I’m older, not wiser…

Hey everyone – where’s February gone?  I started back at uni today (had my first Criminal Law lecture – the law is really for the rich white folk, isn’t it?).  So here’s my boring February catchup.
It was my friend Tiffany’s birthday mid month.  I, of course, made her a handbag, but she gave me the wrong address.  Have you gotten this yet Tif?  If not, you’ll have to wait until the middle of the year for me to make you another!

Isn’t the fabric purdy?
Food.  Mmmmmm fooooooooood

Fancy tofu, beetroot and sweet potato salad.  ‘Twas yummy (I baked everything except the greens)

This is the tofu and potato dish from Vegan With A Vengeance.  It’s too hot to move to the bookcase to find it.  Seriously – I’m so sweaty my arms are getting stuck to the desk here!

I call this grotesque, but tasty lasagne.  Double recipe of my usual white sauce with a bolognaise made out of (fake) chicken nuggets, with a layer of sliced mushrooms and lasagne sheets.  Crack in a pan baby.

Cam made this for me while I watched the Oscars (I had the day off work – yay!).  There’s marinated mushrooms, fancy tomatoes, sundried tomato oil, fried fry’s burgers (ha), macadamias, greens and yummy white bread.  Mmmmmm I wonder if I can get this for dinner tonight?

And, ‘cause I’m a dork, here’s Charlie from my law group’s stand at Market Day.  Isn’t he cool?    

Why yes, I have turned into the crazy bag lady

Iron Chef Vegan has been returning to old favourites - Get Sconed's Mac and Cheeze, Burritos, Vietnamese Spring Rolls.  I really haven't been doing much in the way of cooking because of the machine.
The sewing machine.
And so, I have turned into the crazy bag lady:

I bought this pattern before Christmas along with the fabric.  I loved the fabric so much I didn't want to fuck it up!  So I waited until I was sure that I could actually sew properly!

I'm really proud of this one!  It looks pretty damn good.
I really really REALLY love this fabric.

Thus, I have embarked on a ridiculous quest to make a lot of handbags for friends and family.

This one's for my mum (hopefully she doesn't check this blog in the next hour!).

Vegan homemade handbags rock!

Needle and thread

Hey everyone.
As requested, here's a bit of a look back at the craptacular items I've been sewing.
Item 1 - The sack dress.

This was the first thing I sewed.  I haven't worn it yet (and I finished it the week before Christmas.  Any suggestions?  I thought a band below the bust, empire line style might make it wearable....  I love the fabric though.
Item 2 - The Xmas Top

Lesson number two - always make the bottom of an item extra long so it covers what you want to cover!.  I wore this on Christmas day.  I still love it.  But it reminds me that I need to lose that 7 kilos.
Item 3 - The Amy Butler In Town Bag (the easy non-pattern one)

This was the first time I actually did a proper lining (and use proper interfacing - I have a ginormous roll that I got from Spotlight now!).  I use this constantly.  So awesome.  But I never match my top and my handbag.  A little too tacky for my tastes.
Item 4 - The pyjama shorts that look like boardies

I think I'm detecting a preference for frangipanis! 
And just because I think the fabric is faaabulous:

Of course, I now have a fabric buying addiction.  Today I bought no less than three pieces of fabric (6.5 metres!)

1.5 metres of fancy cotton.  I was going to make a skirt, but then I remembered that I don't wear skirts.  Probably an off the shoulder top.

Polyester/cotton/lycra/I have no idea....  Isn't it so retro?  Probably will be a work top.
And finally, the favourite thing in my stash.  The fabric I waited for an hour to buy at Spotlight.  I bought three metres because it's that cute:
The feminist in me likes to think that this is how happy all women will look when we finally beat down patriarchy.  I have no idea what this one will make.  I'm thinking some sort of handbag lining (I have a fetish for handbags, yet another reason to take up sewing - vegan homemade handbags!).
And just because this is meant to be a food blog:

The caption should read: Mmmm sprinkles.

