Food for thought

                           

Did you have this book at home when you were a kid? I always loved, especially the duck and swimming pool cakes:      

                              

                            

Some of the cakes are rather tricky. I'm crap in general at making cakes, twice I've tried to make novelty cakes for my husband for this birthday but due to his birthday being close to mine it's generally a fairly emotional time so I tended to have a few wines whilst baking and the cakes looked rather....creative.

The front page popcorn train cake is also a favourite. You can watch a series of Australian Women's Weekly videos to show you how to make it (whilst sober I think):

              

I've been very busy testing recipes for next Saturday's Apartment Supper club dinner and also brainstorming for next month's Vegan Oktoberfest dinner party. I'm also hoping to launch some apartment based cooking classes for small groups of expats and tourists. We've also sorted out our expat health insurance at last and are getting ready to apply for residency- My other time is spent in German class. I'm trying hard to get my head around it but there are certainly challenges as this table attests!

Things I've been reading:

Finally airline food delivered to your doorstep, Medium

Hot new careers for creatives, Carlin Flora, McSweeneys

Toast with Vegemite aka Australian Breakfast (I am seriously mourning my lack of Vegemite as Chris bought me some in London but it was confiscated by customs as they considered it a liquid).

An Englishman's home is his prison, Sophie Heawood, The Guardian

I love this style series based on college women of the 1950's. You can see more pictures here



I've been participating in Vegan mofo 2014. Here's some recipes I am loving and looking forward to cooking:

Green chickpea patties

BBQ beetroot seitan steaks

Cheezy spaetzle

Raspberry Tiramisu

Raspberry chocolate dream

Catching up...

I've been a terribly neglectful blogger.

 The surgery knocked me around a bit.  I ended up with an infection in my right leg and a trip to emergency, all of which has not been fun. I had all the stitches out this week at last although I'm on another round of antibiotics and still have to wear a dressing on my leg so no baths for me sadly. My left leg is good although I think I'll end up heading the posterior compartment released at some stage. The scarring will be minimal due to the keyhole surgery, the actual cuts go from knee to ankle.

I've been struggling terribly with a spot of plantar fascitis (the condition is a bitch to treat effectively) but besides that my leg pain is gone. It's very strange, my body keeps tensing waiting for the pain and being able to walk differently takes a lot of getting used to!

                                  
One happy leg

We've just under a month before we leave for Leipzig. We're frantically clearing out the house, selling  and donating bits and pieces. It's quite a large job, especially once you start selling off furniture and end up living out of boxes and using the laundromat. But it's all part of the adventure!

 Getting rid of my succulents, I really enjoyed finding the little teapots and teacups

I did my last preserving class in Australia. It was a great day and there was quite a haul (apologies for a somewhat blurry phone pic):

Besides that I've just been busy organising our last few Green Renters events and workshops and making door snakes. I was hopeful of taking a finished hexagon quilt to Germany but it will have to be completed there. 

Here's one of the vegan Portuguese custard tarts I made this week.I'll be serving them as part of morning tea at our vegan masterclass this weekend.

I'm still here!

                                          pic from here

Sorry I'm a bit quiet at the moment. I went to see my surgeon yesterday for post-op check up . Unfortunately the first surgery has fixed one lower leg problem but has not solved the bigger problem of chronic compartment syndrome. As a consequence I need to have a double fasciotomy, which is surgery on each leg. To my knowledge it's a fairly minor surgery but requires an overnight stay in hospital. Like the majority of surgeries of the lower limb, it's considered elective. The timing financially isn't great but it would be good to get it done before my sea change.

I saw a physio today who specialises in the condition and I have been given three things to do which will prepare me for surgery:

• Lower leg emersion as frequently as possible in ice water (to reduce the inflammation of the fascia). Sitting in a bath full of ice cubes? Not fun! 
• A specific stretch
• Keeping off my feet (not so easy!).

Its all a bit nerve wracking, especially as the surgery doesn't always work (because the fascia can grow back and reattach) but it's apparently more successful in severe cases like mine.

