22.12.12
16.12.12
Datelicious
I made this just a few days before the removal crew came to our house. I was trying to empty out my cupboards which meant lots of creative meals and making things that I have been putting off for some time.
The week seemed so long that I felt I needed dessert to spice things up a bit. I had a packet of dried dates in the cupboard and thought it would be a great idea to make date loaf.
After a bit of contemplation I asked myself when did I start considering date loaf to be dessert? Tragic. So instead I walked down to the shop and purchased a tub of ice cream and came home to make a REAL dessert - Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce!
What you need
200 grams pitted dates (more or less!)
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
125 grams butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups of raising flour
Caramel Sauce (the best bit!)
1 cup brown sugar
300 ml cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
60 grams of butter
How you do it
Place the dates and the bicarb soda into a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water over the dates and let sit for around 15 minutes.
In another bowl beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Sift the flour over this mixture and then add the dates and water (which should now look like chunky brown glue) and use a spatular to combine.
You can make this as a large pudding or individual puddings. Spoon the mixture into your desired pan and bake in a 180 Celsius oven for approximately 35 minutes.
For the sauce - place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until it begins to boil. Simmer for a few minutes. The sauce will be runny and delicious and this MUST be served with ice cream.
The week seemed so long that I felt I needed dessert to spice things up a bit. I had a packet of dried dates in the cupboard and thought it would be a great idea to make date loaf.
After a bit of contemplation I asked myself when did I start considering date loaf to be dessert? Tragic. So instead I walked down to the shop and purchased a tub of ice cream and came home to make a REAL dessert - Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce!
What you need
200 grams pitted dates (more or less!)
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
125 grams butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups of raising flour
Caramel Sauce (the best bit!)
1 cup brown sugar
300 ml cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
60 grams of butter
How you do it
Place the dates and the bicarb soda into a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water over the dates and let sit for around 15 minutes.
In another bowl beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Sift the flour over this mixture and then add the dates and water (which should now look like chunky brown glue) and use a spatular to combine.
You can make this as a large pudding or individual puddings. Spoon the mixture into your desired pan and bake in a 180 Celsius oven for approximately 35 minutes.
For the sauce - place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until it begins to boil. Simmer for a few minutes. The sauce will be runny and delicious and this MUST be served with ice cream.
14.12.12
Gingerbread Boxes
how I felt about my gingerbread box project
how it actually turned out
My mum and I had a fantastically hilarious two nights in the kitchen constructing these four little (dare I say) "masterpieces"!
It was our very first attempt with gingerbread-like cooking. It involved a lot of rolling and cutting and baking not to mention the huge amount of patience it took to actually put the things together. As well as baking all the tasty, delicious treats to put inside the boxes.
As a side note, I keep calling these 'gingerbread' ....here's the thing. Gingerbread burns my throat and mouth. It smells weird. It sometimes makes my eyes water. So instead of using ginger I used cinnamon. Best. Choice. Ever.
My Gingerbread Box Recipe
(3 batches of this made four boxes)
125g butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 egg, separated
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger (or more if you like)
2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more if you like)
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
Icing
3 egg whites
3 cups pure icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (or 160 for fan forced) and prepare baking trays.
Beat the butter and brown sugar. When it is nice and creamy add in the syrup and the egg yolk and continue to beat lightly. Sift in the flour, ginger & cinnamon and bicarb soda and use a spatular to combine.
Tip the mixture out onto baking paper and knead gently then split the mixture in half. Put one half to the side. Roll the other one out. I find rolling very tricky. I put another piece of baking paper on top of the dough and roll over the top if it to stop the dough sticking to the rolling pin. I rolled my dough to about 3mm. I think this might have been a bit too thin but at the same time I don't think it really matters. It rises slightly as it bakes plus ....do what you feel is best, it always works out better that way!
After the dough has been rolled cut it to size. You can use some pre-cut cardboard as a guide or save yourself some hassle and get a Gingerbread House Cutter Set. After the pieces have been cut put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes. I don't know why but every recipe I have read recipe I have read suggests this. Also some suggest you put the dough in the fridge after you roll but before you cut it.
After the pieces have been chilled put them in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes and the let the pieces cool. If you're not making the houses or boxes straight away put the cooked pieces in the fridge. I left mine in a container on the bench over night and found they became a bit soggy making the construction part much harder.
The Icing
(this was a real test of skill!)
Beat the egg whites until peaks start to form. This takes a while so be patient! Slowly add in the icing sugar constantly beating until it the mixture becomes thick.
Think of this as glue - everything it touches will become sticky, it also dries quite quickly so it is important to do things fast but carefully!
I put the icing into a piping bag and piped it onto all the pieces of my boxes. This was very tricky and I'm so thankful I had an extra set of hands (my mum!). I began by placing the base onto a piece of cardboard I had wrapped in aluminium foil. I then piped icing along the bottom edge of one long side piece and using a tin can held it onto the base. I did the same with the other long side. I then added the two ends and used tin cans to help hold it all together. I piped inside and outside the edges just because I had no idea what I was actually doing. Basically just fill in all the gaps and hope for the best!
Again, if you have space put the boxes in the fridge otherwise they become a bit soggy. We filled ours up with Hedgehog Baubles, Maple Nut Tarts, Rocky Road, Red Velvet Christmas Trees and White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (recipes to come!).
Seriously, I had so much fun doing this and, on reflection, I am super impressed with them and loved giving them to friends and family as gifts. I feel next years efforts will be better but, as a first attempt I'm pretty darn happy!
11.12.12
Spicy Lamb in Coconut Sauce
Yay!! We have finally got our new life started. After a 5 hour flight delay we are finally back together in our "old-new" house and it is great. The best part: the kitchen! I'm talking bench space. Dishwasher. One and a half ovens!! And to top it all off - Christmas is just around the corner (but more on that later). Tonight I cooked my first meal in the kitchen I designed - Spicy Lamb in Coconut Sauce.
I always get a bit funny about lamb cutlets. Sometimes they are really fatty or there isn't much meat on them and I never seem to cook them quite right but I totally committed to cutlets tonight and it was awesome. Also, they are called "spicy" but they really aren't and you can decide how spicy you want them to be anyway.
Spicy Lamb in Coconut Sauce
What you need
250g pumpkin
1/3 cup peas
small tin chickpeas
coriander leaves
parsley leaves
lamb cutlets
1 teaspoon curry powder (more or less!)
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons chicken stock
What to do
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius and dice the pumpkin into about 1cm chunks. Pop in chunks into an oven dish with a splash of oil and put into the oven for about 10minutes.
Rub the lamb cutlets with curry powder (as much as you like) and place into a lightly greased fry pan on medium heat.
Meanwhile add peas, chickpeas and leaves to the pumpkin and return to the oven on a 140 Celsius until the cutlets are cooked as desired.
Once cutlets are cooked, put on top of vegetables and leave in the oven to keep warm. In the fry pan add the coconut milk, garlic and stock and bring to the boil. Let the sauce simmer until it is as thick as you like.
Serve the cutlets layered on the vegetables and drizzle sauce over the top.
22.11.12
The Red Tree
This week in year 7 English we have been keeping up our paragraph hamburgers but also trying to add critical thinking. To help with this we have been talking about literal and inferential interpretation.
We have been using one of my favourite books, “The Red Tree” by Shaun Tan. This book has countless learning opportunities for English classes and is an easily accessible text for most kids. It is the perfect combination of simple words and complex images. We have been using this book for a week now and every time we pick it up almost all of my students have found something new and interesting to talk about.
We began the week by examining the front cover and doing a brainstorm on the content of the text. We then chose 3 words from the brainstorm that we thought were most likely to reflect what the text is about.
Next we only read the words of the book, without seeing any of the pictures on the inside. As we read, each student made a storyboard of 8 images. We discussed visualisation and how words can put images in your head.
The next thing we did was read through the text together. We spoke about the meaning of the text (and how different people make different meanings) and the intended audience. Students were then split into two levelled groups. The upper group reread the book and then chose a picture to deconstruct. With the lower group we read through the text together and very explicitly identified the meaning of images and words.
Later in the week, we began to review the paragraph hamburger so spent some time focusing on how to improve our writing. Finally we read through the book together again. At each page we stopped and made a list of words that reflected the mood or theme of the page. From this list we practiced writing a paragraph to examine the literal and inferential meaning of the page. We did one together and then students wrote on their own. 
17.11.12
The Paragraph Hamburger
I really don't spend enough time talking about my job on here. Which I guess is good and bad! This week in year 7 and 8 English we have been studying the Paragraph Hamburger.
This is one of those writer's workshop type lessons that I always wish I had done during the first few weeks of school and right now I am making the promise to do that for next year! I am going to do it and do it right from the very beginning!
The paragraph hamburger is such a simple and effective metaphor to get most kids thinking about how they write. It is also a valuable tool to use when a student asks you to read their work. It allows you to have a conversation that is easy to understand (example: "Well, I see that you have made a lettuce burger...let's see if we can add some tomato and meat to make this paragraph a bit tastier").
I tend to start this sequence of lessons off by going right back to the start and asking kids what are paragraphs made up of? Very quickly I get the answer: sentences.
I then break down 3 essential elements of a sentence - Capital letters, punctuation and words (which can obviously broken down further if needed). I then show students an example of a paragraph hamburger graphic organiser (and here is another one) and discuss how this will help their writing improve.
The next step is getting students to understand what they need to do before they write. I take students through the brainstorming phase. Usually I get them to brainstorm between 5 and 12 things they know about a topic. I know 12 seems like a lot and would probably do less for younger grade levels but I tend to find that the first 5 things are what EVERY kid thinks of, so for those who can think out of the box I try to encourage them to go with the more unique ideas they brainstorm later in the process. I often tell kids - if you can't brainstorm 5 things you can't write enough so go find out more information!
We then look at an example of a paragraph (one that is a very obvious example that easily "fits" into the hamburger graphic organiser). I also usually put a title on this paragraph. Often when I ask students what the topic sentence is they will tell me the title which gives me an opportunity to teach them to think of the title as the wrapper of their burger. It gives a little taste of what is to come. We then go through each sentence and identify where it would fit in the graphic organiser.
We then look at another paragraph and rewrite it. At this point I get students to actually draw their own hamburger and write the sentences into it. I find this is a bit more consistent with getting them to see each part is important otherwise they wouldn't have a complete burger. This also gives me an opportunity to go back over writing sentences - I ask students to check their capital letters and their punctuation. I tell them to think of these things as sauce:
1. sauce usually ends up going the whole way through your burger
2. burgers just don't taste right without sauce
The next step is talking about super-sizing your burger or making a "lot" burger. In this phase I get students to go back and see if they can add in something extra (example: "This burger is looking pretty tasty but I like my burger to have extra bacon. Can we add in some bacon!?"). This sometimes gets students to go that one step further to add an extra sentence.
Finally, I will give students a familiar topic or some information to read and let them make their own burgers. After writing I will ask students to make sure they "have sauce" (capitals and punctuation) and also that their burger has a "wrapper" (title). We will then swap burgers and have a taste of each others, maybe get a partner to try to supersize the burger or simply conference to see if they get the concept.
So there we go. A little snapshot of my classroom this week. Sadly no pictures, but I will get some to add into this soon. This is something that I try to do over two weeks or so to ensure students become familiar with the idea and the steps. It is also something valuable to teach to refer back to all year, especially for those students who sometimes struggle to write.
This is one of those writer's workshop type lessons that I always wish I had done during the first few weeks of school and right now I am making the promise to do that for next year! I am going to do it and do it right from the very beginning!
The paragraph hamburger is such a simple and effective metaphor to get most kids thinking about how they write. It is also a valuable tool to use when a student asks you to read their work. It allows you to have a conversation that is easy to understand (example: "Well, I see that you have made a lettuce burger...let's see if we can add some tomato and meat to make this paragraph a bit tastier").
I tend to start this sequence of lessons off by going right back to the start and asking kids what are paragraphs made up of? Very quickly I get the answer: sentences.
I then break down 3 essential elements of a sentence - Capital letters, punctuation and words (which can obviously broken down further if needed). I then show students an example of a paragraph hamburger graphic organiser (and here is another one) and discuss how this will help their writing improve.
The next step is getting students to understand what they need to do before they write. I take students through the brainstorming phase. Usually I get them to brainstorm between 5 and 12 things they know about a topic. I know 12 seems like a lot and would probably do less for younger grade levels but I tend to find that the first 5 things are what EVERY kid thinks of, so for those who can think out of the box I try to encourage them to go with the more unique ideas they brainstorm later in the process. I often tell kids - if you can't brainstorm 5 things you can't write enough so go find out more information!
We then look at an example of a paragraph (one that is a very obvious example that easily "fits" into the hamburger graphic organiser). I also usually put a title on this paragraph. Often when I ask students what the topic sentence is they will tell me the title which gives me an opportunity to teach them to think of the title as the wrapper of their burger. It gives a little taste of what is to come. We then go through each sentence and identify where it would fit in the graphic organiser.
We then look at another paragraph and rewrite it. At this point I get students to actually draw their own hamburger and write the sentences into it. I find this is a bit more consistent with getting them to see each part is important otherwise they wouldn't have a complete burger. This also gives me an opportunity to go back over writing sentences - I ask students to check their capital letters and their punctuation. I tell them to think of these things as sauce:
1. sauce usually ends up going the whole way through your burger
2. burgers just don't taste right without sauce
The next step is talking about super-sizing your burger or making a "lot" burger. In this phase I get students to go back and see if they can add in something extra (example: "This burger is looking pretty tasty but I like my burger to have extra bacon. Can we add in some bacon!?"). This sometimes gets students to go that one step further to add an extra sentence.
Finally, I will give students a familiar topic or some information to read and let them make their own burgers. After writing I will ask students to make sure they "have sauce" (capitals and punctuation) and also that their burger has a "wrapper" (title). We will then swap burgers and have a taste of each others, maybe get a partner to try to supersize the burger or simply conference to see if they get the concept.
So there we go. A little snapshot of my classroom this week. Sadly no pictures, but I will get some to add into this soon. This is something that I try to do over two weeks or so to ensure students become familiar with the idea and the steps. It is also something valuable to teach to refer back to all year, especially for those students who sometimes struggle to write.
16.11.12
Orange You Something
You know that saying "when life gives you lemons"....go buy oranges and make this cake. And eat it over the sink in your pajamas on a Friday night....for dinner.
What you need
2 or 3 oranges
180g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
Peel the oranges and then chop them up and blend them until you have really pulpy juice.
Pour the pulpy juice into a bowl and mix in butter, vanilla, eggs and sugar. Slowly fold in flour. Pour into pan (I used a springform pan for the first time and it was lovely!)
Bake for 70minutes in a 180 oven
What you need
2 or 3 oranges
180g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
Peel the oranges and then chop them up and blend them until you have really pulpy juice.
Bake for 70minutes in a 180 oven
11.11.12
shake it off
What do you do when your professional world and your personal ethics clash?
It's not often I don't want to go to work. I like my job. I love the kids I teach. I tolerate my colleagues. However, tonight I am feeling very Sunday night. The kind of feeling where I don't want to fall asleep, I don't even want to get under the covers because it means tomorrow will be here quicker than I want it to be.
I remember being 10 and sitting on the couch all Sunday night because I knew if I fell asleep it would be Monday all too soon and I didn't want to go back to school. It concerns me because that's how I feel tonight. Fifteen years later. I shouldn't be having this feeling.
It's been a tough few weeks. I seem to have managed to spend a lot of time off the radar this year, but the last few weeks have been tough. These questions just keep nagging my brain.
