february!
Posted by shan | Filed under me, stuff
have you had a good week? they just go so fast! this whole weekend has been a blur – from leaving work at 5pm on friday until about noon today, i hadn’t spent any more than 10 hours at home {most of them sleeping}. it’s all been fun and lovely, but sometimes you just want to hang out at home, y’know?
last weekend was a different story – we spent valentine’s day casually wandering around, having loads of fun. breakfast at a cafe:
chinese new year markets:
and i made this for my valentine, from bakerella’s recipe:
it was just lovely. but that was a whole week ago! next weekend will be the last one of summer. it just goes by so fast.
Tags: baking, chinese new year, valentine's day
baking.
Posted by shan | Filed under me, stuff
it’s the middle of summer, right? so this torrential downpour is a little bit infuriating. {truth be told, it’s actually a refreshing change from the relentless heat, but i’m opposed to it on principle.} but, what else is there to do on a miserable saturday than bake your little heart out.
there’s been three very specific things i’ve wanted to make lately:
1. marshmallows. because i bought some homemade marshmallows at the markets recently and they were divine.
2. vegan chocolate avocado cake. because i saw laura’s post about joy the baker’s recipe and it sounded amazing. and weird, which i like. and i don’t eat eggs outside of cakes so it seems odd that i eat them inside of cakes. {it’s not a moral stance or anything, i’ve just never been able to eat them.}
3. banana bread. because we bought too many bananas last grocery shop and i needed to use them up.
so, first up: marshmallows. the recipe was fairly simple, but having never made anything like this before i had a bit of pre-marshmallow anxiety – “is this thick enough? how do i know what this is supposed to look like?!” – but they turned out perfectly. i’ve already planned to make these as easter gifts.
next up was the chocolate avocado cake. this was really simple; no different to a normal cake, really. i snuck a quick taste of the batter just as i was about to pour it into the pan, and was horrified to taste nothing but baking soda. ack! i forgot to put the sugar in! lesson learnt: ALWAYS TASTE YOUR COOKING. but with some extra stirring i was able to work it in just in time. i haven’t had a proper piece yet, but the bits i’ve sneakily broken off have been amazing. i’ll be taking it to an afternoon tea tomorrow, so i look forward to people trying it without knowing what it is. i was originally planning on making a different icing, but decided to make the avocado one just to see what it’s like. tastes good to me!
and lastly, banana bread. i got this recipe from the australian women’s weekly BAKE book. haven’t got it yet? go now. run. i haven’t tried this yet, but i think it might be a little overdone. i’ll sample some for morning tea tomorrow!
now why can’t i be this productive during the week?!
Tags: baking, cooking, food, homemade
what’s for dinner?
Posted by shan | Filed under me
after seeing it mentioned on twitter on new year’s eve, i made a spontaneous decision to join the edible365 project in 2010. the rules are simple – i take a photo of something i’ve eaten everyday and upload it to flickr. a lot of people stick with taking the same meal every day, but i mix it around a bit depending on which meal is the most interesting {and also to avoid revealing just how often i repeat my dinners}.
here’s the month of january, in edible form:
you can see the full size photos in my Edible365 set on flickr.
PS. Now that it’s January 31, I can happily report that I haven’t eaten any more chocolate since that minor sponge cake incident. it really wasn’t that hard at all! I’m thinking of continuing into February, but loosening it a little. I still won’t eat straight up chocolate, but will be forgiven for chocolate flavoured things.
Tags: edible365, flickr, food, photos
create & live
Posted by shan | Filed under etsy, me, stuff
i’ve had a busy – but productive – weekend. went to the eveleigh farmers’ market yesterday morning and picked up a few things. highlights: lamb & garlic sausages, mango & chilli relish, chicken, spinach & cashew nut ravioli, amazingly fresh watermelon, home made marshmallows {that i am now addicted to and plan on making my own soon} and a beautiful bunch of flowers. sadly it was close to 40 degrees {celsius, that is} and far too hot to be doing anything that involves the outdoors. or moving. i desperately wanted to try some homemade ice cream sandwiches but, alas, the only flavour they had left was chocolate. maybe next time.
today i had a big clean up. finally threw out the bag of shoes that has been sitting at the back of my wardrobe for the last 5 years. i’ve moved house 4 times since i started that bag, and that bag of shoes – those shoes that one day i’m going to take to be re-heeled and then love them forever – always came with me. not anymore. they’re gone. i got rid of handbags, scarves, jewellery {all donated to vinnies, of course} and it feels good. almost cathartic, even.
i’ve also been busy. my sister & i will have a stall at the hills districts’ australia day celebrations this tuesday. if you’re in the area, be sure to come on by and have a look! we’ll also be selling some of our mum’s handbags. i’ve been working on a few new products for the stall, and my favourites are these create & live signs. i’ll have these {plus a few more} on sale as well as all of my cards and paper goods.
i hope your weekend was as fulfilling as mine! it is a shame about monday, though.
