Kaptain Kitchen

Martha Stewart would be proud!

Now that Adoring Husband's life is partially filled with all things SES related, and his Parkinson's is tiring him out a bit, not to mention the side effects of his medication, I decided to play 'the good wife' and prepare all, or most, of his meals for while I'm away.

I'm heading off on another road trip in a few days and I'm not sure how long I'll be gone.

So I spent quite a few hours in the kitchen today, making beef stroganoff, spaghetti sauce, savoury mince, meatloaf and a beef and vegetable casserole.

I'm a bit cranky with myself for making so many red meat meals and should have included some fish and chicken ... however, there is some fish in the freezer, and I'm certain AH will make good use of it.

We had curried chicken and prawns for dinner tonight, anyway.

I also did some ironing and packed 3/4 of my suitcase ready for the trip.

So I'm pretty happy with my productivity for the day.

I found some quotes that I'm going to use with my photographs.

Here is the first ...

I think I might clean out the fridge before I go to bed ... OMG, by enthusiasm and motivation is beginning to frighten me!  What happened to my friend 'procrastination'????

Nite all.

Even Hotter!

35C with 81% humidity.

That's classed as a 'stinker' in our neck of the woods.

Blah.

I spent quite a bit of today in the kitchen.

As I'm going away this week for an unknown period of time, I made Adoring Husband a huge batch of toasted muesli to keep him going for a few weeks.

I juiced some organic oranges in my new slow juicer.

Made vegetable fritters for lunch, which were delicious.

I didn't have anything planned for dinner, so I roasted some cauliflower with turmeric/cumin/cheyenne pepper, did baked sweet potato in the jacket and made kale chips.  We had that with some braised steak and onions that I took out of the freezer.  Very satisfying - although I forgot about the kale chips until after dinner was finished ... still munching on them now!

Thought I would share a couple of wedding photos, since I haven't taken any photos recently.

I've got a lot to do over the next 3 days.

With a New Years Eve gathering here on Tuesday night and then I'm leaving on Thursday, I've made a list and will go through it methodically to get everything done.

It means that I need a good nights sleep tonight, hence my early post!  I've had a few late ones recently and the lack of sleep is catching up with me.

So it's good night from me!

Nite all.

Hot and Summery

I think we can safely say that Summer has well and truly set in.

Today was 33C with 70% humidity.

I turned the air conditioner on at 9.30am.

This guy had the right idea ...

... if I wasn't afraid of sharks, I'd have joined him!

Sadly there was a large dead turtle beached beside the boat ramp this morning.  Hopefully, the tide will take him back out to sea during the night.  It looked like he may have been struck by a propeller because the rear end of his shell was sliced and cracked.

Very sad because he was a beautiful looking specimen.

Nothing to report for the day.

It seems that we'll have a few friends over for New Year's Eve this year.  It will be a nice way to see out the old year, which hasn't been to kind to any of us, and see in a fresh new year that hopefully will bring us a lot more smiles and much better health for some of us.

I'm thinking up a good New Year's Resolution.

Last year my resolution was to become a little fitter and healthier.  Read last year's post here.

I believe that I have been successful with that resolution, so I need to find another achievable and meaningful resolution for this year.

I will think about it and get back to you ... watch this space!

Nite all.

Another Birthday

Happy Birthday to yewwwwww
Happy Birthday to yewwwwww
Happy Birthday dear Life Saverrrrrrrr
Happy Birthday to yewwwwww

Now, officially, at 65, an old fart :D

I ate the most delicious calamari meal at the club tonight ... it's the first time that I've enjoyed a meal in our town for at least a couple of years!  It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

It's almost midnight, so I'm sharing one photo from my time on the Sunny Coast, of two Red Backed Fairy Wrens - the male is the pretty one - and I think there was some flirting going on here!

... and now I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Boxing Day

... and the holiday season continues.

These are my favourite Christmas posts from facebook this Christmas ...

It's been a lovely relaxing Boxing Day for me.

Nite all.

Christmas Day

Well, I hope that you all enjoyed your Christmas, and that you got to spend the day with people you care about.

I spent a lot of time on the phone, face time and Skype today, talking to my loved ones, which was almost as good as having them here!

