Amelie! You've Got Something On Your Head...

Cats are such regal and dignified creatures. They demand things and generally they get it. Food, snuggles and the best spot in the bed. Unlike dogs, their love is not unconditional. There are conditions. Lots of them. Yet at the same time they give so much as well. 

On a normal day, Amelie will eat, sleep, eat some more, move around to find a better sleeping spot, punch a kitten in the head, then eat some more. But in her hectic schedule, I'm able to squeeze in some 'Toni Fun Time' or TFT.

It pretty much involves placing things on Amelie's head and laughing hysterically for a good minute or so. She normally looks super unimpressed but that actually adds to the enjoyment I get from it. A bit sadistic isn't it? I know secretly she loves all the attention I lavish upon her. Here are some prime examples:

Afghan Amelie.

Festive Amelie.

Party Amelie.

Dr Amelie (to you).

Sea Lion Amelie.

Hobo Amelie.

Asian Amelie.

The Village People Amelie.

Lady Gaga Amelie.

Inception Amelie.

Plotting Amelie.

Garage Sale Trail

So the past four days have been pretty hectic for me. I had an overdue assignment to finish, ran a 13km race, put on a garage sale and attended a wedding. I think I need another weekend just to recover from the past weekend! The most taxing of those four things was the garage sale. I should have done it another weekend to spread the load a bit but May 5th was actually the official 'Garage Sale Trail', a day where you can register your garage sale and get a bit more publicity around the community then just a few dodgy signs on some local poles.

I'm moving overseas next year so I need to get rid of everything - the sewing machine, fabric, my lovely Fleur Wood dresses, even Daisy's dog lead had to go. I'm slowly working towards only having basics to sell at the end of the ten months which meant this garage sale was going to be epic! It took two weeks of sifting through boxes of stuff in storage, ironing clothes and dusting off books to get everything together for the big day. Our living room looked like a scene from hoarders, or my mum's shed. I can't believe that I had accumulated so many THINGS over the past few years since moving out of the parents place. I have a pizza cutter, a cake cutter, cocktail mixer, two sets of scales, salad spinner and so so so many decorative knick knacks that it took probably 20 trips up and down the stairs to bring everything down. It felt like we were moving house! 

A nights work of bringing everything down
before the sale. Running a business is hard.

So on that freezing Saturday morning, I opened up and garage to the world and luckily for me, the world wanted my useless crapola. I had one lovely lady who said she was there 7am on the dot and was disappointed I hadn't yet opened up (and Kevin said there wouldn't be anyone about at that time!). Despite sitting in the garage all day in the freezing cold, it was a very successful day. We had some music playing and one of my neighbours and their kids came to join me to sell some of their baby toys (so they can get new ones of course), so there was a nice party feel to it. 

Most customers were really friendly and almost everyone left with at least one of two of my things. Though who could blame them with my bargain prices of $1-10. We made over $600 (90% my things, 10% Kevin's things - though he did suggest we should halve the profits, the cheek) but more importantly we didn't have to lug too much stuff back up three flights of stairs!

Looking around the apartment, it doesn't actually look like anything is really missing so it really was just extra stuff that we didn't need! As tempting as it is to spend my big pile of coins (I have $300 in gold coins alone - I could almost swim in it like Scrooge McDuck) it's going safely away in the the world trip fund and the next step now is to hit up Ebay, Etsy and Gumtree to get rid of the rest. I feel lighter already.

Nike She Runs The Night

So last night I was out at Cetennial Park with 3200 other ladies for the first ever 'Nike She Run' in Sydney. This event was absolutely amazing! Kevin (my lovely boyfriend) first told me about this 13km female only run a few months ago. I was a bit hesitant at first because I'd only started jogging (at a recreational pace) 6 months ago. 

Was I ready for an official race where there'd be surely a gazillion others out there that would whoop my ass? Well, I bit the bullet and had been a bundle of nerves ever since I got my race pack with my Nike shirt, a bag and an almost expired energy bar. Kevin tells it me it was scrumptious. 

I had to pee at least 10 times yesterday before the race I was so nervous. The event was so well run and there were lockers for storage and a fast moving toilet line (I don't think I was the only nervous one there!). There was even a large bowl in the toilets filled with hair ties and bobby pins. They really had thought of everything. They had Ruby Rose chatting on stage and the vibe was buzzing. 

Then we all walked a short distance to the starting line where they had TVs with karaoke for the upbeat dance music they were playing like Beyonce - 'Girls' and other appropriate girl power songs that got us pumped and dancing. There were three zones for how fast you were going to be and for obvious reasons I put myself in the slowest one. I saw Kevin on the sidelines and got a quick kiss for good luck and then we were off! Just after the start there was a bump that no one expected so a lot of people tripped over that which was the only bad thing of the night. 

Despite getting a stitch right at the beginning (excuses, excuses, I know) which crippled me to a walking pace, I was able to really get going after the 5km mark (they had these massive lit up purple balloons at every kilometre). My eyes boggled a bit when I saw the race leader looping back the other way on her 6th kilometre when I was only on my 2nd! The race itself was beautiful - they had a section where you ran past fireballs, tree's were dripping with sparkles and motivational signs. 

And in addition to Kevin who was at every spectator point cheering me on, there were heaps of volunteers there also clapping and cheering you on as you went past. It really did help keep me going. I got some more crippling stitches towards the end but I just kept running in a hobbled sort of foetal position manner and when I saw Kevin at the end line I just gunned it all the way to the finish line. I got a time of 1hr 31minutes which isn't bad. Not too shabby at all. 

They had these cool Nike bottles, free shoelaces and towels at the end. Also there were free massage tables set up, and it was more of a party than a race! We went and had some pizzas and iced chocolates afterwards. I  figure it was well deserved. 

So overall a great experience,  I thank Nike for putting on a very cool and well organised event, and sadly I will probably be overseas this time next year but I'd love to do it again one day.

Apple and Oats Crumble Recipe

I'm a bit of a fad eater. I like to try new things and if I find something I like, I eat it to exhaustion. I think I have a highly addictive nature. Hence I stay away from anything really nasty like drugs and One Direction. However food-wise, sashimi was last Summer's addiction.

And now that the weather is getting cooler, it's oats. Now you can just cook oats in a saucepan with some milk, add a bit of honey and sliced banana and you have a pretty awesome breakfast right there. I've been having that for breakfast every single morning. Just ask my work colleagues (I use the instant stuff in that case).

But, I also made this super yummy crumble after dinner the other night. It's so easy and only requires one bowl, a baking dish and a chopping board. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 cups apples - peeled, cored and chopped - I used granny smith apples
• 1/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Lightly grease a medium sized baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour and butter. Mix until crumbly. Place half of crumb mixture in pan. 
3. Spread the apples evenly over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and top with remaining crumb mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

So crispy on the outside and a bit tart and very gooey on the inside. Perfect with a bit of tea on a sunny but chilly morning sitting on the balcony and contemplating the mysteries with of life. Can't do that with just plain cereal!

Amelie's Perpetual Diet

So it's pretty bad when your clinic cat, the supposed  mascot for animal well being is a bit on the pudgy side. Now to me (I know this sounds like an excuse), I think it's just excessive skin paunch. You know like on the Biggest Loser when they lose weight too quickly and get that flabby stretch of skin.

My reasons are:

a) It's not solid tissue and fat, when you grab it (which I am often compelled to do just for fun) it's very stretchy and soft.

b) She is on a constant diet of Hills R/D (prescription weight loss diet) and only gets fed twice a day.

c) She does have a disproportionately small head compared to her body. 

BUT (and there is a big but) she must be part vulture because she is such a scavenger. If there is even a speck of food hidden under a cupboard or someone may have left the liver treat jar open, Amelie WILL be there. She even has the audacity to use her paw to reach in and scoop biscuits out of a food bowl in a hospital cage whilst the poor sick animal watches on helplessly.

Her day is broken up into morning meal time and evening meal time. I think she may be able to tell the time because at 5pm on the dot she will wake from her afternoon nap and start hassling everyone in sight for food. You walk into the room 'MEOW!'  is what you'll be greeted with. And if she thinks you're going anywhere near her cage (where her food is placed at night) she will come running towards her cage just so you get the point.

We've currently got her down to 4.8kg, which to me is average for a cat. You be the judge. But don't judge too harshly, she has feelings too.

Roast Pumpkin and Baby Carrot Soup

My meal plan for the week always revolves around what's on sale at the supermarket. So this week both butternut pumpkin and baby carrots were on sale at Coles which to me equates to a yummy warm soup for lunch tomorrow. Something really thick and hearty to balance out this rainy miserable weather. And why not make it a vegetarian meal as well! Mix it up a bit. 

Also, I love savoury dishes that have a tinge of sweetness to them and the honey in this recipe really tickled my fancy. I read somewhere on the internet (as a Vet I hear this at least once a day in the consult room) that roasting the vegetables gives the soup an extra lift, I tried it and I don't think it warrants the effort. Next time I'll just boil everything straight from the bat.

Recipe
Half a medium sized butternut pumpkin
6 baby carrots
1 large potato
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
500ml vegetable stock
1/4 cup of thickened cream

Method
1. Roast vegetables for 45 minutes at 200 degrees C mixed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the honey.
2. Move to a stockpot and add the vegetable stock and spices, salt and pepper and boil for a further 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft. 

3. Blend (I have a little rocket blender so this took ages as I had to do it in 5 separate batches) with the cream.
4. Enjoy with some fresh coriander or crusty bread. 

Wardrobe Historian

I'll be leaving my life in Sydney in a year and will be travelling for a year. I'm committing to the nomadic lifestyle and that involves getting rid of all my material possessions. Now I must admit, I have a lot of clothes. And almost all of them completely impractical for a wandering traveller, unless Mongolia has suddenly developed dry cleaning.

