Melbourne’s events

Posted on 25 August, 2011 by Megan Miln

One of the things I enjoy about Melbourne is that there is always something to see or a free event to visit. The last few weeks have been particularly good.

Fireworks over the Docklands, Melbourne

We have had Friday night fireworks at the Docklands, and the Melbourne Open House weekend. The Open House weekend gave us an opportunity to see inside some of the buildings we wander past so often. Graham has photos and more information about the places we visited:

Inside the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

Docklands, Melbourne

Macedon Regional Park

Posted on 10 July, 2011 by Megan Miln

We recently visited Macedon Regional Park for a bush walk. The 5km walk to the top of Mount Macedon is steep, and slippery in parts. But, the scenery along the way is beautiful and there is a good view over the park and nearby town from the top.

Macedon Regional Park

Inside Macedon Regional Park

Fairytale like mushroom

Hillside in Macedon Regional Park

View of Macedon Regional Park

Another view from Macedon Regional Park

Wallaby

Vineyards around Geelong

Posted on 25 June, 2011 by Megan Miln

We recently did a tour of vineyards around Geelong, Victoria. Geelong is one of Victoria’s lesser known wine regions.

Most of the wines we sampled were Pinot varieties. Pinot is new to me, so it was fun to try the different styles. Although, I think the highlight was tasting the locally produced olive oil.

The photos below give a hint of the quirky artwork that accompanied the wine at many of the vineyards we visited.

Banks Road Vineyard

McGlashan, Wallington Estate

Olive Trees, Lighthouse Olive Mill Shop

Oakdene Vineyards

Caramelising sugar

Posted on 10 April, 2011 by Megan Miln

Last week, I picked up some cute little blue and white ramekins. I’ve wanted dessert-size ramekins for a while, and have been fantasising about all the wonderful desserts I’ll be able to make now I have some. I knew the first thing I had to make was a French custard-based dessert, but there are so many to choose from: crème brûlée, petits pots de crème, crème caramel.

After much indecision, I settled on crème caramel. But that meant caramelising sugar; something I have never done before, and have always been a bit scared of.

Caramel in ramekins for crème caramel

My first attempt did not go well. The recipe called for ²/₃cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water, shaken in a saucepan until it caramelised. Instead of caramel, I ended up with a solid white lump stuck to bottom of my saucepan (which, thankfully, dissolved in hot water).

I turned to YouTube for help, and for my second attempt decided to try caramelising just the sugar without any water. With just sugar in the saucepan, I watched with amazement as it started to melt around the edges, and eventually became a pool of golden brown liquid. I had just made caramel for the first time!

Growing bean sprouts: Lentils, chickpeas, and mung beans

Posted on 20 March, 2011 by Megan Miln

Since growing mustard seed sprouts and discovering the world of sprouting, I have tried sprouting lentils, chickpeas, and mung beans.

The lentils and chickpeas are really easy to grow and take just a day and a half. I was surprised to find they don’t taste anything like cooked lentils or chickpeas. They taste more like fresh peas and are satisfyingly crunchy. I’ve been adding them to salads and stir-fries.

Sprouted lentils and chickpeas

Sprouted lentil before and after

Sprouted chickpea before and after

The mung beans took about a week, and required a little more effort. Mung bean sprouts are the crunchy white bean shoots you can buy in bags at the supermarket. Mine did not get as big as the supermarket ones, but they were crunchy and tasty.

Sprouting mung beans

I bought dried whole lentils and chickpeas from the supermarket, and found dried mung beans at the local Asian grocery store.

The instructions I used for sprouting are available at the links below:

Continuing problems with our Avanti Pasta Wiz

Posted on 20 March, 2011 by Megan Miln

Our second Avanti Pasta Wiz broke for the same reason as the first. The manufacturers have used soft metal gears that can not take the stresses involved in rolling pasta. It seems we are not alone in encountering this problem.

We have not been able to make a single batch of pasta successfully with this machine before the gears distort, jam, and the mechanism can no longer turn.

Damaged gears in an Avanti Pasta Wiz.

Broken gear (second from left) in our Avanti Pasta Wiz.

This second machine was a replacement provided by the retailer.

The life time warranty is unhelpful if the core problem is not fixed in the replacement. We will be recycling the machines and looking for an alternative.

Growing mustard sprouts

Posted on 15 January, 2011 by Megan Miln

Last week, I grew some mustard seed sprouts. For some reason, Graham and I had been discussing growing alfalfa and cress on the kitchen windowsill as children – my childhood alfalfa grew as “hair” out of the top of an egg shell with a face drawn on it.

Tiny mustard seed sprouts

So, when I found a little packet of mustard seeds in my spice box, I wondered if they would grow. I put a wet paper towel on a plate, sprinkled a few of the mustards seeds on top, and put it by the window.

Mustard seeds staring to sprout

Sprouting mustard seeds

Over the next few days, I watched them grow tiny roots, then open up to reveal little leaves, and turn into tiny plants leaning towards the sun. We eventually ate them when they started to look like they might not be doing so well. They had the slightest spicy flavour.

Mustard seed sprouts

A little bit of research has since revealed a whole world of sprouting, and I have learnt that sprouts are usually grown in jars with a regime of soaking, rinsing, and draining. Even more surprisingly, I have discovered that sprouts are not limited to alfalfa and cress, but you can sprout big things like lentils and chickpeas.

I’m still deciding what I will try next.

Mexican spice

Posted on 5 January, 2011 by Megan Miln

Burritos are a Friday night special at our place, and over time we have replaced the kits you buy at the supermarket with our own tortillas and spice mix.

My spice mix has evolved over time. It’s not an exact science, so feel free to use this as starting point and experiment to find the perfect combination for you.

Mexican spice mix

3 tsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp cornflower
1 tsp dried garlic flakes
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 tsp stock powder
1/2 tsp dried coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp paprika (use smoked paprika if you want that smokey bbq flavour)

Put all of the ingredients in an air tight jar and shake well to mix.

I add about 2 teaspoons of the spice mix to the beans and vegetables as they cook.

Happy New Year

Posted on 1 January, 2011 by Megan Miln

Graham and I enjoyed the New Year’s Eve fireworks from Docklands, Melbourne. We had a great view of the fireworks on the harbour and those over the city skyline.

Graham has put together a couple of short videos of the fireworks.

Happy New Year.