How did I go this month...
I need to make my Neurnberger Lebkuchen since I didn't get it done in October. Done!! and they'll be eaten by the end of the month.
We bought some storage cubes that need to be put together so I can keep all the extra stuff Mr Trifectagirl buys!! Done, and slowling filling the shelves.
I still need to get the shelf for Baby J's room painted and up. Grandpa kindly painted the shelf, and we are all surprised at how pale it is. Back to the drawing board!!
My wedding flowers are back from being dried, so I need to arrange to get them framed with a few other momentos from the wedding. All with the framer, should be back mid-January.
A reasonably successful month!
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Thanksgiving
This past Thursday was Thanksgiving day in the US. I experienced Thanksgiving in 1991 when I lived in California, but it was a pretty simple day with my host family.
Reading Facebook posts, blog posts, it's a holiday I wish we had. Unless you follow a religion and express your thanks during worship, we in Australia don't really have a national 'be thankful' day. Some may use Christmas or Easter or other religious holiday, maybe ANZAC Day serves the purpose for some, but a day to reflect and be Thankful would benefit the country, I believe. I appreciate it's an historical holiday, based in the country's formation and therefore not really 'transportable', but I'd prefer Thanksgiving to have travelled here rather than Halloween.
There are some elements of Thanksgiving I don't want - it seems like an opportunity for extra family drama. Getting the meal right for Thanksgiving seems to be more critical than getting the Christmas meal right and there's inordinant pressure on the host household. Mind you, I've morphed green bean casserole to Christmas (and general use, actually), and want to sneak in marshmallow sweet potato - but Mr Trifectagirl's cardiologist would have his own heart attack with that one!
So, taking the opportunity, I am thankful for...
Mr Trifectagirl - the moment I saw him my reaction was 'that's him'. And as much as we drive each other up the wall and tease each other, I love him to death.
Baby J - Baby J is an IVF baby. I'm thankful I had knowledge through BPW Australia's Think Fertility project, that I knew when to start asking questions and advocating for ourselves. I'm thankful it only took two cycles to get Baby J, and I had an easy pregnancy (Mr Trifectagirl didn't, but I did ;))
My Friends, both on line and off. I've got a great circle of US friends that I've made on-line. In combination, we've shared infertility and babies and our lives. We'll circle the wagons when needed much more than off-line friends seem to. My off-line friends are a small group, and I we don't touch base as much as we should, but have events in place to ensure we do.
My Job- I love where I work, it's a fantastic program that allows me to learn about all sorts of topics from world experts I never would become involved in otherwise.
My House - as much as the lack of space is driving me completely bonkers, I'm thankful I have a roof over my head and am able to keep a roof over my family's head. I just gotta solve this space problem!
Rolling onto Christmas - decos will be out this weekend, and our Elf on the Shelf should arrive from the North Pole Thursday!
Reading Facebook posts, blog posts, it's a holiday I wish we had. Unless you follow a religion and express your thanks during worship, we in Australia don't really have a national 'be thankful' day. Some may use Christmas or Easter or other religious holiday, maybe ANZAC Day serves the purpose for some, but a day to reflect and be Thankful would benefit the country, I believe. I appreciate it's an historical holiday, based in the country's formation and therefore not really 'transportable', but I'd prefer Thanksgiving to have travelled here rather than Halloween.
There are some elements of Thanksgiving I don't want - it seems like an opportunity for extra family drama. Getting the meal right for Thanksgiving seems to be more critical than getting the Christmas meal right and there's inordinant pressure on the host household. Mind you, I've morphed green bean casserole to Christmas (and general use, actually), and want to sneak in marshmallow sweet potato - but Mr Trifectagirl's cardiologist would have his own heart attack with that one!
So, taking the opportunity, I am thankful for...
Mr Trifectagirl - the moment I saw him my reaction was 'that's him'. And as much as we drive each other up the wall and tease each other, I love him to death.
Baby J - Baby J is an IVF baby. I'm thankful I had knowledge through BPW Australia's Think Fertility project, that I knew when to start asking questions and advocating for ourselves. I'm thankful it only took two cycles to get Baby J, and I had an easy pregnancy (Mr Trifectagirl didn't, but I did ;))
My Friends, both on line and off. I've got a great circle of US friends that I've made on-line. In combination, we've shared infertility and babies and our lives. We'll circle the wagons when needed much more than off-line friends seem to. My off-line friends are a small group, and I we don't touch base as much as we should, but have events in place to ensure we do.
My Job- I love where I work, it's a fantastic program that allows me to learn about all sorts of topics from world experts I never would become involved in otherwise.
My House - as much as the lack of space is driving me completely bonkers, I'm thankful I have a roof over my head and am able to keep a roof over my family's head. I just gotta solve this space problem!
Rolling onto Christmas - decos will be out this weekend, and our Elf on the Shelf should arrive from the North Pole Thursday!
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Things I've Been Meaning To Do - November Edition
A new month, and new round of TIBMTD, thanks to Lazy Mom
I need to make my Neurnberger Lebkuchen since I didn't get it done in October.
We bought some storage cubes that need to be put together so I can keep all the extra stuff Mr Trifectagirl buys!!
I got one shelf up - I still need to get the one for Baby J's room painted and up.
My wedding flowers are back from being dried, so I need to arrange to get them framed with a few other momentos from the wedding.
I'd like to be ready for Christmas by the end of the month!!
Not much else for this month - I'm sure I'll find more as the month progresses!
I need to make my Neurnberger Lebkuchen since I didn't get it done in October.
We bought some storage cubes that need to be put together so I can keep all the extra stuff Mr Trifectagirl buys!!
I got one shelf up - I still need to get the one for Baby J's room painted and up.
My wedding flowers are back from being dried, so I need to arrange to get them framed with a few other momentos from the wedding.
I'd like to be ready for Christmas by the end of the month!!
Not much else for this month - I'm sure I'll find more as the month progresses!
Sunday, 6 November 2011
TIBMTD - October Wrap
1 - Get those shelves up. The toilet one is now at least painted, and the plan today is to re-paint the room ready for it. Done!!
2 - Sort out my office area and go through paperwork. The piles of paperwork is driving me nuts, and I need to make space for DH's as well. Done, finally.
3- Not a meaning to do, but due this month - start baking my christmas cookies. They need a couple of months to mature. I didn't get togetting a new oven and having it installed. Next weekend seems like a possible time, however. this - my oven died, so part of the month was spent getting that fixed.
4 - put more of the boxes around the place into storage - if there is room in the lock-up. Got one box of baby clothes put away. We also bought a modular system to make better use of closet space.
5 - cut and sew pants for Baby J - need to do this soon before he out-grows the size I've cut in the pattern!! Done, and they'll hopefully fit for a month or so. These little people grow so quickly!
A pretty productive month all up - I'm pleased.
2 - Sort out my office area and go through paperwork. The piles of paperwork is driving me nuts, and I need to make space for DH's as well. Done, finally.
3- Not a meaning to do, but due this month - start baking my christmas cookies. They need a couple of months to mature. I didn't get togetting a new oven and having it installed. Next weekend seems like a possible time, however. this - my oven died, so part of the month was spent getting that fixed.
4 - put more of the boxes around the place into storage - if there is room in the lock-up. Got one box of baby clothes put away. We also bought a modular system to make better use of closet space.
5 - cut and sew pants for Baby J - need to do this soon before he out-grows the size I've cut in the pattern!! Done, and they'll hopefully fit for a month or so. These little people grow so quickly!
A pretty productive month all up - I'm pleased.
Friday, 14 October 2011
Christmas Baking - Nürnberger Lebkuchen
One of my favourite parts of Christmas is the baked goods. Which is a bit of a problem since Christmas is summertime for me, and heating the house with the oven going isn't the best of ideas!
20 years ago I was an exchange student to California, and while there I picked up a cookie cookbook (Sunset - Cookies, printed Feb 1990) and I make quite a few cookies out of this book, but the one staple is Nürnberger Lebkuchen. Unfortunately it's not on their website, so I'll copy here. I'll also list my variations at the end - some are preference, one from a (yummy) mistake I made a number of years ago. These are the cookies that need to 'mature' that I mentioned in Things I've Been Meaning to Do - October Edition
This is a two-stage recipe, as the dough needs to rest once made.
Ingredients
1 cup honey
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp each ground allspice, cloves and nutmeg
1/2 tsp each salt and baking soda
1/3 cup each finely chopped candied citron and finely chopped almonds
About 24 candied cherries, cut in half
6-8 oz whole blanched almonds
Glaze in stage 2 (1 cup powdered sugar and 5 tbsp rum or water stirred until very smooth)
Stage 1
Heat honey in a small pan over med-high heat just until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and let cool slightly (very important!!).
Stir in the sugar, egg, lemon juice and lemon peel; let cool to luke-warm.
Mix flour, spices, salt and baking soda.
Add in the honey mix, citron and chopped almonds. Stir until well blended - this will be a soft dough.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refridgerate for 8 hours up to 2 days.
Stage 2
Work with a quarter of the dough at a time, keeping the remainder refridgerated.
Roll out with a floured rolling pin to 3/8 of an inch thick on a heavily floured board. Cut cookies with a 2 1/2 inch cutter and place 2 inches apart on lined/greased baking sheets.
Place 1/2 a candied cherry in the center and an almond at 12, 4 and 8 o'clock (like a flower). Press in a bit as they have a habit of jumping off! Bake at 375F/180C for 12-15 min or until golden brown.
Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and brush the tops with the glaze. Once cool you can glaze the bottom, but I tend not to.
Once they are completely cool and dry, place in airtight containers and store at room temperature for at least 2 weeks or up to 3 months (I store for about 8 weeks). If the cookies go hard, add a thin slice of apple to the container and cover tightly, storing until they're moist again (about a day) and discarding the apple.
Makes about 4 dozen.
My variations:
I goofed one year and instead of the tsp measures of the spices, I put in Tbsp measures of spices. I now do that every year!
I don't like citron, so leave it out. I'll also use flaked almonds in the dough for different texture.
I've substituted Brandy for the Rum in the past in the glaze.
I've never had to do the apple trick.
And in typing up this recipe, I realise I don't need to halve the blanched almonds for the top, which I've always done, getting very, very frustrated at doing it!!
Enjoy!
20 years ago I was an exchange student to California, and while there I picked up a cookie cookbook (Sunset - Cookies, printed Feb 1990) and I make quite a few cookies out of this book, but the one staple is Nürnberger Lebkuchen. Unfortunately it's not on their website, so I'll copy here. I'll also list my variations at the end - some are preference, one from a (yummy) mistake I made a number of years ago. These are the cookies that need to 'mature' that I mentioned in Things I've Been Meaning to Do - October Edition
This is a two-stage recipe, as the dough needs to rest once made.
Ingredients
1 cup honey
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp each ground allspice, cloves and nutmeg
1/2 tsp each salt and baking soda
1/3 cup each finely chopped candied citron and finely chopped almonds
About 24 candied cherries, cut in half
6-8 oz whole blanched almonds
Glaze in stage 2 (1 cup powdered sugar and 5 tbsp rum or water stirred until very smooth)
Stage 1
Heat honey in a small pan over med-high heat just until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and let cool slightly (very important!!).
Stir in the sugar, egg, lemon juice and lemon peel; let cool to luke-warm.
Mix flour, spices, salt and baking soda.
Add in the honey mix, citron and chopped almonds. Stir until well blended - this will be a soft dough.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refridgerate for 8 hours up to 2 days.
Stage 2
Work with a quarter of the dough at a time, keeping the remainder refridgerated.
Roll out with a floured rolling pin to 3/8 of an inch thick on a heavily floured board. Cut cookies with a 2 1/2 inch cutter and place 2 inches apart on lined/greased baking sheets.
Place 1/2 a candied cherry in the center and an almond at 12, 4 and 8 o'clock (like a flower). Press in a bit as they have a habit of jumping off! Bake at 375F/180C for 12-15 min or until golden brown.
Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and brush the tops with the glaze. Once cool you can glaze the bottom, but I tend not to.
Once they are completely cool and dry, place in airtight containers and store at room temperature for at least 2 weeks or up to 3 months (I store for about 8 weeks). If the cookies go hard, add a thin slice of apple to the container and cover tightly, storing until they're moist again (about a day) and discarding the apple.
Makes about 4 dozen.
My variations:
I goofed one year and instead of the tsp measures of the spices, I put in Tbsp measures of spices. I now do that every year!
I don't like citron, so leave it out. I'll also use flaked almonds in the dough for different texture.
I've substituted Brandy for the Rum in the past in the glaze.
I've never had to do the apple trick.
And in typing up this recipe, I realise I don't need to halve the blanched almonds for the top, which I've always done, getting very, very frustrated at doing it!!
Enjoy!
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Things I've Been Meaning to Do - October Edition
1 - Get those shelves up. The toilet one is now at least painted, and the plan today is to re-paint the room ready for it.
2 - Sort out my office area and go through paperwork. The piles of paperwork is driving me nuts, and I need to make space for DH's as well.
3- Not a meaning to do, but due this month - start baking my christmas cookies. They need a couple of months to mature.
4 - put more of the boxes around the place into storage - if there is room in the lock-up.
5 - cut and sew pants for Baby J - need to do this soon before he out-grows the size I've cut in the pattern!!
Not a big list this month, so I should get a fair way through.... Hmmmm
2 - Sort out my office area and go through paperwork. The piles of paperwork is driving me nuts, and I need to make space for DH's as well.
3- Not a meaning to do, but due this month - start baking my christmas cookies. They need a couple of months to mature.
4 - put more of the boxes around the place into storage - if there is room in the lock-up.
5 - cut and sew pants for Baby J - need to do this soon before he out-grows the size I've cut in the pattern!!
Not a big list this month, so I should get a fair way through.... Hmmmm
Monday, 3 October 2011
TIBMTD - September Wrap
I like this accountability thing - I actually get stuff done!!
Ironing - done, rebuilt, needs to be done again. This is going to require a routine, me thunks.
Carport clean-up was not touched. I'm thinking the wardrobe can be re-purposed when we have a bigger house as either a sewing or study nook (or one side for each - thinking, thinking). My Dad's council area's Hard Rubbish collection in November should clear a bit of the junk that's out there.
Donations have been shifted to my donations box (with a few other bits and pieces), but I've not gotten anywhere to under the bed. Baby J is now on the move, so this is up the priority tree! I also didn't get further on the shelves, so that is also a priority.
I got the garden jobs done, plus the mending.
Oh the mending - two buttons on to items. A repair to Mr Trifectagirl's pants and repaired a pair of my pants - only to find they no longer fit! Oh well, that's what you get for leaving things a year and a pregnancy.
Ironing - done, rebuilt, needs to be done again. This is going to require a routine, me thunks.
Carport clean-up was not touched. I'm thinking the wardrobe can be re-purposed when we have a bigger house as either a sewing or study nook (or one side for each - thinking, thinking). My Dad's council area's Hard Rubbish collection in November should clear a bit of the junk that's out there.
Donations have been shifted to my donations box (with a few other bits and pieces), but I've not gotten anywhere to under the bed. Baby J is now on the move, so this is up the priority tree! I also didn't get further on the shelves, so that is also a priority.
I got the garden jobs done, plus the mending.
Oh the mending - two buttons on to items. A repair to Mr Trifectagirl's pants and repaired a pair of my pants - only to find they no longer fit! Oh well, that's what you get for leaving things a year and a pregnancy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)