Cinnamon French Toast With Maple Syrup Berries

This is kind of a follow up to the Fun With Friends post. As our friends live quite a distance from us, they stayed the night. So for breakfast I made Cinnamon French Toast With Maple Syrup Berries. After eating this, I don't think I can ever eat regular french toast again, if I do say so myself! LOL!

So here is the recipe, which I did originally find online:- 

Cinnamon-berry French toast

Ingredients:- 

4 eggs
2/3 cups of milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Butter
8 slices of white bread cut in half
Greek style yoghurt

Berry Salsa

125g of blue berries
125g of strawberries
2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 150°C/130°C fan-forced. Line a tray with baking paper or kitchen paper.

2. Make salsa: Combine blueberries, strawberries and maple syrup in a bowl.

3. Whisk eggs, milk and cinnamon together in a bowl.

4. Melt some butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Dip slices of bread in egg mixture until soaked. Drain excess egg mixture. Cook bread for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to prepared tray. Place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining slices of bread, egg mixture and butter.

5. Divide toasts between plates. Top each with yoghurt and berry salsa and serve.

Fun With Friends

A couple of months ago my wife and I went on a Segway ride, and we absolutely loved it! It was so much fun and they are so easy to get the hang of. We told all of our friends about the ride and found two that wanted to try it, which was brilliant because it meant that we could go again lol

This is me after the ride. I would love one of these machines! Actually all four of us decided we wanted one. :o) After the ride we came back to our house for some nibbles and a catch up, as these friends live a couple of hours drive from us we don't catch up as often as we'd like to.

We had a restaurant reservation at a place that consistently serves good food, not that we go there all the time, but when we do, there are never any complaints. I had salt and pepper chilli squid with aioli and lemon for my entree, which was just beautiful. 

For my main, I had marinated grilled barramundi with potato galette, topped with king prawns and dressed with a citrus beurre blanc dressing. I've had this before and it's my favourite, I don't normally order the same thing twice from the same restaurant as I like to try different things, but I just can't go past this dish lol

For dessert I had apple and rhubarb crumble with vanilla bean gelato, it's sweet and savory, hot and cold and just delicious! Well, that was my weekend, I hope yours was fun too!

People Who Go Hungry

In the last week I have read many comments about a show that aired in the UK called The Great British Budget Menu. As I live in Australia, I wasn't able to view this via the BBC website, but I was lucky enough to find it on You Tube. Basically what it's about is that, three chefs stay with three families in an attempt to teach them how to cook nutritious food within their budget. Sounds easy.... Right? What if your daily budget is £1.66, which is equal to $2.55 USD or $2.75 AUD.... I don't believe that many could do this in Australia. The chefs did go grocery shopping and failed when they tried to purchase good food within the budget allowed. 

The show also looked at food banks and how every year in the UK, the number of people who required assistance from these food banks has increased. I must say that due to the fact that the majority of the blogs I read are UK or USA based, I have not read anything about food banks or people who are struggling to live within a grocery budget in Australia. Admittedly I also don't watch the news very often, so I don't hear about it there either, that is of course if this kind of issue is ever raised in the Australian media.

So after I watched The Great British Budget Menu, I started to search online for statistics regarding Australians and food/hunger poverty. Sadly, I found a lot of outdated information..... However I did find a website called Foodbank, which was loaded with current information. Foodbank stated that:-

"While there is a great deal of data available on poverty in Australia there is very little information specifically on hunger. As a result, the two million figure we quote is an estimation based on several pieces of data. According to an ANU survey, 4% of Australians are accessing emergency food supplies and, in total, 8% say they are unable to afford food. Up to 16% of respondents say they often or sometimes worry that their food will run out before they have enough money to buy more, and 13% say they cannot afford to eat nutritionally-balanced meals."

Some other statistics that I found on the website are:-

- 105 000 Australians are currently homeless

- 2.2 million Australians live in poverty

- 10.9% of Australian children live in poverty

- 1 in 4 Australian pensioners live in or are close to poverty

Image from Foodbank Australia

Some other numbers for you to have a look at:-

- According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Australian population is 23 million people. Foodbank states that 2.2 million of these people are living in poverty. 

- Google states that the UK population is 62 million and The Trussell Trust, states that 13 million people live in poverty.

- Google states that the USA population is 313 million and Wikipedia states, that 43 million people live in poverty.

When I was younger there was a period in my life where I lived in poverty. At the time, I didn't view it that way... "I just didn't have enough money", plus I was young, so I was earning a very low wage. Luckily for me I found my way out of that 'broke cycle'. But for some people, finding your way out is incredibly difficult, especially if you are already working full-time and have children to support, or if you are on a pension, or if for whatever reason you have found yourself unemployed.

I found a blog the other day titled A Girl Called Jack, in a nutshell she was a single mum who was employed and doing well, until she found herself unemployed. You can read her story here. Her story could be any of us, at any given time.

The Pantry Nightmare - Solved!

Just the other day when I wrote about Frugal Queen's July challenge, I stated that I had no idea how I was going to deal with the pantry inventory side of the challenge, due to the fact that our pantry is bursting at the seams. Well I found a solution! I've mentioned before that I'm always looking for new apps for my mobile phone and tablet. . . . So I did a quick search for a pantry inventory app, and I found "Out of Milk". This free app will allow me to scan the bar codes with my mobile phone to create an inventory of what we have. It will also synchronize across devices, so I can also view the inventory on my tablet or send the inventory to my wife's mobile phone or tablet. So I'm very happy that I've found a solution! It will still take some time to scan it all, but no where near the amount of time it would've taken to type or write it all down. It will also allow me to move items that have been used up, into a shopping list.

I've also had a quick look through the pantry and freezer to see what we have, just so I can start to get some meal ideas going in my mind. In the pantry we have loads of different pulses which can be made into soups, stews, patties, etc. We have tons of dried herbs and spices, so nothing will ever be tasteless! We have rice, pasta, noodles and couscous that can accompany just about anything. We have tinned crushed tomatoes, pulses, soup etc, plus various bottles and jars of sauces and packets of dried fruit.

After raiding the freezer I made a quick note of what was stored inside, we have a whole chicken, cuts of chicken, frozen vegies, bread, tofu puffs, various faux meat products such as quorn and bounty burgers. No seafood, as my wife doesn't eat it, so I don't cook it at home for just myself. Also we're not big red meat eaters, occasionally we'll have something mince based, but not all that often so there isn't any red meat in there. So already, I'm thinking chicken pie, stir fries, curry, soup. . . Something in the slow cooker, the list is endless! As it's currently winter in Australia, you won't see me serving up any salads for a while yet, at the moment it's all about hot food!

After having a peek in the fridge, I find jars of minced garlic, ginger, chilli, and jars of Indian and Asian curry pastes. There is also a number of bottles of sauces and various condiments, which will all come in handy. All the usual fresh vegies are also there, which will be topped up as required. I'm really looking forward to this challenge and so is my wife! The next two weeks can't pass quickly enough for me lol

It's Been One Year Today

Today is a sad day, as it's been one year today that my Aunt and Godmother passed away from cancer. It hard not to feel sad and people expect you to move on, but that's hard to do when you've lost someone who you were close to and loved. I still think of her everyday, even if the thoughts are just fleeting, they are there.

She told me that she would send me a sign.... I'm still waiting. Maybe if she knew her photo was now on the internet, she'll get a wriggle on and send that sign! Because I'm sure that she would never have thought in a million years, that her face would been seen by people all across the world!

Where ever you are, I hope that you are happy, pain free and safe.

Love your Nephew and Godson,

Alex.

xoxo 

The Frugal Queen Challenge

I have been an avid reader of Frugal Queen's blog for quite some time now, not just because of her lifestyle choices, but because she also has some great recipes too! Towards the end of June, Frugal Queen decided that July would be:- "Just do with what I have July". The idea behind this was basically to eat what was in the pantry, fridge and freezer and to only top up with fresh veg and fruit. I often tell my wife about various blog posts that I've read, and when I mentioned this one, she thought - like I did, that it might be a good challenge to try.

However, we won't be starting this challenge for two weeks as my wife has already done the grocery shopping, and fortnightly menu plan, so it would be cheating to start now lol I noticed that those who were participating in this challenge, made an inventory of what they had on hand. . . . I don't know if I'll be doing this for two reasons:- firstly, because to be perfectly honest, I would be embarrassed by the amount of dry and packaged ingredients in the pantry, and secondly it would take me all day to compile! So I will have to have a think about how I will tackle this issue. This challenge, I believe is just what we need, as we have far too much food stored in this house.

When it comes to buying groceries, my wife does the main fortnightly shop, with top ups every couple of days for fresh vegies. I will do a shop at Aldi once a month to six weeks, depending on what we are running low on. One thing I have gathered from reading blogs such as Frugal Queens, is that many people will make small purchases from various supermarkets that they pass by, and that both the UK and USA have more options when it comes to choices of where to shop. The problem we have in Australia is that we are limited for choice where supermarkets are concerned. Coles and Woolworths own most of the market, with Aldi following behind. 

The big two not only own our supermarkets, but they also own most of our petrol stations, and liquor outlets. It's not an easy feat to be able to find an independent grocer, butcher or petrol station in this country. So when it comes to my wife and I doing our grocery shopping, Coles is the closest to home and we don't have a independent green grocer as they wouldn't be able to compete with Coles. So we buy both groceries and veg from Coles, and occasionally meat. The reason a shop is done at Aldi once a month to six weeks, is because Aldi is out of our way so when I do go, I make sure it's worth the trip.

But anyway, back to the challenge! I've got two weeks to rummage through the pantry to see what I can come up with, using what we have and only topping up with fruit and veg. As it will be August by the time we start this challenge, I'll have to think up a new slogan lol unless Frugal Queen comes up with a new one for August in the meantime!

Couscous With Moroccan Chicken

Geez, I've been posting a few recipes lately.... lol I wasn't meaning for this to be a food blog. But as a couple of things have turned out, and haven't looked too bad when I've taken photos, I thought I might as well post the recipes. This is a recipe that I originally found online, and it has been altered to suit us.

Couscous With Moroccan Chicken

Ingredients:-

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons Moroccan seasoning
2-3 chicken breast fillets sliced (depending on how much meat you want in the dish)
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
1/3 cup currants
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (don't get heavy handed with the vinegar)
2 tablespoons of water
200g grape tomatoes, halved
100g baby spinach
Greek yogurt to serve

Method:-

1. Slice tomatoes and set aside.

2. Slice chicken and add to the pan with oil, lemon juice and Moroccan seasoning, until cooked.

3. Add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water to the 1 1/2 cups of couscous in a lidded contained, and leave covered for five minutes or until the water is absorbed.

4. In a container, microwave the currants, vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water for one minute.

5. Fluff the couscous with a fork, then thoroughly combine the currants and the chicken mixture making sure that the sauces from both ingredients mix with the couscous.  

6. Place the baby spinach in a colander and poor boiling water over the leaves to blanch them. Then mix into the couscous.

7. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Pork and White Bean Chilli

Okay, this is a spicy dish and you probably don't want to attempt it, if you have issues with chilli lol I found the original recipe in an old Family Circle mini cookbook, and I have changed it a bit to suit us. If you do cook this recipe, whatever you do, don't forget the sour cream! 

Pork and White Bean Chilli

Ingredients:-

1.3 kg of lean pork sliced into strips
2-3 tablespoons of oil
1 large onion diced
1 zucchini sliced
3 teaspoons of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of coarsely chopped coriander
1.5 - 2 tablespoons of chopped jalapeños
Water
Sour cream to serve
Steamed rice to serve

Method:-

1. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion and zucchini,  then set aside on kitchen paper to drain.

2. Add sliced pork to the pan and cook for five minutes or until brown, then set aside on kitchen paper to drain. 

3. Add the paprika, garlic, cumin, jalapeños and chilli powder to the pan to toast for about a minute or until fragrant.

4. Add the tomatoes to the spice mix and stir through. Fill the tomato can with water and add to the pan and stir through.

5. Add pork, onion, zucchini, beans and coriander to the pan and stir through. Bring the pan to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for approx 40 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

6. Serve on a bed of steamed rice with a dollop of sour cream.

Crystals And Runes

This will be a short post as I've not been up to much and I have a rotten cold at the moment :o( and I really don't feel like doing much of anything. So rather than sitting around playing on Facebook and feeling sorry for myself, I thought I would just post some info about a rune reading and a picture of a pendant I bought recently.

I'm an app junkie - I'm always looking for new and improved apps for my mobile phone and my tablet. I do however have three apps that I have never changed or deleted and they are the Galaxy Runes, Galaxy Crystals and Galaxy Tarot Pro. These are great little apps and they're so informative. Anyway.... Wandering off the topic here, as I do.... Sorry lol The other day I opened the Galaxy Rune app - now I hadn't used this app for quite a while. 

I asked the runes if I was on the right path? This question was regarding the Lisa Williams course that I had recently decided to undertake. As I have previously written, the course really requires you to take a step back and examine yourself. The rune that was drawn was the Ehwaz rune. It said:- "It means horse and is also the rune of transportation and movement and may pertain to a positive successful trip. This often means trips in the physical sense but may also signify movement in the psychological sphere in which case this is likely change for the better". I was hoping that I was on the right path as my gut told me I was, I now feel that this rune confirmed this.

A week or so ago I had been online looking for a new pendant to wear, as the one I had been wearing had broken, just as the one before that - strangely those pendants were exactly the same (they were little owl pendants) and also from the same shop.... I am also a believer that if you lose a piece of jewelry or if breaks, that it's not meant for you or your time with it is over - I should have known better than to replace the broken one, with one that was the same! So back to the shopping... lol.. I had been looking online at various items with nothing in particular in mind, until I saw a blue stone called Kyanite. So I opened my Galaxy Crystal app to find out what kind of properties this stone had. 

I found out that Kyanite is calming, balances masculine and feminine energies, assists with dream recall, logic, mental stamina, psychic awareness, connection to spirit guides and it does not absorb negative energies. It was perfect for a couple reasons.... I liked the fact that it doesn't absorb negative energies, as I do have someone in my life who does leave me feeling negative. I also like that it assists in connection with your spirit guides, as this is a module further down the track in the course that I'm doing.

It's funny, I've worn crystal pendants before and I've always been aware that I was wearing them. This pendant is different, I don't know if it's because it's smooth or if it's the nature of the crystal, but I don't feel it. I can feel the cord that it hangs on, but not the actual crystal. The other thing is that it never feels cold or hard, like you might expect a crystal to feel like. 

Well so much for writing a short post lol I hope it makes some kind of sense as I'm under the influence of cold and flu tablets.

One Aunt - Two Dreams

As some of you know I had an Aunt who passed away recently. Well a number of years before, another Aunt of mine also passed away, for the sake of this post I will refer to her as Jane. My Aunt was in palliative care as she had cancer, her two daughters - my cousins stayed with her while she was there. One night while I was asleep around 2.30 am, I heard my name being yelled/screamed and I saw my Aunt Jane's face coming towards mine, then she was gone. Her voice was so loud! I woke in such a heart pounding fright! The only thing I could compare it to, was if you were in a deep sleep and someone stood beside your bed and screamed... That's how loud it seemed. I finally got back to sleep, and when I did wake up in the morning I told my wife about it. We later on discovered that this, give or take a few minutes, was when my Aunt Jane passed away. Spooky? Weird? Was it a dream? I have no idea.....

Well last night I had another dream with my Aunt Jane in it. I don't often remember my dreams, and the reason I am writing about this dream is that it's particularly odd. Let me explain why..... My Aunt Jane's youngest daughter - my cousin (who I'll refer to as Olivia) and I had always been fairly close, that was up until my other Aunt passed away last year. You see I was the executor of my Aunts will, and my Aunt Jane's children thought that they would be left more than they were. My Aunt had left them a substantial amount of money, but it just wasn't enough, they got greedy and as a result, their behaviour has divided the family. When my Aunt wrote her will, she wrote it so that it was fair, as she didn't want any conflict when she was gone. As she had no children, her will was split four ways:- between my two cousins and my sister and I.

Anyway, back to last nights dream.... I dreamt that I was at my Mums house in the kitchen, and my Aunt Jane was there.... She was angry! I had seen her angry before, but not with me. She told me that she was aware that I had been arguing with Olivia's partner and that it had to stop! I couldn't believe what I was hearing.... I tried to explain to my Aunt that I had not argued with Olivia's partner, and that it was one sided. My Aunt said that there was no such thing as a one sided argument! Then she disappeared....

While I was still in the kitchen, my wife, Mother and a third person who I can't remember who it was - I have a feeling it may have been my sister, came in and sat down at the dinning room table. Now in the dream I was aware that my Aunt was deceased, but in hindsight I didn't say this in the dream, I spoke about her as though she were alive. Anyway, I sat down with the three at the table, and told them that Aunt Jane had just been here and told me that I have to stop arguing with Olivia's partner etc etc. The three didn't speak, they only looked at me and then at each other..... As if to say "He's lost the plot, Aunt Jane died years ago....."

The next thing I know, is that Olivia's partner had come into my Mums house and was arguing with me about my other Aunts will. While he was arguing with me, I could see that my Aunt Jane was back and was listening to every word being said..... Olivia's partner could not see her. When he left, I told my Aunt that this is what I was talking about. That they were arguing with me about a will that I did not write, that I was only the executor of. That it was a one sided argument. My Aunt nodded and agreed, she then said that I should not allow him to come between Olivia and I, as we had always had a good relationship from when we were children, right up until when were adults. Then she disappeared.....

This dream was totally bizarre, I do believe in ghosts/spirits. However, I don't know if this is a case of a message from the other side or simply just a dream.... Either way, when it comes to Olivia and her partner, one isn't more innocent than the other. One loaded the gun, and the other chose to fire it - they worked as a team. 

A Walk Down Memory Lane... In The Waiting Room

My wife says that I am a magnet for old people lol If we're out together and I stop moving for more than two minutes and there is an elderly person present, they'll strike up a conversation with me lol Well it happened again today :o)

I was sitting in the pathology clinic waiting room this morning and an elderly lady came in, she hadn't been sitting there for more than than two minutes before she started talking to me lol As we've had a lot of rain, naturally this was her icebreaker. She moved from weather to homelessness..... She went on to say that she felt sorry for people who were homeless, especially in this weather. She said that she realised that some people did choose to live that way, but some didn't.

She told me about when she was a little girl and her mother needed an operation, the surgery had to be done in Sydney, but her family lived in Canberra on a farm. She said that they all caught the train (she was one of six children) from Canberra to Sydney (interstate) and when they arrived, the house where they were supposed to stay, decided that they didn't want to have the children there. 

The lady said that once her mother had been admitted to the hospital, her father searched and searched for somewhere for him and his six children to stay. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find anywhere that could accommodate the seven of them. The lady said that they spent two freezing nights huddled together, on Coogee beach trying to stay warm - something she said she would never forget. She continued to say that back when she was growing up, there was no such thing as hostels or emergency accommodation, Centrelink hadn't been invented, and if you needed charity it was often provided by family - who were most likely struggling themselves.

She said - The Lucky Country, that's what they call us. Well we are now, but we never used to be. Today if you're unemployed - Centrelink will pay you, if you're a single mother - Centrelink will pay you, if you need housing - Centrelink and the Dept of Housing will house you, if you need rent money - Centrelink will pay you, if you need anything extra - there are charities everywhere that will help you. She said that she couldn't understand when she heard so many people complaining, about how little the Government gave them. That this generation really has no comprehension, what it's like to actually have to look after and support themselves.

Then my ticket number was called..... In the past I've worked in a lot of retirement villages and nursing homes (I've also worked at Centrelink)..... As you can imagine, I've heard a lot of stories. Today I've been thinking a lot about what this lady told me, as well as other similar stories that I've heard over the years. This lady is right, she hit the nail on the head, we live in an 'entitled' era. I've heard the same complaints that many Australians have heard... This is probably the most common one - "How does Centrelink expect me to live off this?" 

Guess what? Unless you're actually employed by The Government and work for Centrelink, your fortnightly payment isn't to live off and make a career out of! That's why it is called 'assistance' and not income, you're actually supposed to be seeking some kind of employment in the meantime. I'm aware that there are people out there who, genuinely need these assistance payments as life has thrown them a curve ball. I am also aware that Australians who work, pay millions of dollars in tax each year to support those, who see Centrelink as a meal ticket and exploit every cent available! These are the ones who have this sense of entitlement, lets put them in a time machine and send them back to the 1930's!

One Of Those Weekends

You know when you're looking forward to something and it just doesn't turn out as you had hoped? That's how I feel about our outing today, I had been looking forward to it and it just wasn't what I expected. We had planned to go to The Entrance markets first, then have lunch, and then drive over to a Food and Music Festival. 

The main reason I was looking forward to The Entrance markets, is because there was a stall holder there that used to make and sell my favourite soy candles. For some reason he wasn't there, and my wife and I both agreed that there were quite a few stalls missing. As a result, we finished up there quite early. So we decided to drive over to the Food and Music Festival and have lunch there instead.

Now I had been looking forward to this festival, as it's an annual event and we had heard about how great it was, and we had managed to miss it every year! I really don't know what I was expecting, but clearly I had set my expectations too high. When I hear "food festival" I think I envision all sorts of lovely treats to try and buy. What I saw was a bunch of kids sports groups holding sausage sizzles. . . To me, this is hardly food festival material. 

We did find one stall that was selling Thai food, as they had opened a new restaurant in the area and were promoting their business. The food wasn't bad for market stall food, so we grabbed a menu and may go to the actual restaurant at some point.  

I'm not sure where the music part came into the title of the festival, the local radio station was there, but they weren't playing live. There was however a young girl belly dancing to Middle Eastern music, which really wasn't all that interesting.  

There were a couple of classic cars parked outside of the festival on the road, they were interesting to look at and were in immaculate condition. I don't know if they were part of the festival or if there was a car club in the area. There was also a small baby-animal farmyard zoo for kids to play with. All in all, The Food and Music Festival was lacking in both food and music. It was nothing more than what you would find at a regular market or school fete. It was quite disappointing.  .  .

Never mind, there's always next weekend to look forward to! We're going out to lunch with friends to a restaurant that we haven't been to before. The menu looks interesting and the reviews are all positive :o) **Fingers Crossed!!**

10 Day You Challenge - Day Ten - One Picture

Day Ten - One Picture

Well I kind of jumped the gun on this one! It will teach me to read things more carefully in the future lol Nah, it probably wont lol I'm going to re-post the photo we had taken with Lisa Williams, as it's my most recent photo.... I did take a selfie this week, but it was pretty bad lol My sister said, it looked like I was about to kill a spider lol

I made it! I have finished the 10 Day You Challenge! Geez, now what am I going to write about? You all know everything there is to know lol

Mexican Pasta Bake

Here's a new recipe that I've just tried, yeah I know it's an odd and not very traditional combination of Mexican and Italian lol, but it goes :o) Sorry about the photo, it doesn't photograph well. It does however, taste better than it looks. I also don't know who created this recipe, as I found it on one of my recipe apps :o)

This dish could be served with fresh salsa, guacamole, sour cream, sweet chilli sauce or a side salad.

Mexican Pasta Bake

Ingredients:-

2 TB olive oil
500g ground beef or turkey
1 sachet taco seasoning
1 jar mild chunky salsa
1 small chopped and seeded red or green chilli (depending on how much heat you want)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 a red capsicum - diced
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
340g uncooked pasta of choice
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/2 cup light sour cream
chopped coriander for garnish

Method:-

1. Cook pasta in well-salted water to al dente only. Drain (don’t rinse) and set aside.

2. In a pan, brown ground meat over medium heat. Drain if needed. Stir in taco seasoning, salsa, chilli, capsicum, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Bring to boil, stirring. Immediately remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, combine cooked pasta with 1 cup of the cheese and sour cream and mix well. Spoon into a greased baking dish. Top with the meat mixture and remaining cheese.

4. Bake uncovered 180C for 20 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.

10 Day You Challenge - Day Nine - Two Songs

Day Nine - Two Songs

I think this is the hardest one! I originally thought eight fears was difficult... I don't have a favourite song, I don't think I actually have a favourite band/group. My taste in music is eclectic and changes from day to day. If you were to look at the playlist on my computer, there is everything from, rock, classical, new age, pop, jazz, blue grass, modern country, rap, folk... The list is endless!

1. Songs played live - A friend of ours used to play in an orchestra, and it was amazing to be able to sit and watch her play. You could really feel the music come alive as you sat, and not only heard the music, but saw every note being produced. Prior to her playing, I had never really given classical a second thought, but there really are some beautiful pieces out there, they just don't get heard enough.

2. Playlist song - My second pick is whatever song I choose to listen to from my playlist that, either gets me motivated at the gym or suits my mood that particular day. There are just too many songs to choose from and I have no idea where to start. When in question, just hit shuffle!

10 Day You Challenge - Day Eight - Three Films

Day Eight - Three Films

Okay, I'm going to cheat once again lol Hey! it's my blog and I'll cheat if I want too! lol :o) I have way too many favourite movies, so I'm going with favourite film genres.

1. Horror - I'm a Halloween freak and I love nothing more than scaring the crap out of myself. Having said this, I don't know that if now that I'm older I don't scare as easily, or if the horror movies of today are just more gore, rather than plain old fashioned horror. To me so many movies today just insert so much unnecessary blood and guts.... Blood and guts doesn't equal horror.... It's just blood and guts, if I want to see this I can watch a medical drama. One movie in particular that gave me chills, was The Stranger. It's based on a true story surrounding a series of events that happen to a young couple..... The last couple of lines in the movie explain the entire story, and that's when you'll be sitting there in complete shock!!! 

2. Comedy - I love comedy... Except Australian comedy. Australian comedy is embarrassing, and portrays us as a bunch of backward, beer drinking, old Holden driving, hicks who have murdered the English language.... Don't get me started! I would have to say that Irish and English comedy, is my favourite. I re-watched The Snapper only last week, and it makes me laugh every time! There are so many brilliant quotes in the movie! :o)

3. Documentary/True stories - I really like documentaries/true stories. I tend to watch the ones produced by the BBC, as they have created some brilliant, high quality titles. I have watched a lot of them over the years, and I have also learnt a lot from watching them. They're great if you're in one of those moods, where you just don't feel like getting all that involved in the lives of characters. I think the last one I watched was on the History channel, and it was called Life After People. It was quite amazing to look at what would happen to our pets, our homes and our general surroundings, should we disappear. 

