A random assortment of recent happenings…
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We’re planning some changes to our fish tank soon, so we’ve been visiting local aquarium shops to see what’s on offer. Labyrinth Aquarium in nearby Campsie has the most amazing range of incredibly healthy fish that I’ve ever seen for sale.
In one corner of the shop sits a gigantic tank, filled with huge breeding pairs. The cichlids in the photo below were easily 20 – 25cm (8 – 10″) long, and they were attempting to guard their tiny fry from all the other equally large predators hiding behind the rock. As my friend Amanda commented, it’s no wonder that they look worried…
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On Thursday night, I made Hainanese chicken rice with Beth McMillan’s magnificent Burrawong Gaian chook. I had enormous fun tweeting Beth with photos along the way – it’s wonderful that technology now lets us interact directly with producers in such a rewarding way!
This method of cooking treats the bird with great respect – the fat from the bird is rendered down and used to fry the rice, the meat is very gently poached to allow its full flavour to shine, and the resultant stock is used to cook the rice. Nothing goes to waste…
Best of all, there were six containers of amazing leftover stock for the freezer…
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I have a new umbrella.
Pete rolls his eyes at me – he thinks I’m bonkers, because I keep raving on about it – but I love my baby umbrella. It’s made by Boston Umbrellas (an Australian company, despite the name) and when it’s folded up, it’s tiny.
I bought my first Boston pocket umbrella nearly a decade ago, and it’s been in my handbag ever since. In fact, it’s outlived many bags, and is still working well, but it’s now grotty enough for me to justify buying a new one.
To give you an idea of how small the umbrella truly is, I took a photo of it next to my glasses case. It weighs just 175g (6oz) and measures 17cm (6½”), but it opens out to a full-size canopy. Can you see why I’m excited? It’s such a clever, well executed design, and it’s one of those little things which makes my life better…
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My beloved Small Man, whiteboard marker in hand, spent half an hour trying to explain to me the chemistry behind how metals combine. I struggled to wrap my old brain around alloys, malleability, conductivity, elements, outer energy levels and delocalised electrons. I tried to look cool and interested, but inside, I was so happy I could cry…
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The amaretti have been going down a storm, and they’ve proven to be a great way to reduce our egg glut. I ran out of almond slivers for the last batch, so I tried making them with roasted blanched hazelnuts instead.
These were so good. The roasted hazelnuts added a deep, almost caramel-like flavour, and the centres were crisp and brown. I wonder what sort of cookies other nuts might produce?
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Hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Celia, your Hainanese chicken looks totally delicious! I must try to get my hands on one of Beth’s birds! And bless your small man, such a gem!
Liz, you’d love Beth’s birds – just had a look at their website, and apparently you can order them from My Farm Shop in ACT: http://myfarmshop.com.au/ordering/products/poultry xx
Excellent, thanks so much! xo
What is the Hainanese chicken. can I grow them? Tons of gorgeousness in this post and I especially love your little umbrella, I love them too.. though now that i am not in the city darting to and fro on my feet (with my hair actually DONE) I seldom use them.. now i am off to investigate these chickens.. thank you celia.. c
Hehehe…as you’ve figured out, it’s a dish, not a breed! It was my favourite growing up! And yes, you could so make this with your homegrown chooks! xx
aha, all I need is a fat old chicken! well i’ve got lots of those!.. c
Oh Celi ~ you have just made my day :D !!
Those fish are amazing Celia. I can only imagine that chicken was delicious. I admire the chemistry skills of Small Man, really this stuff blows my mind. I failed chemistry at school and still have absolutely no idea what it is all about!
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend too x
Jane, the fish tank was enormous, I’d never seen anything like it in a retail store! The parents were doing a reasonable job too, guarding their offspring, but it was full time work!
