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By Popular Demand

22
Dec 2009
By

One of our most requested recipes from Keep the Table Laughing is the Vodka Slush.vodka

Since I am about to officially start Slush Week 2009, I thought I’d give all our readers an early Christmas gift, and share the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 cups orange juice
  • 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
  • 1 1/2 cups apricot nectar
  • 1 1/2 cups vodka (or just hold the bottle upside down and watch it go glug glug glug, say “whoops!” then keep pouring)

Method:

  • Boil sugar and water for 2 minutes. Allow to cool.
  • Combine sugar/water mix with remaining ingredients.
  • Freeze.

Stirring the mix occasionally helps it maintain a slushy consistency.

To serve:

  • Scoop 1-2 ice cream scoops of mix into a tumbler and top with dry ginger ale.
  • Stick feet in a paddling pool, grab a good summer read and enjoy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Category: Domestic Thinks  One Comment

Follow the Leader

30
Nov 2009
By

Another one from the vault – this blog was first published on Just Humour Us prior to the 2007 election, when it looked like John Howard would step down as candidate or retire mid-term. Plus ça change…

House_of_Representatives,_Parliament_House,_CanberraIt would seem that the Federal Liberal Party are about to encounter the type of leadership musical chairs problem that until recently plagued the Labor Party. In an attempt to avoid wasting many more years through in-fighting in both government and opposition, we have come up with the following suggestions. They seem to work quite well with infants students who suffer with the same ‘but you went first yesterday’ mentality.

Leader for the Day

One person is selected at random to be the leader. They get to sit in the big chair.

M: Looking at our next likely candidates for Prime Minister, we may need to supply a booster seat.

They can choose their own assistant leader. This is usually their BFF (BestFriendForever) of the moment. These two get to do all the important jobs that day. No-one can be leader two days in a row.

Alphabetical Order

An old favourite. Everyone’s name is written down. Start with the ‘A’s’ and work your way through to the ‘Z’s’. Everyone gets a turn, no-one misses out. No favouritism.

Pick a name from a hat

Totally random. You never know when your turn will come up, so you always have to be prepared. Cabinet portfolios could also be assigned this way – along the same lines as the family Christmas draw.

S: And no redraws because you got Environment and Water Resources last year.

M: Those darn greenies are impossible to buy for!

Star of the Week

Everyone gets to be the centre of attention for one week. They can design their own marketing campaign, they get to talk about themselves all the time, everyone else has to defer to them for the week. Next week, they are back to being one of the crowd.

We figured if these techniques work with the average 6-8 year old, they should be perfect for dealing with our federal parliamentarians.

Category: Deep Thinks  Leave a Comment

I Am, You Are, We Are Australian

20
Nov 2009
By

Have you ever considered how much of an impression it can make on someone when you welcome them in to your world and focus on what you have in common rather than keeping your distance and highlighting the differences?

Okay, I’m about to get just a little bit philosophical, but first I will offer a little background information to make it easier for you to see how I got to the statement above.

To help my daughter with an assignment on Aboriginal culture recently, I organised for her to visit the Arwrabukarl Cultural Resource Association in Newcastle. While her project didn’t call for specific information, I was keen for her to think about the culture of the Aboriginal people of our area, the Awabakals, rather than simply searching for generic information.

Daryn McKenny at the Arwarbukarl CRA was incredibly helpful and generous with his time, trading emails and taking an hour when we visited to explain local Awabakal customs and ceremonies and Aboriginal culture in general.

As part of discussing the ceremonies held in the local area, Daryn commented that the history of the Awabakal people is part of our heritage to, as people who live in Newcastle. His comment has had me thinking over the past few days about the “us and them” view I guess I have unconsciously taken in the past towards Indiginous Australians.

On reflection, it makes so much more sense to me to identify with the culture and history of my hometown rather than simply counting back the 4 – 5 generations since my family first moved to this area and then transferring my focus to people I never met in a country that I have no emotional connection with at all (my family tree originates in England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany).

I was born and raised in Newcastle and aside from 6 years spent in Orange in rural New South Wales, I have spent my entire life in this area – attended school here, worked here and now I am raising my own children here. When people mention “hometown” it is Newcastle that comes to mind.

As such, I am surprised that it has only just occurred to me, thanks to the warmly inclusive comments of Daryn McKenny, that the heritage of this area is part of my own story at least as much as the story of my European ancestors.

