In which the Ghoti travels Pt1

Posted on by ghotiindustries

Adventures are always more fun with Himself involved, and he out did himself with the organisation of this one! As usual for us we both over estimated how much we could fit into each day and packed way too much. Both in clothing and activities! Oh why oh why are there only 24 hours in a day? And why do I need to sleep?

But just for you (or maybe me) I have taken notes, and photos in order to recreate it all for you!

First there was a plane.

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With the obligatory B movie reference.

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And we flew North to the land of sun and sand.

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In our first hotel we had this view. (Tough to take, I know.)

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I never quite got over how the beach just goes on forever into the horizon.

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The first theme park we went to was Seaworld. Where we went on rides,

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spent a lot of time taking photos of sharks both over water

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and from underwater.

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And possibly not quite successfully resisting

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buying toys. (Though this one still isn’t at his forever home …)

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There is still much more to come, so stay tuned!

A Travelling Ghoti

Posted on by ghotiindustries

Sorry for the radio silence all. I know my three faithful readers will have been glued to their monitors wondering what on earth happened to the little Fish and Himself. Well the holiday is now over, and wow do I have adventures to tell you!

But not right now. Right now I am catching up on laundry and sorting through hundreds of photographs and hours of video footage. Monday I will have a post for you all again.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Walking home from work

Posted on by ghotiindustries

Since being forcibly stopped from my jogging regime by debilitating shin splints back in April, I have missed it more than I can say. So it has been so wonderful this last few weeks that Winter seems to have disappeared! With the days stretching themselves back out I have begun walking home from work again.

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I have been able to stop an photograph the magnolias like I wanted to, though I think they really are confused and think it’s Spring! I hope there won’t be another cold snap!

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And being able to have this view on the walk home is truly magical!

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I love the fairy lights through the branches of the trees reflecting off the water through the boats.

We truly do live in a beautiful city!

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Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Posted on by ghotiindustries

I had this recipe saved as a favourite on my allrecipes.com phone app for the longest time, just waiting for the perfect opportunity and occasion to splash out. That occasion presented itself this weekend, and it was off to the Sydney Fish Market to pick up the juiciest piece of salmon we could find!

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2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of white wine
1 tablespoon of honey
100mls balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
6 Salmon fillets (approx 100-140g each) with skin on

Obviously we got 2 pieces at about 300g each.

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It’s summarised as “A glaze featureing balsamic vinegar, garlic, honey, white wine, and Dijon mustard makes baked salmon filets extraordinary.”

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat; add garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in the white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Take off the heat and add the oregano.

3. Arrange the salmon fillets skin side down on the prepared baking tray. Brush the fillets with Balsamic Glaze.

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4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush the fillets with remaining glaze. Use an egg slice to transfer fillets to a serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the tray.

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As you can see, I paired it with the current favourite of beans, asparagus & prosciutto. To drink we had a Pendfolds bin 128 2008 shiraz. (We were celebrating after all!)

I cannot fully describe to you how wondrous this dish is! It seemed seriously restaurant quality, and I kept having to remind myself that I had done it! Highly recommended!

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Comfort food

Posted on by ghotiindustries

With Winter coming to what seems to be an abrupt end, I have been stocking up on my favourite comfort foods while I still can. The other night I bought my favourite pre-made roast from Woolies; turkey with apple and cranberry stuffing.

To go with it I made a sweet potato bake, and bean and prosciutto salad. (I don’t care what it’s been, what is it now?) *cough*

*crickets*

I completely forgot to get process shots, but when served it looked so good I just had to share it with you all! This was the perfect Winter Warmer, even if the weather really isn’t that cold any more.

First the sweet potato bake. I buy the biggest sweet potato I can find, cut into reasonably small, thin pieces, and then bake until cooked with honey and sea salt. Once cooked I transfer to a ceramic baking dish, mix well with baby spinach and fetta (or ricotta if you so desire), then cover the whole lot in grated tasty cheese and bake until golden brown.

For the bean and prosciutto salad you will require beans, olive oil, prosciutto, an onion, garlic, and optional parsley and basil. This time I couldn’t find any fresh parsley or basil so I skipped it, but it is good if you can find it.

You cook the beans until they are just tender, but still crisp. Drain them and put to one side to keep warm. In a small fry pan heat the oil and then fry the prosciutto briefly until crisp then put to one side. In that oil then cook the onion and garlic until translucent. Cut up the prosciutto into small pieces and add back to the pan along with the basil and parsley. Then pour your dressing over your beans, toss thoroughly and serve hot in a bowl. Or in our case, on the side of the plate.

TA-DA!

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How far away is Summer again …? *pulls out the running shoes*