food glorious food

For when you need food but also need to not leave the couch (A Menulog How To Guide)

Posted on November 2, 2014November 4, 2014 by bekswhoknits

You know those Saturday nights when you’re watching 30 Rock, watching Tina Fey eating constantly so you get hungry and there’s nothing in the fridge, and leaving the couch is really way too much effort. That’s when you get to order food without talking to anyone. Ahhh definitely bliss.

I’m already pretty sure I’m addicted to my phone. I do everything on it, from keeping track of whether I’ve taken medications , to paying bills, keeping up with my song a week challenge, managing my etsy store, plus I just downloaded Stash2Go that I’m still figuring out, but will probably rave about in a couple of weeks.

Well another app which I’m finding has changed my life is the menulog app. Say goodbye to trying and struggling to pronounce chinese food on the phone, and having to talk to anyone to get food delivered to your door – there’s now a free app to do all of this for you.
I used to have this ‘thing’ about talking to strangers on the phone, being a receptionist for a year cured that to a certain extent. I still prefer to not talk to people if I can help it.

It’s dead easy to get food delivered and only leave your couch once.
I already had the menulog app on my phone so I put in my post code and then made the difficult decision about what type of food.

I had a hankering for Chinese food so I found the Panda House. I surfed through the menu and tapped on what I wanted (predictably the order included some lemon chicken).
When I had enough food in my cart to feed a small army or one hungry Bek I checked out.
And because they have PayPal I still didn’t have to leave the couch to get my credit card from my wallet. I’ve deliberately not memorised my new card. It’s safer for my bank balance that way.

I then got an sms saying they had my order, and then 45 minutes later I had Chinese food in my belly. Well after I hobbled to the front door – that’s the leaving the couch part. But once I was safe and sound and back on the couch it was the perfect Saturday night. 30 Rock, Chinese food, knitting, couch, and cider.

This photo is why my food posts are few and far between these days.

*Full disclaimer – Menulog gave me food to write this post. Well they gave me credit to buy food. Same difference. But rest assured lovely readers even if the food wasn’t free I would still recommend this app and endorse it as an easy and delicious experience. You’d have to be a stronger lady than I am to pass up free food.

Marmalade making

Posted on March 11, 2014March 18, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I had a go at making marmalade in my bread maker.

I found the concept a little strange to comprehend (isn’t a breadmaker for making bread?) until a friend explained it can get really hot, it can mix itself and it’s a nonstick pan.

So I set I cutting up oranges, added the required amount of sugar and jam-setta and a squirt of ginger for good measure. (Tubes of ginger are totally a thing in Australia if this is a weird concept to any readers.)

I then I pressed the jam button and let the bread maker to work it’s magic.

The end result was a little runny and chunky.

But totally edible. Which for a first jam making attempt is a success.

I would imagine any attempt using thermometers, crock pots and stirring would not gone so successfully.

things to do this afternoon

Posted on March 4, 2014March 4, 2014 by bekswhoknits

– buy and drink 2 litres of cool drink so I can make these oh-so-cute cat rabbit and bear recycled planters. (Also buy some chalkboard paint. It’s amazing that I don’t already have any. Probably because once I start I won’t stop and EVERYTHING WILL BE CHALKBOARD!!!)

The cutest ever planter boxes (from teaandcraft.blogspot.com)

– Grab some of the beer cans out of the recycling bin and experiment with making bracelets. Hopefully my shoulder won’t complain too much and I can give my metal stamps a try.

– Make some pasta in the breadmaker for a lasagne

– Hook up my camera to my ipad and download my latest gig photos.

– Put the air conditioning on full blast and persuade the boyfriend to take photos of me in the knitted jumper I just finished but only tried it on for the briefest second because I don’t want to sweat all over it.
This is a terrible photo of it.

– Try not to just collapse on the couch and watch Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve never watched it before and have been mainlining it for the last 2 weeks and I’m now up to Season 3.

What are your plans for this afternoon?

What’s American for Retic?

