My Pots are Coated with Enamel and Filled with Flowers

Originally I thought I would blog about food more than anything else but it seems at the moment that I'm preoccupied with the home. It's probably because mr wolf is headed to Melbourne for work, without the prospect of cooking for someone else my interest tends to wane. Fortunately I'll have one last hurrah as I'm heading to Melbourne for Easter so I'm looking forward to visiting the favoured eating haunts of the inner north (and family/friend times).

After Easter I start a new job, hopefully posting will increase (in interest if not quantity) as an injection of funds allows me to commence some of the many projects I have in mind - starting with creating/composing a cheap (but awesome) outdoor setting, finding an effective bathroom storage solution that won't involve banging things into walls* (a big no no according to our landlord, mother fox was very indignant stating that the less than stellar paint job was hardly worth preserving) and making plans for mr wolf's birthday (a little early believe me but for some reason I'm very taken with planning the perfect mixer which will involve canapes, drinks and decorations... oh and guests).

In the meantime I thought I would show you the cheap and cheerful addition I made to the den yesterday.

A Bergonia and an enamel pot(s really I did buy 3).

The bergonia I bought along with a pelegonium and a verbena (I think) which I situated outside my kitchen window on a metal plant stand thing I found in the shed (thanks previous tenants) in their own enamel pots.

Speaking of the enamel pots (enamel - something else I love) these beauties were picked up, of all places, at mitre 10 for $2.95 each. It was a serendipitous find as I had struck out to the local Vinnies in search of cheap ex-culinare pottage (I just made that up) for outdoor/house plants. Balking at the thought of paying $8 for a ceramic pot that had clearly lost a lid and had a hefty crack I departed swearing - as indeed I have the past three times I've been - never to return.

All's well that ends well though as I now have delightful enamel pots and some instant garden to look at while I wait for my nasturtiums, asyllum, arugula, chard, beans, parsley, sage, tarragon, coriander and lettuce to grow up - which coincidentally should be when mr wolf returns from Melbourne. In the meantime I look forward with anticipation of cool autumn harvests.

*suggestions welcomed - I need something that I can hang towels on. I am prepared to make it - although I only ever got very generous 'B+s' for woodwork and metalwork in high school so nothing involving soldering, dovetailing or fashioning a wooden spoon out a 2by4.

Eveleigh Bunches and Village Greens

This week while at the Eveleigh Markets I picked up a bunch of Dahlias. I love these flowers, they effortlessly make me look like an ikebana master.

What I also love is that feeling of smugness I got today when I saw identical bunches at our local florist retailing for twice what I paid. While I love the local hood - and yeah yeah we're a village and all that - with the exception of a few choice places it is rip off central around the village green.

I try not to focus too much on what I love and miss about Melbourne but whenever I stray into the local deli I can't help but make a list of all the things I intend to pick up from the Mediterranean Wholesalers, the Phoenician (where you can buy pashmak for $3 a giant bag) and the Stuart Street IGA the next time I'm in back in the old hood.

Of course nothing can quite sum up what I'll miss quite like The Lucksmiths*' lyric

'It's the wood smoked smell of winter, it's the sad things that you'll miss, like the wood smoked smell of winter, and the sad things like this'

Gosh wasn't that gratuitous?

*I love the Lucksmiths... more than noodles and more than the number 3.

They are the soundtrack to my life.

Three's a Crowd - Or Have I Revealed Too Much?

It's not fashionable but I like maths. A side effect of this is that there are numbers that I like. Yes like, in that I have a marked preference for them, there is something about them that is appealing. These numbers have a perfection but not always in the mathematical definition of a 'perfect number'. 3 is the first of my favourites, it is the principal by which I arrange certain objects. For me 2 are not enough and 4 are too 'matchy matchy', 5 are too many, 6 are just right, 7 means one is broken and 8, well 8 are just great (sorry bout that last one). For objects that serve no 'utility' well 3 is the ideal prime.

3 provides an appealing asymmetrical symmetry.

It is balanced but odd, eye catching yet coy.

I love 3.

Of course now I worry that I've revealed too much. I certainly did when I let that teapot sneak into the right centre stage of the third shot.

In which I bang on.

So I haven't decided how often I'll be posting but for the foreseeable future it will be most days of the working week... or until I run out of ideas.

I'm feeling like dressing today, as in to talk about, as opposed to all the other days where I prefer to live it up as a nudist... sorry naturist.

Maybe I'll bang on about my dressing philosophy. Which exists along the lines of dress for yourself and your body's attributes. A dear friend described it as wearing confidence with your outfit or something far more eloquent and pithy.

The point being that if you don't feel comfortable in the outfit you've chosen it will show. Although that doesn't seem to be enough. Because there are plenty of people with bucket loads of 'confidence' whose chosen outfit looks terrible. The case though is usually that this is a confected confidence brought about by conforming to a look because you idolize the celebrity/magazine/friend. Dressing then requires awareness, intelligence and control.

I'm a sucker though for buying pieces because of some detail that I've fallen in love with, so exercising control is still a work in progress. For instance a lover skirt was once purchased from monk house because it had a fabric detail that invoked childhood nostalgia. Most recently I bought a Veronika Maine dress because of the architectural folding details on the front and the fact that it was the kind of blue that makes my complexion look like cream.

