Lisa is a 30mumble-year-old technical author, mum, avid cook, extremely amateur veg grower, novice knitter, and closeted graphic designer, who enjoys referring to herself in the third person. [more...]

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29 July 2005

the verdict


The cheesecake is...pretty good! Of course, it's not nearly as scrumptious as the original but for something that's "diet", I'm impressed.

Here's the modified recipe that I used. The only thing I would say is use graham crackers or digestive biscuits if you're not doing a low GI type diet. The crust I came up with wasn't bad, but there's nothing like the real thing when it comes to cheesecake bases.

Crust:
1 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp Splenda
1/4-1/3 cup margarine
dash of cinnamon

Filling:
3 250g tubs of quark
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup Splenda
3 large eggs

Topping:
284 ml smatana (or low fat sour cream)
2 tsp Splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 170C/350F.

Combine crust ingredients either in a food processor or in a bowl until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Press into a 9" springform pan.

In a large bowl, add the quark, vanilla, and Splenda. Beat in one egg at a time until well blended. Pour into the springform pan and spread evenly. Bake for 35 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door, and let the cheesecake cool completely inside the oven.

For the topping, combine the smatana, Splenda, and vanilla, and pour over the top of the cheesecake. Bake at 190C/375F for 5 minutes, remove the cake and cool. I find it improves greatly if you leave it in the fridge for a while (8 hours is probably best). I had mine plain, but Paul's having his with fresh berries on top. Yum.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

livin' on the edge


My friend Melanie very kindly gave me her mother's delicious cheesecake recipe. It's my belief that the best cheesecake is made by Jewish mothers - unfortunately, I can only fufill half of these requirements. Does going to a predominantly Jewish university and working in a Kosher restaurant count? At any rate, not only am I attempting this coveted recipe, I am doing something completely diabolical: I'm trying to make a low fat version. In place of the curd cheese and cream cheese, I'm using Quark (not the dude with the big ears from Deep Space 9, thank you very much). In place of the sugar, I'm using Splenda. In place of the graham cracker/digestive biscuit crust, I made up my own concoction of oats, wholemeal flour, margarine, almonds, cinnamon, and Splenda.

I will be truly amazed if it cooks properly. I will be even more amazed if it tastes good. I shall keep you posted.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

27 July 2005

we're all going on an autumn holiday


For our first wedding anniversary, we're heading down (and over) to Devon for a 4 day weekend in September. Since we're bringing Jasper with us, I researched our accommodation options in the AA's (that's the Automobile Association, not Alcoholics Anonymous) guide to "pet friendly" places to stay. It's full of useful information, including details like whether or not pets are permitted to stay in the room with you. I initially made a booking with a hotel that looked quite stylish and upmarket, and the AA guide said that you could leave pets unattended in the rooms (useful for when you go out for dinner, for example). When I asked the owner about leaving Jasper in the room, he snorted and said "Only if you want to pay for all the soft furnishings!" I later sent him an email letting him know that they are listed in the AA guide as allowing unattended pets in rooms and perhaps they wanted to correct it with the publishers, but he never responded. Ultimately, I cancelled our booking because all of this was rather offputting.

It just happens that the hotel that won "Pet Friendly Hotel of the Year 2004" is located at the edge of Dartmoor Park in the area we wanted. It's a lovely looking country hotel that's received several positive reviews in various newspapers and travel guides, and most importantly, they were friendlier than all get out when I rang them. Not only do they cater well to their 2-legged guests, there are many perks for the 4-legged variety as well including king-sized doggy beds, special food, and for the Paris Hilton-esque pet owners, doggy pampering treatments. Our room leads directly to the woods behind the house, and has its own entrance so that muddy paws won't leave a trail through their lovely hotel. The woman I spoke to was very helpful and wins extra points for asking about Jack and making the appropriate "awwww" noises. The web site says "We will also gladly cater for any special dietary requirements, although prior notice would be appreciated. If on the other hand you would just prefer something simple or plain grilled, you only have to ask." This is relatively rare in this country - ordinarily you would be considered annoying, rude, and American if you asked for your meal to be prepared a certain way. I like that they don't seem to think this is a bad thing.

I'm hoping to get a booking at the New Angel restaurant, owned and run by John Burton Race. You may remember him from such television programmes as "French Leave" and "Return of the Chef" on channel 4, and yes, I am a sucker for "celebrity" chefs. He was an accomplished (i.e. Michelin star) chef before he made any of the television series, and is passionate about good quality, local food. Although I learned his name from television, I am inclined to eat in his restaurant based on his philosophies and ability rather than his celebrity status. I've emailed a booking for a meal on the day of our anniversary, so here's hoping they have a table for us.

I'm really excited about this little getaway. I love planning holidays and staying in hotels. I am looking forward to seeing Dartmoor because the last time I visited Devon, it was during the foot and mouth crises and walks through the park were out of the question. The West Country is gorgeous; I cannot wait to go back. And this time, dammit, I am getting my cream tea!

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

25 July 2005

gym dandy


Things I have learned from today's gym session:
  • Gwen Stefani is very inspirational when you're working out. Not only is "Hollaback Girl" suitable for setting a good pace on the elliptical machine, it's also helpful to visualise your head on Gwen's body as an incentive to keep going.
  • The afternoon tv version of the Eminem video "Ass Like That" includes the lyrics "it makes my slinky go be-doing-doing-doing" instead of "it makes my pee pee go..." I never knew that the word "pee pee" would be considered too rude for daytime tv.


What can I say - it was either the music video channel or daytime chat shows. I opted for the former because it didn't make me feel queasy, as Denise van Outen is wont to do.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

23 July 2005

i'm mellltiiinnng


Following my own "Eat Less, Move More" weight loss philosophy (©2003 Broad Enterprises Ltd.), Paul and I have been very healthy lately in an attempt to shed the pounds. We are 1) eating less (and eating better food) and 2) moving more (we joined a gym). Paul's lost more weight than I have, which is part of some sort of conspiracy to piss dieting women off. Regardless, I am really pleased with my progress. My first milestone has been reached - I can now fit into my early pregnancy (non-maternity) clothes. I've lost 2 inches off my waist and almost 10 lbs. in around 4 weeks, and I'm feeling like a million bucks.

We've been eating pretty much what we normally do, but in smaller portions. We've traded starchy white things for brown grainy things, stopped drowning food in olive oil and drizzling instead, and I've stopped eating entire cartons of Green & Black's ice cream by myself. (It was effective heartburn treatment during pregnancy, you know.) We never were ones for convenience food or fast food, so cooking from scratch is not a problem for us. Just to give you an idea of a typical "diet" meal for us, last night we had big bowls of moules marinieres to start, then we had turkey breasts stuffed with a yoghurt/garlic/dijon mustard/spinach mixture, crushed new potatoes mixed with grain mustard, and peas. Now that's good eatin'.

This is the longest I've stuck to a diet for quite a while. I've got a whole cupboard full of clothes that I want to get back in to, but I'll settle for the "not so alarmingly huge" clothes for now.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

19 July 2005

rewinding


Spotted chez elle:

10 years ago
I was 9 years old, and I got a pink bicycle for my birthday! Okay, I was 26 and I was working at the McGill University bookstore. It was the first salaried job I had, and it was the first and last time I was a member of a union (and a really crappy one, at that). I thought I was making shedloads of money and finally felt like I had a grown up job. Sadly, that year McGill had several job cuts and as a contractor, I was sent to the chopping block. It took me almost a year of diligent job hunting to find another job, and the best I could do was a receptionist job through a temp agency. That same year, I got my first job as a technical writer, doing a contract for a flight simulator company. The first time I ran the simulator, I managed to crash the plane on the runway. Oops.

5 years ago
It was an incredibly eventful year. I quit smoking on my 31st birthday, I had a blast in a dragon boat race that summer (we beat Bell Telephone and the casino! Woooooo!!), and most significantly, I moved to the UK.

1 year ago
I was 9 weeks pregnant, planning a wedding, and we had just come out of the pregnancy closet to our family the week before. I didn't have heartburn yet.

Yesterday
I worked out at the gym, went shopping in the afternoon and bought Jack a new stroller, and made a yummy supper of grilled scallops and prawns with a tomato/basil sauce on wholemeal spaghetti, served with braised fennel. That's right: gym, shopping, and cooking. I am a domestic goddess.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

14 July 2005

gonna make me sweat


I had my gym induction (I really hate that word now) this morning, and I was pleasantly surprised. Normally I dread this; they do sadistic things to the unfit like make them stand on scales and pinch their back fat with plastic salad tongs. Post-pregnant women do not need to a) know their current weight or b) have their floppy after-baby belly measured. I know that I'm fat - I don't need it confirmed by a stranger. A very nice lady (who is keen on cycling and has a Lance Armstrong yellow wristband - it could have been Big Jack in drag, but a lot less hairy) went through everything with me, sensibly and sympathetically. They have a superduper high tech system that involves a plastic key (perhaps this bit isn't terribly high tech). A routine is programmed in for you during your induction and loaded on to your key. When you go to use a machine, it greets you in flashy Vegas scrolling marquee letters and the options are automatically set for you. So, all I need to do is hop on the treadmill, stick in my key, and plod merrily along. At the end, you stick your key in a computer and you can review your workout and your overall progress. If you use the bike, for example, it charts how far along you would have made it through the Tour de France. Me like.