But they've given me so much joy over the years and to just pass them on makes me a little sad. I'm a bit of a sentimentalist. So I've decided to document everything before they go to new homes. Here we go...

'Karen Walker' Floral
Bow Dress

'Ralph Lauren' Cream Leather
 Crystal Bow Belt

'Kagui' Patent Leather
Red Bow Flats

'Fleur Wood' Silk Wrap Skirt 
+ mum's vintage shirt

One of my favourite blouses.

'Forever New' floral necklace 
worn as a headband

It truly is vintage, thanks mum!

Flutter Sleeve 'White Suede' Silk Dress +
 'Tony Bianco' Tan Leather Wedges

'Valleygirl' Flower dress +
'Top End' Canvas 
and Leather Flats

'Woodford & Co' Belt +
'Coo Co Ca Choo' Bird 
Necklace

'Saba' Pleat Silk Blouse

'Review' Pleat Silk Floral Skirt +
 'Alannh Hill' Bolero

Herb alert!

Having no children or pets I've placed all my nurturing instincts into my little balcony herb garden. And like children, they have grown a bit wild and I've had to move them around so some of them don't kill their brothers and sisters. 

OK, my analogy has gone awry but basically my mint plant is going insane in its big pot and I've had to move it to a separate one to control it a bit better. My basil is going nuts too and I've got an over supply. 

There's only so much spaghetti I could make!

I've also added to my family with a trip to Bunnings (or as I like to think of it as, the herb adoption centre) and bought some coriander, sage and parsley. As usual I watered them in with some seaweed concentrate after I moved them to reduce 'transplantation stress'. Grow little ones, grow!

My mint is a monster of a plant - it just keeps wanting to overrun its chive brother. 

Friday Feature Feline - Puppet and Puff

So the cutest thing in the whole world is when two animals of completely different DNA make up decide that they will over come this trans-special barrier and become good friends. A great show to watch is Unlikely Friends on the Discovery channel where you've got cats with birds, dogs with monkeys and all sorts of unique friendships that will warm even the hardest of hearts.

Well this belated Friday Feature goes to Puppet, a domestic long hair cat that likes to cuddle his scaly lizard friend. It's not his fault he's cold blooded so he'll give him a helping hand and share some of his warmth. The lizard doesn't seem to mind one bit and if they had a wider range of facial expressions I'm sure he's happy as Larry in the video. Check it out: 

Baked London Cheesecake

Baking is a really relaxing way to spend your day off and my absolute favourite thing to bake is a Nigella Lawson London Cheesecake. 

It's a layer of crumbed biscuit then cream cheese, topped with sour cream. Add some blueberry syrup and you've got yourself a pretty yummo way to spend your night off as well. 

I adapted this recipe from 'How To Be A Domestic Goddess' and cut everything in half so as to make a little 18cm diameter cake. It's a cake for one. I also use a handy dessert ring I got from Target which expands so you can vary how big your cake will be. 

Ingredients

100g milk arrowroot biscuits (half a pack)

70g unsalted butter (room temp)

250g cream cheese (room temp)

65g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolks

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp lemon juice

300ml tub sour cream (room temp)

1/4 cup caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Pulverise the biscuits (I use a bowl and the end of a rolling pin) but you can use a food processor if you want to get all fancy about it. Add the butter and rub into the biscuits till they resemble breadcrumbs.

2. Line the bottom of your cake tin and press the biscuits down firmly with the bottom of a spoon, making sure to compact them right into the edges. Put the base in the fridge to set and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

3. Beat the cream cheese til it's as soft as creamed butter, then add the sugar and beat in again. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk, then the vanilla and then the lemon juice. Put an almost full kettle on to boil at this stage.

4. Pour the boiling water into a roasting dish so it comes up halfway around the cake tin and place this in the oven. This water bath is apparently supposed to make your cake velvety smooth and technically you're supposed to wrap the cake in foil and put it IN the bath but I can't be bothered and found this that technique very likely to give you third degree burns. Take out your cake tin with the breadcrumbs from the fridge and pour in your cream cheese mixture.

5. Place the whole thing in the oven next to your dish with water and bake for 30 minutes till it feels set when you lightly touch the surface, and it wobbles like a set jelly.

5. Whilst the cake is baking, beat together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Once the cake has set, pour the sour cream mix on top of the cake and bake for a further 10 minutes.

7. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool. Once it has cooled completely, leave it to set in the fridge for about 4-6 hours as it helps to make the cake more solid and the flavours meld together. Unmould and use a knife which has been run under hot water to cut and top with syrup and fresh berries or not (sometimes you just can't wait, I know the feeling).

Blueberry Syrup

1 cup frozen blueberries

2-3 tbsp caster sugar

1/4 cup water

Blend the blueberries with water and run the puree through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and skin bits. Pour the sieved puree into a small saucepan and stir in the sugar. Turn the heat up to medium and bring the liquid to a simmer while stirring constantly till the sugar has dissolved, then leave the liquid to simmer till the mixture has considerably thickened and become sticky and syrupy, and tastes like blueberry jam.