Sangria Fiesta

~Hey Thurr~

Well I feel like I am powering through these 52 new recipes but at the same time feel as though I am running out of time!! I am confident that I will make it... but I haven't been doing many of my other list items really! I'm a total noob at this accomplishing a million goals at once thing! Speaking of noobs, you always know a Melbourne noob when they push the button at the lights in the CBD... they are automatic... der! Anyway. After making burgers, pizza dough and felafels on the weekend I was a bit unsure what to do next. I invited some friends for dinner last night who just got back from Europe and I figured I could use all those felafels I made (and froze) and we could have a nice fresh/healthy dinner. Here is the menu, courtesy of Maki and Hayden:

Fourth course never eventuated, and there was no stabbing involved with the tabouleh BUT it was a nice dinner nonetheless! Here is the picture I took of the felafels last weekend - before i oven baked them:

YUM. I oven baked them and squashed them a little. I deep fried a few to see what they would be like but they were really oily and they shrunk in size. Not a fan. I'll leave the deep frying to the professionals at Shwarama *respect*. Oh and here's some nice tabouleh i whipped up:

Here is a rather blurry photo of the finished wrap - I think I had one too many sangrias and couldn't hold the camera straight :)

And the Pièce de résistance... THE SANGRIA:

Also YUM! I found a recipe online and changed it a tad- it's definately not traditional but it was delicious! It was 1 bottle of red wine, 1 bottle of lemonade, 1 sliced orange, 1/2 sliced lemon, 1.2 sliced lime, 1 sliced punnet of strawberries, 1 sliced apple, and a splash of tequila. Other recipes suggest ginger ale, orange juice and other things, but i kept it fairly simple.

My love heart ice cubes ^_^ Speaking of love hearts, check out this little face:

This is Missy - my mum's puppy. We are minding her while their house is getting finished. Mum is currently living in a tent in the backyard - and hopefully hasn't been washed away in this weather!! Don't think I am a terrible daughter - I have offered her couch space but the stubborn lady refuses and says all is well. So I have had missy for 2 days now, and already I feel the attachment growing. I looked at this photo and a big smile spread across my face. I love animals. From the rare visits I had with Missy I thought she was an untrained little brat, plus i held a grudge against her for ripping my stockings, but she is actually sweet and responds well to commands and always wants cuddles. Always. The only thing I have to keep saying is "NO LICKING!" cos she has so much love to share and wants to lick everyone! I felt bad putting her outside today in this 14C rainy weather but i also didn't want to get home and find a nice big puddle or smelly poo on the carpet. I'm horrible, I know. She absolutley LOVES chester, she just wants to lick his face when she sees him, but he is more of a chilled out guy, nice and slow paced, so he doesn't know what to do. She just circles him licking his face and he backs away or falls over. I should film it, it's cute. I'm a sucker for animals - remember my plans for a rabbit and chooks are still on the cards!! :)

Anyway, I'm sure I will have some good updates next week as Josh and I are going away to Nagambie for the weekend! I'll do some washing and shopping tomorrow morning and then we're off from 1pm and get back Monday night!! WEE-hooooo! I will look up some recipes to make while we are there. I'm thinking some bread might go down a treat!!

new moon party and drifting

Pating, patong, patangatong! Hey Hop-a-long Cassidy! I had a really fun night last night at the NEW MOON screening at Maslin's house. Sure, it may sound lame to many of you, but who cares? Not meeeeee, that's who! I got to make all the lame jokes I could muster up - quickly followed by my own giggles and a few incredulous shakes of the head from around the table. Maslin* made an awesome lasagna for dinner, and of course I couldn't help myself and had to make reference to the quote "we're making italiano for you bella" from the first movie, and then I had to ask if anyone got my joke. They did.

*The lasagna was made by Maslin's mum - so technically a maslin did make it...

While we were waiting for dinner Michelle played the role of beatnik using my new 'beatnick cigarette holder'.



