Goody 2 shooz.

Greetings, interweb friends!

I've been rather slackola on the bloggy front of late, but I've been very good in other aspects of my life....

Lately, if a day goes by where I don't run, I crave it. The thing I like doing at the moment, run wise, is going to Prinny park and doing a Fartlek session (it has nothing to do with botty toots). And, as with everything, there is an app for that. I am also actually enjoying my group sessions and look forward to them.

Must be the time of the year, with the weather improving.

I have performed a hardcore declutter (to borrow from FF) of my wardrobe and drawers. I can actually find stuff now.

I have been eating my veggies.

I expanded my cooking repertoire into Fillo Pastry.

Behold my spanakopita, full of green goodness.

I have taken the advice of a professorly type and been doing the "small amounts frequently" thing on the thesis. I have put a fixed time goal on the first chapters of the thesis (Dec 3). Might have to tee myself up a special reward for it.

I have even cut back on the wine. Quite substantially. And feeling better for it.

I have been loving the guts off this stuff:

image from coles online. No artificial sweetener.

I have been appreciating the abundance of spring.

However the goodness went out the window today - we went to Taste of Melbourne for some good food and drink, and plenty in the way of champers.

At the back was the dish of the day- the soft shell crab souvlaki from the Gazi stand. I have never been able to get into Gazi, so it was great to try some of their food. In front is a braised wallaby bun!

We saw a whole lamb being butchered ("oh, so that's where those chops come from").
It's good to have a feel for the provenance of the produce, is it not?

Ok so there was also good food had last night. I have been a bit obsessed with all things mozzarella/ bocconcini at the moment. But the king of them all is burrata. Like a sac of creamy milky goodness.

Here is a gnocchi dish I ate last night, with Burrata.

The sac was cut open and all the runny cheesy goodness leached out into the tomato sauce. Very simple and very good!

But it's back on the straight and narrow tomorrow....

Meanwhile, we have been in full spin mode with the state election in Victoria. Pretty much all of the ads have been focussed on lambasting other parties rather than what the party can offer. It's just a race to the bottom, mostly. Though the Greens look like they might nab a few lower house seats in the inner city, unless the dirty preference deals between the major parties scupper them.

ugh...
off to beddy-byes....


What about you? What have you been obsessed with lately? 
And what good habits have you adopted?

Domesticity. Soothing banalities.

Hey there.

Melbourne is in that phase of glorious then foul spring weather. We are currently in the foul stage. Should come good this weekend.

I will be off to Adelaide tomorrow, for a conference. Looking forward to it. Good to have my brain fed.

I suppose that this is a late "what I did on the weekend" post. After all the gallavanting and glam of Singapore, I think the fella and I really just craved a bit of time in our new home, tending to it, basking in it. Just doing some normal, simple things.

Saturday I went to my old mate, Princes Park, and did a couple of laps (2.6 to be more precise, about 8.3km). It was the longest run I had done in a while, it was as slow as all get out but I enjoyed being out in the fresh air and sunshine. My other old friends.

I saw the movie "Predestination", with Ethan Hawke and an Aussie newbie, Sarah Snook, who was brilliant. It was an absorbing movie, very original. I recommend it.

Sunday was spent on domestic duties.

I don't consider myself a domestic goddess in the slightest however I am slowly getting more domesticated.

I even did GARDENING.

I know. I don't know myself either.

I spent an hour and a half pulling weeds and giving the shrubs and roses crew cuts. That's 85 minutes longer than I've ever spent on gardening in the past. Who knew decapitating shrubs could be so therapeutic! I have sore forearms from using the clippers vigorously.

Then after all that exertion, I went and did some cooking. We massaged some spices into a pork shoulder the night before, then put it into a slow cooker on the Sunday. The result was some very tasty pulled pork. This was served up for dinner when some friends came over.

Also cooked was a guacamole and some fresh tomato salsa.

For dessert, we had a chocolate, chilli and tequila cake. The recipe is here. You can't really taste much or any tequila in the recipe.

It is a really easy cake to make and I recommend it. It has a truckload of butter in it.

Yesterday was quite a draining day at work. Usually such a thing would send me ranting to whoever would listen, or into the chocolate/wine. Instead, I got home, and without even sitting down, I started on dinner. After about 10 minutes I forgot about my day. I find cooking tasks quite absorbing and often quite calming.

I am still quite happy to palm off the dishes to my fella though.

What is your favourite and least favourite domestic task?
What is the weather like where you live?
Do you have a super easy and impressive recipe that you use? If so, share.

