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Sri Lanka I was born and lived most of my unmarried life in this small, beautiful tropical island, shaped like a tear-drop and situated at the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent so that it has been romantically called 'the pearl in the ear of India'. It has been known by many names at different times, for it is an ancient land and its recorded history goes back to 483 BC, when Vijaya, a prince of the lion race (Sinhalas) set foot on the island. Some of the names by which it has been called during its 2500 years of recorded history are Taprobane, Simundu, Salike, Sila-diva, Serendib, Zeilan and Ceylon. Roloff Beny, in his delightful book, Island: Ceylon, writes, 'In Sinhala, the language of the majority of the inhabitants, it is reverently known as Sri Lanka, or "Resplendent Island", but I myself prefer the name given to it by the first travellers from China, which in translation is, "The Land Without Sorrow"'. I had been away for a number of years when I revisited Sri Lanka for the purpose of writing this book. It was with a small shock that I realised all over again just how beautiful a land it is. Driving along the coast road one is surrounded by greens and blues and golden hues; languid, swaying coconut palms, the Indian Ocean incredibly blue and green and even purple in patches; sandy beaches that go on for mile after smooth, golden mile. Both sea and air are so warm that there is no chill either entering the water or leaving it. And there are no sharks because the island is surrounded by protective coral reefs, so it is a skin-diver's paradise. Within less than a hundred miles you can travel from the coast to the central hills where, 2000 metres (6000 feet) above sea level, the air is cool and crisp and the natural vegetation includes conifers and pines; here, English and Scottish planters grew the best tea in the world and felt at home in the cool, misty climate. On the coastal plains there is a year-round temperature of 32°C (90°F) and city dwellers seek the comfort of air-conditioned buildings. In spite of its tiny size, Sri Lanka boasts an amazing variety of food and styles of cooking. The island has a rich heritage of indigenous dishes and its regional cooking is strongly individual and varied. For example, Kandyan Sinhalese cooking, with its emphasis on hill country vegetables and fruits; coastal cooking, making the best of the seafood with which the land is blessed; Tamil cooking, closely linked to that of southern lndia, and which is especially prevalent in Jaffna, in the north. In Sri Lanka, as in any other country, the most typical food is cooked in the villages – getting precise recipes is almost impossible. They don't cook by a book. A pinch of this, a handful of that, a good swirl of salty water; taste, consider, adjust seasoning. That's the way Sinhalese women cook, and no two women cook exactly alike. Even using the same ingredients, the interpretation The Complete Asian Cookbook Lanka Grant & The Philippines © 2014• Sri Hardie Books.. All
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of a recipe is completely individual. Ask a cook how much of a certain ingredient she uses and she'll say, 'Th is much,' showing you with her hand. Spoon measures would be looked upon as an affectation. You watch, make notes and try to achieve the same results by trial and error. And when you arrive at the correct formula, write it down for posterity. In addition to regional characteristics, some of the most popular dishes reflect influences from other lands. After a hundred years or so it does not matter that this or that style of cooking was introduced by foreigners who came and stayed, either as traders or conquerors – Indians, Arabs, Malays, Moors, Portuguese, Dutch and British. The dishes they contributed have been adapted to local ingredients, but retain their original character. They are not presented as Sinhalese dishes but accepted and enjoyed as part of the richly varied cuisine. The influence of the Muslims and Malays is responsible for the use of certain flavourings such as saffron and rosewater and the spicy korma, pilau and biriani which are Sri Lankan only by adoption. When the Portuguese ruled Sri Lanka for 150 years in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, they left behind words that have worked their way into the language and customs that are very much a part of rural and urban life. Many recipes end with an instruction to 'temper' the dish. Th is comes from the Portuguese word, temperado, which means to fry and season. The Portuguese also contributed a number of sweetmeats that remain popular. These are served at celebrations (Sri Lankans are enthusiastic about celebrating every happy occasion) and people take enormous pride in old family recipes, which they guard with jealous care. Then came the Dutch, and though their rule ended after a mere 138 years, their descendants stayed on in this prosperous land. They too brought with them recipes laden with butter and eggs in true Dutch tradition, but in the spice-rich land of their adoption they took on new flavours of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The traditional Christmas cake (see page 112) is a fine example of this, a fruit cake which stands above all others for flavour and richness. My father's family trace their ancestry back to the Dutch settlers. One early memory is of my paternal grandmother making preserves in an enormous brass pan that shone like gold. She was famous for her preserves, chutneys and jellies, and regularly won gold medals at the annual show. I have never seen anyone so meticulous about cooking. Then I remember preparations for Christmas, always a time of much cooking and tasting. Eggs were bought by the hundred, not the dozen. And why not? The Christmas cake would require fi ft y egg yolks and a breudher (Dutch yeast cake) twenty more. When the egg vendor appeared it was the signal for the servants of the household to bring large basins of water to the veranda where grandmother sat to make her purchases. Into these the egg seller would put the eggs. Any that floated or bobbed about uncertainly were disqualified and only those that sank sedately to the bottom, signifying freshness, were considered worthy. The cooking of traditional foods was a family affair, and everyone had their part.
Serving and eating a Sri Lankan meal Rice is the staple food of the people of Sri Lanka and has been adopted by all the communities (except, perhaps, the die-hard British). When enquiring whether one has had a meal, the literal translation of the question as asked in the Sinhalese language is, 'Have you eaten rice?' And all over the island the midday meal is rice and curry, Sinhalese-style. For such a meal everything is put on the table at once – rice, fish and meat curries, soup, vegetables and accompaniments. It is perfectly correct to have a serving of everything on your plate at one time. Soup may be ladled over the rice or sipped from a cup between mouthfuls, but it is not the first course. The meal can be eaten with the fingers as the people of the country do, or use a spoon and fork, which is widely accepted now except on special occasions such as the Sinhalese New Year, when everybody goes traditional and eats with their fingers.
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Mas Paan Meat buns Makes: about 30 Popular as a snack at any time of day, yeast buns filled with curried meat are sold piping hot from the oven at almost every tea boutique in Sri Lanka. You may need to break the beef cubes in the beef curry down slightly to fit the buns. This dough recipe is the rising agent in Breudher (the Sri Lankan yeast cake on page 108). The extra gluten helps it to rise and hold its shape.
1 quantity Beef curry (page 56) 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) potatoes, peeled and diced 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water Basic dough 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) milk 3 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons salt 90 g (3 oz) butter 30 g (1 oz) compressed yeast or 2 teaspoons active dried yeast 900 g (2 lb/6 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour 1 tablespoon gluten flour
Add the potato to the beef curry during the final 30 minutes of cooking and cook the curry until it is very dry. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. To make the dough, put the milk into a saucepan over high heat and bring almost to the boil, then remove from the heat, stir in sugar, salt and butter and allow to cool to lukewarm. Put the yeast in a bowl, pour over 375 ml (12½ fl oz/1½ cups) water and stir until dissolved. Add the lukewarm milk mixture and sift in 450 g (1 lb/3 cups) of the plain flour and the gluten flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add just enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Shape into a smooth ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel (dish towel) and set aside in a warm draught-free place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. The dough is now ready to be divided and rolled for use. To prepare the buns, knock back the dough and divide into 30 equal portions – this is probably easiest if you divide the dough first into 3 equal portions, then each of those into 5, then each of the 5 portions in half. Flatten each portion into a circle and place a spoonful of the meat and potato curry in the centre. Bring the edges together, pressing and moulding to seal. Buns should be nicely rounded on top and not too doughy at the bottom – to achieve this keep the dough thicker in the centre of the rounds and thin at the edges. Arrange the buns, seam side down, on greased baking trays, with enough space between to allow for rising and spreading. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 30–40 minutes or until nearly doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Brush the egg glaze over the top and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot or cold.
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Kakuluwo Curry Crab curry Serves: 4–6
2 large raw or cooked mud crabs 3 onions, finely chopped 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds 10 curry leaves 8 cm (3¼ in) cinnamon stick 1–2 teaspoons chilli powder 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 3 teaspoons salt 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) thin coconut milk (pages 8–9) 2 tablespoons desiccated (shredded) coconut 1 tablespoon ground rice 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) thick coconut milk (pages 8–9)
Remove the large shells from the crabs and discard the fibrous tissue under the shell. Divide each crab into 4 portions, breaking each body in half and separating the claws from the body, leaving the legs attached. Crack the claws with the back of a heavy knife or cleaver. Put the onion, garlic, ginger, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and thin coconut milk into a large saucepan, cover and simmer over medium–low heat for 30 minutes. Add the crab – if using raw crabs, continue to simmer for a further 20 minutes, or 5–7 minutes if cooked crabs are used. The crab should be submerged in the sauce during cooking. Remove the crab to a plate. Meanwhile, heat the coconut and ground rice in a separate dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Transfer to a food processor, add half of the thick coconut milk and process until well combined. Add to the pan with the remaining coconut milk and the lemon juice, simmer for 10 minutes, then return the crab to the pan and heat through. Serve with rice.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Note If the onions are large and tough, first soften by cooking gently in 2–3 tablespoons oil for 20 minutes before including in the recipe.
