Green Gourmet Giraffe

A tale of three water bottles

2012-01-27T18:53:00.001+11:00

Over the past 6 months I have tried to move away from using old plastic mineral water bottles with tatty labels. It has been a frustrating journey.

I started off with the green bottle. It was made by Aquasteel. I love it. It was lightweight and stylish and exactly what I wanted. Within a few weeks the bottle was knocked off the kitchen table, huge cracks formed around the nozzle. It was useless. I tried to contact the company to ask if I could buy another top but the email and phone number didn't work. I had bought it on holiday so I couldn't return it to the shop. I had to abandon it.

The next bottle was the tall purple one. I found it at Officeworks. It appealed because I don't really like the sucker tops. This had a nicer opening to drink from. Unfortunately it seems to open at the wrong sort of moment. It has dumped water on my camera, on the floor of the car and I get worried Sylvia will throw it on the bed when having a night time tantrum. It has been banned from my bag and from night time use but I love it too much to throw it out. It is great around the house during the day.

The last bottle is the little purple one. It is from Safeway supermarket. It is practical but is just not quite right. It is too small when I am riding my bike and reach for it in my drink holder. It just doesn't have the aesthetic appeal of the other two.

The pursuit of the ideal water bottle continues. It is not an active hunt. But I hope one day I will get over the disappointment of the acquasteel and find another I can love and use.

This post was inspired by Kari's post on water bottles.

Happy Burns Night - Haggis Stuffed Mushrooms

2012-01-25T22:51:00.002+11:00

Every year E suggested I make vegetarian haggis to celebrate Burns Night. Finally this year I did. I have been in search of interesting ways to serve haggis. So far I have made pizza, tacos, nachos, crepes and pasties. Recently I discovered McSween, who makes Haggis in Scotland, have a whole heap of recipes. I decided to make the haggis stuffed mushrooms.

This was an easy recipe to make once I had made the haggis. It was merely a matter of grilling the top of the mushroom until it smelt cooked and juices started to run out of it, then I mixed some grated cheese with some haggis and pressed it into the cup of the mushroom, topped it with a little more cheese and grilled it under the cheese was golden brown. Easy. Served with tomato sauce and light green salad. Followed by some dancing to Scottish folk songs with Sylvia. Next time I want to try baked potatoes with haggis.

Happy Burns Night!

On the Stereo:

The Best of Scottish Folk: various artists

WHB Green Goddess Enchiladas and other recent meals

2012-01-24T23:30:00.000+11:00

As I have mentioned before, I have been avoiding the temptation of new recipes. Many old favourites are appearing in our kitchen. But when a dish appears with the temptress name of Green Goddess Enchiladas using lots of kale which is overgrowing in the garden, it is hard to resist. It doesn't mean the dish will be as gorgeous as Joanne's version but I had to have a go.

Before telling you about my struggles with the enchiladas, I wanted to give a quick round up of some of the recipes that I have loved revisiting and one that turned on me. Firstly here is a little overview of dinners last week:

Monday - Bangers and mash
Tuesday - Pumpkin and lentil soup (a bit like this soup but less spicy)
Wednesday - Leftover Pumpkin and lentil soup
Thusday - Broccoli burgers (from the freezer) with simple salad
Friday - Green Goddess Enchiladas
Saturday - Leftover Green Goddess Enchiladas
Sunday - Mock Tuna (Chickpea) Salad, Coconut Bacon, salad and turkish bread

The soup was great and I got some lunches out of it. I loved revisiting the coconut bacon. We had it for lunch on the weekend in a salad sandwich with mayo, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, and avocado. Even Sylvia enjoyed it. I also tried the broccoli burgers on Sylvia but she only ate as much as she needed to eat the tomato sauce off the top. My other enjoyable recent meal from my recipe index was tacos with a simple Kidney Bean and Corn Stew.

The mock tuna salad was the one that turned on me. Well it was a matter of me discovering that dijonnaise was too spicy for me. Unfortunately I only made the discovery after throwing far too much into the salad I had prepared. I hadn't realised the dijonnaise was so different to mayonnaise. A stomach upset that night made sure that I have no desire to ever eat it again.

I am not sure that my kale plant was much kinder than the dijonnaise. Here it is before the harvest. Who would have guessed that kale would thrive in a Melbourne backyard in summer. Its main problem - apart from neglect - was the little insects that race me to chomp through it. If you saw how brutally I harvested my kale, you might think I didn't deserve any kindness from it. There is only a stump left.

It felt like a forest in the kitchen. Much of it went into the compost. I tried to pick only the nicest leaves. Sylvia and Dolly were most most interested in it. I stuffed it into my food processor and blitzed it as much as possible for the Green Goddess sauce. The sauce never tasted quite right. Slightly too bitter. I'd like to think it is a learning experience but I have made the same mistake before.

My main mistake was not so much the kale as the corn tortillas. I love the latter in enchiladas. But they can turn to mush all too easily. And that is what happened. I was just a little too eager to use up all the kale and a little too busy to read the recipe properly. Though I did like the tips on heating the corn tortillas to make them easier to work with.

Joanne's post had a photo of enchiladas all crisp with just a little sauce (and used some of hers on the bottom of the pan as well as the top. My photo is of the enchiladas buried under a blanket of sauce. Maybe it would have been better if the sauce was less bitter. My mum suggested that the kale might have been a bit old. I found that the dish was actually better on the second night with a dollop of guacamole.

I swithered over whether to post this recipe but despite the corn tortillas not crisping on top it was quite tasty and I learnt a few things. January has been an interesting month for posting less recipes and more of my crazy ideas from my backlog. This has also been a survival mechanism while Sylvia is still not sleeping well in the evenings. Fingers crossed her sleeping improves.

I would love to dig a few more posts out of my backlog but it is Australia Day on Thursday and a beach holiday beckons so it may be a bit quiet around here, though I have one backlog post in mind that may be scheduled if time permits. Meanwhile I am sending Green Goddess Enchiladas to Cinzia of Cindystar for Weekend Herb Blogging #318, the event coordinated by Haalo and founded by Kalyn.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: NCR Sushi Salad and Sushi Rice
This time two years ago: Muffins at the tennis
This time three years ago: Apricot History and a Chutney
This time four years ago: HoTM #11: Chunky Beetroot Soup with Kidney Beans

Green Goddess Enchiladas
Adapted from Eats Well With Others
Serves 4-6

Splash of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1-2 medium carrots, diced
1 red capsicum, diced
kernels of 2 cobs of corn
1 cup of cooked chickpeas
1 cup of cooked cannelini beans
125g cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 shake of ground chillis, or to taste
2/3 cup pumpkin and lentil soup (optional)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
seasoning
10-12 corn tortillas
1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Kale Sauce:
1 bunch kale (three very good handfuls), stems removed if possible
2 spring onions, chopped
2 fairly mild green chillis, finely chopped
1 1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cook onion, carrot, capsicum and corn in a large frypan until onion has softened (I added the vegies as I chopped them in that order). Add chickpeas, cannelini beans and cherry tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until tomatoes start to wilt. Add spices and stir about one minute then turn off the heat and add pumpkin (soup) and 1/2 cup cheese. Check seasoning. Set aside.

To make suace puree all ingredients in a food processor until fairly well blended. (I pureed my raw kale first to make sure it got well chopped and then added other stuff but that is only because I am paranoid.)

Preheat oven to 200 C or 400 F. Grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Lightly cover bottom of the dish with 1/2-3/4 cup of the sauce. (Oops I didn't do this - perhaps it is why my sauce on top was too much).

Heat corn tortillas. Do this by either 1) wrapping the stack of them in aluminum foil and placing them in the preheating oven for 5-7 minutes or by 2) microwaving them covered with a wet (wrung out) paper towel for 30 seconds. Spoon 2-3 dessertspoonfuls of mixture onto each tortilla, roughly roll up and place seam down in the prepared casserole dish. The corn tortillas crack a bit but don't worry too much about this.

Pour kale sauce evenly over top of enchiladas. Joanne says not to worry if it is liquidy. My sauce covered the whole lot and I think next time I would make sure there only enough sauce so that there is plenty of tortilla showing through it. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and scatter with sesame seeds Bake for at least 25 minutes (mine was more like 40 and could have been more) until cheese is bubbly and the tortilla peeking through is crispy.

On the Stereo:
Super Trouper: ABBA

WSC Blueberry Chocolate Cake

2012-01-22T17:07:00.001+11:00

My mum had her birthday last week. She came to look after Sylvia on the day. It seemed only right to bake a birthday cake. Not only does a birthday girl deserve a birthday cake, but I knew there would be hours of entertainment with birthday candles for Sylvia. Being unorganised as usual, I only decided to bake the cake in the morning before my mum came. I had blueberries and I wanted it to be healthy(ish). Fat Free Vegan's Chocolate Blueberry Cake fitted the bill.

Sylvia and Dolly never say no to helping bake a chocolate cake. It was a fairly straightforward cake to me. Just blitz the blueberries, mix with wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients and bake. There was no added oil and no eggs. Even better for licking the bowl. The main problem was that it was a 35 C day so I didn't bother pre-heating my gas oven.

The cake came out of the oven 5 minutes after mum arrived. I was concerned that it didn't look at all appetising. Flat and rubbery were the words that came to mind. Well at least it would hold a few candles. If I had remembered the chocolate ganache that is still in the freezer, I would have brought it out but I was rushing to head off to work. Yet, my mum and Sylvia seemed to have enjoyed it when I got home.

I loved it. I would even go as far as saying it is one of the nicest low fat cakes I can remember eating. E also enjoyed it because it was not overly rich. He thought it just needed a dollop of cream. It was lovely on the first day but got even denser and slightly fudge after that. I guess that Susan of Fat Free Vegan is a big fan, given that she has a picture of the cake on the banner of her blog.

She says it makes 8 servings. I am more parsimonious. I liked baking it in a square tin (rather than a round one like Susan) because it is easier to cut small squares. Which is just as well because Sylvia decided to crumble up her piece while having a tantrum about not being able to eat the pieces I was photographing. As you can see above, I experimented with eating it with fresh blueberries and some maple syrup. I agree with Susan that it is a delicious way to eat this cake.

Sylvia and I had fun making a birthday card for mum. It was amazing that all I had to buy was some card (from Deans Art) because the rest of the material - glitter glue, sticky sparkly paper and stickers - were hanging around the house. I think I could really get into making cards rather than buying them. Though I still haven't worked out about envelopes.

Yesterday we went to my sister Susie's house in Geelong for a birthday bbq. We had a great array of salads. I contributed a smoky potato, bean and corn salad. For sweets we were rather restrained and merely had some cupcakes and mum's pav. Erica made the GF white chocolate and chocolate mud cupcakes with pretty icing piped on top. We put some candles in these to sing Happy Birthday. It was a fun afternoon with the kids setting up shops in their bedrooms.

I am sending the chocolate blueberry cake to Chele of Chocolate Teapot for We Should Cocoa. The theme this month is Healthy Conscious. And for those who are interested in healthier baking, there is a great article on muffin makeovers from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Chocolate cake - the way mum made it
This time two years ago: Cheese and Almond Loaf
This time three years ago: Birthday chocolate cake and crazy computers
This time four years ago: Coconut Chai Cake

Chocolate-Blueberry Cake
Slightly adapted from Fat Free Vegan

1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup maple syrup (or date syrup, or other liquid sweetener)
1 teaspoon ground flax seeds (or chia seeds)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup plain white flour
1/2 cup plain wholemeal flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt

Serving suggestion:
1 cup blueberries and maple or agave syrup
OR
icing sugar
OR
chocolate ganache and cream

Blend blueberries with some of the water. Add remaining water, maple syrup, flax seeds and balsamic vinegar. (I did this in my little blender attachment for my hand held blender so I couldn't do too much water at once and then I just hand mixed the remaining wet ingredients but you could just blend them all together in a bigger blender.)

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour in wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into a lined 20cm square cake tin. (Susan used a round 23cm cake tin.)

Bake 30 minutes in a moderate oven (180 C or 350 F) or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out cleanly. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.. Keeps in an airtight tin for 4-5 days.

To serve you could top with fresh blueberries and drizzle with syrup OR dust with icing sugar OR spread with chocolate ganache and dollop some cream beside each slice.

On the Stereo:
The Trip - Various Artists: curated by Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey

Malabar Hut - why it is our favourite Indian takeaway!

2012-01-20T23:17:00.001+11:00

We are very particular about ordering takeaway Indian meals. I want a good mix of vegetables and proteins. E is fussy about his chicken curries. Our yardstick is the Prince of India that we used to patronise when E's parents lived in Peebles. We finally had an Indian meal so satisfying that we leaned back in satisfaction and said it measured up. Malabar Hut was recommended by friends some time ago. After a few Malabar meals, we are finally on the bandwagon.

Our first order (because we have mostly had takeaway) was Gobi Mutter (cauliflower and pea curry) and Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese curry). The gobi mutter was delicious. It could have had a few more chunks of cauliflower but the sauce was mild and creamy and very very moreish. Unfortunately the palak paneer was too salty, despite the wonderful silky spinach sauce. It was promising but definitely not perfect.

On that occasion we also ordered Chicken Dopiaza for E, which he enjoyed, Dosa for Sylvia who ate a bit, and Paratha. The last is a flaky bread that was recommended to us by the Malabar Hut guy on the phone. It was a good recommendation as it was flakier than the roti that we sometimes order at Indian takeaways.

Our next order was on the anniversary of E's mother's death. She had always loved a biryani so that is what we ordered. I had the veg and E had the chicken. The biryanis were disappointing. They were edible but I didn't like the spice mixture, especially when I found myself crunching on a stray cardomom pod, and the spices were too hot for me. E didn't like the bones in his chicken.

We also ordered masala dosa which was nice but too spicy for me and roti which was cold by the time we picked up our takeaway order. The unexpected success was the Palak Paneer. These deep fried squares of cheese with a chickpea flour batter weren't too spicy or tasty but had a slight taste of lemon in the batter. The chewy crisp texture was excellent even when it had cooled down. The dipping sauces, as is often the way with Indian takeaway, was too spicy for me but I was happy to eat the pakoras plain. I had hoped Sylvia might eat them but she was far more interested in the rice.

Finally I ate in at Malabar Hut with my friend Yaz on one of his visits to Melbourne last year. He had invited quite a few friends along and we ended up with two tables. One for the omnivores and one for the vegetarians. This made it easy to share. Even better was that Yaz and his friends Brian and Bruce were so familiar with the place and their knowledge helped me discover some new dishes. I didn't take photos because I didn't know many people there.

Just watching their delight as the Gobi 65 was served was proof enough that it had to be sampled. This starter of cauliflower deep fried in a bright red batter surrounded by fried onions was as good as the reactions of the people around me, despite being quite spicy. We also ordered a paneer deep fried in a red batter (Rava Fried Cottage Cheese?), potato balls in a bright red sauce (that was amazing but I haven't managed to work out what it was), a creamy mushroom and pea curry (ok but a few too many mushrooms for me, though others loved it), a dal with lots of tomatoes (it didn't impress me because it was too much sauce and not enough lentils). The service was good. I was so full and satisfied by the end of the meal and it only cost $18 each (for 2 rice, 2 paratha, 1 dosa, 2 entrees, and 4 mains between about 6 or 7 of us).

My last experience of Malabar Hut was a takeaway meal in July last year. We ordered Gobi 65, Paneer Pakora, Dal Spinach (which was mustardy with lots of green specks), Dum Aloo Kashmiri (not the excellent potato dish of my last visit but the unnaturally bright red creamy tomato sauce with potato balls were nice), Chicken Dopiaza (boneless chicken in a creamy sauce for E), 2 Steamed Rice, and 1 Paratha. It was an excellent selection. I think it cost us about $50 and lasted two nights. The only reason we haven't been back since is that we just don't have takeaway very often.

I can't think of Malabar Hut without thinking of Malibu Stacy from the Simpsons but I assume the name refers to a place in India (according to Wikipedia there are a few). I have a copy of an old menu on which the guy serving me had crossed out the home delivery service. Online, I found that the menu is slightly updated since we were there last.some changes. Though our experiences have been hit and miss, now that I have found some dishes to love, it is our go-to Indian takeaway and I highly recommend it to others.

Malabar Hut
868 Sydney Road, Brunswick, VIC 3056
Tel: 9383 4200
Open 7 nights a week and for lunch on the weekends
www.malabarhut.com.au

Laurent Bakery Cafe - French and Fancy

2012-01-18T13:16:00.001+11:00

I love a good bakery cafe. You don't need much more than a really good bread for a satisfying lunch and you can walk away with wonderful loaves and tarts. On the weekend when I did a camera course, I wandered among the city arcades with little success - too busy or too many spruikers - until I chanced up on Laurent. This is an old favourite of mine. It is an elegant old dame of the Melbourne bakery scene.

Just look at that curved staircase and chandelier. Those tall arched windows remind me of the windows on Playschool before they went modern but in a far more charming setting. The vase of flowers in the centre of the room is huge and lush. Best of all is that this is an oasis of space and peace in the middle of the busy city.

Laurent makes crusty baguettes and a good substantial sourdough that your teeth need to work at. My aunts often visit my parents bearing this bread which is always welcome. Yet upon entering the store, it is the rows of gorgeous colourful cakes the my eyes are drawn to. The French bakery does a great line in tarts, pastries, macarons and other French fancies.

After my brief camera course I wished that I could do the bakery more justice. Seeing examples of how beautiful photography can be makes me feel inadequate. Yet I hope you will at least appreciate the glorious red strawberry tarts or tartes aux framboise because this is a French-style bakery.

Yet for all that I lust after the pretty sweet food, the sensible side of me knows that I will be far happier with some savoury fare. I chose the salad baguette. It is a simple affair of lettuce, cheese, tomato, avocado and an excellent vinaigrette dressing. My high praise of this salad roll demonstrates the quality of Laurent's goods. I am usually very fussy about eating salad rolls that are ready made and on display.

My lunch was delicious. It wasn't cheap but I will pay a bit more for a decent sandwich. I ate it while reading about Amy Winehouse in The Age, listening to foreign academics beside me and a cover of a Smiths song overhead. Oh for such ambiance at more lunchtimes! The sandwich was very filling. I couldn't face any sweets. But I did purchase a raspberry marzipan tart, a strawberry macaron and a walnut raisin roll to take home for later. They were lovely.

Laurent Bakery
306 Little Collins Street
Melbourne CBD, VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9654 1011
Mon-Sat: 8am - 6pm Sun: 9am - 5pm
Check website for other locations
www.laurent.com.au

Nectarine bounty - salsa and pizza

2012-01-16T22:19:00.001+11:00

Wow that was some marathon of catch up posts last week. I finished off quite a few posts that had been almost there for some time. During that time I didn't make new recipes, as I promised myself. It meant I revisited some recipes posted on this blog. Then I was given a couple of paper bags of nectarines on Friday and had to experiment a bit.

Before telling you about the recipes here is a brief rundown of some of the things happening over this time. Amazing how much can happen in a week or two:

We had such fierce winds in Melbourne that our cubby hut blew over.
A bowl of peas started flaming in the old microwave with excellent timing that meant we could get a new one in the New Year sales.
Sylvia gave dolly a bath. As you can see from the above photo the water showed just how much she needed a bath but it did take a while for her to dry out.
I did a 2 hour introductory DSLR course that was free with my new camera. I still find manual photography a mystery but I like Rachel's manual Project 365. I also bought a tripod. Am still unsure I will ever have time to use it.
Sylvia and I have been doing some craft on birthday cards. Lots of fun.
I cleaned out the pantry. That doesn't happen very often.
I had some painful dental work. Never again. Please!

The nectarines came from trees that grew from stones in compost in the house of a family who doesn't like nectarines. I was quite excited and made a Corn, Tomato and Peach Salsa from Vegan YumYum to serve with broccoli and hazelnut burgers. I don't have a bbq so my method was quite different. The nectarines that I substituted for the corn were on the bitter side but worked in this salsa. My preference would be for yellow peaches in the salsa. Definitely one to make again.

After my photography course I found a place in Melbourne Central near the train station that sold a container of pineapple chunks. This was a perfect snack for me. Even better was that it meant I had some leftover for pizza. I made some fast track pizza dough with sweet potato pizza sauce, capsicum, mushrooms, olives, pineapples and cheese.

