creme de la creme a la linda

Undoubtedly my fave mother's day pressie this year was my brulee torch {yep, I know you can do other things with it - but let's be honest, there's gonna be a lot of brulee torching in my kitchen}. Creme brulee is my fave dessert - and my hubby and gal's too. Whenever it's on a menu, we order it. But, that said, I'm a bit of a purist. I like my creme speckled with vanilla beans - and little else. Don't be throwing any white chocolate and passionfruit in there... but I'll forgive a few lavender flowers...

So on the menu for this weekened will be the brulee. Vanilla brulee. Hence, I needed to find me some vanilla beans. I haven't been happy with those on offer at the supermarket - wizened, lacking in any real flavour, difficult to split and scrape out the black gold in the centre - so I've had my eye out.

On Monday I had to head to the country {long story, had to collect tax stuff from an agent in Cessnock - a gazzilion miles from home - which is why I STILL haven't done my tax...} Anywho, I thought that as I had to drive for an hour, at least I'd get to check out country op-shops - normally shopping nirvana. Except for this week when they were shopping nada. Saddened, I called in at a patisserie called The Queen of Tarts for a spot of lunch and saw, on the counter, a glass vial with three plump vanilla beans. At $17 it was pricey - but you normally shell out around $5 per bean, so I thought it was value and snapped 'em up. {Don't worry, I'll be getting my money's worth out of them - sugar, vodka, there will be nothing left un-vanilla'd}.

So, there I was, happy with my purchase and then yesterday I called in at the organic fruit and veg a few doors from my home. I picked up a couple of carrots, parsnips and beetroot to roast and serve with my pork cutlets last night {yummy!} and spied, behind the counter, a big glass jar filled with vanilla beans. Plump, lush vanilla beans. With a sign advising: Vanilla Beans $2 each.

Damn.

Often the best bargains are on your doorstep.

Guess we'll be eating a lot of creme brulee, panacotta, vanilla cakes and vanilla custards this winter...

what's for dinner?

Despite my rows of cookbooks sitting atop kitchen shelves, a television that's either tuned to Lifestyle Food or MasterChef, and my avid attention to numerous foodie blogs - I'm feeling stumped about dinners this week.

I just don't know what I feel like. I think it's because the weather's so in-between {I'd like to blame my indecision on an external factor...} It's autumn, but there's still summer produce sitting around the shelves and nothing's screaming autumn harvest. 

Perhaps I need to get to the farmer's markets this weekend and immerse myself in goods fresh from the farm... Or I could visit my friendly butcher and ask him what's good - and devise a menu around that. I am determined to try something new. Perhaps with dinner tonight we could have caramelised roasted carrots and parsnips. Possibly with pork cutlets? And tomorrow night's netball training, which means slow-cooker - how's chilli con carne sound? Then Thursday, I could whip up some spanish chicken with chorizo and serve it with a mess of greens with plenty of garlic. Friday night...baked fish with tomatoes, garlic and olives - served with homemade lemon fries. We have friends coming for dinner Saturday night - so that's sorted {can't tell you because they read the blog and I love a surprise...} And Sunday night's always roast night - either beef or pork this week I believe.

There you go. Done. Thanks! I couldn't have done it without you. xxx

lightbulb moment

It's not often that I have an idea so brilliant that I dazzle myself. But this weekend I did. After four years of netball my gal's expressed an interest in, and talent at, shooting. Unfortunately, when we started the backyard I snapped her netball hoop's base right off so it was cactus... or so I thought...

It's been lying in the side garden, just waiting for council clean-up, while I've been keeping my eye on hoops on sale. The freestanding numbers are pricey - around $100 - which isn't do-able when you're budgeting. I thought about attaching the hoop to the house, but that wouldn't work as we'd have mis-timed balls on the roof and in the gutters in no time. So yesterday I decided to put my thinking cap on... What if I had a big, long spike I could put the pole on? Then, I remembered the totem tennis game out the back. It's one of those games that seems like a good idea at the time, but hitting a ball round and round gets kinda boring, and the game's just left to rust. 

