winosandfoodies

Thursday With Thermomix

Thankyou everyone for you kind thoughts and wishes for our safety during the  flood crisis in Brisbane. We were spared any damage, despite the peak in the flood forecast to enter our street.

Brisbane is now devoid of fresh food. We took a drive up to Wilson's Point to see how fast the river was flowing.

On the way home we stopped off at the supermarket to see if we could restock the fridge. The shelves had been well picked over prior to the floods. Luckily we had flour and butter at home so I able to  mix up a batch of scones.

I've made scones before in the  Thermomix. Not with any great success.  The dough was much too wet. Today I mixed the flour and butter in the Thermomix, then tranferred it to a bowl and added the buttermilk till I was happy with the consistency.

BUTTERMILK SCONES

• 440 gr self raising flour
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• pinch salt
• 60 gr butter chopped
• 300 - 350 gr buttermilk

METHOD

• Place flour, sugar, salt and butter in Thermomix and mix for 5 seconds on speed 8.
• remove from Thermomix and place in a large bowl.
• Slowly add buttermilk to achieve a soft dough.
• Place dough on a lightly floured board and roll out to 3 cm.
• Cut rounds with a 5cm scone cutter.
• Place scones, touching on a tray lined with baking paper
• Bake 15 minutes at 200C in a convection oven until lightly golden and hollow when tapped on top.

 

Foodie Photo - Iceberg Lettuce

My favourite way to eat iceberg lettuce - simply, with ranch dressing.

Renoir,Photography and My Bloggaversary

 
When I began this blog back on 06 January 2005 I had no idea I'd still be blogging come 2011. Hell I didn't even know if I'd be alive in 2011.  However thanks to all you wonderful people who have shown me kindness, caring and love over the past 6 years.I'm still blogging away. Badly in need of a refurbish, the blog  not me,  and I hope to update the  look sometime soon.

Every day I seem to face new challenges associated with cancer. Some I overcome, some do get the better of me. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by friends and family that step in on those days and make my day better. Particularly Bryan, my best friend and husband, our children Chris and Michael and several good friends (you know who you are!) here and in New Zealand.

Because those challenges are unwanted, I need to set my own wanted challenges. Challenges I can control. Challenges which will help me grow. Challenges which will expand my knowledge and skills and make me a better person.

Photography became a passion once I began blogging. Last year I completed Project 365. Thanks to the help of sites like White On Rice Photography, and friends like Jen who kindly shared her knowledge with constructive critisism of my photos I have improved outta site. I cringe when I look at some of my earlier photos.

Along with food and wine, I have a love of art. This year I have decided to combine my love of art with my photography challenge. Each month I will recreate a favourite painting and photograph it.

Within this I have set a further challenge to myself by not buying any further props for this project. Every recreation can only use things I already own.

My first attempt is from one of my favourite artists, Renoir. Fraises  was painted in 1905 and is on display at the Musee de l'Orangerie.

I'd love your suggestions of  favourite works of art,  containing food or wine, I could recreate.