quick quack

Every member of my family has had a craving for confit duck recently, so short of shelling out around $35 per serve at our favourite restaurant, I needed to source some of the stuff. So imagine my delight when I was buying my coffee beans this morning and spied a pack of 10 confit duck legs at The Essential Ingredient. Apparently they freeze well, so we won't have to stuff ourselves stupid - or invite other duck-loving friends around {luckily, as our fellow duck-obsessive friends are on holiday this week - although I'm sure they'd do the eight hour drive back to share with us!}.

Now I just need to google some serving suggestions - which will be interesting as none of us are into the whole duck and fruit combo. When it comes to fruits, serve 'em to me with cream or icecream... I'm fussy that way.

grill girl

I think I've finally mastered my bbq. I've just had family to dinner, cooked up a honey and rosemary marinated butterflied leg of lamb, garlic and olive oil smashed potatoes, and tuscan spatchcocked chicken. Yummy. I par-boiled the potatoes then smashed them down with a potato masher and drizzled them with garlic-infused olive oil before putting them on the bbq hot plate to brown. The lamb was studded with rosemary, drizzled with organic honey and left to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours, before being brought to room temperature. 

I let the bbq heat up then turned off the middle two burners before searing the lamb and marinated chicken for a few minutes on the grill plate. Then I popped them in the middle, closed the hood and left them to cook for around 45 minutes. After the lamb was cooked, I took it off, covered it with foil and left to rest for 15 minutes before slicing finely. It was served with a tuscan bread and tomato salad, green salad and the smashed potatoes. Because I was feeding a crowd I made my chocolate sponge, icecream and raspberry number... Oh, it was good.

I reckon that barbeques are the ultimate entertaining accessory. Everything tastes amazing, you can leave it to cook while you chat, and it's all done in the great outdoors.

easter goodies

Hope you all have a lovely easter filled with special times with your family and friends. Wouldn't it be nice if one of said friends were crafty enough to make pretty easter decorations like these? I found them on CountryLiving.com and think they're impossibly divine.

loooooooong weekend

I'm a bit excited about the Easter long weekend - specially as my hubby's taking a five day break. We're planning a mix of relaxation and action. There's still quite a few jobs on the to-do list {as there always will be...} but we can do them relatively simply just by chipping away at it. 

It's my mum and step-dad's last night here tonight, so I'll have to plan a vegetarian feast to bid them farewell. They seem to have had a nice, relaxing week here - mum's certainly got her money's worth out of the pavilion - every day she'd sit by the pool, magazine in hand, coffee by her side. I agree that it's going to be a lovely spot for morning coffee with a warm winter sun streaming in. We've completed a few jobs with their help, and my step-dad's offered to help Matt with paving, gravelling and draining around the side of the house {one huge job left to do}. Perfect drainage is obviously essential now we get such downpours for days on end in this neck of the woods.

Easter Sunday will of course, start with an easter egg hunt - hopefully it won't rain so the eggs won't get soggy! And hopefully my daughter will sleep in a little so the easter bunny won't have to get up toooooo early...

Mum's invited my aunt and uncle here for afternoon tea, so I'll be making Nigella's scones and some rosebud madelines to tickle tastebuds. Mmmmmm.

i heart marc

Bless, it's a pair of wedges with a heart cutout - cuteness! The touch of whimsy this adds to these shoes makes me just want to smoosh Marc Jacobs, my lips always turn up at the corners upon spying his creations.

oh coco

It's impossible not to adore Audrey Tatou - so the thought of her in Coco Avant Chanel has given me chills. The film's released this month in France and is on my must-view list. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for it to hit the screens in Aus.

well dressed

I'm seasonally cleaning today. My mum and step-dad are up from Melbourne, so I've roped them into helping me do stuff that I'd prefer not to do on my own. We're halfway through washing all the crockery on my kitchen dresser, and, um, there's a lot of it. A 12 piece service, with many plates, serving bowls and dishes, platters, tea service... now it's all sparkly and clean. 

Next step is to remove all the vases, ramekins, bowls etc on the shelving above the stove... it's pretty scary up there, so I'm steeling myself. Wish me luck...

musical score

Don't you think that everything goes better with music? Shopping centres know this; that's why every time I go to Coles, I find myself humming, and often singing and dancing down the aisles to tunes that hold a special place in my past. Depeche Mode, Abba, Village People - either the person who programs the music in my local store is from my generation - or knows that I'm the core demographic and plays music accordingly. I cleaned the kitchen cupboards the other day to a stirring rendition of Elton John and Kiki D's Don't go breaking my heart, and it certainly made a drudge-ridden task flow more smoothly. It's also why you see so many people out running with iPods. 

