tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81576026910097202932024-02-21T20:41:15.077+11:00Post ImperfectPost Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-42681987533938330172013-07-29T11:58:00.000+12:002013-07-29T12:09:12.491+12:00Friendly Numbers Fortune Teller<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's another idea for testing/learning friendly numbers: a fortune teller! I took the template from <a href="http://downloadablecootiecatchers.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Downloadable Cootie Catchers</a>, where there are lots of options but I decided to use a powerpoint template to create one for <a href="http://postimperfect.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/friendly-numbers.html" target="_blank">friendly numbers</a>. Here's how the <a href="http://downloadablecootiecatchers.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/blank-template-for-cootie-catcher/#comment-135" target="_blank">Downloadable Cootie Catchers' template</a> looks when blank:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6udU5SKaJub7v8PyH-DlDjO1T9EQG1CJ9_wsFBYszhP9hOltIWn0zNI1vS5Hn3Pd2UarV44Ve_DDAeRko7FEn_DnQN6b_Iptu2dwmGsNftofrke46Ffplfl34jF2Wtc1h3-RDlipFvk/s320/blank-template1.jpg" width="221" /></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As you can see from the <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bwnrf_ftaYGXaGZMTDkyXzdSUjg/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">friendly numbers fortune teller</a> (opens as a google doc) I created, I've left in the instructions and link to the site just in case anyone wants to make their own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">PS- If you choose to download, please let me know: I'd love to find out if anyone ever ends up here :)</span>Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-31296131857206702772013-07-26T16:53:00.000+12:002013-07-26T16:54:08.562+12:00Friendly Numbers!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So what are "Friendly Numbers"? They are the numbers that go together to make up 10. Sounds easy enough doesn't it? Unless you're just starting to learn maths...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then it can apparently be quite difficult! This is something that I want to help Ziggy learn/revise so she can increase her confidence when studying maths. And, after spending *way* too much time putting together these sheets, I thought I might save someone some time and put up mine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think the idea is to print out each "frame" of 10 squares and laminate it. And then they can be used as flash-cards or maybe as a memory type game or anything to which you set your mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, as you can see from the images below, 9 and 1 are friendly; 8 and 2 are friendly; etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeYWqFapqOwzpbhqgGSt-j5a0qYv8YDzybzw1IJqcsIzIA2BhCFMesppZpIRXYiC62dTR-iRTKADwIh8x243VDRk9Sl8oTE5HXWWoJZ1IsaPE7JXjpmNl7v2WEDjyilXdShUO1_LnSfk/s1600/Friendly+Numbers+Board+1+&+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeYWqFapqOwzpbhqgGSt-j5a0qYv8YDzybzw1IJqcsIzIA2BhCFMesppZpIRXYiC62dTR-iRTKADwIh8x243VDRk9Sl8oTE5HXWWoJZ1IsaPE7JXjpmNl7v2WEDjyilXdShUO1_LnSfk/s320/Friendly+Numbers+Board+1+&+9.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPCLpfOmFH5Rsx9L-l6f6afz4hnGWEGi8sDfGiW9xlHVzKSgeLAF7LqdhTkqKoEXSxm8R3ePiKVPvvmq-cC1m8VCSJKwbjGoAXeLxy2y5SOyUQjW8GEKMeUEzZAGcGkAHAWzmRXJEmmA/s1600/Friendly+Numbers+Board+2+&+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPCLpfOmFH5Rsx9L-l6f6afz4hnGWEGi8sDfGiW9xlHVzKSgeLAF7LqdhTkqKoEXSxm8R3ePiKVPvvmq-cC1m8VCSJKwbjGoAXeLxy2y5SOyUQjW8GEKMeUEzZAGcGkAHAWzmRXJEmmA/s320/Friendly+Numbers+Board+2+&+8.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACRQeqFfFbOWs06MSpu5LBZ2xPQxmaNF91JaglxfGrkoxpp3hBupmMCVzfiZAKVLr_m6m6aZ9LT4Mrx4xIP88DrirbLrhryVwH7rTU0VVjivFAp5LSIVdK6YV3_4s145GN_wazY8tpOc/s1600/Friendly+Numbers+Board+3+&+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACRQeqFfFbOWs06MSpu5LBZ2xPQxmaNF91JaglxfGrkoxpp3hBupmMCVzfiZAKVLr_m6m6aZ9LT4Mrx4xIP88DrirbLrhryVwH7rTU0VVjivFAp5LSIVdK6YV3_4s145GN_wazY8tpOc/s320/Friendly+Numbers+Board+3+&+7.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwB5XuwuayVSEaKVXNY8H-M4-_jujWj8TTAXNS5G9CnNUiT25UNFlm6F8eml8fZmv4UV8M1w9X7rPfhq31pzKrmG384duW8wowA6BEt21Bm3KrLt-EPjt3towD0mCVrHGyWOUYMzpVBs/s1600/Friendly+Numbers+Board+4+&+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwB5XuwuayVSEaKVXNY8H-M4-_jujWj8TTAXNS5G9CnNUiT25UNFlm6F8eml8fZmv4UV8M1w9X7rPfhq31pzKrmG384duW8wowA6BEt21Bm3KrLt-EPjt3towD0mCVrHGyWOUYMzpVBs/s320/Friendly+Numbers+Board+4+&+6.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteRcfkFsV-AW7ksXPE30NiMlo95JD1T0YUy5Sz7QVlurXO9cUwlKg43mqpV6eB76wDubAYYBUIXrkfOvuVylquLnueQi4eKSGyVN4KKIcPMvRQ6XaUE2SMa9o_ncZPvDJ2yLNWwO410A/s1600/Friendly+Numbers+Board+5+&+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteRcfkFsV-AW7ksXPE30NiMlo95JD1T0YUy5Sz7QVlurXO9cUwlKg43mqpV6eB76wDubAYYBUIXrkfOvuVylquLnueQi4eKSGyVN4KKIcPMvRQ6XaUE2SMa9o_ncZPvDJ2yLNWwO410A/s320/Friendly+Numbers+Board+5+&+5.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's a blank board in case you want to use pebbles or shells or whatever you can imagine to play a different game.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZky4F4GuI0VTlgi4VD4z6lX3wqXaUiy9VbPRQ2lymnI4dgyugxLRg0ovVMAi3YR4EX_F2Uk2qFthzTO9NwF3yeZhBk4owpTZRO1zIoswmTLhOZh7zHoQX7vnhpIgPh_Z9T688taSQ5I/s1600/Friendly+Numbers+Board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZky4F4GuI0VTlgi4VD4z6lX3wqXaUiy9VbPRQ2lymnI4dgyugxLRg0ovVMAi3YR4EX_F2Uk2qFthzTO9NwF3yeZhBk4owpTZRO1zIoswmTLhOZh7zHoQX7vnhpIgPh_Z9T688taSQ5I/s320/Friendly+Numbers+Board.