Tag Archives: Coleslaw

It’s starting to feel like Summer

It’s finally starting to feel like Summer. Yesterday and today we had maximum temperatures >30 °C. It’s just a pity it was so dry. The weather would be perfect if we had more humidity and some rain.

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs I spent today Spring cleaning for a rental inspection this week. I used my new Magic Bullet to prepare the eggs with a little cream. I served it on quinoa and flaxseed toast. I really needed a good mug of coffee after another poor sleep.

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This evening I enjoyed an almost tropical meal of salmon with mango coleslaw. The coleslaw has red cabbage, red onions, carrot, coriander, mint and parsley.

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This afternoon I received a visit from a friendly magpie.

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This morning while walking I captured an image of the trees down Benjamin Way. Using Diptic I posted to Instagram a comparison of the Winter and Spring images. Canberra truly has the best expression of seasons in Australia with true demarcation between each of the four seasons. While it is beautiful I miss the simplicity of the wet season, dry season and build up in Subequatorial Australia.

Another week in Instagram and schoolies week (garydavidlum.com)
How to make perfect coleslaw (guardian.co.uk)
nutritious coleslaw (omamas.com)
Gingered Carrot Coleslaw Recipe (rawlivingfoods.typepad.com)
A favourite sandwich | Distant happy memories (garydavidlum.com)
Pork schnitzel with cauliflower rice (lchfenglish.wordpress.com)
Smile! Thanksgiving Is Instagram’s Biggest Day (abcnews.go.com)
Instagram users set Thanksgiving photo upload record (pcworld.com)

A favourite sandwich | Distant happy memories

19 Replies

In 1988 I was in my fifth year of medical school. As part of a general practice term I spent two weeks in Townsville. http://goo.gl/maps/WzpNQ

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I was attached to a GP and a GP trainee. I remember one lunch time I went out with this trainee and was shouted lunch. We went to a local milk bar/fish and chip shop. I looked at the black board and saw under sandwiches Fish and Coleslaw sandwich. I’d never seen that on offer before (and since only in Far North Queensland, i.e., Cairns).

It was one of the nicest sandwiches I’d ever enjoyed.

Today was a pretty busy one at work. I left a little late and thought I’d go to the local takeaway at Jamison Plaza. http://goo.gl/maps/AlPWq

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It turns out the lovely ladies of the Jamison Takeaway will make a sandwich to order. I asked for a fish and coleslaw sandwich. The ladies (all three) looked at me and asked if I could say that again. I explained I wanted a piece of fish and some coleslaw between two pieces of bread. I also asked for two potato scallops. They threw in a third for free. I love the ladies of the Jamison Takeaway, when I’ve been there before they’ve thrown in extras too.

I got back to my place and sat down with my sandwich and thought of Townsville, Far North Queensland, warmth and humidity and being a student again.

Fish and coleslaw sandwich

Nicole’s Purple and Green Coleslaw (simplybittenkitchen.net)
Best Gourmet Sandwich Recipes (answers.com)
A sandwich. A good one. (andy.wordpress.com)
Two Days On (lesleyanne2.wordpress.com)
Townsville – Kelso, Australia (travelpod.com)

Brisbane

18 Replies

I’m currently in Brisbane to visit my kids. Brisbane is where I was born and spent 30 years learning skills in medicine, pathology and specifically clinical microbiology. I grew up here. I love Brisbane. I’m a Brisbane boy. I’m a Queenslander.

This year I didn’t get an opportunity to go to The Ekka with my daughters. Maybe next year. Miss15, ever thoughtful bought me a hat from one of her trips to The Show.

Me in a new hat from Miss15

Today we joined up with one of my brothers (Mr41) and his son (NephewMr6) to watch a junior rugby match.

Brisbane is beautiful in August. The sky is clear and the morning cool but not cold like Canberra (which has the skies but the trees aren’t all evergreen). Canberra’s deciduous trees remind me of death and the cycle of life. This picture says it all, great sky, beautiful trees and rugby posts. Only summer is better with a swimming pool or surf beach.

A perfect scene. A winter’s morning in Brisbane. Evergreen trees and rugby posts.

While Miss11 and Miss15 went to gymnastics training I took Miss17 shopping. She was hungry after missing breakfast because of a sleep in and an early start to the junior rugby match.

We both had the same idea. A crumbed chicken and coleslaw sandwich.

Crumbed chicken and coleslaw sandwich with pineapple drink

After gymnastics we had to attend the Clayfield College open day. Miss11 and Miss15 have scholarships to attend school here. Without the half scholarships I could not afford the fees.

I tried an ice cream treat I’d not heard of before, viz., drippin dots. I chose caramel and brownie. It was really very nice.

Caramel and brownie Drippin Dots

This afternoon Miss17 captured an image of me.

Me in shades

Tonight I took Dad, Mum and the girls out to dinner to Hog’s Breath Cafe for an early father’s day celebration. These restaurants have a great Aussie history. Many people assume an origin in the USA, the truth is they started in Queensland and have spread across Australia. Importantly, the franchise is a big supporter of motor sport and rugby league in Australia.

I had a steak and rib combination for a main meal.

Steak and rib combination with a side of calamari and Béarnaise sauce

For dessert the girls helped me share a sundae.

Hoggies Rocky Road Sundae which is enough for four

Mum and Dad had profiteroles which Miss15 informed us are made from choux pastry which resembles cabbages. Miss15 likes to pronounce choux as chucks just to make us laugh.

Profiteroles

I’ll be back in Canberra tomorrow.

Sydney poor loser as Brisbane gets to host G20 (nzherald.co.nz)

Christmas with my kids, parents and one of my brothers

8 Replies

For the last few years I’ve visited my girls the week before Christmas to spend the weekend and have our own special Christmas. It also coincides with my Mum’s birthday so it’s a joint celebration.

This year my youngest brother, Mr40 decided to make wonton soup for an entrée. Mr40 prides himself on this wonton soup however, we discovered he doesn’t follow Mum’s recipe to the letter. He doesn’t slap the pork mince. For more information check out My Mum’s wonton recipe and read what I’m talking about.

Mr40's wonton soup for our Christmas lunch entrée

It was pretty good.

If you thought I limited myself to this one small bowl you'd be mistaken.

Lunch was pretty good. In the morning I went out and bought prawns (tigers and kings) and then peeled them. Mum roasted chickens, made a potato bake, coleslaw, devilled eggs and a fantastic stuffing.

Christmas lunch

For dessert Mum made a sunken orange cake with a lovely orange sauce and ice cream.

Orange cake

You would think we couldn’t eat dinner. Well you’d be wrong.

A light dinner of cheese and fruit

This was then followed with rocky road made by Mr40′s wife.

Rocky road

After digesting dinner we slept and then woke this morning to Mum breakfast of French toast, bacon and scrambled eggs.

Breakast after a big feast. French toast, bacon and scrambled eggs.

Friday Favorite’s…The Walking Dead and Wonton Soup (kiariddicktaylor.com)
Spinach Wonton Ravioli with Alfredo (tofuparty.wordpress.com)
imabonehead: Sichuan Red Oil Wontons (Wontons in Chili Oil) | Easy Asian Recipes at RasaMalaysia.com (rasamalaysia.com)
imabonehead: Vegan dumpling – Crispy Cabbage Wontons | Calm Mind Busy Body (calmmindbusybody.com)
GIF: This Isn’t My Wonton Soup… (icanhascheezburger.com)
Asian-Inspired Petite Pies – The Baked Pumpkin Wontons Represent Culinary Fusion at its Finest (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
Culinary Experiment #1: Peach Wontons (anitamgeorge.wordpress.com)
Chefs Gallery, Sydney (dbites.wordpress.com)
“I don’t know what to do about Christmas!” (debpentland.wordpress.com)
What Makes My Christmas (kelsifarrington.wordpress.com)
A Christmas I’ll Never Forget (thriftysocialworker.com)

A really great tweet up

12 Replies

Prologue

About a month ago Meredith @macjam1 asked a bunch of us to her place for a Christmas barbecue.

Canberra has a really good and very active group of tweeps. There are circles within circles. I’ve found myself spending a lot of my twitter and facebook time with a small group of friends based in Canberra. We’ve met a few times already and have become firm friends. Some of us know each other through listening to @markparton on @2CC and others have work connections. Mostly though it’s through twitter and facebook. In addition to this group we also have some close twitter buddies in Queensland and Victoria who one day we will visit.

The barbecue

Each of us had in mind something to bring along while @macjam1 and her husband provided an excellent venue and more meat that we could throw a stick at. The weather ended up being great after forecasts of rain and cold. The afternoon and evening air was fresh but not cold. The sound of mosquitoes was held at bay with Aeroguard and Citronella candles.

The food was heavily influenced by most of us recently taking to various weight loss programs. Some are doing variations on low carbohydrate systems, others are exercising like crazy (cycling and Zumba are popular) and there are those on combinations. We started with combinations of spicy sausage and mushrooms cooked on the barbecue along with a cheese ball and Turkish bread and dips. Then @NatMcNazz brought along these awesome Parmesan cheese biscuits flavoured with chilli and fennel.

Fred the tooth pick holder was popular

This image reveals @tinythecabbie ‘s hand

Turkish bread and dips

Here is a close up of Fred and his partner Cork

Fred and his mate

The tooth picks later became popular with the kids who lit them in the candles and then played with fire (all under close adult supervision of course).

There was so much great food. By the time it was dinner time, I’d already eaten enough for a few nights anyway. Our gracious hosts and other friends had brought along enough to feed us all including children and then some.

Plate one for me

The coleslaw brought by @Bron99 was awesome and not traditional. I the potato bake was fantastic. Creamy and good. I haven’t had a snag and hamburger for ages. So this image has been captioned Plate one for me because I ended up going back twice more. My second plate was piled high with coleslaw and potato bake and a piece of honey soy chicken. The third plate was mainly coleslaw and another piece of chicken.

Then came the desserts. I’ll just list them through photographs.

Pavlova, Australia's greatest invention. I LOVE PAVLOVA!!!

I can never resist pavlova. It brings back so many happy childhood memories.

This white chocolate cheesecake was amazing

@Bron99 made this lovely white chocolate cheesecake which came with a strawberry coulis.

Apple pie

I confess my eyes were bigger than my belly. I wanted apple pie but after the pavlova and cheesecake I could not go back for the apple pie.

Chocolate wafers, jaffas and spearmint leaves

I do not know what this is called but @TinyTheCabbie brought them. So colourful and everyone raved about them.

My plate of dessert

I have with much sadness and self condemnation have to admit I could not finish this lovely plate of food. My grandmother’s voice echoes in my head about the starving children in Africa, but after the gluttony of snacks and then three plates of dinner, my dessert stomach (also known as the œsophagus) failed me and certain sphincters sending signals to my brain to stop eating or eject food upwards.

At the end of the evening, we had a tweet up photograph which I won’t upload because I don’t have everyone’s permission to share. Suffice to say it is a great photograph and it was a wonderful and happy evening.

I think I can safely post one blurry image of a subset of us who preferred the company of mosquitoes so they could talk about the others

Some of the tweeps

It really was a fantastic evening.

Epilogue

This morning I woke up feeling full. What better way to celebrate a new day than with brunch. Off to Black Pepper we went for a Black Pepper big breakfast.