percypat Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 Susan: you are right! (Of course). He's just told me he'll try a bit more kombucha tomorrow since it'll be the weekend and it doesn't matter so much if he doesn't get a good sleep. Calee, it's fun! I feel so adventurous, and it's always nice to have new things to add to the repertoire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 Woo, finally finished the draft of my presentation and sent it to my supervisor. Took a day longer than I wanted it to, but that's ok, she said it was ok to get it to her today. I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself, didn't snack while I was writing and ate compliant. Where is Sophie and what have I done with her? I might not be getting the physical results I wanted but I am definitely managing to change some habits and that's pretty cool. Ooh, and I cooked the lamb's liver today. Not sure how I feel about it. It tastes metallic (the iron, right?) and it's so rich. I like the texture though. I think it's something I could eat once every so often. I've cooked about 400g's worth (a pound?) and I doubt I'll get through much more it before I should toss it. I think I'll buy it again but cut it up straight away and freeze portions so I only cook a bit at a time. Heh, maybe having it for lunch is what saved me from the snack monster this afternoon. I couldn't have faced anymore food afterwards even though I didn't have all that much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Good for you not snacking while writing! I always want to snack when working on a big project! I don't think I could ever eat liver. You girls are way more adventurous than I am. My kids want more homemade jam so I think I'm going to make rhubarb cherry jam this weekend. I'm sure there will be some salt dipping along the way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 You can ground it and mix with beef/pork. Liver meatballs mmmm. I dream about the day I stop snaking and grazing while reading/writing. You are my hero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calee Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Good job on your writing! While I live lamb chops and ground lamb, I'm nowhere near ready for liver. I used to have a flock of lambs in the front yard. Some of the gamier lamb is too much for me. I haven't had beef liver in decades. Maybe I'll try that again, or maybe not. Yay on the snacking! You're doing outstanding. How's scoby shera getting on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 Thanks ladies ... It is a major deal, not snacking while writing! Hopefully I can make this stick! Yeah calee, I would definitely rather eat more conventional meats, but I'm trying to broaden my horizons a bit. One of my regrets when we left France was not being braver and ordering the offal dishes when we went out for dinner - felt like I missed out on some things I ought to have experienced. Hopefully I'm at least toughening up my palate a bit so when we go next year I'll be more confident! Girly SCOBY is coming along nicely! White film across the whole jar now, hopefully she'll thicken up over the next week and then we can put her to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 Good for you not snacking while writing! I always want to snack when working on a big project! I don't think I could ever eat liver. You girls are way more adventurous than I am. My kids want more homemade jam so I think I'm going to make rhubarb cherry jam this weekend. I'm sure there will be some salt dipping along the way! ____________________ Oof, rhubarb cherry jam sounds divine. I've never made jam before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 HM jam is so much better than store bought. And, I can cut the sugar way down, so it's better for the kids, too. The only problem is that I actually want to eat hm jam! I felt like the baguettes, pain au chocolat and crepes in France were all the experience I needed. Ooh and the tarts. And the croissants. And don't forget the wine. When I went with my dad, he ate escargot and frog legs, but I did not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 23, 2013 Author Share Posted June 23, 2013 Frogs legs are sooooo good. Snails I'm not so fussed on. Hubby loves them. White tea booch is underway! Decided my little lady has grown up! Food ticking over pretty well. I'm slowly getting through the liver I cooked. As I told hubster this morning: I cooked the stuff, I'm bloody well going to eat it. Have been having it for breakfast. Did have some 70% dark chocolate yesterday, might have some more after dinner. It was so delicious. Much nicer than any of the sweet things I've tried since finishing my Whole 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 23, 2013 Author Share Posted June 23, 2013 Ooh, and I forgot to mention! I made ghee! Sooooo much nicer than the jar I bought at the store. Less pop-corny and slightly sweet tasting. Kind of want to just shove my face in the jar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournegirl Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Yum! Hey, I found jicama! Ate some raw and some as chips... Very sweet and starchy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calee Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Okay Sophie, now I have to go make Ghee. You're a challenging little scamp, aren't you? Happy to see little SCOBY doing so