Adoring Husband and I enjoyed our traditional seafood lunch, with watermelon and rocket salad, and there was enough left over for a snack at dinner tonight.

This morning, we spent a little time with some of my boys down at the Seat of Knowledge.  Sadly, they didn't get to spend Christmas with their families this year, but had invitations to join other families, which is nice.

I was very very spoilt this year.  Adoring Husband went above and beyond and got me everything on my imaginary wish list!

He was so excited about Christmas this morning and when I stirred a little after 5am, he had obviously been waiting for me to wake and he tried earnestly to wake me up properly "Good morning and Merry Christmas Darling" he said "I think Santa has been."

I quite sternly told him that I had no intention of getting up for another 2 hours and that we were not 5yrs old (yes I know, I'm very mean, but I'm not a morning person - especially when I'm woken up before I'm ready to be woken up!)

So I rolled over and went back to sleep until a little before 7am.

As I climbed out of bed, I decided to head straight for the shower because I was feeling like I'd just struggled through a warm Summer night and needed to freshen up.

I walked out to discover AH sitting in the lounge room, waiting expectantly for me to emerge from the bedroom.

"I really NEED to have a shower first." I said.

"Nooooo" he replied "Open presents first!"

"Nooooo" I responded "I HAVE to have a shower first"

He came back with "Noooooooo"

So I sat on the couch.  There were two large gifts under the tree, that had not been there the night before ... obviously the gifts that 'Santa' must have delivered during the night!

He handed me the first very heavy box and I opened it to discover, to my delight, a slow juicer.  Something that I have been wanting for a couple of months, but they are quite expensive, so I thought I might have to wait a while to acquire one.  

That put a rather large smile on my dial!

Then he handed me the next box, bigger, but lighter than the first.

I unwrapped it to discover a white styrofoam box with a lid .. similar to the box that our organic fruit and veg are delivered in.

I asked "Is it a box full of fruit and veg for me to use in my new juicer?"

No.

I opened the lid to find yet another gift wrapped box inside.  I ripped it open to see my dream lens staring back at me.  I have dreamt of owning this lens for almost a year, but again, this is a luxury item that comes at a price, so I certainly wasn't expecting to get one any time soon.

It deserved a 'gasp' and as I hugged AH to thank him, we shared an emotional moment for the less than pleasant year that we have experienced this year.  We felt the love.

I received perfect gifts from my family, each of them were so thoughtfully chosen for me and made me feel all warm and fuzzy. 

So there you have it .. my Christmas in a nutshell.  It went incredibly fast!  There seemed to be something happening all day .. time passed so quickly that it was almost 3pm when we sat down to lunch!

It's been a good day.  I hope it's been as good for all of you too.  Merry Christmas :D

Nite all. 

Christmas Eve

Vegan Chickie and I followed our tradition and watched "Love Actually" today (Christmas Eve).

We are rarely in the same room on Christmas Eve.  Sometimes, in different countries or different states and today, two and half hours apart, but we watched it together in our own homes, texting each other at our favourite, and our least favourite parts of the movie.

I love our tradition and always get excited in the days leading up to it.  The movie is one of my faves and I'm always left feeling happy after I watch it.

Tonight, Adoring Husband and I drove around town checking out the Christmas lights ...

Now, unusually so, I am watching, and enjoying "Carols by Candlelight" on tv.  It must be a sign that I'm getting old!

Merry Christmas everybody.  I hope that you have a safe and happy day with family or loved ones, or like Adoring Husband and I, quietly on your own.  We will be feasting on seafood and will enjoy just being together.  Feel the love :D

Nite all.

Comical

This is the story in our house some nights ...

well, ok, most nights!

So, in light of that, I'm sharing some quotes tonight ...

... watching Rocky Horror Picture Show with Adoring Husband tonight, until I need to sleep.

Tomorrow is Christmas eve.

I always get excited about Christmas Eve, because it's when Vegan Chickie and I watch the movie "Love Actually" together ... wherever we are in the world, we sit down to watch this movie at the same time.

I LOVE that movie!  It was on television last night and it took all of my willpower to NOT watch it and save my viewing for tomorrow!

