26 February 2008

Figure Drawing

This is Anya's latest skill. /tears/ She's really growing up!

Her first figure drawing (Feb 8th):


Her drawing of me (Feb 23rd):


Her drawing of David (Feb 24th):


Another drawing of me (Feb 24th):

Asian Beef Salad

David and I made up this recipe last night -- he did the greens, and I did the beef and onions:

Marinate 2 or 3 small flank steaks in lime juice + pulp, chili sauce, kecap manis, soy sauce and honey. (Approx 2 limes, 1 Tbs chili sauce, 2 Tbs kecap manis, 2 Tbs soy, 1 Tbs honey, but I just drizzled it into the bowl without measuring.) Grill on the BBQ or sear in a pan, then slice up for your salad.

Slice 2 onions and brown on the BBQ plate or in the pan. Set aside.

Simmer the marinade on low in the pan until thickened (approx 3-5 minutes). Return the onions to the pan and toss to coat. If there's a lot of sauce then you can also toss in the sliced beef.

Serve warm on a bed of mixed lettuces, fresh basil, tomato wedges & freshly toasted walnuts lightly dressed with sesame oil, fish sauce & rice vinegar.

25 February 2008

Some Movement, Please

We've known for some time that Callum is raring to get going -- hates to be left lying around, rolls every which way, and constantly insists on being sat up (preferably in someone's lap) for a better view of the world around him. I've tried to show him how to slide forward on his tummy, but so far he still only scoots forwards if given something big to push off from (then he gets so excited that he's moving!)

Today he was making his usual break for it off the change mat, and I noticed that he was getting up on his knees. So it seems we'll be skipping phase one and going straight to hand-knee crawling. He's also been much more stable when sitting on his own (tipping over after several seconds rather than instantly) so that's the other problem sorted. :)

He's been much more vocal over the last few days despite (or perhaps because of?) having a snuffly cold. Vav vav vav, mam mam mam, bla bla bla (didn't you understand that?) Laughs like it's the greatest joke ever when we say "achoo!" and "boo!"

14 February 2008

Late Night Musings

While cooking some pasta last night I wound up thinking about my friend William. I pretty much think about him every time I cook pasta, although I haven't seen him in over fifteen years (though nearly caught up with him at the turning of the millenium) and haven't exchanged email or anything with him in probably seven years. The reason I think about him is that he's the person who showed me how to slightly twist a bunch of spaghetti before letting it fall into the boiling water. I still remember how "Eureka!" that moment felt to me. I suppose to most people in the world, cooking pasta is a very ordinary event, but to this day, when I stand some spaghetti in a pot and then let it fall in a spiral, I feel a little thrill.

This got me thinking later that night about food memories. I guess they keep coming back because you never stop eating and the food still tastes like it did the first time, bringing the memory right back again. Especially if you're as into food as I am. (I do realise that I've just rather inelegantly re-capped that famous bit about madeleines and tea, but they're my own inelegant words, so there.)

I'll think of Jill every time I eat artichokes. A "wow!" moment when she showed me how to steam one and dip the leaves one by one into scrummy dip, after which I willfully broke away from her recipe (lemon juice with a tiny bit of melted butter) and ventured into high-fat territory (melted butter with a squeeze of lemon juice, and aioli, and anything with lots of butter).

Gosh, anyone reading this who's never met me would never know that I am NOT as big as a house. /laugh/

I also remember my sister "inventing" cheese cooked in a pan, after realising that her favorite part of a grilled cheese sandwich was the cheese that melts out the sides and browns in the pan. At the time, we thought she was weird. She was just in the wrong family! She should have been born to a Swiss or French family... of course, raclette is not traditionally made with a slice of American cheese.

Whenever I cook eggs, I think of my first boyfriend, who astonished me by cooking his eggs in butter. As my parents cooked everything in vegetable oil, it had never occurred to me to cook eggs in butter. His mother is German, hence the butter. I now definitely prefer eggs cooked in butter. Also broccoli cooked in butter. And most anything cooked in butter.

Which reminds me, when I first flew to Australia (to visit my not-yet-husband and in fact he was my not-yet-fiance), I went on Air New Zealand and was amazed by the delicious butter served on the plane -- a weird thing to be impressed by, but I later found out that New Zealand is in fact renowned for its dairy. I learned in the Gina Mallet book (see my list of good reads) that a small increase in the quantity of butter fat can make a world of difference in the taste of the butter, so I'm guessing that's what impressed.

This entry is starting to be all about butter... when my hubby (pre-affiancing) first asked me how I like my toast buttered, I answered him truthfully, although afraid of seeming fussy, that I like to let the toast cool slightly so that when I butter it, the butter doesn't melt all the way. I was gratified when he replied that he did exactly the same thing! The first in a long list of things we do the same (to match the equally long list of things we like to do exactly opposite).

Meanwhile, here is the little pasta recipe (without any butter) I made up last night:

2 small onions, diced small
2 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
2 red capsicums (bell peppers), diced small
approx 1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 large chorizo sausage, diced small
handful arugula leaves, chopped coarsely
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped coarsely

Cook the onion on low heat in some olive oil until softened, then stir in the garlic, capsicum, mushrooms and sausage. Keep going until the mushrooms are cooked. Stir in the fresh herbs. Serve over spaghetti tossed with fruity olive oil or chili infused oil, and garnish with grated Romano cheese or crumbled Danish feta. (I think some fresh sage would also go well, but I didn't have any to try when I made this dish.) If this dish isn't saucy enough for your tastes, add some diced tomatoes to the pan as well and let them cook down a bit.

How to Blog It Right

I've been reading Notes from Inside My Head with awe and delight. I write my little blog as a sort of news posting for friends, but this author writes about motherhood with such verve that even commonplace events such as colds, tantrums and tender moments take on a special patina of significance.

12 February 2008

Frangipani T-shirt


One of my main artistic outlets these days is screen-printing t-shirts. My niece Lauren asked me for a frangipani and I came up with this design. I like that it's different from the common frangipani design I've noticed on numerous shirts and tableware ever since she asked me for it.

09 February 2008

Flexiboy


Callum has recently learned to eat his toes!

01 February 2008

Whimper whimper

So this morning I had been asleep for what seemed an eyeblink, after coaxing Callum to go back to sleep (he'd woken at 5:30 with the birds and started playfully rolling around the bed), when I was abruptly jolted awake by a few firm pushes to my bottom (did I mention my fractured tailbone?) and a bell-like voice saying, "Mama! Wake up! I need to do a wee-wee!"

I couldn't help it -- I started whimpering.