Free Art

I don't often pick up free postcards but I think I recently picked these up in a gourmet cafe in Oatley.

The top one is by Pala Hoyos (www.palahoyos.blogspot.com) and the bottom one is 'Wishes' by Karmen Fung (www.kazdzign.carbonmade.com).

A prayer that stands...

I was just sitting at my dining table and this framed prayer I have on my table caught my eye. It triggered in me the thought that this prayer always helps calm me and is applicable to so many things.

My Aussie Grandma gave me this for my 30th birthday.  I think in one of my moves I cracked the porcelain frame - doh!

I have found over the last 5 years I have had it, there are so many times that is all I had to hold onto when I felt I had nothing left or felt frustrated.

Wikipedia says the prayer seems to mainly have originated from a theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.  It was written for a sermon back as early as 1934.  You can read more about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer

All I know is, is that it contains alot of wisdom and common sense!

Apricot Coconut Oat Slice

My friend AL made this for church supper one night and I've been keen to try this out myself.

I added the sliced almonds on top for added crunch!  My friends J and P seem to love it...and I think I ate 4 pieces today - yikes!

Ingredients Base

125g butter melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

Ingredients Filling

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

200g chopped dried apricots

1 cup dessicated coconut

Preheat oven to 180C

Instructions

1. Place base ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.

2. Press mixture into a lined 20x30cm slice tin.

3. Bake for 15mins or until golden.

4. To make topping, beat eggs and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

5. Fold in flour, baking powder, apricots and coconut.  Top with sliced almonds (optional).

6. Spread the topping over the base and bake for 20-25mins or until golden. 

7. Cool in tin.  Cut into slices.  

(Makes 24)

Donna Hay Modern Classics 2 

Nothing like fried rice...

There is nothing like fried rice for comfort food and when you need to cater for a large group of hungry people!

I don't often cook this unless I have leftovers and rice, but it was a nice change to decide what to throw in.  I used jasmine rice instead of normal rice for a less gluggy and more 'fragrant' taste.

I wish I took a photo of the egg swirled around C's electric wok bubbling away!  Thanks so much C for the wok loan - can't imagine how I would have cooked it in my small frypan!

Ingredients (for 12 people)

12 cups cooked rice (6 cups uncooked) - best cooked day before

8 eggs beaten

1 onion - diced

2 cups cooked peas

1/2 wombok cabbage thinly sliced and chopped into mini strips (you can use ordinary cabbage or sliced snow peas)

400g BBQ pork - diced or thinly sliced 

1 small can of tinned corn

8 rindless rashes of bacon - diced (or chinese sausage 'lap cheong')

4 shallots - sliced

Light soy sauce

Dark soy sauce

Oyster sauce

Sesame oil

Cooking oil

Optional: Chilli soy sauce served on the side - measure 1/3 dark soy and 2/3 light soy and place fresh cut chillies in and let sit for several hours refrigerated.

 

Instructions

(I cooked this in 2 batches so halve the ingredients when you reach step 4 and repeat from step 4)

1. Heat cooking oil in a wok or large fry pan.  Swirl the beaten egg around the pan and wait until scrambled.  Lift out of pan and drain on paper towel.

2. Wipe out wok.

3. Warm cooking oil and fry onion for 1 minute, then add bacon for 1 minute, then add wombok for 30 seconds.  Lift out of wok and set aside.  The cabbage may produce water so ensure you drain the water away else this will make the fried rice soggy.

4. Heat cooking oil in wok.  Add rice and stir around to get rid of any lumps of rice and ensure the rice is warmed throughout.

5. Add light & dark soy, oyster and sesame oil.  There is no exact measurement - perhaps 2 'glugs' from each bottle.  You will need to experiment according to taste.  Start with a little and you can always add more.  Possible 2 parts soy, 1 part oyster and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.  Stir until evenly distributed.

6. Add BBQ pork, cabbage/bacon/onion mixture and corn.  Stir well.

7. Add egg and shallots last to ensure they are not overcooked.

Fried rice ingredients could be anything from leftover BBQ chicken, beef mince, any small veges etc.  The key ingredients are the egg, rice and sauces - everything else is optional!  I wanted to add garlic and chilli but it's not to everyone's taste.

Funky Monkey!

Things have been a bit hectic and tiring of late, but looking at this fabric I bought for a baby shower makes me feel a little bit more energetic?!

It is better to Smile than Stress

I received this thank you card in the mail this afternoon. It was good timing as I have just come back from the car wash and discovered a large scratch on my rear bumper bar. I don't remember seeing this scratch but can't prove that the car wash was responsible either. I've experienced this before with my previous car - they will just deny it! I think it was the same car wash come to think of it - may be time to find a new one.

This card and the contents of the card from C has me thinking - it's only a scratch and at least it's not on the metal body of the car where it would rust. There are more important things in this world like smiling, singing and the words I am about to share at church houseparty this Saturday. God would not want me to get stressed about such a trivial thing even though I pride myself on keeping my car in perfect condition!

Lord, forgive me for being so trivial and proud!

This quirky card (filled with words of wisdom and encouragement - thanks so much C!) is made by my talented friend C. You can see more of this sort of creativity at http://www.rosebarnett.blogspot.com/.

Recycled Dolce & Gabbana

(From top to bottom: flat view, pouch inside out, a peek inside)

This is a pouch I've made out of spare leather and fabric I had at home. M had purchased a new wallet in NY which didn't have a slot for cards. There was talk of buying a plastic sleeve for her cards but that won't do! Hence this pouch as a thank you for staying with her. I know you are thinking 'how can that fit in her wallet?', well it's a very different wallet! If not, could be used separately.

The leather is from J's cut off Dolce & Gabbana leather pants and the fabric inside is from some bags I had made some years ago (I love this fabric!).

Naively, I didn't realise I couldn't hand sew the leather even though it is thin and buttery soft. So I had a tailor put together the main seams for me (I wasn't willing to buy leather machine needles) but I didn't expect the side seams inside to be exposed. There was a miscommunication and it's because I insisted on using the thick cotton as lining instead of ugly polyester lining.

So to improve the side seams I handstitched some red bias binding I happened to have and am happier with the result. The side seams seem to help divide the cards - one side for credit cards and one side for membership cards. I wasn't sure I wanted to part with it, my first leather creation - recylced D&G too! Alas, it was made for M and that's whom it should belong to.