With the leftover pizza dough I made nectarine and custard pizza. Not bad for an ad hoc dessert. The bitterness of the nectarines needed more sugar but I still enjoyed it. Which is strange given that if you suggested a sandwich of nectarines and custard I might feel slightly queezy. There are still nectarines left but I probably wont experiment with too many new recipes. I wonder if the trees are quite young and that is why they are on the bitter side. Yet who can resist a gift of fruit!

I am sending the salsa to Ricki's Wellness Weekends.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Sylvia's dinner - hit and miss
This time two years ago: Tetris, the Foolish Hedgehog and Brunch
This time three years ago: Mojos Weird Pizza – for the adventurous!
This time four years ago: Mole and the global village

Corn, tomato and peach salsa
Adapted from Vegan YumYum
serves 3-4

2 corn cobs
6-8 large cherry tomatoes, halved
3-4 little peaches (I used nectarines), yellow is best, halved
1-2 tbsp olive oil
pinch salt
1 spring onion, finely sliced
2 tsp lime juice, or more (I used lemon juice)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp chilli paste
1/4 tsp cumin powder
seasoning to taste

Toss corn, tomatoes, peaches, oil and salt in roasting tray and roast at 180 C for about 30 minutes. If the corn is still not charred, place under grill and turn occasionally until slightly charred (which is what I did). Meanwhile chop tomatoes and peaches. When corn is grilled, cut kernels off the cob and mix in a medium bowl with tomatoes, peaches and remaining ingredients. Set aside for at least 30 minutes if possible. Keeps up to 24 hours.

Nectarine and custard pizza
I used about one fifth of my favourite fast track pizza dough and made a thick custard with 3 tsp custard powder, 1 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/3 cup milk brought to the boil. I spread it on the dough when hot and arranged the nectarine slices of about 6 small nectarines. I baked it at 210 for about 20 minutes. The custard was a little thick and the pizza could have done with a little more sugar but was still very good.

On the Stereo:
Music to Watch Girls By: Various Artists

Scienceworks - history meets science in Spotswood

2012-01-14T20:24:00.000+11:00

I love history and museums so it is a mystery why it took me so long to visit Scienceworks. Sure I had been on the fringes of the museum. I attended a conference there many years ago and once went to an avant-garde music performance at the Planetarium. But I guess they don't count. Finally late last year I took the time to wander through the museum with E, Sylvia and my dad. It was both fun and fascinating.

The museum is divided up into exhibitions. We started off in House Secrets. It was a fascinating mix of science and history, with a mock up of the kitchen upon entering. There was lots of fun. A bowl of fruit that people could stand in - great photo opportunity! An upside down loungeroom. One of my favourite exhibits was the microwave with a video where the door normally is. You could select videos of all kinds of things that should never be in microwaves and see what happened when you put them in there.

Even better was this "antique" microwave oven from circa 1960. How cool is that! I loved all the old kitchen jugs, cannisters, tupperware, teapots etc. A great example of the mixture of science and history was the old Kelvinator fridge that you can open and find a video screen with information playing on it. There were lots of interesting snippets of information, such as that the origin of teabags came from a tea merchant who packaged his tea in silk bags.

The exhibition also managed to take a mundane part of our life and make them fascinating. This wall of cans makes the everyday into art. Quite a few of these cans are in our pantry and I was tempted to go home and stack mine up just like this The Secret House exhibition included other ordinary places in the home like behind the back of the couch, little drawers of what we keep in our bedroom cupboards, and a bathroom set up with information about how it all works.

The exhibition was very clever in they way it made us see homelife with new eyes. I loved the above giant dryer. Everyone had to have a look. One you were drawn in, you could then learn something about it. Below is an old television that made me feel a little nostalgic for a time when the screen was plagued with snow and rolling pictures and there were no remote controls to help you out. Reading about how household technology had developed was great. Visiting with my dad who remembered lots of things we saw and Sylvia who just wanted to play with all the interactive exhibits demonstrated that there was indeed something for everyone.

Much as I loved House Secrets, I concede that domestic history is not for everyone. Apparently there are some who would prefer to see life-like dinosaurs wave their heads about and roar fiercely in the Explore-a-saurus Exhibition (which finishes in April). Sylvia was not one of those. They just made her cling to us. I liked watching the dinosaur eggs hatching and the sandpit where you could seek fossils. She was more interested in fake dinosaur poo.

We found a few of the exhibitions (such as Perception Deception) too old for Sylvia and instead headed upstairs to The Nitty GrittySuper City. This is an interactive exhibition aimed at 3 to 8 year olds. Sylvia at 2 years old, found it entertaining. First sight upon entering is the role play cafe. A kiddie size cafe with sink, plastic food, coffee machine and tables and chairs. Wouldn't I have loved this in our cubby hut when I was little! Sylvia spent quite some time here.

I loved how they managed to slip in some food history. The walls of the cafe are decorated with 1960s supermarket posters. That Kraft cheese one made me a little nostalgic though I would never have sanctioned tomato in my sandwiches as a kid.

The area has lots of other activities. The music bowl is lots of fun. Lots of instruments to bang and tinkle and make noise with. Other sections includ a pulley system that older kids seemed to love, some Australian animals, a log to crawl through, crazy mirrors, microscopes and a giant paper dolls section.

As with the rest of the museum, there are sections that adults just love. The below lego model of Melbourne fascinated us. My dad and I spent some time identifying familiar landmarks, places where we had worked, the Zoo, the Vic Market and the West Gate Bridge.

Midway through our visit we had to stop for lunch. The cafe isn't anything to write home about. It is a fairly bog-standard affair of pies, pasties, wraps, sandwiches, coffee and cakes. I had the spinach and ricotta roll and a piece of carrot cake. I gave Sylvia a piece of my cake and promptly took it away when I saw there were unspecified nuts sprinkled in the icing. The staff were pretty vague about what nuts and so she didn't get any in case they were peanuts.

If the weather had been kinder I would have been in favour of taking along lunch to eat outside. Out the back of the main museum is a huge expanse of grass with a few playgrounds and even a few more learning experiences. What drew my eye and made me love the museum even more was the old pumping station. I do so love an old historic building. And industrial history is just so steampunk!

Before I take you inside, I must point out that Scienceworks has marvellous views of Melbourne's major bridge, the West Gate Bridge. Can you see its curve between these two towers? I still remember the bridge being built and travelling over it to visit my grandparents. As a child who desperately wanted to fly in a plane, I loved the birds eye view of Melbourne, especially seeing the lights at night.

But onto the pumping station. I loved all the exhibitions and there are more in the pumping station. But museums, love them as I do, are tiring. All the reading and pressing buttons and learning. Old buildings are places to soak up the atmosphere and reflect on how much had happened in this space. So much more restful. Though I did talk to the guards a little about the history of this 1897 building that had pumped Melbourne's sewerage, it was wonderful to just sit in awe at the craftsmanship and technology.

The day we visited it was busy. However not as busy as the first time Sylvia and I attempted to go there only to be defeated by the queues. It taught me an important lesson about booking tickets by phone or online if you want to avoid queues and not to go there on a public holiday just as new exhibition opens. Queues aside, Scienceworks is a fantastic museum and a great day out for all the family.

Scienceworks
2 Booker Street, Spotswood
Tel: 131102
Web: http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/
Only a short walk from Spotswood train station.

What vegetarian is that?

2012-01-13T22:20:00.004+11:00

When I became vegetarian, life was simple. You were either a vegetarian or you weren't. Sure I knew a few vegans but that was it. Since then, I've read many books, found lots of ideas in the blogosphere and had many conversations about what to call vegetarians (and wannabe vegetarians).

Here is a guide to vegetarian names, labels and terms I have come across. Please bear in mind that some are not strictly vegetarian and some are tongue in cheek. It was quite a challenge matching pictures with terms, but lots of fun. Hope you enjoy them:

Lacto ovo vegetarian
Eats no meat or products of the flesh but will eat dairy, eggs and honey. Often referred to as just vegetarians. This is me so it seems quite normal but I know others can still find it challenging.

Strict vegetarian OR Vegan
Eat no meat, products of the flesh, dairy or eggs. Check out Vegan MoFo if you want to see how well Vegans eat.

Gleegan
Eats a GLuten-free, vEGAN diet. If you think it is restrictive, check out local gleegan blog, In the Mood for Noodles.

Beegan
Eats a vegan diet plus honey.

Fruitarian
Eats fruits, nuts and seeds, without animal products, vegetables and grains. The idea is to only eat produce that fall from trees and plants rather than vegetables that are part of a plant. I met a few on my travels. They like WWOOFing.

Breathatarian
Lives on fresh air and sunshine. I've never met one though I have met a few kids who seem to be heading in that direction!

Beady eyed vegetarian
Eats creatures with beady eyes. This usually means they don't eat red meat (cows, pigs and larger animals) but they eat pale flesh of chickens, other birds and fish. Maybe it is easier to refuse an animal with big eyes.

Pescatarian or Aquatarian or Fish and chipocrite
Eats a vegetarian diet plus fish. I love the fish and chipocrite term that I learnt from a friend who defined herself that way. It just rolls off the tongue so nicely.

Semi vegetarian or Flexitarian or Freedom eater
Eats vegetarian quite a lot but not all the time (and in the case of Chele's friend the "freedom eater", labels himself vegetarian when it suits him). These people are very supportive of Meatless Mondays.

Carbitarian
Lover of carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and rice. Often young kids.

Freegans
AKA dumpster divers. Reclaims and eats food that has been discarded by others. Also see amazing The Gleaners and I documentary.

Raw foodist
Eats uncooked and unprocessed foods that have not been heated above 40 C (give or take according to who you listen to). Predominantly but not necessarily vegan. There are heaps of raw food blogs. I like Choosing Raw.

Pesky-tarian
Everyone with any sort of dietary restriction, whether by choice or not. I saw this hilarious term on Where's the Beef.

And what do vegetarians eat?
Well the top photo shows a selection of my groceries. However I really think this is the ideal place to share my favourite alternative faux meat terminology: facon, tricken, shamburgers, beetloaf, chilli non carne. Any more?

Child-Friendly Almanac - recipes, eating out, play ideas

2012-01-12T12:50:00.006+11:00

Feeding and entertaining children is a delight. It can also be tiring. There are days when I draw a blank. Here is my list of ideas for such days. Most of the list are recipes and places I have tried and highly recommend but a few are on my wishlist. I hope it might be helpful for others as well as me. I will add to it as I discover more. Suggestions are welcome.

EATING IN
My daughter, Sylvia is almost 3 years old. She is a vegetarian, who has a peanut allergy and likes plain food with lashings of tomato sauce from the shop. Here is some of the food that she likes eating.

Breakfast

Boiled egg with toast
Toast with promite and cheese
Porridge
Leftover vegie sausages
Fruit

Lunch

Hummus with crackers and vegies
Baked beans and toast
Cheeseymite scrolls from Bakers Delight or home made Cheeseymite puffs
Chips (would have these every day if I let her)
Pancakes
Fruit balls
Fruit

Dinner
Often her dinner is as basic as

protein (beans from a tin, plain tofu cubes and/or cheese slices)
carbs (pasta, rice, crackers, mashed potato or bread) and
vegies (carrot sticks, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, capsicum slices, corn on the cob, peas, broccoil, brussels sprouts, asparagus, beetroot, cauliflower)
fruit (apple, pear, banana, apricot, peach, nectarine, grapes, plum, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, any berries, mandarin, orange, watermelon, cherries)

I've been gradually finding meals that we enjoy that she can share with us. Often her meal still have fairly plain vegies with it if we have salad or is a downsized version of ours, eg when we have pizza hers is plainer than ours.

Fast track pizza with sweet potato sauce and cheese - great quick pizza recipe
Geegaw cups - these are fun because she loves putting stuff in them
Kiddie bolognaise - actually I think she has crossed this off her list but she did eat it when she had just turned 2.
Kiddie nachos - corn chips with cheese melted on them
Nut roasts - a favourite dish of mine - she will sometimes try a bit
Matthews delicious tofu - she sometimes eats the "spicy tofu" but I usually give her some plain tofu and put aside vegies for her as I prepare them for this dish.
Mee Goreng - she will eat the noodles with the sauce if I pick the vegies out of this but I can put aside raw veg for her as I prepare this dish.
Mini quiches - she loved them the first time but not the second time
Nutty sausage patties - loved these one night and refused them the next
Potato Scones - great way to use up leftover mashed potato
Roast Potatoes - these are great for a little girl who loves chips
Spinach pancakes - for kids who love colours!
Tofu Nuggets - she loves to help make these as much as eat them but it is a battle to stop her eating all the tofu raw
Vegetarian Sausage Rolls - mostly loves the pastry
Vegie sausages and mashed potato

Something sweet for everyday:

Special treats

EATING OUT WITH CHILDREN
It is not always easy to find a family-friendly cafe that has space for a stroller or a run; food that kids will eat; and friendly staff who will be flexible when faced with a fussy eater. A few times I have consulted Hey Bambini, a great website to check out child-friendly cafes in Melbourne. I have also recently discovered this page of restaurants/cafes with playgrounds. Here are a few favourite places.

Birdie Num Num, North Carlton - big yard with sandpit and toys out the back and nice kids menu.
CERES Café, East Brunswick - this cafe is in the midst of an environmental centre - tables are outdoors with shade and near to play areas - kids can watch hens, play in the sandpit or check out the gardens.
Each Peach, East Brunswick - lots of toys for kids to play with and a cool retro highchair.
Half Moon Cafe, Coburg- great falafels for a quick lunchtime stop in an outdoor mall, and they do chips and dips too, both of which Sylvia loves.
Tea Time and Tales, Carlton - cute interior and plenty of toys and books, plus a kids menu.
Kenzan @ the GPO, Melbourne city - not much room but they do takeaway - Sylvia loves the unwrapped sushi and the endamame.
Happy River Cafe, Footscray Arts Centre - I haven't been there yet - my family has recommended this to me - lots of space for kids.

PLACES TO PLAY IN MELBOURNE
One great site with lots of information about big and little playgrounds is Melbourne Playgrounds. Here are some places I love to visit for some fun:

Fitzroy Gardens - on the eastern edge of the city, this park is full of wonder with Captain Cook's Cottage (entrance fee), the fairy tree, the miniature tudor village, a playground and a conservatory.
Scienceworks, Spotwood - great museum with lots of interactive activities to amaze and amuse kids, plus an historic pumping station and a large outdoors with play equipment.
The Zoo - lots to see and lots of space - among the highlights are the trail of the elephants, butterfly house, giraffes, Australian animals, seals and the carousel.
Indoor play centres such as Dizzy's Castle in Maribyrnong and Kidzone in Coburg
Melbourne Botanic Gardens - the children's garden is great, there is a cafe by the lake and lots of space to run about.
South Melbourne Beach playground - fun play equipment by the beach with a shade cloth over it.
Melbourne Museum, Carlton - the kids section has lots of interactive activities and what kids don't like to see the stuffed animals.
Coburg Lake - a few different playgrounds here and ducks and geese to watch on the lake.
Latrobe Wildlife Sanctuary and Blackburn Lake Sanctuary - places recommended by a friend that I intend to check out.
Chesterfield Farm, Scoresby - lots of animals to feed, pat and learn about.

FARMERS MARKETS IN MELBOURNE
Farmers markets are a great way to get out of the house, get the shopping done and let the kids stretch their legs, all in a pleasant environment. Listing are available at http://vicmarkets.blogspot.com. These are some of my favourites for kids.

Collingwood -heaps of space for kids to run about, plus the entry fee ($2) also gets you entry to see the children's farm. (Second Saturday of the month)
Gasworks - lots of interesting spaces, with some kids music for entertainment and the South Melbourne beach playground nearby. (Third Saturday of the month)
St Andrews - out of town farmers market that is a chance to feel like you are in the bush - they had pony rides and kookaburras in the bush when we visited. (Every Saturday)

OTHER CHILD-FRIENDLY BLOGS

FUN KIDS FOOD IDEAS

ABC pancakes - A Food Lovers Journey
Advice on kids food - Fabulicious Food
Animal cupcakes - Hold the Beef
Banana mermaid - Vegan and So Forth
Fish shaped bread - CityHippyFarmGirl
Harry Potter potions - Affairs of Living
House sandwiches - Please Do Not Feed the Animals
Natural dyes for Easter eggs - Book of Yum
Rainbow of fruit - Gluesticks
Sparkling bracelet cookies - Not Quite Nigella

Blogging catch up - eating out

2012-01-11T13:14:00.003+11:00

I have great intentions. I go to a cafe. I take a photo. I intend to write a post about it. I am busy. I am distracted. The post falls by the wayside. So here I am making amends with a collection of some of the places I ate out in 2011 that somehow didn't get their own post. Some should have and others maybe not. Maybe they will reappear once I have visited again and have a bit more time and energy.

Olivers Garden Cafe
Queens Park Lake, Moonee Ponds

We stumbled across this place after a pleasant walk in the park in September. Lots of play equipment and ducks to entertain Sylvia and lots of pencils to draw with in the cafe. I had a veggie breakfast with rosemary mushrooms, slow cooked tomato, home made baked beans, guacamole, spinach and hash browns. I really enjoyed all the vegies and flavours. E was not so keen on his egg. Sylvia's chips were ordinary at best. And the service was not great. Despite the failings, I would go back there to see if it was an off day as it was such a nice space in a cute little house. Maybe next time I will just have an ice cream from the takeaway window.

Snag Stand
Corner Latrobe and Swanston Street, Melbourne CBD

I was excited to read on Where's the Beef about the interesting hot dogs at Snag Stand. On my first visit the vegie sausage topped with mushrooms and a creamy sauce in a brioche bun was nice but a little heavy for my liking. I returned to try some other combinations and found them lacking. I ordered the vegie sausage with sauerkraut and sweet mustard. After standing about waiting, I found that the 'sauerkraut' actually had bacon through it. I got my money back. I will try again. I will ask if everything is vegetarian no matter what it says on the menu. If I have more success I might write about them more but the sauerkraut was just too disappointing.

Tramezzini
North Melbourne

I actually mentioned this cafe in an earlier post but thought it worth including here. My Croque Mademoiselle of leek, mushrooms and gruyere on toast was an interesting combination of flavours that worked well, even if it seemed to be reheated. The name of the dish amused me too. I requested that the ice cream and berries came on the side of her pancake. While I am not overly enthused about vanilla ice cream as a rule, I did enjoy this one with some berries. Sylvia enjoyed her plain pancakes. I liked the look of the place with big flowers, historic photos and green shelves, and the staff were very friend

Cafe Lua
Corner Elgin and Drummond Street, Carlton

Another Where's the Beef recommendation that I couldn't wait to try. I arrived and the specials board beckoned. I was fascinated by the strawberry, basil, hazelnut milk and (I think) banana smoothie. It was good but a little floral tasting. Unfortunately the soup had meat stock so I reverted to my first choice off the regular menu: GF Pumpkin and chia seed pancakes with yoghurt lentil and spinach salad. It promised so much. I liked it but found the pancakes were quite soft inside rather than fluffy and the salad was a bit creamy for my tastes.

However it was so refreshing to have something different to try and I would far prefer this to many of the standard offerings at other cafes.This might well be the most interesting dish I have eaten at a cafe in 2011. I look forward to getting back and trying more of their menu. The food is all the more enjoyable for the funky decor and the buzz of the crowds.

Vasilis's Munro Street Nursery
Coburg

I love a quirky idea for a cafe. Celebrities interest me less. So it probably worked better for me that I had never heard of Vasili who opened the cafe but I liked the idea of it being situated within a nursery that had a sideline in gourmet grocery products. My spanikopita was quite nice and Sylvia's dips were superb. I was disappointed that the dips came with crisp bread slices rather than fresh pita bread in a Greek-style cafe. The other customers were quite a bit older than me and maybe happier than me with nice but pricey grub. My mum seems to enjoy taking Sylvia there. It is a nice rustic space with lots of interesting curios and, of course, plants (see top photo).

Birdman Eating
Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

This visit actually happened last weekend but I thought I would throw it in with the rest of the catch-up to anticipate one more post that might get away. We shared four dishes. I was pleasantly surprised. The confit potatoes were delicious even if the vanilla aioli was too much sweetness and not enough bite. The roast pumpkin was soft and sweet, which contrasted well with the feta and juicy olives. The hummus was great with a generous sprinkle of smoked paprika but the bread was a bit dry. The haloumi with a red rice, sour cherry and pistachio salad was fantastic.

My main complaint was that a bit more charcoal would have been welcome. The potatoes, pumpkin and haloumi could have had been crispier and the bread would have benefited from a few minutes under the grill. The place was a little dark and cramped for a lunch with a small child on a summer's day but I would return. I was so full when I left but E wanted to go home and eat.