Ooh a baby umbrella is so handy! That is really nice and small too. Perfect for travelling :D
A few different companies make baby ones now – all around that 17cm in length! xx
I’m so glad I popped by here today. I’ve got eggs up to the whazoo at the moment & have just bought a gorgeous big, fat free-range chook (just to clarify – a dead one) and you’ve given me plenty to work with for both things. Lovely.
PS
You’ll be pleased to know that I have finally killed my starter. Email following. xxx
Let me know re the starter, love. Hope you get a chance to try the chicken rice, it’s a house favourite here!
G’day! Hope you are having a great weekend Celia, true!
Love random thoughts and random posts…LOVE your umbrella and you chicken too!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks Jo! Hope you’re having a great weekend too! xx
I am HUGELY jealous: of that wonderful chicken stock!! Yep, entirely my own fault!! Hmm: never had chance to study chemistry until I made it to uni: never much got past the gobbledycook stage either :) !
The chicken stock in the freezer is like having treasure in a safe! :)
Those poor cichlids do look so worried Celia, you have to save the small fry from being fish and chips for the evil lurkers behind the rocks. Your previous post with the steam buns is just fabulous. I love steamed buns so I must have a go at making them. Your small man has a super brain Celia, I would burst with pride if one of my children were to go into such complicated explanations but I would also probably need several amaretti and a good lie down afterwards. As usual your post inspires me to do more and to expect that I can achieve more…..I love it.
Jan, you’re always so kind, thank you. I love writing these posts, because they make me keep my eyes open for all the small things in life that make me happy. It’s so nice to be able to share that with all of you. xx
Dear Celia,
Your chicken rice looks delicious and Small Man’s diagram is proof he will soon be breaking girls’ hearts.
I just wonder why the fish shop would allow predatory fish in the same tank with small fry though.
I asked the same question! Apparently those fry aren’t the ones they’re trying to breed, so they’re good food for the other fish – which is probably what would have happened to them in the wild anyway! Glad you approve of the chicken rice! :)
Love Hainanese Chicken rice. Thought I’d try making it until I read a recipe. Don’t guess I have the energy any more. Will save it as a treat when we go to Darwin or Sydney. Well done you, though!
Ardys, it does take a bit of work, but my mother always used to say, it was an all in one dish – you got rice, meat and soup, all in the one go. :)
WOW, where did you get the Boston Umbrella from. That would be a great Mothers Day present for my mother, and maybe one for me too….(from the kids). I love the size and a very good comparison using the glasses case. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
Kathy, I bought it on ebay this time (first time ten years ago was from a specialty shop in Berri): here’s the link.
Also, Peters of Kensington sell the Clifton pocket umbrella which is very similar – I’ve bought black ones from Clifton and they’ve been fine (I couldn’t get plain ones from Boston for the boys’ school bags). The Peters’ link to one of the Clifton pockets is here.
I think they’d make great Mother’s Day presents! :)
It’s great you use all of the chicken and to get so much stock from one is terrific. Your little man must be very smart, when I was in school I was a miserable fail in chemistry and it gives me nightmares just thinking about it now….
Stefanie, we love chicken rice, but often our decision to make it is driven by the fact that I’ve run out of stock in the freezer! :)
Celia, your umbrella looks good and with the weather changing the way it is l think we will all have to be using umbrellas more for sun protection. It’s always interesting to read your blog. So many interests and such inspiration for all of us. Enjoy your weekend:)
Jody, thank you! It’s lovely to have you stopping by to visit! x
celia..that chicken looks amazing..x
Jane, thank you! Hope you’re enjoying the weekend! xx
What a lovely post Celia. Love the chicken dish – must definitely try this. There must be so much scrumptious flavour in each mouth full. My Pete would be super impressed with your umbrella. He is always on the hunt for a small one for travelling – he travels ridiculously light so extra weight of any sort is a no no.
