Dilbert Cookbook

I'm a nerd, always have been and always will be. This caused me much angst when I was in school (I didn't go to academically-minded schools), but as an adult, I've come to accept and embrace my nerdiness. It's got me to where I am today.

So where am I going with this? I love the comic Dilbert - it really does epitomise life in an engineering office. This comic is one of my favourites:


Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, has a great blog about his views on life, the universe and everything. Today's post really captured my attention. I spent the whole time saying to myself, I want this cookbook - well, it would really be an encyclopedia of cooking, including links to videos of cooking techniques, explanations of gadgets, and explanations on the rules of flavours. How cool would this feature be:

I'd also like to see my recipe steps arranged by timeline, with each dish for the meal overlaid. I made the mistake recently of trying to cook a meal in which everything would need attention at exactly the same time. The Dilbert Cookbook would let you filter against that problem, so each step is properly timed. And perhaps the cookbook could act as your stove timer as well, so you have a visual representation of how done things are, on the computer, ahead of the alarm.

When I'm having a fancy dinner party (ok this hasn't happened in a long time), I write something like this out myself. Having a program do it for me would be brilliant.

What do you think? What features would you like to see in the ultimate cookbook?

Sweeping vs Vacuuming/Hoovering

I've just had a personal epiphany. I've discovered a foible about myself that I never realised I had. I hate the thought of sweeping. I've been putting off sweeping the downstairs of my house (and upstairs for that matter) for at least a month, and things were looking pretty crumby.

This morning, I told myself "I have to do the sweeping today". I've put it off way too long and I'm embarrassed by the way the house looks. Then I thought, "Well, the rug in the living area needs a clean too, so I'll just pull out the vacuum cleaner (hoover) and give a quick run around on the floorboards after I've done the rug. Then the light bulb went on: I really hate sweeping, and would much rather run the vacuum around. You don't have to go over spots more than once, you don't have to find the dustpan and sweep things up afterward, you can suck up spiders and bugs without going anywhere near them, you can get right into corners easily. It feels more thorough to me. I ended up vacuuming the whole downstairs area of the house, including the laundry. Normally, I sweep the high traffic areas, and then put the broom away as quickly as possible.

So why have I been sweeping all these years? I grew up in a fully-carpeted house, so vacuuming was the norm. When I moved into houses that had slate and now wooden floors, as I didn't grow up with these, I went with the theory that you sweep hard floors. No thought was really entered into it.

The moral of the story is: you don't have to do housework in what you think is the conventional way. If you hate a task, think if there is a way you can do it differently that you won't dread.

Do you prefer sweeping or vacuuming? Do you have household tasks that you do in a "conventional" way that fills you with dread? What things do you do "differently"? Let me know in the comments.

Spring Top Week - I did it!

I did it and it took me much less time than I expected. One weekend of a very kind husband who entertained our son while I sat at the sewing machine, and I have a Spring Top (OK, Autumn/Fall here in Oz), and I'm really pleased with the result.

As I mentioned previously, I used Simplicity pattern 3838 and the fabric Ionia in sea glass, from Odyssea by Momo for Moda (courtesy of Whipstitch).

And here is the finished product:

Lest we forget

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Today is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, commemorating all those who died and served in military operations for our countries.It is held on the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It is a time for quiet reflection on what our diggers have done and continue to do for our country.

Lest we forget...

Window Cleaning

Window cleaning is one of those jobs that always sounds intimidating, but when you get into it, isn't really that hard.

I make my own window cleaner - not because I'm anti-chemicals, not because I'm trying to be "green", but just because I'm stingy (or should I say thrifty). I don't see any point in buying expensive cleaning products when something cheaper does this job just as well.

My recipe is:
1 teaspoon dishwashing soap
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water


Mix it all together in a spray bottle, grab some newspaper and you're ready to go.


So how do I go about cleaning the windows? I spray all over the window section to be cleaned, then catch drips and wet all the window with a piece of scrunched up newspaper. (Newspaper is the best thing to use as it doesn't leave lint, although you will end up with black hands.) Give a bit of a rub (and maybe an extra spray) to any blobs of grime on the window. Then I grab a dry piece of newspaper and wipe down the window in sections, completely drying the window. You should have a clean, streak-free window.


Do you make your own window cleaner? What is your recipe? Do you have any other tips for window cleaning? Let me know in the comments!

Crafts in progress

I seem to have a few irons in the fire at the moment, and keep finding more projects and challenges to commit to. Here is a taste of the projects to come.

As I mentioned previously, I'm making an entry in Spring Top Week on Made by Rae.My top is almost complete, and I just have to make some finishing touches and take some photos this week.