Did I do the right thing? When has it ever been wrong to do what I did? Why am I relieved that you are not concerned when I am so concerned? Why aren't you concerned? What gives us the power to decide these kinds of things? How can I see this is so wrong and you can't?
I know that I joined this job to help kids. I joined this job to give knowledge and help and opportunity. And that got lost last week. And it wasn't my fault. And I'm powerless to do anything to fix the situation. All I can do is sit back and question other people and the situation and myself. What kind of person am I to let this happen?
It's not often I don't want to go to work. I like my job. I love the kids I teach. I tolerate my colleagues. However, tonight I am feeling very Sunday night. The kind of feeling where I don't want to fall asleep, I don't even want to get under the covers because it means tomorrow will be here quicker than I want it to be.
I remember being 10 and sitting on the couch all Sunday night because I knew if I fell asleep it would be Monday all too soon and I didn't want to go back to school. It concerns me because that's how I feel tonight. Fifteen years later. I shouldn't be having this feeling.
It's been a tough few weeks. I seem to have managed to spend a lot of time off the radar this year, but the last few weeks have been tough. These questions just keep nagging my brain.
Did I do the right thing? When has it ever been wrong to do what I did? Why am I relieved that you are not concerned when I am so concerned? Why aren't you concerned? What gives us the power to decide these kinds of things? How can I see this is so wrong and you can't?
I know that I joined this job to help kids. I joined this job to give knowledge and help and opportunity. And that got lost last week. And it wasn't my fault. And I'm powerless to do anything to fix the situation. All I can do is sit back and question other people and the situation and myself. What kind of person am I to let this happen?
30.10.12
Limbo
You know you're an adult when you can no longer fit your whole life into one single room. My life is currently spread between 2 suitcases, the back of a car, a removal truck, 2 boxes and one single room. And I am so so thankful just to have that room in a house where there are condiments.
You also know you're an adult when this is an acceptable dinner. And it becomes an acceptable dinner two nights in a row because it's just that time of year when there is so much to do the best thing to do is eat.
Counting down is tricky, especially when this is supposed to be the shortest count down of all.
23.10.12
Nut & But
I have two dogs - a Tibetan Spaniel, named Butters and a Boston-Terrier cross Jack Russell, named Peanut. Together they are Nut and But, they are best friends and my whole world!
They are both currently living with my mother. We had to leave them with her as we are in the middle of packing up our lives and heading back to the city so, to save them the stress of flights and 2500km drives it was better to leave them with her (to be spoilt beyond belief!). But gosh, I miss them!
The house is so empty. I am having to rely on an actual alarm clock instead of the little whimpers of puppies who need to get outside every morning. At night is the worst, when my husband works night shifts (which is almost always) they were the best company and it would be the perfect excuse to fill the bed with the furkids.
So obviously I have turned to comfort food. Another huge contributor to this is no longer having a wedding dress to fit into and, after foregoing so much indulgence prior to the wedding, it seems my body expects me to binge. Also I have a cupboard of food that needs to be emptied prior to moving so and as tribute to my beautiful little dogs who I miss so much, I present:
Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
These are super simple, easy, delicious and feel like a whole meal in a cookie (or like 5 cookies)
What you need:
125g butter (softened)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
raw peanuts (as many as you think you would like)
choc drops/ choc chips (as many as you think you would like...and then some)
What to do:
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy then add the peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Whaz this all up until it is a smooth caramelly coloured creamy mixture. Then add the flour, peanuts and chocolate and mix to combine.
Now really, you could leave it at that and just eat it from the bowl, I would not judge you....ever. But they are also equally as good if you roll them into little blobs and bake them for about 20 minutes.
They are both currently living with my mother. We had to leave them with her as we are in the middle of packing up our lives and heading back to the city so, to save them the stress of flights and 2500km drives it was better to leave them with her (to be spoilt beyond belief!). But gosh, I miss them!
The house is so empty. I am having to rely on an actual alarm clock instead of the little whimpers of puppies who need to get outside every morning. At night is the worst, when my husband works night shifts (which is almost always) they were the best company and it would be the perfect excuse to fill the bed with the furkids.
So obviously I have turned to comfort food. Another huge contributor to this is no longer having a wedding dress to fit into and, after foregoing so much indulgence prior to the wedding, it seems my body expects me to binge. Also I have a cupboard of food that needs to be emptied prior to moving so and as tribute to my beautiful little dogs who I miss so much, I present:
Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
What you need:
125g butter (softened)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
raw peanuts (as many as you think you would like)
choc drops/ choc chips (as many as you think you would like...and then some)
What to do:
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy then add the peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Whaz this all up until it is a smooth caramelly coloured creamy mixture. Then add the flour, peanuts and chocolate and mix to combine.
Now really, you could leave it at that and just eat it from the bowl, I would not judge you....ever. But they are also equally as good if you roll them into little blobs and bake them for about 20 minutes.
14.10.12
September
My goodness! What happened to September? I feel as though I got lost somewhere after making Banoffee Pie, which now seems like a lifetime ago.
For me, September was filled with so many amazing moments. The month signified the end of our third term which was the longest one of the year. The month started with my Mister receiving his transfer which means that he will be leaving our town at the start of November to head back to the city. I also received my teacher transfer which allows me to follow him a month later to teach primary school (yay!) . It also means that after three years our time living in the remote Australian outback is coming to an end which is excellent and devastating but the great thing about life is that it is full of moments like these.
So that was just the start of September! The rest of the month was filled up with hens parties, bucks parties, copious amounts of last minute planning, phone calls and rushing around, all in preparation for our amazing wedding!
The week leading up was filled with so many hazards. There were some complications with our cake (but it all worked out perfectly), our poor celebrant became very sick (but she got better and it all worked out perfectly), we had a miscommunication with our decorators and some of our decorations were not available (but after some *calm* negotiations it all worked out perfectly), the day before there was a mini cyclone on the beach (but on the day.....yep - it all worked out perfectly). We could not have asked for a better, more memorable day to unite our love with friends and family surrounding us.
And then there was the Honeymoon! We spent 3 days in Kuala Lumpur loving the city, the people and the shopping. Next we headed to the jungle of Sabah. We stayed at a beautiful resort on Dalit Beach. Relaxation. Sunshine. Orang-utans. Massages. Food. Oh the food! Stay tuned for some Malaysian inspired dinners.
So that was September and after negotiating around 30 hours of travel we are back home.
Now it is October....almost half over! There are 8 weeks of the working year left. I have a prac student to guide over the next 5 weeks. Report cards to write. A house to pack up. And a new life waiting just around the corner.
For me, September was filled with so many amazing moments. The month signified the end of our third term which was the longest one of the year. The month started with my Mister receiving his transfer which means that he will be leaving our town at the start of November to head back to the city. I also received my teacher transfer which allows me to follow him a month later to teach primary school (yay!) . It also means that after three years our time living in the remote Australian outback is coming to an end which is excellent and devastating but the great thing about life is that it is full of moments like these.
So that was just the start of September! The rest of the month was filled up with hens parties, bucks parties, copious amounts of last minute planning, phone calls and rushing around, all in preparation for our amazing wedding!
The week leading up was filled with so many hazards. There were some complications with our cake (but it all worked out perfectly), our poor celebrant became very sick (but she got better and it all worked out perfectly), we had a miscommunication with our decorators and some of our decorations were not available (but after some *calm* negotiations it all worked out perfectly), the day before there was a mini cyclone on the beach (but on the day.....yep - it all worked out perfectly). We could not have asked for a better, more memorable day to unite our love with friends and family surrounding us.
And then there was the Honeymoon! We spent 3 days in Kuala Lumpur loving the city, the people and the shopping. Next we headed to the jungle of Sabah. We stayed at a beautiful resort on Dalit Beach. Relaxation. Sunshine. Orang-utans. Massages. Food. Oh the food! Stay tuned for some Malaysian inspired dinners.