Emporia Cafe, Myer
Bourke Street Store, Melbourne

In December I stopped at Myer for some sweet comfort. I chose the hedgehog but it wasn't hedgehog as I know it. Too rich to finish the whole slab, I enjoyed that it was full of coconut but where were the broken biscuits! I include it here to bemoan the loss of the Myer food hall in the old (now defunct) Lonsdale Street store. Just look at these photos of the bountiful counters of food.

I used to love walking past the displays of lollies, chocolates, biscuits, bread, cakes. Sometimes I would go out of my way to the counters where I could buy potato cakes, bagels, fruit salad and yoghurt, rissoles, and other snacks. Rarely did I try and find space on the busy high counter and stools along the window. Oh how the mighty have fallen! The Emporia Cafe is on the ground floor. I recently noticed there is bread available on the 3rd floor as well as some of Brunettis lovely cakes but it is quite a detour on a busy lunch hour. These days David Jones food hall is a better bet.

Giorgios Restaurant
High Street, Armadale

We met our friends Chris and Yavanna, with wee Florence, here in September. The place was huge and great for taking kids because there was lots of room for them to run about. The menu was extensive with plenty of vegetarian dishes. I had a pizza topped with heaps of vegies. It was good but a bit soggy. The dessert was far more pleasing. The Spanish churros were warm and crisp with a dusting of cinnamon sugar. The chocolate sauce tasted like it had condensed milk in it but who would complain about that! A good place for huge families.

Sugardough
Lygon Street, Brunswick

One of my favourite bakeries. I keep promising myself that one day I will do it justice in a post but for now I will share these baked goods that I bought there in. I can't remember why. I can tell you that they were excellent. If this place was closer to where I work I would be there all the time. Which would be very bad for my waist. The savoury muffins are marvellous - I think this one is something like pumpkin and feta. The Italian bombellini (doughnuts) with chocolate filling are heavenly, albeit with a hint of citrus. The almond croissants are amazingly flaky and soft. I wish I could stop by more for sourdough loaves and baguettes. It is such a gorgeous space that queuing for bread is a pleasure and if you can get a seat it is lovely to eat in.

And folks that is not all. I still hope to post about Crust Pizza and Malaber Hut in Brunswick. Stay tuned...

FAQs - comments, recipes and promotions

2012-01-10T08:41:00.004+11:00

I love my blog and the connections it creates through comments, emails etc. I have been reluctant to develop an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page. Most readers can work it out without being told. Yet I hope it might clarify my approach in a helpful way.

What comments will you publish?
Comments are great! I love feedback, suggestions and advice. You are welcome to let me know if part of a recipe is confusing, offer information, answer questions, or respond to my reflections and recipes. Comments make a post more informative and help me find other blogs.

What comments wont you publish?

Comments that are rude, unnecessarily provocative, offensive or nasty.
Comments that are more interested in promoting your blog/website than responding to my post.
Comments that link to a generic website rather than a personal blog. I see the point of comments to be that I can connect with a real person not a corporation. Linking to a generic website seems to promote a website rather than creating connection.

Will you exchange a link with me?
No. I put links on my blogroll because I enjoy reading those blogs. I wont put a blog up on the list until I have been reading it regularly to know it is worth repeat visits. The best way to connect with me is to leave comments. I make an effort to visit those who comment and try to comment when I have something to say.

Why don't you write the recipe in grams/cups/emperial?
I don't always have time to write recipes in every possible measurement. I assume most people using my recipes have some experience in cooking and can adjust as needed. There are many online converters if you want to measure your ingredients differently (I know because I use them myself).

What is that ingredient or term you used?
I am an Australian and am aware that my terms aren't always understood in other countries. Before asking in a comment or email, you could check my Kitchen Notes which includes a list of Australian terms with equivalent American and UK terms.

Why didn't my version of your recipe work?
On my blog, I write out recipes according to what I did when I made it. This blog is where I keep my notes on recipes, rather than a recipe book that has been tested in different kitchens. I wish I could find Dorie Greenspan's wisdom on why recipes don't always work. She is far more articulate than I. I will give this advice: Every oven is slightly different. Ingredients in Australia might differ slightly from those in America. You might be baking in the midst of chilly winter while I am sweating through a humid summer day. You may have had different expectations. Maybe you tried a substitution, as I often do, and that made all the difference. I often alter recipes to make amendments for my ingredients, my oven, my family, my mood and my day. However if I can clarify or if I have omitted some information or ingredient, please let me know.

Where do your recipes come from? Are they all your own?
As a good friend loves to say, everything is derivative. Many recipes I post, but not all, initially come from a cookbook or another blog. I am fearless (or shameless) in changing both ingredients and methods to suit my circumstances and mood. I like to write out the recipe to help remember how I did it but I use my own style and words. (I found useful advice on the Australian Copyright Council Recipe Fact Sheet.) I have discussed these issues elsewhere.

Where possible I record the source of recipes, even where I have made many changes. If recipes come from my notebook that I have kept since 1989, chances are that I was not forward-thinking enough to record the source. If you see a recipe that is not sourced and you know the source, please let me know and I will add it to the post.

Can I use your recipe on my blog?
You are welcome to put up my recipe on the web in your own words - but I request that you link back to the post where you found it and I'd love you to let me know. I am always interested to see how people react to my recipes. You may not reproduce the recipe word for word. You may not reproduce my post in full. You may not use my photographs without permission.

Can you be my friend on foodbuzz, facebook, etc etc
I hate signing up to groups - too many passwords, too much of my personal data out there, and I am suspicious of new technology, so I generally stay away from such networks.

Should I let you know about a typo or omission I saw on your blog?
Yes please! Send me an emal at gggiraffe07 AT yahoo DOT com DOT au and I will fix it immediately. I will also be eternally grateful to you. I love my blog being in good order even in the old posts. I correct typos or clarify recipes wherever I see them.

Do you make money?
I have a day job. This is my hobby. I don't advertise. I do all my own design using free software.

Why didn't you respond to my email or comment?
I try to respond to genuine emails and comments, especially where a question needs an answer, but find it impossible to respond to every one. [Spammers please ignore this next sentence.] Occasionally I miss or delete a genuine email or comment by mistake - if this is the case (sorry nice guy from RV website - I did mean to respond until I lost the email and your url), please resend or remind me. I am only human!

Can you promote my event, review my product, put a giveaway on your blog, accept my guest post?
No no no and no. I don't advertise, accept freebies, review products, accept guest posts, do giveaways. There is always room for an exception. I have accepted one free ticket to an event that was recommended by a known blogger (and I was very clear about this in the post I wrote on it). However, I receive a lot of emails from people offering products, events, guest posts, content who obviously haven't read my blog. It gets tiring!

Acknowledgements
In compiling these FAQs I have looked through other similar FAQs and, in particular, found useful information on Smitten Kitchen, Choosing Raw and The Amazing Adventures of DietGirl.

Anchors: a tutorial from a novice

2012-01-09T22:49:00.004+11:00

I updated my favourites a while back to include some anchors at the top.

The work was prompted by a question about anchors. So I thought I would do a little tutorial. It is a little nerdy. I am not really a technical person. You may not need it. I do. Without these notes I would have forgotten when I did. Maybe it might help any other anchor novices.

What are anchors? I checked Wikipedia for help but it seemed too much information. So here is my explanation. An anchor is a link within a page that takes you to another part of a page, either the one you are on or another page. Sometimes people can't be bothered scrolling down to the information. They want to get there fast. We help with an anchor to leap across lots of text and land at the anchor.

This is an anchor - http://gggiraffe.blogspot.com/2012/01/anchors-tutorial-from-novice.html#the_end - because it will take to a place at the end of this page.

This is an anchor on another page - http://gggiraffe.blogspot.com/p/blog-index-complete.html#Novelty_Birthday_Cakes because it will take you to a place far down another page

This is not an anchor - http://gggiraffe.blogspot.com/p/blog-index-complete.html - because it will take you to the start of another page.

How do you attach anchors? You either have a little anchor icon on your Content management system (CMS) or you need to edit your HTML. If it is already an icon on your CMS you just need to click on it, type it in the pop up window and add it to the url as below. To edit your HTML is a bit more tricky but not too hard.

On Blogger there is an Edit HTML tab. Once in your HTML, you need to add HTML code to two places. One - the "Anchor" or the place where you want people to land when they click on the link to the Anchor. Two - the link to the Anchor. I find it easier to add the information in this order.

Let's call the anchor "My dinner". Remember that the anchor is a link (or url). First rule with links is that there are no spaces. If you leave a space the system fills it in with ugly text (eg %20).

You will have typed My Dinner on the page, usually down the page. Beside it you type this code:

When you go back to this after editing other part of the page, more HTML code will appear but I ignore it. I prefer to put in something simple and for Blogger (or your CMS) to add the rest of the code.

Now you add the hash (#) and the anchor name that you have added in the quotation marks (my_dinner) to the url for the page (http://yourblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/page-of-anchors.html). Below is an example of the url you will make. You can now link to this from another part of the page, from any other page on your blog or from any other website using the link or url that you have created:

http://yourblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/page-of-anchors.html#my_dinner

To add the link on your page using the html, place your cursor at the place (often towards the top of the page) where you want to place a link that will help your reader jump to your anchor. At this place type the link. Remember that HTML is case sensitive. For Example:

The end
Once it is done you should test it. Check it works. If it does, you can bake a cake to celebrate. If not, check your HTML or just curse me for giving you false hope and then search the internet for someone who knows what they are talking about.

One last note - I have noticed that the anchor takes you as close to the bottom of the page as it can get - ie if the anchor is really close to the bottom of the page you may not arrive precisely at the anchor.

Any questions?

in search of (3)

2012-01-08T21:00:00.000+11:00

The last couple of years I have amused myself with some of the choice search terms that bring people to my blog. A while back I spent some idle moments browsing the search terms in my Google Analytics. Here are some of the more entertaining (and some disturbing) results.

Giraffe searches:

a green giraffe small numbness
do giraffes eat oranges?
fried giraffe
full moons and giraffes
giraffes how they store food
global warming giraffe
how are a giraffe and coleslaw alike
higher than the balls on a giraffe
is a giraffe most active in the day or night?
piano music i thought i saw a green giraffe
what color is giraffe's semen?
why giraffes dont eat mulbery during winter
why is a giraffe beautiful?

Odd questions and thoughts:

bossy dolly
can i be vegetarian in the british army?
flapjack tee hee tam tams
provocative fruits
sexy poffertje
shy flapjack
would peasants have eaten apples, oranges or pears in 1066
wishing you many happy days in the kitchen
why did god make the skin of blood plums so sour?
who would call a kid fish and chips?
what is this green dried ball?
what is an aussie meal we have lamington for dessert --- what is a main that we only do in australia and a starter that is again only in australia?

Inspires me:

butterscotch maple walnut cake
chestnut, cranberry, parsnip and brie nut roast
giraffe themed fruit platters
green rice giraffe
help in making a giraffe out of potato
how to make japanese rice cookies at home
lego flapjack
pumpkin soup white wine apples tarragon cumin nutmeg
small chestnut cake with chocolate runny heart

How many ways people could misspell the name of my blog:

grengourmet giraffe
green giraffe gourmt
green gorme giraffe
green gormeut giraffe
green gouremet giraffe
green gourme giraffe
green gourmt giraffe
green gourtmet giraffe
green groumet giraffe
green gurnmet giraffe
greengurmergiraffe
greengourmetginaff

Finally I will take a moment to apologise to people who have landed on my blog full of hope, only to feel misled by the search engine. Though you will find these words on my blog, you will not find anything about giraffe cake pops, airplane shaped houses or young bimbo.

For more search terms, go to "in search of..." posts in 2009 and 2010.

Christmas cheese muffins, icy poles and the beach

2012-01-06T22:08:00.001+11:00

We had a lovely break between Christmas and the New Year. I didn't spend much time in the kitchen. Instead our days were filled with pool, holidays bumper crosswords, beach, fish and chips, birthdays, tv and dollies before we headed back to work this week.

I have made a conscious effort to keep my mind out of the kitchen these holidays. I needed a break after all that activity before Christmas. So the two recipes I have followed since then are both ones that I had in mind before Christmas. The first is a batch of Jarslberg Cheese, Cranberry Sauce and Thyme Muffins. The idea popped into my head in the supermarket when I bought too much cheese and cranberry sauce in one of my mad pre-Christmas shopping sprees.

After Christmas, I made them just because I was too tired to go to bakery for bread and too tired to think of anything else. We all enjoyed them warm from the oven for lunch. I had mine with leftover nut roast and cranberry sauce. E had nut roast with tomato sauce and Sylvia liked hers with promite.

I also made icy poles (or popsicles or iced lollies, depending on where you live) based on a Vikki Leng recipe I had seen a while back. The reason I made it was, again, a surplus of food. This time I had been too excited by all the luscious summer fruit and had too much before heading down to my parents' place after Christmas. It seemed a great idea to freeze it as icy poles. I even took a lovely photo of Sylvia licking her icy pole that got deleted by mistake, so I had to take a photo at night instead.

It was warm over the Christmas - New Year break and I had a hankering for swimming. Not real swimming. These days I rarely get a chance to swim laps. Instead I splash about with Sylvia in a shallow pool. I am glad she has started to enjoy being in a pool. Unfortunately she is yet to appreciate the joys of the beach. So I have decided I need more time at the seaside. We started with a trip to the South Melbourne beach because it has a great playground. Lots of fun wooden play equipment and large shade cloths.

I love how this playground is surrounded by terrace houses, palm trees and the sea. Underfoot is lovely soft sand. Unfortunately if you walk onto the beach the sand is a little less pure. Worse than that was the water on the day we visited. I love to walk along the waters edge but it was a murky brown. It was no surprise to read the next day that people were being warned not to swim in the metropolitan beaches due to pollution from the stormwater.

Ah well, we had a nice time of fish and chips from Mussels, ice creams and a swing. Sylvia and I were nice and neat with our peppermint choc chip icecream but E made a right mess of his bubblegum one.

A couple of days later, we went out of town to the beach at Torquay. It was so beautiful. Soft clean sand and clear blue water. By then E had sunburnt feet and stayed in the shade, and Sylvia cried at the waves. I enjoyed myself. Unfortunately I can't show you a picture of the Torquay beach. They were also among the photos I deleted by accident.

(It seems I am still getting used to my new camera but I am sad about the photos I lost. Gorgeous ones of Sylvia giggling in my new strawberry apron and snuggling with Molly the [toy] sheep, of my brother in law blowing out his birthday candles, of my nieces helping E do the crossword and a classic photo of Grace in reindeer antlers!)

After going to Torquay, we visited my parents where we had fish and chips. E thought they were better than the ones in South Melbourne. He focuses on the fish. I loved the pumpkin ring in Torquay (see above). What is it about the sea that makes you so hungry for hot salty greasy fish and chips!

E is not into the beach. His Christmad tradition is the telly. This year we managed to watch The Christmas Dr Who (magical), The Birds (I didn't finish watching it because it was too horrible), and The Christmas Bunny (adorable and so so sad). We've also started watching the Sea Change box set.

But today is the Epiphany and the tree was taken down tonight while I made green pancakes. And the chocolate and fig Christmas cake is now finished. Those melty chunks of chocolate together with the rich soft dried fruit were amazing in the warm weather. Honestly, who needs to bake anything else when you have a cake this good in the kitchen.

Actually, I have instigated a ban on new recipes for the time being. No new recipes will be cooked in my kitchen until I get some of my blog backlog cleared up. To get some of my backlog published I have decided that next week will be blog amnesty week. That means a week to publish a few posts that have been in draft for quite some time. Not recipes. Lists and advice and philosophy. January always puts me in the mood for a clear-out. You may find something there to interest you but if not then I have a recipe or two in my backlog and I am sure the new recipes will start again soon.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Christmas puddings of 2010
This time two years ago: Baby Food, Cookies and a Day at the Zoo
This time three years ago: Miso Soup for after the feasting!
This time four years ago: WHB Vegetable Stories and Potato Salad Glory

Savoury Cheese, Cranberry and Thyme Muffins
Makes 12 regular muffins or 30-36 mini muffins
Adapted from recipebridge.com

1 cup white plain flour
1 cup wholemeal plain flour
1 cup grated Jarlsberg cheese (or cheddar)
1/2 cup chopped spring onions (I didn't use)
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, rubbed
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Generous pinch each of cayenne and smoked salt (or smoked paprika)
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk, plus 1 tbsp
1/4 cup cranberry sauce (or use 1/2 cup dried cranberries and add 1/4 cup milk)
1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 200 C or 400 F. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with muffin cups (or line a few mini muffin trays). In a large bowl, mix together flours, cheese, spring onions, thyme, baking powder, salt and spices. Lightly whisk together the egg, milk, cranberry sauce and oil in a large jug. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Spoon stiff batter into prepared muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes (or 15-18 minutes if you want to make mini muffins). Cool on a rack.

Fruity summer icy poles
Adapted from Vikki Leng's a Vegetarian Feast

juice of 2 oranges
125g strawberries, hulled

125g raspberries, frozen
1 apricot, diced small
2 nectarines or 1/2 cup pineapple, diced small
pulp and seeds of 2 passionfruit

Puree orange juice and strawberries. Mix raspberries, apricot, nectarines and passionfruit and spoon into icy pole moulds (I used 6 large and 6 small). Pour the orange strawberry puree over them, leaving a little room at the top for the mixture to expand when frozen. Place caps on icy poles. (If you don't have moulds, you can use little cups and stick icy pole sticks in.) Place in freezer to harden - at least 4 hours but preferably overnight. To eat, run the mould under cold water until the icy pole will slide out of it.

On the Stereo:
Like A Man: Adam Cohen

New year, gingerbread Christmas tree and haggis tacos

2012-01-03T20:59:00.000+11:00

New Year's Eve is a quiet evening in for us. It has been for some years now. Yet we have our Hogmanay traditions that remind us of E's Scottish upbringing. I make vegetarian haggis, which in recent years we have enjoyed in a large tray of nachos. This year Sylvia had her own tray of kiddie nachos - corn chips and cheese and we had some festive punch (which goes very well with champagne). Then we sit back to relax while we watch the Edinburgh Tattoo on television. This year, we had the added fun of a Christmas gingerbread tree, thanks to our neighbour Paula.

As I was about to start making haggis, Paula dropped in to invite us to come and make gingerbread with them. I was already running late and had to push on with dinner. But we agreed to come over and help while the haggis cooked. The recipe was a simple one that started with the melting of butter, golden syrup and brown sugar. It is one of my favourite smells.

Paula then suggested we use my set of five star biscuit cutters. I ran back and fetched them. We helped cut the stars - I was impressed with Paula's way of doing it which I have included in the recipe at the end of the post. I was even more impressed later on in the evening when she brought us one of the gingerbread Christmas trees that she had made by stacking biscuits with icing between each biscuit and placing a star on top (see photo at top of post).

More amazing still was that this "gingerbread" didn't have any spices in it. Paula and family follow a diet free of spices. The heady combination of butter, golden syrup and brown sugar imparted so much of the gingerbread flavour, that I never noticed the lack of spices. We really enjoyed them. Paula found that thicker icing made it easier to stick the gingerbread stars together but I liked the first tree she made with the icing dripping down it, making the tree look snowy and festive.

Now my aim for next Christmas is to make different sized lebkuchen stars and stick them together with chocolate ad finish with a light snow shower of icing sugar and some sparkles. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I continued with experimenting with ways to eat haggis. My favourite way is in nachos. Given that I loved the Scotch-Mex fusion, I thought I would try haggis tacos. I had meant to make a haggis chilli non carne but ran out of time. Instead I added a generous shake of smoked salt, smoked paprika, ground chillis and cinnamon and quarter to half a spoon of cumin and chilli paste of half a batch of haggis. Served in taco shells with grated cheese, tomato salsa, guacamole, lettuce and yoghurt, it was excellent.

I went even further the following night when we still had some haggis over. I added some kidney beans and salsa to the haggis and mixed with rice. Served with a topping of chopped capsicum, lettuce, grated cheese and yoghurt, it was every bit as good as the following night.

It is an odd world where Scottish and Mexican cuisines fuse perfectly and gingerbread is great without ginger but you can't argue with it if it works so well.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: On being a vegetarian
This time two years ago: Potluck in Prinny Park
This time three years ago: New Year’s Feasting
This time four years ago: Still life with fruit and fudge (NYE pt 1)

Rebecca's gingerless gingerbread
From Sue Dengate's The Failsafe Cookbook: reducing food chemicals for calm happy families

125g butter or margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup golden syrup
3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
3 cups plain flour (Paula used spelt)
lemon citric icing

Melt butter or margarine with brown sugar and golden syrup. When slightly cooled, stir in egg and bicarb. Stir in flour until mixture comes together into a dough. Knead briefly. Paula then rolls out to no more than 0.5cm (she says any thicker doesn't work so well) on a piece of baking paper. She cuts the biscuits using cutters and removes the dough from around the shapes. The baking paper now just has the shapes to be cooked and can be placed on a baking tray. Bake at 180 C for 15 minutes. When cooled ice with lemon citric icing (icing sugar, citric acid and water, or use lemon juice instead of citric acid if food intolerances are not a problem). Stacking star shapes in a tree shape using icing to sandwich them together is optional.

On the Stereo:
This is easy: it is refreshingly different, quite fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish: 52 first class performances with crystal clear stereo sound: various artists

Reflections on 2011

2012-01-01T17:44:00.001+11:00

Another year over and what have we done.... New Years Day is the time for reflections, for lists and memories. It has been a busy year with lots of change. Life is more demanding than ever and I finish the year feeling the just like this Calvin and Hobbes cartoon:

I started 2011 with a burst of employment transition, settling Sylvia into a new child care centre, planning for kitchen renovations and coping with toothache. The revamped kitchen has made it so much easier to eat at the table and bake with Sylvia. Perhaps it is why I baked so much bread this year. It was the year of developing an intranet at work. E had a good year of ukeleles, Tiny Tim and the release of a single. We all loved our roadtrip to Orange in NSW. By the end of the year I was riding my bike more and baking up a storm for Christmas.

Geelong Botanic Gardens

Sylvia continues to change and have many firsts. She had a fussy year of eating but we found some child-friendly favourite meals and she loves any food on a stick. She also loves playing with water at the bathroom sink, jumping, the local swimming pool and Christmas trees. The year finished with a farewell to Sylvia's cot. It was replaced by a new big girl bed for Sylvia. My toddler is now a little girl. At home Dolly reigned supreme. She was everywhere Sylvia went and was often fed the food that Sylvia should have been eating. Lately she has continued to have firsts - her first pair of scissors, her first walk in the waves at the beach, her first swim without a nappy and her first feature length film on DVD (Mary Poppins).

Best of 2011

Favourite DVD - The Killing (Danish TV series)
Favourite kids DVD - The Herbs
Favourite band: Beirut
Favourite Aussie television series - Paper Giants: the birth of Cleo
Favourite foreign television series - Downton Abbey
Favourite film - The King's Speech
Favourite book - The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
Favourite tourist attraction - The Australian War Memorial, Canberra
Favourite kids outing - Chesterfield Farm

view from The Elephant House at the Melbourne Zoo

The Numbers:

Celebrated 20 years of being vegetarian.
Uploaded 216 posts during the year. That is a total of 970 posts on the blog to date. I don't know where I found the time.
Over December I had a spike in my stats with nut roasts being joined by Christmas cupcakes as hugely popular posts. Just before Christmas Day I had a daily peak of over 1800 pageviews my Blogger statistics, over 1600 pageviews on my StatCounter, and over 1400 pageviews on Google Analytics!!!
Ranked #34 on the food blogs on Technorati but #363 on the Very Good Recipes site. Hmmm... not sure what this means!

10 most popular posts of 2011:

Chia olive oil bread with promite and the Rupert egg cup

Best of blogging
It was a great year for blogging - full of cake pops, apple cakes and chia seeds. Here's just a taster of some of the recipes I shared:

Favourite bread - Olive oil bread with chia seeds
Favourite soup - Tempeh and corn soup (though not a 2011 recipe)
Great meat substitutes - Bean and buckwheat facon, coconut bacon, Ricki's cauliflower and walnut 'meat', tricken rice soup
Favourite meals - Matthews delicious tofu, pizza, dumplings, tofu nuggets
Veganised recipes - Christmas nut roast, chocolate caramel slice, sausage rolls, condensed milk, goats cheese
Favourite cakes - Christmas fruitcake with chocolate and Orange, lavender and almond syrup cake
Nostalgic recipes- Apricot delight, chow mien, marshmallow weetbix slice, chocolate crackles, party pies, mum's chocolate cake, cherry ripe cake pops,
Most decadent treat - Nutella fudge (or vegan version)
Favourite gluten-free bake - GF Brownies and Chickpea crackers
Novelty cakes - Guitar cake, Monkey cake, Dinosaur farmyard cake, Flower cake, and Cookie wands
Favourite meal eaten out - The Post Office Hotel in Coburg for our wedding anniversary (next time I wont forget the camera memory card!)

Vegan nutella fudge and Caramel fudge

Blogging achievements:

Completed the Cookbook Challenge - 26 posts on cooking from my cookbooks, using a different theme every fortnight.
My blog went vegan for a month and I posted every day in October for Vegan Mofo.
Hosted two blog events this year - a second round of my Neb at Nut Roast event and I was a guest host for Helen's Breakfast Club event.
Selected by the State Library of Victoria to be archived on the Pandora: the Australian web archive. I was really pleased to be asked. It is a great honour to be part of the nation's digital history, and reassuring to know that there is someone backing up my blog every now and again.
Overview posts on being vegetarian and food history.

Blogging changes:

I wrote a post listing some blog changes back in May so I wont go over them all again but I will note a few other changes and plans since then:

Updated design. I started playing with new design templates to update the look of the blog. I am much happier with it now but still need to get my banner centred. I did a post on the evolution of my blog design for those who are interested.

Photography - there have been lots of changes to the way I take photos. The kitchen renovations has changed the space in which I can take photos. A new camera in December has made further changes. It is a Canon EOS 550D (known as a Rebel in America) and has an SLR function that I hope to get to know.

Searching my recipes is a constant challenge. I have been using Delicious to organise my bookmarks for some time but I got a nasty shock later in the year when they changed hands and I couldn't access my bookmarks. Thankfully I finally got back in and the developments to the site have been useful. They have just introduced thumbnail pictures of the recipes. Phew I don't need to open a Pinterest account and have yet another login. But I do love to browse there occasionally.

Follow by email field on the side bar. I added this field after someone asked about subscribing. I am not sure if anyone really uses it as I don't know how to check but I was happy to put it there for A.

I have also been tinkering with key pages to keep them updated. Lots more work needed but I have a few lists in development. I hope to get up a comments policy and a compilation of child-friendly links. I also must look into Bloggers Print-a-blog feature that I noticed this week.

Happy New Year

Next year promises more dollies and less blogging. Sylvia seems ready to give up her afternoon nap. So it seems I may no longer have the time that I have often managed to fit in a blog post. I would like to see my bike rides, beach trips and bread baking in my life. I'd like to find time to delve into the pile of books beside my bed but that might be too hopeful.

Meanwhile I would like to thank everyone who has visited, comments, shared recipes, helped me cook, tasted my food and supported me in so many ways. It is at this time that I am aware of the lovely food blogging community where I have been able to find great friendship and inspiration. You keep me smiling and eating such delicious food.

A special thanks to my mum who continues to share food and cooking tips with me, and to Sylvia my little assistant baker who loves to sample the flour. As always I send a huge thanks E for keeping the music on the stereo, the dishes done and keeping me company.

May you have a happy and healthy 2012. I look forward to sharing it with you.

CC Lebkuchen

2011-12-30T23:12:00.004+11:00

As the year draws to a close, I am very pleased to present you with Lebkuchen for the last in my year of the Cookbook Challenge. I will reflect on the challenge at the end of the post but firstly let's talk bikkies. These lebkuchen were excellent and made great gifts. My only hesitation in posting them was that I wanted to try them with chocolate but we have so much rich food about the house leftover from Christmas that I can't justify any more baking right now.

The chocolate lebkuchen will have to wait until next year. It's a shame because I just know I would love them. One of my favourite biscuits that I bought on my travels in Germany and have since found at speciality shops in Melbourne is chocolate covered gingerbread. I like them even better than the thinly iced lebkuchen. I planned to use a chocolate glaze such as the one suggested in the book (see pics in book above) but I have since seen that Homemade by Fleur covered hers with melted chocolate. This makes more sense as I was concerned that the glaze would not set enough to store the biscuits.

Meanwhile I loved these biscuits. Sylvia and I made two batches of biscuits for gifts. Chocolate cut out cookies and Lebkuchen. It was interesting to compare the two. The chocolate biscuits were full of butter, made very soft dough and melted in the mouth. The lebkuchen were more sturdy and equally delicious. They had far less butter and were quite easy to work with once they had been in the fridge for 4 hours.

I was glad to leave the dough in the fridge until Sylvia was in bed. She helped with getting the two batches of dough together but she was in a rascally mood. She tasted cocoa (and cried at the taste), knocked an open jar of flour to the floor, and got Dolly's green dolly stuck in an empty spice jar. It was far easier to cut out and bake the biscuits without her. Much as I love her helping making gifts.

The biscuits were being made for Sylvia's child care workers who have looked after her all year. I had planned to make them earlier so we could ice them but ran out of time. The lebkuchen for the gift packs were uniced. (To package, I put them in labelled ziplock bags inside the green bags that we decorated with lots of stickers.)

One of Sylvia's carers was particularly delighted with the gift because it reminded her of spending weeks baking Christmas gifts with her mum when young. We also packaged some for one of E's colleagues.

The next day I thought it would be fun for Sylvia to help decorate the remaining biscuits. She loved it. To keep it simple we chose a colour for each biscuit and she sprinkled it after I iced it. Somehow she ended up with a blue smile. The icing gave them a wee lift but I think the combination of spices and citrus was the real genius of these bikkies. On the first day they were a bit dry but they softened and took on that love dense gingerbread texture after a few days. Simply scrumptious.

Back to the Cookbook Challenge. I was quite tentative in joining this group which challenged us to cook from any cookbook using a different theme each fortnight. I am delighted to have completed all 26 of the challenges. I have recorded what I have cooked on my Cookbook Challenge page.

When I look back over the range of dishes I have cooked I am very grateful to the challenge for pushing me to try recipes that might otherwise have remained forgotten in the depths of my bookshelves. I am just sad that the content on the community site has been removed and it seems that the challenge will not happen next year.

However I am sure there will be new challenges next year. And I hope there might be some chocolate covered lebkucken. Meanwhile I hope to squeeze in one more post next year if I can find time in between haggis and the tattoo.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Nut roast parcels and potato snowmen
This time two years ago: Christmas Day panforte and more
This time three years ago: Christmas, Leftovers and Vegan Mayonnaise
This time four years ago: Christmas dinner for two

Lebkuchen
From Annie Rigg's Christmas Cooking with Kids
Made about 42

2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp treacle
40g unsalted butter
75g dark brown sugar
zest of half an orange
zest of half a lemon
225g self raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
generous grating of nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
pinch salt
50g ground almonds
1 large egg lightly beaten
icing or melted chocolate for frosting biscuits
sprinkles to decorate

Heat honey, treacle, butter, brown sugar and zests in a medium saucepan. Stir until butter is melted and everything is well combined. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile, place flour, spices, salt and almonds in a large bowl. Add melted butter mixture and egg. Stir until a ball of dough forms. Briefly knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and refridgerate for 4 hours.

When you are ready to cut biscuits, preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line 2 to 3 oven trays with baking paper. Roll out dough on a floured surface until it is about 0.5cm thick. Cut shapes with biscuit cutters and transfer onto prepared trays. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (I found mine were quite well cooked after 15 minutes). Cool on a wire tray.

When cool, either ice with a plain icing (I think I used about 1 cup icing sugar, a knob of butter and a bit of hot water - it needs to be quite thin) or melted chocolate and sprinkles.

On the stereo
Music to watch the girls go by: Various Artists

Christmas day presents and pudding

2011-12-29T12:08:00.000+11:00

Christmas day arrived this year with a feeling of relief that all the baking and presents were sorted. It has been a busy year. Yet we got there. By morning the presents were wrapped under the tree and the pudding was at my parent's place waiting to be boiled. Let me tell you a little about the gifts before I indulge in my annual reflections on why my pudding wasn't perfect.

Sylvia was very pleased when she woke up to find an oven from Santa under the tree. She was just as pleased to find he had eaten his mince pie. It was small enough for her to drag into her bedroom to start cooking. I think she might have stayed there all day if not for Christmas breakfast at home and a drive to my parents place for lunch. Before lunch we opened presents.

Sylvia spent the days before Christmas pondering what Dolly might get for Christmas. Maybe a dummy? Well there was no dummy but there was a "cradle". (We knew it as a car basket when I was young but these days it is also known as a baby capsule.) Dolly now has to go everywhere in her cradle. Sylvia was also delighted with her nappy change bag, a Tiny Clanger, a new doll called Baby B, a rechargeable torch, a handbag, a tea set, books, clothes and a Toy Story DVD.

E and I were every bit as spoilt as Sylvia. There was lot of food in our parcels this year. Chocolates, biscuits, mince tarts, wine and royal family tea. Books, DVDs, CDs, calendars, an apron, a Christmas tree plate and a Prince William and Kate tea towel. And check out that disco dude scrubbing brush!

My most vexing Christmas present was a DVD of The Trip (the Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden show). I bought it for E about a week before the ABC announced they would be screening it just before Christmas. I then forgot to wrap it and remembered it on Boxing Day. Fortunately E had checked the TV guides when he had considered buying it for me or we would have two copies! The most unexpected experience was sending presents on the same day - one package got to Edinburgh Scotland in half the time it took another package to get to Orange NSW!

Meanwhile in Geelong, lunch was a red and silver affair. My mum chose these colours for a stylish table setting. I was very impressed at my dad's handiwork in fastening the ribbons to the candles. My sister liked the setting so much that she took it home for her in-laws Christmas dinner later in the day.

For Christmas lunch I had nut roast with cranberry sauce, roast veg and peas. Dessert was Christmas pudding with custard as is traditional. Plus pavlova and caramel tart for the non-traditionalists. I made the pudding using a recipe I have been making for a few years. Each year I learn more about making it and this year was no exception.

The first problem I faced this year was the dried figs. I bought them at a small retailer and suspect they had sat around a bit long because they were so dry that they had a slight crunchy edge. Mum had heard someone suggest that leaving the dried fruit soaking in alcohol for a week made a wonderful Christmas cake. So I left the fruit soaking for about 4 days and by then the figs had softened. As the fruit soaked up the liquid, I added quite a bit more booze and orange juice. This made for a very soft pudding and I think it could have benefited from some more flour.

The other problem was my usual problem of getting a nice flour crust on the pudding that soaked up the flavour of the pudding. Last year my crust was too thick. So I eased off on the flour this year.

I didn't put the cloth in the washing machine to wring it out - instead I hung it on the line until it started raining. I sifted flour onto the cloth and sprayed it with water to make sure it kept on the cloth. I took the cloth off the pudding about 2 hours after it was cooked but it still stuck to the cloth. However I was pleased that far less pudding was left on the cloth than in previous years.

The pudding flavours were intense with fruit and booze but it was a very soft one, even with my mum leaving it to dry out in the oven a little before serving it. It is so rich that it really is only a once a year pudding. Meanwhile the search for the perfect pudding crust continues.

Once the presents were unwrapped and the food eaten, Christmas day was relaxed. Outside was backyard cricket, cartwheels and E strumming his ukelele. Inside some little girls were playing with their new Nintendo DS. Maddy played with her new claymation film set and my dad was digging out his old records for his new turntable. He found some old 78s, including the one I put on the stereo below which used to belong to his father. In the evening we watched the Queens Speech and a Noel Coward telemovie, Easy Virtue.

On Boxing Day morning, E and I went to see the Adventures of Tintin at the cinema. The film was good fun and a joy to look at with its stunning scenery and retro 1930s period details. We then caught up with my aunts and uncles at my parents place. Lunch was a buffet of leftovers, salads and lots of desserts - summer pudding, panforte, caramel tart, jelly slice, doughnut biscuits and fruit.

We finally got home that evening to find that hail storms had passed by our place on Christmas Night and left holes in the cubby hut roof. Just as well Santa missed the storms.

On the Stereo:
"I'm looking for a Sweetheart" sung by Miss May Loveday and Mr Ernest Pike with orchestral accompaniment (on a Zonophone record)

Cranberry nut rolls for Christmas brunch

2011-12-27T21:19:00.000+11:00

It has been a good year for baking bread. Just as well, given that I have less time to go to fancy bakeries to buy bread. The more bread that I bake, the less content I am to buy any old loaf. For Christmas morning, I decided I would bake a special loaf. Then I remembered Kari's Cranberry Rolls, which although vegan, seemed perfect for my Christmas morning tradition of posh cheese on toast.

She filled her rolls with cranberries but I used a mixture of cranberries and walnuts like the original recipe. I love walnuts and didn't want the bread to be too sweet. When I made this decision, I had forgotten I needed the nuts for my Christmas nut roast. It meant an emergency dash to the supermarket on my bike. Kari used a dough hook but I found it easy enough to knead the rolls by hand and this is the method I have written up below. I was pleased to be able to use an egg to glaze the rolls and then put it into the roast so there was no waste. Christmas eve was busy and at one stage I had to suggest E take Sylvia for a walk and take his time. I was relieved to get the rolls made by dinner time.

I wanted to make sure we had a fancy Christmas breakfast this year. So often I aim for a nice breakfast but we are so distracted that I hardly sit down and never have time to set the table. So on Christmas Eve, as well as preparing the rolls, I set the table before heading off to bed. It meant that once we had opened our presents on Christmas morning, we could sit down to eat with a table cloth (a Christmas present from Jim and Sally a few years back) and some of our festive tableware.

The rolls were delicious. Not only were they great on Christmas morning with a slice of jarlsberg cheese and a lick of cranberry sauce, but we also had them with chestnut soup on Christmas Eve and took some to my mum and dad's place later so that we could snack on them in the evening with the leftover nut roast.

We had a lovely Christmas day. I will return to tell you more about the day soon. Meanwhile, I want to thank everyone for the lovely Christmas wishes that I have received in comments and to send these rolls to Susan for YeastSpotting.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Cinnamon Stars for Christmas
This time two years ago: Glögi by the tree
This time three years ago: Festive profiteroles with salad
This time four years ago: Christmas truffles and fruit salad

Cranberry nut rolls
Makes 12-16 rolls
Adapted from Bon Appetit via Tracey and Kari

1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk (I substituted 1/2 cup sour cream)
2 tbsp oil
1 egg
1 cup dried cranberries
extra flour for kneading
olive oil for rolls
eggwash for baking

Dry fry the walnuts in a small frying pan.

Mix together the flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt. Stir in the milk, oil, egg, cranberries and walnuts. It will make a sticky mixture. I let mine sit for about 5-10 minutes while I had something to eat.

Knead on a floured board until smooth and supple, adding flour as you go. Tracey suggested you might need about an extra 1/2 cup of flour. I think I kneaded for about 4-6 minutes.

Scrap the edges of the mixing bowl and then place the dough in there, covered with a dry tea towel, for about 1-2 hours or until risen. This will vary according to how warm the dough is. It was 30 C when I baked ours and the dough was risen after about 1 hour but with rushing about after Sylvia it took me about 1 1/2 hours to get to it.

Return dough to lightly floured board and knead briefly. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut dough into 12 to 16 pieces, depending on how big you want the buns. (I made 16).

Lightly knead each piece and roll on the board under your palm until smooth(ish). Drip a little oil in your mixing bowl and when each ball is ready, dip in a little oil and use your hands to roll the ball so it is completely covered in oil - there should be just enough oil to make it glossy but no more. Place oiled balls on a lightly greased tray (or a tray sprinkled with cornmeal) with some room to expand.

Cover with dry tea towel and leave for about 1 1/2 hours or until risen to 1 1/2 size. I think mine too a little less time. While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 200 C. When rolls are risen, glaze with eggwash and bake for 15-20 minutes (I let mine bake for 20 minutes) or until golden brown.

On the Stereo:
Elvis Christmas Peace (Daily Mail on Sunday freebie): Elvis Presley

Christmas Eve reflections and a chestnut soup

2011-12-24T23:35:00.004+11:00

Christmas eve! It has been busy. I've made nut roast, cranberry nut buns and chestnut soup. Presents have been wrapped with the help of our sticky tape dynamo, Sylvia, and more are yet to be done. We've been sitting watching Carols by Candlelight on the telly with some festive punch. The tree is lit with coloured lights. I am taking a moment to get this post done while Sylvia helps E with present wrapping. Here are a few random photos and thoughts from Christmas this year.

