tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61656662285074802652024-03-05T04:34:23.205-08:00Grow, Bake, RunPamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-35594634686598252512015-12-28T23:41:00.002-08:002015-12-29T01:23:51.272-08:00Stepping up<div style="text-align: justify;">
After recovering surprisingly well in the week following <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2015/12/the-running-journey-continues.html">Perth Marathon</a> in June this year, after talking with a local ultra runner and event organiser, and with the support and <i>"just give it a go"</i> attitude of my mountain biker husband, I decided to capitalise on the fitness and endurance I'd gained through marathon training and work towards the <a href="http://www.wtfultra.com/">Waterous Trail on Foot</a> 50 Miler (WTF as it's affectionately known - you can make the connection). There is also a 100 Mile option which runs <i>Through the Night</i>, which is the event's slogan. This event was once run on the Waterous Loop Trail south east of Perth, but has since moved to the Munda Biddi mountain bike trail which my hubby knows like the back of his hand, so I could utilise his navigation and company on reccy runs.</div>
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Having never run more than a standard marathon before, and only doing that distance twice, on a flat road course, the prospect of running 82km on a hilly (by Perth standards) trail was more than mildly terrifying. I Googled a few training programs and pulled something together that I thought I could make work with kids, work, and life, and started training. Most programs I found were 16-20 weeks long and suggested a 4-6 week post-marathon recovery before starting, but I only had 13 weeks until the event on September 26th, so 13 weeks it was (and I just ignored the part about marathon recovery)! I was hoping I wasn't going to be hopelessly underdone. The prospect of rocking in the foetal position under a tree somewhere beyond 42.2km, with only snakes and kangaroos for company did cross my mind more than once. </div>
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A favourite mid-week training run I do is an 8km tempo. I like running 8km. I like getting to 5km and only having 3km to go. So in my head I upscaled this concept by a factor of 10. Let's forget the extra 2km (because quite franky when you're up to 80km are you even still counting?) - once I get to 50km I'll only have 30km to go. It's just like an 8km, right? Concept sold, to yours truly, by yours truly. Yet another running mind game. I was going to need a few more than just that though to get me through potentially 10 hours on the trail.</div>
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My program built up to a couple of 100km weeks, with most weekends having a long (read: stupidly long) run on Saturday followed by a shorter run on Sunday. Fitting all of these runs in meant getting up at stupid o'clock most Saturdays to fit in up to 5 hours of running without eating too much into family time. This all happened towards the end of winter/early spring while it's still quite dark at stupid o'clock in Perth. I bought a cheapy ebay headlamp which turned out to be great, and roped in at least one other person to join me for part of my long run each week. I took my running gear on our winter camping trip up north and hubby would kick me out of the car in the middle of no where and pick me up in town. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Training near Shark Bay, WA - while on holiday</td></tr>
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Donned in long sleeves, long pants and gloves, ready for wind and rain (and boy did it rain on a couple of those runs), the longest individual runs I did were a 48km trail run and a 50km on the footpath. Getting those runs under my belt gave me just enough confidence to think I might actually complete the entire 50 miles (even if some crawling was required).</div>
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Fast forward to race day. Stupid o'clock turned out to be 3:30am to get ready and drive to the start line for a 6am start. Day was just breaking and it was cold. I started with long sleeves on top of a singlet, long tights and gloves.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything packed up the night before and ready to go</td></tr>
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The plan was to strip down layers as necessary over the day. I had drop bags at each of the 4 aid stations so I could offload some attire along the way and grab some nutrition. This is probably a good point to mention the volunteers on the course. I didn't have a crew and so was relying on myself (in a physically deteriorating state as the day was to progress) and the assistance of some volunteers to help me out with water & food along the way. They definitely came through with the goods. The vollies on the course were amazing, without them I would have been reduced to a rocking, hysterical ball on numerous occasions (more of that to come). If any of the vollies are reading this, you guys are <i>da bomb!</i></div>
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Back to the race (where race = <i>constant forward motion with no accompanying speed</i> in this instance). The gloves were dumped at Aid 1, where I didn't stop more than to throw them into my clear zip lock bag (which I didn't retrieve until more than a week after the race - they could have walked themselves home!), and continue. I didn't want to break rhythm so early in the game by stopping. I'd been running with three other runners who were also first timers at the distance. We knew that we were probably being a bit ambitious with pace as most kms were around 5:30 min/km, but were walking the hills (with purpose! - a mantra I had practiced in training) to save the legs and figured slowing down was inevitable later in the day so we just stayed comfortable and didn't look at the watch too much. We all had a goal of "under 10 hours" and found the company helped pass the kms. Aid 2 came and went - I filled my hydration back and offloaded some rubbish but wasn't there for any longer than necessary. By that stage our group of four had split in two and I knew at that point that I was lead female. In the lead up to the event a few different people had suggested I was a good chance to place, and I'd largely ignored those comments as my only goal was to complete my first 50 miler and I didn't want any added pressure. It was at Aid 2 however that the pressure began to creep in. It became a game of holding my place - something I've not been terribly good at over shorter distances in the past. I knew there were at least two other women (who both have more endurance experience than I) not far behind and I was just waiting for one or both to come steaming past at any moment and leave me in their dust.</div>
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Somewhere between Aid 2 & 3, my trail buddy broke away from me and as I came to a turn in the trail I saw him up in the distance, going the wrong way. I had completely forgotten his name at this point (I've never been good with names), and so yelled a non-specific <i>"cooooeeeeee"</i> until he turned around. I waited for him to catch up and off we went again together for a while. It wasn't long before he broke away again though, and I was flying solo. Only there wasn't much flying happening. I hadn't run this part of the course before and it felt mountainous. It was at some point leading into Aid 3 where the wheels started to fall off for me. I'm not sure if it was as I passed the 50km mark and entered previously uncharted territory, or if it was the middle of the day and things were warming up (and I was still wearing my long sleeves), but as I stumbled into Aid 3 at 55km, one of the vollies asked if I was ok and if I was going to faint. I didn't realise I was looking <i>quite</i> that bad but stammered out <i>"water.....head"</i> and they obliged. I had only eaten Clif Shot Bloks and a banana up to this point and more than five hours had passed so it was probably time for some real food. I scoffed a stack of about 8 Pringles from my drop bag and a salami stick that someone handed me. OH MY GOD! That salami stick was hands down the tastiest thing I have ever eaten, ever! And I don't even like salami. It somehow breathed life and healing into my muscles, lungs and soul like nothing ever had before. Salami-induced euphoria - it's a thing! The vollies filled my pack with water and fed me electrolytes out of my drop bag, and again I was on my way. </div>
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Even with magic, euphoric salami running through my veins, nothing could detract from the fact that my body had absolutely no idea why my head was insisting on continuing with the torture. The next aid station was only 11km from the last, the shortest distance between any two aid stations, but those 11km felt like the previous 55km and more. One of the girls passed me somewhere in here and while I wasn't sure whether to curse her, hug her or cry, I felt the pressure of being in first place lift. I thought I'd be more upset about losing it, but even though I was mad at myself for hitting a wall so early, I was relieved. There were hills like I didn't remember, even though I knew this section of the course well, and at 60km I was reduced to tears for the first time (not the last mind you, the valve had been opened). I had pre-warned a friend that if the proverbial sh*t hit the fan, she may get a phone call. And phone call she got. She had also been warned that the only answer was <i>"keep going, don't stop"</i> which she fed me smoothly. We worked out that I only had a half marathon to go, and as I reached the top of a hill I had walked the entirety of while on the phone, I promptly told her I had to hang up and run down the other side so as not to waste a downhill. She continued to send me motivational images via text for the rest of the afternoon. </div>
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I somehow made it to the final aid station, known as Treasure Island. The vollies at this aid station (whose surname is Treasure), put on the best spread you could imagine, in the middle of nowhere. There were Tim Tams, Nutella sandwiches, boiled eggs, potato chips, coffee, coke..... the list goes on. They even had pizza delivered there later in the evening for the 100 milers as they passed through. I was so relieved to have completed that last section that I ripped my back off, passed it off to someone to fill with water and sobbed uncontrollably on the trestle table. This took both myself and the volunteers by surprise and yet again I was asked if I was going to faint, or vomit this time, and did I want to sit down. I was to do neither, and certainly didn't want to sit down for fear of never getting up. I just needed a couple of minutes to recompose. Mrs Treasure gave me a big hug (for which I will be forever grateful), I skulled from an open can of coke I found on the table, the owner of which I neither knew nor regarded, grabbed another salami stick and went on my way. Sixteen kms to go. I had this. I was actually going to finish.</div>
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A few hundred metres out of Aid 4, up another disgusting hill which I was walking, I saw the female who was in third place. She had taken a wrong turn somewhere and added a few kms. Given how close she was now, I knew it wouldn't be long until she too overtook me. She was looking much fresher than I was feeling, despite a detour. I continued on, passing one runner who had missed the aid station (and hence a 6km out & back section) and was coming back to finish it and avoid a DQ. I was reduced to regular walking breaks by this point, but was beyond caring - I was going to finish by whichever means possible, and even if I did little more than walk the entire last 10km I would still come in under 10 hours. I'd just finished these calculations when I came across another runner who'd missed the aid station. We were a good 6km past Treasure Island so he decided against a 12km deviation to rectify the mistake, and to continue on with me and tack on some kms at the end to make up the distance. Missing the aid station however had meant missing out on the opportunity to refill his water. I was carrying a small bottle of electrolytes as well as a freshly refilled pack of water so I gave him my electrolytes and decanted some of my water into an empty bottle he was carrying. Missing the aid station had also meant his crew were still there waiting for him, not knowing why he hadn't yet arrived. I had better reception on my phone than he did, so we used that to let his crew know what was happening. While all this was happening, we were continuing to walk the uphills and run as much of the downhill and flats as we could. Both feet, but my left in particular, were really starting to hurt by this point and I was convinced that multiple bones were broken and that I would turn up to work after the weekend in a moon boot (possibly two - <i>hysterical melodrama</i> had now been added to the list of emotions experienced throughout the day). Every time I started to run, it would hurt so much that all I could manage was a few hundred metres at a time followed by walking. Cue tears #3. The thought of walking the last 7km was more than I could bear. </div>
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We passed Marrinup camp site and my trail buddy #2 decided to hit up some campers for some water. I decided not to wait for him and just get this thing finished so continued on in a pattern of run 300m (or until I could run no more), walk 100m. Soon there were 3km to go. I ran a little more in excitement but soon needed another walk break. Then the fork in the track appeared. You go right to the town, or left to the caravan park and finish line. I rounded a left and saw a small group of people and a finishing tape between two trees. It was the sweetest finish I've ever experienced. No giant crowd, no spectators lining a finishing chute, no timing clock, just a few friendly faces, most which belonged to finishers before me and spoke of the pain and excitement I was feeling. I had just run (well run a decent chunk and walked more than I had anticipated of) 50 miles in 9hrs 17minutes and 50 seconds and come in as 2nd female and 8th overall. It then occurred to me that I never had been overtaken by the women in 3rd place. It turned out she had taken another wrong turn and added even more kms to her day, but still crossed the finish line with a giant smile and seemed to be in less pain that myself. I was hurting like I have never hurt before, and while I couldn't negotiate anything other than flat ground and my feet resembled something from a horror movie, I was buzzing on endorphins. Hubby and the kids had gone to Marrinup to see me pass through, but I'd beaten them there. I called to find out where they were and politely warned him not to show up without a giant iced coffee. He came through with the goods and my girls fed me lollies they had brought.</div>
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I had to use my hands to manually pull my legs into my car for the few days that followed, and couldn't negotiate the single step down to my driveway without sliding my back along the house and walking my hands down the wall, but I think I may have just caught this ultra running bug, and the trail running bug to boot! </div>
Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-80608816981340373032015-12-25T22:21:00.001-08:002015-12-25T22:21:17.268-08:00The Running Journey Continues<div style="text-align: justify;">
So life has taken over and I have, in all seriousness, had no time to write about it. Chicky is 7, Poppet is 5 - both are in full time school - and Blossom is nearly 3. I've gone back to work part time and to be honest I'm starting to forget things so I thought maybe I should try and document some of them again, for my own sake if for no other reason. I'll start with running as it's the one I've been doing most of lately.</div>
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Last year I decided to train for and run my first full marathon (26.2 miles or 42.2km for those not familiar). The Perth Marathon was held on June 15th, which was my 32nd birthday so I thought there was no better race to choose. As a winter race, there were no disgusting 35C+ training runs like you get in the summer months, it's a local event on a familiar course (I've run a few 10km & 32km events on the same path), and well, it's my birthday and I'll run if I want to.</div>
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Training didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked and I wound up with a decent flare up of plantar fasciitis come race day, but that wasn't going to stop me. My usual race-day demons stayed away, I think largely due to my lack of any real expectations. Having never run more than 36km, I had no real expectation of time. Those who know me will know that's not entirely true, and while I did have some sort of goal pace in my head, I 1) wasn't holding myself too accountable to it, and 2) wasn't sharing it with the world. I very happily completed the 2014 Perth Marathon in 3:37 and was honestly stoked. </div>
