homemade marmalade

There's something almost magical about some things that you make yourself. Especially when they're items that you usually buy from the supermarket. This is me and marmalade - I love it, as you can probably tell from here, but I've never made it myself.

So when a lovely blogger friend recently invited me to take part in a cooking club, with this month's challenge being to make something from scratch that you would normally buy in a jar/carton/bottle/packet, I leapt at the chance. The universe was giving me a little nudge to get over my weird fear about preserving and canning and just do it.

There is a wealth of information out there about preserving, canning, bottling, pickling and it can be a little overwhelming to say the least. I think part of the secret of not talking yourself out of doing it is to start small. Remember when I made pickles a while back? - well I made so much of the stuff and was worried that I hadn't properly sterilised the jars so I ended up having to throw some of it out - something I hate doing.  Since then I've found a few good tips, such as here and here on sterilising jars.

So now onto the fun part, making the marmalade.

Orange Marmalade
Adapted from A Year in a Bottle by Sally Wise

Makes 750g, approximately (enough for three jars)

4-5 large oranges
1/2 a lemon
3 1/2 cups water
500g sugar

Start by chopping the oranges finely.  Place them in a large pot, add the water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the fruit is soft. 

Now add the sugar and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil on high for 25 minutes. Don't do as I did and try to make an omelette for dinner at the same time and forget to stir your marmalade - burning will ensue.

Allow the marmalade to stand for 10 minutes before pouring into warm sterilised jars.  Seal immediately.

This recipe produced a fairly chunky, thick marmalade, which is exactly how I like it but if you prefer yours more runny, I'd suggest adding more water at the start and reducing the heat a little in your second boil, towards the end of the 25 minutes. 

I opened up one jar this morning to go on my toast, one jar went into the cupboard and the other was gifted to a friend at work. I have a feeling I'm going to be finding ever more inventive ways to feature marmalade in my cooking over the coming months. I'd like to think my marmalade loving Gran would be proud of my efforts.

You can find out what the other wonderful members of the cooking club came up with for the challenge below:

Lucent Imagery http://www.lucentimagery.com/

Quiet Paws http://quietpaws.com/

From River’s Edge http://fromriversedge.net/

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a morning walk

On Sunday Kristian and I went to Natty's cafe in Stanmore, which has hands down pretty much the best breakfast trifle I've come across in a long while. It is delicious: crunchy, creamy, fruity, not too big and amazing value. If you haven't been already, clear your calendar for next weekend. Afterwards, we went for a long walk around our neighbourhood and talked about ideas and projects and marvelled at the changing leaves. Not too many days left of Autumn, so I'm soaking up as much colour as I can and pondering this quote in anticipation of the coming Winter months:

Au milieu de l'hiver, j'ai découvert en moi un invincible été.
In the midst of winter I discovered within me an invincible summer.

~Albert Camus

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small pleasures

Sometimes I feel like I'm a whirlwind of activity, constantly rushing from one thing to the next (or thinking about a million different things all at once - what I am doing, what I should be doing, what I want to be doing). I need to intentionally take the time to s l o w  d o w n .  .  .

Recently I've made the change from coffee to tea, a rather big deal for someone who has been a long time coffee drinker, and I have been finding that it has helped even me out. There is something more restful about tea, more contemplative.

I've also tried to start taking more pleasure in small, simple things. I have a tendency to get the winter blues and whilst it's not winter yet I've been trying to focus on the beautiful things about the changing season to try and keep positive - colourful leaves, getting out my favourite cardigans and scarfs and drinking lots of hot beverages out of fun cups, such as my favourite Austen above. When enjoying a nice cup of tea out of this mug I like to pretend I'm in an old-timey tea house in Bath spotting gallant chaps dashing in from the rain. Mmmm...

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breakfast habits

I was inspired by this fantastic series to do some posts on breakfast. There's something about breakfast it seems, more so than perhaps any other meal of the day, that reveals something intrinsic about people - about their habits, likes and personalities. It's as if the way we choose to begin our day, when we're still sleepy, unconsciously speaks something of our true selves - whether we're morning people, active and rushed, or quiet and contemplative, creatures of habit or constantly up for change.

Kristian would say that I'm not much of a morning person (except on occasions of community garage sales) but I love mornings... once they're underway. We've been trying for a while now to get up early, around 6am to go for a run and then still have time to hang out at home and luxuriate in the making and eating of breakfast before we head out the door to work.

Usually we make vegemite toast (or sometimes marmalade) and tea.  But lately, now that the weather is cooler, I've been making porridge again, my autumn and winter friend, sometimes with brown sugar, sometimes with sultanas and honey, occasionally with maple syrup if we've got any in the house. But I'm thinking I need to mix it up, maybe add some coconut and walnuts...
As a kid I think I ate Weetbix with sultanas for breakfast every day for about 10 years straight.

A long term lover of coffee, I've recently switched to tea in the morning, with the occasionally coffee later in the day. For a while there I was having two macchiatos before I got to work and it was unsustainable madness. Now I'm having up to 5 cups of tea but with much less crazy.

