Zoo Day

The weather was lovely today, so we took Tabitha to the zoo.  We wondered if, perhaps, she might be a bit too young to really enjoy it - would she be more interested in the seagulls than the monkeys?

We need not have worried - she had a brilliant time, and was quite excited by the primates, the large colourful birds and the elephants.  Because Tabby wanted to walk most of the time, we only managed to cover around a third of the zoo.  Never mind - even more reason to return again soon!

There is a baby spider monkey on display.  I nearly died on the spot from the cute.  This tiny, wiry little slip of a monkey was hilarious, tumbling and playing and hanging upside down for the crowds.

She had a little 'play area' which she could spend some of the day in, decked out with the latest baby toys - she even has the same 'Lamaze' brand peacock toy as Tabitha:

Tabby striking a 'gorilla' pose in front of the gorilla statue:

Taking a break from the walking on Daddy's shoulders:

"This way, Dada, I see more monkeys!"

The wonder in her eyes was just priceless:

Enjoying an overpriced zoo sandwich:

And a gingerbread elephant, which was useful in encouraging her to sit in the pram for enough time for us to scoot to the far end of the zoo:

Sitting on one of the wooden elephants - such a big girl! I am fond of this outfit - the deep pink of the shoes perfectly matches the little pink ribbon around the neck of the bunny on her top.  From the ribbon dangles a tiny silver heart charm, which is Tabitha's favourite part.

Shudder.  They can dress it up however they want - I still know there are scary terrifying hairy spiders behind that cute wall:

Pachydermata, one of my favourite mammal groups, after primates.  The pygmy hippo is my personal favourite, but I do love a jaunty swinging elephant trunk as well!  Here is a baby:

And a great big mummy:

Our final stop was the Orangutans.  Always save the best for last!  Here, Tabitha crouches in front of the glass, watching two of the large boys wrestle and rough-house:

A highlight of the day was watching a beautiful, gentle mummy orangutan breastfeed her baby, who is nearly 9 months old, and has 8 teeth, apparently.  As they fed, the baby stroked her mummy's arm and chest, and the mother kept stroking her baby, gazing adoringly into her face, and adjusting the blanket to keep the sun out of her baby's eyes.  It was a magical time, watching their special bond:

Perhaps Tabitha noticed the feeding - she begun to paw at my top quite urgently, so I fed her while we watched the beautiful orangutan mother feeding her baby.  I felt fabulously at one with my favourite primates.

When we got home, The Daddy brought in the washing - look who hitched a ride in the basket:

In the early evening, we walked down to the park for a quick play...

 

Building up the courage to try the big slide on her own:

And WHOOOOSH!

All in all, a lovely day!

Chocolate Brownie Recipe

I promised that I would add the recipe for the chocolate brownies.  HERE it is, or scroll to the post below.

Now go and make them.  That's an order...

Brownies and Rhubarb Cake

EDIT - now the brownie recipe is included, below...

So sorry about the absence - Tabitha and the cats collaborated in a joint project of somehow flinging the computer across the sofa, snapping the little USB internet thingy.  So I was without internet for a week - scary times.  No matter - now I have a fancy Telstra broadband hub thing, it is super fast and excellent.

Yesterday, our wonderful midwives Jan and Kelly held a working bee for their new midwifery clinic (the first of its kind in Australia!) called MAMA, a.k.a. Midwives and Mothers Australia.  The Daddy, Tabitha and I trooped along to help out - The Daddy did some excellent painting, I baked some bits and pieces and brought along a mountain of egg sandwiches, and Tabitha helped out by being generally adorable and also passing the odd screwdriver as required.

Here she is washing the windows with two sponges, having a grand old time:

I baked a rhubarb cake, improvising with my favourite 'old standby' apple cake recipe, but with pureed rhubarb as the filling.

To bake the cake, simply cook about 6 stems of rhubarb, sliced into 1cm pieces, with around half a cup of water and a few tablespoons of sugar.  Once tender, pour off the excess water and mash to a rough puree with a fork.  Taste it - you want it to be quite tart, but not shockingly sour.  About the same as cooked, unsweetened apple.  Add a little more sugar if you think it needs it.  Add a tiny drop or two of pink food colouring if your rhubarb is particularly wan looking.

Mix in a bowl 120g wholemeal self-raising flour, 115g ordinary self-raising flour, 150g sugar, an egg, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 125g of melted butter.  Press 3/4 of the mixture into a greased and lined 20-22cm round springform, then carefully spread the rhubarb puree over the top.  Next, use your fingers to flatten out pieces of the remaining 1/4 of the mixture, placing it over the top of the puree.  Sprinkle the top generously with demerera (or plain) sugar and some cinnamon, then bake at 180 degrees for around 45 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top.

See how lovely the vibrant rhubarb looks:

Here is the top layer of cake, with little bits of rhubarb poking through, sprinkled with the sugar and cinnamon:

When baked, the top layer of mixture will spread, covering any gaps:

The rhubarb makes for a very pretty cake, and the sourness of the rhubarb offsets the fairly sweet cake nicely:

I also made chocolate brownies.  I am not even slightly exagurating when I say that these are The Best thing that I have ever made.  Ever.  They were so gooey, richly chocolatey and perfectly thick and fudgey.  They have walnuts, and some dark chocolate chips.  The batch produced around 50 or so small squared of brownie.  They are completely worth making!

The recipe is just slightly adapted from the brownie recipe in the 'Chocolate' section of Nigella Lawson's brilliant 'How To Be A Domestic Goddess' book, which is now more than a decade old.  It is a book which gets used almost weekly in our kitchen, with many of its recipes in regular rotation - the madeira and seed cakes, the rosemary loaf cake, the American pancakes, the steamed syrup sponge, Granny Boyd's biscuits and the sponge drops are all favourites in my kitchen.

I have peered at the photograph of the brownies in the book so often - read through the recipe, thought about making them.  I have absolutely no idea why I have never made them before now - they are straightforward, and life-changingly good!

Easily The World's Best Chocolate Brownies

375g unsalted butter

375g high quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70 per cent this time)

6 large eggs

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (that's right people, a tablespoon, not a teaspoon)

500g caster sugar (of course, I used my standard vanilla-infused caster sugar)

225g plain flour

1 teaspoon of salt

350g chopped walnuts (you could use salted peanuts, that would be pretty awesome, or hazelnuts)

A good handful of dark chocolate chips (you could use white or milk if you prefer)

Line the base and sides of a 23cm x 33cm tin with baking paper.

Melt the butter and the chocolate together over low heat in a large heavy-based saucepan.

In a large-ish bowl, beat the eggs together well with the sugar and vanilla.

Measure the flour and salt into another bowl.

When the chocolate mixture has smoothly melted, set aside to cool for a bit, then beat in the eggs and sugar, then the flour and then the nuts and chocolate chips.  Beat well with a wooden spoon to combine, and then scrape the lot into the prepared pan.

Nigella says to bake at 180 degrees for around 25 minutes, however I must say that, even with my super-powerful oven, I needed nearly 40 minutes.  Why?!  I don't know.  Normally I need less time than recipes specify, so I will still be checking from 25 minutes next time.  I must stress, however, that it is important not to overcook them - even a few minutes too long will result in dry brownies (very, very sad).

When the brownies are done, the top should be set, turned into a pale, smooth and glossy thin crust, while the middle will still be dense and goey - a cake tester should come out clean-ish around the edges, but still somewhat goopy in the middle (they will continue to cook and set as they cool down).

Allow the brownies to cool completely in the tin - it is perfectly fine to let the tin sit on the kitchen bench overnight (preferably sitting on top of a cooling rack).  If you lined the tin well with baking paper, you should be able to use it to carefully lift the entire slab of brownie out at once, then cut into squares on a board with a large knife.

If, at worst, your middle section is still a little too gloopy to cut into neat brownies, do not despair!  Simply wrap the soft section in some foil, heat in the oven, and eat with ice cream.  In fact, I recommend intentionally leaving the middle section a little undercooked for this purpose - the mixture makes plenty, so you will still have dozens of brownies!

Here is the back view of the fabulous MAMA centre - it is an amazing space, light-filled and enormous, with a large backyard outdoor area.  Lots of families and babies came down to help, and we all had a whole lot of fun helping out.

Tabitha napped in her pram, parked outside in the shade - we found a spot where The Daddy could peer out and watch her sleep through an open window while he painted:

Those of you who are scared by small harmless pythons, a quick heads-up to avert your eyes now.  Here is a gorgeous little photo of our baby Marilyn (who is coming up to one year old now!), wrapped neatly around my pony tail while I sat on the sofa:

Blondies

Since I made brownies yesterday, it seems only natural that I should make blondies today.  Also from Nigella's newest book, Kitchen, and just as simple as the brownie recipe.

These are slightly more nutritious - with a large amount of whole oats and some dark chocolate - and have a pleasingly chewy, substantial quality to them which makes you feel as though you are eating something more virtuous than a slab of chocolate goo (delicious though the goo may be).

Blondies - adapted from Nigella Lawson's Kitchen

200g rolled oats (not the instant kind - I use Carmen's for preference)

100g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

150g soft butter

100g brown sugar

397g tin of condensed milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 egg

180g dark chocolate chips

Also - next time, I'll be adding a small handful of chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, and line a cake tin (bottom and sides) with foil or baking paper.  The cake tin ought to be 23cm square or 30x20cm, according to the recipe, however I used the first one I found in the drawer, which was roughly 23cmx33cm - as such, the blondies I made were a little flatter than those illustrated in the book, but no matter.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the condensed milk, then add (combined together) the oats, flour and bicarbonate of soda.  Beat in.

When the mixture is thoroughly combined, beat in the egg and the vanilla, then fold in the chocolate chips (and nuts if you use them).

Spread this thick, lumpy mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula, and bake for around 35 minutes.  When done, the blondie will be quite dark golden brown on top - almost 'too dark' - and the edges will have started to shrink away from the sides of the tin.  It should feel cooked on the top, but you will still have a sense that it is quite 'frighteningly squidgy' underneath.

Remove to a cooling rack, and, once quite cool (or at least just warm-ish), cut into 16 - 24 squares (depending on the size of your tin).  Below, you can see most of the slab on the cooling rack, which will give you an idea of the colour you are looking for on the top:

I imagine this will keep quite well - Nigella suggests five days - in a tin.  Though I don't know about you, but I have never seen baked goods hang around the house for more than a few days.  I eat some, The Daddy eats a lot, and the rest get happily snapped up by various people - The Daddy's work colleagues, my mothers' group, my local Australian Breastfeeding Association, my parents, or whichever friend happens to stop by.

General Things and Chocolate Brownies

EDIT - sorry I accidentally deleted the duck recipe without noticing, it is in there now...

These are Tabitha's favourite things of the moment - her 'baby' and shoes.  She spends much of her day walking around the house, clutching onto her baby and a shoe or two:

These are two of my favourite things:

This gorgeous gift bag arrived in the post from my Godmother - Tabitha's God Grandmother - who lives in Connecticut, USA.  It is a (slightly belated) birthday present:

A fabulous book about Miffy in New York City, which is just brilliant because a) Tabitha already loves Miffy books and b) We caught up with Kathie and her husband George while we were in New York in May, so it is a great memento of our trip!

Along with the book, Kathie (a really outstanding knitter) created three little knitted 'Miffy' type dolls for Tabitha.  They are so, so cute, and the perfect size for her to carry around:

You wouldn't believe how neat they are!  Maybe one day I will learn to knit so perfectly...

During the week, I bought a new Jaffle iron.  Now, it has come to my attention that Jaffles are relatively unknown in many parts of the world, and knowing that I have readers in such fabulously far-flung places as Russia, Qatar, Belgium, Canada and the like, I will explain that they are sort of toasted sandwiches, but made in a special iron, a little like a waffle iron, which seals the edges and cuts them neatly into two triangles.  This is brilliant because you can really stuff them full, even with runny fillings such as baked beans, or cheese corn and tuna.  They are great lunches and snacks for Tabitha, particularly as they are just as delicious cold, so are nice portable sandwiches.

Because I am, to be frank, a total nerd, I did a fair bit of research before choosing an iron.  I went with the Breville 'The Original' two slice seal-and-cut.  Why?

a) Breville were the first to market with an electric sandwich maker featuring the 'slice' feature to divide it into two. This makes them the go-to brand, for me. I spent the morning reading fascinating articles about the history of the jaffle. Yes, I possibly have too much time...

b) I wanted a 2-slice. I think it would be a rare occasion when I require 4 jaffles immediately, so the convenience of the smaller device won out over a massive 4-jaffle iron (although I believe Breville makes the same iron in a 4-jaffle model).

c) This one features a place to neatly wrap the cord, and - wait for it - it can stand vertically for easy storage!

d) Reviews suggest that the non-stick coating on the Brevilles are up there with the best.

e) The plates are square. Most important for me. Many of the brands feature rectangular plates, which are just a giant pain with fancier supermarket breads such as Helga's and Abbott's.

f) It is stainless steel, so isn't quite as naff-looking as some of the daggy white ones.

So I brought the new purchase home.  Do you notice anything strange about the box?

How about now?

It seems that my Jaffle iron came with a gift-with-purchase!

The strange cat sat in the box, staring into space, for a good hour or so.  Sometimes I worry about Possum...

Tabitha likes to ride around in her Cozy Coupe with her baby doll in the back.  She gets quite anxious if her 'baby' is out of her reach for more than a moment or two - she even has to have it with her at meal times, and will 'feed' her baby with a fork or spoon, and offer it sips of water from a bottle.  It completely melts my heart...

Actually, she has two babies - After looking at beautiful, expensive German-made baby dolls, which are fairly heavy and have hard bodies, I was advised by a couple of people to, instead, buy a cheap, simple cloth-bodied baby, which young children seem to prefer - more cuddly, and lighter to hold and carry around.

So I went to Target and found a two-pack ('twins') of cloth dolls, for $14 on sale - bargain!  I have stashed one aside, in case we loose one.  Tabitha smeared jam all over her 'baby' and it looked as though it had been quite brutally stabbed.  Thankfully, they are machine washable...

With the cold weather, I was craving rich and spicy flavours this week.  Asian stir-fried greens, and marinated duck with rice seemed to fill that niche rather nicely.

To make the greens (and you can use bok choi, gai lan or anything similar), I stir-fry some julienned fresh ginger and minced garlic in some oil (not too hot, or it will burn the garlic), then add a glug of Chinese rice wine, boil it briefly, then add some sweet chili sauce, a little fish sauce, some soy, then add the greens and stir-fry over high heat until they start to wilt, then add a decent glug (maybe 1/4 cup) of high quality oyster sauce (such as my beloved Megachef - I use their fish sauce too) and a drizzle of sesame oil.

For the duck - marinate for 30 mins or an hour or so, in a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, orange and ginger marmalade, the juice of half an orange, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, and possibly a little sliced ginger.  Marinate flesh-side down, keeping the skin dry, then preheat the oven to 180 degrees.  Put the marinade in a small saucepan, bring the the boil, and simmer for a bit to reduce slightly for a sauce.

Slash the skin a few times, then put the duck, skin-side down, in a cold frypan, then bring it up to low/medium heat, and cook on medium heat for a few minutes, letting the fat render out.  The skin will start to get crispy.  Turn over, flesh-side down, and sear for a minute.  The transfer to the oven and cook for around ten minutes, or until the duck is still slightly pink inside.  Remove to a warm plate.