We're not dead, we're just busy

Yeah, yeah, I've been a slack blogger for about four months now.  I have an excuse - I bought a sewing machine, so I haven't been doing much in the way of cooking!
From what I remember I've made Get Sconed's Mac and Cheeze (with added mustard) and various stir-fries and salad.  While the Mac and Cheeze was awesome, everything else has been well, meh.
So, my blogtacular readers, I will leave you with this blurry picture that I don't remember taking.  It was taken from my front verandah on what I can assume was a stinking hot day.
More blogging soon.  With sewing!  (Maybe I'll have to change the name to Padawan sewer and Iron Chef Vegan or something lame).....
Iron Chef Amy out....

Also - you have to check out this fabric I found online.  I didn't stop laughing for five minutes!

Lazy ass food

Howdie ho neighbourinos!
This was certainly a week of curries!  On Monday Cam made Malaysian Curry, on Tuesday he made dahl (and we went to see the awesome, incredibly sad (really, I was bawling during the end) Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and on Friday night I had the Lit girls over for an Indian banquet and drunken ravings about novels.
You've seen pictures of our curries before (Cam was actually happy with the Cauliflower and Potato curry this time - he always thinks it's bland - I disagree!), so I'll show you the breads I made - ROTI!!!!
Recipe is from here (I can't remember who put me on to Manjula's Kitchen, but I'm forever in your debt!!!
They puffed up and tasted pretty authentic (I substituted Nuttelex for the ghee)....
And (of course) the pictures sucked.  I made them again the next day with a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped fresh coriander....

See the puffyness!  You should have seen the dance I did around the kitchen when this happened.  SOOOOOO funny.
Anyway, the next day (Saturday) I went to the West End Markets with Kath and Tif to get breakfast.  Mmmmmm Ykillamoocow pies (their website seems to have disappeared):

And the inside:

Yum!  And all this before the diet plan starts on Monday.  Whoops!  

I don't want to go to school tomorrow Mummy

Or I don't want to go back to work tomorrow dammit!!!
Holidays are over :(
Here's a recap of what we've done...
We bought a BBQ!

We cooked mushrooms on it (remove stalk, add salt and wait!)

Mmmmm juicy goodness....
Made a BBQ tofu sandwich!

Watch out for the evil potato!!!!

Spent an afternoon making Pumpkin Cinnabons (from Don't Eat Off The Sidewalk)


Got Hell Pizza takeaway.  I wasn't a fan of cooked avocado (Cam was):

Scarfed down kumara chips with the pizza.  Fuck yeah....

Visited Kuan Yin (my office moved to the valley, but I still visit on holidays!).  There's some cool new menu items including:
Salt and Pepper Calamari (made with rehydrated shiitakes - we think):

Spicy Calamari

And people say vegan food is boring?  HA!!!!
Hope no-one else is as sad as I am to be returning to the coal mines.....

Roasty toasty goodness (in Summer - we're crazy!)

Hey guys!
I actually did try out Vegan Dad's awesome roast!
Here's what I put in the stuffing:
1/2 cup cooked wild rice (I cooked the whole packet and then measured the rice afterwards)
1 cup cubed sweet potato
1 sliced leek (it's still around!  WOOOOO!!!)
2tsp garlic
Thyme and Rosemary (it was either that or Thyme and Oregano - I can't remember!)
1/4 cup water
1 cup walnuts cut into teeny tiny pieces
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Method: Fry up the potato, leek and garlic in olive oil.  Once it's starting to brown add in everything else.  Cool and stuff into the roast as per Vegan Dad's directions.
This will fall apart, but it is tasty!
Naked:

Drowned in gravy:

It was pretty good.  I'm going to tweak the roast - I can't find poultry seasoning (the original recipe calls for this), so I'm going to try some of the Massels 'chicken' stock.
What's everyone else planning for Christmas lunch/dinner?