My favourite breakfast ever was when I travelled in Italy as a teenager and would go to Cafe Tonnollo in Venice every morning to have a cappuccino and a brioche con marmellata (croissant with jam).

A recent discovery, whilst breakfasting with a lovely new friend, was granola with yogurt at Cafe Biaggio in Pyrmont.  Crunchy and nutty and thoroughly delicious.

How about you folks, do you have any favourite breakfast routines, rituals or preferences?
I'd love to know.


P.S. Yes, that is a big hunk of cheddar cheese. I inherited from my grandmother a predilection for teaming it with marmalade toast - not everyone's cup of tea, but certainly a favourite of mine.
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reel food night

The other night we headed down to Rozelle to the first of the Reel Food Nights, organised by the Youth Food Movement, younger sibling to the Slow Food Movement. I must admit I was lured in by the promise of veggie food trucks but what was really interesting was hearing more about sustainable food practices and learning about young farmers exploring small urban farming and agricultural projects in a documentary screened on the night - The Greenhorns. We enjoyed several glasses of organic red wine and some rather splendid moroccan spiced popcorn during the film but alas the food truck ran out of veggie burgers so we just had some cheese on toast when we got home.

Saturday morning, fuelled on by the spirit of the evening, Kristian and I went to the Organic Farmers Markets in Lilyfield, spotted lots of cute dogs and stocked up on some veggies for the week. The stall-holder I bought our veggies from threw in a banana for nothing and an extra tomato, which has essentially guaranteed him a customer for life. The banana was squat and a bit brown but thoroughly delicious. I feel like I have more respect for these vegetables having bought them from the people who grew them and I want to do right by them and make something special. Sunday dinner here we come.

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potatoes, pies and pink

Our weekend was all about a very excited little girl (Kristian's niece) turning three and some equally excited adults getting to play with Mr and Mrs Potato Head and eat party pies and toothache-inducing amounts of cake and pink icing.

After a big week, it was so nice to stop for a minute and breathe in the weekend, to listen to the gutteral laugh of the birthday girl after having fizzy drink for the first time (care of me, oops!) and to see three generations of K's family together - to notice, in amongst the eating, playing and conversation, those occasional funny, familial moments of similarity that make me smile.

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a childhood favourite

So long Maurice Sendak.

I remember fondly his books from when I was little and loved rediscovering them again as an adult. His philosophies on living and writing are humbling and enduring. A true master-storyteller and human.

"I've convinced myself — I hope I'm right — that children despair of you if you don't tell them the truth."

These interviews with him are a wonderful way of preserving his ideas. Have a listen and be reminded how precious this thing called life is.


[The picture was taken on our 2010 trip to Japan, where we saw Where the Wild Things Are]

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greenery

I think I must be craving vitamins because I've been on a major broccoli (and green) kick of late. It seems like most of my meals in the last week have been crafted around broccoli in some way. I pull out that delightful head of green from the fridge and then I open the pantry and see what comes to mind. It's also one of those veggies I was always a bit fussy about as a kid, so there's certain element of back patting going on now that I've made friends with it.

And it's not only tasty and versatile as all get out but it's a great source of calcium, potassium, vitamins A and C, fibre, anticarcinogens and antioxidants. And in light of recent familial health matters, I'm trying to be more mindful of eating my greens.

Inspired by this healthy lady, on Tuesday I made steamed greens with polenta, a grain I haven't had in ages. If you're after something quick and nourishing, half a cup mixed in with two cups of stock in a saucepan stirred for a few minutes and you're done.

But for these cooler nights can I recommend a broccoli bake? Pop the word 'bake' onto the end of just about anything and I'm in like flynn. I might need to apply this principle to other vegetables like brussell sprouts in the near future. I'll keep you posted. But for now let's talk flower heads.

Broccoli, Cauliflower and Spinach Bake

Adapted from Bon Appetit

for the greenery

2 1/2 cups cauliflower florets 

2 1/2 cups broccoli florets 

2 cups baby spinach leaves 

for the bechamel 
60 grams butter chopped

1/3 cup all purpose flour 

1 cup milk 

1/2 cup grated cheddar or Parmesan cheese
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 200°C and grease a baking dish.

Cook the cauliflower and broccoli in large pot of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are on the slightly hard side of tender. Drain and cool and then chop into smallish chunks. 

Rinse the spinach, then wilt in a saucepan over medium heat. Drain and cool. Squeeze the spinach dry and chop finely. Alternately you can use frozen spinach portions, cooked in a similar fashion.

For the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth then slowly whisk in the milk until the sauce thickens and boils, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cheese.

In a large bowl combine all the vegetables and stir through the bechamel sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and top with cheese. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes and then serve steaming hot with some more greens on the side.

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shopping the neighbourhood

A few years back I had a longish stint working part-time for a doctor so that I could spend my days off working on a (as yet still unfinished) novel.  It was a really interesting and occasionally very difficult period and it taught me a lot about people and even more about myself. Apart from learning how to deal with hysterical patients over the phone - a useful skill to have in any profession - and a lot more about dermatology than I'd ever want to know, this period of self-imposed financial restriction fundamentally changed the way I think about spending money and the value of things.

