Monday 19 November 2018

Life and garden notes

It feels like the year has only just started, and yet, here we are past the halfway point of November. It's nearly Summer, and in a few weeks my daughter will have finished her first year at school. Where does the time go?!

On the days where I do not work, and it is just my youngest and I alone together, there is still a tangible empty space beside him that is quiet and missing a small person in it. He looks to me to fill the gap, to play with him, to lie with him, to be his childish companion and explore on the same level. Sometimes I can do that. Sometimes I am just so exhausted with the minutiae of life that it's all I can do to make sure he eats something nutritious for lunch and does something stimulating that doesn't involve lying in front of the television for long stretches.

Our days are bookended with school drop off and pickup. The mornings are a whirling dervish of packing lunches, checking that books, folders, hats, and everything necessary for the school day is packed into that overly large bag of hers. Afternoons are spent with a cranky child, tired from a long day of concentrating, yet bursting with so many new things to share with her brother and I.

School day evening meals are quick, where I have done the preparation in advance or meals so familiar I can cook them in my sleep so that I can have dinner on the table early, so she is fed, bathed and in bed with plenty of time to stock up on sleep for the next school day.

Days where I work are even more frantic as we leave earlier; I have the small man to drop at daycare, and we do before and after school care. She quite likes those days as she gets a second breakfast before school, and they feed her "better treats for after school snacks than you do mama". Cough.

This is my new normal. It is frantic, and new and sometimes so shiny that I'm afraid to grasp it with conviction in case it pops the fragile bubble that's working for us right now. The end of the school year is so close I can almost touch it, and is there anything full of more sass and exhaustion that a child near the end of term four? Maybe her mother...

I know in a few weeks we will have another new normal with school holidays starting, and the activity of the festive season. And then, the cycle, in all it busy-ness will start again, but this time it will (hopefully!) be easier and more familiar. In the meantime, I take solace in the garden - it's predictable, slower moving and not so much blink and you'll miss it. Here is my hedge flowering, and the beginning of an agapanthus flower in the background.
My geraniums just do their thing and continue to bloom and spread out happily. They're quite glorious to come home to and admire as I walk up the garden path.
My monstera grows new leaves in a delightful manner: a new stem grows along an existing one, then splits out separately and the leaf gradually uncurls from its tightly rolled light green shape, to form a darker green, more easily recognisable pattern. Now if only my children would allow them to unfurl in peace instead of trying to make it happen faster and ripping the poor fragile things (excuse my very dusty blinds!).
Speaking of gardening, I've talked before about the (free!) Science of Gardening university unit I did awhile back. I did a follow up unit as well which I immensely enjoyed, and I've since learned that the University of Tasmania is again offering the (online) unit starting again in December. You can learn more about it here. Applications close on the 1st December and the course starts on 3rd December.

Since it's online, you can work at your own pace. I don't get anything from mentioning this, but I will say I really enjoyed the two units I studied and had my brain stretching in ways that it hadn't had to in some time! It saw me investigating the role of climate and soil in shaping which plants grow in different regions. I mapped my garden on drafting paper to scale, taking into account soil type analysis and acidity, land slope, sun angles and block positioning, as well as localised predators (e.g. possums), pathogens and friendly garden critters. There is so much that I just never considered when planting my garden out - how it has ever survived my wilful neglect is a wonder! I'd love to hear about it if you do sign up.

Is it just me, or does life seem to be travelling in the fast lane at the moment?

Friday 2 November 2018

What's in my kitchen, November 2018

Forgive me readers, for I have been a bad blogger. I have nothing to say except that life is what happens when I'm trying to keep a bunch of balls in the air. I tend to be quite the perfectionist. If I can't do something well, then I like to not do it at all instead of putting in a half arsed effort. So blogging slips while I do my paid job, and while I do the thankless (but necessary) unpaid tasks that go along with raising a family. We have been busy at chez Fork. There have been birthdays and school events, there have been hospital visits (not me, but all is fine now!) and lots of follow up appointments to make sure that everything heals as it should (seems to be ok). There has been lots of family catch ups, lots of friends catch ups, and plenty of my usual baking adventures.
If this month seems a bit heavy on the processed foods, well, it is. For some reason, vegan food products have become much more prevalent in the supermarkets. It's easier than ever to walk down an aisle and find vegan products centre stage, not just pushed into a little hidden corner. And I have this thing where, if I see a vegan product that looks decently appealing, I need to buy it, because I feel like if I don't support them, they might stop making it and that would make me sad. So! Lots of (new-to-me) prepackaged things this month, although it does make my little eco-conscious heart sad too.

First of all, while not strictly in my kitchen, it was on my plate and it was delicious, so I can't resist sharing this amazing vegan from Todd and Pup. It's not on their new menu (sad face) but it was a tofu benedict liberally topped with a spiced cauliflower hollandaise sauce. It was delicious, filling and looked beautiful on my plate. I hadn't ever thought to make a vegan hollandaise before, but I can see that it would be appealing in a whole host of meals.
While I was with my in-laws at Costco, I spied this big tub of vegan cheddar cheese style slices. My eyes lit up with thoughts of melty burgers and toasted sandwiches. I had to have it. Sadly, it's very disappointing. It doesn't melt. It has an odd texture. It tastes weird... maybe too much coconut or something. However, I paid I think $15.99 for this 625g of sliced cheese approximation, and I will make it my mission to finish it because I hate waste - physical and economic. Its not too bad if I hide it in things and don't make it the feature of a meal. Buried in a sandwich with homemade pesto for extra flavour, or layered into a lasagna or under the potato of a lentil shepherd pie... well, then it's not so bad. Won't buy again.
One thing I can recommend is this Coles coconut spread. I've repurchased it several times now and I like it. There was another brand that brought out something similar at the same time, and it was almost double the price. I couldn't justify that, and this Coles version is good. I've had it on toast, in sandwiches and it also is good in baking. I had to send some dairy, nut, soy and egg free cakes to daycare for my kids birthdays (so many allergies in classes these days) and I used this spread instead of butter or Nuttelex. I made vegan cakes although neither of my children are vegan, but it was just easier to cater for the class allergies. They were a hit. Also, the spread is amazing.
As you can tell, I've done lots of broswing in the cold foods sections lately. Possibly because the weather has been extremely warm. Those fridges are awfully tempting. Sheese! I've heard lots of good things about it, so when I spied some, it was in my trolley quick smart! I'd tried the Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese before and didn't really rate it so I was slower to open this tub than I was to buy it. I shouldn't have been. As far as cream cheese alternatives go, this one was pretty good. I had it on fresh baked sourdough english muffins, sprinkled with some of my precious and adored Everything But The Bagel seasoning (on that, please come to Australia Trader Joes so I can have a regular source!). So good. I also tried it with some of the Ikea seaweed balls I'd shared on a previous IMK. Good Sheese.
For a sweet treat - coconut milk chocolate mousse. Thank goodness these come in small containers because otherwise I'd eat my own body weight I think. Spread out over several desserts so I didn't feel greedy eating it all in one sitting, and served simply with some fresh berries, my sweet loving tastebuds were happy. Winner!
We had some friends over for dinner one night. I really wanted to feel included on the cheese board Mr Fork put together, so I found this tomato and basil vegan cheese to put on for me. Served alongside crackers, quince paste, pears and the other cheeses, I was a happy girl. While the cheese was ok it was definitely an obvious cheese substitute. It retained it's shape and while it had cheese intentions, it didn't quite make it. Regardless, it was nice on crackers and topped with sweet things. I can't remember how much it was exactly, but for the occasional treat if a cheeseboard is happening, I'd repurchase it.
I was also going to include Halloween goodies in my post, but funnily enough, the pickings looked quite sparse when I went to photograph them. I see my children have also inherited my sweet tooth! Christmas things are out in the stores and the year seems to have gone by all too quickly. Soon I'll need to start the Christmas baking. Lucky I don't make fruitcakes otherwise I can see myself sharing the liquor quite well with the cake! Then again... who needs the excuse of cake?! Happy November!

I am linking this into the monthly In My Kitchen round-up, hosted by Sherry of Sherry's Pickings. What's happening in your kitchen this month?

 I've had real trouble getting this post to format correctly and be viewable this month. Please just let me know if it looks or behaves oddly for you so I can (attempt) to fix things!

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