When my eyes close, they sting...

Today was the announcement. Our suburban WW meeting will be 'no more' after next week. A new, Weight Watchers shop/centre is opening in town and all meetings will take place there. Apparantly some WW meeting locations are shabby so this is going to give the brand a more polished and reputable 'look' about it. My Thursday mornings will change to Friday mornings and I'll be doing two meetings instead of one.

Honestly, the women (members) were predominantly distraught by the news and they were being polite about it too. I felt for them, I saw pain in their eyes and faces. The ladies who keep coming back do so because they love that Thursday morning, local church hall meeting. It's convenient. It doesn't involve a trip into town or a car parking space struggle they will have to pay for. Trying to be positive, our leader said we could park several blocks away (in a free parking space) and walk down to get more 'incidental exercise'. The reality of that is this: The inconvenience of a mid-city location with poor parking prospects could mean the difference between people coming to a meeting or not. It could even mean the difference between staying a member or not. When we feel unmotivated and/or down about ourselves, it doesn't take much for many of us to withdraw and find valid reasons not to go the extra mile. Our leader also said (beaming a big smile) .."The meeting is the people, the meeting is us" and I would have thought that to be true.. but to look around the room.. I could tell everyone was thinking "the meeting is the sum of all of the parts". Heavy hearts all over.

Some ladies travel more than half an hour to come to our meeting and those ladies were despondent too. It means travelling even further with added parking issues and paying for that parking (on top of their usual WW expenses).

I have taken on the job of working at two meetings back to back, doubling my time there, as well as the location inconvenience. A two hour free parking zone + a walk won't be adequate because I need at least 4 hours. On the positive side I won't have to set up my registration table & chairs or posters, but we're still required to stock shelves, dust and vacuum and I'm guessing there will be a Hoover with my name on it.

Onto other things, today my girl and I (after WW) waited in no less than 4 medical rooms over a four hour period. Tiring and stressful. Lunch was sharing a footlong sub at 4pm. In between we munched on roasted chickpea's from a jar. I was just desperate for us not to eat pies/cakes and sausage rolls..& burgers the nearest convenience foods. I just so much didn't want to pay $6.50 for a salad sandwich each. We ate far too late as a result. My daughter right now is desperate for me to say yes to a sleepover birthday party tomorrow night. I've never met the birthday girl or her parents. They live about 35 to 40 mins away from us and so it's not convenient for me to just drop by and meet them. Petrol-wise.. it would make the week harder too. While checking out of Aldi's in the late afternoon where I bought tuna and bread and lettuce mix... my girl continued the text messaging (with birthday girl) and even had me on the phone to birthday-girls mother. I spoke to her and expressed my concerns and the Mum understood.
I still don't know what to say. I am so torn.. my girl would find this 'movie marathon' slumber party the answer to her dreams and prayers. I don't want to say "yes" blindly.. just trusting that she'll be ok with people I've never met.. and I also selfishly don't want to let her go right now. Let her stay away from home. I want her with me. I need my family with me and she's my family. I keep tossing up scenario's in my head.. spending an extra $10 to $15 on fuel to take her tomorrow and 'meet the parents' and drop her off as opposed to her going home with the birthday girl on the school bus, pillow in tow. It's all too much for me at the moment.. I don't want to be making these decisions. But my girl is acting like her life depends on it. She's being extra congenial and nothing is too much trouble. I want her to be happy, I want her to have a good night out, but she's 13 and her own 13th birthday didn't turn out as I imagined either. Trust was broken, I was really upset.. etc.

I've been asked and asked for a decision.. it's all my girl can think about. I've asked (and asked) for space to think about it.. but inevitably the subject comes up again. I burst into tears half an hour ago when she brought it up one more time and I sobbed "Ok, the answer is NO, there's your answer .. it's NO"! Which was followed by "Sorry, sorry.. I shouldn't have asked, sorry"..and she went immediately to her room. We're not too happy right now. But it helps to write about it. Oh.. and btw.. another appointment at 9am tomorrow.. orthodontist.