While I'm watching it, I know that poor Bubbles will be working hard on the busiest day of the year for her shop and feeling stressed to the max ... her first Christmas as Manager.  Good Luck Bubbles!

Number One Son will be at home wondering what we have sent him for Christmas after we spoke briefly on the phone today :)

We were better organised this year for Christmas, than last year.  Some gifts didn't get sent until today and so the recipients won't receive them til after Christmas, but LAST YEAR, we forgot about Christmas altogether and were frantically transferring money into bank accounts on Christmas Eve!

I remember one year when the children were little and I was a single parent, waking up at 5am Christmas morning, and panicking because I'd forgotten to put the presents under the tree before I went to bed.

Luckily I placed them under the tree before the kids woke up ... JUST in the nick of time!

It will be a very quiet Christmas for us and I am really looking forward to it ... although I'm sad to be missing Chicklet's Christmas morning ... I remember how excited she was when she woke up to a party atmosphere for her birthday in February.  Her Christmas is going to be super wonderful!

Enough for now.

Nite all.

Failed Plans

Well, the Psychotic Dogs didn't get groomed and I didn't get up early this morning.

Another day of failed plans.

I did get a nice batch of bone broth.  The pot was so big, I got 10 containers of clear beef broth and 6 containers of beef and vegetable soup.  They almost filled two drawers of the new freezer!

Today, Adoring Husband and I watched "Man of Steel", which is the latest Superman movie.

I really liked the strong female characters ... his birth mother, played by Lara Lor-van, his earth mother, played by Diane Lane and Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams.  I felt like the females were the strongest characters in the movie.

I felt like Superman was the weakest character.

I know that the whole Superman 'thing' is far fetched, but the storyline in this particular movie was quite annoying and the destruction was way over the top.

I didn't like the movie.

I am currently watching a movie called "The Sessions" with Helen Hunt and John Hawkes about a man confined to an iron lung who is determined, at age 38, to lose his virginity.

The movie is inspired by a true story and it's described as poignant and optimistic, and as it's nearing the end, I've really enjoyed it and I recommend it, if you can find it.

Here is a quote that I would like you all to read and practice ...

... and here is a Forest Kingfisher that I photographed on the Sunshine Coast with The Nikonian last week.

... and I'm done for the day.

Nite all.

Cake

The Banana and Walnut Cake that I made for the boys yesterday ...

They were very excited to receive a quarter of the cake each this morning and were looking forward to going home to enjoy it with a cup of tea.

The muesli that I make for Adoring Husband ...

I would share the recipe with you, but there is no recipe and I make if a different way every time .. which I do with quite a few of my recipes.

This is why it always tastes different .. luckily, Adoring Husband has liked all of the batches that I've made so far.  He liked the last batch so much, that he ate 16 days worth of muesli in just 5 days!!

I currently have a giant pot of bone broth simmering away on the stove.

I used the slow cooker last time, which was great, but it doesn't hold enough liquid.  I'm using the stove top this time, with a much bigger pot, so there should be twice as much broth by the end of the process.

Dinner tonight, was Slow Cooked Pork Belly with Potato/Sweet Potato Bake and Apple Cabbage.

I had big plans to groom the Psychotic dogs today, but the kitchen took my attention, yet again, so let's try to fulfil that doggy plan tomorrow instead!

I think I'll try for another early night tonight, and then attempt a sunrise, or at least an early morning ride with my camera, in the nice morning light.

Nite all.

Tasty ... I think

I had 5 old organic bananas that had turned black on the outside, in the fridge, and I decided to use them in a banana cake.

I don't have a recipe for gluten free, sugar free banana cake yet, so I decided to use up my old regular flours and make a banana and walnut cake for the boys at the Seat of Knowledge.

They will get a quarter each.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste it due to the gluten, but I did have a tiny taste of the lime icing, which was divine.

I think the boys will like ti!  Adoring Husband had a thin sliver and said that he liked it.

I was really looking forward to cooking some recipes from the Topliss recipe book, but I've discovered that the recipes I want to cook, require a special flour mix, which I don't possess.  I'll have to wait til our next trip into town before I can play!

It's 9.30pm and after 2 glasses of wine, I'm feeling very drowsy.

You should be familiar with my short Friday night posts by now :D

Nite all

Cooking

Today, was another day lost, while we spent time in The Bay, grocery shopping, restocking my pantry grains, seeds and nuts and then picking up our FROG box of goodies.

The organic deliveries via FROG are now suspended until 16th January, so we put in a big order to cover Christmas and New Year.

This means I have lots of cooking and preparing to do to fill up our new freezer and to make sure we don't lose any of the produce ... but I have a new recipe book ... "Monica Topliss in the Kitchen for a good life without gluten".

Monica is the Executive Chef at Kunara Organic Marketplace on the Sunshine Coast website here.

I LOVE Kunara Marketplace!!  I wish we had something that big in our area!

Anyway, I tasted about 5 of the recipes from her book when we ate there for breakfast and lunch last weekend and what I didn't taste, I saw in the glass cabinet when we were ordering our meals.

The salads and tarts looked mouth-wateringly good!  The best part is that all the recipes are in the book, so I get to try them out at my leisure.

There will be photos and reviews as I go :)

Meanwhile, as you know, I got some photos of my little Chicklet yesterday.  I looked at a few of them this afternoon in the short time I had free before cooking dinner, so I only have two to share in tonight's blog.

Those of you who know us, can see how much she has changed and grown in just a few months.  The first photo was taken in the garden after she'd been playing in the dirt with her dinosaurs.  I just love the grubby face.

It will be a month before I get to see her again.  I miss her already.  Precious little possum that she is.

Once again, it is almost midnight, so I'm off to slide in between my delicious bamboo sheets and get some beauty sleep.

Nite all.

Shorty

Another short post tonight.

It's almost midnight and I'm very much ready to climb into my own bed and hopefully, get a good night's sleep.

I took photos of Chicklet today, so hopefully there will be some good ones among them for me to post here tomorrow.

We had another good time today with the dinosaurs and the dirt and then she told me that she didn't want me to go home which was both sad and lovely at the same time!

I had a nice trip home on the train and the movie was "Sleepless in Seattle" which was a bonus.

Adoring Husband was waiting on the platform when I arrived and then the Psychotic Dogs provided a loud welcome as we drove up the driveway.

It's good to be home .. and now I'm off to bed!

Nite all.

Jurassic Park

While I was playing with little Chicklet outside today, she collected some stones and rocks from the garden and brought them to the garden seat where I was sitting.

She lay them down carefully between the toy dinosaurs, placed one of the dinosaurs on top of a rock and said quite matter-of-factly, "These rocks are from the Jurassic Period".

She is 3 in February next year.

It's not the first time she has blown me away with something that she's said.  Even her Mama is surprised by some of her announcements!

I'll take some photos tomorrow to show you how much she has grown.  It's been at least a couple of months since I posted a photo ... I just get so involved in our time together, I don't even think of the camera!

Anyway, here is a photo from the farm yesterday ...

There are more to come, but not tonight.

I have one last day with Chicklet tomorrow, then I'm off home for a few weeks, so I need to sleep and be bright eyed and bushy tailed for her tomorrow.

Nite all.

Starting Point

The Nikonian and RaRa inspired me to have a go at editing one of the model photos from the weekend.

They posted a couple of spectacular editing masterpieces on facebook, which I would love to share with you here, but they have gone to bed and I can't get permission for tonight's post.

Instead I'll show you my effort ... which I will use as a starting point and then make comparisons in a year, to see how much I have improved.

From this ...

to this ...

We all have to start somewhere.

The Nikonian and I had a great morning on the farm with our cameras and I'll have some bird shots to share in the coming days.

I've taken so many photos over the last couple of days, it'll take a while to get through them all!

Anyway, after almost two hours wandering around the farm and a few hours with my little Chicklet, my body is protesting ever so slightly and I think I need to turn out the light and fall asleep to the sound of rain on the rooftops.

Nite all.

Great Weekend

I have really enjoyed this weekend!

It was fabulous catching up with Jman and Mod Mel.  They are into food - real food and nutrition and all things healthful too, so we had lots in common, aside from photography, and lots to talk about and share.

