Made up baking and two good books

I love to follow recipes exactly, maybe because there's so much to learn about good cooking. But lately I feel totally fine winging it in the kitchen, which is how we ended up with this apple galette one Sunday night. I found some leftover shortcrust pastry in the freezer (maybe from this summer pie), had half a jar of butterscotch sauce and we always have apples (and lately, ice cream).

We're trying a weekly produce box again, in an attempt to go to the shops less and eat what's in season. It's been the best excuse to consult my cookbooks and make some meals that aren't work related! I've also learnt that this is potato and pumpkin season. I have so many potatoes and am going to make gnocchi tomorrow night.

Normally I try to read books on my Kindle or get them from the library to save money and shelf space but this period (pandemic + job stress) seemed like the very best time to buy Kevin Kwan's new book Sex & Vanity. I remember reading the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy during periods of disruption. I listened to the first book while driving between Wagga Wagga and Canberra when Tony was doing an artist residency here and I was waiting out a restructure at work. I carried the final book of the series, Rich People Problems, to solo dinners in Adelaide, while travelling for work. It kept me company all the way home from Darwin to Canberra. 

I managed to make his latest book last a little over a week and loved how escapist and funny it was. I really hope to watch it as a movie one day. I'm now reading Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, who also host the Call Your Girlfriend podcast. I've never wanted to hold books more than I do in this mostly stay at home time, when it feels like there's very little time spent off screens.

Today has been especially nice because I took the day off work. It still feels strange to take a day off when there's no where to go but I'm really glad I did. This past month has been intense and I needed a day to decompress and not be accountable to anyone. So I slept in, made my own teriyaki sauce (I'm suddenly addicted to Adam Liaw videos and highly recommend this chicken and egg oyakodon) and listened to Michelle Obama's new podcast. 

A couple of other things to share:

We loved watching Indian Matchmaker on Netflix and maybe got through it too quickly.

Julia Ostro's Italian-inspired sausage tray bake is so comforting. Slightly spicy sausages bake on top of potatoes and a lemony tomato sauce. Here's a video of me demo-ing the recipe! 

I've been listening to Coronacast most days, it's a 10 minute podcast from the ABC that helps me understand the latest coronavirus news. After listening to a few episodes about masks, I reckon these look good because they have three layers, including one water resistant one. 

We rented Greed last weekend, which stars Steve Coogan and Isla Fisher. It's funny and a bit dark. 

John Lewis wrote this beautiful essay before he died and it was published in the NY Times on the day of his funeral. "Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe."

Also in US politics, AOC's notes that shaped her viral speech this week. "What is there to say to a man who isn't listening?" Her caption on being accountable to herself (and for yourself) stayed with me. 

Have a lovely weekend.

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Rainy days and daytime candles

I loved the drizzly, cold weather of last Saturday. I put on a piano playlist my brother made and baked a Dutch baby pancake for breakfast. Later, when Tony left to teach a drawing workshop, I lit a daytime candle (such a simple novelty), made banana bread to take to a friend's place, and curled up on the couch to watch a documentary.

Tiny things are changing here. My baby cos lettuce plants have grown their hearts and it cheers me to catch a glimpse of their leaves from the couch.

I stayed up late on Sunday, partly because I started making sourdough late in the day but also because I expected to find out more about my job and whether I'd be keeping it on Monday. Delaying sleep was one way of staying in the in between space where it could still go either way, and when my team was together still. One of my work mates called it a reverse Christmas Eve. So we put on a funny movie from the '80s (highly recommend it) and made this easy butterscotch sauce for our ice cream.

On Monday I found out that I'll very likely keep my job and while it's a huge relief, it's been hard to stand by as good people were told otherwise. I think that's why I don't feel totally settled just yet. I've been hyper alert and distracted in the same afternoon, not too jazzed about food (so weird for me) and waking up some nights at 3am. Still I know I am lucky. I'm doing all of the things to take care of myself - yoga, lunch outside the apartment, walks wherever possible, and I feel a bit better every day. 