Very Audrey Hepburn, even though I really doubt hepburn was actually a beatnik. She just happened to have one in Breakfast at Tiffany's which was filmed around the time of the beatnik hype. And I don't associate those cigarette holders with beatnik culture anyway, i thought they were more like 1920's kinda scene. I don't really know.

Anyway, I also managed to get a DOUBLE edward photo. Pretty good.

Nobody wanted to get in a photo cuddling up to the poster cos they knew that photo would end up right here. Clever girls. There were even 2 boys there "much to their protest"... but they watched the whole thing with very little complaint. I'm onto you boys...

It was a night full of food and snacks, sighs, laughter, comparisons of whose face is stranger out of R-patz and taylor lautner, and hatred of k-stew- what more could I ask for? On my way out, I had to turn my car around so I started to execute a perfect 3 point turn utilising one of Maslin's neighbour's driveways. I kicked 'er into reverse, and was slowly releasing the clutch and slightly accelerating (as you do) when I almost stalled because of THIS! RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES!!!

Um, Maslin, were you aware that your neighbour is actually a vampire? I was not aware that a car dealership existed called "Blood Toyota"... maybe it's one of those exclusive motoring clubs just for vampeeries... in which case I wonder why they flaunt it on their cars? Probably just to rub my nose in it. Rrrrr!

Anywho.. tonight I am going to be having a rather unusual evening. It is perfectly normal, although it is not a sequence of activities I could have forseen myself partaking in. I like it. First, my little brother is coming to the city to meet me after work. This has never happened before. Then he and I are going to have dinner at Shanghai Dumpling House. Again, I don't know if we've ever gone out to dinner together before. THEN, my friends, THEN... we are going to the following event:

Now, I wouldn't say that cars are of particular interest to me. However, my brother DK happens to LOVE them. He has his mad skyline (pictured) which he is very proud of:

At one point he had a facebook album called "at the carwash" with about 90+ photos of his car at the car wash. It's kinda cute, but I still made jokes. He no longer has that album, I must ask him why :P Anyway he asked me to go with him so I though "why the hell not?". So tonight I will be rubbing shoulders with a bunch of rev-heads who I probably have nothing in common with. Well, I do know one guy in the movie. I used to work with him at my old job at the ZOO, and he has red hair and his name is Luke - more affectionately known as "Ginga". Poor guy. I ran into him when I was out one night and he told me that my mum (who now works at the zoo with him) gave him a Christmas card that said "Dear Ginga..." how embarrassing, I was mortified!

Anyway I'm sort of looking forward to this movie, as it's filmed in Japan and i think one of the Japanese crew will be there. I remember Luke telling me about his trip to Japan with his drifting crew, and he said that they bought cheap cars, drove them around until they were trashed, and then shipped the salvaged parts back home, oh and filmed this movie there of course. They stayed in the homes of Japanese drifter friends, and from the sounds of it had an amazing time! I might wake up tomorrow with a new found appreciation of fast cars. Although I'm sure a little part of me will still die when I'm in DK's car and it goes "tsu-tsu-tsu-tsuuuu" as he changes gears. Daniel said he will bring his camera tonight, but he doesn't mean his good one, i think he means this one:

hahaha will report back tomorrow!!

PS. Thanks for the Redskins Maslin, I'm eating one now, and it blasted me back to the canteen line at Primary School. Then i started thinking about Toffee Apple lollies :) mmmm

falafels and tabouli in my tummy

Oonce in a while, when the planets align and a soft sense of universal peace and tranquility descends upon the land, a little idea fairy pops up and whispers something brilliant in your ear in that one moment of perfect clarity. Usually, but not in every case, the idea is viable if not brilliant. In this recent case the idea fairy was named Squelch, and he had quite a brilliant idea. His idea was that we should have a dinner party and make a delicious feast that was healthy, balanced and possibly vegan. I can do vegan, and can usually do healthy, but when it comes to 'balanced' I am clueless. I don't know much about the properties of food I'm afraid, I am quite the ignoramus on THAT side of things. But no matter! The challenge was set and I ran with it.