Leave the duck breasts to rest for five minutes, then slice thinly, and pour their juices back in with the reduced marinade.  Serve the duck with its sauce, the greens with their sauce, and the rice in between.  I can never decide if i prefer the duck sauce or the sauce from the greens!

The duck meat should still be quite pink inside:

Today, we had my lovely 'Godfamily' over - that is, my Godfather, his wife Tanya (and honorary second Godmother), and their son, who is my Godson and also Tabitha's Godfather!  Confused?!  My parents and sister came too.  I made, for the occasion, my Godmother Kathie's (!!!) special family chocolate walnut cake - the one with the recipe I will not reveal.  It was delicious:

Tabitha had fun wearing her Boston Red Sox cap today - we bought it for her on our holiday in May, when we took her to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.  It was such a wonderful day, and seeing her in the cap brings back great memories for me.  'Scuse the PJs top:

From the back - Miss Cool in her baseball cap and jeans:

Tabitha is, I am pleased to say, a most enthusiastic cleaner - she loves finding a cloth and wandering around the house, wiping surfaces.  She will even wipe down the cupboards with an Enjo cloth!  I am thrilled to have a little cleaning assistant:

Sometimes I look at her and simply cannot believe how grown up she looks.  It feels like just a few months ago that she was a tiny, helpless baby.

My sister found these Mini Mouse ears - they were mine from when I was eight years old, when mum took me to Euro Disneyland (I went with her on a work trip to the UK over my Summer holidays).  Apparently, for the whole trip, I refused to take them off, and as a result, we have many photographs of myself in historic locations (such as Versailles, Westminster Abbey, the Louvre and the like), wearing Mini Mouse ears.

This evening, I made brownies - a very simple, melt-and-mix recipe from Nigella Lawson's most recent book, Kitchen.  It is a really fantastic book - nearly as good as How to Eat - and there are literally dozens of recipes in it which I plan on cooking.  The brownies are a handy recipe for when you want to whip something easy up at the last minute - they require no fancy ingredients, the butter can be used straight from the fridge, and they keep beautifully for days.

Here is the recipe:

Everyday Brownies - slightly adapted from Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

150g unsalted butter

300g brown sugar

75g cocoa powder (preferably of very high quality, such as Valhrona)

150g plain flour

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

A good pinch of salt

4 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

150g of milk chocolate - either chocolate chips, or simply a chocolate bar chopped up.  NOTE next time I will use dark chocolate.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius, and line a baking tray (roughly 30cm x 20cm, or 25cm square) with baking paper - I use one long piece which goes down two sides and along the bottom, then another strip which goes along the bottom and the other two sides.  It might seem like a bit of fiddling, but it saves effort removing them at the end, and dramatically reduces your washing-up.

Melt the butter over low heat in a medium-sized saucepan.

Add the sugar (still over low heat), stirring with a wooden spoon to blend it with the butter.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate soda and salt, and stir into the saucepan - the mixture will be quite dry.  When combined, remove from the heat.

In a bowl or jug, beat together the eggs and the vanilla.  Pour into the brownie mixture, and beat well to combine.  Stir in the chopped chocolate or chocolate chops, and scrape into the prepared baking tin.  Spread the mixture evenly with a spatula, then bake in the oven for around 20 - 25 minutes.

The brownies are done when the top looks dry and set, but you can feel the surface and can tell that the mixture is still a little wobbly underneath.  A cake tester will come out a fairly goopy.

When you take the slab out of the oven, let it cool for around ten minutes, then you should be able to carefully lift it out by the baking-paper, and rest it on a cooling rack:

Once it has cooled down a little more, carefully slice the slab into roughly 24 squares (they are of decent size).  Of course, you can certainly do this while they are still fairly hot - they would make a truly brilliant dessert dusted with icing sugar and served with ice cream - but they will be a bit more fragile:

They are spectacularly gooey and dark inside.  I used milk chocolate bits, as specified in the recipe however I think that they stand out too much, so next time I will use dark chocolate bits instead:

Although these are alarmingly rich and decadent, I could happily eat several in one sitting.  Perhaps I will...