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finally, I created a poster based on something I heard was on Pinterest (sorry to original poster, I tried searching for an original source using google images, but couldn't find it).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg1TyTB5p1UvGx8nANIKFa9nihHK9aKHSwurphSYmYzr44I1rtpJCsyGVs48KB7BNvQtsfaNGjpyPnkmDlQCQJalDhw8hLSsBgVq4If8jLcBSqyBFBnZq7ZOEtE6IiJBLo-D1ZneeIHo/s1600/Rainbow+Friendly+Numbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg1TyTB5p1UvGx8nANIKFa9nihHK9aKHSwurphSYmYzr44I1rtpJCsyGVs48KB7BNvQtsfaNGjpyPnkmDlQCQJalDhw8hLSsBgVq4If8jLcBSqyBFBnZq7ZOEtE6IiJBLo-D1ZneeIHo/s320/Rainbow+Friendly+Numbers.jpg" width="248" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">PS- If you choose to download, please let me know: I'd love to find out if anyone ever ends up here :)</span>Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-90059935628956321222012-08-13T13:51:00.005+12:002012-08-13T17:37:44.970+12:00Thermomix Sponge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58u6ui2snOIOGs6CcTmUWZ7rcutW5SR3FAh6OYNyEjhuMw8sPMwcgr_hIws7UCN1ZnegsIETtOooCU2OI9EuOE9xFnDaJUrjbeTYdE0_p32s3PqA-Lv4wRjAefxyRhIm-DRyCCmUzWeI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58u6ui2snOIOGs6CcTmUWZ7rcutW5SR3FAh6OYNyEjhuMw8sPMwcgr_hIws7UCN1ZnegsIETtOooCU2OI9EuOE9xFnDaJUrjbeTYdE0_p32s3PqA-Lv4wRjAefxyRhIm-DRyCCmUzWeI/s320/photo.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">BACKSTORY: After a few years of yearning (and thanks largely to an unexpected injection of funds into my bank account), I purchased a Thermomix! It's early days yet, but I'm really enjoying having such a great tool in my (super tiny) kitchen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've cooked quite a few things so far (recipe tweaks will be added as I make time to write them) and today I find myself yearning for cake and somehow a sponge is tickling my fancy. Now, some will say it's not possible to make a good sponge in the TM, but I have hope! A basic sponge ratio is 1:1:1:1 plus vanilla (and some baking powder for extra lift... and maybe a heaped tablespoon of cocoa if you desire a chocolate sponge). That is one "weight" of eggs, one weight of sugar, one weight of SR flour, and </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">one weight of butter</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> plus vanilla. BTW: a basic pound cake recipe has the same ratio and ingredients, but the order in which ingredients are added differs: butter, sugar, egg then flour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've done a little research and, combining tips and recipes from <a href="http://www.whyisthereair.com/2011/05/21/cakewalk/" target="_blank">Why is There Air?</a> (so very apt for a sponge recipe!), <a href="http://bushgourmand.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/thermomix-sponge-cake.html" target="_blank">The Bush Gourmand</a> and <a href="http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3361.0" target="_blank">the TM Forum</a>, I've come up with the following recipe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></b>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3 large eggs</span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1.5 tsp baking powder</span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">SR flour (egg weight*)</span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Caster sugar (egg weight*)
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla paste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Butter at room temperature (egg weight*)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dusting of cornflour (for lining tins)
</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>M</b></span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">eth</b><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">od:</span></b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -24px;">Preheat oven to 180 C</span>
</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Line one 20cm deep sided tin with baking paper. Grease sides lightly and sprinkle with a little cornflour
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Crack and weigh eggs on the TM lid: make note of weight (referred to as “egg weight”; see notes section below)
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mix flour and baking powder for 30 seconds on speed 3; set aside
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pulverise sugar until really fine; approx 60 seconds on speed 9</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Put butterfly over blades and beat sugar and whole eggs for 6 mins @ 37 degrees speed 4 with no MC on (incorporates more air)
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Turn off temperature and continue to beat for another 6 mins on speed 4 (cup off)
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Scrape down sides and lid with spatula