Let me show you the recipe to a nice small dinner party:

SETP 1) Invite some people:

STEP 2) Decide what to make. In this case: Falafels, tabouli, hommus and minted yoghurt

STEP 3) Buy the ingredients

STEP 4) Prepare the Hommus before anyone arrives, but make sure you forget to take photos.

STEP 5) Start making the falafels while everyone catches up, and take some cool photos:

STEP 6) When frying the falafels in scalding hot vegetable oil, make sure to dip 2 of your fingertips into said oil until you obtain blisters under your fingernails. This is quite integral to the process. After this, you can swear, run your hands under cold water or cry: this is optional.

STEP 7) Make your dinner guests help you to prepare the Tabouli salad. Get 1 guest to chop herbs, and get the other to juice lemons to yield 3 cups of chopped herbs and 1/2 cup lemon juice respectively. It is imperative that they both simultaneously fill the set of measuring cups (which are connected) with ingredients while each is oblivious of the other's actions. Then make sure that the herb chopper picks up the cup of herbs to add to the bowl, and consequently spills the 1/2 cup lemon juice all over the bench. Then you must interject and pick up the 1/2 cup thus spilling the full cup of herbs also. This is when you have to work as a team to scrape all the liquid into the bowl over the side of the bench. End Result:

STEP 8) Get your housemate (his name must be Maki) to make minted yoghurt by adding too much mint onto the top of the yoghurt. Proceed to freak out as he lowers the stirring spoon, and ask him to remove some of the mint to be used for the tabouli. Watch as he takes one handful out, then dips his hand into the yoghurt again pulling out a gob of yoghurt and mint, then argue with everyone about whether it should be thrown out or put back. Put it back.

STEP 9) Set the table and serve:

STEP 10) Eat in silence interrupted only by professions of orgasmic flavour, and outlandinsh claims that it is the best tabouli ever eaten, or the best falafels ever eaten. To ensure these compliments occur, make sure you eat at around 8.30pm so that your guests are half-starved and delirious. They will not remember what they have said!

STEP 11) Cap it all off with an unexpected visitor, and leave the dishes until the next day!

RECIPES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tabouli for about 6 people plus leftovers

- 1 cup Burghul (cracked wheat) in 1 cup of boiling water until puffed and dry
- 4 large tomatoes chopped finely
- 2 cups finely chopped parsley
- 1 cup finely chopped coriander
- 6 Tbsp chopped mint
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil

* Put all together in a big bowl and mix

FALAFEL

- 2 tins chickpeas
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic - crushed
- 3/4 cup chopped coriander
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped mint finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp bi-carb soda
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup flour
- OPTIONAL: egg replacement equivalent of 1 egg
- sesame seeds
- vegetable oil for frying

Mash Chickpeas in a blender
Cook cumin and coriander seeds in a hot dry pan until fragrant.
Add everything to a bowl and mix well.
Form into little balls and roll through sesame seeds, squashing slightly.
Fry in oil a few at a time, then drail on paper towel.
Do not dip your finger tips in.... it hurts

a week in my shoes

i have been a lazy lady yes i know... well please accept my apologies and hopefully this stream of pictures will placate your hunger for more subarashii...

Friday night a few of my friends and I went out to a Japanese Restaurant in the city called Yu-u. Trav looked it up and said it was reputably hard to find and that it had good reviews. We were wondering around for ages going "it must be along here somewhere!" whjen i saw 2 Japanese businessmen emerge from the door in fits of laughter. Felt like i was back in Tokyo :( *sigh* Here is Josh after we finally found the door:

and Trav wondering where Maki got to...

it was actually very delicious! some of the best Gyoza i've had! It was underground and quite dimly lit so the photos i took of the food didn't turn out so good- eep! they had a rule that you had to spend minimum of $30 each, which was not hard! I got Gyoza, Yaki onigiri, I tried an Ebi dumpling (prawn), had some teriyaki fish, japanese potato salad, mmm... can't remember what else. But it was really nice and the service was amazing.