So that was September and after negotiating around 30 hours of travel we are back home.
Now it is October....almost half over! There are 8 weeks of the working year left. I have a prac student to guide over the next 5 weeks. Report cards to write. A house to pack up. And a new life waiting just around the corner.
10.9.12
Banoffee Pie
Yes, I am aware I said no more baking for a while but some days the only thing that is right and good and decent is caramel.
Sometimes your day is complicated, confusing and rushed. No matter how hard you try. No matter how organised you believe you are. There are some days when you just end up chasing your own tail.
But things look brighter when you arrive home and you discover a can of condensed milk and some ripe bananas.
And just when you think life can't get any better, there is whipped cream too and as you plonk yourself down on the couch and push all the regretful, worrisome episodes of the day to the side...you wonder why things seemed so bleak and overwhelming to begin with.
and that, is the magic of caramel.
Banoffee Pie
Base
1 cup of self-raising flour
1 cup of coconut
100g melted butter
combine ingredients, press into a pan and bake for about 15 minutes
Filling
1 can of condensed milk
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
30g butter
combine ingredients in a saucepan and place on the stove on medium heat. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for around 5 minutes until light golden brown.
Pour mixture on top of prepared base and place in the oven for 15minutes, place in fridge to cool.
Topping
slice some bananas, whip some cream - combine and dollop on top of cooled pie
4.9.12
The Wedding Rant
Yep, it's finally happened - The Wedding Rant. We are in the process of planning to move (of course) and the man of the house sold the bedroom television so now I have been left alone with crazy bride thoughts that have overspilled into a blog post.
Weddings are frightening and exciting things aren't they? Mine seems to have snuck up on me. We got engaged in January 2011. So many people have cute engagement stories. Ours involves moving house.....surprise, surprise - I am only up to my 5th house in 3 years. I was covered in dirt and sweat and had moved about 100 boxes, a fridge and a washing machine, cleaned a house and survived a house inspection. He had spent the entire day flying back to me and our new house. Obviously it was the right time.
We figured we would give ourselves a fair bit of time to plan and save money and set the date for September 29, 2012. On reflection I don't think we did either of those things overly well!
Planning things from far away is tricky. When I organise anything I like to be right there in the middle of it all but so much of this wedding had to be done online, on the phone and in bits and pieces when we managed to get out of the bush and back to reality.
Things got out of hand quickly. I had hardly said yes when we realised we HAD to book a venue and we HAD to organise the ceremony and we HAD to find a decorator and we HAD to start looking for a celebrant and we HAD to invite this person and that person. Weddings are just one massive to-do list of booking things and keeping people happy.
Which is okay, because we are fairly easy going people and like keeping people happy. We are quite organised people and generally book things well in advance and we (he) has pretty good taste and usually book good quality things. And we are actually awesome and suit each other perfectly.
So why am I ranting? Why am I sitting here wondering if it's too late to choose a different wedding dress because, even though I love mine, it might not be right for a beach wedding. Why do I keep dreaming that when my florist arrives with the flowers they are all dead and she tells me over and over, "That's how they come." Why do I keep thinking about how to explain to my future husband about rolling up the sleeves of his shirt so they don't look bunchy? Why do I only feel good when I am on a treadmill or eating carrot sticks and celery. Do you know what's disgusting? Celery. It's really bad. I keep thinking about my hair - the colour, the length, the style. I don't think I've ever thought about my hair this much.....okay that is a lie but this time it REALLY matters! And the tide. Beach wedding....the tide is something you never think of when you see all the lovely pictures of people in suits and dresses smiling and laughing by the water's edge. The tide is apparently "low" for our wedding day. What does that mean? Is my beach wedding actually going to be a mud wedding?
Okay....I think that's everything that is on my mind at the moment.
Weddings are frightening and exciting things aren't they? Mine seems to have snuck up on me. We got engaged in January 2011. So many people have cute engagement stories. Ours involves moving house.....surprise, surprise - I am only up to my 5th house in 3 years. I was covered in dirt and sweat and had moved about 100 boxes, a fridge and a washing machine, cleaned a house and survived a house inspection. He had spent the entire day flying back to me and our new house. Obviously it was the right time.
We figured we would give ourselves a fair bit of time to plan and save money and set the date for September 29, 2012. On reflection I don't think we did either of those things overly well!
Planning things from far away is tricky. When I organise anything I like to be right there in the middle of it all but so much of this wedding had to be done online, on the phone and in bits and pieces when we managed to get out of the bush and back to reality.
Things got out of hand quickly. I had hardly said yes when we realised we HAD to book a venue and we HAD to organise the ceremony and we HAD to find a decorator and we HAD to start looking for a celebrant and we HAD to invite this person and that person. Weddings are just one massive to-do list of booking things and keeping people happy.
Which is okay, because we are fairly easy going people and like keeping people happy. We are quite organised people and generally book things well in advance and we (he) has pretty good taste and usually book good quality things. And we are actually awesome and suit each other perfectly.
So why am I ranting? Why am I sitting here wondering if it's too late to choose a different wedding dress because, even though I love mine, it might not be right for a beach wedding. Why do I keep dreaming that when my florist arrives with the flowers they are all dead and she tells me over and over, "That's how they come." Why do I keep thinking about how to explain to my future husband about rolling up the sleeves of his shirt so they don't look bunchy? Why do I only feel good when I am on a treadmill or eating carrot sticks and celery. Do you know what's disgusting? Celery. It's really bad. I keep thinking about my hair - the colour, the length, the style. I don't think I've ever thought about my hair this much.....okay that is a lie but this time it REALLY matters! And the tide. Beach wedding....the tide is something you never think of when you see all the lovely pictures of people in suits and dresses smiling and laughing by the water's edge. The tide is apparently "low" for our wedding day. What does that mean? Is my beach wedding actually going to be a mud wedding?
Okay....I think that's everything that is on my mind at the moment.
31.8.12
Chicken Kofta
I have made a little pact with myself to *try* not bake anything for the next 3 weeks because, in 4 weeks, I have to be able to fit into a wedding dress and not look like I eat cupcakes every day. What?! No! Okay...most days. Especially when my students do cooking in Home Ec and bring me the delicious things they bake (especially especially especially chocolate chip filled muffins that I am totally getting the recipe for). It's bad manners to turn down cake.
So, to avoid any wedding day wardrobe malfunctions-bulging out in weird places-back cleavage scenarios, I have got to lay off the baked goods.
Which actually makes me sad, not only because I will be missing out on my daily sugar binge but because I LIKE to bake. It's my thing. Right now I seem to have very little control over many aspects of my life - my transfer, the wedding guest list, moving house, my timetable - but the one thing I can control is how many chochips and how much buttercream.
To fill the void in my oven I am trying out a few new savoury things that are hopefully healthy as well. Tonight was Chicken Kofta. These probably didn't live up to my expectations because Lamb Kofta is just heaven on a stick. That said they were still delicious, I just had higher hopes. Fortunately a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce really helped boost them along.
Chicken Kofta
1/2 brown onion
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup pinenuts
1 tsp cumin
a collection of herbs...coriander, parsley etc..
600g chicken mince
1 egg
1/2 cup couscous
Whaz the pinenuts into little chunks, dice the onion and combine with the garlic and the cumin. Fry this mixture on low heat until it smells delicious.
Whisk the egg in a large bowl, add the chicken, herbs and nut mixture and the couscous and mix to combine.
This will be a fairly sticky mixture but try the best you can to make sausage like shapes out of similar sized chunks of the mixture. Obviously you want them to cook evenly so similar size is good. Mine were about 10cm long. Lay the sausage shapes on a tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
This gives the mixture some time to become less sticky so once they are done take them out and reshape it you need to. Insert a skewer into the centre of the chicken sausage shapes and then grill. I actually put mine on a sandwich press which worked great and then popped them in the oven for about 15minutes just to ensure they were cooked through.
