tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62011891898579868132024-03-12T18:42:56.636-07:00Boomerang BanquetYou've got to throw your boomerang to get it back. Otherwise, you're just carrying around a bent stick.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-22818877687478440142010-11-28T19:32:00.000-08:002010-11-28T19:32:12.593-08:00Hanging and meringuing<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yes I'm aware meringuing is not a word, but those sweet, soft, chewy, crumbly treats best sum up today. A planned picnic in the park with a few girlfriends signaled the right circumstance for me to take up my wooden spoon and get baking. Like the food bloggers picnic I thought I'd strike a balance, choosing to bring both a sweet and savoury dish. However, my criteria for today was to whip up something impressive, yet crowd friendly, and enjoyable for devouring on a humid high twenties day. After a little deliberation I settled on Bocconcini Tomato Skewers over Salmon Blini for the savoury course. Upon a quick flick through my Australian Women's Weekly macaroons & biscuits cookbook i settled on making lemon meringue kisses. I do want to attempt making macaroons and I believe getting savvy with meringues could be a good step to mastering those magnificent morsels adored by many. Both recipes were super easy and straight forward. My tips are get the eggs to room temperature for lovely meringues and really beat them until the peaks form. I use a hand beater and it only took me five minutes whereas the recipe says it will take about 15 with an electric mixer. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Tomato Bocconcini Skewers</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qEq9Sul_Eo8YmP8O1wv6wnqFuPU76T3heIY7mWs3S87ZmKb2jFoVNE5XFqpkpBB0-6bAHFErjzLl13RZMUPKP2vUZpqgcozObIYBLcT0FiF-ebzquDBrdMqIwb_5JrIty2cribRCu54/s1600/IMG_0646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvaIE2K_PqyDGXwwZzH2YIF6rKncAG5kLwxhqYmA5tb6APbqM1PpUbDmzFd7suJtMnv2YOyTVoR-H1T8FyGdx9mr4T5uOk8Bg4BuXOlRRjpxVQfUXy0vLuWZMV-ReEMyCD0aM7lEbUXk/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvaIE2K_PqyDGXwwZzH2YIF6rKncAG5kLwxhqYmA5tb6APbqM1PpUbDmzFd7suJtMnv2YOyTVoR-H1T8FyGdx9mr4T5uOk8Bg4BuXOlRRjpxVQfUXy0vLuWZMV-ReEMyCD0aM7lEbUXk/s400/IMG_0644.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">small whole bocconcini or larger ones sliced into quarters</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tablespoon fresh parsley</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 teaspoons chives</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 tablespoons olive oil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 teaspoon black pepper</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">cherry tomators</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">basil leaves</span></span></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Method: </b></span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></b></div><ol style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Place Bocconcini in a medium sized bowl</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finely chop the herbs</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add the oil, herbs, salt and pepper to the bocconcini and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight if possible</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Half the cherry tomatoes, then place on half of each on a toothpick. Thread on a basil leaf, then bocconcini, then another basil leaf, then another bocconcini, then another basil leaf, followed by the other half of the cherry tomato. Repeat this for the remaining skewers</span></span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">PS. I dare you to prevent yourself from gobbling the bocconcini as you assemble this kicking kebabs :P</span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lemon Meringue Kisses </span></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qEq9Sul_Eo8YmP8O1wv6wnqFuPU76T3heIY7mWs3S87ZmKb2jFoVNE5XFqpkpBB0-6bAHFErjzLl13RZMUPKP2vUZpqgcozObIYBLcT0FiF-ebzquDBrdMqIwb_5JrIty2cribRCu54/s1600/IMG_0646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qEq9Sul_Eo8YmP8O1wv6wnqFuPU76T3heIY7mWs3S87ZmKb2jFoVNE5XFqpkpBB0-6bAHFErjzLl13RZMUPKP2vUZpqgcozObIYBLcT0FiF-ebzquDBrdMqIwb_5JrIty2cribRCu54/s400/IMG_0646.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ingredients</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lemon curd<b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">90g unsalted butter</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 egg</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 cup caster sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 tablespoons lemon juice </span></span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meringues</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 egg whites</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup caster sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 teaspoon lemon juice </span><b> </b></span></li>
</ul></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Method </b></span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol><li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Chop the butter and lightly beat the egg</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Combine the ingredients in a small heatproof bowl.</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stir over a small saucepan of simmering water for about 10 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Refrigerate the lemon curd for three hours or overnight</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Preheat oven to 120 degrees celsius. Grease the oven trays and line them with baking paper. </li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Beat the ingredients with an electric or hand mixer for 5-15 minutes (depending on when the sugar is dissolved and soft peaks form.</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Spoon the mixture into a piping bag or tool with a 2cm fluted tube; pipe 4cm stars on trays 2cm apart. </li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bake meringues for 40 minutes to an hour until they appear to have formed a skin on the outside or in my case begin to turn golden.</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cool on trays</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When cool, sandwich meringues with lemon curd</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijumoGfSqcaWOJyFj3_eQg8peeKz8WcTF5SX82xNclbYHOf8tInTXL8CKTs5mC16mnaCHbIPn9rcnuIggrUModSxYh0hbRTkApWjVvUPrK-aCoOc-7dAvCzeoXbEKLBQ-QwPI_XnSJBTY/s1600/IMG_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijumoGfSqcaWOJyFj3_eQg8peeKz8WcTF5SX82xNclbYHOf8tInTXL8CKTs5mC16mnaCHbIPn9rcnuIggrUModSxYh0hbRTkApWjVvUPrK-aCoOc-7dAvCzeoXbEKLBQ-QwPI_XnSJBTY/s400/IMG_0647.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jess' magnificent fruit platter</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our picnic also featured taramasalata & hommus dips (I wanted to make my own but didn't leave time), avocado, pita bread, soft chewy chocolate brownies, red rock deli and doritos chips and of course a magnificent choc-a-bloc fruit platter (pictured above that was assembled by Jess). With our picnic mats poised underneath a shady tree we sumpted on our banquet, drinking Becks beers, Spanish Cava (sparkling wine) and Strawberries & Cream iced tea.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">How lovely </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">x</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-37938387164864406892010-10-17T00:14:00.000-07:002010-10-17T01:47:29.357-07:00Let's Do Lunch: Becasse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM-JeqMXVyCiQXYyTSqKg2-gfGqed7k81A-UNPuFz6UIpRCMQtF_TPwxzmoBkNG6WmrSpPSJszfvGRO_ralnH0QG6YaI56erSP6tWdCd0D8Cnl6f82ZYSIGzWdYcOZgjSsF0kjHsO00M/s400/annex__hepburn_audrey_breakfast_at_tiffanys_132.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="302" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Dining at restaurants like Bécasse make me feel like I'm on the other side of this desire</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM-JeqMXVyCiQXYyTSqKg2-gfGqed7k81A-UNPuFz6UIpRCMQtF_TPwxzmoBkNG6WmrSpPSJszfvGRO_ralnH0QG6YaI56erSP6tWdCd0D8Cnl6f82ZYSIGzWdYcOZgjSsF0kjHsO00M/s1600/annex__hepburn_audrey_breakfast_at_tiffanys_132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Cutting back my shifts at the restaurant meant I would have more time to be full-time student. However, I seem to have replaced serving food with observing food, and eating it of course. Last Wednesday was no exception! October truly is a wonderful month. Not only is it smack bang in the middle of Spring which means picnics, extended hours of sunshine (courtesy of daylight savings), music festival announcements, a new semester of university, and more birthdays than you can poke a stick at, it also means it's time for the Crave Sydney International Food Festival! If money was no concern, and time was mine for the taking, I'd possibly only come home to sleep, choosing instead to wile away my days and nights doing brunch, lunch, talks, classes, special dinners, desserts, cocktails, wine tasting and high teas until my stomach (and liver) exploded into smithereens.</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, when my good friend Patrick Roche suggested we take advantage of this marvellous month of months and get together for luncheons, I leapt at the idea. Initially, his heart was set on dining once again at Aria, like he had the year before. Dreamily musing of the harbour views, cool cucumber aperetif soup, and superb seafood he suggested we try our luck booking at table in the morning for lunch that day. Oh how blissfully optimistic we were. Not a place in the restaurant all day. Not to worry, with a day off I let my fingers do the walking and scored us a table for two at Bécasse at two! Paddy (Patrick), was pleased at this outcome and I was excited about dining at my first two hat restaurant (having dined at Tetsuya's - when it had three hats - and Zest - one hat, respectively).</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyDQKCRPM4EIq03RDIq0JX0Yre7fJzcOjBCxFUgm8u63AaZH8JtF_W2Qo7QbjhrDjeIrN3wpOA_r1ENJLHCS2hnMjgmurn49K_9LrBmRr94D_9fur1QNREvnFov9nPq3I0GkOyNxaanM/s1600/4014269904_4117bea0fd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyDQKCRPM4EIq03RDIq0JX0Yre7fJzcOjBCxFUgm8u63AaZH8JtF_W2Qo7QbjhrDjeIrN3wpOA_r1ENJLHCS2hnMjgmurn49K_9LrBmRr94D_9fur1QNREvnFov9nPq3I0GkOyNxaanM/s400/4014269904_4117bea0fd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bécasse was a lot closer to Town Hall station than we envisioned, so after a short stroll we arrived with five minutes to spare. Prying open the large glass doors, I felt like Thumbelina, a small humble girl stepping into a giant beautiful room of clean pressed white linen tablecloths, a cascading marble staircase and glittering circular Swarovoski crystal Chandeleirs. Greeted by a suave waiter we were informed our table would be ready shortly after two and with a room as elegant as that to ogle, we were happy to wait. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDei3VB12NNJ-CrAgPO9NggLtmY1u_H3Ijs-3PARAS70ON0k5GtOn6zCuQwdm5P-hopCkyYZvn03ZiUusroOh5LhclphKp3B5E-aZ7WArXto8MQ7kHUCHd-Mf9DrF374S04C7XMBRLBQ/s400/IMG_1023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Swarovoski crystal chandeleirs over the grand dining room</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDei3VB12NNJ-CrAgPO9NggLtmY1u_H3Ijs-3PARAS70ON0k5GtOn6zCuQwdm5P-hopCkyYZvn03ZiUusroOh5LhclphKp3B5E-aZ7WArXto8MQ7kHUCHd-Mf9DrF374S04C7XMBRLBQ/s1600/IMG_1023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"> Pining for a window seat, we still lucked out with our place down the stairs but right in front of the kitchen. Being a lady has it's advantages, as I got to choose my seat first and couldn't overlook a spot overlooking the kitchen. Water was filled up in our wine glasses straight away. How I love drinking beverages other than alcohol in wine glasses. When I get the opportunity I enjoy imagining I am Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's as parading around my house with milk in a martini glass.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7sM5iS0G_v8N-6nYGlHAML3dumdm-NpyEKsw_fOsNJSLc3ToL61MdtVby-_5DDvX22V8PghFSjulqzEFZVOLCeOQxKDChOKxcy9GSILrudSksBzVGDe8nveWcQRaMaIyCp_qODN8Gv4/s320/breakfast-at-tiffanys-milk-martini-market-camillehayton.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Holly go lightly just chilling like a villain with a martini glass of milk</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7sM5iS0G_v8N-6nYGlHAML3dumdm-NpyEKsw_fOsNJSLc3ToL61MdtVby-_5DDvX22V8PghFSjulqzEFZVOLCeOQxKDChOKxcy9GSILrudSksBzVGDe8nveWcQRaMaIyCp_qODN8Gv4/s1600/breakfast-at-tiffanys-milk-martini-market-camillehayton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> <span style="font-size: small;">Presented with a our menus, we were able to peruse the tantalizing dishes we may have selected from, had we not decided to indulge in the $35 lunch deal of a main course and glass of Brown Brothers wine. However, when we got to the 'Let's do lunch' section we spotted a $65 three course option of which we greedily ummed and ahhed over. We let gluttony get the best of us, claiming the value of the deal and superb opportunity as reasons not to refuse such an offer.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First out of the kitchen was an appetiser which the waitress explained was Black Olive Biscotti with sour cream and chives. The combination of salty black olives in the chewy sweet biscotti with the soft creamy, mild onion dollop met with such exciting textural fervour. I really enjoy the growing sweet meets savoury mash-up and this wonderful apperetif could almost be a dessert in a bigger portion.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_QIno1oze0u111JNl_u-9V4Eyw-falDRyKEOsJupwRJWK2SsYQ0wC9rUtYCgOZa4eg63ouU47FKdS_ZCaYH0IIvq2P0uhuNvRhuQGFMISPML1g8llakvzxtn7BFdmU2e2zjdNhSnGJw/s400/IMG_0283.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Black Olive Biscotti with sour cream and chives </b></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next we were presented with our entree, a salad of beetroot and prosciutto. The dish looked incredible, the elements appeared to replicate a delicious forest. The wafer thin prosciutto added only a tiny salty hit which contrasted superbly with the semi-circle cubes of beetroot, crunch of the roasted hazelnuts and sweet chewy Biscotti. This was all rounded off by sweet, oily sauce to die for. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vN1_KQNw1WFyb-5AkSRMuu-75laz9N9XhijtlNk0FxqQqi1AkAv5CIS17OEJZlf5R_PwrmKSwMdnfxI_yasKt4XF_gKzXCGOpKSlohizC1IZRsR89e86jHA6uiLdNCwi_l6PB-zvKbE/s400/IMG_0284.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Salad of Prosciotto and Beetroot</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vN1_KQNw1WFyb-5AkSRMuu-75laz9N9XhijtlNk0FxqQqi1AkAv5CIS17OEJZlf5R_PwrmKSwMdnfxI_yasKt4XF_gKzXCGOpKSlohizC1IZRsR89e86jHA6uiLdNCwi_l6PB-zvKbE/s1600/IMG_0284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>We snacked on a chewy white roll with a special butter whilst awaiting the main event. As our mains sailed towards our table the warm, buttery scent of seafood wafted filling our eyes with joy. Whilst to the onlooker (such as my brother) the dish may look suspiciously like something my dog brought up, rather than something you'd want to wolf down, I assure you the reality is far from that. The soft, meaty prawns sat in a warm, sensuous froth, with loads of beautiful prosciotto, perfectly cooked rice and peas to dive in to. It seemed well matched with the wonderful Brown Brothers Pinot Grigio - a brilliant, light yellow drop with citrus and herbaceous characters and great length and balance. Although the richness of the crustacean flavour meant that we ate it slowly, savouring it and contemplating how it almost beckoned for the other suggested wine, a Brown Brothers Tempranillo. However, we'd chose on the basis that seafood traditionally matches best with white, and a crisp white refreshes best on a hot day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHqDho08R9JGJ1kVuSrUcogAU8OAnX1wpgS3hcIAlxeXm7rj1_PJ92ZoSIxeKSA537zbA4UFGqgWBVSYndkswnGQ5jvFlQOmBaDDGfbwhxcxwR93_R3sUUhYOpWgHmzhAI_bot6XA8TM/s1600/IMG_0287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHqDho08R9JGJ1kVuSrUcogAU8OAnX1wpgS3hcIAlxeXm7rj1_PJ92ZoSIxeKSA537zbA4UFGqgWBVSYndkswnGQ5jvFlQOmBaDDGfbwhxcxwR93_R3sUUhYOpWgHmzhAI_bot6XA8TM/s400/IMG_0287.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Risotto of South Australian prawns and prosciutto</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">With every last spoonful of risotto scraped from the bowl, we waited for dessert to arrive. Dessert was not as prompt to be brought out as the other courses, but we were thankful as we needed that time to check our dessert compartment had room. Even if it hadn't been vacant, such a gorgeous dish would mosey on in regardless. When our lemon meringue pies arrived we struggled to bring ourselves to destroy such a creation with our lusty spoons. Cracking the side of the tart was met with an unexpected surprise. The pastry rather than being flaky or crumbly was golden and wickedly sweet and crispy, whilst the lemon curd was slightly runny and wonderfully bitersweet. Topped with the oh so fluffy meringue, it was hard to surmount the task of eating such an indulgent, sweet on one's own. I also adored the teeny weeny toasted meringues and pistachio praline that circled the tart.</span> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UHK7zkxZFoFBAmeumxhN1orYv_lcN-ID4NBhqpgnDXoaIkfLNZqaQbKY6PT8abodydOaY0BxPKWrkDSZ3Xz__F1RrShZIrc28T5F5n5oZrFjwfQk9C-VCy8SxvUTSTD3oeDgpeIgWHo/s400/IMG_0290.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Lemon Meringue Tart</b></span></td></tr>
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</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Upon slowly and steadily savouring the dessert, we couldn't refuse a coffee. Topped with love heart, the shiny, silky milk, a good rich nutty brown colour, displayed the characteristics of a good coffee. Not over roasted or under extracted, the coffee was divine in the afternoon and definetly one I would have again.</span> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFw4iBhFL0dCZuHQd5dhYE_nOYoa17zvl6z9TT8w_vpFjVvN2sbtAOljCQtP7DSG0QyYWK5tHUwxlg5_6xnH-b8lYSHcKm7t8DMRGfqkWpGBFjIMA5Y0HoGmgLooXk8Dq7vwy0dsoRLk/s320/IMG_0292.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>A good looking coffee</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFw4iBhFL0dCZuHQd5dhYE_nOYoa17zvl6z9TT8w_vpFjVvN2sbtAOljCQtP7DSG0QyYWK5tHUwxlg5_6xnH-b8lYSHcKm7t8DMRGfqkWpGBFjIMA5Y0HoGmgLooXk8Dq7vwy0dsoRLk/s1600/IMG_0292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><center style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh Bécasse what a joy, what a pleasure! How I long to return to your glittering room to dine on your fascinating and seductive French dishes such as the veal baked in coffee and clay, or be part of the local food scene with the producers lunches and dinners. I shall and must return. </span> </center><center style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></center><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<h3 class="r" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><i>Bécasse</i></i> </span></h3><h3 class="r" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">204 Clarence St</span></h3><h3 class="r" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Sydney NSW 2000</span></h3><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><span id="search" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; visibility: visible;">(02) 9283 3440</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-kejbsG7QJXsUZRZBd8zJLfcvwhHGR5ilUuQqCMi7SgCu2pOBSQF-Zue0Fi1KP9TiUGNEnnCennCYffImzIyARSdT-kdM2vlVFy3vjMaMuIKFmso3mfdOOxPnIZg6X-8IMRuEfXP6-o/s1600/staticmap.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-kejbsG7QJXsUZRZBd8zJLfcvwhHGR5ilUuQqCMi7SgCu2pOBSQF-Zue0Fi1KP9TiUGNEnnCennCYffImzIyARSdT-kdM2vlVFy3vjMaMuIKFmso3mfdOOxPnIZg6X-8IMRuEfXP6-o/s1600/staticmap.gif" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I leave you with another French delicacy in the form of Nouvelle Vague - a new wave musical collective from France who do gorgeous covers among other wonderful musical morsels. Their sad, yet soothing cover of the classic Joy Division track, 'Love will Tear us Apart', is so tragic, delicate and beautiful. Sometimes when you love something too much - whether it be food, study, or a significant other - you burn yourself out with your passion. Whether, I have eaten too much, spent too much, or drank too much, I am often torn apart from pursuing my greedy gastronomic pursuits. I always want more and I want to love everything so fully, so whole-heartedly that the effort can tear my world apart.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Bon appetit!</div><div style="text-align: center;">x</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l4efME9Vnlc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l4efME9Vnlc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div></center>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-26717814343213078812010-10-14T15:53:00.000-07:002010-10-14T15:59:13.872-07:00Whether or weather? Here I come<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Holidays + The Cairos + We Are Fans</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Wednesday 29th September 2010</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Beach Road Hotel</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Doing happy laps trying to find a park in the side streets of Bondi on a weeknight with rain dripping down is not fun. Especially if it’s for a free gig that leaves you underwhelmed. Beach Road Hotel has a pretty strong music scene, with Wednesdays being the popular night to get down when the venue plays host to ‘Sideshows’: a free gig which continues to attract up & coming bands, with past acts including Cut off Your Hands and Yves Klein Blue. We squashed onto a couch out of the cold and into the heat of the ‘We Are fans’ beat. Italian disco pop meets lo-fi grungy pop, the band from Melbourne grooved on stage as a very likeable opening act. The bubbly lead brunette dominated, with her black bat wings shimmying as she banged that tambourine. Oozing the charisma of Karen O, her confident optimism led the band and drew a small crowd of revelers. One couldn’t help being a fan of their infectious toe-tapping songs. Check them out for yourself <a href="http://www.myspace.com/wearefanss">here.</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42giHTRf6znorZOu-Aj9sxSM0F8QELiDGzVWaGoCBBMPUBglSekwBUhRQ3ViNDkWXuYqNExnmsZUHvzdAMhrFgVee0_Gc8mZ2ebMjxdJPCwAn9xBChZczkrO4Pq7647wi-2sgzcn8M4Q/s200/img.aspx.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We are fans: black panther sexy</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42giHTRf6znorZOu-Aj9sxSM0F8QELiDGzVWaGoCBBMPUBglSekwBUhRQ3ViNDkWXuYqNExnmsZUHvzdAMhrFgVee0_Gc8mZ2ebMjxdJPCwAn9xBChZczkrO4Pq7647wi-2sgzcn8M4Q/s1600/img.aspx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next set by the Cairos was promising. The post-punk indie rockers from Cairns started with broody, heavy strumming but the first few songs whilst enjoyable, seemed monotonous and lacked a climactic roar. ‘Listening Party’ had an air of a tame Nine Inch Nails or Foo Fighters rock song, but with softer vocals. The sliding guitar solo was impressive but not long enough! Lead singer Alistar Richardson, had magnetic, slightly haunting, brooding vocals reminiscent of the Foals lead singer. The later songs of the set proving far more danceable with ‘Today’, a sunny optimistic number echoing the lovable effervescence of US surf-rock bands like Wild Nothing. ‘Whales’, one of the more impressive songs of the set had a dark, alluring catchiness to it, harking veins of the Cure’s popular eighties work. With a bit of maturation I could see these Queensland boys really tearing it up. You can listen for yourself <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thecairos">here</a>.