Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 100g butter softened 
• 1 cup brown sugar packed 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• ½ jar crunchy peanut butter 
• 1¼ cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp bicarb soda 
• pinch salt 
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

What to do:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. 
• Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl attached to a stand mixer (or, add sugar and butter to bowl, microwave for 20 seconds and cream by hand).
• Mix in the egg until combined, then add in the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Mix well. 
• Sift the dry ingredients into to the butter mixture, mixing together thoroughly. 
• Mix in the chocolate chips by hand until evenly distributed throughout the dough. 
• Roll dough into balls using a dessert spoon to measure.
• Place by rounded balls onto baking paper on cookie tray. 
• Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown all over. 
• Remove from the oven. 
• The cookies should still be in a dome shape. 
• Using a flat spatula or egg flipper etc, press each cookie down until evenly flat. They should be about ½ inch to ¾ inch thick. 
• Leave the cookies on the trays to cool completely after flattening.

Adapted from:https://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/thick-chewy-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Moroccan Soup Bar fatteh recipe

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight 
• 2 - 3 flatbread rounds 
• 200g butter 
• 300g plain yoghurt 
• 5 cloves garlic 
• 1 teaspoon tahini 
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 100g slivered almonds or pine nuts 
• Parsley, finely chopped to garnish 
• 3 teaspoons coarse salt 
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika to garnish 

What to do: 

• Preheat the oven to 250°C. 
• Fill a saucepan with water to cover the chickpeas, about 5 centimetres above the chickpeas. Bring to the boil and cook for about half an hour until softened (the time will vary greatly depending on the size of the chickpeas and whether they have been soaked overnight, so check them every 15 minutes to ensure they cook properly and remain covered with water.) 
• Melt some butter. Lightly toast some flatbread in the oven. Brush the flatbread with butter and place on the oven racks. Allow to bake, checking regularly to ensure it doesn't burn. 
• Once lightly toasted, remove and place in a tray. Melt some butter and drizzle over the crunchy bread. Sprinkle with salt. Turn down the head and bake for further 5 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, pound the garlic in a mortar and pestle with some coarse salt, until it makes a smooth puree. Add the garlic to the yoghurt and tahini. Stir until well combined. 
• With a ladle, drain the hot chickpeas into a bowl and sprinkle with cumin.
• Remove the bread from the oven and break into chip-sized pieces.  Add the chickpeas to the bread. 
• Cover the entire tray with a 2-centimetre layer of chickpeas. Add a thick layer of the yoghurt mixture. Sprinkle paprika on top of the yoghurt. 
• Meanwhile, in a frying pan place the remaining butter and slivered almonds or pinenuts. Toast until caramelised. 
• Immediately pout this mixture over the cold yoghurt. It should make a "tsh" sound when the hot butter meets the cold yoghurt. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!

Adapted from: http://www.abc.net.au/radio/recipes/chickpea-bake/8897074

Berry Daiquiri Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1.5 shots white rum
• 0.5 shots Cointreau or Triple Sec
• 1 shot lemon juice
• 0.5 cups frozen berries
• 0.5 handful of ice

What to do:

• Put all ingredients into the nutribullet and blitz until it's smooth.
  (for a classic daiquiri omit the berries and shake in a shaker instead)

Harissa Fish Stew Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 2 carrots
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 small onion
• Garlic
• Harissa paste
• 2 pieces white fish
• ½ can tomato paste
• 1 stock cube
• Olive oil
• Crusty bread

What to do:

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1.5cm chunks. Coarsely chop the onion. Peel and coarsely chop the carrot. Crush or finely chop the garlic. Cut the fish into 2cm chunks. 
• Crumble stock cube into a jug. Add 500ml (2 cups) boiling water and stir to combine. Stir in the tomato paste. 
• Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large deep frypan over medium heat. Cook the potato, onion and carrot, stirring, for 5 mins or until starting to soften. Add the garlic and 2 tsp harissa seasoning and cook for a further 2 mins or until fragrant. 
• Pour the tomato stock into the pan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 mins+ until the potatoes are tender. 
• Meanwhile, put the bread on an oven tray and bake for 10 mins or until warmed through.
• Add the fish to the tomato mixture. Cover and cook over medium heat for a further 5-10 mins or until the fish is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the fish stew among bowls and serve with bread and steamed vegetables.

Adapted from: https://marleyspoon.com.au/archive/15895-harissa-fish-stew-with-crusty-bread 

Palak Paneer Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, finely chopped or processed

1 packet frozen spinach

1 packet fresh spinach (large)

1/2 long green chilli

2 cm piece of ginger OR 2 tsp minced ginger

3 garlic cloves

5 tsp ground cumin

4 tsp ground coriander

3 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coconut oil

1 packet paneer cubed

2 tomatoes, chopped

What to do:

Chop and fry onion in coconut oil until soft and translucent.

Add half frozen spinach, chilli, ginger, garlic and spices to a food processor and process to a rough paste.

Add spinach paste to the pan and fry with the onion until fragrant.

Add tomatoes and remaining half packet of frozen spinach and cook for a while.

Add paneer cubes and cook for about two minutes, then add fresh spinach, steam with the lid on until wilted and then stir through.

Adapted from http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/palak-paneer.

Things that made me LOL* today

The interweb has delivered today! Twice already, and it's only 10.30am!

http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/

http://www.27bslash6.com/moonbuggies.html

* I honestly hate this text speak bizzo but it really did make me laff.

This is why I love the Irish

They tell it like it is, in Ireland.

Review: My new wheels

I bought myself a new bike last week. I have not been much of a cyclist in the past but I live in such a cycle-friendly area of a cycle-friendly city that I finally bit the bullet and got myself a new ride.

My new wheels of choice are the Alamode CRS City.

From what I gather this new 'brand' is the budget offshoot of the Giant company. As I am a novice cyclist I thought rather than splurging on top-end gear straight away I would dip my toes in the shallow end of the pool first with something a little more affordable. If I find I'm using it a lot I figured I will upgrade down the track.

I chose the 17" men's model, mainly because it came in black opposed to the champagne colour offered in the women's model. Call me shallow – you won't be the first.

Despite being a men's model, the crossbar is reasonably low. Shorter women might prefer a women's model (with a much lower crossbar), but for a woman of average to tall height the men's model is perfectly fine. The riding position is relatively upright, which means less stress on the lower back (from leaning forward) and therefore a more comfortable ride.

Speaking of which, I am pretty sure that the 'C' in 'CRS' stands for 'comfort'. The Alamode CRS City is a hybrid bike, meaning that it has a frame similar to a mountain bike, but with thinner tyres; the tyres are somewhere between the thickness of the tyres you'd find on a road bike and those on a mountain bike. Road cyclists use thinner tyres because they mean less friction and therefore more speed. They can also mean that you will feel every little pebble and are more prone to punctures. By being somewhere in between, hybrid tyres offer the best of both worlds and for this reason are becoming an increasingly popular choice.

The Alamode CRS City has 21 gears using Shimano indexed shifters which means that the gears simply 'click' into place – there is no messing around trying to find the gear yourself. The bike also has a quick-release seat and front wheel making adjustments and changes quick and easy.

I opted for the model with mudguards and a rack on the back, in case I ever ride through a puddle (likely) or decide to go on a picnic and need to carry a basket (not so much). A similar model (the CRS 1.0) offers front-wheel suspension as an alternative to the mudguards/rack option. I imagine that the mudguards and rack add a little extra weight - this is not a light bike, but with an aluminium frame it isn't heavy either. It feels sturdy which to me, as a novice, is reassuring

The Alamode CRS City is a really comfortable ride. With hybrid tyres it’s not something I’d want to be taking off road much, but on city roads and cycle paths it is ideal. With indexed shifters changing gears is so easy, meaning that even a beginner like myself figured out how to get up a hill within the first few minutes of riding. The hybrid tyres offer a good combination of speed and comfort. The upright riding position of this bike is ideal for anyone with lower back problems, although it isn't as aerodynamic as a road bike (isn't it fun to race down a hill with your head over the handlebars to see just how fast you can go?) and doesn't look as funky as those cool kids on their fixed gear bikes. But overall, as an entry level bike at an affordable price, I couldn't recommend the Alamode CRS City highly enough.

What: Alamode CRS City hybrid bicycle
Where: Ivanhoe Cycles
How much: $329

William Angliss Institute

In April I went to William Angliss Institute for lunch during their 'Great Chefs' Program. Angliss is a training college in Melbourne specialising in hospitality and tourism. The college has a training restaurant where hospitality students learn silver service. The prices are very reasonable and the food and service was fantastic. The 'Great Chef' the day we went was Brendan McQueen of Matteo's in Nth Fitzroy.



Above is the entree, a Japanese inspired seafood plate... (clockwise from bottom) Carpaccio of hiramasa kingfish, prawn remoulade, shiso Japanese basil dressing; ocean trout confit, yuzu miso sauce, yarra valley salmon roe; teriyaki glazed baby squid filled with smoked eel, rice crusted tofu, pickled plum and bonito mayonnaise.



Five spiced crispy skin duck breast, peking cabbage and bamboo shoot 'okonomiyaki' pancake, bbq duck sauce.



Glazed peaches between honey glazed filo pastry, peach liqueur cream.


Yum.

Should I be concerned??