Christmas 2013.

It was a busy lead up. Work, cooking, organising.

There was a bit of anxiety that we would not have enough, or things would go wrong. (My thermie pavlova was an epic fail, I ended up buying one - I had been warned that pavs don't do well in the thermie but the warnings went unheeded, think I might use the trusty hand mixer that proved a success last year)

That anxiety sounds a bit silly now it is all over.

It went well, and it was lovely.

Here are some pics.

my dress.

a bit of prep

Ham - KR Castlemaine - very succulent.

my lovely mum with some Thai Visitors

The crew, outside.

dessert. Brandy Creme Anglaise made in Thermie YUMM

And a gratuitous pic of a french bulldog puppy.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

I have been madly tidying, working and doing a spot of shopping.

I have also gotten into the series Breaking Bad...very dark, quite sad, but strangely compelling. Plus I loved chemistry in high school.

Now preps are in full swing for New Years' Eve.

I am off to BrisVegas for a sojourn next weekend.

And you?

How was your Christmas?
What have you planned for NYE?
Have you watched Breaking Bad?

Cookin'. My new years' resolution.

I have been cooking like a demon in my new thermomix.

I have made a fig and ginger panforte to cut up and give as presents for friends and colleagues

I also made my first attempt at bread

I plan on actioning a pavlova for Christmas day.
I have also made lots of delicious breakfast smoothies.

I am feeling suitably "smug cow" - this is my culinary pinnacle, other than the megapav of 2012.

~*~

Most years, I make new year resolutions.
Mostly, they are about losing weight or some such.
I had promised myself a nice reward after some arbitrary weight was lost.
One reward was a Diane von Furstenburg dress. Maybe one like this...

And I never made that weight.
And I never got the DvF dress.
And it hung over my head.

It's elusive, that balance between being happy with ourselves, and the quest to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.

It really is a balance. It can't be all about self castigation and deferring pleasure till an arbitrary goal is reached. That will be a set-up for failure, as we all crave gratification.

I must strive, but I must honour myself at the same time, I have realised. More specifically, with regard to my body image, I can work and tighten and get fit but I am coming around to embracing what I was born with.

So my new years' resolution is to continue doing that.

And if I find a DvF dress I like, and I have the cash, I will jolly well buy it.

A few months ago, I caught a look at myself in underwear in the mirror. I thought "I don't know how anyone could find this attractive".

It really was the conscious crystallisation of many years of...well...loathing. That's a strong word but it is probably apt.

I pulled myself up then, thought "that's awful" and "that's enough".

So the other new years' resolution is to recognise and challenge those kind of thoughts.

After all, I see plenty of women who I think "wow, they are gorgeous" - they are only sometimes classically beautiful or a size 8. Usually they are striking, or particularly well turned out, or come across as very confident.

Why can't I make that of myself? Of course I can.

What have you baked lately?
What purchase do you lust after?

Thermomix. Perfect. A prescription for the "Bah Humbugs".

Howdy, all!

I took delivery of my little beastie on Saturday.

Part of the whole shebang is having the Thermie Consultant come to your house and show you how to use the thing. My lady bought some pumpkin and other vegies and we made a pumpkin soup! It was delish!

After my epic work shift on Sunday morning, I decided some therapeutic cooking was in order. I actioned a curry (from scratch), some cumin and lemon infused rice, some cake and a beetroot salad. They were eaten enthusiastically by my Fella and my mum. Part of the cake was even appreciated by my colleagues.

I have subsequently created a spaghetti bolognese and breakfast smoothies. I will be actioning a panforte to slice up and give as presents.
And of course there will be pavlova.

Is it possible to love a machine?

Other than the fevered cooking, it has been busy here in Cilla-ville. Busy like just about everybody else. Decisions to be made. Things to be bought. I am trying not to let all of it get to me too much. Luckily some anxiety regarding changed/bigger roles at work has subsided and I am enjoying the challenges.



Love Offspring? Of course you do.
Love Eddie Perfect? Mais oui.
He was playing at a local pub last night, with a jazz ensemble called The Renovators.
They were playing Jazz versions of popular RnB artists, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Chris Brown and Craig David.
Eddie even had some special guests, who stole the show.
It was Eddie's birthday, and he looked like he really enjoyed just playing his music and bantering on stage, it was quite a casual gig.
We enjoyed it.


There has been a little bit in the blogosphere about finding Christmas Stressful.
Some posts even ask advice on how to deal with it.

