Andy & Ameila

Amelia, Jenna and I recently went to see the "Picasso to Warhol" exhibition at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Picasso is my home boy, Warhol is a cool cat. Then we ate orange almond cake with double cream and chocolate banana caramel cheese cake at King Street Café. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon. 

hello spring

hello freesias. hello organisation, concentration, and non-procrastination. hello strawberry banana smoothies, blueberry bagels, asparagus, and sugar snap peas. hello early morning swims and evening walks. hello to listening, learning, laughing and living. hello spending time with special people. let’s do this.

How to Cook Artichokes aka "oh shit Dillashaw Leslie backburner what another cheque-books like"

This week I had a prodigious conversation about the lack of artichokes eaten by Australians. They are so simple to cook and delicious and their purpley green leaves are beautiful and they are a vegetable. 

So everybody. LETS GET ON IT.
If you don't already know, here is how to cook and eat an artichoke.

1. Buy some globe artichokes. Preferably on a Sunday while meandering around a farmers market drinking a soy chai and wearing bright yellow sunflower pants.
2. Take them home
3. Cut off top 2-3cm
4. Take off any small leaves at the bottom of the stem
5. Cut off stem leaving about 4 cm
6. Rinse under cold water
7. Put in a steamer basket with half a lemon and some garlic cloves
8. Steam for 20-40 minutes, or until the outer leaves are tender and easily come off (depends on size)
9. Eating time... peel off leaves, 
10. Dip fleshy end in a good (homemade?) mayonnaise 
11. Grip non-fleashy end.
12. Place in mouth.
13. Pull through teeth to unfasten the soft yummy artichoke flesh
14. Discard remaining petal in the compost
15. Smile

"Oh shit Dillashaw Leslie backburner what another cheque-books like" refers to the time I tried to get my laptop to type out a sentence about artichokes which I dictated to it. Clearing not a winning program.

Noreg

Some of my favourite things about Norway (other than the people)

1. Goats: Which are milked and then used to make brown cheese
2. Midnight Sun: Water skiing at 11pm, why not!?
3. Showers: Amazing water pressure and one doesn't have to worry about using too much water, because Norway has never ending supplies
4. Heated bathroom tiles: Genius invention- makes going to the toilet in the middle of the night or in the middle of winter a treat
5. Yoghurt in liquid form: Cows are free range who eat juicy juicy green grass, thus milk products are delicious
6. Waffles: Every house owns a waffle iron
7. Zebra crossings: Cars always stop, pedestrians hardly even look when they cross the road

Just for Tauchface

Last Saturday night we ate teriyaki fish, drank cider, danced to Carly Rae Jespen and celebrated Ella and Liv's engagement. The first time I heard 'Call me maybe' I couldn't understand why anybody would ever ever want to listen to that load of codswollop. Now, I like totally can't stop listening to it. Maybe just rhymes so well with baby.

Carpe Diem

when life is shit I have to remind myself that someone else's life is probably shitter. then i feel shit for feeling shit in the first place. then i go eat dim sum.

Easter Plum Jam- it's so jam fine

It's Easter! 
Unfortunately Australia lacks Easter tradition in infinite proportions. Here it's all about the consumption of chocolate. Jesus is doesn't get a look in, you can't buy easter decorations, there are no easter carols or concerts or anything remotely spiritual/heartfelt/profound. In an attempt to make Easter more special, I have decided to make a tradition out of plums. Alex and I were at the supermarket 10 minutes before they closed for the holidays. 


Plums were 96 cents a kilo. 
Were we going to let those plums rot in the supermarket over Easter? 
Hell no were weren't. 


We made the most delicious, tart but sweet plum jam. The whole process turned into a bit of a party; we made labels and covers and tied them with string!  Now our hearts feel warmed, and we have enough jam to last us until next year.


Plum jam (makes 14 medium jars of jam)
4kg plums
2kg sugar
Juice of a lemon
1 packet jamsetta


Wash, de-pip and and quarter plums.
Throw them in a large pot on low heat.
Add sugar, lemon and jamsetta.
Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile sterilise jam jars in oven or dishwasher.
Test jam by placing a spoon of jam in the freezer for 3 minutes. If the jam creases when a finger is poked in it, then Mr Jam is ready to be bottled. Otherwise continue to simmer a while longer. Be careful hot jam burns baby. It burns.

Enjoy on ciabatta, crepes, bagels, croissants, icecream, in shortbread cookies or sponge cake.  

Happy Easter!

Tomato basil fettuccine riduculous-ness

We sure had fun making lunch today.
2 tbs olive oil
3 crushed cloves garlic
2 tins of tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil from the garden, roughly chopped
Lots of parmesan cheese 
A packet of fettuccine
Salted boiling water
Ribena to drink


Heat oil in a pan, fry off the garlic, add the tomatoes & simmer for 15 minutes.
Boil pasta in salted water for 10 min. Drain. 
Mix sauce and pasta. Add chopped basil & cheese.
Serve and enjoy with a glass of Ribena. What a pleasure.