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Mas Ismoru Beef smoore Serves: 6–8 This recipe features a large piece of beef, cooked in a spicy coconut milk mixture, then sliced like a roast beef and served with plenty of rich, thick gravy spooned over. Serve with rice or Rotis (page 19) and Fried onion sambol (page 97).
1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) silverside or round steak (in one piece) 2 onions, finely chopped 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger 1 cinnamon stick 10 curry leaves 1 stem lemongrass or 2 strips lemon zest 3 tablespoons Ceylon curry powder (page 17)
Pierce the meat all over with a skewer and put in a large saucepan with all the ingredients except the thick coconut milk and ghee. Cover and simmer gently for 1½–2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Add the thick coconut milk and cook, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes. Remove the meat to a serving dish and, if the gravy is too thin, reduce by boiling rapidly. Transfer the gravy to a bowl. Heat the ghee in the cleaned pan over low heat. Add the beef and brown on all sides, then return the gravy to the pan and heat through. To serve, slice the meat and arrange on a platter with the gravy served separately.
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) vinegar ½ pickled lime or lemon (page 92) 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) thin coconut milk (pages 8–9) 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 teaspoons chilli powder, or to taste 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) thick coconut milk (pages 8–9) 50 g (1¾ oz) ghee
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Satay Curry Skewered beef curry
Serves: 6
750 g (1 lb 11 oz) rump steak, cut into cubes ½ teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoon salt 20 thin slices fresh ginger 20 thin garlic slices 60 g (2 oz) ghee or 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) oil ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds 8 curry leaves 2 onions, fi nely chopped 3 garlic cloves, fi nely chopped 1 teaspoon fi nely grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon ground coriander, dry-roasted 2 teaspoons ground cumin, dry-roasted
Cut 10 bamboo skewers into 10 cm (4 in) lengths and soak in water to prevent them from burning. Sprinkle the beef with the turmeric, pepper and salt and mix well to combine. Thread the beef onto the skewers alternately with the ginger and garlic slices.
Heat the ghee in a heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add the skewers and cook, in batches, turning to seal on all sides. Remove to a plate.
Add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves to the pan and cook for 1 minute, then add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until the onion is golden. Add the coriander, cumin, chilli powder and fennel and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring well, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, until thick and smooth. If necessary add more water or coconut milk. Return the skewered beef to the pan, spoon over the sauce and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the meat is tender. Serve with white rice or ghee rice and other accompaniments.
½ teaspoon chilli powder
¼t ½ ½
50 (
½ teaspoon ground fennel, dry-roasted ½ teaspoon kencur (aromatic ginger) powder ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom a pinch of ground cloves 1 teaspoon salt 625 ml (21 fl oz/2½ cups) coconut milk (pages 8–9)
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Peegodu Curry Diced liver curry Serves: 4
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) calves' livers, sliced 10 whole black peppercorns
Rinse the liver and drain, then place into a small saucepan with enough water to cover. Add the peppercorns and salt and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the liver is firm. Remove from the heat, allow to cool, then cut the liver into very small dice.
1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon ghee or oil 1 onion, fi nely chopped 3 garlic cloves, fi nely chopped 1 teaspoon fi nely chopped fresh ginger 1 stem lemongrass or 2 strips lemon zest
Heat the ghee in the cleaned pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until the onion softens. Add all the remaining ingredients, return the liver to the pan, and cook, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened.
¼ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 8 curry leaves 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) vinegar 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) coconut milk (pages 8–9) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
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Abba Achcharu Mustard pickle
80 g (2¾ oz/½ cup) black mustard seeds 750 ml (25½ fl oz/3 cups) white or malt vinegar 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 250 g (9 oz) red Asian shallots, peeled 12 fresh red or green chillies 185 g (6½ oz/1 cup) sliced unripe papaya (optional) 125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) sliced green beans 125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) cauliflower florets 100 g (3½ oz) carrots, cut into thin matchsticks 1 bitter melon (gourd), deseeded and cut into strips
Put the mustard seeds in a bowl with just enough of the vinegar to cover and leave to soak overnight. Put the remaining vinegar in a saucepan with the salt, turmeric and shallots and bring to the boil for 1 minute. Lift out the shallots with a slotted spoon, leave to drain and cool. Repeat with the chilli, papaya, beans, cauliflower and carrot – allowing extra time for the beans, cauliflower and carrot, which should be tender but still crisp to bite. Reserve the cooking vinegar. When all the vegetables are drained and cooled, put them into a sterilised airtight jar. Put the mustard seeds and soaking liquid into a food processor with all the remaining ingredients and the reserved cooking vinegar and process to combine. Pour over the vegetables in the jar, adding more vinegar to cover the vegetables if needed. If the jar has a metal lid, cover with 2 layers of baking paper before sealing. This mustard pickle will keep for many months. To avoid spoiling, always use a clean dry spoon.
6 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon fi nely grated fresh ginger 3 teaspoons sugar
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Kiri Hodhi Coconut milk gravy
Serves: 6 Serve as an accompaniment to be spooned over rice or sipped between mouthfuls of rice and curry. If a less rich result is required, substitute low-fat milk or water for part of the coconut milk.
2t 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds 1 large onion, fi nely chopped 12 curry leaves 1 cinnamon stick 2 fresh green chillies, deseeded and split lengthways ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon salt
Wash the fenugreek seeds and soak in cold water for at least 30 minutes.
2l (½
Put the fenugreek seeds into a saucepan with all the remaining ingredients, except the thick coconut milk and lemon juice. Simmer over low heat until the onion has reduced to a pulp and the milk has been thickened by the fenugreek seeds. Stir well, then add the thick coconut milk and heat without boiling. Stir in the lemon juice and add more salt, if needed. Serve hot in small bowls.
2 teaspoons pounded Maldive fish (smoked dried fish) or dried prawn (shrimp) powder
625 ml (21 fl oz/2½ cups) thin coconut milk (pages 8–9)
500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) thick coconut milk (pages 8–9)
lemon juice, to taste
Note If a thicker soup is preferred, add a few slices of potato to the ingredients in the pan before simmering.
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Vambotu Pahi Eggplant pickle
2 teaspoons salt, plus extra to taste 2 teaspoons ground turmeric 2 large eggplants (aubergines), cut into 1 cm (½ in) thick slices oil for frying 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) vinegar 1 onion, fi nely chopped 4 garlic cloves, sliced 1 tablespoon fi nely chopped fresh ginger 1 tablespoon ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground fennel 125 g (4½ oz/½ cup) tamarind pulp 3 fresh green chillies, deseeded and sliced 8 cm (3¼ in) cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon chilli powder (optional) 2 teaspoons sugar
Rub the salt and turmeric over the eggplant slices and drain in a colander for at least 1 hour. Dry with paper towel. Heat about 2.5 cm (1 in) of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan. Add the eggplant and cook until brown on both sides. Remove to a plate, reserving 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) of the oil in the pan. Put the mustard seeds and vinegar in a food processor and process to a pulp. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and process to make a smooth paste. Set aside. Dry-fry the coriander, cumin and fennel in a small frying pan over low heat, shaking the pan or stirring, until toasted. Soak the tamarind pulp in 190 ml (6½ fl oz/¾ cup) hot water for 10 minutes. Squeeze to dissolve the pulp in the water, then strain, discarding the seeds and fibre. Heat the reserved oil and cook the mustard mixture for 5 minutes. Add the roasted spices, chilli, cinnamon stick, tamarind liquid and chilli powder, if using. Add the eggplant and any oil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the sugar and add salt to taste. Cool and store in sterilised airtight jars. The eggplant pickle will keep for many months. To avoid spoiling, always use a clean dry spoon.
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Koonee Sambola Shrimp sambol The dried shrimp, or koonee, used in this delicious sambol are very small – no thicker than a piece of twine. They are sold in Asian grocery stores.
1 small onion, fi nely chopped 3 fresh red chillies, deseeded and fi nely chopped 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Put all the ingredients, except the coconut, into a saucepan. Add 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) water, cover, and simmer over low heat until the onion is soft. Add the coconut and toss, uncovered, until the coconut absorbs all the liquid. Taste and add extra salt and lemon juice if necessary. Serve with rice and curries.
1½ teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon ground turmeric 3 tablespoons dried shrimp 135 g (5 oz/1½ cups) freshly grated or desiccated (shredded) coconut
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Foguete Deep-fried pastry with sweet filling Makes: 24 This is one of the Portuguese recipes left by the one-time conquerors of Sri Lanka. The translation of foguete is 'rocket', because they look like miniature fireworks. Little hollow tubes of pastry are fried, cooled and filled with a sweet mixture. Very often they are dipped in a crystallising syrup to coat the pastry, which keeps them crisp for a few days, but also makes the overall effect very sweet. I prefer to fill them just before they are to be served and omit the crystallising process. Metal cannoli moulds are ideal for rolling the foguete, but otherwise use twelve 8 cm (3¼ in) lengths of wooden dowelling with a 2 cm (¾ in) diameter – you will need to grease them with butter before rolling the pastry over.
Pastry 300 g (10½ oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour a pinch of salt 60 g (2 oz) butter 2 eggs 2 egg yolks (egg whites reserved separately) 1 tablespoon icing (confectioners') sugar, plus extra for dusting 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract oil for frying Fillings Avocado fool (page 109) (see note) pineapple or melon jam 155 g (5½ oz/1 cup) chopped raw cashew nuts mixed with 125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) chopped raisins 1 quantity Bolo folhado filling (page 106)
Note Follow the instructions for making the Avocado fool on page 109, but whip the cream and avocado after mashing with the sugar before piping into the pastry shells.
