still wet and wretched

Posted on | June 17, 2007 | 2 Comments

will this weather never end?

my brother was over here all morning and the three frustrated motorcyclists all sat around and looked out at the grim grey drizzly no-end-in-sight weather and moaned to each other.
none of us ever really thought about the weather before we got motorbikes, and now it’s the only thing we think about.
we are all re-scheduling our lives and businesses around the POSSIBILITY of good weather.

the husband got himself the most divine black leather motorcycle jacket….a collins, no less…and reckons he is weatherproof in it.
well, except for his legs…. and it’s positively amazing how wet jeans can just funnel simply pints of cold rainwater into one’s big bad boots.
he has some sort of overpants arranged and on their way, i do believe.
i too have sorted out my gear situation.
i’m getting a goretex allllll-weather jacket from tiger angel and some desert camo pants from draggin’ jeans, with kevlar reinforcment at strategic points on knees and hips and bums.
i’m sure the camo and the red cowgirl boots will be a deranged combo……..

very little has been happening here.
we have just done two pretty good markets and i bought some books off a bookstore bargain table, including “aphrodite” by isabel allende (the love of food and the food of love).
it looks like a wonderful read stuffed full of recipes and erotica.
goodness knows i need some culinary inspiration right now.

we are having a vegetarian pasta dinner tonight: i have loads of fresh vegies from the saturday market.
even though the weather is chilly and damp, i think we’ll build a big fire in the potbelly and have a summery little feast of pasta dressed with homemade pesto, and tossed with plenty of wilted rocket and roasted capsicums.
i have to put soybeans on to soak to make soymilk and mixed beans for soup tomorrow.

HUGE step forward here, in the equipment department.
i bought one of those little 22 litre breville convection ovens.
$150 and it sits so neatly on the benchtop and it BAKES like a dream.
i turned out some savoury muffins the first morning i got it home and we enjoyed those warm, for breakfast, with plenty of butter.

breakfast muffins
2 rashers bacon, rind removed, diced, fried until crisp
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
50g butter, melted…or oil…or bacon drippings
2 tblsp chopped parsley
1 cup of baby rocket, plunged into boiling water for a few seconds, then drained.
2.5 cups self-raising organic flour
3/4 cup grated tasty cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
good pinch each of cayenne pepper and italian herb mix

preheat oven to 190 Celsius
beat together eggs, milk, cayenne, herbs, parsley, rocket.
sift flour and add bacon and cheese.
add milk/egg mix to flour mix and stir gently until just combined.
make six X 1 cup muffins….we LOVE silicon muffin trays and wonder how we ever managed without them.
bake for 25 mins until golden brown and risen.

EVEN MORE DELICIOUS the next morning, warmed up….flick a little cold water all over them, wrap loosely in foil, and heat in oven until warm and soft.
the cayenne and herbs really come out to play after 24 hours.

anyway, now i have a proper, well sort of proper, oven, i’ll be baking a lot more.
stay tuned for a family staple: vanilla biscuits.
simplest biscuits imaginable and i’ve never met anyone who didn’t love them.
i do adore that glass round bowl oven thing i have been roasting chickens and potatoes in very happily….but i just couldn’t get a handle on baking in it.
i love these little appliance thingies…..they use so much less electricity than a regular oven and the cleaning is MINIMAL.
after a lifetime of cleaning restaurant ovens, this stuff is very important to me.

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hi, i'm patti flynn

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