I no longer enjoy spending lots of money on clothes or things for our home but instead get a kick out of finding wonderful second hand items; things that have a bit of history and story about them.

So you can imagine the almost unbridled joy with which I sprang out of bed on Saturday morning to head out on my bike and explore Second Hand Saturday, a event organised by our Council where households in our neighbourhood put on a bunch of garage sales on one day.  I got to meet some really nice people and came home with a bunch of fantastic old tupperware, kitchenware and even a great, grey couch, which I scored for $20!

And then I had to have a lie down.

On Sunday, Kristian and I ventured over to the Addison Road Markets, excitement levels still high, to explore the Bower and Reverse Garbage - all very much recommended! We had egg, mushroom and halloumi rolls from the Mr Bacon and Egg stall, surveyed all the wonderful fresh produce and watched dogs playing and kids taking shetland pony rides.

I resisted a few deliciously luring bargains and in the end was satisfied with a triangular loaf of zucchini bread and some $2 measuring cups from the Bower.  A good weekend all round.


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warming on up

Our place was alive with the sounds of merriment the other night as friends gathered to help us officially warm it up. I made guacamole and ginger punch and friends surprised us with gifts and drinks, and, in the case of our Melburnian friends Emma and Sam, with their unexpected presence from across the border - wholly unanticipated and wonderful! A mojito station was quickly established and all I had to do was drink in the deliciousness and crank the oven for hot food, which was consumed at lightning speed, in amongst sparkler displays, nerf gun wars and even a pregnancy announcement from a friend. What a night!

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tuesday/friday

With the Anzac day holiday tomorrow there's definitely a bit of a weekend feeling in the air. We are thinking of having a little barbeque at home and making some Anzac biscuits and settling in to watch an old/new favourite TV show Work of Art. What are your plans? Anyone going to the dawn service or heading out to the pub to play two up?

In the meantime, on this slightly dreary Tuesday afternoon, here are a few peppy songs to get you in the mood for mid-week barbeques and baking...





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this has been the week

A few pictures from a walk I took this week during a brief patch of sunshine. The glimpse I had of the pair of birds flying high above reminded me in a very small way of this wondrous video. It's been a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster of a week, featuring worry of almost ridiculous proportions (the picture of the graffiti seemed to sum up my general sense of indecision) but I'm feeling a lot better this sunny Friday and looking forward to lots of good things: my Dad hopefully coming home from hospital on the weekend, catching up with friends, a party, cooking up a storm and some other new ventures.

During a brief flurry of activity one afternoon I even made some nice cornflake biscuits, which I'm keen to make some more of - this time perhaps with cranberries or sultanas, although with Anzac Day coming up next week I'm sure I'll be making some of those biscuits too.

Afternoon Biscuits (with cornflakes)  

Adapted from Homecooked 

¾ cup plain flour

½ cup cornflakes

1 cup rolled oats

¼ cup desiccated coconut

¾ cup honey

75g butter

75g applesauce

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 Tbs water

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a large baking tray. 

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan combine the butter, applesauce, honey and water over medium heat until the butter has melted and the ingredients are all combined. Then stir in the bicarbonate of soda. It will froth up. Don’t be alarmed.  

Pour the foamy mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. The mixture should be firmish but still a touch tacky. If it's looking too firm add a small amount of water, if too tacky - a small amount of flour. Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking trays and press with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before consuming all in one go, as we did.

Wishing you a lovely sunshiney weekend!

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easterings

A smattering of moments from a wonderfully long Easter break. Don't let the photographs fool you - a

lot more hot cross buns were consumed that it would appear, along with twenty or so cups of tea, fresh figs, banana cake, quesadillas, tuna mornay, potatoes, potatoes, potatoes and soup. I got up ridiculously early almost every day and read books in our garden with cups of coffee, whilst I waited for Kristian to awake.

Instead of having chocolate eggs we made brownies instead and watched the most delightfully quirky British show - Dirk Gently, based on the books by Douglas Adams, which I can highly recommend. It is reassuringly awesome in the manner of most English crime comedy/dramas. 

Hope you had a lovely break and here's to another short week!

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firsts and seconds

It was a weekend of firsts:

1st day of April and for about the first time ever I didn't get pranked. I'm pretty gullible and therefore fair game for April fool's jokes but somehow I made it through this year unscathed.

We met friends for lunch at a new cafe in Leichhardt called Wellco which I haven't been to before and which was lovely. Their bacon and egg wrap is pretty special.

 I got up really early on Sunday morning despite gaining a whole hour's worth of sleep from the end of daylight savings. I'm still puzzling over that one.

A big first - I made a birthday cake for my Dad which was pretty much sugar free. It featured my old favourite, black beans (I'm becoming the poster girl for beans lately) and was a surprise hit. Rich as all get out, but yet we still all had seconds. Here is the recipe if you're interested. I'd recommend keeping an eye on the cooking time though, I think mine was a wee bit overcooked.  Excellent with some yogurt and tart berries.

Hope you all had a terrific weekend and a lovely start to April.