After that we went walking around looking for a nice bar. While we were walking along Swanston Street (i think) i saw this stairway to the Chinese Cinemas. How awesome!!

We ended up going to Penny Blue bar in Driver Lane off Little Bourke Street. It was a fantastical land of a caged DJ, extremely oversised satin armchairs, $8 tap beers, chandeliers and $16 Sangria. It was lovely and beautiful but we were drinking well above our means, and i didn't particularly want to mingle with any of the other clientelle. It was Maki's shout for a round of beers and he only had $15 which we all laughed at. Anyway here is a photo of Josh looking rather shmug.

and here is some hilarious vandalism SLASH graffiti that was outside...

OK so after a late late night, Saturday i went to my friend's Kitchen Tea. It was my first one, and i din't know what to expect. I imagined food, drinks, and lots of presents. And that is exactly what it was.... with the addition of a chocolate fountain... drooool :

Sunday was beautiful weather and i took a break from cleaning out our spare rooms in order to attend a BBQ luncheon at Trav's house, and i sunbaked by the poolside. I still have the sunburn to prove it. and it looks so attractive too. i have two tone legs AND boobs. greeeat.

Sunday night i put on heaps of Aloe Vera gel and headed out with Josh to see THE DECEMBERISTS play for their first time ever in Melbourne . They had done a couple of Sydney shows before our show, but still this is their first ever Australian Tour and i was very exciiitted! Luckily they thought it would be nice to play their back catalogue for those fans who like all of their albums! They opened with a song called "The Tain" which was released as an EP in 2004, it goes for 18.5 mins and is in a word: epic. So after that, a whole bunch of other amazing songs, some witty banter with the crowd, Colin's penchant for dividing the crowd in two and getting us to sing melodies, and TWO encores.... i was spent. It was one of the best gigs evvaaaaa!

I saw this funny graffiti in the car park before the gig. So witty and artistic...

After a big sleep in and some more cleaning, my mum came over with her new puppy. She hadn't been named at that point so were trying to think of cute names - i thought "jessie" might work, but i haven't heard what mum decided. Look at her, so cute! she just wanted to play with Chester...

and as you can see, Chester was not impressed by her enthusiasm...

Maki brought around some of his stuff on Monday night and this is when the big move in began.

Tuesday was Australia Day, and in tru un-australian fashion Josh wanted to buy some black bean noodles for lunch on our way to the Australia Day BBQ. While he was in there i went for a wander to the asian grocery and saw some funny cans...

OK Australia Day! I was sunburnt still and trying to keep in the shade. Here are a few shots..

Aussie burgers were cooked up. Also, Maki didnt realise how powerful the sauce bottle was, and angled it wirng just as he squeezed. As you can see his Vegie burger got none of the intended sauce...

This is the archway into the fruit and veg area. I went nuts picking nectarines and passionfruit and i also got some yellow cherry tomatoes, parsley, rhubarb and thyme. YUM!

Trainspotting:

What would Australia be without flies.... my thinking is: better.

A different kind of banana tree..

So then Tuesday meant also more shifting in, and preparation. Hayden moved in on Wednesday, and our pantry is absolutely chock-a-block. we have had to create a second pantry to fit all of the new stuff!! sounds like fun to me though :) I didn't take many pick of the shift as i was busy and didnt want anyone posing with a heavy box... that could turn disasterous!

To welcome our new housemates, we had a welcome dinner on Wednesday night which involved salad, roast vegies, and a lentil cottage pie! It was delicious!!

