My first Pannacotta

After almost 10 months in 'The Little Spring Hill Kitchen', I really feel that I have come to grips with cooking in a small space.
The trick is to gather ingredients, measure, prep, and put everything away before you actually start to cook. The big wood cutting board over the sink works a treat and moving the dish drainer also gives more work space. These things are never an issue in a 'regular' kitchen.

I actually made my first pannacotta! I can't believe that I haven't done this before. Fabulous do ahead dessert, in fact has to be done the day before to set properly.

Pannacotta affogato

I have another recipe using coconut milk that I will try next.

Had Graham to dinner and made his favourite roast lamb and vegetables with lots of gravy. When Graham was a neighbour and the boys were still at home a favourite summer dessert was Joyce's refrigerator cheese cake. She used to make this in the 60's and it has always been a family favourite.

It worked

Even though I had made this many times in the 70's for some reason I hadn't done the measurement conversions to metric. It did concern me that the ingredients are 1 x packet Nice biscuits, I block Philladelphia cream cheese, 1 tin of Carnation milk, 1 lemon jelly - are the packet/tin sizes the same as the 60's. Probably not I thought but what the hell - just do it! I did cut down the amount of sugar (a shocker) and converted the butter measurement to grams. He ate a huge piece and went home with a second for today.
I found a roasted cauliflower dip on a blog earlier this week. Roasted cauliflower, roasted garlic, toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil. Not as exciting as I expected.

It may taste better tomorrow

 The egg plants looked luscious and cheap so of course had to make roasted eggplant risotto. I grilled the eggplant on the bar-b-que for the best result.

Making risotto is so soothing

Dinner

I am as always obsessed with candles. I even like one burning during the day, it gives the apartment a lovely feel. I especially like the look of this one outside.

Just says welcome

October - a busy month

For some reason this month has seemed to be so busy, but I did find time to cook a couple of new recipes as well as some favourites.

The weather is getting warmer by the day but I am still in roasting, pasta, risotto mode. In 2 weeks we will be back to the usual salads and Asian food that eat in the warm weather.

Started swimming again last week, and hope to make it a twice weekly event.

The herb garden is coming on well especially the basil. I planted it as a community garden and the other tenants are now starting to use the herbs as well - I like this.

Son M bought me some pickled pork. I haven't had this since the 70's. I cooked it old school style with an onion, brown sugar, bay leaf and vinegar. Let it cool in the cooking liquid. I did roasted vegetables, green beans with pangrattato, and stuffed zucchini.

Pickled Pork with onion and parsley white sauce

This sauce reminds me of Lucy Jamieson at 'The Crescent' Coorparoo. She made this sauce once for me to go with boiled potatoes when George cooked corned meat.

The vegtables

The jasmine is wonderful

Last week I found some wagu beef mince on special so made hamburgers 'Slack's Creek' style.
I did add caramelized onion something we didn't know about back then

Brown sugar and red wine vinegar

I made a batch of pasta sauce for the freezer. The easiest thing to have on hand when you need comfort food.

Ready for the freezer

New spring cushions

One of my favourite things to do since retiring, is not only encouraging friends to donate to 'Op shops' but to shop there as well. I am now volunteering at our RSPCA shop in New Farm on Friday afternoons. So many people shop here on a regular basis, and donate many items as well.

Two years ago I found a lovely 'apple' plate for $3. This month I found a friend for it for $2.

I love these in my kitchen

As summer will soon be upon us there will be no more cut flowers for the apartment. Cut flowers just don't last in our humidity. I treated myself to some lilies that were on sale in Woolworths. I actually managed to keep them looking good for a week.

$4 special

I made a roast lamb dinner for sisters and brothers -in-law. We chatted and laughed so much I forgot to photograph the cooked dishes.

This is all I managed to photograph

Bathed in olive oil, garlic, salt, rosemary and crushed coriander seeds. You will just have to believe me that it was fabulous.

Liver and bacon - the real comfort food

In the mid 1970's on winter Sunday evenings I used to make liver and bacon for dinner. It was the time when the boys were at high school and would eat everything in sight. I always hoped that there would be left overs for the after school snack on Monday afternoon - but it didn't always happen that way. Served with mashed potato and peas of beans, or just on toast if it was a busy day, it was a favourite.

When I cook liver now it is with onions, lemon, white wine and fresh sage. Much more sophisticated.

However son M requested 'old school' liver and bacon. He promptly delivered the largest lump of beef liver, a bag of bacon and a big bag of mushrooms.

So this morning I cooked up a storm.

caramelising the onions

Plenty of bacon and mushrooms

The end result 

Of course I just couldn't resist adding fresh sage and deglazing the pan with verjuice. It tastes just wonderful.

On the sweet side this week I made a Dutch Stroopwafel cake. I have never heard of this cake before. BUT thanks to Aldi and a recent 'Dutch Week' I just couldn't resist. They had a cake mix plus the wafers to go in it. You make the cake batter and fold through pieces of the wafer. Then sprinkle pieces of wafer on top.

Step 1

These wafers are great

Lovely crunchy top

I also managed an arrangement with 'found' flowers this week.

Oceans are for swimming

I have long had the ambition to swim in as many of the worlds oceans as possible. So far collecting shells from beaches visited has been more successful.
The reason being is that my European travel has always been 'off season - cheaper' so swimming has not been a serious option.

From weekends and holidays on the Gold Coast swimming at favourite beaches such as Kurrawa, Tugan and Balinga - even Surfer's Paradise in the 50's, to the exotic beaches of the Caribbean the salt water and sand is part of me.

I can say that we DO have the most amazing beaches. I have always favoured rolling surf for swimming but as I get older the lovely bays and quiet beaches appeal

My sons loved the beach as children and many happy hours have been spent on or near the water.

Main Beach 1969

First time on a surf board

1969

I wish I had taken more photo's....

Lake Macquarie 1974

Getting ready for a sail on Lake Macquarie

A couple of wonderful holidays were spent with Sister J at Fishing Point Lake Macquarie, swimming, snorkelling and having a great opportunity to learn to sail.
We always seemed to gravitate to the southern beaches but later on I discovered Noosa and the Sunshine Coast beaches.
I regularly spend time with friend C for a few days or a week if we can manage it at either Caloundra or Dickie Beach during the summer.

Sunshine Coast early 80's

Kalbarri 1983

The beaches in Western Australia are just lovely and I was lucky to live close to the beach for the 8 years that I lived there. Unfortunately when the beach is at your front door you don't take photo's. So I have none of my favourite spots of Scarborough, Trigg and City Beach. Leroy beloved dog and I spent every afternoon in the summer at City Beach 'dog beach' - not one photo.

North of Geraldton

Closer to home in the last decade I have holidayed a few times with friends on Moreton Island. This place is a real treat.

A great holiday

Sister J and brother-in-law B and I spent a week or so during February for a few years enjoying Manly Beach in Sydney and especially the pool and Shelly Beach

Manly Beach

I was extremely lucky to accompany 'Miss World Australia' as chaperone to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean in 1998. This was my first experience of swimming in water that was not around Australia. The water was warmer and not the rules and regulations of Australian beaches. The resort on the Island of Mahe was right on the beach with sun lounges right in front of the restaurant/bar. the first time I experienced the joy of going straight from the water to the deck of the restaurant to drink beer and eat french fries - a wonderful experience.

Great snorkelling off Mahe

Beach culture is so different in other parts of the world. Just down along the beach was a pizza place with the sand of the beach as the floor. On the Island of La Digue there is a French restaurant again with sand as the floor. I thought that the main beach on La Digue was the most beautiful I had ever seen but later a trip to the  Whitsundays proved  definitely equal to this.
I spent 2 holidays with sister J and family in North Queensland. In Cairns I travelled to the reef and had the opportunity to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef.

