Violent Thoughts

Oh Slug!
Whose moist supple body
insinuated itself through a slender gap
secretively slipping on a mucusoid path
furtively

Oh Slug!
No welcome moonlight
revealed your rasping radular
ravaging my hopeful harvest
of cucumbers

Oh Slug!
I will relocate you, expose you
on this crevassed concrete
for some tightly feathered
blackbird's snack

Preserved Lemons

Ages ago - like last year - I made some preserved lemons. And I have made some more since my lemony friend gave me another big bag and I have used all the previous year's supplies up. She also gave me eggs from her free range hens. They are so free range she has to hunt for them! So I think some lemon curd will be coming up real soon.

Preserved Lemons from the Cuisine magazine (Sept. 2001 28 pg. 56)

6-8 lemons
1/2 cup coarse sea salt (I used rock salt)
1 litre preserving jar, thoroughly washed in boiling water


Wash and dry the lemons. If you use store bought lemons you will have to really scrub them to remove the wax coating (and any pesticide that might remain). Cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of each lemon.

Cut through each lemon vertically leaving about 1 cm at the base i.e. don't cut right through. Turn upside down and rotate. Make another vertical cut top to bottom, again leaving 1 cm at the base. You will have 4 quarters that are all still attached.

Gently open up the cuts in the lemons and fill with as much salt as possible (about 1 T per cut). Hold one cut end together while you fill the other to prevent salt spilling out. I hold it over the jar because I can never prevent it entirely.

Carefully squeeze the lemons into the clean jar, compressing them as you go so some juice comes out, but try and retain their shape as much as possible.

Fill the jar halfway with extra lemon juice if necessary. I find I have to squeeze extra to make up the difference; must be my lemons or something. I add some peppercorns and a bay leaf too. You can also add cinnamon sticks, cloves, dried chillies, toasted coriander seeds, or toasted cumin seeds. Wipe the top of the jar clean with a cloth dipped in boiling water, then seal.

Store in a cool place (not the fridge) for 1 month before using. The lemons release more juice while pickling. Turn the jar a few times during the month.

Before using, rinse and dry the lemons. Remove and discard the flesh, then use the peel as required.

Search here for recipes using preserved lemons.

I also made candied lemon peel with the rinds of the lemons I used to squeeze the extra juice from. I tell you - that stuff is moreish.

Name tag

I've been tagged by Ilka :)
1. Players must list one fact, word, or tidbit that is somehow relevant to their life for each letter of their first or middle name.
2. When you are tagged you need to write your own post containing your first or middle name game facts, word, or tidbit.
3. At the end of your post choose one person for each letter of your name to tag.
4. Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them that they have been tagged, and to read your blog.
5. If I’ve tagged YOU (see below), please join in on the fun!

P - passionate about many things; family, crafts, food, education - the list could go on.
E - embroidery - still love this but it's taken a back burner for a while. Might take it up again when the kids are older.
N - naturally inclined to try and please people which can be rewarding but also can mean I forget about more important things or get frustrated when it isn't appreciated.
N - naughty. sometimes. ;)
Y - (uummm... this is hard) Younger by 1 year than my husband. Ok - I know that one isn't very interesting but I can't think of anything else!

I think I will tag Sharon and Tara.

Local Government

Sometimes we rant at the local government and their decisions. Like when they closed the branch library just up the road from me because it wasn't considered cost effective to run. Now instead of popping the kids into the pram to get some books or make a quick drop off, I have to get in the car and burn some fossil fuel instead. I know they have a mobile library stop there now, but as much as I believe in mobile libraries (in the wild as it were) they are not the same as bricks and mortar. Especially when you have 2 pre-schoolers. I was also disappointed they didn't take my suggestion of setting up a book drop in the local supermarket (situated beside the library site) so people could drop off books when the mobile library wasn't there. I thought that was quite a neat idea and a chance for a great example of community co-operation and initiative.

Not happy people. Not happy.

But this made me happy. Having driven to drop off some books I noticed a small room next to the branch library labelled Cloth Nappy Education Centre. At first I thought it was a weird name for a child care place but upon closer inspection I see it really is as the name suggests. The council is subsidising the hireage of cloth nappies and teaching folks how to use them. I'm impressed that for once our eco-city is putting it's money where it's mouth is.

Busy bee

When I was going to kindy they had a day where everyone came and pitched in to help do things around the kindgergarten. Kiwi's call this as a "working bee". We had t-shirts with "I'm a busy bee at kindergarten" on it. Well, I've been a busy bee at home! So this is going to be a bullet point post.

Birthday boy turned 4 today so we had the party on Saturday. The train cake turned out well. He was totally spoiled. He asked us at tea time "Is my party day finished?" to which we said yes it was. "Can I have it again?" Aaah no. Not until next year. Maybe.

Finished a number of layouts:

Finished sewing up a romper I made originally for DS but decided it was too girly and didn't make it up. Now that I have a girl you know. Just so you're convinced, here is a picture of her in another smocked romper I made, and a beautiful purple hat my friend S knitted. She is the queen of drool right now as you see.