Christmas is crappily timed, at the end of the year, when everything else also has to be done.
A time to reflect, perhaps on a year that wasn't what you imagined it would be, or was downright awful. Unpleasant feelings are often intensified at this time of year.
Worse, you feel guilty because you are supposed to be joyful and grateful, right? Everyone else is!

Actually no.

We can't control what happened, but we can control the guilt about not feeling the "christmas joy" (which is similar to "motivation", "happiness" and the "tooth fairy")
So no guilt, 'kay?
Take a bit of time to feel your feelings.

I remember Christmas eve, 2011. 2011 was a difficult year. I was sat alone, in my house.
I don't need to tell you how that felt.
What did I do? Got shitfaced on wine, ate a truckload of shortbread and had a good, hard howl, while Sex and the City DVDs blared in the background. The next day, I got up and got on with it.

I thoroughly recommend it.
It's ok.
Do what you need to do.

What kitchen/other gadget do you like?
What is your comfort activity of choice?
Anything else you wish to share?

Distractions. A recipe.

This week has been a long and hard one. Multiple frustrations. Multiple things to deal with. All managed, but wearing me down a bit. Here is not the forum to discuss them in detail, but suffice to say I am glad this week is finished.

My fella came back. With presents. But I like his presence better. Bless him.

Did I tell you I bought a thermomix? It should be coming sometime next week. I shall be blogging my creations. Let the Christmas baking begin.

Lovenest 1.0 is taking shape nicely. We are looking forward to having Christmas here. In our new 'hood, there is a communal herb garden. Here is a pic:

And never fear, I found a ham. I invested in a KR Castlemaine Ham. The beasty is languishing in my fridge.

I have also made some Veronika Maine purchases, which were both a. an investment and b. therapeutic. That is how I rationalise it.

[I rationalise and get buyers guilt in equal parts.... I just need to let it go.]

That manicure I was yapping about? I went and got it. A shellac mani-pedi. My nails are the colour of strawberry ice-cream.

[I love love love fake strawberry flavour]

After busy weeks, and very little time at home, a lovingly home-cooked meal was in order tonight. I utilised some broccolini and zucchini that were on their way out to make this pasta.

Here was how I cooked it

• 1 zucchini, finely sliced lengthways (I used a veggie peeler)
• 1.5 bunches brocollini, ends trimmed, stems cut in half to make shorter
• Spaghetti, for 2 people
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 chilli, chopped finely
• Anchovies
• 2tsp butter
• 3tsp olive oil
• handful pine nuts, toasted.
• zest of one lemon

Put water on to boil in large pot. Add spaghetti
Fry up garlic and chilli in butter and oil. Add anchovies, cook till they dissolve. Add zest. Then add zucchini. Zucchini will go all soft and melty and soak up all the lovely flavours. Add pine nuts,
When spaghetti nearly cooked, add broccolini to pot.
Drain spaghetti/broccolini and add to frying pan. Stir up all together. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Nom.

This will be good fuel for the Sussan fun run tomorrow. 10km along the beach on a lovely day.
The only issue is getting up at 5:30am....ergh.

Never let it be said that a busy week at work gets in the way of my extracurricular activities.

What about you?
Any good home cookin'?
Any investment/therapeutic buys?
How was your week?

'Snot a problem.....Some things about Me.

Happy Friday!

I have developed a post-holiday lurgy. I am very grateful that I didn't get it during the holiday. I am not impressed that I have it over a weekend.

I am at on my couch wrapped in my nanna blanket stalking trawling blogs, watching telly, staying warm. I have eschewed a post work drinks do in the city with my fella, instead going home via the pharmacy to get some good drugs.

So I am going to tell you a few random things about myself.

1. I never got on a plane till I was 20, and not overseas till nearly 23, but I have now travelled more widely than most people I know.

I have been to (not in temporal order):
New Zealand (3 times), the UK (6 times), the USA (a couple of times, plus en route), Singapore (twice), Malaysia (twice), Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Austria (Twice Each), Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Lichtenstein, Iceland, Sweden, Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Korea, Cuba, Mexico, The UAE and recently, Thailand.

This year, I visited Mexico City and Cuba in January. I went to a conference in Seoul in June, via Hong Kong, and I've just gotten back from Thailand.

I want to go to Israel and Jordan. I would have liked to go to Egypt, but it is a hellhole at the moment. I want to go to Turkey. Like, really want to go.
I would like to do the South of India.
I would like to do Mexico in more detail.
I would like to do the Galapagos and the Inca Trail in Peru.
I would like to go to the Olympics in Rio in 2016.

I have a British passport. My dad was born in the UK. 

2. I am a medical doctor (Geriatrician), doing a PhD looking at obesity in older people...

....or, as I call it, bariatric geriatrics.

I work part time, study full time and make mischief full time.

Will they call me Dr. Dr.? I don't know.

When will I finish my PhD? I don't know.

I am the only member of my immediate family to have finished high school. I have comprehensively over-shot, education wise.

3. I speak some Italian, and some Spanish. A few words of Dutch.

I learned Italian at school, right to year 12.
I took Spanish lessons a few years back.
Sometimes I get confused and speak them both interchangeably. Spangtalian, I call it.

4. I love pickled onions.

Like, if there were a block of chocolate and a jar of good pickled onions in the cupboard, the pickled onions would go first.

Mind you, I am fairly partial to chocolate, too.

5. I cook very good curried sausages.

They are my signature dish.

Like me, they are down to earth, a little spicy, and nutritious.

The very description of them wooed me my man.

They cure what ails you. Trust me. I am a doctor.


And what about you? Tell me a few random things about yourself. Whatever you feel comfortable with.

Ways to happily eat more vegetables. 3 days into Dry July, I reflect.

Harro!

In my line of work, I advise people about healthy habits on a(n almost) daily basis, I figure I need to practice what I preach. I have thought this for most of my career, after spending my Intern year getting many of my meals from vending machines. So, though I might fall short of the mark myself, I always have my own health at the back of my mind, and I do try.

The whole eat well and exercise thing is not controversial - all experts agree on this. They might quibble about exactly what food and what exercise is best, but the basic premise remains.

One thing that all health practitioners agree on though is that most of us need to eat more veggies. No, not potatoes, nor really sweet potatoes, they are, as far as I am concerned, in the same group as bread and pasta - yummy and full of carbs.

[I am not talking against Potatoes, I have never met a potato I didn't like.] 

Pretty much every other vegetable has the following qualities

• full of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals)
• full of fibre
• minimal calories

The problem is, with the exception of onion, garlic (herbs) and pumpkin, on their own, they are not intrinsically tasty. Mish Bridges and her ilk would have you steaming them and eating them en masse and telling you that you HAD BETTER LOVE IT, I like the French approach. They eat lots of veggies, but make them tasty. This is what I try to do. 

Here are a few ideas

Baby spinach

• I am not a big fan of spinach, but know it is good for me. Whizzed up in a food processor, a big bag shrinks into a small volume of unadulterated goodness. It can be added to spag bol (where it looks like basil), soups, casseroles, pretty much any hot meal.
• Spinach can go into a smoothie quite well, it gives the smoothie a greenish tinge (hidden well by frozen/ fresh blueberries) but you can't taste it. Breakfast veggies!

Brussels sprouts

• Unfairly maligned. I have always loved them, because my Nanna cooked the bejeezus out of them and served them with love and a roast dinner. An even better recipe is: slice up about 10-15 sprouts, get a little butter and olive oil, sautee the sprouts in a frying pan, add a little lemon juice, some salt and pepper, sautee the sprouts further until bits of the sprouts become sticky and caramelised, add some toasted pine nuts or flaked almonds and cook for a bit more, then et voila and you are welcome.

Mushies

• I always try and buy mushies every shopping trip, and I like the brown ones. For a quick but posh meal, slice up some mushies, sautee in a bit of olive oil and stock, once mostly sauteed add a touch of truffle oil (you can get this in fancy food shops and a little goes a long way). Add some chopped chives or spring onion. Serve with a couple of poached eggs, and let the yolk go through the mushies. 
• Mushies lend themselves well to being whizzed up in a food processor. I like to add them to a spaghetti bolognese, as they become indistinguishable from the meat, and lend an earthy flavour to the sauce.

 Hommus

• I am very fond of hommus, it is tasty and healthy and it is a serve of veg. Especially when eaten with veggie sticks. When I get my thermomix I will make my own.

On adding fats to veg

• This makes nutritional sense. Green veg are rich in vitamin K, and orange veg in vitamin A. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble. Hence adding a little butter to the veg not only makes the taste better, it makes the nutrients more bio-available (in English - more easily absorbed by the intestines)

Other general ideas

• green beans with a little butter and seeded mustard - oh yeah. A little butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper is good too. Acid helps with iron absorption, and this is good as the iron in green vegetables is not very bio-available.
• Have a look at anything Yotam Ottolenghi has written, he has a wonderful way with vegetables. His book Plenty is fantastic.
• Parsley grows virally in the garden - take advantage of this. It is super nutritious. I had a surfeit of parsley recently, which I made into a walnut and parsley pesto.
• I have my eggplant at the ready. I am going to make this caponata. It is so yummy that I can serve it up with steak or chicken and not even miss the spuds. Really.
• I am very fond of a slaw. I buy the basic mix in the bag at the supermarket, and jazz it up with chives, and then soak in a bit of lemon juice to soften which will minimise the amount of mayo required
• If you have a food processor or thermomix, whizz up a couple of beetroot with one carrot, an apple, an onion and some parsley. Add some lemon juice. If you are feeling bold, mix in some mayo. Yum. 
• Cold weather lends itself well to braises - veggies like fennel, silverbeet and chard are great as a braise. Go nuts with the garlic.
• Mash some well-boiled pumpkin with some butter and chopped chives, and have instead of mashed potato. More nutrients, less carbs.

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is. 

 Now. About dry July....

The idea of a month without wine....is a bit daunting. I will admit. But, being a reflective person, I have paused for a little thought on this. Broken it down. A lot of people don't, or won't.

The thing is, my enjoyment of nice meals, social events and music gigs is very much psychologically attached to having a glass or two (or sometimes more) of wine. Sometimes cider, but mostly wine.

A couple of glasses of wine is a common edge-taker-offer of stressful days, or meeting new people, especially so with the dating escapades that I went through.

I was driving through Fitzroy, Collingwood and the City yesterday, and I thought about all the memories of nice meals out, making new friends, some awkward/ fail moments. Meeting my fella. All of these involved wine in varying quantities. Ahhh, the memories. The fact that I have memories of all these situations is indeed reassuring!

I was eating dinner with my boyfriend last night, and I noted how slowly I was eating, and how I didn't eat all that much. It's not just the alcohol that is the killer, calorie wise, it is all the other things you ingest with it. I get the wine munchies. Dessert? Cheese? Absolutely! Can't not!

Wine, I will miss you, particularly your red variety. The nice little buzz you give me. The way you make a rich meal or a lump of cheese sing. The way you make it a bit easier to talk to people.

I will not miss the headache you give me after I have had more than a couple of glasses, or how my sleep is disturbed. Or how I am more prone to getting emotional......

I will learn to live without you for a bit. Hell, even maybe thrive without you...

_____________________________________

Do you eat enough vegetables (a big serve with lunch and dinner each day?)
Do you have any good ideas for serving veg? If so, I would like to hear them.

Do you enjoy a glass of wine (or three)? How would you go denying yourself for a month? Be honest, no judgement here :D

My finest facebook status updates. My new girl-crush.

I always take pride in my Facebook Status Updates. I make sure they are properly spelled and are the distilled more interesting parts of my life. I try not to get ranty, hateful, whingy or offensive. I have been complimented on their quality. Here are some of my recent ones.

Got 5 hours and 2 peoples worth of work done in 3.5 hours and by myself.
It's only 5 hours away from Offspring.
50 hours till the weekend and seeing Jesus Christ Superstar (yes I will sing all the words out loud)
3 days 20 hours till a lovely roast dinner at Epocha, then a music Gig
5 days 23 hours till I fly off to Seoul.

I'm not counting though.
________________
 I have been told I have a very expressive face.
Today, after my 90 minute drive down (c)Punt road, I was wearing my "quit your yapping and make me my goddamn coffee" face.
The Barista didn't see it.

_________________
 Listening to Triple j countdown. Used to think the song "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails was filth. I still think it's filth, but I like it.
 _________________

I am in bed with a sexy man who has made me coffee and is about to make pancakes.
(Hope my boyfriend doesn't mind...)
Hee hee!
Happy Sunday!
 ___________________

Had to explain to my 64 year old professor of medicine PhD supervisor what "bitch-slapped" meant. I also had to explain that I am from Werribee so some strange stuff can come out of my mouth sometimes. 
__________________

Soundbite of the day.
Drawing blood from an older male patient.
I said "sorry, hope that didn't hurt".
He replied "I've been married. I know what pain is".

Yeow.
_________________
  
On my trial I am putting my older folks on strict optifast with the aim of achieving ketosis.
The theory is that ketosis improves muscle mass and cognitive functioning.
I have just told a lady who is sticking to the diet strictly that I am breeding a super-race of older, stronger, smarter people in my dastardly plan for world domination.
I think she liked that.
  

I have been known to unfriend people (not actual friends, just peripheral people) who put whingy or bunny-boiling posts. I don't need my feed filled with it.

