Work has been hectic this week. In a really good way. I enjoy my job and am constantly grateful that I was given this opportunity.
But it doesn’t stop me from singing a little Dolly from time to time.
That girl had pipes!!!
You don’t make friends with salad
This week instead of the fruit and vegetable ‘magic box’, I bought the salad box.
It came with another kilo of carrots (I’m bugs bunny), but some other yummy salad items.
So salad it was.
This is really my sort of meal. I love the refreshing-ness (not a word) of salad, particularly on a hot March day.
I cooked some chicken thighs to go with it, and a sauce that doubled as salad dressing.
I went out on a limb with the sauce. I borrowed this recipe from taste, but altered it.
the recipe
Melt butter in a pan.
Add garlic
Add chicken
Allow the chicken to brown. Add a tablespoon of Australian Mustard and try and coat the chicken with it.
Add 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of chicken stock.
Once that has reduced a bit, add two tablespoons of philedelphia cream cheese and mix that through the sauce.
Serve with salad (i had lettuce, mushroom, capsicum, onion, cucumber, tomato, and cheese. )
You could use cream instead of cream cheese, but I used what I had in the fridge.
It didn’t get rave reviews from the Mister, but I didn’t expect it to. Next time I’ll make the same chicken and serve it with mashed potatoes. That might go down better.
But it hit the right spot for me.
You don’t win friends with salad.
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A star-crossed slouchy beret
So this hat caused a little drama.
Not because of the pattern. The pattern is gorgeous, well written, easy to follow and easy to knit.
It was because I ran out of yarn, with only 3 decreases to go.
And I wouldn’t have run out of yarn if I hadn’t have cast on so tight I couldn’t get it on the other side of the circular needle and had to cut it off.
So it was back to spotlight to buy more yarn. And it has been discontinued. Arg!!
Fortunately for me I had a call the next day saying they had called around and there was a ball left at another store and they’d order it in for me.
Yay!! Thanks Spotlight Midland – much appreciated. Great service.
So I was able to finish my hat, remove my letter box key, and now I have almost a whole ball of Moda Vera Ella to make a matching scarf, or maybe gloves.
It’s such a pretty colour and a really easy yarn to work with. It’s a shame its discontinued really.
But where does the letter box key come in?
This was the knit I took on the train to mandurah for the football game.
And as soon as I hopped on the train I lost my stitch marker. There was no hope of finding it (it wasn’t special in any way) so I searched my bag for a suitable replacement. And that was my letter box key.
Which would have been fine if I hadn’t have run out of yarn!
So for the week, out went the knitting to the mailbox. After my trip to spotlight I replaced the key with a proper stitch marker.
But it is a super cute hat and I will appreciate it even more for all the drama.
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Grr Argh
I just bought the cutest thing!!!
And I think this officially makes me a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan.
Any regular Buffy watchers would know the zombie that crosses the screen at the end of every episode. Well now that sound is my email ringtone (check out this post on how to convert mp3s to ringtones, and used a free YouTube to mo3 software to grab something off YouTube) and I wear this bracelet on my wrist.
Justduckydesigns is the shop and I am super impressed. I absolutely love it!! And now have my eye on a pair of doctor who bowtie earrings
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Stuck in my head – The Kills
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing these guys twice now.
Their live energy is always awesome, even if they do always focus on their new stuff. Their new stuff is always pretty awesome anyway.
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Once I got the oven going, a lamb was a roasting
I’m on a bit of a health kick at the moment. I’m trying to move more, eat more fruit and vegies, and drink less calories (be it alcohol, cordial, or milk).
So a roast is an easy way to have lots of yummy vegies. And a roast almost always involves cauliflower cheese. I mean while the ovens on why not bake more. Cauliflower cheese is always a comfort food. A white cheese sauce (with nutmeg obviously) over cauliflower and broccoli and then set in the oven.
Add that with some garlic, potato, and pumpkin which was par-boiled then set in the oven with some garlic olive oil for good measure.
Then the lamb, which was close to the best lamb cutlets I’ve ever cooked.
I rubbed rosemary and garlic olive oil over the skin. Browned it in a pan and then set it in the oven. After about 40 minutes I took it out and placed it in alfoil. So really I just did everything tv chefs tell you to do. And guess what! It worked.
So it may not be ‘diet friendly’ but definitely big on vegetables (and taste).
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Superbowl Monday Morning
It’s a long overdue post but this year all three (the Mr, the BFF, and me) all managed to get the Superbowl Monday off work.
Last year we watched it How I Met Your Mother style. As in we all didn’t find out the score (a little easier in Australia but still not easy), and then watched it later that night (after watching said HIMYM episode).
This year we went to our friendly local (who has also hosted many a grand final, football game, post cricket celebrations, and general alcohol related frivolities) the inglewood, where bright and early (think 7am) we were at the pub with alcohol and tea in hand.
The atmosphere was great even if the score wasn’t (girls had pats, boys had giants). And cheering was done by all.
Bad pats!!
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It’s a cowl – kind of. (FO)
What defines a cowl?
This gorgeous darling is knitted in the round, around and around, and then sewn up to make a tube.
It’s almost a cross between a collar and a cowl.
It was knitted on a 7mm 80cm round loop, which is kinda small. It’s only long enough to loop it around once. I cast on as many stitches as would fit on the loop, and then continued in stockinette until I was almost out of yarn. Then I sewed the cast on edge to bind off edge.
So when I sewed it up I gathered it a little. And now it’s a little tight to get around the head. But it looks a little like a collar. A cozy knitted collar.
It’s the Moda Vera Harmony which I used on my mittens. It’s like knitting with fairy floss. It looks sweet but can be a pain as it separates all the time.
It is a sweet colour though.
And will be really cozy come winter.
See that and my curly hair! I had a hair cut (which was actually really enjoyable. Massage chairs plus a scalp and neck massage = win!) and she styles it in curls. I can never curl my own hair well.
I love it.
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a little football mad
Inspired by sarahcastically’s post about her hockey outfits, and a twitter war about football and merch, I thought I’d share some photos from Saturday’s game.
For those who live under rocks, I’m a Port Adelaide supporter. This is unusual given that i live in WA and not in Adelaide.
Even more unusual, I live with an Adelaide supporter. Adelaide supporters and Port Adelaide supporters aren’t meant to like each other. And two Perth born people aren’t meant to support opposing Adelaide teams and fall in love, but that’s what happened.
(We’re certainly not meant to start watching NFL and support Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings either! We’re all about the rivalry).
It’s a very confused household. Certainly more confused by my best friend, who doesn’t and has never lived with me, but has a wall of (some of) her supporters merchandise. When we go to games we always leave from my place so it makes sense. Or maybe it doesn’t. Nevertheless there is a wall of Hawthorn merchandise in my tiny apartment. But she always support my team and I support hers, unless we’re playing against each other when it’s pistols at dawn, bitches.
So, on Saturday my team were in town. They have 1 maybe 2 games in Perth a year and I try to see them as much as possible. While I wasn’t pleased with the result (we lost by 5 points) I was pleased with the effort that we* showed.
It was a gorgeous day (even with the result) and I’m looking forward to the season.
Now prepare to be impressed by the merch I took to the game (and trust me, there is more!), and the sunset on the way home.
*yes i’m one of those people who include themselves in their football team.
polka-dots & sparkles 