Archive for the '101 in 1001' Category

New England Clam Chowder

Elizabeth June 20th, 2009

Boston taught me several things during my 3-month stay in New England: Baseball is a religion (and Fenway Park is holy ground); walking across the Charles River in early January will leave you so cold that you lose all sensation in your legs; and…

… one of the best ways to warm up again is with New England Clam Chowder.

clamchowder
Photo from Portland Mercury

A few months ago Tim and I discovered the tinned Campbells variety in the imported food section at David Jones. It was a surprise discovery, after searching high and low for it throughout the city. However, at $7 per can we were only dedicated enough to buy two, and we savoured every last drop.

It was good, but it wasn’t exactly the same as the stuff we ate in Boston.

I pledged to make it from scratch one day, but problems arose when I went searching for a recipe. There are so many varieties of this chowder – even within New England itself – and no two recipes were ever the same! After reading pages of debate on the topic of fresh vs tinned clams, I think I lost heart and forgot about the whole thing.

Until a couple of days ago, when I discovered tinned baby clams and threw them in my shopping trolley. It was time to just pick a recipe and run with it – and this is the one we made tonight!

Warning: Your arteries will hate you for even reading this.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 people as a main course

3 x rashers middle bacon
2 x 200g tins of baby clams (drained, juice reserved)
1 x finely chopped onion
1 x large stalk celery, diced
4 x medium potatoes, cubed
2 x medium carrots, diced
3 x bay leaves
130g butter
70g plain flour
2 x 300mL cartons of single cream (or light cream)
150mL milk
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped

METHOD

  • Fry the bacon until cooked. Remove the bacon from the pan to drain, and add the potatoes, onion, celery and carrot to the remaining bacon fat. Cook for a minute to soften.
  • Add the reserved clam juice, and extra water until the vegetables are just covered. Add bay leaves, and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender.
  • While the vegetables simmer, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour to create a smooth mixture, and then add the cream and milk. Combine until smooth, being careful to not bring the mixture to the boil.
  • When tender, pour the vegetables and clam juice into the cream. Gently combine ingredients, and remove the bay leaves. Add salt, and generous amounts of cracked pepper.
  • Add clams, sliced bacon and red wine vinegar, and continue to stir over a gentle heat until the clams are cooked through. Be careful not to overcook, as the clams will become tough.
  • Serve, and garnish with fresh parsley and extra pepper.

Were you thrown by the red wine vinegar? I know I was. The recipe that I followed (and modified) promised incredible things from this ingredient, but I really wasn’t convinced until I tried it myself. I thought that the chowder was very bland and uninteresting until the addition of that last ingredient, and somehow it managed to tie everything together and give it all a butt-kicking. Don’t be put off by this strange addition!

Luckily for me, I have ready access to the critique of a true New Englander who really loved it. I’m so happy to have found this recipe, and to have crossed another country off my recipe challenge!

#22 – List 101 things that make me happy

Elizabeth May 31st, 2009

Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge.

I completed this task some time ago, but never wrote about it here to let you guys know. In fact, there have been a number of items that I’ve quietly completed over the past year and never reported here in my blog. I’m sad that I didn’t always force myself to write, because some of the details are lost forever. I know that my next 101 list will operate a little differently to this one; I guess I’m learning all the time.

Anyway, I was reminded of my own happy list recently while reading Rockstar Diaries – one of my new all-time favourite reads from the blogosphere. Taza (and husband) run this beautiful little blog about their lives and love, and every post brings a smile to my face. In particular, I’ve really been enjoying Taza’s recent here’s to happiness category, in which readers submit ten things that make them happy.

So here is my own happy list.

If I was to begin another list of 101 things that make me happy, this video might be on it. Just another little gem that Taza has introduced me to!

Just checking in.

Elizabeth May 20th, 2009

I know it looks like I’ve dropped the ball on my Every Day in May thing, but it’s not true! I’m still drawing every day until the end of the month, but I’ve decided to spare myself the pressure of publishing everything I make. I’m not exactly gifted in this department, but I am learning new things!

doodles

In fact, I have about 5 items from my list on the go right now, and I’m looking forward to sharing the details here pretty soon.

In the meantime, can anyone recommend a graphic designer for a small job? Maybe a student who wants to build up their portfolio?

Every Day in May: 8th May

Every Day in May: 7th May

Every Day in May: 6th May

Elizabeth May 6th, 2009

Today’s drawing sucked; so instead, here’s a horse in scuba gear.

wtf_pics-scuba-horse

You’re welcome!

I’ll try again tomorrow.

Every Day in May: 5th May

Elizabeth May 6th, 2009

5may

Just a quick little fishy tonight.

(I’m in the middle of working on something that I hope to be able to share with you soon!)

Every Day in May: 4th May

Elizabeth May 4th, 2009

4may

Cherries.

Every Day in May: 3rd May

Every Day in May: 2nd May

Every Day in May: 1st May

Elizabeth May 1st, 2009

This month I’ll be drawing something every day. I’m not sure whether I want the pressure of posting everything here, but I’ll share the stuff that looks ok!