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfythUoD6kTCsIsdRsI_EEYCz-SFDX2DE1-2BQjjAVwPnnloKUTlmmYg2pj8cIYIlKHF5rG7KTIHk1EMd1yxb3vwEYOjDg3BHT-lPZ5YTGj3sLYezwrF0r6Bnjs9FkqPEp4VGN5FmKddY/s320/Cairos_0209_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Young guns from The Cairos</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfythUoD6kTCsIsdRsI_EEYCz-SFDX2DE1-2BQjjAVwPnnloKUTlmmYg2pj8cIYIlKHF5rG7KTIHk1EMd1yxb3vwEYOjDg3BHT-lPZ5YTGj3sLYezwrF0r6Bnjs9FkqPEp4VGN5FmKddY/s1600/Cairos_0209_h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, the Holidays graced the stage and the audience surged forward. Already the gig was running later than anticipated and the underwhelming performance of the headliners did little to bade me to stay. Whilst, they were clearly the most polished act on the bill, Sydney five piece, the Holidays seemed happy to cruise with their island breeze vocals and tracks. The tropical calypso beat of ‘Moonlight Hours’, complete with magical marimba bridge, was easily the highlight, inviting a sweet desire to escape reality with lyrics like “we can get on board, let’s get out of touch”. Beginning with some strong afro-drumming, ‘Golden Sky’, had me grooving with the fluid guitars and lovely harmonies at the end. However, I was hankering for their older gutsier electric guitar compositions, embodied in songs like ‘Mexico’ and ‘Planes’, which had a more cyclical pace to it, punching their way from the beginning with sliding guitars and punchy vocals, before buil<span id="goog_334001809"></span><span id="goog_334001810"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>ding up into a fiery crescendo then silence. Nevertheless, I uncharacteristically left the gig part way through the set. If the thought of bed entices me more than the music in stage then one has to worry. Perhaps the sunnier sounds of this chilled band are better enjoyed shaken not stirred and less sober in the summer sun. Go on holidays with their sounds <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theholidays">here.</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjC6VyadY7HoSRNpneoU5LK2wLjhKTWM7R6SNNZ60ibUpqr2xTStRx3c_lmyGy_eCFxk1dKxA8r26smVZ_KRgybPxm5-PR_78HKiQ8YjA7EO2zlIMfkzYyjg0wOrer40-uCMi0-_3RZ4/s320/l_ed5920cc61e343e7a7560833370e37f1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Summery sounds and attitudes from The Holidays</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjC6VyadY7HoSRNpneoU5LK2wLjhKTWM7R6SNNZ60ibUpqr2xTStRx3c_lmyGy_eCFxk1dKxA8r26smVZ_KRgybPxm5-PR_78HKiQ8YjA7EO2zlIMfkzYyjg0wOrer40-uCMi0-_3RZ4/s1600/l_ed5920cc61e343e7a7560833370e37f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-23545177702942317332010-10-12T18:39:00.000-07:002010-10-12T18:41:19.950-07:00Interview: Yacht Club DJS<meta content="" name="Title"></meta> <meta content="" name="Keywords"></meta> <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta> <meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator"></meta> <link href="file://localhost/Users/elizaberlage/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGXefT_EHqH_Qvnk7MQ3ajl4MK0CFvRpmnSJep3JXWAi_Kn-BKPFLsI4K7cyMtiRSRSXVOswwpm5-AS_o617TEh5JI1Rly26s4sO1HbeCd1DWEZ-YwsJ2-j7S7L0TLqDy_XPC5ByNeeY/s1600/yachtclub.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGXefT_EHqH_Qvnk7MQ3ajl4MK0CFvRpmnSJep3JXWAi_Kn-BKPFLsI4K7cyMtiRSRSXVOswwpm5-AS_o617TEh5JI1Rly26s4sO1HbeCd1DWEZ-YwsJ2-j7S7L0TLqDy_XPC5ByNeeY/s400/yachtclub.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">Get crazy with the Yacht Club DJs. With adventurous, cutting-edge, mash-ups and riotous high-energy on-stage antics, the two boys from Ballarat have become one of this year’s most talked about acts. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">I caught up Gaz Harrison from the Yacht Club DJS where we talked mixing, mooning, music trivia and mayhem. It was my very first phone interview with a band, and I was able to seize this exciting opportunity with the help of Ella Reweti the music editor for the dynamic, cultural hub of Music Mayhem on <a href="http://www.wots.com.au/">WOTS</a> (Word on the street). After checking out their clever, punchy, party tracks online and grabbing the opportunity to share some awesome stories with one half of the act, it’s easy to see just how these boys are making waves as crowd favourites virally and on stage. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">You can check them out in all their glory <a href="http://www.myspace.com/yachtclubdjs">here</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> So Yacht Club DJs, tell me, what inspired the name? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz: </b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">Yacht Club was originally Guy’s name on Facebook. It was his idea to do the whole show on laptops and he wanted to call us Lap dancers. At the time I was a bit more serious than I am now and I wasn’t keen on being involved in a group called the Lap dancers. So I suggested ‘Yacht Club’, cause I couldn’t be bothered thinking of a name myself but it was the name of his Myspace and thankfully it was agreeable.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Wow, well I guess Lap dancers would have got a lot of attention but it’s good to go with something you know I suppose…<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz: </b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">I think it would have been the wrong kind of attention. Like it was one of those short-lived names and you’ve already got Bang Gang [DJs] and stuff like that. I didn’t want a shock and awe name, I just wanted be known for making fun music. I always wanted to let the music do the talking more than the name. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> The word club makes it sound kind of exclusive, is it? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> If we called ourselves Yacht DJs everyone would mistake us for those Canadians. We’re definitely not exclusive; we’re the most un-exclusive people you’ve ever met in your life. We make friends with all our fans and we wanna hang out with them more than we wanna play our shows. It started as something really tongue in cheek, with us sitting around in cafes trying to make each other laugh and we’ve just had fantastic luck being able to make a life of music out of it. It’s completely tongue in cheek to this day. There’s a serious side to it but we’re just a lot of having fun and we’re lucky enough to make money out of it and have a fan base that wants to keep seeing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> So you are hitting the road pretty soon with your ‘Demons of Gymnastics’ tour. Having played some sold-out national tours and a string of festival appearances including Meredith Music Festival, Groovin The Moo and Splendour In The Grass, you must have had some amazing memories. What are some of your favourite festival moments?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> It’s been really crazy, like it’s gone in the space of maybe two years or two and a half, of us being these white-knuckled indie kids that just had no idea what they were doing in front of 10,000 at the first Meredith we played, to just being road dogs. I feel at home on the road now and if I’m not touring I feel like something’s missing in my life. As for moments there’s been so many. I broke my leg at Sydney Parklife, and went to Adelaide and played a show with tape on it when I should have been in the car. We tour with bands and we tend to make best friends with them if we can. We get really involved with them and just get in a tour bus and go shenanigan crazy. I think for me, one of my favourite tour moments of all time was when we were traveling from Byron Bay to Brisbane with the Howl and DD. Howl just are PH punks, they are insane, and Muz the drummer was obsessed with mooning people. On the highway from Byron to Brisbane, the Melodics were doing an interview for Triple J on the radio and we were listening to it and they said they were sitting on the side of the road near Brisbane. Of course the whole bus of fifteen people had their asses pressed on the window as we drove pass The Melodics. Later it just sped on crazy and half of them were wearing dresses. We got this one guy in a car next to us so very angry and he started ringing the police and followed us all the way into town screaming at us and his girlfriend was throwing empty bottles at the van. It just got insane, and it was just so much fun! It was like being a fourteen-year-old kid again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> So those crazy shenanigans aren’t just because you’re ‘a band’, it’s also that you guys are relatively young and having fun?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> That’s exactly right. We’ve always had a pretty fucked attitude but we’ve had to get a bit more professional lately with the level we’ve got to but we defiantly try to keep that whole ‘We’re just punks from the bush and gonna get in everyone’s faces and try to cause as much trouble as we can’ attitude, everywhere we go. I think people have really responded to that. When they come to our shows they treat it like a big house party and they all try to get as crazy as we are. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Speaking of crazy antics, many DJs embrace kooky costumes and props when performing. What kinds of antics and outfits could we expect at a Yacht Club DJs show?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Lots of sweating and jumping…swigging vodka bottles. We do all the horrible clichés of rock and roll. This tour we’ve invested heavily in inflatables! We decided as a band we wanna bring back that eighties set thing [where for example] metal bands had like these big thirty foot grim reapers swinging into the crowd. I think it’d be really funny to bring that back, but we’re taking baby steps. Hopefully if they’re able to make it in time, we’ve got two twelve foot cats heads that inflate on side of stage and their mouths open and close and stuff. We’ve also got a zillion inflatable palm trees. We basically wanna have the whole stage set up and end up in the crowd getting torn apart, and the crowd to end up on stage with us tearing everything apart. Just one of those raucous house parties you can imagine. That’s always what we try and achieve.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Your new tour is called ‘Demons of Gymnastics? What was the inspiration behind this?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> (laughs) We were in Ballarat and there was this horrible movie about people who’d been in gymnastics when they were kids. These young boys, were sort of overdriven to succeed by this crazy coach and they were scared of gymnastics and they had all these demons about it. So the end of the movie was that they had all grown up and were getting rid of their demons by getting into a gymnastics competition. We thought it was about the funniest thing we’d ever seen, but it was probably just the amount of gin that we’d drank. So we turned it into this big in-joke about fighting off our demons with gymnastics, so subsequently it ended up being the name of the tour.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> I heard you had a pretty fun gym-themed photo shoot to promote the tour involving foam pits and heaps of other fun stuff. How was that?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz: </b>We’re lucky enough to have this girl who works for the crew, in a local paper who pulled some strings and promised the local university that they’d do story on them if we could use their gymnastics gym for our photoshoot. So basically we were let in there, and there was this massive foam pit with a trampoline, so we stuffed around for about half an hour being little kids again jumping into this foam pit and doing backflips and stuff, in which I completely destroyed my jeans. I ripped them from the crotch all the way right down to my knees and my underwear was hanging out and stuff. It was very unpretty. If you actually look close enough at the photos on facebook you can see the rip. It ended up being great fun and we took some ridiculously stupid photos, most of which we couldn’t use. The ones we’ve chosen we’re doing all these completely odd, crazy things. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> You sample a huge range of artists and genres in your tracks. What are some of the most popular songs to get a party started?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> We’ve sort of been treated like a band in that respect. We’ve got specific mash-ups people always wanna hear, and that’s cool, there’s always part of our set spoken for where we can just turn up and play the same things, which annoys some people, but I think it’s really cool that people know us that well that they can expect to hear those kind of things all the time and they give it the same awesome response. Really early on when we first started I mixed ‘Yakkity-Yak’ by the Trash-man with ‘My people’ by the Presets. Sometimes you hear it so many times that you’re really sick of it but it gets such a response from the crowd everytime we play it. It’s gonna be a sad day when we stop playing that in our sets. Other ones like the theme from Roger Ramjet mixed with the song ‘Formerly known as’ by Regurgitator is another one that gets such a big crowd response. We get people leaving messages on our facebook saying ‘you’ve gotta play this’. The little lion one that Guy did as well with Missy Elliot and Mumford and Sons, people just know us because of those ridiculous mash-ups and it seems we can’t turn up to a festival without people screaming one of the other from the front of the stage. It’s awesome, such a cool thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> You seem like a huge music lover. What are some of the biggest influences on your music?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> We always enjoyed the whole music trivia side of things, like getting an album like ‘Since I left you’ by the Avalanches and 2manydjs with ‘All this love’ and Soulwax, and listening to them and going over them with a fine tooth comb and trying to pick out all the samples and stuff like that. I don’t think either of us when we were younger thought they we were going to make a career out of doing that but it’s awesome that we are. Apart from that we’re both metal heads. I was in punk bands and really bad hard rock bands and Guy was in new metal and heavy metal bands just around Ballarat, some Indie bands and things like that. So we were surprised more than anyone that this thing that we started for fun turned into a career. It’s just great, everyday I wake up and it’s awesome cause we’re in this band and we get to do funny things all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> That’s fascinating that you started off with a love of heavy metal and then moved into this dj world! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Not many people would’ve picked it. For a while I was quite into minimal house and prog-house. I was brought up in a night club my dad started when I was four years old and the guys that taught me to DJ were all involved in that deep, progressive like long track with all those techno sounds. I really enjoy that sort of music but I lost my steam on playing that sort of music earlier on, because I did have such an interest in so many forms of music and I felt like I was missing out. After a while I realized I would rather be in a band and I’d given up on DJing for a while. Yacht Club sort of brought me back round because it gave me an excuse to listen to everything at once and I could do music trivia cause that’s what the band’s for. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Your eclectic DJ style has been embraced with open arms for it’s exciting mash up of various popular tracks. Do you find any particular genres or artists mash the best? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> It’s always hard to go past your hard rock and rock music, and generally the stuff that mashes with it the easiest is, hip-hop. That’s really your bread and butter when you’re doing these sorts of things, where everyone knows your hip hop and there’s always a good hard rock underneath it that they can really get up and dance out to. We try to change it up as much as we can, try to bring in a bit of blues and funk and old songs and weird pieces into it as much as we can. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> You’re not the first act to map a career of mashing songs, but you have been hugely successful with claims to be one of the most sought after acts of the year. What do you think sets the Yacht Club DJs apart from similar acts like Miami Horror and Girl Talk?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> I think Ben it’d yell at you if you called him a mash-up DJ. I think they’re more like Indie djs where they just get popular indie songs or try and find remixes, or in Miami Horror’s case, a lot of the remixes he makes himself. They’re more just about Indie party where they play their songs out and everyone knows their songs and you get a big taste of it. We try to be more like music trivia. We take the songs and sample them really quickly. So rather than playing out the songs we tend to use parts of them to create music collages. Sometimes we hope to create new songs out of old parts, like keeping them in key and really working hard to keep them as one piece of music rather than separate dj mixes. We like to keep it quick and brief and have lots of things happening all at once that are all recognizable but not necessarily mixing track to track. I think that’s the idea behind mash-ups. It’s not so much about creating a straight dj mix for a party as much as getting in there and trying to make something new.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> As you sample a lot of music have you ever had issues with copyright infringement or encountered any nasty lawsuits?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> We’ve been really careful with the CDs, we treat them as promo CDs. I think it’s been bandied around a bit that they’re albums and things like that, but we can’t actually do that because we don’t think we have the same sort of laws that say, Girl Talk get away with in the US. We definitely don’t have the time span to do what 2ManyDjs did and give it two years to clear all the samples or spend a year or two as the Avalanches did on ‘Since I left you’ because we wanna keep it relevant and have lots of pop culture today, as well as pop culture 70 or so years ago that we draw from. So what we’ve been putting them out for free for promo only and the only way people can get [our CDs] is to come to our shows where we give them out. Sometimes we make them available for download off our facebook, but it’s to the bane of our fans, who are constantly requesting where to buy things, they all want something that they can take home. The climate isn’t really ripe for it so we have to be very very careful. I’m expecting a cease and desist order anyday now.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> It’s pretty amazing that your demo mix-tape <i>Kleptomania</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> released online, due to popular demand, was downloaded more than 15,000 times in just one week. Even more astounding is that some copies of your mix-tape ended up selling on Ebay for more than $150. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">Gaz: Yeah, and that’s on top of the 500 we had hard copies of and gave them away at shows as well. So yeah, just the response to that was absolutely amazing<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Having successfully distributed your music through the Internet, what made you choose to embrace file sharing as opposed to a mainstream record release? Do you see file sharing as furthering creative freedom or hindering potential income?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> I think that’s a big grey area. We don’t see it as doing anything wrong but depending on who you talk to in the music industry, they do and don’t. We got personally invited to the screening of the Girl Talk movie ‘ripper remixes manifesto’ by APRA (Australian Performing Right Association), and there was a forum where they talked quite heavily about what we do, like it’s legal ramifications. We do our best to contact the actual artist and always have a big ethos of [encouraging] support for the artists we use. At some point I hope the industry just gets over it because there quite clearly is a place for what we do in the music industry, people really want it as a product. If the music industry got over itself a little bit and became a bit more lenient for things we do, I think they’d do what they really wanna do and make more money, whereas at the moment we’re having a bit of this quirky gag stagger and we’re playing by their rules and that’s what we actually have to do so we don’t get put in jail. We’re not out to hurt anybody, we basically play the music we play because we love it and that’s the reason we do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Being a band that is highly interactive with the internet, how are you affected by public feedback through forums and twitter?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Yeah I’ve run my mouth quite a bit. I blame having an iphone which I conveniently dropped in a guiness a few weeks ago so I’ve had the breaks on a little bit. I think when you’re doing something like we do it really helps to be involved with the public about feedback. I don’t wanna be one of those djs that says they’re out there educating people and things like that. We’re definetly not, we’re having good fun. But sometimes some of the negatives can be misguided and you find it’s basically people on a forum having a shot at you because they don’t like what you do coz it’s not what they do, or they might be jealous of where you got because they’re not there. I’ve got a bit of a fiery temperament in that respect where I don’t wanna go out and fight them but I wanna have a talk with them about it and go “hey man you’re out there soiling my name across the internet”. I’d rather be involved in direct forum with them about why they don’t like me so they can have their facts straight so we can actually have an intellectual conversation about it rather than them getting on the internet and just philandering me. I think everyone deserves a defence as well as the ability to get slandered. I really take a lot of joy away from getting into conversations about it cause it is an intellectual pursuit at the end of the day as well as something that’s really perhaps a joke at sometimes as well. So I think it’s important to have that forum<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> So how do you deal with these comments in terms of managing them especially if you do receive negative feedback?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Well, Ajax’s advice is to ignore them and my manager is desperately trying to stop me getting online and talking to people but at some point you’ve gotta stop listening to the negative stuff cause otherwise if everyone just listened to everything bad that was sad about them you’d never leave the house! I guess you’d never do something where you put yourself on the line as much as we do. But I think that you’ve gotta know what people are saying bad about you. You can either decide to change something or perhaps make it better or just know what you’re up against I guess as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Tell me about the creative process. How do things go down in the Yacht Club DJs collaboration? Is it all smooth sailing, or do you and Guy get into a bit of rough and tumble?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Nah, I think that with what we do it’s good. There can be a rough and tumble if there’s a big long awkward silence, but that’s about as rough as it ever gets, and that’s really quite rare. We’re lucky enough with what we do that it is really just a lot of sitting around by yourself and then coming together and sharing it, rather than having to sit together and work on things. We’re making a lot of original music and remixing some people at the moment, where we do have to work together, and it’s been a wholly enjoyable experience for us. It’s learning to work together in a new way when we’ve already come so far as an act and it’s been heaps of fun and a really interesting process. So no rough and tumble whatsoever, there’s been no band mates getting murdered over a song or anything like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> I understand you boys from Ballarat, I hear you still live there when you’re not touring like mad. With your exhaustive traveling what sort of things do you miss about home? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Nah, not at all, I grew up in a small town called Achuko and I really didn’t like living there. It wasn’t really a creatively geared town and I was built to be a bit weird I guess, that’s how I like to put it. When I moved to Ballarat for university about 12 years ago I sort of found a home in Ballarat. Then I moved away to Melbourne for a few years but I was at a point in my life where I needed to be creative again. I thought traveling and being in the city so much with the music I might as well live in the country. It’s been a really good move to come back here so I don’t miss anything at all, I’ve never been happier in my life and I’ve never been more productive in my life. There’s nothing like country air and a dust filled garden out the front of your cottage to get you in the mood for making some music…I know it sounds pretty seedy I should say I have a sheep or something that eats my grass<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Being a country boy do you have anything awesome like a vegie patch you can tend to?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Nah I have a lot of grass that I haven’t mown. Yeah, we’re still studio dogs, we work inside all the time and ignore everything that’s going on outside, including the grass that’s about a foot tall. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Perhaps you’ll see a bit more grass on your new ‘Demons of Gymnastics’ tour. But it sounds like you’ll be playing inside a bit? Are there any plans to release another demo CD to coincide with the tour?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Well we’ve just finished putting together a ‘Demons of Gymnastics’ mix tape, which we sent to a publicist yesterday and it should be ready for the tour. Like the other tours ‘kleptomania’, and subsequently [the] ‘batten down the hatches’ we’ll be there with CDs to give copies to everyone and most of the music we’ll be presenting on the tour will be off that CD. So a lot of it will be new stuff that people haven’t really had a chance to hear before. With that we’ve done some remixing. We’ve done ‘Rocket’ by Little Red and we’ve done the good news by the Billy Jays and a few things like that, which we’ll be presenting for the first time on the tour and they’re on the CD as well so people will get to hear a bit of that. We’ve approached the remixes a bit more as a live band with live music instruments rather than just cutting up their songs like we used to. So the remixing is sort of starting to introduce our original music to the mash up thing as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> If someone can’t get along to your gig are they able to download the mix tape through other avenues?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> It’s kind of hard because of all the legalities. Last time I did a thing over twitter where people sent me their addresses and I did a post out cause we had a heap leftover and people really appreciated that a lot more than I expected they would. We also did a release of downloads over facebook and things like that. So there’ll be a lot of different ways people can get it but we really want them to come out to the shows cause then they get the hard copy and people go insane about those things. Kleptomania’s been selling on ebay, and the other day I saw one for $300 and it kind of made me a bit sad because we paid for them and gave them away for free and we didn’t get any money back and people are making $390 off a CD that cost us $15 to give them! It’s pretty funny.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Is there pretty much nothing you can do about that sort of stuff? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> I don’t think so but people love it, that’s why we’re in it, we’re in it for the music, not the money thank god.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Considering you’re gymnasts of the DJ scene, what’s the trickiest mash up you’ve ever done? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> There’s one on the new CD that has about 15 songs in about 30 seconds and some of the samples are less than a note, it’s just so fast. It took a lot of mixing but I’ve always wanted to have so many songs that you can’t recognize any of it and it just comes out as a piece of new music entirely. I did that on the new CD and it actually works pretty well. I’d say that was the trickiest. I don’t think I’ve ever worked that hard on one before. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Eliza:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> Finally, Jessica Watson had the Pink Lady when she circumnavigated the globe. If you were a yacht what would be the name of your vessel? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Gaz:</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> If I had a boat to navigate the globe…I’d call it Carl (laughs) simple as that. Just Carl. He’s got loads of personality and he sounds like your crazy uncle. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Upcoming shows:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b> “DEMONS OF GYMNASTICS” TOUR<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"><b>w/ very special guests The Bleeding Knees Club<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> 14th October @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">15th October @ Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">16th October @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne <span style="color: red;">*SOLD OUT*</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;"> 20th October @ Republic Bar, Hobart<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">22nd October @ The Maram, Canberra w/ special guests Grafton Primary<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">23<sup>rd</sup> October @ Fat as Butter Festival, Newcastle<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">29<sup>th</sup> October @ Amplifier, Perth<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">30<sup>th</sup> October @ Fowlers Live, Adelaide <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">4<sup>th</sup> November @ Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 11pt;">5th November @ The Zoo, Brisbane<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-86637805432662224402010-10-07T07:16:00.000-07:002010-10-07T16:20:52.351-07:00You've gotta hand it to the sandwich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuOKg3dYzXdNrDYjRbNg-QLm-XkS0xFwR1wO04t4tI4M1b2Pg_rehNflDn-R0XNBQLYs2zAIbKe_ix19fl7jbVKqgDUvUwPSzdVGfrvBNf7SgzAwTHTy-N7Ote4NHN6Q1cONhR4-43mk/s1600/5091_103612466282_517241282_2529116_1538338_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuOKg3dYzXdNrDYjRbNg-QLm-XkS0xFwR1wO04t4tI4M1b2Pg_rehNflDn-R0XNBQLYs2zAIbKe_ix19fl7jbVKqgDUvUwPSzdVGfrvBNf7SgzAwTHTy-N7Ote4NHN6Q1cONhR4-43mk/s320/5091_103612466282_517241282_2529116_1538338_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The following post is dedicated to one of my dearest friends: Frances Grant. This girl is one of the coolest cats out. I met Frances way back in August 2007 in strange circumstances. At a friends seventeenth birthday both of us were alarmed by a boy hiding under a red cloth that covered a table. Questioning the boys actions was the moment we first spoke, and once our concern had been expressed we talked some more. Upon exclaiming our mutual desire to be involved in the media industry we decided to be magazine editor besties! Following my bid to ditch the boys for books in the hope of gaining the UAI I needed for my dream course, along came Frances, like an Angel into my life. And so, with her blinding halo we skipped into the sunset, choosing to spend our Saturdays of year 12, shopping, sunbaking, and being generally spontaneous in the city, and wile away our study vacations prancing and posing in and around the State Library. Always chasing that boy, always searching for that bargain and always seeking that tasty snack. Not only did she contribute to my survival of the HSC, but she was also my most definitive fashion influence. Under her wing I have since found it trés difficult to succumb to pants over swishing skirts and flowy frocks. Whilst, my wardrobe is certainly overflowing so much so that my clothes have begun to take residence in the study built-in, I doubt I will ever have a collection as magnificent as Miss Grant's. FACT: at one point last year the rod in her cupboard actually collapsed under the burdern of beautiful garments. Furthermore, her eclectic, romantic love of music brought me hours of joy in the form of mixtapes, which would come with one of her surrealistic montage pictures on the cover. These mixtapes provided me with the soundtrack for countless times scrapbooking, card making and dreaming in my garage in a bid to escape study. She is also the queen of snacking and her favourite fiendish treats are such simple pleasures such as vegemite on crackers, an alphabetical fridge of cheese and plenty of bread. So crazy is she that she once actually set herself a daily sandwich quota to limit the amount of she was consuming per day. She failed. But she certainly wins life! And my heart<3</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">***</div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eating alone, for me, is most often a prompt to shop. This is where self-absorption and consumerism meet - a rapt, satisfyingly convoluted pleasure. The food I want most to buy is the food I most often try not to eat - a swollen-bellied tranche of cheese, a loaf of bread. These constitute the perfect meal. A slither of gorgonzola or coulommiers sacrificed on the intrusive and unyielding surface of a biscuit at the end of dinner is food out of kilter. Just bread and cheese is fine to give others if you're shown the kind of consideration of providing variety. But I want for myself the obsessive focus of the one huge, heady, haveuse soft cheese, or else a wedge of the palate burning hard stuff, a vintage Cheddar or strong blue - too much, too strong. If I'm eating a salty blue cheese, it's texture somewhere between creamy and crumbly, I want baguette or a bitter, fudge-coloured <i>pain au levain</i>; with Cheddar, real Cheddar, I want doughier white bread - whichever, it must be a whole loaf. I might eat tomatoes with the bread and cheese, but the tomatoes mustn't be in a salad, but left whole on the plate, to be slice or chopped, à la minute.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>- Nigella Lawson, 'How to Eat', extracted from 'Solitary Pleasures' in The Virago Book of Food, <i>The Joy of Eating</i></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tonight I went down into the kitchen to make myself dinner. The cupboards and the fridge were far more bare than fair, with a severe shortage of fruit, vegetable and meat. Tossing up between an omelette, a make-shift paella, pasta or a salad, I realized none would make the cut with what was at hand. So I put my hands to work, spreading caramelised capsicum jam on light rye bread, then layering slices of Brie and leftover barbecue chicken on top before popping the whole package into the jaffle iron with plenty of Olive oil spray. Two minutes later and I gotta hand it to you the sandwich - sweet, tangy, creamy, with a little bite, tender chicken and soft yet crunchy bread just hit the spot. I can now see how Frances Grant finds it so hard to adhere to the sandwich quota.<br />
<br />
Edith Piaf's, 'Non je ne regrette rien', (I have no regrets) is one of Frances' favourite songs of all time. Those of you who saw Inception would recognize the ascending brass notes as the 'kick', the music designed to warn the dreamers that they would soon exit a dream. It's such a powerful piece of music which I initially discovered from watching <i>La vie en Rose</i> (2007), a recent movie that dramatises the life of Edith Piaf. Marion Cottilard plays the French singer known as "the little Bird", in an un-chronological story of the triumphs and tragedies in her rollercoaster rise and fall. The movie comes to a magnificent round off when this track is sung at the end. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A movie with heart, guts, and a hell of a set of lungs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Also, the song reminds me of my adventurous, gluttonous, attitude to food, of which non je ne regrette rien!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q3Kvu6Kgp88?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q3Kvu6Kgp88?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-63167092880739578202010-10-02T04:45:00.000-07:002010-10-02T05:08:12.457-07:00A hot date<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>-Oscar Wilde</b></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSanCgBym9S56xjQl1HjTNxhTdd7uxosMyq2WBYwCNj26oI5SXTHNOL8k25zHkAPbF2RW8Ngy0m2hMtAQf2gBtgjlLb0KMh9bh_oGcSITFIMxU30RJM0Z7sHeiKZj7CELl5DTGhmbbfZ8/s640/amelie2_fond.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Amelie: A girl with an overactive imagination who enjoyed life's simple pleasures</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSanCgBym9S56xjQl1HjTNxhTdd7uxosMyq2WBYwCNj26oI5SXTHNOL8k25zHkAPbF2RW8Ngy0m2hMtAQf2gBtgjlLb0KMh9bh_oGcSITFIMxU30RJM0Z7sHeiKZj7CELl5DTGhmbbfZ8/s1600/amelie2_fond.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b>So it's Saturday night and I'm home alone. Abandoned by my parents who have gone off on a gourmet adventure in Orange, dogged by my brother who has gone off celebrating at an eighteenth birthday party, and rejected by my boyfriend who's having a guys poker night, I have been left to watch over the pets and toil over my university work. My first instinct was to cry in despair, but after five minutes of sulking in a dark corner on the floor with as much motivation as I could muster I picked up my soggy, sad self. I'd been feeling a little off all day, but I knew that a good meal does wonders for the heart and soul. So with that wisdom and my mother's suggestion to treat myself, I set off to the kitchen for some cooking therapy. On offer were hamburger patties, provided by my mother to cook in her absence. However, being such a curious kitchen dweller, one who always wants something a little more left of centre, I just needed to break free of the boundaries of the standard hamburger. Inspired by my fellow foodie Gemma, I decided to be a cheap glut and whip up a feast using what was in my house. My idea was to create Mexican hamburgers. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love Mexican food: the spices, the textures, that warm, tingly, creamy sensation that leaves one happy from eating something a little bit too hot. Chilli, is awesome for your immune system, and apparently has medicinal uses (in fact my exploding headache prior to dinner has been eradicated by the consumption of it). Not being a fan of huge, white, buns (well, the bread ones anyway), I decided to use one of the wholemeal wraps leftover from dinner a few nights ago. I also had an overripe avocado and a lime lying around, perfect for some Guacamole. There were also plenty of tomatoes in the fruit bowl to throw together a salsa. How exciting!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Mexican Hamburgers</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">For one</span> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">(or more...just increase the recipe)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Salsa</b></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UZYxgJUmpQSEVNEUl6AwQ90D01K5cl80EuNx9iE51Y3RWLk5oQUk9ibGPQuvjD3d7s4wA3-6sOMFzm1kUzpLdPIn3qOE_Kvn8wszaWmU_zEFwAolPGbRp2EdihaMLchlYoCkiqzfkv0/s1600/IMG_0278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UZYxgJUmpQSEVNEUl6AwQ90D01K5cl80EuNx9iE51Y3RWLk5oQUk9ibGPQuvjD3d7s4wA3-6sOMFzm1kUzpLdPIn3qOE_Kvn8wszaWmU_zEFwAolPGbRp2EdihaMLchlYoCkiqzfkv0/s640/IMG_0278.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ingredients </b></span></div><div class="module-content" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">1 brown onion, finely chopped </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp chilli paste (or fresh chilli)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">1 tablespoon tomato paste </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">2 tomatoes, diced</span></li>
</ul></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">* You could also add green capsicum, but I didn't have any</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Method </b> </span></div><ol style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Add chilli and capsicum (if you have it). Cook for 2 minutes or until tender. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Bring mixture to the boil. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until thick. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Remove from heat. Cool completely.</span></li>
</ol><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Guacamole </b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0C7UQttc8dbkTniOfXCNciUjC8eE6Qa0jL-U9R4p6fThSWsxZAmK8oRC-E_SDoaHERHnmT4UrN3Fh5SUBt1uQdwMRHSozktFcf45Wy_2j8NVvIHrSPxI6U7pvtAHwTqU2kGeub4oRvKI/s1600/IMG_0277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VLl2bYbA3rkwjZEIVdqtQpdpwxG-l5HApzm2pHaa9Wnv-XigO1WZg5SpK0BZ4ONOB70Zm_xCl_If-f7hk4VgRchffxsOcwAcPTeQksfqze1t-JhqFcIzkMhdJSJk9lTzu2pWr3QZPtE/s1600/IMG_0277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VLl2bYbA3rkwjZEIVdqtQpdpwxG-l5HApzm2pHaa9Wnv-XigO1WZg5SpK0BZ4ONOB70Zm_xCl_If-f7hk4VgRchffxsOcwAcPTeQksfqze1t-JhqFcIzkMhdJSJk9lTzu2pWr3QZPtE/s640/IMG_0277.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I got my <a href="http://thecheapglut.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/impromptu-guacamole/#comment-54">Guacamole</a> recipe from Gemma's (The Cheap Glut) scrumptious foodie blog</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ingredients </b></span></div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"> 1 ripe avocado</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">1 TBSP good quality whole egg mayonnaise</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">juice of 1/2 a lime</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">freshly ground rock salt and black peppercorns</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">1 clove garlic, finely diced or crushed </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> use chilli flakes if you wish</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><b>Method </b></div><ol style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>Scoop out the avocado flesh into a bowl </li>
<li>Add the mayonnaise, chilli (if using), garlic and lime and mash to combine.</li>
<li>Season well with salt and pepper.</li>
</ol><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Hamburger patties</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wn88puxkcGuOgXhmQXNSJobVgV9ZRCEsu11xLjT6jYwvS0lf27y-rTEHygrBg32EuHpl41zBBQ7NwqLg1M8TPV47Q10STo71c6URDE1xnmecDE3pUS7TN3FjHXJkmjD3EPL-wWBEpz8/s1600/IMG_0280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wn88puxkcGuOgXhmQXNSJobVgV9ZRCEsu11xLjT6jYwvS0lf27y-rTEHygrBg32EuHpl41zBBQ7NwqLg1M8TPV47Q10STo71c6URDE1xnmecDE3pUS7TN3FjHXJkmjD3EPL-wWBEpz8/s640/IMG_0280.jpg" width="640" /></a>I used lean beef patties from Woolworths. I like my meat medium rare so I didn't cook the patties for very long. The instructions say to cook the patties slowly, and they can be grilled, or fried. I prefer grilled patties, because I love the aesthetics of the grill marks and don't like the excess oil from frying. However, I couldn't find the plug for our grill. If you have a non-stick pan you can fry the patties without oil as they will release their own oil, which makes it easier to flip them. </div><ol style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>Before frying the patties though press them down using a spatula to get your desired thickness. </li>
<li>Fry the patties until they're no longer pink and they start developing a golden brown colour. </li>
<li>Before I put the meat on I spread a generous amount of salsa on to the wrap.</li>
<li>Then, place the patties on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil, before slicing and placing the pieces on the wrap. </li>
<li>On top of the meat place a lovely dollop of the guacamole.</li>
<li>Then roll up the wrap and ay carumba! Mexican hamburgers :)</li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmST_h9Wq1qFs3b5vc0A9KZaiBBAqFSQq1vcElnW_Efa7pzBbxzkDcs2j6IlH2Yi6e3vfDUXPCl12pxE8LRVptzlq6-ViSnKos6CETPYAtkCzJuna1rb9Nm85c-wFVjHmNEuL62cU8MF8/s1600/IMG_0281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmST_h9Wq1qFs3b5vc0A9KZaiBBAqFSQq1vcElnW_Efa7pzBbxzkDcs2j6IlH2Yi6e3vfDUXPCl12pxE8LRVptzlq6-ViSnKos6CETPYAtkCzJuna1rb9Nm85c-wFVjHmNEuL62cU8MF8/s640/IMG_0281.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><ol style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></ol><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">By candlelight I dined on my dish to the smooth sounds of, Louis Armstrong's 'La vie en Rose'. The rich, spicy, sweet salsa, creamy, citrusy guacamole, tender beef pieces and flaky wrap brought truth to the notion of comfort food. Needless to say I'm glad I was dining alone because I certainly made a mess of myself with a lot of the filling ending up smeared across my face and fingers. Now that's what I call a hot date :) </div><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-40063118904572017492010-10-01T23:48:00.000-07:002010-10-01T23:54:53.489-07:00TAKE ONE: Family Cooking Challenge - Paella<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love."</i><br />
<b><span style="color: black;">Craig Claiborne, Kitchen Primer</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Once upon a time my interaction in the kitchen was manifested in three ways: eating, snacking and baking. Watching with a greedy curiosity I'd wait as her mother or father toiled away over a hot stove, jousted away with appliances, poking, stirring, prodding and boiling all kinds of tasty things. When the table was set and the dishes were placed in front of her hungry eyes, I'd voraciously devour the contents of her dish. In between times I can still to this day be spotted perusing the cupboards and fridge, searching high and low to gather foods for snacking. Sneakily she'd poke her hands into the pantry, scan the shelves and investigate the drawers, all in search of some tucker to tide her over til her next meal. Sometimes, when the house is quiet and empty except for myself, the cat and the dog, I'd fill the rooms with the warmth and sweet smell of cakes, cookies or muffins rising in the oven. Baking in the heat of a Bossa Nova Beat, I'd whip up mouth-watering treats, always savouring the moment when she could lick the spoon and bowl clean. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Now, that i'm getting older, having turned twenty this year, I believe it's time I stepped up my kitchen interaction to another level. So for my third decade of life on this planet I've decided to gain some cooking skills by designating myself as weekly guest chef in the family kitchen. I mean one day I'm gonna move out and come dinner time I can't just be all like "hey so options, I've got toast, or take-away'. That's why each week I will be selecting a recipe from our exhaustive amount of recipe books and food magazines and cooking til my heart's content to get my family fed.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">This week chicken, pasta and prawns were requested. Taking these wants into consideration and after much deliberation I decided to go with Paella, because I love Spanish food and it's got Chorizo. I mean c'mon big chunky chorizo, juicy prawns, succulent chicken, veggies and crunchy rice, it's just such a delightful combination.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">I chose a recipe called <b>'Easy Paella'</b>, from the cookbook Valli Little's Delicious Cookbook, '<i>Five of the Best</i>', because I knew I wouldn't have loads of time to prepare it after work. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCxAIIB-46GrUcPGbSsWu1sw5pzL83ag2fFr2c_WwGt34iVw_bko3tZ0-MlMPJSTqoH7bXB6VZRsCuyZrEGfENt8uy78Z-VjFctQrGNNkwHpYiKeszeddfDVkf_-qUj8_WcBzOTsxV_8/s1600/IMG_0270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCxAIIB-46GrUcPGbSsWu1sw5pzL83ag2fFr2c_WwGt34iVw_bko3tZ0-MlMPJSTqoH7bXB6VZRsCuyZrEGfENt8uy78Z-VjFctQrGNNkwHpYiKeszeddfDVkf_-qUj8_WcBzOTsxV_8/s400/IMG_0270.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Easy Paella</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Serves 4-6 (Depending on how hungry, or greedy you are)</b></span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Ingredients</span></span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1tbsp (20ml olive oil)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">500g chicken breast fillets (preferably with skin), cut into bite sized pieces</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1 onion finely chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1 chorizo sausage, chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1 cup (200g) basmati rice</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1 tsp ground tumeric</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1 x 425g can chopped tomatoes, drained</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1 red capsicum, deseeded and finely chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2 cups (500ml) chicken stock</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">250g cooked prawns, peeled</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1 x 425g can cannelini beans, rinsed, drained</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">100g baby green beans, topped, blanched and rinsed</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2tbsp chopped coriander leaves</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">lemon wedges, to serve</span></span></li>
</ul><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Method</span></span></b><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">I suggest preparing the beans first because this is the step I didn't achieve too well. You can find an excellent illustrated guide for blanching <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_13887_blanch-vegetables.html">here.</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Also, for the garlic, I have a super neat way of peeling the skin off. I always pop the cloves into the microwave on medium for about 5 seconds. Presto! The skin just falls away :) plus warm garlic is a heavenly aroma! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the chicken pieces in batches for 3-4 minutes, turning until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside to drain on paper towels.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Add the onion and chorizo to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, until the chorizo begins to crisp. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Add the rice and tumeric and cook, stirring for 2 minutes, then add the drained chopped tomatoes, capsicum, garlic, chilli and stock. <br />
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Return the chicken to the pan with the prawns, cannelini beans and green beans. Toss and heat through for 1 minute.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Stir in the coriander and serve immediately with the lemon wedges as a garnish</span></span> </li>
<li>Que aproveche! :) - Which is Spanish for 'Enjoy your food!'</li>
</ol></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeeHayXkVClkgq_B_ZFe8wa4rGpxEWUjJhaMstL4J6Q_jGSA5F29DfTvp3o5SU1B6JnRzI51oSsQifeuXiRrhZkzE7PiJ5cCkOwd6Oo14hcZNc7FgnAycDvETtPZmkRWLZ8JIwm41aks/s1600/IMG_0162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbSGwpHOOCVeKRrG2tLIb7p6sPmGLlWAagtK2TH1jUjtKVRvTBxY2ovxTMtEwvlDWAj04Pg4bwTfzq4n72X9e7LDBgLvjaMGi96TkbwqrEPZo9dfvYsXODBephLsKjbddtXSU8oP8dkw/s640/IMG_0161.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>Paella on a plate</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbSGwpHOOCVeKRrG2tLIb7p6sPmGLlWAagtK2TH1jUjtKVRvTBxY2ovxTMtEwvlDWAj04Pg4bwTfzq4n72X9e7LDBgLvjaMGi96TkbwqrEPZo9dfvYsXODBephLsKjbddtXSU8oP8dkw/s1600/IMG_0161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I leave you with a Bossa Nova classic. Stan Getz & Astrud Gilbert's 'The Girl from Impanema', is one of my favourite songs, especially when getting busy in the kitchen. The song written in 1962 was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a grammy for record of the year in 1965. According to myth it was inspired by Heloísa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto (now Helô Pinheiro), a fifteen-year-old girl living in Montenegro Street of the fashionable Impanema district of Rio de Janeiro, , Brazil. Daily, she would stroll past the popular Veloso bar-café on her way to the beach, attracting the attention of regulars Jobim and Moraes.</span> <span style="font-size: small;"> This song intrigues me endlessly with it's juxtaposition of sad lyrics about unrequited desire and sexy, saxophone. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Enjoy!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3jrJ5mcCshw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3jrJ5mcCshw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-36354180440862929422010-09-23T15:30:00.000-07:002010-09-23T15:30:45.798-07:00A happy union indeed<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In case you didn't know, TGIF means thank god it's friday! And boy was I thanking everyone for the Friday I had, especially my uni (UTS aka the University of Technology Sydney). Why thank? Well, for starters Friday marked the beginning of my two week uni break, which was welcomed with open arms after a bout of assessments and exams over the past few weeks. Plus, this Friday was the night of the first official UTS union annual dinner. What has this dinner got to do with happiness? Well, my good friend Georgia is the President and founding member of the UTS Arts Collective (a network of arty minded folks learning, exploring, appreciating, creating and interacting with all things art, craft, media, and cooking), and being a union society we were invited to the dinner. She advertised that she had a plus one on facebook, and I of course leapt at the chance to dine and network at such an important calender event. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On the night of the event Georgia and I met outside the Jones St building, jumped in a lift up to the seventh floor (the roof top level) and walked into a cocktail and canapé oasis. After checking in we were greeted by professional hospitality staff bearing trays of beer, red wine, white wine, beer, Champagne, orange juice and Cosmopolitans! Naturally, I went for the Cosmo! There's nothing better than working a room lightly grasping the stem of a martini glass and letting the v-shaped cone bowl rest on your hand whilst sipping the cocktail concoction inside. The benefits of a martini glass are that by holding this wide stem one is able to keep the beverage it's initial chilled temperature, whilst the wide cone design allows for the drinker to enjoy the aroma of the cocktail. How fantastic! For those of you who aren't aware of what a cosmopolitan is, let me break it down here: </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Traditionally a cosmo is</b></div><ul><li>Vodka</li>
<li>Triple sec or Cointreau </li>
<li> Cranberry Juice</li>
<li>fresh-squeezed lime juice</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.seattlemet.com/assets/0002/0040/cosmopolitan.jpg?1250027414" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.seattlemet.com/assets/0002/0040/cosmopolitan.jpg?1250027414" width="271" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All ingredients are shaken not stirred with ice, and then strained and poured into a Maritni glass. The cocktail is best served with a coin sized orange peel flamed on top of the surface of the drink. Other variations have it served with a lime wedge on the glass edge or a sugar rim.</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The cocktail gained huge popularity following it's frequent mention in the 1990s on Sex & the City. It has a lovely tart sweetness, bitterness and citrus notes, and as vodka is the strongest component, a good cosmo has a slight punch of vodka in the aftertaste. But it is generally easy and smooth to drink. A great staple at any bar, and is not a bad pre-dinner drink.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Canapés making their way around the room included scallops in a lime chilli oil - pleasing but slightly overcooked, mini mushroom pies - buttery, crisp and soft, little pepper met pies - flaky, thick pastry, soft gravy meat, and sweet bursts from the sweet chilli sauce, and oysters with salmon roe - divine, fresh, meaty oysters. </span>The venue itself was charming. The perfect mix of casual, sophistication with wood-panelled areas, a wide bar, a large stone balcony with gas heaters, and plenty of space for mingling without stepping on other peoples toes.<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Upon waltzing into the main function room, Georgia and I discovered we were to be dining alone on our table that evening. Most of the other tables were a mix of society groups, academics, union associates and alumni, whilst, there must have been some unable to attend leaving a blackhole at ours. Where one may have ordinarily cried out in despair, or moped in annoyance at this utter isolation, we were delighted at this opportunity to feast upon each option of the alternate drop. The function room was a wide room, with a standard cream wall colour and round tables spread about the room facing a centre platform for speeches. The room would have been a little boring if it wasn't for the sexy table decorations of large, cylindrical glass vases with floating red orchids atop pebbles and below a large semi circle red floating candle. These sat atop a mirrored tray which reflected the red on to the ceiling creating warmth and ambience in the room. Also, through the long windows at the front of the room the Anzac Bridge and surrounding apartments and buildings in Pyrmont could be glimpsed, their fairy lights flashing in the night.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Entrée</b></span></u></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNO12nSaps8o7KoaBZ8bqIxR239-3nY1rMbRdjrTGLWf0ypA5WWeJF5fRzYJRTRKVKez3s2rB0dCsjaI4OZhzjr26yhzp1_YoI4dZujyqlZkGyNlbI4UaauD-Bq38teII4D72wFrUU_PA/s400/IMG_0121.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="298" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Barbequed duck salad with a caramel chilli dressing </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">To the delight of two pairs of greedy eyes, eight plates arrived and were placed on the table. I began with the duck salad. The smoky, fatty duck strips with fresh mint, and shredded carrot rounded off with the sweet, spicy dressing, was a pleasurable mouthful of temperatures, textures and tastes. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Still sipping on my champagne I was also offered a glass of the Yarra Valley Point Noir Rosé to accompany the first course.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmQ9idgG4k_EDDeYJnr5WlAR1YI7K7GpzGv2A2JbFdM_EQtESRxr_QxK3akjZNnpr3O1xghyphenhyphen_0Gj1H9gRTSNECODQMKSlmWTOgK24nCozXS2f9INZKohjDZ7755CgRYV18ANitvehQf4/s400/IMG_0122.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Twice-baked goats' cheese souffle, asparagus and smoked salmon sauce</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmQ9idgG4k_EDDeYJnr5WlAR1YI7K7GpzGv2A2JbFdM_EQtESRxr_QxK3akjZNnpr3O1xghyphenhyphen_0Gj1H9gRTSNECODQMKSlmWTOgK24nCozXS2f9INZKohjDZ7755CgRYV18ANitvehQf4/s1600/IMG_0122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The twice-baked goat's cheese souffle was soft and pleasing like a warm cheesy mousse, whilst the smoked salmon added a salty chewiness to the dish. The asparagus was ok, but seemed a little soft, possibly from over blanching. If they had a cleaner bite, it would have improved the dish, but the spears did help soak up the buttery salmon sauce.</div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">MAIN</span></b></u></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMiBhNEyowN6JnxzY1_iIiMLkORbC_jT0IT2qts-BnTLC7HEARVVbmNe46dvc0hpuDMwvIPM0dSLt5VZwkMa9XnVwIKgkYz_1Y9NjwW6IDe37ivams-MrVjjBE3DsQr_1shYkMTyKrR4/s400/IMG_0124.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Roasted blue eye cod fillet, butterbean puree, chorizo sausage, king prawn, slowly roasted tomatoes, salsa verde</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMiBhNEyowN6JnxzY1_iIiMLkORbC_jT0IT2qts-BnTLC7HEARVVbmNe46dvc0hpuDMwvIPM0dSLt5VZwkMa9XnVwIKgkYz_1Y9NjwW6IDe37ivams-MrVjjBE3DsQr_1shYkMTyKrR4/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The main event arrived after some wonderful speeches by the union. A blue eye cod flaked beautifully, but tasted a bit bland. The roasted tomatoes burst to perfection, but the real hero was the chorizo prawn. Salty, slightly crunchy chorizo wrapped around a sweet, meaty prawn. A little more salsa verde on top or butterbean puree below would have supported the fish more to make a better dish.</span><br />
<br />
The matching wine, a De Bortoli Deen Vat 7 Chardonnay, was a round drop with melon, peach and floral aromas. A strong contrast to the saltiness of the dish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Qdou74DXh464XyKJJA88ROp2y_F88U08GreUPnIEBh00kGq6yiRLGeHmhkCixsacDfZHIxZjYsznxdmT7wtQXTRsP3sTsElVdpbwk4czrcv26lxbwLRV7TOXlTLITFuMwe8aZrzpohM/s400/IMG_0127.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Roasted lamb rack, pimento, pistou, charred zucchini, caramelised garlic and creamy polenta</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
