Tea

Who doesn't like tea? I like tea, I like coffee = best of both worlds. In an attempt to cut back on dairy I have been drinking black tea - specifically, French Earl Grey tea (who knew there was such a thing?
French Earl Grey has a much stronger bergamot flavour which I love, the stronger the better. English Early Grey is much milder and more... well.. plain black-tea-like.

I get my French Earl Grey from the T2 store- a veritable tea emporium, a sensory delight in a shopping mall.

It's base is black tea and bergamot is added along with hibiscus, mallow, sunflower and rose to create a very fragrant, floral and 'citrus-y' tea.

Jade Mountain

This was the kids' choice. Master 7 and Master 8 chose this one, and what a choice it is. A green tea with  rice (yes), hazelnut brittle (I know), cocoa husk, sweet blackberry leaves, chicory root, almonds, carob fruit and 'flavouring'.

There's something about having a proper cup of tea. With a teapot.

I have since discovered this (from Wikipedia... so... you know...)

        The Earl Grey blend, or "Earl Grey's Mixture", is assumed to be named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830s and author of the Reform Bill of 1832. He reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic perquisite, of tea flavoured with bergamot oil.^[4]

Black Forest Slice

I'm a sucker for Black Forest. Black Forest chocolate, black forest gateau, black forest anything. This got me thinking, what exactly is the Black Forest? Before researching I knew (or thought) that the Black Forest was a region in Germany, in Bavaria to be precise. From what I can gather, the Black Forest was called thus due to it being a huge area of uninhabited land with lots of tall trees which didn't let in much light; hence Black Forest. Next question, how does that translate into a cake type? Simply from the cake  Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte , a torte from the Black Forest region. Specifically, it is the cherry liqueur that gives the cake its name. In order for a Black Forest cake to be called as such, it must contain kirschwasser, a clear spirit made from sour cherries, (it's written into German law that this must happen - so says Wikipedia)

Cadbury Chocolate makes Black Forest chocolate which I love, but Cadbury's are bastards at the moment because they are shutting down the Cadbury's factory in Dunedin with the loss of 300-odd jobs. I digress.
A colleague from work made Black Forest fudge slice which was a sin on a plate. So I decided to make my own.

What you need:

• A packet of super wine biscuits - any sweet tea biscuit will do
• 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk (bet you can't not dip your finger in it)
• 120 g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
• One block of Black Forest chocolate - the biggest one.

What you do:

•  Crush up the biscuits - as fine or rough as you like. Set aside.
• Place the butter and condensed milk in a  saucepan and melt gently over a low heat.
• Stir in cocoa powder
• Add butter to biscuit and mix well.
• Turn biscuit mix out into a large slice tin covered with baking paper
• Melt chocolate however you like - microwave if you're lazy. over a double boiler if you're a purist. *
• Pour melted chocolate over biscuit mix, Refrigerate until set.

* if using a microwave, use low power and short bursts. Stir and go again. I used power level 5 for 20 seconds at a time, even then I smelled the biscuit part of the chocolate heating up.

Lemons = limoncello

What's not to like about lemons? Their vibrant colour and sharp taste are the perfect addition to anything and everything from a humble glass of water to a Middle-Eastern inspired dish.

Stock photo

My lemon tree has finally decided to grace me with fruit, and bloody good fruit it is too. Here's the downside; there was only 4 of them. Yes, 4 decent sized lemons was all that was deemed worthy this year. Lemons can be tricky to grow in our patch of Eden, we have a mild to hot summers and heavy frost in Winter which is not conducive to lemon growing. I never remember to fling a frost cloth over the lemon on frosty nights but it is happily ensconced in the greenhouse where hopefully it will flourish and become prolific.

I put the call out in the local community for some lemons as I wanted to have a crack at limoncello. Limoncello is  an Italian liqueur, traditionally hailing from the Amalfi Coast. Its supposed to made from St Teresa lemons (who knew there were such a thing) and grain alcohol - specifically vodka.

The idea is to peel the skin from the lemons without peeling off any of the white pith. The peel is then steeped in vodka from anywhere from 48 hours to a couple of months. You then make a sugar syrup and mix it together and serve chilled in cold glasses. What could be better?

Update: May 14 - my limoncello has been brewing for one week. It's very "vodka-ry" with a hint of lemon. I would like that to be reversed

Wash your lemons, these were straight from a tree so there was no wax on them but I am not sure if they had been sprayed or not.

Carefully peel the lemons, taking care to avoid getting any white pith - this makes the limoncello bitter

Pour at least a litre of good quality vodka (best you can afford) over the peel.Put
in a cool dark place and let it do its thing. I'm leaving mine for 4 weeks.

Jelly in the shower

Jelly in the shower? There I was browsing in LUSH some time ago, tempted by the smell that wafts out of the shop. I enjoy poking around inside, picking up the soaps and having a good sniff of all sorts of goodies on offer. Their philosophy is 'fresh handmade cosmetics' and I like that they don't test on animals or have any animal derivatives in their products. They  use Sodium Laurel Sulfate in their shampoos which surprised me, I thought they were chemical free and only used natural products. On their ingredients list they show natural products in green and 'safe synthetics' in black.  I guess that natural is a marketing term these days. Something to think about.

Anyway, there is more that I really like about LUSH so let's focus on that.

1. They don't test on animals. Big tick of approval there from me.
2. They have minimal packaging. Their pots can be recycled and if you bring back 5 you get a free face mask. Another tick for recyclable packaging.
3. Ethical buying - we like that

My favourite LUSH products at the moment are their shower jellies. These things are crazy, it really is like a slab of jelly in your shower. It lathers slightly, cleans your skin and its fun to use.

photo from lushusa.com

I'm using Needles and Pines presently and it's great. I LOVE the smell of a pine tree, it's Christmas, serenity and mindfulness all rolled into one. For me, the smell of pine trees evokes my childhood; I have memories of running around in pine forests, collecting cones and hearing the dead needles crunch under my feet.

 The jelly  refreshes your senses whether you use it to wind up in the morning or to wind down in the evening. It has grapefruit oil infused in it as well.

Photos are stock images

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Frankie Magazine

I discovered Frankie magazine quite by accident. I like to while away some spare time in bookshops and the sheer range of magazines never ceases to amaze me. There is a magazine for every hobby, sport and proclivity known. I definitely appreciate a bookshop with a wide range of magazines on offer.

If I am honest it was the cover of Frankie that caught my eye. I was there, browsing, looking for something different. Sick of "celebrity: gossip, photo shopped models, perfectly styled food etc., I was looking for something different, a mix of everything I like in a magazine; interesting stories/articles, shopping, food, design, garden etc., and Frankie has it all, and then some.

The cover always has an interesting illustration on it and never screams what's inside on it. It lures you closer to have a flick through and see what takes you. The by-line under the masthead says:

design/art/photography/fashion/travel/music/craft/home/life.  What more could you want?

It hails from Australia and is produced bi-monthly. Now this mag ain't cheap at $12.50 a pop but they have never let me down yet. There is a very comprehensive website Frankie.com.au with all their social media links, digital issues and  free wallpapers. Speaking of wallpapers you get a free pull-out wallpaper with a monthly planner on the back. Often they have free postcards or just nice bits of paper for you to use as you will.

Here is just a sample  of some of the articles in Issue 76. As I said, it's full of interesting stuff that appeals to me enormously. I have a large stack of these which I like to peruse periodically, dipping back into old issues and usually finding something I may have skimmed over the first time.

Frankie Magazine - laudable

Harvest - apples and such

It's Autumn in our little patch of Eden and Autumn means nature's bounty. Everything is coming at once which is indicative of  a). poor planning and b). a reasonably shite summer. When we moved to this property some 9-10 years ago we were delighted with the number of fruit trees we found. We were even more delighted to discover that a previous occupant had the nous to espalier one of the apple trees. This apple tree is a mystery, the variety is lost in the ether somewhere, but this we do know: it's a small red apple, quite sweet  and it gets annihilated by coddling moth each year. This year we didn't spray the tree, and the aphids that usually plague  its tender stems were nowhere to be found. Next year a coddling moth trap will be a must.

Here is the apple tree in question. Now the apples from this tree are not overly flash for eating. Small members of the household turn up their noses at the blemishes and blacks spots. No matter, I thwart them by stewing them (the apples, not the small people).


The wasps in this patch of Eden are the best fed blighters on the street. Many apples have been munched by wasps, and it's a case of pick one and 4 fall on your head.

STEWED APPLE - SLOW COOKER STYLE

This recipe for stewed apple is based on many other recipes; I have tweaked it to suit myself and my tastes. In the interests of transparency and copyright you can find it  HERE

Use whatever apples you like or have a glut of.

What you need:

• Apples - peeled and cored, sliced how you want. I just roughly chop them
• Lemon juice - about 1/2 cup or the juice of 2-3 lemons
• Sugar - a tricky one, I used a scant cup as I like the tart taste and sugar is the devil. Adjust to suit you -  about 1-1.5 Cups
• Spices - suit yourself - try cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, ground cardamom - about a tsp of each. Play and adjust spices to suit your tastes.

What you do:

• Fill a large bowl with the lemon juice and place apples in here. The juice is supposed to stop them from going brown. I add a bit of water to keep the apples afloat.
• Mix up the sugar with the spices
• Layer the fruit and sugar artfully in the slow cooker or just throw it all in
• Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low

Uses:

• With Greek yoghurt, , nuts and/or seeds
• Straight on your cereal or porridge
• As a base for an apple crumble.

Keeps for a time in the fridge or for a longer time in the freezer.