It's rare to find someone else as 'into' this food deal as I am, and it was so nice to talk in depth about the different and new things that we've been trying, plus sharing recipes and locations where we access organic foods and produce.

They are such a lovely couple and I hope it's not so long between visits this time.

It was great to see Ra Ra again too and admire her work ... more to share on that in another post soon.

We had our JPEG Christmas party this afternoon down at Shelly Beach at Caloundra.

There would have been more than 30 of us there.  It was nice to meet some new members and catch up with some original members - some of whom we only see every year at the Christmas parties.

We had a visitor this year, that had us all running across the sand, cameras in hand!

What a show he put on for us, and what a spectacle we all were, standing in a circle around the rock pool, long lenses in hand and all aimed at the Osprey bathing in the rock pool.

The Nikonian and I left the party earlier than most people.  The ones who were left all headed to the beach, cameras in hand, with hopes of a nice sunset, but from what I understand, the clouds closed in and there was no sunset worthy of being photographed.

Of course, I am secretly pleased and now don't have to feel disappointed that I missed out on something!

It's been a full day, after an early start in Coolum for a photo shoot and ending with a delicious dinner cooked by 'B' ... The Nikonian's other half.  Their hospitality has been wonderful, as always .. I have another memorable weekend through the camera lens, thanks to them.

Now I need to regenerate, so it's sleep time for me.

Tomorrow I'm off to see my Chicklet family for a couple of days!  *happy dance*

Nite all.

Touch Base

This is short and sweet, just to touch base.

Having a fantastic time.  Good food.  Good friends.  Good conversation and good laughs.

Like-minded people with photography AND cooking/nutrition, so what more could I ask for???

I need to be up early for a possible sunrise, but definitely an early morning shoot, so I'm off to get some sleep.

Maybe some photos tomorrow, time permitting.

Nite all.

Busy Busy Busy

Spent most of the day in the laundry and the kitchen today.

Made a batch of Adoring Husband's muesli because he used the last of the last batch this morning and I'm going away tomorrow morning.

I made chocolate brownies and some chocolate truffles, which AH loves and they are healthier than other junk food that he loves.

I also made a delicious meatloaf stack.

Preheat the oven at 180C.

Half a kg of minced beef, mixed with half an onion chopped finely, 3 kale leaves finely shredded, one finely chopped chilli, 3 garlic cloves minced, one egg and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix it all together and divide into two equal parts.

Boil approximately 8 small potatoes in their jackets until tender.  Lightly crush them in a bowl with about 80gms of butter and sprinkle salt and pepper over the top.  Mix until the butter is melted.

Lay half of the mince mixture evenly over the bottom of a loaf tin.  Slice enough tomato thickly to cover the mince layer and then sprinkle salt and black pepper over the top.  Cover that with thick slices of mushrooms.  Over the top of that, lay slices of bacon.

The next layer is the rest of the mince mixture, then slice peeled eggplant to cover that layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  On top of that goes the potato mix.  Grate some parmesan cheese over the top and place in the oven at 180C for 25 minutes, then increase the temp to 220C and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes.

Delicious!!

Anyway, I am off to continue packing for my trip to the Sunny Coast tomorrow morning.

Catch up tomorrow.

Nite all.

Excuse for a Date

We had to put the car in for a service today, so we used it as a good excuse to go on a movie date.

The car dealership provide a taxi service to drop you off anywhere in town, while your car is being serviced, so we got a lift to the cinema.

We watched "Delivery Man" starring Vince Vaughn.

I've never been a big fan of Vince Vaughn, but I really liked him in this movie.  It was a 'feel good' movie with a few giggles and a couple of moving moments.

We had to kill some time before the movie started, so we went browsing in JB Hifi and came out with a handful of dvds.

The latest Dr Who movie, the last series of 'Big Bang Theory' and the movie 'The Lone Ranger' with Johnny Depp.

We watched the movie and with perfect timing, the car dealership sent us a text 10 minutes before the end, to tell us that the car was ready and to contact them with details of where they could pick us up!

We've had some good soaking rain today.  I can hear the garden smiling.

Here is a photo from some time ago.

I'm still editing wedding photos .. I have most of tomorrow to finish them off.  Fingers crossed I can focus long enough to do it!