Serve with salad, greek yoghurt and sweet chilli sauce. - These also work amazingly for lunch the next day on a pita wrap.
24.8.12
The Cake
It's my mister's birthday. That means wrapping paper and presents and surprises and cake.
I love cake. I love tiny cupcakes that are like little pieces of love wrapped in paper. I love the smooth creamy decadence of cheesecakes. I love bold warm chocolate cakes. I love buttery fruitcakes. I love silky red-velvet cakes. But most of all I LOVE the almost-smokey, dense deliciousness that is caramel mudcake.
It all starts with the sensual goodness that is melted butter and brown sugar. Swirl in vanilla and golden syrup and.......wait for it....... yes, that's right - white chocolate.
I understand if, at this point, you need a moment to sit and stare in awe at those words. It is the most inspiring collection of delicious things combined in one wholesome warm saucepan of happiness.
But it doesn't end there. There is more, so much more. The lashing of white chocolate cream in the centre. The drizzle of caramel frosting over the top and the strawberries to compliment the entire glorious combination of flavours.
This is perfection for me. The delicate balance between melting and burning, simmering and boiling, whisking and combining. I promise it is worth the wait.
Happy Birthday My Love!
How to do it
200g butter
1 cup brown sugar
200g white chocolate
180ml hot water
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 cup SR flour
Heat the butter, sugar, water, golden syrup, vanilla extract and chocolate in a saucepan until melted and well combined.
Let this mixture cool to room temperature (I placed mine in a sink of cool water to help speed this up). Once cool, whisk in the eggs. Sift in the flours and gently mix until combined.
Pour the mixture into a cake tin (at this point I divided mine in half and cooked each half separately so that I could sandwich the two halves together with white chocolate cream). As usual, bake times always vary. I could say 45-60 minutes or I could say until the smell of your kitchen makes you smile and the top of your cake bounces back.
Once out of the oven you MUST let it cool. This is the part I always struggle with. Self control and cake should never be said in once sentence but at this point it is necessary and to help pass the time make some ganache and white chocolate cream
White Chocolate Cream
100g white chocolate
250g cream
Melt the chocolate and let it cool down. Add the cream then mix with beaters until there are soft creamy waves beginning to take shape. You might want toeat this directly from the bowl spread the cream between layers of your cake or serve it on the side with some strawberries. Or do both of these things.
Caramel Frosting
I always struggle with frosting.....always. 125g of butter and 1 cup of sugar melted. Add 1/3 cup of milk and bring to the boil. Let cook for a short time and then allow to cool. Add enough icing sugar to thicken....this took a long time for me and I feel as though the universe was just against anything thickening for me at the time I did this. Eventually I got bored with mixing and waiting and just tipped it all over the cake, which wasdelicious messy.
I love cake. I love tiny cupcakes that are like little pieces of love wrapped in paper. I love the smooth creamy decadence of cheesecakes. I love bold warm chocolate cakes. I love buttery fruitcakes. I love silky red-velvet cakes. But most of all I LOVE the almost-smokey, dense deliciousness that is caramel mudcake.
It all starts with the sensual goodness that is melted butter and brown sugar. Swirl in vanilla and golden syrup and.......wait for it....... yes, that's right - white chocolate.
I understand if, at this point, you need a moment to sit and stare in awe at those words. It is the most inspiring collection of delicious things combined in one wholesome warm saucepan of happiness.
But it doesn't end there. There is more, so much more. The lashing of white chocolate cream in the centre. The drizzle of caramel frosting over the top and the strawberries to compliment the entire glorious combination of flavours.
This is perfection for me. The delicate balance between melting and burning, simmering and boiling, whisking and combining. I promise it is worth the wait.
Happy Birthday My Love!
How to do it
1 cup brown sugar
200g white chocolate
180ml hot water
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 cup SR flour
Heat the butter, sugar, water, golden syrup, vanilla extract and chocolate in a saucepan until melted and well combined.
Let this mixture cool to room temperature (I placed mine in a sink of cool water to help speed this up). Once cool, whisk in the eggs. Sift in the flours and gently mix until combined.
Pour the mixture into a cake tin (at this point I divided mine in half and cooked each half separately so that I could sandwich the two halves together with white chocolate cream). As usual, bake times always vary. I could say 45-60 minutes or I could say until the smell of your kitchen makes you smile and the top of your cake bounces back.
Once out of the oven you MUST let it cool. This is the part I always struggle with. Self control and cake should never be said in once sentence but at this point it is necessary and to help pass the time make some ganache and white chocolate cream
White Chocolate Cream
100g white chocolate
250g cream
Melt the chocolate and let it cool down. Add the cream then mix with beaters until there are soft creamy waves beginning to take shape. You might want to
Caramel Frosting
I always struggle with frosting.....always. 125g of butter and 1 cup of sugar melted. Add 1/3 cup of milk and bring to the boil. Let cook for a short time and then allow to cool. Add enough icing sugar to thicken....this took a long time for me and I feel as though the universe was just against anything thickening for me at the time I did this. Eventually I got bored with mixing and waiting and just tipped it all over the cake, which was
23.8.12
Classroom Envy
Today I ripped the innards our of my classroom. I'm talking 6 garbage bags full of stuff. It was a great feeling and thankgoodness Mr Maths was able to help me carry it all down to the bins!
I have been blog hopping and seeing so many beautiful classrooms on teaching blogs. They all have bright colours and adorable matching themes. They are classrooms that people are proud to take pictures of and put on the internet! My classroom looks like a cave - well...an empty cave now!
I have potato sacks on the windows as curtains. I have a whiteboard that has been dented in several places and covered in stickers in other places. I have a book case that looks like it was made from weetbix. My computer area has bare floorboards and you can see through to the concrete below. Sometimes lizards get in. The whole room hasn't had a lot of love but it is still mine and I like it. I just wish that I had access to some things to make it nicer - like an Ikea and a Bunnings and an Office Works!
I need to think of a classroom theme for next year - any suggestions?
We are going on an excursion tomorrow to the library....I'm very excited.
I have been blog hopping and seeing so many beautiful classrooms on teaching blogs. They all have bright colours and adorable matching themes. They are classrooms that people are proud to take pictures of and put on the internet! My classroom looks like a cave - well...an empty cave now!
I have potato sacks on the windows as curtains. I have a whiteboard that has been dented in several places and covered in stickers in other places. I have a book case that looks like it was made from weetbix. My computer area has bare floorboards and you can see through to the concrete below. Sometimes lizards get in. The whole room hasn't had a lot of love but it is still mine and I like it. I just wish that I had access to some things to make it nicer - like an Ikea and a Bunnings and an Office Works!
I need to think of a classroom theme for next year - any suggestions?
We are going on an excursion tomorrow to the library....I'm very excited.
17.8.12
Caveman Living
So, as predicted, week 1 of living like a caveman has been tricky, jumbled, confusing and delicious. As I'm new to the caveman neighbourhood it was necessary for me to investigate other cave dweller recipe collections.
It seems that every "expert" out there has a different idea about what exactly constitutes a paleo diet. Some gave sweet potatoes the thumbs up, others said NO to all tubers (....I also had to look up what a tuber was, is this an American word or am I just extremely ignorant about vegetables?).
One very enthusiastic paleo displayed an array of muffins, pancakes and delicious baked goods created with many obscure and exciting types of flour (that were unable to be located at my meagre grocery store). Some cave people even claimed to enjoy luxuries such as sundried tomatoes and coffee!
Here are some of my thoughts
1. Nobody really knows what cavemen ate. It was a long time ago. Very few cave people updated their statuses, "Just slaughtered wildebeest, enjoying coffee by the fire." Sure, mummified remains have been discovered to have grain fragments found in their gut and there's that whole "the real purpose of an appendix" conversation but, really, I don't feel anybody could accurately pinpoint the exact diet of paleo people.
