Seed Saving

My Sunset Runner Beans were exceptional, and I definitely want to grow them again next year.  Rather than paying for more seeds I am going to try saving seeds from this year's crop.   I have read that the best way to do this is to wait for the pods to dry on the vine, before harvesting and splitting the pods to gather the seeds.  Here's hoping it works.

Readers and Writers Festival

It's nearing the end of autumn and I've had my first few fires of the year, bought a winter coat, pulled out my faux-fur stole from the back of the wardrobe and have started leafing through recipe books for hearty meal ideas.  I genuinely love winter (right up to the point when the unending rain starts to get to me) and one of my winter highlights is festival season.  So far I have been to a couple of things at the Readers and Writers Festival, which was particularly good this year.  Auckland City was humming and it felt like there was a lot more community support than usual.  Even the latest installation in the lightboxes by the post office was selected with the festival in mind.  This piece is from a series by Andrea Wilkinson entitled Living Here.

Tina Fey vs Caitlin Moran

Some time ago I recommended Tina Fey's book Bossypants to a friend, and she in turn recommended Caitlin Moran's How To Be a Woman.  I have since read and enjoyed both.  There are some striking similarities between the two books.  Both are written by intelligent, liberal comediennes and are billed as being part memoir and part rant.  They also cover the same theme of what it is to be a modern woman.  Topics covered include stereotypes, expectations, childhood memories, prejudice from men, prejudice from women, puberty, relationships, careers, celebrity, motherhood and fashion.
The main difference between the two books is the nationality of the authors.  Tina Fey is an American, known for her work on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. Caitlin Moran is an English music writer and columnist for the Times.  The more down-to-earth, less puritanical  nature of English people shows is Moran's writing.  She covers personal topics with a lot more openness than Fey and her honesty is quite brave.
My favourite of the two would be How To Be a Woman.  I couldn't put it down and read it in a day.  Moran's book is funnier and also more thought-provoking.  Her argument about how Brazilians (the grooming system, not the nationality) are psychologically damaging to children is quite compelling.  Ask me to explain it some time - or better yet, read the book!

Chilli Lime Roast Chicken

Free range chicken can be relatively expensive when bought in pieces.  It is far more economical when bought whole, and a good pair of kitchen scissors makes easy work of butterflying the chicken in order for it to cook faster.

Ingredients
Whole chicken
Lime
Hot sweet chilli sauce
Black pepper
Salt
Coriander
Sesame/Peanut Oil

• Rinse the chicken, inside and out, with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
• With a pair of kitchen scissors, cut down either side of the back bone to butterfly the chicken, and spread cut side down in your roasting tray, which you have first lightly drizzled with sesame or peanut oil.
• Grate all the rind of the lime over the top of the chicken.  Cut the lime in half and place cut side down underneath the chicken.
• Sprinkle a little bit of salt over the chicken and season generously with black pepper.
• Pour sweet chilli sauce over the chicken.
• Roughly chop coriander and sprinkle over the chicken.
• Bake until cooked.  The chilli will blacken and caramelise.  Rest for 5 minutes before cutting to serve.

Outings

Bloggers everywhere will nod in agreement when I say that when you have the most to write about, you haven't the time to write.  And as is only right, I've been too busy enjoying my life to bother digitally capturing it.  So I haven't many photos to back up my stories at present but nice meals have been cooked, gardening has been done, exciting trips have been planned, house renovations have happened and there have been outings a-plenty.

My two favourite dining experiences of late have been at Ponsonby restauarnt MooChowChow and at the waterfront's Library Bar.  At MooChowChow the service is plentiful, the cocktails are tempting, the decor and atmosphere is clean but comforting.  Most importantly the food is good.  Well balanced thai food that is beautifully presented.

Library Bar is the bar I have been waiting for.  Comfy old couches and stacks of books and unobtrusive live indie lounge music.  The wine list was a bit average, but the tapas were delicious.  Oh yes, I will be back.

Ginger

I've recently started a demanding new job and, as is want to happen, other areas of my life have taken a back seat for the moment.  This includes my home and garden.  Home renovation projects have been put on hold and I've been a bit remiss in my planting schedule, so I've gone from summer feast to autumn famine.  About the only thing thriving in my garden at the moment is ginger.  Not that that's such a bad thing.  There have been a few bugs going around my office (including one colleague who was hospitialised with meningitis) so my immune system could do with all the help it can get.  I need to fish out some ginger from my planter for asian-inspired soups, ginger tea, pickled ginger for japanese dishes and possibly some baking, if I can find the time.

The mass of ginger you see below came from one tiny cutting given to me by a friend.  Ginger gets out of control very quickly, which is why I have it in a planter instead of in the ground.  I love the way ginger plants look - so tropical - but don't want them popping up everywhere.  This planter is in the sun in an out-of-the-way spot and rarely gets water.  No fuss required.  And when it comes time to harvest some, I'll just cut off a chunk of the root and put the rest of the plant back.  Ginger is nothing if not resiliant.

Unexpected pretty

I quite enjoy having pretty things in unexpected places. This piece of ceramic work is directly outside my back door, so I get to see it every time I put on my gumboots. It's sheltered enough from the elements that I don't have to worry about weather damage, and was cheap enough ($6 from TradeMe) that I won't fret if it breaks/is stolen. I like how it has a very 1920s look, despite the date '1989' being carved into the back before it was fired. Have you noticed how her earrings match her scarf?