My friend Sophie sent me this enormous bouquet of flowers earlier in the week. At first I felt totally undeserving but it's really cheered me up.  It smells of roses and honey and is making our lounge room an even nicer place to be. I noticed this white flower right away, because it looks like it's been made of crepe paper. Sophie says it's a pincushion flower or scabiosa. 

After work today, I lit a candle, cleaned the dishes from breakfast and readied a present for the post. And did a tiny bit of my tax. It felt normal and nice and I'm hoping for more of those days ahead.

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Fresh air and friends

Our friends Angie and Dave visited us in Canberra at the end of a very emotional week. The afternoon they arrived had been a bit of a cry fest, brought on by exhaustion, shock and the kindness of the people around me.  By the end of their visit I felt a lot calmer and happy too. I am very lucky to have these three in my life (Tony has been endlessly patient and supportive and kind 😭).

We drove out to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve with bags full of bakery goods and went for a couple of different walks, spotting a bettong and a bandicoot in our travels. Winter days in Canberra can be clear and lovely when the sun is out. It helped to be outside with all of its sights and smells after three days of non-stop video meetings and phone calls.

I was a bit nervous about hanging out when things felt so out of control. But I shouldn't have been - I was people I love and trust and was in desperate need of distraction and perspective. Angie and Dave visit us every single year no matter whether we're living in Wagga Wagga (a good 6 hour drive from Sydney) or Canberra. They even let me move in with them once for a job stint in Sydney!

I really wanted to make something slow-cooked for dinner like a leg of lamb but instead we decided to make something low-key so we didn't feel like we had to be home at a particular time to prep. I made a Julia Ostro inspired cheese and prosciutto plate and Tony made fresh pasta for dinner.

At the start of the season I wrote a winter bucket list, inspired by Joy, and baking a lemon delicious was at the top of the list. It's such a sunny dessert and self-saucing :) I used a Ruth Reichl recipe and also recommend a Stephanie Alexander version, which my sister must've introduced me to. It was so lovely and warming.

Angie and Dave's parting gift was a black truffle which totally blew my mind because it's something I never would've bought for myself. We've been infusing eggs and plan to make a truffle pasta this weekend. Luckily, friends and food haven't been cancelled in 2020.

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Weird week

This week was rough. On Wednesday I found out the project I've been working on is coming to an end in its current form. I also learned I'm in a redundancy pool and may lose my job.

It feels very very big and while I won't write too much more about it here (it's a process and I am still processing), it's going to be a key part of my life for the next little while. Please send chocolate 😂

In the meantime I am loving this bunting my niece Maeve made for me. It's currently strung above my desk. I am also wonderfully supported by dear friends, family, and work mates. The texts, calls and emails this week have been overwhelming in the best possible way.

Our friends Angie and Dave were visiting this weekend from Sydney. They brought us so many treats, including doughnuts. Tony and I ate them in bed on Saturday morning after waking up way too early. I'll share some pics of our weekend with them soon - we had so much fun.

Other things to share:

The most recent episode of Reply All is totally wild. It's about BLM in the US and the very strange ways some people are showing their support.

I also loved Wesley and Jenna's special edition of Still Processing via Zoom. They called it 'So Y'all Finally Get It' 🙌

The nicest story about one dude, hundreds of cakes and lockdown in Japan.

And I've also been zoning out with Nadiya's Time To Eat on Netflix. I made butter after watching episode 2 (and it only took me 5 minutes!)

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Family reunion

There have been so many milestones as the pandemic restrictions start to ease. There was our overnight trip to Sydney to witness a small wedding, having our first guests round for dinner and being able to meet up with friends again. Last Saturday, it was my family's turn to be together for the first time since Christmas 2018. With my brother back from New York, my parents, youngest brother and his wife making the trip from Sydney, the 12 of us were able to gather in Canberra for lunch.