Health update...

Sixteen days after surgery, stitches out, bruising gone. The surgeon's purple, fading texta mark is still there. It doesn't feel too good to scrub there right now.. so I'm just letting it wash off naturally. My skin looks dry though I rub moisturiser into it multiple times a day (which was advised). But then again, since my surgery I've noticed my skin all over has been very dry. My liver is still 'sensitive' since the anaesthetic so I wonder if the dry skin has anything to do with that? My problem at the moment is overusing the hand. It can be excessively sore and weak by the end of the day because I almost carry on as if I didn't have an operation. It's easy to do that. I'm not supposed to lift more than 1kg with it.. and just 'be mindful' of it for another 4 weeks.

Today I ate a 6" Subway sub for lunch, minus cheese (my one restraint today). The filling was chicken and avocado with salad, but I didn't ask for salt (which is usually ok) but it really tasted, as we say in Hungarian "sótlan" (which almost sounds like the English words "short long", but without the 'g' on the end). It means 'saltless'. I also shared chips with the family from Jesters Pies (I love their chips but don't often get them). I then had 2.5 small vanilla glazed donuts from Donut King and some 'toasty' cheese sandwiches (one of them with tuna) back at hubby's - and finished off the pack of lamington fingers (4). Among all of that I would have eaten some chemicals/additives which explains why I've had heart arryhthmia's since. I realise now, when my liver is choked and not functioning well my allergies return.. and it's been this way since the surgery. I'm not helping it with what I'm eating.. but that's just how I am. Until I have lapband surgery. I will be starting a new blog specifically about that journey (assuming it goes ahead). I already have a fair bit to write about as I've had a consultation with the surgeon). Sorry if I sound like a broken record (?) but I have a BMI of 44 and the surgeon says I'm carrying the weight of two people. Well.. if that were the case, then I'd say two 'skin-and-bone' people, I don't aspire to to be in the "50's".

I will be keeping any chat about my weight related health on the new blog predominantly. Should I get the lapband and start once and for all escaping this prison I'm in (50+ excess kg's).. I'm sure a leaner picture of me will pop-up here at Foodie Wanderings too. From this point, I have to see a Dietitian and a General Physician before I see my bariatric surgeon again. Those appointments are next week and half way into September respectively. I will know then (in September) if I have a surgery date or not. In the meantime I'm supposed to be fitting in my right hand for carpal tunnel surgery this year too. Though I can manage any discomfort and inconvenience associated with the hand itself.. it's how I respond to the anaesthetic that concerns me most. I had no problems with my endoscopy anaesthetic several months ago, that was the 'twilight' version too. Though I was reading online that the anaesthetic used for carpal tunnel surgery can leave you a bit ill afterwards. So the two 'twilight' anaesthetics weren't the same... -- and can you guess, by now I'm quite sick of typing the word 'anaesthetic' !! :-/

So, reiterating, any further weight related health updates will be posted on the new blog. 'Results This Week' on the sidebar (weekly losses and/or gains) will be remaining here indefinitely. I will probably be linking the new blog to this blog (ie. the link will be available in my profile section). Hope that all makes sense? :-)

I will be needing all the support I can get should I go ahead with lapband surgery, but I understand that's a personal decision for any reader or friend. I hope for those who don't know too much about weight loss surgery that you'll follow me also at the other blog, learn more (so you can understand my experience better).. and share in my journey to a wellness I've never experienced before. I have never been a healthy weight ever in my entire life. Fat has been part of my identity for so long, like a disease or handicap I've carried that has suppressed me from being all that God has intended me to be. People's looks/stares.. comments, abuse.. and even being 'invisible' at times has been the alienating norm for me (and that's not even a quarter of it). I have wasted my teens, twenties and now my thirties trapped and inhibited. My very life, the breath in my lungs and my heart beat are threatened daily by this body I have. Nobody is more tired of me than me.. and no body is more tired (it feels) than this body. I want to claim life. My life - whatever is left of it. I owe that to my daughter who needs not just any mother, but me, her mother. And most of all I owe it to God for giving me this body to begin with. This is -- my last resort.

Friends and Food

I've just come back from visiting a friend and her son - a lovely four hour visit with my girl. When we arrived my friend was making sausage rolls & since no camera was about, I can say the sausage rolls above are a pretty good replica of what we had. (Maybe darker than the one's we had). I loved cutting them and egg-washing them for her & just being a part of it. But it wasn't just sausage rolls, apparantly a Serbian shop has opened not too far away and they make fresh 'burek' (continental filo pastry with fillings.. we had cheese tonight). Both my friend and I were born in Serbia, and we're both of Hungarian descent too. It was a lovely get- together. She'd also made 'baby cupcakes', have any of you seen those around? My girl has been eyeing them off for the longest time. They're tiny cupcake mixes available in the supermarket? We had the cookies and cream cupcakes & they were beautiful, like vanilla icecream flavour. These little morsels below are very similar to what we had.

Yesterday I picked up a game from Angus and Robertson, one that I'd had on order. I'd come across it online by accident and was drawn to the idea immediately. It's called "Foodie Fight" and it's kind of like Trivial Pursuit, but with Foodie questions! There are six categories:

FOODIESPHERE: Food people, world cuisines and food places

FOOD STARS: Food on film and in print

COMPANY'S COMING: Party planning, table etiquette & wine and food pairing

LAB AND FIELD: Cooking science, nutrition and food production

DINING OUT: Eateries, chefs, menu platters and restaurant service

WHAT'S COOKING?: Cooking techniques, tools and ingredients

Question examples:

What kind of bowl reacts with egg proteins to create more stable, voluminous beaten egg whites?

What is the name of the potato and onion omelette found on a Spanish menu?

What is the Italian toast to health?

Which is the average life expectancy of a refrigerator? 14, 17 or 20 years?

Which wines, white or red tend to give a better acidic balance with soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert?

What Beatles tune embraced "fields forever"?

What meat does Bert the troll complain about for lack of "manflesh" in The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien?

My girl and I had some fun playing earlier this afternoon and I learned some things and realised I didn't know as much as I thought! You could hear me saying "Oh YES, that's her name.. Julia Childs.. why did I say Erma Bombeck?"! :-/

Each player gets their own board, being a 'table' with dinner plates the each player has to fill in. When you turn the board over, it looks like a chopping board! :) The game was $27.00.

Has been noisey around here lately...

Our cat is freaking out a bit because we have trenches (so it seems) being dug outside the front of our place. I took a couple of photo's this (foggy) morning. Within the last 10-12 months, we've had electricity being turned off for whole days at a time because of the 'works' being carried out by peeps. More recently the water has been turned off and we can't put our bins out the front because there are orange plastic fences on the perimeter of trenches that used to be a 'nature strip'. So, this morning I looked out the window to see one of these orange-coated men in my front garden, having just come from my back fence! They spotted my puzzled expression and called out "Just looking for gas!"
"The men have left" photo's, below:
Earlier that morning, when I made sure my girl got to her bus stop ok (only next door.. but the machinery was operating, so I had to make sure she was safe), the guys turned off the equipment and allowed us to 'carry on'. I grabbed our rubbish bin and dragged it up the stairs. Clonk, clonk, CLONK! To my surprise, when I went outside to take the above photo a couple of hours later, I found that someone must have carried my bin up the stairs and deposited it within easy reach for me. How noice.If it looks a bit dented, it is.. and that's the 'good' side. A few weeks ago we found the bin tipped over on the road and a bit crushed/dented.. something or someone must have hit it? I need to get onto the council to replace it.

Tasmania in August - Where we'll be staying

Here are two 'eco' studio style, self contained retreats nestled in a 400 hectare reserve with scenic views.
Apparantly, on arrival, you are welcomed with the smell of bread baking in the breadmaker and the warmth of the fire that has been started for you. There is a coffee machine and full breakfast provisions each day, being: eggs from the owners chooks, locally smoked bacon and field mushrooms, your own freshly baked bread of course, selection of cereals & home squeezed orange juice. There's a barbecue on each balcony too.
There is a TV/DVD and a mini library of about a dozen films to choose from. When we stayed in an East Melbourne apartment last month, dvd's were available to hire at administration for $7 each! Old, weekly-hire type movies.
Views from six metre high windows. The beds have electric blankets, but I'm told this place is well insulated and the log fire will do a good job of heating the place up.

The bedrooms are upstairs in the 'loft' with their own windows & apparantly spectacular views. The ensuite bathroom has a giant 'rain' shower, a two person spa and a hand made 'pottery' sink. Oh and local, handmade soap too.
There's also a washing machine/dryer, hairdryer, ironing facilities, fridge, microwave, stereo/CD player (optional mini-bar items to purchase). The retreat was featured in an issue of Gourmet Traveller magazine this year and also 'Owner Builder' magazine. They have two bedrooms and each studio can sleep up to 5 people. Normally $220 a night (which is a pretty good deal), the current special for winter is $150 a night! We're staying for two nights.

Middle Eastern Easy Fish Bake (Top of my head recipe)

The plate above was pulled out of the fridge, Glad Wrap peeled away and then the photo was taken with my wee video camera! I forgot to take a picture of this meal earlier, when it was freshly baked.. but oh well. So it's literally cold fish! And it was Monday nights dinner.

What to do with just over a kilo of white fish fillets? (Economical, from-the-deli Basa to be more precise -that hubby brought over). I cut each fillet in half and put them in an oven tray first. Then I sprinkled on some McCormick's Middle Eastern (Harissa) spice, chopped coriander, some Maldon Salt, a couple of raw eggs, some sour cream and rubbed it all over the fish. I then sprinkled over some plain flour and mixed that in well with some skim milk). The final step was to sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top generously and then spray it with olive oil. Baked in a moderate oven for around 30 minutes and then browned under the grill for 5 minutes. I served it with lemon wedges but also an apricot sauce (tinned apricot halves, mashed to a puree almost with a fork and then heated in the microwave.. it was great)!

For those interested.. So not McWorth it....

The McDonalds Olympic Games range.

I'm so curious when new food items are launched, I usually try everything once. However, I've been disappointed with McDonalds' Olympic Games range in flavour, size and price. All items, in my opinion are at least $1 more than what they should be.

McAsia Wrap.

Price: Six bucks! Okay.. $5.95

Appears: Small despite the 'large tortilla' claim. You'd need more than one if you were hungry. More than two if you were a man and you were hungry. I was expecting a long wrap. It was not much taller than a deck of cards. The strips were placed side by side.

Ingredients: A tortilla, 2 x chicken strips, lettuce mix, cucumber, sweet chilli sauce, mayo. Contains: Gluten, Sulphites, Preservatives, Flavours & Colours.

Weight Watchers Points: 6.5 (same as a McChicken burger - At my current weight my daily points allowance is 23. I know a few ladies on 18 to 20 points a day).

Some McDonalds Items that contain less points:
Gold Medal Pudding (with icecream): 5.5
Cheeseburger: 5.5
Fillet-O-Fish: 5
Strawberry Sundae: 5
6 McNuggets: 4.5
Small Fries: 4
Medium Fries: 5.5
Mini-snack chicken wrap: 4 (Go for this, less than half the price of a McAsia. Just ask for some sweet chilli sauce that go with nuggets).

"There's Maria..... "

Last nights 'Career Expo' was held on two separate floors. I was there specifically to visit one stall or 'exhibit' (?)..and couldn't find it on the first floor. My girl was in her element with every stall having its own fish-bowl or vase full of assorted help-yourself sweets.

At the top of the traffic-laden, spiral-type staircase I looked straight ahead at rows of tables (the stalls) and in the distance, among many faces, one was familiar. She co-owns the business college I attended in 2000. This was a nightmare coming true. Bumping into people I haven't seen in years... a fear I live with every day. Bumping into people who last saw me during my 'much lighter' 'stage'.. even worse.

