Remissedness

I've been too long between posts here, and my bumblest apologies for that. I have no excuse. Just didn't do it.

I did write a fair to middlin' short story that I've heaved in the general direction of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, though. Fingers crossed on that one. Starting a second (I've basically figured out the who, why, how and when for the victim, and the approach to the story, including a couple of reddish herrings. Just have to actually write it now.

The entire fam damly has been smacked with some weird cold/flu hybrid, filling sinus and nasal cavities with stick green goop, chest with hack coughy stuff and the throat with sore.

In other words, blechh (<<-- there's no spell check for this word. Trust me on it).

The house echos with sniffs, sneezes and coughs.

Except for the dog, who watches us like we are the sorriest pack of animals she's ever been associated with. I swear, she's thinking about running away to a happier, healthier packs of animals. Like wombats, or tassie devils.

But enough of that.

Spring is in the air. Trees are in bloom. Soon the Jacaranda in the back yard will look like the neighbourhood pimp, decked out in it's finest purple, trying to lure the local insects for, um, you know.

It's been a warm winter, and it's likely that it's going to be a hot summer. It was a very hot summer last year. Some of you fambly members may remember the 42 degree days, sitting outside in the shade, drinking as much cold stuff as possible while trying to keep your hair from lighting on fire. I think it's going to be more of the same. I may invest in ice futures.

Almost two years ago (December 2007) we had a bit of a hail and wind storm, dropping a few trees (one on the house) generally making a mess of the place. There's a stand of pine along the driveway, perfect height to drop on the house. A few were culled, and the trunk, about three feet across, left along the house cut in 8 inch lengths.

We (and by we I mean my wife and son, for the most part) have split these and we've (and be we've I mean me) have been burning them on our co-o-o-o-ld winter nights.

Holy mother of god.

The sap in those pine trees burn like some petroleum by-product. Touching the wood you'd think it was wet, but toss it on the fire and look out. Fire was actually dripping from a burning log.

And there are still about twenty of these puppies along the drive closest to the house. What psycho planted living Molotov Cocktails that close?!?

If there's a bush fire within, oh, I don't know, twenty miles of the house, Lin and I are grabbing the kids, dog and my Sopranos DVDs and getting the hell out.

Hoping it won't come to that,

Cheers,

Tony

Guaranteed to elevate cholesterol and expand waistlines

I've stolen and modified the recipe from one of Nigella Lawson's fantastic cooking shows (Nigella Bites, I think).

I usually go into this half-remembering what I'm supposed to add, but it usually works out okay.

You could, I suppose substitute the butter for margarine, cream for something less creamy but I've never attempted that and will not guarantee the outcome if you do, wimp.

--oOo--

Pre-heat oven to 180C

Ingredients:

• Raisin bread (sultana bread in Oz, and perhaps England)
• Orange Ginger Marmalade
• individual pack of raisins / sultanas
• 500 ml thickening cream
• 250 ml milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• too much butter
• 5 eggs
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• brandy (1/4 cup for the recipe, more for personal consumption)

I use a large square casserole bowl -- use anything large and deep you can put in the oven.

Make five orange and ginger marmalade sandwiches with the raisin bread. Use lots of butter

Cut the sandwiches diagonally, ending up with 10 triangles. Stand 8 of the triangles up in the casserole dish, alternating pointy tip up and flat side up. Take the final two pieces and place them perpendicular to the 8, on either side, flat sides up.

Put the raisins in a mixture of 1/2 cup brandy, 1/2 cup water, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste and microwave for 3 minutes (or until raisins are plump, like you will be after you eat this). pour the raisin/brandy mixture over the bread.

Mix well 4 egg yolks, 1 full egg, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 500 ml cream and 250 ml milk. Save the 4 egg whites to make a really healthy omelette to assuage your guilt the next morning.

Pour the custard mixture over the bread.

Dab butter on the exposed tips of bread and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.

Stick it in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the exposed pieces of bread are crispy and the custard mixture has thickened.

Spoon out a healthy serving, add a goodly amount of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

--oOo--

I've put on a bit of weight (that I didn't really need) with this dish. Fair warning, you may want to jog for 5 or 6 hours before you eat this.

Dig in and enjoy, dear readers~

T.