Blogger books!

The 10 inalienable rights of the reader!

1. The right not to read.
2. The right to skip.
3. The right not to finish a book.
4. The right to read it again.
5. The right to read anything.
6. The right to mistake a book for real life.
7. The right to read anywhere.
8. The right to sample and enjoy.
9. The right to read out loud.
10. The right to be quiet and not discuss the book with anyone.

One a penny, two a penny!

• 
  Hot-cross buns!
  Hot-cross buns!
  One a penny, two a penny,
  Hot-cross buns!
  If you have no daughters,
  Give them to your sons;
  One a penny, two a penny,
  Hot-cross buns!
  
  
  
  INGREDIENTS:
  4 cups plain flour2 X 7 g sachets dried yeast1/4 cups caster sugar1 1/2 teas mixed spicepinch of salt40 g butter300 mls milk2 eggs, lightly beaten.
  FLOUR PASTE:1/2 cup plain flour4 to 5 tabs water
  GLAZE:1/3 cup water2 tabs caster sugar
  
  FMETHOD

METHOD:
Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt and currants in a large bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm. Add warm milk mixture and eggs to currant mixture. Use a flat-bladed knife to mix until dough almost comes together. Use clean hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.
Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Punch dough down to its original size. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into 12 even portions. Shape each portion into a ball. Place balls onto lined tray, about 1cm apart. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size. Preheat oven to 190°C.
Make flour paste: Mix flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if paste is too thick. Spoon into a small snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner of bag. Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until buns are cooked through.
Make glaze: Place water and sugar into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Brush warm glaze over warm hot cross buns. Serve warm or at room temperature.


A cardiologist we know recommends chocolate daily for heart health. We forgot to ask to recommended amounts. So dig in.
Happy Easter to one and all. 

Blogger books!

ABOUT TIME.

From the creators of Love actually, co starring our favourite Bill Nighy. In this British, romantic dramedy; a guy uses time travel to change his past to have a better future. Simply a lovely story!

Our back yard! The aftermath.

The tropical follage that once stood tall and proud, looks water logged and tired this morning. Echoes of how FNQ residents feel after Ita's unwelcome, prolonged visit. As the new day breaks, the rain has ceased and all is still. The bustle will soon begin though; the massive clean up operation to bring back normality to our community. Supermarket shelves are empty and all access to Cairns is cut due to flooded roads; keeping much needed food deliveries at bay. Many homes are without power and the new threat of flooding has taken presidence.
Cape Flattery and Cooktown copped the brunt of Ita's fury; luckily she downgraded to a cat 4 and did not cause as much damage as first anticipated.  Ita finally left her calling card in Cairns last night as a Cat 1 and headed off South down the coast. She was last heard of heading to Townsville.

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (1914–18). ANZAC!

• 
  
  
  THE ODE OF REMEMBRANCE
  They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morningWe will remember them.
  Laurence Binyon
  
  .ANZAC BISCUITS!
  INGREDIENTS1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted1 cup rolled oats1/2 cup caster sugar3/4 cup desiccated coconut2 tabs golden syrup150 g unsalted butter, chopped1/2 teas bicarb soda

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170°C. Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted. Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

We travelled to Gallipoli with tour mates Tracey Poole and Damian Frith on Boxing day 2010. Such a beautiful, peaceful place; we found it hard to imagine it's haunting history.  It was a great honour to pay our respects to the Anzacs who gave their lives for us. Thank you.

In the world kitchen !

We had an amazing visit to the land of the Pharaohs. The camel ride around the Pyramids of Giza was so much fun. Brad, the dare devil even stood up on his temperamental camel. We visited the Cairo museum which housed Egyptian mummies and the treasures of Tutankhamen. From Cairo, we moved on to the Valley of the kings, where Tut is actually entombed. At Aswan, we boarded a felucca for a overnight cruise on the Nile. We visited a Nubian traditional tribe and dined on a traditional banquet. Next it was off to Abu Simbel  to visit the great monuments to the egotistical King Ramses 11 and his great love Nefertati. Egypt is full of interesting history and amazing architecture. This once powerful and intellectual race is now a poor shadow of the former glory!

Most of the Egyptian cuisine is not really much to write home about. Our Nubian feast as well as the traditional faire served on the felucca experience was an exception to the rule. Simple food but fabulous flavours. We found that the simple Koshari was the safe bet in most places.

Koshari! National dish of Egypt.

Ingredients

1 cup of elbow noodles, 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1/3teas of chilli flakes, 1 teas crushed garlic,
1 cup of rice, 1 cup of lentils, 1 diced onion.

Method

Cook lentils in water, cook rice and pasta. Fry onions with garlic until golden, add chilli and tomatoes. Mix together and simmer for 3 mins then add cooked rice, noodles and lentils. Mix in, heat and serve into bowls.

Our back yard!

If you think living in this paradise is too good to be true; you are correct. Hold on to your hats and stay safe my friends. xxx

                                                                             Tropical cyclone Ita. Severe category 5 

Don't drink the water!

Originally designed for people living in developing nations and for distribution in humanitarian crisis; the LifeStraw is a water filter designed to be used by one person to filter water, making it safe to drink.  Bcf and other camping and outdoor adventure stores are now selling this water purification device. A handy supplement to your anti gastro preventives when travelling to less developed countries!