The very second we'd reached the top of the stairs this lady from my past and I actually made eye contact across a very crowded room. What were the odds? And though I don't really read lips, I read hers. "There's Maria" she said. There were a number of directions I could have turned. I could have so easily pretended I didn't recognise her, that face in the crowd. She was a fair distance away and her hairstyle had slightly changed since I'd last seen her. However, I did the opposite. I made a beeline for the college exhibit and I said hello to her and, as it happens, to my teacher from 8 years ago too. (Gulp, nightmare x 2)

Last time I saw the two of them was in 2004. I went, in person to the college to see if I could do a refresher course. I was at least 30kg's lighter. Back in college (2000), I was 30kg's heavier like I am now. So when I visited in 2004 my teacher said "Look at you, wow, you're fading away". I was still overweight, but I carried it well (& dressed well for my size) and of course I looked far better with the weight off. I felt confident and happier in my skin (size 16 top, size 14 bottom).

So there I was, yesterday.. marching straight up to them appearing as if I didn't have a care in the world. After I said hello I mentioned I couldn't find the stand I was looking for. I didn't want any uncomfortable silences. I held a large Career Expo program in front of me, open, as if to cover my girth like a shield. My teacher couldn't remember the exact year she taught me and I reminded her that it was her first year of teaching travel & tourism (after managing a travel agency for years). She did a splendid job and fit the role hand in glove. The college owner wanted to jot down my current details (regarding specific info I requested) and asked if I still had my maiden name. I said it was different and spelled it out for her. I was expecting maybe a question like "Oh so you're married now?" - but that didn't happen, which I found odd. We were all close in 2000, like a family actually. In fact, the college bought my girl a brand new doona in winter! (I was a single mum). No reason.. just to bless us. We didn't have a car and sometimes I'd get a lift home if one of the staff were leaving at the same time and I was in fact going straight home.

In the presence of these two women I felt like a failure. I was happy that my teacher was still teaching, she was so good at what she did and had a great sense of humour. I couldn't help but be reminded that my own life has never had that much stability. In the same job for 8 years? In the 8 years since college, I've moved home 7 times, had 3 relationships and 5 of those 8 years were without a car. Job rejections, too many to count.

We (my girl and I) eventually and painstakingly found the stall I was looking for... which ended up being an anti-climax scenario. The free lollies were ok.. and we picked up some free biro's and stationery items before we left. However, we couldn't find the exit! All the entry doors had "NO EXIT" signs on the inside and uniformed-Expo-door-people to turn away anyone that tried to ignore the signs. We were told to go back upstairs to find the leave-the-building-exit. (Rolls Eyes)... Well we couldn't find it. Eventually I said to an 'official' looking person "I just want to get out of here, how do we do that?!!" - The man (in the courtyard) unlocked a giant set of gates (unofficially), which wasn't the official exit.. but he showed mercy upon us and ushered us through. My girl said she felt like she was exiting the gates of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. From there we walked to a local gourmet burger joint where I bought my girl a "number twenty" burger and vanilla milkshake. High quality burgers with housemade aioli..handmade burger buns, no preservatives, organic.. that kind of thing. I didn't have a burger because of my self imposed red meat veto for the next week or so. My liver has had a rough trot since my anaesthetic and the related pain and effects has been far worse than what my stitched-up hand has produced. However, today was a better day (liver-wise). I had Japanese for dinner instead which included some lovely seaweed salad that I love.

Prior to the Career Expo which started at 6.30pm I attended a 5.30pm specialist appointment for a quick, post-op appointment. My girl and I downed salmon avocado sushi rolls in the waiting room as a snack (both of us feeling ravenous). My stitches come out next week.

Today I had a filling at the dentist and tomorrow after Weight Watchers I have to attend parent/teacher interview day at my girls school. I'll be having three meetings with three teachers. I'm craving some movie/dvd time or something... and no more appointments! When your health isn't on all cylinders it just makes it a bit harder.

I will conclude with some pics of the Cabbage and Bean Soup I made today for lunch. I loved it! The recipe was from a cooking channel I subscribe to on YouTube. The cook is Dani Spies (pronounced Speez) and I love her 'Quick Bites', being her healthy, quick recipe repertoire. I've made a few of her dishes, including individual, (saucey) turkey meatloaves. I slightly altered the soup recipe only in that I added one carrot and one celery stick and changed the beans from large 'butter beans' to cannelini beans. I knew there'd be no way my girl would eat beans that looked like baked beans on steroids. NB. The final touches, a sprinkling of chilli flakes and some parmesan cheese really makes this soup come into its own.. I ate three bowls full.

Slightly browning the potatoes, before the onions and garlic etc go in. My additional carrot/celery is in there too.

Altogether now.

It really was a delicious soup - I'll be making it again either tomorrow or the day after. A perfect food for when I just have to eat something mid-afternoon!

Instead of writing out the recipe, I'll embed Dani's video of her making the soup!

(with permission....) Birth Announcement!

Mama and daughter doing well and both are home! Fabulous news!

I'll be back later tonight with another post and Foodie Wanderings update :)

Better late than never...

I was supposed to blog about these lamb meatballs however I forgot to photograph the completed, cooked dish! They were pan seared & cooked in a tandoori-tomato sauce & served with gnocchi! How's that for fusion cooking? We all enjoyed them! Since I had surgery on Friday, I missed out on my Friday Feast & Fill-Ins. So here they are.. some belated Q&A. Have a good week everyone. :)

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

Thursday, it was time to be 'freshened up'.. though had no time to colour.

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child?

Barely anything. I was healthier.

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil?

Butter, aside from the great taste it's more versatile than the other two.

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

French. I had the option in high school, but chose German for 3 years, no regrets. France is a foodie nation & is also spoken in places other than France. The English Royal family speak French, so does Kylie Minogue, Tina Arena & Gordon Ramsay, so why not?

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

44 & healthy


1. Oh, I can't wait until I have a Size 12 pair of jeans on, zipped up & comfy.

2. "Nothing appealing" is the first thing I see when I open my refrigerator.

3. I never leave home without my handbag.

4. If I were a condiment, I would be whole egg mayo because it's the real deal.

5. Spelling mistakes on menu's is really high up on my list of pet peeves.

6. The last thing I thought of before I went to bed was who knows?

Spinach Ricotta Canneloni & Update

I'm continuing to dig-up some recently archived food photo's which are serving me well right now as I convalesce. I made this WW recipe soon after I purchased WW's latest cookbook (pictured several posts down). It's the only recipe my girl & I have disliked! I think a beefy or three-cheese sauce on top could save it, something higher in fat grams! A plain, low fat pasta sauce did not cut it for us (the recipe called for pre-bought sugo). I eat everything but I didn't eat all of this canneloni. The unbaked ricotta mixture however was delicious. But baked... well.. it needed saving! That's where the sauce is 'key'. WW frozen-in-a-box Canneloni from supermarkets is very palatable in comparison. In the final canneloni photo here, it looks as if there's a tonne of cheese on top, which is an illusion. It's the prescribed WW grated cheese in proper, modest quantity. Remember I used my video camera for these shots and at night time too, so excuse the compromised quality.

I think I ate one tube worth of unbaked mixture. Or 1.5 tubes worth?. It contained low fat ricotta, spinach, crushed garlic, s&p and nutmeg.


For me, a sight like this is Mmmm Mmmm, however it disappointed.

MEDICAL UPDATE:
Amount of times showered unassisted: 1
Amount of Panadeine Forte consumed: .5 (half a 30mg codeine tablet yesterday) though will be reaching for another half in a minute
Amount of times I have thought "gosh that hurt": 10 approx
Amount of times I've screamed because I wasn't wearing my sling & I hurt my wound: 1
Amount of times I have wiped the tips of my bandaged fingers because of food touching or smearing them: 2
Amount of times my girl has done my hair since op.: 1
Amount of hairclips of some description in my hair right now: 5

cuts, cut sangas, carpals & celebrations...