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Add vanilla paste to mix</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Incorporate flour and baking powder mix for 10 seconds on speed 3 </span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -24px;">Scrape down sides with spatula</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Add butter and mix for 10 seconds on speed 3 </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -24px;">(if insufficiently mixed, mix a little longer)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -24px;">Remove butterfly and scrape down sides with spatula </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pour mixture into deep 20 cm round cake tin (lined as per Step 2) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place the TM bowl back on the machine and press turbo button a few times to send the rest of the cake mixture to the sides. Scrape out with the spatula and add to the tin
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bake about 25-35 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cool 5 minutes (in the tin) then turn out on a rack to finish cooling
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cut cooled sponge in half and spread cream, jam and fruit of choice in centre
</span></span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Notes:</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>* Egg weight</u> - Weigh the eggs on the TM lid, note the weight,
then crack them into the bowl. One then uses exactly the same weight of sugar, flour and butter as the weight of the eggs,
i.e., if the eggs weigh 200g, use 200g of sugar, flour and butter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>Cake may be frozen</u>.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-84455056205447595482012-06-16T12:50:00.001+12:002012-06-16T12:54:08.104+12:00Counting Songs<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My first admission of the morning: I'm addicted to <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>. And this morning was little different from many a Saturday morning - lying in bed... contemplating the concept of getting up... reaching for my phone instead... and spending more time than I'm willing to admit on Pinterest. If you care, you can find my pins <a href="http://pinterest.com/PostImperfect/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And, much as one thing leads to another, one link leads to another. And I found myself on YouTube (yes, potentially another massive waste of time but its siren call, for me at least, has nothing on Pinterest's). And it was on YouTube I found <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/havefunteaching" target="_blank">HaveFunTeaching's </a>brilliant songs. To be honest, I was just checking them out but both Ziggy and Gertie found their way to me in no time at all and, shortly thereafter were both grooving along. I can highly recommend their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU1W1HdfavI&feature=plcp" target="_blank">walking song</a> (not only for the joy of watching The Man inspiring Ziggy to do the robot). Then we found the <a href="http://havefunteaching.com/songs/counting-songs/" target="_blank">counting songs</a> - mainly because Gertie wanted to see the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWxPKnLtnus&feature=plcp" target="_blank">penguin</a>. I love counting songs - they're such an easy way to kids to learn to skip count. Obviously, I'm no expert on pedagogy, but as I know all the words to some of the more dubious pop of my youth I'm figuring learning though music has to be effective and much more fun than rote learning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, I thought I might investigate the <a href="http://havefunteaching.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and download some of the songs. I love instant downloads - let's face it, I put all CDs onto my pc and then my music player anyway, so why not just skip the CD altogether? My only problem is that there's a <a href="http://havefunteaching.com/shop/cd/super-cd-pack/" target="_blank">volume discount</a> if you buy all the CDs, but not for the downloads. Why? I was ready to buy, but the fact that it'd cost more for the downloads the CDs gave me pause...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And then I saw that I could apply for the counting songs free of charge. Certainly worth checking out. So I guess I'll apply, listen and then review. And then I'll probably be willing to purchase the other songs (can't wait to check out the fitness ones).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-53390220973803784552010-03-17T06:58:00.001+11:002012-06-16T12:09:56.584+12:00Menu Planning - Spinach & Lentil Lasagne<div class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Monday: Spinach and Lentil Lasagne</span></span></strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I originally came across <a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2009/03/low-fat-lentil-and-spinach-lasagne.html">this recipe</a> on <a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/">Towards Sustainability</a>. So the original copyright for the lasagne lies with Julie (from <a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/">Towards Sustainability</a>). As usual, I've played a bit with it and have added <a href="http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes~May/525/RecipesfromRiverCottageSpring.aspx">white sauce</a> from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's <a href="http://www.rivercottage.net/">River Cottage Recipes</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The white sauce is great for the creamed spinach but also for white sauce for cauliflower. I know the verdict is split on cauliflower and white sauce but I unashamedly love it! My <i>plan </i>was to have cauliflower with the roast and to make extra white sauce for this recipe. The <i>plan </i>also included roasting extra vegies to put in the lasagne and/or chopping extra vegies for use in the stir-fry for Tuesday.