Posted on February 18, 2014 by bekswhoknits

The internet is a marvellous thing.

Not only do I now get cupcake pouches and knitted sonic screwdrivers in the mail. (Which absolutely totally made my day!!!! Macstabby – you’re my GURRRL and totes awesomesauce!!!)

But I’ve realised that even though American and Australia are both “english” speaking countries, we don’t always speak the same language. And this is without going all ocker / straya (aka redneck / bogan).

Reticulation.
We have a reticulation issue at the moment which we’re trying to fix. This means we have a problem with our sprinkler system. You know the thing that waters the garden automatically.
Not quite the google definition of “a pattern or arrangement of interlacing lines resembling a net.”

Thongs
Thongs are footwear. Rubber things to put on your feet to protect them from the scorching earth. Not underwear. I don’t know how you would wear flip flops as underwear. Go home America – you’re drunk.

Fizzy-drink
This one confused the hell out of me when I was younger and read Baby-Sitters Club books like they were the only books ever written.
What the hell is soda-pop?
In our house it was fizzy-drink or cool-drink. Presumably because adults could drink it whenever they wanted which was pretty cool.
(I’ve been reliably informed that it’s soda or pop. But Pop is for losers)

boot
Cars have a boot, elephants have trunks.
Moving on.

Lamington Drive
No this isn’t a street name, it’s a fundraising effort where lamingtons are sold through a subscription and then delivered all at once on lamington day.
Sort of like a bake sale, but with just lamingtons.
A lamington is a sponge cake, dipped in chocolate sauce, and then coated in coconut. Delicious!

Jumper
Possibly named after the kangaroo, a jumper is a sweater. This does make searching ravelry for jumper patterns a pain when I realise I haven’t translated properly.
Same goes with wool
I have now successfully trained myself to think of wool as yarn.
To most others ‘wool’ is an all encompassing term for various fibres which are spun into balls. When I say wool I mean it’s come from a sheep.
Here’s a gratuitous photo of me with some sheep. (Sheepey-baas to be exact. I spent many a school holiday at a sheep farm. Looking back I didn’t stand a chance.)

Jetty
The song ‘Sitting on the Dock of the Bay’ made a lot more sense when I was told that a Dock is a Jetty.
Sitting on the Jetty doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.

What have I missed?

zucchini slice

Posted on January 10, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I love zucchini slice. (For any american’s wondering what I’m banging out about a zucchini is also known as a courgette. But just hear how zucchini rolls off the tongue. Zucchini. Zoo-kini.Zoo-keeeeeneeeey)

It’s the number one thing that I search for on my own blog.
Even though it’s so simple, I always think I forget something.
The original recipe is from the Australian’s Women’s Weekly cookbook that my Mum owns. When I left home I had a photocopy of it, which is now impossible to read.

So I made a printable to hang on the wall in the kitchen.

If it’s your first time making it, here are the proper instructions.

The ingredients:
1 grated zucchini (don’t bother peeling it)
1 cup grated cheese
1 chopped onion
3 rashers bacon chopped
5 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
dash wooshter sauce
parsley, salt, & pepper to taste…

The method:
Put all of the ingredients into a bowl. Mix well. Pour it into a pyrex baking tray.
Pop it in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees and wait for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Eat.

Right click here to save the image
Feel free to print the recipe and display it in your homes, but please do not sell it. This is my gift to you.

my weekend in numbers – FO 25

Posted on November 18, 2013 by bekswhoknits

12 – the number of sleeps remaining in our apartment.

2 – the number of invisible zips I sewed
1 – pair of shorts I successfully shortened
1 – curtain I was meant to sew up but that is lost somewhere in the abyss that it the spare room.
4 – the amount of times I couldn’t find where I left the scissors
5 – how many pairs of scissors I put away after I had finished.

48 – the number of stitches to cast on with DK weight yarn on
3.25 – mm needles for a pair of socks
3 – days it took these socks from start to finish
8 – the number of times I oohed and ahhed at the way the hand dyed yarn was knitting up
20billion – the actual number of times I marveled at my hand dyed yarn.