These pieces weren't bad, indeed the VM dress was perfect for summer as it was a light weight cotton. But the details that caught my eye distracted me from the overall impact of the dress which lacks the pop and sway that my favourite VM dress has (pictured above).

Soooo I guess what I'm trying to get at is that dressing is about knowing yourself, knowing your attributes but also knowing your weaknesses.

Backflips, Mee fan and Markets

In another lifetime, before my laptop did a backflip off the couch and slipped into a coma, I drafted a number of blog posts for this then non-existent blog (I know right?). After said backflip my hard drive gave up the goat (ghost but saying goat baits mother fox so).

Rather than try and re-craft the original magic I've decided to bring you something else altogether: Mee Fan.

Although it may require some background and apologies for the crappiness of the photo (resulting from being a. new to food photography and using a point and shoot digicam and b. mr.fox and mr. wolf were ravenous so perfecting the image was a secondary concern to feasting).

I'm anglo. In fact I'm gwei lo, which is to communicate that I'm white with an asian boyfriend**, aka mr wolf, (I prefer partner but lets do away with ambiguity for now). According to his mum, aka 'ma wolf', he is a banana. Anyway back in the fledgling days ma wolf used to make this dish for mr wolf and myself.

It should probably have some other name but in the wolf household Mee Fan (meaning fried rice noodle... I think) is how we roll. Whatever. It is complete comfort food and perfect for any mealtime. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Know this now: I. Love. Noodles.

Last Saturday I decided to revisit this old chestnut. At the time the only staples for this dish I had were the rice vermicelli and the sauces. Fortunately, I had just read on Grab Your Fork about Eveleigh Farmers Market which is a convenient jaunt from the fox-wolf abode (den?). I have no photographs of the joyous hour I spent there. Although good friend the lovely miss E got a very excited call from me.

I do have this lovely photo of a bunch of Easter Daisies I purchased along with the Choy Sum and Bok Choy.

Onwards.

Mee Fan, inspired by ma wolf - Serves 2-3 depending on greed levels

150-200g Dried Rice Vermicelli (par cooked)

3-4 tbs Peanut/Sunflower oil

1 Eschalot, finely sliced white portion, roughly sliced green tip

1 clove garlic, sliced

150-200g chicken (breast or thigh) chopped into bite sized pieces

1-2 Bok Choy (quartered or eighths depending on size)

1 handful Choy Sum

1 Egg

Oyster Sauce

Light Soy

Chinese Rice Wine

Sesame Oil

Salt

Pepper ground not cracked

Don't be intimidated by the ingredient list, but I can't stress enough how important it is to prep everything before you start cooking.

And here's where I cheat. To be honest I don't have great wok skills. I would like to have an outdoor set up as seen on Poh's Kitchen* but I don't - no extraction fan and sensitive smoke alarm = too much hassle. So, I steam the bok choy and choy sum rather than stir fry.

With your wok over a medium high heat add 2-3 tbs of your oil and a pinch or two of salt. Test the temperature of oil with a snippet of noodle, if it starts bubbling immediately then add the rest of the vermicelli and let it sit. Seriously don't stir it, agitate it, nothing. I really suck at this bit.

The aim is for a 'crust' to form on the bottom with patches of salty golden crunch. I'm not sure if this can even be achieved in anything other than a non-stick pan (which I lack) but it never seemed to take ma wolf any longer than 5 minutes. Mine always results in the crust being stuck to the wok and then incorporated into the sauce.

Remove vermicelli, place on serving dish and cover. Reduce heat slightly add a dash more oil and a few drops of sesame oil crack in the egg and agitate with a pair of chopsticks or shake the wok a la Julie Child making an omelette. Slip on top of the vermicelli when coagulated and cover again.

Add another tablespoon of oil, a dash of sesame oil and the garlic and eschalot (reserve the green tips). Add the chicken and a pinch of ground pepper (probably around 1/2 tsp) and when cooked add the green tips of the eschalots. As they start to wilt add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and rice wine. I generally work along the lines of 2 parts OS: 1 part SS: 1 part RW.

You could also add around a 1/4 c of chicken stock (preferably not powdered stock as that will whack out the salt balance). Using stock may require the addition of the ubiquitous cornflour to thicken it.

Reduce heat and toss through the steamed bok choy and choy sum coating with sauce.

I use an implement to transfer the stir fry onto the noodles, so I can control the amount of sauce transferred. You don't want to saturate the vermicelli and lose the crunch of the crust. This is what the dish is all about - finding that mouthful of perfectly balanced noodle, chicken, egg, greens, sauce and salty crunch.

mr wolf and I usually eat this lady and the tramp style with gnashing chopsticks.

Wow what a long post sorry about that I'll try to make follow up ones shorter.

** So I know how to translate white devil/round eyes from cantonese. Also fat porker but that's a different story

* I have such a girl crush on Poh and yes I do think she was robbed but also I think she is better off for it she's way too great for woman's day & bin bag ads

A beginning...

And I am without pith.

The intention is to write about food and style without being too much of a fraud. Unlike the blogs I most admire I am not a food stylist, an interior designer, studying fashion or working as a pastry chef (although that one doesn't disappoint me too much as one must recognise their limitations and mine is baking patience).

And finding it hard to end this without an poxy pun I shall leave it here...