September is nearly over and I still am not doing very well this blogging process! I have been super busy doing lots of nothing sorts of things and working 2 jobs! The good thing about being busy is that when I do get spare time I've been trying to cook up at storm!
I'm planning on making my mars bar and snicker slice again tonight for the girls at work on Friday and Saturday :-) also, on my list of things to cook over the weekend, I am thinking of adding lemon meringue pie! It is one of my all time favourite desserts as I love lemon curd and I adore meringue!
The next few months will bring with them lots of birthdays and celebrations (as well as warm weather!) so I'll give you a run down on what I have planned so far...
I have a friend's birthday on the 3rd of October and I'm planning to surprise him with a giant cookie in his letterbox! I sent him his care package while he was at sea a few months ago and he seemed quite delighted with my cookies... Considering he is away on training over the next few weeks and only returning sporadically I figured I could make this giant cookies and slip it into his mail box when I am near his place. It sounds rather impersonal but at the moment he isn't really speaking to me. Well let's be honest - he's not speaking to me at all. But that my friends is a completely different story about how men are from mars and women are from venus!
The second birthday to crop up in October will be my daddy's birthday! I am yet to decide what to get him but I am pretty sure it will be food related :-)
Now the exciting thing is that my beautiful sister is going to give birth to her third child at the end of October / early November so I am ready to prepare a cake with some beautiful little love birds on them to represent everyone in her gorgeous little family! Considering my new found busy-ness I am going to make a white chocolate mudcake in advance and just freeze it for the next few weeks so I can whip it out and produce the cake in a much more timely manner! They're expecting a girl but who knows these days so i thought it best not to get too much done!
Finally it will be my nephew's birthday on the 16th November. He is a big fan of trains and so I just bought this tin to bake a beautiful cake in when I return from my holiday to Cairns on the 18th! I am a bit of a slack aunt being away for his birthday but I am also so excited to go and watch the total Solar Eclipse up there on the morning of the 14th November!
I hope you all enjoy your day and I'll get back to you soon.
Peace x.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Long time no post...
So I have been absolutely flat out! Scarily so!! I've started a second job in addition to my regular work, have been busily organising cupcake day for the RSPCA, doing cake decorating workshops and have just got back from the snow!! I think I'm going to have to do a new post for each of these things (except work... Keeping the boring bits to a minimum is always good)...
Friday, June 22, 2012
Anniversaries...
So my little sister and her boyfriend had their anniversary a few weeks ago and as part of his gift the bf wanted to make her some cupcakes. He calls her panda because she has a tendency to leave her eye makeup on and wake up looking like a panda with big black circles round her eyes! In turn she calls him Kermit (as in the frog) because he's got long lanky arms and legs just like the muppet does
So I hope you enjoy my rather comical cupcakes... They were done on very short notice!!
Peace x.
So I hope you enjoy my rather comical cupcakes... They were done on very short notice!!
Peace x.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Bethany's Birthday...
So I have a beautiful niece (and an equally handsome nephew)! I am such a proud little Aunty haha! Anyway it was Bethie's 2nd Birthday at the end of April and so I made her the cutest (and quickest) cake ever before driving the hour to my sister's place to celebrate with them :-)
I thought I would do a little bragging and show you the marbled pink cake I made for her! I've really been getting into the marbling thing recently! I love it... So easy but looks so good :-) ill do some rainbow cakes soon and (hopefully) remember to take some cute pictures!
Hope you enjoy!
Peace x.
I thought I would do a little bragging and show you the marbled pink cake I made for her! I've really been getting into the marbling thing recently! I love it... So easy but looks so good :-) ill do some rainbow cakes soon and (hopefully) remember to take some cute pictures!
Hope you enjoy!
Peace x.
Mothers' day...
So for Mothers' Day we had a big family lunch with the grannies and one of my aunts :-) it was so much fun and I even made a cake for the occasion! It was a pink Rosewater marbled cake with those pogo stick biscuits, marshmallows and white chocolate over the top! It was so so yummy if I may say so myself!!
I hope it's inspirational to somebody! Maybe I'll get around to blogging the inspiration for it one day... No promises though as I seem to struggle keeping them recently!!
Peace x.
I hope it's inspirational to somebody! Maybe I'll get around to blogging the inspiration for it one day... No promises though as I seem to struggle keeping them recently!!
Peace x.
Times flying...
So things have been pretty hectic lately! I've had the flu. I've had laryngitis. I've also been cold (and probably very lazy) so haven't been posting on here! It's been more than a month since my last post! I should get on top of this all one day :-)
Unfortunately I'm not able to cross off my surprise because Superman ended up getting sick so the weekend never went through :-( but I'm sure I'll be able to plan some amazing surprises over the next 12 months!
