Long Lost Post from January

I love to celebrate everything. Yesterday we had soup with long noodles, which is supposed to be good luck for the Lunar New Year.

Some of our goodies for Tu B'Shevat,
the New Year of Trees.

I tried a recipe for a new kind of Three Kings cake.

This had apples inside. It was good, but nothing like
the kind we at in Catalunya.

I did not buy a little baby to put inside, but did put
in a bean wrapped in foil. The finder will bake
next year's cake, or maybe the year after that.

Antipodean

I don't know if people from Australia or New Zealand call themselves Antipodeans since the original use of the word meant people who lived in the place opposite of Britain. Or maybe the Antipodeans spend their time at the beach and let others worry about vocabulary.

I came across the word in a recipe for Anzac biscuits (which are NOT allowed to be called cookies). Anzac was originally an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps but now means a soldier from Australia or New Zealand. So much vocabulary. 

These biscuits were made using what people had at home during the World War I and did not have eggs, since those were rationed. They are not overly sweet or soft, but would have been much better than the hardtack that the troops were eating.

Anzac Day is a day to honor those who served in wars and conflicts, although it is controversial. Originally only those of European descent were allowed to serve, but Indigenous and Chinese Australians enlisted anyway.

Today is Australia Day, which has its controversy, too. The date marks the founding of a British colony in Sydney (hardly a day that represents the whole country). There is some move to change the date to May 9, when Australia’s first parliament was opened.

I love that baking leads me to the digital dictionary and history books!

The recipe insisted that one must use Lyle's Golden Syrup. I found it at a store with curbside pickup, but only the dessert syrup, which was said to be the same thing. Despite that, I was relieved to pick up the bottle and find that instead of the one I ordered (left) that I received the more traditional-looking one (on the right).

December Leftovers

Found and listened to an old favorite.

Baked an old favorite.

Was fascinated to learn that a cactus
will grow from a cactus stump.

Playing with acorns.

 

Yellow season