Renee of The Pantry Review always comments how how consistent I am with my blogging. But alas, I've lately been missing in action and I would like to extend the fluffy chick of apology (Nous) to my faithful readers. I have so much to tell you but I've been distracted by The Off the Cuff Festival, a Melbourne Sojourn, How to be a Man and the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference. I vow to get back to writing and I would like to start by giving you a poultry update. Harriett, Rouge, Minuetto and Largo have now become gorgeous pullets and we expect to be setting the first eggs before Christmas. Though I was sad to see Souffle and Gertie go, I was really lucky to find a hobby farm home for my boys and they will now have a harem of gorgeous hens to attend to. 
It's now spring time and another gorgeous batch of chicks have arrived. These chicks are a range of breeds that include Gold Laced Wyandotte (Churchill is pictured above left), Silkie (Mullet is pictured above right), Plymouth Rock and Light Sussex. 
When we were deciding on breeds of chicken, my brother floated the idea of having a Silkie. I raised an eyebrow and said to him, "Dweeb, you know how everything can be mapped to circle theory? Far left and far right are the same. Elderly drivers attending the Caravan Camping and Touring Expo and teenage drivers attending Supanova are the same, shite drivers who drive the wrong way down, one way streets. However your chicken, doesn't fit on it. It's so stupid that you can't even tell the back from the front." "I've already named it," my brother replied. "What's that?" I asked. "Dandelion." I groaned as this request was coming from a 24 year old man. But still humoured him and Dandelion arrived. Sadly Dandelion didn't make it but for the brief time he was there, he made an impression and thus Mullet arrived. Mullet was actually named by a coworker, who jokingly referred to him as Moo-lay and thus the name stuck. It's hard not to love him, so for your viewing pleasure, here are some more photos for Mullet and Co. 
The little chick to the left is a Light Sussex named Blanca and ever noisy Churchill in the background. Churchill is actually quite anti-social and rarely quiet. In fact this bird, even peeps in its sleep! 
A final photo of Mullet and Co. Though you can't see him the other Light Sussex chick's name is Pippin.
I am weak and have succumbed to peer pressure. I am now available on Twitter which means you can stay informed about what kind of PG adventures I'm having when I am not eating food. Ooh La La!
For Jo the search of fine cuisine and the art of cooking was ingrained before birth. Born into a family of Chefs, she spent the greater part of her childhood in a kitchen and by age five knew chiming, "da har mei" (Cantonese for 'Big Prawn" as she was too young to know the word for Lobster) would yield an exquisite meal. By age ten she was already baking on her own but was encouraged to study hard and choose a career away from the kitchen.
Jo currently works in Marketing and in her spare time enjoys horse riding, training her delinquent Border Collie - Baci, cross stitching, studying and naturally cooking. The name, 'Eats Food, Hates You," is designed to be provocative and acknowledges the author's cantankerous nature. Jo hopes reading this blog will be akin an evening fueled by Vodka. Harmless at first and suddenly you will wake up somewhere unfamiliar ... preferably some kind of delicious patisserie or in your kitchen inspired to cook!
Last year was Cancer Council Queensland's 50th Anniversary so I decided to get involved with the Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an 18 hour long event that allows teams of up 10 people to raise valuable funds for their local Cancer Council. These funds will go towards research and resources to help those patients and their families fight their very personal cancer battles. One of my team's most successful fundraising strategies was to hold a bake sale. I ended up presenting a Red Velvet Cake and these very simple by tasty Lemon Polenta Biscuits from Taste.com.au. 
Then add two egg yolks, one at time to the mixture. Beat well with each addition. 
Then sift two cups of plain flour and one cup of polenta and beat until combined. Gently shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or until firm. When the dough is chill, roll it out on a floured surface until it is 5mm thick and cut out circles using a 6cm pastry cutter. Then take a palette knife and gently lift them onto the baking trays. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden and cool. 
Here are the finished product, all labelled up with my very simple branding. Please excuse the dates on the label as it clearly highlights how tardy I became in the later part of 2011. But I'll honestly try to be better with my updating as I only made one sweeping New Year's Resolution: to have my cake and eat it too!