I have just signed up to Cupcake Day for the RSPCA 2012 so am super excited thinking about food, invitations, food, location... did I mention food? I promise I will add lots of bits and pieces on here about my planning and prep! I'll hopefully have lots of things to tick off my list in the process :-)
Hmmm... what else has been happening? I'm having trouble recounting the last month it has been so busy! I've bought a huge bunch of materials to make a few aprons for friends and family (as well as myself) and even managed to make a pattern to follow from newspaper - Nanny style! My Nanny (grandmother) is an absolutely gun when it comes to sewing... she doesn't even need something to copy when she makes a pattern - just pulls the idea from her head and starts snipping away at newspapers with pins and tape measures going everywhere!!
I have come to a bit of a stop on the apron front due to having to pull my sewing machine out of the clutter we have in our laundry... but that shouldn't take too long to do and I'll turn into Queen of Aprons! I'm thinking it will be an amazing production line of cute materials, scissors and pins!
I'll post a few more pictures today from my phone so you can see what else I've been up to (baking wise)!
Otherwise I wish you all a truly amazing and magical Winter Solstice (Yule)!
Peace x.
Unfortunately I'm not able to cross off my surprise because Superman ended up getting sick so the weekend never went through :-( but I'm sure I'll be able to plan some amazing surprises over the next 12 months!
I have just signed up to Cupcake Day for the RSPCA 2012 so am super excited thinking about food, invitations, food, location... did I mention food? I promise I will add lots of bits and pieces on here about my planning and prep! I'll hopefully have lots of things to tick off my list in the process :-)
Hmmm... what else has been happening? I'm having trouble recounting the last month it has been so busy! I've bought a huge bunch of materials to make a few aprons for friends and family (as well as myself) and even managed to make a pattern to follow from newspaper - Nanny style! My Nanny (grandmother) is an absolutely gun when it comes to sewing... she doesn't even need something to copy when she makes a pattern - just pulls the idea from her head and starts snipping away at newspapers with pins and tape measures going everywhere!!
I have come to a bit of a stop on the apron front due to having to pull my sewing machine out of the clutter we have in our laundry... but that shouldn't take too long to do and I'll turn into Queen of Aprons! I'm thinking it will be an amazing production line of cute materials, scissors and pins!
I'll post a few more pictures today from my phone so you can see what else I've been up to (baking wise)!
Otherwise I wish you all a truly amazing and magical Winter Solstice (Yule)!
Peace x.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Surprise...
I am super excited to be in the process of crossing something new off my list :-) I am currently planning a surprise for Superman. He knows who he is if he ever gets around to reading this blog (which thankfully he doesn't know about yet)!
So I have him from Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon... and to be honest he won't know what hit him! I will (hopefully) take lots of pictures to share with you all as I think it's going to be the best surprise! So far it is still in the works but it will start off by visiting the beautiful Festival of Light in Circular Quay which runs from Friday 25th May 2012 until Monday 11th June 2012. It's set to be absolutely amazing!
So Sunday is the bit I'm excited about! I'm thinking it'll start with a lazy breakfast as we meander on up to Bilpin from my place :-) I took my girlfriend to a beautiful little place to have breakfast on her birthday this year in Kurrajong. It was so cute and has a beautiful garden. It's called Bellbird Echo Cafe and is well worth a visit if you're ever on your way past (or even for a special visit to wander the gardens and eat the tastiest food!).
Finally, I've decided we're going to spend the afternoon picking apples at Bilpin Springs Orchard (this part he may not be so impressed by but it will definitely be my favourite!). I'm looking forward to all the things I will be cooking the following week... from Apple Strudel to crumbles and cakes (I'm sure he'll get super excited about this part!) - Yummo!
So I will definitely get back to you about how the surprise goes and will finally be posting my Peanut Butter and Choc Chip Cookie recipe and bragging pictures of my Mothers' Day cake too tonight when I get home from work :-)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Trouble in paradise...
I have so much to tell you all and cross off something else from my wonderful list but unfortunately I put my trusty laptop in for a service and don't get it back until Friday!
I can tell you all that I went to. See John Butler the weekend before last and it was nothing short of amazing! He is the most talented man with such compassion :) I think I'm only a little in love :p
Anyway I hope that photo worked!! I promise to do some catch up posts when my laptop is returned :)
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Neglect...
I must apologise for my neglect of you dear blog and blog readers! I have been super busy recently getting through a few more on my list :-)
I am super excited to announce that I bought a townhouse so can cross that off my little list! I also went on enough of a date with 'Superman' to cross that off my list - he is a bit more of a story for another day I'm thinking tehe!
Since my last post I have also been able to wear red lipstick a few times... Once on Easter Thursday when my girlfriend and I went to a local hot spot dressed as bunnies and the second when I went to a Pirate party last night.
I have a few recipes to upload over the next week and a bit so stay tuned :-)
Peace x.
I am super excited to announce that I bought a townhouse so can cross that off my little list! I also went on enough of a date with 'Superman' to cross that off my list - he is a bit more of a story for another day I'm thinking tehe!
Since my last post I have also been able to wear red lipstick a few times... Once on Easter Thursday when my girlfriend and I went to a local hot spot dressed as bunnies and the second when I went to a Pirate party last night.
I have a few recipes to upload over the next week and a bit so stay tuned :-)
Peace x.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Mars Bar and Snickers Slice...
So I've been a terrible blogger recently... I did promise you the recipes and following phases to my care packages... And yes I have been terribly slow but hopefully I can get at least the recipes out of the way today and follow up with my care package post over the weekend :-)
3. By now it looks like a sugary, chocolatey, yummy goo. This part is more of a tried and tested method. I normally put 2 cups of rice bubbles into the melted goo and then see how the mixture sticks. Everyone likes their slice a little different. One of my friend's loves it to have way more chocolate and much less rice bubbles as he is of the opinion rice bubbles are too healthy for his body... I however, generally like to stretch the mixture enough to make a tray and a bit so that if it's being used for something (i.e. a care package) I will still have some left over to munch on - or take into work! Moral of the story - use 3 cups as a guide and employ the concept of give or take a little :-)
4. Tip the mixture out of pan and into your baking paper-ed tins (I use a simple rectangular slice tin and half of a regular square tin - dimensions unknown). Press the mixture around to flatten it out to an even thickness. It can get a bit tricky because the mixture is still warn and your knife / wooden spoon tends to want to take the sugary goodness with it... I find it easy to use a large blade butter knife and dip it in a bit of boiling water works :-)
5. Melt half a block of cadbury's chocolate in the microwave (I have a fairly powerful microwave to did 30 seconds followed by 2x 10 second bursts with a good stir in between to utilise the uneven melting). Drizzle chocolate over the slice... I'll leave designs up to you depending on the occasion - I have drizzled a 'B' into more than one of my slices previously!
6. Most importantly... throw as many sprinkles as you can at your design and hope it sticks because in the end we all know that sprinkles are the best thing man ever invented (apart from edible glitter of course!)!!
So happy cooking little munchkins and please share with children... This was one of my favourites when I was younger and a square of this is really much better for you than a whole chocolate bar (so I keep telling myself)!!
Peace x.
Firstly... I love mars bars - almost as much as I love snickers and marshmallows :-) put them all into a bowl and heat... my favourite treat! Everyone has their own little way of making mars bar slice and I won't claim that mine is any different or any better - I just add snickers! So the origin of this recipe has been with me since about year 4 when I went to the movies with a friend and her mum let us mars bar slice to sneak into the theatre!! And it goes as follows...
Ingredients: 
3x Mars Bars (the normal bar size)
3x Mars Bars (the normal bar size)
3x Snickers Bars (also the normal bar size)
60g butter (any cooking butter will do)
3 cups of Rice bubbles (or some cheap variation as I did)
1 cup of halved marshmallows
1/2x Cadbury block of chocolate (for drizzling over)
Some sprinkles (cos everything needs sprinkles!)
Method:
1. CHOP IT UP! This recipe does involve lots of chopping I will admit :-) I slice my snickers and mars bars width wise and fairly even so they melt really well. The butter I cut into cubes - again to make sure they melt really well :-) Marshmallows are halved or close enough for the same reason... just watch out for your knives - they get super sticky!
1. CHOP IT UP! This recipe does involve lots of chopping I will admit :-) I slice my snickers and mars bars width wise and fairly even so they melt really well. The butter I cut into cubes - again to make sure they melt really well :-) Marshmallows are halved or close enough for the same reason... just watch out for your knives - they get super sticky!
2. After everything is cut the fun begins! Melt the butter in a pan (in a big pan because you're going to be adding a lot of rice bubbles!). Once melted add the mars bars and snickers. Once that is almost melted add your halved marshmallows...
Knowing what the melted parts look like is helpful (so I've happily been told) so the following pictures are of melted:
Butter / Mars bars and Snickers / Marshmallows
3. By now it looks like a sugary, chocolatey, yummy goo. This part is more of a tried and tested method. I normally put 2 cups of rice bubbles into the melted goo and then see how the mixture sticks. Everyone likes their slice a little different. One of my friend's loves it to have way more chocolate and much less rice bubbles as he is of the opinion rice bubbles are too healthy for his body... I however, generally like to stretch the mixture enough to make a tray and a bit so that if it's being used for something (i.e. a care package) I will still have some left over to munch on - or take into work! Moral of the story - use 3 cups as a guide and employ the concept of give or take a little :-)
4. Tip the mixture out of pan and into your baking paper-ed tins (I use a simple rectangular slice tin and half of a regular square tin - dimensions unknown). Press the mixture around to flatten it out to an even thickness. It can get a bit tricky because the mixture is still warn and your knife / wooden spoon tends to want to take the sugary goodness with it... I find it easy to use a large blade butter knife and dip it in a bit of boiling water works :-)
5. Melt half a block of cadbury's chocolate in the microwave (I have a fairly powerful microwave to did 30 seconds followed by 2x 10 second bursts with a good stir in between to utilise the uneven melting). Drizzle chocolate over the slice... I'll leave designs up to you depending on the occasion - I have drizzled a 'B' into more than one of my slices previously!
6. Most importantly... throw as many sprinkles as you can at your design and hope it sticks because in the end we all know that sprinkles are the best thing man ever invented (apart from edible glitter of course!)!!
So happy cooking little munchkins and please share with children... This was one of my favourites when I was younger and a square of this is really much better for you than a whole chocolate bar (so I keep telling myself)!!
Peace x.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Baileys and Choc Chip cookies
So I made the most A+mazing biscuits on Sunday night and I just had to share it with my fellow (alcoholic) bakers! Anyone else who is a BIG fan of Baileys will love these Baileys and Choc Chip cookies! I came about them after a craving of Baileys. Now I love to experiment and so thought... hey there has got to be somebody out there that also shares my joy (and disappointment when it is an epic failure) and started searching. To my luck this wonderful Mama has created a fantastic blog that contains incredible delights - as she so rightly says... Enter at the risk of your diet :-)
I know it's an American recipe but it is easy to convert (and you'll find a lot of our cup measurements sold in Australia are actually American and slightly off). So for starters you'll need to turn your oven to 180 degrees C. I chose to bake mine at 160 degrees C because I use a fan forced oven. From there you can either follow the recipe using whatever type of measurement instruments you have - or you can convert everything... Up to you! I just borrowed my mum's old measuring stuff as it's in the correct system - I get confused about what it's called so I might make a bit of a fool of myself by saying I think it's called Metric :-)
Anyway... Much luck with your cooking adventured! The recipe is pretty easy and you'll absolutely LOVE the outcome (who doesn't love cookies with 1/2 a cup of Baileys in it!!). I'm going to try it with the mint version of Baileys in the not too distant future and maybe crush up some of the mint slice chocolates (the ones with crystalised peppermint through the centre not the cream style filling) and of course The Nerd's Wife's Nutella Choc Chip Cookies. I'll let you know how I go!
Peace x.
I know it's an American recipe but it is easy to convert (and you'll find a lot of our cup measurements sold in Australia are actually American and slightly off). So for starters you'll need to turn your oven to 180 degrees C. I chose to bake mine at 160 degrees C because I use a fan forced oven. From there you can either follow the recipe using whatever type of measurement instruments you have - or you can convert everything... Up to you! I just borrowed my mum's old measuring stuff as it's in the correct system - I get confused about what it's called so I might make a bit of a fool of myself by saying I think it's called Metric :-)
Anyway... Much luck with your cooking adventured! The recipe is pretty easy and you'll absolutely LOVE the outcome (who doesn't love cookies with 1/2 a cup of Baileys in it!!). I'm going to try it with the mint version of Baileys in the not too distant future and maybe crush up some of the mint slice chocolates (the ones with crystalised peppermint through the centre not the cream style filling) and of course The Nerd's Wife's Nutella Choc Chip Cookies. I'll let you know how I go!
Peace x.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Care Package... Final Phase
So I totally know I am cheating but am going to have to do my phases out of order! Beautiful Kristina received the care package and was absolutely thrilled! She was so happy she even posted it on Facebook (big win!) :-)
I am so glad I was able to cheer up such a downer of a day! I'm wondering if Mr Navy has received his yet? I'm pretty sure that one will take a little longer considering it has to be transported to a boat (ship I'm told). I promise to upload all my pretty pictures and recipes over the weekend! I've been a bit slack but am slowly getting through my list so hopefully you can understand :-)
Have an amazing day! I'm pretty sure I will with a whole big packet of twisties awaiting me in our work kitchen :-)
Peace x.
I am so glad I was able to cheer up such a downer of a day! I'm wondering if Mr Navy has received his yet? I'm pretty sure that one will take a little longer considering it has to be transported to a boat (ship I'm told). I promise to upload all my pretty pictures and recipes over the weekend! I've been a bit slack but am slowly getting through my list so hopefully you can understand :-)
Have an amazing day! I'm pretty sure I will with a whole big packet of twisties awaiting me in our work kitchen :-)
Peace x.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Care package... phase one!
So I have this beautiful friend (Yes Kristina you are quite amazing!). She's more than just a little rad... We have a... lot in common :-) But alas, she decided to be a little law nerd and move to Q.L.D to study (curse you :-P ). It's been raining a lot. And she's been more than a little sick. But now since she is feeling better (and it is pouring with rain outside) I thought I'd cook up a storm with the few spare hours I have up my sleeve and send a care package her way! It doesn't help that her uni accommodation doesn't believe in providing an amazing set of cookery utensils (working oven, microwave not caked in goop and a beautiful set of saucepans just to name a few!)!!
I was thinking a beautiful little basket filled with some beautiful little treats... until I remembered it had to be posted... So my conclusion was to blog the entire process and end result before sending and then direct her to it so she could see how amazing it looked BEFORE Australia Post got the grimely little paws on it :-)
Anyway time to do some shopping me thinks!
Peace x.
I was thinking a beautiful little basket filled with some beautiful little treats... until I remembered it had to be posted... So my conclusion was to blog the entire process and end result before sending and then direct her to it so she could see how amazing it looked BEFORE Australia Post got the grimely little paws on it :-)
Anyway time to do some shopping me thinks!
Peace x.
Monday, March 5, 2012
It's been a long week...
So I had quite a beautiful week believe it or not! It was long and a little tiring but I got there in the end - that's what counts hey? I was so tired at the start of the week and thought... oh no blood test time! but it ended up being OK after an amazing night's sleep :-)
Friday I did a fair amount of cooking, which was more than just a little bit enjoyable tehe. I made some yummy yummy peanut butter and choc chip cookies and also some no bake lemon slice (I promise I will make them again in the next 3 weeks so I will take some awesome pictures and get them posted on here ASAP). As usual I worked on Saturday, but it was not so bad as I got to finish at 1:30p.m. and we all pigged out on the goodies I took to eat anyway!
Saturday night I got to cross something off my list as well. I went out with one of my beautiful friends and we had mexican :-) it's a rather cute little place tucked away in an arcade style part of Coogee and goes by the name of Beach Burrito. My lovely Hollie is a vegetarian so we had vegetarian Nachos and bean and cheese Quesadilla.... soooo yummy! And of course we couldn't forget the most important part of our meal - the frozen Margaritas! I chose a vodka base and Hollie went with tequila (bad memories for me with that particular spirit :-P ). They were nothing short of amazing and definitely made our night far more enjoyable!
Sunday rolled around and I'd organised to see my friend mister Maccas again. We went to a new little cafe in Castle Hill. For those of you familiar the area it is on the outside of the mall, opposite Castle Tower's Piazza. OK so I must let you all know now... I've been searching the internet for about 5 minutes trying to find a website to link the name of this Cafe to with no avail. I found a few with some nasty reviews so I refuse to include them :-) The Cafe is called RAW 101 and it is not only a little cafe but also a clothing store so give them a break for 5 seconds guys.
I quite enjoyed the atmosphere but it may have to do with the beautiful sunshine that mother nature decided to grace us with - I was just disappointed mister Maccas had chosen to sit inside rather than out :-( Anyway... I chose to have a caramel latte on skim and he opted for a double shot latte. The caramel latte was made on site (by that I mean they didn't just make me a latte and then pour too much caramel topping into it... I can't remember what the beautiful girl serving said but they infused - don't quote me on that! - the beans themselves) and is was AMAZING! We sat around talking for way too long and were asked twice before we'd actually decided. This was not a bad thing... they weren't pushy and understood how Sundays generally are :-)
I chose to have an omlette and he had berry pancakes. They were both very tasty but not what I expected. I've grown up with an omlette being a toasted sandwich with all the filling on the inside, and was a bit shocked to find it mixed throughout the egg! It was still very tasty with the baby spinach, mushroom and tomato filling (I opted for no feta - I have a story I'll share with you about feta one day)! The pancakes were tasty (yes i steal my friends' food regularly - they understand) but weren't what I expected either. Rather than having berries throughout the pancakes they were merely placed on top with some (very very tasty syrup) drizzled over the top. The lovely breakfast came to $30-something altogether and I was actually fairly impressed. The cafe itself is a bit minimalist but I have to say that's how I roll... I'd prefer something like that than to go into a cafe with a whole bunch of 'stuff' decorating every inch of the premise (unless it's kooky and interesting of course).
So here is to the next week *raises coffe cup* and the adventures to come!
Peace x.
Friday I did a fair amount of cooking, which was more than just a little bit enjoyable tehe. I made some yummy yummy peanut butter and choc chip cookies and also some no bake lemon slice (I promise I will make them again in the next 3 weeks so I will take some awesome pictures and get them posted on here ASAP). As usual I worked on Saturday, but it was not so bad as I got to finish at 1:30p.m. and we all pigged out on the goodies I took to eat anyway!
Saturday night I got to cross something off my list as well. I went out with one of my beautiful friends and we had mexican :-) it's a rather cute little place tucked away in an arcade style part of Coogee and goes by the name of Beach Burrito. My lovely Hollie is a vegetarian so we had vegetarian Nachos and bean and cheese Quesadilla.... soooo yummy! And of course we couldn't forget the most important part of our meal - the frozen Margaritas! I chose a vodka base and Hollie went with tequila (bad memories for me with that particular spirit :-P ). They were nothing short of amazing and definitely made our night far more enjoyable!
Sunday rolled around and I'd organised to see my friend mister Maccas again. We went to a new little cafe in Castle Hill. For those of you familiar the area it is on the outside of the mall, opposite Castle Tower's Piazza. OK so I must let you all know now... I've been searching the internet for about 5 minutes trying to find a website to link the name of this Cafe to with no avail. I found a few with some nasty reviews so I refuse to include them :-) The Cafe is called RAW 101 and it is not only a little cafe but also a clothing store so give them a break for 5 seconds guys.
I quite enjoyed the atmosphere but it may have to do with the beautiful sunshine that mother nature decided to grace us with - I was just disappointed mister Maccas had chosen to sit inside rather than out :-( Anyway... I chose to have a caramel latte on skim and he opted for a double shot latte. The caramel latte was made on site (by that I mean they didn't just make me a latte and then pour too much caramel topping into it... I can't remember what the beautiful girl serving said but they infused - don't quote me on that! - the beans themselves) and is was AMAZING! We sat around talking for way too long and were asked twice before we'd actually decided. This was not a bad thing... they weren't pushy and understood how Sundays generally are :-)
I chose to have an omlette and he had berry pancakes. They were both very tasty but not what I expected. I've grown up with an omlette being a toasted sandwich with all the filling on the inside, and was a bit shocked to find it mixed throughout the egg! It was still very tasty with the baby spinach, mushroom and tomato filling (I opted for no feta - I have a story I'll share with you about feta one day)! The pancakes were tasty (yes i steal my friends' food regularly - they understand) but weren't what I expected either. Rather than having berries throughout the pancakes they were merely placed on top with some (very very tasty syrup) drizzled over the top. The lovely breakfast came to $30-something altogether and I was actually fairly impressed. The cafe itself is a bit minimalist but I have to say that's how I roll... I'd prefer something like that than to go into a cafe with a whole bunch of 'stuff' decorating every inch of the premise (unless it's kooky and interesting of course).
So here is to the next week *raises coffe cup* and the adventures to come!
Peace x.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wildpear...
Apart from running around trying to figure things out for the purchase for my first property (big YAH!!) I had a pretty peaceful week :-)
Monday started the way it always does... without work and a generous sleep in to help catch up with my sanity. I had organised to go out with a friend (whom I am mentioning due to his sheer awesomeness) I met while I was working in Castle Towers many moons ago. We both seem to have an appreciation of brunch and amazing coffee. Rather than go to our standard Max Brenner catch up I thought we should try something new and rather local to myself, so I suggested Wildpear (unfortunately they have no website but are easily found on eatability).
I got there a little bit early and sat in my car opening mail and watching a few local mummies arrive for their weekly catch up and tradesmen picking up their morning coffees. I figured the place must have been quite nice as it always seems busy on weekends. My friend eventually arrives sigh... (Just kidding muffin!) and we entered the small cottage-convert cafe. We were greeted by a nice girl who let us choose our own seating either inside or on the verandah. Naturally we chose the verandah as it was quite a nice day.
