June 2018 - Week 3: More Home-Made Convenience Foods

I'm carrying on with my focus on reducing processed convenience foods, so I'm generally cooking more, and am also creating things to freeze for some future time when I want to eat something quick and easy. I particularly like making mashed potato based patties coated in breadcrumbs.

Using frozen crusts to make breadcrumbs.

18/6/2018 - Monday

In the morning I put together the shavings from the red and white soap, which will be ready soon. I used the bar I made to shower with.

I went for an echo cardiograph as part of my six monthly check up.

I went home for lunch and cooked dinner (a beef and vegetable soup).

The turnip was added late and is floating on top.

I had my supervisors' meeting with Jo and Andrew at 3.30-4.30. This was a great meeting. It was suggested that I focus on art works when structuring my writing about the Situationists and their background, rather than giving a chronological, historical narrative. We'll meet again in a month (Monday July 16).

I enjoyed home-made soup for dinner. This was well appreciated when I came home as it was cold, wet and windy.

19/6/2018 - Tuesday

I optimised images and uploaded last week's journal details to the blog. I also shared details of the blog in a twitter post that shared to Facebook.

Left: My Facebook post. Right: My Twitter post.

I had a couple of bowls of soup through the day.

I made six tuna patties. I also made chips and peas to go with two patties for dinner. The other four will make another meal and a couple of sandwiches.

Left: Ethically caught tuna. Right: Tuna crumbled into a bowl.

Left: Boiling potatoes to mash. Right: Grating two crusts.

Left: Finely chopped onion (put into hot potato when mashing). Right: Combine mashed potato and tuna.

Dip balls of tuna and potato mixture in beaten egg and roll in bread crumbs.

Tuna patties with hand cut chips and frozen peas.

20/6/2018 - Wednesday

I returned some books to the Uni library that I've had for quite a while.

At night, I went to a screening of a production made by a group of disadvantaged kids with assistance from an organisation called Beyond Empathy. I had seen a earlier fundraiser screening, and this was much more polished and 'complete'.

21/6/2018 - Thursday

I went to the Innovation Campus with Matt and Deniz and borrowed some equipment for a few days. This is the best time of year to borrow equipment, or to test things in the gallery, because the mid year recess has just started, so demand from students is at its lowest. 2nd semester will start in about four weeks.

We went for lunch and went back to their place for cuppas.

Jason visited for a while after work shortly after I got home and Rod visited after dinner, topping of a very sociable day.

22/6/2018 - Friday

I did preparation for cooking then went out and did some veggie shopping in-between, before actually cooking. I made two different kinds of patties; one batch with chili, and one with bacon. I used mashed potato, half an onion, a grated carrot, a corn cob (cooked and kernels removed), left over peas, and

mozzarella cheese. I rolled into balls that I coated in egg and breadcrumbs.

I added cooked bacon to one half and and pickled chili to the other.

I only lightly fried them before putting in the oven for 20 minutes to help cook the carrot etc.

Left: Bacon in on half. Right: Pickled chili in the other half.

Left: Roll balls in egg and breadcrumb. Right: Lightly fry and then bake for 20 mins.

Paul came to visit after dinner.

23/6/2018 - Saturday.

I had to go to the chemist so took some time out to go drop off the soft plastics that have been accumulating for recycling.

I also bought some fish and chips and went and sat overlooking Lake Illawarrra in the sunshine to enjoy lunch. I watched a couple of sparrows hopping around looking for things in the grass as I soaked up the relaxing ambiance and savoured my yummy lunch.

Slowing down to take the time to 'smell the roses' is an important part of appreciating aesthetic qualities that are there to be enjoyed in every moment.

View looking south over Lake Illawarra as I sat and ate lunch.

24/6/2018 - Sunday

I cooked a lasagna using pork and veal mince. This was the first time I used a meat other than beef. I added a finely chopped onion, four finely chopped garlic cloves, a bunch of fresh parsley (chopped), and a grated carrot. I also added a can of tomatoes and a can of tomato soup, and used a packet of dried lasagna sheets, so I can still get a bit better at reducing processing and packaging. I used a combination of mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top, and added mozzarella in-between layers. This is the most creative I've been with lasagna. I ate a slice, gave a slice to my housemate Bob to try, then packaged 10 slices in plastic containers and put them in the freezer, adding to my store of home-made conveniences.

Left: A tray containing 12 slices of lasagna. Right: One slice of lasagna ready to eat on a plate.

This experiment was most successful. Yum.... My lasagna tastes great.

I researched Situationist artworks.