Culinary Epiphanies

During the planning stages of this exchange, I assumed I would be spending my free time on the computer learning all sort of new tricks. Instead, I find myself using my time to explore new frontiers in the kitchen. I don't have a lot of gadgets to play with but I've discovered that as long as you have a few basics - good knives, wooden spoons, a spatula, a whisk, an immersion blender and a hand mixer - you can achieve a lot in the kitchen. Another tool I use frequently is a food processor I found at Vinnie's (a thrift store that the Aussies call an Op Shop) for $10. It's missing a few of the safety guards but that's ok - the blades are sharp and I like living on the edge. 

To date, I have made tortillas, croissants, perogies, pastry and scads and scads of pizza dough. Thank God none of us are gluten intolerant. Now that I've had the opportunity to try pizza dough a few times and experiment with recipes, I don't think I'll ever go back to store bought.

So, here's a challenge for all of you. 

When you get home from work/school/the beach, mix together:

• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 package of yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups of flour

Put the ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel (preferably clean, but the dirty one beside the stove might lend a certain je ne c'est quoi to the flavour). Let it sit in a sunny spot for an hour or so while you wrangle kids/do the laundry/down a bottle of merlot. When you come back, it should have doubled in size. Give it a good hard punch in the gut (see, isn't this therapeutic?), knead it a few times on a floured surface and let it sit another 20 mins. 

Yes, that's another glass of wine. 

Now it's ready to be rolled out into four roundish pizza shapes. Make sure to roll it out on a lightly floured surface and if you don't have a rolling pin, that merlot bottle will serve nicely. Gather the kids, let them put their own toppings on their own pizza shells, and bake in a moderately hot oven - the pizzas, not the kids - until they look like they're done. Let them sit for a few minutes before you slice and voilà. Dinner is served. Open another bottle of wine.

Three month update

As of June 15th, we've been here in Australia for three months.
We're living in what feels like super slo-mo after many many years of rush rush rush. Today, for example, we had early morning practice, Isabelle went to school, Rob and Sophie went to Scienceworks and I spent the day at the library catching up on my coursework. We all returned to the house by 3:30 and spent the rest of the day playing cards in front of the fireplace and enjoying a leisurely dinner of lamb chops, couscous and roasted beets. BTW - not only do the fruits and vegetables taste exponentially better here but so does the lamb.

Sophie has given up on any pretense of schoolwork so I sneak math and science in wherever I can. We have been doing a lot of baking and we never make whole recipes, always double or half etc. Sneaky math. Quantities vary, depending on the chocolate content of the recipe.
Nanaimo Bars? Let's triple that.
Chocolate chip cookies? Let's make four batches and vary the ingredients slightly so we can turn it into an edible science experiment.
Sophie is forever redesigning her room so I think next up will be a 3D scale model of her bedroom back home so she can rearrange to her hearts content. The measurements on the house plans are imperial and all materials here are metric. Aha! More sneaky math!

Although Isabelle is going to high school here, her marks won't transfer to Canada so there is no pressure to get her usual high grades. She is still working hard on her Canadian courses by distance but that can be squeezed in whenever suits her, not slotted into a strict daily timetable.Things like a weekday matinee, a sore baby toe or a sunny winter day are now completely legitimate reasons to skip school.

Even after three months, I'm finding "time" a real luxury. I love having the time to try making things I've always been curious about:

Tortillas: totally easy, especially with a real rolling pin instead of a wine bottle - thanks Trish! 

Perogies: also easy. I formed and Sophie boiled and scooped. 

Kumquat marmalade: hmmm, here's a bag full of fruit I know nothing about (thanks, Fern and Dave! - this is one of their alpacas) - let's give it a go...

Cleaning and weeding have fallen right to the bottom of the priority list.
Oh no, wait... I do that in real life. Now, if I could make something out of the dust bunnies and bindweed, there might be some incentive.

Also of note: Morning Glory is purple here, not white.

Library at the Dock

On Wednesday, I deserted the family and spent a glorious day prowling through art galleries and libraries in Melbourne. My last stop was the brand spanking new Library at the Dock, which had only been open to the public for 4 days.

Oh wow, is it ever spectacular.

The front facade - you can park your yacht right out front.

The back side - kids playground, a large grassy lawn and behind me is an open plan sports court and outdoor gym available for anyone to use at any time

The automated check-in, just like the one at Emily Carr. The library officer (what they call LAs) I spoke to showed me a technical glitch they had already come across - when the sun shines in the window in the afternoon, it interferes with the sensor and the machine won't work. Thought you might get a kick out of that, Helen!

The gallery space on the second floor - right now it is a local history display but in future, it will be available to local arts groups. 

The catalogue kiosks are on the endcaps throughout the collection area - about six per floor.

Yes, this is a ping pong table on astroturf in the library. The library collection can be secured to allow after hours access to this room as well as the performance space, the recording room, several meeting rooms and the outside terrace.

The recording studio available for patrons to rent at an extremely affordable rate.

3D printer in the third floor Design Lab. The librarian I spoke to was in the process of printing himself a pen holder for his new desk. 

Self checks are scattered all over the library on all three floors. Interesting note - every city library I've been to in Western Australia and Victoria has RFID. 

The Overdrive Media smart desk. And guess what, Dr. Overdrive? It wasn't working properly. It had been stuck in a loop since day one and you couldn't get past the first 12 titles displayed. Oh, that made me laugh.

Smart floor in the kids section. Kids (or adults) kick the balls around the screen - great for getting wigglies out between storytime books. I wonder how many tantrums it has caused so far.

Graphics on the front door with a beautiful view of the harbour and the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel.