notebook: magazine

I’d never heard of this magazine before I stepped in to the news agent a couple of days ago. I was pondering whether to buy a trashy ‘New Weekly’, ‘New Idea’ or ‘Women’s Day’ as something to brainlessly pass the time. But right next to them was ‘Gardening Australia’, which out of habit picked up and flicked through to see if I wanted to buy it. Right next to GA though was a magazine I’d never heard of before - ‘Notebook:’.

It’s pretty damn substantial for the price - $6.95. It’s quite different to other magazines. It’s very DIY, in the crafty sense. It has no tabloids or gossip or horoscopes. And the ads are actually informative - how weird is that?

Everytime I talk about something I really like I think I end up sounding like an American infomercial. But anyhow. I like it and have actually felt kind of inspired this week from reading it. I think I might become a regular.

love cats

Thanks Amy!! I loved it!

this doesn’t look very extraordinary, but i assure you…

If you smelled the aromas of the stocky broth, the melty vegetables, the perfectly squidgy dumplings, the tasty chunks of corned beef… and warmed up a few ladels after another pretty blah day at work, I’m sure you’d agree… It’s quite potentially heaven in a soupbowl.

Ahh… the joys of Autumn. Cool weather, new green growth, 2 days break as of tomorrow, and my birthday on Tuesday. Life is good.

Here’s the soundtrack.

op-shopping, cleaning, chocolate-eating

As the title suggests, we spent today op-shopping and then cleaning. You realise after a good spring clean how much nicer your home is when it’s clean and tidy.

Ah, the joys of working weekends and having your ‘weekend’ mid-week.. There’s no excuse not to spend your time off doing all the cleaning and the grocery shopping because everythings open!

listless.. indecisive.. maybe it’s the weather

list·less /ˈlɪstlɪs/
–adjective
having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless; indifferent: a listless mood; a listless handshake.
[Origin: 1400–50; late ME lystles.]

Related forms
list·less·ly, adverb
list·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Day off.

Slept late.

It’s cold.

I need a drink.

Hmm.. lychees. Great look.

Bad shape.

Maybe I should bake.

No. Something savoury.

Yeah, and I have this too.

Hmm.. can’t be bothered. Maybe a salad.

Nah. Too cold. Maybe soup.

Hmm.. maybe later. This will do.

Needs sugar.

Back to the doona.

beef, veg and blackbirds baked in a pie

Recipe coming soon.

winter brunch of mac and cheese

 

It was icy cold here today (or at least by Australian standards) and we both felt like something quick and warm for lunch, deciding upon a bowl of mac and cheese. The following recipe is pretty hard to stuff up and requires minimal ingredients, making it the perfect pantry snack this winter.

quince jelly

 

We finally got around to processing those quinces the other day - the ones we wrote about ages ago - with most of them going in to making a large batch of quince jelly (we didn’t make quince leather this time with the byproducts - the chooks looked hungry for a fruity feed!). We also made a jar of poached quinces (made from quinces that were peeled, cored, cut into wedges, and very gently poached in a sugar syrup with lime juice, cloves and cinnamon sticks), but for now here is our recipe for quince jelly.

sweet lavender biscuits

I recently found a recipe for sweet lavender biscuits in the July 2006 edition of Country Homes & Interiors magazine. I made them tonight using English lavender leaves, rather than the buds that were recommended, and they have turned out great! I have never cooked using our English lavender before, but definately will in the future - the aroma and taste are sublime! These biscuits were nice tonight as an after-dinner treat, however I can see they would be a great feature at a morning or afternoon tea, too, because they taste great served with a cuppa. Enjoy!

tender thai grilled chicken

This recipe for tender thai grilled chicken makes for a quick and extremely tasty dish that won’t break the bank. Serve with a side of rice (sticky rice would be most authentic, but not absolutely necessary) and green salad. We loved it and went back for seconds - though this recipe normally serves 4 ordinary people We used 2 small chickens for this recipe, but you could alternatively use (a) a large 2kg chicken carved into pieces, or (b) 2kg of chicken pieces. Enjoy!