I guess that embracing the Awabakal culture as part of my own heritage will involve walking a rather tenuous line with the risk of appearing patronising and/or dismissive to the Awabakal people themselves. It is impossible to deny that the first European settlers did little to appreciate the rich culture of the people they so readily dismissed and displaced and there is always the risk that I would appear just as dismissive by claiming any right to share their story.

For now, I am simply going to spend some time simply allowing this new thought to sink in – that I can consider myself as somehow connected to the story of the Awabakal people rather than existing as an interested but detached observer.

For anyone interested in learning more about the Awabakal people and their language, I can highly recommend contacting the Arwarbukarl Cultural Resource Association, which is located in the Newcastle inner city (contact details available at the ACRA website).

I’d love to know what you consider to be your cultural heritage, especially if you live in an area different to where you, your parents or grandparents were born. Do you relate more closely to the culture of past generations of your family or to the culture of the place where you now live?

Note
The title of this post comes from I Am Australian, a song written by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton in 1987. The lyrics for the chorus are:

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice
I am, you are, we are Australian.

Full lyrics, including additional verses written by Woodley after the devastating 2009 Victorian bushfires can be found here.

Related links
Reviews at Suite101 and Reading Upside Down of Lenny and the Big Red Kinan by Faith Baisden (an Awabakal language children’s picture book).

Category: Deep Thinks  2 Comments  Tags: , , ,

Swimming in Smugness

15
Nov 2009
By

23SEP07 033As November rolls on the weather is heating up here in Newcastle. We are entering that small window of time where pool-owners feel very smug. Please don’t hate us for our arrogance. We have battled to create these few weeks of summer bliss for ourselves. Each season we endure fifty-nine trips to the pool shop, thirty-two backbreaking retrievals of water samples to test, sixty-eight hose-outs of the clogged filter basket and seven hundred and ninety-six scoopings of leaves. This is just the day-to-day maintenance.

This year our old filter sprung a leak and of course we didn’t get around to replacing it until spring had arrived and the kids were moaning for a swim. The replacement filter was a new design – slightly higher than the old one. We had to adjust the existing pipes to fit – a job requiring manual dexterity, several trips to Bunnings, long forgotten sixth grade mathematics and a choice selection of words from the “F” section of the dictionary.

Of course once the new filter was up and running, the weather turned cold and miserable for several weeks. Once October took hold, we attempted to clean the pool that had not been cleaned since the old filter packed it in back in March. My husband (remember Scooby Doo?) was concerned about a subterranean gurgling that only he could hear. Luckily my man can dig a hole with a Dale Kerrigan-like zeal, and a leaky pipe was soon discovered and (after another trip to Bunnings) patched.  We cleaned and readied the pool for the onslaught of the heat.

So last week the kids swam. And swam.  And swam. Then we thought we should probably get the water properly tested by the professionals. Apparently we’re lucky that the kids still have their eyebrows and haven’t grown scales. Two hundred dollars later, we had a speed lab of chemicals in our shed and a list of processes that would make a Masterchef contestant cry. We were not fazed. We were ready to be smug. Step one – add chlorine. Within minutes the water took on a greenish tinge. The instructions say to wait an hour. We waited. The water that was swimmable two days ago was now the colour of Mountain Dew. A call to the Pool Guy only got us the words you never want to hear from a diagnostician: “Hmmm, that’s strange”. NOOOOOOOOO!

Fortunately, we decided to take two aspirins and call him in the morning, if our pain persisted. Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, and our pool was bluer than blue.  So now we can start updating our Facebook status with “enjoying a few cold ones in the pool”. At work my husband will be able to talk about how refreshing it is to have a quick dip before breakfast.  The kids’ popularity rating at school will soar. I am smug at last.

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Let the Wookiee Win?

25
Oct 2009
By

starwarsFor those of you not fluent in Star Wars-ese, the title of this blog comes from the scene in Star Wars where R2D2 is beating Chewbacca at some kind of animated chess game. Chewie, not happy at being on the receiving end of a flogging by a small blue droid, flexes his muscles and growls, so C3PO suggests that R2 adopt a new strategy, and “let the wookiee win” .

In our ever-so geeky home, “letting the wookiee win” is code for letting kids win at games if they are getting disgruntled. Now some of you (let’s call you “the kind people”) will think that’s par for the course.  Kiddies feelings are easily bruised, and why can’t they always win? It makes them feel good. Life is hard enough, let the kiddies have some fun.

Others will be shaking their head emphatically. (You get to be “the realistic people”.) Life isn’t fair. Letting kids win isn’t teaching them about the world; it’s just raising a generation of ungrateful little sods who don’t know how to lose.

Let me tell you how it works in our home. Young children are like wookiees. They look cuddly and warm, but they are really ferocious beasts. They’re all right when they’re on your team, but you don’t want to get them off-side. If it looks like they are losing it with losing, I let them win.  I treasure my life and my sanity.

However once kids hit about five years of age, all bets are off.  If the game involves skill then I will help them along the way. One-sided matches aren’t fun, so I’ll make a game of it by offering tips and advice. But I’ll still beat them. Games of chance? They’re on their own.  Good natured ribbing is encouraged. (My 9 year old is always delighted when he gets to declare “mugs away” when playing cards.) Gloating winners and sore losers are not.

I’m treasuring these years when my age works in my favour. It won’t be long until it will work against me. One day the kids will be stronger , faster and possibly smarter.  Then I plan on throwing a tantrum until they let the old wookiee win.

Are you kind or realistic? Do you always, sometimes or never let your kids win at games?

Category: Deep Thinks, Geeky Thinks  Leave a Comment  Tags: , , ,

Cornelius, You’re My Hero

23
Oct 2009
By

Earlier this year my beloved popcorn maker died. On reflection, this could be the reason I have had such an unproductive winter. I’ve obviously been in mourning.

cornelius popcorn makerI know that you can make popcorn the old-fashioned way, but after years of the convenience of my air-popper, it seems so cumbersome to go back to shaking a saucepan over the stovetop burner (not to mention the hassle of having to clean a saucepan afterwards).

I did plan to simply replace my poor overworked popper, but I never seemed to remember when I was out shopping and when I did remember the stores didn’t seem to have any in stock.

But, those sad and empty days are gone. Today we welcomed (Sunbeam) Cornelius into our home and harmony has returned to our afternoon snack time. Feeling peckish kids? No problem, I’ll just whip up some popcorn for you. Tah-Dah! Done!

We tend to just enjoy our popcorn with a little salt and melted butter. I think I might have a caramel popcorn recipe hidden away somewhere though which I probably should find now that the wonderful Cornelius is here to stay.

Do you have a favourite popcorn topping, sweet or savoury? Please leave a comment with some popcorn “seasoning” suggestions, or if you’ve posted a recipe on your blog feel free to include the link.

Related Links:

The Best Thing Since Sliced – Well, You Know… (new Breville bread maker)

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Nun-Denominational Fun

12
Oct 2009
By

Nuns 'N' RosesWith 13 years of Catholic education in my distant past (note Meredith’s recent comments about our 20 year school reunion), I have a healthy respect for nuns. My memories range from the wonderful Sr Mary Amata, the school librarian who encouraged my love of books and reading, to the rather intimidating Sr Mary Pauline, who made my bush dancing classes 45 minutes of sheer torture.Reverend Mother of Purl

Given my experiences with nuns in the past, it is perhaps not surprising that I was intrigued by the Nun of a Kind website with its fantastic range of gift nuns. That’s right, you can purchase your very own, shipped direct to your door nun.

Once I visited The Nunnery I was hooked. Reverend Mother of Purl, the knitting nun. Nuns ‘n’ Roses, the rock’n’roll nun. Sr Nun the Wiser, the university graduate. Absolutely priceless as a gift idea for anyone with a Catholic background who can appreciate a good pun or simply someone like Meredith who includes nuns in her list of fundamentally amusing things.

Once I knew the Sisters existed I just had to have one. I just had to find a reason to justify my purchase. Fortunately, Linda the creator of the wonderful nuns, added a new nun, Sr Paige Turner the writing nun, just in time. Before you could say “get thee to a nunnery”, I had ordered two, one for me and one for Meredith.

Sr Paige Turner - our Keep the Table Laughing NunI didn’t stop there of course (Hello. My name is Susan. I am a compulsive online shopper). Thanks to a few emails bounced back and forth with the very helpful Linda, I also ordered two Sr Bea Well nuns as a special gift for my mother and her best friend, both of whom are breast cancer survivors.Sr Bea Well - Breast Cancer Survivor tribute sister

If you’re looking for a gift for someone with a great sense of humour, the Nun-denominational sisters are a fantastic bet-you-don’t-have-one-of-these gift. I have now outdone any gift Meredith could ever possibly give to me in the future (after all, how do you trump a personalised nun?) and my mother and her friend were very impressed with their special breast cancer survivor tribute nuns.

I’m rather partial to Sr Nun the Wiser given my probably return to studies at the end of this year. Sr Eileen, the off-centre nun appeals to my fondness for puns and how could any good book blogger go past Sr Rita Story, the reading nun?

