My Sunday Photo - 8 January 2017

Buddhist Temple in Melbourne Australia 

On our recent trip to Melbourne for Christmas, we came upon 4 temples all within a few kilometres of each other.  This one looks like the palace in the Forbidden City Beijing we thought.  Perhaps on a smaller scale, but still imposing and magnificent.  I think this statue is of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.  There were food offerings at the base of the various statues - bananas, bread and so on.  It was quite stunning to see in a Melbourne suburb.

A - Z Guidebook - Sopron, Hungary & My Sunday Photo

Firewatch Tower, Sopron  

We really loved Hungary when we visited as part of our big backpacking trip in our younger days.  It was still pretty scary in those days as Communism still reigned supreme.  Our lovely homestay host came with us to the train station to say goodbye, but he was fairly terrified of all the guards stomping around with big guns slung over their shoulders, and pretended he didn't know us while they were around.  A bit of an unusual experience for these young Aussies.  So not used to seeing people with biiiggg guns!

This tower has 200 steps to the top - we climbed them all, so we could check out the view.  We met a very interesting young fella in Sopron who was actually from Vienna on a trip.  He was quite the young Nazi!  He was not a fan of the Jewish people; all Europe's problems were their fault apparently.  Scary stuff I tell you.  And he was only about 20 - OMG, pretty shocking.  Fortunately, we met no other self-professed neo Nazis.  

We had a wonderful time, checking out the historical architecture and meeting lovely people.  And eating interesting food, including 2 whole tureens of soup at one restaurant.  We didn't realise you were supposed to serve yourself and just fill your bowl with a ladle of soup.  We thought you had to eat it all!  So we did.  Lord knows what the locals thought of us.
  




Join in with Tiffin Fiona in the monthly travel link up where we show off our travel photos.  We are using the letter S this month.

And thanks also to Darren from Photalife for hosting the My Sunday Photo link each week.

Gingerbread - The Georgian Way And My Sunday Photo

Gingerbread?  This name comes from the Latin zingiber.  Ooh, I love the sound of that - zingiber!  It seems that gingerbread started off in Germany then went to Sweden, and was taken up by the English in Elizabeth I's time in the form of gingerbread men.  

This is a recipe from the online course on Royal Food that I did recently with the University of Reading.  Gingerbread was a staple of the Georgian Christmas table, though many of the foods and festivities had become muted since Medieval times.  It was originally seen as very festive (i.e. only for festivals) due to the expensive spices, but by this time spices were cheaper thus more available to the ordinary folk of England. 



Makes about 22 


ingredients:


340g. of treacle

113g. of brown sugar

9g. ground ginger

7g. ground cloves

7g. ground mace - I had to buy it and grind it myself

7g. ground allspice

7g. ground nutmeg

7g. whole caraway seeds

7g. whole coriander seeds

half an egg - check my notes for info on this

454g. butter, melted

500g. plain flour



Method:


Place all the ingredients except the flour into a large mixing bowl

Mix them well together

Add the flour in increments - the recipe says it will form a stiff paste but this didn't happen for me:=)

You can cut out shapes if the dough does become stiff enough, but otherwise do what I did - just drop it onto the lined baking trays with a big spoon

Bake at 160C for 15-20 minutes - I did mine in 2 lots

Cool on wire racks

Store in the fridge in a sealed container



Notes:


I cracked open one large egg, which weighed 57 grams.  I then whisked it with a fork to combine the yolk and white, and weighed out half so I ended up with about 28g. of egg

The original recipe says it "will knead into a pretty stiff paste".  I added twice the amount of flour that was suggested (half a pound), and the mixture was still incredibly soft, so no gingerbread men or women for me

ingredients

ground spices

all in!

the melted better is in - looks like a pond at this point  

and the flour is stirred in - see, still pretty runny but that's okay    

just spoon them onto the lined tray - yep, they're buttery

spicy and tender  

Best to let them cool down and firm up before eating.  They stayed soft though the recipe says they are good for dunking.  Perhaps leaving the dough in the fridge overnight as the recipe suggests would lead to a stiffer biscuit.  Mr P. was happy with these as is.


This recipe comes from New System of Cookery 1816 by Maria Rundell.

the recipe from the course notes  

my gingerbread man doodle

My Sunday Photo - 4 December 2016

Christmas coffee fruit cake ready for the oven

My Sunday Photo - 27 November 2016

the city square Brisbane QLD at sunset  

My Sunday Photo 3 July 2016

gorgeous orange trumpet creeper 

We went for a country drive yesterday and came upon this exquisite creeper sunning itself across an arch overlooking the small country town of Boonah.  The bees were buzzing, the sun was shining and the sky was a stunning blue.  Hubby and I just stood there amazed at the sheer beauty of it all.  It was starting to get cold as the sun was about to go down in an hour or so.  We had just been to a Winter Harvest Festival in the nearby tiny town of Aratula, where we found lots of wonderful produce.  This time of year is just so beautiful in sunny Queensland, when we have cloudless, clear blue sky days and cool nights.

My Sunday Photo 22 May 2016

sunset through a bushfire haze

Hubby and I took a drive out into the countryside yesterday.  It was a beautiful Autumn day here with blue skies, just a few clouds and brilliant sunshine.  All pretty normal for a south-east Queensland day.  On the way home, coming down the mountain, we noticed masses of smoke.  There was a bushfire of some sort - it may have just been back burning which is done at this time of year.  And what a glorious sunset it became!

My Sunday Photo 8 May 2016

puppy sitting the beauteous Scout the red staffy/ie 

This is Scout, the gorgeous red Staffy/ie.  We have done a wee bit of puppy sitting for friends, and have fallen in love with her 'cos she is as cute as a button.  And look at that tongue!  Soooo cute. She grabbed a baby toad one night while she was staying with us. Oh my, the terror in our hearts.  One of our own dogs grabbed a toad years ago and we had to rush her to the vets, so thank goodness this was a baby toad and no poison was emitted.  Phew!!

A - Z Guidebook: Kaikoura New Zealand - And My Sunday Photo 17 April 2016

Mr P. and his lady friend in Kaikoura New Zealand      

Hubby and I have been to New Zealand half a dozen times over the last several years, and really love it there.  Friends from Brisbane moved to the South Island a while ago, and bought the Old Convent in Kaikoura.  This became a quirky, meandering B & B, full of charm and history.  And a restaurant, and a bar, and a chocolate shop....Here we have Mr P. with his slightly scary lady friend, enjoying the garden in the afternoon sun.



I am joining up this month with Tiffin Fiona's travel linky - we are currently up to the letter K; and My Sunday Photo.

My Sunday Photo 3 April 2016

beautiful sculpture of a Clydesdale   

We went out for a country drive on the weekend, and ended up in a country town called Boonah.  It is rimmed all around like a bowl by lovely little hills.  It is actually called the Scenic Rim region, due to the hills.  There is a vineyard and a lavender farm nearby, and they seem to really be getting into the regional food trends.  We had lunch in a 100 year old building (I know that is not old to you British types - ha ha!) that used to be the offices for the Boonah Butter Factory, which had numerous farms in the district supplying the milk for the butter.  It has pressed metal ceilings and timber floors and is a lovely spot to share a meal.   

The Clydesdales came with the squatters back in the 19th century, and were a valued part of the history of the region.  This sculpture welcomes you into the town from the highway.  Mr P. and I jumped out of the car and took a few photos of this splendid public artwork. I really love public art, and we think this is a beauty!

My Sunday Photo 28 February 2016

The Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial   

Our niece has just joined the RAAF, so we were down in Canberra for the big parade after her first bit of training.  It was a very moving and exciting experience.  We also visited The War Memorial for the Last Post ceremony and wreath laying ceremony. It is all very moving and hubby and I both had tears in our eyes. 

My granddad was at Gallipoli; he got blown up and was sent back to England for a year before going home to Australia.  Hubby's great-uncle was in the Light Horse in WWI so we both feel very emotional about these things.  So I suggest to you all if ever in Australia/Canberra - head here!

My Sunday Photo 21 February 2016

gorgeous photo of my MIL    

My hubby's mum is now in a nursing home, but in her younger days she was a very stylish young woman.  Here she is at the races at age 16!  She was soon to be a wife and mother, having 6 children being the good Catholic girl that she was...and is.  This lovely frame was a Christmas gift from the nurses, so we decided to find a lovely photo of her for it.  Wasn't she a sweetheart?


  

My Sunday Photo 7 February 2016

hand-painted coconut shells   

Last weekend on our anniversary trip away, we went to a local craft market.  I saw a stall with these cute painted coconut shells.  The lady told me they were hand-painted and food safe.  Our potter friend later said they were most likely painted in China and not food safe at all.  What a cynic!  Anyway they were irresistible and headed home with us (along with a few other things of course).  I think they will make lovely gifts.

My Sunday Photo 31 January 2016

sign outside an antiques store in Newrybar NSW   

Mr P. and I are enjoying a wee break away for our wedding anniversary down in the depths of glorious northern New South Wales.  It is a stunning area; you must all come and visit!:=)  This is outside an antiques store which resides in an old, former butcher's shop.  You can still see the old blood stains on the concrete floors which are original. (That's Mr P. lurking in the background on the right). 

My Sunday Photo 24 January 2016

yep that's me snapping away  

A few days ago I went out to lunch with an old mate from work. We catch up about once a month, and head off to an art gallery and then lunch.  This is me in The Chelsea Bistro, taking a photo of the ceiling lights.  I'm not actually sitting in the corner and there are only 3 lights.  I was in fact facing the other way into a mirror!  I like the way this one turned out.  And lunch wasn't bad either.

My Sunday Photo 17 January 2016

feeling a bit headless  

Mr P. and I went off early to the markets this morning as our niece had a stall selling her organic pet treats.  I took a little stroll and came across this lovely headless lady showing off her black and sparkly dress.  The market is in West End, a trendy inner-city area still catering to the old hippie types that used to live there (think organic, think local, think hemp and bamboo) but who can't afford to anymore:=)    

In My Kitchen January 2016 + My Sunday Photo 10 Jan 2016

my new blender - so pretty  

Yay, back to making smoothies for breakfast.  My old blender died over a year ago, and it has taken me this long to get a new one. Love the red!

saffron from Iran  

A lovely Iranian friend went back home over Christmas to see her parents, and brought me back this gorgeous saffron.  Thank you Atee!  It smells divine.

can you see the turtle?  

This is a lovely celadon teabowl from potter Steve Sheridan in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.  I first saw this on Celia's blog (the former IMK host) and lusted after one for ages.  Mr P. kindly bought me this one for Christmas.  I adore the tiny turtle in the bottom (symbol of longevity).

home made Irish Cream

In my kitchen was the annual making of the Irish Cream.  We have a friend or 2 who likes to partake of this each Christmas.  I seem to remember  a certain Miss M who drank her whole bottle in one fell swoop :=))

a beautiful tea pot from friends   

In my kitchen is this lovely tea pot gifted by friends - so very pretty.  Sadly I don't drink tea except peppermint when I am sick so I will have to leave it to our guests to use it.  (I do have a collection of tea pots though.)  I love the look of them.

my sister says these work wonderfully well  

In my kitchen is a baking dish (or 2).  Sis says they make a wonderfully crisp crust.  And here is another, this time from Mr P.     And yes, it does give a crisp, crunchy crust.

yep this also gives a crisp crust

Swedish moose tea towel   

In my kitchen is a kökshandduk tea towel from Sweden.  My cousin travels each year to outlandish places and brings back fabulous things.  Late last year she went to Sweden and Greenland (be still my beating heart) amongst other countries.  I worked out kök means kitchen; not sure about the rest.

a visiting cat  

In my kitchen is a visiting cat.  She is very friendly, and completely gorgeous.  Where does she come from?  Where does she go?  It is a mystery my friends.

yum!

In my kitchen are my fave sweets.  Soooo delish!  Thanks Mr P.

cute little rabbit    

Lastly in my kitchen is this sparkly little crystal rabbit bought by Mr P. for our anniversary.  I have quite a collection of rabbits in one form or another.  Who can resist?  Just don't buy a real one as a pet in Queensland, else you will be fined and lose your first-born.


This year the In My Kitchen series has moved from its former host Celia of Fig Jam & Lime Cordial to our charming new host Maureen from The Orgasmic Chef.   Thanks Maureen for taking over.  Pop on over to check it out - or join in next month.

This week I am once again joining in the My Sunday Photo hosted by Darren at Photalife.