Today I drew a bird.

bird

#91 – Draw everything I eat for one week

Elizabeth April 14th, 2009

coffee

Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge.

There isn’t much to say about this task, other than to say that it’s done! I’m very glad that this is out of the way. I actually found myself standing in the cafe queue at lunch time, trying to determine which meal would be easiest to draw!

I think I deserve extra credit for going to a birthday party in the middle, where the food was served in a variety of bite-sized pieces.

#25 – Keep a swear jar for two weeks

Elizabeth April 6th, 2009

Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge.online casino

I arrived at work two Mondays to find that the phone was already ringing off the hook. I had six million emails and a to-do list that stretched over multiple pages. It was just a couple of days before my boss was to head off for three weeks personal leave, pretty much tripling my workload.

It’s safe to say that I let a few blue words slip that morning. (And lets face it, most other mornings too – that’s how this challenge was born!)

I mentioned the idea of the two-week swear jar to one of my colleagues that day, and she suggested that we both begin it immediately. With a little help from my label-maker my coffee mug was converted into a swear jar, and it’s slowly been filling ever since.

It’s hard to know exactly how much I have contributed to the jar, but as it lived on my desk I’m sure I was the most honest participant. Each morning I would throw in a few dollars for the misdemeanors of the night before, and if I knew I was about to have a particularly bad meeting I made sure to raid petty cash and change a five dollar note into 50c pieces.

It’s been a funny experiment. Some of the bigwigs at work have started visiting more often, emptying their coin pockets into the jar as they tell me their latest drama. People have been leaving my office feeling as though they’ve truly unloaded and atoned for their sins. For some of us it has been like therapy!

My aim was never to cure my swearing completely, as I still maintain that a well-placed bleepable can make or break a story. Besides, there’s a set of words that I have actively decided aren’t right for me. Instead, my aim was simply to reduce the amount of swearing that was done subconsciously or habitually. I’m happy to report that it only took me couple of days to feel the sting to my wallet and think harder before speaking.

I recommend that everybody try this – even if you love your swear words. It’s pretty funny when you find yourself lost for words, because your usual way of communicating a message is too expensive!

#86 – Make some jewellery

Elizabeth April 6th, 2009

Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge.

You know that feeling you get on the first day of a vacation, when the days ahead feel free and full of promise? That’s how I’ve felt all weekend, and I don’t know why. I’ve somehow managed to purge my brain of the 29 letters I need to write at work tomorrow morning, and just enjoy the simple pleasures that the weekend has brought. Truly. It has been bliss.

So this weekend has brought us two mornings of sleepy morning cuddles, freshly plunged coffee and good music. The fridge was filled with fruit & vegies from our local Saturday morning market (where I bought my first persimmon), and we ate homemade Thai pumpkin soup while we listened to the rain. Saturday night was spent with wonderful friends who fed us like royalty and provided a baby to cuddle. Does it get any better than that?

It always surprises me how naturally the creativity flows during times like this. I can go for a few months without indulging that side of me, but inevitably something “snaps” and I find myself elbow-deep in a project. Today I was torn in three directions as I (almost?) finished a painting, repaired some old jewellery and made some new pieces.

necklace

necklace2

The first necklace was the more involved project, and really needs some natural light to do it justice. I’ll update this post with a better photo later this week.

Today’s zen moment: working on an enormous canvas on the floor beside the back door, puppy by my side, and listening to the rain fall. It’s amazing how weather can dictate my mood. And while I’d obviously prefer to do it all again tomorrow, I’ll go to work rested and inspired and feeling as though I truly made the most of this weekend.

#78 – Buy a new car (we’ve got wheels!)

Elizabeth March 28th, 2009

Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge.

After twelve months of working on my list I decided to review all my goals. I made sure that my 101 things still reflected the things that were most important to me and were still achievable. Right from the start I gave myself permission to replace tasks that no longer inspired me with something equally challenging.

There was really only one item that didn’t “fit”, so it got the flick.

It happened to coincide with a time when we were beginning to talk about buying a car. We’ve been so lucky to live in an area that is serviced well by public transport, so it has been very easy to be carless for the past 18 months. Every so often we’ve treated ourselves to a hire car for a special occasion, but on the whole we’ve coped really well with the tram system. The ability to buy our groceries online definitely contributed to our sanity throughout this period.

Anyway, we have reached the point where we really want to explore beyond the tram tracks, particularly on weekends. It’s especially timely now that daylight savings is about to end and the days will start to get shorter, colder and wetter. I certainly have no intention of trading in my monthly tram ticket, but I can’t even begin to explain how luxurious it will be to bring home a 12-pack of toilet paper without having to march it home on foot along a busy road!

This morning we signed up for this cute little number – a Mazda2 Maxx in metropolitan grey.

zoom

front

I can’t wait until we can pick it up in a week or so! I’m sure that I can put our new car to good use with some of the other tasks on my list too.

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