Brandy Raisin Macarons at Cacao at the GPO

Some bizarre sightings of Santa Claus this year

Santa on a jetski salt and pepper shakers - see in a shop
Santa in sleigh being pulled by a dinosaur in a local garden- heard on radio
Santa breathing dragon's breath in Hong Kong display - relayed to me by my friend

And it seems that cars are now believing themselves to be Santa's reindeer. This year has seen the new phenomena of people attaching reindeer antlers to their cars.

Melbourne Town Hall

Why do we have to queue and pay to see Santa in Melbourne's major department stores in the city. Sylvia is not old enough to want a photo with a strange man with a beard but she would have enjoyed seeing Santa. But I will not pay and queue for the sight! Where is the spirit of Christmas?

Santa climbing the Eiffel Tower on our tree

I love our Christmas trees but others do it differently - some alternative Christmas trees I have come across:

A Christmas tree on a tea towel
Cindy and Michael's Dalek with tinsel
Brydie's Bundle of Sticks

Miss Marples tearoom, Sassafras

Among all the joy, spare a thought for the sadness Christmas brings. The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has made international news. However, there have been some notable sad news that have more meaning for me:

Ian "Molly" Meldrum has been in a coma after falling from a ladder while preparing the house for a Christmas party. My best wishes for his health. He brought so much music and enthusiastic into my childhood.
George Whitman died last week. He resurrected the English Language bookstore, Shakespeare and Company in Paris after Sylvia Beach's first incarnation closed. I visited the store on my first trip to Paris and was offered accommodation there. Unfortunately at the time I was too naive to realise it was a genuine offer.
Bruce Ruxton, former RSL president, died this week. He was no role model for me with his right wing views but he was always there with a news bite through so much of my childhood.

For each high profile death and sadness, there are many of us with our own private griefs. I know of those among fellow bloggers and others in my life who will face this Christmas lacking someone or even something that matters deeply. Or there are those like "vegan alone at Christmas". My thoughts go out to everyone whose Christmas isn't the jolly merry event that the media likes to portray.

Dinner tonight was a relaxed affair of Celery and Chestnut Soup (recipe below) and Cranberry Nut Buns (recipe to come - thanks Kari). It is similar to other chestnut soups I have made - velvety and flavoursome. I was relieved by the end of the day that it was simple and quick. I had already been the shops twice - used up my walnuts intended for the nut roast when I made the buns and I also used up sour cream so I got inventive and served it with brandy cream. Surprisingly this sweet cream worked but is not essential. I am sending the soup to Ricki for her Holiday edition of Wellness Weekends.

Here is a nativity scene from Melbourne's city square. Nothing fancy yet the kids loved it. Sylvia has been very excited by Christmas and especially baby Jesus. I've seen her running around the kitchen yelling, "I want Jesus", because she was impatient about getting the Jesus figure out on the advent calendar. You can see below how much dolly loved it too. She sat in the highchair this morning to view the calendar.

We have had a couple of hot days over the last few days. Sylvia got out her woollie hat yesterday before we went swimming. In fact it was so hot that her a new plastic sparkly hat half-melted in the hot car while we were doing our supermarket shopping. Tonight we have had a thunderstorm but it has dissipated quickly. I am not sure we have seen the last of it but the weather is forecast to be 30 C tomorrow.

Sylvia now asleep. All the presents are wrapped. A mince pie is left out for Santa. The table is set for breakfast tomorrow morning. I wish everyone a merry Christmas, a great feast and a happy and safe holiday.

Celery and Chestnut Soup
Adapted from The Great Big Vegetable Challenge
serves 4-6

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, crushed
4-6 celery sticks, sliced
1 carrot peeled and chopped
400g tin of chestnuts
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 tsp salt flakes
3 cups stock
juice of 1/2 an orange
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons brandy cream, or yoghurt (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan (I used a stockpot). Gradually add onion, garlic, celery, and carrot as you chop them. Gently sweat until softened. Add chestnuts, potatoes, salt and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Puree with a hand held blender. Add orange juice and pepper to taste. Serve with brandy cream or yoghurt as desired.

On the Stereo:
Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty Records of All Time, Volume VI: Christmas

Rocky road

2011-12-23T17:42:00.001+11:00

I tried making vegetarian marshmallow (from a packet) at home for the first time this year. It was very soft and when I tried a little rocky road with the remains, it melted and was a mess. I was wary when I found Dandies vegan marshmallows at Radical Grocery but excited too. Another chance at rocky road. I had particularly fancied trying Lorraine's Rocky Road with Turkish Delight and cranberries.

Just as well Lorraine had lured me with the hint of eastern promise. I also came across a rocky road recipe with raspberry liquorice. I wanted to use it, but it is not gluten free and I had decided to take some down to my family. I considered raspberry jubes but they have gelatine in the end returned to turkish delight which was both gf and veg*n.

I also added shredded coconut which I love and chopped almonds for the nutty factor. I would have used chunky nuts if not for choking risk with kids. Peanuts were out because Sylvia is allergic. Seems it is not easy to make a traditional rocky road with my family. Doesn't mean it can't be delicious. I was relieved the that Dandies didn't disintegrate in the melted chocolate like the Angel Food marshmallow. But they set quickly and got "rocky" rather more quickly than I expected.

I made the rocky road on Saturday night. It was fairly quick. Sunday morning we headed off to a birthday party for Sylvia's neighbour. It was at Coburg kidzone play centre and I was really impressed with their flexibility in catering for dietary restrictions. The amazing Vanilla and Carob Castle Cake was made by a friend, Catherine of Cate's Cates who has posted the recipe. Isn't it just what every kids wants on their birthday!

We went home and stopped long enough to chop up the rocky road. Then we headed down to my parents' place in Geelong to help decorate their Christmas tree. It was the usual scene. The tinsel was missing and we have to put on lights, tinsel, decorations in that order. Luckily it was found before we had to do something drastic like change our traditions. My mum was the grumpy onlooker. My dad got out the ladder and chairs so we could reach the higher branches. Sylvia and her cousins had fun hanging the decorations on the tree, but lost interest before it was all done.

We had a simple bbq lunch but had lots of chocolate goodies for afternoon tea. As well as my rocky road, mum had made GF brownies and GF hedgehog. She had also made some ginger beer that had the most impressive fizz when anyone opened a bottle as my dad found out. (E had to take one of the bottles she gave us into the backyard and wait for it to finish fizzing.)

Finally I decided to take some of the rocky road and pieces of the Chocolate and Fig Fruitcake to work for some festive treats. Most people enjoyed them, especially my colleague who took a piece of each to have for later because he was caught up with other stuff. I am really pleased to have finally made some rocky road. It isn't easy to buy the dandies as I don't get to Radical Grocery too often but I am sure I will be making it again some time.

I have more Christmas photos (hey I have a new camera!) that I hope to share tomorrow. Meanwhile here is one of Sylvia's new toys bought for her by her father. Dracula, or as he is known, "Drac" not only had eyes with a scary glow but also a scary laugh. Sylvia loves him though her friend over the road found him scary. Oh dear!

Scary toys aside, it is Christmas craziness here. I am not off to make fruit mince for panforte. More baking will follow tomorrow. E has just rushed to the post office to collect a parcel before it closes so we are looking forward to listening to Dr Demented Christmas hits. We are also planning to watch Peppa Pigs Christmas DVD tonight now that I have been back to the ABC Shop to get the security tag removed. Then some wrapping of presents tonight. Hope you are enjoying this Christmas and have a relaxing break ahead of you.

I am sending the Rocky Road to Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes for her bookmarked recipes. I also highly recommend you check out her NCR Festive Photos for some more seasonal cheer.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Potluck Tofu Chocolate Ice Cream
This time two years ago: Back home with festive flapjacks
This time three years ago: Coconut ice is very very nice
This time four years ago: Christmas Snowflake Biscuits

Rocky Road with Turkish Delight and Coconut
Adapted from Not Quite Nigella

283 g marshmallow (I used dandies - not home made angel foods)
250g turkish delight, chopped
1/2 cup shredded coconut (not dessicated)
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries(I forgot)
400g dark chocolate (mine was 50% cocoa solids)

Prepare all ingredients except chocolate. Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper. Gently melt chocolate (I did this in the microwave - I think it only took me about 1 minute and quite a bit of stirring so that a lot of the chocolate melted out of the microwave and didn't get too hot). Pour chocolate over remaining ingredients and gently stir. Pour into prepared tin - work quickly as it doesn't take long to firm up. Let set in fridge until hard. Slice into squares. We kept ours in the fridge but I think it could be kept at room temperature if you are not in the heat of summer.

On the stereo:
Images: the best of Jean Michel Jarre

Blogging Catch Up - breads, raw brownies, cheezly pizza and more

2011-12-22T12:26:00.004+11:00

End of year is time for trying to get our life, our house and/or our blog in order before a new year is upon us. Last night a draft post disappeared in frustrating circumstances. I decided instead to gather some photos and recipes that I had good intentions to write about but they had fallen by the wayside.

Granary Bread from Mealtime Meltdown.
I was all prepared to post about this, weeks after I made it in early November. Then I accidently deleted my version of the recipe. So I think it is best to just go to the original recipe. The only change I remember making was to add a couple of tablespoons of malt syrup because I don't have granary flour. It was nubbly and flavoursome. I hope I will make it again and write more about it. It was great with brie and tomato.

Vegemite Chips
Coming up with new ideas for crisp flavours is either desperate work or a huge amount of fun. Either way, this is an inspired idea. It works as novelty but I am not sure how much it would work as everyday. I would love to see some spin offs of my favourite vegemite flavour combinations - vegemite and cheese, vegemite and tomato, vegemite and walnuts!

Raw Brownies from Wayfaring Chocolate
I've had two stabs at the beloved brownies from Hannah. The first time they were too dry because I used the wrong dates. The second time in late October was better. I could sort of understand the chewy brownie base but the topping was too sweet. I want to try again with maple syrup. E thought it would be better microwaved. My problem with keeping them in the freezer was that I just kept forgetting about them and they were sadly neglected.

Cheezly Mozzarella on pizza
I bought some vegan mozzarella cheese recently out of curiosity. It was actually really good sprinkled over pizza with tomato sauce, mushrooms and red pepper. It was a lot softer than regular mozzarella, nor so stringy. What I liked best was that it was a lot lighter. E also liked it thought I think he would prefer real cheese.

Chocolate cut out biscuits that I have made before
I have raved about these before. These bikkies are great and look so cute I wanted to share them. They have so much butter that the mixture needs a good amount of time in the fridge but the biscuits melt in the mouth once cooked. They also fall apart easily if you use the snowflake biscuit cutters. We used them for gifts this year.

Sun-dried tomato bread from Dan Lepard
I am not sure why I never posted this bread. Possibly because I served it with a forgettable soup and it got sullied with the same memories. Or maybe I just felt the photos didn't do it justice. It was quite good but as I made it back in June, I don't remember it so well. I did enjoy the orange hue and chunks of sun dried tomato.

Christmas bangers and mash

2011-12-20T22:37:00.001+11:00

My neighbours and her two kids come over after work today to see our Christmas tree. It was such a lovely visit. Watching the kids giggling by the tree was pure delight. Sitting chatting to Paula while the kids played together and E played ukelele was a pleasure. Meanwhile the Mexicale Pie cooked in the oven. It is a meal I make regularly and don't stress over. Unlike Saturday night's dinner of fancy festive bangers and mash.

We had decorated the tree and I had planned on making a special Christmas meal for E and Sylvia and myself to share. When planning the meal, I hadn't counted on my time being put out of whack by the sudden demise of my old camera requiring a trip to the city to buy a new one. Taking photos with a new camera was frustrating. My timing was out.

Sylvia was narky with waiting for dinner. I didn't have any onions for the gravy. My sausages were threatening to burn under the grill. It was too hot to turn on the oven to bake the side dish. Then Paula dropped over with a Christmas card and the news that the cool change was upon us. I was just a bit stressed. Probably just as well she didn't stay too long.

I had hoped I might have time to set a festive table. As it was, I was lucky to find a skerrick of energy to fling a tartan runner on the table and a few decorations. It isn't easy to organise dinner when your plans are over-ambitious and a toddler is at large! At least dinner was delicious.

I had found a recipe for cheese sausages in Sam Stern's Eat Vegetarian. A bit of gruyere cheese and a handful of cranberries gave these snags a festive feel. My plans to bake pecan crusted sweet potato with sour cream morphed into a mashed sweet potato. Much nicer in that heat! I ended up using the leftover leeks and unused sour cream in a sauce. I microwaved some broccolini for a bit of green. It all worked rather well. Especially those sausages. They were fantastic.

We enjoyed the meal and packed Sylvia off to bed. Then we could enjoy strawberry ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert. A few days later E said something about how the mashed pumpkin was much nicer than usual. When I told him it was sweet potato, he exclaimed that this was why he liked it so much.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Edible Gift Ideas for Christmas
This time two years ago: Royal Botantic Garden Edinburgh
This time three years ago: Apricot, Berry and Bran Muffins
This time four years ago: Nutroast for dinosaurs

Gruyere and cranberry veggie sausages
Adapted from Sam Stern's Eat Vegetarian
serves 4

175g gruyere cheese, grated
170g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 leek, finely chopped white part
1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped
2 eggs
handful of dried cranberries, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp parsley, chopped (I forgot)
grated rind and juice of half a lemon (I forgot)
3 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp mustard
seasoning, as required

To crumb:
1 egg
1/2 tsp seeded mustard
70g fresh breadcrumbs
melted butter or oil spray for grilling

Mix all ingredients, except those needed to crumb the sausages. Shape into 8 fat little sausages. To crumb, lightly whisk egg and seeded mustard in a shallow bowl and place breadcrumbs in another. Dip each sausage in egg mixture and then roll in breadcrumbs. (They seemed a bit fragile while raw but held together wonderfully once cooked.) Spray with oil and place under the grill (broiler). Cook for about 10 minutes, turning regularly until evenly cooked and golden brown.

Smoky maple sweet potato mash
Inspired by Helen

500g sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup leek greens, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
freshly ground black pepper

Steam sweet potato and leeks for about 20 minutes. Mash with remaining ingredients. Give a vigourous stir with a spoon and check seasoning.

Red pepper and leek sauce

olive oil plus butter
greens from a leek, finely chopped
1 shallow, finely chopped
1/2 x 400g jar of roasted red peppers, drained and finely chopped
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 generous spoonful of light sour cream
water, to thin sauce

Cook leek greens and red peppers gently in olive oil and butter for about 20-30 minutes, until wilted and smelling good. Add seasoning and sour cream. Heat sour cream, stirring frequently. Check seasoning and add water if you need to thin the sauce.

On the stereo:
A dark noel: the very best of excelsis projekt: various artists

WSC Fruitcake with Chocolate II and our tree

2011-12-18T22:50:00.002+11:00

We have had a lot of sweet food lately. Not all for myself, mind you. We've given lebkuchen and chocolate biscuits as presents, taken rocky road to my parents' place and had Christmas cake maturing in the cupboards. I had promised myself to open the cake this weekend when we decorated our Christmas tree and then one at my mum and dad's. I loved it though others were less enthusiastic.

The Chocolate and Fig Fruitcake recipe came from Lucy of the Kitchen Maid blog. I first tried a Chocolate Fruitcake on the blog a few years ago. It tasted fantastic but I was disappointed at just how little I could taste the chocolate because it was melted into the batter. Lucy's recipe was full of chunks of chocolate and fancy dried fruit throughout the cake. Just my sort of thing! I finally found time one evening and mixed the cake by hand in front of the telly and got it in the oven by 10pm. Later than I had intended.

I found my notes from the previous fruitcake blog post useful in reminding me about lining the tin. Lucy said not to worry but I am more paranoid than that. I used a 20cm square tin but it is a really tall cake. In future I would use a 22 or 23 cm square tin. The paper helps the cake to cook evenly and I would do this again. I just use good quality paper bags from shops (thanks Readings and Gewurzhaus). And I remembered to take off the sticky tape before putting the cake in the oven.

The cake cooked for 3 hours! At 1am, I turned off the oven, left the cake in while it cooled and went to bed. In the morning, the cake was still slightly warm. It wasn't until the next evening that I took it out of the tin and wrapped it up to mature. Unlike some recipes I don't feed mine with booze. I am not brave enough, nor does it seem necessary or even desirable to me.

On Saturday morning, we got a tree from a nearby church (where sales contributed to the restoration fund) and decorated it. When E had his gardening gloves on to avoid getting resin on his hands when handling the tree, Sylvia used socks on her hands as gloves. However she was most interested in the remote control for the lights settings. She also contributed some sparkly cut-outs for the tree that she had made at nursery. I've talked about our other Christmas decorations before so wont go into detail this year, suffice to day I love the memories attached to each ornament.

I am still adjusting to my new camera so I didn't quite get the photos of the cake I would have liked but this one shows the texture inside. I love how fruitcakes are so dense that the fruit can't sink to the bottom. The main risks are that it will be too dry or too soggy. This fruitcake was perfect. Moist and full of flavour. E and Sylvia love the soft chunks of chocolate but not the fruitcake. My mum and dad loved the fruitcake but not the chocolate. For me, this is a fruitcake that has enough chocolate to satisfy. Not for everyone but I recommend you try it anyway. It is truly decadent. Full of seasonal good cheer.

Lastly I am sending the fruitcake to Choclette and Chele for We Should Cocoa. The theme this month is oranges. I hope mine host, Choclette, wont mind that the orange is not the star of the show. This cake depends on orange juice, orange zest and some orange chocolate for its depth of flavour.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Pumpkin ravioli and nutroast
This time two years ago: The Witchery - Scottish Fine Dining
This time three years ago: Scones - plain and simple
This time four years ago: Leek Tofu Quiche and Red Pepper Coulis

Chocolate and Fig Fruitcake
Adapted from Peta Mathias via Kitchenmaid

500g dried figs, cut in quarters
200g prunes, cut in quarters
100g dried cranberries
100g dried sour cherries, halved
50g slivered almonds
whisky and juice for soaking fruit
600g dark chocolate, (I used 500g of 70% and 100g of orange chocolate)
50g slivered almonds
300g butter
300g brown sugar
1tbsp treacle
5 eggs
grated zest of two oranges
2tbsp whisky or brandy or rum
350g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp salt

Soak the fruit in a large bowl, covered in a mixture of whisky and orange juice for at about 24 hours, stirring occasionally. There should be enough liquid for quite a bit of sloshing about in the bowl. I checked mine after 12 hours and it had soaked up the liquid (juice of an orange and slurp of whisky) so I added a slurp of pomegranate juice and more whisky (at least 1/4 cup of it). If your fruit doesn't soak up all the liquid, you can drink it or use it for other cooking.

When you are ready to bake the cake, preheat the oven to 160 C and line a cake tin. I lined a 20cm square cake tin with a few layers of old paper bags and some baking paper. (Lucy at Kitchenmaid used a 24cm round cake tin.)

Drain the fruit if there is any soaking liquid that hasn't been absorbed by the fruit. Chop the chocolate into small bits and stir into the fruit with the almonds. Set aside.

Cream the butter, sugar and treacle. (I did this by hand) Beat in eggs one by one and then add orange zest and 2 tbsp of whisky or booze of choice. Gently stir in flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Add the fruit mixture and stir to combine. This is a large amount of mixture and you will need a large bowl and a wooden spoon.

Spoon cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Bake at 160 C for 90 minutes. The recipe said to turn it down to 150 C but I left it at 160 C for another 90 minutes. I tried the skewer in the cake to test if it was ready. The skewer came out clean after about 2 hours but the middle of the cake still felt a bit soft to touch so I covered it with a few layers of brown paper and left my cake in another hour - so my cake was in about 3 hours all up. It still seemed a bit soft in the middle so I turned off the oven and left the cake in there as it cooled.

Once cool - it took some time because it wasn't even completely cool by the next morning - I removed it from the tin and unwrapped the paper. Then I wrapped the cake in foil and placed it in an airtight container in the cupboard. I left mine wrapped for 2 weeks before cutting it open and it was lovely.