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2015 has been an interesting running year for me and there has been more happening than I can write in one post. I started the year with high (read: delusional) hopes of a year full of PBs - 5km, 10km, half marathon and maybe even marathon if I could commit to the training. There were some disjointed bouts of training, motivational slumps and my first ever DNF (the first 3km didn't go to plan and instead of sucking it up and doing what had to be done, those pesky demons took over and saw me stop running 5km into a 10km race and walking back to my car, sobbing). I realised that the individual race probably wasn't to blame and that experience made me reassess my reasons for running. The ensuing soul-searching lead to the ditching of my GPS watch for a while and getting back to the basics of running. It was refreshing not worrying about pace or distance, and relearning how to put one foot in front of the other and soak up the endorphins. I entered my first ever trail event on a whim. A 25km hilly c<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdUoPDC7mNgXv63LOgNfpna5rqydxob8RqX0HNv7U9XNFdyREppr3FB4jZ31hpt7IHioMz_9d0rlgmKyo3q0HobPTvVSTjfuwz7Qz4b5A1XeIaD9Sq2pHW5jVCWJ35rqrjFI-IlHwBR0/s1600/20150404_134045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdUoPDC7mNgXv63LOgNfpna5rqydxob8RqX0HNv7U9XNFdyREppr3FB4jZ31hpt7IHioMz_9d0rlgmKyo3q0HobPTvVSTjfuwz7Qz4b5A1XeIaD9Sq2pHW5jVCWJ35rqrjFI-IlHwBR0/s320/20150404_134045.jpg" width="180" /></a>ourse in Serpentine, south-east of Perth in April. I loved every minute of it and much to my surprise, came in as 3rd female and got this very cute trophy. </div>
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Before I knew it, it was May and while I hadn't been knocking off the PBs like I had planned, I did manage a 10km PB in a bout of post DNF anger, but it wasn't recorded anywhere other than my own Garmin.</div>
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My running buddy had started training for Perth Marathon, and I loosely started to up the kms and follow a vague program but didn't want to commit. I'd started and stopped training for a few different races during the year and I wasn't sure if this would be any different. We both did a non-competitive, local half-marathon that very conveniently started and finished 15 metres from my doorstep. We were both getting ourselves into pretty good form, and I ran the Perth 32km at a pace faster than my half marathon PB, so six weeks later, decided to give the marathon a crack. It was to be a <i>'no pressure, run hard but don't get disappointed regardless of the outcome'</i> kind of race. Unfortunately my running buddy landed a high hamstring injury just three weeks out and couldn't run. I felt devastated for her, and awful that I was fit enough to run the race I'd haphazardly tacked onto her training for. I almost let this demotivate me, but decided that she would have given anything to make the start line so given I was fit and healthy, I owed it to both of us to give it a crack. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdUoPDC7mNgXv63LOgNfpna5rqydxob8RqX0HNv7U9XNFdyREppr3FB4jZ31hpt7IHioMz_9d0rlgmKyo3q0HobPTvVSTjfuwz7Qz4b5A1XeIaD9Sq2pHW5jVCWJ35rqrjFI-IlHwBR0/s1600/20150404_134045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2q0FSUphTsZMN4WTkkbm3W64PT2pusLGOwDkAyStcdPMj9j7ZGZ77tF1n3QbvSnNIh4yTt5Fpopjccf4UBrdTjcqT51hlDG0ccJgxoarrOux3znuaK1aTn-C1TTb2s3WPaGuRGB0pEeg/s1600/20150613_162612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The day before the race I woke up with an awful head cold and spent most of the day horizontal with a tissue shoved up one nostril. I didn't have a temp though, and have run with a cold before so I decided not to even think about it and just see how the run panned out. I car-pooled with a friend who was covered in deep-heat so my nose was nice and clear by the time we got there. The head cold turned out not to affect my race at all. There is normally an element of snot flying during a hard run so it wasn't much different! I wore my favourite Mizuno Sayonara 2s. For someone who runs most of my kms in a stability shoe, these shoes feel flat and fast. I absolutely love running in them and when they're on, I always seem to fly. They had served me well for the Perth 32km so my shoe choice was a no brainer (as was my choice of socks - Lulu Lemon 'Run Like The Wind'). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2q0FSUphTsZMN4WTkkbm3W64PT2pusLGOwDkAyStcdPMj9j7ZGZ77tF1n3QbvSnNIh4yTt5Fpopjccf4UBrdTjcqT51hlDG0ccJgxoarrOux3znuaK1aTn-C1TTb2s3WPaGuRGB0pEeg/s1600/20150613_162612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2q0FSUphTsZMN4WTkkbm3W64PT2pusLGOwDkAyStcdPMj9j7ZGZ77tF1n3QbvSnNIh4yTt5Fpopjccf4UBrdTjcqT51hlDG0ccJgxoarrOux3znuaK1aTn-C1TTb2s3WPaGuRGB0pEeg/s320/20150613_162612.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a>The weather was perfect - still and cool, and the reflection of the city skyline on the glassy Swan River was picturesque. Aside from the dripping nose and sore throat, everything was in its place. I set off slightly ahead of my planned 4:55 min/km pace, but I always do the same thing and treat it as "time in the bank" for later. The 4:50s kept ticking over surprisingly comfortably. I was taking a Clif Shot Blok (black cherry flavour of course) every 5km as planned, and my energy levels remained constant. At about 25km, heading out onto the second and last lap, my ITB started hurting and threatened to derail what was panning out to be a perfect marathon. I'd seen an ambulance on the side of the course along the first lap (precautionary, no one was hurt) alongside which someone had written a motivational banner saying "SHUT UP LEGS". I clung to that mantra. I repetitively told my ITB to shut up, and surprisingly it did! I kept ticking over the kms. Someone was breathing hard over my shoulder for about 10km in the second half, and I never saw their face as they dropped back towards the end, but that breathing kept me moving forwards. By 35kms things were getting pretty tired, but I stuck to my nutrition, taking water at aid stations and counted down the kms in a sing-song fashion (which is something I tend to do during any long training run or race) - it goes a little something like <i>"7kms to go, 7kms to go, 7kms to go..........</i>[until]<i> 6kms to go, 6kms to go.....".</i> You get the picture, I never was very creative. This got me to a few hundred metres short of "5kms to go" where there was a timing sign. I forget the exact time it read but it must have been a bit over the 3hr mark because I remember trying to do the maths, but my foggy tired brain couldn't work out the exact numbers. I knew if I picked things up just a touch I might be able to go under 3:25. My goal was only ever a PB on last year's 3:37, but McMillan had predicted a 3:26:something so I knew it was going to be close. I tried my hardest to hold onto those 4:50s, but had a few kms around 4:55 and as I rounded that last bend I even busted out a sprint finish to cross the line in 3:25:10. I was stoked, regardless. Twelve minutes quicker than last year with only 9 weeks of training. My girls lined the final stretch and the oldest even ran along side me for a bit before I entered the finishing chute. It wasn't a terribly competitive year for Perth Marathon, and that time got me 15th place. I was happy to be on the first page of the results! </div>
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While I could have taken some time off to recover and relax, I was running again 3 days later and convinced myself that I should capitalise on the fitness, endurance and fantastic recovery. So what does someone who's having a very <i>undulating</i> running year do? Sign up for a 50-mile trail ultra marathon (pun intended). But I'll leave that story for another post. </div>
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Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-4603548986740861872015-08-11T05:54:00.003-07:002015-08-11T23:43:16.312-07:00All In The Mind<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Forewarning: while I do have some biology qualifications, this post is only loosely based on fact, and largely based on personal experience. I have no sports qualification, I'm not a running coach, I'm merely one of the plebs who likes to run and I won't be engaging in any arguments of validity :)</span></em><br />
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With running in my local neighbourhood taking off like wild fire, a host of new to intermediate runner's ailments are popping up for discussion. While most are injury-related, another common theme is mind-training. Once, the initial euphoria of merely completing an event was enough to satisfy the soul, but as the beginner runner turns the seriousness up a notch, the metaphorical devil on one's shoulder often rears it's ugly head. Why is it that the body is always stronger than the mind? How can we overcome this and achieve our running goals? I've had a few recent discussions with people about training both mind and body so thought a post about the mind games of running was timely.<br />
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I'll try to address some techniques I've found helpful to push through the mind's very convincing attempts to grind you to a halt and order a pina colada (while sitting on a bean bag eating a vanilla slice), 5km into a 10km race. But first it might help to understand why we experience such difficulty pushing through a race we are clearly physically able to complete:<br />
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We are designed to run, <strong>IF SOMETHING IS THREATENING OUR SURVIVAL</strong>.<br />
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Sure we do the bipedal thing pretty well, our centre of gravity is fairly central through our midline, we've got giant glutes (some more giant than others) to propel us forward, unusually large feet for a mammal - I could don my David Attenborough cap and go on, but you get my point, we're not that bad at running. This is a great evolutionary adaptation to pull out when you're being chased by something that wants to eat you. Our fight or flight response <em>usually</em> makes us run, until the threat has gone. In reality that will happen (or you'll become lunch) well before 42.2km, or even 1km for that matter. So it's not that surprising that our head tries to tell our bodies to go have a nap after 1 rep of Yasso 800s. We're designed to conserve energy until it's needed, not run 100 miles through the night all for a small piece of metal we can use to help hold our pants up.<br />
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Humour aside, I'm sure this information isn't new to most runners, but it is useful to remember so we can push ourselves through the tough training sessions and the low points in a race. I am by no means an expert at taming the anti-running devil within. I'm not actually very good at it (as I've discussed <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/perth-city-to-surf-half-marathon.html">before</a>, <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/darlington-half-marathon-2012.html">more than once</a>) and have had more than one race failure, where I let my mind convince my physically capable body that slowing down (or stopping) and throwing away all the hard earned training was somehow worth the relief on the legs and lungs. It wasn't. It sucked big time. So over the last year or so I've tried to compartmentalize all the little tricks that help push through the pain.<br />
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To the new runner, there is only one piece of advice I ever give. Slow. Down. If you find yourself stopping after 200m or your breathing is so laboured you can't utter a word, you're going too fast. It's well worth building a little slower-paced endurance before trying to smash out some intervals. Let your body feel what it's like to get comfortable running even if it feels like you're barely shuffling. Speed will come later. Join a running club, drag a friend out there with you, try and chat through your runs. Before you know it you'll have run a km, then 5, then who knows what the limit is. <br />
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Now to those who have a bit more running under their belt and struggle to push through the distance barrier, or to hold pace for that interval, or to make it through the final kms of a race, here are a few things that have worked for me (in no particular order).<br />
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1) Mix things up</h4>
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Even when I'm not training for anything specific, I like to follow some sort of program. It normally includes a long run, at least one interval or tempo session and some easy stuff. I know that Wednesday is pain day, but that means more often than not that Tuesday and Thursday are easy days. I look forward to long run Sunday, as I often get to catch up with a friend, run through day break and push the endurance limits while clearing my head of the week's chaos. Cross train if you like. Training the cardiovascular system in any way will improve your running. Mixing it up keeps the training interesting and the different types of runs give you a variety of goals to work towards (speed, distance, number of intervals before collapsing in a heap etc). It also stops you from getting bored.<br />
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2) Run with friends</h4>
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Never under-estimate the power of peer-pressure, and I don't just mean in training. Hold yourself accountable by telling someone (maybe not the whole world as too much pressure is fuel for the little devil) of your goals. If you think someone is expecting something of you, you are more likely to put in the work and not give up. There is generally only one person I tell of my running goals, and who you pick is a personal choice (the dog doesn't count), but accountability works wonders. <br />
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Along the 'Run with friends' theme, run with someone who's faster than you occasionally. This helps you push yourself further than you might on your own.<br />
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3) Be prepared</h4>
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The best intentions in the world won't make up for lack of training. If you're a bit under-prepared for a race, admit that to yourself and shift the goal posts. No one can run a 3:20 marathon just because they wrote it on their fridge, and trying to without the preparation will end in tears. Being well prepared for a race (and hopefully getting there uninjured) can fill you with the world of confidence. Not everyone is like this, but I'll be confident of a goal time if I can run a third of the race distance, at goal pace, a few weeks out, and recover well. Use the <a href="https://www.mcmillanrunning.com/">McMillan online calculator</a>. It is an exact science that, given appropriate training, is yet to disappoint me. McMillan predicted my first marathon time to the minute. I cannot sing its praise loudly enough. <br />
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"They" claim that the last 6km of a marathon is all mental. The next few points are directed largely at those last 6km (or equivalent proportion of a different distance).<br />
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4) Break it up</h4>
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Any distance can seem daunting, so break it up into less daunting parts. Celebrate making through the first 3 of 6 intervals by saying "more than half way" as you start number 4. Break a 10km up into quarters. 2.5km is much easier to swallow than 10, and once you've done 2, only 2 more to go! I like to break the marathon up into 6 x 7km legs. Counting down 42.2km in 1km increments can make even the most seasoned marathoner become disillusioned, but chopping the session up into whatever distance you feel comfortable with will help to get the job done. Use the next aid station as your immediate goal, or the next gel. I even use this on the treadmill. I'm allowed a drink every 2km (even though my water bottle is right there all the time), so every 2km I celebrate with sip of water. It may not seem like much of a celebration, but when you're trying to push through the pain barrier, you'll take anything you can get.<br />
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5) Pretend a dog is chasing you</h4>
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You may laugh, but I have done this with success. Have you ever been chased by a dog? The adrenaline that gets pumped through your body will have you giving the best 100m sprinter a run for his money. It doesn't have to be a dog. Pick your deathly-creature of choice. Are you terrified of snakes? Spiders? Clowns? They're chasing you, and they want your blood. Now run!<br />
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6) Think of a time when you have been in more pain</h4>
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For me this is a no-brainer. Childbirth x 3. Number three will be really quick they said, she'll just slip out they said, stake out at the hospital in case you go into labour they said. Thirty-six hours, and 25 hours of back to back contractions later, the sweet little cherub made her appearance. Unless something goes horrifically wrong, no run I ever do will take 36 hours. Point made. Three and a half hours to run a marathon is a privilege in comparison.<br />
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7) Think how lucky you are</h4>
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I read this on a blog a while ago, and it has merit. Think of how lucky you are to be physically/mentally/freely able to run intervals, enter a 10km event, try and run a PB parkrun. There are many out there who would love to do these things, given the chance, so do it well. Deep stuff!<br />
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8) Latch onto something</h4>
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This could be anything. This could be tucking in behind some big burly guy and holding his pace for as long as you can. It could be reading some scrawny motivational sign that a goofy spectator is waving. It could be keeping the advertising slogan on the back of a stranger's shirt in sight. At Perth Marathon this year there was an ambulance (of all things!) parked up at a medic tent and in huge writing on a sheet wrapped around it read "SHUT UP LEGS". The first time I passed it I laughed. The second time I passed it I thought "That's got some merit". By km 25, when my ITB started hurting, threatening to ruin my perfect marathon, I just kept saying "YEAH, SHUT UP LEGS! SHUT UP!" and even though my knee didn't stop hurting, it helped me to push the pain to the back of my mind and not get distracted from the job at hand. <br />
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9) Find your driver</h4>
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This was the most prophetic moment in my battle against the inner demon. I spent around 4 years working with the "you want this so badly, just do it" mantra. One day I realised I didn't actually "want" to run 10km in less than 45 minutes. At the 5km mark what I really wanted was a hot bath, a piece of chocolate cake and to not be running 10km. Then I discovered it had nothing to do with the run itself. It had everything to do with wanting to be strong. Mentally and physically strong, and running is just the outlet I have found to work on those things. I stopped telling myself I wanted it, and started telling myself I was strong enough, that I had worked hard enough and that I was capable. The day after a 10km DNF where I let the devil win when I knew my body was capable, I realised how strong I have become and ran my fastest 10km - on my own, in the dark. Find whatever it is that you need to tell yourself to make it happen. Maybe like me, it will take 9 years of running to figure it out, but when you do, it will be amazing.<br />
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10) Throw the watch away</h4>
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When all your tricks fail, forget the goals, forget the pace, the distance, the splits, forget it all and just run. Remember the reason you started running, and the reasons you continued, the things you love about running, the people you run for. Hold them close to your heart and just run. <br />
<br />Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-14470591831528834962015-08-08T05:12:00.002-07:002015-08-08T05:13:33.248-07:00Cakes of 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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An old post I found in my drafts, written last year, and referring to the cakes of 2013, I thought it was still worth publishing. Apologies for the time delay:</div>
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I made a few cakes last year, and didn't have time to blog about them at the time. I thought a nice way to recap on a year where I didn't have much time to blog about anything really, was to revisit the cakes of 2013. Each of these cakes was for a birthday.</div>
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Blossom was born in January, but since she hasn't had a birthday yet, Poppet's birthday was the first for us, in May. Poppet requested a butterfly ice cream cake. We have a <a href="http://www.thecakegallery.com.au/">local cake shop</a> that hires out cake tins in almost any shape or character imaginable for $5.95 overnight. I had no idea how I would shape an ice cream cake and not have it melt in the process, so I decided to hire a tin. I didn't have my ice cream machine in May, so I used </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqRdUPmV61sQFCEJn0yI84fqH_5MJ2Npx6Kkjw4rMz2AdrLXMinou8N-EwNivAO1nTLiDdFKwznzTcG68__qoKhW38vdsj_ekNSZnJD8ZKzwu_laj2n4H0fPgc71ATi_OLaD-iYLwNyo/s1600/Butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqRdUPmV61sQFCEJn0yI84fqH_5MJ2Npx6Kkjw4rMz2AdrLXMinou8N-EwNivAO1nTLiDdFKwznzTcG68__qoKhW38vdsj_ekNSZnJD8ZKzwu_laj2n4H0fPgc71ATi_OLaD-iYLwNyo/s1600/Butterfly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is the egg- and dairy-free "butter" cake that I made for a friend's little girl. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUMTxw03_EpG0Xp8Mqxpb9AkS616z2-Fy_gIccX6wLrIGdDYqJJcCcY4CRsgCFC_6L5PFky_Ta4x2c_2yIrpmmOw4Z815CpfacnAuStuC4mpFLPc-TjM5F38Smab7QdvM4keTEd61Vmc/s1600/ameliacake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUMTxw03_EpG0Xp8Mqxpb9AkS616z2-Fy_gIccX6wLrIGdDYqJJcCcY4CRsgCFC_6L5PFky_Ta4x2c_2yIrpmmOw4Z815CpfacnAuStuC4mpFLPc-TjM5F38Smab7QdvM4keTEd61Vmc/s1600/ameliacake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqRdUPmV61sQFCEJn0yI84fqH_5MJ2Npx6Kkjw4rMz2AdrLXMinou8N-EwNivAO1nTLiDdFKwznzTcG68__qoKhW38vdsj_ekNSZnJD8ZKzwu_laj2n4H0fPgc71ATi_OLaD-iYLwNyo/s1600/Butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DL7jlT5M0QdTj_Y_7Fx1PvFdu8TfTCObYGaMFK7rrjEyCJCm5N_ca-PyawSRg0qd37VvOX-9c3z18yKx5grAg_b55fVC5NXz3Ph6ZyVE8lqe2mZ0ierM5IhXqx90y4Z1euFZ9-D5axo/s1600/Dinosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DL7jlT5M0QdTj_Y_7Fx1PvFdu8TfTCObYGaMFK7rrjEyCJCm5N_ca-PyawSRg0qd37VvOX-9c3z18yKx5grAg_b55fVC5NXz3Ph6ZyVE8lqe2mZ0ierM5IhXqx90y4Z1euFZ9-D5axo/s1600/Dinosaur.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
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I've heard a theory suggesting that anything you eat on your birthday is calorie free. I sure hope that's the case, because I'm sure the calorific content of the cake I made for my own birthday could have sustained a family of four for a year. I used Celia's <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/03/31/chocolate-slab-cake/">chocolate slab cake</a> recipe, which in itself is rich and moreish, and I sandwiched <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW5f5-Hh1i_9uUZJznwimIjKfjoT2KcLMBJSjzCO2vi-LTiSWapY2np2LGLwS6Q9sjax6mcgdta2kG4pSsJpKA5G4UyZqayubeY3hkQ4d01Daf-fwjzPQp7r5SKMBuWOjm0UynJ4oenw/s1600/evil+chocolate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW5f5-Hh1i_9uUZJznwimIjKfjoT2KcLMBJSjzCO2vi-LTiSWapY2np2LGLwS6Q9sjax6mcgdta2kG4pSsJpKA5G4UyZqayubeY3hkQ4d01Daf-fwjzPQp7r5SKMBuWOjm0UynJ4oenw/s1600/evil+chocolate.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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In September, we invited my brother-in-law and his new wife over to celebrate her birthday. I have mixed feelings about birthday presents. I don't see the point in buying someone something they don't really want, just to give them a present, but I will happily make anyone a cake of their choice. This year the birthday girl requested a flourless chocolate orange cake. I had never made on before so readily accepted the challenge. Google led me to <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/nigella-lawson-flourless-chocolate-orange-cake-303266">Nigella Lawson's recipe</a>. I topped it with a very evil chocolate ganache and wow, this was such a delicious cake, the 2 hours of cooking an orange on the stovetop was well worth it! Unfortunately the only photo I got was an out of focus last minute shot before this cake was devoured.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivH0sfS6xbglw6Vt6l0FGUcdM__UWysP5fdWBEck9B5GvqS9WNC92HlvbCKZu93wY1CoHratZSMAgJ9IXryOp_FQX5Ak02H2FeFRJ_X9S9H8H2hxdborNaO-MZuw-mFQKU7zIKGcfoCww/s1600/flourless+choc+orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivH0sfS6xbglw6Vt6l0FGUcdM__UWysP5fdWBEck9B5GvqS9WNC92HlvbCKZu93wY1CoHratZSMAgJ9IXryOp_FQX5Ak02H2FeFRJ_X9S9H8H2hxdborNaO-MZuw-mFQKU7zIKGcfoCww/s1600/flourless+choc+orange.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hubby turned 31 this year, and he is a bit partial to a cheesecake. On his birthday he chose to celebrate by concreting the floor in the newly built shed. This involved about 6 family and friends, an equal number of wheelbarrows and two giant trucks of concrete. To feed the starving masses, and to remind Hubby that it was in fact his birthday, I made this passionfruit cheesecake. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7TfmvP6keUT1NJs8vqKQuM4SSFQSj4AJ7ho_9phqkq0fV-hVcjV5fL24LAYKUbQsBv0LWnHPkkFCWFYv7nYjSrviAMKqaALrONTN6OQ3wyXwl_MyrHpjb__ktSnh3KDZI5QDDSqo3Oo/s1600/Passionfruit+cheescake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7TfmvP6keUT1NJs8vqKQuM4SSFQSj4AJ7ho_9phqkq0fV-hVcjV5fL24LAYKUbQsBv0LWnHPkkFCWFYv7nYjSrviAMKqaALrONTN6OQ3wyXwl_MyrHpjb__ktSnh3KDZI5QDDSqo3Oo/s1600/Passionfruit+cheescake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, I can't lay claim to this next cake. This dense chocolate cake with white chocolate ganache icing was professionally made for my niece's 18th birthday. It looked and tasted divine and thought I'd include it because it was just so pretty.<br />
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<br />Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-89024181670446758742013-12-04T23:48:00.001-08:002013-12-04T23:49:08.825-08:00In My Kitchen - December 2013Just as I sit down to write this post, which I have been trying to get to all week, Blossom wakes up early from her nap....<br />
....and now I have her on my lap as I type. While Chicky and Poppet giggle hysterically, telling "poo jokes" and chasing each other around the kitchen, Blossom watches longingly. If only the chubby 10 month old was mobile, she'd be able to join in. One day soon, before I have toddler-proofed my house no doubt, she'll be on the move.<br />
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But I digress. My kitchen this month hosts several new additions. Some edible, some not, and some in preparation for the holiday festivities.<br />
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The girls and I had fun making a gingerbread house last year, and while I made a paper template for the walls, the template didn't move house when we did. I saw this cookie cutter set in Kmart for around $5 (the exact figure escapes me) and couldn't resist. This way the girls can get involved in cutting the walls as well as mixing and decorating. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMdPpZox_vdkg-YSuqX_7w8P79UQoZQu9SOHKnq9bM7iqePVemcdY9NSgPWIFbqNfZqUp4T6CYTKeap3Lg32r5kW8jtMsXVkilKIxLaPxRP_yL_7bsdpmpgaUavyKPpHwkCvQ1q0e-Sw/s1600/gingerbread+house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMdPpZox_vdkg-YSuqX_7w8P79UQoZQu9SOHKnq9bM7iqePVemcdY9NSgPWIFbqNfZqUp4T6CYTKeap3Lg32r5kW8jtMsXVkilKIxLaPxRP_yL_7bsdpmpgaUavyKPpHwkCvQ1q0e-Sw/s400/gingerbread+house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I don't really like shop-bought fruit mince pies, but have made my own for the last couple of years and really enjoyed them. In preparation, I have a jar of Robertson's Fruit Mince. This is the only fruit mince that was in my mum's pantry when I was a kid, and it has never even crossed my mind to purchase a different brand. <br />
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I am yet to pluck up the courage (or find the time) to attempt chocolate tempering, but I figure if I own a digital thermometer, I may be more likely to give it a go. Celia makes it <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2013/08/26/chocolate-101-tempering-at-home/">look so easy</a>, maybe this holiday season is the time to try. I picked up this nifty little thermometer from JayCar for less than $25. It is accurate to 1 degree Celsius and can tolerate up to 300C. Unless something goes terribly wrong, my tempering attempts won't reach such extreme temperatures! </div>
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I have my eye on a raw carrot cake recipe that I'd like to try. The recipe I saw on a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sistahintheraw">Facebook page</a>, but can't find a direct link to the recipe. When I make it, I'll be sure to blog. The recipe uses raw agave nectar, which I've had my eye on at our local grocer, <a href="http://malibufresh.com.au/">Malibu Fresh Essentials</a>, for a few months. This was the perfect excuse to pick some up.</div>
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Something else I've been keen to pick up, and another ingredient in the carrot cake, is extra virgin coconut oil. I hear this stuff makes a great moisturiser too!<br />
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Yet another Malibu Fresh Essentials purchase which makes it into my kitchen regularly is pre-packed dried fruit and nuts in various shapes and sizes, these are Nature's Delights brand. Hubby loves cashews, and will often use my measuring cups to hold his post dinner/pre-bed snack of cashews.The "Delicious Mix" of almonds, pistachios, cranberries and white chocolate buttons isn't a regular in our house because it's a bit too naughty, especially at the rate I go through the bag. I prefer a similar mix with raw macadamia nuts and pepitas.</div>
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Coffee pods to suit my Map coffee machine are ALWAYS in my kitchen. I normally buy the Gloria Jean's Smooth Classic Blend (pictured right), but Woolworths have started stocking a variety by Macro. Macro make some pretty tasty stuff, so I thought I'd give them a go. I still prefer the Gloria Jean's variety. </div>
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<span style="color: black;">This one was in my kitchen on Monday, then I cooked it, then we ate it. </span>While I often make Teresa Cutter's <a href="http://www.thehealthychef.com/2011/04/almond-crusted-chicken-schnitzel/">"healthy schnitzel"</a>, I've never made a generic chicken schnitzel before. True story. I saw this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFkVxyZcjSw">simple recipe</a> on Better Homes and Gardens a few weeks ago and gave it a go. The (not-so)shallow frying part made me a little uncomfortable, but damn it was tasty. Served with some oven baked chips and salad, it made a hearty dinner for a balmy summer evening.<br />
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Finally, in my kitchen is an assortment of things that really don't belong in the kitchen. For some reason my Garmin has taken up residence on the kitchen bench. This is usually where I dump it after coming in from a run and immediately taking up parenting duties, often before a shower. The teddy has a hole, but I can't for the life of me find it. Until I can remedy the leaking beads, he is off limits for little fingers. Having a house full of girls, there is always nail polish around, and toy jewellery, and hair accessories, and glitter (the remains of a Christmas ball decorating session are in the little container). The white-board marker is to write on the lists I have stuck to the pantry door; one for hubby, one for myself. These lists consist of non-urgent jobs that need doing, that we know in the back of our minds are there but keep putting off. So far the list technique is working wonders. We only put a few things on at a time so it's not too daunting, but wiping things off is very satisfying, as is seeing the work get done.<br />
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That's what's going on in my kitchen this month. To see what's happening in some other kitchens around the world, head over to <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a>. I may not be back before the fat man comes, so Merry Christmas everyone!<br />
<br />Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-9170025268911119422013-11-17T06:10:00.001-08:002013-11-17T06:10:38.823-08:00Egg and Dairy Free Birthday CakeA friend of mine has a little girl the same age as Poppet with an egg allergy. We see them a couple of times a month, and I often like to bake a treat for the kids and the grown ups, so I kind of made it a challenge to come up with a variety of egg-free treats that the littlies like. Since the egg allergy diagnosis, my friend has observed some other food intolerances including dairy. While there are plenty of egg-free recipes out there, omitting dairy from the equation makes things a little more difficult. I'm always up for a bit of a challenge in the kitchen, so when my friend asked me if I would make her daughter's third birthday cake, I replied "Challenge accepted!"<br />
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I really didn't want to go down the "pretend egg" route so looked for some tried and tested recipes out there. Needless to day there was a lot of sampling going on in my house in the month leading up to the birthday. I tried a chocolate cupcake recipe which stuck to the roof of your mouth, then kind of dissolved into a sticky mess in your throat. I tried a vanilla cake recipe that looked and tasted like a pancake. It was an improvement on the chocolate attempt but was hardly birthday-cake worthy. I was beginning to think I might have bitten off more than I could chew (pun completely intended) when I googled "egg substitutes" and found <a href="http://tipnut.com/egg-substitutes/">this page</a>. I pulled out my beloved Golden Circle copy of <em>Cooking: a common sense guide,</em> and picked out a simple butter cake recipe and <em>egg- and dairy-free'd</em> it. My plan was to start at the top of the egg-substitute list and work down until something resembled a cake in taste and texture. Fortunately for me, the first on the list worked a treat (I crack myself up). The resulting recipe looked like this:<br />
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<ul>
<li>125g Nuttelex (sunflower based butter/margarine substitute)</li>
<li>3/4 cup raw caster sugar</li>
<li>2 tsp baking powder + 3 tbsp water + 3 tbsp sunflower oil (to replace 2 eggs)</li>
<li>1 tsp vanilla extract</li>
<li>2 cups self raising flour</li>
<li>1/2 cup almond milk</li>
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<u>Buttercream icing</u><br />
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<li>60g Nuttelex</li>
<li>1/3 cup icing sugar</li>
<li>1/2 tsp almond essence</li>
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<li>Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line 20cm round cake tin.</li>
<li>Cream Nuttelex and sugar using an electric mixer until light. Mix baking powder, water & oil in a bowl then add to butter mixture gradually, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla essence and beat to combine.</li>
<li>Transfer mixture into a large bowl. Fold in the sifted flour alternately with the milk. Stir until just combined. Spoon into the tin and bake for 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave in the tin to cool a little then turn onto a wire rack.</li>
<li>To make the buttercream, beat Nuttelex and sifted icing sugar with an electric mixer until light & creamy. Add the almond essence and beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over the cold cake and decorate as desired.</li>
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I doubled the recipe as I was making a number 3 and needed two round cakes to do this. The cake itself turned out really well. Moist yet fluffy, and held its form well enough to cut and shape. Getting the buttercream right was a bit more tricky. Nuttelex has quite a distinct flavour and this wasn't masked by vanilla extract, which is why I used almond essence. That stuff is strong! Definitely strong enough to hide the fact that there's no butter in that icing. You could probably get away with 1/4 tsp. A three year old birthday also called for something more exciting than plain white icing, so I used pink and blue food colourings to make pink and purple. The oil in the Nuttelex can cause the buttercream to separate a little, and this was more obvious when using food colouring, leaving the icing a little streaky and clotted-looking. I tried to minimise this by keeping the colours fairly light. You can see the streaking slightly in the pic of the cupcake below. The resulting cake (and cupcakes) was impressive, even if I do say so myself. Those who didn't know it was egg- and dairy-free didn't pick it, and those who did commented on how "normal" it tasted. I actually preferred the taste over a normal butter cake which I usually steer away from.<br />
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The cut parts of the cake (the inside edges of the number 3) were difficult to ice, and I used a flat tip on my piping bag and piped in strips so as not to agitate the cake crumb. This looked a little bit dodgy but less dodgy than having cake crumb strewn through the icing.<br />
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Even the little coloured balls on top were egg-, dairy-, soy- and everything else-free. </div>
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My friend's little girl enjoyed her cake, but has since removed gluten from her diet in an attempt to get a handle on food intolerances. This is a challenge I am yet to have much success with! If anyone has any egg-, dairy- and gluten-free recipes that are tasty and don't dry out within hours of baking, I'm all ears. </div>
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Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-52959091728866969032013-10-15T00:22:00.000-07:002013-10-15T00:22:44.710-07:00Perth City to Surf Half MarathonWith about 8 weeks to go before the Perth City to Surf, I decided to commit to the half marathon (21.1km or 13.1 miles) and up the training. My running buddy was training for the full marathon (42.2km or 26.2 miles) so slotting into her long runs was easy. I had worked up to about 30km a week since Blossom was born but had to up the ante a bit to make this a race rather than a run. I included a couple of speed sessions to the week and increased my long runs to bring the weekly total to around 45-50km. <br />
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Non-runners don't always understand that "racing" very rarely means "trying to win". It <i>always </i>means trying to achieve a goal, whatever that may be. I had run up until 38 weeks into my pregnancy and started again 3 weeks after Blossom's fairly straight-forward birth so my fitness wasn't that hard to pick back up. I knew I'd worked hard in the lead up to the race and I was in good enough form to break my PB of 1:45:48 from <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/darlington-half-marathon-2012.html">Darlington</a> last year. I had hopes of going sub 1:40. I'd run a 1:43 in training and felt good. The only foreseeable hiccup was the terrain (and maybe the devil that invariably parks on my shoulder screaming doubtful messages during a big event). The Half Marathon of the Perth City to Surf begins uphill, then heads into the beautiful but elevated Kings Park. I hadn't trained on hills at all and didn't really know how to pace up or down the hills.<br />
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The race started a little late as we waited for road clearance from the marathon runners. It was drizzling but there was little wind and the temperature was cool. Perfect racing conditions. I was in the first start wave and as a group, we jogged from our marshaling area and surprisingly straight through the start line. That was it, it was on, straight up the first hill, then the next. I found myself becoming disillusioned with my pace uphill so flew down the downhills and was hurting early as a result. Seeing the pain in the faces of some of the marathon runners as we crossed paths (they had started 3 hours prior and some were still only half way through their journey) filled me with empathy. That was pain I would partly understand later in the race.<br />
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I'd foolishly written the 5km splits needed for a very ambitious goal time on my hand. When I was out by over a minute for the first, that devil spoke up. The rest of the race would be undulating. Both in terrain and in my mental state. I found another runner whose pace suited me and we stayed pretty close together for the entirety of the course. The hills hurt, my quads were killing me and I was having trouble maintaining the 4:40min/km pace I really wanted to be sitting on. I had a baby who would be ready for a feed waiting for me at the finish line, and I just wanted it to be over.<br />
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Somehow I made it to the 20km mark and managed to pick up the pace for the last km. As I headed towards the finish line, my running buddy (who had been waiting for an hour and a half because she finished the marathon in a phenomenal 3:11, and placed 6th female) was yelling "Go Pam!" I was glad someone was there to see me cross the line. Hubby had been busy negotiating public transport with Blossom and amongst the spectators for the 48,000+ competitors, had missed me finish. I stopped my watch at 1:40:55. My official time was 1:41:00. Most people didn't, and won't understand, but I was devastated beyond belief. I had just run a PB by 4 minutes, on a brutal course, 7 months after having a baby and in between breastfeeds, yet I was disappointed I hadn't run my goal time. <br />
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Upon reflection, I am proud of my result. I tried my hardest and ran a good time. The act of planning and training for a major event helped pull me out of a low patch, and mental health is the main reason I run, so for that I am grateful. I'm going to lay off racing for a while and enjoy just running for the rest of the year. I've got my sights set on a marathon in 2014, and I'm determined to get that sub 1:40 half that I so desperately wanted from the City to Surf some time soon. I accept that some weeks I won't be able to run as much as I like, and maybe I won't experience my running potential until the kids are a little older and I can put more hours in (but hopefully before my body decides it's a little older though!) but if I can run a marathon and have 3 proud little faces waiting at the finish line, then I'll be a winner. Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-81681752971377471952013-10-04T05:36:00.000-07:002014-12-25T20:16:49.341-08:00In My Kitchen - October 2013I type this one handed with Blossom on my lap, but I'm determined to get this post out before too much of October gets away from me. I have a few fun things kicking around in my kitchen this month that I'm keen to show off.<br />
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Firstly, and arguably the most exciting thing in my kitchen (however the second thing is pretty damn exciting too) is a<span style="color: #0000ee;"> <span style="color: black;">Baumatic</span></span> ice cream machine. It was my birthday in June. The day before, I went out and bought myself a pair of boots and sent Hubby a text saying he was off the hook, I'd sorted out my birthday present. I was a little skeptical when he replied "I've already got you two presents", especially as I didn't even know what I wanted. I was VERY surprised when I opened up this puppy! The second present was a gift voucher to our local cake shop which sells everything imaginable when it comes to baking and decorating cakes. He did well! I think the ice cream machine deserves a post all of its own at a later date, but I will say that I am having fun experimenting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZs3rJtZLu19MY_QfAMryOcg5IceUprgDPv9K06Cd5YGKEZBzkAOzWPW03QkPQrc8IgAEwnQVcqvGigmGVFyusHgY4PGl2V1sJUf7ntcWhDwc2Y3j0s6uyE2fedGcVFbooHncrz48-ds/s1600/icecream+machine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZs3rJtZLu19MY_QfAMryOcg5IceUprgDPv9K06Cd5YGKEZBzkAOzWPW03QkPQrc8IgAEwnQVcqvGigmGVFyusHgY4PGl2V1sJUf7ntcWhDwc2Y3j0s6uyE2fedGcVFbooHncrz48-ds/s400/icecream+machine.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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When the handles of my old, cheapy, 10 year old saucepans started letting off a particularly unhealthy aroma as they perished under heat, I decided it was time for some new cookware. I wanted a good quality, completely stainless steel set that included at least one big stock pot as I almost always make pastas in bulk. I settled on the <i>Scanpan Impact 10 Piece Set </i>(SCP-71170000 for those interested). My local Matchbox had them for a particularly good price so I spoiled myself. I thought it might be overkill getting such a big set, but I think I have used all but one piece in the few weeks I've had them and it's meant I could throw all the old ones out (well, palmed them off to Hubby for various shed-related ventures).</div>
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You might remember some chocolate I had in a previous IMK <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/in-my-kitchen-november-2012.html">post</a> from the Western Australian chocolate company <a href="http://www.bahenchocolate.com/">Bahen & Co</a>. This month I have some of their cacao nibs. Other than grazing on them, I haven't yet discovered how they are best utilised. I'd appreciate any suggestions.</div>
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A dessert backup that often makes it into my pantry is a can of Pie Fruit Apples. These are great to throw in a crumble with some frozen berries or combine with puff pastry and sultanas to make a strudel if I'm feeling lazy or short on time and in need of a sweet treat. I think a strudel may be in order this weekend.</div>
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Hubby's mum and sister recently returned from a holiday in China. The little girls were very spoiled, being showered in clothes, hair ties and trinkety presents. Among them were these cute <i>Angry Birds</i> chopsticks. My very Australian children had never used chopsticks before and are very taken by them. The <i>Angry Bird</i> holds the ends together to make using them easier for children. Chicky quickly got the idea and ate all her peas, one by one with her chopsticks and Poppet insisted on having Cheerios for breakfast because they were easier to pick up with chopsticks than Weetbix. Needless to say they are now both better at using chopsticks than I am.<br />
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The last thing of note that is in my kitchen at the moment is this grubby tape measure. We own countless tape measures and while the girls often claim one each (the prettiest colours), Hubby can never seem to find one in the shed. That's probably because they always end up in my kitchen!<br />
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What's in your kitchen this month? Head over to <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a> to see what fun things other people have in their kitchens this October. <br />
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Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-28739647142634206562013-08-31T06:31:00.002-07:002013-08-31T06:32:39.704-07:00In My Kitchen - September 2013That's right folks, it's September, and my first "In My Kitchen" post since January. Actually only the second post since Blossom was born. I've been busy, very busy. In the few weeks after Blossom's birth we bought one and sold two houses, Chicky started school and I started running again. We moved into the "new" house (which is actually about 50 years old) in March and while I have been mostly working on rearing three little and very individual princesses, Hubby has been working on making the house our home. There is plenty of time to talk about that, as the renovations will likely go on for the next 25 years. Needless to say something had to give, and that was the blog. I'll ease myself back into things by telling you about what is in my new (read: old and manky) kitchen in September.<br />
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This is the oven that was in the house when we bought it. <br />
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The only thing it's got going for it is the lid. It has a hinged lid that closes over the 5 (who needs 5??) burners. The kitchen is short on usable cupboards and bench space so I often use the top of the stove as my main prep area. Both stove and oven are gas, which is fine. I'd never used a gas oven before and had no idea what "gas marks" meant. Where I was looking for a temperature gauge I found the numbers 1 through 8 plus a star. The element is at the bottom of the enormous oven, and while it is fan-forced, heat circulation isn't even. I burned the bottom of everything for the first few weeks. Long and low seems to be required for even cooking. I much prefer quick so I'll be opting for a smaller electric oven when we do eventually re-do the kitchen. And while I do like a gas stove, the burners seem to have way too much gas coming through. There is no such thing as low, and simmering looks more like boiling. While I seem to be doing a lot of complaining, I am making do and it has helped me to figure out what I want out of a stove/oven.</div>
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In June a friend of mine asked me to make her 3 year old's birthday cake. This was an egg-free, dairy free cake for a child with allergies (recipe to come). I thought it was about time I bought a cake board as I have been wrapping my chopping board in birthday wrapping paper if ever I wanted to display a cake in the past. This pretty thing was only a few dollars at my local supermarket.</div>
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It had been a long time since I had done a chocolate order, and while I was making do with buying odd bits of decent quality chocolate at the supermarket when needed, I was running out of cocoa so it was time to replenish stocks. In my kitchen is a dangerous amount of Callebaut and Sicao chocolate.Well actually there is a little less than what is pictured as I got stuck into making some <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/good-things-small-packages.html">banana choc chip muffins</a>, chocolate ice cream and <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/05/18/chocolate-chip-cookies/">choc chip cookies</a> as soon as it arrived.<br />
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The online store I buy my chocolate from also had these cute chocolate transfer sheets on sale. I've never used a transfer sheet before but look forward to prettying up some chocolate soon.<br />
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My birthday was in June and instead of buying me a token gift, my mum asked me to buy something I wanted and she'd reimburse me. It took me a couple of months to decide what I really wanted but settled on a 30cm Cuisinart Saute Pan. I didn't actually know such a thing existed until I went shopping for a "deep frypan with a lid", only to be told I meant a saute pan. Sure, call it what you like, this puppy is awesome. I use it for pasta sauce, curry, stir-fry, anything really. I always make enough dinner for the 5 of us plus leftovers so this pan gets a workout most days. And it's so shiny! Thanks Mum! <br />
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The final part of my kitchen I will showcase this month is a gift from my local Maternal and Child Health Nurse. At Blossom's 3 month check-up she asked how we were doing and how everyone was adjusting to the new addition. I explained what a whirlwind the last few months had been and maybe she saw something I was trying to suppress, as she reached into her filing cabinet and handed me "Top Tips to Help You Reduce Stress". It lives on my pantry door and I consult it daily. I think we're doing ok.<br />
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There are a few more exciting things in my kitchen, but I'll save them for next time. Head over to <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a> to see what's going on in some other kitchens.Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-48466219280744728242013-03-02T16:30:00.001-08:002013-03-02T16:30:14.279-08:00Belated UpdateApologies all for being missing in action for a while now. As you probably guessed, I had a baby. Blossom was born on 27th January after a long but not entirely terrible labour, weighing in at 3.64kgs (or 8lb 0.5oz for those who still like to weigh babies in pounds and ounces). She was the lightest of the three girls at birth, but has chubbed up nicely since and is now bigger than either of them at the same age. Some say she's on a good paddock, I say "moooooo". <br />
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Chicky took getting a new family member all in her stride, after all she's been a big sister before. She also started school on 4th February so had other exciting things to think about. Poppet had her nose out of joint for a couple of weeks but has since discovered that being a big sister is pretty special, and wants to give Blossom cuddles all the time. <br />
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Just in case having a newborn and coming to terms with school runs wasn't enough excitement, we bought a house when Blossom was a week old. That's great, yay! But hold on, that meant we have to sell our house. Six days of mad renovation took place before we put ours on the market, followed by constant tidying for viewings, but luckily for me (and for the girls!) we had an offer last week so I'm back to sticky floors and happy kids. In 2 weeks I'll have a clean slate to start with on the garden front, a tired and old kitchen to work in (and on) and my running path at my front door. 2013 is proving to be more exciting than I first thought!<br />
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Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-37355640084746625082013-01-20T01:34:00.001-08:002013-01-20T01:34:54.610-08:00Rats<em>Note: this post is not for those squeamish about, or advocates for the survival of rodents.</em><br />
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We have chickens and we have vegetables, so inevitably it would seem, we have rats. We've always had a few hanging around the yard, and occasionally in the roof space but have managed them with a combination of baits and traps. To be honest, if they're not in the house I'm not overly bothered. When we came back from our <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/big-gypsy-getaway.html">Big Gypsy Getaway</a> however, the problem seemed to be on a much larger scale. Our absence had seen them move in, in plague proportions. Apparently it's not just our house though, and our area has seen a rise in numbers.<br />
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Recently, probably as a result of summer heating up, our rat colony sought refuge in the roof space. I was frequently being woken up to scurrying (which sounded like a heard of buffalos) above my bedroom, and although they didn't seem to be getting into the house, their presence in the roof was unnerving so it was time to take further action. It didn't take long to discover they had set up their main nest in a small semi-open shed next to the chicken coop. The chicken feeder plus the veges were supplying constant food, so baiting was pointless while they had food and shelter readily available. Hubby and a friend went out with a torch one night to discover a hive of "rativity", so they set up "rat-cam" in the shed to get a better idea of their numbers and movements. After a night of filming, the shed (and their nest) had to go.<br />
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After complete destruction of their (disgusting) quarters, which discovered some ruined/chewed windsurfing equipment and resulted in a man-on-rat duel between Hubby and the king rat locked in our outside bathroom (the details of which I will spare you all), we began to gain a little control. Hubby covered all the gutters with fine mesh to eliminate gaps between the gutters and our corrugated tin roof. I no longer feed the chickens via a feeder, rather they get a finite amount of pellets plus scraps daily thrown onto the ground, normally in the morning when rats are the least active. We are also continually baiting in known areas of high "rativity", and Perth's heat wave over Christmas and New Year seemed to work in our favour. A LOT of rats died over that period, and I can only think it was a combination of lack of food and heat. <br />
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The rat population clearly hasn't moved out of our neighbourhood, and neighbours have said they have seen them. My tomatoes and capsicums keep going missing off the vines, I still hear occasional scurrying in the roof and we still find the odd baited beast "sleeping" on the back lawn (or in the dog's mouth), but all in all the numbers have been significantly reduced. <br />
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If you have chickens and/or veges which seem to attract rodents, I hope some of our techniques are helpful to you. I'd also love to hear any coping strategies you have found useful. With small children and animals, mass baiting isn't ideal, and while we seem to be gaining control, I'm definitely interested in other ideas (which don't involve getting rid of either the chickens or the vegetables).Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-79489562074619719392013-01-08T03:42:00.000-08:002013-01-08T03:42:46.885-08:00Rhubarb CrumbleWith the rhubarb plants going crazy at the moment, I thought it was time to find some motivation and make a crumble. I've loved crumble since I was a little girl, and was often in charge of rubbing butter into flour with my fingertips. As an adult I've played around with the recipe to make it just how I like it.<br />
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This afternoon I picked three massive rhubarb stalks. We have two plants that only produce green stalks and one that produces smaller, red ones. They all taste like rhubarb. Here is the crumble that we had for dessert tonight.<br />
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3 large stalks rhubarb<br />
approx. 1 cup frozen raspberries<br />
1 tbsp raw sugar<br />
45g chopped butter<br />
1/3 cup wholemeal self-raising flour<br />
1/4 cup soft brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup desiccated coconut<br />
1/4 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/4 cup almonds<br />
1/3 cup rolled oats<br />
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<li>Chop rhubarb into 1-2cm chunks and place in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with raw sugar and stir over medium heat until sugar starts to dissolve. Reduce heat, cover, and stew until rhubarb is soft.</li>
<li>Add raspberries and keep over heat until heated through. Remove from heat but keep covered.</li>
<li>In the meantime combine butter, brown sugar, flour, coconut, cinnamon and almonds in a food processor. Whiz until combined and almonds are chopped. Stir through rolled oats. <em>(You can rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips, chop the almonds with a knife and stir through the other ingredients if you don't have a food processor.)</em></li>
<li>Preheat oven to 180C. Place rhubarb mixture into an ovenproof bowl and sprinkle crumble over the top. Bake for 30 mins or until lightly browned and crunchy.</li>
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Any combination of rhubarb, apple and berries work well. Sometimes if I'm feeling particularly lazy I use a large tin of pie apples, but when you have rhubarb in abundance, rhubarb it is. I served the crumble with custard tonight, but it's really good piping hot with a good quality vanilla ice-cream. <br />
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Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-91382788362573848342013-01-03T05:55:00.000-08:002013-01-03T05:55:17.809-08:00In My Kitchen - January 2013Happy New Year! The first In My Kitchen post for 2013 is a little bit exciting. My family and friends were incredibly kind this festive season and I am proud to showcase a few new trinkets, as well as a few indulgent summer treats. <br />
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In my kitchen is a Map Bella pod coffee machine and an accompanying milk frother. This was courtesy of my mum for Christmas. We debated earlier in the year whether easily accessible, good tasting coffee in my kitchen was a good idea and remained largely undecided. When my mum generously offered to buy us (and my brother and sister) one of these babies for Christmas, my sleep deprivation answered for me. So far I have maintained self control and limit myself to one coffee per day. This morning I even gave an iced coffee a go, and think I have found my new best friend. The unit itself is small and quiet and has nestled into my kitchen quite comfortably. You can see by the lack of sheen on the milk frother that it is getting used, or maybe that's just a reflection of my cleanliness.<br />
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The girls saw the coffee machine and immediately thought of babycinos, so in my kitchen is a packet of marshmallows ready to go. Pascall is the only brand of marshmallow that I allow through the door.<br />
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In my kitchen is a copy of <em>Superfoods</em>, courtesy of a Secret Santa that we did with Hubby's family. This book provides all the justification I need that consumption of 70%+ cocoa chocolate will improve my life. It's ideals of acceptable quantities differ a little to my own, but let's not focus on the fine print. The book also provides some lovely recipe suggestions for each of the <em>Superfoods.</em> Thanks Secret Santa!</div>
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A not so secret Christmas hamper from my sister-in-law included some cool kitchen trinkets. She is a shameless Ikea junkie, so most of them were courtesy of the Scandinavian mega-store. The most interesting was this cheese grater, complete with "catch bowl". </div>
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Another favourite from the hamper was this silicone ice-cube tray, which will inevitably get used for making chocolates in my kitchen. </div>
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In my kitchen is a copy of <em>Vegetables: grow them, cook them, eat them</em>, which I bought from the Book Depository a few months ago when getting some Christmas presents for the kids, and completely forgot about. It was a kind of Christmas present to myself when I found it. The book provides useful information about how and when to grow different vegetables as well as what to do with them. </div>
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In my kitchen (well not anymore as I polished off the packet yesterday) is this shameless indulgence. I used to be a massive fan of licorice bullets. Home brand was fine, wrap some dodgy chocolate around a piece of hard/chewy licorice and I was happy. That was before I discovered Macro Organic Milk Chocolate Coated Licorice. This is the stuff dreams are made of. The chocolate is divine, the licorice is soft, and the pieces are large balls, not dissimilar in shape to a chocolate-coated almonds. I vow never to buy the cheaper counterpart again, but I must also promise myself I will only rarely purchase the Macro variety as I will eat all 180g in one sitting, stopping only to vomit. </div>
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In my kitchen is a jar of Beerenberg Tomato Chutney. Hubby has had time off work over Christmas and New Year, and so we have had lots of sandwiches/wraps as easy lunches and dinners that don't require leftovers to take to work. What they do require though, is a good chutney. Beerenberg (apart from being awesome because is has the word "beer" in the title) make some pretty tasty chutneys. Our favourite is probably the Taka Tala, but our supermarket was out and this is a good substitute.</div>
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In my kitchen is a new lunch box and drink bottle. This is bitter sweet for me, as they are Chicky's. At 4.5, she will start WA kindergarten in a few weeks. While she is more than ready, and super excited about starting school (she picked the lunchbox and drink bottle when we went shopping this week), there will be two and a half days a week that my baby won't be with me. For a full time mum, that's hard to take. If I'm not in labour on her first day of school (which is entirely possible), there will be tears, and they won't be Chicky's.</div>
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Finally in my kitchen this month, is light! We have 4 down lights in our kitchen, but we haven't had all 4 working at the same time for as long as I can remember. For the longest time I got by with just one above the main kitchen bench, but then the week before Christmas that one gave up too. Last week hubby replaced all 4. I'm finding all that light a little overwhelming, and it makes my often filthy kitchen floor so much more obvious. It does make food preparation safer though!<br />
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That's what's happening in my kitchen as we begin 2013, and in the month that our 3rd child will be born (unless she decides to be fashionably late). To see how some other people are beginning 2013, visit <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a>.Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-8333058305779429252012-12-19T20:54:00.000-08:002012-12-19T20:54:48.193-08:00Green bean saladIt's an exciting time of year. The veges are flourishing, the garden is luscious and the weather is finally behaving like Perth in Summer. <br />
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While basking in the glory the other afternoon, I didn't realise Chicky and Poppet were harvesting. Before I could turn around they had hands full of dwarf beans and peas and Chicky was asking how we could use them for dinner. I have to admit I hadn't any plans for dinner, so they had me thinking on my toes. We had eggs in abundance, freshly picked greens and a couple of capsicums I rescued from the birds a couple of days prior. The verdict: poached eggs and green bean salad.<br />
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To make the salad I blanched the beans for a couple of minutes then transferred them to iced water. I chopped a handful of fresh basil (also from the garden), mixed it with the peas, beans, chopped capsicum, a finely chopped spring onion I found in the fridge and a generous amount of parmesan cheese, then drizzled the lot with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The result: a cold, crispy, very fresh green bean salad. While I can't take any claim over the parmesan or olive oil, this was a surprisingly self-sufficient meal. Having the extra vege plot in the front yard is really reducing our dependence on supermarkets. This is only one meal, and we are a long way from "self-sufficient", but it is encouraging to say the least. Here's to a summer of cool, fresh food!Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-13163803498113574812012-12-14T03:36:00.001-08:002012-12-14T03:36:48.151-08:00Ginger Shortbread PeopleI was up at 5am this morning to walk/run with a very patient friend who doesn't seem to mind that I can't run more than a couple of kms at a time at the moment and is happy to walk the rest with me, even if we are STILL getting swooped by magpies in December! Everyone else in the house was awake when I got home and once the breakfast thing was over I'd been up for so long it felt like it must be midday. It was 7:30. What do you do when you've done everything by 7:30am? Bake (while waiting for another friend to bring much needed coffee).<br />
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I have a basic shortbread recipe that you can add to, to spice it up a bit. I got this from a <i>Super Food Ideas</i> magazine a few Christmases ago. I used it to make Ginger Shortbread People.<br />
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<u>Basic Shortbread</u><br />
250g butter, softened<br />
2/3 cup caster sugar (I use raw)<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract (I use home made)<br />
2 cups plain flour, sifted<br />
1/2 cup rice flour, sifted<br />
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<u>Additions to make it Ginger Shortbread</u><br />
3 tsp ground ginger<br />
2 tbsp golden syrup<br />
1/4 cup rice flour<br />
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<li>Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.</li>
<li>If making ginger shortbread, add ginger and golden syrup, beat to combine.</li>
<li>Add flours and combine (including the extra 1/4 cup rice flour if making ginger shortbread).</li>
<li>Roll dough out between 2 sheets of baking paper until about 3mm thick. Refrigerate for 30 mins.</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 160C (140C fan forced). Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Cut out "people" shapes and and place on trays, being careful not to "snap" the dough as it is quite firm when cold. If decorating with M&Ms etc, do this now, otherwise shapes can be iced once cooked and cooled.</li>
<li>Bake for 8-10 mins or until just golden. Cool on trays for 5-10 mins then transfer to a wire rack.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PWfaQe4gcrsbpNa1wWFP1D24Wsq3JEXxOGveJfJptc-aB-Wdmk6mO2zWQQi-bt0f1YE8yfM7LcDveU13R6WCYYPEpRnA0LslktMD7Mu0EIbZMNtCNMUvhox2YKeUofrGF2VsGMcFNtQ/s1600/ginger+shortbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PWfaQe4gcrsbpNa1wWFP1D24Wsq3JEXxOGveJfJptc-aB-Wdmk6mO2zWQQi-bt0f1YE8yfM7LcDveU13R6WCYYPEpRnA0LslktMD7Mu0EIbZMNtCNMUvhox2YKeUofrGF2VsGMcFNtQ/s400/ginger+shortbread.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Aside from the refrigeration time, these were really quite quick to knock up, and they have the added bonus of being egg-free for those with allergies. I halved the dough and put half in the freezer for another day, and still made about 15 small gingerbread people (of which I've eaten far too many today). The 4 little people that were here this morning all gave them the thumbs up, and it even kept my friend's little boy still and happy long enough for me to cut his hair! <br />
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Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-19520884850180563252012-12-08T04:07:00.000-08:002012-12-08T04:07:08.236-08:00In My Kitchen - December 2012Oh my, I cannot believe we are in December <i>already</i>, with only 2.5 weeks until Christmas! I thought I'd better get into the spirit of the pending festivities and fill my kitchen with a few Christmassy things.<br />
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I'm a bit of a sucker for <i>Better Homes and Gardens</i>, and while I rarely buy their magazine, I did splurge on the Christmas edition. In it I found some gorgeous gingerbread Christmas trees made out of star cookie cutters. The originals specified 7 or 8 cutters per tree, but I found these cute concentric star and Christmas tree cutter sets at my local Matchbox store and thought they'd be perfect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcCjEbpfsvi9e1v3RSI1kWBPZFvyd6YUrLLjOpkkHwl48yEg1uOiGXhOmr0b9DVG1XexR1JR03ZqCC2euFOAL5DQAPwGKdsibQB1l5J2-CG2Pspqp7qtbf4IsE6fxjopmSN_8sBfFw0g/s1600/xmas+cutters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcCjEbpfsvi9e1v3RSI1kWBPZFvyd6YUrLLjOpkkHwl48yEg1uOiGXhOmr0b9DVG1XexR1JR03ZqCC2euFOAL5DQAPwGKdsibQB1l5J2-CG2Pspqp7qtbf4IsE6fxjopmSN_8sBfFw0g/s400/xmas+cutters.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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I tested the stars out last weekend and created a few gingerbread trees. I had some pink egg-white icing in the freezer from an excessive batch a few weeks ago. I know green would be more appropriate but it was a trial run, and a successful one at that. I think these will feature as edible centre-pieces at Christmas lunch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3sbgP8jbhL9_ySR2J2DbXbdrS8KhH57EtmlvR1-J2l5L_XmMnWNXzsZ5nlaZtSjbhiFRtdnYFE-GTYajoeZ0Un1f8hYJcJ5c1sqNRrZsloNg5fZyMKNkzZJtt2t0EZ98BsY4clc0JK0/s1600/gingerbread+star+tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3sbgP8jbhL9_ySR2J2DbXbdrS8KhH57EtmlvR1-J2l5L_XmMnWNXzsZ5nlaZtSjbhiFRtdnYFE-GTYajoeZ0Un1f8hYJcJ5c1sqNRrZsloNg5fZyMKNkzZJtt2t0EZ98BsY4clc0JK0/s400/gingerbread+star+tree.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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I also found some festive mini cupcake liners which I plan to use for mini mince pies...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37K4YPdA_CXfL2gtW2CL5GNriw80IdqkbbMNaXryqJ_qBX6sEKV-eA7TNE1rvJ3Qno81jRQdeiJsFYj3GCPNXueLmnfTPm1J1bvV9h9aogoHrwQSh6DONpLzOEbWMCjmKMRh_jI1i8e4/s1600/mince+pie+papers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37K4YPdA_CXfL2gtW2CL5GNriw80IdqkbbMNaXryqJ_qBX6sEKV-eA7TNE1rvJ3Qno81jRQdeiJsFYj3GCPNXueLmnfTPm1J1bvV9h9aogoHrwQSh6DONpLzOEbWMCjmKMRh_jI1i8e4/s400/mince+pie+papers.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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...and some cute "candy" (or chocolate) moulds.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcs3OK-sBhqi-r38vvw7JYrCQfjp2IJ3TkHv-FMit8le89rGMZlqS_xLQq0Toq8Czao-K4E-8NgOtf4tYorHtaOu0jPKw6IUU0xHEnyPxUX81-5IdUKXO7Nz6XEEGKfdMQI3qpoOchRnY/s1600/xmas+moulds+2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcs3OK-sBhqi-r38vvw7JYrCQfjp2IJ3TkHv-FMit8le89rGMZlqS_xLQq0Toq8Czao-K4E-8NgOtf4tYorHtaOu0jPKw6IUU0xHEnyPxUX81-5IdUKXO7Nz6XEEGKfdMQI3qpoOchRnY/s320/xmas+moulds+2.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeLCoXWuUMxAGMKSpNrb6zk7FVm1xw6OgMBZFD0UC7XgRXv6XrpB5HauFYOA6bA6CbXKUdGlaCoEJ8FNzXFvSig5wM6koXZmTD_Sy6nkB923AIGeCQjqbxSGk6LcONmkVNhPl8tKz4qw/s1600/xmas+moulds+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeLCoXWuUMxAGMKSpNrb6zk7FVm1xw6OgMBZFD0UC7XgRXv6XrpB5HauFYOA6bA6CbXKUdGlaCoEJ8FNzXFvSig5wM6koXZmTD_Sy6nkB923AIGeCQjqbxSGk6LcONmkVNhPl8tKz4qw/s320/xmas+moulds+1.jpg" width="212" /></a> </div>
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I also tested these out, using the lemon-flavoured Callebaut callets from the sample pack I bought a little while ago. Strangely the lemon-flavoured callets are green, but that works well for Christmas! The tree chocolates are milk (34%) base and lemon-flavoured trees. The father Christmas shapes are made from a 70% cocoa base, with father Christmas' hat made of left over lemon. Hubby put my first set of moulds in the dishwasher and melted them. Luckily for him they were less than $5 so I bought another set to make more for the big day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gW4I3OTOL0w_guhXCtaMlk-39d5n9kgZnBGgmzGLlWC7yL3t8n5EOz9luxc1N5tNk8nXfSOQ2YSO7Pu3Y6n2lwzaG6tBXHwwzhW8XLsezaRraIQBCWtEthEBIXkXQWHUQEflhtY0P88/s1600/xmas+chocolates.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gW4I3OTOL0w_guhXCtaMlk-39d5n9kgZnBGgmzGLlWC7yL3t8n5EOz9luxc1N5tNk8nXfSOQ2YSO7Pu3Y6n2lwzaG6tBXHwwzhW8XLsezaRraIQBCWtEthEBIXkXQWHUQEflhtY0P88/s400/xmas+chocolates.jpg" width="276" /> </a></div>
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There are also a few non-Christmassy things in my kitchen at the moment. The lovely Celia from <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a> sent me some mahlep spice so I could test out <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2012/10/23/barbaras-kaak-cookies/">Barbara's Kaak Cookies</a>. I made a third of a batch of these tonight (sorry, I didn't take a photo), as the original recipe specifies 1kg of flour and that would just mean way too many biscuits. The result is a bit like a shortbread but with a lovely spicy hint. I just adore the smell of the mahlep and get a pleasant surprise every time I open my pantry at the moment</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iHKnP7k9RH7p_AAaPKGTwp8Xvsm3DVYC5WUR2csFptfx008xFVDGGCKDN_eggYEcE4MPEtDu_DO5WOEjSxPDUMgwxkdvaPDJ_jQTFsSLNqvWXKkARUituplzKLyybQCl86LIawqM4Mg/s1600/mahlep.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iHKnP7k9RH7p_AAaPKGTwp8Xvsm3DVYC5WUR2csFptfx008xFVDGGCKDN_eggYEcE4MPEtDu_DO5WOEjSxPDUMgwxkdvaPDJ_jQTFsSLNqvWXKkARUituplzKLyybQCl86LIawqM4Mg/s400/mahlep.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Celia also included in my surprise parcel, this beautiful mould. I pressed the Kaak cookies into it before baking, but unfortunately most of the design is lost in the oven. If anyone has any ideas what else I could try this mould out on, I'd love to hear them. </div>
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My rhubarb plants are earning their keep at the moment, and while the fruit (is it fruit?) is plentiful, rhubarb crumble is making its way onto our dessert menu. I'll post the recipe one day soon.<br />
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My mum has an over-excited lemon tree (as opposed to my lemon tree that has taken 8 years to produce 4 lemons). Last week she gave me a few and so last Sunday I made a lemon meringue pie. I'll post the recipe to this one too, one day soon. I have to admit I am lazy and never make my own pastry, but those frozen flan cases are cheap and taste so good! Plus, a lemon meringue pie is never about the pastry, so why stress over something I'm not good at? I should also admit that there isn't actually any of this left in my kitchen anymore. While the girls weren't particularly taken by it, hubby and I managed to polish it off over a few days.</div>
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That's what's going on in my kitchen at the moment. If you'd like to see what's happening in a few other kitchens around the globe, particularly as silly-season approaches, head over to <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a> for some links. Happy Christmas baking! <br />
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<br />Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-79779211902907575422012-11-24T23:56:00.000-08:002012-11-24T23:56:26.170-08:00Tales from a pregnant runner: When running becomes walkingA couple of weeks ago, Hubby went away for a 9-day boy-holiday and the girls and I stayed home for some quality oestrogen-filled, female time. This was fine except it meant I didn't really have the opportunity to run, and conversation was limited to sub-5-year-old topics most of the time. My ever-faithful running buddy Kat came to my rescue one afternoon and we took it in turns pushing the running pram over 5km (with a playground stop in the middle to appease the beasts). My bike, the trainer, some mediocre evening TV and myself got particularly well acquainted several times, and some new knicks made this a little bit interesting. I managed to hit the pool once and the girls and I also did quite a bit of walking. But it's just not running.<br />
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Hubby got back on Monday night, so on Tuesday I escaped for a little "me time". I headed out for 4kms, with a mid-way break to drink and stretch. I think bubs must be engaging because things felt quite different. I was cramping a little more than usual, my pelvis felt like it was being pulled apart, and when I got home I had to check that my cervix wasn't actually between my knees like I suspected. Mentally it was great to get out there but physically it was difficult. I had my suspicions that might be my last run, at 30 weeks.<br />
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Wednesday I decided to rest (read: casual 4km walk at Chicky's cycling pace while pushing Poppet in the pram). Thursday night I went to step, and had the best class I've had in weeks. Full of energy, no niggles, none of that pelvis-pulling-apart feeling of Tuesday and no cramps. Friday I cycled and again felt good so thought I'd try my luck at a run/walk combo on Saturday morning. I began running (slowly, 6:10ish pace) and felt ok for a while, but by 500m I thought I'd only make 1km then walk for a bit. By 800m I was cramping so stopped. I thought I'd see how I was feeling after a km of walking and maybe run for bit more, but walking just felt so much better. I was power walking, not just strolling (the whole arm swinging thing and everything), and I began to monitor my pace (because who really knows how fast they walk). I was hovering around 9min/kms, which for a runner sounds PAINFULLY slow, but it was enough to keep a moderate heart rate and slightly laboured breathing. I managed to keep my pace sub 9min/kms and finished 6km total in about 52 mins. So, the new goal: sub 9min/kms while walking, 2 x 6km walks a week (plus step, swimming and cycling until any of those become too uncomfortable). I was a little sad to think I may not run again until after bubs is born, but at 31 weeks pregnant I'm ok with where I'm at. Who knows, maybe on a
good day I'll be able to throw a km of running into one of my walks,
but if not then I'll get back to it on the flip side.<br />
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This morning I was proud to cheer on my best friend in her longest run to date - a 7.5km race. While I couldn't run with her, I could be there for her, and be the super proud friend, camera in hand, as she crossed the finish line under her goal time.Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-50463820854964909742012-11-20T22:13:00.000-08:002012-11-20T22:13:37.834-08:00In the Garden - November 2012I've been holding out until the end of the month to do a garden update because I thought I'd already done one for November. Clearly I haven't so my waiting has been in vain. Talk about baby brain! The weeks, months, years really are flying by. I was quite excited by my dimness however, as my garden is a little bit exciting at the moment. <br />
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We FINALLY got some soil for the new front vege patch. We knew this was going to cost a bit to fill, hence the delay, but I'm so glad it's full now as I have renewed enthusiasm for the vege patch. <br />
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The six watermelon seedlings I grew in pots from seed were big enough to transplant into the ground.<br />
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The front bed is also home to some new cucumber and zucchini seedlings which I also grew in pots to inhibit their consumption by slaters. This picture gives a good view of part of the front plot, which bends around to the left in a kind of "L" shape. Our whipper snipper is in pieces in the shed at the moment, so the buffalo is getting particularly friendly with the railway sleeper border.<br />
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The front is also home to some corn (which I've never had the room to grow before) ...<br />
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... dwarf beans (also grown last month in pots then recently transplanted) ...<br />
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... and some peas.<br />
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Remember the tree that we lost in a storm while we were away? Well the stump, which we never got around to pulling out, is now a bush! <br />
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Things are going great guns out the back too. With summer approaching, the basil is finally getting a bit more sun and looking quite healthy.<br />
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The small capsicum plants, of which there are six, are all bearing little capsicums. I'm a bit worried that the plants themselves are too small to hold the fruit, but time will tell. </div>
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Some oregano seeds that I planted several months ago, and had given up for lost, have sprouted! The last oregano plant I grew in this pot in the same place in the garden, lasted about 3 years, so I'm quietly confident.<br />
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The biggest of the rhubarb plants has stalks large enough to harvest. I think a crumble might be on the menu one night this week.<br />
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The grapes are getting bigger. We're all looking forward to this season's fruit. I had Chicky in tears in the supermarket the other day because I refused to pay $25.99/kg for grapes. I assured her that in a few more weeks we would have more grapes than we know what to do with.<br />
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The flat leaf parsley is just as unkempt as ever, and seems to be multiplying. I use more parsley in cooking now than I ever have, because I can.<br />
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The potato tubers that I planted last month have all sprouted and are getting quite leafy. I never did get around to adding more soil so I hope they are not too restricted by space. These are in an unprotected part of the garden, so my current task is keeping the chickens away.<br />
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The tomato seedlings are growing. A few more self-sewn plants have popped up in between from last year's crop so I am sure the tomato garden will be just as crazy this year as it was last. I'm looking forward to lots of salads and a freezer stocked with pasta sauce.<br />
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I'm pretty happy with my garden at the moment. The back is filled with weeds, and the grass is overgrown but the useful stuff is doing well. I'm sure we'll have a bumper summer crop if the sun isn't too harsh. What's happening in your garden this month?Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-69920085628922613272012-11-03T23:02:00.000-07:002012-11-03T23:02:02.006-07:00In My Kitchen - November 2012As summer approaches, Perth's weather continues to be bizarre. Last weekend we were fishing on the boat in 34C temperatures. This weekend we're back to trousers and jumpers, dodging the storms. After spending the morning out yesterday, there was no way I had the inclination nor patience to go grocery shopping in the afternoon. So I stayed home, used what I had in the house, and baked. Here's what was in my kitchen yesterday (all the edible parts have already been consumed).<br />
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The baking began because we ran out of bread, so I baked a loaf of <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/mixed-seed-bread.html">Mixed Seed Bread</a>. <br />
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With fresh bread in the house and the weather being foul, I couldn't resist making a pot of <a href="http://www.thehealthychef.com/2011/01/vegetable-minestrone/">Teresa Cutter's Vegetable Minestrone Soup</a>. This soup, with bread makes a hearty dinner that everyone will eat.</div>
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Without grocery shopping we had few snacks in the house, and Poppet always wakes up from her nap starving, so I thought I'd make a batch of biscuits. Trolling through recipes I'd never tried before I found a link to this <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/14/blueberry-choc-chip-cookie-recipe">cookie recipe</a> at <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/08/20/wholemeal-spelt/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a>. Like Celia, I used wholemeal spelt flour, cranberries (as I had both in the pantry at the time), and 54% Callebaut callets. The result was a chewy, chocolatey, tangy cookie that everyone in my house approved of. Several went missing before making it to the cooling rack.<br />
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While I was busy baking away, Chicky (who did help with the cookies) decided to work on a creation of her own. I believe it consisted of water, whole macadamias and flour initially. She mixed them together then covered it with plastic wrap to....umm....rise maybe? I'm not sure what she thought might happen.<br />
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Later in the day she came back to the creation to complete the final steps. This involved adding some flowers from the garden, something that might be a spring onion (I didn't actually see it before it was added), and stirring with a plastic spoon. She is heavily influenced by the story <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books/about/Wombat_Stew.html?id=LeDdPgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">Wombat Stew</a> at the moment, after a little friend introduced her to the idea recently. Our garden (and now my kitchen) is filled with buckets/cups/containers of water plus <insert random ingredients here>.<br />
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While Poppet was less interested in the creative process than Chicky, she did bring me some lovely flowers from the garden yesterday afternoon, and left them on the kitchen bench.<br />
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A toy camel made it into the kitchen this week, and got left on the bench during the bread-making process, so he got covered with flour. </div>
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The final item that technically isn't in my kitchen anymore (because I ate it), was a block of House Blend, 70% Cocoa content chocolate from <a href="http://www.bahenchocolate.com/index.php">Bahen & Co</a>, a small, family-operated chocolate facility in Margaret River. The owner is a cousin of a friend and she gave me a block of this to try recently. I haven't tried any of their other varieties, but the house blend has a unique, almost fruity after taste and is very "adult". It is gorgeously smooth, yet a piece or two is all you need to satisfy that chocolate craving. I look forward to trying some of their other varieties.</div>
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That's about all that's happening in my kitchen at the moment, but head over to <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a> to have a peak into some other kitchens around the globe this month. <br />
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<br />Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-3132290111009876912012-10-30T22:39:00.001-07:002012-10-30T22:39:55.235-07:00Desperate times call for: Hedgehog SliceThis morning I made the decision to get my hair cut. There are a couple of those "take-a-ticket" options at my local shopping centre so I kitted the girls up with some colouring books, crayons and snacks and decided to just do it. I had Poppet in the pram to avoid havoc in the salon, and to provide a storage place for all the things we seem to need to take on even the simplest of trips, so armed with my ammunition I boldly approached the counter to take my ticket. Before I had a chance to state my business, the hairdresser behind the counter quickly informed me that I couldn't take the pram in, and there was clearly no place for it (or my children). The girls were disappointed that they weren't able to sit and explore their new colouring books, and I was heartbroken. That woman had no idea what kind of hormones she had messed with. I expressed my disappointment then turned the pram and walked down the mall with unfortunate tears welling up. Who cries because they can't take a pram into a store? Really? A crazy pregnant woman, that's who! I did the rest of my shopping as quickly as I could and came home. This occasion called for one thing and one thing only. Hedgehog slice.<br />
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This no-bake recipe is adapted from one I found on <a href="http://www.kidspot.com.au/">Kidspot</a>, and preparation began as soon as I walked in the door.<br />
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250g packet plain biscuits<br />
¾ cup almonds (I used blanched)<br /> 1 cup sultanas <br />
120g butter<br />
100g raw sugar (caster sugar would be better but I was out)<br />
2 tbsp cocoa (dutch processed)<br />
2 tbsp dessicated coconut<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 egg, lightly beaten<br />
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<u>Icing</u><br />
1½ cups icing sugar<br />
2 tbsp cocoa<br />
2-3 tbsp water<br />
hundreds and thousands <br />
<ol>
<li>Whiz biscuits and almonds in a food processor, leaving some lumps. </li>
<li>Add sultanas, cocoa and coconut. Stir to combine.</li>
<li>Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan and stir until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. </li>
<li>Add butter mix to dry ingredients and mix, then stir in the egg.</li>
<li>Press into a lined 20cm x 20cm tin. Wet fingers will help this.</li>
<li>To make icing, combine icing sugar and cocoa, then add as much water is needed to form a spreadable paste. </li>
<li>Spread icing over slice (this will be difficult if the icing is too thick), sprinkle with hundreds and thousands (or not if you don't like them) and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Slice in the tin.</li>
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I haven't eaten hedgehog slice in years, but this looks just like the stuff I remember from bakeries as a kid. My complete chocolate ban of last week resulted in a successful addiction break, so I have relaxed the rule to allow chocolate on the weekend. I don't remember saying anything about cocoa though, and it is Hump Day. Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope you, like me, have found something to make this Hump Day a bit brighter. Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-13106583752528438762012-10-26T06:28:00.001-07:002012-10-26T06:28:08.942-07:00In the Garden - October 2012Last month I planted some seeds and seedlings, ready for a summer crop. Regardless of the beer traps, the slaters dessimated most of the seedlings as they emerged. They seemed to be helping themselves to the beer, but not before feasting on the zucchini, cucumber and pea seedlings. Determined not to let this happen again, I did away with the beer traps (which smell really bad if you don't empty them regularly) and planted some new seeds in pots. The physical barrier seems to have done the trick, and seedlings mk II are now hopefully big enough to hold their own and be transplanted into the vege patch.<br />
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I didn't have anymore zucchini or cucumber seeds, but I did have a lot of other options so planted dwarf beans.... <br />
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...peas and watermelon in the background. </div>
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Something I thought the slaters would leave alone due to their lack of real leaves, are perennial carrots.<br />
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I thought I'd try my luck with spinach straight into the ground, because the thought of transplanting spinach plants wasn't particularly appealing. Similarly, I'm lazy and never thin my carrots, but it makes for some interesting shapes and sizes.<br />
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I think there may be one saving grace for the spinach. At the end of each row, a rhubarb plant has re-emerged. When we returned from our <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/big-gypsy-getaway.html">Gypsy Getaway</a>, my rhubarb plants (of which I had 3 established) had vanished without a trace. I was a bit disappointed as they were doing well, but they have come back! The slaters love the leaves but don't affect the stalks so this may just be my new slater solution.<br />
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The chickens did a great job preparing the tomato garden plot, and this week I transplanted the cherry tomato seedlings I grew in pots from seeds (or rather I dug holes and Chicky did the planting). We planted 7 plants, which will inevitably be too many, but I will attempt to tame them with tomato mesh so we can keep some sort of control on the area.<br />
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Here are the girls, looking puzzled about why they're no longer allowed to forage in the tomato plot. Or maybe it has something to do with their tiny brains. :)<br />
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Veges aren't the only things blooming in the garden at the moment. The grape vines have gone from dormant to prolific in a matter of weeks. The 5 vines we currently have are in their second fruiting year and teeny tiny grapes can be seen everywhere. I can't wait!<br />
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The mandarin tree has some very small fruit emerging. Fingers crossed the birds save us some.<br />
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The orange tree, although struggling with some kind of leaf curl, is also managing to fruit this year. Citrus need a lot of TLC in our sandy soils, and really benefit from regular fertilising. This is hubby's job. My slap-dash approach to the garden doesn't involve such luxuries for the fruit trees.<br />
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The passionfruit vines seem to take it in turns fruiting, and I was a little surprised to see one of them flowering given we had a winter crop. Providing we get enough bees, I think these will be the purple-skinned fruit. I love the flowers, they are just a little bit <i>Little Shop of Horrors</i>-esque.<br />
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Finally, here is what I hope will be a potato patch. I had a few sprouting spuds in the larder so scattered the tubers and covered them with soil. I'll add some more soil when the sprouts emerge and try to get a mound happening, to maximise yield.</div>
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For now this is all that's happening in my garden, but with spring in full swing things are moving swiftly. It's great, and I don't need to play much of a role. Now I sit back and watch things flourish. I'd love to hear what's happening in your garden this spring (or otherwise, wherever you are). <br />
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<br />Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-1475484100831448872012-10-21T23:43:00.000-07:002012-10-21T23:43:30.474-07:00Pregnancy HormonesDamn you pregnancy hormones, damn you! Today, at almost 26 weeks, I am a blubbering mess.<br />
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This morning I did the Glucose Tolerance Test. A 2 hour combination of blood tests, sugary drinks, sugar highs, sugar lows, and hormone provocation. During the second hour, waiting in between blood test number two and blood test number three, I picked up a copy of <i>That's Life</i> magazine. After drooling over a Tim-Tam Cherry Chocolate Cake recipe (I am currently on day 5 of no chocolate, self-imposed), I made the mistake of reading a sad story of a 4 year-old's lost battle with cancer and found myself sobbing in the waiting room. Chicky is 4. I managed to pull myself together just in time for the last bloods and to get the hell out of there to cuddle my children.<br />
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This afternoon I checked out a recently found blog/website called <a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/">Scary Mommy</a>. The author is quite raw, honest and hilarious. I found the website a few weeks ago when googling <i>Vulvar Varicosities</i> - a rarely mentioned possible side-effect of pregnancy which I was horrified to experience before learning about. Google it if you dare, but if you're faint hearted or yet to embark on the journey that is pregnancy, maybe it's best you don't. Anyway, today I stumbled across a post called <a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/motherhood-is/">Motherhood is</a>... and alternated between laughing and welling up. Then I read a reader's comment:<i> "Motherhood is watching your children sleep and praying that you’ll have another chance to be a better mom to them the next day." </i>That was it. All composition I had regained from the morning was gone again. I often find myself hoping I have a chance tomorrow to be a better mum, to be the mum I aspire to be. Luckily Chicky and Poppet were both having quiet time, so I could escape to the carport and let the emotions out without the "why are you crying Mummy?" questions.<br />