What else have I been up to?

I ran a Community Preserving day in Heidelberg. We made 6 recipes including Strawberry & Apple Jam, Tomato Kasundi and pickled Beetroot.

We've booked out overseas flights (including Mr Pablo's journey).

I've been working on a Community Leadership Program around themes of sustainability and food waste reduction since October last year, writing curriculum and training the participants. On Wednesday night three groups successfully pitched for seed funding for their projects which include a no waste cooking program for kids and grandparents; a monthly meet up for foodies in the eastern suburbs and a permaculture primary school project. I feel so proud to know them all and we'll be reporting on their progress (and helping their promotion) through Green Renters.

I've also been making loads of double door snakes for Green Renters online store. We use them at home in this cold weather and they really make a difference.

Things I've been reading:

This account (and recipes) of an edible flowers cooking workshop featured on the blog Adventures in Cooking. I often use herbs and flowers in my cordial making so I was very enchanted. 

I love this idea of a Clandestine Cake Club. I might even start one in Leipzig! 

"This Man Is About to Die Because an Alcoholic Lawyer Botched His Case", by Marc Bookman in  Mother Jones. I majored in Criminology at University (one of those interested but non-vocational course if zillions of post graduate courses are not undertaken) and I've always had an interest in miscarriages of justice. I followed the case of the West Memphis Three with a sense of absolute horror and eventual relief at their release due to the Alford plea. Whilst the Australian judicial system is far from perfect, we fortunately no longer have the death penalty. 

I'v also been doing some planning for my novel and upcoming events like our next Vegan cooking masterclass in June. I'm making rejuvelac at the moment in preparation for some cashew mozzarella balls. I like to practice my recipes before classes! 

Food for thought

Really look forward to a weekend away with my beloved next week. We're going to Hobart and it'll be our last holiday before we move. I love Tasmania, especially the amazing cheese and fresh produce!

I've a list of new recipes I'm intending to make over the next few weeks once I get  the time. These include:

• Bean and chocolate brownies
• Corn tortillas
• Soda bread
• my own vinegar plant ( go through soooo much vinegar in pickling and relish making).

Some things that have intrigued me over the last week:

Multiple call outs for penguin jumpers. Turns out the jumpers aren't actually for the penguins in the most instances and the are used to dress fundraiser soft toys like the ones below. You can read more about it at The Great Penguin Sweater Fiasco by Mike Dickison

Speaking of knitting (something I lack patience for), I am charmed by this snail tea cosy by Anke Klempner:



The issue of working for free comes up in a lot of not for profit and social enterpreneurial organisations. I often get asked to provide workshops and presentation for free, usually for big NFP's with hundreds of staff and sizable budget. The staff who attend on the night get paid, the caterer gets paid, the drinks supplier gets paid, why shouldn't I? A critical look at the issue is presented by Jessica Gottlieb in
The Problem is that My Job is Your Hobby

I'm a big fan of Rohan Anderson's work. Whilst I don't agree with everything he says and does and at times find his work unbearably hipster (this could be perhaps unfortunate timing more than anything), his books and blog are also beautifully photographed. I suspect the culprit might be his wife Kate Berry who now has a charming photography project sharing her rural Victoria work with another photographer called Kate Berry in London. Check out The Other Kate Berry for some stunning pics.

I also think this campaign by Catapult to address the issue is female child slavery for International Women's Day is very clever.

I'm also running Community Preserving Day in Northcote on Saturday March 22nd from 11am to 4pm. $5/$10 gets you a day of learning to make different preserves, a tasty vego morning tea and lunch, full instructions and recipes and plenty of preserves to take home which you'e made with your very own hands. I'm also seeking Darebin folks to contribute through submitting and teaching their favourite jam, pickles or preserving recipe (you will be paid for your time) so email me if you are interested. Bookings can be made here. 

And if you're a fan of milk and biscuits, this idea might appeal in a big way...

