come on, make that pav!

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Rachel Dinger under America, Australia, Culture, Food, Friends, Memories, Photos

The Australian pavlova… the one dessert I never got enough of, while overseas, and never had a lesson in, until the very end of my time there. As a result, when I try to make it here in the U.S., I start consulting multiple recipes and quizzing all my friends for their opinions on how to make it. Remember, Aussies have slightly different ingredients AND measurements than Americans, so nothing I do here will be exactly like we did there.

My impression, after multiple discussions with friends, is that every Aussie has their own perfect way of making one… or they admit defeat, and don’t make it at all. Maybe it always falls flat (though I don’t even know how that works, yet), or maybe they’re half American, so they were raised on a different combination of desserts. But another friend insists that there is no wrong way to make a pav. So, obviously, it takes all types to make a world. Even in Oz.

For my birthday, I decided it was time to make another attempt at pavlova. Not that anything was wrong with the last one, except technically, it wasn’t pavlova. They do say that it has to have cornstarch (cornflour, if you’re an Aussie) in it, to make it a pav. But as I’ve done more reading on the subject of the ins and outs of pavlovas, maybe it really was one, after all. The difference between a meringue and a pavlova is supposed to be that a pav is hard and crunchy on the outside and marshmallow-y soft on the inside, while meringue is hard throughout. So, last time, I thought I did, and then I thought I didn’t… and now I think I did make one, after all. : )

If you are already looking for the recipe, I haven’t written it yet, so I think I’ll include it at the very end. So, if that’s all you want, scroll straight to the bottom of this page. You see, as I said, I was working from two recipes, tons of online advice, suggestions from my mom, and a little intuition thrown in. In addition, I had to translate the temperatures and measurements, too.

My original recipe, which my friend Imogen sent home with me, was printed off of taste.com.au, and is listed as a “Traditional Pavlova Recipe”. It doesn’t call for cornflour. For my second recipe, she e-mailed me the link to aussie.info.com. I did lots of flipping back and forth from one to the other, trying to decide what to do.

One problem is that Aussies use caster sugar (Americans don’t have this, except perhaps in a specialty store), which seems to be like granulated sugar that’s been blended slightly finer, but not as fine as icing sugar. In the end, we picked up a box of 4x confectioner’s sugar, which is probably too fine, but who cares? It’ll blend nicely into the egg whites, and it’s sugar. Adapt to the ingredients you have, especially if you’re too lazy to blend the sugar in the food processor.

When I began to dig out the ingredients, I practically had to climb into the cupboard, trying to find the cream of tartar, which was hiding in a small container,behind everything else. One recipe calls for it, and the other does not. One recipe explains that cream of tartar helps increase the volume of the egg whites, and gives the pavlova a crunchier crust. So, I thought, it’ll probably help, so I included it.

Remembering that I hadn’t messed it up the first time, so I couldn’t really ruin it this time, unless I did something completely ridiculous, I began my pavlova. I’ve never had any trouble with separating egg whites from egg yolks, so I quickly did that, and threw them in the mixing bowl. By the way, one recipe called for 6 egg whites, the other for 4-6. I think the 4-6 one was tailored more towards 4, so the measurements were a bit different. I went with six, and decided I’d swing with it. One recipe called for a pinch of salt, the other for a pinch of cream of tartar, so I used both.

My first recipe has my friend’s handwritten note that “Typically, in most Aussie pavs, you would use 1/4 cup caster sugar for every egg white – beat until no longer grainy”. So, it’s likely that their caster sugar is grainier than my powdered sugar, and you have to stir longer. And those cups mentioned are in Aussie measures, so I figured my 1 1/2 cups of sugar would work nicely with my 6 eggs. No, wait, one recipe called for 8 ounces of it… so I may have gone with that. Either works. I gradually added the sugar, vanilla, and white vinegar, though I think I saved the vanilla for the very end. It doesn’t really seem like vinegar and vanilla would go together.

Recipe #2 says to lightly fold in the cornstarch. This is where I needed a lesson on folding, from my mom, because I’ve rarely done any recipe that calls for it. The idea of gently stirring, in order to keep it from deflating, strikes me as very odd, but then, I’m using to stirring cookie dough. So, very carefully, I folded in the cornstarch, wondering what would happen if I stirred it too hard. Would it just evaporate before my eyes? That must be what my friend meant about it “falling”.

Also, in Australia, with no everyone having air-conditioning or insulation in their homes, I’m guessing that some of the issues may come with the fluctuation of temperatures inside the house. Even when our AC isn’t running, the house takes a while to change temp, so there isn’t usually any trouble with cooking projects reacting to heat and humidity.

Once the egg whites were ready, I put parchment paper on my cookie sheet, so that I could easily move it to a decorative plate, later. The first time, I didn’t do very well at getting the mixture in a circle, and hollowing it out to make room for the whipped cream. Of course, that time, I overwhipped the cream, so there wasn’t as much of it. But this time, I kept my circle smaller and piled it higher, in order to make a deeper hollow inside. And wished I knew, in detail (with pics), how my friends do it, and what it looks like when they’re making it. : ) Recipe #1 also calls for making “furrows” up the sides. I’m still working on that part.

