Glassworks

A while back the embassy organized a group of kids to take a tour of our local Glassworks building and do some creating themselves. It was a treat to see all their back rooms and machinery in action. As always though, the actual glass blowing was the most impressive. We watched him cool/harden a ball of hot glass mid-drip and then blow glass bubbles and shatter them. What a medium to work with. I can't imagine the stress as just the tiniest mistake in timing or temp can ruin weeks or even months worth of work.

The tour included a special exhibit they had on display - can't even begin to appreciate how hard it is to get glass to cool in these shapes.

At the end they got to create their own glass tiles. They were all over this. Safety goggles, diamond edged glass cutters, glass dust and shards in all colors of the rainbow... The hardest part was choosing their design. Pretty fun.

The final product was fired then cooled and ready a week later. And although it doesn't look like the professionals above, it was pretty eye-opening to what an impressive art form glassworking is.

Healthy Habits & Some Recipes

I'm always on the look out for good healthy snack foods (since the after school snack routine around here is more and more like a stampede at the feeding trough and I don't even have teenagers yet!)  The two recipes below have been big winners this week.

I've also finally got some spirulina as I mentioned back in this post. I'm pretty sure it's kept me functioning through the last 6 weeks of the nastiest chest cold of my life. Mornings aren't pretty 'round here as I desperately try to eject the junk that's eternally rattling around in my chest. I feel like I've tried just about everything in the book now.

Incredibly, D hasn't caught it - maybe it's cause he drinks this every day... Honey & Apple Cider Vinegar - there's definitely something to that.

Anyway, enjoy some healthy snacks this week! (And a quick dinner idea for that leftover steak you don't know what to do with.)

xo

Date-Nut Bran Muffins (adapted from Grandma's recipe)

2 C boiling water
2 C All Bran (little twiggy cereal)

1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C coconut oil (or applesauce)
2.5 C sugar
4 eggs

5 C whole wheat flour
4 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt

1 quart Greek yogurt (original recipe calls for buttermilk)

4 C bran flakes (didn't have so I used part quick oats & wheat germ,  plus more All Bran)
1-2 C chopped dates
2 C walnuts (or pecans)
1 C coconut

Combine and set aside All Bran and boiling water. Beat oil, sugar & eggs. In separate bowl combine flour, soda, powder & salt then add to oil/egg mixture alternately with yogurt/buttermilk. Mix in soaked bran. Add flakes, dates, nuts & coconut & mix. Pour into greased muffin tins, filling almost to top then bake at 400 F for about 18 minutes. (Huge recipe. Store covered in fridge for longer freshness.)



Almond Granola (adapted from Keeping Up cookbook)

1/4 C brown sugar
1/3 C honey
1/3 C oil
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
3/4 - 1 t almond extract
4 C old fashioned oats
1/2 C flax/linseed
1/2 C coconut
1 C slivered almonds

Whisk together sugar, honey, oil, salt, vanilla & extract until well combined. Fold in remaining ingredients. Spread onto rimmed baking sheet and bake at 300 F for 10 minutes. Stir well, then bake 10 more minutes until lightly browned. Remove, stir again and cool completely before storing in covered container.

Thai Beef Salad 

1-2 leftover steaks, frozen
Salad (lettuce/spinach, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, peppers, etc.)
Dressing (mostly sweet chili sauce, with fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil and white wine/rice vinegar to taste)

Thin slice steak and stir fry it in some hot oil until warmed (I caramelized a sliced onion and some celery right before throwing in the steak) then lay it on the salad and apply a generous amount of dressing. We ate ours with a scoop of white rice as well. Scrumptious! 

Australianisms 2013

Every once in a while I'll do a post about what I call "Australianisms" - little quirky cultural differences I keep track of, including words or phrases that are different here. The latest:

Knickers (underwear)
Clean teeth (brush teeth)
Nail varnish (nail polish)
Midday (noon)
"You look so swish!" (stylish?)
Nudie Rudie (naked baby running around)
Block your nose (plug your nose)
Tick (check)
Sledge (sled)
Cubby (playhouse)
Rug (blanket)
"We are moving house." (We are moving.)
Chippies (potato chips, since "chips" are french fries)
Give it a miss (don't go, miss out)
Master Desmond (baby prefix, opposite of Mister on official/medical forms)
"Leave it with me." (I'll take care of it)
"You've got sleep in your eyes." (those little eye boogers)
"I've got a blood nose." (bloody nose, possibly because that's a swear in England?)
"Can you sight my homework?" (check homework)

It's funny when I find myself starting to forget some of the old ways of saying things. By the time we move home I'm going to have to start up a list of "Americanisms" right?

Canberra Turns 100!

 Each year Canberra hosts an impressive hot air balloon extravaganza, but this year it coincided with the Centennial birthday of this great capital city as well. We got out and enjoyed the weekend celebrations from 6am launches to evening fireworks.

The theme was "In So Many Words" so there were word/letter balloons and stickers and word games and activities and giant words beamed onto buildings and built with natural materials and such. Very creative and interesting and random. Like the giant ants or this lady playing the saw, above. Or the techno-disco crazy hairdo station, below. We made a day of it and had fun getting out in the crowds.

look closely at those funky hairstyles

Corrin Forest

Can't complain about a long drive when you get views like this, right?

Headed out to Corrin Forest over the long weekend and spent the morning on the Alpine Slide there. It was beautiful and quiet and quaint and raucous all at the same time.

The kids had a ball going over and over again - squealing at the speedy runs and dying when they'd get caught behind a slowpoke.

Almost as fun being towed up the hill than speeding down it, right?

Some of us continued on to Gibraltar waterfall. It reminded me of those glorious mountains I miss from home. Hiking in Utah is breathtaking and it made me unexpectedly homesick.

It made me excited to get back and show this little ladybug all our favorite Utah sites and to rediscover the canyons each summer again.