Whee! He's Three!

It's has taken me a while but here are the pictures from J's birthday at last.  He opened presents a day early (the day of his party) because we figured he'd just be overwhelmed if we spread it out!

 He's really into Spiderman at the moment, so C's gift was exciting.

 Auntie A gave him some stamps and coloured stamp pads (which he is using right now while I post this!)

The Cat in the Hat game has become popular, but it was assumed to be dress-up material at first! 

 His cake was a race track in the shape of a number 3.

 And there were shortbread traffic lights (3 M&Ms), shortbread cars (with M&M wheels), chocolate dipsticks (pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate), fruit cars (slice of apple with grape wheels attached with toothpicks), plus some veges and dip, popcorn, and club sandwiches.

We bought some Cars themed decorations, napkins and plates.

  Perhaps the best investment was in some checkered duct tape (see the edge of the countertop) and these signs...

Our friends came to play.

 And Uncle G stayed later to help J test out his Christmas present - American cricket, you know ;o)

Trapping and Triumph

In the latter end of summer we have had a problem with those pesky little fruit flies that always seem to come home with us from the greengrocer! They wouldn't be a problem under usual circumstances, but the fact we have insect screens over the windows and keep the door closed to keep cool, means they are trapped inside our home (and multiply)!

Since fly spray would circulate through the air vents to our upstairs neighbours, this wasn't really an option. Our friends, April and Claire, shared a simple way to trap these pests, and humanely release them outside (though my instinct was to squish them mercilessly). A slice of banana (or another strongly scented fruit) is put in a glass. The glass is then sealed with plastic (Saran/Glad) wrap and small holes pierced in the top. (This was reminiscent of bugs brought to school!) The flies were attracted by the fruit, worked their way into the glass through the holes, and then couldn't make their way out (thanks to the stretchy, clear properties of the plastic). This ingenious solution caught 10 flies within 24 hours, and over the following days, 'netted' the rest. Isn't it great when simple, cheap solutions work just as effectively as the usual quick-fix?!

On another note, I got some jam and made another two batches of Grandma T's Spice square, with better results than last time (see here)! Some was used for a faculty coffee break and we consumed the rest. This time I doubled the cake part of the recipe so it was thicker overall. Our various guests over the last week have all given it a thumbs up!

A Call to Cater

The past week or so has been a flurry of first classes and catering functions. My new job, as catering assistant to the Dean's office, kicked off with a hiss and a roar on the Friday before classes started. With some input from my boss, Lynne, I planned and catered for the faculty and spouses dinner at the start of the academic year. An 'old' friend, April, and a 'new' friend, Amanda, helped me prepare and serve a three course meal. Talk about pressure to perform! Not only my lecturers, but also their spouses, had their first taste of my food, and formed ideas (and expectations) of my offerings for the remainder of the year. I hope the bar hasn't been set too high.

For those who want to know, the menu was as follows:

Appetisers - creamy dip with carrot, cucumber & celery sticks, and pita crisps
- crackers with a selection of cheeses (French brie, goats, & various shades of cheddar)

Main/Entree - chicken thighs, stuffed with roasted red capsicum & wrapped in bacon
- lettuce salad & pasta salad (both laden with vegetables)
- a wild rice medley
- fresh bread and butter

Dessert - chocolate and lemon yoghurt cakes
- vanilla icecream
- fresh fruit platter


All the planning came together smoothly and it was deemed a success by Lynne, my helpers, and the faculty. One of the most enjoyable parts of the job, apart from the good food and great help, was the privilege of interacting with the faculty in a social setting. Another highlight was being hosted in the home of Phil & Polly Long, having free reign in their kitchen and access to all their beautiful (possibly antique) dinnerware and their handmade pottery servingware.


The food must have made an impression because it resulted in an 'on the spot' request for me to cater for a library function this past week so a lemon and a chocolate cake were duly dispatched. This then expanded to an order for 120 chocolate chip cookies, advertised as the incentive to attend library orientation for new students! Apparently they were well received also.


When the cookie order was placed the caveat was "no nuts please". Thinking chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip biscuits were one and the same, this came as a bit of a surprise. Further research, however, revealed quite a difference in recipe and result. I used this recipe, and found the accompanying story rather sweet. Be warned: the recipe yielded 3 dozen cookies, not the 4 dozen promised... thank goodness I had enough extra ingredients!


These two extra jobs have been perfectly timed by God. The money was provided just as we had to purchase a new electric kettle/jug. We discovered the stove-top kettle was rusting from the inside out, so two days of boiling water in a pot for the numerous cups of tea we (well, one of us) consumes was getting a bit tiresome!


My more regular catering duties were also fulfilled during the week too. The faculty meeting coffee & dessert consisted of baby lemon meringue pies and chocolate zucchini muffins. The faculty at coffee break enjoyed savoury zucchini muffins and cheese and crackers left over from the faculty dinner. As you may have guessed, there were a few zucchini left over from the dinner too!


Some more focus on the actual reason for being here (i.e. study!) is needed now, as my call to cater has eased off for a wee while at least.