I started with a beautiful skim cap and my friend a latte and a bloody Mary. All arrived promptly but the table had not been set with sugar so we were forced to steal some from a vacant table. Now I've never tried a bloody Mary before as I have never been a fan of alcohol in the morning... it makes me feel like a cheeky child. Boy was it worth that slight feeling of guilt! It was surprisingly scrumptous and served with long match stick style cucumber lengths rather than celery. With a squeeze of lemon (which can prove difficult for those who inflict injuries on themselves as a result of too much golf - yes golf) I could see it being the perfect cure to a hangover, or even a new substitute for my current breakfast beverage :-)
After a bit of a mental battle over what choice I should make for my breakfast I chose the bacon and eggs. It sounded amazing with wilted baby spinach, a grilled tomato, all served on sourdough bread... Need I say it was amazing! I had actually seen a family's meals arrive and there was a yummy looking hashbrown on the side of the father's plate - so obviously I had to order one.
The meals arrived and they looked much better than they sounded and tasted just as good as they looked! The only disappointment I had was with the hashbrown. It was one of the old style hashbrowns with grated potato, egg and spring onion which are then fried to have a crisp outside and soft(ish) centre. It was just too oily :-( The rest of the meal was beautiful though, so the kitchen would definitely hear only compliments from this happy little breakfaster!
Moral of the story... Wildpear is a cute little cafe that serves amazing food in a well lit, climate controlled (inside) and friendly environment! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to have a relaxed meal and then walk through the nursery / pot store, and from memory it is now open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights :-)
Peace x.
Monday started the way it always does... without work and a generous sleep in to help catch up with my sanity. I had organised to go out with a friend (whom I am mentioning due to his sheer awesomeness) I met while I was working in Castle Towers many moons ago. We both seem to have an appreciation of brunch and amazing coffee. Rather than go to our standard Max Brenner catch up I thought we should try something new and rather local to myself, so I suggested Wildpear (unfortunately they have no website but are easily found on eatability).
I got there a little bit early and sat in my car opening mail and watching a few local mummies arrive for their weekly catch up and tradesmen picking up their morning coffees. I figured the place must have been quite nice as it always seems busy on weekends. My friend eventually arrives sigh... (Just kidding muffin!) and we entered the small cottage-convert cafe. We were greeted by a nice girl who let us choose our own seating either inside or on the verandah. Naturally we chose the verandah as it was quite a nice day.
I started with a beautiful skim cap and my friend a latte and a bloody Mary. All arrived promptly but the table had not been set with sugar so we were forced to steal some from a vacant table. Now I've never tried a bloody Mary before as I have never been a fan of alcohol in the morning... it makes me feel like a cheeky child. Boy was it worth that slight feeling of guilt! It was surprisingly scrumptous and served with long match stick style cucumber lengths rather than celery. With a squeeze of lemon (which can prove difficult for those who inflict injuries on themselves as a result of too much golf - yes golf) I could see it being the perfect cure to a hangover, or even a new substitute for my current breakfast beverage :-)
After a bit of a mental battle over what choice I should make for my breakfast I chose the bacon and eggs. It sounded amazing with wilted baby spinach, a grilled tomato, all served on sourdough bread... Need I say it was amazing! I had actually seen a family's meals arrive and there was a yummy looking hashbrown on the side of the father's plate - so obviously I had to order one.
The meals arrived and they looked much better than they sounded and tasted just as good as they looked! The only disappointment I had was with the hashbrown. It was one of the old style hashbrowns with grated potato, egg and spring onion which are then fried to have a crisp outside and soft(ish) centre. It was just too oily :-( The rest of the meal was beautiful though, so the kitchen would definitely hear only compliments from this happy little breakfaster!
Moral of the story... Wildpear is a cute little cafe that serves amazing food in a well lit, climate controlled (inside) and friendly environment! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to have a relaxed meal and then walk through the nursery / pot store, and from memory it is now open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights :-)
Peace x.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sydney Chocolate School...
So as I'm sure you would all be aware of by now... I have a huge fascination with food! I love all food but in particular sweet food. The kind of food that is served for morning tea, eaten as a sneaky snack, included in a beautiful high tea, following a main meal and taken on the sly from the fridge in the middle of the night. I adore sweet foods! I adore finding lovely recipes to experiment with, watching them being made and served, making them myself.... but mostly eating them!
And so this page is for these adventures... starting with the beautiful chocolate making course I did with Mama Bear on Friday the 17th February 2012. Located over in Chowder Bay near the old naval base, there is complex of 21 units, white in colour. They all have amazing polished wood floors and views of the water. Surrounded by grass and walking tracks the area really is rather breath-taking.
I discovered Sydney Chocolate School on Cudo a few weeks ago when they were running an offer for the basic level one chocolate course for $50, rather than the regular price of $150. I quickly bought vouchers for myself and Mama Bear and booked us in for 3 hours of absolutely chocolatey heaven!
The Sydney Chocolate School is run through Coco Chocolate Australia, which I can assure you there will be another tantilising post about in the not too distant future! The day was started with a very drinkable coffee for Mama Bear as we were a weeny bit early. We met Rebecca (owner of Coco Chocolate Australia and our lovely teacher for the day) who would take us through the fine art of hand tempering chocolate on a marble slab, the science of producing chocolate and the production of beautifully presented chocolate bars, shapes and filled chocolates over the course of 3 hours.
It was nothing short of amazing and we were quickly filling our watering mouths with liquid and semi solid chocolate! I was also very impressed to find out that Rebecca only uses organic and ethically traded chocolate in her beautiful artworks (yes chocolate to me is a form of art)! Unfortunately I did not take a camera with me though (the excitement of kilos of melted chocolate played havoc with my sense of responsibility) so I cannot show you our amazing adventure nor her beautifully designed chocolates :-(
I can most definitely recommend it though! Well worth the $150 you would ordinarily pay, and luckily for Mama Bear and I it was amazing value at our cudo price! Please go and see at least the stores for an indulgent hot chocolate or selection of handmade pieces of art! Contact details are available off her website!
Peace x.
And so this page is for these adventures... starting with the beautiful chocolate making course I did with Mama Bear on Friday the 17th February 2012. Located over in Chowder Bay near the old naval base, there is complex of 21 units, white in colour. They all have amazing polished wood floors and views of the water. Surrounded by grass and walking tracks the area really is rather breath-taking.
I discovered Sydney Chocolate School on Cudo a few weeks ago when they were running an offer for the basic level one chocolate course for $50, rather than the regular price of $150. I quickly bought vouchers for myself and Mama Bear and booked us in for 3 hours of absolutely chocolatey heaven!
The Sydney Chocolate School is run through Coco Chocolate Australia, which I can assure you there will be another tantilising post about in the not too distant future! The day was started with a very drinkable coffee for Mama Bear as we were a weeny bit early. We met Rebecca (owner of Coco Chocolate Australia and our lovely teacher for the day) who would take us through the fine art of hand tempering chocolate on a marble slab, the science of producing chocolate and the production of beautifully presented chocolate bars, shapes and filled chocolates over the course of 3 hours.
It was nothing short of amazing and we were quickly filling our watering mouths with liquid and semi solid chocolate! I was also very impressed to find out that Rebecca only uses organic and ethically traded chocolate in her beautiful artworks (yes chocolate to me is a form of art)! Unfortunately I did not take a camera with me though (the excitement of kilos of melted chocolate played havoc with my sense of responsibility) so I cannot show you our amazing adventure nor her beautifully designed chocolates :-(
I can most definitely recommend it though! Well worth the $150 you would ordinarily pay, and luckily for Mama Bear and I it was amazing value at our cudo price! Please go and see at least the stores for an indulgent hot chocolate or selection of handmade pieces of art! Contact details are available off her website!
Peace x.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
So excited for tomorrow...
So my beautiful Mama Bear and I are off on my first official edible adventure :-) We're going to Mosman to participate in an amazing 3 hour chocolate making course!! I'm so excited and can't wait to share some beautiful creations with you all!
Have a magical Valentine's day!
Peace x.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Going strong...
So I'm excited because I think I've got to a good start! I bought a blue bomb-proof camera that goes underwater, can be dropped and will be super useful :-)
Oh I have come to find a fault in my list... I keep coming up with better things to add to it - so eventually I might end up adding a few more if I think I'll be able to achieve it all!
Anyway off to go on some adventures!
Peace. x
Oh I have come to find a fault in my list... I keep coming up with better things to add to it - so eventually I might end up adding a few more if I think I'll be able to achieve it all!
Anyway off to go on some adventures!
Peace. x
Monday, January 2, 2012
2012!
Good Morning!
Bring on 2012 I say... I think I'll be able to get a huge chunk of my list done this year with the help of some very special friends! New Year's Eve was a fabulous night surrounded by my beautiful friends and so I have a feeling this year is going to be truely amazing for me :-)
I'm slowly crossing things off my list and can't wait for some of the edible adventures I'll be going on over the next 1001 days! Today's mission is to buy a camera so I can take some amazing pictures of my adventures and post them up here!
Wish me luck! Going to do battle with the shopping centre...
Peace x
Bring on 2012 I say... I think I'll be able to get a huge chunk of my list done this year with the help of some very special friends! New Year's Eve was a fabulous night surrounded by my beautiful friends and so I have a feeling this year is going to be truely amazing for me :-)
I'm slowly crossing things off my list and can't wait for some of the edible adventures I'll be going on over the next 1001 days! Today's mission is to buy a camera so I can take some amazing pictures of my adventures and post them up here!
Wish me luck! Going to do battle with the shopping centre...
Peace x
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