However... by taking the top half of the totem tennis game off, I was left with a one metre long spike, that the netball post slid right on over. Result? A sturdy three metre netball hoop that's readily relocatable, re-used two bits of metal that would've gone onto the council clean-up, and my gal can duck outside and shoot some goals whenever she fancies!

Oy, Jeeves

Every now and again I'm overcome with an urge for a butler. It's not that I'm into servants as such - I just want someone to bring me a good cup of tea. 

I've blogged before about my inability to make myself a decent cup of tea. My impatience always results in a week cuppa, with just the wrong amount of milk. That's why I probably only drink one cup of tea every two weeks. Coffee I'm good with. My machine helps me create the perfect double shot latte - no stress. I can't mess it up.

I reckon this butler here would bring me a damn fine cup of tea whenever I needed it - and hey, I've got the butler's pantry off my kitchen all ready for him. Jeeves?

welcome back

I stayed up waaaaaay past my usual nana-bedtime last night because - finally - channel 10 are screening the US-version of The Biggest Loser. Now, don't get me wrong, I love me a little Michelle and Shannan, but Jillian and Bob won my heart with the first series of the US progam, and first-love never dies.

I was very lucky in my previous job because I used to regularly write about The Biggest Loser so not only did I get to visit The White House {in Aus} I also got to interview the contestants and trainers. {I know!} I'll never forget the first interview I did with Jillian - who's exactly like she is on the show. We were discussing the first round of Aussie contestants, what surprised her about them... When she said, in her distinctive drawl.... "You know, you'll talk with them, and they'll tell you about how, this is it, they're really going to change, nothing's going to stop them, they're on their journey... Then, you give them the choice of going forward and eating a cupcake, and whadda they do? They eat the f***n cupcake!" It still rings in my ears - bless her.

So of course, I'm addicted to the show, and get more than a little bit excited every time Jillian comes on the screen - let's hope nobody reaches for a cupcake...

Still on reality, MasterChef is helping me realise how ridiculously fickle I am - and how loving can turn to meh in an instant. See, I started off sure than Sam and Kate were two of the front-runners. They seemed to know food and how to put it together. But now? Oh, honey, what's happened. Sam's once again in the bottom three and my love for Chris is reaching a new high. I've also realised that while I love, love, love to cook - there's no way in hell I'd survive an episode of that show - 30 minutes to prepare and cook a dish from mystery ingredients? Hell no, I'd still be slicing and sauteeing 29 minutes in.

So tonight - who's leaving? Surely not Tom after that fabulous snapper dish. And Trevor? I've got a bit of a soft spot for ol' Trev. Maybe Sam -  at least he can get started on that honeymoon.

weekend - woo hoo

Who doesn't love a weekend, particularly one with NO engagements... Well, apart from the assignation I have with the backyard. Our daughter's just headed out for a playdate, so I'm off to scrub the waterline tiles in the pool, while hubby's laying down pavers in the courtyard for the pots to sit on. Then, we're going to summon superhuman strength and pot up the 45 litre magnolias into pots that come up to around my waist... Best go eat some spinach...

fiercely frugal friday

After my mis-step this week with the ATM fees my frugality really kicked in. I'm trying to work out ways to save money in every aspect of our life. One area where our hair-bear-bunch of a family can look to cutback is with hair care. Luckily, I spoke to a celebrity hairstylist earlier this year who gave me some top tips on washing your hair - that also help save money!

* Start by brushing your hair well to get rid of any surface dirt and excess hair product - doing this now will mean you don't have to shampoo twice!

* Then wet your hair well and pour a little shampoo into a bowl, and mix it with water to help it spread {I know what you're thinking, but considering the first ingredient in most shampoos is "Aqua" we're not ruining it - just making it go further}. Apply to the top of your hair and gently massage into your scalp, going down about halfway down the length of your hair. The ends of your hair are usually dry and the residual shampoo when you rinse it out will usually cleanse them enough.

* Rinse it really, really well, using your fingers to lift sections of your hair so that all your scalp is free from shampoo. Then rinse again.

Use conditioner from the ends of your hair and only work about halfway up the shaft - it'll only flatten your head if you apply it too close to your scalp. Comb through with a rubber paddle brush or a wide tooth comb, leave to soak in, then rinse. Gently squeeze the moisture from your hair with a towel, and before applying any product, rub it between your hands to allow it to head up and spread.

These days I tend to use a supermarket brand shampoo and conditioner and alternate every second wash with my expensive Joico leave-in conditioner {cos it gives me better curls}. I'm also using about half the amount of product I used to and am pretty chufffed that I'm still getting similar results. 

I'm also mixing my moisturiser with a little water in the palm of my hand before applying - it spreads a lot easier and moisturises just as effectively.

Food-wise, frugality still has a lot to do with creative uses of leftovers. I made a delish beef and guinness stew in the crockpot on wednesday, so tonight we're having beef and guinness pies with the leftovers. I'm going to pop the mix in a ramekin each, top them with puff pastry and bake them till hot and golden. Yummy.

I also picked up a fancy-schmancy cooking tip on Come Dine With Me last night. You know how, on cooking shows, they're always using funky little metal moulds to form interesting stacks of vegies, or meats? Well, I checked some out at The Essential Ingredient the other day, and realised I just couldn't justify the price. But, you know what this women on CDWM did? She went to the supermarket, bought tins of fruit that were just the right height and diameter and CUT THE TOPS AND BOTTOMS OFF. Brilliant! Combine that with Shannan Lush's hint for soaking labels off jars and tins {fill them with hot water, let them rest, and then they'll just peel off - with any residual stickiness easily banished with a wipe of lavender or eucalyptus oil. I always prefer to reuse rather than recycle, so that little tip has made my week!

How's your week going?

so sweet

Nearly forgot! But here's my shoe of the week, by Dolce & Gabbana. A t-bar, two-toned Mary Jane? Magnifico...

snack attack

I am a food fascist, I'm happy to admit it. Why serve something out of a packet when it's just as easy, and about a gazzilion times more tasty, to make it from scratch? I saw an ad for two-minute noodles today, touting them as the perfect after-school snack... but I reckon this little plateful here is perfect for apres-school munchies. {And two minutes, ha! Boil them, microwave them, stir them, rest them... adds up to more than two minutes in my book}

I always keep a pack of wholemeal muffins in the fridge, with a pack on standby in the freezer. Sitting alongside them is the shredded cheese, frozen and always ready for action. In the fridge is the tomato sauce and sliced ham.

Making mini pizzas is as simple as splitting the muffins and toasting the underside. While they're browing, slicing up the ham, then take them out, spreading them with sauce on the soft inside, layering on shards of ham and topping with the cheese. Back under the grill for a tick to brown, and hello, a yummy snack rich with protein, wholegrain, calcium and vitamins and minerals - in around two minutes. Yes, you could pop vegies on them, but ham and cheese have won my gal's heart.

Noodles, schmoodles...

bed head

My ancient Laura Ashley bed linen is looking more shabby than chic and I've yet to find anything to replace it - until now... Eau de nil, roses and polka dots, a few of my favourite things combined into one perfect package. Best of all, it'd give me the perfect excuse to paint my bedroom walls lilac {cos while I love their current eau de nil shade, even I admit there's such a thing as too much green...}

up the garden path

Our next big task is completing our side garden. When it was an overgrown jungle it looked like your typical side yard, but now it's cleared, we realise what a massive space we have to work with. From the side of the house to the fence is around three metres wide, and from the pavillion down to the current box hedge garden is probably around 8 metres. Hugeness.