After much debate over the oven temperatures and timing, we put it into our convection oven. If you have a gas oven, the recipes call for starting with 400°F, and then dropping it to 250°F after ten minutes, and then baking for an hour. I see now that my first recipe calls for even lower temps. But if you have an electric oven, you start it at 250°F and bake for 1.5 hours. Final notation says that if you have a fan-forced oven (convection), then you “adjust accordingly”. Great, so we make it up as we go along. Eventually, we settled on preheating to 250°F, then dropping it to 235°, and baked it for an hour.

Though it was completely done, the outside of the pavlova wasn’t as crispy as it should’ve been, and the inside a bit soft, so I think I’ll bake it longer, next time. My brother has volunteered to eat any more than I want to make, for practice. : )

When it’s baked, you turn off the oven, leave the oven partially ajar, and let the pav cool in the oven. I believe this is because if it gets cool TOO suddenly, it will fall. So, another case of possible “falling” that I have yet to experience, so I’m not quite sure what it would look like, if it did.

After the pav was almost cool, I brought it out of the oven to finish cooling, transferred it to a pretty plate, and cut off the excess parchment paper. It moved very easily, with the paper under it. Then, I prepared to make the whipped cream. The recipe calls for 300 mLs of thickened cream, so I used a pint of heavy whipping cream (which is ~470 mLs, I think). This time, I measured it out, but next time, I’ll just use the whole container, because you can’t have too much whipped cream. Also, I need to mix it slightly less, so it will be a little softer.

Recipe #2 doesn’t have any description of how to make the whipped cream, so I ran with what recipe #1 said. I beat the cream, 1 tbsp of confectioner’s sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla together. Then, I carefully filled my pavlova, spread it evenly, and decorated it with blueberries and strawberries. We forgot to get a kiwi, or we would have added that, too. And I don’t know if you can even get passionfruit, here in the U.S. (it would probably cost a LOT), so that couldn’t be included. But I’ve seen pictures of pavs with pomegranate seeds on top, too. Raspberries would probably be marvelous, as well.

In the end, the pavlova looked beautiful. So, on to the taste test. When I cut the first slice, I found that the outer crust was softer than last time, and gave no resistance to the spatula. It didn’t hold together very well on the plate, either, so I had trouble getting any photos that didn’t look like a pile of white fluff. My family were all surprised at how light it is, like dining on air, and eating more than one piece didn’t feel like overeating. But despite any criticism that I make of it, with the intention of improving the next one, I think it was delicious, too.

I love how the sweetness of the pavlova, which really is almost the consistency of a marshmallow on the inside, contrasts with the whipped cream. You don’t have to put sugar in the whipped cream, but if you do, there’s so very little, that you just taste creamy wonderfulness in it. And the fruit gives it a punch of flavor, unlike the sweetness and cream of the rest. And getting the crunchiness into the outside of the pav is my goal for next time.

But again, six of us polished off the whole thing in a matter of minutes. And as we joked, if you’ve met my brother, he doesn’t eat four slices of any dessert, just to be polite. And though it was suggested that I could make lemon meringue or key lime pie next, I’m afraid I shot down that idea, because I’ve never liked either desserts, particularly. Oh, I try them now and then, but I’m not a big fan of lemon or lime in desserts, I’m not exactly sure why.

So, thanks for staying with me for this whole extended description of my latest baking expedition. This is what my compilation pavlova recipe would end up looking like, though you can feel free to vary it as much as you like. Remember, this is an Aussie traditional dessert, only slightly revamped for Americans. : )

Rachel’s Aussie-American Pavlova

6 egg whites

8oz confectioner’s sugar, 4x (or caster sugar)

1 pinch cream of tartar

1 pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp white vinegar

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until it forms stiff peaks. Gradually add sugar, beat until sugar is no longer grainy. Add salt, cream of tartar, vinegar, and vanilla, one at a time. Lightly fold in cornstarch.

Pile mixture into a circular shape, on parchment paper, on a cooking sheet. Build up the sides into walls, with a lower, “hollow” center. Make furrows up the sides, if you like. Bake until crunchy on the outside.

Electric oven: Bake at 250°F, for 1.5 hours

Gas oven: Start at 400°F, bake 10 minutes, then lower to 250°, bake for 1 more hour.

Convection: Bake at 235°F for 1 hour, 15 minutes (varies).

Let pavlova cool in the oven, with the door ajar. When cool, fill with whipped cream and decorate with fruit.

Whipped Cream

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar (optional)

1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream, sugar, & vanilla until soft peaks form.

I hope you’ve enjoyed going on this pavlova journey with me. My thanks to all the friends that have given me recipes and made suggestions on how to achieve the perfect pavlova. All measurements and temperatures are American, so be careful, if you live anywhere else. : ) I hope more of my American friends will try out this recipe, and learn to love it as much as I do!

birthday bits-n-pieces…

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Rachel Dinger under America, Family, Food, Friends, Photos

Whenever anyone asked me if I had big plans for my birthday, I didn’t have anything “exciting” to tell them. In the days leading up to it, I went dress shopping with my mom, which was my birthday present. The day before, I saw some friends, and had coffee with them. And for my birthday itself? Aside from dinner and dessert, I really had no plans.

I admit it, I slept late, and really enjoyed checking all my FB messages on my Kindle. I don’t care if FB has to remind someone that it’s your birthday… I’m forgetful with own family’s birthdays, so how do you remember everyone else’s? Every kind message is appreciated, even if it’s early or late.

After enjoying my lunch at Zaxby’s, I lazed about, just a bit, trying to finish re-reading Pegasus, by Robin McKinley. Why, oh why, do we have to wait another year for the next one? But that book is even more marvelous, the second time around.

Finally over my lazy spell, I got down to business. While my mom was working on making chicken and dumplings, I had plans to make an Aussie pavlova. You’ll find more details in one of my next posts, because I can’t put it all in here. Working from more than one recipe and tons of advice, I was still slightly playing it by ear… but it still came out great.

I tried out one of my birthday dresses, a very colorful sundress, and enjoyed wearing it all day. And when I started to cook, I borrowed one of my mom’s aprons, so I would keep my dress nice and clean. I have a tendency to just wipe my hands on my jeans, when I’m cooking, normally. I know, dreadful. But aprons are made to go with dresses, even more than with shorts and jeans, wouldn’t you say?

My self-portraits were taken using the timer on my camera, and I had trouble getting it to focus. But I didn’t go get anyone else to take them, because I never end up getting the shot I want. I almost got it, this time, but why wouldn’t that crazy camera focus? The blurry one is my favorite one of my dress, actually, though you can’t see my face very well. And the apron shots were fun to try and get, even if the timer noise was annoying to some people. : )

But you know how every little girl loves being in a pretty dress, with ruffles, and wants to twirl, twirl, twirl? I think that feeling still lingers with any grown woman, who’s wearing a dress they love and feels pretty and feminine in it. I didn’t twirl, but I’ll admit to wanting to wriggle with excitement (just like a little kid), whenever I looked down and saw the ruffles on my skirt.

My friend Courtney joined us for dinner, right after I finished putting the fruit on the cake. It only occurred to me later that since we couldn’t find any candles, we never actually remembered to sing the birthday song. And before there’s any confusion, my issues with being sung to have always been in public, not with my family. So, while it didn’t bother me that we forgot, I love it when we sing it at home.

The dumplings, the favorite birthday dish for my baby brother and I, were delicious, as always. Courtney had never tried them, but soon learned how marvelous they are. If you’ve never had them, they are a bit like buttermilk biscuits, but slightly softer, and cooked right on top of the gravy.

When it was time for dessert, suffice it to say, it was a success. I had no Aussies here to tell me if it tasted right, or anything, and I know it needs to be cooked a little longer, next time. But my brother wolfed down four pieces, and he doesn’t usually overeat.

It was a lovely, relaxed birthday. Everyone should be able to have a party-less birthday, once in a while, just enjoying being with their family and taking it easy. Thank you again for all the birthday wishes!

international festivities at clemson…

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Rachel Dinger under America, Australia, Clemson, Culture, Friends, Performing Arts, Photos

A year ago, if I had walked onto Bowman Field during the International Festival, I wouldn’t have known a single person there. Of course, a year ago, no one would have told me about it, and even if they had, I’d have been too chicken to go amongst all the college students, by myself. And probably, some smart aleck is going to tell me that this discussion is moot, because one year ago, I was still in Australia. Let’s not be picky, whoever you are. But since you mentioned it, there wasn’t an Aussie table at this festival, so I didn’t get any pavlova. Le sigh.

But this year has been different. I know quite a number of Clemson grad students who are from a range of countries, and one of them was nice enough to tell me about this festival, and suggest that I come. After that, several other students told me about it, and I figured it was a good weekend to attend two festivals, one in Pendleton (Spring Jubilee), and one in Clemson. And it was a gorgeous weekend for both!

When I first arrived, I did quite a bit of wandering, checking to see what countries were represented, but not really sure what I should try. Eventually, my problem was solved when I started running into people that I knew. After asking for a recommendation, my first friend suggested that I try something that he made, called dhal vadai. Yes, I made sure I took pictures of the descriptions, as well as the foods, because you can be sure that I would never remember their names, later.

After Duminda promised me it wasn’t spicy (I still looked at him askance, because my siblings and I don’t agree on what counts as “spicy”), I tried one. And I’ve been looking up all these foods on Wikipedia (just so you know), to make sure I don’t say anything COMPLETELY ridiculous about them. This one was savory and shaped like a fritter, and really good. If the paper hadn’t listed lentils as an ingredient, I would have guessed it had corn in it. And he didn’t lead me on, it wasn’t overly spicy, so I survived (don’t laugh, ask me some other time about how Indonesian spices and I got along, many years ago).

I did stop to look at the Libya booth, but didn’t see my acquaintance from there, so I kept wandering. And found several people I knew at the Nepalese booth. Naresh promptly asked me if I wanted to try something with peppers in it, and I demurred, so he suggested that I try a samosa dumpling, and then for dessert, lal mohan.

While I was eating the dumpling, I talked to another friend and tried to make small talk with her toddler, but he just frowned at me. Too bad we didn’t have more time, toddlers and I usually get along really well. I think it was past his naptime. I wish I had taken a picture, though, he was too cute.

I told Sabina that the samosa tasted a bit like chick peas, but I hadn’t recollected that the sign didn’t have chick peas (garbanzo beans) listed on it. It had a flavor like the white chili my family makes, which has cumin in it. I should’ve asked if they put any in it. But maybe the cilantro combined with the peanuts tricked me into thinking there were chick peas in it, because it did have a bit of crunch to it, and a great flavor.

The lal mohan looked a bit like a doughnut hole, and IS made of a deep fried dough (different type of dough, or so I’ve read), and soaked in a sugary syrup. It might have had cardamom in the syrup, as I think it had some spice to it. I love cardamom in my tea and fruitcake, so this is a good spice for me. : ) It was VERY sweet, but a nice contrast after the dumpling.

There was a mile-long line for the kabobs at the Turkish tent, and though I would eventually come back to the dessert, for the time being, I kept going. I found someone else I knew at the next table, where they offered me a beef burek. This was a meat-filled pastry, and tasted wonderful. I should’ve gone back for another. But when I remembered to take a picture of the label, one of the guys commented on how I should have pictures of people, and not just the food. I asked if he wanted me to take one of them, and he backpedaled.

But as I walked away, I took one anyway. I’m just not very good at making people pose for pictures, especially if I don’t know them very well. I think he saw me do it, though his buddies didn’t notice. I think it came out well, because this booth didn’t have a tent over it. The rest of the tents didn’t let in a lot of light, so you couldn’t really see anyone at work over the food or their pots and grills. Wonderful sunshine-y day, great for photos… have I mentioned that yet?

Oh, I couldn’t figure out which country this booth was for, because they didn’t have a sign. Somebody suggested it might be Bosnia, but I wasn’t sure. But you know what? Photos are wonderful things. While going through them, I discovered that their table had a flag on the front of it (two pictures above this). Just have to match the flag, and that would make this the table representing Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This was a day for figuring out where several other acquaintances of mine were from, for the first time. Some of them were surprised to find I didn’t know they were from Sri Lanka or Nepal. But even if I know most of their names, I still don’t immediately ask for their country of origin. That would be nosy and/or unnecessary. They might as well ask me the same question, and then I can tell them my cousin’s rigmarole about a German pirate and an Irish chick. Or was it an Irish pirate and a German chick? I’ll have to ask him.

Back to the Turkish tent, I was confronted by four or five dessert choices, and had no idea what to choose. I didn’t think I needed excessive amounts of dessert, so I just picked one. So, I received a small plate of semolina pudding. Now, while it resembled apple sauce (though it was too thick for that), and the coloring of it looked like it could be just solid brown sugar, it wasn’t like either of those.

Semolina is a wheat byproduct, from milling durum wheat, which has a texture similar to American grits. I can attest to that, because I had expected something softer, but semolina gives you more to chew on (as does grits). In a good way, before any of you remember my opinion on grits. : ) This was very sweet and rich… and I was stuffed, when I had finished it. As much as I would have loved to try some more food, I didn’t have any room left, so I didn’t end up using all my tickets.

At this point, some of the dancing began. Some of my acquaintances among the grad students are from Nepal, so they were all front and center to watch their friends do a Nepalese dance. I missed the introduction to this one, so I can’t be more specific than that. It just looked like a lot of fun, and both the dancers and the viewers were really enjoying themselves.

By the way, I really did try to cut back on the dancing photos, but I liked so many of them! They were having such fun, and despite that pole being in my way, I think a lot of them turned out well. Such a sunny day meant I could take dancing photos with no blur! Hooray!

When the first dances were done, I went a-wandering for a while, and checked out the flags that were planted all along the side of Bowman Field. I did go even further than that, going into the Carillon Garden, but those pictures can wait for another time.

While waiting for the next group of drummers and dancers, I spotted a little girl happily banging away on a drum that was as big as she was. She was just precious, and really enjoying herself.

When the African Dance and Drum Troupe (I can’t remember the correct name of the group, sorry!) began to play, a little blonde boy (look for him in the green shirt, overalls, and bucket hat) kept running up to examine the drums… and then he would get intimidated by all the close-range drumming, and run back to his parents. But later, when audience participation was requested, and everyone began to clap, he joined in, and did a great job of it.

