12 May, 2011

Cool rainy weather is good for one thing

The weather has been challenging recently. It's been up and down. I am thankful that we aren't walking around in coats, scarves, gloves and hats anymore, but I have struggled to get my clothing right. Just this week we had Tuesday at 25 -17 (I'm talking Celcius if you're wondering) and Wednesday was 17-14. That is a big drop. I don't like it either way, to be truthful. Suddenly getting hotter or suddenly getting colder, especially in that range. A sudden drop from the 30s down to the high 20s is fine, but jumping back and forth over the 20 degree mark is more difficult.

Pikelets. Some strangely shaped, but they all tasted great.
But, the advantage of a cold rainy day is that I felt like spending time in the kitchen (felt like lying down with a good book, but that wasn't an option). Here's the result - pikelets for afternoon tea. Now I know that is a good Aussie phrase. Pikelets are small pancakes, usually eaten with jam and cream. "afternoon tea" is the snack you have in the afternoon. It is what my boys are always clamouring for after they get home from school.

Our middle son's plate (before salad). He did a great job!
I also had a triumph in the dinner department. I cooked Chilli con Carne in my slow cooker. I guess this is what Americans call "Chilli". We ate it in a mexican-type fashion, with corn chips, sour cream, guacomale and salad. David and I like the meat on top of the chips with cheese etc, but have long known the boys don't like it that way. So we assemble everything at the table according to our desire. Us adults pop our plates in the microwave and very easily get the melted-cheese look that we love. Though I have to admit my 8 y.o. did a nice job of arranging his plate! 

Do the corn chips look strange to you? I don't think I've seen this shape in Australia - a small cone, like a tiny icecream cone shape. It is the first time I've used them. The shop I went to buy corn chips from only had the chilli variety of the usual sort, so these were the only alternative for the boys who aren't yet sophistocated enough to enjoy a chilli chip. I think I'll buy them again, though. They boys loved them. Put them on the end of a carrot stick and they look distinctly like rockets or spears...

Just wondering. When we're in Australia people sometimes ask us what we eat in Japan as a family. Would people be intersted in occasionally seeing a list here of what we've eaten over the past week?




2 comments:

Shirley Corder said...

PIkelets! Now that's a new one for me. We call them pancakes (UK influence. S.Africans call them flapjacks. Others (?Americans) call them crumpets. Who says International English is easy?

-J said...

I think a sample weekly menu would be fascinating. People in the States always asked me what I ate in Japan, and I finally said, "You would think it was Japanese, but Japanese people would think it was American, since it was basically American but greatly adapted." Definitely hard to explain, but a question people asked a lot.