5 – the number of fat quarters I bought at Spotlight
0 – how many balls of yarn I didn’t buy because none of it took my fancy

2 – the number of friends who have birthdays in the next 2 weeks
2 – the number of presents I have finished for said birthdays

16* – the number of Bobs Burger episodes I watched on the weekend
7* – the number of Leverage episodes I watched
6* – the number of Parks & Recreation episodes watched.

3 – the number of bands I saw on Friday night
1 – the number of songs that I knew well enough to sing along to.

4 – the number of tacos I ate last night
0 – the number of tacos I made for myself

3 – the number of mosquito bites that I can’t stop scratching.

*I don’t know exactly how many episodes I watched. These numbers are estimated guesses.

Whatever Wednesday – food glorious food

Posted on August 1, 2013January 9, 2014 by bekswhoknits

Every Wednesday/Thursday I’ll be blogging about the topic that comes through my email courtesy of Shay & Alissa.

favourite recipe

Hmmm. Food. Long time readers of my blog may have noticed that I haven’t posted a recipe for a while. This is mostly because I haven’t cooked in a while.

HeWhoFishes has been in charge of dinner and he’s been doing a bang up job.

So I’m going to show you back through my archives and my favourite things I have cooked. All the photos link to the recipe.

Zucchini slice.
This is my mum’a recipe and it’s the number on thing I search for on my own blog.
It’s comforting, easy to make, and good hot or cold.

Beef stew
Oh how I love stew. It’s so easy. The oven makes the house warm and it smells fantastic. Bonus because it’s cheap.

Rissoles
Apart from the obvious reference to The Castle (classic and very quotable Australian movie), Rissoles are a favourite in this house. Once again very easy, and can be made as cheaply or as fancy as you like. Another one of mum’s recipes.

And something sweet – Lavender Pancakes
It probably sounds strange, but these were really scrummy.

And if I didn’t know that dinner for tonight had already been taken care of, I think I would be picking up the ingredients for stew on my way home from work.

It’s Friday!

Posted on June 13, 2013June 14, 2013 by bekswhoknits

Firstly some housekeeping.
I have recently changed my ravelry name. Instead of rainruinedclothes I am now known as bekswhoknits.
It makes my rav name the same as my twitter name plus means I don’t have to explain about rainruinedclothes (Editors lyrics from the song The Big Exit).

I’ve also recently updated my about page. I hadn’t updated my old one since I started this blog and it was out of date, and a little old.
I’ve also been mushy and sappy and given my partner in crime a new code name – HeWhoFishes.
He is such a big part of my real life and a tiny little part of my blog and I want to fix that. Giving him his own persona will hopefully help.

Secondly I have to share a recipe with you. Ian Hewittson is an Australian TV chef who is a bit of a Ron Swanson type.
Hewhofishes and I watched this just before going to bed last night and we were in hysterics.
With the focus of many TV chefs these days being healthy but tasty food, Huey has stayed true to the food he’s been cooking on TV for 20 years.
So for some unknown reason we can’t help but find it amusing when Huey adds a bit more butter, or sprays a mixture of butter, cheese, and breadcrumbs with olive oil spray for good measure.
So this breakfast just spoke to us. The final straw was when he served it with iceberg lettuce and mustard dressing, the mustard dressing including a cup of vegetable oil. And then he called it a ‘light breakfast’
And he is probably the only TV show I know that if you post a stamped self address envelope to their address, they will post you back the recipes. Its a delightful pre-internet concept.

Huey’s Light Breakfast
Brown onion and bacon. Add chopped sausages.
Top with cheese and breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
Make a indent and break eggs on top.
Add more cheese and breadcrumbs.
Spray with olive oil
Bake in a hot oven for 20minutes or until golden.

Sounds delicious.

On the knitting front, I have had a bad case of cast-on-itis. Where nothing I already have on my needles seems right so in casting on something new. This one in particular I love the yarn, love the pattern, but not the combination. But I don’t know whether to frog or continue.

While I think about that decision I started a crochet cowl.
I don’t know what I’ve done, I think I’ve unintentionally increased on the first row, to create a curve. And I’m not sure if I like it or not.

While I think about that decision I cast on a hat. This I do like.
Although it’s a pain to knit as I’m holding two strands together and haven’t compensated enough with the needle size. So I’m pushing pretty hard on the needles. Hopefully it’s quick enough to finish so it won’t annoy me.

Has anyone got a cure for cast-on-itis? How do you decide if something’s worth frogging and starting again.

How cute is this frogging poster!!! For those curious, when I talk about frogging I’m talking about ripping back my knitting and starting again. Rip it, Rip it – like a frog.

Welcome!!!

Posted on April 29, 2013January 9, 2014 by bekswhoknits

Welcome to my little corner of the internet.

Please make a cup of tea, and find a cozy place because today I thought I’d show you around my blog and point you to my favourite posts which you’d probably never see otherwise.

My blog is very dear to me. I consider everyone who follows and comments as a friend.
I treat my blog as a diary, where I keep track of what I’ve made, where I’ve been, and what I do. I find that if it’s public then I’m more accountable and I’m more likely to document events, take photos, and take the time to look back at what I’ve done.
Its proven itself quite useful over time, as a reason to get me out of my comfort zone, but also as a record of what I’ve done. I quite often search my own blog to look at the details of a knitting pattern or what recipe I used (most often it’s to find my mum’s zucchini slice recipe).

About 2 years ago I sat down with two pointy sticks, a ball of cheap acrylic, and the Lord Of The Rings boxset and taught myself to knit. I don’t think it would be a understatement to say it changed my life.
It’s been a steadying influence and is now a constant companion.
Since then I’ve made socks, scarves, hats, minions, cats, and a blanket.

About a month ago I decided it was time to learn crochet and am slowly but surely getting used to the hook.

I have a sewing machine which I’m learning how to use, mostly to make cushions and basic skirts. I have a thing for quotes so embroidery has been quite fun.

Apart from crafty pursuits I watch a lot of football. My team is Port Adelaide Power and their colours are teal, black, and silver. My best friend is a Hawthorn Hawks supporter and their colours are Brown and Gold. I think I have a better deal. My Partner is an Adelaide Crows supporter and his colours are red, blue, and yellow. So those colours pop up in my knitting for no other reason but football. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the most important people in my life are also football mad.

We like to go camping and get out of the city from time to time.

I love to read, and have made a concerted effort to read more this year. More than just my favourite books which I re-read all the time.

I also love live music and spend a fair chunk of time and money going to gigs and buying cds.
Every Wednesday I pick a song to represent the week. Sometimes it’s a band I’ve just seen or about to see, others it’ a new song which I can’t stop listening to.
At the end of the year I have a nostalgic playlist.

I’m also working towards 13 in 2013.
At the beginning of the year I made 13 goals, some internet based, some project based, some just for fun.
And so I’ve been working towards them and having a lot of fun along the way.

I hope you’ll stick around. And please introduce yourself to me, I’d love to make your acquaintance.

To make it easier for you, I’d like to know the answer to the following question.

What is the first thing that pops into your head when you read the word “Sparkles”?
(hint: there are no wrong answers)

Fudgy Nutella Biscuits

Posted on January 22, 2013January 23, 2013 by bekswhoknits

I’d like to say I could improve this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen , but I can’t. It’s practically perfect in nearly every way.

I didn’t think it was going to work. When I mixed it with the hand mixer it just went everywhere.
So I kneaded it a bit before putting it in the freezer.

Even once it was in the oven after 10 minutes it didn’t look right. But I smushed it down a bit (that’s a technical term) and bung it in the oven for a bit longer.

I thought the sea salt was a touch of genius, but the other half didn’t agree and thought I was mad.
If he wants biscuits without sea salt he can make them himself.
Ok that’s a bit harsh, but don’t mess with genius.

Nutella biscuits to solve all ones problems.