I just need to spend less time on there. It is not a good or appropriate place to debrief.

I have just got my new cookbook in the mail. It is called Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo. She is a very Pretty English Lass. Kind of like a young Nigella. Her recipes are very easy and tasty. 

In other news, I have been churning out some abstract art. In Tuesday's class, we worked with Impasto medium, which adds texture to acrylic paint. Here are my works. 

I am HANGING out for leave. Soo looking forward to getting on that plane. I will be at the pointy end of it. I will have a glass of champagne for you. And you. And you. All of you.

I had some blog visitors from all over the world - Israel, USA, Indonesia. You there - come say hello! Don't be shy! 

Emergency Chocolate Cake.

You should keep all the ingredients in your pantry for emergencies.
If you don't, you should take a long, hard look at yourself.
It is dead easy and absolutely scrumptious. No separating eggs.

200g dark cooking chocolate (good quality)
200g unsalted butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbs rum or grog of your choice
3tbs ground almonds
1tbs plain flour
1 cup sugar
 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees
Melt butter and choc.
Add rum and mix.
Add eggs and mix
Add dry ingredients and mix 

Put in cake tin lined with baking powder
Bake for 20 minutes
Allow to cool
Apply to face
 

You're welcome.

 

Here is photo.

Piece is missing.

I didn't do it (actually I did). 

 

Week in a wink.

I know I know I have been slackola with le blog.

My excuse (and I don't believe in excuses but here it is): the last 7 consecutive days (Sun to Sat) I have been at work/conferences.

So apart from eating and running and catching up with the fella I've not had time to do a great deal. I've not even gone to the pool.

This week is shaping up to be a bit less feral so I will get into it. Plus make some headway on the thesis.

Some things that have been happening:

• I have alluded to a slight positive change in my financial circumstances. Given that paperwork has been signed, and a start date has been posited, I can say that I have been offered a Scholarship that is a fair bit more generous than my previous one. Hence, I will have a bit more money. Which is good, because holiday planning is afoot. Plus it is a nice thing to gussy up the CV.

• I am getting better with my running. I love running group. I run with a fantastic group of girls and our new coach is fantastic. He pushes us hard but in a non-demeaning way. He makes us feel good about ourselves, which is important when you are puffing around a park in the dark. I find that the only way I reliably go for exercise if I make time for it and pay the not-insignificant fees for the training upfront. I am much less likely to slack off if it is scheduled and pre-paid.

• It is a good thing I am getting better with the running, as I have been eating quite well of late. When I say well I mean nice food in generous amounts. 

• A group of us went out for dinner at B'Stilla last night - great company, great food and great wine. I drank a mataro, which I picked for a group of us. Usually these grapes are blended with Grenache or Shiraz, but this vino sang on its own, and what a lovely melody it sang. Like a pinot, but with a bit more guts, and quite fragrant too. The food was lovely, we ate the eponymous B'Stilla (a pigeon and duck pie which is very tasty) plus lots more. The group that I went out with was a group called Melbourne Dining Out, organised on Meetup.com. It was eating out with this group that I met the fella.

• I went out with the family for Mother's day. We ate at Tramway hotel, which does a fantastic line in burgers (beef, chicken, lamb, quinoa and fish) and serves up probably the best chips in Melbourne. The family loved it. Dessert there was salted caramel cheesecake. Yes, I kid you not. After lunch I napped then caught up with a friend for dinner.

• I got a haircut! A bit shorter, a bit more red. Very sassy. The results are up on instagram (@cillajean79)

• I actioned a fantastic pumpkin soup - 1 butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut up and roasted with an onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Meanwhile, boil a peeled and diced potato in some chicken stock. Pop the roasted ingredients into the stock, Whizz up with a stick blender, add about 150 mL low fat cream and whizz up some more. Serve. I did not get photos because me and the fella nommed it before it got a chance to be photographed. 

• I think I need to be a bit more proactive with meal planning and shopping, so that I can bring lunch in more reliably. In other news I am thinking of investing in a thermomix. There is very little they can't do.

Anyway I have a few posts in the offing soon, including a post about one of my favourite tv series. Bear with me!

And have a lovely week.

Frugal Fancy Food - Minestrone

I love food.
I love cooking.
I don't let the fact that I live alone discourage me from cooking. I only wish I had a dishwasher in my flat. When the fella comes over for food, he is the dishwasher. He is better at washing dishes than I.
Cooking is one of my things. Dishwashing is not.

I enjoy the challenge of making run of the mill, economical food into something amazing and healthy and yummy. And filling.