Also finished the PIF gifts which have to wait until next month to be sent, after which I shall post some pictures!

PIF recipients

Heh heh - my post with the PIF in it didn't ge that many comments so eliminating those who opted out and my PIFer Janine I only had 3 people left anyway!

So.

Amy and Kristen - send me your addresses and you will get some happy mail. Ilka - I have your address so I shall send a little love your way too! :-)

I hereby give permission to my PIF recipients to refrain from passing on the meme if they don't want to. Especially Ilka because she has already been so generous these past few weeks.

And I'd like to give a big public thank you to Janine and Ilka for their lovely envelopes of goodies that came yesterday and today! I'm excited about their contents... and I really, really want to get scrapping! Just got to get this week of party preparations out of the way and you won't see me for .. uh .. not dust but probably glue and bits of scrap paper! LOL!

Peace

I read this blog called No Impact Man - it's a guy and his family who is trying to live in New York City with as little environmental impact as possible. It certainly makes my efforts to reduce my ecological footprint look puny.

However, I noticed this post today and it resonated with me. Particularly this statement.

When I have less internal conflict, I cause less external conflict. When I cause less external conflict, there is less conflict in the world.

You can read his post but basically he comments about an incident at home that could have easily happened in my house and his reaction was one that I recognised.

I need to work on this.

m m m marshmallows

Some of you may recall the interview with my DS where he mentions marshmallows as a favourite.

We were getting some things for his birthday and he happened to notice an enormous bag of marshmallows on the shelf.

DS: I think we need some marshmallows.
Me: Oh.. why?
DS: Because Daddy ate them all.
Me: Is that so! Oh well. I guess we can get some more.

Then on the weekend he sidles up to me and says:
Have we got 4,5 , 6, 8, 11, 14, 17 marshmallows?
Me: Probably.
DS: Daddy hasn't eaten them eh?

I think he's feeling a bit protective.

This and That

As it turns out, Daddies are better kite flyers than Mummies around here. It helps when you have the kite 'bones' inserted the right way round apparently.

Unfortunately the weekend degenerated from here. Both kids have had colds since the 23rd August. Now, snotty noses are bad enough ... but both of them also got diarrhoea which is not something you want to deal with in the middle of the night with a nearly 3 1/2 year old who readily pukes at the smell of his own ... er .. business at the best of times.

DD had it for a short time, but DS still has it 5 days later. So, we're off to the Dr. Not sure what he can do but it makes me feel better. I am soooo sick of it. And the colds are still here too.

On a happier note, I did manage to weed and rotary hoe my garden and now I'm happily plotting out what I'm going to plant.

We have 4 family birthdays this month but I've got it mostly sorted. Just got to finish off a mini album for SIL and post it off. DS is getting a train theme party and as of this morning I am the proud owner of a Wilton train cake pan courtesy of Millys. So that should make my life a bit easier. No chain saw cakes this year. Not sure what I'll do with it after this birthday but I know a number of other little boys who's mothers may like to borrow it. Maybe DH would like a train cake too.

Now - I've been PIFfed by Janine. So here's the deal possums. I will send a gift (something handmade or something bought) to 3 random people who leave a comment on my blog. The only thing you have to do in return is “pay it forward” by making the same promise on your blog or some other form. So, if you like this idea and a bit of ‘happy mail’, please leave a comment on my blog!

Aside: Garsh - I hope there are still people around who haven't been piffed... if you want to opt out of it, let me know :)

It's a windy day today

So we go to the reserve to fly the kite.

Except it turns out that Mummy is not much good at kite flying.

No matter what she does, it never gets higher than a few metres.

So we come home again.

With promises that Daddy - who might be a better kite flyer - will take Small Boy out later.

Red Bag

Red Bag

Finished the other bag that Mel knitted and felted for me. I kinda like this one even better than the last one though both designs are my own. My sister is a it of a magpie (or magenpie a la Gerald Durrell stories in our house), so I did a bit of beading.

Both the designs on this bag and the other one are my own, so if you want to use them too I'm cool with that but would like an acknowledgement in your acknowledgements. :-)

One day when I have so much more time (like when I retire, ha ha) I think I'd like to do some stumpwork on bags like these.

i want

this cool reading-in-a-bookshelf-space....

Recently read and enjoyed and recommend the following:

The Birth House by Ami Mckay

Recently read and kind of enjoyed but couldn't quite connect with:

History of love by Nicole Krauss

Zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you you?

It was a lovely - dare I say it - spring day and 3 scrapping bloggers ventured out with kids in tow to the zoo. It was neat to finally meet Sharon, and also Andrea along with their delightful children. (Shhhh.... one of which was a superhero!)

We almost saw the new baby giraffe Ntombi, but she turned out to be too shy for the younger members to wait for, so we pressed on.

DS tried to see if anyone was home here, but no luck.

Kashin was out and about, posing beautifully.