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">[Of course, I've been insanely busy AND I hurt my neck, so there hasn't been too much following of the plan this week... but maybe I can use this for another week.]</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Back to the lasagne: I like to make double-quantity of this as it freezes really well and is a delicious, vegetable-filled, dinner for another night.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span> </span> <strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ingredients</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">500g fresh spinach, roughly chopped</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">375g low fat ricotta cheese</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">375g low fat cottage cheese</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 cup low fat cheddar cheese, grated</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">500g jar pasta sauce</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2.5 cups water</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">300g instant wholemeal lasagne sheets</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">400g can lentils, drained</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2 tbs fresh oregano OR 2 tsp dried</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, crushed</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Method</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. Preheat oven to 180'C. Drain spinach well and squeeze out any excess moisture.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. Mix spinach with ricotta, cottage cheese, lentils, oregano and garlic in a large bowl.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. Mix pasta sauce with the water in a separate bowl.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4. In a large lasagne dish, alternate layers of sauce, lasagne sheets and cheese mix, ending with sauce. Top with the grated cheese.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake a further 15 minutes until cheese is golden. Allow to stand for 3-5 minutes before serving.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2009/03/low-fat-lentil-and-spinach-lasagne.html">http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2009/03/low-fat-lentil-and-spinach-lasagne.html</a></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ultimate creamed spinach</span></strong><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Serves 4<br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
<br />
500g fresh spinach<br />
1 onion, peeled and cut into thick slices<br />
250ml whole milk<br />
1-2 bay leaves<br />
50g unsalted butter<br />
25g plain flour<br />
sea salt<br />
A couple of twists of black pepper<br />
A few gratings of nutmeg<br />
<br />
Trim the spinach, stripping out the coarse central stalks and wash well. Cook the spinach, covered, in a large saucepan – you don’t need to add any water, as the droplets clinging to leaves from when you washed them will be enough. When the leaves are wilted and cooked through, refresh them briefly cold water then squeeze them with your hands to extract as much water as you can before roughly chopping.<br />
Put the onion and bay leaves in a pan with the milk. Bring almost to boiling point, remove from the heat then leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain into a warmed jug, discarding the onion and bay leaves.<br />
Melt the butter in the same pan (you don’t need to wash it) and stir in the flour to get a loose roux. Cook this gently for a couple of minutes, then add half the warm, seasoned milk and stir in. When the sauce is thick and smooth, stir in the rest of the milk. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for just a minute. Season well with salt, pepper and a few grinds of nutmeg.<br />
Next stir in the chopped spinach. Heat through until thoroughly hot, but don’t let it bubble for more than a minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a touch more nutmeg if you like. Serve at once, ladled generously into large warmed bowls.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This recipe has been adapted from</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.rivercottage.net/Category11/Books.aspx#8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">The River Cottage Year.</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes~May/525/RecipesfromRiverCottageSpring.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes~May/525/RecipesfromRiverCottageSpring.aspx</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-9843373678783226932010-02-07T20:08:00.005+11:002012-06-16T12:09:56.625+12:00Could This Be the Perfect Iced Coffee?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For some reason yesterday, I suffered from "link blink" (someone, I thought it was <a href="http://lintrezza.blogspot.com/">Linda</a> - but now I cannot find her reference, referred to this as the act of getting caught going from one link to another until a ridiculous amount of time has passed). But I did stumble upon a great site for <a href="http://www.southernplate.com/2009/03/todays-home-brew-secret-to-great-iced-coffee-without-great-expense.html">Cold Brew Coffee</a> (it also has fantastic photos, illustrating the process). There are actually lots and lots of versions out there: feel free to google.