Sticky Plum Pork Ribs

Everyone needs a "get out of jail free" card. And, this meal is mine. If I ever spend too much money at the shops, or accidentally break Evan's guitar (!!!!!!!), I would serve this meal before I broke the unfortunate news. It's a surefire winner, guaranteed to make him happy. Pork = way to my husband's heart.

One of the best things about it is that it uses a cheap cut of meat. I love me some cheap, but not nasty meals. And there's nothing nasty about this meal! I buy pork spare ribs, which are often on sale or marked down at the supermarket.

However, they're quite a fatty cut of meat. And I am not a fan of that. So, I pop them in a saucepan a few hours before I want to cook (sometime the morning or evening beforehand) and poach them gently (my friend at work told me today that she thinks this is called 'rendering'?). A whole heap of the fat melts away into the water. You're just poaching; the meat will be cooked again in the second process, so there's no need to ensure that it's cooked the entire way through.
While that's happening, I mix up my marinade in the casserole dish I want to use:

• 1/2 cup red wine (I have used white wine with just as much success)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 or 3 T honey
• ginger -- either slice up a 4cm piece of fresh ginger, chuck in some powdered (which is usually stronger) or, my approach, squeeze in some of that tubed stuff that you buy in the herb section
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder (indispensable ingredient, but slightly spicy, so you might want to use less)
• 1 chopped up chilli (I used a splash of chilli flakes instead)
• 1/2 cup plum sauce (I use the SPC brand that I buy in the sauce section of the supermarket)

Then, the pork goes into the marinade, covered with cling film, and refrigerated for a few hours. 

About an hour or so before you want to serve your meal, throw the entire dish into the oven at about 200 degrees. Bake it until the sauce goes thick and glossy. (OPTION: I like to cut the big chunk of fat from the ribs at this stage. If I feel up to it, I will throw that in a small baking tray and roast it on the top shelf of the oven, and it crackles up nicely. Evan loves crackling)

We like to serve ours over polenta, or some steamed potatoes with a bit of butter and salt tossed through. You could serve it with any vegetables you like -- because it's an Asian inspired dish, I usually use bok choy. I also roast off some pumpkin in the oven at the same time. 

Progress .... I think?

So they say that sometimes things get worse before they get better. In the case of our backyard .... I certainly hope so.

We've just spent a few days ripping out almost everything (most of it was weeds, overgrown, or diseased anyway). On Saturday, we're planning a trip to Bunnings to buy a bunch of new plants, and bark, and hopefully we'll be done.

Can I recommend NOT tackling projects such as this when 25 weeks pregnant? Although, I'm grateful that I'm not 35 weeks!

Oh .... and I planted my ranunculus! Yay for another item off the list. Who says I don't finish things?

Preoccupied

I like being preoccupied with my life to the extent where Facebook and email (and blogs) are at the bottom of the priority list. And ... that's life for me at the moment. Not only have I returned to work, we are selling our home! We had the real estate agent in today, and we asked him what we could do to add value to our little place. According to him, our two major selling points are, get this, the location and the BACKYARD. Wow.

I mean, yes, we have a decent sized backyard for a tiny little unit. And it gets gorgeous winter sun. But this .....


... this is not what I'd call a selling point. But that, I suppose is the recommendation: that we MAKE it the selling point, because he says this is what will potentially set our unit apart from others on the market.

Ugh! I hate gardening (as you can well see). And now, we have 2 weeks to turn this little piece of scrub into something that one would call, 'a feature'. Much prayer and work is needed. In the meantime, I'm going to go have lunch. Then, I shall venture into the fray.

Chicken and White Bean Parcels

Well, I don't have any interesting sewing or craft news, but I thought I'd post a recipe that I've been cooking over the last year. If you're anything like me, beans probably aren't your favourite thing in the world. But I read over and over how healthy they are. Did you know that beans:

• are high in protein and contain twice as much iron as beef
• low in fat
• are anti-aging
• are heart-healthy
• are full of fibre
• contain essential fatty acids
• low G.I.
• have cancer-fighting properties
• contain high levels of potassium and folic acid (great for pregnancy!)

That's a lot of benefits! But, I just hate the taste and texture of beans, ugh. In the past, I've really only been able to do kidney beans in a chilli mince mixture. However, I've recently discovered cannelini beans.