well. Hope the white tea works well. I will drink a kombucha after the gym and toast your wild SCOBY success. For now, I'm happy to buy it up when on sale for $2 a bottle. I've been meaning to ask what your dissertation is on? Does it have to be unsalted butter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 Hee hee calee, if only I reacted so promptly to all the exercise you do! Then it really would be a perfect partnership Yup, unsalted butter. I'm lucky - the supermarket I shop at imports NZ butter which is always grass-fed because it would be silly to do it the other way there. Yay New Zealand Dissertation is on dystopia in the works of Michel Houellebecq, he's the big star in French fiction at the moment. I've just switched from 15th century French literature and my supervisor and I were having a giggle about how the last lot of stuff I worked on was really scandalous medieval literature, and I've left it to come and work on really scandalous contemporary literature. Apparently I am just a big nosey parker with a penchant for racy writing. It's lots of fun Crossing fingers for little lady SCOBY too, I'm a bit scared that I didn't put any green tea in her brew - there might not be enough caffeine for her. Hoping she is as tough as she is pretty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Yay gheeeee. TOLD YA! Haha I love saying this. I wish we had meat and butter you have there, folks. I adore jicama, so juicy and crunchy. Funny, Juzbo, I'd never call it starchy...Raw in slaw, so good! Unfortunately I am off this dish and had to try cooking it. Made hash browns and lime fries. Fries are weird, but hash browns were fab. Crunchy burnt edges are the best thing ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 I'll have to look out for it Justine, haven't seen it yet though! Only taro and cassava. I'm trying to minimise the starchy carbs so I'm sticking with sweet potato as I'm still bugging out how good it is with ghee. (And now I have delicious homemade ghee to try ... Tomorrow is Zumba day so I'm holding out til then!). Nadia, you totally told me. It reminds me of caramel. Dangerous to have in the house ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 Dinner was turkey legs. They were huge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beets Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Love that photo. Giant sticks of meat! I am so un-brave with veggies. I basically eat the same ones all the time. I was never a veg eater growing up and I guess I'm always afraid I won't like new ones. Look at you with your chaco. I never even heard of that. Your booch experiments sound exciting but also kind of overwhelming--at least for me with a tiny kitchen and two small kids. Maybe I'll wait a bit to start myself. I'm glad you got your fizz though! Jam on the other hand I can do. It's simple. Especially if you just make small batches you are putting in the fridge/freezer. Canning for long-term storage is the only fussy aspect, so if you skip that it's a quick project. Rhubarb cherry sounds amazing! My problem with jam is, as Jen said, I'd want to eat it. Even with a no- or low-sugar concoction I wouldn't know what to put it on--bread, crackers, ice cream, yogurt are all out for me it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calee Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 I had to laugh at your turkey leg. Great pic! Beets, put jam on a thin scrambled egg done in a big pan so that it flattens out like a crepe. Add fresh berries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 Do you know, I know so many people who have been scarred for life off veggies because their parents would battle with them over it. My mum never made us eat anything we didn't like, and would even let us have dessert if we hadn't finished our main *shock horror* (within reason of course - if we didn't eat anything but demanded icecream we'd have got put in our places very quickly) and I think it has a lot to do with her approach. I don't fear new veggies at all, all I know is that if I don't like them, I don't have to eat them (even if someone - aka me - has gone to the trouble to prepare them). Rambling! Anyways, I find new veggies by poking around at the market. So sometimes I haven't heard of them until about 10 seconds before they're in my shopping basket! Booch was intimidating until first batch was made and then I realised it's not hard, there's just lots of waiting involved! But I totally get what you mean with the two little ones - I'd be a bit scared of mishaps and spillages and escaped SCOBYs on the floor and loose in the house. But when you're ready, I bet you'll find it fun. It's a pretty cool process. Calee, that sounds delicious. Only problem is I don't have any jam. Maybe I need to expand my skillset ... You konw what ... Maybe meaty pic needs to be my profile picture! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 That turkey leg reminds me of the huge turkey legs my husband likes to get at the Renaissance Festival every year. It's as big as your head! I just replied to you in my log about how we try to approach food with our kids. I think not battling is a good thing. We never make the kids eat, but I will tell them that if there's no room in your tummy for dinner, there's no room for dessert. That usually gets them to eat the 1 piece of sweet potato on their plates. We try to just put a tiny bit of each food on their plates and let them get seconds if they are still hungry. That avoids a lot of the battles. The no complaining or you get more rule helps, too! Getting a CSA share helped us expand our veg horizons a ton! I have to figure out what to do with new vegs and the kids *get* to try them to see if they like them. And, Beets, I agree with PP - booch sounds overwhelming until you start it. Now, it's so easy! And, it's another fun thing for my son to do in the kitchen. Wish I could bring you a scoby! Speaking of my son, have you ever heard of an 8 yo begging for mom to buy him his own spatula? I had to give in. He's going to learn to make pancakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 I freaking love this picture You look a bit French somehow, I swear. Your dissertation impact I guess. Cassava is addictive, don't buy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hee hee Nadia, everyone thinks I am from everywhere! But context helps, doesn't it? My Zumba ladies think I look Latina, French people thought I looked part Maori, only Chinese people are good at picking up that I'm part Chinese. They have a radar for it, I swear. Omg Jen, of course you had to buy him that spatula. I'd probably have bought him an apron and a chef's hat as well. That's just brilliant you can share that interest with him. I'll just have to dream that one day I'll have a little booch assistant of my own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Meanwhile go to Ireland and kidnap a trained one. Be sure to make it there first, because I am booking a flight too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 Now that's an idea! I think you'll beat me there, I have a lot more distance to cover than you! Besides, I'd feel mean, I have a pretty good helper already. I just want a cute little one too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percypat Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 Gah, day which started well, turned horrible and has ended pretty well. Nothing to do with food which has been fine - though I didn't really have lunch but I am totally blaming that on the events of the day. I had to give my research proposal presentation today: basically a talk to members of the faculty about where I'm at with my thesis and what the content of my formal research proposal. All lecturers and graduate students are invited to these. The ones I've been to in the last few weeks have had about 10 people max. I had close to 20. So that was a bit of a surprise, especially as I thought everyone would be off campus now that lectures are finished for the semester. Talk went ok. First couple of comments and questions afterwards were really helpful and gave me some further avenues to explore. Then one guy took the floor and ripped me a new one. He pulled my whole methodology apart, talked at billion miles an hour so I couldn't even take notes. A lecturer eventually interrupted and made some nice comments. Then he picked up something she said and started off again. It was horrific. I have never felt so stupid or so out of place in my life. Was asking myself who the eff I thought I was taking on a PhD. Made it to the end without crying. Ex graduate coordinator came over to say he thought it was very interesting and I couldn't hold it back any longer and started leaking tears. My supervisor came and whisked me off to her office. Then another grad student and a lecturer came down and all three were telling me that Mr Know-It-All is also a grad student (I didn't know him - I thought he was a fully fledged lecturer) and is basically the resident show-off. That it wasn't really about my presentation but an opportunity for him to grandstand. I came home to two emails telling me not to worry about it. Still, it was awful, and I'm still quite teary about it. I'm angry that I let him upset me so much. Husband says I should be angry that he was allowed to do it. I went expecting comments and criticism, but this one guy basically took up all the time for that and didn't say anything helpful (and if he did, it was delivered way too fast for me to take note of it - one lady actually interrupted and said "Let her take notes for goodness' sake). Hubby thinks someone more senior should have stepped in and directed the conversation down more helpful channels. Anyways, I came home in a teary miss, pounding headache and feeling sick to my stomach. Had a few teaspoons of coconut butter, didn't feel like lunch and felt absolutely rubbish. Dealt with it the way I knew best: went to bed, put Family Guy on the laptop and went to sleep. One thing I am brilliant at is turning off from situations which upset me, and just going to sleep. Off button for the win. Hubby came home so had a second (third? fourth? who's counting) cry while I told him about it, and then pulled myself together to go and teach my Zumba class. Just what I needed and numbers were good again tonight. So that was nice. I'm going to email my supervisor to tee up our next meeting but tomorrow is going to be a mental health day and I am not even going to think about my proposal. I am going to bottle kombucha, do some cooking, practice some new Zumba tracks, catch up on emails to friends and go for a walk. Thursday, I'll get back to work. Ah, rant over. If you stuck with me, thank you and sorry. It feels good to write it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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