It’s natural to draw to the close of a year and think back over what has been, and how life may have changed. And this evening, when we pass from this decade to the next, it is even more insightful to look back at the last 10 years. Ten years ago, I was on a 5…
Month: December 2009
How to build your own wood-fired oven in 3 days
While on our Honeymoon, Tom and I had an introduction to wood-fired pizzas. Can I just say that once you have tried homemade food that is wood-fired, it’s hard to look back at anything else. So, a few years later, when we finally had the priviledge to design our own backyard, it was the key feature we decided…
Build a wood-fired oven: Day 1 – build the basic oven
Day 1 Step 1: Build the oven floor To build the oven floor:
Build a wood-fired oven: Day 2 – Insulate the oven
If you want a good wood-fired oven – you have to insulate it, and insulate it well! A well insulated oven can reach temperatures of 500-700 degrees C on the inside. Let’s just say, you can’t achieve or maintain that kind of heat if you don’t.
Build a wood-fired oven: Day 3 – Render and dress the oven
The final day is the fun part. You get to put your own artistic touches to the oven (and if you don’t have any arty bones in your body – you can always paint).
You say ‘tobacco’ but I say ‘Babaco’
Today I tried a fruit I have never seen before, let alone tasted, called Babaco. I was given it yesterday by a visitor Sam. I was intrigued, and at the same time spent a good 24 hours eyeing it before I decided to try it. I noticed that I felt quite reluctant to try something new….
Oliebollen (Dutch doughnuts)
This is Opa’s recipe from the ‘Bakkerij de Greef’ in Zutphen, The Netherlands.
What do Dutchies do at New Years? Make doughnuts of course…
Being Dutch (or half dutch) has it’s advantages. For starters, if you say you are Dutch, it instantly makes you cool. Try it – even if you aren’t Dutch, and you will notice people instantly associate you with dykes, windmills, legislated hash and prostitution. Awesome!
Masterchef Masterclass with Opa
I think Opa Gerrit an amazing man. He grows all of his own vegetables. His vegetable garden is probably twice the size of my backyard (maybe 6 metres by 30 metres), and all year round he tends it. He has the ‘deep smarts’ about growing food that the next generation has completely lost.
Dutch apple pie – Appelgebak or Appeltaart
This is Opa Gerrit’s recipe, translated. Ingredients 300g sifted self raising flour
The perfect Christmas present for the perfect man
My husband keeps telling me I am the luckiest woman on earth to be married to him (he has a healthy sense of self confidence). But I think we all know that it is actually he who is the luckiest man on earth – to be married to me (I have a sense of humour)!
Are we losing the meaning of Christmas?
I read an interesting article in last Friday’s Age called Spoiling Christmas. “Australian parents intend to spend an average of $584 on Christmas gifts for their children this year according to this week’s “Toy Treasure Trove” report from BankWest.“
Getting re-rooted 