Hello! Just checking in --to actually send a birthday wish, but with my girls help I was able to get this photo snapped and uploaded. This makes me happy, to blog. Today wasn't easy. The hand surgery was fine, it's not that.

I arrived at the hospital at 9am and was out 2 to 3 hours later? I think. I didn't want a general anaesthetic or overnight stay. I had a "twilight" anaesthetic instead. I do have pain, but I've had worse pain, so it's all relative. It's taken me a few minutes just to type this much with one hand, so I should finish off soon.. but please excuse the scattered thoughts.. with no particular 'flow'!

Food & hospital? I was given: mixed sandwiches, crackers, cup of coffee & I gave the apple juice to my girl, lest I had indigestion from it.

I have a busy week next week & will need to get to various commitments somehow.

In my thoughts are: Tiffany who is having her 2nd bubba any second now. I'm waiting for news!! Gail, Happy Birthday to you!! I didn't know the exact date until today, but I had suspected it would coincide with my op, don't ask me why! It was great to get a birthday update on your blog so I could share it in some way. And Lorraine who is overseas & having the holiday of my dreams, I love the updates & each correspondence :)

We had haircuts on Thursdsay. My girl had hair down to her bottom almost & it's now just shoulder length. Her hairdresser didn't listen to me and shocked both my girl & I. It's ok anyway, a nice change.. but yeah shorter than planned!

Time to finish up! Goodnight! :)

Magyar Töltött Sajtos Kifli -or- Hungarian cheese-filled crescent rolls

When I was growing up, my Mum would make 'Kifli' every now and again. They didn't turn out as 'puffy' as mine did here (I over-compensated with yeast this time). And my Mum's had a flaked salt 'sprinkle' or caraway seed topping. As a child, I preferred the salt. When those ran out, I'd pick the caraway seeds off the others and keep on eating. The last time I made Kifli, I think I was 18 or 19 years old and Mum had passed away by then. I made them the way she used to and offered them to Dad and one of his mates alongside their short black coffee and grappa shots.

I don't remember my Mum ever making cheese filled Kifli, but I decided to give it a go because that's what I was in the mood for. And besides, cheese-filled is still a popular, authentic way of having Kifli's. The filling contains light cottage cheese predominantly and some sour cream.


Brushed with butter...

From this point, I rolled the Kifli towards the skinny, pointed end of the dough.

Some egg yolk wash...

Unbaked, to baked...

The colours with evening photography just aren't as flattering as daytime shots.. but they did look and smell beautiful in real life.

Like the most delicately soft and fluffy bread rolls with beautiful cheese interior.

I made these early last month and ate a few with sliced premium leg ham.

Excess...

Here is my postcard from Tokyo!

Today I felt comforted by completing certain housework tasks followed by lots of steamed dim sims & soy sauce, a couple of half glasses of chilled coke, the Sunday newspaper and Trinny and Susannah at 10.30pm (not at the same time). I hardly ever buy fizzy drinks (and drink them less often), but have recently been in the mood for their sweet, gassy, tongue tingling, tummy belching goodness. I haven't tackled the paper yet, but I love having the Sunday magazine and TV guide at hand.

I have the ingredients for a WW soup that involves chickpea's, tinned apricots, and evaporated skim milk (coconut flavoured).. will I make it tomorrow?

I have surgery on Friday the 11th for carpal tunnel. My left wrist first, so I'll be one-handed for a little bit. I'm planning to take my girl and I for hair cuts on Thursday.. we really need them.

Tonight my girl and I discussed the increasing girth and fatness of our cat and how we're putting her on a diet and cutting out dry food (sticking only with her canned food). After research online we discovered how cats don't need and cannot utilise the carbs or vegetable proteins found in dry food. An indoor, predominantly inactive, naturally carnivorous cat can't metabolise those carbs. Despite not overfeeding her by anyone's standards, we've been essentially feeding her the cat equivalent of starchy McDonalds meals, minus the meat and hydrating drink.

