Sunday

Madeleines

If I have a choice I will almost always choose an entree over dessert (although salted caramel does tempt me).  I don't have a sweet tooth to the extent of some members of my family, but one thing that I do enjoy, is making Madeleine's.  I think I am infatuated by the scalloped shell trays, but the cake itself is just enough sweetness to match a cup of tea.

And I do feel decadent in being able to split a vanilla bean from my stash from Papua New Guinea and scrape out those decadent vanilla seeds with a spoon.  Just look at them!!

A mishap on Saturday saw me using self-raising flour instead of plain, resulting in a Madeleine that, while still tasty, looked as though it had exploded.  Not really worthy of sharing at a ladies afternoon tea.  

This afternoon I took to making another batch.  Much better. However in reading a couple of recipes and articles about Madeleine's I realise I have much to learn.  So I will continue to experiment.  Using a piping bag instead of a spoon, and getting that "just right" bump. Learning exactly how to prepare the tin so that they slip out easily, keeping their shape.  And apparently puritans do not use baking powder and will leave the batter for at least one night before baking!  We'll see...

And while I have not used raspberries or lemon curd, Rachel Khoo is always fun to watch.

Friday

So, last paper submitted and returned (Distinction ;))
The best feeling is that tertiary study has finished in our household for the next little while.  After David's 7 year part time and my straight into one year I feel it was really taking its toll.

Now I am enjoying this. I want to live deliberately, starting with the small things, starting at home.  I get so much satisfaction from seeing the produce from our garden.

 

And loving my "cups of tea" with this girl.

 who loves to help in the garden.

 

 and today while Nicholas and Audrey were at school we made chocolate chip biscuits together for the first time.  She loved mixing with the beaters!

 It was a productive day :)

 

(a little in love with our IKEA spice jars and my retro label maker...)

 

For a long time I have picked up books like these ones, all with a similar theme... simplicity and a more thoughtful approach to living.  Now that I feel I can walk away from my working week each Wednesday, and not think about it again until Monday morning, I feel I am in the perfect position to make more of an attempt to put into practice what I am drawn to.

Tuesday

The season is truly here.  Although a little late this year, the tree is up.  The kids, as always were excited to decorate.  Then we had pad Thai for dinner.  :)

A colleague bought me new decorations from Nepal and we have hung old ones and home made ones.

I am finding events this year to be busier than usual.  We have school concerts, parties and end of year activities.  There are the extra ones thrown in, such as ballet and Joeys. 

The ballet concert last week was very cute, of course.  Very amateur, but fun.  Audrey looked gorgeous from where I could see her, aiting in the curtains to come onto stage, clapping her hands and jumping excitedly.  When her class did come on, she stood in the middle of the row as he girls began to tap and she waved madly to the audiece, before looking about her and then quickly catching up to her steps.  By the time she came out for her second dance she was a little more composed and I was thrilled t see she knew her steps, if at times a little late.  :)

We bought some of the professional photographs of Audrey, copies of which I'll post here next week.  I was thrilled with them - some how the photographer got her to smile sweetly, rather than her awkward half smile she usually does.

Onto other Chrsitmas preparations, my fruit mince is made and is being stirred once each day until we make up the pastry for the tarts next week.

Last night David and I went out for dinner and to see a move.  December and I think it is maybe the third time we have managed a night out on our own??  We had a yummy meal of dips, bread and pork belly, followed by duck risotto and a prawn pasta.  We saw The Intouchables, which is a lovely French film, based on a true story.  It was a nice night together.  :)

Today I am baking banana bread, mini chocolate muffins and chocolate chip biscuits.  Everyone has been going to work/school without treats for a week now, and Nicholas has a friend coming over after school today so I desperately need to stock up on the sorts of things you can open the cupboard and pull out whenever the urge is there!

Tuesday

Day one, back at work.  All was good.  Truth be known, I felt a little anxious the night before.  I always do when it is the night before an event - before I travel, first day of school (for my kids)...

My Section had a lunch that day which helped make day #1 extra pleasant.  And now I am home again!

I was really tired yesterday afternoon though.  I actually fell asleep in bed last night with my current read, a few briefing papers from work and listening to this interview.  It seems Kate Morton has another book out and was in Canberra last week doing a reading and book signing.  I am annoyed I keep missing these things...  I went to a previous book signing and we chatted easily.  Her reading tastes are similar to mine.  Kate's new book seems to follow the formula of her other books, but if it works, why not?  Here is another interview (I love her haircut, although I wouldn't do it myself!)

 

I have another book on my wish list which seems similar to The Secret Keeper. Maybe I'll give both a go.

Tonight David has his final presentation at work and then the university semester is over!  I think a cake to celebrate is in order.  The semester becomes quite a taxing time for us all, which makes me worried about how we'll go if I throw myself into the text books again for another year.  We'll see...

