The previous post (and related blog) had me thinking about aprons. I’m not what you would call an apron fanatic, or even a collector, but if I stop and think about it I’ve probably got about 5 or so vintage ones kicking around the place and a couple I’ve made and received in swaps. Here’s one I made for a swap-bot swap last year, now living in the USA.
Archive for the 'domestica' Category
Sid the koala mailbox, originally uploaded by drewzel.
…which I know was technically Saturday, but as I have the leisure of having a day off work as an Australia Day holiday as I write this, I thought I’d post (again) a pic of some Australiana. This is my view as I write this, although since I took this pic, the garden has got bushier, the hakea is twice it’s size, and there’s a large-ish grevillea behind Sid now. I’ve been watching the Wattle Birds in the grevillea this morning, our local Wattle Bird has been so happy here that he’s produced offspring. This morning one of the juvenile ones was sitting in the Ned Kelly grevillea having a big snack. They have claimed this bush as their own, and apart from the nightly squawking at Sebby (who likes to watch them from the back of the couch), life is good. And right now I can hear the magpies singing, which is one of my favourite sounds in the world. Hooray for more native birds moving into our garden.
Pottering around teh interwebs, I happened to come across this site. And found some recipes that interested me from a make-your-own, thrifty kitchen perspective.
Instant Chai Tea Mix
1 14-ounce can unsweetened condensed milk (low-fat or nonfat, if desired)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Blend all in a jar, shake well. Store in the fridge up to 2 weeks. To use, shake the mix & add 2 to 3 tablespoons directly into a cup of very strong, very hot black tea.
And one of my favourite things in the whole world:
Sweetened condensed milk
1 cup hot tap water
2 cups sugar
2 cups non-fat dry milk powder (instant powdered milk)
6 tablespoons melted margarine
Blender or electric beaters
Dump Hot water into a blender. Add the sugar, dry milk powder and melted margarine. Put the lid on the blender and whirl it around for a full minute. The mix starts out thin, but thickens within an hour. Makes (2) cans or about 3 cups. This recipe will work in all your sweetened condensed milk recipes.
lola and drew, originally uploaded by drewzel.
Here’s a pic of Lola and my blogging namesake, Drewzel the cat. Drew is a cranky old bag, glaring at Lola just because she’s there. Lola just turned a year old and her body is getting more solid, but her head is still small. She’s looking hopeful in the pursuit of food. I just snapped this before I left for work this morning.
lola and drew, originally uploaded by drewzel.
Here’s a pic of Lola and my blogging namesake, Drewzel the cat. Drew is a cranky old bag, glaring at Lola just because she’s there. Lola just turned a year old and her body is getting more solid, but her head is still small. She’s looking hopeful in the pursuit of food. I just snapped this before I left for work this morning.
Normally I’m in a funk on Sunday night, due to end of weekend blues, but tonight I’m just relaxing as I have the next two days off – like most of Melbourne – as Tuesday is Cup Day, and I’ve never stopped loving the fact that we get a public holiday for a horse race. So it’s a lo-o-ng weekend. No, I don’t go the races, I really can’t be bothered. And if the weather is anything like it’s been all day today, all the cupgoers will be swimming.
It’s been pouring most of the day, and so I’ve spent the day pottering around inside, building Lucky Parcels, baking jam drops, and watching movies. (Mad Max, Final Destination 3 or 4 or something, and Just Like Heaven…as that’s what the movie channel was showing.) I must be one of the few people I know that doesn’t love the ‘Mad Max’ films, ‘Final Destination’ gave me some laughs (although I don’t think that was it’s intention) and the girly goodness of ‘Just Like Heaven’ was just fun. (I love Reese, or “Chin” as she’s known in our household. ‘Overnight Delivery’ is one of my faves ) There’s something so good about a nice cup of tea and a girly flick to watch, especially on a grey rainy day. Now I better get some more crafting for swaps done, I’m still working on my Tea Pairings swap. And looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow. Hope you had a more exciting weekend than I did!
Normally I’m in a funk on Sunday night, due to end of weekend blues, but tonight I’m just relaxing as I have the next two days off – like most of Melbourne – as Tuesday is Cup Day, and I’ve never stopped loving the fact that we get a public holiday for a horse race. So it’s a lo-o-ng weekend. No, I don’t go the races, I really can’t be bothered. And if the weather is anything like it’s been all day today, all the cupgoers will be swimming.
It’s been pouring most of the day, and so I’ve spent the day pottering around inside, building Lucky Parcels, baking jam drops, and watching movies. (Mad Max, Final Destination 3 or 4 or something, and Just Like Heaven…as that’s what the movie channel was showing.) I must be one of the few people I know that doesn’t love the ‘Mad Max’ films, ‘Final Destination’ gave me some laughs (although I don’t think that was it’s intention) and the girly goodness of ‘Just Like Heaven’ was just fun. (I love Reese, or “Chin” as she’s known in our household. ‘Overnight Delivery’ is one of my faves ) There’s something so good about a nice cup of tea and a girly flick to watch, especially on a grey rainy day. Now I better get some more crafting for swaps done, I’m still working on my Tea Pairings swap. And looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow. Hope you had a more exciting weekend than I did!
So it’s Monday morning… you may note that I didn’t do Friday Fun Things last week, as I was in a First Aid Course all day. Remarkable how things change from the 2 years ago I last did first aid training. Now portable defribulators are all the rage. We had to laugh at them too, because the recorded voice (who sounds just like the man on the time telephone service – “at the 3rd stroke it will 1245 and 17 seconds”) tells you what to do, and then tells you to do CPR and “compress the chest in time with the tones…dong…dong…dong…dong…” And in direct contrast to his plummy BBC voice, the tones are a funky electric bass. Obviously I’m sure you wouldn’t find this remotely amusing if you were busy trying to save someone’s life. Saturday my shoulders were quite sore from pumping those Little Annie dummies, because they’re so damn hard!
I also managed to do some tidying in my workroom on Saturday, as well as the requisite housework. Still on a mission to rid the workroom of junk, thus improving my productivity due to feng shui blah blah. My shelves have not collapsed yet, so that is gratifying.
Sunday the sun was shining so HP and I got to cleaning up the front yard a bit, as my Rover was under the gum tree and consequently filthy. [As an aside, our magpie family have two nice healthy babies just out of the nest.] But we had to move a trailer full of engines to get it out. And mow the lawn. And move boxes of junk. And move the motorbikes. And I washed the outside windows. Argh! Consequently the place looks somewhat tidier now, and the Rover is all sparklypegs again. Still haven’t decided on a number plate for it. HP pointed out to me that I should buy a number plate about me so that I can put it on any car I get in the future, not just the Rover. Alas, all the good combinations of Steph are taken, and I don’t really want to get one with an obscure nickname, as I’ll get sick of idiots asking me what it means.
Anyway, here’s a man hard at work in the front yard:
The all-new-gas-powered-electric-trolley-mobile. Piddy wasn’t impressed really:
Then were so knackered, but went to do grocery shopping and I wore my ugg boots. Luckily that makes me blend in with the locals here in Bogan County.
This was in my mailbox at work this morning and made me laugh out loud:
Just as wellI got a laugh really because the bloke in the office next door to mine was all in a dither because they’ve been told that they’re getting my office. Looks like my days here are numbered.
DSCN5776, originally uploaded by Joyflea.
The weather has been gorgeous lately and I have been hanging out to get stuck into the gardening. Our backyard is currently a mess, due to the Staffords and HP’s junk. I just wanna throw everything away and plant fruit trees and a vegie garden. I’m thinking I might have to bribe the parentals into a working bee, as I’m determined to enjoy the garden this summer.
This photo of Joy’s is fab, I’d love to build something like this in my garden. (It’s at the Botanical Gardens in Cranbourne, Victoria) But on a smaller scale. I love banksias and already have a few scattered around the garden.
The other big Summer project is that I want a deck and french doors across the front of the house. Of course we to find the money to buy the wood, and then get HP to build it. But I’m forever the optimist.
As tomorrow is Anzac Day, I’ve been looking for a recipe for Anzac biscuits. HP loves these and so it seems a fitting time to try and make some.
I found this recipe here, and I like their idea of leaving the coconut out because I think it ruins the oat-ey syrupy goodness.
Anzac Biscuits
‘Wet ingredients’ – 1
90 grams butter
1 tablespoons golden syrup
‘Wet ingredients’ – 2
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
Dry ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a saucepan gently melt the butter then add the golden syrup and heat, stirring until thoroughly combined. Put the baking soda in a cup or small bowl then pour in the boiling tablespoon of water.
Pour this foaming mixture into the warm butter/golden syrup mixture and stir to incorporate – it will foam up. Now gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring well to incorporate.
Place walnut size pieces of the dough on a buttered oven tray and then press down with the back of a fork to flatten.
Bake at 175 degrees C for approx 17 mins.
I’ll post a piccy up when I’ve actually made the things and if they look edible!
"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." - Anais Nin 
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