Sanity, check!

While I am still trying to get my head around these time-lean weeks, I thought I'd do a quick post on what's been keeping me sane and grateful.

Daisy the iPhone - it pretty much holds much of my life these days...it helps me keep appointments, wake up, internet bank, read the newspaper, check the weather, check my email, listen to music, read other blogs, online shop, calculate, take pictures and most importantly, never gets me lost (thanks sat nav application!).

Pat and Daisy - aren't they a good match ; )

 The Boy - I can't imagine how much (more) of a mess I would be without his constant encouragement, love and support. Not to mention all that cooking!!! ♥

My two favourite boys

And other simple pleasures...

Beautiful sunrise from my kitchen window looking out into the backyard

 

Watching Pat going about his busy life : ) Like throwing tissue (and anything his little beak can push/carry) onto the floor, then chasing after it.

Pat again, for being cute and never failing to remind me that he is a Good Boy and how much he Loves You (me).

You know life isn't all that bad when the public service/transport authority/road designers can make you stop at a red light for over a minute for a road that leads to nowhere 50 metres in the distance (see the 'no access' sign in the distance?)

Click here to see what others are grateful for this week!

Wordless Wednesdays - 100% Effort

For more Wordless Wednesdays, click here.

Wordless Wednesdays - Precarious Footings

For more Wordless Wednesdays, click here.

New Layout + Panfried Barramundi with Roasted Vegetables Recipe

This is the 3rd week of day shift and I am nursing Day 4 of this horrid cold/flu/headcold, whatever you want to call it. I made a massive mistake of not increasing the intake of vitamins with the 'timezone switch'. So there, I am properly sick for the first time in 2 years. Hence, I dedicated my morning/afternoon/day really, into changing my layout. What do you think? I am quite happy with how the owls turned out. Hoot!

Otherwise, I still have been out and about AND still cooking. I'll let the photos do the talking : )

My first West End markets installment in years! Spot the budgie - Pat was very excited about my celery purchase.

2nd weekend at the West End markets - this is a shot of Farrago Band playing to a crowd in front of the Chai Van. Bliss.

And then I met Oliver, a scaly breasted lorikeet. Here he is devouring a grape : )

Such beautiful flowers - 40cent each?! Unbelievable!

Dinner last night

Pan fried Barramundi served with (pesto covered) Roasted Vegetables

If you are reading this and firmly detest my choice of combination please close window right now. I only realised after I started preparing how wrong the combination of Asian style marinated fish would go with Italian pesto-y roasted vegetables. Oh well. I really enjoyed it and so did The Boy; that's the most important thing about cooking right?

I am a big fan of garlic (almost dangerously so) and since this sickness I have been taking lots of garlic oil tablets and adding copious amounts of garlic to all my cooking. And I really felt like a dish full of garlic, ginger and flavour.

The Barramundi

marinated with ginger (I put 2 inches worth, chopped up)

garlic (about 4-5 cloves)

chilli padi (just 1 really hot chilli, seeded)

fresh coriander (a bunch?)

Macadamia nut oil infused with lime and chilli (otherwise sesame oil is fine too)

The Roasted Vegetables

Mix in olive oil, salt and peper to pumpkin, potato and swede (or whatever vegetables that take your fancy)

Roast in oven at 200deg for 35 mins (this may vary for different ovens but whatever's required to brown the sides of the vegetables)

Nuke fresh baby spinach leaves for 20 seconds in the microwave to wilt it

(the lazy person's) Pesto

Bunch of basil (finely chopped, see, Lazy Person's Pesto!)

A few leaves of mint (also finely chopped)

Garlic (again, I put something like 3 cloves? Clearly you won't need this much)

Olive oil

Grated parmesan cheese

(ideally) chopped up pine nuts too (but I didn't have any at the time)

In order to serve up all at once, I would 1. Marinate fish 2. chop up vegetables 3. roast vegetables 4. make pesto 5. when the timer says there is 15 mins left for the vegetables, start pan frying the fish 6. wilt baby spinach leaves in the microwave (I do this because my stomach isn't too keen on uncooked vegetables. Obviously fresh and uncooked is best.)

Once cooked mix the roasted vegetables, pesto and wilted baby spinach leaves in a large bowl, serve with freshly cooked fish. If you are sharing this meal with you partner, rest assured both of you will be so garlicked up that you won't even notice his/her breath. Promise.

