Pinterest - the new obsession

I like to play with different types of technology.  Obviously I blog.  I occasionally tweet.  I have Facebook to keep in the loop with friends.  And recently I discovered Pinterest.  Oh how I discovered Pinterest, to be honest, I've gone slightly crazy with the pinning.

There are so many pretty, clever, sparkly things there but the thing that has really grabbed me is the amazing array of recipes.  I have a rule that I don't buy a recipe book unless it has a picture of every dish, Pinterest is like that on steriods.  I have pinned a crazy number of recipes and this weekend even managed to make a couple.

This hummus-crusted chicken is AMAZING.  Seriously roasted hummus is a fantastic flavour.  Next time I make it (and there will be a next time) I will probably season the chicken a bit more and put a bit more hummus on the vegies but those are the only changes I would make.

It was actually quite the chickpea focused weekend, because the other dish I tried was a chickpea and tomato salad.  Incredibly simple, so quick to make and truly tasty, this too is set to become a regular dish in our house.

Now just to make the next few dozen recipes I've pin!

Do you use Pinterest?  Whose boards should I be following?  You can find me at: http://pinterest.com/blithemoments/

A walk in the country

S and I like to walk up the hill to visit my parents.  It is great exercise plus we tend to get tea and coffee and fed when we arrive (a yummy apple strudel today).

This afternoon we walked up, quite warm in the sunshine but after drinks and cake it had got to sunset before we left.  We walked along briskly, noticing how quickly the temperature had dropped and commenting on how different the perspective is from the car trip, or even walking in the other direction.  As we walked S suddenly stopped and said "Is that a wombat, or a wombat shaped bush?"  Sure enough it was a wombat!

As we walked further along we came across a mob of kangaroos on our path and that is not to mention the myriad of gorgeous birds we saw on our journey.

It was one of those walks that reminds me how privileged we are to live so close to nature.  Just a lovely little afternoon.

Vegemite Toast

Vegemite, love it, hate it, it is undoubtedly one of the tastes of Australia.

I am firmly in love it camp.  Vegemite for me is true comfort food.  If I'm feeling sad, sick or hungover a piece of toast with butter and the perfect amount of vegemite accompanied by a cup of tea is what I crave.  That said, it is also my go to snack when I'm feeling perfectly healthy too!

I've learned over the years how important it is to travel with Vegemite.  As fantastic as a long holiday is, you need some of those home comforts and the fact that vegemite comes in a squeezy tube means it is a perfect travel companion. 

When I travelled through South America in 2009 we quickly became weary of the sweet breakfasts.  Everything was sweetened, the bread, the spreads (which included of course the fab dulce de lece but there are only so many mornings you can eat toast topped with caramel), the cereal, even the yogurt they top cereal with.  It was a little overwhelming.  Then one morning we sat down to unsweetened bread.  Excited I jumped up and grabbed from my suitcase the tube of Vegemite that my travel companions had been teasing me about.  The teasing was over.  We got stuck into it and it was one of the best breakfasts of the trip.

Of course, as with any time you have vegemite in a foreign country the obvious happened, someone asked to try it.  Through our limited spanish we tried to explain that it isn't sweet but the look on her face when she took a bite was priceless.

This morning I sat curled on the couch with a plate of vegemite toast and a cup of English breakfast tea that had been perfectly made for me by S.  I was cozy in my trackies and uggs, the sun was shining in warming the room and as I took a bite I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort.  It may not have been the most glamorous of mornings, but it was perfect.

Are you a vegemite lover?  And what is your go to comfort food?

Dream house

Last night we had friends over for dinner and a few board games.  It was a lovely evening with too much food, lots of laughter and good natured threats of "death to you all" as people lost games.

Prior to everyone arriving I had my normal pre-entertaining panic that we wouldn't have enough food.  Luckily S is quite brilliant at talking me off the ledge and of course we had heaps - we will be eating the leftovers for a week despite the fact that many people had seconds and thirds and the evening went really quite late.

The whole thing reminded me why my dream house will include a dining table to seat at least 12.  In our tiny townhouse we can crowd 6 people around our table, and I mean crowd.  With 6 people it is elbows tucked in and barely space for the salt and pepper shakers.  As a result when we entertain it tends to be fork food, the kind of thing that people can eat sitting on the floor or the couch because if we have more than 4 guests that is what happens.

My dream is a huge table that I can fill with delicious food and surround with our lovely friends - and of course by necessity the gourmet kitchen that will allow me to cook like that will have to go with it.  It will have to have really comfy seats, the kind that lend themselves to long evenings of banter and debate.  And we will eat and laugh and the house will be filled with the warmth of good company and friendship.

For now I settle with making my friends sit on the floor, but one day, hopefully not too far away, I will have that table and a house to fit it in.

What features do you want in your dream house?  Is it a pool, a grand fireplace or just a giant table like me?

ANZAC Pancakes with caramel pears

Today is ANZAC day.  A day that we pause to remember those who sacrificed their lives during the wars that have given us the freedoms we enjoy today.

There are many traditions associated with ANZAC day.  The dawn service - a service of remembrance undertaken in the freezing pre-dawn darkness.  Games of two up - a gambling game played by servicemen during war.  The Essendon v Collingwood football match - carn the bombers!  Being able to turn your heater on without shame in Canberra - and thank god because it was below 0 last night.  And of course ANZAC biscuits.

I've written about ANZAC biscuits before, but this year I didn't make any.  A lovely colleague made a giant batch so I didn't need to.  But I still felt somewhat of a need to have something with those flavours, hence the invention of these pancakes.

The flavour is lovely and very reminiscent of an ANZAC biscuit, however the added oats makes them VERY filling - I could only eat 2, S bravely at his 3 plus my extra one.  It certainly is the perfect hearty breakfast for a cold autumn morning.

Note: you will need to start this recipe the night before to allow the oats time to soak.

ANZAC Pancakes with caramel pears

1 1/3 cups milk
1/3 cup oats
1 egg
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup dessicated coconut
butter for the pan

In a small bowl soak the oats in 1/3 cup milk in the fridge overnight.

Whisk together the remaining milk, the egg and golden syrup.  Stir in the bicarb soda, flour, coconut and soaked oats.

Heat a frying pan over a medium high heat.  Add enough butter to have a light coating over the pan and drop in large spoonfuls of the mixture.  It should make about 6 medium sized pancakes.  Fry the pancakes till golden.  You know when they are ready to turn as bubbles will appear on the top and they go golden around the edges.

Serve hot with the caramel pears.

Caramel Pears
2 pears (I prefer burre bosc)
20g butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup

Peal pears and cut each into 12 slices.

In a small pot melt the butter and golden syrup together until bubbling.  Add the pears, turn the heat to medium low and cook, stiring occasionally to ensure they are well covered in the caramel for about 15 minutes or until soft and cooked through.

Singing

If there is one talent I could have, it would be the ability to sing.  At best I could be described as having a limited range.  More honestly I would probably be described as one of those people who just shouldn't sing.  The only person in the world who thinks I can sing is S.  I think it is a sign that love can not only make you blind, it can make you deaf!

Despite my vocal limitations I do love to sing, but I confine myself to belting it out in the car - with the radio up loud enough that even I can't hear how bad I sound!  The thing is that despite my vocal limitations I have an amazing memory for lyrics.  I was reminded of this today as I drove around the city with the radio on.  I was listening to one of those greatest hits type stations.  I must have been in the car for over 40 minutes but I knew every word to every song.  Imagine if I could actually sing in tune, I would be karaoke champion of the world!

While that is never going to happen, those song sessions in the car do make me very happy and I think I will remain a car singer for the rest of my days!

Can you sing? And where is your preferred place for a little vocal exercise?

Winter warmers

One of the many funny Canberraisims is that you don't turn your heater on till ANZAC day.  The gorgeous mild autumn we have been having has made this fairly easy this year, however in the last week the night time temperatures have started to plunge into the low single digits.  A work colleague down from Queensland told us he was needing to wear thermals!

While my thermals are still safely tucked away in the cupboard we have started piling on extra blankets at night so today I decided that the time has come and switched our summer weight doona over to the thick duck down one.  I made up the bed with crisp, fresh linen and topped it with the swathe of light as air but warm as a cuddle down doona.

I adore our soft, fluffy, warm winter doona.  There is something incredibly comforting about snuggling down into its soft folds on a cold night. It gives off a feeling a security and safety, the kind that can protect you from the terrifying ghost in the scary move we watched last night.

Tonight we are headed out to a great party, but I'm already looking forward to coming home and snuggling in.

Are you a doona or a blanket person?  And have you put your winter bedclothes on yet?