well Holy cow hasn’t that been the understatement of the year. We now have 26!!! We are only allowed to have 20. That said, we have some chick that will not be staying. I have been frantically researching every thing about chicken raising. So read this….

LAYING:

2 Light

Sussex

– Brandy and Cream

1 Australorp - Oprah

1 Wyandottes- Cee

1 RIR Rhonda Burchmore

1 Lohman Brown - Noelene

1 Ex batteries: Elizabeth

2 Buff Orpington/Wyandotte cross - Pippa and Kate

Total 9 layers

NOT LAYING:

1 baby Chicken Cluck Kent

4 Silver Laced Wyandotte Chickens: Flyza Minelli, Cluck Gable, Elizabeth Laylor, Barbra Streishen

1 RIR: Julia Gizzard - pullet

1 Ex batteries: Camilla

2 Pullet Light

Sussex

: Alex and Zander

1 Pullet RIR: Lucielle Ball

4 Speckled Sussex X infants

1 Light/Speckled Sussex X infant

1 Wyandotte – Effan (Broody)

1 Baby Buff Orpington – Goldie Hawn

Total 17 not laying

26 in total

I have read about diseases, feeding techniques, healthy eating, omega 3 enhancements, correct terminology and exploring the deep litter method. I am also an administrator for a Sustainable Swapping web page……that makes me read every night. Sustainable Swapping - Poultry, Fertile Eggs, Plants, Trade or Barter

6. Weather

I love what Mother Nature is throwing at us. I love the feel of the cool air upon my face when I am sleeping. I love the crisp morning air as I venture outside at 430am to hit the chook run. The days are great, warm, sunny and inviting. Despite what everyone else thinks, here in Brisbane I love a true tropical storm. Hail, winds, swirling cloud masses one day, singlet and shorts the next.

The lawns are green, the flowers in bloom and are fragrant and there is always something peaceful to do in the garden.

7. Wanting

Hmmmm upon reflection of last year. I am wanting some parents to take a greater interest in their children. Believe me, I am not having a dig at anyone in particular, but it haunts me that some children I encounter on my journey as a school teacher have very sad lives. No child actually asks to be born. It is therefore important that parents do everything they can to make a child’s life, fruitful, positively challenging and filled with healthy eating, great role modelling and eventful, valuable risk taking. What wonderful learning experiences positive parents can offer!

I also want to work out how I can still work with my wonderful teaching partner. I leave her behind as I head onto a new school next year. Some people make a difference in the eyes of their students and others also touch the hearts of those they work with. MY MEL is simply a person who I am grateful has entered my life. I am a better person and a better teacher because of our interactions.

I also want to complete the mosaic project I have been working on for Graham and Lin. It has been a long time coming with plenty of distraction in between.

8. Feeling

I am feeling slightly anxious as I prepare for the new school year. I need to get my head around a new curriculum, virtual classroom, assessment and reporting regime, One School,

Learning Place

and One Note.

I want to feel the sun on my back and the hand mower vibrating in my hands.

I want to feel love.

9. Thinking

I am thinking that I shall endeavour to make a commitment to writing 10 things in my life right now. I can see the value in writing one’s thoughts down. I can see it is a positive means of identifying my goals……being brave enough to throw them out there for all to see and then doing what everyone does in trying to embrace the hurdles thrown at us all from time to time.

10. Enjoying

I am really enjoying spending time at home. I love the garden:

- the irises are in bloom

- the day lilies are abound with bloom

- the lavender hedge is a BUZZ with insects

- the daisies are blooming and I have taken 80 cuttings,

- the lily pilly hedge around Cluckingham Palace is taking shape and is in bloom

- the orchids have just finished their stunning display

- the agapanthus are out

- the bromeliads are with pup.

Stuart's Mars Bar Cheesecake.

2011-12-22T23:48:00.000-08:00

My version of a Mars Bar Cheesecake!

I have put this together for a friend of mine, Kathleen, who always makes me laugh. I reckon with my injections on the side, she will make Mother of The Year! Game On! This recipe can be thrown together without to much work. The difference in making a good cheesecake and a superb one is in the finer detail – nothing too hard. I shall write this recipe as I would say it should I be telling you over the phone.

If I could give you some superb tips – do not;

- dab your finger into the mixture

- lick the spoon

- lick the spatula

- lick the bowl, because you will find you cannot stop and you will be feeling really piggy by the end of it. BURP!!!!

- Blend. Blend well. Mix. Mix well when required.

You need to get two of the Philadelphia Cream cheese blocks. Have these at room temperature. As the cheese tends to stick to the alfoil packet it comes in, I find it easier to remove while cold. Place in a bowl and roughly chop it into pieces. I try to keep the cheese cut, but still in form. This saves you from having to scrap it out and reduces mess and waste.

Line the bottom of a spring-based cake tin. I used a 30cm round. I run the scissors around so that it is cut to 1cm all the way around. This means that when served it looks okay on the table. However, I have also made this in a small lasagne dish where I cut it into slice style pieces.

Melt 125g of unsalted butter – I place mine in a bowl over hot water.