The drumming went on for quite a time before the dancers joined in, and then they really got things moving. I saw any number of people in the audience, from all different countries, that couldn’t stand still, because of the music. These all seemed to be countries where lively cultural dances seem to be the norm. I wouldn’t call American dancing particularly cultural, you know. And I’m mostly Pennsylvania Dutch, so I don’t think we have much of a rhythm gene. : )

But before long, one of the audience members couldn’t bear to sit out the dancing, any longer, and joined in with gusto! I’m not sure exactly where he’s from, nor do I know who he is… but I know who he was sitting with and talking to, so I’m going to find out. This gentleman brought the house down, and it was a joy to watch.

And boy, did those drummers enjoy having another dancer up there. The girls were out in the audience, trying to search out volunteers. They even tried to drag one of the grad students up there, but he wasn’t having any of it. : ) They found some others, before long, though. Until then, they joined in with the gentleman dancer, and had a high old time of it.

After the dancing was over for a while, some more people went up to try out the drums, some of whom I know. It was a beautiful day and everyone was having a great time. There were a few other small dances, with music from other countries, but I didn’t take any more pictures of them.

For a multicultural festival, this was a fun one, even if I didn’t have a group of friends to wander around with, this time. The last one I attended was in Australia, so I’ll try not to think about it, or I’ll get homesick. But there is something to be said for having some acquaintances on campus, to make you feel like you belong (somewhat). I suppose it’s another step towards getting to know the Clemson campus better than I ever did when I was growing up around here.

I keep finding the new (to me) and interesting side of things at Clemson, and sometimes, others help me to see it. So, I’m glad someone told me about it, and that I got to attend Clemson’s International Festival!

P.S. If any international blog readers or Clemson students notice anything incorrect that I’ve said about the dancing, the people, or the food, please feel free to correct me! I don’t want to leave any really obvious inaccuracies on here, you know. : )

a box from Oz…

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Rachel Dinger under Australia, Food, Photos, America

I got a box from Australia! Of course, I knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make the actual receiving any less exciting. Especially when you’re not certain of what exactly is in it. The Customs label said “Confectionery”, which sounded so much more enticing than having already known there would be candy inside. Of course, my Aussie friend would not write “candy” on there, because they don’t really use that word the way Americans do.

A month ago, I was going through another round of the “I Miss Australia” game, and then decided to post about it on Facebook. I announced that the first of my Aussie friends to send me a box with Vegemite and other Aussie specialties, they would get a box in return. I would fill mine with some American goodies, after I got some advice on what those might be (aside from the ingredients for s’mores).

Almost immediately, one of my friends asked for my address, and said she would send me something. SO exciting. Of course, my American friends, the ones that had even the slightest idea what Vegemite is, began to grunt and groan over the thought that I wanted some. Well, I can’t spread it thick on wheat crackers, like some of my Aussie kiddos did, but I definitely like it. It’s also a food that carries lots of memories. Many foods have memories attached to them, for me. I’m sure you have them, too.

Avocados are on that list, too. My brother learned to like them, while visiting some of my cousins, but no one else in our family does (yet). So, we get them from the grocery store, and no one fights us for them. It’s a great position to be in… the avocado monopoly. I gave up my turkey neck monopoly, a few years ago, by forcing my brothers to try it.

Of course, Matt scoops his avocados out with a spoon and arranges it in slices on whatever he’s eating. I use a knife to run several slices through half of one, and then squeeze the rind until all the green stuff comes out on my sandwich bread. That’s how I learned it overseas. But “that’s disgusting!”, they tell me. I will continue to eat and enjoy my “green glop” in my own fashion, however, never mind the critics.

I had some warning, the other day, that my box should be arriving soon, so I was thrilled to find it sitting on my bed, when I arrived home the next day. Of course, I grabbed my camera, and took it out in the living room, so I could take pictures and show anything new and interesting to anyone that cared. Thank you so much, again, Laura!

My box had an abundance of Cadbury joy, as you will see, along with a few other items. Of course, the tube of Vegemite was interesting, because I’ve always gotten it out of a jar. Squirting it onto your bread, I admit, it definitely looks weird. I had tried the Cadbury frogs and Timeout bars, before, but never had Fantales (which I think are chocolate covered hard toffee). The Cherry Ripe bar, I had never had, but I remembered that Aussies can’t live without their TimTams.

I had forgotten about the Nutella. We do have it over here, but rarely buy it. I was expecting the little Nutella containers to have biscuits of some type in them, to scoop up the hazelnut chocolate. It didn’t, so I scraped it out with my finger. Terrible, I know. My brother was quite intrigued, as he’d never had it, so we had a discussion of how it was probably made, though I don’t actually know the process.

Later that evening, I brought some of treats out to the kitchen, where my brother interrupted my taste test (which also involved taking pictures of everything). He was perfectly happy to join in trying everything. The Time Out bar tasted a bit like a Kit Kat, but instead of just plain old chocolate in the middle, it had a Cadbury Flake layer. Cadbury Flake bars are… squiggly bars made of squiggly lines of chocolate. Almost like thick threads that have been stuck together. I can’t figure out how else to describe it. I had to google a picture (credit goes to chocablog), in order to show you.

Tim Tams are cookie bars that come in many flavors, but I didn’t eat them regularly enough to get addicted. But I think that most Aussie are happily addicted to them. : ) The Cherry Ripe bar… well, I don’t like cherries. The funny thing is that I often like “cherry-flavored” candy, but I don’t think they actually taste like real cherries. So, cherry cough drops, cherry candy, those are fine. Bing cherries or maraschino cherries, not so much. So, I tried the Cherry Ripe bar, for the very first time, and liked it. Well, I didn’t adore it, but it was good. My brother liked it, too, and then I let him take the rest of the bar downstairs for my parents to try.

I think I will have to save Vegemite for another post, as I’ve been introducing it to my family, but mostly just enjoying it for myself. As you may have guessed, most of my treats are gone, now, with the exception of a TimTim and some Fantales. It was so sweet to have a bit of Australia to enjoy. I’ll get back to you when I start working on my return box. : )

love is a many-splendored thing…

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Rachel Dinger under America, Family, Food, Friends, Photos

Did you have a Valentine’s Day date? Well, if you mean the one where you (or do I mean I?) get dressed to the nines to go out with a boyfriend/girlfriend, then I didn’t have one. I had the better option. Alright, I’m not against Valentine’s Day dates, but if you don’t have a special someone to spend it with, how about spending it with several special someones? You know, like your family?

I have to admit, if someone had randomly asked me out on Valentine’s Day, it would’ve had to be someone I really liked or who was really in earnest (or something), because I knew the kind of dinner spread that was probably waiting for me at home. And since I was in Australia, last year, I had forgotten how my mom sometimes goes all out on this day.

Two of my brothers and I were home for dinner, and my poor cousin was seriously tempted to stay, but he still went to see his family. But come on, wouldn’t you have given into temptation and stayed? I joked with my mom that if a guy asked me out, I could bring him home for dinner instead. You know, meet the parents in one fell swoop… then, of course, they’d probably never come back. Who could take that kind of pressure, with the parents AND the brothers at the table. : )

It hadn’t actually occurred to me to get my camera out, at first. I was still in my gym clothes and tired from a long day, when I realized what was being suggested. Oh, and some crazy person had flashed their brights at me, three times, on the way home. So, we went and checked my brake lights and everything, but everything seemed to be fine. I wasn’t driving slow, either!

When it was mentioned that my brother in Florida might “have a fit” when he saw we were having shrimp cocktails without him, I went to get my camera. If that isn’t a good reason to take pictures, I don’t know what is.

It was so nice to finally dig into that cheesecake. It was sitting on the counter when I got home last night, but we weren’t allowed to have any yet. I know, I live such a hard life. It isn’t like I was deprived of dessert today, either, as my manager’s boyfriend brought us a cake. I’m still not sure what kind it was, but I think it was something like snickerdoodle pound cake, because of all the cinnamon. Really yummy.

And of course, we got the usual joy of watching the college girls bring my co-worker some Valentine cookies, while he laid the compliments on THICK (“the mere joy of your presence is enough for me”). The resulting chorus of “Awwwwww” from the girls was both funny and cringe-worthy. I resisted the urge to hit my head against the wall. He knows better than to try it on me, because I’ll either laugh or hit him. Ok, ok, if a nice guy said something like that to me, I wouldn’t be against it… especially if he said it like a normal person, not like he just fell off his white steed.

Back to dinner… I don’t like cocktail sauce, so I decided to enjoy my mustard and mayonnaise mixture with my shrimp, though I’m perfectly happy to eat them plain. This is a horrifying concoction, to those of my relatives that HATE mustard, with a passion. : )

So, what would we be discussing on such a loving, romantic holiday as this? Nothing more fun than getting into a discussion of the Cold War, Soviet Russia, the presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Ronald Reagan, and a lot of the history in between. What did YOU talk about on your date? Oh, wait, don’t tell me. It was probably mushy.

And to finish out my night, I finally remembered to open the Valentine that was sitting on my bed. My darling cousin sent it to me. Yes, aside from my mom’s splendiforous cooking, that was my only Valentine on this holiday. But you know what? I couldn’t ask for more than to spend time with my family and hear from my friends and relatives that I love. Could you?

P.S. The flowers aren’t mine, they’re my mom’s. : ) Didn’t my dad do a good job?

trying to make you hungry…

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Rachel Dinger under America, Family, Food, Friends, Memories, Photos, Travel

Oh, the deliciousness! When I got home from Australia, my mom cooked up a combo birthday meal for my brother and I, as his birthday falls 9 days before mine, and he was leaving two days before that. We usually eat a lot of chicken and dumplings, in April and May, because Joe and I tend to both ask for them for our birthdays. I’d show you a picture of the cake, but it was almost gone by the time I got my camera out, so there’s really no point.