Friday Fill-Ins & Friday Feast

1. There is absolutely NO way you can get me to bungee jump!
2. My WW leader always telling us how many weeks away Spring is reminds me that summer is almost here!
3. I cannot live without my black eyeliner.
4. International First & Business Class and living overseas are two things I'd like to try.
5. When life hands you lemons visit your fishmonger.
6. My 2.5month family holiday to Yugoslavia is my favorite childhood memory.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching 'Dan in Real Life' on DVD, tomorrow my plans include seeing 'Hancock' at the movies (hubbys & girls choice) and Sunday, I want to have a peaceful, stress-free day!
Appetiser

If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose?

Probably Europe, specifically London.

Soup

What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

As much as I struggle with blue coloured objects (it just isn't my colour), my pen ink of choice is blue, fine liner preferably.

Salad

How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

'Manicure' is too strong a word to describe what I do to my nails.. same goes for Pedicure. As for getting these things at a salon, I just don't get them! It'd have to be a regular thing to be worth the money and I don't have that kind of money. It'd be nice though, for sure.. regular hair & nail appointments. I wouldn't mind. I've had one professional pedicure (which was a gift) and it was a $70 disaster (I wouldn't go back to that beauty therapist).

Main Course

Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

Yes, more than one thing - A couple of things come to mind: Wiggles Tickets (when my girl was 5) and also a hardback, coffee table book about NYC (black and white photographs) . As much as I love most things 'New York', I really didn't like the book so I donated it to a charity auction which took place at a dinner/dance (fundraiser for my girls former primary school).

Dessert

How many cousins do you have?

Eight, 5 male, 3 female - 6 of them live overseas.

School's out...

This is a photograph taken in 1974 at the very first school I attended. All classes that year (on photo day) posed in front of this blackboard with nursery rhyme drawings. I was in grade "prep" that year, my first year of school. But this isn't my class. This photo is from the website 'Friends Reunited' a website where you can find your old school friends or acquaintances (assuming they register too).

I do have my prep photo somewhere but I don't have a scanner here right now..and I'm impatient.. so I'm using this particular photograph for now! My 1974 prep class photo looks pretty much identical to this (only the faces are slightly different ;-) ). The teacher pictured here eventually did teach me too, in Grade 4! Her name was Mrs Cavill (unsure of the spelling). She was elegant, with burgundy tones in her hair (coloured) and always had lovely long, painted nails and pretty perfume. Some (not all) teachers respected us as little people or were kind but she did both.

Anyway.. I digress because I wanted to mention that I've been registered on the 'Friends Reunited' site for at least a couple of years. It was free to register but back when I joined it cost about $30 a year to be a fully paid-up member. You needed to be fully-paid up to be able to exchange messages with anyone. Sometimes folks would sneakily put their email addresses in their profile in a disguised way and I touched base with maybe a couple of people like that. Just briefly. Just a "Hi".

About a month ago I decided to update my profile (including uploading photo's for the first time) and I noticed that the site is now free, ie. free to send messages and contact people. Then a couple of days ago I received a 'buzz' from someone I went to primary school with. It's like a quick messaging feature which doesn't require you to type a message. You can choose from a drop-down menu what you want to say eg. Happy Birthday, Hello, Remember Me? etc. I think Alison (who buzzed me) sent a "Remember Me?" buzz. I decided to reply to it with a message so I sent her a few lines.

Since then we've exchanged a few short messages and tentatively agreed to one day meet up for a chat seeing as she lives locally. Today my girl and I were heading into a shopping centre and when the big, sliding glass automatic doors opened and as we were about to walk in, who should walk out? But Alison!! And her eldest daughter!! I looked at her, she looked at me and we both let out girly "squeals" and walked straight over to each other giggling and saying things like "Oh my goodness!!" and "How amazing!!"