Sew Spoiled Weekender Tote Sew Along also caught my attention, so I'm going to give that a go as another project for me (well, it is my birthday this week, so why not spoil myself). I'm not too good at coordinating prints, so I'm only going to use two fabrics, with plain blue for most of the bag, and a blue flower pattern for inside the pleat:

I've also committed to take part in Elsie Marley's kid clothes week challenge. For the week of May 10-17, the challenge is to spend an hour each day working on clothes for your kid’s – or kids’– summer wardrobe. It will be winter wardrobe for me in Australia. I'm really looking forward to attacking the pile of material and thrift store items for re-purposing that I've been collecting over the last month or two. It's just the motivation I need. I'll hopefully be making a couple of pairs of pants and some long-sleeve shirts for my little man.

My felt corn is also in progress, which is a combination of a few different tutorials out there. I seem to have made things more complicated than I need to, but we'll see how they turn out.

I've also decided to give homemade Mother's Day presents this year, but I can't mention what they are for now! I'm also in the middle of making curtains for the future Number Two's bedroom.

Finally, I'm getting (have already got) a serger (overlocker) for my birthday, so there will be a few projects to come as I work out how to use it (anyone got some simple projects for a beginner???).

Wow, now that I've written it all down, I realise why I'm feeling so tired! Just keep plugging away - no need to rush these things!

Jam Doughnut Muffins

I woke up this morning in a funk. The in-laws who had been visiting left last night, and I have a heap of housework to do to return the place to its usual state of semi-chaos. But, I just couldn't work up any enthusiasm for housework. I started working on one of my many craft projects on the go, and then told myself, no, craft is for afternoons, mornings are for housework. So what do I end up doing? Baking Jam Doughnut Muffins of course. That will surely lift me out of my funk!

The recipe is from "How to be a Domestic Goddess" by Nigella Lawson (I really like Nigella's recipes, but can't stand watching her shows!)

Ingredients
125ml (4 fl oz) milk
85ml (3 fl oz) vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g (7 oz) self-raising flour
100g (3.5 oz) caster sugar
12 teaspoons strawberry jam (jelly for my US readers)

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. With a fork, beat together the milk, oil, egg and vanilla extract. (I did this in a measuring jug).
3. Stir this into the flour and caster sugar to combine (just). Lumps are fine - don't overbeat.
4. Spoon the mixture into a well-greased muffin pan so that each cup is just under a third full.
5. Add a dollop of strawberry jam (jelly) to the middle of each cup and top with more muffin mix until the cups are just about full. (The recipe says this should make 12, but I only managed 10.)
6. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the tops feel springy and resistant, and the muffins have puffed up like little toadstools (Nigella's words - not my own!).

Nigella then melts 100g (3.5 oz) of unsalted butter, dips each muffin in the butter and then rolls in granulated sugar. This felt a bit too decadent to me (and messy), so I baked mine in muffin papers, and sprinkled with caster sugar before I baked them to get a crunchy top.

I love this recipe as they produce a yummy treat that is really easy to make, although I think they taste more like cake than muffins. It took me 10 minutes to mix everything up, ending up with a dirty bowl, jug, fork and couple of spoons - so very quick to clean up as well.

What are your quick and easy but decadent treats? What are your favourite muffin recipes?

Crochet Turtle

After the early success of Square Man and Long Skinny Dude, I decided to embark on a more ambitious crochet project. There are so many cute crochet toy patterns out there (not to mention all the Amigurami), so after much debate and internet searching, I settled on a Turtle after finding this pattern.

I found a great multi-coloured wool for the turtle shell - Patons Jet in Colour 9, and then used up scraps of wool for the undershell, legs, head and eyes. Here's the end result:

I probably should have used a more contrasting wool for the eyes.

I haven't got my crochet hook out in a while (since I started a jacket for myself that I never got around to finishing, and fell into a rut!). What crochet  toys should I make next? Let me know in the comments.

ZJWHQVVGM5RG 

Flummery Dessert

When I saw this post on Make It Perfect, I had a flashback to my childhood. My Mum used to make this dessert, although I don't think she ever used a name for it. I just had to make it, and decided it would be an easy dessert when some friends came over for dinner last Friday night (my dinner party menus are becoming a lot simpler these days!).

I used Aeroplane Strawberry jelly, and Carnation Creamy Evaporated Milk. I think my Mum used to use the Lite and Creamy milk for a lower calorie/fat version.

It was a light and fluffy, mousse like dessert, and took about 10 minutes to prepare (not including refrigeration time). I found it quite sweet, and think I'll try it with only one packet of jelly crystals next time, although I'm not sure if it will set as well. It actually made enough for 4 martini glasses plus three medium-sized ramekins, so it was dessert for two nights. I definitely recommend giving it a go.

What desserts take you back to your childhood? What are your quick and easy, but fancy looking, desserts for dinner parties?

Felt Strawberries

Felt food has captured my attention lately. It started by seeing a few different felt play tents out in the blogosphere, but not being willing to commit to such a big project. A bit of googling for felt crafts later, I found so many cute felt food options out there that I just had to give it a go.

I ordered a pack of 32 colours of wool felt squares from an Australian eBay seller. So many colours, so many food options... So I decided to start with strawberries. I found this tutorial here, and here's the end result:

(Yes, I photographed them in an actual strawberry plant.)

I struggled a bit with the "freehand" cutting of the leaves, and so I cut wedges out of each side of a square of felt, and then rounded the corners to make the leaves, like this:

I also used white thread and stitched a circle, rather than a cross, in the centre of the leaves. That looked more like a real strawberry to me. I also used ordinary yellow thread to stitch the seeds, so they're not quite as bold as the original tutorial. I decided to make do with what I had on hand, rather than make a special trip to a craft store.

The felt strawberries have been sitting in my fruit bowl for the last week or so. (I wanted to photograph them before letting my son start playing with them.) Several people who came over thought they were real from a distance, and everyone who has gone past them has picked them up. My Mother-in-Law asked where I bought them! I think that makes them a success!
My next felt food project is corn on the cob. What felt food have you created? What do you think I should add to my list next? (I have a dream of doing a felt playhouse, but am starting small!)

Bedroom Door Name

I'm really not sure if I can count this as a craft. It was just way too easy, but those are the best types of craft projects, so I'll share it with you. I wanted to put my son's name on his bedroom door - standard home decorating behaviour, right? I looked around at what was available in baby stores and on-line, and really couldn't justify the price. I wanted something simple and no frills for my little man.

I found plain wooden letters at my local hardware warehouse for less than $1 each (Bunnings for the Aussies out there), but have also seen them at craft stores (including Spotlight and Riot Arts and Crafts in Australia). I painted each letter with a different brightly coloured craft paint, and used Blu-Tak to stick them to my boy's bedroom door, and here is the end result:



I love that it's simple, colourful, and down the track, if Jacob wants a change in style, we can just paint them different colours.

Kitchen Cleaning Confessional

I don't want the cleaning part of this blog to give you the impression that I'm perfect (although from the posts I've made so far, I doubt you'd think that's the case). It is also a place for me to confess my sins, offer penitence, and then hopefully not make the same mistakes over and over again (we shall see on the last point!).

Here is what my kitchen looked like one morning last week:

Let's play a quick game of what's wrong with this picture:
1. Steamer pot still sitting on the stove from the previous night's dinner.

2. Dirty muffin pan on the bench from making cupcakes the previous morning (Is it that hard to clean a non-stick pan?)

3. Bowls that I used to make icing in the afternoon, plus miscellaneous dishes that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher, lying all over the benches. Once again, how long does it take to wash a few things up? (Redeeming point: at least I'd put the dishwasher on.)

4. Empty wine bottle hiding amongst the dirty dishes. Hmmm...
5. Various plastic items all over the floor, courtesy of my 14 month old. He just loves throwing things out of the plastics drawer.

I think the moral of the story is I have too much bench space. Actually, maybe I should just tidy up the kitchen before I go to bed (or after I bake and ice cupcakes!). I wasted half an hour of quality nap time cleaning up yesterday's mess, and fuming with myself all the while. At least I had a nice clean kitchen at the end...

Spring Top Week - Ready to Commit

When I first read about Spring Top Week on Made by Rae, I was excited. Time to make something for me for a change - what a great idea! I picked out a pattern and found some gorgeous fabric at Whipstitch, and was hyped to get sewing.

Then the fear and negativity set in. When the pattern arrived, I realised that there was gathering and a zip involved. I've never gathered before, and generally make a mess of sewing zips. Then I started to worry about whether I'd receive the fabric in time. My in-laws are visiting from interstate next week - would I have enough time to sew before/after their stay (the guest bedroom is also my sewing room).

The fabric arrived quickly from Whipstitch, and I've convinced myself if I take it slowly, I'll be able to sort out the gathers and zip (or if I stuff it up, I'll do my best to hide it in the photographs). SO I'm announcing to the world today that I WILL PARTICIPATE in Spring Top Week. I will proudly display the button on my blog.
I will be using this pattern (Simplicity 3838, the capped sleeve version)...

and this fabric...

Ionia in sea glass, from Odyssea by Momo for Moda

I'm looking forward to showing you the end result!

2010 Ultimate Blog Party

Welcome to my little part of the 2010 Ultimate Blog Party!
What am I celebrating? The birth of my blog (not even 1 month old) and the impending birth of my second child, due in October.

What does party mean to me? Cupcakes! Here are the cupcakes I baked and decorated when my husband was told he had to bring a cake into the office because I was pregnant:

These are vanilla cupcakes, with whipped cream icing.

Who am I? I'm a Stay at Home Mum, living in Brisbane, Australia. I'm married with a 14 month old son, and another on the way. My life revolves around cooking and cleaning, and I like to make stuff in my spare time. What do I mean by stuff? I sew, I crochet, I play with felt. I make toys, clothes and decorations for my son, I make clothes for myself and occasionally my husband, I make decorative items for my home. So a bit of this and a bit of that! I want to share with you my highs and lows in cooking, cleaning and crafting.

Please have a look around and let me know what you like. Also, let me know where to find your inspirational cooking, cleaning and crafting blogs. I'd love to hear from you, and hope you visit again soon!

There are some pretty cool prizes to be won at the Ultimate Blog Party (although it's a shame there's only a handful of international prizes). My top three are:
1. The Girl Creative will giveaway one Deluxe Blog Design ($50 value) to one person.
2. Level 3 Blog Design Package.
3. Pretty.Cool. Cakes: A Baker’s Dozen of Themed Birthday Cake Ideas and FishMama’s Guide to Cooking with Children.

Felt Nursery Art

When I was pregnant with my son, I searched high and low for nursery art that wasn't too expensive. To add to the challenge, I didn't find out the sex of the baby, so I wanted something gender neutral. The only stuff I could find was $50+ for a single picture, and generally fell into the categories of fairies and flowers, or cars, trucks and trains. (Note: OK, I'll admit it, somehow I didn't find Etsy or Madeit.)

I'm not an artistic person. I really can't draw and the thought of painting filled me with fear. So how could I make some Nursery Art for the baby within. FELT was the answer.

I bought 4 square artists' canvases, and painted two green and two yellow. They were meant to be a bit more pastel than they turned out, but I actually like that they're a bit more bold. I then looked through colouring-in books to find some pictures (since drawing isn't my strong point). I decided on a Chick, an Elephant, a Frog and a Pig. Yes, a strange combination, no obvious theme - it was just nice, simple animal pictures that I found. I cut out a pattern from the colouring-in books, cut out the felt, got some googly eyes and glue, and voila:

I used a little too much glue for the pig and chick, and ended up painting them with glue to hide the hard patches (please learn from my mistakes!), so those one's aren't soft and felty. My husband lets my son touch them and he likes the different textures and scratchiness of the hard ones, so maybe it was deliberate.

When my son was a newborn, he used to stare at them while we rocked him to sleep. With Number 2 on the way, I think these will move into the new baby's room, and I'll make something new for my son's room, when I decide what quilt cover and sheets he'll have when he moves to a big boy bed. But, that's another project!

Tuna Mornay

My Mum's Tuna Mornay recipe is one of my comfort foods. My Dad won't eat seafood, so this was a special treat meal, when Dad wasn't home for dinner (very rare) or when my parents were going out. It's a healthy dinner, with peas (which I hate!) and corn, but still one of my favourites. It was a recipe that I made sure came with me when I moved out of home. It takes a little bit of effort to make the white sauce, but in the end, doesn't take much longer to prepare than say a pasta, and it only uses pantry and freezer staples so is a great "What's for dinner?" meal.

Ingredients
1 large tin Tuna (drained and broken up into pieces with a fork)
2 tablespoons Plain Flour
1 1/2 tablespoons Butter
1 large tin Creamed Corn
1 1/2 cups frozen Peas
1 cup Milk
Good squeeze of Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Grated Cheese
Breadcrumbs

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F.
2. Cook the peas. I usually microwave them for 3 minutes with a splash of water. You could also steam or boil the peas for a few minutes.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Mix in the flour to form a paste.

4. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring continuously (I use a whisk to make sure no lumps form), allowing the mixture to thicken before adding more milk. (It also works if you dump all the milk in at once, but it takes longer to thicken and you'll spend more time at the stove!). It should be thick enough to leave "tracks" in the sauce as you stir (you can just see them at the bottom of this picture).

5. In a casserole dish, mix together the white sauce, tuna, creamed corn, peas and lemon juice. Smooth the top, wipe any excess build-up from the sides of the dish (it will just burn in the oven). You could also mix it in the saucepan if it's big enough.

(I know, it doesn't look pretty!)

6. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and then top with grated cheese.

7. Place in oven until cheese is golden brown. Sometimes I let it go really brown and crunchy, and other times, leave it a bit more chewy.

This takes me about 30 minutes to prepare, and then 20-30 minutes in the oven. This serves 3-4 people, and is great served with fresh bread or garlic bread. Sometimes Mum would put it into individual ramekins before she put it in the oven, rather than one big dish.

What are your comfort foods? What special dinners take you back to your childhood?