Visit the Nunnery and then let us know Sr Nun the Wiserwhich nun is your favourite.Sr Rita Story

Category: Thinking with my Heart  3 Comments  Tags: ,

Does your Muse keep regular business hours?

11
Oct 2009
By

One of the more challenging aspects of being a writer is the need to be creative on demand. It isn’t always possible to simply write when the mood strikes, especially if an important deadline is looming.

Of course it is easier to write when your muse is in the mood. Unfortunately, my muse is of a particularly quirky disposition. I seem to be at my most creative between 5 – 7 pm (when I am trying to organise dinner and bedtime routines) and after 11pm at night (when the rest of my body is shifting into shut-down mode for the day).

Inspiration often strikes while I’m in the shower but my poor sleep deprived brain is incapable of holding on to the ideas long enough for me to get to a notepad to write them down. A friend once suggested that I use a chinagraph pencil on the tiles, but that would mean more time spent cleaning the bathroom, right? Obviously that’s not going to happen.

I also tend to get quite creative when Meredith is occupied for a few days and can’t get to her computer, leaving me with complete control of our writing domain. This may explain why she rarely goes away for family holidays, as the insane number of emails from me she has waiting in her inbox when she returns scares her a little, I think.

What about you? Do you have a regular time of day when you’re all fired up and ready to write? Is your muse a free spirit like mine (that sounds so much nicer than headstrong and unmanageable) or does your creativity submit to a writing routine? If you’ve managed to achieve the latter, please feel free to share your tips and advice on how to train your muse to perform on demand.

Category: Thinking with my Heart  4 Comments  Tags: , , ,

Competition – Back to the Kitchen

28
Sep 2009
By

Celebrity Masterchef is about to hit our airwaves, and we have to admit we’re kind of excited.  We loved the first series so much, and we are hoping that this version manages to keep the brand going. Surely it can’t fail when it combines two of our favourite things – food and celebrities. (Yeah, and you thought we were all about political philosophy and nuclear physics, didn’t you?)

KeeptheTableLaughing_front CoverWe particularly love food. So much so that a few years ago we wrote Keep the Table Laughing – A cookbook with a twist. Our cooking mantra is a little different to that of Gary, George and Matt. They judged the flavour, appearance and “Wow” factor of the food produced by the home cooks on Masterchef. Our motto is “the heart of the dinner party is not the dinner, but the party”. We believe that enjoying yourself around the dinner table is more important than creating works of art every time. In Keep the Table Laughing we interspersed some of our favourite easy recipes with tales of cookery and family life, and the kinds of conversation we were having over coffee and homemade chocolate cake.

It should be noted that the other kitchen creed that we live by is that any dish can be improved by adding at least one of three key ingredients – bacon, cheese or chocolate. Yes, we have a cardiologist on speed-dial.

What are your kitchen rules and cooking mantras? Does everyone pitch in or do you like to fly solo in the kitchen? Perhaps you only use home-grown vegetables and herbs.  Do you have the latest fancy equipment or scorn anyone who can’t create a four course meal with just a knife, a whisk and the wits God gave them?  Maybe you’ve never met a TV dinner you didn’t like.

We have two copies of Keep the Table Laughing to give away. To enter just leave us a comment below with your kitchen creed. Tweeting the competition will result in a bonus entry.  Competition is only open to Australian residents and will be drawn the day of the Masterchef finale. You can also enter at our book blog Reading Upside Down.

Make sure you include your email address when you leave a comment (addresses do not appear online) and include our twitter name, @thinkthinkers, in your tweet so that we don’t miss your extra entry.

Bon appétit!

Category: Thinking with my Heart  3 Comments

And then the World went Orange

22
Sep 2009
By

I was woken up at 6.30am by my son who wanted to tell me that the sky was all orange. “Yes, we call that sunrise” I mumbled as I rolled over.

“No, I think it might be the end of the world… or a dust storm.”

So I decided to get up and have a look (after all, I’d hate to sleep through the end of the world). And what do you know, the sky really was orange.

We can usually see two suburbs and the bypass in the distance from this window

 

 There is usually a distant view of the ocean from this angle

Further research (thanks, Google) tells me that this is a once in a decade dust storm that has brought Sydney to a standstill.

I can imagine that there is already chaos in Sydney with the airport and city traffic obviously affected by the low visibility. Here in Newcastle it will probably be just starting to have an effect now. I know my kids are already trying to work out whether it will get them a day off school.

Is the sky orange where you are?

Category: Thinking with my Heart  One Comment  Tags: ,
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