Bon Appétit with Amy Shields

It’s hard to live in Australia and not become obsessed with food, and subsequently the television show Masterchef Australia. The series here is infinitely better than the Gordon Ramsey rendition we get in the States. The cooks are leaps and bounds more talented, the challenges more diverse, and (the best part) the tone is positive and congenial. The contestants are friendly and the judges (Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston) act as supportive mentors.

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of attending a cooking class with Season 6 contestant Amy Shields. The class took place in a friend’s kitchen. It was Amy, me, and two others, so the student to teacher ratio was amazing! Amy (like all contestants on Masterchef) is a home cook. She doesn't have a chef's resume or a culinary degree. What she does have is passion, creativity and good intuition when it comes to food.

Amy arrived carrying ONE medium-sized box of supplies and ingredients. (I was expecting a push-cart packed to the brim). She came ready to prepare two different kangaroo dishes and a mixed berry Pavlova for four people, and I am almost positive her "mobile kitchen" was made up of less than 25 items (total)!  It was inspiring to see and taste what she could do with so little.

Below are a few photos from the class, as well as list of what was in Amy's mobile kitchen, and some of the tidbits she shared along the way. The celeriac puree with the puffed wild rice and pickled beetroot was my favorite. Truly divine!

Amy's Mobile Kitchen
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Rice bran oil
White vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Castor sugar
Thyme
Eggs
Brown sugar
Cornflour
Thickening cream
A bag of rocket
Small packet of wild rice
1 Celeriac root
Apx. 7 small beetroots
Kangaroo meat
A few stalks of celery
1 carrot
Onion
A cup of chicken stock
5-6 chicken wings
Butter


Education, Tips & A Recipe

Celeriac puree
- A root veggie used like a starch
- Sauté in olive oil, and butter adding water periodically so that it steams
- Once it’s soft (literally falling apart), transfer to food processor, add thickening crème, and blend

Beetroots
- Boil them prior to roasting (apx 20 mins)

Pickling liquid
- Don’t mix this in a metal bowl because vinegar will cause it to take on a metallic taste
- White vinegar, salt, pepper, spoon of sugar, thyme

Post marinade
- Wait until after you cook meat to pepper it
- Mix pepper, salt, oil, a few drops of red wine vinegar and thyme in a small bowl and let meat sit in this marinade for apx. 5 minutes after the cook
- You never want to cut  or serve meat immediately – needs to rest for apx. 5 mins otherwise juices will just run out the second it’s cut

Sauce
- The more finely you chop your veggies, the more flavor
- Same with bones, the smaller the pieces, the more flavor you bring out
- Cook chicken bones first until brown and starting to caramelize
- Add a small amount of balsamic vinegar (apx. 1/8 of a cup) to deglaze the pan (lifting what has stuck to the bottom while cooking) - you want this incorporated into flavor of your sauce (can use anything acidic to deglaze)
- Add veggies and sauté keeping in mind the longer you cook, the more flavor you will get (just don’t burn)
- Add stock
- Strain out veggies and bones to get sauce, then add a dollop of butter to finish off and add a glossiness to the sauce

P.S. Amy is on a roadshow with her cute hubby. Follow her journey as she cooks from their camper through the Australian outback. 

Arriving At The Edge Of The Earth

It’s taken me some time to feel ready to blog about our move to Perth because it hasn’t been the easiest chapter of change in my life. Unlike in Melbourne, where we transitioned with relative ease, Perth was let down after let down (at least initially). It felt as if we had moved to the edge of the earth and all I wanted was to click my heels and be transported back home.

Part of the challenge centered around poor expectations. I had envisioned warm, dry weather and a bustling city life. Instead we arrived to weeks of torrential rains and a city of 2M that turns into a ghost town by 5pm every night. Instead of moving into a neighborhood full of Aussies who have been in the area for years, it felt like we had checked into the Grande Expat Hotel. The post code may as well be 457 (Type of Visa we are on) because we are just the newest visitors on the block – an environment that doesn’t exactly encourage the neighbors to show up with cookies, welcoming you to town.

We also had some technical difficulties. The furniture we shipped over from Melbourne arrived damaged and with random pieces missing. Mike was insanely busy at work and I could not seem to find a good playgroup, school or schedule for Keller.

Thankfully, murky waters are clearing and I am finding solid footing. Beautiful, sunny days are more and more frequent. Keller finally got into school (two mornings a week), and I’ve made some really good friends. It stills feel like we are on the edge of the earth, but I am finally ready to embrace (and write) about the journey.  

Seeing Sydney

We finally made it to a second major metropolitan city in Australia! Sydney, population 4.6 million and approximately 9 hours (by car) from Melbourne (if you don't stop) - I know this because we did the drive.

After some aeronautical difficulties early Friday morning, we decided to forego the plane and make an adventure of our Sydney weekend. Road trip! For those who don't already know this, road trips with a 1 year old are not like our road trips of yesteryear... and they should never be a spontaneous decision. You need to prepare! We did not prepare.

Not sure... actually, positively sure we will never do that drive again, but even with the travel hiccup it was a wonderful weekend and I would definitely do Sydney again. Here are a couple pictures from the journey.

St. Mary's Cathedral 

The Botanic Gardens

My Carolina boys at the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour Bridge

 The view of Darling Harbour from our room

Wallabies vs. All Blacks fighting it out for the Bledisloe Cup

The famous haka

Bondi Beach

A Quick Trip To The Mornington

Birdwatching with Mommy...

And then a little stick action with Daddy... 

"I'll take the 9 iron, please."

"Thanks caddie."

"Think anyone will notice if I give this one a little nudge?"

"Here you go Bones... I mean daddy."

"What are you thinking? I'm not sure about this lie."

Keller's walk up to the 18th.

"How does it look up there, dad?"

Make it go plink. :)

Montessori Mania

I got a call late last week letting me know a spot had (finally) opened up in the parent toddler program at Melbourne Montessori and today was our first day! I have been so excited about this - and to be honest I am not exactly sure why... I think part of my emotional attachment comes from feeling like I am doing a bad job - at times. It's hard not to take temper tantrums, impatience and "the like" personally. Environments that offer ideas of how to add productive structure to Keller's life are always appreciated.) The other piece that's a bit emotional is wanting to feel accepted into a community here. As "easy" as it is to live in Melbourne (no real language barrier, familiar foods, etc.) it's still a foreign place, and that foreign-ness weighs particularly heavy when it come to things like doctors, church and school.

So hurray! We are in and day-one was an adventure. Keller is the youngest (and most outgoing) in the class. While all of the other kids worked nicely on their mats Keller spent a good 20 minutes running around in circles with a blue peg from one of the "posting" jobs hanging out of his mouth. He was very good at socializing and enjoyed playing with the other kids' jobs (and taking pieces of those jobs for a run-about too)!

Snack time was interesting. We were the only family with a sippy cup, which I quickly pulled off the table and slipped into my pocket. Montessori wants the kids to sit at a mini-person's table and eat off a GLASS plate - which sits on a placemat - and drink out of a real mini-person's cup which they - are supposed to - fill with water out of a mini-person's pitcher. Ha! If you saw my picture of Keller eating in his highchair on facebook the other day, you will understand how far-fetched all of this sounds!

On the plus side, Keller excelled at the music circle and on the playground, and I am sure we will improve in all of the other areas with a little practice (mom included). :)

Bi-Continental Life Continues

We are back... and it looks like we are going to be in the 2-1 pattern for a while - two months here and one month back in the states.

This stint back in OZ marks a real turning point in my life. I had to resign from my job. The firm was incredibly gracious to let me work through a 14 hour time difference for six months. When we found out it would be longer,  the arrangement started to get hazy and I began to feel like a square peg in a round hole. Mike and I both knew that his project here would put my career in jeopardy there. I guess only time will tell whether it was a good decision or bad.

I am coming to grips with my professional pause. It's emotional and a little dizzying (if that makes any sense) but I am doing my best to take advantage of less stress and more time with Keller. The scary thing is that you quickly start to question how you ever had time to work in the first place. Chasing a toddler around is no easy feat!

In terms of life here, it's winter. Thankfully it has not been too rainy and the temperature has been pretty mild - in the 50's and 60's. Not too shabby! We are still on the waiting list at the Montessori school. Keller is back in the pool for weekly swimming lessons and we just started a term of pee-wee (koala) soccer. (Don't tell Mike, but Keller is pretty bad. He's far more interested in picking up the beanbag perimeter than chasing the ball, and I really don't think he understands the concept of kicking.) I will try to get a picture of the madness next week, but in the meantime, here's our little guy in his new uniform.

Life in Melbourne

It's hard to believe that it's almost June and we've been in Australia since January! Here's a quick photo-mentary of what life has been like for the Bucy's in OZ...

We love going to the bookstore, playing with dinosaurs, making a mess, and eating leaves.

It's gotten cold, so we bought Keller his first pair of boots.

The little guy has graciously started helping me with my chores. 

Aussie Rules Football is a big part of our lives. We are Hawthorn Hawks fans and Mike is obsessed. 

Game of Thrones has become a weekly activity. "Express from the US" is how they pitch it, and Will (pictured above with Mike at the footy - no he's not the crazy lady with the Collingwood Magpies wig), Mike, and I love geeking out over the show every Monday night. 

I have a feeling that few people reading this blog will understand why I am about to allocate such a significant amount of time/effort into documenting a story about light bulbs, but you must understand... this was a grueling and traumatic adventure. Quick recap:

• The last working light bulb in our downstairs bathroom/laundry room burnt out
• I considered leaving the room dark and just during laundry during the day, but we had company on the way, so my good 'ole friends Ignorance and Procrastination were not able to help out with this one
• During a Game of Thrones night, I solicited assistance from Mike and Will (two McKinsey guys who, I will remind you, charge clients ridiculous amounts of money much for their "knowledge" and "expertise" on a daily basis). Neither were effective in removing either of the two bulbs 
• So I hit-up google and youtube where I learned that the small circular bulb is called a downlight. After 3 or 4 videos, I removed the downlight successfully. The standard-looking bulb, however, was stuck. 
• I was about to break the darn thing and try removing it with pliers but decided to call our property manager and request an electrician instead
• The next day, a cute, young guy rings our doorbell. I proceed to tell him about all the ways I have tried to resolve this issue on my own. He walks up to the thing and pops it right out. Apparently, their "standard" bulbs don't screw, they pop. I felt like a total idiot. 
• I then proceeded to take the two extinguished light bulbs on what turned out to be an epic search for replacements. This search involved K-Mart, two grocery stores, the knick-knack shop near the University, and finally a specialty lighting store. I think I bought at least six different types of bulbs along the way. 
• All of the bulbs you see below were wrong! Can someone please tell me why in the world a country would create so many options for the same type of light bulb????? 
• But everyone can now breathe a huge sigh of relief... we finally have light! 

The other dramatic event that transpired over the past month happened around 1:30 am Melbourne time. I was in my closet working. (And, yes, I did say "closet." If I have a call while we have company and Mike/everyone is asleep, my closet has proven to be the best office.) Anyway, I was working in my closet and trying to make a big deadline when all of the sudden my computer locked up and the image below took over my screen. It totally seemed legit for about 30 seconds... until I used my phone to google the "Australian Federal Police International Cyber Security Protection Alliance." Not legit! Ugly, ugly virus. We still have no idea how they got onto my computer, I'm not really the porn type, but they literally were trying to hold it for ransom. They wanted me to pay $100 to get it back. It took six hours of tech support to even get into the machine. Talk about stress levels going through the roof! God bless Alex at our help desk, and Cyber bullies, I think you are very, very mean and I do not like you one bit!

Back in OZ - Round 2

We are back in OZ and the past three weeks have been un-eventfully eventful. It was harder to leave home this time... I think some of the excitement and romance of a new place had worn off. On top of that I was dealing with jet lag, a sick kiddo, and several projects heating up at work.

This was the first time I've had to deal with fever and it was quite scary. We went to the doctor 4 times in (I think) 36 hours. We were forced to deal with all types of conversions: Fahrenheit to Celsius, pounds to kilograms, acetaminophen to panadol... stressful, particularly when a doctor is telling you that your child is at risk for febrile convulsions. I really needed my mom! Poor Keller was so hot and so miserable and I was so tired and so freaked out. Very, very grateful it is over. Gave me a lot of perspective! Incredibly thankful to have an overall healthy child.

On the plus side, since we've been back we had a visit from JJ Kasper. We went to our first Ausie Rules football game. And we are filling Keller's schedule with lots of individual activities like Punjabi lessons, mini maestros, swimming, and babyroo.

"Normalcy," in terms of the cadence of our life, has been good for Mike and me. It is forcing us to learn how to communicate at a deeper level. In Australia, we truly only have one another to turn to so we are learning how to work together in new ways.

We are still unsure about when we will be back in the states for good. Hoping to have some of those details ironed out in the next week or so!

P.S. We now have a car and I have gotten quite good at lefty-driving. I joined a gym and went to my first Pilates class! We have fallen in love with 2 nannies, J and Jane. And, I watch (and vote for singers on) The Voice Australia featuring Seal and Ricky Martin as judges. Ha!

Magical New Zealand

Wow. What a dream vacation this has been. I feel so lucky, so at ease, and so small. Everything in New Zealand has been so big and so dramatic. You can't help but recognize your insignificance at every turn when you come face to face with a giant mountain, a thousand-acre pasture filled with hundreds of cow and sheep, or a vast body of magically blue-green water. I am in such awe of God's work. His canvas in this portion of the world is absolutely remarkable.

Keller and I arrived in Queenstown, New Zealand Sunday and had a wonderful night to ourselves. We grabbed dinner, made friends with a local restaurant owner, and took a walk along Lake Wakatipu. My parents arrived Monday afternoon. We scooped them from the airport and immediately headed south to a small town called Manapouri, population 250, where our South Island adventures really began.

My dad rented a little cottage just off Lake Manapouri, which we used as a launching pad for a couple different adventures. The first of these started Tuesday morning, a day trip to Te Anu and up to the Milford Sound. This was a stunningly beautiful 140 km drive. I can't tell you how many times we would round a corner and all gasp "wow" in harmony. We must have stopped the car at least twenty different times just to take pictures.

We took the road as far north as you can take it, which lands you right in the heart of the Milford Sound. I'm not sure if there is even a recognized township there - it's in the middle of a magical no where. No gas stations... no restaurants (outside of the little cafe in the visitor center)... I don't even remember seeing a hotel or motel.

Since they don't encourage overnight treks with an infant, we decided to splurge on a helicopter ride above the sound and up to the Fox Glacier. This was a first for me (and Keller), and although I was excited I was also incredibly nervous. Fear of adventure... that's a strange feeling for me. I've bunjeed, no problem. I've never been afraid of heights. I've always wanted to go sky diving... but all of the sudden that fearlessness has changed. I look down at the precious little gift in my arms; it's amazing how children can change your being. So with that said, my parents deserve all the credit for the pics below. I was clinging so tightly to Keller snapping photos was out of the question.

We drove back to Manapouri late Tuesday afternoon, stopping by the Te Anu grocery store on our way into town to pick up something for dinner. We grilled lamb burgers, made a giant, fresh salad, poured a couple glasses of wine, and turned on the first Lord of the Rings. It was the perfect way to relish in the magic of our day and to relive landmarks from the journey.

Wednesday morning, we packed a couple overnight bags and a picnic lunch and headed down to a small boat dock in Manapori where we set out for a two-day sail around the Doubtful Sound. The Doubtful Sound is the second largest fiord in Fiordland National Park. It earned the name "Doubtful" from its founder, Captain Cook, who had uncertainty about the area's accessibility. 243 years later it still requires a 30 minute boat ride across Lake Manapouri and 45 minute bus ride through the Wilmot Pass (population FOUR). (Interesting piece of trivia: this road through the rainforest-ed Wilmot Pass is the most expensive road ever built in New Zealand. It's a GRAVEL road that cost $5.00 an inch to lay!)

When you arrive at the Doubtful Sound, you unconsciously start to speak in a whisper. The pristine beauty makes you feel as if you are not supposed to be there. The dense green trees... the sharp, stoic gray cliffs... the glass-like water. It is magical! At one point they anchored the boat and let some of us go explore areas of the Sound by kayak. My words will never do the beauty of this experience justice. Even typing this now, I keep going back my absolute awe of God's work.

In addition to kayaking, some of the more-crazy people on our boat (including my father) decided to plunge into the arctic cold waters of the Doubtful Sound. I was freezing after an hour on a kayak. I cannot imagine how cold this jump must have been!

If you ever come to New Zealand, do the Doubtful Sound. I cannot say enough about the boat, the crew, the landscape, or the people we met on board. It was an experience of a lifetime.

As if all of this was not enough, our South Island adventures continued. We headed back to Queenstown and met up with the big love of my life Friday morning. Part of me felt bad that Mike would not have the opportunity to experience anything close to what we had experienced over the past four days, but leave it to New Zealand to humble and surprise. One of the families we met along the way recommended a day trek through the Siberia Valley, which involves driving about 3 hours west, boarding a tiny, yellow plane, hiking 8-10 km, and meeting up with a speedboat which gets you back to the small town of Makarora.

As we were lying down to go to bed Saturday night, I rolled over and told Mike that this has been such a dream. I cannot believe I've had the opportunity to experience all that we have over the past week. I feel so incredibly lucky. The magnitude and uniqueness of this experience is not lost on me. They are memories I will cherish forever.