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To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and egg yolks, add the icing sugar and vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of cold water – if the eggs are very large, the water may not be necessary. Add to the flour and mix well to make a firm pastry. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is smooth and shiny. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Divide the pastry into portions. Roll each portion out on a lightly floured work surface, as thinly as possible. Cut into lengths a little narrower than the cannoli moulds, about 6 cm (2½ in), and long enough to fit loosely around the moulds. Wet a thin strip at one end of each length with egg white and pinch both ends together around the mould to give a fluted effect. If the pastry is too loose, pinch it together on the opposite side to the join, making 2 fluted ridges, but don't make it too tight a fit or it will be difficult to slip off the mould later. Heat a little oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, drop in the tubes, a few at a time, and cook until pale golden. Remove from the oil and when cool enough to handle, gently slip the mould from the centre, return the tubes to the oil and continue cooking until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and cool completely. If not using immediately, the tubes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Just before you are ready to serve, use a teaspoon or piping bag to fill the tubes with the filling of your choice, depending on its consistency. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
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Cakes and Sweets
Kilaw Marinated fish salad Serves: 8 Fish is marinated in lime or lemon juice, the acid turning the fish white and opaque so that it looks 'cooked', although the texture is a little different. I have used this recipe with many kinds of fish and found that the best results were with snapper (porgy), redfish and flathead, but any delicately flavoured white fish is suitable.
1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) skinless, boneless, firm white fish fillets, such as flathead, snapper (porgy) and redfish 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste 2 onions, very thinly sliced 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) coconut cream (pages 8–9) 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and place in a non-metallic bowl with the lemon juice, tossing to cover the fish. Add the salt and onion and stir with a wooden spoon. Do not use metal utensils. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, stirring once or twice while marinating. In a large bowl, combine the coconut cream, garlic, ginger, pepper and turmeric and mix well to combine. Drain the fish, discarding the lemon juice. Add the coconut dressing, capsicums, spring onion and tomato and toss together to coat the fish and vegetables in the dressing. Serve the mixture in a dish lined with lettuce leaves.
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric 1 large red capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and diced 1 large green capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and diced 6 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced 3–4 firm red tomatoes, peeled and diced 1 large lettuce, leaves separated
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Arroz a la Paella Rice with chicken and seafood Serves: 6–8 Among the many dishes with Spanish flavour found in the Philippines is this favourite rice dish popular for feast days.
1 × 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) whole chicken
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) pork chops (cutlets)
½ teaspoon saff ron strands
1 raw lobster tail (optional)
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 hot chorizo (Spanish sausages)
60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) olive oil
olive oil for frying
2 large onions, fi nely chopped
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) raw prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined, tails left intact
5 garlic cloves, fi nely chopped
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fresh mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
3 teaspoons salt
250 g (9 oz/1 cup) tinned chopped tomatoes 3 teaspoons paprika 500 g (1 lb 2 oz/2½ cups) long-grain rice 1.1 litres (37 fl oz/4½ cups) hot chicken or fish stock 155 g (5½ oz/1 cup) peas 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and thinly sliced
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Cu lob Pie pla bri 5 m
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Joint the chicken (see page 12), cut it into serving pieces and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cut the pork chops into dice, discarding the bones. Chop the lobster tail, if using, into large slices, including the shell. Pierce the chorizos in a few places with a sharp knife, then place into a saucepan with enough water to cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well and slice into rounds. Set aside. In a large heavy-based frying pan, heat enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan. Add the chicken and cook on all sides over medium heat, until golden. Remove to a plate. Add the lobster and cook for 1–2 minutes, or until the shell turns pink. Remove to a plate. Add the chorizo to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, then remove to a plate and drain on paper towel. Add the pork to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, then remove to a plate. Discard the oil in the pan.
To make the sofrito, combine the saffron strands and boiling water in a bowl and leave to soak. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and golden. Add the garlic, the soaked saffron and the soaking liquid and the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy. Add the salt and paprika and stir well, then add the rice to the pan and stir over medium heat for 3–4 minutes to coat. Add the hot stock, stir well and bring to the boil. Add the chicken, pork, chorizo and lobster, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the prawns and mussels, pushing the mussels into the rice so they will cook in the steam. Do not use any mussels that are not tightly closed before cooking, and discard any mussels that do not open during cooking. Do not stir. Scatter the peas over the top, cover, and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Garnish with the capsicum to serve.
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Morcon Stuffed rolled beef Serves: 6–8
1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) thick skirt (flank) steak in one piece 1½ teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 sweet gherkins (dill pickles), sliced lengthways 2 chorizo (Spanish sausages), sliced lengthways 2 thick slices cooked ham, sliced 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut lengthways into quarters 2 tablespoons lard 2 tablespoons palm or rice vinegar, or 1 tablespoon white vinegar 3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
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Use a sharp knife to cut the steak through the middle, starting at the thickest edge and being careful not to cut through. This should give you a very flat piece of steak almost double the size it was originally. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and lemon juice and smear with the crushed garlic. Arrange the pickle, chorizo, ham and hard-boiled egg in rows over the beef, starting at one end, then roll up carefully and tie with kitchen string, so that it is firm but not too tight. Heat the lard in a large heavy-based frying pan. Add the meat and turn to brown on all sides. Drain off any excess fat, then add the vinegar, tomato and 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, for 1¼ hours, or until the meat is tender when tested with a thin metal skewer. Remove the meat to a plate to rest briefly before serving. Bring the liquid in the pan to a boil and cook rapidly until the sauce thickens. Remove the kitchen string from the rolled beef and cut into slices. Serve hot with the sauce on the side.
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Kari-Kari Beef and vegetable stew Serves: 6–8
2 kg (4 lb 6 oz) oxtail, jointed 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) beef shin (shank) on the bone, sliced 3 teaspoons salt 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) vegetable oil 2 teaspoons annatto seeds (glossary) 2 large onions, thinly sliced 4 large garlic cloves, fi nely chopped 100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) long-grain rice 80 g (2¾ oz/½ cup) roasted peanuts 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 375 g (13 oz/3 cups) sliced green beans 2 eggplants (aubergines), cut into large pieces 2 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste 2 tablespoons thinly sliced spring onion (scallion), to garnish 2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves, to garnish
Put the oxtail and beef into a pressure cooker with just enough water to cover. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt and cook under pressure for 1 hour. Allow to cool to lukewarm, then strain the stock, reserving the meat. Put the stock in the refrigerator to chill. If no pressure cooker is available, simmer the meat in a large saucepan until almost tender. Wipe the meat with paper towel to soak up any excess moisture. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish and brown the pieces of meat, turning regularly, until brown all over – you may need to do this in batches. Remove to a plate when done. Pour the fat from the pan and heat the remaining oil over low heat. Add the annatto seeds and stir-fry over low heat for 1 minute – you may need to cover the pan as they might spit. Remove the seeds using a slotted spoon and discard. Add the onion and garlic and cook in the coloured oil until soft. Remove the top layer of fat from the chilled stock and re-heat it in a small saucepan until liquid, then stir in 2 litres (68 fl oz/8 cups) hot water to combine. Put the rice in a dry frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the grains are evenly coloured. When they are deep golden, allow to cool slightly, then grind to a powder in a spice grinder or food processor. Add the peanuts and continue to process to a powder. Return the meat to the pan with the onion and garlic and stir to combine, then add the water mixture and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until the meat is tender and easily pierced with a fork, but not falling off the bone. There should be enough liquid to cover the meat; if not, add more hot water. Add the rice powder, stirring until smooth. Add the beans and eggplant and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the fish sauce to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with the spring onion and celery leaves with white rice on the side. If liked, accompany this dish with extra fi sh sauce, soy sauce, a hot sambal sauce or (for real Filipino eating) a sauce made from equal quantities of shrimp paste and lime juice.
The Complete Asian Cookbook Philippines © 2014• The Hardie Grant
146 Books. . All Rights Reserved.
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Š 2014 Hardie Grant Books.. All Rights Reserved.
Menudo Pork and liver stew
Serves: 6
1 tablespoon oil 2 teaspoons annatto seeds (glossary) 1 tablespoon crushed garlic 1 onion, finely chopped 2 tomatoes, sliced 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) pork, cut into 5 cm (2 in) cubes 3 potatoes, diced 250 g (9 oz) pork liver, finely diced 2 teaspoons salt
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Add the annatto seeds and stir-fry for 1 minute, then lift out the seeds with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the garlic and onion to the coloured oil in the pan and cook until soft and golden. Add the tomato and cook until soft and pulpy, then add the pork, cover, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the pork is tender. Add the potato – you may need to add a little stock or water at this point if there is very little liquid in the pan. Simmer until the potato is cooked through. Add the liver to the pan with the salt and pepper and bring back to the boil until the liver is cooked through. Serve hot.
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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The Complete Asian Cookbook Lanka Grant © 2014• Sri Hardie
148 Books. . All Rights Reserved.
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Almondigas (1) Beef and pork balls simmered in stock Serves: 4
250 g (9 oz) minced (ground) pork 250 g (9 oz) minced (ground) beef 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 small egg 1½ tablespoons oil 2 garlic cloves, fi nely chopped
In a large bowl, combine the pork and beef, salt, pepper and egg, using your hands to mix well. Take portions of the mixture at a time and shape into balls. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until golden brown, then add the tomato and cook, stirring often, until soft . Add the rice water, bring to the boil, then add the meatballs, in batches, and simmer until well cooked. Serve hot.
1 onion, fi nely chopped 2 ripe tomatoes, diced 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) rice water (see note) 2 teaspoons soy sauce
Note 'Rice water' is the water in which rice has been washed prior to cooking.
149 © 2014 Hardie Grant Books. . All Rights Reserved.
Mangang Sorbetes Mango ice cream Serves: 6 Ice creams made from fruit, coconut and purple yam are popular in the Philippines.
500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) milk
Put the milk into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil.
2 eggs, separated
Beat the egg yolks with half of the sugar in a bowl, until thick and light. Pour a little of the hot milk onto the yolks, stirring constantly, then add the yolk mixture to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly – do not allow it to reach simmering point or the custard will curdle. As soon as it is thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and keep stirring until it cools slightly. Pour into a freezer tray and freeze until mushy.
115 g (4 oz/½ cup) caster (superfi ne) sugar 1 teaspoon gelatine 280–370 g (10–13 oz/1½–2 cups) fresh or tinned mango pulp 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) pouring (single/ light) cream
Sprinkle the gelatine over 2 tablespoons cold water in a cup and stand the cup in a small saucepan of water. Bring to the boil so the gelatine dissolves. Put the mango pulp in a bowl and add the gelatine water, stirring to combine. Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks – do not overbeat or the ice cream will have a buttery texture. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the remaining sugar and beat until soft and glossy. Scrape the half-frozen custard into a bowl and beat with a hand-held beater until it is smooth, but do not let it melt. (Chilling the bowl helps in hot weather.) Fold in the mango pulp, egg whites and whipped cream and return to the freezer to freeze until firm.
The Complete Asian Cookbook Philippines © 2014• The Hardie Grant
162 Books. . All Rights Reserved.
, nd o as ve
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Š 2014 Hardie Grant Books.. All Rights Reserved.
The new book from Hardie Grant Books: http://www.rizzoliusa.com/book.php?isbn=9781742706856


text:
Do This and Get Hired: Weekly Tips Roundup
Reader Resource
Apply now to be an Entrepreneur 360™ company. Let us tell the world your success story. Get Started »
Looking for a new gig? This week's tip roundup shares advice from founders and managers on how to land your dream job.
- Find a friend to keep you accountable, says Joel Brown, founder of Addicted2Success. He explains why this method will keep you on track and focused.
- Rethink that LinkedIn photo. We explain how to ensure you look professional before hiring managers start Googling you.
- And when you do score that interview, be prepared to explain times you've displayed constructive leadership skills. One founder explains why it's important to his hiring process.
Related: Jeff Bezos Heats Up the Race to Space: Your Weekly News Roundup

subset: commoncrawl


text:
World Heritage Management Group
The Forth Bridge is a Scottish icon that is recognised the world over.
In early 2014 an application was submitted to UNESCO in an attempt to have the Forth Bridge inscribed as a World Heritage Site.
Successful inscription would see it join The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, New Lanark, St Kilda, the Antonine Wall and The Heart of Neolithic Orkney and become Scotland's sixth World Heritage Site.
On a global level it would join sites such as the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and Vatican City. This would be a tremendous accolade for the Bridge, local communities and Scotland.
The World Heritage Management Group, a sub-group of the Forth Bridges Forum, was established to oversee work on the nomination. The group asked Historic Scotland to lead on the preparation of the nomination.
The core members of the World Heritage Management Group are representatives from the following organisations:
- City of Edinburgh Council
- Fife Council
- Historic Environment Scotland
- Network Rail
- Transport Scotland
- Visit Scotland
The functions of the World Heritage Management Group were agreed as follows:
- To support Historic Environment Scotland on drafting the management plan and nomination document
- To develop and implement a strategy for local community engagement
- To provide funding and resources to support the production of the Management Plan and Nomination Document
- To agree a strategy for communicating key milestones throughout the World Heritage nomination process
- To report to the Forth Bridges Forum on progress with the Forth Bridge's World Heritage nomination
- To review and amend the Terms of Reference of the Steering Group as appropriate following the outcome of the nomination.
World Heritage
Documents and Other Information
Forth Bridge World Heritage Nomination Document (pdf)
Forth Bridge World Heritage Nomination Management Plan (pdf)
Forth Bridge World Heritage Nomination - Realising the Potential Benefits (pdf)


text:
Pumpkin Mousse Pie
READY IN: 5mins
Recipe by Ann C.
This is a light, fluffy version of pumpkin pie! I made it for a dinner party and it was enjoyed by all including those that did not care for traditional pumpkin pie!
Ingredients Nutrition
- 1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin
- 1 (8 ounce) containerthawed frozen whipped topping
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package cheesecake flavor instant pudding and pie filling
- 1 graham cracker crust
Directions See How It's Made
- Whisk together pumpkin, whipped topping, and spice until smooth.
- Add the dry pudding mix and whisk until smooth.
- Pour into ready-made pie crust (or your own from scratch if you like).
- Refrigerate until mousse has thickened.


text:
perils with writing and whatnot
Do you know what the difference is between a dump and a hole? The former builds an ugly mountain of debris, while the latter makes a deep dark crevasse in the ground. Neither are pleasant.
These days I'm feeling down in the dumps. The cliché is confusing, isn't it? I mean, how can I be down when I'm on a pile of garbage? Maybe the saying should be "up on the dumps". It doesn't roll out of the mouth very well though. I'm at a lost to figure out why I'm feeling this way. Autumn is my favorite time of year. Daylight Savings Time goes off (YAY!). The air feels brisk and light instead of the weighed down feeling of the heat waves that clutter the air in the summer. I'm able to do more of the physical things in life because I'm not feeling lazy from the heat anymore. Yet, some time last week, the blues started settling down on me.
Did you notice I stated that I'm not feeling lazy? Yet, I'm sleeping more, which may be a good thing seeing that for over five years I wasn't getting anymore than five hours of sleep each night, and even that was broken up. Still, I'm sleeping odd hours. I know that I'm missing out on time I could be using for something productive. I can't run the vacuum in the middle of the night. Hubby is sleeping then. Could this be the reason for the dumps?
Could it be that I have taken a burden of time self-imposed on me? All this sleeping that I've been doing is cutting quite heavily into my time on my writing project too. And that is, most definitely, self-imposed. My most creative time during a twenty-four hour period is between 5pm and 8pm. Yet, because of this sporadic sleeping I've been doing, I find myself with heavy eyelids at 6pm. An hour of writing is better than none but it isn't enough — not by a long shot. Whether I write longhand or type, it takes me a while to get words down. I'm a lefty — you know, left-handed. That makes longhand go slower. Still, because of this fact, I'm better off. You see, I can only use this one hand. The other one is useless because of disability. This, in turn though, makes typing slower too. As the cliché goes, '6 of one and a half-dozen of the other'. In actuality, typing is a little faster.
I did mention holes at the start of this post, didn't I? I feel that I dug myself a deep one. I love putting words in visual form. (Anymore it's more of the visual of the computer screen but I like writing longhand too.) What is more, the thought of writing a novel is exhilarating. I'm a pantser (as opposed to being a plotter), finding my way through the story as I go. Be that as it may, I do it more by scene than looking at the bigger picture. In a couple of sentences, I state what the scene is about before plunging into it so that there's more of a chance of me staying on track. But now I'm past the 'beginning', the 'start', the 'first act' of my story. I have introduced almost all locations, characters and norms for those characters. I am at that place where the tale really begins. Yet, I'm floundering. I'm in that deep dark hole where I can't see my hand in front of my face.
What would a pro tell me to do now? Do I push through without re-evaluating what I've already written? Or should I go back to some point in the story and find my bearings? Is this a place where I might need to take a break from this writing project and pick it up again in a week or two? Is this the time to give up? Oh, I hope not because I really do want to see this to the end.
Being in this hole and also being in the dumps is mind-wrenching. I question why I'm trying to write a novel. I doubt that my skills as a writer are up for this challenge. Who wants to read a novel that is so clearly written by an amateur, and, at that, a bad one? Have I gone over the edge into the land of loonies?
The Writing Site for Independent Authors: News, Resources, and Advice
Psychology to Motivate | Inspire | Uplift
Rebelling against a culture that values assimilation over individuality.
Join me as I edit my first novel and aim for publication
The Cat's Write
For women and those who love them
Articles, Poetry, Opinion, Personal Essays, and Visual Arts
Learn how to write poetry, fiction, personal essays, and more.
Highlighting Inspiring Women Around the World
An Australian Fantasy/ Fiction Writer
Text+Sound by Wayne Mason
helpful writer ramblings from a disturbed mind just like yours
A Good Blog is Hard to Find
Living the creative life...
