In The Kitchen : Vegemite Scrolls

A few weeks ago I had a craving for cheese and vegemite scrolls, which, being gluten intolerant, I haven't had for years. I had a packet of gluten-free bread mix in the cupboard that I'd bought on a whim at the gourmet supermarket that we visit occasionally. I don't eat much bread (gluten-free or otherwise) anymore, so I thought it would be fun to try and make it up into something a bit more special.

Thankfully scrolls aren't that hard to make, really. I followed the instructions on the box to make the bread dough. I have to say, this bread is one of the best gluten-free ones I've tasted.

Then I rolled out the dough to about 3 centimetres thick, trying to keep a rectangular shape. Then I spread it with vegemite (warming it slightly first helps) and sprinkled cheese on it.

I rolled up the rectangle into a scroll and cut it to make the buns. Some of them were smaller because the scroll was a bit uneven at the edges, but that's okay. They just fit into the pan. I used a springform cake tin so that the buns would use the side of the pan (as well as each other) as support while they rise. It worked very well.

After rising, I sprinkled on some more cheese before baking. They didn't take very long to bake!

The scrolls look divine, especially when the photos are taken with Husband's much newer phone camera!

I liked that they all came out different shapes and sizes. They are most delicious served warm with lashings of butter in the middle and a cup of tea.

My August, and, September Reading Challenge

August has been a typical Winter month: cold every day and rainy most days. But Winter is in my top two seasons, so I don't complain. My health has been a bit iffy again -- still getting over a virus and then a cold more recently. I was able to go out a couple of times though, and kept myself busy otherwise. There's been a lack of regular posts recently, it's true. Nothing felt like it was important enough for a full post, hence why this one has lots of bits and pieces in it.

What I've been reading ...
I completed my goal and finished The Lord of The Rings on the last day of the month. I might write about my experience with re-reading it later. I'm still very much enjoying reading so I set myself another monthly challenge. For September, I will read at least 1/2 hour a day, and try to finish as many quick reads / short books / short stories as I can. My optional challenge ('stretch goal', I guess you could call it) is to finish one book I've had on my 'currently reading' pile for a long time.

Here is the page I made up in my Hobonichi to track my progress. I don't know why I put such a large piece of washi tape on the left side. I guess I can stick a plain piece of paper over the top of it later if I run out of room on the right hand side. Also, can you spot the several spelling mistakes? Writing vertically and coming down with a cold aren't a good combination for concentrating.

What I've been cooking ...
I tried a new recipe ... Japanese Cream Stew, using the recipe from Japanese Cooking 101, here. It's made with a plain white sauce, which I thought would make it taste bland, but the meat and vegetables are cooked in chicken broth, and it ended up being rich and very tasty. I would definitely make it again.

What I've been drawing ...
I wanted to try doing more drawing this month, because if I want to learn to draw, then I have to practice! I only drew a couple of times, and ended up retreating to 'comfort' subjects, like the fantasy maps I used to draw when I was a teenager. I do most of them in my Hobonichi because they have so many spare pages, it fills them up. I quite like the layered effect on the trees in the centre of this one, though it was mostly accidental.

Speaking of my Hobonichi, I haven't been writing in it every single day, but when I do, I've been trying out different styles. On these pages, I layered the washi tapes, and added small notepapers for highlighted points. To be honest, most of the 'notepapers' are just textured backgrounds that I printed off the internet, cut up into the appropriate size/shape, and edged with a highlighter. And also to be honest, most of the time I just end up writing what I had for dinner or what I watched on Netflix. But I think they give the page an interesting extra dimension.

What I've been working on ...
I'm still working on this yet-to-be-named art project. Things tend to take longer than I thought because I tend to get obsessed, go down rabbitholes, try everything, and research every tiny detail. Currently I'm creating a conscript (constructed script) for it, and I'm trying out different shapes and forms for the letters. (Again, using up spare pages in my Hobonichi.)

What I've been growing ...
Here is a plant that my friend had at work, and needed some tlc. I brought it home and put it with my other indoor plants. It's starting to look nice and plump already. When the weather gets a bit warmer, I'll re-pot it.

What I've been seeing ...
I took a trip to the city to have lunch with some friends, and saw this street art in one of the laneways:

Hello Winter!

Winter (one of my three favourite seasons) has returned, and I'm glad. To be honest, it probably started a couple of weeks ago, but Australian winter is quite mild and sometimes we can slip into it without even noticing. I've observed that a lot of the time, only every second day is really wintry, alternating with lovely sunny days. Here's a montage to illustrate. The photos were literally taken one day apart:

So what do I love about Winter right now?

COMFORT FOOD
A cheese toastie and a bowl of soup are the perfect lunch in Winter. (The bread is gluten-free as I'm still unfortunately gluten intolerant.) I also like noodle soups, we've made pea and ham soup a few times, and I want to try making minestrone with gluten-free pasta.

KITTY QUIRKS
Sharick will do anything to soak up some warmth in Winter, even to the extent of lying on my computer, which he's certainly not allowed to do! Not only does it exude warmth on its own from the CPU, but in the mornings my desk is in the sun from the side window. I'll have to try to wean him off it, because he's done all sorts of strange things from pressing the keys randomly!

Additional snuggling:

NOTICING NATURE
Winter is a dormant time, but a lot still goes on in the plant world. Even before they've lost their leaves, the buds on the deciduous trees are already forming. It's a relief to get up close to my fruit trees and see them, and know they're not dead, just asleep. The usual Winter life is there too: the mushrooms. Plants that get enough warmth, like my indoor succulents and chilli, still grow quite vigorously. And of course the combination of rain and sun causes the grass to go bananas.

Bonus photos taken last Winter. I no longer work near this park and I miss visiting it so much!

My March

March was still quite hot at the beginning, but Autumn finally started to kick in towards the end. I've been waiting for the leaves to turn, and they finally have. It's been cool enough to start using the oven again, and cook some hearty meals.

What I've been growing ...
I grew potatoes, which was quite exciting. I was going to write a separate post about this a few weeks ago, but I couldn't find the photos from the beginning of the process -- letting the 'eyes' grow on the potatoes and planting them. It didn't feel complete without them, but I didn't want to go with not mentioning it at all. Here are my 4 potato plants at the nearly-ready-for-digging-up stage:

Here is my harvest. I planted 4 full-size potatoes, and put together I'd say these babies equal about the same. All it cost me was half a bag of compost and a couple of handfuls of straw. I didn't pay enough attention to regularly adding more compost and letting the plants grow taller (and therefore grow more spuds underground). I'll remember that for next year.

What I've been cooking ...
Husband and I re-watched the Harry Potter movies, and on the spur of the moment we decided to have a Harry Potter feast day. For breakfast we had a cooked breakfast with sausages, eggs and mushrooms:

We were so full from breakfast that we weren't hungry for lunch (which was going to be Mrs. Weasley's corned beef sandwiches). I was also going to make pumpkin pasties and treacle tart, but we wouldn't have been able to eat them! So we skipped straight to dinner: a roast beef and veggies complete with Yorkshire pudding and gravy!:

I had some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from a trip to the Shop of Requirement (see my post on my first visit there here!), and it was time to try them! Yes, they really are every flavour! I wrote about them a bit more on my Instagram.

Finally, some less scary desserts. Muggle versions of chocolate wands (chocolate liquorice logs), (non)jumping chocolate frogs, and ordinary-flavoured jelly beans:

What I've been potting ...
I love re-potting plants. It's one of my favourite activities. I went to the local nursery and splashed out on lots and lots of pots, and a couple of new plant friends. Then I had some mammoth re-potting sessions. I'm still not done yet though. I had a wealth of cuttings from my fuchsia and succulents to pot up, and I'm still not done yet. I've been trying to re-use materials more -- such as bits from a disposable coffee cup to line the bottom of the pots.

What I've been making ...
I started a new craft project but I can't reveal anything about it yet as it's a gift for a friend. So you'll have to wait until next month to find out what it is!

Selections from Instagram
The place where I'm working isn't that picturesque, but I did find this stunning display of Autumn leaves a few days ago:

Sharick 'helping' me to fold my clothes:

My February

February was a month of contrasts for me. I got a job halfway through the month, so I left behind much of the time I had for doing arts and crafts. Weather-wise, it's been much hotter than normal for this time of year. Usually there are only a few days above 35oC (95oF) by the time we get to February, but this year there have been many. I'm looking forward to Autumn more than ever this year!


What I've been working on ...
Work has been continuing apace on my art project, a crocheted blanket. I put off measuring it for a long time because I was worried it wasn't as big as I'd like it to be at this stage. I finally did measure it though: it's 180cm wide and 130cm long. At the moment it's a bit of an odd shape. Ideally I'd like it to be at least 180-200cm long, but that depends on how much time and energy I have to work on it before the due date. I was in too much of a hurry to get proper photos of the whole blanket, sorry about that. It's hard to take photos of something so big without a ladder!

What I've been sorting ...
Like nearly everyone else (it seems!), I've been influenced by Marie Kondo's Netflix TV series and have renewed my KonMari de-cluttering journey. I decided to KonMari my fridge magnets. Husband and I have quite a large collection, most of which were stuffed into a bag when we moved house and never unpacked. We always buy at least one magnet when we travel and sometimes to art exhibitions, and a few friends have given some to us, too. It brought back some lovely memories. I'd forgotten I had so many pretty magnets.

What I've been blending ...
I made my first spiritual oil this month. I'm leaving it to blend for a month, so I won't know how it went for another few weeks. See this post on my other blog for more about it.

What I've been cooking ...
I made a stir fry earlier in the month and realised that it was perfect for Lunar New Year. Pork for the Year of the Pig, long noodles for longevity, plus the noodles are golden for prosperity. The photo wasn't pretty enough for Instagram, so I've put it here. Though now I come to think of it, I was the one who first started the #allfoodisinstaworthyfood hashtag, so perhaps that's a little hypocritical of me!

What my cat has been doing ...
For some reason Sharick has decided to make the towels shelf in the bathroom his new hidey hole. It's very cute, but all the towels will need to be re-washed at some point.

Selections from Instagram

Actually I never posted this flower to my Instagram, so enjoy the blog-exclusive, hehe

Hello Winter!

Winter has come early and hard to my part of Australia this year. The frosty mornings and overcast skies have blown in suddenly like a southerly wind straight from Antarctica. Thankfully, Winter isn't completely relentless here -- there are still some sunny days which bring a little warmth and hope.

Here are some ways that I'd like to celebrate Winter this year:

BAKING
As I mentioned in my last post, I really want to get back into baking again. I love making cakes, loaves and biscuits that I can share with Husband and with friends. I have a secret love of rock cakes -- they make the perfect snack! Collecting cute utensils to use in the kitchen is another wish of mine.



KNITTING & CROCHETING
In Summer it's just too hot to handle wool or have large blankets-in-progress draped over my lap. But Winter is the perfect time for that! I've even been taking one smaller blanket to work with me and working on it during my lunchbreaks. There's something comforting about holding the yarn in my hands which goes well with cold weather.



CAT SNUGGLES
When I've had a long day at work, all I can think about is coming home and snuggling with my cat. He's a confirmed lap cat and a huge sook, so I know I'm guaranteed some time with him on my lap every evening. Sometimes I even joke that I'm nothing but a heated cushion in his eyes! Not only is it nice and warm, but I can scratch under his chin easily and it's bonding time for both of us.


I hope your Winter is warm and snuggly, and if you're in Summer right now, I hope you're enjoying the sun!

My March

The first signs of Autumn started to appear this month. I won't go into the customary nature-y part too much as I wrote about it only a few posts ago. This post is all about the food!

What I've been eating...
I've been doing a meditation course one night a week, and had to get dinner beforehand. Completely by coincidence, two weeks in a row the only food I could secure was vegan tacos. I'm not vegan or even vegetarian, but I'm willing to try new things. The first was from Miss Katie's Crab Shack (she has the same name as me!). I was unwilling to eat seafood in case I got sick just before my meditation was due to begin, so I went with the vegan option. The bean chilli and pico de gallo were delicious, but the tortillas fell apart within seconds, as is usual with gluten-free.

The second was from Trippy Taco, a well-known establishment in Melbourne. This time I was able to have a mixed set, with beans and tofu. The fried tofu was delicious, but the beans strangely bland. In fact the whole meal had no spice whatsoever, which I found very strange. The tortillas were very sturdy though, and I'd go back for the tasty tofu.

What I've been catching ...
Pokémon Go players will probably know that the game creators have started a monthly 'Community Day', which really means that certain rare Pokémon types will appear prolifically for three hours. It's up to the players to do the 'community' bit. Seeing as the game is designed so that more Pokémon appear when you're moving around, it's a good excuse to leave the house. Husband and I decided to go a park a short drive away from us, and accidentally ran into a kite festival! We had a lovely time walking around, catching Pokémon and looking at the kites.

What I've been cooking ...
One weekend I made sausage rolls, with the outrageously expensive gluten-free pastry I had in the freezer, and some sausage mince. I tweaked them a bit by enclosing cheese in the middle, and sealing up the ends. I also experimented by stamping the tip of a piping bag into the pastry to create a star effect.

Over Easter Husband and I made a giant batch of chilli in our slow cooker. It has beef steak, kidney beans, halloumi cheese, corn, capsicum, onion and various types of chillis. I fried most of the ingredients on the stove first to increase the depth of flavour. There was enough to last the whole weekend and in fact we still have plenty left. I love slow cooker cooking: an hour's work saved us from having to organise at least five meals.

What I've been buying ...
Sharick's old scratching board was almost completely worn down (he really loves scratching!) so we splashed out and bought him a new, fancy one. It's taller than the old one, and he likes to sit on it and peer at us over edge of the coffee table. At other times, he lounges on it like a Roman emperor at a banquet.

Selections from Instagram
This month's selections are meant to highlight the variable Autumn weather: