View allAll Photos Tagged Stringy,
Custom made to knock you socks off! Taken near Delamere, South Australia, at the Raywood Nursery -a magical place, tucked away in an old Stringy Bark Eucalyptus woods.
Watercolor and mud in Moleskine. LI cheese pumpkin is also known as Cinderella or Tuscan Pumpkin. It is supposed to be sweet and not stringy like a Halloween pumpkin. It still has dirt on it, so I wet the dirt with my finger , to make mud, and then I painted with it on my sketch. I will do a few more sketches before it becomes soup!
鲜茄炬猪扒饭 Baked pork chop in tomato sauce on rice - Pacific BBQ Cafe AUD12
---
Another HK-style cafe doing a brisk trade in mostly Asian student clientele, with the occasionally Causasian diner. Julia and I were wondering how the HK-style cafes like Kings Cafe, Dessert House I & II all seem to be doing well. But then we realised, all the cheap-ish Asian casual eateries were all doing quite well. In other words, the inner-city population has definitely taken on a noticible Asian slant.
The waitstaff seemed to be Mandarin speakers, but a few spoke Cantonese as well. The main language though seems to be English, no doubt to try to cater for everyone. It's just a bit strange ordering something as HK-ish as a 鲜茄炬猪扒饭 (baked pork chop in tomato sauce on rice) in anything else but Cantonese. I guess "Number 73" would have sufficed!
Also common to these HK-style cafes are it's list of dessert-drinks, from simple lychee drinks to elaborate red bean, coconut milk and a scoop of vanilla ice cream concoctions. It is obviously quite popular with the student crowd.
The roast duck and pork were both quite good, with crispy skin and tender moist flesh. Still, we regretted not getting the 叉烧 Charsiu / BBQ pork, which we later noticed was literally dripping with a syrupy glaze.
"Number 73" as it turns out was a bit of a disappointment. Sure, the pork was tender and tasted faintly of lemongrass, but the bed of fried rice lacked any signs of 锅气 wok charring. There was a nice stringy cheese on top, but a stronger cheese would have been good. The tomato sauce was ok, but was a bit too sweet for us.
As we got up to leave, the waiter served up a magnificent looking plate of spicy chicken ribs and a good-looking fried rice. Perhaps we should have stuck to the Pacific BBQ chain staples of Cantonese food, rather than the modernised HK fusion dishes.
Overall though, there's not too much not to like about the place, especially with the list of dessert-like drink options.
太平洋烧腊茶餐厅
Pacific Bbq Cafe Pty Ltd
213 Lonsdale St Melbourne 3000
(03) 9663 9288
Other Pacific BBQ restaurants:
* Pacific Seafood BBQ House
Shp8/ 240 Victoria St Richmond 3121
(03) 9427 8225
* Pacific House Restaurant
210 Toorak Rd South Yarra 3141
(03) 9826 3838
Photos:
- Shop front (Shop front - phonecam)
- Students huddled over dinner
This is the book cover...my daughter's head is on a very prim vintage photo...she's a bit anal about her hair...so I wanted to put a photo of her as a kid with wet, stringy hair straight from the lake as inspiration that it's actually NOT all about the hair...it isn't! No, it's not!
I just took my daughter to college and thought she could use a book from me, reminding her of all of my INCREDIBLE motherly wisdom. After all, who will nag her while she's away?? I like to think of this book as creative nagging from afar. It will go in her first care package! These are just a few of the pages...I will put the book together and post a finished shot later.
Eucalyptus Regnans are big. I mean really really big. They have lots of names such as mountain ash, swamp gum, stringy gum. The most popular name is Tasmanian Oak and unfortunately the timber is very popular for floors and kitchens.
It is the third tallest tree in the world beaten by the American Redwood. Tassie Oak regularly grows up to 85 metres (280 ft) with some trees measuring over 132 metres (433 ft) high. Although it's often killed by bushfire, they have a lifespan of several hundred years. Im pretty sure this one will be around when I am gone!
I’ve been feeding my cats the raw meat, Feline Future diet for almost 12 years. Here is the recipe, and a step-by-step walk through, for anyone wanting to switch their cats to a safe diet. You can also buy the pre-mixed supplements from www.felinefuture.com.
I've included some notes on how I vary my cats' diet, and some helpful links at the end of the photoessay.
Raw meat diet for cats
2 ¾ cup (1 ½ lb) raw, ground, muscle meat (3-20% fat by mass) (do not mix meats, organs, from different animals)
¾ cup (½ lb) raw, ground heart
½ cup (3 ½ oz.) raw, ground liver
NOTE: I also add kidney, which I or my butcher cleans
1 cup (8 oz.) filtered spring water
2 raw egg yolks
2 Tbsp bone meal powder
1 Tbsp Gelatin
2 tsp. Psyllium Husks (as is or powdered)
1 tsp Salmon oil (3 capsules)
300 IU Vitamin E (1 capsule)
1 capsule 50mg Vitamin B Complex
Important Note: Be absolutely sure to follow the recipe’s indicated quantity of water in ratio to the psyllium husks/psyllium husk powder. Psyllium husks can lead to constipation if not combined and ingested with sufficient water!
1. All meat ingredients should be from the same species of animal. Measure your meat ingredients. Grind the muscle meat, heart, kidney and liver using a coarse plate, or chop by hand. Combine the meats mixing gently, but thoroughly. Return to the refrigerator.
2. Into a separate bowl add 1 cup water. Whisk all your other ingredients, other than meat, into the water, finishing with psyllium husks and gelatin, as these easily congeal and might otherwise form clumps. Within a few minutes the ingredients and water will turn into a semi-gelatinous texture.
3. Add your meats to the gelatinous supplement blend. Mix thoroughly but gently. Violent stirring will cause the meat to become “stringy” Package immediately. Portion as single or double meals into small plastic containers. Small freezer bags are somewhat inconvenient when thawing the food. The food can also be frozen in ice cube trays, and then be bulk packed in freezer bags once frozen. I freeze my batches in glass Pyrex containers. Each container contains 2 - 3 days' worth of food. I have another one in the fridge thawing so it's ready when the first one is done.
Yields 14 x 100g portions.
All components of this formulation are essential. Omitting one or more ingredients will disturb the nutritional balance, and can result in severe deficiencies.
braised pork belly rillons, house made baked beans, onion marmalade & toast
The braised pork belly rillons was better than the Braised Pork Belly we had last time! The tender cubes of pork belly had a nice caramelised crust. Some cubes were lean and wonderfully stringy, others oozing luscious seams of fat!
I was greedy, and got an extra serve of Andrew's Choice black pudding. Very good. Full of oats soaked in blood with sweetness coming from apple puree.
While the baked beans were not as mushy as I'd like, it still help balance the richness of the pork rillons. The onion marmalade seemed to get lost in the mix.
Apparently pork rillons are slow cooked pork belly preserved in its own fat, like a cross between confit and rillettes. Huge Fearnley-Whittingstall has a Rillons of pork belly recipe too!
Incidentally, John Lethlean, food writer had a go at making black pudding, as part of his research for The Age Good Food Guide, in which he mentions Andrew's Choice Smallgoods. Andrew's Choice hams were also given the tick by Richard Cornish.
Andrew's Choice, Yarraville Retail Outlet
(03) 9687 2419
24 Anderson St
Yarraville VIC 3013
Andrew's Choice, Laverton North Head Office
(03) 8360 8688
U2/ 74 William Angliss Drv
Laverton North VIC 3026
Still love the dumpster-chic decor and buzzy atmostphere, and the food and coffee was better today!
The long queue (15 minute wait) was a bit annoying though, especially when I was hungry!
Auction Rooms Cafe
(03) 9326 7749
103-107 Errol St
North Melbourne VIC 3051
Reviews:
- Auction Rooms, North Melbourne - The Breakfast Blog Thursday, March 19, 2009
- Auction Rooms, by Matt Preston, Reviewer, Epicure, The Age July 15, 2008
Shark fin soup (or shark's fin soup) is a traditional soup or stewed item of Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine, served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item in Chinese culture. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients.
The soup originated centuries ago during the Song dynasty, serving the imperial family and court members. During the Ming dynasty, the dish's popularity increased and by the time of the Qing dynasty was in high demand. Once commercial fishing and trade increased, the soup became highly sought-after while income levels of Chinese communities rose worldwide. International concerns over the sustainability and welfare of sharks have impacted consumption and availability of the soup. Consumption reduced by 50–70% in China between 2011 and 2013. Imitation shark fin soup is a version of the soup prepared without the use of shark fins.
PREPARATION
Genuine shark fin soup or stew is made with shark fins obtained from a variety of shark species. Raw shark fins are processed by first removing the skin and denticles, then trimming them to shape and bleaching to a more-desirable colour.
Sharks' fins are sold in many forms: dried, cooked, wet and frozen. Canned ready-to-eat shark fin soup is also available in Asian markets.
There are two types of the dried form, cooked/skinned (shredded) and raw/unskinned (whole), the latter requiring more preparation. Both need to be softened before they can be used to prepare soup.
TASTE
In shark fin soup, the fins themselves are virtually tasteless. The taste comes from the soup; the fins are used for their texture rather than adding any flavor. It has a "chewy, sinewy, stringy" texture. Krista Mahr of TIME called it "somewhere between chewy and crunchy." Dave Lieberman of OC Weekly wrote that it is a "snappy, gelatinous texture". Most westerners' reaction to eating shark fin for the first time is that it has almost no taste
HEALTH IMPACT
There is no scientific evidence that shark fins can be used to treat any medical condition. Sharks biomagnify toxins, so eating shark meat may raise the risk of dementia and heavy metal poisoning such as mercury poisoning.
Shark fins were believed in Chinese culture to have properties boosting sexual potency, enhancing skin quality, increasing qi or energy, preventing heart disease, and lowering cholesterol. In traditional Chinese medicine, shark fins were believed to help in areas of rejuvenation, appetite enhancement, and blood nourishment and to be beneficial to vital energy, kidneys, lungs, bones, and many other parts of the body.
There are claims that shark fins prevent cancer; however, there is no scientific evidence, and one study found shark cartilage to be of no value in cancer treatment.
Vitamin content of typical shark fin soup is much less than that of typical vegetable soup, containing almost no vitamin A. However, it contains slightly more iron, zinc, riboflavin, and phosphorus than normal vegetable soup.
WildAid, a wildlife non-governmental organization, warned that eating too much shark fin can cause sterility in men. It is known that larger fish such as shark, tuna, and swordfish contain high levels of mercury and methylmercury salts. For soon-to-be-pregnant women, pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children, the United States Food and Drug Administration has advised avoiding consumption of fish high in mercury.
High concentrations of BMAA are present in shark fins. Because BMAA is a neurotoxin, consumption of shark fin soup and cartilage pills may pose a risk for degenerative brain diseases (such as Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig Disease).
Counterfeit shark fins often also contain toxins.
MARKET AND DEMAND
Shark fin soup has a long history, but is recently declining in popularity.
EARLY USE
Shark fin soup dates back to Song dynasty in AD 968, serving the imperial family and court members. Its origin is traced to the dynasty's founder, the Emperor Taizu of Song (Zhao Kuangyin), who created the soup to showcase his status. The Song's upper-class members took pride in indulging in the most lavish and sumptuous luxuries, and willing to try exotic and unfamiliar new dishes including shark fin soup. In the 15th century, the dish's popularity increased when Ming dynasty admiral Zheng He brought large quantities of shark fins to China from East Africa, following his fourth expedition of the Treasure Voyages. Since then, shark fin soup became an established dish in China and was considered to be one of the eight treasured foods from the sea. It was popular with Chinese emperors since the 10th century because it was rare, and tasty only after a complicated and elaborate preparation. By the time of the Qing dynasty, shark fin soup was in high demand. Its manual of cuisine, the Suiyuan shidan, indicates that the shark fin was eaten as soup, stew, and even as a stir-fry, but in all cases the fin had to be boiled for two days.
The popularity of shark fin soup rose in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as standards of living began to improve.
Demand peaks, c.2000
In the late twentieth century, shark fin soup was a popular delicacy in China, and was eaten in Chinese restaurants around the world. The increasing wealth of the middle class raised demand. The shark fin trade more than doubled between 1985 and 2001.
Based on information gathered from the Hong Kong trade in fins, the market was estimated in 2004 to be growing by 5% each year. Consumption of shark fin soup had risen dramatically with the affluence of the middle class, as Chinese communities around the world enjoy increasing income levels. The high price of the soup meant it was often used as a way to impress guests or for celebrations; 58 percent of those questioned in the WWF survey said they ate the soup at a celebration or gathering.
The dish was eaten at occasions such as weddings, banquets, and important business deals. It was used to communicate wealth, power, and prestige, as it was believed to show respect, honor, and appreciation to guests.
In Hong Kong restaurants, where the market had been strong, demand from Hong Kong natives had reportedly dropped in 2006. This was more than balanced by an increase in demand from the Chinese mainland, where economic growth put the expensive delicacy within the reach of an expanding middle class.
A survey carried out in China in 2006 by WildAid and the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association found that 35% of participants said they had consumed shark fin soup in the last year,[28] while 83% of participants in an online survey conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature said that they had consumed shark fin soup at some time.
Shark fins are imported in massive amounts by Vietnam.[38]
Demand declines, 2005–present
By late 2013, a report in The Washington Post indicated that shark fin soup was no longer seen as fashionable in China.
The movement against shark fin soup began in 2006, when WildAid enlisted Chinese basketball star Yao Ming as the front person for a public relations campaign against the dish. The campaign was taken up by a coalition of Chinese businessmen, celebrities, and students. Businessman-turned-environmentalist Jim Zhang helped to raise concern within China's government, which pledged in 2012 to ban shark fin soup from official banquets within three years.
In January 2013, China Daily reported that officials in Zhejiang province found that many shark fin soup restaurants were selling artificial shark fins, and that one-third of the samples that the officials had obtained contained dangerous amounts of cadmium and methylmercury. Within two months of the China Daily report, China ordered officials throughout the country to stop serving dishes made from protected wildlife at official banquets, and the Hong Kong government issued a similar order in September.
According to WildAid, consumption of shark fin soup in China has dropped by 50–70% from 2011 to 2013. China's commerce ministry indicated that consumption of shark fin soup during the 2013 Spring Break holiday had decreased by 70 percent from 2012, and Hong Kong industry groups reported that shark fin imports were down by 20 to 30 percent from 2012. Also, anecdotal evidence points to a worldwide drop in shark fin prices and a move away from shark fishing in parts of Africa.
ETHICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Shark fins used in the soup are the cartilaginous dorsal, pectoral and caudal fins. Fins are sometimes harvested by a process known as shark finning. The person harvesting the fins often leaves the shark to die in the ocean after having cut the fins off. Overfishing poses a major threat to the world's shark populations.
Some groups, such as Fins Attached, Shark Savers, IUCN, Shark Angels, Shark Whisperer and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, discourage the consumption of the soup due to concerns with the world's shark population and how inhumanely sharks are finned alive and returned to the ocean, unable to swim, hunt or survive. The prevalence of shark finning and the sustainability of sharks are both debated. Some feel banning the dish is offensive. Major hotel operators such as The Peninsula Hotels and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts stopped serving shark fin soup in the interest of offering sustainable seafood. The three largest supermarket chains in Singapore - Cold Storage, NTUC FairPrice and Carrefour - have stopped selling shark fins while also citing sustainability concerns. Hong Kong Disneyland dropped the soup from its menu after it could not find a sustainable source. The University of Hong Kong banned serving shark fin soup, hoping "to give a lead which others in Hong Kong will follow".
Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Ministry banned shark fin soup from official functions in a commitment to the Malaysian Nature Society to conserve the shark species.
In the United States, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands have banned the sale and possession of shark fins, effectively eliminating the availability of the soup. Illinois, which had been a large importer of shark fins, was the fifth U.S. state, and the first non-Pacific state, to implement a ban on shark fin trade. In 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Shark Conservation Act, closing loopholes used to obtain shark fins. In October 2011, California governor Jerry Brown, citing the cruelty of finning and potential threats to the environment and commercial fishing, signed Assembly Bill 376, banning the possession and sale of detached shark fins.
Opponents charged the ban was discriminatory against Chinese, the main consumers of the shark fin soup, when federal laws already banned the practice of finning. Whole sharks would still be legally fished, but the fins could no longer be sold. A lawsuit has been filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of California by Chinese American groups seeking to overturn the ban.
In Canada, the Vancouver city council decided to work towards creating a ban to preserve the shark species.[62] Toronto joined other regional municipalities in adopting a shark fin ban on 13 October 2011. Calgary banned shark fin soup on 16 July 2012.
On 2 July 2012, the State Council of the People's Republic of China declared that shark fin soup can no longer be served at official banquets. This ban may take up to three years to take effect because it is such a social dish in Chinese culture.
CAMPAIGNS
The marine conservation organization Bite-Back has campaigned against the sale of shark fin soup in Britain. On the back of its campaigning, the London-based Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Hakkasan agreed to stop selling the controversial soup. High-profile names such as Gordon Ramsay, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and Charles Clover, author of The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat, have lent their support to the charity's 'Hacked Off' campaign.
IMITATION SHARK FIN SOUP
Imitation shark fin soup is a noodle soup often sold in small bowls by street vendors in Hong Kong, where it is a common street snack. It is a substitute for shark fin soup, a dish condemned by the Humane Society International, which says tens of millions of sharks are cruelly killed each year for their fins. Imitation shark fin soup is also a more affordable alternative to shark fin soup.
A popular, low-cost imitation shark fin soup (zh:碗仔翅) made using vermicelli is widely available in Asia. They can also be made from cellophane noodles.
IMITATION SHARK FINS
Substitutes for shark fin exist, commonly known as "mock shark's fin". Mock shark's fin was first used in Hong Kong during the 1970s. From the 1990s onward, mock shark's fin became popular in many restaurants throughout China. Products can be made from various ingredients.
A Taiwanese manufacturer's recipe for imitation shark fin contains water, gelatin, alginic acid, sugar, casein, and triolein to reproduce the chewy, gelatinous texture of shark fins. Konjac gel (known as moyu tofu in Chinese and konnyaku in Japanese) can also be used as a substitute for shark fin. While cellophane noodles are also often used as an alternative to shark fins, some cooks find them too soft and unable to withstand longer cooking that allows flavors to be absorbed. Other substitutes for shark fin are cucurbita ficifolia (shark fin melon), chicken breast, jinhua ham, vermicelli, soy, and pig's skin or gelatin. As with shark fin soups, ingredients such as edible mushrooms, kelps, seaweeds, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and beaten eggs may be used to improve the taste.
In 2015, a seafood company from San Francisco was working to develop their own variation of imitation shark fin using algae-derived ingredients and recombinant proteins.
In contrast to shark fin, these alternatives are inexpensive and easier to prepare. Imitation shark fin, konjac gel, and other alternatives can be purchased in preserved form from Asian supermarkets and convenience stores.
HISTORY
Imitation shark fin soup originated from Temple Street in Hong Kong during the 1950s and 1960s. Few people at that time could afford genuine shark fin soup, but street vendors collected the broken parts of shark fins discarded by Chinese restaurants, cooked them with mushrooms, egg, and pork, as well as soy sauce and other ingredients. Cooking the mixture into a soup, it was served in a small bowl. This soup was inexpensive and lacked the authentic flavour but since it was cheap, tasty and contained lots of ingredients, it was popular among the poor and became one of the famous street-side snacks in Hong Kong.
Apart from the street-side, imitation shark fin soup may also be found in fast food stores and expensive Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, and also on mainland China. Since April 2016, Cup Noodles released various instant imitation shark fin ramen soups.
CONTROVERSY
False descriptions of goods and services are prohibited by the Trade Descriptions Ordinance in Hong Kong. Thus, imitation shark fin soup may have to change its Cantonese name since "wun tsai chi" (literally: "fin in little bowl") may mislead customers into thinking there is real shark fin in it. However, many argue against this new policy; some claim that the name is tied to the Hong Kong people's collective memories and culture, representing the history of old Hong Kong. It would also be inconvenient for tourists seeking the dish. Opponents of the name change suggest the government should consider whether customers are misled before carrying out the policy.
WIKIPEDIA
The fragrance is not just breath taking but breath giving! Ever heard of Hall's Eucalyptus lozenges?
Eucalyptus (/ˌjuːkəˈlɪptəs/) is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut".
Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire.
A few species are native to islands north of Australia and a smaller number are only found outside the continent. Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing and have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, for honey production or essential oils. In some countries, however, they have been removed because they are highly flammable.
We also have Rainbow Eucalyptus growing here in South Florida.
Garland Park, Carmel CA
I thought this one looked a little like the Zen Buddhist 'ensō' symbol, the broken circle which I guess is a metaphor for existence or enlightenment, the idea being that imperfection is an essential aspect of existence. The interesting thing though is that later that day after taking this photo I discovered the very same symbol on a man-made object.
Great rice paper rolls require a chewy skin and a good filling. The rice paper rolls at Thanh Ha ticks both boxes with a chewy just moist rice paper wrapper and a filling of shredded lean pork and pork rind with enough shredded lettuce to make it moist. The requisite sprinkle of ground toasted rice gives the pork rind a nutty toasty flavour, and the shredded shiso leaf and mint lends sophistication to a simple snack.
The Cambodian Rice Noodle Soup is also good with lean pork, heart and liver all poached whole to perfection and then sliced thinly so that each of the stringy, chrunchy and floury textures hold their own. Added to this is a scattering of rendered cubes of pork fat for some extra porky flavour. Yum! It almost makes the slice of calamari and peeled prawn extraneous.
Banh Cuon Thanh Ha Restaurant
(03) 9429 8130
Shp 1/ 172 Victoria St
Richmond VIC 3121
Reviews:
Youtube video tutorial (spanish audio with english close captions) here, www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AYSc38NUw
Suitable for Dukan Diet, all phases.
Ingredients
- 1 large clean navel orange, organic if possible (peeled, no white pith!)
- 1 cup water
Directions
1. Wash the orange thoroughly with soap to remove all pesticides and dirt. Be gentle, don't use a brush or similar, you don't want to damage the peel.
2. Use a a small sharp knife to carefully remove the orange part of the peel, without disturbing the white pith.
3. Chop peel finely with the knife. Don't use a food procesor or you''ll lose much of the flavour.
4. Place the peel in a small bowl, cover with 1 cup water and microwave for 1 minute on high.
5. Cool down to room temperature and you're done!
This flavouring can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days.
Don't throw away the zest: you can also use it for flavour. Just add some to any cake or muffing while making the batter.
Orange and Yogurt Heart
Ingredients
-1/2 envelope unflavoured powdered gelatine (Knox)
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1/2 cup homemade orange Flavouring
- 8 oz plain fat free sugar free yogurt**
- sweetener to taste (1-2 tablespoon of liquid sweetener)
- food coloring (orange or yellow + red)
**Yogurt MUSN'T be very cold, take it out of the fridge 10 to 15 minutes before cooking this recipe
Directions
1. In a smal bowl, put 3 tablespoons of cold water and sprinkle with gelatine while whisking with a fork. Set aside for 5 minutes until spongy.
2. Add the homemade orange flavouring.
3. Stand the bowl in hot water and stir until the gelatine dissolves (or microwave for 10-15 seconds on high) Never boil gelatine: it can become stringy.
4. Cool slightly, add the yogurt and sweetener and whisk (remember, both the gelatine and yogurt should be a similar temperature to avoid any lumps)
5. Pour this cream into a silicone heart shaped mold and refrigerate overnight -or at least 5 hours before serving-.
To unmold, dip the mold in warm water, just to rim, for 10 seconds. Lift from water and gently pull gelatin from the edge of mold with moist fingers. Place a moistened serving plate on top of mold. Flip and then gently remove the mold.
Decoration: mint leaves and orange zest.
More low carb, Dukan friendly recipes,
- on my blog dukanrecipesbymariamartinez.blogspot.com.es/
- and my Youtube channel www.youtube.com/user/mmb2412/videos
Joey got drunk AGAIN, has no idea what he is doing or what is happening AGAIN, made a mess of the house AGAIN, and, in his drunken stupor, peed his pants, wetting through and ruining our couch.
Oh, and ladies, if you've ever wondered what Joey looks like without a hat, here's your answer. No, it's not shaved, he's 25 and BALD with wispy, stringy hair in the back. Sexy as Mr. Burns.
Last year, eldest daughter thought we should all make a "bad Christmas Sweater" and wear it to "faux Christmas". "faux Christmas" is one week before Christmas when we get together with eldest daughter and her bf to celebrate Christmas as they head to New Brunswick for actual Christmas.
The rules were simple the sweater had to be decorated by you alone. A sweater could also constitute a poncho, a shirt, a halter top, whatever covered your upper torso.
Eldest daughter even went to the "double V"...."Value Village" and picked up a trophy which she made a lovely Christmas Sweater and bow tie for.
As I have been ill with a sinus infection since Wednesday dinner was cooked by eldest daughter with me telling her how to make the candied dressing for the turkey, the "stringy roast beef", the veggies etc...... good job!!
I wore the original "bad sweater" that started the idea last year (seen in the pic below) and mad a poncho to go over top out of a Christmas fleece blanket and some decorations added to it.
We also celebrate middle daughter's birthday on "Faux Christmas" with this being her 30th birthday.
Just in case you are wondering...my favorite model made her sweater all by herself (seen below) and mummy only helped with one item that needed hot glue....and the winner....well lets just say GP is smiling today knowing that this guy will be donning our china cabinet for a year.
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She is free standing, and is photographed from various angles.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
Cashing in a coupon for henna, D got her feet hennaed for her upcoming trip. Last time we did Indian, this time it was Moroccan slippers. I had really stringy henna paste so it was perfect timing. She's promised me after pics.
Whilst a cyclone wandered around off the far Nth coast, seemingly unable to choose its' path, we chose to take a few days break down south visiting Australias largest island National Park. An eleven and a half hour cruise.
Hinchinbrook Island has magnificent scenery with misty high peaks that fall to lush green wetlands of snaking mangroves streams. There is a serious 4 day 32 km hike here, but we enjoyed a more leisurely five-hour return coastal walk. We accessed it from the tourist mangrove boardwalk at the end of creek seven in Missionary Bay--along the beach, then onto a path through lush rainforest with intermittent patches of stringy barks. We ended lightning our pack of sandwiches at a delightful isolated beach.
The Boxtrolls: Dare to Be Square
A primary feature in the style of character design in “The Boxtrolls” is unrealistic proportions of the human form. They are heavily distorted into strange shapes, with torsos ranging from needle-thin to heavily rounded, heights from squat to medium to lanky, and face shapes and features as unique as the character itself. A common theme in the anatomy, however, is skinny, long arms on all characters, regardless of body type, with the exception of the character Winnie.
When it comes to the anatomy of the boxtrolls, they mirror certain traits of design in the humans, but not to the same extreme degree. Three of the main boxtroll characters, Fish, Oilcan, and Shoe, play on the spectrum of tall to short, portly to skinny. This spectrum is actually mirrored in the three henchmen of the antagonist, Snatcher. Both of these trios remind me of the hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction at the Disneyland resort. It is my belief that these spooky spectres are in fact the inspiration for these two sets of characters.
An element I specifically noticed again and again in the course of the film is hair. The hair, although mostly static – as is the nature of the beast in stop motion animation – is purposefully designed to reflect individual personality. Eggs, the protagonist, has unkempt dusty hair, reflective of his life underground and not concerned with appearance. Winnie has a more pristine style with a touch of dirt and disarray, hinting at her proper upbringing clashing with her rebellious “unladylike” disposition. Snatcher, meanwhile, has almost nauseatingly greasy unhealthy locks. Beneath his red hat are stringy, dull strands that complement his ashy face. He is written to be a slimy, greasy character, and his design reflects those traits.
Just as important to the film’s design are the settings and backdrops. Set in a town, precariously and preposterously clinging to an almost Burton-looking hill (in fact, Tim Burton’s style screams through every aspect of this film, from storyline to aesthetics), the entire setting is inherently slanted. I took note of the fact that in the entirety of the film, I saw almost NO right angles. Although straight lines would seem to be the foundation of a town full of roads and buildings, almost every last line in this film is crooked or curved to some extent. The cobblestones on the road and the tiles on the roofs are individualized, never uniform. Each window pane is just slightly askew. Lampposts are crooked, walls are always leaning, and no table leg is ever even with another. Yes, in a film seemingly revolved around boxes, even the boxes themselves are never a perfect prism.
Additionally, the attention to detail in regards to texture is mind boggling. The fabrics of the characters’ clothing are so realistic. Of course, seeing as how this is stop motion, chances are the fabrics were real. But in the sculpting of textures such as unfinished wood signs and of course the cardboard boxes critical to the film’s themes, the design technique is admirable.
There was a lovely contrast between the “upper” and “lower” realms of this world. Above ground, in the world of humans (and order and rules), sunlight and artificial lighting was plentiful. Yet the artists’ choice in color and lighting made the upper world, almost paradoxically, darker than the world below. In the underground lair of the boxtrolls, in a land of freedom and fun, the design reflects the light feeling of the boxtroll society. Bare lightbulbs, with each light representing a member of the community, unite to illuminate a world without sun, but certainly not without light. This luminosity is mirrored by the eyes of the boxtrolls. Unlike humans, the costarring species in this film have eyes that glow at night. At first this is viewed in a perspective of “monster” or “animal”. But as the film progresses, you realize it refers to the light nature within these misunderstood creatures. The tunnel structure of the underground contributes to the free-flowing attitude of the design. Compared with the attempted (and failed) rigidity of the upper world, the underground is a land of curves and flow and freedom.
When the characters and settings are combined, they create a world so well-lived-in that the film really takes on a dimension of reality in its own way. Almost everything (and everyone) in this universe is designed to look aged, weathered, or dirty. Eggs is always seen with soot and dirt smudging his face. The wardrobes of most of the characters are tattered or stained. Even in scenes that suggest higher class living, such as the gala in Lord Portly Rind’s residence, the whites of the linens are dingy, and the metal fixtures of the candelabras all boast a patina. The boxes, a major focal point of the film, are all lived-in… literally. They are slightly sagging, faded, and stained with dirt and moisture. Nothing in this film looks fresh or new, and this is a major contributor to the overall context of this movie.
I opted for a seared foie gras presentation - and it was nothing short of spectacular!
"French Toast", Cashew and Parsnip Puree were absolutely perfect together with a seared liver, a touch of duck demi-glace tied every single taste note together.
I was a little surprised to see a few stringy veins in my piece of foie gras, not sure if it was an oversight or else.
Still, an excellent plate.
Please enjoy the entire Per Se (Dinner) picture set and consider Overall Impression.
Victorian Alpine Huts survey, for Parks Victoria 1994-5.
The hut was reputedly built c1917 by members of the McNamara family on GB48 which was leased by the family until recently{ MP: 70, Stephenson: 333; Boadle (1983): 39}. Cabena lists the McNamara's grazing holdings as follows: Albert Edward (Bogong High Plains `R', 1902-8, and Cobungra SA50, 1902-14); Daniel (C22 1908-20 and C29, 1908); Patrick (C21, 1918-59 and Cobungra SA51, 1902-55); Thomas (Bogong High Plains `A', 1887-1908, C6 1908-10, Cobungra SA46, 1902-14); and T J (or Tommy) (C21, 1933-46 and C22, 1920-43){ Cabena: 164}. Roy Weston described the hut in the early 1930s as having a timber floor and sides, iron roof and double bunks at one end with the chimney at the other. The door was on the side and the plan measured 15x12'. The hut was located 7 miles from Young's Hut and was at 4900'{ Stephenson (1982): 288}. Cleve Cole also recorded this hut in the 1930s as measuring 15'x12' (4.5x3.7m, see below) with double shelf bunks at one end and fireplace at the other. Tor Holth illustrated the hut extensively in his 1980 book and devoted many pages to the family history, noting that TJ and Jack (a fine horseman) were the sons of Thomas & Anne McNamara also Pat and Ned (Edward?) were the sons of Michael McNamara{ Holth: 173-}. Another son, Charles, married Matilda Abraham and their family included (another) Jack, George and Charlie{ Holth: 173-.}. Charlie worked for his cousins Jack & TJ (Thomas) in the 1950s until their death meant he worked the cattle with other helpers such as Ian Gibson, choosing the Dinner Plain and this hut as his base{ Holth: 173-; Carroll}. Charlie described the hut: `She's a rough old hut but by God we have sheltered some rough nights in her. Built in 1917. Stan Johns architect and builder. Me uncle Mick (Michael) was here, Jack and TJ McNamara. Cut the snow gum logs over here and carted them on an old horse called Trip..It was rough built. They had to split things to put in between the logs and then they got sphagnum moss to put wet between the logs and it dries out- great stuff for pokin' up huts- one of the great things for pokin' up huts is wet newspaper - when it dries it's like cement.' `The chimney used to be right here.. Was made out of chock and logs like the hut is, built up with stones. For years all they had was a bag hung up (as a door), no windows. Old Jack sat just here and there's a chock sticken' out there and where he sat with his head against it he had it worn as shiny as buggery… (for the bark roof) If you strip off a standin' tree you cut it all around the bottom and you get hold of a forky stick with a knot in him so you can put your foot on that and you lean your fork against the tree to hold you up- you don't have ladders -you put your foot on the knob and hang on to [the tree] and chop it around up so high with your axe. Then you mark it down the side of the tree, zig zag a bit, open it up. Then you have the limb of a tree shaped like a boomerang with a curve and flattened on one side and you keep putting that around the tree, or you can have a couple of them, one at the top and one at the bottom, and that keeps pushin' the bark out. Of course he'll fold up again if its a good tree- stringy bark, that's the stuff to strip -- then you want to have a good lot of bark and leaves for a fire and you put [the strip] on like a funnel and put the fire up through him until it's charred and that sort of tempers it. It'll dry out and smoke it and make it tough as hell. Then when you spread it out she won't crack. Then you put it down and put some weights on it, stones or logs, and leave it and she'll flatten out. `If you get hold of a tree when the sap's up you can knock it off. It's up in the summer time when there's plenty of rain but then it gets dry and you might be only able to strip the tree on the south side where the sun don't get it{ ibid.}.' `When the bark was dry the pieces were laid on the rafters of the roof, slightly overlapping. A strip was placed along the apex of the ridge and another strip or little pieces like tiles laid along the top like a capping. Some cattlemen tacked the bark down and others wired heavy poles together and hung them horizontally from the ridge pole so that they rested on the bark some at the top, some halfway down and some at the bottom of the roof. Still others would hook logs with a fork at the top onto the ridge pole so that they hung down vertically onto the bark. Other logs could be laid across them horizontally, secured in forks or wired. Holes were sometimes bored through the bark so that it could be held to the rafters with pegs or greenhide'{ ibid. Holth's observations}. `"Bark makes a very good warm roof", said Charlie Rundell. Most cattlemen used bark from woollybutt trees as that was readily available but, said Sid Ryder, 'It isn't good bark as it didn't last very long', about ten years." `The bark roof on the McNamaras' Dinner Plain hut was eventually replaced with iron by Charlie and his son. `My son Peter and I extended [the hut]. That iron on the roof and on this chimney come from the power house at Cobungra that was built there at the time that they were generatin' electricity for the Cassilis mine. We packed that iron out to Young's hut and put the roof on it and when the old hut fell down we packed it back into Dinner Plain and put it on there. The malthoid linin' -- we put that on in 1951 -- bloody oath it made it warmer.' `No floor until one time it rained for three or four days and it got that boggy we stripped bark off the trees at the back of the hut to put on the floor so you could walk around. [Later] we packed the boards [for the floor] across from Horsehair. The door is out of the bedroom at Young's hut.' `The second McNamara hut is located on Buckety Plain(q.v.). Charlie never used it but he knew that 'it was a little log hut with a paling roof, dirt floor. `Me brother built that and me uncle Mick and Bill Toland; I s'pose in the 1940s.' `In the 1970s the hut was enlarged and renovated by a scout group. Charlie's supply of information appeared to be limitless: "These McNamaras were great friends with the [Ned] Kellys 'cause they come from over at Wangaratta. Hinnomungie Station had all the watersheds of the Livingstone: -- that's the divide that runs down to the Big River. Ned Kelly worked on this dead-wood fence they put along there. That's the time there was a lull in them and [the police] didn't know where they were." In the early 1980s McNamara's hut was still termed a cattleman's hut, judged in fair condition, and used and maintained by cattlemen (C McNamara) and some walkers. It had nearby yards for horses{ National Parks Service, `Bogong National Park Proposed Interim Management Plan' (NPS, 1983): 47}. The main section was of logs with sheet iron additions to the west (store) and east{ Boadle (1983): 39}. There was corrugated iron on the roof held down by logs and rocks. Inside the roof is timber lined in part and with tar paper near the bunks{ ibid.}. The floor was timber slabs, set on a snow gum frame, but was in patchy condition. There was an old meat safe, cupboards and other fittings but the bunk bedding was old and the hut was described generally as in a dirty condition. The main hut measured 5.15 x 3 x 1.8m wall height, with two bunks at the west end and the fireplace at the east. The added store measured 2 x 3m{ Boadle (1983): 40A plan} The hut was set in snow gum woodland and the edge of snow grass plains. There was a small horse yard near the hut with larger yards 1K to the east which were built for brumby running by the Omeo Rodeo Club{ ibid.}. Recent lessees were Maguire and Kelly{ DCNR, 1995}.
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She has been undressed, and is lying down, to display her articulation, soundbox, manufacturer's marks and disassembled outfit.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
As soon as I heard the topic for this week, I wanted to do the texture of the iris of the eye. In order to do this, you have to get *very* close to the eye. I decided to rent a macro lens in order to do this. These were all taken with a single flash at a fairly harsh angle in order to get more dramatic lighting and emphasize the texture in the iris.
In editing, I did some pretty intense sharpening and deconvolution techniques to really bring out the stringiness in the iris and therefore help the viewer imagine what it might feel like.
Digital Photo
This is a photo of ink dropped in water. I was set up outside with a white poster background and "injected" blue and yellow ink into the water using two syringes which creates a really cool billowy and stringy effect. I did some coloring and contrast work in Lightroom to really make the color pop.
Color can be emphasized over the subject by making the subject more ambiguous and/or less unique. In this case I made the subject more ambiguous by using the cool shape and texture created by the ink and water.
Digital Photography
17.4 x 12.16in @ 300dpi
arepas round, flat, corn pockets cooked on a hot grill until crispy on the outside, filled with...
shredded beef, slow cooked in a tomato salsa AUD9
The arepas were soft and fluffy with a nice corn flavour, and the shredded beef was tender and juicy, if a little stringy. The cornmeal was really quite nice!
an arepa is a round, flat cornmeal pocket, cooked on a hot grill until crispy on the outside, and filled with a range of tasty options. it is an essential ingredient of our culture, eaten by millions every day in the vibrant, vivacious and welcoming cities of Latin America. it's freshly cooked, it's healthy, it's affordable. come and try... you'll love it!
Cruzao Arepa Bar
+61 3 94177871
365 Brunswick St
Fitzroy VIC 3065
monday to thursday, 11am-3pm & 6pm-11pm
friday, 11am-3pm & 6pm-1am
saturday 11am-1am
sunday 11am-4pm
Reviews:
- Cruzao Arepa Bar: Mojitos abound and it’s gluten-free! - it pleases us - Sep 9th, 2010 by Emily
- Cruzao Arepa Bar Opens - by Jane de Graaff, Broadsheet Melbourne, 8th September 2010 There's a new arepa bar in Fitzroy serving up the Venezuelan answer to the hamburger.
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She is free standing, and is photographed from various angles.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
BOX DATE: 2003
MANUFACTURER: Mattel
DOLLS IN LINE: Tika; Kiyoni Brown; Tré; Liam; Happy D; P.BO
MISSING ITEMS: Bag, hat, radio, decal stamper, 2 pairs shoes, necklace, shirt, pants
PERSONAL FUN FACT: Everything about Liam's outfit is very unique. For one, I questioned whether or not these grey socks even belonged to him. Unlike the other Flavas dolls I purchased around the same time, this dude was not wearing any shoes. Instead, he was simply sporting a pair of socks. These look ridiculously tiny off the doll, and they are rather difficult to cram over Liam's large, rubbery feet. But after careful research, I was able to conclude they are in fact his originals. They must not have gotten lost due to their super tight fit. Anyways, when I purchased Liam at the flea market, I didn't take a close look at his baggy pants. Colleen was the one who noticed the faux boxers poking out the top of them. Okay, so to be honest when boys at my school used to wear their pants super low so their boxers showed, I found it unpleasant. But it's kind of cool to see this translated into doll sized fashion. It's clever that the two pieces are actually attached, so they elastic band on the boxers hold the pants up. Liam's red top is ginormous. It looks almost like the kinds of clothes you find on stuffed animals. Were it not such high quality, I'd probably have mistaken this as non-doll clothes if Liam had not been wearing it. Liam is super thin and stringy, so the size/shape of this top is very apparent when he wears it.
There are some things that are passed down for generations because of family tradition; then there’s Porzia’s “pizza” di nonna ($10), chef Basilio Pesce’s nostalgic tribute to his grandmother’s version of the baked bread.
(Side note from chef Pesce: “Anything that was made with dough or had flour in it she called pizza, in her limited English”)
Pesce tweaked the original recipe – using half the butter and incorporating potato and a chilled step to rest the dough – and stuffs a stringy layer of Swiss and Parmesan cheeses with salty punches of mortadella and prosciutto between two buttery moist halves of brioche dough.
The result: a rich, greaseless stuffed focaccia-like pastry that has a flaky crust, tender crumb, mouth-watering yeasty aroma, and an oozy center that’s cut by a loose, slightly acidic and bitter seasonal salad. (On this visit: a shredded mix of Brussels sprouts, Treviso (variety of radicchio) and sliced radish tossed with a pickled mustard seed vinaigrette.)
Fun fact: Porzia’s (anti-)brunch menu that launches this weekend (April 21) will feature variation of the pizza.
What is it?
Well... as can be seen, first of all, it's an egg in the so-called "over-easy" style, which was actually NOT turned over, but covered, to cook the top.
Along with slices of carrots (the orange, stringy stuff), Jasmine rice, toasted unsalted #hemp seeds (a complete protein), and habanero pepper sauce (the green stuff) by El Yucateco – which IMO is OUTSTANDING!
The hemp seeds have their shells on them, so they're crunchy, which adds texture to the dish, as well as a naturally nutty flavor.
And for those of you whom may not know, hemp seeds do NOT contain THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. And just to be certain to be confusing about it all, hemp is the term/name given to cannabis sativa when it has a THC content of LESS THAN 0.3%. Hemp is grown for its fiber content and seeds, whereas cannabis (aka "marijuana") is grown for it's medicinal and/or psychoactive properties of THC.
Another component of cannabis, CBD, is also found in hemp, as well as in marijuana, and does NOT have any psychoactive properties, but does have medicinal/therapeutic properties.
Here's where the wicket gets even stickier:
THC and CBD are thought to have synergistic or compounded properties, meaning that together, they work better than when apart. Interestingly also, science has now learned that when taken in conjunction with pain-relieving medications like hydrocodone, cannabis potentiates (helps improve) its pain-relieving abilities, and actually decreases the dosage required to be effective. Not only that, use of hydrocodone with cannabis has NOT shown to increase dependency either upon cannabis, or hydrocodone.
Now... had folks not been researching this (and that is based upon valid, scientific/medical research), we would not have known it.
And now... enjoy your breakfast!
Bon appétit!
This is a black & white version of some stringy bark gum trees, with some adjustments for Sliders Sunday, just for something different.
HSS
I were taken out o’ irons on account o’ havin’ been
a successful poacher, I s’pose, although why exactly
Captain Watkin Tench wouldn’t ‘ave a shot himself
I’ll never know – disinclined to tek off his red coat,
I’d be guessin’, an those ostriches made themselves
right scarce at th’ sight o’ that. Surgeon John White,
‘e were there, ‘is hair all sweaty, like baldin’ flax,
ready wit’ ‘is knives fer a quick dissection. But
it’s not the one I shot what I’m tellin’ ‘bout. Listen.
Them natives ‘ad ‘im trapped, in a cleft i’th’
stones, an’ came at us wi’ their gesticulations,
shoutin’ “Mah-Ray-Ong, Mah-Ray-Ong” over and
again: a little one. Well, I say little, but ‘e were
big enough ter spill yer guts wi’ one rake o’
them claws. An’ Tench expects me ter wrestle
‘im ter th’ ground, so I grabs ‘is throat wi’ one
‘and, an me other arm is reachin’ out ter
‘ook up ‘is legs, but they’re threshin’ every
which way, an’ the monster sets up a fearful
drummin’, big beak clackin’, an’ I’m scramblin’
ter keep me ‘old. An’ everyone stan’s aroun’
laughin’, except them natives: they’re in
like terriers, whippin’ th’ feet from under ‘im.
That’s when John White comes in wi’ ‘is rope
an’ trusses ‘im up proper, an’ I’m wipin’ at me
scratches, swearin’. They takes ‘im back ter
Port Jackson jes’ like that, slung up like a chicken,
an’ sure enough, that’s where they keeps ‘im:
i’th’ ‘en-coop, eatin’ scraps an’ crappin’ turds,
ostrich-sized. By Christ, that’s some good eatin’
goin’ ter waste an’ gettin’ stringy. ‘E’d taste
like young beef, so they say, though I don’t
rightly believe ‘em, an’ I’ll never be findin’ out,
neither. An’ John White an’ Watkin Tench, they
visits ‘im every day, so now ‘e’s growin’ gentle:
them as can’t tame a felon, lavishin’ all that
love on a great ugly bird. An’ ‘ere’s me, William
Connolly, out o’ Bodmin, patched up an’ back in irons.
Poem by Giles Watson, 2014. Picture: NPM, Volume 2. The Cassowary of New South Wales is now known as the Emu, Dromarius novaehollandiae, but in 1800, “Emu” was a name reserved for the South American Rhea. There was much confusion over the terminology, and the word “ostrich” was also interchangeable for a while. Dissections of the Emu were recorded by Surgeon White in his Journal of the 30th of February 1788, and by Watkin Tench, a Marine who sailed on the Charlotte with the First Fleet, in his Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay: “the bird which principally claims attention is, a species of ostrich, approaching nearer to the emu of South America than any other we know of. One of them was shot, at a considerable distance, with a single ball, by a convict employed for that purpose by the Governor; its weight, when complete, was seventy pounds, and its length from the end of the toe to the tip of the beak, seven feet two inches, though there was reason to believe it had not attained its full growth. On dissection many anatomical singularities were observed: the gall-bladder was remarkably large, the liver not bigger than that of a barn-door fowl, and after the strictest search no gizzard could be found; the legs, which were of a vast length, were covered with thick, strong scales, plainly indicating the animal to be formed for living amidst deserts; and the foot differed from an ostrich's by forming a triangle, instead of being cloven.” One bird was indeed captured alive and kept with the Governor’s chickens.
The fragrance is not breath taking but breath giving! Ever heard of Hall's Eucalyptus lozenges?
Eucalyptus (/ˌjuːkəˈlɪptəs/) is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut".
Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire.
A few species are native to islands north of Australia and a smaller number are only found outside the continent. Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing and have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, for honey production or essential oils. In some countries, however, they have been removed because they are highly flammable.
Garland Park, Carmel CA
braised pork belly rillons, house made baked beans, onion marmalade & toast
The braised pork belly rillons was better than the Braised Pork Belly we had last time! The tender cubes of pork belly had a nice caramelised crust. Some cubes were lean and wonderfully stringy, others oozing luscious seams of fat!
I was greedy, and got an extra serve of Andrew's Choice black pudding. Very good. Full of oats soaked in blood with sweetness coming from apple puree.
While the baked beans were not as mushy as I'd like, it still help balance the richness of the pork rillons. The onion marmalade seemed to get lost in the mix.
Apparently pork rillons are slow cooked pork belly preserved in its own fat, like a cross between confit and rillettes. Huge Fearnley-Whittingstall has a Rillons of pork belly recipe too!
Incidentally, John Lethlean, food writer had a go at making black pudding, as part of his research for The Age Good Food Guide, in which he mentions Andrew's Choice Smallgoods. Andrew's Choice hams were also given the tick by Richard Cornish.
Andrew's Choice, Yarraville Retail Outlet
(03) 9687 2419
24 Anderson St
Yarraville VIC 3013
Andrew's Choice, Laverton North Head Office
(03) 8360 8688
U2/ 74 William Angliss Drv
Laverton North VIC 3026
Still love the dumpster-chic decor and buzzy atmostphere, and the food and coffee was better today!