It was Tony and my first time hosting a big family event and I'm so glad we did it! Space-wise, with a little reconfiguring of our apartment it just worked. My brother brought a trestle table, we used every chair we owned (from dining chairs, IKEA stools, outdoor chairs and our sofa), along with every plate, fork, cup and glass. I was super proud that we could do it - especially without buying anything specific for it other than food and napkins (I almost panic-bought paper plates).

I was a little bit nervous about cooking for a crowd, mainly because we have so little bench space. In the end I made a double batch of Julia Turshen's lasagne (with beef) because I'd made it before and it's magically simple and delicious. I cooked the sauce during my lunch break on Friday, mixed and rolled the pasta on Saturday morning, bought pre-grated cheese to make assembly easier and had everything ready to bake by 11.30am.

My family brought drinks, fresh bread and a big salad, which helped so much. I've only just realised that it makes a lot of sense to choose a main and a dessert from the same cookbook. It was the best excuse to try Julia's 'Happy wife, happy life' chocolate cake, with raspberry jam and sour cream chocolate icing. Not wanting to stress, I baked it the weekend before and froze the cake layers, icing it the night before. After making a wedding cake, icing a two-layer cake that doesn't need to be transported anywhere is a breeze!

The house was so full of life that afternoon and I felt extremely proud that we were able to host. I'm happy to report that my tiny bag of toys is still going strong, with Frozen snap being one of the best $5 additions.

It was a busy weekend - we had my brother Zac and his wife Hannah over for dinner on Thursday night, invited a friend round for coffee on Sunday and then we went out to dinner with my parents on the last night of their stay. Before lockdown, I preferred to do one social thing each weekend - two max. But I've noticed that I have a lot more energy and enthusiasm for any kind of hang out since I've been working at home. I think it's because I'm not tiring myself out commuting to work, packing my lunch, trying to get up early for yoga. It's made so much more brain space for the best stuff.

After everyone went home, we tidied up and ended up eating leftovers by candlelight and Ferrero Rochers on the couch - a gift from my sister. We just happened to have two slices of chocolate cake left over 😉 and I'm so looking forward to tucking into them tonight. This year has had so many emotional highs and lows, but this was one of the really good days.

Emoji pancakes, apple cake, day trip

I treated myself to a NY Times Cooking subscription the other week (there's only so much screengrabbing you can do), which is how we ended up having buttermilk pancakes for brekkie last Saturday. I hadn't made them before and loved how fluffy they were, we served them emoji-style with a pat of salted butter and plenty of maple syrup.

It's been crazy nice to have two long weekends in a row - enough to make me want to work part-time! There's just enough time for everything from seeing family to sleeping in and trying new recipes.

On Sunday we drove to Bundanoon for the day to have lunch with Tony's family. We appreciate everything now, like a pretty sky on the drive out and the sheer novelty of seeing the horizon from a different perspective. It was a proper Sunday lunch with roast lamb followed by butterfly cakes lovingly made by my mother-in-law and niece.

We've been watching so much good telly lately. We both loved The Last Dance, a Netflix documentary series that follows the Chicago Bulls during Michael Jordan's last season. You don't have to be a basketball fan to really enjoy it, it's got so much in-built drama and characters to bring you into it. Plus the archive footage is amazing, I'd totally forgotten about players like Scotty Pippen!

We also watched mid90s, Jonah Hill's directorial debut. It's a skater movie and a coming-of-age story that's intense and great (and also on Netflix).

I'm starting to appreciate some of the nicer things the pandemic has brought us. I've been able to spend much more time with my family, online in the height of the lockdown and lately IRL. And I'm obsessed with doing yoga in my lounge room instead of a studio. I love doing online classes whenever suits instead of trying to arrange my work week and weekend around classes. It's one thing that's going to stay post-pandemic, which will keep saving me time and money :)

We also ordered make-at-home ramen last weekend which was so much fun!! I developed an obsession with ramen during our years in Wagga Wagga when it was hard to find. Ours was delivered on Saturday morning with super strict instructions for boiling the noodles and reheating the stock.

We are still picnicking in the sun whenever we can - even if it means packing puffer jackets. Last Monday it was salad wraps and apple cinnamon crumble cake, which is magically like apple cake, crumble and pie all in one. It's a new ABC Life recipe with one of the strangest techniques I've ever tried (you grate the butter straight into the tin like cheese) and it's seriously so good.

I'm a new fan of Maggie Beer's cooking demos on Instagram. I made her chicken and barley soup (using this whole poached chicken stock) and it was so full of flavour, especially for so few ingredients.

And I wanted to share a couple of Insta posts from the week, starting with black photographers talking to NPR about what it's been like to document the protests. This little dude and Bridget Brennan joining the panel of Insiders.

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Good habits return

I ate a lot of chips at the start of isolation, afternoon tea too. And now I'm suddenly remembering... vegetables 😂 It's like everything's happening in reverse - more and more of my good habits are returning as the city starts to open up. There were a couple of weeks where I'd forget to leave the apartment, maybe because I was so nervous about being outside. Now we're going for walks most days and starting to visit some of our favourite cafes and ice cream shops again. It's small stuff but really nice.

I'm super excited about Movie Night, a way to rent and stream films from my favourite Sydney cinema. Even though I live in Canberra, I often look at what's playing because the curation is always great with a nice mix of indie films, cult classics and docos. I reckon I'll start with either the Ryuichi Sakamoto documentary or Yellow Is Forbidden, which is about a Chinese couture designer.

Being at home for so long has helped me improve little corners of the house. My bedside table no longer has books on, in and under it. Instead it's just a few special-to-me things, some from my time in Wagga Wagga and newer things like a bunch of flowers my sister-in-law dried. It's a nice reminder that things can look good without spending a lot of money.

Most nights I read a couple of instalments of 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith before bed. I've never read any of his books before (and only realised he was a dude a couple of weeks ago!) and the concept for this book is so unique. Originally the novel was a serialised column in a Scottish newspaper. A new one came out every day, which means you can read a bit of the story every day without too much effort. It's been the nicest way to ease back into reading after a long break.

My friend Irini recommended the book after reading the first instalment of a comic series I've been involved with at work. She's also the reason Tony and I became obsessed with High Fidelity on iView. We watched the first ep after hearing about it on a podcast but didn't love it right away - and I'm so glad we went back and kept watching.

It's been super nice to grow stuff again! A friend at work says it's just nice to care for something and I'm finding that to be very true. I'm also loving chef Roy Choi's posts on Instagram this week from his funny pep talks ("Be the turtle") to dreams of becoming a florist.

Finally, some recipes to share. I made Julia Ostro's pasta e fagioli this week and had forgotten how magical it is. It's super flavoursome for something with a couple of simple ingredients. I also spent Monday testing her newest recipe for ABC Life, peanut butter and chocolate blondies with salted peanuts. It's super delicious.

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Seedlings, yoga and takeaway dessert

This week was a really good one. I've been able to do yoga more regularly (treating myself to a digital subscription has really helped), finish a book and put birthday cards in the post. It's been nice.

In the kitchen, we've been trying to get through our tinned food stash, which has mainly looked like fried rice made with tinned peas, corn and carrots (which makes an easy dish even faster). The lone tin of prunes in syrup has become porridge topping, along with my new favourite thing - bananas grilled in butter.

This weekend I'm going to plant some seedlings for winter - spring onions, English spinach and baby cos lettuce. I bought them from a sweet front yard stall in Canberra, which I stumbled upon while looking into microgreens (this blog post intrigued me). You slide your cash under the front door and pick up a free packet of broad beans on your way out. Aside from the excuse to go somewhere new, I love that the seedlings are grown locally and suited to Canberra's very cold conditions.

We also treated ourselves to fancy desserts this week, something Tony and I used to do when we lived in Sydney. We'd meet in Newtown after dinner, which was halfway between his share house in Chippendale and mine in Lewisham, and find somewhere to eat cake or ice cream. I got a slice of miso chocolate tart with delicious dark cherries and Tony chose the other dessert special, a Basque burnt cheesecake.

And there were lots of family hangs too! I chatted with my parents over a video call and beat my brothers at Monopoly again - during the pandemic we've played almost every week. The game is always fun but so is the video call/hang out. Especially if I win :)

Here are some things to share for your weekend:

I loved Madeline Albright's interview on Death, Sex and Money. It's especially good for the times in a you-can-get-through-it kind of way.

We're making this kimchi, udon and butter dish on repeat. It's fast and super spicy (via Highly Enthused).

I bought some... nice instant coffee, something I never thought I'd be into! I had some sachets from Reuben Hills and they made such a difference when making mini tiramisu, chocolate cookies and a faster version of this coffee and banana smoothie.

We watched The Half of It last weekend on Netflix and it was such a great romantic comedy that ends in a way I didn't expect. It's very heartwarming viewing.

On ABC Life, a satisfying and super quick udon noodle soup from Hetty McKinnon. I love the egg drop in the soup because it's something I grew up with!

I also had the great pleasure of working with illustrator Grace Lee (she appeared on the blog years ago!) on her comic about moving to Japan and finding her feet overseas. It's a six part series and you can read episodes one and two now. There are some very honest and heartbreaking moments coming up. New episodes come out every Thursday.

And a song I've been listening to on repeat.

Catch you next week!

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Presents and projects

I sent an email to myself while working last week, a clear sign I'd hit a wall. It was easily my most restless week to date. But things turned around. There were tiny nice moments, like listening to music while driving in the rain and seeing bright autumn leaves on my way to get groceries and remembering that seasons still change, even though we're inside.

This is going to sound strange but there's something about seeing packets upon packets of toilet paper at the shops that brings a great sense of relief. Like we're at a turning point where things will continue to get better (I'm really hoping for this!).

I've ticked three funny things off my stay-at-home to-do list, growing spring onions from their roots (extremely satisfying), a Zoom yoga class with my favourite Sydney studio, and a pear and blueberry crumble. I've also been working on a lovely project that I've been busting to write about.

I've been making a podcast for two! Or a mini morning radio show. Every morning, I send my brother and sister-in-law a song introduced by a friend or family member to help brighten their hotel-quarantine stay. They moved back from America at short notice and while they were packing and preparing to leave, I hatched a plan to make their hotel stay a bit warmer.

Each morning there's a different host, from high school friends to siblings, new buds from their time in London, and one very special guest - a lead singer from a fave band! I asked everyone to record a voice memo sharing where they are, what they can see and hear, plus one thing they're looking forward to. I also asked them to choose a song and introduce it. The idea was to bring the outside world into their Sydney hotel room.

The morning messages and songs were inspired by this episode of the Soul Music podcast, which opens with an astronaut talking about the songs that were piped into his shuttle each morning, chosen by family members back on earth. The song he remembers was Can't Take My Eyes Off You, chosen by his wife to mark their wedding anniversary apart.

During this time at home, I haven't been too good at reading or doing anything other than working, cooking and being on Instagram - until this project came alone. I started working on it over the Anzac Day long weekend and woke up with a real sense of purpose and excitement each day, as new audio recordings popped into my inbox. It was so good to be editing audio again, I'd forgotten what a wonderfully intimate medium it is. And it's been so much fun to sample all the chosen songs - from K-pop hits to Mozart. There are only three episodes to go and I'll so miss this joyful little project.

In Canberra, you're now allowed to visit one other household, so on Sunday when Tony was busy painting I went to my sister's house to deliver a belated birthday present. It was a short visit but a very uplifting one! We gave my nephew a mini golf set and he took to it immediately. I also got to see my niece's wobbly tooth IRL and see their hermit crabs in action.

At the moment I'm watching Mindy Kaling's Never Have I Ever on Netflix and loving it. I'm strangely into teen dramas at the moment and also caught up on All The Boys I've Loved Before. I'm excited to watch the sequel and another movie with a Asian main character, The Half of It. I'm totally going to watch the Netflix adaptation of Michelle Obama's Becoming too.

And I must've turned a corner because I'm reading a book again and really enjoying it. After listening to Gabrielle Hamilton's much talked about NY Times essay, I downloaded her memoir Blood, Bones & Butter. It's a wonderful read, full of adventure and action.

I hope you're going ok wherever this finds you. Things that've helped me this week - exercise and fresh air for energy and good sleep, and salad. I'd completely forgotten about salad, even though I used to eat some version of it for lunch every day at work. On that note, this is a lovely dinner that isn't pasta. A tofu, brown rice and brussels sprout salad from Hetty McKinnon. And good relaxing music, complied by my brother.

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Standing in the warmest light

Years and years ago, my friend Matt wrote me an email that included the line 'standing in the warmest light'. I can't remember the context but that line and its sentiment stood out to me. I remembered it again this week as found myself warming my feet in the sun. It seems like a lovely way to try and make it through this period at home.

Today we welcomed my brother Derrick and his wife home from New York. They're in hotel quarantine in Sydney and getting a video call from them once they'd checked in was nothing short of thrilling. It's such a relief to have my whole family back in Australia, especially at this time.

It's a long weekend here in Canberra, so I've been making Anzac biscuits, chicken stock and an eggplant melanzane, which was our special Saturday meal. I followed my friend Angie's advice and oven roasted the eggplant to skip the frying and breading stage and used smoked mozzarella too.

It's been an excellent weekend for recipe testing too. In the coming weeks I'm planning to make this mushroom stroganoff again (it's so creamy) and a childhood favourite - beef rendang!

The weirdest things make me teary these days, including songs on this playlist, this video of a dad watching his baby being born over Zoom, and my workmates in Sydney offering to drop a hotel care package to my brother. People are so nice.

I remembered the documentary podcast Soul Music this week and listened to the Toto's Africa episode which is excellent. It's a wonderfully distracting podcast because it doesn't refer to the world at present, making it truly escapist. And I made my first ever Dutch Baby, inspired by Jessica. I used the NY Times recipe, which was crazy easy and so much faster than making individual pancakes.

And that is me for another week!

Stay well,

S

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Peak iso

How are you going at home? I vacuumed a lampshade this weekend and felt a real sense of achievement, which tells me I've hit peak isolation.

Podcasts make me feel connected to the outside world, mainly The High Low, Sugar Calling and Highly Enthused - I loved their at-home facial tips. Listening to them reminds me of our years in Wagga Wagga, when I'd listen to RN on the radio at night to find out what was happening beyond our town.

Saturday's become our day for nice dinners and video calls with friends. This week I roasted a chicken (and smoked out the entire apartment, prompting an oven clean on Sunday 😑), made some potato wedges and opened a bottle of orange wine. I've also been eating a lot of chocolate. My friend Irini sent us a box of Easter eggs that's as big as a board game and has the most delicious hazelnut praline filled chocolate bunnies inside.

I'm trying to be less fearful as the numbers in Australia continue to improve, while still being sensible. It helps me enjoy this time at home a little more. I'm also trying to let go of a scarcity mindset when it comes to cooking and shopping. It's small thoughts, like when I catch myself wondering/worrying if I should use two eggs in some muffins or save them, just in case.

I have two tiny hopes for the week ahead - to eat more veggies and move a little more. That's it!

If you're after any food inspo for the week, this tomatoey soup with chickpeas, pasta and spinach is delicious and great for days when you're feeling under the weather. I've also been baking out of this beautiful zine - the PDF version has just gone online. I made peanut butter granola and ginger and chocolate muffins and feel somewhat ready for the week ahead.

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