The flamingos however... well, they were embarrassed by the attention I think. See - they're pink, and hiding from the lens. ;-)

Eh? Another photo Dad?

I think she's over it don't you?


P.s. The Earth Gems were in my local produce store (Kumeu Produce) ... not the organic shop, so you may be able to find them locally.

Oldies and Newbies

Got out my crockpot the other day to do some corned beef. My crockpot is not one of these nice new ones with a removable pot. It's an heirloom one that belonged to my grandma! I actually don't know how old it is - she doesn't remember it so I can't check with her. Judging by the colour scheme I suspect it was a 70's purchase. But it goes just fine - an indictment on the appliances these days that are made to last for 10 (max) years. Yes. I'm talking about you Mr F&P Dishdrawer. I hope you are ashamed.

I found these at my produce shop the other day - they are called Earth Gems. At first I thought they would taste like yams, but no! They taste like potatoes, but in a crunchy sort of way. :-) Nice to add to my repertoire of veges.

Hot Chilli Chocolate fans might enjoy this. I discovered it at Naturally Organic when I did an order the other day. It's gooooood. Not for your average hot choc drinker because it's a bit different, but if you like something with a bit of spice, then this could be your new love. I notice that Phoenix have some other options in this range too, including a Hot Toddy. Sounds good.

Got Milk?

Small boy thought his sister needed some milk to help her get over some hiccups. Sister wasn't quite so sure...

4 recipes

Tara has tagged me with a 4 recipes tag.

The rules:

1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 4 recipes they especially like.
3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 4 recipes.
4. Players should tag 4 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

So with no further ado I share with you!

1. Rich Dark Chocolate Puddings With Runny Centres
Serves 4

120g dark chocolate (the best you can afford)

125g unsalted butter

75g plain flour, sifted

175g caster sugar

4 eggs

Melt chocolate and butter in the top of a double saucepan or in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.

Pour mixture into 4 x greased 200ml moulds (e.g. ramekins or if you can be careful getting them out, Texas Muffin tins). Recipe can be made up to this point and kept a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Bake at 180ºC for about 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes before inverting onto serving plates.

The puddings should split and the centres run out; otherwise, just slice down the sides to release. Dust the puddings with sifted icing sugar and serve with mascarpone, whipped cream or clotted cream.

2. Sesame Chicken

From The New Zealand Crockpot Cookbook / Bishop, Joan. (1992). Christchurch: Whitcoulls

1 lemon

1 x 2kg chicken

1 T soy sauce

1 T vinegar

1 T brown sugar

2 T tomato paste

¼ tsp ground ginger

3 T sesame seeds

Cut the lemon into quarters and place inside the chicken. Place chicken in the crockpot.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste and ground ginger and mix until smooth.

Brush the mixture over the chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cover with lid and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3 ½-4 hours.

3. Sally's Vegetarian "Sausage" Rolls with Penny's modifications

4 thick slices bread, made into crumbs
1 packet walnuts (70g), chopped (or hazelnuts)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chopped onion
1 grated carrot
1/2 grated capsicum
3/4 cup grated cheese
3 eggs
herbs (e.g parsley, thyme, sage) preferably fresh
salt and pepper
puff or flakey pastry sheets

Mix all together, form into a long sausages and wrap the sheet of pastry around them. Cut into "bite" sized rolls. Brush with milk or egg if desired. Bake 180 degrees C until brown.
The filling is also good as fake meat balls with a yummy tomato sauce and spaghetti.

4. Corn Chowder *

3 oz butter
2 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup canned creamed-style corn
2 cups fresh corn kernels (frozen is fine)
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons cream (optional)
2 Tablespoons fresh chives to garnish

Heat butter in large heavy based pan. Add onions and cook over medium heat for 5 mins or until golden. Add garlic and cumin seeds, cook 1 min stirring constantly. Add stock and bring to boil. Add potatoes and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Add creamed corn, corn kernels and parsley. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes. Stir through cheese, salt and pepper, and cream. Heat gently so the cheese melts. Serve sprinkle with chives. Serves 8. * This is a vegetarian soup, but I like to throw in some bacon bones or a bacon hock into the stock as I feel it gives it more flavour depth.

I'm not really a "tagger" as such but if you feel moved to share... feel free to use me as an excuse ;-)

Houston - we have forward movement

DD started crawling forward this week - she's been going backwards for a few weeks but she has finally worked out forward gear.

I've realised how quickly I forget what little babies do... i.e. put everything in their mouths. So far I've rescued play dough, newspaper, bits of Mobilo, and a piece of chipboard from her predations. Having DS spreading his toys from one end of the house to the other is not helping and he cannot seem to be tidy no matter what I do. So I have to be vigilante.

Time Waster

Oh boy - I just wasted an hour making a Simpson version of our family! LOL! You can do one too at the Simpsonize site.

Thanks Amy! :)

Bag No. 1

Ages ago I got Mel to make me some of her special bags so I could give them to my sister and SIL for their birthdays next month. I've finally got around to decorating them. Well the first one anyway!