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cold brewing of coffee relies on time to flavour the water (instead of heat, which is applicable for standard hot coffee). It apparently imparts more coffee flavour and less bitterness. Essentially, you need to soak ground coffee for hours and then filter it. You can do this in a plunger/french press (a common brand name rhymes with "snowdum") or just in a jar (in which case you need to use a coffee filter from a dripolator to filter out the ground coffee). Actually, I've left out the third version: buy a specifically made cold-brew coffee maker!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As usual though, I cannot possibly follow a recipe straight up, so I've tweaked it a bit (original copyright <a href="http://www.southernplate.com/author/southernplate">Christy Jordan</a>):</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Tools:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A plunger coffee maker OR</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A jar, a sieve, two coffee filter papers (or some muslins) and a bowl</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A spoon or chopstick</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Ingredients:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1/2 cup freshly ground coffee (not instant! never instant! never, ever, ever!*)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 litre of tepid filtered water (my plunger actually only holds 750mls)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 tbs <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicory">chicory</a> (optional)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Method:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1- Grind coffee (or just use ready ground coffee from a packet - it's not my preference but sometimes needs must).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2- Place 1/2 cup of freshly ground coffee into plunger or jar.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3- Add 750mls of tepid filtered water.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4- Stir the coffee grounds (a chopstick is ideal for this).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5 - Cover and let sit over night (12-15 hours is ideal).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6a- If you are using a plunger: plunge the coffee.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6b- If using a jar: place strainer over bowl and line strainer with coffee filter/muslin. Pour over half the coffee and let it strain through; it may take some time. Remove used filter (and coffee) and replace with a fresh filter. Pour over remaining coffee and let it strain. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">7- Decant the coffee into the jar in which you will store it. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">8- Add the chicory (optional).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">9- Store in fridge (make sure it's well sealed) and use within two weeks**.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Making Iced Coffee:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mix 1:2 coffee concentrate to milk (adjust ratio to your preference), add ice and, if desired, sugar (or other sweetener) and maybe, if you're feeling decadent, some ice-cream. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Notes:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1- This concentrate can also be used to make a hot coffee. Just use 1:2 concentrate to hot water (adjust to your pref.) and then add sugar, milk, etc. as you would normally.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2- For mocha, just add some chocolate! Either powered or syrup (or even real chocolate that you've melted). If you're going to use real chocolate, try to buy at least 70% cocoa chocolate (preferably <a href="http://www.fta.org.au/">fair trade</a> and thus <a href="http://www.slavefreechocolate.org/">slave free</a>).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3- Instead of chicory, you could substitute vanilla extract (or anything else that takes your fancy).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4- If you don't want ice-cubes making your iced coffee weaker, just freeze some of the concentrate as ice cubes!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5- The used filters and coffee grounds will go really nicely in your compost bin.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6- Some recipes suggest using milk instead of water - I'm a bit concerned about the potential for the concentrate going off, but feel free to try it if you want (let me know how it goes).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* If you're an instant coffee drinker, this is a waste of time, just make a paste and then add milk and ice - but I'd strongly suggest you leave the dark side and come and try some real coffee (I don't even use instant when cooking! Life's just too short).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">** It's likely to to be used well before that<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, but the research I've read suggests this is the comfortable maximum for which you can leave the concentrate. Other sites suggest it will keep for up to a month in a fridge. Personally, as it's so little work, my preference would be to make a batch every few days; thus avoiding the potential for any nasty moulds to grow.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"></span></span>Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-84823651452157023652010-02-07T08:25:00.001+11:002012-06-16T12:09:56.597+12:00GnocchiIt is FANTASTIC with sweet potato! Try adding in some sage (chopped finely and mixed with the sweet potato). You could also make it with half potato and half sweet potato (I tried this the first time I did it - personally, I wouldn't bother with this - it doesn't taste enough of the sweet potato). The only thing is to make sure you don't add too much flower - keep a light touch and be parsimonious with flour... otherwise you end up with hard little gnocchi that are inedible (yes... I speak from experience!).<br />