Have a beautiful weekend.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, several companies make them now, so you’ll probably be able to track one down, although it does take a bit of searching to get one in a “male” colour. I hope you can find one for him! :)
Oh that chicken looks wonderful, I really must give it a try. I can only imagine how you felt with the achievements of your Small Man. Has he got to the eye rolling stage yet? GG
GG, he never rolls his eyes, that would be his brother. :) He was surprisingly patient..
Waw, Celia! Your Hainanese chicken dish looks amazing & so special too! I also love your colourful smaller umbrella! Now, it has to rain to use it! x
Sophie, you made me smile, I have a new umbrella, and now I find myself hoping for rain! :)
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That chicken looks fantastic and the freezer must be happy too. I LOVE your little umbrella and I wish I had one. :)
Maureen, you should buy yourself a baby umbrella! They on sale on ebay now with free shipping: here’s the link.
Celia that umbrella is a great idea. I have never seen them. And your small man is just a star. When you work out the chemistry let me know :)
Glenda, the umbrellas are on sale on ebay, and there’s also a version at PoK, made by Clifton, which are really similar. I think they’re fantastic – I’m never caught out in the rain anymore! :)
I love it when you are able to take your produce and turn it into so very much more by using as much of it as you can. I really love your umbrella. It is amazing how something so small and light is able to reconstitute itself into a full sized umbrella. We don’t have an egg glut, we have a chicken glut. Our chooks all went feral and have been bringing out batch after batch after batch of chicks…I am too scared to count them all…they are taking over the property! Love the bickies, could you make them with seeds I wonder?
I’m not sure what a vegan does with an entire flock of chickens? Does your other half eat them? You made me smile at the thought of chooks taking over the property! :)
Steve eats eggs and they were “supposed” to be part of our permaculture ethos here but they seem to be related to Attila the Hun with his tendencies to want to take over at any given moment. We noticed that they have started to invade the elderly lady who lives next doors property this morning on our early morning walk with the dogs…4 acres apparently isn’t enough for these bolshie hens! Time to get rid of the rooster methinks! ;)
Also, we started off with 8 “hens” and one of them turned out to be something other than a hen and we have given away at least 30 hens since to no avail… they just keep coming in waves! It is like the Battle of Britain! ;)
Love your umbrella. I had similar – not the same brand but the wind at Circular Quay made short work of it. Mine is now only slightly larger, more robust but purple… I found it on the train… Such a great size to carry, I’m always amazed by the people I see caught out in the rain.
I need to look up new sources of Beth’s chickens both in the city and country, as Macksville Meats sadly has closed.
ED, I’ve never had to expose mine to truly terrible wind, but I know that the “breeze” around Circular Quay can be a shocker. I’m glad you found a replacement on the train! I buy Beth’s chooks at Dulwich Hill Gourmet Meats, but I believe Feather and Bone stock them as well.
I love how your umbrella can be carried around in your hand bag while barely taking up any space – what a great invention. I love your chicken dish too and agree that the recipe shows great respect for the animal as no part of it is wasted – not too mention it’s one of the tastiest dishes around! xx
Charlie, the umbrella is so good – it’s so light that I don’t even notice it’s there, and it takes up less room in my bag than my purse! :)
Love your cute new umbrella Celia! But I’m in love with the Burrawong Gaian chicken with the yellowest skin and juicy looking meat I ever saw. I could even smell the wonderful Hainanese chicken rice dish here in California.
Best,
J
Thanks Judit, and I’m sorry you can’t get Beth’s chickens in California, they’re really fabulous! The yellow comes from the fact that, as well as free ranging, they’re also corn fed. They make all the other free range birds look anaemic! :)
Whew, my mind played a little trick on me after the first picture. For some reason after looking at the fish in the tank, my brain looked at the chicken & said “she cooked up her tropical fish?”. Sometimes it takes a few seconds for my brain to get on track. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that umbrella! And to think it’s called a Boston umbrella. I can’t tell you how many umbrellas I’ve left in restaurants, theaters, everywhere because I hook or lean them up against something and walk away without. Plus it’s a beauty of a pattern & great colors.