However, my daily walk is one time when I don't need a soundtrack. Every step I take is my meditation. I walk, I breathe, I peek into peoples gardens and windows {hello, voyeurism - but only at their decorating style - I don't want to see actual people!}

I'm now feeling the urge for a big iTunes splurge. There's a few tunes that have been rattling round my head that would be much better served on my iPod. After all, I've got one final burst of painting to undertake - that needs some serious accompaniment from either some New Romantics, or 90s grunge!

colour coding

Isn't this a pretty idea. This vignette, in a farmhouse featured on countryliving.com exemplifies spring. A collection of simple bottles, that rejoice in their colours and shapes celebrate that glorious spring bloom - the daffodil. Of course it's autumn here in Aus, but still, couldn't you just imagine a bloom for every season?

zen and the art of home maintenence

I've blogged before about my loathing of certain tasks: unloading the dishwasher, packing away clean clothes... etc. But reading Buddhism for Mothers has given me an idea. When your life's busy, taking the time to do these tasks mindfully can be a great way to meditate. I've never been one to meditate - never been able to shut off my mind long enough to sit. Plus, I feel a strong urge to multi-task - if I'm sitting, I might as well be reading, and if I'm reading, I might as well be drinking a cup of tea, then I might as well think about what colour I should paint my nails...

No more. Now, I'm going to just focus on the task and be. I'm not going to be cross or cranky about it, or begrudge doing it - I'm just going to do it. I do that now with food preparation - I adore chopping, slicing, dicing, sauteeing, so why not do it with other tasks? It's just a matter of finding a method you enjoy - and doing it often enough till it becomes a habit. So I'm going to try doing things in reverse. I'll try taking the washing basket into my daughter's room and unloading her folded laundry directly into her wardrobe and drawers, before heading into our room. With the dishwasher, I'll start at the bottom shelf and unpack my way to the top. Hopefully this'll confuse my brain into setting into a new habit with glee - where I can just breathe and get on with it.

strap me in

Today's shoe of the week had to be Manolo's. My hubby's been designing wardrobes for our bedroom and showed me his plans for my 'shoe wall' and, oh my. Seriously, a wall of shoes? 

If I had some of these gorgeous critters, I'd make sure that each individual shoe pigeonhole was backlit and with a teeny glass door to keep the dust off my pretties. 

Until then, a gal can dream...

meaty moments

Well, I seem to be over my crappy cooking phase. Phew. So allow me to share with you the delicious meal with shared with friends on Saturday night. I'd bought a standing rib roast, divided into two - with two ribs in each piece. After lunch on saturday I stabbed these all over by plunging a knife into the meat and then stuffed them with slices of this gorgeous purple garlic. I popped them into the cooking trays, grated lemon zest over the top, strewed them with thyme sprigs and drizzled over some olive oil. After massaging all this in, I poured some red wine over the top and popped them in the fridge.

The night before I caramelised some finely diced french shallots, added thyme and a cup of red wine which I simmered for an hour so it was rich and reduced. I then popped that in a jar and kept it in the fridge.

An hour before I started cooking I removed the meat from the fridge to bring it to room temperature and started warming up the bbq with all burners on high. When it was time to cook, I turned off the middle two burners, brought the meat out and seared it till it was brown on all exposed sides before popping it back in the aluminium trays and placing them in the middle racks. Then I pulled down the hood, and settled back to drink more champagne. In an hour they were roasted to rare perfection {I had my trusty meat thermometer to ensure that they were} and I pulled them out onto a plate to rest. Then, in the trays with the juices, I added the red wine and shallots that I prepared earlier, deglazed and reduced for around 15 minutes.

All this was served with cubes of potato cooked in duck fat {also on the bbq} and a green salad with walnuts. The meat was then sliced into a huge Fred Flintstone cutlet each, the red wine jus drizzled over top and we all enjoyed it immensely.

After this? A chocolate tart and caramelised pistachios with vanilla icecream {I couldn't find any creme fraiche anywhere on Saturday!}. Yum.

dirty girl

How could you not want to seriously immerse yourself in household chores with products as beautiful as these? I do so adore Cath Kidston's eye for design, wandering into her store in Wimbledon my delighted peepers didn't know where to alight. 

Products as pretty as these wouldn't be stashed under the sink - they'd be left proudly on display - and I'd have no excuse for dirty dishes or stains on my clothes - now would I?

Oh, and with my in-laws on holiday in the UK... surely they could sneak me home that teensy bar of stain removing soap... Must go on-line and check out what's available and write up my begging list,

ouch

Sorry for the lack of posts today. A v bad headache's kept me away from the computer screen {but not the tv screen so I now have a new love for Ellen and Halle Berry!}

Back tomorrow with, hopefully, a clear head.

xx

due credit

Are you a credits lover or do you dash to leave your seat before the first name rolls up onto the screen? 

I'm a stick it till the end gal - for me, a movie's denouement is when the final credit has rolled. Luckily my hubby's content to sit with me - the final two patrons in a cinema, staff cleaning up the popcorn around us.

I've also started a tradition with my daughter. In the holidays she takes a friend to a kid's film and as the final credits roll, they're allowed to rush down to the front of the cinema to dance in the space below the screen while I sit there alternately reading the cast-list and smiling at their antics.

ma toilette

I love how french women attend to themselves. Dedicating a period each morning to grooming is a rather lovely way to start the day. I can be rather slapdash in that area, but am determined to allocate a little more time each day to putting myself together. I'm currently in love with a new skincare regime. I treated myself and my sad old skin to the Olay Definity range and I must say that I'm loving what it's doing. The cleanser has gorgeous little microbeads to buff away impurities and I adore the mousse moisturiser {they'd sold out of the regular stuff at Coles - obviously the advertising's paying off}. After spending too much time swimming and inadvertently sunning, dodgy blotches have taken up residence on my face. Apparently this range positively revels in fighting blotches and splotches - so, ding ding, let the first round commence!

day of judgement

Generally I couldn't give a toss what others think. Catch me on a good day and I'll simply raise an eyebrow, shrug my shoulders and not even give judgement a second thought. But this week, a few events have conspired to make me realise how judgy judgy so many women are. The whole working mum v stay-at-home mum raises vitriol and now it appears there's a new round - domestic goddesses v domestic drudges.

Obviously, if you've read a post or two on this blog, you'll know that I lurve cooking. Adore it. I enjoy cooking for my family and for my friends. It doesn't define me, but it makes me feel pretty bloody good. Sure, I work full-time {from home} but I also like to do the odd housekeepy thing. I like a nice clean sheet on a bed. I don't usually get around to making said bed until just before I climb into it again, but hey, freshly made beds every morning aren't my priority. That said, I don't judge women {or men!} for whom they are. If you leap out of bed, smoothing sheets and doonas before your feet touch the floor good for you. 

Now, how's this for a domestic moment? Last week I went to a Tupperware party {I know!} and one of the friends of the hostess brought along a lovely tray of nibbles. Delicious they were. Looked gorgeous, tasted sumptuous. I dug in wholeheartedly. However, another woman had to say, "Oh, how on earth does she find the time to make something like that?" Um, she prioritised that's how. Yes, turning up at a house with a tray of nibbles at 7pm is impressive - and laudable, not derisible.  If you're one of those people who can't do it - fine - I'm not going to judge you. If you are, again, woo hoo - no judging here.

Let's all stop, appreciate what others have done, and unless it somehow negatively impacts upon us {and not in a egotistical, jealous manner} let's just allow others to do what it takes to make themselves happy - and continue on our merry way.

raindrop rhapsody

Oh, it's raining at the moment - and more blissful timing we couldn't have asked for. My hubby had the day off so we spent the morning, after dropping our child at school, having a gorgeous breakfast at a new cafe called The Kitchen. I had a delish croque madame with chilli jam while hubby dug into some pretty spesh eggs benedict. Then we came home, hung out, then Matt went outside and pruned away in the front garden.

Our murraya is now the most perfect sphere, the buxus hedge perfectly squared off, vines have been tamed and the indigo spires is no longer taking over the perennial bed. After all that pruning it's heaven to receive a nice quenching dose of rain.

My mum and step-dad arrive on the weekend, so we're setting them to work helping us lay the stepping pavers in the courtyard and helping us finish off a few other jobs - they like to keep busy! I'm sure they'll be stunned to see how green we are in this part of NSW after coming up from their parched and charred area of Victoria. 

Ooh, rain on a tin roof - is there a more blissful sound?

pudding perfection

See this? It's pudding perfection. On Sunday we invited my hubby's sister and husband for lunch and I thought I'd make a bread and butter pudding - with croissants. Oh. My. God. Now, some of my puds have received acclaim - this received the equivalent of a 10 minute standing ovation - and it was dead-easy.

Slice up four to five butter croissants and spread them with jam - I used rhubarb spread and smoosh them into a buttered pie dish. Then mix together 3 tablespoons of caster sugar with three eggs and then add 300ml of pouring cream and 200 ml of milk. Mix until well combined and pour over the top of the croissants. Then {and here's the really yummy bit} drizzle the top with a tablespoon of golden syrup. Bake in a 180 degree oven till the top is golden and the custard is thickened - around 25 minutes. Cover it with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Serve with a dollop of vanilla icecream and bask in glory with words such as "Best pudding I've ever eaten in my life" ringing in your ears.

into the void

While I'm loving working from home, I'm not so fond of the isolation. Sending off my work via email is ever-so-handy, but it seems that people are becoming so increasingly busy that having the time to acknowledge a received email isn't happening. I'm normally ridiculously prompt answering my emails with a quick "Thanks!" - unless they're something I need to dwell on, in which case they may sit on the backburner for a while. But it seems that lately I'm spending a reasonable chunk of my working time wondering if a story or invoice has been received, dwelling on it for a week, before sending off another email to question the arrival of another email.

I wish my Mac Mail had a received mail function - where I could attach a read-receipt. But as it doesn't I think I'll just have to get over it, assume my emails have arrived and if they don't, then assume someone will ask me to send it again. I'm not taking on any more stress - it doesn't suit me.