For a sauce you can try lots of things - but a burnt butter sauce is great (http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=781795).Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-23312195555550132542010-02-02T09:18:00.003+11:002012-06-16T12:09:56.565+12:00Home Made Yoghurt<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once again inspired by <a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/">Julie</a> (I'm starting to sound like a groupie!), I've started making yoghurt. I bought an EasiYo, which is really just a big thermos, and have successfully made yoghurt a few times. Using the EasiYo sachets is too easy for words (pretty much just add water and wait), so of course I've found a way to make it more complicated! I did this for a few reasons, mainly that I don't like powder in packets* (note the hypocrisy of this: I'm going to mention powered milk below!) and also I prefer to keep my ingredients organic (I know, I can get organic EasiYo sachets - that's what I started my yoghurt with - but I've not seen the organic starters at my local supermarket). I was using <a href="http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/11/yoghurt-and-quark.html">these</a> directions, but then found that, by using UHT milk, I could avoid the need for re-pasturisation of the milk (right after I'd coughed up for a candy thermometer; guess I'm really going to have to make <a href="http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/marshmallows-recipe_p_1.html">marshmallows</a> now). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I suggest you look <a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2007/02/super-easy-homemade-yoghurt.html">here</a> for the post from which this information was taken (It's very comprehensive: I'm just reproducing the directions now as I've made a few small changes and I want to keep the information for easy reference for myself). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Ingredients:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 litre organic UHT milk**</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1/2 to 1/3 cup powdered milk (the more you add, the thicker the yoghurt)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3 tablespoons of plain yoghurt (with no gelatin)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Method:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1- Mix yoghurt with a splash of UHT milk until it makes a smooth paste;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2- Add paste to remainder of milk then put it into the container for the EasiYo;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3- Shake the container to mix the milk and paste;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3- Add boiling water to the thermos and leave it on bench overnight;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4- When yoghurt is set, put it in the fridge***;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5- As soon as you open the new batch of yoghurt, get at least 3 tablespoons and place in another container - this yoghurt will be your "starter" for the next batch.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(original Copyright Julie from <a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/">Towards Sustainability</a>).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* I may change my tune on this VERY soon - check Julie's <a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2008/07/homemade-yoghurt-and-quark-nablopomo-4.html">post</a> for information on special yoghurt cultures. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">** <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-temperature_processing">UHT</a> milk = already partially sterilised, so there's apparently no need for re-pasturisation. If you cannot access UHT milk, follow <a href="http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/11/yoghurt-and-quark.html">these</a> instructions for making yoghurt.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">*** The longer the yoghurt is left out of the fridge, the tarter it will be.</span>Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-32800746765802780722010-01-30T23:31:00.002+11:002012-06-16T12:09:56.570+12:00Garlic Infused Oil<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After hearing <a href="http://www.nigella.com/">Nigella</a> wax lyrical (again) about the pleasures of garlic oil, I've decided to give it a go. There are so many recipes out there that it almost seems redundant to give my version, but I'm going to note it down anyway (even if only for my reference).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This version is inspired by <a href="http://thym-thym.