Here is Hayden with his new friend Chester. I think Chester knows on some primal level that Hayden is a vegan, so doesn't register him as a threat. This is the two of them reading a Smiths record jacket - aptly named "meat is murder" :)

happy days! So tonight i have a joint bday party for two girlfurendos, and also josh/haydens band have a gig that i will slip away to watch, then tomorrow is the hens night, and then sunday i have an 80th bday lunch and my brothers 24th bday dinner. no rest for the wicked, huh? I have found some amazing vegan recipes lately that i want to try and make but iiii hhaavvveee very little time :( poo poo. next week for SHIZZZZZ. peace out y'all

vegie patch, dinner date & dresses

Hi hi hi, hope you are all having a fantastic week so far! The other day I saw a picture of our accidental vegie patch from ages ago on my blog. I pretty much LOL'd at the tiny pumpkin plant i was getting so excited about. Here is the sprawling pumpkin patch now:

i dont know what it means when the pumpkin plant is flowering... i assume only good things. Below is my lemonade tree that Josh bought me about 4 years ago for Valentines Day. It never really took off, until I added some of the super soil i got from my mum's place to the pot. Look at all that new growth, i am very excited about the possibility of lemons and pumpkins!!

Ok so the other night my younger cousin, who i affectionately call "minge", invited Josh and I over for some vego lasagnaaaaaa! How could you say no to that! When i went over there, the first thing i saw was this:

His name is Creepy Mr. Hats. He is so good at camoflage that i didn't see him right in front of my eyes :O We attempted to feed the fish just a tiny bit but yeah..... woops:

I then saw this old family portrait of them which made me lolllll hard:

especially this one:

After a while we could smell something burning and thought it was the lasagna so we covered it with foil. After a while the smell got worse. and worse. then we realised that my cousin had put the garlic bread on the base of the oven, not on a rack an the whole thing was blackening...

eew. then i got distracted by the cool oven mits:

soon enough the lasagna was ready - mmmmmmmmmmm. Then we settled in to watch wolf creek. in hindsight...probably not the best thing to eat while eating...

on another note i have been reading a lot of Agent Lover's blog and she took pictures of herself trying on cool dresses and i was inspired to get my act together and buy some dresses for the upcoming hen's night and wedding of my 2 lovely friends, and copy her idea. omg hens night in 8 days!!!! and wedding in 22 days! ay ay ay!

so on my lunch break yesterday i went to dangerfield and only took 2 pics out of all the dreses i tried on, and in the end i bought those two:

i am planning on wearing this li'l number to the wedding, and i think i will get a pro fake tan (for the FIRST TIME EVER!!!) and bleach my hair so i am bombshell blonde, not this slight pink. not even joking. i will be unrecognisably california style or something! i am usually pale and dark haired and dressed in black. Bob dylan says it best: for the times they are a changin'... maybe my obsession with Nip/Tuck is subconciously making me transform into Kimber. Next step: become a porn star. Anyway when i showed Josh the dress he said "You're wearing RED to a wedding?!?!" like he knew what he was talking about. I thought the rule was just "dont wear white".........? i dont really know about weddings, but i thought red is fine, so i told him he has no idea what's going on. Whatever, anyway the next dress:

This is going to be for the Hen's night next week. We are going Salsa dancing and cocktail drinking :D I think i will need to tan for this too, i have been avoiding the sun this summer. and now look at the predicament i find myself in :O gosh! this wedding is going to be AWESOME! It all kicks off with the kitchen tea tomorrow - how exciting!

And you know what's even more exciting....? I am staring at a 5 day weekend as of tomorrow... HOORAY! So a countdown on all the big moments:

Kitchen Tea: 1 day

Seeing the Decemberists: 2 days *jizz jizz*

Australia Day celebrations: 4 days

Housemate # 1 moving in: 5 days

Back to work: 6 days

Hen's Night: 8 days

Older Bro's Bday: 9 days

Wedding: 22 days

Valentines Day possible indian bollywood dinner: 23 days

I'm gonna stop there. There are many more things in between but i cant remember which days they are, but i am exciitteeddddd hehe. oh and my cousin is coming from Adelaide to visit soon too :D eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee