Gyoza Bonanza!

My first attempt at making panfried dumplings with wrappers that I made myself from scratch! Bye-bye store-bought ones.

Big "thank you's" to Melly who sent me the recipe for the wrapper almost immediately after I asked for it in a comment on her post. And to Selina for sharing her mom's recipe with us! Here are the photos, girls.

The dough, resting under a damp tea towel, waiting to be used.

The filling.

I don't eat pork, the meat used traditionally and my favourite butcher sold out of chicken mince today so I got some crab meat and added diced prawns, dried scallops, chives, shiitake and coriander. Plus salt, white pepper, soy sauce, garlic oil and a little bit of eggwhite to bind the mix.

The dough, after 30 minutes' rest, rolled out with my treasured Huon Pine rolling pin. It is precious because the pine is a protected timber and the only way it can be "harvested" nowadays is from logs salvaged from rivers and forest floors.

I wished I had my pasta maker machine with me for the job, though. The rolling pin can only take the dough to a certain thin-ness but not thin enough for me.

Cutting the wrappers to size from the dough sheet. The scrap can be re-rolled if more wrappers are required.

In goes the filling.

Sealed and pinched, ready to go into the pot of boiling water to which I've added salt and a few drops of sesame seed oil.

They're done when they float and the wrappers go a little translucent.

And then panfried to crispy golden-ness in a frying pan with a few tablespoons of oil.

We ate them with loads of black Chinese vinegar (the only way to eat them!) for dinner.

Thank you for a lovely meal, Melly and Selina!

Edit-to-add: Just went to Selina's blog and she's posted the full recipe, for both the dough and filling, here!

Hey, Ho, The Dairy, O!

Ruffle-y Scarf - Korean Shop in Chinatown, Cardigan - Country Road, Vest - Korean Shop again, Long-sleeved T-shirt - Petit Bateau, Shorts - Topshop, Wellies - Orla Kiely, Milk the Cow - Far East Plaza (Singapore)

You know that kiddy ditty? "The farmer's in the dell...The farmer's in the dell...Hey, ho, the dairy, o...The farmer's in the dell..."?

Anyway, this "farmer" wasn't in the dell. In a fix was more like it. We have no food in the fridge! Because we were lazy over the weekend and didn't go do our regular weekend fruit-and-veg shopping at Paddy's Market in Chinatown. So off I went, pretty unwillingly, down the hill with Troy, our trusty trolley, in the rain.

I've forgotten how relaxing it is to shop in Paddy's on a weekday - the weekend crowd is mad! It was nice today, to be able to fondle all the produce before buying them.

Now we have food! Yeah!

Sweets For My Sweet, Sugar For My Honey

The blogging world is such a wondrous place. I'm not an Internet otaku but I've "met" more nice people via the medium than in real life since I started writing mine.

Like the lovely Katiecrackernuts who so kindly sent this sweet Cupcake Award my way yesterday. And we were only "introduced" last week.

Thank you, Katie! I don't know if it's kosher but all the blogs that I read are "deer" to me so I've tweaked the award just a tad before passing it on. I hope it's ok.






















The Cupcake Award (ver 1.1).

I'd like to give it out to bloggers who have recently discovered this likkle blog of mine and have not only taken the time to read my spiel, left the sweetest of comments but have also made regular visits after.

I am the worst lurker ever so I don't expect readers to de-lurk on this blog when I myself don't on so many others that I read. However, I'm so happy that these girls did and I'm sending them a sugary frosted one each:

~ A Girl Brushed Red
~ Dotted Anecdotes
~ Gothic Preppy
~ Individual Chic
~ Kayla Linzy
~ Monkeycrab
~ And back to Katiecrackernuts too!

Thank you for reading! And it's up to you girls to pick one, the original Cupcake Award or Ver 1.1, to pass on. Or both, if you like! xx

The Sartorialist Works His Magic Down Under

We all know how good The Sartorialist can make all his subjects look with his great eye and amazing photography but his transformation of my blog-pal Imelda The Despotic Queen Of Shoes, from a daggy hag with a shoe bag into a Mac-wielding spiffily-dressed young man, takes the cake.

See more of Sydney's street style through The Sartorialist's lens here and read about Imelda's escapades at the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week here.

Garance Dore has accompanied The Sart to Sydney so see more photos from our streets here.

Saving Greys

Twisted Singlet - a French Connection trapeze top that I twisted before wearing, Drippy-drapey Tunic - Zara, Jeans - Roy (a Melbourne label that makes the best jeans) , Loafers - Wannabe by Patrick Cox

Why do clothes with interesting construction almost always come only in black or grey?!

I don't do black, not at all - it makes me look too hard and fierce (in its original meaning, not the bastardised one!) especially with my blunt mop of jet black hair.

Grey, I'm slowly learning to deal with despite it not really agreeing with my colouring (could be all in my head). Both these pieces, like a few of their sombre pals in my closet, I bought because they had quirky details (and weren't available in other colours!) - the soft-soft cotton singlet has an asymmetrical hem and the wool tunic with its multi-panel billowy sleeves...excessive gathers...kooky trapezium at the ass...wonky hem...is a crazy piece of tailoring that drapes and falls so beautifully. However, cute as they are, they don't get much wear (I seriously have to get over the colouring disagreement issue!).






















Anyway, I pulled the tunic out today with the intent off cutting it right down the middle seam on the front to turn it into a cardigan. I figured I'd wear it more often if it's over something of another colour. Plus the front is boring compared to the back and opening it up will instantly add more drapiness.

Along with it, from the grey pile, came the singlet as I pulled. I thought, "Ah, let's play", did the twisty thing again and the tunic was spared the snip of the scissors. For now.

A Puppy On A Car Ride

Shawl - Cotton On, Pointelle Knit Top - Sportsgirl, Dropwaist Dress - Sportsgirl, Jeans - Marc by Marc Jacobs, Oxfords - Mail Order

I'm a silver-fawn Pug today. There's nothing I love more than car rides to places that I've never been. Especially when there are thrift stores to sniff around in and puppy chow-stops along the way.

My sitter for the day was the kind Ms Wennie. She really hates driving in the city but came and picked me up anyway with help from maps lovingly hand-drawn by her sweet boyfriend Mr Bob.

Our first stop was this huge Salvation Army Store. One that I've not been!

Ms Wennie bought a gorgeous 70s maxi dress for her mommy to go to her ballroom dancing classes in. I was going to buy a drapey deep sapphire blue 80s dress with huge shoulder pads and a sequinned bib-front but spotted a rip (one that can't be repaired) and had to put it back onto the racks reluctantly.

However, I perked up when we got to the furniture section. I was so excited by the goods that I nearly made a little puppy puddle!

The boyfriend and I have long been looking for an old Laminex dining table to replace our existing mock-retro one.

And this collapsible number is just the right size for our tiny kennel.

But what are we going to do with the accompanying chairs in this funny embossed mustard vinyl? When we already have four beautiful original 60s diner's chairs.

Further down the aisle, I spotted this sexy one. Could have humped its legs! How I love the clean almost-Scandinavian lines! It is in a far better condition than the last but we'll have to measure it when I take the boyfriend back this weekend because I think it might be a little too big for our space.

I hope they'll still be there!

All that panting sure left me hungry and I was glad it's time for lunch.

Ms Wennie knows that I like to eat at Asian eateries in Sydney's suburbia so she suggested Satay Inn. It's funny that it's called that when they don't have those meat skewers on their menu. We ordered Nasi Lemak, Kapitan Chicken and Sambal Eggplant & Tofu - too much food for two and had to doggy-bag the leftovers.

One last picture from the puppycam - Satay Inn's neighbour - the old post office.

I love the old-school mottled pebble wall. Wouldn't it be the ideal location for a "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?" music video?

Wruff-wruff!

Dots-A-Rama!

A month after we saw the film Yayoi Kusama - I Adore Myself, we finally "de-couched" and rolled our spuddy-selves down to the Museum of Contemporary Art today and saw the 50 pieces that she painted in the film. Plus a whole lot more at her Mirrored Years exhibition.

While the scale of the exhibition is smaller than what I had expected, the thrill of seeing her work, especially the soft sculptures and installation pieces, in 3-D more than made up for that.

If you do go, don't be put off by the queues at the doors to the rooms housing her installation work. It's well worth the short wait. Everyone we saw, from old folks to kids, going in today came out with huge smiles. I think that's the beauty of Yayoi Kusama's art - zero on the wank'o'meter and most of it are so aesthetically-pleasing and fun that you don't have to know to why she did what did to enjoy what she has done. And if you have an inkling of her history and thought-process, you take the appreciation to the next level.

Get Kusama-ed before 8 June 2008 at:
The Museum of Contemporary Art
140 George Street
The Rocks
Sydney
Admission is free!

Peek-A-Boo! A New Hairdo!

Still a two-in-one.

The pudding bowl Lindy "The-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby" Chamberlain is still there. Can't bear to part with it after it's been with me for so many years!

The Mary Quant is now shorter. Like Mr Spock, the boyfriend said. Haven't really looked at my ear for ages but now that it is exposed, it does look a little Vulcan-like. Star Trek Convention, here I come?

Comfort Colours

Roast pumpkin and dark chocolate

Aromatic herbs in soups and stews

The weather's been shit so I've been home sewing things for the other blog.

Again turning to colours, like food, for comfort.

The textile designers at Marimekko sure know the way to my heart, looking at my pile of off-cuts - such an array of prints and colours to match the shifts in my needs that change with the seasons.

If I have tailoring skills, I'd be making myself 365 dresses from their fabric, one for each day of the year.

First Soup Of The Season

The temperature dropped comfortably low enough last evening to have soup for dinner without breaking into a sweat.

I made my favourite from the stinky-pooh-pooh cauliflower. It can be boring on its own so I luxed it up a little with a drizzle of porcini oil, a few cracks of black pepper, a couple of crunchy Parmesan crisps and some seared scallops dotted with black truffle salsa.

For the recipe, please send 5¢ and a stamped self-addressed envelope.

Nah, just kidding. Here it is - in my usual no-accurate-measurements way...

Cauliflower Soup
You'll need:
~ Half a head of cauliflower (cut into florettes - wash and drip-dry)
~ 1 brown onion (brunoise)
~ 5 fillets of anchovy (finely mashed with knife)
~ 20g of bonito flakes (works without too but I love its flavour)
~ vegetable stock or water (I ran out of stock and used water instead and the soup tasted just as good - the bonito flakes were a godsend!)
~ milk
~ ground white pepper and salt

- Pour two tablespoons of olive oil into soup pot on medium heat.
- Throw in diced onion and mashed anchovy. Cook until onion is soft and translucent.
- Add cauliflower. Mix well with onion and cook until tender.
- On high heat, add enough stock or water to cover vegetables. Bring to the boil.
- Bring soup down to a simmer and constantly skim whatever yucky stuff that may surface.
- Add bonito flakes and put lid on. Let it go until cauliflower breaks easily when sqooshed between fingers.
- Remove from heat.
- If you have a Bamix (a stick blender), stick it in the pot and puree the soup. If not, use your benchtop blender and put the pureed soup back into the pot.
- Add milk - the amount will depend on how you like the consistency of your soup. I like mine thick and hearty so I don't put in too much milk.
- Season with ground white pepper and salt. Mix well.
- Heat soup up when you're ready to consume.

Parmesan Crisps
You'll need:
~ Finely grated Parmesan

- Pre-heat oven to 150°C.
- On a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, sprinkle a thin layer of grated Parmesan, the shape is up to you. Just make sure you leave enough space between each as the cheese does spread a little when baked.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is crispy and golden around the edges.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack.

The rest is easy...
- Lightly salt and pepper the scallops and sear them in a hot pan. Do not overcook!
- The black truffle salsa is by Tetsuya, available at all good delis and grocers. It really brings the humble cauliflower soup to a whole new level.
- If you're a meat-eater, add a few ultra-thin slivers of crispy Pancetta or bacon for instant smokiness.
- Don't forget the drizzle of porcini or truffle oil and cracked black pepper on top.

Oh, you can freeze the excess for at least a week.

A Pile Of Fallen Leaves

Vest - Americam Apparel, Raglan Sweater - American Apparel, Shorts - Rodeo Show, Clogs - Funkis

If I had dived into one of those, carefully swept and heaped by the Council's cleaners, on the side of the road today, I would blend in and disappear. I think I'd also fit right in with Robin Hood and his gang in Sherwood Forest.

These are the colours I like wearing when it gets cold. There is comfort food and then there are comforting colours - the brown of chocolate and hot gravy, the green of sage, the blinding white of a steaming bowl of rice, the beige of fluffy buttery mashed potatoes and the golden crumbs of cakes and biscuits.

Ironically, Autumn is also when I pull out all my shorts. The boyfriend laughs at the shorts-and-tights combo everytime. He says it makes me look like a "superhero dumpling". But with the onset of ugly spider veins, it's the only way that I can still wear some of the cute hotpants from my vein-free beach bunny days.

I also like to do the German tourist thing sometimes - woolly socks with sandals.

It's good to be able to wear some old Summer favourites in the yucky months.

Round And Round We Go

A few days ago, I promised photos of a play session with my new American Apparel Circle Vest...mmmm...the two layers of organic cotton is so soft and cuddly like the flannelette blankie I had when I was kid that I would stroke with my right hand while I sucked the thumb on the left one...I cried for days when my mom threw it out to get me kick the thumbsucking habit...maybe I'll pick it up again with the vest. Anyway, the photos...






















Worn like you would wear a regular vest.



















Folded in half and worn like a shawl.













Put my head through one armhole and one arm through the other hole.

Works too with head through both armholes but looked a tad silly.












Worn back to front like a smock in playschool art classes.

Yibbeedee-yibbeedee, that's all, folks. Show-and-tell over.

Sorry to disappoint if you were expecting me to wear it with different outfits. Too lazy. Also like in pharmaceutical drug testing, there has to be a constant, right? The V-neck and the high-waisted culottes are it, in this case.

If you have new and funky ways to wear yours, do share!

Keep Still!

Scarf - David Jones' Men's Department, Top - French Connection, Denim Bloomers - Country Road, Stripey Tights - Korean shop in Chinatown, Shoes - Connie-wonnies

I couldn't.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new one, It's Blitz, was in the player.

I love it! So what if synthesizers have replaced some bits where guitars would once-upon-a-time rule? I don't know what's it with fans who slag off bands when their new releases are a slight deflection from their previous efforts. Ever heard of "growth"?

I'm happy to buy their records as long as the "essence" (said with a claw-like hand gesture) of the band is still intact. It's Blitz has everything that I love about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a lot more.

Freshly Baked

No, not this Port Plum Pudding.

I made and photographed (and ate!) it a while ago for...

...issue #5 of Pocketto, an online magazine that's the brainbaby of Dreamer over at AusStyle.

The new issue is hot off the press today so click here now for 78 pages of frolicking fashion fun like...

this!

And this!

Plus giveaways and loads more!

The recipe for the easy-peasy-lemon-squeezey pudding is in there if you need more sweetness.

Thank you, Dreamer, for inviting me to play!

Vested Interest

Crocheted Vest - Op Shop, Knitted Vest - Witchery, Scarf - Stella McCartney for Target Australia, T-shirt - Petit Bateau, Pants - Zara, Clogs - Funkis

I definitely have a special interest in vests right now. The weather's gone slightly nippy but not cold enough for things with longer sleeves yet. To keep warm and toasty without looking like a kook, I've been layering them sleeveless numbers.

I went out wearing two yesterday and came home with a new one.

The Circle Vest from American Apparel. The sibling of their multi-functional Circle Scarf?

The vest hasn't got as many ways-to-wear as the scarf after initial playing-around but I'm loving it a lot already. Will post photos of a play session soon (the photos on the American Apparel site, as always, have a way of making the most innocent-looking things look totally trashy but I can assure you that the vest is not).

Meanwhile, I'll leave you with these...

the vest as a cheeky smiley face

and as a bowling ball.

Ruffneck And Bong Rat

Met my pal G for a long-overdue catch-up lunch in our neighbourhood and popped back to his to view his costume for a circus-themed party tomorrow night.

He's going as a "monochromatic ultra-modern clown" and this neck ruff that he whipped up from bits of black tulle, calico and silver chain last night is part of his costume. Isn't he a clever boy!





















And I got him to pose in front of this cute painting because it's my favourite from his partner Mr R's collection.

Thanks, Grandma!

New pretty pearly buttons on the left and the original old faded ones on the right

I spent a huge part of Tuesday making minor repairs to a pile of vintage and secondhand pieces that I've amassed and couldn't wear because of a few tiny defects. As I was sewing and darning away, I thought of my grandma who taught me my first chain stitch when I was six and the many sewing and crocheting projects that followed when I was sent to spend time with her on the farm during the school holidays.

I hated doing them then. I wanted to be outside teasing the farmyard animals and climbing trees. Looking back now, I'm glad my grandma tried making some semblance-of-a-girl out of a goose-chasing tomboy for my cheap secondhand store-shopping habit could have turned out to be an expensive one if I didn't have basic sewing know-how - the lovely Shanghainese gentleman that I take major alterations to (my grandma's old sewing machine gnawed my fingers once and I've never been near one since) is a superb tailor and his fees sure reflect his skill level.

Anyway, thought I'd share some of grandma's tips...

Buttons
Floppy buttons (see old button in first photo) are ugly unless they are on clothes of a thicker fabric and need the extra room to fasten properly.

To help your buttons stay as pert as bits of the female anatomy on a cold cold day, always finish with a few tight loops of the thread at the base after the few "attaching" stitches.

Buttonholes
After replacing the buttons, I noticed that the stitches around two out of the five buttonholes on this flouncy 1970s prairie dress were not there and the holes were starting to fray a little.

I used a blanket stitch here (lower buttonhole). It's not as fine as the original machine-stitched one (top hole)...hmmm, might go unpick all of them now, both old and new, and do them in threads of contrasting colours.

Interstar Galactica

T-shirt - Something Else by Natalie Wood, Stars Necklace - Topshop, "Pearls" - Op Shop, Clear Beads - Diva

Went to a job interview today and thought I should align the stars for luck - the planet on the shirt with the stars on the necklace.





















Pants - Gorman, Shoes - Melissa

Not that it mattered because I had to change into my uniform after ten minutes for the trial bit of the day.

And then snapped at the third most important person at the place after trying my darnest to hold my tongue for the first hour.