And other metaphors for motherhood
Life, Relationships
Random thoughts, manic randoms, continuous randoms.
A tale of insecurity, fear, betrayal and love....
take a trip with me to the darkside
Author of Young Adult Fiction
The Web log of Dr. Joseph Suglia
Authors Supporting Authors!!!!!
Writer. Writing.
Life is make believe, fantasy given form
Official Website of Luciana Cavallaro
From Relationships to Weightloss
We're not really mad geniuses. We're just a little miffed
Conjured by Sarah Doughty
How to stay alive until you die, starting now. Writing helps!
a sporadic account of things that matter to me.
Weird and Random Thoughts
Learning to live all over again after Brain Injury and Concussion
"There is nothing to writing. All you have to do is sit down at a typewriter - and bleed." Ernest Hemingway
A place to share insight and information about the many forms of writer's resistance (writer's block, procrastination, distractions, looking for answers in the fridge, keeping yourself too busy to write, etc.) so you can stop resisting and start really enjoying your writing.
A Blog On Writing
Sparked by Words
Jean M. Cogdell, Author-Writing something worth reading, one word at a time in easy to swallow bite size portions.


text:
Tagged: Parenting
The Return of the Mum
Shrink Grows Kids is 2 years old! And more exciting things are happening: I have been offered two book deals and am about to sign up with the lovely people at Pan Macmillan for my first ever book. So thank you to everyone who has read and supported my little site. Your reads gave me the confidence to continue and it has led me to things beyond my imagination.
Those who followed my journey from the start may have realised by the tone of some of my blog posts that I started this blog as a child psychiatrist that had been somewhat cast aside by her profession for her decision to work a maximum of 3-days a week such that she could be there for her children. Working so little is highly frowned upon in a profession where apparently working till 10pm and on Saturdays is deemed a standard working week (thanks Mr Hunt). In the battle of children vs career, for me children had to win out.
It's a tough decision faced by many driven parents and I respect the individual choices made by others even if they differ from mine. For me, I am lucky enough to be married to a banker who pays the mortgage and financially as my post-tax income would have been equivalent to quality childcare, money was negligible in the decision making. Unluckily, being married to a banker means that for much of the time parenting responsibility falls to me as Banker is often out of the house before 06:30am and not back again until 8pm, if he is even in the country. Thus I squarely felt the responsibility of how our children turned out was down to me. As a child psychiatrist who spends days and years hearing and helping children and families that have struggled, it seemed implausible not to at least attempt to practice what I believe and preach: spend time with children.
For quite some years I took positions that allowed me to work a 3-day week by virtue of my being over-qualified and under-paid and saw friends and colleagues speed by in the race to the top. It was not without its frustrations, anger, tears, self-hatred and despair. What was the least anticipated, yet most destructive was the loss of identity. I would never have seen myself as one for airs and graces and felt that I took people on face-value, but it was amazing how naked I felt when stripped of a prestigious job title. Signing on reluctantly for gym membership post-baby fat one time I felt wounded to see that the lady had listened to my description of my work circumstances and had written: Occupation: House-wife/ Doctor.
I had never identified myself as a house-wife. A mother yes, but not a house-wife. I don't and doubt I ever will darn my husband's socks (although once my mother-in-law did offer to teach me).
It was with this inkling that I wanted something more that I tentatively set up my blog. Slowly by slowly, with your help, a sense of confidence and purpose grew that even if the system would not support me, I could use my skills to support myself. I started speaking to friends about work outside of the NHS which although I loved, had rejected me for my lack of ambition/ work-ethic/ dedication because of my insistence on limited hours. We set up a little private practice which has been doing great. This led to more confidence in my ability, to connections and friendships which have led to more and more opportunities, which have eventually culminated into a return to a prestigious NHS position on MY TERMS – 3 days a week. Alongside, the material from my blog has continued to grow, albeit slowly of late, and I am still pinching myself that a publisher is willing to support me in growing it into a book. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I could or would become a writer.
My horoscope predicted that 2016 could be one of the best years of my life (so be happy all Pisceans) and I am really looking forward to the year. My message to other parents that chose children over career is to say "Believe in yourself", give it time, you never know where it might lead you and soon you'll be back on top.
Here are some posts from rock bottom that might help:
Advice to My Former Self – Desperate Working Mother of Two Young Children
Did You Get Maternal Adjustment Disorder?
Shrink grows kids at 18 months
When I started blogging 18 months ago, it was my escape from becoming a desperate housewife. I never expected still to be writing 18 months down the line, yet here I am. Not only am I still at it, but last week I was signed by a literary agent for my parenting book proposal! How cool is that? OK, it is not a book deal yet, but it is a foot on the first rung of the ladder.
Some of you may have noticed that my posts are now fortnightly rather than weekly, and this is down to the explosion of work that has suddenly appeared from nowhere. It would seem that life works in mysterious ways and after a very low two years of feeling pointless and rejected by my chosen profession I am somehow now back in the game. Don't ask me how that happened. One minute I am being told that "No London teaching hospital will employ you for less than 4 days a week" and "You have a negative reputation for being forthright and assertive and reputations are hard to shift", so I have been sat at home in my pyjamas twiddling my thumbs and watching "Loose Women"; and the next minute I've got sessions at 3 London teaching hospitals (including Great Ormond Street) that still fit around me being able to pick up the kids from school twice a week, medical students to supervise, private patients backed up a month and now a book to write. Phew!
So I hope you will forgive the erratic postings, and I am ever so grateful for all the regular readers of my blog for helping make the book opportunity happen. Without your support I would never have had the confidence to put a book proposal out there. All comments, follows, likes and shares are greatly appreciated.
For those new to this site, here's what I mainly write about:
Does parenting help chess and poetry?
A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a professor. She asked me how my children were. Being conscious that my part-time status should not account for nothing, I bragged:
"Oh, my daughter is in the final of the Borough Poetry competition and my 5 year old son is playing chess".
What surprised me was her response.
"Oh – you see, that proves it's all "G""
(G is the behavioural geneticists' abbreviation for genetic effect – yes, we behavioural geneticists actually do talk in terms of "G" and "E" (environmental effect) in common parlance rather than actual coherent words).
"Oh" I said, "I was about to say that it proves it's all "E"".
Of course, we all know that both "G" and "E" play an effect in outcome, but it is funny to see how (even in two people that study it) our interpretation of science is coloured by our own personal view; or perhaps rather, we skew the science to suit our own needs and to support our chosen behaviours.
My personal view is that parenting matters. I would not have gone part-time and sacrificed career advancement if I did not believe that I would be making a significant positive impact on the outcome of my children. I am more likely to see positive outcomes in my children as being directly related to my input, rather than what would have happened regardless if I was there or not.
If you believe that outcomes are solely genetically determined, then parenting no longer becomes important, and you may as well excel at work and farm out childcare. Equally, if you have chosen to excel at work and farm out childcare, it would suit you very well to believe that "it's all about G".
So here's the route to Big Sis's poetry success and how come Lil Bro is playing chess at 5 years, and you can decide for yourself on the G and E in these instances.
Big Sis:
Big Sis is good with words. She is interested in them and from as young as 3 years she would always ask questions about the meaning of words:
Big Sis: What does imagination mean?
Me: It's something that you think about in your head.
Later, when I asked her to concentrate on colouring within the lines:
Big Sis: What does concentration mean?
Me: It's when you use your head to think about something.
Big Sis: No. That's your imagination.
At that point, I bought her a dictionary so that she did not need to rely on my lack of defining prowess; the point being that she was interested in words and their meaning from a young age and I provided her with the tools to pursue this.
In addition, I read to Big Sis (and Lil Bro) every night from the age of 1 year, until they could read chapter books for themselves, and I will still read to them more challenging books when we are on holiday. I will define (to the best of my ability) difficult words and ask questions to check that they understand what I have read to them.
I have a book of poems my sisters and I wrote when we were Big Sis's age. My father encouraged us to write them and he had them bound in a fancy book. They are absolutely hideous (all basic rhymes and no substance – "I love school. It's so cool." – you get the tragic idea) but strangely appealing to young children. Sometimes I would get this book out and read them to the children.
When I found out that Big Sis was studying poetry at school, I went to Waterstones to buy TS Elliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". We have a well-loved cat, and so I thought that this would be an accessible poetry choice for Big Sis. Indeed it was. We read all the poems together. Lil Bro takes to Macavity, Big Sis to the Pekes and the Pollicles. We will soon be taking advantage of the return of the "Cats" musical at the West End.
In one poem, TS Elliot says "How else can a cat keep its tail perpendicular?"
Big Sis asked for a definition of "perpendicular".
I explained that it means when something is at right-angles to something else. I stand up and demonstrate with my arms perpendicular. At that moment, our cat jumps out from under the bed with her tail up. "There look" – I say pointing, "that's what it means to have a tail that is perpendicular." Big Sis understands.
"But", I say to Big Sis, "I think that Mr Elliot has another meaning when he asks this."
"Show me what you look like when you are sad or ashamed of yourself."
Big Sis, the master of drama, slumps and hunches over; slinking away.
"Now show me how you look when you are proud."
Big Sis sits up straight and tall.
"Look", I say, "You are "perpendicular" to the ground when you are proud. I think this is what TS Elliot means; he is talking about pride rather than the position of the cat's tail."
