Gastronomically Delightful!

Mama Wilson, I love my apron! thank you thank you!

...After a week of placement at a Primary school down the street from my humble abode, I spent two full days staring at my computer making lessons plans for this upcoming week.

...Tired from working two brutal weddings (yes the song “Sex is on fire” played at both!) and cranky from lack of sleep and fun, I decided to blow my money on a shopping trip.

....Shopping trip to the Fruit Shack and beyond with one AA backpack and two green (eco friendly) bags to walk all my purchases home, while speaking Korean aloud all the way through lessons 14 and 15.

I really don’t enjoy these two lessons (which I have to repeat every week) they’re on money and converting Korean Won into Dollars. The next lesson is on telling the time, it's awful that all three sets of these numbers are different! It’s annoying when the Pimsleurs guy goes half way through a lesson testing your knowledge of how to say an amount in dollars and then switches over to Won, then the time. It’s especially difficult when your lugging the amount of food I was up a steep hill!

Anyway, I warned my room mates that my plan for the gloomy Sunday was to spend the day cooking and baking in the kitchen.

I went overboard and actually spent 5 hours in there!

Here’s what I made:

Yummy Ummmmmy bran muffins packed with flak seeds, every fruit I could get my hands on, ground nutmeg (took forever to grind it into powder!) bran buds and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I finally got to use the present my boyfriend sent me to check if the baked goods are cooked all the way through:)

Pesto and Hummus combined!

I am currently teaching in the same class of a lovely girl whose mommy is my friend and fellow student! We passed notes back and forth all week via her daughter and one of my requests was for her homemade Pesto recipe I spotted in her daughters sandwich during lunch. I was so impressed by her sandwich, the homemade pumpkin bread had been made by her dad, along with some homemade hummus her family had made for me to enjoy with some vegetables^^ The next day I had the note with both the recipes delivered to me.

My goal was to make both the Pesto and the Hummus (separately) but after being in the kitchen for so long, I decided I was too tired to crush that many nuts, garlic and basil. I threw them all in together and have made a delicious and very healthy dip! Pestummus?!

Finally, I touched up on my supply of Indian secrete sauce my lovely friend Manjul created.

It’s really just half ginger, half garlic, oil and a pinch of salt, sauté and add to veggies and rice. Mine is not as magical as hers, but it will do the job^^


Indian Masla Movie Popcorn

As a house, we all put on our Fall clothes and left the house for the movies to see “The Blind Side.” I think the movie came out in Canada months ago, but it takes a while for it to arrive to Oz. It was one of the best “based on a true story” movies I’ve seen in a really long time. It was also very ‘future teachers’ appropriate.’

Instead of microwaving buttered chemical popcorn, I bought the kernels and attempted for a second time to pop them carefully over the stove.

My first try was a few night previous to this when a friend came over for some wine, snacks and sex and the city viewing. I tired to pop the corn on the stove and ended up burning and smoking the house out.

This time was successful! And I added a sprinkle of my favourite Indian Masala spice on top to make it an Indian movie treat!