Food for thought

Reading
Cheap words: Amazon is good for customers, but is it good for books? by George Packer

Jack Monroe: 'I'm a lefty, liberal, lezzer cook by Tim Adams. I'm a huge fan of Jack Monroe and love her blog to bits. 

The rise of contemporary plus size fashion by Marie Denee

Watching
Just finished watch Top of the Lake

Also watching Casualty on You Tube (my guilty indulgence)


Working
Not too much work after running 8 workshops over the last couple of weeks. I'm working on the plans for running a planning day for the Darebin Fruit Squad on Friday, and a couple of events I'm hosting and some workshops. Here's a couple of pics of me teaching workshops: The first one was reducing food waste through using leftovers (in this case a raw workshop) and one on container and small space gardening.

                                    

Cooking
I made a really simple couple of pies on the weekend. Besides that, not so much sadly!


Things I'm liking

Cute cards with fruit and vegetable puns :

This lovely place 

Catching up with Cate picture free

Bit of a quiet albeit all over the place week this week. I had my mobile phone stolen from a cafe a couple of days ago so I haven't been able to take photos of all the yummy foods I've been making (almond milk, cashew yogurt, tempeh) in preparation for this weekend's class. Lots of fermenting which I enjoy and cooking of soy beans.

I'm also trying to sort through the zillion different gluten free flours I have to combine and make something edible. A quick (too scared to delve too deeply) peruse of the shelf in the pantry and I found:
-Maize
-Almond
-Corn
-Tapioca
-Chickpea
-Rice
-Wheat flours.

Will need to do some research. I was in a wholefoods store yesterday (buying Nutritional Yeast) and I saw pea and lentil flour. Curiouser and curiouser!

Still trying to cull household stuff in preparation for the move to Germany. I really should be working on my appalling language skills. I've been struggling a lot with insomnia which doesn't help my focus and concentration.

Busy working on a few different workshops and organising a Preserving the  Harvest event in March in Northcote where people can come and learn but also teach their own recipes. Will make a poster tomorrow I think. I've also got a heap of workshops over the next few weeks with the Sustainable Living Festival. Green Renters are not doing a stall this year at the Festival, like many people we speak to, we find that the 'big weekend' tends to attract the converted and it's been blisteringly hot and unpleasant the last two years which has dropped numbers. A lot of (unpaid) effort for little return.

Going for my first swimming lesson tomorrow night, a Christmas gift from my husband. I can swim, just with rather poor technique. I'm hoping it will help with my breathing and build up my stamina to swim more than a handful of laps. I enjoy swimming, quite meditative.

 Better fly, off to dinner with a friend.

A few pictorial tales of 2013

Traveling overseas:

Visited parts of Europe for a few weeks including Hamburg, Prague, Bonholm, Copenhagen  and  a solo trip to Amsterdam, a city I absolutely adored.

 

 

 

Started working on my patchwork quilt

Read loads of books.

Became a cover girl for Australia's biggest selling magazine. Also delighted to be featured in a few others including Peppermint magazine!


Spent far too much time in hospital



Spent far too much time watching tv, videos and you tube clips online

Participated in Nanowrimo. I didn't finish my book but I will be working hard on it this month.


Spent alot of time with the lovely men in my life

Cooking firsts:

Made my first marmalade. It's funny considering I teach preserving, but I'm not a fan of marmalade although I've been told this one is absolutely lovely thankfully!








Made my first gnocchi




Made my first tofu




Made my first loaves of bread 

Work stuff:

Taught loads of classes included our jams, pickles and preserves masterclasses and a new Edible Gifts masterclass. I never take enough photos! We also did a cooking project with older people in high rise housing, taught pop up classes in Collingwood and Fitzroy at a range of venues from pubs to bookshops, share houses and aged care facilities.

Lots of projects including a Green Renting Expo for people living in social housing, private rental, rooming houses etc in Redfern, Sydney; a food waste program for a Chinese mothers' group and their kids; a community leadership program in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne (still going).






Holidayed and spent Christmas in Far North Queensland: