Well done.

Stats

6.2” x 52
Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Mild to Medium Bodied
Ecuador Sun-Grown wrapper

A scrambled egg, so far from the container garden this year a few herbs, sage, basil and oregano. The oregano was a gift that I have rooted in a container and hopefully will continue to grow as the previous oregano that I planted did not last. Not a large meal but one of the better ways to taste herbs, eggs and bread.

Today I had a delicious brunch with my parents that can easily be recreated! I had an omelette with sun dried tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese. It came with fresh fruit (yum) and seasoned rosemary potatoes. I’m not much of a toast girl but it sure looks pretty! Hope you are all enjoying your day

A jar like this:

But now this may come to an end if the EU has its way…..along with dipping bowls of different oils sometimes used for tasting before buying.  It is, of course, possible to put whatever oil you want in these bottles/bowls before plonking them on the table and it is this that has perturbed the idiots commission in Brussels….oh! and along with lobbying from the oil manufacturers.

It is, of course, possible for an unscrupulous restauranteur to put whatever he wants in the bottle – sunflower oil – a mix of oils or, horror of horrors, something that might harm the consumer. Better legislate then before someone gets ill!

No longer will I need to discriminate when choosing where to have my breakfast and I can choose the bar that used to offer the crappy oil in the knowledge that those masters  pioneers of consumer protection have now moved to prevent that particular bar keeper’s cunning plan to rob me of a few centimos by pretending his oil was top notch.

No longer will I fret that my breakfast may make me ill. Those valiant chaps (and chapesses) in the EU have, once again, done away with one of the most heinous of crimes against the consumer.

No longer do I have to exercise my mind by making a choice. Thank you EU for removing that onerous task from me.

Long live communism  the EU! What would we do without you.

I went to a wedding the other day and the term “Walking on egg shells” came to mind. It was a rural wedding, I mean come on the invitations had a set of deer antlers on it. Not only that, I wore a pair of American Eagle jeans and I may have been over dressed. All of that though just sets up the context of me walking in and SURPRISE! I’m the only minority! It’s doubly difficult because not only am I normally the only minority, I’m the only Asian minority. It’s hard to explain to people that don’t understand, sorry white people this means you, what it feels like to walk into a room full of people that look nothing like you. Not that it’s the right thing but I honestly automatically feel like I am walking on egg shells.

I guess the thing I am always worried about is the rogue person who is just drunk enough to come up and say something stupid. Cuz lets be honest, weddings + alcohol = people saying stupid things. Most of the time you don’t need alcohol or a wedding for people to say something stupid.

I remember one time I ran into a group of students from Carnegie Mellon University. They were all Korean. It was one of the most surreal thing to walk into their house and literally see Koreans coming out of every room. Again, so hard to explain how that moment feels when you no longer have to walk on egg shells. No longer having to worry about someone asking you a dumb question like are you from the north or the south, or do you see differently because of how your eyes are shaped.

In the end there isn’t really a solution to it all. I’ve been walking on egg shells all my life, just like Toby learning to crack the eggs gently, the walking is becoming easier and less messy, but there’s always a chance I’m gonna get yoke all over the place.

I’ll have to honest with myself here: I don’t really know how to dress when not pregnant either.  One would have thought by the vitrified age of 33, I would have figured out my “look”.  Sadly my “look” remains somewhat schizophrenic.  I simply can’t commit.  I like laid-back 70s clothing and fantasise about emulating Katharine Ross c. Stepford Wives, but then some days I wake up feeling more the uptight librarian.  Other days are different again where I feel like I’m channelling Charlotte Grey or an adolescent from the 1920s.  Other days I pine for a modicum of sophistication.  These are inspirations you understand; the realities that manifest on my person far from resemble such characters.  These days, my “look” – forgive me for having the temerity to use that phrase in relation to myself – is generic mum.  Ergh.

Part of the problem of course is money.  Money after all, is a great enabler, as the Doctor once told me.  But then, plenty of people look brilliant on a shoestring.  Such people however are creative (I am not), have an eye (I do not), possibly have a greater tolerance threshold for synthetic (I do not) and have both the time and the inclination to search (I most certainly do not).  When the appearance of a gargantuan belly, a fat arse and inordinately large breasts are then added to the dynamic, shopping becomes such a repugnant prospect that the idea of a sort of medieval confinement to one’s bed chamber seems rather appealing.

It’s not all bad however, and I am probably being a tad disingenuous.  My research has uncovered the odd positive happenstance.  For example, I have discovered, by virtue of my very dear friend, the wondrous button extender device, breathing an extended life into most of my denim.  I got these in a back of three varied sizes (for all your extending needs) from Liberty for about £4.  A handy device indeed.

Before you get excited though, after one day’s wear, I realised that, though nifty, this device was not up to the task of bridging the gap of my rapidly inflating girth…

Sadly the strain was too great (as I write, I can sense the wiry spring of my back-up button extender beginning to falter).  So back to open fly and strategic tucking we go.

But aside from attempting to augment one’s current wardrobe, what are the options?  Dedicated maternity clothes?  No thanks, those things are ugly as shit.  And, given they’ll be obsolete in four months’ time, a complete waste of money.  Lots of cheap cotton jersey?  This is indeed one possibility, but recent events in Bangladesh have made me even more wary of fast fashion sources such as H&M and ASOS.

One marginally effective practice I’ve implemented is systematically co-opting all of the Doc’s T-shirts.  These are nice T-shirts.  One’s fashioned out of nice cottons with attractive washes.  He hates this of course, but we all must make our sacrifices for the greater good.

But a pregnant woman cannot survive on T-shirts alone.  A good suit jacket helps smarten up the most casual of sartorial combinations, so having one of those to hand is a good idea (I am now back in the market for one after completely cacking up my treasured Vanessa Bruno blazer.  Note to self, stop trying to do your own dry-cleaning by putting everything on a handwash).

But this still leaves great gaping holes.  On the suggestions of the rather cool Lauren Lavergne, I looked at a number of more mumsy-though-not-completely-awful websites such as Me and Em, Toast and Eileen Fisher but it’s hard to get excited about spending £150 on a conservative basic.  That being said, I quite like Toast.

My ultimate solution, after much faffing and frustrated deliberation, is to make a few things myself (well, the Doc’s mum has offered to make – I’ll direct.  I’m a terrible seamstress).  After cutting some basic patterns, I intend to purchase a tonne of black cotton jersey and put it to good use.  No issues of sweatshop or questionable ethics here (except the total and utter exploitation of my mother-in-law’s generously offered free labour); no contorting into strange conservative ‘mummy’ styles; no extraneous expense; no items that won’t translate to a non-pregnant wardrobe; most importantly, no colour – darkness is the tone for pregnancy, I’ve decided.

At the end of the day, one wears pregnancy as best as one can.  Some do it far better than others.  I am not one of those people and have resigned myself to spending as much time as possible out of the public eye and when needs must, gracing the world with a modest collection of loose fitting blacks.

Mesmerized

by the slow flowing honey

he fashions one golden loop

on buttered toast.

Its impotence makes him weep.

His eyes close.

The wand slips from his fingers

and topples to the floor.

This weekend Trifecta asked for exactly 33 words, 30 of your own and three of the
following:

topple     paradigm     underneath

nerve     honey   loop

8 trimmed spears (about 90g) of asparagus
2 sprays light olive oil spray
125g frozen petits pois
2 tsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp fat free yogurt
1 tsp finely grated Parmesan
2 slices whole wheat bread
50g goats cheese

Serves 2

Roll the asparagus spears in the 2 sprays of olive oil and grill until just tender.

Heat the petits pois in a little boiling water until tender. Drain and crush.  Add the mint, yogurt and Parmesan.

In the meantime, toast the bread. Pile the pea mixture on top of the toast and stack the asparagus on top. Cut the goats cheese into slices and put on top. Grill under a low heat until the cheese is soft and oozing into the peas.

If you can spare the calories, an extra slice of cheese would also be good!