Hot!

The hot weather has definately caught up on us. It finally feels like summer, in all its humid and stormy glory.

Last month has been slighly more hectic than usual. I've been running around Brisbane (all before work of course) trying to find myself an orthodontist to straighten my teeth. It all started with 1) me resigning to the fact, which isn't all that bad really, that we won't be doing any extensive travelling over the next year (or at least until the project ends). Hence having some spare funds to finally straighten my teeth, and 2) I turn 25 next June and in private health terms, I get 'cut off' from my parents' all encompassing cover (i.e. highest possible). I have always shyed away from traditional 'train-tracks' braces because I'm the biggest wuss when it comes to pain. I remember back in Secondary school years the parents offered to pay all of $2000 for me to have straight teeth and I said no. The last few years there has been offers of "paying half" and I still wasn't quite sure. You see, I don't really mind how my teeth look but in recent times have learnt that their crooked overcrowded nature have their consequences that I don't yet have to pay for but will come haunt me in later years. Back in 2006 I saw the ad for Invisalign and thought - hey, maybe I can have straight teeth after all with no pain. But funds were short back then and there was much travelling to do (and rent to pay). Long story short, after seeing 4 orthodontists and 1 dentist, with 3 sets of completely different opinions, I have found the ortho who will fix my teeth with no extraction and with Invisalign. PHEW! This treatment will commence Jan/Feb next year and I can't wait.

In other news, lots of new (hot) summer receipes have emerged from my kitchen. I made indian lamb rissoles/meat patties yesterday and another favourite is a chicken salad. I must get around to photographing them and post receipes here.

Pat, our dear budgie, has grown to be quite the personality around our eating table. He takes baths on 30 degree days, kicks around his soccer ball, learnt to play soccer with grapes and has shown to be quite the inquisitive, acrobatic bird.

Good weekend

I had a really wonderful weekend. It started on Friday. The boy and I decided to have 'date night'. It was extra special because we didn't have to use the car! We walked across the train station (about 200 metres from our house) to the Graceville Regal Twin Cinemas. There is this movie that we've wanted to see for awhile, it's called The Reluctant Infidel. We both have heard the main character have an interview on John Safran and Father Bob's show 2 sundays ago and he sounded like an interesting fellow. The movie was really good, tasteful comedy.. I particularly enjoyed how they played down religious fundamentalists. I would say, almost making fun of them without discriminating. These days fundamentalists seem to equal terrorist group.

To eat or to sleep that is the question!

After the movie, we then walked about 5 minutes in search for dinner. We found the best Thai restaurant - Siam Sunset. I had green papaya salad for the first time (despite having been to Thailand twice). It was heaven, just hit the spot for me after a big box of popcorn! It is a really simple dish and I know how to make it. I just need to source dried shrimp (West End markets or any Asian grocer) and some kalamansi lime (my dad's garden). It has shredded carrot, green mango, green papaya, bean sprouts, coriander, fresh chilli, red onion and garlic all tossed in with pound dried shrimp with the lime juice. I then washed it down with a glass of young coconut juice. Bliss!
On Saturday I attended a good friend's birthday party which was very well catered for - oh the desserts!!! I was glad to be able to prepare a side dish, roast potatoes. Sunday was another winner. We did some chores, walked in the rain (something that I'm getting better at doing), went to the shops and hung out with our Pat Norman.

Pat Norman looking very relaxed perched on a shoulder

Update

Lots of things have been happening around here with not enough time to write about everything!
First, we bought a new budgie about 2-3 weekends ago. His name is Pat Norman and he looks like the sky and is one of the most affectionate birds I know!

Second, this spring/summer/storm season seems to have cut short my sleeping hours not in a bad way. Note to self - change out of the 100% goose down doona!!
Third, plans are underway for our 6th year anniversary. Last year we made our maiden trip to North Stradbroke Island and that was heaps fun! This year we're going bush - off to Mt Warning we go!
Fourth, progress has been made for Christmas/New Year this year and it is looking mighty exciting!
Melbourne/Southern Victoria here we come!
Fifth, free tickets to Sunset Sounds via The Wilderness Society is looking very promising - woohoo!! Have you seen the line up this year??
And lastly, the cooking is still happening daily in my kitchen!