Agincourt Reef

In 1995 I travelled to Vanuatu for a girls weekend. This was again a different beach experience but most enjoyable.

Vanuatu

When sister J had a catamaran on Lamb Island we spent lovely family excursions sailing on Moreton Bay

Lamb Island 2007

My trip to Bali in 2008 with sister J and Brother -in-law B was a fabulous success where we had the opportunity to swim in the Baduang Strait which is of course part of the Indian ocean.

Nusa Lambongon

March 2009 saw me travelling to the Caribbean for a wedding on La Dix in the British Virgin Islands.  Again lovely warm water but of course with so many islands no surf. On the Island of St Thomas I visited a beach that had shops on the sand, a bar, pumping music and little stands selling food, ice-cream and t shirts etc. Such a party vibe it was wonderful.

La Dix

Friend C and I travelled to Gerringong on the NSW south coast in 2012. Even though it was cold we actually went into the water I just couldn't let the opportunity pass. Especially as they have sea baths that I just love.

The edge of old school sea baths

In 2009 we had a big family holiday in Yamba in NSW. This little town has a beach for every taste and I ventured to try every one.

Yamba's main beach

last year I revised the South west Coast of WA. I hadn't been there since the 80's. I wanted to swim in the southern ocean and thought that this would be my best opportunity. Friend C and I swam almost every day on as many beaches as we could, even though it was cold and we could only stay in for 10 minutes or so.

Indian ocean at Margaret River

Southern Ocean at Walpole

My latest sojourn to swim was last week on Norfolk Island. This is in the Pacific but actually termed the southern Fijian Sea. We swam at Emily Bay - cold but just too good to miss.

Beautiful Emily Bay

This summer I want to go back to Caloundra or Dickie Beach and also have planned a trip to the Northern NSW beaches.

A week on Norfolk Island

I am home from a wonderfully interesting and restful week on 'Norfolk'. I travelled with friend C. We are well seasoned travel/holiday companions. Because of our circumstances 'budget travel' is important but with lots of great food and experiences.
Norfolk was a success. Our apartment came with an overabundance of avocado's and paw paws. The garden also yielded oranges, carrots and parsley. We fed the chickens daily with our vegetable scraps and were rewarded with fresh eggs.
Most of our vegetables came from farm gate stalls with honesty boxes or the produce at markets and small amounts sold by individual shop keepers from their gardens.

We bought the best beef and blue cheese sausages from 'Dan the man' butcher and supplemented this with tomatoes, lettuce and a choko from his garden.
We had an orientation tour on the first morning that ended with a Devonshire tea in a beautiful garden. We were also able to explore some of the rooms in the house.

Old homestead and garden

St Barnabas

This church was left behind by the Melanesian Mission last century. The islanders had such a strong connection to England and in particular to Queen Victoria that the church has 'William and Morris' designed stained glass windows and a Willis organ. Quite expensive decorations for such a small community.

Mother of pearl decorations on the end of the pew

The whole coastline is one one photo opportunity after the other. Ever rise you come over has a view.

Private beaches

Public beaches - Emily Bay

View from inside the jail walls

View from our apartment

Green, green and more green

Being able to go to the beach and look at the horizon, then be surrounded by lovely green countryside and tropical gardens is bliss for the soul.

Great public art

1 days foraging - the orange was hiding

Lunch with a view

Everything on this sandwich was sourced on the island - all organic. The Chef Heidi is so creative. On one visit we had banana and green paw paw cake that was delicious. They often have to improvise with ingredients as everything is seasonal.

Military barracks

This ruin was on private property so there was no indication of what it was. We did had to do some detective work to find out. Lots of farms have ruins of some sort. They make lovely walled gardens.

There are cows cows and more cows. They wander the island at will in family groups with their calves. All driveways have a cattle grid to keep them out of the gardens. Also wild chickens and roosters. They are decedents from the English chicken introduced in the late 1700's.  The roosters are magnificent mostly red with the most colourful tails.

Cows have right of way

Cemetery Bay