Roast Vegetables.

Roast vegetables have become a favourite part of a roast meat meal for me.  They smell so good.  I sprinkle rice oil over them and scatter salt and herbs.  Delicious.

Bleach.

Google Images.

Bleach can be very necessary in a house if you are trying to contain illness or get rid of mould.  

However, it also can cause me joint pains, headaches and a sore throat.  You should see what it does to a silverfish!  We had  a silverfish in the shower, and as it was too far out of my reach to grab, I sprayed it with what was close at hand: bleach.  In a minute or so, the silverfish stopped moving and then it disintegrated, losing colour first and then shrinking.  Bleach is very strong.

Bill Granger!

I love Bill Granger's recipes.  This one was in the Sunday supplement of last week's Sydney Morning Herald.
His recipes are delicious, fast and the ingredients are probably in your pantry.

This was a marinade for pork.  I had some of 11 year old daughter's friends over for dinner; a Southern feast... however, instead of pork; I used chicken.  We had potato salad as well, rice, corn and then pecan pie with caramel and icecream.
Here is Bill Granger's recipe for the marinade:

cumin
cinnamon
paprika
garlic
chilli jam
honey
brown sugar
orange juice
oregano

All mixed together and poured over the meat.  Bake and then if you like, grill on the BBQ.  No need for that step as the meat charred beautifully in the oven.

Cats and Baskets.

I love how cats like to snuggle in the smallest spot possible.

Holidays at Home.

We fed the children early, put them to bed (or in their rooms for reading) and husband E and I sat outside, with a lamp and enjoyed Thai takeaway.  Bliss.

Nihon Rashii

8 year old daughter has decided that on the cooler, Summer days, she would like to wear this around the house.  I think our good friend gave it to us (Oink Oink).

Chocolate Cookies with Cream Cheese.

I have a favourite, rich chocolate chip biscuit recipe here.  Last week while in a waiting room, I read an issue of Real Living (March 2012).  There was a picture of rich chocolate biscuits with a cream cheese icing mixture in the middle.  I knew that I had a pot of cream cheese icing in the fridge and had wanted to use it.... so added it to some of our biscuits.  I am lactose intolerant, so I had a bite only this morning to 'test' them.  They are good!

William Morris: Print or Tray?

I had a spare silver frame and a laminated William Morris print.  I put the William Morris print into the frame and searched around the house for wall space.... As there was not really a suitable space, I decided to use the frame as a tray and put it under items on my bedside table.

Passionfruit.

Google Images.

Not only have we got elderflower growing in the garden, but our passionfruit crop has recovered from a cockatoo (bird) attack a few years ago.  It is now covered in net.  We have one fruit so far (see above).  I think that the passionfruit flower is the most amazing flower... see image.

Ginger Biscuits.

Ginger cookies baked by 11 year old daughter.  She always does things with such flare; she bundled them up in lovely bags so that each of us had a stash for a few days.  Later the children had some with caramel on them.

Making Elderflower Cordial.

I found a good recipe for making Elderflower cordial here.   It was a nice, easy recipe.  The only problem was that I went away unexpectedly and the cordial steeped for 72 hours instead of 48.  It was a mouldy mess.  I did take a teaspoon from down below to taste though and it was delicious.  We did throw it all out.

Way Too Creepy.

Google image

We found a spider in the living room last night and were concerned that it might be a funnel web spider (see picture above).

We think though that it was only a trapdoor (see picture below).  Still, that was way too much excitement post dinner!

Google image

The funnel web was listed in our deadly/red table while the trapdoor was listed in our mildly toxic and "friendly" green table on our spider chart!

The main difference to our eye was the difference in spinnerets.

Holidays at the Lakehouse.

Gorgeous breeze and waves on the water.  A bushfire rather close, but four fire engines put it out.
Salt, sunburn, kayaking, fish and chips, icecreams, salads, a lovely neighbour, dogs, jumping off the jetty, reading.....

Time Together.

Who would have thought that we could both sit down together at the same time?  The children must be getting older.

Happy New Year.