Dreams can come true

There is nothing more boring than someone recounting the highlights of last night's reality tv. But someone recounting their dreams certainly comes close.

That said, I feel impelled to share the dream I had last night. I will keep it brief in order to prevent boredom.

I dreamt that I won an Oscar. For writing. A screenplay. It was very exciting. After the ceremony I went home to drop the statuette off, because I knew I'd lose it if I took it out with me. However someone told me that I must take it out as for one night it was my ticket to all the best places. Whilst I waited for my friends to finish getting ready I discovered that the Oscar statue was made of chocolate. I was hungry.

So I ate it.

The end.

So much insight into my personality in that one little dream.

I'm a little bit in love with Beth Ditto

On Sunday night I had the immense pleasure of seeing The Gossip play the sold out Prince Bandroom.

The Gossip, aka. The Ugliest Band in Rock (have you seen their album
shots?), have garnered a lot of publicity in the lead up to this tour with
lead singer Beth Ditto in particular getting a lot of media coverage. She
is brash, outspoken and based on last night’s evidence, one HELL of a
performer.

From the moment Beth opened her mouth and belted out her first note I was
smitten. This woman can sing. She has a real presence on stage and her
personality and charisma are palpable. But it’s the voice that does it for
me. It was amazing. If you’ve heard any of their album tracks, multiply the
timbre, strength and energy of the vocals tenfold and you’ll get an idea of
the sound. Beth bantered with the crowd, had a wee sit down to take off her
shoes, and took great delight in learning a new Aussie phrase “pink bits”.
Here’s hoping it’s something she can include in a future track. She is not
shy, she is obviously enjoying herself and she has a great onstage
presence. This woman is a star.

The crowd obvious enjoyed the energy and skill of the set and the vibe was
electric. The band peppered their set with cheesy 80s tracks (such as
‘Simply the Best’ and ‘Addicted to Love’) as intros to their own which gave
everyone a laugh. Their best known track 'Standing in the Way of Control'
was saved for last and the crowd went OFF. Beth made her way into the front
of the audience for a bit but the track was somewhat marred by two dancing
idiots who distracted somewhat from the song. The band (and security)
didn’t seem to mind too much and were so relaxed that I thought perhaps it
was a set up. The Gossip came back for a single encore... bizarrely enough
they played George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’ – Gossip style (which was
far far better than the original in my opinion). My only criticism, if you
can call it that, was that the set was over too soon. I – and everyone else
I’m sure – wanted more!

I have liked The Gossip since I first heard their album 'Standing in
the Way of Control' but after last night’s gig I am #1 Superfan. This was
the best gig of 2007. It is rare to come out of a gig feeling as though you
were part of something big and last night there was an unusual sense of
elation at the experience. I feel privileged to have seen them play in
what is a relatively intimate setting and I will be first in line for
tickets to any future tours.

C*nts

Both of them.

During the web-cast, which was addressed by both Mr Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd, Mr Howard reminded Christian voters of his bid to prevent gay marriage by reaffirming marriage as being between a man and a woman. He also promised that under a Howard government, Christian prayers before Parliament would not be replaced with Hindu or other dedications.

Mr Howard enjoyed rounds of applause from the audience when he spoke about gay marriage and expressed support for one parent remaining at home during a child's early years.

Mr Rudd spruiked Labor's IR and housing affordability policies as better for families. He also committed a Labor government to boosting foreign aid and said he would set up talks about how to deal with refugees from the Iraq war, particularly Christian refugees.

He reaffirmed his belief that marriage should be an institution between a man and a woman, but said he supported relationship registers for gay couples. And while he did not rule out racial vilification laws, he promised to consult with the Christian community if a Labor government wanted to make any change to the law in this area.

So offensive on so many levels.

Read the rest here.

A phone call, this morning

Ring Ring

Me: Hello, Shazam! speaking...

Caller: (with a very good American accent but obviously calling from a call centre somewhere): Hello, my name is (insert generic American name) calling from Fed Ex Kinko's. We're doing a Customer Satisfaction Survey and were hoping you'd give us some feedback on the order you placed on 27 August 2007.

Me: ...Umm...

Caller: The survey will only take two minutes and I must tell you first that our conversation may be recorded for training purposes.

Me: ...Umm... did you say 27 August 2007?

Caller: Yes, the survey will be about the order you placed on 27 August 2007.

Me: Well we haven't reached 27 August 2007 yet.

Caller: What?

Me: Today's the 9th of August. The 27th of August isn't for a couple of weeks.

Caller: Huh?

Me: We haven't reached 27 August 2007 yet.


...beat...



Caller: Oh. Okay. Just a sec.


...beat...



Caller:(hurriedly) Okay bye. (hangs up)


WTF?

My Mother Always Told Me...

