I just made the cashew nut butter from Make It Naked. I am 98% sure I will never eat anything but this for the rest of my days. Heck, they may be short, but they will be filled with nutty joy!

Mmmmmmm

I am spending today avoiding the sun and drinking improvised cocktails, as well as listening and dancing to the Triple J Hottest 100. I hope that all you Australians enjoy the public holiday and don’t get too burnt (for non-Australians, it is about 34 degrees celcius so far, but is expected to be far higher). I already have a nice pink glow (partly heat, partly gin).

The drink is a gin and tonic with lime with the added brilliance of mango sorbet. Too good.

Genius.

I love the internet. That is all.

Easy as Tomato Pie at Daily Garnish

Easy as Tomato Pie

I took a few of my own photographs as I went, because it just looked so pretty. The colours are vibrant and a great indicator of the delightful taste to come. The rice base was epic and very simple to make. Get involved!

Basil Pesto

Putting together the pie

Ready for the oven

I just received this Macbook Air Sleeve from rib & hull on Etsy. After having a good look and trying it out on my computer, I would give it 10/10.

Beautiful!

I have a tumultuous relationship with soup. My Mum would make varying versions once or twice a week during winter when I was living at home, and as a result the smell is the first thing that gets to me. When I smell soup now, it brings back memories of this hearty, healthy meal that I just could not stomach. My whole family would enjoy the heck out of whatever type Mum had made, often going back for seconds, while I would whine and eat whatever I could scrounge together myself.

I honestly tried really hard to like soup – I could see the pure joy the rest of my family was getting from eating it. However I couldn’t get past the smell and the reaction I would have to it. This has continued throughout the years, and now that I cook for myself and the partner every day, I have wanted badly to incorporate soup into our diets. I have tried various minestrone’s and different types of potato/pumpkin soup and although they have been lovely, filling and healthy, I still have the totally irrational reaction. I eat it, but I can’t fully let myself enjoy it.

Until now!

I have found a recipe that makes me deliriously happy on three fronts – it is hella healthy, it is super easy and quick to make, and it is fracking delicious!

The original recipe had chicken in it, however I replaced it with chickpeas. If you want to keep the chicken in it, just cook up some breasts or thighs, and shred before adding. Heck, you could probably just buy a BBQ chicken and add that. I also add soba or ramen noodles at the end for some bulk and flavour.

Ginger and Corn Soup – serves 4

1 tbspn vegetable oil

1 brown onion, diced

1 litre vegetable stock

2 cans of corn kernels

1 can of creamed corn

1/2 cup of chopped spring onions

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tspn fresh ginger (meant to be grated, but I like my ginger in big chunks for surprise flavour)!

2 cups water

1 large red chilli, chopped

Fresh coriander to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic, brown onion and ginger and cook until softened (2-3 minutes). Add the stock, water, corn kernels, creamed corn, spring onion, and chilli and bring to the boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low and cook with the lid on for ten minutes.
3. Top with coriander to serve.

See, I told you it was simple!

Image from weheartit.com

2010 was a grand mixture of pleasure and pain in my household. My brain got an amazing and awesome workout, while my body failed me in many ways. When I looked back through my daily diary and calendar today I noticed that there were a lot of hospital and doctor visits scheduled; I now fully understand why although I am extremely happy with my life right now, it can be slightly exhausting at times!

2011 will be full of good university marks, awesome new recipes, plenty of law work experience, and hopefully the operation that will make my quality of life about a gazillion times better!

I hope that you all have a wonderfully festive evening and that the coming year is punctuated by good health, good food, wine and coffee, good sex (if you are that way inclined, you saucy people) and good times!

x

I hope that you are all having an amazing day. Right about now I will be full of cheese, potato bake, tropical fruit, caipirinhas and mango daiquiris. I will be playing Jenga and Euchre, and then probably passing out in front of the air conditioner.

Next year I am hoping for a white Christmas, either in North America or Europe. Woe is me, what a terrible first-world decision to have to make!

Merry Gravmass lovely people

One day it will be a large and magnificent pine. Until then, it serves its purpose (except for the fact that we can't put most of the decorations on as they bend the tree and fall off)!

My bosses at my cafe (come to Suspension if you are ever in Newcastle; seriously, we have the best coffee in town) have recently started decorating a new cafe in the centre of town. Last night we had our Christmas party in the space and it was wonderful!

The most striking feature was the green tiles on the wall behind the coffee machine. I couldn’t take my eyes away from them and have decided that when the partner and I eventually buy and decorate a house, these will be the first installment.

Image by Mike Lynch