Nite all.

Making a wish.

I still have 100 photos to edit.

I need more time.

I could have edited some more photos in the time it took me to make this cartoon of myself!

Procrastination is my middle name.

Nite all.

REALLY Scary Stuff!

Remember how yesterday's post title was 'Scary Stuff'?

You ain't seen nothin' yet!!

At the risk of sounding like a bragger ... I won our flickr group challenge for November (2nd month in a row!!  Woot!!  Woot!!) ... the prize is 'a slight boost to your self esteem', which I can always do with, but also you get to choose the theme for the other challenge.

We have two challenges each month.  Our esteemed leader chooses the theme for the main challenge, and then whoever wins that challenge gets to choose a theme for the second challenge.

Last month, I chose a difficult theme, 'One of the seven deadly sins' (pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth) and I was surprised by the number of people who made an effort to submit an entry!

This month I thought something a bit easier, with a Christmas theme would work.

"Self Portrait with a Christmas Theme"

This is my entry ...

Told you it was scary!

So this was my way of procrastinating.

I still haven't finished the wedding pics!!  UGH!!

For the main challenge this month, our esteemed leader has asked us to choose our favourite/best photo taken this year.

This is mine ...

I chose this one because I will ALWAYS remember taking it.

It was just 2 months after the tornado hit our town.  Our house was still in a state of disrepair and I was feeling pretty miserable, sitting in the Lions Park and looking at the bare trees and the devastation still evident in the neighbouring caravan park.

I saw this bird flying toward me from across the river and fully expected that he would veer right and fly toward the mouth of the river - a favourite spot for raptors at low tide - but he just kept flying toward me.

I reluctantly pulled the camera from the bag and took a couple of photos to make sure that my settings were right and then sat there watching and waiting.

He flew straight at me!  As he got to me, he turned and circled and then slowly glided with wings outstretched to within just a few metres.  My heart was pounding so hard and I began talking to him and telling him how beautiful he was and repeating OMG OMG OMG.

I had always wanted to capture, with my camera, a White Bellied Sea Eagle, and here he was, right in front of me - so close that he almost didn't fit 'in frame'.

I couldn't get home fast enough to check the shots on the computer monitor and was so pleased with the results.

This White Bellied Sea Eagle lifted my spirits and chased my blues away that day.

Such a spectacular bird.

Nite all.

Scary Stuff

There are males all over Australia who have in the past scoffed at me for suggesting that Roundup was a dangerous and toxic chemical.

The standard response "Roundup neutralises as soon as it hits the soil!"

PFFT!!

Monsanto and all the big chemical companies have been sucking us into their web of lies for years and we, along with our loved ones, are suffering the consequences of those lies now.

There are elderly men all over the world, who are taking medications for all sorts of diseases like Parkinsons, Diabetes, Dementia, bowel problems and cancers (including the prevalent prostate cancer), who have happily been using Roundup in the garden, without protection, for many many years, believing that it was totally safe to do so.

Well, I'm here to tell you that there is more and more evidence to show that Roundup is not safe and they are now comparing it to Agent Orange and DDT.

Follow this link for more information, including the results of a recent study.

Why Monsanto's Roundup is the most toxic chemical in the environment

This is of special interest to me because my granddaughter has recently been diagnosed on the Autism spectrum and my husband has Parkinson's Disease.

Here are some more links to follow - especially to those women who I know read this blog and who might be concerned about the use of this chemical in their own gardens.

Heavy use of Roundup herbicide linked to health dangers - US Study

Lethality of Roundup weed killer extends beyond plants to humans.

Weed Killer kills human cells

Dutch city of Rotterdam bans Roundup

Roundup Herbicide causes smorgasboard of fatal diseases

There are so many more links that I could add here, but I'm sure that if you are as concerned as I am, you will find plenty of information on the web.

... and now for less serious matters

A couple of photos from the wedding .. yes I am still working my way through them and hope to have them finished by the weekend.

I think that I've recovered from last weekend's celebrations and my body should be back to normal, ready for this coming weekend's celebrations!  I will definitely NOT be over indulging!

Time for bed - hopefully for a sound night's sleep.

Nite all.