Lamb shank

Greetings,

It’s been a while since I posted here. My work has been quite busy, and the last week has been very intense.

What have I been doing?

Apart from work, I’ve been keeping myself busy with reading and watching some TV.

William Shatner

I was thinking a few weeks ago about William Shatner[i] and how old he must be.

I’ve seen much of his television work, including Star Trek and T.J. Hooker. A program that I’ve never really watched was Boston Legal. I found it on a streaming service and started watching. I’d like to finish watching all of the seasons before Shatner dies.

I think the characters William Shatner played in all three TV series were memorable. I will be sad when he dies.

Ron Swanson

Someone at work suggested I have a personality similar to the character Ron Swanson from the show “Parks and Recreation.”

My friend’s description:

Ron Swanson is someone with a highly individualistic personality, valuing self-reliance, privacy, and independence. He’s likely to be seen as someone with a strong internal locus of control, who avoids emotional expression, and prefers structured, predictable environments. He’s got a deep aversion to bureaucracy and superficiality, which might reflect some rigid personality traits but also a deep commitment to his core values. That mix of stoicism, libertarian philosophy, and a certain guardedness would be key aspects of his psychological profile.

Recipe

Ingredients

Lamb shanks
Lamb broth
Potatoes
Butter
Cream
Cream cheese
Blue vein cheese
Spinach leaves
Pomegranate arils

Equipment

Slow cooker
Saucepan
Frypan

Instructions

Slowly cook the shanks with lamb broth for 6 hours.
Cook the potatoes in salted water, then mash with butter.
Create a blue vein cheese sauce with butter, cream cheese, blue vein cheese, and cream.
Wilt the spinach leaves in a frypan and stir through the blue vein cheese sauce.
Place the mashed potato in the centre of a dinner plate.
Place a shank on the potato.
Serve the “creamed” spinach alongside the potato and lamb.
Pour the remaining sauce over the lamb and potato, and then garnish with pomegranate arils.
Be careful. The pomegranate arils stain.
Eat with a fork and spoon.

Photographs

Slow-cooked lamb shank on potato mash with wilted spinach leaves, served with a blue-veined cheese sauce and garnished with pomegranate arils. On a dinner plate featuring pomegranates.

[i] William Shatner: A Brief Acting History for Context

Early Life and Training

William Shatner was born on 22 March 1931 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Shatner was raised in a Jewish family, with a father who worked as a clothing manufacturer and a mother who taught elocution.
Shatner studied at McGill University, graduating in 1952 with a Bachelor of Commerce, while simultaneously performing in student theatre and radio.
After graduating, Shatner trained extensively as a classical stage actor, including work with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario.

Early Screen Career

Shatner began working in Canadian television and theatre in the early 1950s before transitioning to American television.
Shatner’s first major film role was in The Brothers Karamazov (1958), opposite Yul Brynner.
Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Shatner appeared in numerous anthology television series, including The Twilight Zone and The Defenders.

Star Trek and Captain James T. Kirk

Shatner achieved international recognition portraying Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series, which aired from 1966 to 1969.
The role of Kirk established Shatner as one of the most recognisable figures in science fiction television.
Shatner appeared in all three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series and later reprised the role in Star Trek: The Animated Series and seven feature films between 1979 and 1994.
The character of Kirk is often remembered for leadership, moral certainty and a distinctive performance style that became central to the franchise’s identity.

Below is a clear reference table of the starring cast of Star Trek: The Original Series, using Australian English spelling and date formats.

Actor	Character	Starfleet Rank (TOS)	Actor – Date & Place of Birth	Actor – Date & Place of Death
William Shatner	James T. Kirk	Captain	22 March 1931, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	—
Leonard Nimoy	Spock	Commander	26 March 1931, Boston, Massachusetts, USA	27 February 2015, Los Angeles, California, USA
DeForest Kelley	Leonard “Bones” McCoy	Lieutenant Commander	20 January 1920, Toccoa, Georgia, USA	11 June 1999, Los Angeles, California, USA
James Doohan	Montgomery “Scotty” Scott	Lieutenant Commander	3 March 1920, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	20 July 2005, Redmond, Washington, USA
Nichelle Nichols	Nyota Uhura	Lieutenant	28 December 1932, Robbins, Illinois, USA	30 July 2022, Silver City, New Mexico, USA
George Takei	Hikaru Sulu	Lieutenant	20 April 1937, Los Angeles, California, USA	—
Walter Koenig	Pavel Chekov	Ensign	14 September 1936, Chicago, Illinois, USA	—

Post–Star Trek Television Work

Following Star Trek, Shatner continued working steadily in television and film, though the role of Kirk initially led to industry typecasting.
Shatner’s career experienced a resurgence in the early 1980s when they starred as Sergeant T. J. Hooker in the police drama T. J. Hooker.

T. J. Hooker

T. J. Hooker aired from 1982 to 1986 and starred Shatner as a veteran police sergeant mentoring younger officers.
The series ran for five seasons and helped reposition Shatner as a contemporary television lead rather than solely a science‑fiction icon.
The physical, action‑oriented role contrasted sharply with Captain Kirk and broadened Shatner’s television persona.

Boston Legal and Later Career

From 2004 to 2008, Shatner starred as eccentric lawyer Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
The character of Denny Crane became one of Shatner’s most critically acclaimed performances.
Shatner won two Primetime Emmy Awards for portraying Denny Crane across The Practice and Boston Legal.
Boston Legal is often cited as a late‑career renaissance that demonstrated Shatner’s comedic timing and dramatic depth.

2026-05-16

Anzac biscuit dessert

I write this post today, ANZAC Day.

I think the most memorable Anzac Day I have experienced was in 1998 in Alice Springs. Like today, it was a Saturday. I was in Alice Springs for the Australian Society for Microbiology Tri-State meeting. The Tri-State meeting brings together microbiologists from the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and South Australia. At the time, I was the president of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Society for Microbiology.

On that Saturday, before dawn, we walked up Anzac Hill in Alice Springs. A Royal Australian Navy chaplain conducted the service. I didn’t realise before attending that he was a Roman Catholic chaplain. Many in attendance were Australian Defence Force personnel, including many Royal Australian Navy personnel. The closest seaport to Alice Springs is Port Augusta. The closest naval port to Alice Springs is HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin. Both are about 1,290 km as the crow flies from Alice Springs. Port Augusta is south, and HMAS Coonawarra is north. Those sailors were a long way from water.

After the service, I walked back to town and enjoyed bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Each state and territory of Australia has its own rules about gazetted public holidays. Where I am, the public holiday is observed on Saturday, so there is no public holiday on Monday. I know there are other places where the public holiday will be observed next Monday. I’m assuming the services and marches will be held on Saturday, but the Monday public holiday will be a day off for many people in that community.

I look forward to working in the office on Monday, knowing it will be relatively quiet because many of my interstate colleagues will not be at work.

The image is a photograph of the deep pink, almost red clouds at dawn on Anzac Day at Henley Beach. In the horizon, you can see the Henley Beach jetty; in the foreground, you can see the flat ocean, sand on the beach, some rocks, and the green beach flora. You can also see in the image the public toilet and, across the road, some buildings. The photograph was shot from the Esplanade on Henley Beach.

Spam Musubi.

Earlier in the week, a memory from 2015 surfaced on Facebook. At the time, I was on holiday in Hawaii. I had purchased my first Spam Musubi, which was delicious. One of the great things about watching Hawaii Five-0 is how often Spam Musubi comes up.

Influenza immunisation

I’m travelling next month. It is timely to update my influenza immunisation. I had the injection yesterday afternoon. It was a little unusual. The person administering the injection was quite nervous. The injection hurt more than normal. When the person removed the needle, the puncture started to bleed profusely. I was asked whether I was on any anticoagulants. When I responded, “No, I assumed you pranged a vessel.” I had clearly offended the person. I did not explain that I was a medical practitioner. I just waited for the blood to stop flowing and left as soon as I could.

Pain and bruising at the injection site 18 hours after the injection are also significant.

Pizza

For the first time in more than 20 years, I had a pizza delivered. It was delicious, and I ate the whole thing in one sitting. I ordered it from a local pizza shop and used Uber Eats to deliver it.

I don’t know if I’d do it again. I’m not even sure why I did it last night.

When I woke up this morning, I felt bloated. I also passed a lot of flatus. That’s been a bit unusual for me over the last couple of years. A diet heavy in meat-based protein and fat tends not to cause much flatulence.

A box of Oasis Pizzeria’s 'Hot and Tasty Pizza' is shown. The pizza is topped with black olives, pepperoni, pineapple, bacon, mozzarella cheese, and anchovies.

The last Hot Cross Bun

A freshly toasted sourdough Hot Cross bun from Perryman’s Bakery in North Adelaide is shown. A large wedge of grass-fed butter is placed between the top and bottom of the bun. Next to the bun on the right is a clear glass cup of coffee with a lovely crema on top. The bun and coffee are placed on a black ceramic plate, which is sitting on butcher’s paper.

Second morning tea

A photograph of a Anzac biscuit on a white saucer and a mug coffee in a red mug

Anzac biscuits

I picked up a few Anzac biscuits from a local bakery. It came in a six-pack. I had one with coffee this morning, and it was chewy rather than hard, stiff, or crunchy. I usually like them hard, stiff, and crunchy, but chewy is all right. They were tough enough to crumble with a heavy object and also gave a good coffee dunking experience.

Recipe

To make my Anzac biscuit dessert, I crumbled an Anzac biscuit with a heavy object while it was in a plastic bag. I whipped some locally sourced, pure, pouring cream (no thickeners) and folded in the crumbled Anzac biscuit. I served it with some locally manufactured vanilla ice cream made with full-cream milk and no other additives.

