mobile blogging on Android

I wanted to test out blogging from my phone.

Trying straight from the browser, all I can do is input a title to the post.

It seems blogger has a few facilities for mobile blogging but it either invloves you smsing or you need a Sony phone or an icrap - err - iPhone (of course).

I'm now trying via an app I downloaded in the market. It is pretty basic but we'll see how it turns out.

(Although I need to get faster at typing before I would consider doing this often.)

Anyone else out there blogging on Android?

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First 2010 post - how sad

Ok, I had no idea it had been over a year since I posted. Really bad.

Well yesterday I stumbled upon a great little blog about an English girl living in Brussels with her boyfriend. Besides it giving me a really good laugh in places, her observations are remarkably similar to ours with regards to Belgian life.

It has also made me want to start writing again; Not so much for the two or three of you that actually read the blog, but because I know I will love to read all this again in the coming years.

So 2010 huh?

My main news for 2010 is that this little 'burb woman (me) has, against all odds and reason, been convinced to move into the dead center of town!

You can imagine this move was a terrifying thought for me as the center was really not my favourite place in Brussels. Despite being Belgian, as any burby, I would venture into town carefully, always with a distinct purpose and walk the streets avoiding tourists and holding onto my bag for dear life.
Ok, that is a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Well, contre toute attente, I actually like it here.

The thing that worried me the most on arrival, was the parking situation. I was pretty sure that I was never going to find a park or that I would have to resort to parking in a dodgy street and hope the car was still intact in the morning. Well provided I get home at the right timeslot, parking is a synch and only rarely must I venture as far as Place Rouppe to get a spot.

I keep my car pretty dirty intentionally and anything I leave in the car should do nothing to whets someone's appetite. Unless empty water bottles, plastic bags and a lighter is exciting these days. I have noticed a few scuff marks that weren't there before, but that's inevitable when parking in the street and it adds to the growing charm of my ageing crappy Ikea car ... err sorry Peugeot 206.

The gorgeous apartment we found is in a back building with a courtyard where a few other people from the building park their cars. There is really only room for three cars and while two of the spots are "reserved" already; the most awkward spot is not - Although one guy would disagree with this statement.
Everyday, we get ample distraction watching the life and times of our courtyard parking situation!

More on this another time.

Veal and spinach shepards pie

We have been chatting for a while about how much we liked Shepard's pie and I am ashamed to admit I had never made one before. So I thought it was time to give it a try.
When trying something new, I will generally do a search to find a basic recipe, grab the ingredients, and see what happens. Generally I improvise.

This time I landed on the Channel 4 webpage and Monsieur Gordon Ramsay's recipe.
(Nice little site actually, not only do you get the recipe, but also comments left by readers and a nifty little video that makes the whole process looks ridiculously easy and quick.
Trust me, Shepard's pie is not that quick to make. Though if you get your spuds cooking while you cook the mince, you can coordinate it all into about 30 mins. I made this in advance, and just popped it in the oven about 20 minutes before we wanted to eat.

Anyway, this recipe calls for lamb mince which is virtually impossible to find in Belgium, unless you go to a butchers and ask them to grind it for you. So after much deliberation, I opted for veal.

This is where Gordon's recipe went out the window. I wasn't too keen on adding red wine and garlic to veal mince. And because I'm on a mission to cram as much veg into my meals, I decided to add spinach.

So here's my version of veal and spinach Shepard's pie.
I followed Gordon's quantities, says it serves 4 ... err served 2, maybe 3.

• 500gr / 17.5oz veal mince
• 1 large onion, finely grated
• 1 large carrot, finely grated
• 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• 1 sprig of rosemary, needles chopped
• 300ml / 10 fl oz chicken stock
• 500gr / 17.5oz fresh spinach leaves
  
• 1kg / 35oz potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 50g / 2 oz butter
• 2 egg yolks
• Parmesan, for grating
• Olive oil
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 - Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas 4.

2 - Cook the potatoes in some salted boiling water while preparing the mince. When soft, drain and leave to one side.

3 - Fry of the mince in some hot olive oil over a high heat until brown.
This will help colour the sauce. Add in the grated onion and carrot and turn the heat down.

4 - Season and add in the herbs and cook for a few minutes.

5 - Add the chicken stock and cook on a medium/low heat until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

6 - Leave the mince to sit while you prepare the mash.

7 - Mash the potatoes adding 2 egg yolks, the butter and season well. I added parmesan at this point, but to be honest, you will need to add a lot of cheese before you can taste it. So if you are going for the slightly 'healthier option', skip the cheese here.

8 - Wilt down the spinach in a pan over a low heat. Don't forget the salt and pepper. Once it is wilted down, place in a sieve and let it cool down enough so you can take it in your hands.

9 - Squeeze out the excess water from the spinach, otherwise your pie will end up being very watery. Extract as much water as you can. Then chop the spinach roughly.

10 - Ready to assemble. In an oven proof dish (no idea of the size, medium, I guess) spoon the mince in the bottom, arrange the spinach in a layer on top of the mince, then add the mash.

11 - Here I followed Gordon's advice and grated the parmesan on top them fluffed the surface of the mash with a fork so it would get nice and crunchy in the oven.

12 - Place in the oven until brown and bubbling.

I wasn't convinced it would taste that nice, but the pie only served 2 1/2 maybe 3 portions and there was lots of mmming over dinner. So I guess it worked out OK.

If I manage to find lamb mince, I will definitely give the real recipe a try one of these days.

A new beginning

First post of 2009 - and it's .... April. How pathetic.

Ok so I have given up on the idea that I will ever finish writing up my posts on Japan. Maybe one day you'll get to see at least the photos as there are some really nice ones.

I really haven't been finding the motivation to write recently, maybe because I've not had a lot to say, maybe because I haven't found the time, but probably because I used to make the most of some quiet time during the day to write a few lines and there has been no quiet time to speak of recently.

I have been experimenting in the kitchen recently and I thought it might be nice to document some of my attempts.
Someone might be looking for inspiration for dinner one day and land on these pages.

I will not be detailing everything to the letter, as I strongly believe that in the every day kitchen, you have to improvise.

Please leave comments if you try them out...

Kyoto - Day 6 - Tofuku-Ji, Inari and Gion

I wake up this morning after 10 hrs of uninterrupted sleep. Bliss!!!
As we set out, very early, the sun is out and the sky is a glorious shade of blue. This morning we are visiting the valley of maples and the temple hidden in between the trees.

I am really excited about this morning, I am looking forward to the my first mineral garden. Many - including me at first - make the mistake of calling these Zen gardens, this is because they are most often found at representations of the Zen sects.

We visit the Tofuku-Ji temple first as it's quite small and as soon as the crowds arrive it will be difficult to appreciate the place.
On our way up to it, we are greeted by views over the Japanese maple valley which are breathtaking.




I spend a bit of time trying to take a good photo of the checkerboard sand but the sun is quite low so the light is far from ideal.






Ok, who stepped in the sand after it was raked down ?











Taking our time to stroll through the valley and click away from every possible direction, we are by this time not alone. Although this would annoy me greatly usually, for some reasons the Japanese are so quiet and respectful of the people around them, that is actually adds to the experience to watch them take photos of each other amongst the trees.










Leaving the shades of reds and oranges behind, we once again go back to the station for lunch. The three of us have felt like a nice Big Mac since yesterday so we make sure no one is watching and cross the road to the golden arches.


This is an area sreetmap. Very little road names in Japan, you find your way by finding the person's name on the map, compare the map against the nearest temple and hope for the best. It seems to work for them, but for us it is very confusing.






Next on the menu is Inari, a spectacular Shinto sanctuary. A long orange tunnel is created by the torii bought by corporations and individuals. The torii get smaller and smaller, but the walk up towards the mountain is stunning and the atmosphere is quite unique (if only J-P would shut up for five minutes!). This is our first Shinto site and it really is very different to the Buddhist way of things.









Before heading back down, we stop off at the gift shop - of course - to buy a few talismans for our loved ones and take some time to reads the wishes left by people on wooden fox heads. Some of the boards are decorated with quite some creativity.





We grab a bus to Gion passing by the world famous wooden temple of Kymizu-dera admiring it from afar. This started a huge debate as some were outraged that this temple was not on our list of places to visit.

Nor were we allowed to browse the over populated shopping street leading off from the temple. we were told, again, by J-P that shopping was planned in for the last afternoon of the trip! How frustrating as we rush past the shops spotting perfect gifts and knickknacks.









Two finally win over the guide and rush off to buy a few pieces of pottery they had spotted and really wanted. This gave Sis and I to discover a shop, so stunning in its pinkness we would have bought the whole shop. I grab the first three things I see and rush to hand over my Yen.


Entering into the Gion district, famous for Geisha spotting, we spot two. Click click click and then some. Before being told these are not real geisha and that it's as pretty popular thing for people to be dressed and made up as Geisha as a fun day out! *Groan*









The area is well worth a visit as tea houses are plenty each with their own courtyard garden.











The evening is spent in tourist central, seeing a show actually created for tourists.
Enough said!!!!

Not a total waste though as while wlking back to the hotel we see a few real geisha and we also discover the main shopping street and finally see Japan By Night as you imagine it.
The lights, the sounds, the people... wow.






Fave pics of the day...