My beloved Significant Other (SO) yesterday had a meeting with our Financial Advisor*. At the pub, but of course. Financial Advisor is considered one of the best in the state, and also happens to be a friend. Which is handy, as we wouldn't be able to afford her services otherwise. Hence the need for the financial advice. Oh it's a vicious circle...

Once the official business was out of the way, myself and Financial Advisor's beloved joined the party for a few drinks followed by a yummy Japanese dinner (where, incidentally, we were served by a very cool fellow who sounded just like James Earl Jones).

Several karage's later our esteemed Financial Advisor divided up the bill, we all threw in our share and she sent her credit card over to pay.

Back came the credit card, declined.
No problem, she pulled out a second card.
Declined.

Should I be concerned?


* This sounds much more impressive than it actually is.

No They Can't

Gold.

Gutful

That's it. I'm moving to New Zealand.

I'm confused

On an excursion to the supermarket today (oh yes, I lead an exciting life) I found Kahlua-flavoured and Tia Maria-flavoured percolator coffee. I know my booze and, unless things have changed (very) recently, Kahlua and Tia Maria are coffee flavoured. Does this mean the coffee is coffee-flavoured coffee? Or is it liqueur-flavoured coffee?

If anyone knows the answer, please enlighten me.

(Of course, I could have purchased said coffee and answered these questions myself, but then I'd have nothing to blog about, right?)

Sun Dirt Water

The Waifs are one of my favourite bands and last night, despite a shocking cold, I ventured out to see them play live once again.

The Waifs are true musicians and they have an easy-going stage presence. Last night Donna spent much of the show bantering with the crowd, telling us why she was in a bad mood (the airline had lost her sister Vicki's luggage so they'd spent all day shopping); how she was jealous of Vicki (because the crowd goes wild whenever she pulls out the harmonica, plus she gets to sing all the happy songs); and how she hoped their new album would be a success because Josh still didn't have a roof on his house. She also took the unusual step of claiming not to particularly like one of the new tracks they'd just played, suggesting it was "music to clean the house to".

I've seen the Waifs play a few times now, and they always put on a good show. But last night's gig was a little flat. It was perhaps partly because they played a lot of new material which the crowd wasn't familiar with. This is fair enough, especially given these are warm-up shows before the release of a new album in September. Additionally, from the stage banter, I gather the trio had just landed after a long-haul flight from somewhere and were suffering the numbing effects of jet-lag. Vicki apologised for the "funny gig" and jet-leg with a "it's not your problem". Perhaps next time they need to give themselves a day or two to recoup before they play.

But the biggest problem with the gig was the venue. And not only because I was charged $5 for a 350ml bottle of water. It was the wackiest music venue I've ever been to. And I don't mean wacky in a good way. The band are playing four small gigs in the lead up to the release of a new single (Sun Dirt Water) in August, followed by a new album in September. The gigs are meant to be intimate affairs for true fans. Last night, at the Factory Theatre in Enmore (which is miles from anywhere, mind you), the gig was anything but intimate. The venue was like a cross between an RSL and a reception centre, with chairs set out theatre-style so punters took their seats and stayed in them. It was the sort of place I'd expect the piano accordian trio from Grandad's retirement village to play. The room seemed only half full, which was a blessing and a curse. It was great because it meant we were able to sit down (on comfy couches, with a great view of the stage, yeh!) but it also meant the gig lacked atmosphere and the crowd passion. At one stage Vicki commented that it was "a bit like a conference, almost". And she was right. I can't help but think the band must have been a bit taken aback by the reception to their new material, especially as this was their first show spruiking it. I can imagine the gig at the Corner will be much more passionate and exciting.

And the verdict on the new tunes? The band has apparently spent much time in the US over the past couple of years and it shows in their music. The American influence in their bluesy-folk was apparent and in some tracks so obvious were the derivations that I wondered whether they were pulling the piss. Equal measures of upbeat tracks (sung mainly by Vicki, much to Donna's chagrin) and slower ballady types made for typical Waifs material. Of course a few old tracks (Highway One, Lighthouse, London Still) were thrown in for good measure, as was a new interpretation of Without You which has also been included on the new album. I'm a big fan of the Waifs, and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt after last night's show. I look forward to hearing the new album and seeing them play again in a few months time, at a better venue, when they've hopefully put the live polish on their new material.

Hot

This post is in honour of one of my best friends, who has just found out he's been accepted into the Firies on only his second try. He worked so hard and wanted it so badly and I'm so pleased for him. And really, really proud of him.

There also just happened to be an article in the Big Paper today about female firefighters. I work across the road from a station in the centre of Sydney and it seems there are an awful lot of female firies in there. Which is a good thing. They're strong, fit and capable. They can drive trucks and wield axes. And that's hot.