Brown paper bag with a clear window containing Anzac biscuits.

A photograph of a stainless steel coffee Tamper. It's not a butt plug.

Carbohydrate overload

The last 24 hours have been a carbohydrate overload.

Fediverse Reactions

2026-04-25

Beef short rib rice porridge

I haven’t been running on all eight[i] this week. The weather has turned, and I feel like my seasonal affective disorder[ii] is about to kick in.

To feel happy, I thought I’d make some rice porridge with beef short rib meat.

Rice porridge is known by many as congee. I grew up calling it jook. I know “The Mouse” from Live2EatEat2Live Blog also calls it jook. The Mouse is a brother from another mother. He lives in Spamland[iii]. We’ve been following each other’s blogs for at least 16 years.

I’ve been thinking about The Mouse a bit lately as I continue to watch Hawaii Five-0.

In Season 7 episode 13, Lou describes the joy of dunking malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery in coffee. A malasada is a Portuguese deep-fried, yeast-raised doughnut without a hole, traditionally coated in sugar. I remember in 2015 eating half a dozen custard-filled malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery, but not dunking them in coffee.

I don’t know that I can find a Portuguese deep-fried, yeast-raised doughnut filled with custard locally. To compensate, I got a cinnamon scroll from my local patisserie and enjoyed morning tea by dunking it into a mug of black coffee.

The cinnamon scroll absorbed the coffee without becoming soggy. The mouthfeel and flavour of the sweet dough cut through the coffee’s bitterness perfectly. Unfurling the scroll and breaking off pieces for dunking made the whole affair most enjoyable. It was so good, I think I’d even do this in public.

Of course, when I think of Spamland, I think of Spam[iv]. I had Spam for lunch yesterday and today.

Fried spam and a poached egg on sourdough fried in beef fat

Spam and eggs fried in beef fat on the Weber Q+

Recipe

Ingredients

Rice
Beef short ribs
Salt
Water
Beef broth (from previous beef short rib meals cooked in the pressure cooker)
Egg

Equipment

Pressure cooker
Microwave oven

Instructions

Wash one cup of rice until the water is clear.
Place the rice and beef broth in the pressure cooker, then add water until the total liquid volume is 8 cups.
Add salt.
Cook for 1 hour, then allow the pressure to return to 1 atmosphere naturally.
Strip the meat from the ribs.
Shred the meat and mix it through the rice gruel.
Aliquot enough for a dinner bowl.
Put the rest in a container and refrigerate.
When cool. Place a cup of rice porridge into a vacuum bag for freezing. There should be enough for six bags. Freezing the rice porridge will create resistant starch.
Poach an egg with microwave radiation.
Serve the rice porridge with a poached egg.

Beef short rib rice porridge (jook, congee)

Thoughts on the rice porridge

This was a “no frills” rice porridge. It was not flavourful like my mother’s, which is my favourite food.

My version was filling, and I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t share this with anyone; it was bland and not a good example of how good rice porridge can taste.

[i] In Australian colloquial speech, “running on all eight” means someone is functioning at full capacity — mentally sharp, physically energised, and performing at their best.

[ii] A depressive disorder usually associated with the onset of winter weather.

[iii] Hawaii

[iv] Pork with ham; salt; water; modified potato starch; sugar; sodium nitrite. Modified potato starch is potato starch that has been physically, enzymatically, or chemically altered to change its functional properties (viscosity, stability, freeze–thaw resistance, gelling, etc.). It is still made from the starch extracted from potatoes, but its molecular structure has been intentionally changed so it performs better in industrial food processing.

Fediverse Reactions

2026-04-12

Another standing rib roast

Oh, the pain, the Dolphins lost their game to Manly last night. They were beaten badly, and it was hard to watch. The Dolphins have a bye in round 6. I hope the coach and players can sort themselves out for round 7 when we face Penrith, who sit at the top of the ladder.

A stick of butter

I like a sourdough Hot Cross Bun with my stick of grass-fed butter.

I bought half a dozen sourdough Hot Cross Buns from a bakery about a month ago. I like a Hot Cross Bun with fruit, especially citrus peel. I have no objection to creations like vanilla custard-filled Hot Cross Buns and Nutella® Hot Cross Buns. However, to enjoy the butter, a toasted Hot Cross Bun is my preference.

The Dolphins lost (badly) to Manly last night. Grass-fed butter makes everything better, so I enjoyed therapeutic butter with a little sourdough Hot Cross Bun and a mug of coffee. I now feel better.

@DolphinsNRL #PhinsUp

Standing Rib Roast

For lunch, I cooked a 2.450 kg standing rib roast. The meat had been frozen for about a month. After thawing the meat, I’d dry-brined it for a couple of days, and cooked it in a bench-top oven, which had been set at 120 °C. It took 2 hours and 20 minutes to cook to my desired doneness.

I ate a couple of slices, the fat cap, some Vegemite® blue vein cheese sauce, and a Brussels sprout.