May | 2011 | web-goddess

May 27, 2011

RunningBlog: Week 21

Week 21
Taper Madness has ensued. My low-carb diet has totally gone off the rails this week, I’m sorry to say. Training was good though. Sunday I went for a night run after our cheese class, and I managed 8.5K before the CHEESE BABY in my belly demanded that I stop. Monday I went to Spudds and had a particularly hard workout. Tuesday I went for a lunchtime run with some work buddies. Wednesday was Spudds again, but thankfully easier this time. Today I went for a solo run at lunchtime, pushing the pace a bit. Not bad for taper week 2 of 4!

May 22: 8.56km
May 24: 6.11km
May 27: 6.31km
Total this week: 20.98km (13mi)
Total in 2011: 540.25km (337.65mi)

To meet my goal of running 1100km in 2011, I should be at 444km. Holy crap, I’ve got nearly 100km of cushion!

The rest of the winter running season is falling into place. On August 7 I’ll be running the Bay Run (7K) with the Snook and three buddies from work. The following weekend the Snook and I will be running the City 2 Surf (14K) as part of the DailyMile Sydney team. My big goal race for the 2nd half of the year will be the Blackmores Half Marathon on September 18.

May 27, 2011

Shared today on Google Reader

Shared today on Google Reader:

Just what are those college degrees you go into debt for worth? – Look at me, draggin’ up the bell curve for Communications majors! W00t!
Playable Lego Ukulele
Star Wars Shower Tile
Lost in Translation – This is fascinating. I haven’t managed a Wallace yet, but I’ve definitely had to work with some.
awesome people hanging out together – Does what it says on the tin.

You can follow me on Reader here.

May 27, 2011

Adventures in Dyeing

Adventures in Dyeing
After I got home from cheese-making, it was time for more fun with giant pots. It was finally time to dye my February Lady Sweater. I always meant to dye it, but I was just too lazy. The cream did nothing for me though, and I never wore it. So I picked up some Jacquard Acid Dye in Burnt Orange and got to work (with some much-needed email guidance from knitabulous). The cardigan – which had been previously washed and soaked overnight – went into the pot along with some citric acid, dye, and lots of water. It was very vivid and murky. I kept it on a gentle simmer for about 40 minutes, checking on it often. I was pleased to see the water clearing just like Ailsa said it would! I turned off the heat and left it overnight. In the morning I dumped out the water and gave the cardigan a rinse and another soak (with hair conditioner). That night I finally squeezed out the water and had a look at the final product. To be honest, I was a little surprised at how blotchy it was. The dye didn’t take up evenly, and the effect is almost like tye-dye. (I’ve since read on Twitter that this is a common problem, and that dying whole garments rarely works perfectly.) Anyway, I let it dry thinking I’d make a final assessment later. Today, I actually wore it to work. And you know what? I think I like it!

Dyed cardy

I’ve had some compliments on it at work, and everybody seems to think the dye effect is intentional. It’s definitely more wearable than the cream version was! I may still have a go at touching it up; I’ve got more dye that I can “paint on” the lighter areas. But for now, I’m pretty happy with my first go at dyeing. Thanks to Ailsa and everybody who gave advice on Twitter!

May 27, 2011

Blessed are the cheese-makers…

Blessed are the cheese-makers…
A few weeks ago I booked us in for a cheese-making workshop with one of the local community colleges. You know we like our food, and we’ve been toying with the idea of making cheese for a couple years now. (As my friend Ailsa said, “Ah, the last Amish skill you don’t yet possess.” It’s part of our long-term strategy to accumulate skills we can put to use when the revolution comes and society collapses.) So last Saturday the Snook and I headed off to Alexandria with a selection of aprons, tea towels, and sharp knives. There were 11 of us there on the day, and our teacher was Zigi Ozeri. He gave each of us a big handout full of recipes for various cheeses. (Do you know how easy it is to make mascarpone? I’m never paying $6 for a tiny tub of it again!) Zigi talked us through some of the strange equipment and ingredients we’d be using, and then we got stuck in! It was like being back in high school Home Ec (which was fitting, because we were using a school kitchen). We split into three groups, each of whom made a fresh mozzarella and ricotta from 4 liters of milk. Zigi also made a labne from some yogurt. A lot of cheese-making is standing around waiting for stuff to get to temperature or curdle or whatever, so we had plenty of time to socialise. We finished the day with a meal of homemade pizza, salads, and lots of cheese! I took some photos…Here’s the Snook measuring out 4 liters of milk from a giant bucket. No, we didn’t get raw milk. Zigi made it very clear that it’s illegal to sell. (I was sad.)

Measuring milk

The milk went on the stove over a low heat along with citric acid and lipase. (This recipe is very close to the one we used.) It took a while to get up to the necessary temperature to start curdling.

Heating milk

At the right temperature, we added the rennet. Not long after, we had proper cheese curds and whey!

Curds and whey

After cooking, draining, salting, and stretching, we formed it into a big ball of mozzarella and put it in a salt brine. Yay, cheese!

Mozzarella

We put the whey back on to boil to try to make some ricotta. We didn’t have much protein left in there though, so we only got about 2 tablespoons. Here’s the Snook draining the world’s tiniest batch of ricotta in a cheesecloth.

Draining ricotta

Each group also made a pizza and some salads to accompany our cheese. We sliced up our mozzarella and put it on top of ours. It was great!

Finished pizza

May 26, 2011

Breaking the glass ceiling

“Secret to breaking glass ceiling? Go home for dinner.” I thought that title was weird at first, but upon reading the editorial I am in total agreement. I have worked in several places where there is a culture of working late into the night. You know who benefits in that environment? Single guys who are happy getting takeout for dinner and who don’t have a life outside work. We need to support everyone having a balanced life and getting out of the office at a reasonable hour.

May 26, 2011