Just when you thought it was safe to put a teapot on the top of your kitchen cupboards…
a 4.5 magnitude earthquake shakes your kitchen!
Ok, not exactly. Yes, there was an earthquake in Wellington on Monday night. Yes it was 4.5 magnitude. Yes, a lot of people felt it.
No, I did not feel it, and no, it did not shake my teapots.
In fact, I probably would never have even known there had been an earthquake if Ticker hadn’t called me from work, where he informed me that the entire kitchen at Maria Pia’s (the establishment where he is employed) was shaking. Thanks to that call, I barely slept a wink all night.
Now… should I take the wine bottles and teapots down off the top of the cupboard?
Oh, in unrelated news, I also wanted to mention that I recently participated in Wellington’s “Round the Bays” 7-km fun-run, my first time ever participating in an organized sporting event. At a pretty slow jogging pace I completed the 7 km run in just under 52 minutes. I am certainly proud of myself. Will I go for a 10 km or half marathon next? Pretty unlikely. Running more than an hour is pretty boring. I’d rather stay at home and knit while watching Louis Theroux documentaries.
Speaking of knitting, I have been on a rampage lately! I finished a tea cozy last week, and am about 75% done with my first ever pair of mittens! I shall post pictures time permitting. I have also been doing quite a bit of sewing and baking, much to the detriment of my progress on my research. My most recent interest has been in savoury muffins. A sample recipe follows – spice it up with your own personalized additions!
- 2 cups flour
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 tbs baking powder
- 1/2 cup grated cheese (colby or cheddar are nice)
- 1/4 cup toasted seeds (sunflower or pumpkin are nice)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley and sage)
- a pinch of salt
- pepper
- 2 tbs sweet chili sauce
- 1 tsp crushed dried hot chili flakes
mix and match your favorite savoury ingredients, including stuff like:
- spring onions
- walnuts
- blue cheese bits
- bacon
- ham
- olives
- sauteed mushrooms
- corn
- fresh tomatoes
- chopped spinach
- goat cheese
- a handful of chopped sundried tomatoes
- 1/2 an onion, finely sliced and carmelized
Whatever you throw in, don’t over do it, remember “less is more” when it comes to flavours, and just be careful not to overmix your batter, or the muffins will come out tough and rubbery. Mix everything together with a few swift strokes of a spoon or knife, until just combined, Spoon into greased muffin tins, sprinkle a bit more cheese on top, and bake at 375 F/180 C for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown.
They’re great on their own, or served with a nice bowl of soup.
Hrm… now I’m hungry.
quaking blog 