Wow 2 posts in one day!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyways, the photo's from the Christmas before last Christmas are finally up. You can find them at www.flickr.com. just use the search term "Naivespice"
As you'll notice I went through a bit of a crazy decorating faze that year :)
Hope Y'all Enjoy
T
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Well Hellooooooo,
Well Hellooooooo,
As most of you will know, and the rest of you can guess I'm sure, i have been running around like a chook with my head cut off (that's an interesting mental picture now isn't it?). My main reason for blogging atm is that I'm trying desperately to finish my "23 Things" program and it's asked me to speak about my RSS experience on my blog.
OK, well for a start, I didn't use"Bloglines", instead i used "Google Reader" (since most of the applications i utilize are Google simply because i prefer they're layout - except for "Google Docs" which is just plain clunky).
Secondly i didn't sign up for any of the stuff recommended (sorry Kath), instead i used it to organise all my friends blogs and a few other sites i regularly read, as i plan on using this feature well after 23 things is over.
I don't know about most other people but i for one "knew of" most of the stuff in the 23 Things program and could stumble my way through most of it (because i am fairly computer literate), but i had no use for any of it in my day to day life. Truth be told i was avoiding extending my computer knowledge like the plague and didn't want to complicate my life anymore than it already was, even though people constantly told me "you should use "blah" site/program etc, because that would make what your doing so much simpler.
But i will be the first to admit that this program (when i get time to do it - I'm presently sitting at home on my day off working through some of it in the hope of completing it on time), has changed the way i utilize my computer in my day to day life. I decided early on that i was going to use this as a duel purpose to try to get my butt into gear in getting all the "food related' projects i have been procrastinating about and turn it into an organised business suite, as well as extend my knowledge to help me with queries at work.
Now i can say that it has helped me numerous times at work already. Only yesterday i helped a woman (who was studying genealogy) by suggesting different ways she could utilize present technology, websites and devices (SD/mini SD cards; Babel fish; Online Document storage sites such as box.net and high end phone and PP's) that she could use during her trip to Germany. And that was just yesterday, and this happens on a day to day basis when I'm at work.
And I'm becoming more and more organised in my other business pursuits (I'm presently uploading all the photo's from last Christmas - labeled and all - up on Flickr, and have almost finished storing all my documents on-line). The blogging is helping me keep others informed on what progress is happening with the Christmas Catering Project as well as giving me a chance to talk about the products/services and people i feel passionate about (both positively and negatively), thus saving me repeating myself constantly.
And now with RSS feeds i have no excuse to avoid keeping up with my friend. And i think that's the most important part of why this program is working, i can talk about and work through this with my friends, i can read about what there doing and when I'm stuck on something (no matter how simple) i have someone else to turn to (Thanx Craig & Martine).
I guess what I'm saying is this has worked, no matter how much we like to whinge about it (and were librarians , so we LOVE to whinge). Anyone who knows me know that I'll be the first to say if i think something is crapiola and thus it's a big deal for me to admit that something i loathed originally is a GOOD IDEA!
And now onto Wiki (oh joy .....) :P
TB
Secondly i didn't sign up for any of the stuff recommended (sorry Kath), instead i used it to organise all my friends blogs and a few other sites i regularly read, as i plan on using this feature well after 23 things is over.
I don't know about most other people but i for one "knew of" most of the stuff in the 23 Things program and could stumble my way through most of it (because i am fairly computer literate), but i had no use for any of it in my day to day life. Truth be told i was avoiding extending my computer knowledge like the plague and didn't want to complicate my life anymore than it already was, even though people constantly told me "you should use "blah" site/program etc, because that would make what your doing so much simpler.
But i will be the first to admit that this program (when i get time to do it - I'm presently sitting at home on my day off working through some of it in the hope of completing it on time), has changed the way i utilize my computer in my day to day life. I decided early on that i was going to use this as a duel purpose to try to get my butt into gear in getting all the "food related' projects i have been procrastinating about and turn it into an organised business suite, as well as extend my knowledge to help me with queries at work.
Now i can say that it has helped me numerous times at work already. Only yesterday i helped a woman (who was studying genealogy) by suggesting different ways she could utilize present technology, websites and devices (SD/mini SD cards; Babel fish; Online Document storage sites such as box.net and high end phone and PP's) that she could use during her trip to Germany. And that was just yesterday, and this happens on a day to day basis when I'm at work.
And I'm becoming more and more organised in my other business pursuits (I'm presently uploading all the photo's from last Christmas - labeled and all - up on Flickr, and have almost finished storing all my documents on-line). The blogging is helping me keep others informed on what progress is happening with the Christmas Catering Project as well as giving me a chance to talk about the products/services and people i feel passionate about (both positively and negatively), thus saving me repeating myself constantly.
And now with RSS feeds i have no excuse to avoid keeping up with my friend. And i think that's the most important part of why this program is working, i can talk about and work through this with my friends, i can read about what there doing and when I'm stuck on something (no matter how simple) i have someone else to turn to (Thanx Craig & Martine).
I guess what I'm saying is this has worked, no matter how much we like to whinge about it (and were librarians , so we LOVE to whinge). Anyone who knows me know that I'll be the first to say if i think something is crapiola and thus it's a big deal for me to admit that something i loathed originally is a GOOD IDEA!
And now onto Wiki (oh joy .....) :P
TB
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
I really should find more time for this
At the moment though time seems to be slipping away awfully fast. It doesn't seem like 11 days since I last posted, and it certainly doesn't seem like 10 weeks until Christmas. This week i have the pleasure of looking forward to putting down the fruit cakes and infusing the oils!!!!
On a lighter note i figured i should continue with the "Ranting and Raving section". Let's start with the good news first, the rave. This weeks rave Award for outstanding achievement in culinary delights goes too.....
OK this is where i realise (and finally understand) the problem the Oscars have. I remember one year sitting down watching the Oscars and Denzel Washington won for a film that was godbloodyawful! I remember sitting there and discussing with my friends that while yes, Denzel is a great actor, he didn't deserve to win for his performance in that piece of trash. When one of my friends pointed out that the problem was that they don't always have years where they can give the Oscar to those who deserved it (allegedly Denzel had lost out to someone else in a previous year), and thus it is more of an accumulation of talent then there performance in just that one movie.
At the time i didn't realise how that could be relevant, but now i do. You see, as I've already explained, my partner and i eat out a lot (hell we eat in a lot too) and thus i have a catalogue of great eats to share. But it's not like there's a weekly winner every time, sometime i have to dig into the past few weeks (especially this week when we only ate out one).
So i think i might make this weeks winner .... George (and Family) of the Hungarian Langos Stands. (I can already hear the ???????). So the best way to start this is with a quick introduction to Langos, so see the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1ngos
(I love wikipedia). Now i remember the first time i met George. We were walking through the West End Markets when my partner spotted something deep fried and covered in cheese, garlic and sour cream and had to have one immediately (to look at him you wouldn't think he had a fascination with all things deep fried, but i like to think i gain all my excess fat from him as "sympathy fat"). I'd just started my healthy eating regime and had been attending the gym at a regular rate again. My partner marched up to George's stall and asked for a Langos. George looked at me and asked if wanted one. I said "No I'm on a diet" at which point he replied "you don't need a diet".
I know it sounds corny but since then i always had a real respect for George, and later his brother and brother's partner as well. I now look forward to going to the markets on the weekend and having a chat with the family, and the Langos and Lepany (my personal favourite) and Hungarian Donuts (mmmm donuts) are all a great incentive too.
So if you'd like to try some of these wondrous food stuffs i highly recommend heading over to any of the following markets this weekend:
Saturday
Blamey Street, Kelvin Grove
6am to 1pm
Corner of Montague Road and Jane Street, West End
Sunday
Logan Road, Mt Gravatt
Well that's another blog for this week (ish)...
Stay Tuned
T
On a lighter note i figured i should continue with the "Ranting and Raving section". Let's start with the good news first, the rave. This weeks rave Award for outstanding achievement in culinary delights goes too.....
OK this is where i realise (and finally understand) the problem the Oscars have. I remember one year sitting down watching the Oscars and Denzel Washington won for a film that was godbloodyawful! I remember sitting there and discussing with my friends that while yes, Denzel is a great actor, he didn't deserve to win for his performance in that piece of trash. When one of my friends pointed out that the problem was that they don't always have years where they can give the Oscar to those who deserved it (allegedly Denzel had lost out to someone else in a previous year), and thus it is more of an accumulation of talent then there performance in just that one movie.
At the time i didn't realise how that could be relevant, but now i do. You see, as I've already explained, my partner and i eat out a lot (hell we eat in a lot too) and thus i have a catalogue of great eats to share. But it's not like there's a weekly winner every time, sometime i have to dig into the past few weeks (especially this week when we only ate out one).
So i think i might make this weeks winner .... George (and Family) of the Hungarian Langos Stands. (I can already hear the ???????). So the best way to start this is with a quick introduction to Langos, so see the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1ngos
(I love wikipedia). Now i remember the first time i met George. We were walking through the West End Markets when my partner spotted something deep fried and covered in cheese, garlic and sour cream and had to have one immediately (to look at him you wouldn't think he had a fascination with all things deep fried, but i like to think i gain all my excess fat from him as "sympathy fat"). I'd just started my healthy eating regime and had been attending the gym at a regular rate again. My partner marched up to George's stall and asked for a Langos. George looked at me and asked if wanted one. I said "No I'm on a diet" at which point he replied "you don't need a diet".
I know it sounds corny but since then i always had a real respect for George, and later his brother and brother's partner as well. I now look forward to going to the markets on the weekend and having a chat with the family, and the Langos and Lepany (my personal favourite) and Hungarian Donuts (mmmm donuts) are all a great incentive too.
So if you'd like to try some of these wondrous food stuffs i highly recommend heading over to any of the following markets this weekend:
Saturday
- Kelvin Grove Village Markets
Blamey Street, Kelvin Grove
6am to 1pm
- West End Green Flea Community Markets
Corner of Montague Road and Jane Street, West End
Sunday
- Mt Gravatt Markets
Logan Road, Mt Gravatt
Well that's another blog for this week (ish)...
Stay Tuned
T
Sunday, October 5, 2008
"Less Than 12 Weeks until Christmas"
... was something touted to me the other day (like I didn't know). I think when it comes to Christmas Countdowns i should be crowned the World Champion. Why i hear you ask? Well as well as being a world class librarian, and writing and cooking in my spare time, every year i do a "Christmas Project". Last year was test cooking for the last cookbook.
And this year, (as those of you who are participating will know) is the "Market Research Project". I decided to focus this years project with the idea of easing peoples stress over Christmas by providing fresh, high quality, pre-made options of in demand items required at this time of year such as salads; dips& pates; sweet & savoury butters; marinades; mustard's & sauces; mayonnaise's; savoury jellies; dessert sauces; finger foods; drinks; sweets and of course the irreplaceable Christmas cake.
Now the reason I made it a "Market Research Project"meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> is because all monies charged are to cover packaging & ingredients costs and are thus at cost prices, which is why it's all so bloody cheap. We are offering these products at a reduced rate in exchange of the assistance of the participants by asking that they fill out the survey that will accompany there orders. This is basically a fun way for me to find out about serving sizes and how appropriate they are in reality.
Meanwhile your sitting there saying "you know this isn't the usual Rant and Rave that she goes on in her blogs". The reason for this is because many of the participants in the program asked me to post details of the project online so they could access it at home. I figured I'd better explain a little before just going and adding links to my blog that make no sense.
So if your curious, have a look (and get a little glimpse of the manicness of my life at this time of year) and for those who asked for it, here it is...
Descriptions can be found at:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc4gvkgw_12dcg722dp
Allergy information can be found at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pEPitDA2OwGhGHfb-7lCSFA
And the price list can be found at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pEPitDA2OwGhrYB9lfhsGJw
And this year, (as those of you who are participating will know) is the "Market Research Project". I decided to focus this years project with the idea of easing peoples stress over Christmas by providing fresh, high quality, pre-made options of in demand items required at this time of year such as salads; dips& pates; sweet & savoury butters; marinades; mustard's & sauces; mayonnaise's; savoury jellies; dessert sauces; finger foods; drinks; sweets and of course the irreplaceable Christmas cake.
Now the reason I made it a "Market Research Project"meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> is because all monies charged are to cover packaging & ingredients costs and are thus at cost prices, which is why it's all so bloody cheap. We are offering these products at a reduced rate in exchange of the assistance of the participants by asking that they fill out the survey that will accompany there orders. This is basically a fun way for me to find out about serving sizes and how appropriate they are in reality.
Meanwhile your sitting there saying "you know this isn't the usual Rant and Rave that she goes on in her blogs". The reason for this is because many of the participants in the program asked me to post details of the project online so they could access it at home. I figured I'd better explain a little before just going and adding links to my blog that make no sense.
So if your curious, have a look (and get a little glimpse of the manicness of my life at this time of year) and for those who asked for it, here it is...
Descriptions can be found at:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc4gvkgw_12dcg722dp
Allergy information can be found at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pEPitDA2OwGhGHfb-7lCSFA
And the price list can be found at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pEPitDA2OwGhrYB9lfhsGJw
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Something Old, Something New...
Well here we go, my first rant. Aptly titled "Something Old, Something New".
On the subject of Something Old, I thought I'd give a free plug to one of my favourite restaurants.
Happy Chef (Fortitude Valley), is possible one of the best (on the cheap end of the scale) Asian Cuisine restaurants I've eaten at. And that says something considering how much my partner and I eat out. If your a fan of Peking duck, the do a fantastic duck banquet consisting of duck and mushroom soup, Peking duck pancakes, duck san choy bau, Asian greens in oyster sauce, duck hokkien noodles, salt and pepper calamari (yes I know it's not duck, but it's good) and deep fried ice cream. More food than a sane very hungry person can consume in one sitting, all for under $20 per person.
Well there's the niceties out of the way, now for something I've been looking forward to bagging... FROZEN FOOD!
Ok, i should probably give a little background to this. As with everyone, i recently got the dreaded flu (and ear infection, and tonsil infection and wisdom teeth flair up etc etc). I have a very specific rule regarding food and cooking when I'm sick (ie i just wont). This worked great while my partner was well, as he would pick up take out, but then when he got sick, we decided to get better we'd better bunker down and resort to quick and easy "convenience foods".
Now as anyone who knows me will tell you, I cook ... a lot, and I'm pretty damn good at it (actually I'm a fantastic cook). And it has been a LONG time since I've bought anything even remotely resembling a TV dinner (not as though there called that anymore), and i can gladly say they haven't changed. And where as the selection was immense, the quality was abysmal. I could probably get a dozen posts out of how shocking the food was (and i may resort back to this subject in times of need) I will touch on what was possibly the most saddening of the lot.
I won't mention the brand name but the "Chicken and Cashew Hokkien Noodles" were surprising to say the least. It was mostly noodles (which is at least true to form) with loads of capsicum and a random bright yellow vegetable (which looking at the box i assume to be carrot) and a icky tasting sauce. Though the clincher was the ONE cashew :)
Anyway, almost out of time, enough here for the mo'.
Talk to all you peeps later ... :P
T
On the subject of Something Old, I thought I'd give a free plug to one of my favourite restaurants.
Happy Chef (Fortitude Valley), is possible one of the best (on the cheap end of the scale) Asian Cuisine restaurants I've eaten at. And that says something considering how much my partner and I eat out. If your a fan of Peking duck, the do a fantastic duck banquet consisting of duck and mushroom soup, Peking duck pancakes, duck san choy bau, Asian greens in oyster sauce, duck hokkien noodles, salt and pepper calamari (yes I know it's not duck, but it's good) and deep fried ice cream. More food than a sane very hungry person can consume in one sitting, all for under $20 per person.
Well there's the niceties out of the way, now for something I've been looking forward to bagging... FROZEN FOOD!
Ok, i should probably give a little background to this. As with everyone, i recently got the dreaded flu (and ear infection, and tonsil infection and wisdom teeth flair up etc etc). I have a very specific rule regarding food and cooking when I'm sick (ie i just wont). This worked great while my partner was well, as he would pick up take out, but then when he got sick, we decided to get better we'd better bunker down and resort to quick and easy "convenience foods".
Now as anyone who knows me will tell you, I cook ... a lot, and I'm pretty damn good at it (actually I'm a fantastic cook). And it has been a LONG time since I've bought anything even remotely resembling a TV dinner (not as though there called that anymore), and i can gladly say they haven't changed. And where as the selection was immense, the quality was abysmal. I could probably get a dozen posts out of how shocking the food was (and i may resort back to this subject in times of need) I will touch on what was possibly the most saddening of the lot.
I won't mention the brand name but the "Chicken and Cashew Hokkien Noodles" were surprising to say the least. It was mostly noodles (which is at least true to form) with loads of capsicum and a random bright yellow vegetable (which looking at the box i assume to be carrot) and a icky tasting sauce. Though the clincher was the ONE cashew :)
Anyway, almost out of time, enough here for the mo'.
Talk to all you peeps later ... :P
T
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Welcome to my blog...
Well here it is, my blog.
I've decided to utilize this blog to post my various rants and raves regarding food. Hopefully it will save my throat in having to repeat myslef to everyone I meet.
And strangly enough (for me at least) I actually have nothing to say....
So until next time (when i'll go on my huge frozen foods rampage),
T
I've decided to utilize this blog to post my various rants and raves regarding food. Hopefully it will save my throat in having to repeat myslef to everyone I meet.
And strangly enough (for me at least) I actually have nothing to say....
So until next time (when i'll go on my huge frozen foods rampage),
T
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