We're planning on a wee garden shed and vegie gardens with old brick paths edged with lavender leading their way through. Somewhere we'll be using the massive convict sandstone blocks that formed the previous retaining walls - possibly as drystone retaining walls or to raise my vegie gardens. We'll see... Pretty gardens like these serve me with endless inspiration - as do the blogs that house them! I can't wait to get my fingers dirty...

eyes of a stranger

Sometimes I think it's important to step back and look at your home through the eyes of a stranger. When you live somewhere it's easy to miss finer details that mar its beauty.

This weekend we've got a huge working bee planned. We're going to get stuck into the backyard, give the pool a good clean, plant the new magnolias in their pots, fertilise all the plants, and just generally clean up. So I'm going to start the to-do list by standing here, in front of my fence, and seeing what stands out as needing to be done. 

There'll be weeding, scrubbing of the front steps, and probably deadheading those roses - as the blooms have now metamorphosed into rose hips. Coming home every day I'm immune to those little things, but I want to step back and see the little tweaks I can make to allow my home to shine inside and out.

paper chase

The one thing that causes me most grief, in the never-ending quest for a tidy home is paper. Piles and piles of the stuff. From bills, cards, school paraphenalia, magazines with articles I want to refer back to... it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I've been trying to deal with it as it comes, but I've still fallen back on my old, 'make a series of small piles, sort them, alternate them, move them...' mistakes.

But my in-laws, just back from the UK, told me a tale about my brother-in-law, Philip. As soon as he walks in the door, he sits down with the mail, a diary and the recycling bin. He opens the mail, notes anything of interest {such as bills to be paid} in his diary and then immediately throws the paper in the bin. If there's a magazine, he'll take it, read it after dinner, then, again, it's in the bin.

I'm inspired. So yesterday started my new habit of "deal with it, then ditch it". I have an exercise book where I write all my bills, including their statement numbers, due date and amount due, then I'll also put the date due on the calender. After reading through any statements and ensuring they're correct I can then shred them, and toss them straight in the recyling - saving any envelopes for notetaking.

With magazines, I'll give myself a week to read it, and if not - how important can it be? I now have a box in the study where magazines will go to be taken to the Salvos, and this, along with the clothing bag in the bedroom {for ditching clothes I don't wear, or that don't make me feel fabulous} will help streamline my home - and help the Salvos raise funds.

Baby steps - but I'm getting there...

fluffy love

My gal and Mulberry sure do share a special bond. Every moment we're blessed with our pets is precious, and as a dear friend had to say farewell to one of her closest feline friends today - I thought I'd best give the boofy boy some extra special love.

my favourite obsession

Allow me to introduce the coffee I made at lunch - a macchiato for my hubby and a frothy latte for moi. Double shots - naturally.

Damn, they were fine.

lavender love

Here's the little glass jug filled with my lavender, freshly picked from the garden. My desk is now beautifully pristine, and I even dusted the skirting boards and doors in the study - blissful. A couple of hours work in here and the room will be a zen-like oasis...

All I need on my desk now is a big glass of water on my pretty vintage rose coaster {one of a set of six that I bought for a few dollars from the Salvos a few years back}.

Now I just need to wait for the rain to abate, before picking up my gal and her bestie from school. We were meant to have netball training today, but the rain's rained on that little parade. I'll feed 'em up, set them in front of the wii - and will hopefully get a couple of hours work in before I need to boil up some potatoes to mash and serve with my beef and guinness stew that's been bubbling in the slow cooker since 11am.

desperately seeking inspiration

Oh my. It's yet another grey ol' day here and with the sun has gone my inspiration. I could barely drag myself from bed this morning, and if the threat of my daughter being late to school wasn't there - I'd still be snuggled in my sheets. I've tried all my usual tricks to bust the blues: my hair's freshly washed, I've read many a blog, rooms are tidied, dinner's bubbling in the slow cooker...

I need to bring some sunshine back into my day and banish my seasonally-affected blues.

I think I'll start by clearing my desk, wiping it down with some rose oil, picking a posy of lavender and placing it just so in a teeny little vase and making myself a cup of violet tea in my very best tea cup. Maybe painting my nails with my mother's day red Chanel nailpolish could do it... 

I'll let you know how I get on.

lazy dollars

It's not difficult to be thrify - but it can be too easy to be a spendthrift. Take me, thirty minutes ago for example. I was doing well, I'd waited an extra day to go shopping {with the aim to increase it by one day each week, multiplying the savings over weeks!} and had my list with everything on it in hand. I decided to call in at the Bottle Shop to buy my can of guinness for my guinness and beef casserole, when I noticed that the Australian-brand dark ale was half the price. Bargain. So I picked it up, headed to the counter, and realised I only had 35 cents in my wallet - $2.15 short. Damn.

Red-faced I muttered my "I'll be back{s}" and shuffled out to go to Coles. Now, as I had minimal money in my savings account I was planning on shopping with my credit card - so I couldn't withdraw money at the checkout for free - so I dashed to the ATM. As it wasn't my bank's ATM I knew I'd be hit with a $2 fee, but justified it as I was in a hurry, and it was raining so I didn't wash to dash outside the confines of the shopping centre. Hurridly punching in the numbers a notice popped up telling me I'd be charged $2 for using the ATM, which I quickly agreed to - and then realised that THEY were charging me $2, and then my own bank will charge me again, which means I just paid $4 for that $20 withdrawal.

Lessons: I could've bought the Guinness and paid an extra $2. I should've read the statement in full before blindly agreeing. And I would've walked outside in the rain to save $4. That's the price you pay for learning from your mistakes...

I'd best do something pretty dramatic for frugal friday now...

i think i love you

My loathing for blandness and cookie-cutter-sameness probably explains my love for Helena Bonham-Carter. Generally, when it comes to the Best and Worst Dressed lists, I'll tend to err on the side of the eccentrics {but never the scantily-clad attention seekers}. I'm also rather fond of Bill Nighy - I'm loving the cut of this coat - and those shades accentuate his glorious jawline magnificently... But back to Helena. She looks happy and content in her skin - and what she's clothed it in - and I adore it whenever I see a pic of her with Tim Burton, proof that soulmates can come together. 

Managing to look comfortably fabulous, when you've obviously made a helluv-an-effort, is a skill. Imagine how long it's taken to button, lace and layer that outfit. 

I reckon that this photo has made my day - and has inspired me to frock up for my trip to the supermarket. Now, where's my crinoline...

lest we forget

Some things stay imprinted on my memory forever - particularly when a visual sensation is accompanied by a tickling of my tastebuds. My first-ever ladurée macaron is the perfect example. Gazing in wonder at the divine array of pretty little morsels in the cabinet of the pretty store, it was tough to choose my premiere bite. Until I saw the word 'violette' - that sold it. 

One weekend, when I have plenty of time, I'm determined to master macarons. Surely it's a sin not to...

I think my memory needs a double whammy for it to work. I'm trying to improve it, but sometimes, no matter how much I say "Oh, I'll remember this" I just don't. Blogs are the perfect example. I'll stumble upon one, or a friend will send me a link {thanks Nikki} and I'll love on it, visit it for a while, then completely forget its name. I think it's made worse because my Mac will remember things for me. I only need type in a letter or two, and my most-visited sites will pop up. But sometimes, I think my Mac takes it upon itself to edit my sites - and forgets. 

That's why I've finally popped a few more links on the side. Not many, I was exhausted just typing in those few - and I'm determined to actually start work by 10am. But it's a start. Maybe I need to accompany my blog viewing with a few mouthfuls of delicious - or a spritz of my favourite scent {obviously I'm hankering for Chanel number 5 at the moment, and luckily, I have a bottle on my dresser...}