10 Day You Challenge - Day Seven - Four Books

Day Seven - Four Books

I love to read and I have read so many great books. I could quite easily list so many more than four books, that have had an impact on my life. I have already changed my list of top four books twice. If I keep doing this, this post will never get published! lol

1. Many Lives, Many Masters By Brian Weiss - This is the first book that I ever read on the topic of reincarnation and past life therapy. It was an absolute page turner. Given that I am not affiliated with any particular religious organisation and have always been on the fence when it comes to - do we go to heaven, or are we reincarnated? It was a brilliant book to start with as a beginner and I highly recommend it to anyone who has even the slightest of interest in the topic or even feels that they would like to know more. It certainly opened my eyes and mind, to possibilities that I had not previously thought about. This I believe is a good thing. Sadly, I loaned this book to someone, who in turn loaned it to someone, who then in turn loaned it to someone else and I never got it back. :o( If anything, I guess that proves that it is one of those books, that needs to be shared and that people need to be made aware of how amazing it is. Here is a link to Amazon for further reviews.

2. The Five People You Meet In Heaven By Mitch Albom -This was a book that I randomly purchased one day while I was browsing in a book store. I hadn't heard of the book or the author, but something about the cover caught my eye, and I'm so glad it did. I don't want to say too much about it, except that the ending is perfect and ties the whole story together nicely. It's basically a tale about how our lives affect others..... Even if that action is as simple as smiling at a stranger on the street. I have also watched the movie and the ending is the same, however the book version describes the ending a little more clearly. Here is a link to Amazon for further reviews.

3. Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles (Interview With A Vampire) and The Lives Of The Mayfair Witches - Now I know this is kind of cheating because it's not one book, but two series. I read both of these series a number of years ago, I literally lived and breathed all things Anne Rice. The characters and the settings that they lived in were so life like, I felt that I knew all of the characters. Here is a link to Amazon where you will find all of Anne Rice's books and their reviews.

4. To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - This is a classic text, yet it still has so many contemporary lessons that can be learnt today. If you are unaware of the story, it is about an African American man who is charged with the rape of a white woman.... That says it all. Sadly the author only ever wrote this one book, even though it's rumored that she still writes today, but she chooses to file her manuscripts, rather than publish them. This was due to all of the comments made by the critics when it was published. The author was so sick of hearing what the critics 'really thought' the book was about, so she decided to never publish again. This book also won a Pulitzer Prize. Here is a link to Amazon for further reviews.

You can follow me and what I read on:- Good Reads by clicking here.

10 Day You Challenge - Day Six - Five Foods

Day Six - Five Foods

Okay, I've picked three cuisines and two of my general favourite foods :o)

1. Mexican - I love Mexican food because I love beans, I love chips, and I love chilli. Mexican food ticks all of these boxes. It can be eaten formal or informal - by this I mean, that if you're going to eat nachos.... You're going to use your hands! It can be as simple as you want or as elaborate as you want. I have a Chilli Chocolate Con Carne recipe that takes quite a bit of time, but the end result is worth it! It is also sooo different to the meat and three veg that I grew up on! :o)

2. Thai - Chinese was the typical Asian food that, Aussie kids grew up on in my generation (geez I sound old!!) As a kid I had never heard of Thai food.. It was Chinese. When I discovered Thai food as a teenager....OMG! What I love about Thai food is that, the flavours are created with herbs and spices, not heavy sauces. The dishes are often quite simple which is what I love. There is also none of that "OMG I am soooo thirsty!!!" that is often experienced after eating other Asian dishes... Provided that the Thai restaurant that you go to, doesn't use MSG or huge amounts of salt. 

3. Japanese - What can I say? Look at it! It's so pretty and precise. I love both cold Japanese dishes like sushi and hot dishes, like teriyaki. I make sushi when we have people over for dinner, it is time consuming, but it tastes great! :o) The trick is getting your hands on the right seafood, using the wrong cut of fish, or the wrong fish is where you will come undone.     

4. Beans - I love beans for their versatility. You can throw them in a soup, stew, pasta, dip or just have them on toast! They come in all shapes, sizes, textures and tastes. So many people look right past them, as they can often be considered bland or boring, but not me. I will cook with them at any opportunity.  

5. Hot chips - What's not to love about hot chips? I don't think I've met a person yet who doesn't love them. Okay, so they're not that healthy.... But I'm not writing a health blog lol I love my hot chips with chicken salt and sauce :o)