I have been wanting to action a soup since the weather went cooler, but I wanted something very, very tasty.

I am proud to say that this minestrone is pretty freaking awesome. Instead of bacon (too salty and a bit bland) or pork hock (a bit more expensive and hard to get my mitts on), I used italian pork sausages, which were lurking in my freezer.

My recipe:

• 4 good quality pork sausages, casings removed. I used the spicy sausages and they made the soup hum nicely.
• 1 440g tin borlotti beans (you can use cannellini if you prefer)
• 1/2 litre of beef stock (that was all I had hanging around and it made the soup lovely and rich)
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic/2tsp crushed garlic.
• Diced Vegetables - 1 zucchini, 2 stalks celery, 1-2 carrots, Parsnip. I got my mitts on some freshly chopped vegetables at my greengrocer - they were discounted as they had been sitting around a bit - $2.50 as opposed to $6. WIN.
• 2 potatoes, unpeeled, diced. You could substitute some pasta here but put it in in the end so it doesn't go mushy.
• Some leafy greens - very nutritious but very tastless on their own. You could use silverbeet or chard. I used a bag of baby spinach that I had in the bottom of my fridge that was on its way out.
• Oregano, 1-2 teaspoons
• Fennel seeds- 1 teaspoon - goes well with the pork.
• Water, added to correct consistency and make "soupy" rather than "saucy".
• Salt (I had some mushroom flavoured salt hanging about so I added that, It made the flavour even deeper)
• Sugar - 2-3 teaspoons - adds well to the spiciness of the sausages, and brings out the sweetness of the tomato.

In a heavy based pot, fry the onions and garlic in a generous glug of olive oil till glossy. Add the sausage innards and fry till browned.
Add some more olive oil and then add the rest of the veggies apart from the spinach. Pop the lid on and let them sweat for a little while.
Add the beans, tomatoes and stock, plus some water. Add the greens and herbs and salt and sugar. Bring to boil, let reduce a little, simmer for about 1/2 hour. Ensure veggies are tender. 
Serve with some parmesan cheese and some bread. But really this is so filling that you don't actually need the bread. Any excuse for sourdough, though, right?

This makes about 5-6 generous serves. It is gosh-darned tasty, if I don't say so myself. It is so nutritious I am glowing like I have just been for a run or done some mattress aerobics. I have popped some in the freezer to enjoy later.

It works out to about 2-3 bucks a serve, depending on how cheaply you can source the sausages. But given that these are the hero in this dish, if you can, go for quality.

Here is some minestrone porn:

A treatise to porridge.

As it gets cold, we crave warmth, and comfort. Red wine. Rich stews. Roasts, Pasta. Stodge. It gets harder to get out of bed. Harder to get out and exercise. Harder to be healthy, really.

One cold weather healthy habit is easy, though. Porridge.

Some people find porridge a bit of a poor-man's food, perhaps having been forced to eat it as a child. I don't remember ever eating porridge (or being cooked) porridge as a child. I would like to cook it for my future offspring, God willing/Inshallah.

Porridge (or oatmeal to the Yanks) is indeed like a big warm hug from grandma, as the ad stated, however in its naked state, it is rather bland. And covering it in brown sugar, as tempting as it is, sort of defeats the purpose. A little brown sugar, though, is a wonderful and indeed mandatory thing.

Here is how I tart up a bowl of porridge.

Hopefully, I get prepared the night before. I pop 1/2 a cup of oats in a bowl. (NOT the instant kind. No need to mess with perfection. And they cook quite quickly in the microwave). I then add some cinammon and nutmeg, then stir in 3/4 cup of water. Sometimes I slip a little vanilla essence in the water, if I am feeling cheeky.

That morning, I cook the porridge in the microwave for 1 minute on high, then stir, then repeat, then stir, then repeat. Important to cover with a microwave food sheild, as porridge explosions may occur (helps to watch through the glass for impending explosions later in the cooking process).

I add some accoutrements, in addition to a little brown sugar. Or honey. Or golden syrup

• Grated granny smith apple (could be added before cooking), sultanas
• banana and a dab of almond butter
• figs and almond flakes (my favourite with figs being in season)
• I have been known to add some good quality chocolate chips to porridge. Only once or twice though.

A nice dab of full fat greek yoghurt adds to the protein content.

It keeps little old hungry me good till lunch. More than that, though, it makes me feel pampered, which is a nice feeling to take through the day with me.

Poor man's food, I think not.

Chimi-whatty?

Chimichurri.
Or Salsa verde.
You say tomato etc.