While the butter is melting, place 250g Granita biscuits into your food processor. You can use any plain biscuits. I prefer the slight oat taste in the base. Chocolate ripples are pretty decent too. Finely process the biscuits until they are smooth. I ensure this is really fine, it makes a difference to the absorption of the butter and helps in forming a firm/hard base.

Pour the melted butter into the biscuits and combine in the food processor.

Tip the biscuit mix into a lined spring-based cake tin. Use your clean hand to press the biscuits down so they form a hard base. Make sure you get right into the edges of the tin. Try to form an even spread and a level top. I play with this for a bit longer that one needs to so that I get a smoother finished product.

Once done, place this in the freezer.

I now get all of the ingredients measured so I can simply add them and construct as required.

Place three mars bars on a glass microwave plate and set aside. I buy a packet of mini mars bars. Although there is more wrapping they are usually cheaper than three individual bars. PLUS……you get more outside chocolate which makes a better cheesecake.

Measure out two teaspoons of gelatin into a small shallow glass bowl.

Have the quarter cup measure ready for later on.

Boil the kettle.

I use my electric mix master to make the cheese topping. Into the large bowl of the mixer place empty one tin of condensed milk.

Blend this on a low to medium speed while adding small pieces of cheese. Use a plastic spatula to scrap the edges of the bowl. This will assist in making a smooth mixture. Once combined turn the mixer off and leave to stand while you prepare the mars bar component.

Place the mars bars in the microwave and heat over a low heat until they melt. Do not be confused as they keep their shape and can burn. 20 seconds is a rough time.

Turn the mixer on to a low speed and immediately add the mars bars. Do not give the mars bars time to cool on the plate or you may get chunky piece in the cheesecake. I have placed cut up mars bar chunks, in the past, in to the mixture instead of melting them, but they tend to go a bit watery when placed in the fridge.

Once the cream cheese and mars bars have blended turn off the mixer. Add ¼ a cup of boiling water to your gelatin powder. I use a small whisk to beat this until the gelatin granules have completely dissolved. Make sure you spend time mixing this before adding it to the cheesecake.

Once the gelatin has blended beautifully into the cheese cake mix, beat well. Again use a spatula to push the mixture from the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Grab the cheesecake base out of the freezer. While cold pour the cheese mixture over the top. Place in refrigerator. I have a choice of two fridges so I always make sure the fridge I use has nothing with any overpowering smells – onions, fish, meat etc. This will ensure that the cheesecake flavours stay true to form and are not influenced by the contents of the fridge.

Leave to set in fridge. Ideally best to make on the day of or one day prior to event. You can make it earlier than this but the texture can be a little dense.

Decorate if you feel the need. I simply serve with strawberries and double cream.

For something right out there try dusting some quartered strawberries with a little icing sugar and a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Place these in a bowl the middle of the table for people to add if they are brave.

Potato Salad - Stuart's version

2011-12-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, it is a simply fare but one that I enjoy in Summer. I tend to alter this every time I make it. That said though, this is the standard recipe. I have been known to make my own mayonnaise but if in a hurry I simply buy a low fat version. These normally taste much blander but as you are adding stuff to it - go for it. After all it means you can add more bacon!!!

Okay so what will you need?

· 1 large onion – finely chopped and seared in a pan with a little olive oil, drain on paper towel to remove as much oil as possible. You can use a small red onion and place it to the salad raw.

· 1kg desiree potatoes – peeled and cut into 2cm cubes. I tend to wash them first and keep the peel on for extra fibre.

· Bacon – sliced into 1 cm strips – use as much as you like. I believe bacon should be a food group on it’s own – so go to town.

· Shaved ham – I use around 100g – sliced.

· Boiled Eggs – I hard boil 2 or 3 eggs.

· 1 cup mayonnaise

· 1/2 cup sour cream

· Juice of ½ lemon

· Fresh Herbs – MUST HAVE – common mint, Vietnamese mint – a good hand full of each. I also use basil and chives as I have them growing in the garden. Serviously, if you have t buy your hers, and you only wanted one type – go the Vietnamese mint. It changes the whole taste of the salad and people will be asking you for the recipe (Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!)

· Ground pepper – a few grinds to taste.

Putting it all together:

1. Using a large saucepan, cover your potatoes with cold water. Make sure you have enough water to cover your potatoes. Bring to the boil. Once the water boils, turn the heat right down and leave for a couple of minutes. You want your potatoes to be cooked through yet remain firm and in tact. Use a skewer to test f the potato is ready. The potato will slide of the skewer if cooked through. Drain, place in a large bowl.

2. Hard boil eggs

3. Pan fry the onion in a little oil. Place in bowl with potatoes.

4. Fry up the bacon until crispy – drain and place in with the potatoes.

5. Slice ham and place in with potatoes.

6. Roughly chop up the eggs into big chunks and place into potato mix.

7. Blend mayonnaise and sour cream really well. Add juice of ½ lemon. You need to make sure the mayo and the sour cream have been mixed beautifully to avoid the cream curdling. At this point I add some ground pepper too.

8. Add roughly chopped up fresh herbs.