2. Evidence indicates that in the time of cave dwellers, our plant and animal systems were exceptionally more diverse than that of modern day. Plants and animals were also much more plentiful so, surely a true paleo diet would have been far more diverse than we could ever imagine.
3. Enough people in general talk about the health benefits of fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, eggs, nuts. As these make up the staples (and practically everything else) of the paleo diet a lot of it seems to come down to just good choices and maybe actually being brave enough to cut out the certain sugars, carbs and other elements that are probably unnecessary in a "typical diet".
All opinions aside, the common elements in all paleo tips and tricks were meat and eggs. Add in some fruits and vegetables (tubers and/or non-tubers) and I think I'm more or less on the right track. With that in mind, here are some of the things that I have enjoyed creating and eating this week.
Some hardcore paleos may shake their heads in disgust but I am trying and, short of actually dredging up my own Encinoman (who else loved that movie?! go 1990s Brendan Fraser), I can only work with the mismatched information I am given and the supplies at the grocery store.
It seems that every "expert" out there has a different idea about what exactly constitutes a paleo diet. Some gave sweet potatoes the thumbs up, others said NO to all tubers (....I also had to look up what a tuber was, is this an American word or am I just extremely ignorant about vegetables?).
One very enthusiastic paleo displayed an array of muffins, pancakes and delicious baked goods created with many obscure and exciting types of flour (that were unable to be located at my meagre grocery store). Some cave people even claimed to enjoy luxuries such as sundried tomatoes and coffee!
Here are some of my thoughts
1. Nobody really knows what cavemen ate. It was a long time ago. Very few cave people updated their statuses, "Just slaughtered wildebeest, enjoying coffee by the fire." Sure, mummified remains have been discovered to have grain fragments found in their gut and there's that whole "the real purpose of an appendix" conversation but, really, I don't feel anybody could accurately pinpoint the exact diet of paleo people.
2. Evidence indicates that in the time of cave dwellers, our plant and animal systems were exceptionally more diverse than that of modern day. Plants and animals were also much more plentiful so, surely a true paleo diet would have been far more diverse than we could ever imagine.
3. Enough people in general talk about the health benefits of fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, eggs, nuts. As these make up the staples (and practically everything else) of the paleo diet a lot of it seems to come down to just good choices and maybe actually being brave enough to cut out the certain sugars, carbs and other elements that are probably unnecessary in a "typical diet".
All opinions aside, the common elements in all paleo tips and tricks were meat and eggs. Add in some fruits and vegetables (tubers and/or non-tubers) and I think I'm more or less on the right track. With that in mind, here are some of the things that I have enjoyed creating and eating this week.
Some hardcore paleos may shake their heads in disgust but I am trying and, short of actually dredging up my own Encinoman (who else loved that movie?! go 1990s Brendan Fraser), I can only work with the mismatched information I am given and the supplies at the grocery store.
10.8.12
Mockingbirds & Cavemen
The recruitment officer rang me during the week to ask about my teaching preferences for 2013 so ....fingerscrossed! I'm holding out for a nice little school on the Northside of Brisbane and a comfortable English & SOSE position in the lower secondary department.....is that so much to ask!?
I have received approval from my principal to teach the "To Kill A Mockingbird" unit instead of "Worldshaker". I am so thankful for this opportunity and amazed at the amount of faith my boss has in me to produce a unit from nothing that will align perfectly with the National Curriculum.
Finally,in a bid to lose every centimetre of body fat to shift some excess weight, I am tentatively considering the paleo eating plan. I have spent several hours today looking through information and I feel it is something I could realistically do and would open up some new options in the kitchen which is always exciting.
So that's my plans for the weekend. I'm actually very excited - hope you're doing something nice!
I have received approval from my principal to teach the "To Kill A Mockingbird" unit instead of "Worldshaker". I am so thankful for this opportunity and amazed at the amount of faith my boss has in me to produce a unit from nothing that will align perfectly with the National Curriculum.
Finally,
So that's my plans for the weekend. I'm actually very excited - hope you're doing something nice!
6.8.12
Linking with {6th Grade} All-Stars
I'm beginning to realise that I'm very interested in what other teachers are doing and a great way to find out is through blogs. I recently stumbled across {6th Grade} All-Stars. It's always helpful to see what others teachers are experiencing and share the wonderful things that happen in classrooms across the world. I thought I would impart my (limited!) wisdom...
1. I teach in a very isolated outback Australian community. Our school has about 160 students enrolled from prep to grade 10. I teach in the secondary department. I teach grade 9 English, grade 8 English, grade 7 English, Study of Society & Environment and Science. However, for the past two years I have taught grade 6 (all key learning areas).
2. The best advice I received in my first year of teaching is "Don't be afraid to get it wrong". As teachers we often seem to think we have all the answers but (while we do have most of the answers!!) we do get stuff wrong. The most important thing is to learn from whatever mistakes you make and don't be afraid to acknowledge that things aren't working and be brave enough to try something different to fix it!
3. #1 - your planning - obviously you need to know what you are doing!
#2 student desks - I start off with a bit of variety of rows, groups and single desks just until I get an idea of the students (I also explain to them on the first day that they can choose their own desk but it may change)
#3 my desk - this is a surprisingly important area and must be managed to suit your needs to avoid a paper avalanche 5 weeks into the semester. If you have a filing cabinet - USE IT! Have lots of basic stationery and sticky notes. Sometimes an "inbox" can be helpful for anything important (which you will find is most things!)
#4 digital resources - make sure your laptops/computers/interactive whiteboard etc is all hooked up and ready to go
#5 environmental print - posters, classroom rules, curriculum materials - spend the time to make your classroom look the way you want it to look...but you MUST leave space for things that you and your students create together!
4. I think it is important to have "a nice spot"! This might include a rug, some beanbags, a pot plant, fish tank...it's just a place to sit and read or listen to quiet music or talk. I've only just realised how important a spot like this is. Other imperative things are reading materials that kids actually enjoy (a nice mix of books, magazines, comics, newspapers etc).
5. Classroom rules display- it is so important to set expectations. Being clear from the first moment means that everything else flows easily. It's about establishing transparent guidelines so that nobody is confused about what they are doing. Displaying the rules gives you the opportunity to refer to them as necessary and also gives you an opportunity to introduce the rules and expectations easily on the first day. A good way to do this is with WWH (what are we doing, why are we doing it, how are we doing it).
1. I teach in a very isolated outback Australian community. Our school has about 160 students enrolled from prep to grade 10. I teach in the secondary department. I teach grade 9 English, grade 8 English, grade 7 English, Study of Society & Environment and Science. However, for the past two years I have taught grade 6 (all key learning areas).
2. The best advice I received in my first year of teaching is "Don't be afraid to get it wrong". As teachers we often seem to think we have all the answers but (while we do have most of the answers!!) we do get stuff wrong. The most important thing is to learn from whatever mistakes you make and don't be afraid to acknowledge that things aren't working and be brave enough to try something different to fix it!
3. #1 - your planning - obviously you need to know what you are doing!
#2 student desks - I start off with a bit of variety of rows, groups and single desks just until I get an idea of the students (I also explain to them on the first day that they can choose their own desk but it may change)
#3 my desk - this is a surprisingly important area and must be managed to suit your needs to avoid a paper avalanche 5 weeks into the semester. If you have a filing cabinet - USE IT! Have lots of basic stationery and sticky notes. Sometimes an "inbox" can be helpful for anything important (which you will find is most things!)
#4 digital resources - make sure your laptops/computers/interactive whiteboard etc is all hooked up and ready to go
#5 environmental print - posters, classroom rules, curriculum materials - spend the time to make your classroom look the way you want it to look...but you MUST leave space for things that you and your students create together!
4. I think it is important to have "a nice spot"! This might include a rug, some beanbags, a pot plant, fish tank...it's just a place to sit and read or listen to quiet music or talk. I've only just realised how important a spot like this is. Other imperative things are reading materials that kids actually enjoy (a nice mix of books, magazines, comics, newspapers etc).