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-make-garlic-oil-in-4-easy-steps.html">this wonderful post</a> at <a href="http://thym-thym.blogspot.com/">64 sq foot kitchen</a>! I've tweaked it ever so slightly though as I discovered that there is a potential problem with botulism if one uses fresh garlic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.allotment.org.uk/allotment_foods/preserves/how-make-flavored-oils.php">Allotment Vegetable Gardening</a> suggests that if one heats the oil to 180 degrees (350F), it should reduce the potential problem (I hope!). It's also possible to use a <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4492315_make-garlic-oil.html">cold infusion</a> method or heat the oil on a stove. I've chosen not to use these methods - cold infusion won't overcome the potential botulism issue; and stoves, heat, oil and small children don't really mix. We do have a <a href="http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/residents/home/blankets.htm">fire blanket</a> and <a href="http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/residents/home/extinguish.htm">extinguisher</a> in the kitchen, but I'm not too keen to use them :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm going to make a very small batch, with my purple home-grown garlic and see how it goes. <i>(Afterword: make sure you read the final verdict - I need to change the process a bit).</i></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S1urMotuaZI/AAAAAAAAAAc/CdrlSIlAd0g/s1600-h/Garlic+Oil+Ingredients.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S1urMotuaZI/AAAAAAAAAAc/CdrlSIlAd0g/s320/Garlic+Oil+Ingredients.JPG" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 small head of garlic</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 cup extra-virgin olive oil</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2 sprigs of fresh thyme</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon of peppercorns</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"></span>Method:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1- Heat oven to 200 (or even 220 - botulism doesn't sound like something I wish to experience) degrees centigrade.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2- Slice garlic head in half horizontally. There's no need to peel the garlic, just make sure the dirt is rubbed off. As you can see from my photo, rubbing off the dirt actually caused the head to break into cloves, so I worked with what I had.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S1urYXrmX5I/AAAAAAAAAAk/OTLTvQbHl0c/s1600-h/Chopped+Garlic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S1urYXrmX5I/AAAAAAAAAAk/OTLTvQbHl0c/s320/Chopped+Garlic.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3- (In theory) Place the garlic head, cut side down, into an oven-proof container, and place the peppercorns and sprigs of thyme around the garlic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4- Pour over olive oil and cover the dish (with a lid or foil) - except I forgot to cover it; but, as it was in a cup-type dish I didn't have to worry about anything splashing out.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S1urtIBMwqI/AAAAAAAAAAs/4aAVCNHHp4I/s1600-h/Garlic+Oil+Mix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S1urtIBMwqI/AAAAAAAAAAs/4aAVCNHHp4I/s320/Garlic+Oil+Mix.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5- Cook in oven for approximately one hour (until garlic is soft and squishy).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S2QkSiE1KgI/AAAAAAAAACU/DVWp_ZmgMR8/s1600-h/Straining.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S2QkSiE1KgI/AAAAAAAAACU/DVWp_ZmgMR8/s320/Straining.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6- Strain oil and decant into sterilised container*. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S2QkVQ_vIiI/AAAAAAAAACk/F8Mv3gZS77Y/s1600-h/Finished+Product.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S2QkVQ_vIiI/AAAAAAAAACk/F8Mv3gZS77Y/s320/Finished+Product.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">7- Label the bottle with the type of oil** and the date made (you can obviously, do a "use-by" date, but I find it easier to just use the date created instead);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">7- Store the oil in a cool, dark place for up to one month.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">9- Enjoy in salad dressings (and pasta and with bread and croutons and aioli and... anything else you can!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(original Copyright Warda from <a href="http://thym-thym.blogspot.com/">64 sq ft Kitchen</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px;">)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Final Verdict: So how did it go?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well... I cheated a little: I strained it through paper-towel (couldn't bring myself to swipe some of Ziggy's play muslins). </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S2QkTm1MFEI/AAAAAAAAACc/SEDmu7N6EDw/s1600-h/Out+of+the+Oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PO0ld-Uro54/S2QkTm1MFEI/AAAAAAAAACc/SEDmu7N6EDw/s320/Out+of+the+Oven.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As you can see from the "after" picture, the garlic burnt itself to almost nothing - oil tasted great, but there was none of the yummy roasted garlic for which I'd hoped (see ** below). I'm not sure if it's because I forgot to cover the container with oil or the temperature (I suspect the latter more than the former). Next time, I'll roast at a lower temperature (I'll try 150 degrees), strain out the garlic, pepper and thyme, and THEN heat the oil to 200 degrees. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And finally, about a day or two later... The Man knocked the bottle, it broke and the oil spilled all over the floor... is there any point in crying over spilt (extra-virgin, garlic infused) oil?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Sterilisation:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Warning </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- I'm no expert, this is just what I do! Feel free to search for a better source of information. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a- wash the screw top lids and glass jars/bottles with warm, soapy water; </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">b- rinse with fresh water;</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">c- place into pot of boiling water and boil for at least 5 minutes (you might need to move the bottles a bit to ensure that there are no air bubbles);</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">d- remove jars/bottles and lids with tongs (be careful that the boiling water doesn't run down the tongs and onto your arms - yes, I speak from experience...); and</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e- place upright on bench, ready for immediate use.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I've also read that it's possible to take things straight from the dishwasher - but the timing is never right for me - or to use an oven to sterilise. The one time I did this though, some plastic on the lid just burned and it didn't sterilise... alas I had to throw out a jar of </span><a href="http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2009/05/savoury-red-onion-jam.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Red Onion Jam</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">** Instead of garlic, you could use chillies; rosemary; sage; thyme; etc.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Another bonus of using </span><a href="http://thym-thym.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-make-garlic-oil-in-4-easy-steps.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Warda's method</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to make garlic oil is the garlic mash that's left over! I love garlic mash... mmm... Just remember to store the mash in the refrigerator for up to one month (and yes, on this too, I speak from experience).</span></span>Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8157602691009720293.post-75459191263338160642009-12-10T21:01:00.003+11:002012-06-16T12:09:56.594+12:00Welcome!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Dear Reader:</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Welcome to my first ever blog post. I've been tossing around the idea of starting a blog for a while now and pretty much decided on impulse to start one right now (and I mean RIGHT now). I'm considering it part therapy and part hobby - percentages to be decided as we go along.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">The only thing I have fixed is the title; which is fortunate because it's one of the first things you need to enter when setting up a blog. My chosen title, obviously, is "POST IMPERFECT"... I've been reading blogs for a while and have been struck by how I often feel both inspired and somehow diminished after reading them. Inspired because some of the lives about which I am reading are truly inspirational - or at least founded around some central passion - and diminished because my life was not nearly so filled with passion or, as it happens, the simplicity I crave. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">You know how some people have it all worked out or at least, portray the concept of having it all worked out? I'm NOT one of those people. Although it is a little early for a mid-life/existential crisis, I find myself trying to work out what's important to me as though I was a clichéd middle-aged man buying a sports car. I sometimes find myself feeling somewhat diminished by the "perfect" images some blogs present: it's not a harsh criticism - the blog world is out there to allow us to make what we wish and writers don't need to present a warts-and-all autobiography if they don't desire to expose themselves completely. But sometimes I wonder why I can't have that "happy" life with the wonderful everything. Maybe some people do and, for those who recognise and appreciate that, I admire their luck (or is it a talent?). But I'd like to know about some of their sadder or more difficult days too. That way, I could learn from them in more ways than one. So some of my posts may well be "imperfect"... or maybe the act of talking to the wild world out there might enable me to make some changes, whatever they may be, for the better; so this might be the beginning of my life post its (current) imperfections!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">I try to live by two simple rules (which, of course lend themselves to many sub-categories - but enough of complexity): respect living things and respect the environment. I hope this will come through in my musings. I look forward to writing, and maybe even reading comments from others, as my story unfolds.</span></div>Post Imperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04678276303439352940noreply@blogger.com0