So now about those alloys and delocalized electrons…you got that all down now? I hope there wasn’t a test.
Diane, now that you point it out, I had my first pocket umbrella for ten years, and never lost it, because it always went back into my bag. The little case it comes in is lined with plastic, so even if I had to put it away wet (to dry off when I got home), it still didn’t make a mess in my bag! And I gave up on trying to understand the chemistry.. ;-)
Let’s hope your son doesn’t give it another try :)
That is one very cool umbrella! And I am intrigued by this method of preparation for the chicken. It sounds delicious!
Adri, it only really simmers for 10 minutes, then the rest of the time is spent poaching in the residual heat. And it makes the best stock! :)
small folding umbrellas are the bees knees- umbrellas never seem to be the right size. Portable and easy= keeps the tops of your head dry. Large and cumbersome= dry and everyone wants to hop under. Oh it’s a tricky line.
It’s easy at our house Brydie, everyone has their own pocket umbrella for their Crumpler or school bag! These open out to nearly 90cm wide, which is as large as I can manage on suburban streets without taking someone’s eye out.. ;-)
For much of my life, there’s been at least one fish tank. When I was young, they were all fresh water. Years later, I had 2 marine tanks. Mom would pull up a chair in front of the larger one and gaze into it whenever she came for a visit. “Better than TV,” she would say. :)
What a wonderful way to prepare a chicken! This is how we should cook all of our food, with nothing wasted and everything put to good use.
John, here’s my post from nearly five years ago. The only fish we still have left are the plec and the yellows…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/05/09/cool-thing-5-the-fish-tank/
xxx
The steam buns are on my list and I had a happy time in the local butchers yesterday discussing what we call neck of pork over here, the consensus was shoulder, so I bought some pork and have portioned it up, and am going to be pleating again later today but the buns will happen soon. So pleased you have a new brolly! I bought the most pathetic brolly known to womankind at the railway station the other day, from a vending machine, I might have to turn it into a mobile as it is useless! I would love to taste your chicken dish, it looks utterly splendid, feastsville! xx
Jo, that’s what the butchers told me last weekend too – the “neck” is a fillet cut from the shoulder. I’m so glad you’re having fun pleating dumplings! xxx
Fabulous bits & pieces as usual Celia. I do like the idea of the eclectic assortment of foodie goodies to be found in your freezer!
Andrea, I love having stock especially – it tastes so much better than the packaged variety! xx
Loved this bits and pieces posts, particularly the metal chemistry, I hope one day Small Man can come visit our lab, if not for an extended period to work, at leatst to visit, and bring his Mom and Dad along how about that? ;-)
I have an umbrella a bit like yours in terms of size, mine is all white with colorful big dots all around, I might have to take a picture and include in the In My Kitchen post…. heck, the umbrella can be in the kitchen, don’t you think? sometimes pasta water rains inside.
so there!
Sally, you KNOW I took that whiteboard photo just for you, don’t you? He’s busy trying to explain to me why you need energy to extract metals from ores…I’m completely lost! I’d love to see your umbrella, I love all umbrellas, Pete thinks I’m quite mad.. :) xxx
I was HOPING you took that photo for me, but did not want to get my hopes too high, you know… yeap, metals have this tendency to make strong bonds to things around them because of their chemical characteristics.
To me, iron is the most fascinating metal of all, but some might say I’m a little partial… ;-) :-) ;-)
I think I’d need some of your delicious cookies to recover from the lecture Celia! littlej has deep interest in sciency stuff, but I know better than to get her started unless I have plenty of time! xox
Becca, it’s lovely to listen to them though, isn’t it? :)
I’ve made something similar to your hazlenut amaretti, Celia, but with homemade choc chips thrown in. I throw in chocolate whenever and wherever I can…
Jacqueline, I make chocolate meringues which are quite similar as well!
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/07/23/chocolate-meringues/