People often talk about what we can subtract from our diet to make it healther, lose weight et cetera.
Yet I think it is much more rewarding to talk about what we can add to make it more nutritious and tastier.
Rather than deprivation, reward.
It is a much nicer way to live, I say.

I am very, very partial to a sauce. I do love a bearnaise, or hollondaise, or any other naise on my grilled or poached protein or fried carbohydrate. Yet if we eat it daily we might find muffin tops appearing over our AG jeans, or, worse, a cholesterol problem, heart attack.

I always go berserk at a restaurant when I see a green sauce, I end up nomming it down. It makes everything flavourful and gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling.

What we must not forget is that the constituents, usually parsley, basil or coriander, are leafy green herbs. Highly nutritious. Similar greeny nutrition in a spoonful of chimichurri to half a plate of spinach.

I know which one I would rather (Yes, I really don't like unadorned spinach that much. So sue me.).

Add to it garlic, shallot, lemon, chilli, white wine vinegar and olive oil, and you have something quite amazing, in both a taste and nutritional capacity.

So, with steak on the menu,  I decided that a chimichurri was in order. This is a bit of a bastardised version. It still tastes good/

I used.
-1 shallot (Not the spring onion, the little oniony thing, just to be clear)
-1/2 bunch of parsley, stalks and leaves
-1/2 bunch of coriander, stalks and leaves
-1/2 tbs fresh lemon juice
-1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed.
-1/2 tbs white wine vinegar
-1 clove of garlic, crushed
-tiny bit of crushed chilli (you don't want the heat to overpower all the other flavours, but a few flecks of red among the green is lovely)

whizz up in a food processor, I have one of those stick blender with a bowl and blade attachment and I love it sick.

This is how mine looked

The photo does not quite do the splendid greenness of the sauce justice. You will just have to make it yourself.

Shakshuka (like a polaroid picture!)

So the fella is off to a punk-rock gig, starring Johnnie Rotten. I passed on that one.

I have a night at home, alone! There was a time where I would not have been able to cope with that, but alas I look forward to it now. Plus I have fetch TV, I can watch movies!!! Telly!

The eternal question is "what do I cook".
There is, of course, the temptation to have takeaway. Living in a trendy inner suburb, I have lots of cheap, cheerful and tasty places around me. But the cost adds up, as do the calories (in the form of muffin toppage).

Cooking for one is a fraught thing. Biscuits and dip would not do. Baked beans at a pinch. Yet I always feel better, feel a bit more pampered and cared for, if I have something a bit, well, luscious. Yummy. A bit luxurious.

Hence I like to keep some interesting herbs and spices and bits and bobs in the cupboard, sumac, ras el hanout, cumin, chive, lemon, tinned tomatoes et cetera. And eggs in the fridge. Always eggs. Eggs are awesome.

I was tossing up between a Nasi Lemak from Malaymas (being an honorary Malaysian I am a purveyor of fine sambal) and a shakshuka.

Shakshuka is an Israeli baked egg type dish. It makes good use of the things I had in my cupboard. And it is delish. Just what I need on a coolish night - to warm the cockles of my heart.

So here 'tis (Serves Uno):

1 tin diced tomatoes (purists use fresh and dice them and cook them but that really defeats the purpose)
2 eggs
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 onion, finely diced
crushed clove of garlic
1 tsp sugar, if desired. Salt and pepper to season
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp each of paprika and cumin
Chilli powder, to taste
1/4 capsicum, finely diced
Flatbread and yoghurt/tzatziki to serve.

pop the capsicum, onion and garlic into a small frying pan, fry in olive oil till soft. Add the spices and fry to make aromatic (NB watch for chilli fume cough) and then add the tomatoes and paste. Cook till simmering. Make some little wells for the eggs and carefully crack them in. The eggs will cook on the bottom; a trick to hurry the top along a little is to put a cover over the pan, like a plate. Warm your bread, dollop some yoghurt on the top and sprinkle some parsley (I used sumac) on top.
Use a spoon and your bread to consume the lovely gloop. Eat it direct from the pan!

Some fancy cafes put Merguez sausage in. Some use chorizo. All good here.

Here 'tis.

There is a place in Jaffa, Israel, called Dr. Shakshuka. I could imagine that the food there would cure what ails you (haw haw haw).

I saw it on Yotam Ottolenghi's cooking show. Loved that show.

Have always been a bit fascinated by Israel, the history, the current issues. I'd love to go. It's on my list.

But I digress.
Do you have a fail-safe go-to recipe for one?