Last weekend we went to the coast for a quick one night getaway.  We camped at the beach at a very comfortable caravan park only two hours away.  What I loved (aside form the kids thoroughly enjoying themselves) was a lovely Sunday market, with excuisate fruit and vegetables and a fantastic coffee van.  We'll have to go again.  :)

 

 ...and fruit mince is made for Christmas tarts!  I really need to start thinking about Christmas this year...

Saturday

 
 
Heading my way sometime soon... am I excited??  You bet.  I've posted about Tessa Kiros before - her cook books are a pleasure to read and are just beautiful.  I can't wait to look through this one, at leisure.  Bring on Christmas.  :)  She is currently in Australia, but of course I find out after the dinner event. :( David even said I could have gone if I'd known sooner.  An interview with her can be found here. 

 

 

Speaking of Christmas... I really need to start planning.  I haven't given it much any thought, other than Christmas stockings I hope to make (simple this time with no embroidery).

Tuesday

I am the first to admit I am not a gardener.  I don't know if it is because I do not naturally have a green thumb or, which I'd tend to lean towards, because I do not have the drive to invest the time required to tend and care for a beautiful flower garden.  When presented with a potted flower as a gift I immediately feel the pressure!  I say all of this because a) we went to Floriade yesterday (photographs below)and b) I ahve just thrown a scrap of withered brown potted plant away.  It was a lovely gift for my birthday...

I do however, get joy from preparing a herb garden and vegetable garden.  I recently planted seed for our Spring/Summer garden, posted here.  The tiny green beginnings of the seedlings are now starting to appear.

This morning I picked an armful of rhubarb, which is actually my favourite plant in the garden as it yields so much with little effort on my part!  I was remiss in not taking a photograph before cutting the stems.

I also made a pear and raspberry loaf.  I was keen to make this, but apprehensive at the same time, as we have a little ritual on Saturday's in that while Audrey is at ballet we sit at a local coffee spot and have cappuccino's, milkshake for Nicholas and toasted pear and raspberry bread.  I while I love it and wanted to make it myself, I wondered if it would take away from the loveliness of our Saturday ritual.  I may have to try something else for a spell.  In any case, I'm thrilled with how the loaf turned out.

I'll have to post a picture later when it is cut. :)

Right now, we are heading to the library and for some ice cream after.

Tuesday

I am LOVING this weather right now! (really, who isn't)  When I came home from taking Nicholas and Audrey to school this morning I sat in our sunny morning spot with a cup of tea, a slice of David's bread toasted and read.  It was divine... I can hear the breeze blowing through the huge gumtree in our neighbours yard and the hum of traffic along the road behind us.

 

I am hoping this can be the beginning of a joyful ritual I endeavour to undertake when I am on leave.  5 working days to go, but who is counting?  Certainly not me when I think of the reports I need to have written and finalised before I finish...

 

 

 At the moment I am reading Romulus, My Father by Raimond Gaita.  I had seen the movie, but particularly wanted to read the book after David and I spent a little time in the area the book is set in.  I love the way it is wrtitten as I think we all come from families with everyday stories that have contribued to making us who we are.  I love social and personal histories.

 

Then with Nicholas I am reading the Borrowers by Mary Norton.  I read these when I was younger.  And Audrey is reading the Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Anderson.  When she likes a story she likes to read it every night.  For days.

 

At the moment I am cooking dinner, from my favourite go to family cook book.  I've made this sweet and sour pork before and one of my favourite things to do is to make the Chinese five spice myself.  Fennel seed, star anise, szeshuan pepper, cloves and cinnamon.  It smells fantastic.  We've also taken to eating more brown rice. Nicholas has a friend over from school today, perhaps the first time we've done this?  I can hear them squealing and running outside so I'll have some uninterrupted time to get this ready. :)

 

Tuesday

This morning was spent taking some time out at preschool.  Audrey's class were spending time in the new school kitchen, making Minestrone soup.  Audrey's contribution was the chicken stock! 

She has recently been cooking quite a bit at home - we made chocolate chip biscuits together the other week.  It was something Nicholas and I did often and breaking the eggs was his specialty.  I thought it was time to get Audrey involved as well - it seems too easy for me to err towards just wanting "to get the job done".  I am a creature of habit.  If I like a recipe I am not likely to try another version.  I make the same chocolate chip biscuits.  I make the same brownies and I make the same banana bread.

The other night she helped David cook a Japanese dish.  the sight of her cutting vegetables and chicken with out kitchen knives gave me chills, but I was reminded of the Montessori theory that young children learn more appropriately if using utensils, and they will learn to handle them with care....

Today Audrey cut up onions and carrots for her class soup. 

On cooking, these are my favourite family cookbooks.  Tana Ramsay (yes, wife of Gordon Ramsay) is a former Montessori school teacher and has a number of family cookbooks.  I love them because they each contain a variety of recipes that are easy to follow, with ingredients that are just as easy to get.

On Sunday afternoon I like to sit with her cookbooks and find 3 family friendly, time saving meals to make for the week (David cooks on Monday and we like to leave Friday night for something spontaneous so that leaves Tuesday to Thursday for me).  My menu then forms our weekly grocery list and I am left feeling all is right in the world!  :)