Sadly, not only have I lost any ability to exercise for more than 30 minutes, I am as weak as a kitten with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I accept that my first workout after a long time tends to be filled with lots of huffing and puffing, but there were some things I simply didn't have the strength to do. One sweaty, out of breath step at a time, eh.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

11 July 2005

open letters


Dear Makers of Various Products That I Buy,
Could you please stop putting really, really sticky labels on your products? The kind that don't come off with soaking in volcanic-temperature water, scrubbing, or by drowning in nail polish remover?
Thank you.

Dear Makers of the Tanita Scale,
Could you please fix my scale so that it tells me that I lost 10 lbs. last week?
Thank you.

Dear Wasp Outside My Window,
I see you banging your little evil head against the patio doors trying to come in. Go away.
Thank you.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

09 July 2005

deep thoughts


I know you were all wondering what happened at today's optician appointment, so here's the scoop. Mr. Rudeman only has a BSc so he is not a doctor, but Miss F from today has a PhD and was far nicer. Not that having a PhD makes you nicer as a rule (although I do know some lovely people who have a PhD), she was simply much more personable and thorough than Mr. Leave Your Baby At The Door. I am getting some fancypants contact lenses that sound incredibly expensive, but they are exactly the same price as the Specsavers brand contacts I've been wearing. Apparently these new lenses slowly release moisturizers to keep your eyes lubricated, allow more oxygen to flow to the eye, and make you look 15lbs. thinner. Fantastic.

After being fitted for my contacts, I did a bit of grocery shopping at Sainsburys. As I only had a few items in my basket, I used the self serve checkout. I scanned in my yoghurt and an electronic voice said something to the effect of "unknown item in bagging area" and wouldn't let me proceed. There is always an employee in the self serve checkout area to help in cases like this, so I indicated to her that I needed help. She stomped over to me in a huff and said, "What did you do?!" As I tried to explain what happened, she furiously poked some code on the screen and stormed off again. "Thank you, you miserable cow" I said (not too quietly, I might add.) Then a dear old lady on another till said "Could you help me please?", to which the nasty Sainsburys lady snapped "I've already helped you!" and went off in a flurry. I started to head out the door in a "cripes, that pissed me off but I won't say anything" Canadian kind of way, but I thought sod it. Everyone thinks I'm American anyway, so I might as well act like one and complain for once. I told the manager that this woman was being incredibly rude, and the manager was very kind and sympathetic. Whether or not anything was actually done about it will remain a mystery, but I felt much better for having said something. Hear me roar.

Now I'm going to make a curry. No one can accuse me of having no life, oh no.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

08 July 2005

back to your regularly scheduled programme


I am so pleased with this year's series of Big Brother. The people behind it have gotten very clever this time round; despite hating every single housemate at first, I'm hooked. I've had several requests to give my views on Big Brother again after my initial post about it at the beginning of the series. Well, maybe not several. It was closer to one. And it wasn't really a request to write about it again, it was more like an observation that I hadn't done so. Where was I? Oh yes, introducing my much-requested Big Brother ponderings.

Anthony - Hon, you're gay, admit it. It's okay; we'll still find you just as boring as we did when we thought you were straight. There's something rather Gollum-esque about the way he always refers to himself as "us", which is both funny and disturbing at the same time.
Craig - There's bitchy funny and there's bitchy pathetic, and Craig is the latter, sadly. You've got to do it in a *snap snap snap* your fingers in a Z-pattern kinda way. When it's bitching followed by sobbing and "nobody understands me" tirades, it's not pretty.
Derek - Sometimes I think he's really funny (e.g. saying to Kemal "You are the most annoying boy in England!") and other times I think he relishes being gossipy and nasty a bit too much. There is something rather endearing about a guy who wears an ascot every day.
Eugene - He's no Jon Tickle, but he's sort of growing on me - except when he speaks. Then I want to reach through the television and stuff several tube socks in his mouth.
Kemal - He really is the most annoying boy in England.
Makosi - Okay, here's the deal. If you're supposed to be a trained nurse, you should probably know that a) if you sprain an ankle, amputation of the entire leg is not too likely and b) you cannot take a pregnancy test the day after you have unprotected sex. I initially thought that she was very clever and played the game well, but this appearance may have just been a fluke. Her actions lately (telling others that she's "90% sure" she's pregnant two days after the deed and completely ruining Eugene's secret task) have shown her to be a nurse of little brain.
Maxwell - Enough. With. The. Catchphrases.
Orlaith - There are way too many letters in her name that don't get pronounced, but that's beside the point. She's Sam revisited, and has nothing much to offer.
Science - Most times he's unwatchable (and completely incomprehensible), but he's come out with some of the best lines. We never knew that you had to remove the chicken's "butt" before cooking it before we met Science. He's verrrry strange.
Vanessa - Words cannot do her justice. You must find an audio file of her to believe it. Often seen with her mouth half open and seldom blinks. Please vote her out next week. Please.

So who will go tonight? Science, without a doubt. The public likes Maxwell again after the "end of" Saskia. I forsee an incomprehensible exit interview - poor Davina.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

07 July 2005

think i'll stay indoors today


More than 30 die in London blasts
A series of bomb attacks on London's transport network has killed more than 30 people and injured about 350 others. Three explosions on the Underground left 33 dead and an unknown number died in a blast on a double-decker bus. [source]

What the hell has gone wrong with humankind?

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

06 July 2005

we are the champions


The Olympics are coming! The Olympics are coming! I'm all agog, even though it's 7 years away. How fantastic - I cannot wait. One of the great things about living in a small (geographically speaking) country is that when the Olympics are held in your country, you can actually get to it without flying for hours. London is a mere 45 minute train ride away; we can attend events without worrying about booking travel and accommodation.

I'm already planning which events I'd like to see. Gay diving is near the top of my list, or as it's better known, pairs diving (sorry but two blokes in nothing but Speedos bouncing and pointing their toes in unison just looks a bit gay to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that.) Rowing might be a good one, especially if the Canadians have a decent team again. This brings up a dilemma: who do I root for? Do I wave my little maple leaf flag and risk being ridiculed? Or do I wave the Union Jack and risk being accused of Madonna-itis*?

*(Madonna-itis: the condition in which you are American and move to or visit the UK and develop an annoyingly awful mock English accent, and pretend to be British.)

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

05 July 2005

the eyes have it


I went for an eye exam today for the first time in three years, and decided to avoid the big chain stores and go to an independent optometrist instead. One thing I learned in the past few months is that surgeons and specialists here are called "Mr." here instead of "Dr." (what's the female equivalent, by the way? Mrs? Miss?) To my North American self, it sounds like I got some guy who hasn't made it through med school yet, or due to staff shortages, one of the janitors had to fill in for the morning.

Mr. S did my eye test today and I was not terribly impressed. I had to bring Jack with me, and I thought he was treated a bit like a small suitcase rather than a human baby. Mr. S told me that I could leave Jack by the door and never even glanced at him the entire time. When Jack started crying, he said "You might want to pick him up and wind [burp] him." Thank you for your sage advice. Mr. S scolded me slightly for waiting three years between exams, even after I explained that I didn't go last year because I found out I was pregnant around the time I would have gone in (pregnancy can alter your vision, so it's not usually advisable to get an eye test done). I've got to go back and get a contact lens fitting done on Saturday, however the appointment is with a Miss F. Perhaps she'll be a bit more personable.

The whole reason why I didn't go to the major chain store - oh sod it, it was Specsavers - was because I thought they were slightly rude and standoffish. I've dealt with the shops in Cambridge and Huntingdon, and the customer service was fairly poor at both locations. I thought I would have better service at an independent optometrists, but so far, it's not been the case. Friends have complained to me about bad service at various opticians; perhaps it's the norm for the profession. Huntingdon has four opticians on the high street so I have other alternatives. Mind you at the rate I'm going now, it'll take me 12 years before I can give a verdict on all of them.

I'll have to get back to you on this one.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

04 July 2005

a good d'eh was had by all


Although grey skies loomed overhead, the Canada Day +1 BBQ went off without a hitch. We had way too much food (how does that happen?), dogs and kids mingled without (m)any tears, the Canadian beer was met with approval, but sadly, Jack couldn't find his "Tabarnacle!" t-shirt in time for the party. Pictures can be seen here. I didn't take nearly enough pictures and I didn't manage to get photos of everyone. Sorry!

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

03 July 2005

for grandma


Caroline, her daughter Phoebe and I did the Race for Life today, as shown by this photographic evidence:



Although I thought we were going at a decent pace, we almost managed to come in last. Go us!



Most importantly, I raised £588.42 for Cancer Research UK (including the money matched by my employers). Thank you so much for donating; you're all amazing and I am grateful for your generosity. My goal for next year is to run (or jog, or something resembling a trot of some sort) the 5k. This year however, I am more than pleased to have managed this walk, even at our slow pace. After feeling very physically fragile for the past 4 1/2 months, it's very satisfying to have completed this race unscathed.

I'm pretty sure I burned off last night's tiramisu and maple syrup cheesecake.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

01 July 2005

poutine for everyone!


Happy Canada Day!



"How do I get into this thing?"

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --