couscous? yumyum!

I'm eating reheated leftovers from last night, and boy they taste good. I've included the recipe in this post, because it is something the world needs to share. The part that takes the longest is chopping the ingredients, so if you are a super-fast chopper, then the whole dish would probably take 10 minutes. Otherwise, about 15 minutes. I think I've got it down to about 12 minutes..

On a non-food-related note, I am putting together my CV for various jobs around the world that I am interested in applying for. Jeremy and I are both really excited at the prospect of moving; we stayed up til 1am one night last week, talking in the dark about all the things we would do, and all the things we would miss. What better time of our life is there to pack up and move? The answer is, none.

Small aside: Another half-day stay in the emergency department yesterday. Same complaint as last time (spleen-area pain), with same result from doctor: "There is obviously something wrong, but we can't find it despite three different tests. So have a prescription for a million painkillers and rest at home." So I'm codeine-d and ibruprofen-ed, and at home. Luckily I have two weeks holiday, although I've got to write an essay, do lots of work on my next publication, and start another (the last!) assignment. But I am going to choose a day to just do things for me, which will probably involve drinking decaf coffee at Elements, going to the library, and maybe even an afternoon at the movie theatre.

My brain is pretty foggy from the drugs, but I have to finish the cover letter. First impressions last (when job-seeking), so I'd better make sure I don't spell anything wrong. Something I have been wondering about: if I apply for a job in America, should I convert my CV and letter to American English? I can't decide.

Before I go, here is the recipe:

Pan couscous with chorizo and green beans
Serves 4, takes about 15 minutes from start to plate

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 long red chilli, sliced (omit if you're not a fan of hot food, but it is pretty good!)
• 2 chorizo sausages, sliced
• 400g can tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 150g green beans, sliced
• 1 1/4 cups couscous
• 1 cup coriander (cilantro) leaves (I used flat-leaf parsley because our coriander plant didn't survive the winter, and it tasted good.)
• lemon wedges to serve (Don't forget this! Lemon is a perfect partner for couscous)

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Add the oil, onion, garlic, chilli and chorizo, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, stock, and beans, and sprinkle over the couscous.
Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
Top with the coriander and serve with the lemon.

(Source: Donna Hay magazine)

thereissomuch variations:
I add the coriander/parsley with the onions, garlic, etc. And then a little more at the end for decoration.
If you want a vegetarian version, omit the chorizo and add more vegetables (capsicum, sun-dried tomatoes, maybe some celery) and olives. Actually, even if you aren't a vegetarian, add capsicum. It tastes really good in this dish.

top three

Here are the most exciting things that have happened since I last updated:

• The Six Pack Two reached the top of the NZ Bestseller List. Not bad for my first book, huh? Last year's edition stayed on the list for 14 weeks, so here's hoping.
• I went on a class field trip to Wai-te-ata Press, and used an ancient printing press to make a poster. And I was the only class member to get red ink all over my hands.
• Jeremy and I saw Perfume last weekend. It wasn't as good as the book (because describing scent in words is difficult enough without having to translate to images... ergo, heavy use of voiceover in the movie), but we ate some nice chocolate while watching, so that made it better.

en dashing

I have always been a proper text messager; I loathe using abbreviations except for extreme cases of squashing too much information into 160 characters. On the bus this afternoon, I was wondering to myself if my cellphone punctuation menu had an en dash.

It doesn't. I checked.

Now it is bugging me that I have to use a hyphen when it should be an en dash.

I probably should include this information on my CV when I apply for jobs.

first book review

It scares me that there are so many copies of The Six Pack Two for people to see. 30, 000, minus the four that I have (most to be sent to friends and relatives overseas). I've even seen some in the windows of bookshops, an honour not afforded every publication. It was quite a surreal experience, bussing past Dymocks this week. You see, Harriet and I totalled up the time we spent on this book: 360 hours (give or take a little for checking emails, eating lunch from Wishbone, and other important tasks). After spending that much time on a project, you feel like it is yours. I have just had my first taste of how an author must feel when their book is finally published.

This is the first review of the book (other than the press release) that I have found: http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/bookman-beattie-blogging-from-byron-bay.html#links
And it doesn't say, "Who did the typesetting? I could hardly read it!" So I figure my publishing career isn't over before it has barely started...

six pack two

I'm writing this as I nurse my burned tongue; I was fully conscious when I poured boiling water onto my apple tea, yet somehow forgot as I took a large gulp a moment later...

I haven't been updating because I have been super-busy, and also in Auckland recently. I came back on Saturday evening, and have been catching up on errands since then. Like, today: I went to pick up my next month's supply of Neupogen. The oncology nurses always look at me askance when I say "I'm Hannah Bennett, I'm here to pick up my G-CSF, it's in your fridge". I think it's because the drug is intended for cancer patients, to increase their white blood cell count after their chemotherapy treatment. But also, handily, it works for my genetic mess-up... Anyway, another $1000 of drugs are in the fridge to keep me going this month.

I recently joined Immune Deficiency Foundation of New Zealand (IDFNZ), who have been so great. They sent me lots of information on cyclical neutropenia, although I had already found out most of it through the internet. They also sent me two tickets to a variety show in Wellington, which had been raising funds for the Foundation and had sent IDF some free tickets. We had something on that night already, but it's the thought, right? But the best part of belonging to IDFNZ so far is finding out about their holiday homes. When I was originally looking at their site, I saw that they ran a holiday home in Red Beach (just north of Auckland), which was paid for, set up by, and continues to be sponsored by the local Lions Club, and any member of the foundation (and their family) can stay there for free. I received the latest newsletter when I signed up to the Foundation, and in it was an announcement that they had recently set up another home in Otaki (about an hour north of Wellington). The house is brand new, and comes fully supplied with everything you could need. Finding this out was a real blessing to Jeremy and me, because we have been working so hard lately, and really feel like we need a break. Yes, we did go away for our wedding anniversary in July, but since then I have worked crazy hours and have had two colds. So, I'm waiting to hear which weekends the house will be available, and we will be jumping into our new little red car (other piece of news) and spending a weekend walking on the beach and reading.

Lastly, the first book I've ever made was launched on Sunday. You can read more about it here: http://nzbookmonth.co.nz/sixpack.aspx

And here is an image of the cover of the book, so you know what it looks like. Except the cover changed slightly (at the very last minute); it doesn't have the $6 flash on it. But you get the idea. I'd like to reiterate once more that it only costs $6. So you can all buy it. There is a good mix of stories, and also my name is on the imprint page. What more could you want?

Jeremy is almost home from work. That is my favourite time of day.