The long queue (15 minute wait) was a bit annoying though, especially when I was hungry!
Auction Rooms Cafe
(03) 9326 7749
103-107 Errol St
North Melbourne VIC 3051
Reviews:
- Auction Rooms, North Melbourne - The Breakfast Blog Thursday, March 19, 2009
- Auction Rooms, by Matt Preston, Reviewer, Epicure, The Age July 15, 2008
A pudding with a lovely surprise in the centre of it when you cut it open. The orange peel is cooked like marmalade and its sharpness goes well with the sweetness of the chocolate.
Serves 6 to 8.
85 g / 3 oz butter
55 g / 2 oz dark chocolate
170 g / 6 oz self-raising flour
55 g / 2 oz cocoa powder
170 g / 6 oz caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
For the filling:
1 orange -- preferably a thin-skinned navel variety
85 g / 3 oz butter
85 g / 3 oz caster sugar
First, bring some water to the boil in a pan (in which you are later going to steam your pudding), and put in your whole orange to boil fast for at least 10 minutes with the lid on.
Meanwhile, grease a 1.3 litre / 2 pint pudding basin. Melt the butter with the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Put the flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl; add the melted butter and chocolate, then the sugar, eggs and milk, and mix well. Put about two-thirds of the mixture into a basin, making a well in the middle.
By this time the orange should have been boiling for about 10 minutes, and the peel should be nice and soft. Remove it carefully from the water. Prick the orange all over with a fork or skewer and place it in the middle of the pudding mix. You can (with care, as it's still hot) cut the orange into segments, if you want to check for pips or cut off the stringy bits of orange in the middle, then put it back together again (it does make it easier for serving), although I don't usually bother.
Dice the butter and dot it round the orange with the sugar, then cover with the remaining pudding mixture. Cover the pudding with greaseproof paper, then with tin-foil, and place in the pan of boiling water (it should come halfway up the sides of the basin). Steam for 2 hours. Don't forget to check it now and then to see if the water needs topping up.
Turn the pudding out to a serving dish and serve with custard or cream.
“Have you ever wondered what makes these glamourous movie stars do the scandalous things they do? Why they revel in getting their names in the papers? The reason may be weightier than you think.” [Prologue]
Imagine a short story by Fritz Leiber with art by Lee Brown Coye, both masters of the weird and bizarre. It’s a match made in heaven. Or, should I refer to the other place? Copilot answers:
Leiber + Coye is one of those uncanny pairings where two imaginations, each already tilted toward the eldritch, amplify one another until the result feels less like a story and more like a visitation. And “The Casket Demon” is one of their finest collisions.
️ Leiber’s Story: Celebrity, Scandal, and Something Hungry Behind the Mirror
Leiber loved taking a familiar cultural surface—Hollywood glamour, tabloid scandal, the public’s appetite for fame—and then peeling it back to reveal something primal, occult, or psychologically carnivorous underneath. That prologue you quoted is classic Leiber:
“Have you ever wondered what makes these glamorous movie stars do the scandalous things they do…?”
He sets you up to expect satire, maybe a sly commentary on fame. But Leiber never stops at commentary. He suggests possession, parasitism, shadow doubles, or entities that feed on attention itself. In “The Casket Demon,” the “weightier reason” behind celebrity behavior becomes literal—an unseen force that clings to the famous, shapes their impulses, and demands spectacle as its nourishment. It’s Leiber’s favorite trick: turning metaphor into monster.
️ Coye’s Art: The Uneasy Line Between Body and Symbol
Coye’s illustration for the story is pure nightmare fuel—those stringy lines, the cadaverous face, the insectile motifs, the sense that everything is slightly decomposed or spiritually mildewed. He had a genius for drawing figures that looked half-human, half-fungus, half-symbol, and entirely wrong. His work always feels like it was found in a barn that should have been condemned decades ago.
And here, paired with Leiber’s tale of fame-haunting entities, Coye gives us a demon that looks like it crawled out of a coffin not to kill, but to whisper—to nudge, to tempt, to steer a starlet toward the next headline-grabbing disaster.
It’s not “heaven.” It’s not quite “the other place,” either. It’s that strange middle territory Leiber and Coye both loved. It’s a match made in… well, let’s say the attic of a funeral home, where the rafters creak and the dust smells faintly of old secrets.
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She is free standing, and is photographed from various angles.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
May Queen, yacht moored at the Hobart docks.
Tasmania.
May Queen
The SV May Queen is Australia’s oldest sail trading vessel and is one of only a handful of wooden vessels of her era still afloat in the world.
Built at Franklin on the banks of the Huon River in Tasmania’s south in 1867, her working life spanned a century of development, with the changing nature of her work and the cargos she carried reflecting the changes and growth of the communities she served.
Fitted with a retractable centreboard, the SV May Queen is 21 metres long, 5.3 metres wide and has a draft of 1.5 metres when fully laden with 25,000 super feet of sawn timber (50 tonnes). Her hull is of Tasmanian blue gum and stringy bark, her deck is of Tasmanian Celery top pine and her spars are of imported oregon.
SV May Queen is moored on display in Constitution Dock.
SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERA
good but too salty. even for me.
love radish leaves...BUT I choked on one! it was too long! It was stuck in my throat....I tried to swallow..O..I have huge gaps between my molars (because I had braces a few years ago)...so the stringy leaf got stuck...It was half down my thoart...and the other side was stuck between my teeth. I couldn't swallow..and I couldn't get the leaf ....I started to gag. Mike was worried...he asked what was happening. I think I said, "nothing." lol. I guess I was a lil embarrassed (not like he could have helped me if he knew)...
finally I just sucked it out...kind of like sucking out mucus..it was really hard ! because that thing was really long! It took awhile for it to finally come up...after that I continued eating and it still felt like the damn thing was still in my throat. ...guess I should cut it next time. I blame the food itself. haha.
Great rice paper rolls require a chewy skin and a good filling. The rice paper rolls at Thanh Ha ticks both boxes with a chewy just moist rice paper wrapper and a filling of shredded lean pork and pork rind with enough shredded lettuce to make it moist. The requisite sprinkle of ground toasted rice gives the pork rind a nutty toasty flavour, and the shredded shiso leaf and mint lends sophistication to a simple snack.
The Cambodian Rice Noodle Soup is also good with lean pork, heart and liver all poached whole to perfection and then sliced thinly so that each of the stringy, chrunchy and floury textures hold their own. Added to this is a scattering of rendered cubes of pork fat for some extra porky flavour. Yum! It almost makes the slice of calamari and peeled prawn extraneous.
Banh Cuon Thanh Ha Restaurant
(03) 9429 8130
Shp 1/ 172 Victoria St
Richmond VIC 3121
Reviews:
Victorian Alpine Huts survey, for Parks Victoria 1994-5.
The hut was reputedly built c1917 by members of the McNamara family on GB48 which was leased by the family until recently{ MP: 70, Stephenson: 333; Boadle (1983): 39}. Cabena lists the McNamara's grazing holdings as follows: Albert Edward (Bogong High Plains `R', 1902-8, and Cobungra SA50, 1902-14); Daniel (C22 1908-20 and C29, 1908); Patrick (C21, 1918-59 and Cobungra SA51, 1902-55); Thomas (Bogong High Plains `A', 1887-1908, C6 1908-10, Cobungra SA46, 1902-14); and T J (or Tommy) (C21, 1933-46 and C22, 1920-43){ Cabena: 164}. Roy Weston described the hut in the early 1930s as having a timber floor and sides, iron roof and double bunks at one end with the chimney at the other. The door was on the side and the plan measured 15x12'. The hut was located 7 miles from Young's Hut and was at 4900'{ Stephenson (1982): 288}. Cleve Cole also recorded this hut in the 1930s as measuring 15'x12' (4.5x3.7m, see below) with double shelf bunks at one end and fireplace at the other. Tor Holth illustrated the hut extensively in his 1980 book and devoted many pages to the family history, noting that TJ and Jack (a fine horseman) were the sons of Thomas & Anne McNamara also Pat and Ned (Edward?) were the sons of Michael McNamara{ Holth: 173-}. Another son, Charles, married Matilda Abraham and their family included (another) Jack, George and Charlie{ Holth: 173-.}. Charlie worked for his cousins Jack & TJ (Thomas) in the 1950s until their death meant he worked the cattle with other helpers such as Ian Gibson, choosing the Dinner Plain and this hut as his base{ Holth: 173-; Carroll}. Charlie described the hut: `She's a rough old hut but by God we have sheltered some rough nights in her. Built in 1917. Stan Johns architect and builder. Me uncle Mick (Michael) was here, Jack and TJ McNamara. Cut the snow gum logs over here and carted them on an old horse called Trip..It was rough built. They had to split things to put in between the logs and then they got sphagnum moss to put wet between the logs and it dries out- great stuff for pokin' up huts- one of the great things for pokin' up huts is wet newspaper - when it dries it's like cement.' `The chimney used to be right here.. Was made out of chock and logs like the hut is, built up with stones. For years all they had was a bag hung up (as a door), no windows. Old Jack sat just here and there's a chock sticken' out there and where he sat with his head against it he had it worn as shiny as buggery… (for the bark roof) If you strip off a standin' tree you cut it all around the bottom and you get hold of a forky stick with a knot in him so you can put your foot on that and you lean your fork against the tree to hold you up- you don't have ladders -you put your foot on the knob and hang on to [the tree] and chop it around up so high with your axe. Then you mark it down the side of the tree, zig zag a bit, open it up. Then you have the limb of a tree shaped like a boomerang with a curve and flattened on one side and you keep putting that around the tree, or you can have a couple of them, one at the top and one at the bottom, and that keeps pushin' the bark out. Of course he'll fold up again if its a good tree- stringy bark, that's the stuff to strip -- then you want to have a good lot of bark and leaves for a fire and you put [the strip] on like a funnel and put the fire up through him until it's charred and that sort of tempers it. It'll dry out and smoke it and make it tough as hell. Then when you spread it out she won't crack. Then you put it down and put some weights on it, stones or logs, and leave it and she'll flatten out. `If you get hold of a tree when the sap's up you can knock it off. It's up in the summer time when there's plenty of rain but then it gets dry and you might be only able to strip the tree on the south side where the sun don't get it{ ibid.}.' `When the bark was dry the pieces were laid on the rafters of the roof, slightly overlapping. A strip was placed along the apex of the ridge and another strip or little pieces like tiles laid along the top like a capping. Some cattlemen tacked the bark down and others wired heavy poles together and hung them horizontally from the ridge pole so that they rested on the bark some at the top, some halfway down and some at the bottom of the roof. Still others would hook logs with a fork at the top onto the ridge pole so that they hung down vertically onto the bark. Other logs could be laid across them horizontally, secured in forks or wired. Holes were sometimes bored through the bark so that it could be held to the rafters with pegs or greenhide'{ ibid. Holth's observations}. `"Bark makes a very good warm roof", said Charlie Rundell. Most cattlemen used bark from woollybutt trees as that was readily available but, said Sid Ryder, 'It isn't good bark as it didn't last very long', about ten years." `The bark roof on the McNamaras' Dinner Plain hut was eventually replaced with iron by Charlie and his son. `My son Peter and I extended [the hut]. That iron on the roof and on this chimney come from the power house at Cobungra that was built there at the time that they were generatin' electricity for the Cassilis mine. We packed that iron out to Young's hut and put the roof on it and when the old hut fell down we packed it back into Dinner Plain and put it on there. The malthoid linin' -- we put that on in 1951 -- bloody oath it made it warmer.' `No floor until one time it rained for three or four days and it got that boggy we stripped bark off the trees at the back of the hut to put on the floor so you could walk around. [Later] we packed the boards [for the floor] across from Horsehair. The door is out of the bedroom at Young's hut.' `The second McNamara hut is located on Buckety Plain(q.v.). Charlie never used it but he knew that 'it was a little log hut with a paling roof, dirt floor. `Me brother built that and me uncle Mick and Bill Toland; I s'pose in the 1940s.' `In the 1970s the hut was enlarged and renovated by a scout group. Charlie's supply of information appeared to be limitless: "These McNamaras were great friends with the [Ned] Kellys 'cause they come from over at Wangaratta. Hinnomungie Station had all the watersheds of the Livingstone: -- that's the divide that runs down to the Big River. Ned Kelly worked on this dead-wood fence they put along there. That's the time there was a lull in them and [the police] didn't know where they were." In the early 1980s McNamara's hut was still termed a cattleman's hut, judged in fair condition, and used and maintained by cattlemen (C McNamara) and some walkers. It had nearby yards for horses{ National Parks Service, `Bogong National Park Proposed Interim Management Plan' (NPS, 1983): 47}. The main section was of logs with sheet iron additions to the west (store) and east{ Boadle (1983): 39}. There was corrugated iron on the roof held down by logs and rocks. Inside the roof is timber lined in part and with tar paper near the bunks{ ibid.}. The floor was timber slabs, set on a snow gum frame, but was in patchy condition. There was an old meat safe, cupboards and other fittings but the bunk bedding was old and the hut was described generally as in a dirty condition. The main hut measured 5.15 x 3 x 1.8m wall height, with two bunks at the west end and the fireplace at the east. The added store measured 2 x 3m{ Boadle (1983): 40A plan} The hut was set in snow gum woodland and the edge of snow grass plains. There was a small horse yard near the hut with larger yards 1K to the east which were built for brumby running by the Omeo Rodeo Club{ ibid.}. Recent lessees were Maguire and Kelly{ DCNR, 1995}.
Le Thon
Blue fin tuna tartar, bergamot red pepper confit with quail egg ($24)
Notes: Everyone has their sense of aesthetics. To me, this dish looked like a nightmarish creation of Salvador Dali - grotesque, fantastical and somewhat garish - as if it were alive, in its own strange way.
Okay, back to the food. The tuna was very clean tasting and fresh - everything glistened with just the right amount of oil and dressing. My one criticism of this dish - as with a number of others, is that it's terribly difficult to eat. Cutting through the egg, pepper and tuna was near-impossible. You either had to deconstruct everything or try and cut through and end up with a mess. We did the later. You can see the results here.
I joked with my friend about the "fence" of chives and julienned chorizo. The chives were tough and tasteless and ended up as floss in my teeth (read: extremely stringy); the chorizo, as I mentioned in the Le Calamar commentary, was dry and jerky-like. After all the silky tuna and pepper had melted away, you left flossing and chewing on these two elements. This distracting factor negated whatever flavor the chive and chorizo might have imparted.
Read the full review of this meal on my blog.
braised pork belly rillons, house made baked beans, onion marmalade & toast
The braised pork belly rillons was better than the Braised Pork Belly we had last time! The tender cubes of pork belly had a nice caramelised crust. Some cubes were lean and wonderfully stringy, others oozing luscious seams of fat!
I was greedy, and got an extra serve of Andrew's Choice black pudding. Very good. Full of oats soaked in blood with sweetness coming from apple puree.
While the baked beans were not as mushy as I'd like, it still help balance the richness of the pork rillons. The onion marmalade seemed to get lost in the mix.
Apparently pork rillons are slow cooked pork belly preserved in its own fat, like a cross between confit and rillettes. Huge Fearnley-Whittingstall has a Rillons of pork belly recipe too!
Incidentally, John Lethlean, food writer had a go at making black pudding, as part of his research for The Age Good Food Guide, in which he mentions Andrew's Choice Smallgoods. Andrew's Choice hams were also given the tick by Richard Cornish.
Andrew's Choice, Yarraville Retail Outlet
(03) 9687 2419
24 Anderson St
Yarraville VIC 3013
Andrew's Choice, Laverton North Head Office
(03) 8360 8688
U2/ 74 William Angliss Drv
Laverton North VIC 3026
Still love the dumpster-chic decor and buzzy atmostphere, and the food and coffee was better today!
The long queue (15 minute wait) was a bit annoying though, especially when I was hungry!
Auction Rooms Cafe
(03) 9326 7749
103-107 Errol St
North Melbourne VIC 3051
Reviews:
- Auction Rooms, North Melbourne - The Breakfast Blog Thursday, March 19, 2009
- Auction Rooms, by Matt Preston, Reviewer, Epicure, The Age July 15, 2008