Later, Big Sis is practising ballet moves in the hallway.
"Mum!" She shouts.
"My leg is perpendicular."
Lil Bro:
Lil Bro has always had excellent spatial awareness. One Christmas just after his second birthday I thought about presents to get him. Being Chinese, the first toys that come to mind are educational ones. I thought I would get him a jigsaw, something he could realistically manage like a 3-piece. His Aunty, who is also Chinese and so of the same "educational toys" mind set also buys him jigsaws – Thomas the Tank Engine ones; only, she has no children and so did not appreciate how many pieces a 2 year old could realistically do – and bought him 6, 10 and 12 piece jigsaws.
One evening, I was cooking dinner so I put Lil Bro at the table with the 3 piece jigsaws. He wanted the Thomas ones, so I put those out as well, just to keep the peace while I cooked. The next minute, I turned around and there he was sitting with the 6 piece puzzle completed. I nearly dropped my saucepan.
"OK, then clever clogs" I thought, here's the 10 piece.
That was also pretty much consumed.
My Christmas present was a complete waste of money, he never did 3-pieces. By the time he was 3, 24-35 piece jigsaws were no problem. We even played "Jigsaw-offs" – infant versus geriatric; where Lil Bro and my mother would race as to who could finish an identical 24 piece jigsaw faster. Lil Bro was victorious.
By 4 years old 50 and 72 pieces were fine. By that time, I had emptied out several toyshops of their jigsaws.
At weekends, when Big Sis was at her swimming lesson, Lil Bro and I would sit in the coffee shop next door and eat porridge. The coffee shop had chess and draughts sets for customers to play with. To kill the time, I taught Lil Bro to play draughts and then chess. I am not the greatest chess player myself. I tend to take pieces with no overarching strategy; pretty much ending most games with no conclusion as my bishop and king chase the opponent's knight and king hopelessly around the board. Still, by 4 years, Lil Bro knew how the pieces moved. I installed a chess game on to the ipad at home and encouraged the children to play it.
By chance, there is a chess club that runs in the same community centre that the children go to Chinese classes at (they go to be at one with being "Chinese" – their Chinese is even more hopeless than mine). One day, Lil Bro, aged 4 years said "I want to go there and play chess". Given that the time clashed with their Chinese class. I said it wasn't possible, but when it came to the summer holidays, I asked if they wanted to go to Chess Summer Camp for a week.
Big Sis was not keen.
I said to Lil Bro, "Your sister doesn't want to go. Are you sure you want to go, even on your own?"
He said yes.
I went to check with the Chess Camp leader – wasn't he too young?
The Chess Camp leader said some of the best players in the club were 5-6 year olds. Still, I wasn't happy to send Lil Bro on his own and I eventually managed to twist Big Sis's arm to go with him.
After a week of chess camp, and the initial enthusiasm, we carried on playing chess occasionally now and then. I didn't think anything further on it. Then 3 months later, Lil Bro says to me "I want to go to chess club".
Man! I thought. I wrack the local websites for chess clubs that are not going to clash with their Chinese class and are not too expensive. Finally, I find a cheap club on a Saturday afternoon at the local library. It's good, but there is one teacher to eight children at greatly varying ages and abilities. Plus, smack bang in the middle of Saturday afternoon is not the most convenient time.
I get the chess teacher's contact details. I ring around a few mothers I know whose children might be interested in chess. I set up a chess club for 3 boys after school in a local coffee shop.
So…what do you make of it?
My view is this: clearly, both Big Sis and Lil Bro have genetic predispositions to be good at certain things. I come from a family of mathematicians and engineers; Banker from a family of lawyers and linguists. Go figure that these genes are knocking about our chromosomes.
But can that be all?
What if I hadn't been there to notice?
What if I had noticed but done nothing about it?
What if I had noticed it but derided intellectual pursuits and tried to knock it out of them?
I am pretty sure that Big Sis would still have enjoyed and been good at writing and Lil Bro would have found chess by himself at a later age. But would they have been in the final of a poetry competition at age 7 years, and been playing chess aged 5 years?
Do these things matter?
Might they not reach the same end-point in adulthood?
That is the more interesting question that is so hard to answer because of the lack of the counter-factual. But my view is this: if life is a journey and your outcome is your destination; genes will drop you off at the airport. If you are lucky it will be London City Airport, if you are not so lucky it will be Luton Airport Parkway. Parenting provides your back-pack: it can be empty; or it can be full of maps, restaurant and hotel reviews, travel guides, good books, a compass, a thermos of cocoa and a bag of chocolate chip cookies. It might not be everything you need, but it sure helps you on the way.
Ultimately, where you go from there is up to you.
Why the stay-at-home mother is more vital than the female CEO to achieving gender equality
The female CEO and the stay-at-home-mother have often been pitted against each other in the media as arch enemies. Popular press likes to publicise the idea of the stay-at-home mother lambasting the female CEOs (or other high-flying career women) for "selfishly pursuing their careers while neglecting their children", whilst stay-at-home mothers are looked down upon for perpetuating female stereotypes and being "bad role models" for their daughters, basically "letting the side down". Yet, in my opinion, feminism is about choice in an environment of equal opportunity. The choice to be a CEO or a stay-at-home mother is a personal one, and I feel that either choice is respectable. The trouble is that the "equal opportunity" part is not quite there yet in our society, and to this end, although much has been made about the need for more female CEOs, I actually think that the stay-at-home mother (or a working mother that is heavily involved in parenting) has more to contribute to advancing feminism than the female CEOs (if they are childless or largely delegating parenting).
I watched Emma Watson's speech for the HeforShe campaign in solidarity, having been a life-long feminist. What interested me was that at one point Emma describes her realisation of gender inequality when she was called "bossy" for "wanting to direct a play she and her siblings put on for her parents, whilst the boys were not". I am presuming that it was her parents that called her "bossy" (as if it were her siblings, then why didn't she just tell them where to go), which made me think about our responsibilities as parents in the pursuit of gender equality. Had Emma Watson's parents; and every other parent in the world fostered and promoted the self-belief, confidence and ability in their daughters, and cared as much about their future academic and employment prospects as they did their sons, then we would not have gender inequality. Of course, Emma got the last laugh, perhaps because she was "bossy". Good for her.
I attribute any academic successes that I have had 100% to the fact that I did not have a brother. Taiwanese parents of my parents' generation had a strong preference for sons. My parents had told me that they had hoped especially that I would be a boy, having had 2 daughters already, and were disappointed when they found that I was yet another girl. They had no choice but to put their hopes and aspirations into us girls and foster and promote our abilities as if we were boys, capable of anything. My father spent time teaching my sisters and me computer programming and electronics when we were in primary school. I was never interested, but my sisters went on to study engineering and maths at top universities. Had we had a brother I am sure that things would have been different. Our brother would have been the one encouraged and burdened in equal measure with the pedestal, and we girls would have been left to cultivate a pastime. When I went to study at Cambridge, I was one of a few British Taiwanese children to get there, and it was no surprise to me that the only other female Taiwanese students that were there were ones without brothers. I read somewhere that China is seeing a surge of successful female business women and entrepreneurs and I wonder if this is related to the one-child policy, such that families are now invested in their only child, whatever the gender.
In the West, where the gender preference is less explicit, one can almost believe that the problem does not exist, but when you examine behaviours more closely, you begin to see that gender-based parenting is also pervasive. We can blame media and society at large as much as we want, but the reality is that we are all culpable: from the toys we buy, the behaviour we encourage, the expectations we hold, the activities we choose to do, the assets that we praise and our own day to day behaviour and language.
Even when we think we are being gender neutral, or are trying to be, we are not because gender bias is so subtle. How many parents of boys have actively gone out to a toy store and bought their son a baby doll, a push chair and a bottle? How many parents of girls have done this? From my inspection of the bedrooms of the little boys I know, I would say that very few boys have been bought dolls specifically. The parents will make the justification "Oh, he was never interested in dolls, he's a boys-boy – so we didn't bother". Yet, from my experience of little boys with older sisters whom they look up to and wish to emulate, the majority enjoy playing with baby dolls in the preschool years (before peer pressure). Even more so if actively encouraged, as you would naturally encourage a girl. That's just one example of many.
How many times have you praised your daughter for looking beautiful or commented on her clothes? How many times have you done this for your son? How many times have you praised your daughter's social skills, whilst praising your son's mathematical ability? How many times have you persisted with a 1:1 craft activity with your daughter even though she was bored and you ended up doing it yourself, while saying that your son does not have the patience for it and taking him out to run around in the park instead? When it's a boy's birthday party, how many times have you bought Lego as a present, while choosing a craft jewellery kit for a girl? In answer to that last question I can reveal that at a recent joint birthday party for my kids, the total tally on craft activity for Big Sis was 5/20 and 0/20 for Lego; for Lil Bro he scored a whopping 8/20 on the Lego, 0/20 for craft. We are all guilty to a greater or lesser extent of the above perpetuations of gender stereotypes; myself included.
This type of unconscious gender bias has been studied in relation to the lack of advancement of women in academia and the workplace and is thought to be one of the driving factors for lack of women in science. The King's College London website has some interesting papers on this issue and says:
"Unconscious bias refers to the biases we have of which we are not in conscious control. These biases occur automatically, triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations based on our background, cultural environment and our experiences. There is a growing body of research which suggests unconscious biases influence key decisions in the workplace and are responsible for some of the enduring inequalities that are evident today. One example is a study by Moss-Racusin et al (2012) which examined the assessment of applications to science faculties from students applying for the position of laboratory manager. The same application was used 127 times and randomly assigned either a female (64 times) or male (63 times) name. Selectors rated the male applicant as significantly more hireable than the female applicant. They also chose a higher starting salary and offered more career mentoring to the male applicant. The gender of the selector did not affect responses."
My view is that it is not only in the workplace that these unconscious biases are occurring. By virtue of being unconscious they permeate every aspect of our lives, including the parenting of our children. What effect does this have?
In my line of work, "behavioural management" is a parenting technique that uses discriminant encouragement, rewards and praise to shape children's behaviour. It can be used to get a child to do anything from concentrating longer to eating their greens. If our parenting is guided by unconscious bias that encourages, rewards and praises our children according to gender stereotypes, then we are unconsciously using behavioural management daily to shape our children into gender-based norms. It is only by making bias conscious that we can act in a child-centric rather than gender-centric way when acting and responding to our children.
How does this relate to the title of my post?
A female CEO can improve the lot of women in two ways. Firstly they can inspire and prove to the world that women are capable. However, the reality is that aspiring women will look at the few female CEOs and scrutinize their lives. Do I have the same intellect, ambition, personality? Am I willing to work as hard and sacrifice as much? For the majority of women, the answer will be "No". Secondly, a female CEO can influence the culture at the top and enact policies that will help women reach the top. However, these policies and helping hands can only be extended to women that have already climbed to the middle and are reaching up to the top, and at the moment, there are insufficient numbers of women in that position. We are forever told that the reasons that there are so few CEOs, MPs, establishment figures, is that there are a dearth of applicants. So, in my view the impact of a female CEO is extremely limited.
OK, but surely the stay-at-home-mother is the antithesis of feminism? I say, NO, a stay-at-home mother that parents in a way that promotes gender equality can produce citizens of the next generation that expect equality. Boys that become men that respect women, value women, understand women and believe that men and women are equal partners in work and parenting. Girls that become women that respect men, value men, understand men and believe that men and women are equal partners in work and parenting. A stay-at-home mother that enacts child-centric rather than gender-centric parenting can create a new generation of citizens that can change the socio-political landscape. At present, given the billions of stay-at-home mothers worldwide compared to the handful of CEOs, I would have to conclude that the future of feminism depends on stay-at-home mothers practising child-centric parenting. Unbiased parenting by CEOS, stay-at-home mothers and their partners/ husbands has the ability to give our daughters a true choice of stay-at-home mother, CEO or both.
This is not something we need to lobby for; it's something we can enact now.
Why I hate raising boys
"Raising Boys", and its sequel "Raising Girls" have been worldwide bestsellers for parenting author and psychologist Steve Biddulph. These books are about "differences" in girls and boys and how parents must adapt their parenting by their child's gender. As I come from a family of girls, I keenly bought "Raising Boys" when Lil Bro came along. Yet, reading it made me wince and I didn't even bother to get "Raising Girls".
The indispensable mother
The notion of the indispensable mother is an example of the typical "Male authority figure tells largely female audience what they should be doing" parenting fodder of the past. Male anthropologists, male paediatricians, male psychologists, male psychiatrists all rushing to get their two-pennies bit in on how women should improve their maternal performance. Once women started to move towards professional work roles, the same male experts sought to keep women tied to their babies by citing pseudoscience to support the need of babies for their "mothers" as opposed to gender-neutral "parent". Steve Biddulph (although he is by no means the worst culprit, as he at least tries to create a role for dads), is guilty of this by citing the specific requisite of maternal (over parental) presence in the early years of parenting in his book "Raising Boys". A typical example of a phrase that gets my goat is this (page 11 of 3rd Edition):
"What all babies and toddlers need most is to form a special bond with at least one person. Usually this person is their mother. Partly because she is the one who is most willing and motivated, partly because she provides the milk, and partly because she tends to be cuddly, restful and soothing in her approach, a mother is usually the best equipped to provide what a baby needs. Her own hormones (especially prolactin, which is released into her bloodstream as she breastfeeds) prime her to want to be with her child and give it her full attention."
Although I was motivated to be a good mother, I expect my husband was as motivated to be a good father and to form an equally strong "special bond" with our children. Much of the "willingness" and "motivation" to be a good mother (compared to father) is driven by guilt and social pressure, rather than being inherent or biologically mediated. Much of this guilt comes from the expectation to be "cuddly, restful with a soothing approach" perpetuated by books such as this. I'm not sure that Steve has encountered many modern mothers but "frazzled, shell-shocked and muddling through" are the more appropriate words that I would chose. He then tries to give scientific credence to his position by bringing in hormones. Even if prolactin were some magic love potion (which it isn't), he probably doesn't know that fathers and expectant fathers have increased prolactin concentrations compared to un-mated males (Nelson 2011) and clearly hasn't seen the figures on the number of mothers that actually continue to breastfeed (<30% at 6 months).
There is no robust scientific evidence that maternal care is better than paternal care. Ben Goldacre aficionados will know that in order to robustly prove this, the scientific gold standard would be a blinded and controlled study with a very large sample size over time. i.e. following a large cohort of babies raised mainly by men and another raised mainly by women (matched for economic, educational and social factors) and then assessing the children blind to whether they were raised by mothers or fathers. Guess what? This has never been done, largely because there have never been a sufficient number of male primary childcarers. Even amongst widowers or male divorcees lucky enough to have full custody of their children, I am guessing that the majority remarry with stepmothers taking over the role of childcare, or some female relative swoops in like a fairy godmother to relieve "incompetent" men of their primary parental responsibilities. Naturalistic studies are only now becoming possible because of the advent of increasing numbers of same-sex parents. We should soon be able to scientifically compare two dads with two mums and be able to answer the question of the necessity of maternal care; but until the evidence is out, I don't think that "experts" should inject so much gender bias and judgement in their advice. From my experience with working with same-sex families, men have made damn good primary childcarers. In my mind, there is nothing inherent in the Y-chromosome that incapacitates good parenting by men; it is society, perpetuated by the experts, media, and let's face it, even you and I.
The myth of extreme difference
The concept of the "Raising Boys" and "Raising Girls" franchise is that boys and girls are inherently, "biologically" different, and therefore require to be "nurtured" in different ways. More likely, it is a marketing ploy to allow largely the same information to be repackaged and re-marketed. For instance, in his "Raising Boys" book Steve provides a handy list of questions that you should ask a school to evaluate if it will be any good for your son. This list includes: "What statistic does the school publish about boys' progress?" and "Do teachers shout at children at this school?". These are useful questions to ask, but like these examples, the whole list of questions is equally appropriate for girls – so why differentiate?
Yes, yes, I am medically trained (which can not be said of Biddulph) and am therefore well aware of the anatomical and hormonal differences between the male and female of our species. However, unlike Biddulph I do not believe that the biological differences are so great (asides for urination and reproduction, which are obviously different). Even for overt biological differences between men and women, such as musculature, although the mean strength/ speed of the average man will be faster than the average woman, the overlap will be great. Christine Ohuruogu can still run faster than most men. This will also be the case for any neural or psychological correlate that you wish to cite. Typical "male" qualities: aggression, high sexual drive, lesser verbal/social skill; are also found in many women. A sizable proportion of most normally distributed "male"/ "female" traits will be overlapping. Further, many of these supposed "biological" gender traits are exaggerated by society. The relative liberation of women in the last century has seen women freed to express their sexuality, aggression and turn to vices previously the preserve of men: smoking, drinking, ASBOs, fisticuffs and the like. At this point in time, we are unable to comment on pure "biological" gender traits as we have never lived in a gender-neutral society.
Even if you buy into strong biological gender differences, the fundamentals of human security, the stuff that makes a child flourish: warmth, love, praise, affection, guidance are universal not gender specific. Why would you need 2 different books to tell you this?
Perpetuation of gender stereotypes
Biddulph cites gender differences in child psychiatric disorders as a basis for his differentiation of the sexes. Higher levels of conduct disorders in boys being a reason for why boys are in crisis and in desperate need for particular parenting; followed by higher rates of eating disorders and self-harm in girls meaning that we must now fear for our daughters and treat them differently. However, any psychiatrist will tell you that all psychiatric diagnoses have biological and environmental aetiologies. This is why I love my subject area, it's not simplistic; it is about the subtle interplay of biology with environment at all levels. Do boys have a genetic predisposition to fighting, stealing and getting into trouble with the police (components of conduct disorder), or do we as a society encourage this? Boys are encouraged in rough and tumble play; boys are encouraged to stand up for themselves, physically if necessary. Boys will be boys after all? Do girls have a biological predisposition to eating disorders? Or do we as a society encourage this? Girls are encouraged to care about their looks, from the day they are born and the first relative that describes her as "Beautiful". Does drawing up specific parenting plans led by gender-based social pressures lessen or perpetuate old gender stereotypes? There is even a whole chapter in "Raising Boys" on "Boys and Sport"…need I say more?
