oh coco

There is a rumour {yes, you're right, I'm spreading it...} that Coco avant Chanel opens June 25 in Australia. Oh, please, please, please let it be true...

And, um, hello, the prettiness of these pics? From French Elle, naturellement...

finishing touches

Surprising little bits and pieces are what completes a home. I'd love to pop a dovecote in the box-hedge bordered garden. On one side we have the bird bath with its little stone birdy, in the centre is a gorgeous blossom tree {we didn't plant it and I'm still trying to identify it!} so I think a pretty painted dovecote could look just gorgeous before we start the vegie and herb gardens.

I'm trying to keep stock of what I use the most of when I'm cooking and am now positive I need thyme, garlic, french shallots, Italian parsley, rosemary, basil, many types of lettuce, some spinach, teeny tomatoes, tarragon, a bay tree, lemon or lime {ooooh, I'd love both!} as just the bare essentials. I'm really keen to plant things I'll use on a near-to-daily basis. If we can espalier the lemon and limes against the fence then I'll have even more room for other bits and pieces. 

It's a grey, drizzly day here today. I'm attempting some work and am soon to resume scrubbing the pot that cooked the osso buco - which was, delish! Then at 1pm I'm hitting a restaurant with a friend for lunch. We've got a 'buy one get one free' voucher so although it seems an extravagance, really, it's verging on a bargain. Now... what to wear...

birthday boy

It's my hubby's birthday today so we started off with a breakfast omelette {his new fave} and he's having the day off to 

1. Improve his golf game on the Wii

2. Go for a run and time himself with his new sports watch.

Tonight, for dinner, he's requested Osso buco Milanese, so I'm off to the butcher soon to buy some veal shanks, canaroli rice and saffron for the risotto. 

Birthday's are bliss.

Osso Buco Milanese *

serves 6

6 3cm-thick centre-cut milk-fed veal shin

plain flour, seasoned to taste

60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

20gm butter

2 sticks of celery, finely diced

1 onion, finely chopped

250ml (1 cup) dry white wine

500ml (2 cups) beef stock

3 fresh bay leaves

3 sprigs of thyme

2 pieces of lemon rind

gremolata

1 cup firmly packed flat-leaf parsley

Rind of 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic

Milanese risotto

50gm butter

100gm beef marrow

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups canaroli rice

1 pinch saffron

1 litre (four cups) chicken stock

40gm grana Padano, finely grated

1. Dust the veal shin with flour, removing excess. Heat half the olive oil in a large casserole, and cook veal in batches over medium heat until browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining olive oil and butter to same pan. When butter has melted, add celery and onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine, stock, bay leaves, thyme and lemon rind. Bring to boil and simmer for five minutes. Return osso buco to pan. Cover and cook at 180 degrees celcius for 90 minutes, or until tender.

2. For gremolata, place all ingredients on a chopping board and finely chop. Place in a bowl and season to taste, then cover and refrigerate until required.

3. For risotto, heat half the butter in a heavy based pan, add marrow and cook for five minutes or until browned and almost dissolved. Add onion and garlic and cook for five minutes or until softened but not coloured. Stir in rice and cook for another two minutes, then add saffron and 1/2 cup of stock at a time, stirring until stock is absorbed before adding more. Stir through remaining buttr and grana Padano and season to taste. Divide risotto among bowls, top with osso buco and pan juices and serve with gremolata on the side.

* recipe from Gourmet Traveller 

seasonal cleaning

Well, it's not Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, but we're getting into the spirit with Simple Mom's Spring {Autumn} Cleaning Party. My husband's getting stuck into the guest room, I worked on the pantry today and cleaned a particularly pesky corner, and from next week I'm going through room-by-room. Bliss.

kid stuff

We had the most delicious breakfast this morning - prepared by two nine-year-olds! Our daughter had a friend for a sleepover, and upon awakening, they googled for breakfast inspiration and decided upon omelettes. After taking our orders they proceeded to whip up very tasty omelettes indeed. For each person they separated yolks and whites from two eggs and whipped up the whites till fluffy. They they folded in the yolks and two tablespoons of water. Throwing in some salt and pepper I heated the pan and let some butter brown. Then, I poured in the eggs and each girl took turns bringing the filling to the middle and pouring the top bits to the side. When it was nearly set they popped on the fillings (ranging from grilled, diced bacon, ham, cheese, olives and tomatoes) and pulled one side onto the other. I helped them remove it from the pan and then we ate the best omelettes ever.

the garden at grey gardens

I've just been on The New York Times website checking out some before and after shots of Grey Gardens. I utterly adore what they've done here. Absolute bliss.

frugal friday

Here's a weekly post for you - premiering today. Ta da, it's Frugal Friday. Each week I'll be trying something new to save money - and letting you in on the secret. Today, it's cunning ways with leftovers...

Because there are only three of us in our household {the cat doesn't really count in this instance} I tend to have leftovers from most meals. Often, because my hubby works nearby, he'll come home and we'll have a hot lunch together. But I'd like to jazz things up a little, so today we're having leftover coq au vin - soup! Because I cooked the dish in the slow cooker all the meat fell into tender shreds, and it was much more liquid than if I'd cooked it in the oven, so what I'm planning on doing is adding some extra chicken stock {in fridge!} seasoning it with more salt and pepper and simmering it for 30 minutes before serving.

Another frugal tip is with leftover wine {shut up, sometimes I have some... well, cooking wine anyway...} If it's left in the bottle it oxidises and is only suitable to make salad dressing {use it in place of vinegar}. Of course, it's an option to decant it into a smaller bottle, but who has those? The best option is to freeze it in portions, well I don't know about you, but my ice cube tray is always filled with ice cubes for spontaneous vodka tonic moments - I don't have any spares for wine. But what I do have is frozen ice block makers - you know, to make ice blocks (or ice lollies) for kids. A six pack of those is just the right size for three quarters of a bottle of red, and once it's frozen, I'll slide them out and store them in a zip lock bag so I'll have 1/2 cup red wine frozen and ready to go... Just label them so your child doesn't think you've whipped up some apple and blackcurrent ice blocks!

an ode to masterchef

As you probably know, I adore cooking shows. Coming late to the meat-cooking game, after years as a vegetarian, I'm constantly picking up new ideas. Now, one of my favourite shows is a British one {surprise} Masterchef. I la la love that show. When I heard they were making an Australian version I worried - would it be a cringe-inducing version like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy or Top Gear - or would it succeed, like Biggest Loser? Well, I reckon we have a winner.

It may have only started on Monday night but I'm already in love with the three judges - and the host? Don't get me started on her. When I heard a former magazine editor was to host I quickly put on my judgement pants - I know her as former Cosmo-editor, not a foodie journo - but within moments I was charmed. Sarah Wilson is a total delight and totally makes the transformation to telly. She's utterly scrumptious to look at, seems to have a real empathy with the contestants - and manages to read her lines eloquently {I shouldn't have to comment on that - but man, so few people can work their way around a script these days!}

The traditional format's changed to reflect a more dynamic program and I can't wait to see what the contestants come up with. So far I've yet to see a great deal of genius - in the most recent UK Masterchef I was able to pick the final three in their first round. 

Of course I'm kicking myself for not following my friend Victoria's suggestion to enter, but I still don't think I'm there. I'm a slow-cooking, long-marinating gal and have yet to devise myself a menu I could manage to complete in 30 to 90 minutes... but maybe next year...

a few of my favourite things

A swoon-worthy pantry idea if ever I've seen one - candy striped tins perfect for filling with sweet somethings...

Oh my.

perfection in pink

I needed cheering up {really bad sinus is blocking my ears making me deaf and cranky} so Mr McQueen was happy to come to the party. With such a purdy pair of electric pink pumps to carry you around, every step would have to be bliss. I hope these bring a little bit of sparkle to your day too!

They've inspired me to slick my lips with an electric shade of pink for my luncheon. I might be dressed all in black - but my lips will scream siren.

home work

Working from home it's easy to be distracted, so I'm aiming to set up my perfect home/work life. One of the things I realised that I really, really miss is regular contact with others. Just sharing a morning coffee or lunch and chatting with a friend really makes the day complete. While I get the usual "hi" and "bye" when I drop off and pick up my daughter on the school run, I miss the one-on-one time, so now I'm scheduling a regular Ladies Who Lunch catch-up with a friend. Today's our first date, so I'm hunting down a suitable café {preferably not the same one where our husbands are having their regular boy-zone!}

I'm also trying to catch up, once a week, with lovely friends for a coffee. Inviting them here, firing up the espresso machine and sitting in the autumnal sun in the pavillion is the ideal way to start off a working day. This catch-up serves two purposes: I get to stave off loneliness and feed my friendships, and I make sure the house is relatively tidy the night before so that housework doesn't distract me from paid work. Good huh!

Now, onto today's bargains... I just dropped off my gal's pile of games and puzzles at the salvos and bought myself two great working from home tops - one a pretty cream marle {does that exist? It's kinda like grey marle pattern-wise, but in cream} and the other a gorgeous rich blue. Then I saw the perfect winter working dress. Long, black, cotton/jersey. Ideal with a pair of tights and a cardi - and if I sling on some beads and slick on some lipstick I'll look tres professional. But, bargain of all bargains was a silver cocktail shaker for $3. Hello Margaritaville...

sweet dreams

How gorgeous is this bedroom? Sweet dreams must be created in such stunning surrounds. The nights have developed a chill these past few weeks, and it's almost time to bring out the cozy flannelette sheets. Mmmmmm. Is there any more joyous moment than when you first snuggle into your bed? I think not!

this

Hey, you know how earlier today I said I wanted to make a slipcover for my ugh-ly black office chair? Well I reckon this kind of thing would be perfect - except in a floral, or toille. Taking it down almost to the ground, with a bit of lace could almost make it appear as though it has these nice claw and ball feet, rather than casters... Happy!

a room of one's own

Oh my + sigh...

clutter busted

Home from her first day at school, after completing her week's worth of homework and eating a gazillion snacks, my daughter was 'bored'. So I told her to clean out her toy room - and oh boy - did she. We now have two teetering piles of games and puzzles, plus a big bag of toys, to give to the salvos. Along with bucketloads of rubbish to go in the bin and recycling. 

The toy room {effectively just a closet off the living room - not as grand as it sounds...} is now organised, clean and looks damned tidy. And hopefully, because Miss A did it herself, it'll stay that way.

My hubby's also gone through all our mags and I have a stack the height of a small child to take to the salvos as well. Any decorators in the Newcastle area should head to the Salvos in the next few days as there will be plenty of recent pickings on offer. 

I'm longing for a bit of minimalist bliss {in my more maximalist manner}. I've also decided to put redecorating the study firmly on the agenda. I want to rip up the carpets and paint the floor boards white, look into a cheap, vintage desk that I can paint white, and, eventually, have floor to ceiling bookshelves covering the walls. Now I work from home full-time I need a lovely space to create.

what a crock

Very disappointed! As I was checking on dinner's progress at lunch I discovered my bowl for the slow-cooker has developed two cracks on the outside edges - not happy Jan! When I called customer service to ask after the cost of a replacement I was informed that it would cost $49.83 for a new bowl. Considering that the whole slow cooker cost $55 on sale less than two years ago I think NOT! 

I've been careful with it, mind. It's not that cracks have developed due to my lackadaisical level of care. This is planned obsolescence of the highest order. 

So I've got my fingers crossed that the cracks don't lengthen into the bowl in this cooking - and then I'm going to think about how I can patch it until I buy a new slow-cooker - a different brand with a better bowl!

frugal foodie

My menu plan's still going along swimmingly - yay. Today, after running alongside my daughter who rode to school, I came home and chopped up food for the slow-cooker. On the menu tonight is veal ragu {because veal steaks were super-reduced - cheaper than chuck steak!}. This recipe is based on a wild boar ragu Jamie Oliver cooked on his Italian Adventure. Using white wine gives it a milder flavour than the traditional red wine - I reckon that veal and white wine are perfectly married {I used chardonnay because there was a bottle in the fridge with a glass left in it. Yeah, I don't know how that happened either...}

Veal Ragu in the slow cooker:

600 grams of veal steak, diced

2 sticks celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3 bay leaves

4 slices of bacon or pancetta, diced or cubed

700g passata

1 cup white wine

Throw all the meat and veg into your slow cooker and then brown bacon in a pan. Throw bacon on top of meat and veg, and deglaze the pan with the wine. Pour in passata and then wine over the top and give it a stir. Cover tightly with a sheet of baking paper, pop on the lid and cook on low for around 6 - 8 hours. Feel like the best cook ever.

Serve over strips of pasta topped with parmesan shavings. 

eye of the beholder

I've finally got to acknowledge that I'm a bit of a princess {surprise!}. I now totally put my hand up to the fact that I need to be surrounded by pretty things - if not, I become despondent. I don't care if it's useful, or practical - I need it to look good at the same time. I went to a tupperware party recently and while I know that the products are fabulous, I couldn't buy anything because the retro-themed colours {avocado green, dark brown, mustard yellow} don't float my boat. It's why I work on a pretty iMac rather than a staid PC. I'm a pretty-ist - I might as well admit it.

However, with people, oh, with people I accept the quirks and differences {but not ugly fashion - I won't go there}. I can't abide sameness or anything bland. To me, beauty that stands out offers up a difference. Look at the editor of French Vogue - she's stunning and yet in no way a typical, pretty woman. 

On our weekend talk turned to plastic surgery. One of the women is ready for her breast reduction - which I totally understand. She's not trying to conform to a norm, just wants a life free from back and shoulder pain. However, when people start wanting to shave a little off their nose, or liposuction their thighs... that's where I have my issues. I used to loathe the bump on my nose, for years I despised it. But now, I reckon it gives me character, and balances out my features. It's my nose. I'm always sad when I see gorgeous roman noses given the ski-jump treatment - people's faces never look the same when parts of their septum are shaved away. It's the same with thighs - some of us have thin thighs, others are more generously proportioned - vive la difference...

So here's to beauty, in all its guises.

life is sweet

You know what? Life's better as an optimist. I'm not unrealistic, I'd just prefer to look on the sweeter side of life. A glass half-full is much more appealing than one that's half-empty. So even though today's monday, possibly my least favourite day of the week, I'm going to think happy thoughts {such as these pretty cupcakes - how spesh!}, get on with the unpacking from our camping, muddle through the tidying and prepare myself for my daughter's return to school tomorrow!

My hubby's taken the day off work to spend with our gal today, so I can get some work done. They're just about to start giving their bikes a wash before going for a ride. I'm loving how our camping holiday has given our daughter the riding bug.

back on track

Whew, we're back from what may quite possibly be the best family holiday. While we may have totally mis-read the accommodation information and actually requested the cabin that we'd said "Who'd stay in that?" {um, der-brains like us apparently} we still had a fabuloso time. Staying with four other fab families, we parents spent the day idling away, reading mags and books, wandering the grounds, lolling on couches... while our children spent the daylight hours either racing around on their push bikes, swimming {oh, yes, sometimes we lolled on sun lounges by the pool - supervising} or taking part in kids' club activities. We only saw our daughter a few times as various children {there were 12 children amongst us} called in for water, food or sunscreen. It was fabulous to see the kids just running free, doing the kind of random activities that we'd been able to do in our neighbourhood when we were young. Our lass is now keen to ride her bike to school, so on Tuesday we'll strap on the helmet and I'll run alongside her on the trip - benefits for two!

I'm just back from shopping after vowing to get back into the menu planning and once-per-week grocery shop. We're having roast pork {with extra crackling} and veg for dinner tonight, grilled t-bone steaks {on special} with veg and salad tomorrow night, veal ragu in the slow-cooker on tuesday {veal steaks on special}, coq-au-vin in the slow cooker wednesday, meatloaf and veg thursday and caramel chicken with rice and steamed greens on friday. I feel organised just thinking about it!

Having all my meals planned and organised also means I'll get back into my regular, daily walk - I'm thinking about just tacking it on to the end of the school run {if I'm not too exhausted keeping pace with the cycling gal}. After a weekend spent drinking, nibbling and lolling, I am keen to get a move on!