All posts tagged Autumn

mayphotoaday-1

Photo A Day May – My Shot ! Days 1 & 2

May 3, 2012

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far !

 It just hit me yesterday, we are almost halfway through 2012… where did the months fly? Time just seems to steadily slip away and before I know it, another year will have passed unless ofcourse everything ceases to exist after 21st December 2012 as per the popular end of the world theory.

Come to think of it, there is so much to live,love, experience,explore and inhale in this life , I am yet to even make a dent in my bucket list.So many dreams to unravel, so much joy to be found.

As I contemplated the speed with which May had arrived, I also came across this very inspiring idea to make each day count a little. It is called Photo A Day May and the details can be found here. Basically, each day in this month has a particular theme and you capture a picture that symbolizes the day’s theme. It is a brilliant initiative to get those creative juices flowing along with sharing a little slice of life as we see it, with the rest of the world.

Before I reveal my shots for Days 1 & 2, I will just add that as much as I LOVE clicking pictures, I am no professional photographer and I don’t own a decent camera( although a new DSLR is on the mother’s day wish list ! Listening anyone ?! ).All pictures I share on my blog and the ones I will be sharing for Photo A Day May have been captured with the iPhone 4s and then edited using either Istagram or the Adobe Lite apps easily available on iTunes.

So here is a list of daily themes for Photo A Day May :

and now for the pictures :

Day 1

Peace

Yep , that’s my little FS2 posing with a peace sign !

Day 2

Skyline

This is my beautiful city, Canberra.The view from my office this afternoon, an overcast sky and the clouds softly gracing the hills. HOW I captured this shot is another story altogether … put it this way, I lost my lunch to get this one !!

And although this next picture is not part of a theme, another beautiful shot of Canberra putting on a beaitiful autumn.

I will be making an effort to add a new shot everyday so do check back in again. I will also be updating our Facebook page (do “like” us on FB if you haven’t already!) and our twitter stream with the latest pictures.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts/comments on the pictures.

Have an inspired day/evening :)

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Comments: 7 Posted by: Categories: Fabulous Finds, Musings, Quotables Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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What Happens When You Wreck A Foodie-Blogger’s Sandwich ?

April 20, 2012

Ofcourse the Foodie-Blogger blogs about it and let me tell you , it is not kind !

So lets rewind a little bit , it is autumn here in Canberra , some days are cold , others windy and yet others rainy and cold. Earlier this week ,on one such wet and cold autumn day , I had a craving for a hot bowl of soup and a toastie.Perfect comfort food on days like that.The only problem was I didn’t have bread at work …or tomatoes or cheese ….So off I go, to find myself a sandwich bar that would make me the humble Cheese and Tomato Toasted Sandwich. 

I walk over to the nearest shopping centre food court and choose House Of Vitality. It is a salad , juice and sandwich bar , I have bought something here before but don’t quite recall what it was like. Oh well ! There really is no scope of going wrong with a Cheese and Tomato Toasted Sandwich . I mean all you have to do is butter some bread , throw on a slice of cheese, a few slices of tomatoes , crack in some pepper and chuck into the sandwich press or under a grill if you prefer.

So anyway , I ask the lady at the counter  who by the way looks overeager to serve me , ” Could I please have a Cheese and Tomato Toasted Sandwich ”

She motions me over to the sandwich display shelf and looks at me expectantly , I figure she expects me to choose from the existing array of pre-prepared sandwiches which look extremely unappetizing.I say , in my nicest voice I might add , ” No , no , could you please make me a fresh sandwich ?”  .

The enthusiasm from earlier on has been replaced with deep irritation as she exclaims , ” This is fresh , all fresh !!!”

Exasperated , she now pulls out a chunky bread roll from under the shelf to prepare my sandwich. Equally frustrated but trying to remain calm I blurt , ” No , no I meant Can I please have a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich on wholemeal bread ?”

“Oh, oh okay ! ” She seems to get it , I think ?

Sandwich bar lady is now clearly fuming though I still don’t understand her problem. She somehow manages to put together a sandwich for me and tells me I owe her $6. I am flabbergasted ! $6 for a Cheese and Tomato Toastie ? Was she serious ? Quickly realising given the lead up and the bar lady’s ” I will strangle you if you ask me another question ” demeanor  , I should just hand over the $6 and bolt ! Sometimes walking away from a situation of potential conflict is a wise thing.After paying , I walk back to work to eat my $6 toastie ( yes I really must mention the $6 as often as possible , it seems to help take the edge off a bit , thankyou for understanding), half moping knowing full well I had been ripped off. Hey , I don’t have issues about spending money on food but when you spend $6 on a cheese and tomato toastie , it hurts.Believe me , it does – especially when you are a pretty fabulous cook yourself….. And humble too.

Anyway , back to my sandwich  , I unwrap it at my desk, ready and ravenous …now before we go any further , this is typically what a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich SHOULD look like :

Cheese oozing out , tomatoes lightly softened , right ? everyone agree ? Good !

This is what my $6 sandwich DID look like , brace yourselves , it is not pleasant.

Are you feeling sorry for me yet ?

This is what I paid $6 for ? THIS ? This hastily put together , unappealing , UNTOASTED , toasted sandwich ! And if that wasn’t enough salt rubbed on my wounds, the lady had decided to throw in slices of chicken . When in heaven’s name in the entire painful ,5 minute exchange did I ever ask for chicken ? When ? I bet this is the Sandwich Bar lady’s revenge on me for asking so many questions.

Yes , ofcourse I know I can stop acting all precious,toast the sandwich myself and pull out the chicken  but that is not the point . The point is that I paid $6 to someone to make me something an 8 year old can pull off .This is a full fledged business we are speaking of , not some new starter cafe which should be given a second chance.Surely , they can do better.

I shared the story with my friend and colleague , IY  who said , ” Oh , that House of Vitality , I never buy from there anymore , its no good. It should be called The House of Mortality”

Ha ! IY is great value , what a laugh I had with that name  , to some extent redeemed from my toasted sandwich debacle.

Will I be making my own Cheese and Tomato toasties from now on? Hell yes ! Will I ever go back to The House of Mortality ?

Never Again .

Have you ever paid more than  $3 for a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich ? If so , I’d like to hear from you.

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Comments: 19 Posted by: Categories: Fabulous Finds, Feeling Peckish, Food, Musings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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it’s time for Chicken Soup …

March 2, 2012

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Brrrr the temperature is plummeting , the heaters have been turned on again and since the rain shows no signs of respite ,it might just be time to make that soothing concoction I have been raving on about . The thing is when you hear chicken soup , you think winter , you think coughs, colds and that dreaded flu.And if your taste buds are anything like mine ( as in you don’t even know what the word ‘bland’ means ) you are right this minute thinking Chicken Soup ? Me ? Never !

Well all that’s about to change , you see just like you, I would turn my nose up at the very mention of chicken soup or broth and thought that sort of food should be confined to hospitals , it would be a heinous crime to bring it to our dinner tables.

Until one fine day a featured recipe online caught my eye and I decided to give the dreaded Chicken Soup one last go , ofcourse with a bit of fine tuning of my own . Would you believe , that little bit of fine tuning has come a long way and this Chicken Soup is still a family favourite . It has the added benefit of boosting your immunity and relieving colds and flus, but I promise you , you absolutely do not have to be sick to have this soup !

Here’s how :

Serves 3-4

You will need :

  • 300 grams chicken pieces ( preferably wings, necks and drumsticks)
  • 2 medium carrots , peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2-3 stalks of celery , washed and cut into chunks ( you can also add in the celery leaves for additional flavor )
  • 1 medium potato , peeled and cut into chunky quarters ( optional )
  • 1 large onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
  • 2 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 8-10 black peppercorns
  • 6-8 whole cloves
  • 1-2 small cinnamon sticks
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt ( or as per taste )
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • Lemon juice ( optional )

Preparation :

  • Wash chicken pieces thoroughly and add to a heavy based medium pot. Combine chicken, carrots , celery , potato , garlic , ginger , black peppercorns , salt , turmeric powder , cloves and cinnamon sticks .
  • Add about 4-5 glasses of water and bring to a boil on medium heat , once boiling , let your soup slowly simmer for atleast an hour until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender .
  • You may prefer to take the chicken out at this step and debone it , cutting into smaller pieces before adding them back to the soup.
  • Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with coriander leaves ,fresh lemon juice and cracked black pepper .

Hot Tip :

Serve with saigon rolls , steamed rice or even over a bed of over cooked noodles.
Apart from being a popularly used culinary ingredient turmeric has immense healing properties.

Yummy !


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Raindrops keep falling on my head ….

March 1, 2012

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I must hand it to my fellow Canberrans , we are into our 6th day of incessant rain and it is certainly business as usual , albeit the odd umbrella dodge on the more crowded areas in the city ( yes rest of Australia , even Canberra can be crowded ) , the buses running slightly behind schedule and I hear of a couple of road closures at the time of writing this post … But largely , we have done well !
I reckon the rain and the cold weather calls for that soothing , warm concoction we call Chicken Soup , stay tuned for my signature recipe but until then , stay warm and enjoy the rain.

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