Recipe List

My day of re-formatting Primary School Curriculum documents got me inspired. I've been meaning to add a section in my sidebar for links to the recipes I've posted since I began my blog. Well, it's now done. All the recipes I have posted so far have a link so that you should be able to just click on the recipe name you want and it will land you at that post. Well...it worked for me, anyway! I've noticed that there are a few I should add. That will keep me going on those brain-fog days when I have no idea what to post LOL.

PNG and Oven Fried Chicken

You may be asking what the two have to do with one another! Actually it's different subjects, but the recipe did come from our time there.

Yesterday morning I walked into Mr Busy's classroom and his teacher asked if it was true...what someone had told her...that I'd lived in PNG. Yes, it is. "Well", she says, "I have a bag of clothes that another parent sent in, could you have a quick look and then could you talk to the kids about them?". Life as a parent helper is never dull and, often, quite a lot more than interesting! There was a grass skirt, a garland of fake flowers, a grass bra (never saw one of those before LOL), and a bilum (a string bag). So I got one of the girls and we dressed her up and talked about the clothes the National people wore before white men came...and what they wear now. We talked about the difference between what is modest for them, compared to our idea of modesty...but also the fact that they have a different standard of modesty for white people.

And then the kids asked questions. Lots of questions. Absolutely fantastic questions and we could have gone on and on and on!!!!

Now here's your reward for tolerating my excited ramblings! A recipe that we acquired while we lived in PNG. This recipe is very very similar to KFC chicken...only much nicer, because you don't feel like all you've had is flavour and oil ;-)

Oven Fried Chicken

Chicken Pieces (on the bone ~ enough for your family)
1/2 cup plain flour
3 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and place a metal baking pan with a little bit of olive oil in it, in the oven to heat.
   
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bag.
3. Add the chicken to the bag, hold the top tightly and shake to coat the chicken pieces with the flour mixture.
4. Remove the heated pan from the oven and place the chicken, skin side up in the pan, shaking off excess flour first. Spray the top of the chicken with oil and return to the oven.
5. Bake for about an hour and serve.

There you have it, our version of KFC. My Mum did things like this recipe, McMummy's and Fish & Chips when we lived overseas...just so that we wouldn't forget some of the things from back home. Now, as parents, Dh & I choose not to take our children to KFC, believing it to be an incredible waste of money for not-so-wonderful food. We just do it better at home instead! Apparently history is repeating itself.

Monday's Menus

Monday again. I must admit I opened my eyes this morning and thought to myself "I wish I could just stay here a little while longer". However, Dh had a thing in the city, so he was off to the train station at 6.45am and I had no more excuses to stay warm and cosy. Gee I wish my heater was happy to be on a preprogrammed setting!!!!

Anyway, I DO have my menu planned and my shopping list completed, so I will shop on my way home from school at lunch time.

Monday: Spicy Pork Spare Ribs, brown rice, stir fried vegies
Tuesday: CP Chicken Casserole with scallop potatoes
Wednesday: Oven Fried Chicken, vegies
Thursday: CP Irish Stew
Friday: Quiche? We have Twilight Tours @ school, so we may eat there
Saturday: Homemade Pizza
Sunday: Singapore Noodles

I never made it to the lamb roast yesterday, due to an unforeseen trip for 3 to the fish & chip shop on Friday night. So I still have that up my sleeve.

The other reason I didn't have the roast yesterday was that we made a rush trip to the hospital to visit my brand new niece...at that point, only 4-5 hours old :) She looks just exactly like her Daddy did when he was a newborn!!!! Red hair, froggy face and all. You gotta love newborn cheeks that you could just eat.

The kids have counted up ~ they now have 16 'real' cousins and two step cousins.

Simple Stitcheries

These little cottage garden stitcheries are what I have been working on over the last few weeks. They're very basic, but the pictures are so cute and the colours are beautiful. They're also just little. The basket of flowers would be lucky to be the size of my palm. So very quick, for an impatient crafter like me!

Now I have myself a dilemma! How to frame them. In the past I have used just little cheap wooden frames from the Warehouse that only cost $2.50 and have used the glass itself to put behind the fabric. I'm not sure this is the best or wisest way to frame these little cuties. If they were dropped, the glass would smash. Although the glass would be enclosed, you'd have to re-frame.

So...does anyone have any fantastic ideas or tips for me? I'd love to get these framed and then decide what to do with them! I showed them to Mrs Martin the other day and when she asked what I was going to do with them I said "I have no idea, but they've kept me occupied!".

Ooooohhh, other stitching news....I was looking at the Cinderberry Stitches blog the other day and have convinced Mrs Martin that she needs to put another order in (because I want the Tea Party for Madeline stitchery) and found a free pattern there for a little Springberries needle case. I'm stitching the little Springberries picture and I think I'll just make that into a mini wall hanging. Again, don't know what I'll do with it, but it was so cute and I just love the characters that Natalie comes up with.

Give Away's Abound!

I've just been catching up on some reading at Relz Reviewz. You should definitely pop over there if you're interested in Christian fiction. She has many different Give Away's on the go right now ~ there are even one or two for those beyond our fair shores of Australia.

There is also a side-splittingly entertaining interview with John B Olson. If his interview is anything to indicate the caliber of his books, then the books will be fantastic!

Where Should You Live?

There are all kinds of quirky little quiz's around these days! I think this one is actually pretty spot on!

You Should Live in the Country

You are laid back, calm, and good at entertaining yourself. You don't need an expensive big city to keep you busy. You'll take the peaceful life over the stressful life any day of the week.

You can take the quiz here: Where Should You Live?

If you do, post a comment and let me know where you should live!

Thought Worthy Quotes

I use 'Our Daily Bread' for my devotions. This week, two quotes that have provoked my thoughts are these:

"We shape tomorrow's world by what we teach our children today."

"Those who let God provide will always be satisfied."

Each is rather profound, in its own way, don't you think?