I was making chilli sauce yesterday with three quarters of a blender full of fresh chilli from the garden, fresh garlic and basil (also from the garden), red grapefruit, three tablespoons of black pepper along with a few other ingredients...

I blended this semi lethal concoction until I had achieved a pourable consistency, removed the lid off the blender to observer the quiet chemical reaction of gases slowly bubbling to the surface reminding me of the mud pools at Rotorua, but fortunately not with the same smell.

With glass receptacles ready and my trusty funnel ready I started pouring the seething liquid into bottle number one.

Because I had so much sauce I chose a large bottle, inserted the funnel and began pouring and that's when it happened!

Not one, but two splashes of this sauce splashed off the edge of the funnel and went directly into both my eyes. The pain was immediate, intense and blinding. In one hand I held the bottle and the other the blender jug. Through the pain I had to get both the bottle and blender jug with a slightly unstable base to the edge of the sink to make sure not a drop of this precious sauce that I had taken ages to prepare was lost.

Even if I could use my hands to wash my eyes, I had been destemming over 100 hot chillies and we know that without about a dozen washes, contact with sensitive areas also leads to an immediate reaction.

Having secured the sauce, I blindly stumbled upstairs and into the shower which I used as a massive eye wash.

I need to add that I was not stoically silent through this... Helen thought there was a wounded buffalo lumbering through the house although Joe took it all in his stride and simply stepped aside.

Eyes washed and pain subsiding; I looked in the mirror to see two of the reddest eyes staring back at me... It's fair to say they looked like the eyes of a person participating in a herbal experiment at Woodstock.

So now I know what it is like to be on the wrong side of a riot cordon in Europe when the capsicum spray is deployed...

But most importantly - how was the sauce?

Needs more salt...

This entry was posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:33 AM and has received 90 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

In my previous post I introduced Vegemite the Movie. The link pointed to part one, or actually the prequel to main event. This movie shot at 10,000 feet using one take without script was a piece of wonderful foolishness that I am so glad we created.

I now present "Makan with Dan and Mark" or "Dining with Dan and Mark" - also shot entirely on location in Papua West.

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This entry was posted on December 28, 2010 at 1:08 PM and has received 266 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

BBQ PEARL MEAT

This entry was posted on November 22, 2010 at 11:19 PM and has received 446 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

I bought a chilli sauce from Rapid Creek markets today and thought it was about time I started to rate what was around for Darwin chilli lovers to purchase from either the markets or your local Coles or Woolies store. I am not talking about boutique stuff like Dave's Insanity Sauce which you can buy from http://www.fireworksfoods.com.au/Web/index.html along with a range of other backside burning broth... Just the stuff you grab off the shelf thinking "I'll give that one a go".

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This entry was posted on July 20, 2008 at 9:51 PM and has received 1010 views. There are currently 3 comments. Print this entry.

As part of our certificate IV in Training and Assessment we need to demonstrate that we can coach. I have chosen the making of a crepe using a crepe machine focussing on the difficult skill of thinly swirling the batter onto the skillet with the supplied implement.

Remembering back to a similar training video where Dan and I taught the masses how to make a vegemite sandwich at 10,000 feet and then 15,000 feet above sea level, I decided to try making a Vegemite Crepe. The results surprised even me.

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This entry was posted on June 5, 2008 at 7:54 AM and has received 475 views. There are currently 1 comments. Print this entry.

Even though we have just finished Day 6 of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, I will reflect on Day 5 in this entry.

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This entry was posted on May 8, 2008 at 10:28 PM and has received 307 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Update - Made the JianBing, or at least an Aussie version of it.

Cooking - Chinese Crepes

We bought a crepe maker today and I made some crepes with Darwin limes, sugar and whipped cream. Not bad if I say so myself. What we really want to try and make are Chinese breakfast crepes called "Jian Bing"

Sure enough courtesy of the Internet you not only have access to the recipe, but a video of someone making them on the street in Shanghai.

I will, with the assistance of Helen or Joe translate this so we can all enjoy Jian Bing

This entry was posted on May 5, 2008 at 8:43 PM and has received 3740 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

I have created a number of chilli sauce blends and this one tastes really good and is so simple it is embarressing.

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This entry was posted on April 15, 2008 at 10:51 PM and has received 438 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

From the man who brought you the Vegemite Sandwich at 10,000 feet and the pumpkin twistie soup, I proudly present a new creation, the Egg, Cheese and Olive Toast Delight, or ECO Toast Delight for short.

A perfectly cylindrical fried egg (both side fried using my patented milk warmer jug frying technique) two sliced stuffed olives spread evenly around the edges and centre of the egg which placed on a warm piece of multigrain toast.

Make sure after slicing the olives you pat them dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.

A single slice of the cheese of your choice placed over the top and the whole dish placed in the microwave for 10 seconds on high just to warm the cheese and let little mounds of the olives appear.

My son Joe has rated this 5 out of 5 on a Saturday morning and is wonderfully complemented with a mug of warm milo with three different coloured marshmellows melted on the top.

This entry was posted on September 14, 2007 at 7:46 AM and has received 337 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Holidays are for computer games, cousins and building massive lego structures.

Here are some of Joe's holiday photos. Apart from heading out to a number of places and having fun with cousins and uncles,

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This entry was posted on July 15, 2007 at 7:46 AM and has received 365 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.