Breakfast Interrupted

I had grand plans for breakfasts this week.

I was thinking of strawberry and yogurt shakes (or mango, passionfruit and yogurt shakes) followed by blueberry pancakes with maple syrup.

Sigh, then the food processor (with the blender) died - as did the plans for a healthy kick-start to the morning (or, as I am on nightshifts, a kick before I lay down for my first nap).

I have started researching new food processors. Mine was only a cheap model - and it was actually the bowl that cracked and not the engine dying that ended our time together. So now I contemplate whether I get another cheapie, or (because I got the use out of it) whether I go to a more professional machine that will last forever. Or, I could consider a hand blender - with attachments.

So many choices - including what to eat for breakfast. I will just have to nibble on strawberries until I figure it all out :-)

Heads or Tails

Already Done It

Okay, I have to admit, I live in my version of heaven and would change nothing (except perhaps how to get a cleaning fairy of course).

BUT I wasn't always here. Up until a few years ago, I had lived my entire life in Western Australia - and I was very happy. That is until I realized there was "a better kind of normal" (to quote the ad). I could have mountains, and rain, and not so much heat and green all year 'round.

So I gave away almost all of my wordly possessions, packed what I could in the car and moved to the opposite (literally the opposite) side of the continent.Click on the map and you can see that Geraldton (where I was) and Coffs Harbour (in the ballpark of where I am) are an almost exact line across the nation.

I had no job, no where to live and little money when I arrived but within a couple a couple of months I had a permanent place to live (yes in heaven), a house full of furniture, a full-time job and money rolling back in the account (which i was happily spending as I went along).

It wasn't all easy but I knowing now would I still have done it, OH YEAH!

Head or Tails

Manners Maketh the (Wo)Man

Just becasue it is the 21st Century, it is no excuse to not mind your manners so I provide a simple list of Dos and Don'ts for your next fancy dinner party. Or for parents wanting a challenge, for implementing every night :-)

10 Things Not to Do at a Dinner Party

• NEVER start eating before a signal from the host to do so.
  


• Forks should not be turned over unless being used for eating peas, sweetcorn kernels, rice or other similar foods. In which case, it should be transferred to the right hand. However, at a casual buffet, or barbecue, it is quite acceptable to eat with just a fork.
  


• It is not generally regarded as good dinner table etiquette to use one's bread for dipping into soups or mopping up sauces.
  


• Loud eating noises such as slurping and burping are very impolite. The number one sin of dinner table etiquette!
  Talking with one's mouth full. is not only unpleasant to watch, but could also lead to choking! Definitely not a good idea!
  


• Don't stretch across the table crossing other guests to reach food, wine or condiments. Instead ask a guest sitting close to pass the item to you.
  


• Good dinner table etiquette sometimes involves a degree of diplomacy when it comes to the host's choice of food and wine! Even if you feel that you can do better, don't ever offer your criticism. If you feel unable to pay any compliments, at least remain silent on the subject.
  


• Picking teeth (unless toothpicks are provided) or licking fingers are very unattractive! The only exception to the latter is when eating meat or poultry on the bone (such as chicken legs or ribs). In which case, a finger bowl should be provided.
  


• Drinking too much wine can be very embarrassing! Where a different wine is served with each course, it is quite acceptable to not finish each glass.
  


• Don't forget to make polite conversation with those guests around you. Dinner parties are not just about the food, they are intended to be a sociable occasion!

10 Things To Do At A Dinner Party

• Once seated, unfold your napkin and use it for occasionally wiping your lips or fingers. At the end of dinner, leave the napkin tidily on the place setting.


• 
  It is good dinner table etiquette to serve the lady sitting to the right of the host first, then the other ladies in a clockwise direction, and lastly the gentlemen.


• 
  Hold the knife and fork with the handles in the palm of the hand, forefinger on top, and thumb underneath.
  Whilst eating, you may if you wish rest the knife and fork on either side of the plate between mouthfuls. When you have finished eating, place them side by side in the center of the plate.
  


• If the food presented to you is not to your liking, it is polite to at least make some attempt to eat a small amount of it. Or at the very least, cut it up a little, and move it around the plate!
  


• It is quite acceptable to leave some food to one side of your plate if you feel as though you have eaten enough. On the other hand, don't attempt to leave your plate so clean that it looks as though you haven't eaten in days!
  


• Desserts may be eaten with both a spoon and fork, or alternatively a fork alone if it is a cake or pastry style sweet.
  


• Should a lady wish to be excused for the bathroom, it is polite for the gentlemen to stand up as she leaves the table, sit down again, and then stand once more when she returns.
  


• Always make a point of thanking the host and hostess for their hospitality before leaving.
  


• It is good dinner table etiquette to send a personal thank you note to the host and hostess shortly afterwards.

Reference: Basic Essentials of Dinner Table Etiquette

Health and Wellness

I have really been enjoying Abbey's Wellness Wednesdays.

I have a great doctor and I wouldn't change that but so much of our 'health' is based on things that we can and should do for ourselves.

Eating well, relaxing, feeding the soul, looking after our metal health, having great friends and other support, fitness ... well the list goes on. They all form crucial parts of our overall 'wellness'. And the best part is that so many of these things are little things we can introduce into our daily routine - costing little money and taking up little time.

An easy and important investment to make for each and every one of us.

Heads or Tails

Don't I Know It!

You may easily play a joke on a man who likes to argue--agree with him

Edgar Watson Howe

Art: "Laugh Out Loud" by Nicole Engblom

Pick Up Lines

The best pick-up line someone ever spun on me... "was that you I saw riding around on a bicycle naked last night .... no ... oh well it must have been me". It was definitely unique, it made me laugh, and it opened a conversation that lasted for over 10 years.

What's yours?

Heads or Tails

Val's Rose

Heads or Tails

Yes

There's a big world out there. Bigger than prom, bigger than high school, and it won't matter if you were the prom queen or the quarterback of the football team or the biggest nerd. Find out who you are and try not to be afraid of it.

Photo from "The Breakfast Club"

Head or Tails

Cooking for Kids

I spent time as a chef for a childcare centre. Now this could have been a "cook's" job but I wasn't into serving regular food (chicken nuggets and the like). I wanted kids to learn and experience new (kid friendly) flavors. The centre had a policy of providing the best for the kids - both in care and food - and happily let me go on my way.

We ate from Morrocco and Vietnam and India and Thailand and Greece and South Africa and Argentina and wherever else i could think of. I fed them fresh, homemade pasta and real homemade mayonnaise. Custard was real Italian custard that didn't involve a box or a packet.

We had apples and oranges as well as mangoes and dragonfruit and lychees and jackfruit.

I had a few hundred cds so they could listen to the music from the countries they were eating the food from. I made kits so they could learn the flags, animals, national dress and whatever else I could find.

We started a herb and vegetable garden so they could eat what they grew (a great way of getting kids to try new things) and they learned about life and death and all the bits in between.

They learned to eat with chopsticks.

Commercial birthday cakes with fluffy sponge and way too much icing became second choice to my pear cake or my apple cake or my carrot cake.

The babies/little toddlers only ate food I had prepared and pureed or mashed myself.

What a way to be :-)

Heads or Tails - tell me yours.

Life Is ...

Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.

Photo from Dohiyi Mir

Saucy Sauces

I am redoing all of my cook books for work - as well as creating some new bits and pieces. I took requests last week - marinades was a big one as was dressings and sauces. Okay there are three individual books to be written here but I figure about 20 separate recipes for each section will give them enough to go on - and I can always expand in future volumes.

As well as providing recipes, I am also trying to pass on information about the hows and why's of each heading. I found a great rundown on taste.com.au on marinades so that has been included (fully acknowledged of course).

Last night I was writing a page on mother sauces. Actually I am listing Escoffier's version of mother sauces as my list. Our lovelies aren't French chef's, or cooks in the French style, so the original five is a bit redundant for them. And besides, you can't really go past Escoffier as a font of wisdom :-)

I know a few of the lovelies won't really care (as I know quite a few adults in the same situation) but there are one or two that will get fired up with the knowledge of the concept (yes real foodies in the making!).

Long live foodies old and new :-)

My Grandpa

There are a million stories about my Grandpa but two stand out right at the moment.

The first is driving the farm often with me on the back of the ute, checking the sheep, the crop and fence lines and whatever else Grandpa checked. The thrill of the wind in my face was only ever outdone by the feeling of his hand in mine while we walked the fence lines - from memory it was always lambing time and we would be checking the flock :-)

The second memory is of Grandpa, in my teenage years, doing the obligatory drive around town every time we visited. We would be provided with updates on who had bought who's house, what the Council was doing, the minutiae of town life. The building of the Big Ram was something he was especially proud of. If nothing else, Grandpa loved his town - he breathed its essence. This was one of the things that, as a teen, I rolled my eyes at but now I wistfully miss all of the history he passed on during these tours.

Head or Tails, whatever, I win!

New Directions

It is time for a bit of a celebration. I am now settled over here (for newbies I used to live on the other side of the continent), I have my new name, my health is improving, I enjoy my job, my art is coming along slowly but nicely, I have the most incredible friends.

What an incredible change in direction my life has taken from when I was in Western Australia, desperately trying to bust out of something and just be free, to be me.

Okay there are bits I need to change (going through a weight gain period at the moment - something I can ill afford at the best of times) or goals still to be reached (I haven't had my first exhibition yet) but they are the challenges of life - the bits that make it all worth while.

Dance with Time

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.

Rabindranath Tagore

Mr Meat is Back

I am pleased to announce that the English tour is back on - yes the world will soon no longer be Meat Loaf deprived. No news on Australian dates but will post when I find out.

Meat has expressed thanks to fans for their support.

Aahhh!

Never argue with a fool. Someone watching may not be able to tell the difference.