Three Men, Me, and a Baby

Nope, this is not a post with the skinny on polygamy, nor the sum-up of an 80s comedy.

It is about this week - and my brothers-in-law visiting to investigate business opportunities down in the Mosgy. As it turns out, like my dadio's, their visit has proven a chance to hang out - that's my dearest (Haki), my two sisters' husbands, Esky and me. (The Scotty is otherwise engaged...chortle).

Highlights thus far:

• Seeing the men my sisters have married play Unc' to Esky with a genuine interest in her. This is the first time they've met our babe. I like this photo, because I think it looks like Nat (Mariah's man) is being chased by paparazzi. That, or like he's snatching my baby. Either way, there's an energy about it.

• The "getting to know you" stuff (name that musical). It's been awesome to get to know these two special gents even better. This has also included them getting to know me better - manifest when I awoke to find my kitchen cupboards rearranged as a practical joke...they found my Achille's heel.
  
• Hearing Tim (Erika's love) praise Mosgiel and Dunedin; "You can't just pick herbs at gardens in Wellington"..."The shopping trolleys are better in Dunedin"..."I'm loving this weather!" Here he is with the Mollywood sign - which he and Nat discovered has had barbed wire added to discourage photo shoots.
  

• Viewing the photos the boys took when they borrowed my camera. Nat and Tim love a) cameras and b) posing. It's awesome. The result? Photos like this:
  

• Family Home Evening - "Popcorn Popping" takes on a whole new magic when there are three adult men performing for a baby in my lap. We then watched a Liken DVD for the lesson, had Crème brûlée for the treat, and the activity was...
  

• ...playing Scattergories - which deserves a bullet of its own, for sure. Tears of laughter, I tell you, tears. Forget this bullet business, I need to list within this list!
  

Answers I can't believe they scored for (after debate): "Frogs" for "Hobby" and "Freaks" for "Things that grow" (Haki further supported this assertion by saying, "They come out at night and they grow").

Answers I can't believe I got away with: "Kangaroo" for "Pizza Topping".

Answers I can't believe they disputed: "Nape" for "Body Part" - because someone else had "Neck", and they wouldn't let me take "Kinkiness" for "Things I'm afraid of".

Answers I can't believe struck out: For "Four letter words" Tim and Nat both wrote "Ants". Best friends, I don't know.

Best overall game moment: For "Desserts"....Angela: "Apple Crumble", Tim: "Arabian...oh wait....Desserts!"



I'll close with a revelation; while an Estate is "Something [I'd] save for", Haki is apparently working on an "Elevator" fund I don't know about.


P.S. Would you dispute "A. J. Hackett" as an answer for "Athlete"? I did well to have any answer for that category, let alone one I thought was appropriate. Tim was the only one who had my back on this one...although he added, "I don't know who he is, but based on what you're all saying, I agree with Angela".

Crème Brûlée for Dummies

3-4 years ago Haki and I had a chef teach us how to make this in mug-bottoms. We were impressed, to say the least...and replicated the recipe for 6 servings within the week....consuming the bounty alone. Lately I've had an unusually strong craving to rekindle my relationship with this dessert...thus the ramekins' purchase at the latest $3-bag sale. I only found two that matched, and bought 'em smartly, along with three ramekin-like 30c mugs - all at Sallies. I think equipment is the biggest thing stopping people from making these - but it shouldn't! I made this recipe for 6 and placed it into 2 ramekins and 3 mugs...no blow-torch.

Based on this recipe, here's my variation; Crème Brûlée for Dummies:

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons Hershey's Hot Fudge (in a jar)
6 egg yolks, chilled
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups cream, chilled
4 tablespoons granulated sugar, for topping

Method:

1. I keep my eggs at room temperature for baking, and so placed 6 in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes while I completed steps 2-3.
   
2. Preheat oven to 135 degrees C. Check one oven rack is in the centre position and another is placed as high as possible (allowing space for a roasting dish on it). Butter six (1/2 cup) custard cups or ramekins and set them into deep, newspaper-lined roasting dish (a glass dish is better for even temperature, but I don't have one).
3. Spoon a dollop of fudge sauce into the bottom of each dessert dish. When we made this with the chef-friend we drained canned pears and arranged two in the base of each dish. You can pretty much put anything you want in the bottom...I went with "Fudge Surprise" this time.
4. Boil a full electric jug of water.
   
5. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Add sugar and mix until dissolved; mix in cream, then pour mixture into prepared custard cups.
   
6. Pour the boiled water (still hot, but now cooled down some from boiling) into the roasting dish so that the water level comes up to the height of the custard in the ramekins/mugs. Top up with water from the tap if necessary. (See my fudge peeking through?)
7. Place in the oven on the central rack. Begin checking from 30 minutes. If you nudge the roasting dish with an oven mit the custard in the centre of each small dish should move, but appear to hold like half-set jelly. The sides should look firm and stiff.
   
8. Remove from the oven. Switch oven to grill and 250 degrees C. Spoon a generous amount of sugar on top of each dessert. Return to the top tray of the oven for approximately 2 minutes. (This step replaces the blow-torch step - for others who lack one laying about the house.) I keep the door open and watch at this point - as I want only the tops to cook from the radiant heat, not a boxed, hot oven cooking the entire cups further...plus - you can't see otherwise - they're so high.
   
9. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled to room temperature.
10. Serve. (I don't chill 'em, I eat 'em warm...and I like it.)

(It's worth checking out the link - as it includes how to adapt your method if you only have a casserole dish, along with a few other nifty details.)

Dear $3-bag Sales,

It's all your fault.

See you soon,
Me.



Vintage romper. Love.


Remind-me-which-side-I'm-meant-to-feed-on-next-ring. Awesome.


Oooo....Miso Soup spoons. Or other soups. Ooo.


And here's a close-up on some of the sweet, sweet details of Esky's new-to-her, just-washed quilt.

Hello you, Poppa-roo

For the past week my dad has been down in these parts to explore some business opportunities further. He of course managed to make some time for leisure.

It was comforting to know my pops still...

• plays two bars of the only song he knows every time he sees a piano;
• loves kids...even if they're afraid of him;
• has competition in him...although this trip, in all the games of Zarahemla he played, I don't think he won a single game. Oh wait, in his defence, he did beat an 8-year-old; an 8-year-old that was distracted by a movie playing in the adjacent room who was loaded full of post-tonsil-removal meds. Aw, Dadio. Teasing aside, this scene was a lovely reminder of my father's incredible patience. He would just sit and wait while his opponent watched for 5-10 minutes, then turned back to the board to say, "Is it my turn?" My dad would slowly reply, "Yeees." The same virtue was manifest when we stumbled upon a $3-bag sale at Sallies and he took to the buggy wheel to keep a just-immunised Esky amused.
  
• listens when I talk...and talk...and talk. This trip included some pro bono counselling for my CNP;
• claims all babies look the same. Yup, Esky's grandpa, that sure does look like your, "all-babies-are-the-same-face":
  

It was so nice to have you, Dad. You're a legend.