OK, there wasn't a pear tree, but the rest TOTALLY happened! Yesterday was a hot one - the mercury peaked at 37°C just as I arrived at Australia Zoo with the girls to meet Santa. Why oh why did I not look at the forecast? Regardless, the kids were actually really well behaved given the sweaty cranky circumstances and somehow Santa was cool as a cucumber - arctic undies perhaps? The Big Sister ...
Cooking
banana leaf baked snapper
It's been a crazy week here in Casa de Cooker. The farm has been busy as everyone tries to tidy up their yard before the Mother-in-Law arrives Christmas day. And the time between now and then just keeps evaporating. Time for another Keeping Christmas Merry Menu recipe. This time, my suggestion for Christmas Eve dinner - banana leaf baked snapper, with delicious Asian flavours. I've adapted ...
five ways with oysters
Last week I brought you the Cooker and a Looker Keeping Christmas Merry Menu plan. In the (terrifyingly few) weeks left until Christmas I'll be bringing you easy recipes to help you keep your cool on the big day. Thai Mango and Pomegranate oysters 1 mango cheek, finely chopped 1/4 pomegranate, seeds only 2 tsp fish sauce 4 large basil leaves, finely shredded zest of 1/3 lime one ...
lighting a candle
Grief is a process. You can't hurry it up. Initially, I tried reading my way through it. Devouring books about grief and waiting for a eureka moment, when I could make my peace with what had happened. I read dozens of books but the moment didn't come. I just kept getting up in the morning and making breakfast. I kept driving the Big Sister to day care and swimming lessons. I kept tending to ...
be wise
I'm off to the Chenrezig Institute tomorrow for a Meditation for Beginners course. I'm hoping meditation will help me introduce a little more calm in our lives and a little more sotto voce from Mummy! Here's a thought for the day from Lama Thubten Yeshe Have a great weekend! ...
Cooker and a Looker’s Keeping Christmas Merry Menu
My childhood memories of Christmas are wonderful - Santa, toys and family. As I got older, though, I realised that Mum spend an inordinate amount of time in the kitchen. Sweating. Perspiring. So when I was handed the Christmas reigns last year, I decided to make an abrupt departure from traditional fare and the Keeping Christmas Merry Menu was born. The ideas behind it are: little ...