Sunday, October 12

Pavlova!

Yep, I finally did it. Made my very own fluffy egg-white masterpiece. I didn't chicken out and run out to Woollies to grab the ready made stuff - although being as the shops were closed by the time I'd decided on what to make, I didn't really have the option.

I'd always wanted to make one, but hearing all the stories of woe (collapse/runniness/burning/not resembling merinque in any shape or form) kinda put me off a bit but in the end necessity won out. I basically didn't have ingredients for anything else, and since I was put on dessert duty for a dinner with friends, I was desperate! As usual I scoured the net for recipes and came across a really really simple recipe....and changed it a bit. In the end I used:

3 eggwhites, at room temperature
2/3 cup caster sugar (kinda cheated this, didn't have caster so I smashed some white sugar in my pestle and viola! took some muscle but same same la)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups passionfruit yoghurt
8 large strawberries, hulled, sliced
2 bananas sliced into thin circles
1 tablespoon honey

Don't really understand the science behind this but basically if you don't get the egg at room temperature, you're doomed. Learnt that one from an unfortunate meringue experience.

Where were we? Oh right:

1. Preheat oven to 150' (thats supposed to be degrees, don't know how to get the symbol) celcius. Have a large tray ready with some baking paper.
2. Beat the egg whites until you get soft peaks. Your call to use hand-mixer or just hand. Personally I'd go with the mixer unless you've got hulk-like muscles and have a lot of time on your...hands. Sorry....Gradually add the sugar a teaspoon at a time while beating until you have a lovely glossy texture. You'll know when this happens as you'll feel a ridiculous sense of pride and awe at self. Fold in the vanilla.
3. Spoon the eggies into 2 equal rectangles on the tray (here's the tricky part. My web instructions had me measuring and drawing on the paper, but who has the patience? I went right in and ended up flubbing around pushing and spreading, standing back to eye the 2 pieces, flubbing some more until I was satisfied they were kinda close to being the same size. But that's just me.) Bake for 40 minutes. Turn the oven off, leave the door open to cool and stand back to again feel that ridiculous sense of pride and awe at your creation. Let cool for about an hour till its all nice and crunchy.
4. Spread one of the rectangles with half the yoghurt. Top with strawberries and bananas. Place the remaining meringue on top and repeat the yoghurt and banana business. Drizzle with honey. Admire.

Serves 6. Well we had 5 and consenquently had to fight it out for the remaining piece.

Yummmmm!

Thursday, October 9

Blasphemy!

On my way home from a lovely little walk in BTown I overheard a guy on his phone mentioning that he didnt like the Lord of the Rings Books! And whats more, he preferred the movies! argh aghh, Blasphemy! take thy filthy words back! I listened on stealthily as he offered his friend the books, because he wouldn't be reading them ever again. Oh, be still my pissed off heart! As he walked on ahead, I continued home silently fuming at the uneducated knave. The phone conversation bounced around in my head the whole way back to the apartment, I just couldn't comprehend how anyone would not love the books and prefer the hollywood (granted very nicely done) versions to the classic wordsmithing of..blah blah blah. I hoped I didnt look like a nut frowning to myself and uttering the ocassional expletive. I shuffled along in this introspective state and before I knew it was at my apartment. I turned the corner and...the phone guy was there opening his front door. Next to mine. He's my neighbour... Ahem!

Phone guy: "Hey, I didn't recognise you"
Big smile.
Me: "Yeah, me too!"
Plasters the biggest possible smile on face.
Phone guy: "How you guys doing? Hows your brazilian guy doing?"
Can his grin get any bigger?
Me: "Um, good. Yeah he works a lot"
Ever the brilliant conversationilist. I finally get the key in the door.
Me: "Okay, have a nice night!"
Retreat into home, strangely guilty.

Feel a bit sheepish now, but still... really!... Prefers the Movies!!..(*continues to mutter quietly to self like an old war nana*)
Morning TV highlights

Kathy Lette - Fabulous woman! Just saw an interview on Kerri-Anne, what a diva! Perched on KA's bland sofa in all her hot-pink fabulousness, spikey short hair and blazing lips. I just wish I had half her hustspa i.e. asking Prince William if he wanted tongue when she was obliged to kiss him to present a trophy.

Highlight of the interview - how to deal with your sulky teenagers declaring they wished you dead - take a big drag of your cigarrette in one hand and a swig of wine from the other, blow the smoke out slowly and say "I'm doing my best darling..." ahahaha!
The Past

Ahahahaha, I've just read some of my older posts from...wait for it...2003! Yep, thats how lazy I am. I get enthusiastic, fall in love with an idea, am passionate about it...for about 2 secs and then forget all about it. Therefore we have a 5 year gap between posts. Not bad, coulda been worse.

Anyway, what a confused little individual I was way back then. I'm quite sure I wasn't suited to being a PA, all those sleepless nights and following the orders of a psycho producer. Wasn't she a bag of fun. I heard down the grapevine that she eventually had a nervous breakdown, no surprise there. "What the hell is she on about?" I hear you ask. Well that is if anyone is actually reading this. To explain, I was a Production Assistant in Jakarta (my life is random) for about 2 seconds. Unfortunately the Producer whom I was to Assist was Hitler reborn. She frequently had screaming fits on set, followed swiftly by a torrent of tears and accusations. Now I dont know if this modus operandi (check that, getting all fancy with the ol language, not sure if correct use tho) for producers, but it freaked the hell out of me and all the crew. I basically had hardly any sleep for 3 months and suffered post traumatic stress.

Ah, good times.
Unemployed Bum

After many many many years, its high time I started writing on the ol blog again. Have to add to my repertoir of daytime tv, checking email and Facebook. And I've Googled just about everyone I know. (dont deny it, you've all indulged in the guilty pleasure!) And now I'm down to watching Playschool. Argh, we need cable tv.

Its been so long since I've wrestled with anything vaguely technical, starting up this blog again was the freakiest experience. Whats HTML again? Urgh, I think I'm going to break this thing. Can't believe I used to do this stuff for a living. I can barely get this post up let alone contemplate editing it. Therefore it will just have to stay relatively boring until I can stretch my creative techie muscles again. I can just hear my multimedia class mates sniggering in the background.

Phew! Stick a fork in me, I'm done. Good effort, try another post again in an hour.