On the stereo:
The Flying Club Cup - Beirut

CC Strawberry ice cream - an agar agar experiment

2011-12-17T23:45:00.010+11:00

I have come to the conclusion that I don't choose change. It chooses me. It usually drags me along screaming and kicking! For those who might seem surprised to see an ice cream recipe on my blog, I am not referring to that. I mean that I had to buy a new camera today. Yesterday I took a new water bottle to the workplace Christmas lunch. Events conspired against me (but no alcohol was involved) and the new bottle emptied itself into my camera. The view finder resembled a fishtank.

I made this ice cream last night but there are no photos of making it because I was without a camera! But I was determined to make it for a Christmas meal at home tonight. I had planned to make icy poles for the penultimate Cookbook Challenge because the theme was cool. Then I saw that Vikki Leng had quite a few eggless ice cream recipes using agar agar in A Vegetarian Feast. I was intrigued.

She claimed that the agar agar and honey (these are not vegan recipes) kept the mixture soft and that no ice cream machine was needed. I've always shied away from making ice cream because I dislike eggs and don't have an ice cream machine. Problem solved! Or so I thought.

Making the ice cream was easier than I expected. Setting it was harder than I expected. After leaving it overnight it had started to harden around the edges. I turned up the freezer. Even tonight, 24 hours later, it was quite firm around the edges but in the middle it was sloppy. Vikki said the honey would keep it soft and Nigella (which I did some research) said that cold kills flavour, I added an extra spoonful of honey. I would only add 2 tablespoons in future. Not only is the ice cream soft but it tastes more of honey than strawberries.

So the ice cream is not perfect but it is better than my first attempt last year. Without eggs in the equation, I am quite happy to experiment, especially when it is so hot. I am less happy to experiment with my camera but that is a necessary evil. I am all thumbs with it right now. You may notice this in some of the photos. I am also very nervous about cameras and accidents. But as I heard on the radio twice lately - you have to live life.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Hotel Lincoln: genial gastropub
This time two years ago: Christmas Nut Roast in Scotland
This time three years ago: Tree, Tarts and Punch
This time four years ago: SHF #38 Christmas Pudding

Strawberry ice cream with agar
From Vikki Leng's A Vegetarian Feast
makes about 1 litre

1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup castor sugar
2 tsp agar powder
2 cup milk
250g punnet of strawberries, hulled
2 tbsp honey
3/4 cup (225g) pouring cream

Heat apple juice, castor sugar and agar powder in a small saucepan until they boil (mine had a lot of froth when it boiled). Reduce heat and simmer. Let sit for about 2-5 minutes. I found after 5 minutes that mine coated the spoon a bit like a jam that is starting to set.

Blend milk, strawberries and honey in the food processor. While motor is still running, drizzle in apple juice mixture. Leave to set and then blend in the cream. After 30 minutes (before adding the cream), mine had set enough that when I added the cream it just sat on top of the mixture.

Tip mixture into plastic tub - allowing a bit of space for ice cream to expand when it freezes. I had to turn up my freezer to full blast because it was still soft in the middle even after 24 hours. Maybe it was because I used 3 tbsp of honey and if it is reduced to 2 tbsp it might freeze a little more.

NOTES: Vikki Leng suggests substituting greek yoghurt for cream. I will try this next time because I found the cream quite heavy. I served my ice cream with a bitter chocolate sauce (50g of 70% dark chocolate and a few spoonfuls - ie the rest of a 300ml tub - of cream melted together in the microwave - probably enough for 4).

On the Stereo:
Christmas is a Coming: Bing Crosby

Vegetarian Christmas Recipes - menu planning ideas

2011-12-16T22:38:00.015+11:00

When I decided to put together a list of Christmas food ideas, I was surprised at how many I have posted on my blog. I have tried to narrow down this list to represent the essence of Christmas to me. Christmas dinner in my family has always been a hunk of protein in the centre with vegetables and gravy, followed by a rich pudding and then mince pies and chocolate. My experience of Christmas comes from an Anglo-Celtic tradition.

Christmas food for me means winter food (chestnuts, cranberries, potatoes), decadence (nuts, fancy cheeses, chocolate). It is not the sort of light food you might fancy in the heat of an Australian summer. However we usually eat more summery food around Christmas here so I have been able to include some lighter recipes too. This page will be updated as I post more Christmas recipes. More recipes can be found in my index.

Starters

Finnish green bean paté (gf)
Liz O'Brien's Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese (gf, v)
Stuffed Pears (gf)
Tomatoes stuffed with Guacamole (gf, v)
Voracious Vegan Pate (v)

Soup

Beetroot and rhubarb soup (gf, v)
Chestnut, parsnip and orange soup (gf)
Curried apple soup (gf)
Lentil and Chestnut Soup (gf, v)
Pumpkin soup (and suggested variations) (gf, v)
Simple tomato soup (gf)

Salads

Main Course

On the Side

Dessert

Choc-nut Banana and Fruit Kebabs (gf, v)
Christmas Pudding
Condensed milk fudge sauce (gf) with fruit
Finnish Blueberry Soup (Mustikkakeitto) (gf, v)
Plum Gingerbread Sponge Pudding
Red fruit salad (gf, v)
Steamed Strawberry Pudding
Strawberry Soup (gf, v)

Drinks

Apricot and strawberry punch (gf, v)
Delia's festive punch (gf, v)
Glögi (gf, v)
Lime Spiders (gf)
Mulled apple juice (gf, v)
Mulled wine (gf, v)
Raspberry Punch (gf, v)
Spiced red currant and orange punch (gf, v)

Baking

Chocolate, cherry and chestnut cake (gf)
Chocolate and cranberry shortbread
Chocolate fruitcake
Chocolate panforte
Christmas Cupcakes (reindeer and holly) (gf)
Christmas pudding bites
Fruit mince muffins
Fruit mince scrolls (v)
Gingerbread biscuits
Lebkuchen (coming soon)
Orange, Lavender and Almond Syrup Cake
White Christmas
Zimsterne (Cinnamon Stars) (gf, v)

New Year

Haggis nachos (my favourite - v)
Henderson's Vegetarian Haggis (nut free - v)
Haggis neeps and tatties crepe stack
Haggis neeps and tatties pasties (v)
Haggis pizza
Neeps and tatties latkes (v)
Tatties and Neeps Rosti (gf, v)

Leftover ideas for nut roast

Buttermilk bread

2011-12-15T22:32:00.013+11:00

Do you like my new Christmas tea towel? It made me feel better that I didn't quite get the shaping and slashing right. They have never been my strengths when it comes to baking bread. Yet for all that, the bread was delicious. It is a Buttermilk Bread that looked gorgeous and professional on Wendy's Wee bit of Cooking blog. Well at least my tea towel looks gorgeous!

Despite this bread not being perfect and despite my intentions of trying it again, I am posting it as too many of these sort of recipes fall by the wayside and never get posted. I am planning to make rocky road soon and wished I had posted my disaster batch earlier this year to remember what I did wrong (I probably just used homemade marshmallow - that wont be repeated).

I am also posting this bread because it tasted so amazing when warm out of the oven. I had to exercise great self control to stop at two pieces of bread. It was so soft and crusty with a lovely mild flavour. Wendy compared it to sourdough but I think it had a far softer and delicate crumb than the sturdy texture of sourdough loaves that I love, yet incredibly moreish. The knead-a-few-minutes-and-rest-five-minutes was a bit of a hassle - especially when Sylvia woke from her nap crying. In fact I kept forgetting the time and finally set the timer for each rise.

I enjoyed having it for breakfast with peanut butter. So it is only fitting that I send it to Krithi who has chosen Bread as the theme for the Breakfast Club in December. I am also sending this bread to Susan of Wild Yeast for YeastSpotting.

I have lots more to say but I am feeling terribly behind at the moment with Christmas looming large. I have presents to wrap, cards to write and a blog index to update and I would really just like to go to bed. I have some more Christmas posts to share and hope to squeeze them in between a work Christmas party, a birthday party, tree decorating, plus more baking, over the next few days.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Carols, Camels and Pate
This time two years ago: The Last Drop - cosy pub grub
This time three years ago: Lentil Loaf with Chutney
This time four years ago: Unctuous and Silky Silverbeet Gratin

Buttermilk Bread
From A Wee Bit of Cooking

200ml warm water
1 tsp dry active yeast
150 ml buttermilk
500g strong bread flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Olive oil
A little extra flour

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl and set aside until slightly frothy (around 10 minutes).
Add buttermilk and then stir in flour, salt, and sugar until it comes together into a wet dough. Let rest for 5 mins.
Use your hands to smear a little olive oil onto your work surface. I found I needed a little oil on my hands as well as on the bench. Knead dough on oiled work surface for a couple of minutes. Rest dough on work surface for 5 minutes. Knead again. Rest 5 minutes. Knead again. The kneading and the oiled surface should make it a lovely smooth texture.
Scrape out mixing bowl and place dough in it. Cover with a (dry?) teatowel and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled in sized. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes again and place back in the bowl and leave covered for another 30 minutes.
Dust a baking tray with with cornmeal (or flour if you don’t have cornmeal). Place dough onto work surface and pull into a flattish rectangular shape. Roll dough up lengthways and tuck the ends underneath. (I didn't quite get the hang of this.) Place seam side down and cover with dry tea towel. Leave to double in size for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat your oven to 200 C (I did 220 C) with a cake tin of water in the bottom. The water will steam your oven to help to steam the oven.. When oven reaches the right temperature place a cake tin of hot water in the bottom of the oven. Leave for 10 mins to let the oven get steamy.
Dust the risen dough with flour (I tried cornmeal and it just rolled off). Use a serrated knife to make 3 slits across the top of the loaf. (I didn't get the hang of this either. - I think I made mine too deep and I sprinkled more cornmeal after sprinkling even though I knew it was a bad idea.) Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.
Cool on a rack for an hour or so before eating.

On the stereo:
The Best of Christmas: James Last

Gifts in a Jar, Christmas quicklinks and Melbourne Christmas

2011-12-13T22:43:00.005+11:00

Bing said it best: "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." Christmas baking is underway. We have three advent calendars on the go (see below). Presents sitting in a corner of a the loungeroom. That may sound organised. Yet half the presents we have wrapped so far were accidentally wrapped in birthday wrapping paper. We also missed the carols service on Saturday due to the thunderstorms. We were disappointed but I felt badly for the organisers.

Last year I did a post on gift ideas and decided I would do so again this year. I've posted some recipes that are either tooth achingly sweet or fun on a stick or even slightly healthy. There are so many gift ideas in the blogosphere that I decided on a theme for some ideas from other blogs. Gifts in a jar. They appeal because the packaging is sorted, even if it is breakable.

I've also taken the opportunity to share some Christmas photos. You may wonder about Christmas in Australia where our nights are too long for light displays and the blazing sun is no place for snowmen, winter woollies and hot ovens. On the weekend, we had a lovely dinner of festive fingers and Christmas pudding at Miss Marples Tearoom. It is decorated traditionally (see top photo) as is the above Christmas tree in the Royal Arcade. We even have lots of traditional Christmas brick-a-brack in shops such as Tealeaves. But at the end of the post I have some photos of a less traditional and more Aussie Christmas on the streets of Melbourne.

I am sending the top photo to Jacqueline and Lisa's No Croutons Required event. The theme this month is festive photo.

Ten gift ideas from Green Gourmet Giraffe:

Apricot delight (gf, v)
Caramel fudge (gf)
Cherry Ripe cake pops (gf)
Chocolate crackle top biscuits
Christmas pudding bites
Cookie wands (gf version included)
Dried fruit and coconut balls (gf, v)
'Nutella' chocolate spread (gf, v)
Nutella fudge (gf) (traditional or vegan)
White Christmas

Ten blogger ideas for gifts in a jar:

Apple pie (with cheese crust) in a jar - I am a Feeder
Bean burger mixture - Where's the Beef
Candied chillis - Chocolate Teapot
Candied orange peel dipped in chocolate - Chocolate Log Blog
Chocolate olive oil body scrub - The Kitchen Maid
Christmas chutney - Cook Almost Anything
Lavender sugar or Orange and Clove Sugar - Vanessa Kimbell
Punk Rock cookie jar mixes - Post Punk Kitchen
Pumpkin butter - Scissors and Spice
Spicy home made mustard - The Vegan Ronin

Christmas quicklinks

Christmas food traditions - mince pies and gingerbread - Lambs Ears and Honey
Christmas in the Sun - Rolf Harris and Status Quo's Christmas single
Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas - City Hippy Farm Girl
Home for the Holidays Gluten Free Recipe Event - Gluten Free Easily
Homemade Christmas (cooking and craft gift ideas) - Turquoise Lemons
The ultimate guide to making your own edible Christmas Gifts (Let's Make Christmas Round-Up) - Vanessa Kimbell
More Christmas gift ideas - My New Roots

Christmas in the streets of Melbourne:

Here are some photos I have taken over the last week or so in Melbourne:

Popular in recent years have been flags for Christmas decorations. Actually flags are popular for any event. They aren't very Christmassy, are they?

I am more of a fan of these new hanging decorations that look great against the green trees that line Swanston Street in the city. As for the Christmas window displays, there are very few of the cosy snow and santa hats type. Here is a selection of non-traditional shop window displays.

Kooky!

Colourful!

And my favourite! Santa in a t-shirt serving up a pudding from a pizza oven to Rudoph. This is the quirky type of Aussie Christmas scene that amuses and pleases me. (Mankoushe in East Brunswick)

Lastly to prove that it is possible to create great Christmas traditions in Australia, here are the Myer Christmas Windows that have been displayed with a different theme each year since 1956. I loved them as a child and now take Sylvia along. Even if it is our own pop idol, Guy Sebastian, singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Bring back Bing!

CC Chesapeake tempeh cakes for carols

2011-12-11T22:38:00.014+11:00

Last weekend we went to an outdoor Christmas Carols service. I started making Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes for the picnic while Sylvia slept. It is so lovely cooking with life is peaceful. Then she woke and my parents appeared and it was a mad rush to get our things together. It felt like a miracle we got there but we did.

When Sylvia woke I had been rolling the burgers into balls and had dirty hands. She took one look and advised, "if you wash your hands under water they will be clean," having experimented with just such washing at the sink quite a lot. She watched in horror as I started to grill the tempeh cakes and a huge flame erupted on one of them. I like to spray grill burgers with oil and grill them (ie broil them if you live in America). The sprays seem to emit a gas that is very flammable when it comes to the grill. Usually I am more careful.

Then my mum and dad arrived. My dad helped to dismantle Sylvia's rejected cot to take away. My mum was feeling under the weather but hates to stand idle so she did the dishes. (I tried to dissuade her, honestly.)

Mum and dad then came to the carols with us. We got there just as Santa Claus arrived. Sylvia enjoyed seeing him. Luckily for us, she was not so interested in joining the long queue to sit on his lap. Dad queued for sausages instead but found there were none to be had. He made do with a Chesapeake tempeh cake. I can't claim he was overly excited. Yet they were very acceptable for vegan fishcakes with tempeh and nori.

We also had the smoky red pepper hummus, vegies, rice crackers, popcorn, tim tams, cherries and marzipan tart. Unfortunately, when it was time for a cuppa tea, my mum discovered that the thermos was no longer working. It was a disappointment because it was such a cool evening. The carols were great, however, with a few different community choirs.

The Chesapeake tempeh cakes were great picnic food. In fact I preferred them at room temperature rather than straight off the grill. I enjoyed the crispy breadcrumb interior when hot but they were a bit soft inside. Cooled, they were firmer and the flavours were more prominent.

After carols (as the rain poured down and we were thankful the washing was in) E and I discussed how best to eat the tempeh cakes. E suggested tomato sauce and chips. I had thought they would be good with a yoghurt sauce and salad. Isa suggests a tartare-style sauce. On the PPK comments, there are helpful suggestions of adding cauliflower to the mix or serving with avocado. I liked them topped with smoky red pepper hummus both at the carols and at Chesterfield farm the next day.

I made these burgers for the Cookbook Challenge theme of Seafood. A challenge for a vegetarian blog. But Isa noted that they were inspired by Chesapeake crabcakes, so they seemed to fit the theme. As I have never eaten crabcakes, I couldn't say how the compare but I enjoyed them. I am also sending them to Couscous and Consciousness for the Cookbook Sunday event, which, like the Cookbook Challenge, encourages bloggers to use their cookbooks.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Buns, soup and crunchie in yaz's kitchen
This time two years ago: Edinburgh Castle: Queen Anne Cafe
This time three years ago: Festive Shortbread
This time four years ago: How green was my mole?

Chesapeake tempeh cakes
Adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch - posted on PPK
makes about 12

300g packet of tempeh
1 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
1 sheet nori, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
1 tbsp seeded mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 heaped tsp chilli paste
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp dried oregano
good pinch salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
stir in
1 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs (I processed week old wholemeal bread)
1/2 cup white rice crumbs (optional)
extra breadcrumbs for coating tempeh cakes
oil spray for grilling

Crumble tempeh and mix with water, olive oil, soy sauce and bay leave in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until most of the water had evaporated - I let mine simmer another 10 or so minutes because it was still a bit watery after 15. Let cool slightly in a large mixing bowl. (The recipe says to make sure it is room temperature or the tempeh cakes might fall apart but I found that the tempeh cooled a lot as I got the other ingredients together.

Add red pepper, nori, spring onion, mayonnaise, mustard, red vinegar, chilli paste, ginger, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir into tempeh mixture. Check seasoning. Mine were very soft - possibly because I had used the crumbs of old bread rather than completely dried breadcrumbs that I usually use - so I added the half cup of rice crumbs in lieu of extra breadcrumbs but I recommend only adding them (or additional breadcrumbs) if the mixture needs firming up.

Roll into 10-12 balls and flatten each into patties. You may need to dampen your hands to stop the mixture sticking to them. Toss patties in extra breadcrumbs (or rice crumbs - I used a mixture of wheat and rice). Spray one side with oil and cook under the grill for 5-10 minutes or until crisp and brown. Turn over and spray the other side. Cook for a few minutes, or until crisp and brown.

On the Stereo:
The Original Christmas Album: 20 Party Christmas Crackers: Various Artists

PPN Panfried Gnocchi with Cauliflower and Peas

2011-12-09T22:36:00.003+11:00

Sylvia has wanted some gnocchi in the supermarket. We rarely have gnocchi - from the supermarket or made by my own hand. I put it in the trolley anyway. It sat in the fridge until a hot day when I was low on energy. Pan fried gnocchi seemed the answer. I three in some vegies that needed to be used, some parmesan cheese and a generous glug of oil.

It was lovely. Not perfect. Yet great comfort food. My problem was that it was too savoury. It needed some sweetness to balance the flavours. I think it would be great with roast pumpkin. I even wished I had remembered the half jar of roasted red peppers in my fridge. Or a salad with a sweetish dressing. Or even lemon juice. Maybe it would have been better if I had had more peas, or if less of them had gone into Dolly's bowl. At least I had willing helpers. We served the gnocchi with corn on the cob. Ironically Sylvia was not a fan of the gnocchi.

It surprises me just how chewy that gnocchi was - pleasingly so. Less surprising is Nigella claiming she could simulate roast potatoes by pan frying gnocchi. I didn't take much notice of timing or rigorously measure ingredients but I think it took about 45 minutes all up. Below is what I did.

I am sending the pasta sauce to Rachel of The Crispy Cook for Presto Pasta Nights #244, the weekly pasta event coordinated by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Other blogger recipes for ready made gnocchi:

Baked gnocchi in tomato sauce - A Wee Bit of Cooking
Gnocchi with morels, peas, sorrel oil, pine nuts, and miso broth - Veganasaurus
Pan fried potato gnocchi with arugula, parmesan and walnuts - Herbivoracious
Quick basil and pinenut fried gnocchi - Vegetarian Life Australia
Tomato and aubergine gnocchi bake - Tinned Tomatoes

Panfried Gnocchi with Cauliflower and Peas
serves 3-4

olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cauliflower, cut into small florets
pinch salt
pinch smoked salt
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
couple of handfuls of fresh peas, podded (or more)
1 packet ready made gnocchi (enough to serve 4)
1 tomato, chopped
2-4 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated
freshly ground black pepper

Heat a glug or two of olive oil in a large frypan. Fry onion for 5-10 minutes until softened while you chop the cauliflower. Add the cauliflower and the salts (and another glug of oil if needed). Cook for another perhaps 20-30 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Add peas and garlic. cook for a couple of minutes. Add gnocchi with another glug of oil and cook for another 5-15 minutes until gnocchi is a little crispy and soft inside. The onion should be well browned and caramelised by now. Turn off the heat and stir through the parmesan and tomato. Serve with extra parmesan and freshly ground black pepper if desired.

On the Stereo:
Ultra Lounge Christmas Cocktails: Various Artists

CC Chesterfield Farm and Smoky Red Pepper Hummus

2011-12-08T22:48:00.004+11:00

Last Sunday we had organised to meet friends at Chesterfield Farm. We had plenty of picnic food, boundless enthusiasm from Sylvia but unfortunately her wee friend was out of sorts and the weather was unkind. Nevertheless we headed out in the cold to the farm. It was a great outing. The sun shone. The animals were friendly. So was Santa Claus. It is just a shame that Chris, Yav and Florence couldn't join us. I'll tell you about our picnic at the end of the post but first let's take a wander around the farm.

We arrived at the farm to the sound of magpies warbling and a whiff of manure. It felt like the country. However if you looked to your left, there were electricity pilons and to the right in the distance was the freeway. Chesterfield homestead was built in 1859 and it was the centre of a dairy farm for many years until it became Australia's first feedlot farm in 1950. In 1997 it was opened to the public.

When I was at primary school, we had our annual camp right next to a dairy farm. We used to visit and see milk being produced. I lived in a country town so farms weren't that unusual for the kids in my class. But this farm, in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne is a great opportunity for city kids (Sylvia included) to see a farm. Even though it is run as a tourist operation, it still gives valuable experiences and learning.

Our first sight upon entering the farm was Santa leaving on a fire truck. It seemed we had missed our chance to see him but we saw him later on this monster bike. There were quite a few children's Christmas get-togethers going on at the farm. Once Santa got off, the farmhands told Sylvia she could sit on the bike. She was a bit shy but got on later with me for a photo op.

We had our lunch at picnic tables by the chook yard. The hens had an enclosure but were quite bold in wandering about at leisure, as were other animals. Sylvia was quite happy to watch but not get too close.

She was very interested in watching what was going on over at the pony rides. But she is not quite old enough or confident enough for a ride herself. We also decided not to go on the tractor rides. We did however purchase some feed and spent a pleasurable time feeding the donkeys. E loved them nuzzling his hand as they ate but Sylvia was quite happy to just dole out the feed to us.

We also visited the barn with the younger animals. Signs encouraged us to pat many of the animals. Again, E loved patting lambs and bunny rabbits but Sylvia didn't want to get too close. She did find some amusement in the pigs (who were quite frisky) because one of her favourite DVDs is Peppa Pig. I enjoyed seeing these three pigs wandering about outside. I think they are getting together here to discuss what to use to build their houses - straw, sticks or bricks!

Once a day, and twice on weekends, there is a farm show. It was interesting to see a dog round up the sheep and then see Dolly the cow being milked but it was the most staged of all that we saw. We sat in a stadium of tiered seats to watch - though we did have the opportunity to milk the cow and pat her. I would have preferred a bit more time to just wander through the paddocks and see the animals.

Instead, we stayed around the homestead, took some silly photos, fed and patted animals and admired the old farm machinery. We met our friends at the nearby Wheelers Hill Hotel for a quick drink afterwards. We had planned to go to the Monash Gallery of Art that is also close to the farm, but by the time we left Chesterfield, it was too late.

If I was looking to buy food, the gallery cafe or the hotel seemed to offer a more sophisticated menu than the pies and crisps at the farm. But the best option was to take a picnic. I had decided to make a Smoky Red Pepper Hummus from Rose Eliot's Vegetarian Supercook for the Cookbook Challenge theme of Red. I almost didn't because it was so difficult getting the lid off the jar of roasted peppers but after much swearing and sweating, we did it.

Maybe it is more orange than red but it doesn't matter as the Cookbook Community page is out of action. But I am determined to see the challenge through to the end of the year. And I was glad I had made the dip. It was a lot lighter than regular hummus albeit full of flavour. Though I had plenty of crudites on hand, it was best with rice crackers and corn chips. I had though it would last ages but It was gone by the end of the weekend.

I will write more about the burgers that I served with the humuus, but for now I will tell you that if the weather is a bit chilly, E highly recommends taking a thermos of boiling water and some teabags to the farm. And take a sunhat in case the sun shines. It was that sort of weekend. (Fortunately it was not really bad weather like that in Scotland.) Rain or shine, it was great fun!

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Healthy biscuits, interesting buildings
This time two years ago: Edinburgh Winter Wonderland
This time three years ago: Memories, BBQs, and Bangers & Mash
This time four years ago: Mediterranean Rice Slice

Smoky red papper hummus
From Rose Eliot's Vegetarian Supercook

400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
200g jar of roasted red pepper, drained
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp honey (or agave)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
couple of dashes of tabasco sauce
couple of good pinches of salt
lots of black pepper

Blend all ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. I did this in my little blender attachment to my hand held blender.

Chesterfield Farm

1221 Ferntree Gully Road, Scoresby,
(between Jells Road & Stud Road, next to Jells Park)

Melway Reference 72 C9

(03) 9763 1588

http://www.chesterfieldfarm.com.au/

On the Stereo:
Christmas is a Coming: Bing Crosby

Orange and strawberry icy poles

2011-12-07T23:22:00.001+11:00

It was a hot busy day today. I am exhausted. I have been to Sylvia's swimming lessons, done the washing, vaccumed before Sylvia's new bed arrived, baked bread, made fruit salad and been shopping. The heat made me hanker after ice-cream. An uncharacteristic whim. Fortunately though I don't have an ice cream maker, I have icy pole moulds.

We bought a cornetto after swimming. It wasn't great. We were rushing back home to be there in time for the bed delivery. I ran into a friend from my student days whom I haven't seen for years (probably decades). He has a brother with the same name as a famous Irish writer and a son with the same name as a prominent Australian politician. What are the odds! (Let me know if you can work it out!)

When I got home I decided it was time for icy poles (also known as iced lollies in the UK and popsicles in the USA). I decided upon a simple version of my previous icy poles. Those one were full of chunks of fruit. These are based on a trick I learnt last summer. I just make smoothies and freeze them. The only problem was that my trusty hand held blender turned on me and sprayed the kitchen with the orange and strawberry puree. I kept finding bits of juice everywhere.

Sylvia was most interested - in the juice, not the mess. I used very small icy pole moulds. I love these moulds because they are the right size for her but also because they can be worn like a ring and look like jewells. It meant I had some juice leftover. I gave Sylvia a little in a cup. She stood at the sink drinking it. Then she got tired of it and threw it down the sink. She said she really just wanted water. I was horrified at her wasting good juice but proud of her love of water. Friends of our recently told us that they had been drinking a lot of juice until they found out that it was full of sugar.

Sylvia was very excited about her new bed and went down for her nap in the bed without too much fuss (unlike tonight). It was warm so I had an icy pole. Frozen juice is just the thing for a hot summer's day. When Sylvia woke she was miserable. Finally she calmed down with an icy pole eaten with a tea towel spread over her lap to catch the drips - and there were many. When she finished she simply said "Anudder one?" That was all the praise I needed!

The weather is forecast to be warm over the next few days so I am looking forward to eating the rest of the icy poles. Below is what I did but really, it is hardly a recipe. Just worth remembering.

Other sweet recipes for hot days at Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Lime Spiders (gf)
Moody Blues (pineapple and blackberry juice) (gf, v)
Pine-berry fruit salad (gf, v)
Raspberry and yoghurt parfait
Strawberry and Passionfruit Icy Poles (gf, v)
Strawberry Soup (gf, v)
Tofu Chocolate Ice Cream (gf, v)

Orange and Strawberry Icy Poles

juice of 2 oranges
125g strawberries

Blend and pour into icy pole moulds. Leave a little room at the top for the liquid to expand when frozen. Freeze and enjoy on a hot day. I think we waited about 4-5 hours and they were hard enough to eat but perhaps could have done with another few hours to really harden up. To remove frozen icy poles from moulds, just run until a little cold water to loosen it and tug at the stick - if it doesn't come out run under a little more water.

On the Stereo:
The Best Aussie Christmas - Various Artists

CC Country grain and soy bread

2011-12-06T21:49:00.000+11:00

Breakfast! People seem to either love it or hate it. I love it. Can't leave the house without it. Even if I am going out to brunch. For the Cookbook Challenge Breakfast theme I thought of all sort of fancy foods - pancakes, tofu scrambles, sausages, muffins. Yet I haven't had much time for special breakfasts lately so I thought I would share what I often have for breakfast. Bread! Mostly toast! With promite, peanut butter and/or cheese.

The bread I chose is one from Julia Stafford's Vegetarian Cooking. Julia Stafford is well known in Australia for her healthy eating cookbooks, especially Taste of Life. I was pleased to finally try her country grain and soy bread. It has lots of interesting and healthy ingredients. She noted that it made great toast and I agree. The crust was so nubbly with the bulgar wheat that it has a lovely crunch when toasted.

Making the bread wasn't without some challenges. It gave rise to the following questions:

Q. Is salt necessary in bread dough?

A. The recipe didn't call for any salt. I spoke to my mum about it. She said she didn't always use salt in bread. I know that salt retards the dough rising so I guess this might have risen even faster if I hadn't added some salt. Even with some salt added, I found this a sweetish bread.

Q. Have supermarkets stopped selling cracked wheat (bulger, bulghar)?

I looked in a couple of supermarkets. I asked the shelf packers and mostly got gormless replies but one person hunted for it for me and still couldn't find it. I was surprised how hard it was to find in a supermarket as I thought tabouli was quite a common salad. Fortunately I live among many Middle Eastern groceries so I could still buy it. There the main challenge was what sort to buy - fine, medium, coarse, white, wholemeal. I think I bought fine wholemeal.

Q. Must one have a dough hook to make bread?

Some days it seems I am the only person in the world without a dough hook. It can be a bit of a challenge with some recipes. I let my ingredients rest instead of kneading with a dough hook. Last week I found solace in buying Dan Lepard's The Handmade Loaf.

It was quite some time ago that I made this bread so my memories are a bit hazy. My loaf was a little deflated when it came out of the oven. I think I let it rise a little too much but maybe it was just my lack of a dough hook. I meant to add chia seeds because I love them but forgot. I have added it to the recipe to remind myself next time.

I am sending this bread to YeastSpotting. This is the weekly round up of bloggers' breads by Susan of Wild Yeast. If you love your bread like I do, you might like to check out her festive YeastSpotting that will be posted tomorrow.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Cheese & pesto muffins and breakfast routine
This time two years ago: Christening Cake
This time three years ago: St Andrew’s Day Haggis
This time four years ago: Cool Green Spring Soup

Country grain and soy bread
From Julia Stafford's Vegetarian Cookbook

14g dried yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1 tbsp honey (I used agave)
2 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 cups wholemeal plain flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1/2 cup cracked wheat
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp salt (optional)

Combine yeast, lukewarm water, honey and flours. Knead with a dough hook for about 5 minutes. (I don't have a dough hook so I left my mixture to rest for 30 minutes and then kneaded it but next time I will add all the ingredients together.) Add seeds and cracked wheat and salt if using. Knead another few minutes until bread is soft and supple. Return dough to scraped out bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for about 30 minutes until it has doubled in size. Punch down and knead briefly. Place in greased bread tin, cover and set aside to rise another 30 minutes. Bake in 230 C oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a rack.

On the Stereo:
Equinoxe: Jean-Michel Jarre

The Geelong Show - exhibits, eats and entertainment

2011-12-05T22:04:00.000+11:00

Back in October, I went with E, Sylvia and my family to the Royal Geelong Show. We actually tried to go to the Melbourne Show but the parking was so bad that we just went to the park instead. The Geelong Show is its regional cousin - smaller, less busy and less competitive. Yet still filled with animals, colour, sideshows, rides, cakes, produce and showbags. It suited us well.

Our first port of call was the entertainment tent. My brother was playing with his band, which has expanded to include his daughter. We listened for a while and studied the map of the Show. The cake display was next door. I loved looking at all the different baking. Cakes, slices, scones, breads, biscuits, fudge. It is like taking food blogging offline. And it is fun to see who got the prizes.

Or at least it is fun for those of us without a vested interest. My mother was looking at the egg display when she was heard an old guy nearby muttering in outrage at the eggs that had been chosen for first prize rather than his eggs. He then told her all about it and took her off to see his artwork.

The cakes were in the same shed as the craft displays. While I looked at the baking with a practiced eye, I can only admire the skill of the craftspeople. I dabble in a little knitting but I could never contemplate creating intricate clothes and cute little toys. The art was also quite interesting - some beautiful painting and some bizarre ideas. We were most amazed by the painting of golliwogs and Ned Kelly.

Next we went to the animal nursery shed to see the baby animals. Sylvia loves animals but is not keen on getting up close. She was more comfortable with the basket of freshly sheared wool rather than the live sheep and lambs. We watched other kids eagerly feeding bottled of milk to the lambs. We also saw calves, kids, chickens, horses and donkeys. My favourite moment was the chaos and squealing when a piglet escaped.

Having seen the agricultural side of the show, we decided it was time to venture into the fun fair. Great for those willing to pit their skills against the laughing clowns in search of cheap prizes. Not the place for those with a fear of clowns. We were there for the ferris wheel. I have no stomach for the upside-down-throw-me-around sort of rides but I love the gentle ferris wheel with the birds eye views. I was surprised at my nieces' fear on the ferris wheel but my little nephew Cooper was having a great time.

By now we had worked up a hunger. There were all the usual chips, burgers, baked potatoes and pies. I was excited to see a sign for Vegetarian Pad Thai. While it was awkward juggling the plate and E's samosas, it was a great lunch. Rice noodles, bean sprouts, egg, carrots, spring onions and a spicy sauce. So much more satisfying than the usual carb fest.

For a little sweet something, I bought a cinnamon sugar pretzels from Bretzels Biz. These are chewy and not too sweet. I shared it with my siblings and E and Sylvia. We all just had a bite each. Perfect. (Reminds me of my childhood of one can of coke and seven straws!)

We then headed into the produce shed. This was where people displayed the goods from their garden. Lots of flowers, fruit and vegetables. E and I spent a lot of our time in the this shed chasing Sylvia about. One of my favourite exhibits was the pretty displays of rhubarb.

There were lots of displays of individual fruits and vegetables - lemons, broad beans, cauliflower, beetroots. But most pleasing was the presentation of baskets of produce. I think my siblings thought I was a little crazy to enjoy photographing so many vegetables. But I can assure you that remembered to photograph some of the people with me too.

Inside this shed were also food and beverage manufacturers - lavender, a chocolate fountain, olive oil tasting, and Ned Kelly Red wines. Who could resist such a quirky label! We bought a bottle of the wine spritzer for my dad's birthday, which fell on the same day as our visit.

My very favourite exhibit was the little sculpture of local hero, Cameron Ling (Geelong footy captain), morphed into global cultural icon, Ronald McDonald. For those who don't know, Cameron Ling has red hair. He might even be looked up to by the children of Geelong more than Ronald McDonald.

Lastly, I couldn't leave without a showbag. I still have such fond memories of showbags as a kid. They were full of yummy lollies and fun novelty items. My favourite novelty gift was a cardboard cutout scene of a superhero flying across a [cardboard] rope to rescue a damsel in distress. Not very PC but lots of fun to make his fly across the rope over and over again. These days showbags seem so much more commercial and expensive than I remember. Yet they still retain a certain allure. We got a couple of cheap ones. Below is the caramello koala bag with chocolates and a giant pen.

We left the show accompanied by the sound of very noisy cars in the main arena. Back at my parents, my nieces and nephew were excitedly inspecting the contents of their showbags. Sylvia loved her new oversized pen. The day ended with chocolate cake for my dad and backyard cricket.

Microwave porridge, rants and raves

2011-12-04T23:31:00.002+11:00

I have many recipes to share. Yet I have a lot to share about each. So I wanted to take a break to share a few rants and tell you what is making me happy. It seemed an ideal post to write up how I am making porridge for Sylvia these days. I don't think the world needs another porridge recipe but this is what works for me and I want to remember it when winter darkens our doors again.

Firstly let me rant about some vegetarian and foodie disappointments:

I went to a workshop recently where they served savoury muffins. I was really pleased yet apprehensive. There were no signs or staff to check if they were vegetarian. I decided to be brave. Fortunately I was also wary. I pulled a chunk of muffin out only to find myself holding a chunk of meat. I returned to the chocolate muffins. So much safer.

I decided to have lunch at a favourite spot on Friday but they were out of pasties so I had curry in roti instead (above). Very disappointing. I cheered myself up with some of the delicious date and nut cake (an old fashioned nutloaf) at Threshermans.

Friday's food woes got even worse when I was tired and decided on "fresh"supermarket ravioli with a jar of sauce. The pasta smelt terrible when it went in the boiling water (2 days after purchase and a month before the use by date) but I thought it might go away. I added the pasta sauce before we decided it really was as bad as it smelt. So much better to make my own dinner than to rely on others. (Ditto lunch - see above dot point.)

We went to Northland yesterday for lunch. I knew it was a mistake. I hate food halls. It was horribly busy. I have recently found that Sylvia will eat hummus and bread while out. So much better than chips. The middle eastern place had fried bread with hummus. I ordered it for Sylvia. I tasted one. They were full of chicken salt. I'm not sure I even want to know what is in that but it just tastes wrong. I managed to swap it for pita bread and hummus. So much better.

I recently bought a filled bagel for lunch. I asked for one of the combinations without the beef. They charged me the $8 specified for the beef bagel. I was annoyed and pointed out I had really just made up my own filling so I should be charged $7.50 for the make your own. Pedantic? Yes. But I had a point to make!

I also bought a cupcake last week that looked so pretty but was just far too much icing and a dry cake.

Our retro orange vinyl chairs are falling apart - they are held together with gaffer tape right now. Does anyone know any good ways to get the vinyl repaired?

Rants over! Let me reassure you that life is not all bad. Here are some of the things making me happy.

Christmas! I love it. Even if it always comes too early. Sylvia and I went to see the Myer Christmas windows last week because I had a window of opportunity (no pun intended). We always went to see them when I was a child. I do have a complaint about Myer. If your child will not go near santa but is interested in seeing him, you can't see Santa's grotto without paying for a photo. Where is the Christmas spirit? We went down to the "trim shop" in the basement instead. It is magical to a child. E is right into the Christmas spirit looking up quirky Christmas albums and books. He was most amused by a kids book called Santa does a Wee.

Finding food other than chips that Sylvia will eat while out and about. She is really keen on hummus and bread or bikkies lately. It must be eaten with a knife to spread the hummus. We also went to Kenzan @ the GPO on our trip to the city last week. I ordered their sushi that comes with the nori separate to the rice filling. She loved the rice filling without nori. I was even more pleased to finally try endamame and find that Sylvia loved them too. We podded them and just ate the beans but not the pods - not sure that is the right way to eat them.

Christmas cake. It's a tease. I love cake fresh out of the oven. I made Christmas cake on the weekend and it smells fantastic. It is wrapped and hidden away for a couple of weeks. I will let you know how it goes. (It is different to my previous Christmas cake but still involves chocolate.)

We bought Sylvia a new bed yesterday. It is quite plain and unassuming. Not at all like this racing car bed. I just couldn't resist a photo. It looked like every little kid's dream. Then I started to wonder why cool beds are always racing cars. Why couldn't they be something else? A boat, a castle, a sandwich, a jet plane?

Sylvia. It is constantly amazing and amusing to look at the world through a child's eyes. My favourite turn of phrase by Sylvia last week was when she asked for some "magic beans" in the supermarket. She was pointing to the jelly beans. She has also taken to calling rice bubbles (rice krispies) "rice crackles". And she is asking all sorts of questions. Why is that a man? Why is there juice in nectarines? Why does dolly have a dolly?

Enough indulgent chit chat. More recipes to come soon. Meanwhile, here is how I do Sylvia's porridge each morning. I know there are all sorts of other ways I could do it but this works for me. She loves it and it is quick and the only way I can get any milk into her.

Sylvia's porridge
serves 1 toddler

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup milk
a shake or two of cinnamon
small amount of honey or other sweetener (about 1/8 tsp)

Place all ingredients in a small microwave-proof mixing bowl. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit so it should be considerably larger than the porridge mixture. Stir.

Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir.

Microwave on high for 1.5 minutes. Stir. It is usually quite stodgy by now and even a little dried around the edges before being stirred.

I then transfer it to another bowl and stir in a dribble or two of water to loosen it up a little to a porridge consistency.

However it differs from morning to morning and is a bit more watery if I use soy milk so you may need to allow for variations.

On the Stereo:
The best of Music for Children featuring Patsy Biscoe (Vol II)

WW Hominy-Stuffed Pumpkin and a Mexican Lunch

2011-12-02T22:53:00.019+11:00

It didn't seem so crazy picking out a whole pumpkin at the Vic Market. There you will find as many vegetables and as many variations as you might dream of. As I walked back to work with the heavy pumpkin in my bag, I wondered what I had got myself in for. Yet the planets had aligned. I had tins of hominy and tomatillos in my pantry. I had friends coming for lunch. And now I had the pumpkin. It was time to finally try the VT Spicy Fall Stew Baked in a Pumpkin that had intrigued me on My Kitchen in Half Cups some time ago.

I am not sure if I was more worried about the very thought of baking a whole pumpkin or using tomatillos. I had heard from a few people about tomatillos being very sour. The recipe called for fresh tomatillos but I used tinned and just cooked them less. I drained them and threw away the juice and then was unsure if it was the right thing to do. In the end, I couldn't taste them very much. Maybe that was a good thing.

I am also aware that when we talk about pumpkin in Australia, it is often very different to what our American friends mean. Take my pumpkin for example (photos below with the recipe). It weighed almost twice the size specified in the recipe and the sides seemed a lot thicker than what I see in American photos. I scooped out a lot of pumpkin before adding the stuffing and then after we had eaten the stuffing, E asked should we chuck out the pumpkin. I cut away the pumpkin skin (I know I should have eaten it too) and used the remaining flesh for burritos, soup and cookies.

I also asked a nice man at the Vic Market if he could help me choose avocados for Sunday and he chose ones that were perfect. The guacamole I made was just so lovely that I have put the recipe below despite having a few other guacamole recipes on the blog. I kept it simple with minimal seasonings because we had a few kids coming to the lunch.

I had decided on a Mexican theme for lunch. Though the table looks full, I didn't prepare many complicated dishes. As well as the stuffed pumpkin and guacamole, I made a simple kidney bean and corn stew that I had made before. A bit of chopping and grating finished off the meal without too much hassle.

Most of my energies were saved for cleaning, dusting, mopping and sweeping. I did so much tidying up that I found our DVD remote control that has been lost for months. Not that I was going to fool my friends into thinking I was a neat and tidy person. They had all shared a house with me too long to have any delusions. It is always a challenge to clean with Sylvia about. Finally after wielding the mop with vigour, she had a blissfully quiet moment on the front verandah. I enjoyed the peace until I found she had been getting her fingers into the grease of my bike chain!

The house that we had shared, many years ago, was one where we ate very well. Having five bedrooms it meant we only had to cook one night each week and everyone enjoyed their cooking night. We shared many great meals together and it was wonderful to get together with three of my former housemates. There have been lots of changes in our lives since we shared a house. Marriage, kids, jobs, political work, travel, a PhD and a few publications.

One thing that hasn't change is our love of food. Jola brought along a fantastic salad of orange, cucumber, radish, mint with dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. It was so good that I am willing to rethink my dislike of radishes. Nicki and Will brought along poppyseed cake. It wasn't a coincidence. This was something that was universally loved in our share house days. And still is.

It was great to get together to talk over the old times, catch up on more recent events, and meet a few of the offspring (the youngest being only 4 months old). We indulged in a little speculation over what happened to our other housemates. Conversation ranged from cats on cars to the recent climate change bill. We chatted about papal knighthoods, Crownies, wheelchairs and Nicki's new children's book.

The kids had a great time playing. The toy cash register was very popular, as were E's ukelele and Zinckie cat. Sylvia seemed to find great joy in running around the house yelling out "walla walla"! I was also amused to pass the cubby hut where a game of mothers was going on. One older child was playing mother and as she served dinner she told them there was to be "no fuss".

As for the stuffed pumpkin, it was a great part of the meal but I am not sure it was robust enough to be a meal in itself. I had kept the spices minimal in hope that some children might try it (though I am not sure any did) and kept the cheese out because I had planned to serve grated cheese with the meal. If I made it again, I would use more spices and possibly try some cheese in it. I would also maybe cook it longer as it wasn't quite as meltingly soft as I like pumpkin to be. But what we had was very nice, if a little mild, so I have written the recipe as I made it. I am also sending it to Ricki for her Wellness Weekends event.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Tacos with hominy chilli
This time two years ago: Edinburgh: the grim, the cosy and the grumpy
This time three years ago: Corn pancakes and salsa
This time four years ago: Fennel vs the Triffids

Pumpkin stuffed with hominy and tomatillo stew
Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Serves a crowd if you have lots of side dishes

1whole pumpkin*
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onion, diced
1 red capsicum, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp chili paste
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 x 27oz tomatillos, drained, husked and quartered
1 x 29oz tin of hominy, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tsp. salt

*Note: I used a 3.4kg Jap pumpkin which I think is a bit like kabocha squash. I photographed it below next to a coffee cup to give a sense of its size. As my pumpkin was about twice what the original recipe recommended, I increased the rest of my fillings accordingly. I used less chilli than I might have normally and would also think about adding cheese or more seasoning next time.

When choosing pumpkins, look for one that sits up nicely and doesn't topple over. Give it a good wash and cut a generous amount of top off. Scoop out the seeds and clean inside of pumpkin. Place lid on and place pumpkin on a tray or in a shallow dish and bake at 210 C for about 1 hour.

If your pumpkin is rather fleshy like mine, scoop out some of the cooked pumpkin - I think I took out 2-3 cups of pumpkin flesh. Chop the flesh into small pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and fry onion, capscium, carrot and garlic together until vegetables have softened. Stir in chilli paste, cumin and oregano for a minute or two. Add tomatillos, hominy, pumpkin flesh and salt. Check seasoning and adjust to taste. Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes or until pumpkin flesh is tender.

Tip hominy and tomatillo stew into baked pumpkin. Mine was too much stew for the pumpkin so I had to set some aside. I filled mine a bit much and let some of the liquid spill over the sides - I don't recommend this as it burnt and got smelly while the pumpkin was baking.

At this stage I let mine cool overnight. In the morning I baked the filled pumpkin for 1 and a half to 2 hours until the pumpkin was quite soft. Serve hot or at room temperature. The filling keeps its heat inside the pumpkin quite well.

Serving: I served the stuffed pumpkin with kidney bean and corn stew, brown rice, grated cheese, guacamole (below), yoghurt, chopped vegies (capsicum, tomato, cucumber and carrot), tabasco sauce, orange and radish salad, tortillas and corn chips. It would also go very nicely as part of a Thanksgiving or Halloween meal.

Leftovers: I had leftover stuffing and mixed this with leftover rice and kale from the garden to make burrito fillings (with some tomato sauce and grated cheese on top - served with guacamole and carrot salad). Once I had scooped out the filling to keep in the fridge, I cut off the pumpkin skin and set aside the rest of the pumpkin to use. I discarded the pumpkin skin but in future I think it would make great pumpkin skin chips.

Guacamole
Adapted from this recipe

2 avocados
1-2 small garlic cloves, crushed
juice of 1 and a 1/2 limes
shake of cayenne peppe
1-2 pinches of salt
finely chopped tomatoes and/or spring onions (optional - I didn't use for this guac but I often do)

Mash avocado flesh in a bowl with a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth and green. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Go easy with the salt and lime juice - it is easy to do too much and ruin the dip. Best eaten on day you make it.

On the Stereo:
The rip tide: Beirut

GF Donna Hay Brownies

2011-11-30T16:21:00.002+11:00

In this day and age, it is useful to have an simple, foolproof, gluten free cake that will wow and amaze. For those of you still struggling for ideas, may I suggest this brownie? It works for me. It is fudgy, intense and melts in the mouth.

I don't take credit for it. It was Donna Hay's recipe and mum was clever enough to substitute GF flour (Orgran) for the regular flour. Since my sister and niece were diagnosed as celiacs, my mum has been great at experimenting with gluten free baking. She has found that you can't always just substitute gf flour for regular wheat flour. It works sometimes. Especially when there is very little flour in a recipe. Such as brownies.

Donna Hay calls these standby brownies. The ingredients are pantry staples. I have seen cocoa brownies on blogs quite a few times but never tried them until now. They are brilliant. So soft. So rich. So delicious. I was so impressed with them when my mum made them at a family dinner, I had to get the recipe.

I first baked them for afternoon tea at a work meeting. I baked them early in the morning. Sylvia was fascinated by them as I cut them up before heading to work. So interested in them that she nibbled on the small piece I gave her to taste and then lay on it as she reached across to take another piece. Could that count as evidence that they make you crazy with desire?

I made the recipe again on the weekend for the cake stall at the weekend fete. I wanted something easy, impressive and suitable for restricted diets. Most of them sold, and I was a little relieved to have a few leftover that I could take home. I have a feeling that these brownies will become a favourite GF recipe.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: On the way to make burgers I discovered a mash!
This time two years ago: Mexican Lasagne and our Jetset Baby
This time three years ago: Leftover Cream and Paprikash

GF Standby Brownies
slightly adapted from Donna Hay
Make 16-25 depending on how small you cut them

150g butter
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
3/4 cup (75g) cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup (75g) gluten free plain flour (or regular wheat flour)

Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Melt butter with sugar and cocoa together over a low heat or in a microwave (I did the later). Mix in vanilla and eggs, whisking well. Add in flour and stir well. Spoon into a lined 20cm cake tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until centre is just set. Cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar if desired. Cut into squares to serve.

On the Stereo:
We bring you a king with a head of gold: Dark Britannica II - Various Artists

Grill'd - quick and healthy burgers

2011-11-29T16:07:00.006+11:00

A few weekends back, we headed into Carlton because E wanted to visit a shop called Lord Uke. Sylvia and I went to the supermarket while he drooled over ukeleles. We then went to the new Readings discount store and the Poppy Shop for a few more purchases. By then we were hungry and headed to Grill'd for lunch.

I was keen on Grill'd because I had been there in a lunch break the week before and had a lovely peaceful time with a burger and suduko. The Garden Goodness Burger (above) was a nice combination of vegie patty, beetroot, tomato, lettuce, avocado, relish and mayo.

When I went there with E and Sylvia, I decided to try a different burger, the Bombay Bliss (see top photo). I am usually wary of curried burgers but this one hit the right mix of tasty without being overwhelmed by the spices. It came with red peppers, lettuce, tatsiki and relish. I liked it better than the previous burger because the chickpea patty was more substantial and satisfying.

I wasn't surprised to see it was listed by The Age newspaper as one of the top 5 vegetarian burgers in Melbourne. They called it "a '70s sharehouse meal in a bun, but in the best possible way". Both burgers are satisfying and reasonably healthy. Lots of fresh salad and very little in the way of grease. They come in an impressive stack that is held together with a skewer. They can be eaten with your hands but are a bit messy, especially with all the sauce. (And there are also vegan options.)

Grill'd is one of those modern franchises that prides itself on friendly staff and a bright cheery interior with a hint of grunge. It is a pleasant place to eat provided the music is not turned up (we almost didn't sit inside because the music was too noisy but fortunately it was turned down as we were choosing seats).

Meanwhile, Sylvia had the herbed chips and E had a meaty burger that he needed a knife and fork to eat. Then between the two of them, they worked out what to do with the bottle top. Grill'd gives each customer a bottle top to put in one of three jars labelled with local charities. The one with the most bottle tops is the one toward which Grill'd makes the largest donation. I had long finished my burger and was happy to read my new Christmas cookbook for kids while they made their choice.

As a postscript, I went there again for lunch this week. When I returned to my bike, I found someone photographing it. Like a good blogger I whipped out my camera. Actually the reason for the interest was not really my bike but the bike stand. Someone has covered the bike stand in a bright knitted cover. That's what happens in the hip inner-city streets. I am sure those at Grill'd would approve!

Grill'd

350 Lygon Street
Carlton 3053

03 9347 1666

See website for restaurants in other locations.

www.grilld.com.au

Chocolate crackles and the copha conundrum

2011-11-27T21:08:00.003+11:00

Chocolate crackles! They fill me with a nostalgic glow. They bring memories of childhood friends, baking with my mum, cake stalls, fetes and birthday parties. Where there was fun, there were chocolate crackles. Yet I haven't made them for years and years. Why? I don't like one of the main ingredients: copha. This weekend we had Sylvia's child care fete so I took the opportunity for a wee experiment.

Firstly let me tell you about the weekend. Though it has mainly been baking, shopping and bubbles in the backyard, it has been full as a state school. I headed off to the shops yesterday in heavy rain. I had to circle the carpark many times before I found a parking space and that everyone else had decided to do their Christmas shopping as well. I came home laden down. In my bag was Sylvia's first pair of thongs (photo about for those who might not use the same term). She loved them.

Fortunately I remember E arriving in Australia and learning to wear thongs or I wouldn't be nearly so sympathetic to her funny flippy floppy steps. I have worn thongs for so many years that I can't remember what it was like not to do so.

Likewise I was making chocolate crackles from a young age. They were just part of my life. Yet when I made them last night I was amazed at how long it took for the copha to melt. It made me dislike the stuff even more. Those of you outside Australia will probably be unfamiliar with copha. It is described as a vegetable shortening. It is made of hydrogenated coconut oil and soya bean lecithin. It was once ubiquitous in Australian children's sweet treats but is less so today now that such fats are looked upon less favourably.

I decided I would experiment with one batch with copha and one with coconut oil, which is more popular among the health-conscious these days. Yet I am not so keen on coconut oil either. Then I found a recipe that used melted chocolate instead of any oils. Having read that use of copha has declined because chocolate is more affordable, it made sense to try this alternative recipe. The darker chocolate crackles are the ones with melted chocolate.

In addition to the chocolate crackles, I made a Banana Cake and Gluten Free Brownies. Then I worried about how to take the food along to the fete. Why did I make a rectangular loaf when it is far easier to find plates to fit round cakes? Should I package up individual chocolate crackles? Was cling film enough to cover them? Did I have enough room to write the ingredients on my labels? NB These days all the ingredients need to be written down for cake sales. I was glad I found some freezer bags to cover the brownies after I dropped the plates covered with cling film. They remained on the plates but I thought it would be hard to carry them about at the fete.

The fete was busy and chaotic and colourful as all fetes should be. This is our first experience with this centre so we had to work out the ticketing system. Thankfully there were vegetarian sausages and pizza on offer for lunch. I was even more impressed that there were little tubs of salad to go with them. Sylvia enjoyed some of the art activities and got green flowers painted on her face by a fairy. E took along his ukelele and strummed on it in the garden. Even dolly got a new crown.

At the end of the fete a lot of my baking was sold but not all. I was not surprised that the copha chocolate crackles were less popular. The only advantage of this version is that they were more appropriate for vegan and dairy-free diets. I much preferred Geoff's chocolate crackles. They were far richer and had less of the oiliness that I don't like so much. It is a joy to find that I can now make chocolate crackles without having to buy copha ever again.

Other recipes using rice bubbles:

From Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Mars Bar Slice
Pooh Bear Honey Slice
White Christmas

From elsewhere:
Corn and chive bubble pikelets - Kelloggs (Australia)
Almond butter rice crisp treats - Oh She Glows
Chewy rice bubbles bar (with condensed milk) - Taste.com
Strawberries and cream muesli bars - Taste.com
Two tone chocolate crispies - Chocolate Log Blog
Walnut surprises - Kitchen Maid

Chocolate crackles
From the Kelloggs website
makes 24

1 cup icing sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
250g copha, chopped
3 tbsp cocoa
4 cups Rice Bubbles

Melt copha in a large heatproof mixing bowl in the microwave. It seemed to take ages compared to butter. Mine got so hot that I left the last few lumps to melt in the heat of the mixture rather than returning to the microwave. Gradually stir in icing sugar and cocoa. Now add the coconut and rice bubbles, stirring very gently until they are all covered. Spoon into patty pan papers and cool in the fridge. I think these are ok to keep at room temperature once firmed up but if you are keeping for quite some time, I would probably keep them in the fridge.

Geoff's chocolate crackles
From the Sydney Morning Herald on 18 August 2010
makes 16

200g milk chocolate (I used melts)
100g dark chocolate (I used 50% cocoa)
3 cups Rice Bubbles
1 cup dessicated coconut

Melt melt chocolates in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Gently stir in rice bubbles and coconut. Spoon into patty pan papers and keep in the fridge to firm up. As with above chocolate crackles, can be kept out of the fridge unless being kept for more than a few days.

On the Stereo:
Bill Breathes: Phish

Two Pizzas - with Facon and with Chocolate

2011-11-26T23:49:00.001+11:00

How do you redeem a disappointing pizza? Use the leftover pizza dough to make a decadent dessert pizza. Yes I am afraid last night's experiments with my coconut bacon on pizza weren't as good as they could have been.

Unfortunately I only had enough tomato pizza sauce for Sylvia's pizza so I blended some rocket and walnut to make a pesto for the base of our pizza. I topped it with marinated artichokes, cherry tomato, coconut bacon (that hadn't been fried) and cheese. The pesto was too bitter. Fortunately it left me with hope that if I used a sweeter sauce the coconut bacon might make an excellent pizza topping.

I didn't have much dough leftover but it was enough to spread some nutella on the base and scatter with chocolate melts and raspberries (baked at 190 for 20-25 minutes). This was so rich that a little went a long way and this pizza was still around at breakfast time the next morning. It was oh oh so good!

Flower Cake

2011-11-25T22:22:00.006+11:00

Last Sunday we had a birthday lunch for my nieces Ella and Grace. Planning began weeks before with ideas, children's birthday cake cookbooks, online searches, consultations and hand drawn diagrams. Pleasing twin girls is doubly challenging. Finally it was decided to go with Grace's choice of a flower cake and to give Ella her choice next year. Here is how we made it.

We went down on Saturday afternoon to stay at my mum's. My nieces Maddy, Ella and Grace were sleeping over. Not only did Sylvia get to sleep in the loungeroom with her big cousins and watch cartoons with them in the morning, but I got the chance to help my mum and the girls make flower biscuits on sticks. We had decided to use the same GF cut out cookie recipe that we used when we made cookie wands for Maddy's birthday earlier in the year. This time they were to look like flowers and be planted in a pink cake.

As I have said, planning was key. We had to go down the street for edible "decorations" early in the morning. We had trouble finding the candles in the supermarket. The funniest moment was when my nieces started making faces and gesturing because they saw themselves on the CCTV.

Upon returning we started on the flowers. They were the most complex part of the cake. Firstly we decided upon seven flowers to represent the girls' seven years. I consulted each girl on their seven colours and came up with a final seven. We chose two flowers for each colour (I've done enough of these to be cautious and make sure there were back ups) and Maddy used her colour-wheel to choose coloured m&ms for the centre of each flower. Complicated stuff!

I thought that mixing up seven colours of icing was a challenge. I decided the cake would look better from all angles if we iced both sides of each flower. Seemed simple. All we needed was somewhere to dry them. My mum took care of that with a brilliant idea of making holes with a sharp knife in the bottom of an ice cream tub.

The main problem was that the icing kept sliding down taking the sprinkles and m&ms with it. I think it worked best when we didn't have too much icing on a biscuit. Thicker icing didn't help because it just gave more icing to slide down the biscuit. I was determined the m&ms would stay on and just kept pushing them back into place until the icing dried enough to hold them.

While the girls and I were decorating the biscuits (with Maddy entertaining Sylvia to keep her fingers from getting sticky with the bickkies), my mum started on icing the cake. Despite Ella's concern that boys would not like pink, that was the colour chosen. Grace and Sylvia helped to put a ring of freckles around the side of the cake and scatter chopped mint bubble chocolate (like aero bars) over the top. Unlike in the Food Ideas recipe (from a Party Time lift-out), we used a gluten free Basco vanilla cupcake mix for the cake.

Once all the flowers were decorated and dried, we chose which flowers to plant in the cake. Not an easy task! Then we iced a round biscuit for each of the girls with their initial in sprinkles. Next to each round biscuit was a number seven candle. We lit the candles at the same time so the girls could blow out their candles together. And despite Ella's concerns, Cooper loved the pink cake.

Once we enjoyed our Mexican meal and the cake was demolished, the kids had lots of fun playing with slapbands, textas and stickers. Sylvia and Ashton played the piano. My oldest niece, Quin, did an excellent job of painting the girls' faces with Ella and Grace's new face painting kits. Most hilarious was Maddy in her cape with spooky face paint. I did a strongman moustache on Cooper but he wasn't impressed with my handiwork. All the kids sparkled. Just like the flowers in the garden!