Approx Per Serving:
Calories: 251 kCal Total fat: 9g Sat fat: 5g Carbs: 6g Sugars: 2g Protein: 8g. Fibre: 4g

I loved how each egg had a date written on the end.  I made an omelet this Saturday morning with some Cabot Creamery Extra Sharp White Cheddar.  Maybe a tad too much butter.  Couldn’t cook and photograph with the cell phone simultaneously.  I was told you want “sound” when the eggs hit the pan.

I know the chickens are well cared for and eat organic feed.  Fresh eggs make the best omelet.  It was delicious.  If I were a true photographer I would have made a neater looking one and photographed it again but no one else around to eat the wrinkled one. I went on Google images to see how my omelet fares by comparison and I think it is fine. These eggs are too precious to waste.

Yes, a little too much butter.  Eat the toast with jam no butter due to excess amount on the eggs!

Hiding the imperfect folds with the farm grain bread toast. Now to polish the French PepperMill that was a wedding gift in 1974.

….And this is where we begin our story!

Still no job, no interviews, no responses and here I am stuck in limbo again. I thought I had struck a tiny bit of luck with some freelance work but everything went deadly silent on that front. I don’t want to moan, but I am angry maybe more angry at myself for not seeing all this coming before it happened and not setting plan b’s like I’ve told my friends to ironically do at the end of last year. I’m also angry at myself for being so behind the rest, so inadequate. People who know me might think I’m just being silly, but it’s truly what I know to be true. I look at my CV, my portfolio and then to the job applications and I just know in my heart of hearts it is very unlikely I’ll get any form of call back. I keep saying to myself I want to set myself apart from the rest, I think I’m doing it by not being good enough. Self deprecation isn’t an attractive quality in a human however we all feel it one time or another. I think I’ve probably felt it from the age of 18 (I lie most probably a lot younger) until I found a job. As that was my one fear after leaving university, being jobless and here I am, over 5 years later, fulfilling the fear in all its entirety. And to be honest, why are Employers of any capacity compelled to give me a job, I wouldn’t even give myself a job right now. Maybe that’s the problem, I have to tear that brick wall somehow and make myself the best I can be and maybe, just maybe I’ll become a better me? How cheesy does that sound.

Who knows, can’t get any worse can it? Let’s not speak to soon…

Esta es la receta que me dió mi compañera de piso de Almeria, Eli, hace un par de años cuando hice mis practicas en la Plataforma Solar de Almeria. El salmorejo es super fácil de hacer y un plato que podemos tomar para ir a la playa, cuando nos de un antojo y en cualquier momento típico de Cordoba.

Es suuuper fácil y además una magnifica forma de aprovechar productors no frescos.

Pues bien para esto necesitamos …

• 1/2 pan duro blanco de hace unos días
• 1/2 kg de tomates maduros
• 1 huevo duro
• 1 o 2 dientes de ajo
• Aceite de oliva
• Sal

Hervimos agua y añadimos los tomates que dejaremos reposar durante unos minutos para más tarde poder quitarles la piel.

Mientras tanto cortamos en trozos el pan y le añadimos el ajo (sin la parte de en medio que es lo que repite).

Tras quitarles la piel, dejamos los tomates encima del pan para mojarlo … cuando haya enfriado un poco lo metemos en la nevera durante unas horas.

Cuando vayamos a tomarlo, añadimos una cucharada de aceite de oliva extra y sal antes de batirlo.

Para acompañar o decorar el salmorejo podemos añadir un huevo hervido troceado, pimienta, albahaca, maiz, etc y para aquellos que coman carne un poco de jamón serrano.

Ingredients: 5 halves

• 5 slices of tramezzini bread ( or toast, without the crust)
• 1 can of tuna, without the oil
• 5 cornichons, chopped
• 125-150 g of sour cream
• a little bit of lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Mix the tuna, the cornichons and the sour cream together. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. You can also add some chives.  Put it in the fridge to let it steep. Cut the bread in a diagonal way. Put the filling on one half and put the second one on top of it. Enjoy!

Tramezzini for Poker players…

Daily Prompt: Feed Your Senses

Write down the first sight, sound, smell, and sensation you experienced on waking up today. Pick the one you’re most
drawn to, and write. (For a bigger challenge, pick the one you’re least drawn to.)

Photographers, show us one of the five senses — bonus points for depicting a smell!

Immediately the smell of toast and jam
drew me. No one in sight, I thought How strange.
My husband must have gone outside. No glam
or glitz, a single piece of toast. The change

it introduced into my day from night
brought with it visions of the scrambled eggs
I’d make, a certain breakfasting delight
as I’d reach into morning’s mealtime kegs.

Toast, toasted (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• I’m not keen on getting a trench coat as high street ones often look rather cardboardy and uncomfortable. With the exception of Burberry (of course) and occasionally Zara, they generally feel both mean in material and also a bit over embellished with plenty of manufacturers adding their own clunky detailing and gilding the lily. Too fancy.
• Heading the other way down the scale to casual is also a problem. I love parkas but having worn a lovely Topshop parka all winter (roughly lasting from last September to April), I’m discounting all things parka-ey due to over-saturation issues.
• So called ‘festival rain macs’ can and should be discounted immediately due to flimsiness. Festivals last at most about four days- these’ll be lucky to make it to the Saturday night.
• A good rain coat needs to be versatile and simple, generous in cut but lightweight. The current trend for sheeny shiny macs tick a couple of these boxes: they’re usually generous enough to be nicely pulled around you in a squall, also they’re light enough. I do like them, but sadly a bit too showy and primary bright as well as sheeny and shiny. Not classic or adaptable. Unlikely to carry you into an interview with style unless you’re after a job as a children’s television presenter.

In conclusion what I’m after is something more mod than rocker; something to love but not have to treat as a precious thing. A ready made brand new old friend. They take some finding with little available in the usual fail-safes like Asos and River Island, but are out there. I like these:

Toast Faye Coat

Zara coat. Dark blue version even better and back in stock soon.

Toast Lana Raincoat

Monki. A tad sheeny shiny but lovely nonetheless.

A “Beary” Fun Breakfast!

Such a fun breakfast to kick off the weekend!

If you haven’t already, check out this adorable recipe for A “Beary” Fun Breakfast!

If you try out this recipe and blog about it, be sure to link me! I would love to see how they come out

Thanks for reading!

I decided to finally order something different rather than my regular Breakfast Burrito.
The Breakfast Stack! Lets start from the bottom up.

Potato Patty: Somewhat like mash potato in a patty shape.

Grilled Tomato: Well grilled, tomatoes have natural MSG so you get addicted to them really easily.

Bacon: Crispy, salty, Yummy

Haloumi: Squeaky cheese! But this one was less squeaky than normal. Although I’ve noticed that haloumi has been getting less squeaky recently (sadly). Maybe haloumi is losing it’s squeakiness against my teeth.

Spinach: Boiled spinach. That is all. Alot of boiled spinach. Hey I’m not complaining, I love Spinach.

Poached Egg: Runny Yummy Yolk oozing with goodness. What more can I say?

The Classic Eggs Benedict. Yes, it was really really good. But I guess, with awesome place like Green’s, the classic eggs ben can’t really go wrong. Runny poached egg nicely done, crispy toast, seasoned tomatoes, creamy hollandaise. The only thing slightly disappointing was the ham (why ham? I guess if it had been good/great/wonderful ham it would have been perfect especially considering what we’ve paid).

Mars Bar Cheesecake. It wasn’t mine and unfortunately I didn’t get to try it, but I’ve heard that it was awesome, very very filling, and very very yummy.

Related articles

• THE GREEN REFECTORY aka Green’s (plentifull.wordpress.com)

Mistakes are my daily bread
My love – like warmed butter
spread over my ignorance
with sharp device

Got bread? Now, spread!
Butter ‘em up for the show
Your family and friends
would love to begin
to savor your flavor

Burnt Toast – In The Know

Melt them away
Spread yourself thin

When it’s time to exit
they will leave less crust
Leave behind no debit
Leaving bread is a must!

*

http://uncletreeshouse.com/

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Here’s a toast to the world of New Media Literacy