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Thrown into the works today I have had to explain dwarfism to Chicky after she expressed "Why is that lady so little?! No ladies are EVER that little!" in ear shot of someone who was in fact that little. I have also had discussions about the necessity of Woolworths employees to eat lunch too, discussed the brain size of a magpie and why they swoop us even when we don't want to hurt their babies, wiped several poos that weren't my own, pretended to be Hansel and Gretel's nasty stepmother and pretended to take my children into the forest and leave them there (a favourite game of Chicky's of late), read several stories multiple times, diffused an argument over who was eating who's hair, and been kicked countless times from the inside. These are just the things that spring to mind, and the afternoon is still young.<br />
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Motherhood is... learning everyday a new part about motherhood. <br />
Motherhood is... recognising that the traits you find most irritating in your children are the traits most similar to your own, and not getting angry at them for it.<br />
Motherhood is... looking at your children playing quietly and wondering how in the world you were so lucky to be given the best job in the world, even if you were pulling your hair out in rage at them 5 minutes earlier.<br />
Motherhood is... inviting other mothers over for some adult conversation, starting 25 different conversations but not finishing any.<br />
Motherhood is... calling me. Looks like it's the end of quiet time and the end of this post.<br />
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I'd love to hear some other people's thoughts on motherhood.<br />
<br />Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-16018619968264636852012-10-16T06:05:00.000-07:002012-10-16T06:05:03.842-07:00Tales from a pregnant runner: Episode 2Last time I posted about running, I was just <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/back-to-basics.html">getting back into it</a>. Now, two months on, I can call myself a pregnant runner, hitting the footpath 2-3 times a week to tally between 10 and 20kms. The bump is more than obvious now, and I get more than the occasional double-take while strutting my stuff, but overall the public's reaction is positive. I even "competed" in a 5km event on the weekend, and other than a few surprised glances, I disappeared into the pack nicely. I entered the event with my best friend who has just started running. This was her first event, and the furthest she had ever run, and I was so proud to help her achieve that. <br />
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When I started running again, I found things a little uncomfortable. The pelvic instability was unnerving and the constant bladder pressure off-putting. I was also getting a bit of lower back pain after even a short run. After a bit of research, and discussion with a fellow runner who ran until she was full term, I purchased a <a href="http://www.duesoon.com.au/store/maternity-support-belt/gabrialla-maternity-support-belt-medium-support/">Gabrialla abdominal support belt</a>. This has made the world of difference. I haven't experienced any lower back pain since using it, and it makes everything feel a whole lot more stable. I wear it to run, for step aerobics, and even for grocery shopping if I know I'm going to be pushing a heavy trolley full of shopping and children. Thank goodness they come in black, so you can't even see it on top of my running shorts. I can't recommend enough, some sort of abdominal and lower back support garment for anyone thinking of running through their pregnancy.<br />
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So I was feeling good running again, even getting in up to 10km at a time, but I still had a niggle in the back of my head asking if I should be doing this. My obstetrician is supportive but certainly not an expert in the area of maternal fitness, so I decided to do a bit of my own research. If a science background has taught me one thing, it's to be educated. I came across the name James Clapp who is a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology and an international expert on the effects of exercise during pregnancy. His latest book, <i>Exercising Through Your Pregnancy</i>, covers the most recent research on the effects of not just exercise, but training, on the mother and child. It provides answers to most of my questions and has reassured me that given I have a low risk pregnancy and am otherwise fit and healthy, regular exercise is a good thing. In the past, pregnant women were urged to exercise within specific heart rate ranges, but if running has taught me anything it's that heart rates vary hugely between athletes. Clapp's book appreciates this and suggests perceived exersion as a better determinant of exercising safely. <br />
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Another book I purchased was the<i> Runner's World Guide to Running & Pregnancy</i>. This provides month by month recommendations and advice for someone who was running regularly before pregnancy and wishes to continue to run. <br />
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So at 25 weeks I'm not sure how much longer I'll run for. I'm taking it one run at a time. Sometimes I have a shocking 3km run and end up walking home. Other times I can run 8-10kms comfortably. All I can do is listen to my body and follow the advice I have found and am given. I hope I can still run into the third trimester, but I'm not going to be devastated if I no longer feel comfortable. I'll take up another swim or stationary cycling session in place of a dropped run. I have to work off all the chocolate and jelly beans somehow!Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-56802372115247964942012-10-01T05:31:00.000-07:002012-10-01T05:31:30.155-07:00In My Kitchen - October 2012Wow, I think this is the first <i>In My Kitchen</i> post that I've managed to get out at the start of the month! Maybe I'm a little excited about some new toys, or maybe I've been doing way too much baking (and eating) that I'm feeling in touch with my kitchen this month. Either way, here's what's in my kitchen this month.<br />
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My recent discovery of <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/">The Book Depository</a> has been a little dangerous. My debut purchase involved a heap of kids books, put away for Christmas, some running/exercise books and of course some foody books. I'm a sucker for fast, easy recipes, so couldn't say no to Nigel Slater's <i>Real Fast Food</i>. This book is great for ideas when you've got some staples in the pantry, are short of time and lack inspiration. Slater shows you how to prepare common ingredients, several different ways which I love. His recipes are also open to interpretation so you can totally work with what you've got in the fridge. There are no pretty pictures, so if that's your thing then it might not be for you, but if you often find yourself preparing dinner shortly before you want to eat it, this book is great!<br />
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Because I am an unashamed sweet tooth, I couldn't go past Slater's dessert version: <i>Real Fast Desserts</i>. I have already tried out his <a href="http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/chocolate-for-sharing.html">Chocolate Almonds</a> and they were a big hit, so I'll be giving a few more of these recipes a go soon.<br />
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I normally order my dark chocolate two ways. Callebaut brand 54% callets in a 2kg bag, which I use for muffins and biscuits as the callets are small. I also buy a two-pack of Sicao Classic Dark (also 54%) 1.5kg bags. The Sicao brand is a little cheaper than Callebaut but I consider the quality to be comparable. The Sicao callets however are large (akin to Nestle melts) and while they don't work well in bite size treats, they are perfect for melting. Sicao have recently changed their product coding, and confusion at the distributor meant I received 1 packet of 54% and 1 packet of 70% (which happen to be the smaller callets). This is great for me because I haven't before experiemented with 70% callets. If I can stop myself from eating them all straight from the container, I might test out some darker recipes.</div>
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Another exciting part of my recent chocolate delivery was a Callebaut flavoured sampler pack of chocolate buds. This includes about a cup measure each of cappucino, strawberry, lemon (interestingly these are green, not yellow), caramel and orange flavoured buds. I lifted my self-imposed chocolate ban today and made some Apple Caramel Muffins (below).<br />
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<u>Apple Caramel Muffins</u><br />
These are a variation of my favourite <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/15298/choc+chip+banana+muffins">Banana Choc Chip Muffins</a>, made this afternoon because I was out of bananas.<br />
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<span class="element">60g butter, melted</span><br />
<span class="element">2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour</span><span class="element"> </span><br />
<span class="element">1/3 cup raw caster sugar</span><span class="element"> </span><br />
<span class="element">1/4 tsp cinnamon </span><br />
<span class="element">1/2 cup milk</span><br />
<span class="element">2 eggs</span><br />
<span class="element"></span><span class="element">1 apple, grated with skin on</span><span class="element"></span><br />
<span class="element">1 cup caramel buds</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span class="element">Preheat oven to 200C. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.</span></li>
<li><span class="element">Mix flour, cinnamon and sugar together in a large bowl. </span></li>
<li><span class="element">Lightly whisk eggs with milk, add to flour mix along with apple and melted butter.</span></li>
<li><span class="element">Mix with a spatula until batter just comes together.</span></li>
<li><span class="element">Add caramel buds and mix to combine.</span></li>
<li><span class="element">Spoon mixture into muffin cases and bake for 12-15 mins or until just beginning to brown.</span></li>
</ol>
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I kind of added lib with this recipe and hoped it would work. It did. I'm not a massive caramel fan so find the caramel buds a little sweet but the combination of flavours definitely works. Now I have to think of some interesting recipes for the other flavours.<br />
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Head over to <a href="http://figjamandlimecordial.com/">Fig Jam and Lime Cordial</a> and check out what some other bloggers have in their kitchens this month. <br />
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<br />Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165666228507480265.post-25365300884996698032012-09-24T23:27:00.001-07:002012-09-24T23:27:56.615-07:00Chocolate for SharingLast week my chocolate order arrived. I can't economically buy Callebaut chocolate locally so I source it online from a Victorian distributor. This means I buy in bulk, two or three times a year. Six kilos of extremely high quality chocolate of various cocoa contents and a kilo of cocoa powder landing on my doorstep is <i>very</i> dangerous. It is perhaps even more dangerous because its arrival coincided with the arrival of another recent purchase, a copy of Nigel Slater's <i>Real Fast Desserts</i>.<br />
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I have drawn the line at three chocolate creations for the week, because anyone who knows me, knows that self-control is not my strong point when it comes to chocolate. Fortunately visited friends on Sunday for a BBQ, so I used this as a bit of an excuse to pull out some of the chocolate. On the menu was: Chocolate Almonds from Nigel Slater's book, Oreo Truffles and a favourite from my childhood, Chocolate Crackles.<br />
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<b>Chocolate Almonds</b><br />
This really is as easy as it sounds. <br />
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2-3 handfuls of shelled almonds<br />
100g dark chocolate (I used Callebaut 54%, any darker and Hubby complains)<br />
2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder (I used Callebaut dutch-processed)<br />
<ol>
<li>Dry fry almonds until they are fragrant</li>
<li>Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water.</li>
<li>Spread cocoa over a piece of grease-proof paper.</li>
<li>Dunk each almond in the chocolate, thoroughly coating, then roll it in the cocoa. Place on a piece of grease-proof paper to set. </li>
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I only coated half of my almonds in cocoa as Hubby really does complain if he can taste cocoa. The rest were all mine. Slater says "you'll wish you had made more", and he was so right but so wrong. These were ridiculously easy to eat, and if I had made double, I would have eaten double, in the same amount of time.<br />
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<b>Cheat's Chocolate Crackles</b><br />
This is yet another very easy recipe that the chocaholic should approach with caution. When I was a kid I loved chocolate crackles, until I went to someone's birthday party and tasted the overly sweet, copha-filled monstrosities that I later discovered followed the traditional recipe. This is how my mum makes chocolate crackles, and as far as I'm concerned it is the only way to make them.<br />
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200g milk chocolate (I used Callebaut 34%)<br />
Cornflakes (yes, cornflakes, the volume varies and I never measure)<br />
<ol>
<li>Line a 12-cup muffin tray (or 24-cup mini muffin tray) with paper liners. </li>
<li>Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water. </li>
<li>Add a handful of cornflakes to the melted chocolate, lightly crushing as you add them. Mix.</li>
<li>Continue adding cornflakes, a handful at a time, until all cornflakes are coated and no melted chocolate remains in the bottom of the bowl.</li>
<li>Spoon mixture into the paper liners (you may need more or less liners depending on how much of the cornflakes you used).</li>
<li>Refrigerate until set hard.</li>
</ol>
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You may be saying "eeewww", but trust me, these are the best! Maybe it has to do with the slight saltiness of the cornflakes, or the more structured texture as opposed to a rice-bubble version (you could of course use rice bubbles if you prefer), but no matter how old I get, I still adore these and love that my girls are now old enough for me to make them for them as a treat. <br />
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<b>Oreo Truffles</b><br />
These were the last, and most evil chocolatey treat I made on the weekend. I was first introduced to these tasty morsels a few years ago at a kids birthday party and could not believe that the combination of ingredients could create something so rich and adult-tasting.<br />
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2 x 150g packets Oreo biscuits<br />
170g cream cheese (I used Light Philadelphia)<br />
200g milk chocolate (I used Callebaut 34%)<br />
<ol>
<li>Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water. Turn off heat but keep melted chocolate over the pan of hot water. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper.</li>
<li>Break up Oreo biscuits into a food processor, then whiz until finely crumbed. </li>
<li>Add cream cheese and whiz again until combined.</li>
<li>Roll teaspoon sized portions of the Oreo mix into balls and coat in melted chocolate. Use two forks to remove the balls from the chocolate without deforming the shape too much.</li>
<li>Set the balls on grease-proof paper and refrigerate until cold. </li>
</ol>
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I took these to a BBQ on Sunday night, and they were a massive hit. It's always fun getting people to guess what's in these, as unless you've had them before, it's very hard to pick. This batch made 37 truffles, but only about 30 of them made it to the BBQ. <br />
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While I had a fun weekend in the kitchen, with no real <i>baking</i> involved, I think I need a self-imposed ban on chocolate this week. My baby and my behind will thank me later.Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099071341887315358noreply@blogger.com2