But if you’ve read my posts about making buttermilk biscuits and gravy, there are some major similarities between that meal and this. The biscuits are more firm, and go into the oven, while with the dumplings, the mix is much more gooey, and goes right into the gravy, on the stove. With plenty of chicken and carrots mixed into the gravy, and soft, yummy dumplings to eat with it, do you wonder that it’s a favorite at our house?

With it being late spring, headed into summer, there’s plenty of fresh fruit to be gotten from the local farms and markets. The large bucket of strawberries just made me happy, and as delectable as they taste, I am really looking forward to blueberry season. But until then, we’re getting our fill of strawberries, running through a colander of them, every few days. When blueberry and blackberry season hit, though, I’m warning you, I’ll be taking pictures at the Happy Berry, down the road from Booger Branch (no, I didn’t make that street name up), for you to see.

Some of my favorite restaurants had to be visited, and since I didn’t have my camera, the first time, I retrieved it for having Chinese takeout, from the House of Leung. The owners know all of us by name, and will even ask us if we’re sure, if we order something that isn’t our “usual”. This day wasn’t any different, as I came away with my usual egg roll and shrimp fried rice.

When I was younger, I didn’t really like Chinese food, so my brothers and I would eat Cantonese boneless chicken and sweet-and-sour chicken, every time. But when I was twenty, and went to spend a month in Indonesia, I fell in love with nasi goreng (fried rice), though I had to make sure they made it “not hot”, or it would burn my mouth out. I came home with a willingness to try everything, in order to find something I liked as well. Now, I’ll eat almost anything from a Chinese restaurant, but I still tend to stick with my favorites. And if you’re a local, let me tell you, the prices are good, the meal portions are excellent, and there isn’t any MSG in the food.

Finally, the last time I was at Zaxby’s, I only had my phone camera, which didn’t do it justice, not at all. I will never figure out what kind of seasoned salt they put on the fries, I don’t like chicken fingers at any other restaurant, and this is one of only two places that I’ll eat their Ranch sauce or dressing (the other being Outback Steakhouse). I don’t know why their chicken, fries, and Texas toast taste so good, dipped in Ranch sauce, but they do. Some people swear by the Zax sauce, of course, but I leave it alone. I will say, from one time I was on a diet, their salads (or Zalads, as they spell them) are really good, too. If I could make myself order something besides the chicken finger plate, it would be their grilled chicken salad.

Yes, I know this is all about food, and I’m probably going to get grief from anyone with cravings, but the pictures have been collecting, so I wanted to get them out there. I’ll have more food pictures on the way, as while I’m traveling and visiting, I’ll be hitting a bunch of restaurants. But don’t worry, I’ll mix it up with other things, too.

Anyway, pardon me, while I get back to packing! I finished unpacking from Australia, in time to pack up, again. And to trash my room even further, as I go digging for things that are in the pool room. My guitar and duffel bags take up a good bit of room, even if I did get the suitcases out of there.

cruisin’ the memories…

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Rachel Dinger under Exercise, Food, Friends, Memories, Photos, Thoughts, Travel

One of my Aussie friends is on a cruise this week. I decided that I would not be jealous, as I was on a cruise just last October. Most of my friends should be allowed to go on at least one cruise… before I go on my next one. Because, for sure and certain, I plan to go on more than one cruise during my lifetime. Which is kind of funny, because during our time in the Bahamas, last year, we kept referring to our trip as a “once in a lifetime” trip. But that was more of a descriptive term. You can go on multiple “once in a lifetime” trips, during your lifetime, right?

But though my pal is floating around somewhere in the Pacific, and visiting places like Vanuatu, I’m remembering all the excitement and fun I had during my cruise to the Bahamas. So, if you’ll let me, I’m going to take a short walk down memory lane. Well, if you don’t want to let me… too bad.

In October of 2010, my friends and I went on a cruise with Carnival Cruise lines. Our ship was the Carnival Fantasy, and though not the newest of their line, it was plenty big and splendid for us. Almost too big, as my friends and I regularly got lost. Well, not lost exactly. I knew how to get to most places, but we could never remember which direction to go, when we left our room. So, more often than not, we’d come up in a section that we hadn’t intended, and that would screw up our travel plans.If you’ve never been on a cruise, then I highly recommend it. Ours was a five day cruise (I think), but two of my friends and I had to have the full week off, since we flew from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, in order to get on the boat.

We went to the Bahamas, where we stopped in Nassau and Freeport. If we’d done more planning ahead, maybe we’d have done more when we reached Nassau. Or maybe if we’d had more money. I swore to my friends that next time we go (there WILL be a next time), we’re going to swim with dolphins and do some other really cool things in Nassau. Anyway, we did some touring of Nassau, instead of going on any tours. That was fun, just seeing some of the sights, wandering the market, getting in a swim, and hanging out with friends. But since Freeport was supposed to be a lot smaller, with very little to do, we planned for an excursion.

The excursion of choice was to ride on a catamaran, an hour out into the ocean, where we’d be able to go snorkeling. I’d never been snorkeling before, and I definitely need some practice. But oh, the glorious views on the way there and back! When we reached the snorkel site, the strap on my mask would never stay where it was supposed to, so my mask was pulled way too hard against my nose. If I lifted my head out of water, it gave me a headache, but I still managed to forget and inhale water. So, I didn’t travel far, just looked around underwater. When I got out of the water, my nose was bruised, and it took several hours for it to go away. I guess I’m lucky it didn’t give me a black eye, though.

On-board the ship, when we weren’t trying to find our way to certain locations, we were trying to track down the rest of our group. As we neither drink nor gamble, we stayed away from the bars and the casino. But with international phone fees threatening, if we used our phones, we had to find each other the old-fashioned way. I know, dreadful, isn’t it?

So, if we lost people, we always found them at meal times, as we regularly ate breakfast and lunch in the same restaurant, and then at dinner, we had a special table in the dining room. For the first dinner, everybody was supposed to get dressed up for the Captain’s Dinner. After that, we could dress up if we wanted to. I chose to dress in sundresses for dinner, which was quite fun, as I don’t dress up a lot, when I’m at home.

As for the food, it was absolutely fantastic. And our waiters were phenomenal, as well. Every night, the menu was different, and they would bend over backward to get us anything else we wanted or needed. I’m afraid we ate WAY too much while on that cruise, as you couldn’t resist ordering dessert at the restaurant, and when you were in the buffet, you had to try things until you were stuffed to the brim.

I know I mentioned the waiters, but let me mention the room stewards, as well. You’ve never had such service, as you have when you’re on a cruise. Not all of the staff speaks English, or very good English, but it doesn’t matter. They are so friendly, and they’ll get you anything you ask for. We had our room completely cleaned, once a day, and straightened, another time on the same day. Twice a day, if we were out and about, they were cleaning up after us. And if we ran across them in the hall, they always had a smile and something friendly to say. I never saw even the hint of a frown from any staff member, the entire time we were on board.

Oh, and when they weren’t cleaning, or picking up our underwear (we had to put some of our clothes away, otherwise we’d come back and find our undergarments folded, on top of our suitcases), once a day, they’d make us a towel animal. Not every steward was really good at it, so at least one of us had an animal that we spent the whole week, looking at a picture of it, trying to figure out what it was. But for the most part, they were cute and fun. It was too bad that we needed the towels, so we had to take the animals apart.

When we weren’t in port, our travel days, to and from the islands, were known as “Fun Days”. On these days, the entertainment staff and activity directors were working their tails off, providing activities, shows, and many other things for us to do. I participated in at least one Amazing Race-type treasure hunt, and we ran ALL over the ship for that. I never joined any of the dance classes or karaoke sessions, but many people did. And in the afternoons, we headed for the back of the boat, to either lay out in the sun, or go on the water slides. Yes, they have two of those, though I avoided the blue one, after a while. You always got a wedgie, at the bottom of it.

On the final night, I finally discovered the adults-only section, and my friends and I hung out for an hour or so in the hot tub, and then went for more food at midnight. Yes, the Windows on the Sea buffet restaurant was open, 24-7, and they had special buffet stuff in the middle of the night. But I just went for the French fries or the calzones. We could’ve had any food we wanted, ordered straight to our rooms, but I didn’t want to put the staff to the trouble.

Of course, you should take it into account, if you have problems with motion sickness, but at least half the people on the ship were wearing a patch for that. And one of my friends that flew down with me, has major problems with motion sickness, so she had a supply of the patch, provided by her doctor. A good idea, because many people didn’t bring it, and needed to get it from the ship’s doctors. So, when the ship’s stash ran out, mid-trip, there were tons of people staggering around, as they went through withdrawal symptoms. I don’t have any problem with motion sickness, though. And the ship has… gadgets that compensate for the swaying, so it rarely rocks even the slightest. You can barely tell you’re moving.

My friends and I began to talk about going on another cruise, as soon as we left the ship. We were actually discussing going in 2012, but I haven’t heard a word about it since then, so I don’t know if that’s in the plans, still. But no matter, I hope to go on another cruise, by either ’13 or ’14. I’m hooked, and I don’t plan to stop now. It might have felt like “once-in-a-lifetime”, but I’m not settling for just once. No sirree.

So, in answer to the question you didn’t ask, do I recommend cruising? As Gaston once said, “oh, yes”.

Sing Like No One's Listening

Tag Archives: eating

come on, make that pav!

Rachel’s Aussie-American Pavlova

birthday bits-n-pieces…

international festivities at clemson…

a box from Oz…

love is a many-splendored thing…

trying to make you hungry…

cruisin’ the memories…

Rachel’s Aussie-American Pavlova

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