Over the last decade, we child psychiatrists have been seeing increased numbers of male anorexics on our wards and females in youth offending units so times, and gender-roles, are-a-changing. Yet although changing social factors influence the symptoms, signs and behaviours that may vary between girls and boys, and with time; the loneliness, disconnectedness, anger, helplessness, frustration, despair and self-loathing that drives them is universal and unchanging. Promoting differential parenting strategies based on outdated stereotypes of what it means to be a girl or a boy seems backwards facing. Society is moving towards equality, why should parenting be any different? Drawing up parenting strategies by gender to me seems outdated and secondary to helping individual children build resilience and thrive.
If Steve is promoting the "male" and "female" off the peg M&S suits over the unisex overalls; I think we need to be moving on from this to bespoke Saville Row tailoring.
Nelson, Randy F. (2011). An Introduction to Behavioral Endocrinology (Fourth ed.). Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates Inc. p. 438. ISBN 0-87893-620-3. (Apologies, this reference came from Wikipedia and has not been personally checked).


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This property has been removed by the agent. It may be let or temporarily removed from the market
Property Description
Letting information:
|Added on Rightmove:
|16 November 2016 (223 days ago)
Key features
- Cliffs of Porthtowan
- Sought after location
- Recently refurbished
- Three double bedrooms
- Detached on a great size plot
- Huge garage space
Full description
Here for rent is a beautiful detached 3 bed bungalow set on the cliffs of Porthtowan with lovely views of the sea.
It sits on its own plot with wrap around gardens, a driveway and an extremely large and useful garage. The inside of the property has had extensive refurbishments recently with a new kitchen and carpets and painting throughout.
The lounge is bright and airy with a view of the sea from the window and new patio doors through to a lovely patio area. This area is ideal for sitting out and enjoying the sun whilst still being sheltered as it is on the side rather than front. The kitchen has had a thorough redecoration including new flooring, units, worktops and cooker. It is a spacious room with plenty of space for a table and chairs so has a real "hub of the home" feel to it.
Off the hallway are two good sized bedrooms, all with new floors and freshly painted, further along is the large master suite with the bathroom being next door. The bathroom has a bath as well as over the bath shower and a new suite. There is also access along the hall to the internal door to the garage and access to the back door and a porch area where boots and shoes can be stored.
Of special note is the supplementary solar panels, used correctly this will significantly reduce the utility costs involved giving really good savings.
Overall this is a great bungalow in a stunning location with parking, garage, garden and nice accommodation. Viewing is recommended to be booked early as this property will not stay on the market long.
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1206 San Luis Street Bernalillo, NM 87004MLS ID: 887868 - Property Type: Residential
Listing Price: $215,000
1206 San Luis Street Bernalillo, New Mexico 87004
Contact The Venturi Team 505-933-6881, or Email 1119 Alameda Blvd NW Albuquerque, NM 87114
Listing Price$215,000
Est. Monthly Payment: $1,113.77See Details
Total Baths3
Full Baths2
1/2 or 3/4 Baths1
Heated Square Feet 2,090
Lot Acres 0.130
Year Built2011
Property TypeResidential
Property TypeResidential
Sub TypeDetached
Listing Agent
Venturi Realty Group
Email: email@example.com
Address: 1119 Alameda Blvd NW
City: Albuquerque
State/Province: New Mexico
Zipcode: 87114
Office Phone: 505-933-6881
Welcome to the easy living in Bernalillo. Immaculate 2011 DR Horton home. 3 bed 2 and a half baths. Entertain in the airy living room. Enjoy the stainless steel kitchen with cozy dining nook and breakfast bar. Main floor master bedroom with spa bathroom and walk in closet. Upstairs 2 bedrooms share a bathroom. There is also an open loft, ready for your creative touch. Fully landscaped front and back yard. Energy efficient touches complete this home. Close to the Rio Grande trails, golf and entertainment.
{"zipcode": "87004", "price": "215000"}
Show All Rates
Down Payment
Credit Score
Loan Amount
Loan Type
Heated Square Feet 2,090
Property Type Residential
Sub Type Detached
Stories 2
Age of Home 4 - 6
Year Built 2011
Garage Spaces 2
Garage Features Attached
Basement no
Sunroom no
Historical Property/Landmark no
Builder DR Horton
Construction Frame
Exterior Material Stucco
Windows Thermal-Double Pane
Roof Tile
Lead Base Paint no
Guest House no
Offsite Built no
List Price/SqFt 102.87
Approximate Taxes 1767.1
Tax Exemption No
Finance Considered Cash, Conventional, FHA, VA
Bank Owned no
HOA yes
HOA Mandatory yes
HOA Dues/Month 23
HOA Covers Type Common Area
Public Improvement District No
Seller Assist Offered no
Trade or Exchange Considered No
Bedrooms 3
Possible Bedrooms 3
Total Baths 3
Full Baths 2
1/2 Bath 1
MBR on Main yes
Master Bath Description Full Bath
Fireplace no
Flooring Carpet, Terrazzo/Ceramic
Disability Access Yes
Loft no
Heating Central Forced Air
Cooling Refrigerated
Water/Sewer City Water, Sewer-City
Green Certified no
HERS Tested no
Lot Acres 0.130
Lot SqFt 5662.8
Pool no
Exterior Features Back Yard Acc. Poss., Patio Covered, Rock, Walled Backyard
Guard House/Service no
Subdivision Name The Orchards 2
Street Address 1206 San Luis Street
City Bernalillo
State New Mexico
Zip Code 87004
County Sandoval
Zoning R-1
Zone Atlas 103
Faces South
MLS Area 170 - Bernalillo/Algdones
Main Living Area Level M
Main Living Area Length 16.1
Main Living Area Width 14.1
Kitchen Room Level M
Kitchen Length 9.6
Kitchen Width 12.5
Master Bedroom Level M
Master Bedroom Length 16
Master Bedroom Width 14.5
Laundry Location Service Room
Laundry Power Gas & Electric
Sunroom Finished no
Sunroom Heated no
Basement SqFt Included no
Basement Heated no
Guest House SqFt Included no
Guest House Finished no
Guest House Heated no
Listing courtesy of Keller Williams Realty.
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Philadelphia Criminal Defense Attorney, Mark D. Hauser
Mark D. Hauser is the founder of the Law Office of Mark D. Hauser. Mark graduated from New York Law School ( J.D., 1992) and Rochester Institute of Technology (B.S., 1983 honor roll) with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He also attended Syracuse University for Sports Communications. After law school he worked for Reed Summers and John Elbert (1992 – 1994) and then started his own firm in January, 1995. He is still currently in private practice and specializes in criminal defense.
He has litigated over 1000 criminal cases in the Philadelphia area, including but not limited to, misdemeanors, DUIs, felonies, and federal cases. Mark is committed to providing professional and aggressive result oriented representation to the public. He has reasonable rates and gets great results for his clients, including not guilty verdicts in aggravated assault, rape, felony firearm charges, drug possession and drug delivery, robbery, theft, fraud, and other types of crimes.
Mark D. Hauser will work tirelessly and aggressively to defend you for any felony crimes or misdemeanor crimes for which you have been arrested. We will make sure your constitutional rights are protected (e.g., suppression of illegally obtained evidence) throughout the whole legal process so that you will always get the best possible outcome for your very important case.
Attorney Hauser is backed by a top team of accomplished legal professionals, experts, and investigators with the experience, savvy, and skill needed to defend any level criminal cases, even for defendants facing the toughest felony offenses.
Crimes and offenses that we defend:
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If you need one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the Greater Philadelphia area, someone who can create and argue "reasonable doubt" so that the judge or jury says, "not guilty", then contact Mark D. Hauser today!


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Classical Kids Sunday 29 December 2013
We'll hear favourite musical tales today including Peter and the Wolf. We'll visit a magical toyshop with music by Rossini and Respighi and we'll hear the story of Tubby the Tuba!
Mozart and Haydn were great friends. and they even wrote pieces of music for each other! We'll hear that music on Sunday and we'll discover what a 'fugue' is with music by Bach and Lady Gaga!
The Italian composer Jean-Baptiste Lully was a famous composer who studied the guitar, violin, keyboard and was also a famous dancer! We'll also meet a very musical family, the composer Johann Strauss and his sons Johann, Josef and Eduard.
Title: Peter And The Wolf: Introduction (I)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 2:28
Title: Peter And The Wolf: The Story Begins (Ii)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 4:45
Title: Peter And The Wolf: The Cat (Iii)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 2:07
Title: Peter And The Wolf: Grandpapa (Iv)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 2:29
Title: Peter And The Wolf: The Wolf (V)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 3:22
Title: Tubby The Tuba Part 1
Performer(s): Kleinsinger, George
Duration: 5:14
Title: Tubby The Tuba Part 2
Performer(s): Kleinsinger, George
Duration: 8:03
Title: Peter And The Wolf: And Now... (Vi)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 1:58
Title: Peter And The Wolf: In The Meantime... (Vii)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 4:43
Title: Peter And The Wolf: The Hunters (Viii)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 2:33
Title: Peter And The Wolf: The Procession (Ix)
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 4:50
Title: Peter And The Wolf - And Now, The Victory Parade
Performer(s): Prokofiev, Sergei
Duration: 4:26


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