Dinner – Keeping it Cool

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As I mentioned in my previous post we sweltered through some very hot weather yesterday.  I find find that producing an appetising, nutritious meal with the minimum of effort can be a bit of a challenge.

Since it was so hot yesterday, I had the added difficulty of not wanting to traipse to the shops to buy our weekly fruit and vegetables.  So, I decided that I would make do with what I had.

The end result was a 3 course meal.

Dinner
Chilled tomato and parsley soup
Rice paper rolls with dipping sauce
Pineapple and mint crush

Dessert
None of these came from recipes in the true sense of the word but were creations out of my head with the ingredients I had available.  However, I will add them to the recipe file soon.

Cool For Cats

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Today has been an extraordinarily hot day. The forecast for Brisbane was 41C and even here it was tipped to reach 38C.  It is now 5pm and it is 38C in my kitchen – no I have not had the oven on!

Because we live in a relatively temperate climate we do not have air-conditioning and our only means of cooling is a fan.  It is a very efficient Dyson model which we have had running all day.  Other than that, The Duke and I have been doing very little and conserving our energy.  We have drunk copious amounts of chilled water and I have planned a cool, refreshing evening meal.  I will post more about that tomorrow.

We have kept a close eye on the dog and cat who are both ‘seniors’ in animal terms.  There is no doubt that the cat was quite good at finding the coolest spot in the house.  At first, he was sprawled out on the slate hearth beside the fireplace.  Later on, he decided that on top of the low bookcase in front of the louvres offered the best hope of some movement of air.  However, he was panting and seemed a bit distressed so I decided to cool him off.

Washing the cat

Although he was not too keen, Mr Kitty did not put up much of a fight as I think he realised that he actually felt better.

Drying off

I then put him out on the verandah where he groomed himself and dried off quite rapidly.

I am about to have a cold shower before I finish doing the food preparation for our eveing meal.  I think we will be eating outdoors in the hope of catching even a whiff of breeze.

My apologies to my North American readers who are suffering from the terrible winter storms.  I hope you can stay safe and warm.

Catching Up on Comments

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I have been somewhat tardy in responding to your thoughtful comments over the past 3 weeks.  I have just gone back and replied or acknowledged all of them.

I read each and every one of your comments and am touched by the thought you put into them.  They really add an extra dimension to the blog and I would like to sincerely thank you.

The past couple of days have been a whirlwind trip to Sydney with my Belle, Miss O and Izz but more about that another day.

It has been hot here today and tomorrow is expected to be in excess of 40C so our focus while be on keeping cool.  I will be looking for some little jobs that I can do while staying as cool as possible.  Some of you are struggling to keep warm at the moment so my thoughts are with everyone who is doing their best to continue to function despite extremes of heat and cold.

2014 – A Clean Slate

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Well, that is another year done and dusted.

I am pleased to be able to rule a line under 2013 with all of its ups and downs.  Unfortunately, there were quite a few downs last year and I am hoping that this year will be brighter.

Thank you to all of my readers for your loyalty during the past year. I am grateful to you for your comments which really adds an extra dimension to the blog.  I am considering the structure and focus of the blog for this year and would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions.  Some of my thoughts include doing a series on a particular topic for a week or having a regular focus on a particular day of the week such as Project 333 on Monday, recipe on Tuesday etc.  I could simply continue with my totally random posts which are based on whatever pops into my head.  The other conundrum I am facing is whether to continue to post almost every day or perhaps only weekdays or perhaps 2 or 3 days per week.  Please let me know what you would prefer.

Happy New Year
Wishing you health and happiness for 2014.

Project 333 – Oops!

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I came unstuck this morning with my small wardrobe.  I am back at work today after a week off over the Christmas period, however, the dress code is casual for this week.

It is going to be hot again today so I put on my white shorts and one of my new spotted tops (the black one) and my black leather slides.  It was all looking good until I was standing on the railway platform and noticed that the top was navy, not black.  I would normally have chosen to wear my red sandals with this outfit.  I doubt that anyone will notice but it does not feel right to me.

Sleeveless top
Navy is a new addition to my wardrobe so I will need to be careful when choosing this top especially as the black and navy ones are otherwise identical.

Do you have ‘rules’ about your clothes or is it a case of ‘almost anything goes’?

A Christmas Table & Leftovers

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Each year I review my Christmas catering efforts to see what worked, what didn’t and what could be changed.

As I have explained, this year was quite different as I catered for a small family gathering of 4 in an unfamiliar kitchen with limited ingredients.  I shopped with a view to minimal leftovers as well as a very simple menu.  You can see the menu in my previous post.

Entree
This was the entree – grilled asparagus and prosciutto-wrapped haloumi.  There was a roasted capsicum sauce to accompany it.

Main course
Here is the table set for the main course with grilled salmon, chestnut and cranberry stuffed chicken roll and 3 different salads.

It was very enjoyable and there is nothing that I would change.  The menu could easily be used for a bigger group with minimal additional effort.

We visited relatives on Boxing Day so the leftovers had to wait until the following day when I used them to  create a main meal salad.  I do not have a photo but here is the ‘recipe’.

Potato & Salmon Salad

6 tiny potatoes
1 small piece of grilled salmon
1 stick of celery
1/4 red capsicum (bell pepper)
Herb mayonnaise

Boil the potatoes until just tender.  Cool and cut into small pieces.  Flake the salmon and add to potatoes.  Add finely sliced celery and diced capsicum.  Toss ingredients and stir mayonnaise through.  Chill and serve on a bed of salad greens with tomato wedges.

The recipe is based on exactly what I did and it served 3 adults for lunch.

What creations have you made with leftovers during the festive season?

The Christmas Menu

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As you know we are staying in a holiday apartment so Christmas this year is a little different.  I do have access to some basic oils and condiments, however, the full range of pantry ‘essentials’ that I take for granted at home are not all here.

On Sunday evening I finally made some effort to plan our Christmas Day menu but it was still really flexible when we went shopping at the Queen Victoria Markets yesterday.  The plan evolved as I found various items.  Today I went to the local shops to pick up the last few things I would need and I have started the preparation.

Here is the menu.

NIBBLES

Cracker biscuits and vegie sticks with dips – beetroot, pumpkin, carrot & coriander and 1 other which I can’t remember.

ENTREE

Grilled prosciutto-wrapped haloumi and grilled asparagus with roasted capsicum salsa

MAINS

Chicken roll with spinach and pinenut stuffing
Seared Atlantic salmon with lime and cucumberPotato salad with herbed mayonnaise dressing
Roasted balsamic pumpkin, red onion and feta salad
Rocket, avocado, tomato and capsicum salad

DESSERT

Berry meringue smash

It is designed to be a simple yet special meal which I can prepare in an unfamiliar kitchen with minimal extra ingredients.  I have made the pumpkin salad, cooked the potatoes, wrapped the haloumi in prosciutto, roasted the capsicum and made the salsa.

Kitchen
Tomorrow I will assemble the other salads, roast the chicken and make the dessert.  The Duke will cook the asparagus, haloumi and salmon on the BBQ.

BBQ
I am looking forward to sharing a relaxing day with my family.

 

 

Project 333 – Christmas Shopping

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While the rest of Melbourne was creating shopping mayhem in the CBD (or so it seemed), I sauntered down to my favourite shop in Bridge Road, Richmond.  I had planned to fit in some clothes shopping during this trip and here is what I found.

Camisoles
3 camisoles in my base colours of red, white and black.

Blouse
Black spotted blouse with pintucked front in a fine 100% cotton fabric.  I am looking forward to wearing this with a black skirt.

Sleeveless top
Black/white 100% cotton top.  I also bought the same style in navy/white.  These will be perfect with skirts and shorts.

Dress and jacket
Finally, a dress and jacket.  The black dress is sleeveless and fitted.  The cropped jacket has 3/4 sleeves and is lined.

As always, the pieces were bought to mix and match with my existing wardrobe.  I can already see many possibilities for these new additions.  I will be looking at culling a couple of my older fitted t-shirt tops and generally reviewing my wardrobe to make sure that I am getting the best use from the clothes that I love.

Buoyed by the success of my clothes shopping expedition, I then headed into the city ad braved the crowds to buy a new handbag but more about that another day.

Tomorrow it will be back to earth when I need to buy the food to make a simple Christmas lunch for 4 people.  I have a rough idea but will be heading to the markets to see what is in season and catches my eye so that will be my guide.  I will share more about my Christmas menu with you tomorrow.

Project 333 – Refining My Style

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The countdown is on to another  3 month season of Project 333.  I originally participated in this project back in April 2012.  You can read my first post about dipping my toe in the water.  Since the initial 3 month period, I have not stuck rigidly to the ‘rules’ but simply set myself a goal of streamlining my wardrobe to a small selection of clothes that I love and wear.

Wednesday outfit

One of the things that has really helped is learning to know and understand my style.  It is unique to me and cannot be dictated by an outsider.  Style is about you and it is much easier to define and refine as you peel away the layers of clothes that you consistently overlook when choosing an outfit.

Striped shirt 3
If I had to choose one word to describe my style it would be ‘simple’.  That is really apt as it fits in neatly with my philosphy of simple on so many levels.  It is partly because of the climate I live in but I am definitely not a fan of layering such as top, tunic and trousers then a drapey cardigan over the top.  It is simply not me.

IMG_4263
I am lucky to have found a range of clothes in one boutique that mostly meets my needs.  In fact I could almost go so far as to say that the clothes I have bought from Rivette & Blair make up the majority of my wardrobe.  I have 2 dresses, 4 jackets, 6 shirts, 8 tops, 4 skirts and 2 pairs of trousers that I have purchased over the last 4 or 5 years.  There have been others that have worn out out or been moved on after several years of wear.  Regardless of the shop, I have made a couple of bad choices and bought items that have not stood the test of time.  However, understanding my style helps me to shop smarter and hopefully  the bad choices will be minimised, if not completely eliminated.

The 3 photos I have used in this post feature 9 different items.  They are all from Rivette & Blair with the exception of the pink cardigan in the first photo and the skirt in the last one.  They are generally basic pieces which can be mixed and matched with other items from the range or other sources.

I am currently reviewing (yet again) the contents of my wardrobe with a view to checking out my favourite shop when I go to Melbourne soon.  Even though I can order from the website I am much happier going to the shop and actually trying the clothes on.  I am not a convert to shopping onlne for my clothes yet.  What about you?

 

A Quiet Christmas

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You may or may not have noticed the lack of posts about getting organised for Christmas.  That was because I really have done very little.  We are going to be travelling interstate so it will be somewhat different to most years.

Things I have done:

Made a cake
Organised gifts for our children and granchildren
Attended the annual Christmas drinks with neighbours from our road
Sent a small number of cards and emails
Had a BBQ with my mother and siblings before we all head in different directions for Christmas

Things I have not done:

Put up a tree
Rushed around buying gifts for lots of people
Attended work Christmas functions
Planned a huge feast

2013-12-17 01This evening we called in to visit our daughter and family and give them their Christmas presents.  The highlight was explaining to Miss O and Izz that we will be going to Sydney on New Year’s Day to see “The Lion KIng” for their Christmas gift from us.

The Duke and I will not be exchanging particular gifts but instead we are saving towards our planned trip to the UK later next year.

We will be spending Christmas Day with my mother and our younger daughter in Melbourne.  We are staying in rented accommodation so I will decide on a menu based on the weather and also availability of kitchen equipment/utensils.  We will have access to an excellent of fresh food from the market and we will enjoy creating a special meal without over-indulging.  A laptop and the internet means that I will be able to use virtually any recipe I could possibly want.

I will spend some time reflecting on the year that was.  2013 has had some challenges which we have survived and I am looking forward to a fresh slate – 2014!

What are your plans?