NOW I'M CROOK

I have a chest infection. The best thing for that is lemon juice, honey and ginger.

But I've developed an allergy to citrus fruit, mainly grapefruit and orange, so it's no citrus for the moment. The rash is clearing up, no grapefruit. The headaches aren't as bad, no grapefruit. Isn't it marvellous, the only things that grow in the garden are the citrus trees.

I went through another diet day unscathed.

My mother rang. She wanted to know who turned 60 last week, her or me. How that woman passed a mental assessment I don't know.

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS

This is big news.

I have managed to stay on a diet for twenty-four hours.

Why does one small pototo, half a small carrot, 2 Brussell sprouts, 1 shallot and 200 grams of Tofu look like it would feed a small family when it goes on a plate?

Another good day tomorrow then I have to shop on Thursday.

It will be tough.

Why don't cakes come with the kilojoules stamped on the bottom then I could cheat just a little.

It will be tough.

IT'S BECOMING FASHIONABLE

Keely Shaye, womanly, voluptuous with portable dessert.




Rachel, womanly curves ahead.



Stick Insect. Please feed.

A CONFESSION

I eat ice-cream when the Biggest Loser is on.

I feel so bad.

Like Hell.

HALF-WAY TO HEAVEN

This slice of yum is from here and an Order of Australia to whoever thought of creating a blog devoted to finding the best vanilla slice.

Why am I half-way to heaven? Because this particular slice comes from San Sebastian's in Hampton, just a slurp and a drooool from my doctor's office. It's really going to make visiting Hampton a trial. This is just across from my other favourite, the Bohemian Cake Shop.

Decisions, decisions. I shop tomorrow but it's supposed to be hot so do I cab it to Southland or leave early, catch a bus and detour to Hampton first?

I could really do with a treat. Allison Dubois says you should treat yourself and not leave it up to others to make you happy. Checked the weight this morning, 132.7kgs, not good but I haven't put any on so treat it will be. I hope it lives up to the hype, it's a long way for a slice or three.

DECADENT CHOC-ORANGE BROWNIES

Ingredients

250g good quality dark cooking chocolate, roughly chopped

125g butter, cubed

4 eggs

80g castor sugar

80g self-raising flour

1 tbsp Grand Marnier

100g Lindt Orange Chocolate, roughly chopped

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Melt the dark cooking chocolate and butter together, mix them and
allow it to cool slightly.

In a large bowl beat the eggs and castor sugar with an electric mixer
until just combine, then add the flour and chocolate/butter mixture.
Beat for five minutes or until it's thick and pale.

Add teh Grand Marnier and beat it for one more minute then fold in the
chopped orange chocolate using a metal spoon.

Spread the mixture in a 7in x 10 in lined baking tray and bake for
40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Let it cool completely before cutting it into squares and storing them in an airtight container.

Now this is delicious but the only trouble is getting all the ingredients together, that is at the same time under one kitchen roof before I eat/drink half/all of them.

Storing them in an airtight container does not work where I am concerned. An underground bunker behind two steel doors with a path littered with landmines would slow me down but not by much.

THE DAY OF WEIGHTING

130.8kgs
Don't look at the 800 grams, it's irrelevent, it'll go eventually but all hail and welcome to the 130's.

I've always had a lot of time for Dr. Rosemary Stanton but she's wigging out a bit these days.
Her latest theory is that we should go back to wartime food rationing as she thinks a 1940's diet could control the epidemic of obesity afflicting Australia.

Now the typical wartime weekly diet was:
Meat: 900g
Butter: 450g
Sugar: 450g
Vegetables: Unlimited

Today's typical weekly diet:
Meat: 1.9kg
Butter: 1.1kg
Sugar: 1kg
Vegetables: less than 600g

I suppose she means 1kg of sugar not just in the sugar bowl but in all the processed foods as well. I would buy 1kg of sugar every 6 months for the pantry.

Dr. Stanton says, "There was very little incidence of heart disease or diabetes during the war years, and obesity was almost unknown."

Probably because people didn't look for heart disease, diabetes killed early and obesity was just called fat and nobody took much notice. There was a war on, don't you know.

It would be nice if we could go back to growing our own vegetables, fruit and kept chooks in the back yard but who's going to look after them. Working mothers in their few spare minutes not being superwomen, working fathers, wearing a light on their heads as they weed in the dark, or maybe use the kids as slave labour as a break from a homework load that would break a professor's back.

Okay maybe a bit exaggerated but people don't have the time available these days nor do some have the ability to grow edible stuff. The fruit trees around me produce without help but everything else I've tried to nurture has withered and crawled away to die in some dark corner. My greatest triumph, six cherry tomatoes in seven years of growing the rotten plants.

Nice try Dr. Rosemary although I'd really like to try the recipe for chocolate cake that substitutes pureed prunes for butter and eggs, reducing the amount of fat to 1gm in a slice compared to 80gms in a normal cake. A pureed prune chocolate cake, sounds so yummy, praise the Imodium and pass the toilet rolls.