My pantry warranted a good decluttering and so I've been trying to use up some of the stockpile I have. This is an easy one.
Moroccan Apricot Chicken.
1 kg Chicken thighs
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
oil for cooking
2 tablespoons Moroccan Seasoning
405 g tin apricot nectar
1 cup of Couscous
Rub chicken thighs with the spice mix, gently cook in minimal oil in frying pan until almost done. Set aside.
Cook onion and garlic, add apricot nectar, chicken and a bit more Moroccan spice. A few chilli flakes if you like it a bit spicier.
Cook slowly until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
Cook couscous as per directions on packet.
Serve chicken on a bed of couscous and spoon over sauce.
Top with chopped coriander leaves.
* You can of course add apricots but we don't like them in this dish so didn't bother.
* I didn't have any Moroccan Seasoning but had all the ingredients, so made up a batch.
* For us there was plenty of left over chicken and sauce so that got popped in the freezer for Mark for work.
Moroccan Seasoning.
5 teaspoons each of ground nutmeg, cumin, coriander
2.5 teaspoons each allspice and ground ginger
1.25 teaspoons each cayenne pepper and cinnamon
Yes - I know - there should be a photo; but I often forget to take a photo when I'm in the kitchen. It's on the menu for the weekend so will hopefully remember to take a photo then.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Friday, January 2, 2015
Hello 2015.
Another year done and dusted. Mum was right - time does go faster the older we get!
No new revolutions (resolutions) this post. Mine are much the same most years lol. Get healthier, spend time with friends and family, learn all that I can about anything that takes my fancy, etc etc etc.
We had a wonderful Christmas - ten for lunch - and quite frankly who bothered with dinner that night! Two days later our daughter and boyfriend were back from seeing his parents and we had our second Christmas with the other kids here for dinner again. It doesn't get better than that.
A few weeks before we had a Christmas party with around 30 friends. It was a brilliant night. The house and outdoor area were decorated to within an inch of their lives lol and the tree was magical. I love Christmas and our daughter does too so we tend to go all out. Tables were set up, lights and lanterns strung, Kim organised the candy station, food was plentiful and the punch was a huge (!!!!) success. Mark and the kids, including our wonderful daughter-in-law all pitched in to make it perfect!
Every year Kim and I have a colour theme for presents etc. lol yes I know ................ but I did tell you we love Christmas!!! Mine was brown wrapping paper and interesting bits and pieces. Below are some of the presents. Sadly the paper looks a bit insipid in the photos because it was really lovely
Shortbread was on the list to make this year and I used a traditional mold. Mrs.McCready made the absolute best shortbread in the street when I was growing up and was very generous when it came to sharing with the neighbourhood kids. I don't think mine was as good as Mrs.McCready's but it was quite nice all the same.
I hope your Christmas was full of love and laughter; and I hope the New Year is shaping up that way as well. There's so much that's good about this world - why not make that a resolution - to concentrate on the positive, be grateful for all the wonderful things in your life. Hey you woke up - that in itself is something to be happy about. :) Make this a year where your vocabulary is filled with positives and not negatives. I know there's a lot of sadness and mayhem in the the world but maybe if we keep the positives in our sights rather than the awful stuff we might make a difference not only in our lives but in others as well. Now that's got to be good thing!
Happy 2015.
No new revolutions (resolutions) this post. Mine are much the same most years lol. Get healthier, spend time with friends and family, learn all that I can about anything that takes my fancy, etc etc etc.
We had a wonderful Christmas - ten for lunch - and quite frankly who bothered with dinner that night! Two days later our daughter and boyfriend were back from seeing his parents and we had our second Christmas with the other kids here for dinner again. It doesn't get better than that.
A few weeks before we had a Christmas party with around 30 friends. It was a brilliant night. The house and outdoor area were decorated to within an inch of their lives lol and the tree was magical. I love Christmas and our daughter does too so we tend to go all out. Tables were set up, lights and lanterns strung, Kim organised the candy station, food was plentiful and the punch was a huge (!!!!) success. Mark and the kids, including our wonderful daughter-in-law all pitched in to make it perfect!
Every year Kim and I have a colour theme for presents etc. lol yes I know ................ but I did tell you we love Christmas!!! Mine was brown wrapping paper and interesting bits and pieces. Below are some of the presents. Sadly the paper looks a bit insipid in the photos because it was really lovely
Shortbread was on the list to make this year and I used a traditional mold. Mrs.McCready made the absolute best shortbread in the street when I was growing up and was very generous when it came to sharing with the neighbourhood kids. I don't think mine was as good as Mrs.McCready's but it was quite nice all the same.
I hope your Christmas was full of love and laughter; and I hope the New Year is shaping up that way as well. There's so much that's good about this world - why not make that a resolution - to concentrate on the positive, be grateful for all the wonderful things in your life. Hey you woke up - that in itself is something to be happy about. :) Make this a year where your vocabulary is filled with positives and not negatives. I know there's a lot of sadness and mayhem in the the world but maybe if we keep the positives in our sights rather than the awful stuff we might make a difference not only in our lives but in others as well. Now that's got to be good thing!
Happy 2015.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Be Proactive.
By about 5.30 this morning I had been up, taken the dog for her"wee" walk and thrown open the doors and windows. It's cool here today - 17 outside as opposed to the early mornings of 25 we've had through the week.
I made myself a coffee and sat in bed thinking how nice it was to feel a bit shivery in the cold wind blowing a gale through my bedroom windows. I had to shut them five minutes later as the rain began, but revelled in the sound of the wind whistling through one I had left open a crack. It's such a respite from the last few weeks of the stifling blanket of heat that has descended each day.
At 6 my phone dinged. Not altogether unusual; my daughter and I are both early risers and it's nothing for us to be texting before our day begins in earnest. This message was, however from B-Screen N.S.W, a reminder that my mammogram was due. In October 2013 I was sent off to a specialist by my doctor. It was a frightening time of scans, waiting, tests, examinations, more waiting. I was given the all clear thankfully but those weeks of not knowing were horrendous. To see the message at 6 am was sobering for a moment, remembering the shock and fear of finding a lump and then having a doctor say "Hmmmm, I don't like the look of this."
In this country, free breast screening is available to woman from 40 on, and is especially recommended for women aged between 50 -74 years.Why would you not?? It's not fail-safe, it's not perfect but it's the best we have at this point in time. Having seen a friend die a very long, and agonising death and knowing a number of friends who have won the battle I can't understand why women wouldn't take advantage of this FREE service. There aren't too many countries who offer this and we need to be grateful for a government that provides preventative services.
Our bodies have to last a long time. With advances in preventative medicine it's common sense to me to make use of the wonderful technology. And what about Pap smears? They're are a thing a lot of women have a problem with. Yes its uncomfortable, yes it's "damn! " when you realise it's due. And no I don't know anyone who thinks "oh yay, my pap smear is today." The thing is it needs to be done.
I have a friend - yes you know who you are - who is around my age and and told me a few years back that she had never; that's right NEVER had a pap smear!!!!! WHY? Well look out cause I'm afraid I'm going to bully you incessantly until you give up and go!! All women need to pull on their big girl panties and just do it!! Or in the case of a pap smear - take them off!!
As parents,as wives, friends, hell as a woman - we need to be pro-active about such things. We live in a privileged society, be grateful for the advantages it affords us.
Book your pap smear, have a mammogram. Stop procrastinating.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Love Food, Hate Waste
A website I find interesting is the NSW EPA's love food hate waste. It's an initiative run by the state Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with partners from retailers, manufacturers, local government authorities and community groups. Its a site of frightening statistics about the amount of good food we waste in this state every year and its impact on our environment. However it's not designed to give you nightmares or a guilt complex but solutions on how to get the most from the food you buy and how to waste less of it.
Its based on a campaign of the same name, developed in the UK in 2007, by the Waste and Resources Action Program. (WRAP)
Let me share some of the statistics:
This is a break-down of food we throw away and send to landfill:
Fresh Food $848 million
Leftovers $694 million
Packed and long life foods $372 million
Drinks $231 million
Frozen Food $231 million
Takeaway/Home delivered $180 million
That's 800,000 tonnes of food each year. When food is left rotting with other organics in landfill it gives off methane which is 25 times more potent than the pollution that comes from your car exhaust. These statistics are from NSW alone!! Each year NSW households throw out over $1000 worth of edible food.
Australians overall discard up to 20% of the food they purchase - that equates to 1 out of every 5 bags of food they buy.
Up to 40% of the average household bin is food.
These statistics are mind boggling. Its disgusting really.
Just think of the production costs and transport costs - the "food miles". Good grief its just madness!
However as I said, the initiative is not just about horrifying statistics - its about solutions. Finding better ways to buy, cook and save your food and in turn doing the planet and yourself (and your bank balance) a favour. Its an easily navigable site, with lots of tips, recipes, as well as how to use the leftovers,downloads for shopping and menu planning, as well as insight into the issues arising from such waste.
It's definitely worth a look.
www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.go.au
Its based on a campaign of the same name, developed in the UK in 2007, by the Waste and Resources Action Program. (WRAP)
Let me share some of the statistics:
This is a break-down of food we throw away and send to landfill:
Fresh Food $848 million
Leftovers $694 million
Packed and long life foods $372 million
Drinks $231 million
Frozen Food $231 million
Takeaway/Home delivered $180 million
That's 800,000 tonnes of food each year. When food is left rotting with other organics in landfill it gives off methane which is 25 times more potent than the pollution that comes from your car exhaust. These statistics are from NSW alone!! Each year NSW households throw out over $1000 worth of edible food.
Australians overall discard up to 20% of the food they purchase - that equates to 1 out of every 5 bags of food they buy.
Up to 40% of the average household bin is food.
These statistics are mind boggling. Its disgusting really.
Just think of the production costs and transport costs - the "food miles". Good grief its just madness!
However as I said, the initiative is not just about horrifying statistics - its about solutions. Finding better ways to buy, cook and save your food and in turn doing the planet and yourself (and your bank balance) a favour. Its an easily navigable site, with lots of tips, recipes, as well as how to use the leftovers,downloads for shopping and menu planning, as well as insight into the issues arising from such waste.
It's definitely worth a look.
www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.go.au
Friday, November 14, 2014
Nundle.
About a month ago we decided to have a day trip to the small village of Nundle which is in the New England area of NSW. It's about a 3.5 hour trip from here so we set off reasonably early.
Its a town that owes its existence to the discovery of gold at Hanging Rock and Swamp Creek in 1852, though its known more these days as one of the best places for crystals in NSW. You can also fossick for sapphires and other precious stones.
It's a lovely area with reminders of the past around every corner. For such a small village it has plenty of attractions such as a Arc-en-Ciel Trout Farm at Hanging Rock, the Nundle Woollen Mill, one of the last spinning mills in Australia; Jenkins St. Antiques and Fine China; Volcania Art Glass (and art gallery) just to name a few and my favourite : Odgers and McClelland Exchange Stores.
This is a home wares shop reminiscent of a 19th century local store. You can buy anything from fine loose teas, coffee, soap, enamelware, millet brooms, baskets, tea towels, aprons even flour in paper or cloth bags. It's a beautiful place to wander through; we had a lovely time. I bought an apron, some Badger Sleep Balm and a repro wind up tin motorbike toy for Mark. By the way you can shop online.
We had lunch at the Peel Inn; a hotel that was built in 1860. About 1863 it was won in a poker game by one John Schofield and it remains in the family to this day. We decided on chicken schnitzel and salad - good old standard pub nosh - and I have to say it was soooo good!! The outdoor area where we ate was beautiful, lots of shady places to sit under a magnificent 40 year old grape vine. The outdoor area is so lovely in fact just last year it was featured in the top 10 beer gardens in Australia.
So I can highly recommend a visit to Nundle. We'd definitely go back and stay a few days to have more of a look at the attractions. Well worth the trip. :)
Useful Websites.
www.nundle.com.au
www.exchangestores.com.au
www.peelinn.com.au
www.rainbowtrout.com.au
Its a town that owes its existence to the discovery of gold at Hanging Rock and Swamp Creek in 1852, though its known more these days as one of the best places for crystals in NSW. You can also fossick for sapphires and other precious stones.
It's a lovely area with reminders of the past around every corner. For such a small village it has plenty of attractions such as a Arc-en-Ciel Trout Farm at Hanging Rock, the Nundle Woollen Mill, one of the last spinning mills in Australia; Jenkins St. Antiques and Fine China; Volcania Art Glass (and art gallery) just to name a few and my favourite : Odgers and McClelland Exchange Stores.
This is a home wares shop reminiscent of a 19th century local store. You can buy anything from fine loose teas, coffee, soap, enamelware, millet brooms, baskets, tea towels, aprons even flour in paper or cloth bags. It's a beautiful place to wander through; we had a lovely time. I bought an apron, some Badger Sleep Balm and a repro wind up tin motorbike toy for Mark. By the way you can shop online.
We had lunch at the Peel Inn; a hotel that was built in 1860. About 1863 it was won in a poker game by one John Schofield and it remains in the family to this day. We decided on chicken schnitzel and salad - good old standard pub nosh - and I have to say it was soooo good!! The outdoor area where we ate was beautiful, lots of shady places to sit under a magnificent 40 year old grape vine. The outdoor area is so lovely in fact just last year it was featured in the top 10 beer gardens in Australia.
So I can highly recommend a visit to Nundle. We'd definitely go back and stay a few days to have more of a look at the attractions. Well worth the trip. :)
Useful Websites.
www.nundle.com.au
www.exchangestores.com.au
www.peelinn.com.au
www.rainbowtrout.com.au
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Monday, November 3, 2014
Katherine Elizabeth.
It's been a difficult few weeks with the death and funeral of my husband's mother, Katherine Elizabeth.
At 89 she had lived a full and busy life, quite "compos mentis" up until about five years ago. For the last almost two years she had been resident in a nursing home where sadly Altzeimers slowly eroded her mind and personality. It's a truly awful disease, isn't it?!
Her funeral was (to use a cliche) a celebration of her life. The last five years were not her sum total and we preferred to focus on her life before that. The photo slide show reminded us all that old ladies were once frivolous young things in stylish frocks and who rode pillion on motorbikes.
I hope she didn't have many regrets. I hope the few memories the disease would allow her to keep were of picnics and dances and the taste of ice cream her mother use to make. I hope she is enjoying renewing contact with family and friends that made the journey before her.
And I hope as we continue with our lives we consciously enjoy every moment we can.
"This ain't no dress rehearsal."
" A Parable of Immortality."
"I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, “There, she's gone.”
At 89 she had lived a full and busy life, quite "compos mentis" up until about five years ago. For the last almost two years she had been resident in a nursing home where sadly Altzeimers slowly eroded her mind and personality. It's a truly awful disease, isn't it?!
Her funeral was (to use a cliche) a celebration of her life. The last five years were not her sum total and we preferred to focus on her life before that. The photo slide show reminded us all that old ladies were once frivolous young things in stylish frocks and who rode pillion on motorbikes.
I hope she didn't have many regrets. I hope the few memories the disease would allow her to keep were of picnics and dances and the taste of ice cream her mother use to make. I hope she is enjoying renewing contact with family and friends that made the journey before her.
And I hope as we continue with our lives we consciously enjoy every moment we can.
"This ain't no dress rehearsal."
" A Parable of Immortality."
"I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, “There, she's gone.”
“Gone where?” Gone from my sight. That is
all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my
side, and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her
destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment
when someone at my side says, “There, she's gone!” there are other eyes
watching her coming, and there are other voices ready to take up the glad
shout, “Here she comes!”
- Henry van Dyke (1852 –
1933)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)