The Manslater

If only...

I'm feeling old now!

The other day I was talking with a my sister and her boyfriend [both are in their early 20's]. I can't remember what made me say this [perhaps we hit a slow point in the conversation?], but I asked "who do you think would win in a contest between Bear Grylls vs MacGyver?". I was expecting a lively debate to follow, but instead all I got was a blank stare.

Surprised they hadn't heard of the Man vs Wild show, I tried to explain but they quickly told me "Oh we know who Bear Grylls is". My husband Andrew [who is not as old as me] gently said "they don't know who MacGyver is".

I was shocked and horrified! How could they be so naive? My sister is a massive SG1 fan - how could she not have looked up Richard Dean Anderson's bio? How could they have missed the constant references [and even appearances] of MacGyver on The Simpsons [apparently that show is beneath them it turns out], how do they not know MacGyver!!!

I'm supposed to be in the same generation as these guys. At least according to the TV, Gen X starts with 1980. It can't be true.

Here are a few more MacGyver things that I found on our old-friend internet.

Who would you rather be with in a survival situation? MacGyver or Bear?

Join the Boob-olution!

A bit behind the times because August was Breastfeeding month apparently. This is an internet video made by the popular pregnancy website thebump.com Make sure the volume is UP.



Hopefully given another generation, breastfeeding will be more normal than ever and breasts will be seen as what they are - amazing food producing glands, as well as being lovely ornaments.

Troubles in the Garden.

Bolted!

I grew broccoli from seed and have been faithfully watering, mulching and fertilising it in anticipation of  piles of fresh broccoli. I was going to have so much of it I'd have to work out how to preserve it or give a lot away. This hasn't happened. 

Our broccoli hasn't seen fit to grow anything but leaves and teeny tiny flowers. We did all the right things and cut off the initial broccoli type bits in order to make it grow some good stuff, but it just grew taller. I've found out now that broccoli doesn't like getting it's roots warm. The climate here is too mild for the poor plant. See this article about growing Broccoli. Poo bum! The article says mulching can help keep the roots cool - but I had stacks of mulch on it!! I will look for some warmer weather varieties next winter [if they exist] and plant earlier so that they get cold weather, maybe put them in a more shady location and if all else fails, I'll water them with ice cubes?  I will also do some research about what to grow in our climate :) For the time being, we ate a bunch of broccoli leaves in our lasagne tonight and the chooks are enjoying the broccoli plants as well.

I've also got aphids on the parsley, so I need to do something about that. I'm pretty sure the aphids are responsible for killing the beetroot seedlings that I had nearby. Well you live you learn! 

We've got tomatoes and basil growing well at this point in time so perhaps we'll have some success there. 

These stripes are made for dancing

I've had a flare-up of my love for stripes lately. 

There have been a few cotton sheets and pillowcases in the opshops recently and I've been very attracted to them. I think stripes should be used for all occasions, not just pyjamas and the sheets are perfect for summer.

BBPs in action!

Big Butt Stripey Pants

The Big Butt pants pictured are made from Made by Rae's Big Butt Baby Pants pattern which is available on her blog for $10us. It is worth every cent! The pattern is designed to accommodate the extra bulk that comes from a cloth nappy and as you can see has the cutest rear gusset! I made the 12-18 month size initially, but it was way too small for Addie. So those pants [made from a pillowcase] went to some friends of hers that are more dainty for their age. Addie got another stripy pair from a sheet I had [in size 2], and I love them on her. She has heaps of room to move and I just love the look.  I've made her some more from a different fabric too.

Some stripes which are making me happy

These stripes are my most recent acquisitions. The rainbow stripes I was thinking of using for a January tunic-top. It will be hot and my belly will be large! Any left overs may become bunting. I like the blue and green stripes but haven't decided what to do with them yet. The top mustard/yellow ones will most likely become another pair of Addie pants. I was thinking of keeping the cuff on the bottom as a cuff on the pants, but as I write I'm leaning toward using it as the butt gusset. What do you think?  A pair or two in newborn size might be a good idea too if I can hold my brain together long enough to remember.

Rosemary Shepherd's Pie. It's better than the traditional kind!

I love lamb, and potatoes, and I love shepherd's pie! 

I remember eating a really fantastic lamb and rosemary pie [not shepherds] in the town of Sterling on our honeymoon, and I've wanted to go back and have another one ever since then. So I thought instead I'd look up recipes for Rosemary & Shepherd's Pie for tonight's dinner. I liked it so much that I thought someone else might like to make it too.  Here's how I made it.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

• - 800g potatoes, peeled and chopped
• - 1 tbsp butter
• - 1/2 cup milk
• - 1 tbsp oil
• - 1 red onion, finely diced
• - 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• - 500g lamb mince
• - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• - 4 tbsp diced tinned tomato
• - 1 tsp dried rosemary
• - 2 tbsp plain flour
• - 1 x 375ml Stock – Beef
• - ½ cup grated tasty cheese

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Place potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water. Cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain, return to saucepan. Add butter and milk then mash until smooth.

3. Meanwhile heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add mince and cook until browned.

4. Add tomato and rosemary, cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in flour until combined. Slowly add stock, stirring after each addition. Return to heat and cook for a further 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Spoon lamb mixture into 2 Litre (8-cup) capacity ovenproof dish. Top with mashed potato then sprinkle over cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

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I've changed the recipe a little from the basic one I found at Campbell's Stocks. The original is here. 

My changes include the addition of red wine vinegar, using red onion [it's all I had], I omitted their grated carrot suggestion because I haven't yet met a grated carrot that I like! [I like them in sticks, steamed on the side], I also used at least 1/2 a cup of milk in the mash bc my potatoes were too stiff to spread on top otherwise. Oh and they used 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, but I didn't have any so I used 4 tablespoons of diced tomato. It seems like the flavours balanced even with my changes, so I like it!

Its not really a pretty dish - at least not when I make and serve it. I suppose if you did it in cute individual dishes it would look nicer, but otherwise it it's kind of a very tasty mess!  I do recommend serving it with steamed veggies like peas and carrots.