Tags: babble, craft, homemade, markets, weekend
honesty.
Posted by shan | Filed under me
internet, i have a confession.
i ate some chocolate.
in my defense, it was actually a chocolate flavoured sponge cake, and it was a tiny tiny piece, and i was at a small gathering for my partner’s grandmother’s 80th birthday where i literally could not refuse it. and, i don’t particularly like sponge cake, so i didn’t really enjoy it.
am i forgiven?
in any case, i’m not actually counting it because it was an unavoidable “special occasion”, but i just felt i should be honest. so i’m now nearly two-thirds through No Chocolate January. woohoo!
Tags: chocolate, food, honesty
92 hours.
Posted by shan | Filed under me
92 hours without chocolate, and i haven’t killed anyone yet.
the hardest moment – so far – was at 3pm today, my first day back at work. what is it about 3pm on a weekday that makes me people go crazy?
as the great liz lemon once said: chocolate! chocolate! chocolate! aaack!
and i don’t feel any different.
Posted by shan | Filed under me
how was your new year’s eve? i always find it to be a bit anti-climactic. it’s usually a fun night, but the effort of trying to get home always ruins the evening for me. so this year (last year?) we kept it simple. we just made up a picnic and took it to the park down our street, which has distant harbour views.
with a new year comes new beginnings. even if you try and avoid it, you always end up cleaning and organising and planning for the year ahead.
so this is the new year
and I have no resolutions
for self assigned penance
for problems with easy solutions
– the new year
last year, my resolutions were simple:
- see at least one new movie every month
- make at least one new recipe every fortnight
- do at least one load of washing every week
i completed the first one with ease, the second one lasted about two months, and the third one didn’t even make two weeks. this year, i’m trying a different approach. i guess i don’t want resolutions as such, i just want focus. so my things to focus on in 2010 are:
- fashion. i have no problem with the way i dress, i quite like it in fact, but i always err on the side of caution. in 2010 i want to choose adventurous over safe. make some bolder choices, instead of just secretly wishing i did. i’ve started following some fashion blogs to get inspiration – so if you can recommend any, please let me know!
- nutrition. in order to fit into those bold fashion choices, i need to make better food decisions, so i’m having a monthly focus. january’s is chocolate – i’ve survived 21 hours of no chocolate so far, and it seems to be going ok. i hope the remaining 792 hours are just as easy. a heads-up that’s february’s will be ice cream. prepare to feel my wrath.
- entertainment. i’m keeping the movie one again – we had a lot of fun planning our monthly movie outings last year, and usually combined it with dinner out at a new restaurant. so that one makes the cut again. i’d also like to see a few more gigs than i did last year. i have 5 or 6 on the list for january, but nothing really planned for after that. i guess i just want to make an effort, and see some new things that i know i’ll enjoy.
and also, i’d like to blog more… hehe. happy new year!
Tags: new year, photos, reflection
a day of reflection
Posted by shan | Filed under me, music
my most listened to artists from 2009:
i started tracking my music in 2004, and this was the first time that spoon didn’t top the end of year list. my apologies, spoon. we’ll try harder in 2010. i am, however, greatly amused that a novelty rap act is my 3rd-highest. ah, here’s to maturity, eh?
upcoming adventures.
Posted by shan | Filed under me, music
in exactly 12 days, i will be on a plane that is just about to land in tokyo. tokyo!!
i’ve had a love affair with japan for as long as i can remember, probably dating back to the exchange student who lived with us for a year when i was about five years old. this is me in the kimono she gave me, which still hangs in my wardrobe today.
we’re going for three weeks, and the itinerary is: tokyo > osaka > fukuoka > hiroshima > kyoto > takayama > nagano > tokyo.
i’m looking forward to kyoto most of all, but it’s a shame we won’t be there in march to see the cherry blossoms. we’ll be seeing a sumo tournament in fukuoka, a monkey park in nagano, and the ghibli museum in tokyo, and… so many other things. i’m so excited!
i’ve been passing the days by listening to this song over and over. it has nothing to do with japan, i just love it.
things i love
Posted by shan | Filed under etsy, me, music, stuff
felicia day, the guild, and jed whedon. all together!
you need to watch the guild.
my dad
father’s day is 6 september in australia and new zealand (and maybe a few other countries as well). i have a couple of father’s day cards for sale in my etsy store.
which is why i’ve re-branded my etsy store, to smallstakes.etsy.com. the name comes from one of my favourite spoon songs, small stakes.
sunshine
which is rather convenient, because spring is most definitely on its way.