They're a white bean with a slightly nutty flavour, but are relatively bland and firm, making them perfect for bean-haters like me! Below is a recipe that I've found that uses them, and it is SO yummy! I've tweaked the original version I found in Super Food Ideas to include vegetables and some more complex flavours. But, the thing that makes this recipe really soar is the steaming in a paper bag -- it keeps in all the flavour and steam, and the chicken is so moist! We love it.

Okay. So, you want to mix together in a small bowl:

• a tablespoon or so of butter (can you tell I'm not a precise cook?)
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• your choice of fresh hers (I like basil, but mine died in the cold weather, so I used a small amount of rosemary tonight, supplemented with some dried herbs)
• 3 -4 tablespoons of white vinegar

Add one can of drained cannelini beans. Then, cut out a rectangle of baking paper. I like to add an extra strip just for reinforcement, but it's not essential. I've also done this with foil and it was even stronger when cooked. Lay down a chicken thigh fillet (the slightly browner meat works will with this recipe) and spoon some of the bean mixture over the top, ensuring some of the juice goes on too.

Wrap up your parcel by folding the top and bottom into the middle. Then, twist the ends like a lolly and tuck them underneath. I tend to make 2 parcels for each person.

Now, I like to add vegetables to every dish that I cook, and this one is no exception. Tonight, I got my lovely husband to finely cut up a carrot, some green beans, and some brussell sprouts. Then, I tossed through a couple of teaspoons of butter, wholegrain mustard, and a drizzle of honey. I threw them into a small casserole dish that was lined with paper. I then wrapped up the vegetables up into their own little parcel.

Into the oven, 200 degrees, for about half an hour. Now, I have a dodgy old oven that tends to be fairly slow -- keep an eye on yours to ensure it doesn't overcook. You want that chicken to be moist and tender and only juuuust cooked. It will lose some of its wonderful colour in cooking, but don't be worried - it's not Masterchef, but it's wholesome, yummy, and easy!

Pram

OH, and I forgot to mention the triumph of the day: we bought a pram!! Woohoo!! I am so glad to not have to do any more research.

I'm a researcher by nature. I love making sure that I've got the best product, and of course at the best price. When I'm researching a big purchase, of course I make a list. I make a list of the features that are "must haves" and then "would be nice to have". So my "must haves" for the pram were:

• 4 wheeler (the 3 wheelers make me nervous, although some people swear by their stability)
• No need for a separate bassinet attachment (seat must fully recline for a newborn)
• Ability to add on for a toddler seat if needed in the future
• Narrow for general use in shops etc
• Light and easy to collapse into our moderately sized boot

My "would be nices" included being able to change the direction the baby faces, an adjustable handle, and a nice big hood.

After copious amounts of research, we found the pram! It's this one, the Rebel Q by Valco. I think that picture looks a little weird -- the one we looked at in the shop was a bit "longer" and seemed more in proportion. Anyway, it ticked every single box! It was super easy to turn, and generally had good reviews online. The main thing people complained about was that it was hard to collapse, so we made sure to try that in the store. Sure enough, it wasn't straightforward, but after the saleslady showed us the 'trick', we were getting it right every time. It just took a bit of knowledge and then we were right.

Prams are such a personal purchase -- everyone loves and hates theirs for different reasons. The more I talked to people, the more I realised that a good pram is one that suits your lifestyle. For us, this was the best purchase out there. I love that the seat turns into a bassinet, and both are fully removable if need be. It also faces both ways, and has an adjustable handle, and the hood was the best I saw on any pram I tried. It was also moderately cheaper than some of the other prams that we were considering.

Hopefully it will see our children through many years -- although I'm sure we will purchase a chuck around stroller at some point as well.

Maternity pants for $6

I'm so pleased with myself - honestly, you should see the smirk on my face right now. A few days ago, I went to the op shop (where I bought the ottoman) and picked up these pants for just $2. They were a good brand, and although slightly wider in the leg that I would normally wear, a bargain. Of course, I couldn't get the buttons done up, but that wasn't a problem, because I didn't need them anyway.

Last night, hubby went out to play poker with friends and I blissfully sat and sewed, with my newest addition to our coffee table: hurricane vases! These were the ones we had everywhere at our wedding, but they've been used for several other weddings since then. It was lovely to reclaim them for our little home. Isn't everything better by candlelight?

And, by following these instructions to the letter, and using $4 worth of elastic and black jersey material, I was able to turn those pants into ....

... maternity pants for work! This week, I was meant to be shopping to get some new pants for work, but then I saw these tutorials online and thought I'd give it a go. For $6, I was soooo chuffed. Although they're a little baggy, I figure that will be a good thing heading into my third trimester.

I was so pleased with the results that I'm currently halfway through doing the same thing to a pair of jeans that had popped their button anyway. I'm thinking it'll be great on some skirts as well when the weather warms up. I just love making the most of things that others would throw away!

Onesies

This is my favourite winter breakfast: porridge (whole oats, soaked in soy milk overnight), with warm berries, honey and almonds. It's the perfect mix of creaminess V tartness, softness V crunch. Worth a try. I just use frozen berries from the supermarket.

A while back, I bought some plain old one piece suits from KMart in a pack of 4 for $12. I figured that I'd jazz them up a bit. I've been working quietly on 2 over the past few days while I have the strength to keep my eyes open and the results are below: one boy and one girl onesie!

And for some closeups .... the little penguin is a design I traced from a book that I bought the baby while we were in Port Douglas (sidenote: it's the cutest book EVER). Then I just pieced it together while watching Masterchef.

For the girl suit, I wanted to avoid pink. Most people would know that I'm not a big fan of pink. I like it in small doses, but I find people don't normally put the phrases, "baby girl" and "small doses" together. EVERYTHING is pink. So I went for something a little different. I had to teach myself how to sew ruffles in the meantime (I followed Disney's instructions) and I'm rather pleased with the results!

So there you have it .... some 'keeping occupied' sewing. No, my cleaning has not been done; no, I have NOT done pram research; no, the ranunculus have not been planted. I'll get there .....

Migraine

Hmph.

My productive week has been rudely interrupted.

Somehow, I've hurt my back .... which has led to a fairly constant migraine for the past 2 days. Do you know how hard it is to do anything with a migraine? Pretty hard. So all my plans .... out the window. I'm trying to make the most of the time to rest, but it's a little frustrating. I've managed to take on a few small sewing projects, but nothing too exciting, and nothing that I've got any photos of at the moment.

So if you'll all excuse me, I'm gonna go back to bed :-(

Baby blankets and a friend

Today, it was cold and grey outside (so they tell me -- my pregnancy thermostat is beginning to play up). I stayed inside with my little to-do list and worked away. Today's room was the kitchen and I'm sad to say that I didn't QUITE get through the list. However, my microwave is super clean! I also managed to cook dinner before 3pm and clean it all up (lasagne tastes better reheated methinks!)

So what did I sew today? Well, I went for something simple, because my day ended up a bit packed. So I've been hemming these muslin wraps.

Okay, although I tried really hard to go 'gender neutral' when I bought this fabric a few months ago, I could NOT pass up this little babushka doll print. I have that many friends having babies at the moment that I figured I could always pass it along if I didn't use it. Too cute to leave in the store - don't you think?

After a day of working on the house and some sewing, my friend Katie dropped by. Katie's been a friend for years, but I haven't seen her for 20 weeks! I know, because I was three weeks pregnant when I saw her last, and I'm 23 weeks today. It was lovely to sit on the couch for a few hours on end, sharing tea, cupcakes and left over chocolate pudding from last night!

Finally, to wrap up this scintillating post (heh), I thought I'd share with you my two favourite cleaning products. Hey, this blog is called "ALL things domestic"! Lately I've tried to start using more natural cleaning products in our home. When I had terrible morning sickness, I found all the chemical-ly smells were really getting to me -- not to mention how bad for us that must be! So I started using more natural products and these two are my favourite: eucalyptus oil (any brand is fine) and a mixture of vinegar to water in a spray bottle.

I use the eucalyptus oil for heaps of stuff. It's the only thing that I use on my floors -- it's antibacterial, smells great, and picks up any sticky residue, anywhere! I clean the interior of my car with it, I wipe down our wood furniture with it and I love love love the smell.

The vinegar is my go-to all purpose spray. I spray the benches, clean the oven, wipe out the microwave etc with this stuff. While it smells a bit vinegary at the time, it always dries without odour. Best of all, it's cheap as chips!

The other tip I tried out today with considerable success: I microwaved a small bowl of water with half a squeezed lemon in it for a minute before I cleaned the microwave. It was filled with a lovely lemony steam, that softened up all that baked on food.

Is it pathetic that little things like this make me happy!? Honestly, my job requires me to do a lot of things, most of them rewarding and challenging. However, I just love the pursuit of a simple life. I think I was created to stay at home!

Upcoming projects

Do you love lists like I love lists? I adore them! Making a list pretty much always makes me happy, for the following reasons:

a) it helps me feel organised about what's ahead

b) I love checking things off (yes, I write things on the list that I've already done, just so I can check them off straight away)

c) I love to look back and see all that I've accomplished

d) I think I get more done with a list ....

Yes, I just made a list about why I love lists. I do believe that I would write a list every single day, whether it's a list of things to do that day, things to chase up at work (I'm a teacher), or a grocery list etc. I knew Evan was a keeper when he bought me a book to keep my lists in -- I used it to plan our wedding. Now, I still use the same book to plan our lives. So in honour of my love for lists, here's a list of upcoming projects for me to accomplish!

1. Makeover some of my existing pants into maternity pants, (ala this post). I am in serious need of some pants for work, I've been wearing the same old black ones for 2 months now. Gross. If it works, I'll do the same thing on a pair of jeans and some skirts as well.

2. Try to make some maternity maxi dresses sort of like this one. I scored some cheap fabric at the op shop in a coral colour which should be perfect for it!

3. Finish off the material that I have for 3-4 baby wraps lying in the sewing box. Nothing fancy, just muslin wraps that need hemming.

4. Winter clean ... I'm trying to be systematic while I have a week off work and pick one room of the house each day and give it a super-dooper clean. Tomorrow will be the kitchen (clean out the microwave, wipe out fridge, defrost freezer, sort out pantry etc). Today I washed all the windows in our house -- disgusting job!

5. Shop for prams. UGH. I have been avoiding this chore like the plague. I don't even want to write about it. Why is it so hard!?

6. Sew some cute baby appliques onto some white onesies I bought the other day on sale. You know, things like ducks and letters of the alphabet etc.

7. Transfer my ranuncula seedlings into proper pots. Oh how I love these flowers. But I do NOT love planting, hence the fact that they're still in their seedling trays. Hmph.

Will keep you updated as I check things off the list!

A new venture....

My husband Evan (that long suffering man above) teases me that I'm fantastic at starting projects ... but not so fantastic at finishing them. So, it is my intention to not even mention that I've started a blog until I managed to post, oh at least 3 times. Then I can smugly say that, "I have a blog".

Case in point: today I spent half an hour at the op shop. You know how some days there's just nothing that great to be found, and then other days, (usually when you're not looking for anything in particular at all) you find a whole bunch of stuff!? Well today was such a day. I hit the jackpot. I ventured to the local St Vinnies to find some stretchy jersey material so I can begin the process of making over some pants to fit my expanding belly (more on that later). But when I walked in, I saw a hideous mustard velvet lounge setting.

While most people would have passed by the hideous mustard, I saw more. There was a fantastic shape ottoman in aforementioned hideous mustard lounge setting. And what's more, it looked like the velvet would come off easily, allowing me to recover it with something infinitely more chic (I pictured a lovely coffee-coloured linen a bit like this one made by the wonderful Kate, but I know that's just suicide with a new baby coming to town). And the best part? They sold it to me for $5! People, I've seen ottomans for sale for upwards of $200. I was pleased as punch.

However, I had to justify it to Evan as soon as I got home, because my stomach is beginning to impinge on my ability to lift things. I was tempted to leave it in the boot of the car until he found it and wondered what on earth was wrong with that woman he lives with. As I drove home, I thought about all the things he would say. My list of predicted responses?

1. What is that?

2. What on earth are you going to do with it? It's so ugly!

3. Where are we going to put it?

4. Okay, but please don't buy any more things like this.

And I kid you not, he went through the list from 1 - 4, in that exact order. I told him that I had something in the car that would either make him laugh really hard, or get really annoyed. Luckily, he went for the former. We were laughing so hard in our driveway that I had to sit down before my pelvic floor let me down. I think the high point was when he said, "It just looks like a big, fat, square piece of baby poo Lacey!"

So anyway, now I have yet another project on my hands .... another thing to 'finish'. And yet I'm starting a blog!? Serious problem here.

And, I know that no blog post is complete without a picture. So while I don't have one of

the hideous mustard velvet ottoman that's going to become super chic and fantastic, here's the latest 'bump' photo, taken a few days ago on our holiday up north (yes I'm wearing a bikini, the same one that I wore on our honeymoon, and no it doesn't fit properly anymore, hence the zoomed in shot). Will my belly button ever be the same? I miss my innie.