5. Classroom rules display- it is so important to set expectations. Being clear from the first moment means that everything else flows easily. It's about establishing transparent guidelines so that nobody is confused about what they are doing. Displaying the rules gives you the opportunity to refer to them as necessary and also gives you an opportunity to introduce the rules and expectations easily on the first day. A good way to do this is with WWH (what are we doing, why are we doing it, how are we doing it).
3.8.12
winding down
you know when you feel like your moving at a thousand miles an hour but everything else is going so slow? It feels like you're listening to Little River Band, "Friday night it was late, I was walking you home..." but at the same time like your listening to every dance song you ever rocked out to in a night club when you were 19?
this is my reality and it's beautiful and confusing at the same time.
the wedding keeps creeping into my every day dialogue. that's right. I'M GETTING MARRIED! .........and every time i remember that i feel like eating copious amounts of fried chicken. not that i don't want to get married. and (of course) i am terribly organised, right down to the last flower petal. i think it's just the fact that i am so far (2500kms) away from where i am getting married. i feel so far away from the wedding itself (even though it is only a mere 58(??) days away!!) that i still can't quite comprehend it.
it's birth month. My soon-to-be Mr is turning 27! i think this is the first time in 3 years i have actually put in any effort to acknowledge his birthday. packages are arriving, the fur-kids have even contributed to the gift pile.
my practicum student is arriving soon. i love this! i get the opportunity to teach someone else to be a teacher which is always a valuable reflective tool and gives me a break from some parts of my job but also opens up another (sometimes more complicated) part.
we are off to Borneo soon to spend some time with orangutans.
i am in the process of organising a year 9 English unit on "12 Angry Men" and attempting to gain my Digital Pedagogical Licence.
my transfer application has been approved and I find out where my 2013 teaching location is in 48 days!
in amongst all of this i am apparently 'winding down'........yet i still feel like i'm going too fast to even stop for a second.
best feeling ever!
this is my reality and it's beautiful and confusing at the same time.
the wedding keeps creeping into my every day dialogue. that's right. I'M GETTING MARRIED! .........and every time i remember that i feel like eating copious amounts of fried chicken. not that i don't want to get married. and (of course) i am terribly organised, right down to the last flower petal. i think it's just the fact that i am so far (2500kms) away from where i am getting married. i feel so far away from the wedding itself (even though it is only a mere 58(??) days away!!) that i still can't quite comprehend it.
it's birth month. My soon-to-be Mr is turning 27! i think this is the first time in 3 years i have actually put in any effort to acknowledge his birthday. packages are arriving, the fur-kids have even contributed to the gift pile.
my practicum student is arriving soon. i love this! i get the opportunity to teach someone else to be a teacher which is always a valuable reflective tool and gives me a break from some parts of my job but also opens up another (sometimes more complicated) part.
we are off to Borneo soon to spend some time with orangutans.
i am in the process of organising a year 9 English unit on "12 Angry Men" and attempting to gain my Digital Pedagogical Licence.
my transfer application has been approved and I find out where my 2013 teaching location is in 48 days!
in amongst all of this i am apparently 'winding down'........yet i still feel like i'm going too fast to even stop for a second.
best feeling ever!
13.7.12
Breakfast Beans
I discovered a cookbook I brought about 7 years ago. It is a Women's Weekly book and it is amazing. It's one of those books I've looked through quite a few times and though, "Why did I ever even buy this?" and put back on the bookshelf.
For some reason I picked it up on Sunday night and started flipping though it and couldn't help but be amazed at how easy a lot of the recipes looked. Quite often I assume that because something seems pretty simple it mustn't taste very good. The thing is, while this is true for some of those "4 ingredients and dinner in 2 seconds", books for this book it is different. This book seems to strike the right balance between easy to make, accessible ingredients and taste. I kicked started with this delicious breakfast:
Breakfast Beans
What you need
1/2 an onion diced
2 cloves garlic
3 bacon rashers diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 can cannelini beans
parsley
What you do
saute the onion, garlic and bacon in a saucepan until the onion is soft. Add the crushed tomatoes, mustard and beans and stir through until thoroughly heated. Serve on toast with parsley to top.
For some reason I picked it up on Sunday night and started flipping though it and couldn't help but be amazed at how easy a lot of the recipes looked. Quite often I assume that because something seems pretty simple it mustn't taste very good. The thing is, while this is true for some of those "4 ingredients and dinner in 2 seconds", books for this book it is different. This book seems to strike the right balance between easy to make, accessible ingredients and taste. I kicked started with this delicious breakfast:
Breakfast Beans
What you need
1/2 an onion diced
2 cloves garlic
3 bacon rashers diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 can cannelini beans
parsley
What you do
saute the onion, garlic and bacon in a saucepan until the onion is soft. Add the crushed tomatoes, mustard and beans and stir through until thoroughly heated. Serve on toast with parsley to top.
ANZAC Biscuits
So I'm a little late with these as ANZAC Day was ages ago. However, my English class are studying Australian Representations at the moment and we are watching several scenes from Gallipoli. It has got me in the mood for these crisp, moist delicious cookies,
There's something awesome about butter and golden syrup. I've never really liked golden syrup but the way that it caramelises with the butter in these cookies makes them so special.
I use a pretty simple recipe but one thing I've changed is the addition of sultanas. I LOVE sultanas. Everything is better with them....even cheese. Nothing makes these bikkies better than finding plump, juicy, partially cooked sultanas hidden on the inside....or outside depending on how many you use. Always tasty and perfect morning/afternoon tea snack.
My ANZAC Biscuits
1 cup flour
1 cup of rolled oats mixed
Splash of pepitas and sunflower seeds
Sultanas (as many as you require!)
1/2 cup Raw sugar
1/2 cup Coconut
150grams butter
3 tablespoons golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 tablespoon water
Combine the flour, oats, seeds, sultanas, sugar and coconut in a mixing bowl.
On the stove melt down the butter and the syrup, mixing occasionally. Just as butter melts combine bicarb soda with 1 tablespoon of water and add to butter and syrup. Mixture will bubble up so take off the heat.
Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients and mix to combine. Take small handfuls of mixture and roll into balls, place on baking tray cook in 180 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Sometimes I like mine to be a little overdone, it gives them that crispness.
8.7.12
The countdown
I wish I didn't turn into a 10 year old at the end of every school holidays. Lying awake for hours in bed thinking about everything and nothing in particular.
I miss the feeling of not being home.
We had such a good break. We were busy organizing all the wedding things but it was the first time in 2 years I felt like I'd actually been back home properly.
I felt so much relief just being back there. I keep thinking about the first night back in my old room and the feeling of absolute comfort. The familiar sound of the train line and my mother's unexplainably frustrating out of time ticking clocks.
The silence here is awful now.
We're pretty sure we've decided now. We seem to have talked about it too many times but I think we're sure now.
Really there's not long to go. Probably exactly half way. It's funny how you spend so much time trying to decide something that you have already known the answer to all along.
I feel like somewhere in there I forgot that it could work out and we could go back. Now it's all I can think about and i miss it. And I remember myself probably 2 years ago saying all of this before. The waiting is the hardest part...
I miss the feeling of not being home.
We had such a good break. We were busy organizing all the wedding things but it was the first time in 2 years I felt like I'd actually been back home properly.
I felt so much relief just being back there. I keep thinking about the first night back in my old room and the feeling of absolute comfort. The familiar sound of the train line and my mother's unexplainably frustrating out of time ticking clocks.
The silence here is awful now.
We're pretty sure we've decided now. We seem to have talked about it too many times but I think we're sure now.
Really there's not long to go. Probably exactly half way. It's funny how you spend so much time trying to decide something that you have already known the answer to all along.
I feel like somewhere in there I forgot that it could work out and we could go back. Now it's all I can think about and i miss it. And I remember myself probably 2 years ago saying all of this before. The waiting is the hardest part...
10.6.12
Rodeo
So Normanton Rodeo weekend is almost over. It has been a fantastic few days. We kicked off the celebrations with the street parade, our "Year of the Farmer" themed float won second prize for the school.
Peanut scored first place at the dog show and a photo of Windy Hill at Ravenshoe took out first place at the photo competition. My Hummingbird Cupcakes scored second place in the cupcakes section. Probably out last Rodeo out this way so good to go out with a few prizes :)
Peanut scored first place at the dog show and a photo of Windy Hill at Ravenshoe took out first place at the photo competition. My Hummingbird Cupcakes scored second place in the cupcakes section. Probably out last Rodeo out this way so good to go out with a few prizes :)
Chicken, Bacon & Avo Filo
These filos are one of those 'special foods'. They take a while to make but they remind me of Rose and working at the shop. It was always so exciting to eat these together and the smell of them crisping up on the old sandwich press was to die for. Now I've managed to make my own that are *almost* perfection!
What You Need
chicken breast fillets
bacon rashers
avocado
mushrooms
garlic
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup cream
15g butter
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
cheese
pastry sheets
What You Do
Cut up the chicken breast into little fillet strips, cook in a frypan and put to the side when done.
While cooking dice the bacon, slice the mushrooms and cook in fry pan. Add garlic and a little butter and fry together until cooked.
In a small bowl mash the avo and set aside.
In a mixing bowl combine the stock, cream, butter, yolk and lemon juice. Tip all of this over the bacon and mushrooms in the fry pan. Simmer until thickened.
When thickened pour bacon and mushroom mixture back into mixing bowl. Add in pieces of chicken and avo and cheese and combine.
Spoon mixture onto pastry sheets and fold sheets into little parcels. Cook in 180 oven as directed and serve with greek salad (olives, feta, cucumber, capsicum, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano leaves)
What You Need
chicken breast fillets
bacon rashers
avocado
mushrooms
garlic
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup cream
15g butter
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
cheese
pastry sheets
What You Do
Cut up the chicken breast into little fillet strips, cook in a frypan and put to the side when done.
While cooking dice the bacon, slice the mushrooms and cook in fry pan. Add garlic and a little butter and fry together until cooked.
In a small bowl mash the avo and set aside.
In a mixing bowl combine the stock, cream, butter, yolk and lemon juice. Tip all of this over the bacon and mushrooms in the fry pan. Simmer until thickened.
When thickened pour bacon and mushroom mixture back into mixing bowl. Add in pieces of chicken and avo and cheese and combine.
Spoon mixture onto pastry sheets and fold sheets into little parcels. Cook in 180 oven as directed and serve with greek salad (olives, feta, cucumber, capsicum, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano leaves)
3.5.12
Love Day...a little late!
As our wedding day draws closer our budget gets tighter so this Valentine's Day Mr B. and I decided that instead of exchanging gifts of love we would cook each other something tasty.
Mr B., being a breakfast 'aficionado', decided to cook me some of his awesome
pancakes which were made extra special by some truly authentic Canadian Maple Syrup (rare and expensive here in Australia, especially in our remote location!). It was a super tasty way to begin the day.
After a busy day at work I came home to begin my Valentine's Day Dinner. Mr B. had requested a dish that I love but hardly every make - Chicken Enchiladas. Very easy, a little time consuming but worth it for the delicious end product.
To make the day extra special I made a new dessert - Hummingbird Cupcakes. I was so thankful to come across this recipe a few weeks ago and managed to ebay myself
some very sweet love heart shaped cupcake moulds. This was a super tasty recipe and looked extra cute. It was also inspiration for me to go out into our little town and (find) purchase my very first piping bag - something that I plan on using a lot more often!
So here's how I do mine. Mr B's, magical pancakes remain a mystery recipe -
if I knew it I probably wouldn't need to marry him ;)
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken breast
Mushrooms
Shallots
Onion
Garlic
Mexican salsa (I cheated and got it from the jar)
Tortilla wraps
Cheese
Put the chicken breast in the oven at 180 degrees for about half an hour until it
is juicy and just starting to brown. Set aside to cool.
Slice mushrooms and shallots, dice half the onion and lightly cook in a fry pan with garlic and butter.
Place the cooled chicken in a food processor or blender and process to shred (not too small!). Tip the chicken into a bowl, add the mushroom mixture and combine. Add a small amount of salsa and mix through.
Lay the tortilla wraps out and place a small amount of the chicken mixture on to each wrap. Wrap them up and place tightly together on an oven tray and cover in grated cheese.
Put it all in the oven(150 degrees) for about 20minutes until the wraps are starting to crisp (not burn!) and the cheese looks like melted delicious heaven.
Serve with rice, bean mix (mashed beans, sour cream and lime juice) and salad.
13.4.12
Red Velvet Cupcakes
I am so proud of these sexy little cupcakes. I love them!
I had no idea that these tasty treats even existed until I saw a Nigella episode on them last year. She made the whole thing look very complicated and far too tricky for me to consider anything apart from "wow".
When we went to America I made a point of visiting Georgetown Cupcakes from the television show DC Cupcakes and tasted one of their delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes (along with 5 other amazing flavours). The texture of the cake was so smooth, the cake itself was moist and the cream cheese frosting gave the whole thing a deliciously melty sensation. Again all I could think was "wow".
A few weeks ago I decided it was time to make these little beauties myself. I was very quickly deterred when I saw the ingredient list. Vinegar? Buttermilk? Cocoa Powder?
The whole thing just seemed like it would be one big mess in a bowl but it's the chemistry in these ingredients that makes these cakes so cool and eventually I just wanted to try them so bad that I cracked, went out and found buttermilk (miracle!) and went ahead and made them for my students for the last day of school. They were pretty good - very moist and just the right combination of chocolate and...not chocolate. I made them again for Easter Friday for Mr B's family and they were unbelievably good. I got comments like "You made these? From scratch?" which always makes me glow a little!
Before I get into this a few things that I have discovered:
Vanilla Extract - there seems to be several varieties of this as well as Vanilla Essence. I have discovered concentrated vanilla extract. It is very thick and rich in colour. It is a little more expensive but the results are very noticeable. You get a really nice rich vanilla flavour and, while some recipes say that you should probably halve the quantity when using the concentrate, it is delicious and I use the full amount.
Originally the red colouring is created by a chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and the buttermilk, but now, even though this still takes place, the really rich red colour obviously comes from food colouring. Many recipes suggest the gels I used the liquid and it worked perfectly well and gave my cupcakes a nice bright colour on the outside and a smoother more chocolatey red on the inside.
How you approach making these is up to you but I like to do things in a certain way as I feel it all comes together a bit better. This requires using several bowls but I feel the end result is worth the extra washing up.
Okay, here they are, these awesome, tasty and cute cupcakes - perfect for any occasion!
What you need
2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 cup buttermilk
200g soft butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food
Frosting
350 grams cream cheese
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
80 grams soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to do it
Heat 180 degree oven. In a large bowl combine the flour and cocoa powder.
In another bowl use an eclectic mixer to beat the butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until combined. Include the buttermilk and mix with a spoon to combine.
Tip the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add the red food colour and fold in to the mixture.
Finally add in the bicarb soda and add the vinegar in on top, this should make this fizz a little. Mix it all together and make sure it is all well combined – if it is lumpy use a handheld whisk.
Tip this velvety mixture into a prepared cupcake tin and pop in the oven. As they cook these cupcakes rise quite high and then tend to fall so watch them and you can pretty much predict when they are ready but generally give them about 20min and use a small skewer inserted into the centre or the “bounce back” test to make sure they are ready.
They need a while to cool so prepare frosting during this time. Using an eclectic mixer beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy, add the butter and vanilla and mix to combine. Slowly add the icing sugar until frosting is at desired thickness.
Use a piping bag to add icing on top and decorate as you wish.
Love it!
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