'The West Wing' EW.com Reunion 2010

I made pizza dough from scratch last Saturday - sensational!

This is a great recipe from the Bourke St Bakery ( where I saw Jenny Macklin having coffee through the week)

 

No I don't have a breadmaker - I simply kneaded the dough for about 8 mins (another reason not to join a gym) and then let it sit in an oiled bowl till the yeast did its magic !

I actulally cooked mine in the BBQ on a stone bought from BBQs Galore. With the hood down it makes a great pizza oven.

 

Make pizza dough from scratch

by Catherine Luu

Go on, admit it. You, like many Australians, have an underused bread maker tucked away somewhere in your kitchen. When you first laid eyes on it, it was love. Over time (a matter of only a few loaves for some), you grew tired of its demanding ways and put it somewhere out of sight and out of mind. Well, it’s time to dust off this trusty appliance and discover the joys of homemade pizza dough — bread maker-style. All you need are a few ingredients that you probably already have at home and a bit of time to prepare. Ingredients for two large pizzas (feeds about 4-6 — you can halve the dough ingredients if you don’t have as many mouths to feed; it works just fine): 600g plain flour 5g dry yeast 3 teaspoons sea salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 teaspoons milk 410mL water Spare flour for kneading 1. Put all the ingredients into your bread maker and select a dough setting that takes about 45 minutes to complete. My bread maker actually has a pizza setting, which is a bit of good luck really. 2. While the dough mixes and rests in the bread maker, you can get all your toppings ready and pre-heat the oven to 220°C (200°C if your oven is fan forced). Also get two large, flat trays ready — any shape works — and line them with non-stick paper. 3. When the bread maker has finished with the dough, dust your hands with the spare flour, then tip the dough out onto a cutting board dusted with flour. This is a bit sticky, but good fun. Give the dough a quick knead, then divide it into two lumps. Transfer the dough lumps to your trays, pre-dusted with a bit of flour. 4. If you find yourself without a rolling pin (like me), you can use a wine or vodka bottle to roll out the dough to fit the trays. Put on your favourite toppings, then set the pizzas aside to rest for about 20 minutes. 5. Put the pizzas into the oven and in 15 minutes you have delicious, homemade pizza. Simple!

Tolerance - is something going on ?

If a pastor in the USA starts burning sacred texts there is a problem. If Sept 11 memories do not highlight fanatical terrorism rather than a world religion there is a problem. Are we ambivalent towards the rants of talkback and opinion columnists?  Some kind of peculiar apathy is going on in our society and I just can't pick it. Perhaps wiser people will have insights

Over 24 years ago, psychologist and researcher Gordon Allport wrote the following in his now-classic The Nature of Prejudice:

"See that man over there?"

"Yes."

"Well, I hate him."

"But you don’t know him."

"That’s why I hate him."

"Assalamu alaikum" - peace be to you

Bledisloe 2010

Off to the Bledisloe tonight. Please Wallabies !!!!!

http://www.anzstadium.com.au/Events/EventCalendar/EventDetails.aspx?EventContentId=86a178f3-9f1d-4b61-be4a-e69afc05a0d4

If you do not understand the system - I don't think you should have the right to vote

I am sick of one thing this week.  The number of times I have heard people say "Well I won't be voting for Gillard or I won't be voting for Abbott" has been astonishing.  Good. You WON"T be voting for Gillard unless you live in the federal seat of Lalor in Victoria and you WON'T be voting for Abbott unless you live in the federal seat of Warringah in NSW.  We do not have presidential elections in this nation. The Prime Minister  is appointed by the Governor-General, who by convention under the Constitution, must appoint the parliamentary leader of the party, or coalition of parties, which has a majority of seats in the House of Representatives. This majority party becomes the government and provides the ministers, all of whom must be members of Parliament.


Most of us vote for a local federal member, whether they be Labor, Liberal, National, Greens or Independent.  It is these individual members who elect a leader and that person is the Prime Minister.


Perhaps if a few people read a little about Athenian Democracy, the struggles of Oliver Cromwell and Henry Parkes' vision for the Australian Federation then they may appreciate our system of parliament that we have today.


My hope is that the next generation coming through our education system who study civics may have a better understanding.

Now when we begin the conversation of becoming a republic.....

Vivid Sydney

Went into Vivid Sydney on Saturday night. A stroll down Macquarie Street from St Mary’s Cathedral and Hyde Park Barracks to Parliament House, the State Library of NSW and The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, these great examples of Sydney architecture are rendered with extraordinary light. Each one tells a story and projects images that fits in with the general purpose or history of the building. The music of Peter Sculthorpe that plays whilst you stand in front of the cathdral is particularly haunting and beautiful.  A fine evening and a few amateur snaps attached.

The Optimist Creed

The Optimist Creed

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press onto the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times every living creature you meet, a smile.
To give so much time to the failure of yourself that you have no time to criticise others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Pakistani Goat Curry

Off to a friend's for dinner tonight.  I am making a goat curry to share - don't often use goat but it is a wonderful meat. If the idea of eating/consuming "kid " repulses you then use lamb instead. I'll let you know about the reviews (considering many guests this evening are of Anglo-Indian heritage).


INGREDIENTS:
1 small onion (roughly chopped)
8 cloves garlic (chopped)
5cm piece of fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
4 tablespoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1.5kg goat meat (trimmed of fat and cubed)
500ml natural yoghurt
1/2 lemon (juice of)
1 tomato (chopped)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 160ºC.
In a blender or pestle & mortar, blend the onion, garlic and ginger with 4 tablespoons water into a smooth paste. Set aside. Heat a large stove and ovenproof casserole pan over a medium heat. Brown the goat in batches on all sides then remove to a plate. Now add to the pan the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon and stir for 10 seconds. Add the onion paste and stir fry for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the yoghurt and stir well. Now add the remaining yoghurt, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric and salt and stir well. Top up with 450ml water stir, then return the goat to the pan. Place over a medium/high heat until the sauce begins to simmer. Remove from the heat, put on a lid and then cook in the oven for 2 1/2 -3 hours. Stirring every 30 minutes.
Place the pan back on the stove over a medium heat and let it simmer for 5-8 minutes to reduce the sauce until thick. Add the lemon juice and adjust the salt to your taste if necessary.
SERVING:
Sprinkle over the chopped tomato and serve with Indian breads or rice.

So you think God can't use you...

So you think God can't use you...
Well remember that...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
Mary Magdalene was, well you know
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...........
AND
Lazarus was dead!

Boom Tish - a lot of heavy political stuff around today...

So let's keep it light.

• She was only a whiskey maker … but he loved her still.
• The algebra teacher confiscated a student’s rubber-band pistol … on the grounds that it was a weapon of maths disruption. 
• The butcher backed into a meat grinder … and got a little behind in his work.
   
• No matter how much you push the envelope … it’ll still be stationery.
   
• A dog gave birth to puppies in a public park … and was cited for littering.
   
• Two silk worm had a race … they ended in a tie.
   
• A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall … police are looking into it.
   
• Two hats were hanging on a hat rack. One hat said to the other, ‘You hang out here, I’ll go on ahead’.
   
• I wondered why the basketball kept getting bigger … then it hit me.
   
• A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to hospital … when his grandmother called to find out how he was, the nurse said, ‘No change yet’.
   
• The old soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray … is now a seasoned veteran.
   
• Don’t join dangerous cults … practice safe sects.
• Atheism … a non-prophet organisation.

My Top 5 Reasons To Keep Learning

The great Englsh thinker, John Henry Newman, once commented that the study of history and literature opens a place where “the secrets of the heart are brought to light, pain of the soul is relieved, hidden grief is carried off, sympathy conveyed, counsel imparted, experience recorded, and wisdom perpetuated”.

As many of us are in the midst of writing essays or assignments, reading books or involved in weighty discussions  I thought it would  good just to ponder for a moment on some of the reasons why we do this.

My Top 5 Reasons To Keep Learning

1. There is much to learn
2. By reviewing past wisdom we gain vision for the future
3. It improves us personally and professionally
4. We are handy resources on trivia nights
5. Our brain functions just like other muscles in our body -we need to exercise it.

 So keep thinking fellow primates -like our friend below.

I would love you to add to the list... please leave a comment.

BAFTA - The Best Guide to Decent Film

http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-awards-nominations,949,BA.html

Every year people go awards crazy talking up the hopes of various cinematic wonders, who is a chance with the Oscars etc.

Film is subjecive. Granted. That said,  one cannot believe that some movies are ever released to the general public.

I have always found the BAFTA to provide a broad and diverse cross section of film.  The winner and the nominees provide a good path for your next movie night.

Enjoy.

First the wine then the food - someone needs to open this style of restaurant in Sydney

From The Times

February 18, 2010

I’ll have the white — oh, and some food

A remarkable restaurant in Paris has turned the menu on its head and put wine first. The food is just a vehicle

Alex Renton

Wine is usually the most expensive item on my restaurant bills, and probably on yours: it is where most restaurants take their profit. The mark-up is generally 100 per cent or more. Gordon Ramsay has said that the food in his restaurants is a loss leader, that the alcohol is where the gold is.
In Paris recently I ate in a remarkable restaurant near Les Invalides that turns the menu on its head and puts wine first. At Il Vino d’Enrico Bernardo you don’t ask the table “white or red? Or shall we get a bottle of each?” after the food order. The food here is just a vehicle: it doesn’t appear on the menu at all, unless you ask.
Bernardo is a celebrity sommelier: winner of Best Sommelier in the World awards and a veteran of celebrated wine cellars such as that at the Georges Cinq hotel in Paris, and the Troisgros brothers’ restaurant at Roanne. A good sommelier is a key member of a restaurant’s staff. He manages the cellar, stocking it and weighing up which wine goes where with the menus. But the sommelier must work in the shadow of the chef.
This restaurant is the sommelier’s revenge: the menu is a list of wines and prices by the glass. You decide what to drink, then wait to see what the chef comes up with to “display truly the wine to its grandest advantage”, as the waiter told us. As Il Vino has had a Michelin star since it opened two years ago, you can rely on the food bit being up to scratch.
So the two of us started with a red and a white — a 2005 premier cru Nuits Saint Georges, to be precise, and a dry Vouvray from 2008. The red burgundy was full, nutty and velvet, and to show it off the waiter arrived with a small bowl of mushroom ravioli in strong chicken jus, a tangle of almost caramelised fungi on top. The Vouvray, a famously flowery wine, got a dish of lightly poached oysters langoustine in a gentle sauce of coconut milk and lemon grass.
The concept works. It was fascinating to reverse your normal thinking and ponder first the wine’s flavours, then see how they fitted with the food’s. The answer was that they did, surprisingly well: the big Nuits St Georges making quite a noise but not extinguishing the earthy trills of the mushroom. A harder task was the Vouvray’s, with the seafood and those oriental spices in the sauce: very easy for wine to blot out the food or vice versa. But it worked.
There are other advantages to the Bernardo way. First that the wine is opened and properly “breathed” – the Nuits St Georges would have been half the gorgeous beast it turned out to be if newly uncorked: my generous glass came from halfway down the bottle. And, of course, this is an unusual opportunity (if you’re not a banker) to drink a lot of different fine wines, including the delicious blanc de blancs that we were served with amuse-gueules of jamon Serrano and gorgeous Jerusalem artichoke soup. Sharing glasses and food, the two of us tried seven wines in the evening. Did we “strike a perfect chord between the food and the wine and create a deep and profound discovery of the greedy soil”, as Enrico promises on his website? Well, it was a lot of fun.
There was a Puligny-Montrachet that seemed to wake up a dullish bit of sautéed monkfish; a sumptuous Burgundy; a 2006 Cornas in which some lamb cutlets and pureéd cauliflower cavorted luxuriously. I could go on, but you can only churn out this restaurant-critic stuff for so long: I’ll run out of adjectives.
Not everything worked. With a sweet red, “Les Trois Schistes”, from the Coteaux de L’Aubance, we ate some yummy soft cheese but the red was too sweet and the marriage weird and metallic.
The young waiters, trained sommeliers all, were genuinely interested in how we would react to the series of surprises and ready to tell us what they thought we would get from the wines, but not too ready. It was a grand stomach adventure — and the bill was pretty astounding, too.
alex.renton@thetimes.co.uk
Il Vino d’Enrico Bernardo, 13 Bd de La Tour-Maubourg, 7th arrondissement; 0144 117200. There is also a Courchevel branch

Don't Blame it on the Rain

According to the Bureau of Met team my little suburb has had 241.5mm of rain in 11 days. 77.5 mm in the last two days.  Is it time to build an ark yet ?

Kung Hei Fat Choi

Kung Hei Fat Choi