Thursday, January 31, 2013

Allergy free snow pea and chicken stir fry recipe


Ingredients
  • 1 double chicken breast, thinly sliced
  • 1 red onion, cut into thick wedges
  • 3cm fresh ginger, peeled, sliced into matchsticks
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsps sesame or olive oil
  • 1 tsp Chinese five spice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 150g snow peas, trimmed and chopped
  • 125g baby corn, halved diagonally
  • ½ red capsicum, sliced (optional)
  • 2 tbsps fish sauce
  • 2 tbsps allergy free soy sauce replacer
  • 1 tsp sugar

Method
  • Combine the chicken, onion, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and Chinese five spice in a bowl.
  • Set aside for 15 minutes to marinate.
  • Heat half the olive oil in a wok over a high heat until just smoking.
  • Add one-quarter of the chicken mixture to the wok and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Transfer to a separate bowl.
  • Repeat, in batches, with the remaining chicken mixture.
  • Heat the remaining olive oil in the wok until just smoking.
  • Add the snow peas, capsicum and baby corn and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the snow peas are bright green and tender crisp.
  • Add the chicken mixture, fish sauce, sugar and soy sauce replacer and stir-fry for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens.
  • Serve on rice.

Allergy free herbed pumpkin bread recipe


Ingredients
  • ½ butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups Orgran self-raising flour, sifted
  • ⅓ cup Orgran gluten free gluten
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tsps dried oregano
  • 75g Nuttlex, melted
  • ½ cup goat’s milk
  • 2 tsps Orgran No Egg whisked with 60mls water until thick
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tsps fresh rosemary sprigs

Method
  • Preheat oven to 160°C.
  • Grease a small-medium sized loaf tin.
  • Cook the pumpkin in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
  • Drain the pumpkin and allow it to cool a little for 10-15 minutes.
  • Transfer the pumpkin to a large bowl.
  • Using a fork, mash the pumpkin until smooth.
  • Add the flour, gluten free gluten, fennel seeds, oregano, Nuttlex, goat’s milk and No Egg mixture.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.
  • Level the top of the loaf.
  • Sprinkle over the rosemary and pat it gently in place.
  • Cover and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cover with foil if over-browning during cooking.
  • Rotate the bread after 10-15 minutes to ensure even cooking.
  • Stand the bread in the tin for 5 minutes.
  • Lift the bread out onto a wire rack to cool.

Allergy free pineapple and banana coconut milk smoothie recipe



Ingredients
  • 225g can pineapple pieces, juice included
  • 1 banana
  • ½ cup coconut milk

Method
  • Blend the pineapple and banana together until smooth. 
  • Add the coconut milk, blending until combined.
  • Serve in a large glass.

Allergy free strawberry lemon pancake recipe


Ingredients
  • 2 cups Orgran self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp Orgran No Egg
  • 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
  • ¼ cup sugar (optional)
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 40g Nuttlex, melted, cooled
  • 2¼ cups goat’s milk

Method
  • Sift the flour and No Egg into a bowl.
  • Add the sugar and stir well.
  • Combine Nuttlex, lemon zest and goat’s milk.
  • Add the goat’s milk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
  • Fold in the strawberries.
  • Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.
  • Lightly grease a small frying pan and heat to medium.
  • Cook ⅓ cup portions of the batter for 2-3 minutes then turn the pancake and cook on the other side.
  • Repeat with the remaining mixture.
  • Serve with caster sugar, lemon juice and strawberries.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Rosy's scrawled book recommendation: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

The Maltese Falcon
Dashiell Hammett


Blurb
Sam Spade is hired by the beautiful Miss Wonderley to track down her sister. When his partner, Miles Archer, is shot while on the trail, Spade finds himself both hunter and hunted as he tracks down a jewel-encrusted treasure, people are willing to kill for.

Publisher
Orion Books

ISBN
9781407230061

Rosy's scrawlings on The Maltese Falcon
I recently had a little argument with the hubby over whether or not more or less of the people we often talk to knew who Sam Spade was. I voted more as I figured you just couldn't not know him, as it was to me on par with not knowing who Sherlock was, while my hubby voted less as he'd somehow managed to not know who Sam Spade was at all. A vote was placed on facebook and I won. Just. Appallingly just, to me. I don't particularly care if you know him through the movie or the book but know him you must. And here's why. 
Sam Spade is a classic private eye figure, one of literary legend. He appears in The Maltese Falcon and a few other short stories. The Maltese Falcon was also made into an absolute classic of a film, more class than noir, and also it a comic series. Sam Sade is the father figure, figuratively speaking, for Columbo and Dick Tracy, two more smash hit figures of detective fiction. Both he and Sherlock have influenced more in detective fiction than you could possibly know. So to not know who he is is a bit of a crime if you profess to like any form of detective fiction, be it books, films, television series or comics. And I mean that seriously, from the heart.
That in itself should let you know why I recommend you read The Maltese Falcon. But I will also add more on its own benefits, literary history and impact aside. The Maltese Falcon is a brilliant piece of noir that has yet to be translated into another format without losing some of the noir elements. Sam Spade is a big bear of a man, a wily private eyes who smokes, drinks and gazes upon women as though they were lightning in a bottle. He won't trust any woman except his faithful receptionist, and even then he doesn't take her 'womanly intuition' and lives to regret it, at least in his heart. There are a series of femme fatales in his life, the most conniving of whom is the women he knows originally as Miss Wonderley. Add to this is a twisting web of lies and betrayal stemming from the theft of a treasure of unbelievable importance and value. Murder is, of course, the result. All the action plays out in brilliant colour and deep shadows, complete with tears and begging, clouds of cigarette smoke, pointed guns and long coats concealing weapons. All the men, bar one boy, have a touch of class in that they wear suits and hats while the women are dressed to the nines and forever guided by their emotions. There are also so many confrontations and twists to the plot that you're kept guessing right to the end. In short, The Maltese Falcon is a masterpiece in crime writing, starring a man of great importance to detective fiction as a whole and is one of the best classic noir pieces you'll ever read. So read it and enjoy the hard boiled goodness. 

I'd recommend this book to: those who love noir, classic crime, twisting mysteries, femme fatales and bruiser private eyes.

Allergy free pumpkin scones recipe


Ingredients
  • 3 cups Orgran self-raising flour
  • ⅓ cup Orgran gluten free gluten
  • ⅓ cup caster sugar (optional)
  • 125g Nuttlex
  • ½ butternut pumpkin, peeled, boiled and mashed
  • ½ tsp mixed spice

Method
  • Cream together the Nuttlex and sugar.
  • In a separate bowl, add the mashed pumpkin and stir through the mixed spice.
  • Combine both mixtures evenly.
  • Fold through the flour and gluten free gluten.
  • Gently mix into dough, using your hands.
  • Hand roll handfuls of dough to make the scones.
  • Place them on a foiled and greased baking tray.
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 210°C for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (cook time may vary according to how big you rolled the scones).

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Allergy free berry and banana coconut milk smoothie recipe


Ingredients
  • 200g mixed berries, juice included
  • 1 banana
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • ¼ cup water or ice

Method
  • Blend the banana and berries together until smooth. 
  • Add the coconut milk and water or ice, blending until combined.
  • Serve in a large glass.

Iconic dresses in the movies

Breakfast At Tiffany's - Holly Golightly's little black dress.

Gone With The Wind - Scarlet O'Hara's red gown.

The Seven Year Itch - The Girl's white dress.

Roger Rabbit - Jessica Rabbit's slitted red dress.

Pretty Woman - Vivian's red dress.

Star Wars - Princess Leia's white dress.

 Wizard Of Oz - Dorothy's checkered blue dress.

Atonement - Cecilia Tallis's green dress.

Sabrina - Sabrina Fairchild's black embroidered white dress.

Gone With The Wind - Scarlet O'Hara's red and white dress.

Basic Instinct - Catherine Tramell's little white dress.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Lorelei Lee's pinky purple dress.

Moulin Rouge - Satine's red gown.

The Addams Family - Morticia's tight black dress.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarves - Snow White's dress.

Sound Of Music - Maria's blue and white dress.

Mary Poppins - Mary Poppins' dress.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Allergy free passionfruit and banana coconut milk smoothie recipe



Ingredients
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • ½ cup water or ice
  • 1 banana
  • 175g can of passionfruit pulp


Method
  • Combine the coconut and water or ice in a blender.
  • Break up or mash the banana and add to the blender.
  • Remove the seeds from the passionfruit pulp by straining the pulp through a sifter. You will need to use a spoon.
  • Add the passionfruit to the blender.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Serve in a large glass.

Physical features in fiction: manga and anime eyes

The below images are often an example of multiple features but I've organised them according to their major aspects. Manga and anime styles have developed and expanded quite a lot since the early years so choosing the appropriate style when drawing is incredibly important for reaching your desired audience. Each style sets the audience up to expect a certain look, characterisation and series of events. This is similar to writing in a particular genre, in fact, when choosing a manga or anime style it is often the case that the range of styles available are limited by current genre trends.

Wide eyes

Innocent and doll-like eyes

Double or triple pupil lines


Glowing eyes



Narrow eyes


Flaming eyes

Slanted eyes


Sloped (downwards) eyes


Heavy lidded eyes


Glaring eyes

Lazy glaring or assessing eyes


Closed eyes


Realistic

Slit pupils

Small iris and pupil

Angular or square eyes


Shaded or dull eyes


Cross eyes


Covered eyes



Minimalist eyes

Round dots or eyes in shadow




Evil or bad guy eyes





Teary or sad eyes

Three eyes

Common colours not usually found in humans: 

Red eyes

Gold or yellow eyes

Black eyes

White eyes

Purple eyes

Pink eyes

Orange eyes

Silver eyes

Rainbow eyes