Before I even stuck my fork in, I was consuming the lamb rack with my eyes. That very red meant and soft cooked veggie stack looked good enough to eat. Alas, it was too good to be true. The lamb was quite dry, and nothing like that tender, melt in your mouth flakey sensation of a rare-ish roast. The vegetables lived up to expectations, soft and smoky with sweet garlic. The polenta added cream to the otherwise dry lamb. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The matching wine, a De Bortoli Gulf Station Cabernet Savignon was smooth, woody and full with tannins. A warming drop that made digesting the slightly dry lamb a bit easier.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>DESSERT</b></u></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPipfG2b7imUy9fchsZfGloon7kgISZSEbfHEduPg-pCOotp7bdsGp5o0QdSrOoJ-X-JJvd4FdKMxFa1RjCn9jhBncxISrigHzoDy5znNnZ_RbpYfa9McXMt769-o4Th9j1EsxsKaW9KY/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">More speeches were made and the guests table hopped more feverishly than before. The mad hatter's tea party eased as desserts began to flood the floor. It appeared the dream was over, our gig was up, as our table not only received enough desserts for it's inhabitants. Thankfully, our friend James' had been sitting at our table, do we scored an extra dessert. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf_DnQvtNlabuD0XjPSAr1Z_7OGpB1ZsEQN_4oamGg6iJ8T9pQm765FF-s0UECJ55ZZntYw2LmWdcwm-hhrRP_gaQ6qcsKDBLaOsRfMPS-Nb1F1iLdg1b2baJiOALLWBSOiKiFYuuxes/s400/IMG_0131.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="298" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fruit Pavlova, Tia Maria and chocolate custard with crushed amaretti biscuits</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf_DnQvtNlabuD0XjPSAr1Z_7OGpB1ZsEQN_4oamGg6iJ8T9pQm765FF-s0UECJ55ZZntYw2LmWdcwm-hhrRP_gaQ6qcsKDBLaOsRfMPS-Nb1F1iLdg1b2baJiOALLWBSOiKiFYuuxes/s1600/IMG_0131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Georgia and I attacked the pavlova first. Plunging our spoons through the sticky, fluffy meringue, we popped it in our mouth. Letting the meringue melt with the fresh, bright fruits on our palate, was sweet, but cleansing. The custard however, had an unappetising appearance, a somewhat grey brown colour, but the crushed amaretti biscuts lifted the dessert, giving it crunch. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPipfG2b7imUy9fchsZfGloon7kgISZSEbfHEduPg-pCOotp7bdsGp5o0QdSrOoJ-X-JJvd4FdKMxFa1RjCn9jhBncxISrigHzoDy5znNnZ_RbpYfa9McXMt769-o4Th9j1EsxsKaW9KY/s400/IMG_0133.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Chocolate mud cake with honeycomb ice cream and chocolate jelly</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> The chocolate mud cake was an unfortunate prime piece of evidence of the flaws that turn foodies off ordering such a dessert. Dry and slightly crumbly, where it should have instead been moist, rich and decadent. The chocolate jelly was intriguing. It had the taste and consitency of Allen's chicos (chocolate jelly baby lolllies) but was a thin circular shape. Heaven in this dish was the honeycomb ice cream. Sweet, cold, and refreshingly creamy compared to rest of the dish.</span><br />
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The Dessert Wine that accompanied was a Deen Vat 5 Botryis Semillon. How my eyes lit up when I glanced the words, Botryis Semillon on the menu. That bittersweet drop, goes down like liquid honey. For some unknown reason, I was tortured as I watched trays of that liquid gold parade around, until I finally got a glass, after having to call over a waiter. Apart from that the waitstaff had been so attentive all night. The wine did not disappoint and those sweet fruity flavours, followed by a crisp acidity, left me in a very happy place. Botryis Semillon gets its concetrated sweetness from the "Nobel Rot", as the grapes develop fungus from certain conditions like moisture. The grapes are then drained of liquid leaving behind behind sweetness, fruit acidity and minerals.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqD_gGk3anH5SuJpxxA96NzWwwxKCtPJsQiWiq5VksXS49kcWCdbKA4toy0EAtffjv7z7RcCwKXwSTYjvLY6Gp_Phi10ugzOk6z4VTmqh0rqpSyflomIQBMpSY5xwgEkYwkTRQ_OyW-I/s400/IMG_0135.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Macarons</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqD_gGk3anH5SuJpxxA96NzWwwxKCtPJsQiWiq5VksXS49kcWCdbKA4toy0EAtffjv7z7RcCwKXwSTYjvLY6Gp_Phi10ugzOk6z4VTmqh0rqpSyflomIQBMpSY5xwgEkYwkTRQ_OyW-I/s1600/IMG_0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ending on a high note, the scheduled tea and mints were arrived, but in the place of mints there were moorish macarons. There were four flavours. The delicate morsels were soft and chewy, with a jammy filling, different to the the velvety cream filling of macarons such as Adriano Zumbo's. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In short a function at the Aerial Function Centre is one of sophistication, but is certainly relaxed enough for one to soak up it's many culinary delights and fresh city night air on the balcony. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Aerial Function Centre </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Level 7, 235 Jones St (Building 10) </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Ultimo NSW 2007. </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Phone: 9514 2633</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e1eLtymFmJ3H_RTDBYs24gykW-fmHBkCvAdHDvZ2QTHWgFwrcmFQMAExDyf7UtOAvKzbEPVP_TZeZZVnfM5XKspwVh4AGaA5CSWnCjv_-yZbfqrSVVpLDvlDtC_AFz7O23vFDYbgERk/s1600/data=LtgX-e3f8ctI3U5dJtbt7EJ1ZfRneYme,iUWvMz5YK8A_v3h16lpSuUuyPYAnTTBBDXtMjpcU6Qfk3dABXCXq_Z60UT5Kz_8SmaJ-CmOGXYicVJ8BxTK_nlLOKf5DITChMJqRp8f5UlRWfKTCcwW2N4U.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e1eLtymFmJ3H_RTDBYs24gykW-fmHBkCvAdHDvZ2QTHWgFwrcmFQMAExDyf7UtOAvKzbEPVP_TZeZZVnfM5XKspwVh4AGaA5CSWnCjv_-yZbfqrSVVpLDvlDtC_AFz7O23vFDYbgERk/s400/data=LtgX-e3f8ctI3U5dJtbt7EJ1ZfRneYme,iUWvMz5YK8A_v3h16lpSuUuyPYAnTTBBDXtMjpcU6Qfk3dABXCXq_Z60UT5Kz_8SmaJ-CmOGXYicVJ8BxTK_nlLOKf5DITChMJqRp8f5UlRWfKTCcwW2N4U.gif" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil56JuJaIqKQpCFg9zz652e2m3rzwVZEsBcrHOb0-Nm2NADjlpLvo5DxgNAKEpODLjA1Pe5cT2rooefG0ZpqulxVMOvzirOxB4lGMgZT35nqYW2Es78T0fl9_mJ48NFw6nqDa8d9ClUCg/s1600/aerial_map_revised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil56JuJaIqKQpCFg9zz652e2m3rzwVZEsBcrHOb0-Nm2NADjlpLvo5DxgNAKEpODLjA1Pe5cT2rooefG0ZpqulxVMOvzirOxB4lGMgZT35nqYW2Es78T0fl9_mJ48NFw6nqDa8d9ClUCg/s400/aerial_map_revised.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-159779949239584202010-09-12T06:53:00.000-07:002010-09-14T22:07:42.983-07:00The Breakfast Club does Broadway <br />
Sydneysiders, what a busy life we lead. Travelling at such a hectic pace, darting to and fro, here and there, sometimes it feels without a care. Living in this day to day way brings to mind Pink Floyd feelings of being 'lost souls living in a fish bowl year after year'. Jumping from one task to the next, always with the goal of crossing and ticking an act off one of countless to-do lists. Deadlines, d-days, work and study, it can all feel so overwhelmingly important that we stay on track to meet these. But allowing ourselves delightful detours from completing our tasks doesn't lead to death. In fact they just enhance life.<br />
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One of these such delights I have discovered is 'doing breakfast'. Last semester a simple request to sample a few breakfast spots with two of my close girlfriends, in a bid to make more time to catch up, has now led to a beautiful ritual. The breakfast club, is what we call our informal meetings, and although they don't happen as regularly as we'd like, the fact is they do happen.<br />
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This year we have enjoyed breakfast at a few venues including Hungry Darling at Balmain, Bambini Trust Cafe just off Hyde Park and now Qube on Bay at Broadway. I stumbled upon this gem when playing around with my sexy new iphone4. Of course, when my handset had finally arrived I downloaded dozens of free apps including this gem: <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/c/70/Sydney-restaurants.html">urbanspoon</a>. The app is super for searching for cafes, restaurants and bars in sydney - you can use your iphone gps and allow a search by location, so that the app will find places to dine by kilometre raidus. But my favourite way of searching is the shake, which consists of three columns, one for location, one for cuisine and one for price range. When you shake the phone, all the sections roll around until finally stopping on three choices - for example - parramatta, Lebanese, $ - these choices will find a relevant matching venue (El Jannah in this case). At the moment I have been shaking it like a polaroid picture. You can actually lock a section or two if you want a more specific search, an option I opted for when finding a breakfast place in Ultimo.<br />
From the suggestions, you can then view menus and other reviews which assist the research process immensely. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/1453352/restaurant/Ultimo/Qube-on-Bay-Sydney">Qube on Bay</a> with it's convenient location at a stone's throw from my university and rave reviews about it's great coffee, and cute all day breakfast, was very enticing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzW3I3DKBOeyWHTwJ6F2rndMNA2DJRP_LyFNNpKQaVQz0tKmxIH_diSMKp-wFSIplcTPYyQWxg1binETzaJ04d8Y67C5JLLkFpwRD3mwZWZVY6zfKhI7syauAKmh2tr-XBDbfwE17M14/s1600/DSCF4622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzW3I3DKBOeyWHTwJ6F2rndMNA2DJRP_LyFNNpKQaVQz0tKmxIH_diSMKp-wFSIplcTPYyQWxg1binETzaJ04d8Y67C5JLLkFpwRD3mwZWZVY6zfKhI7syauAKmh2tr-XBDbfwE17M14/s640/DSCF4622.JPG" width="640" /></a></b></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Street Art near Qube</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">We strolled from Central Station, along George street and then skipped down Bay street, which slips down the side of Broadway. Bustling down Bay street we were greeted with unfamiliar shops, like a cool wine outlet and wicked street art. </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFD4lgg1pJWtaMf3ABiEfi7b4HWc_ZGifj11Wi3YnhfYIvinQaRNeWLJjQ1_WAFaC8ieHreL36e1_PT6eDUMRrqlMVRlBut77tTXV4CVDbCDFvGbqql8nBm-mDUBInhyphenhyphenE_RPyGrnKpGhc/s640/DSCF4626.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The cute barred window view from our table</b></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stepping inside we were instantly in admiration of the mis-matched furniture, quaint courtyard, and huge, chunky muffins on display in a basket on the counter. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFD4lgg1pJWtaMf3ABiEfi7b4HWc_ZGifj11Wi3YnhfYIvinQaRNeWLJjQ1_WAFaC8ieHreL36e1_PT6eDUMRrqlMVRlBut77tTXV4CVDbCDFvGbqql8nBm-mDUBInhyphenhyphenE_RPyGrnKpGhc/s1600/DSCF4626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXFw7Wyv7JGmMMwdLxDU6tUfhZTDH0uqS_fEftzHG7JSQswL0_tJOj0MXFAI2jhwn_4QfxYX_5quFrNHU-sZqwLIvSACpi_Xz66vPkqt0s5er9wrSjAJNmlbOTPDcHZsYvBTgefIWMig/s640/DSCF4627.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The dining room</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">We grabbed a round table by the front window and the counter so as to be able to ogle both the muffins and the early morning sunglight</span><b> </b><span style="font-size: small;">streaming through the wrought iron bars. Shortly after we arrived a waiter came by and provided us with menus. Not long after these menus arrived a waitress decked out in hot pink doc martens sashayed up to us, but we simply needed more time. We realized later why she'd been so eager for us to order, as suddenly a crowd of a dozen formed at the counter ordering coffees - business people and parents crowding like flies. We deliberated over the menu with dishes like the Qube bagel including bacon, avocado, hash brown, the buttermilk pancakes and the grilled mushrooms on toast, tempting our hungry breakfast bellies. It was hard for me to select a savoury option as I love something sweet in the morning, usually a fruit smoothie or muesli (that's why I'm such a sweetie I guess :P), but we eventually settled on some cool sounding egg dishes. The prices were all very reasonable for students, around $15 for what we ordered, and less than $10 for favourites such as banana bread, muesli and a bacon and egg roll. There was also a selection of juices, coffee, shakes and other beverages under $6.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXFw7Wyv7JGmMMwdLxDU6tUfhZTDH0uqS_fEftzHG7JSQswL0_tJOj0MXFAI2jhwn_4QfxYX_5quFrNHU-sZqwLIvSACpi_Xz66vPkqt0s5er9wrSjAJNmlbOTPDcHZsYvBTgefIWMig/s1600/DSCF4627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94afK_REWKPSmkVR2oWQmhvDjBLPs-icbEcjpokb9wOOvGVMBSC0HtWH7Eh0Bc8a0TTmCVNgD8DTXoedHgJOj0Cxa41LTmCayY2BYEiAEVuXE4iKU-C5KBBcLJR7XMI1WQbU3OPD2PN4/s640/DSCF4628.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>White clouds (scrambled egg whites) with avocado, tomato relish and cheddar cheese</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94afK_REWKPSmkVR2oWQmhvDjBLPs-icbEcjpokb9wOOvGVMBSC0HtWH7Eh0Bc8a0TTmCVNgD8DTXoedHgJOj0Cxa41LTmCayY2BYEiAEVuXE4iKU-C5KBBcLJR7XMI1WQbU3OPD2PN4/s1600/DSCF4628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Katie and Courtney ordered the white clouds - a heavenly sounding dish. It arrived with all the components in their own little ramekins, allowing for easy, personal assembly of one's breakfast - perfect for fussy eaters. The white clouds were scrambled egg whites, fluffy and well seasoned with pepper. The avocado was creamy and perfectly presented, simply astoundingly intact! The tomato relish was pleasing, a sweet, rich, chunky blend, salted just enough to complement the subtler elements of the dish. The cheese, cheddar, was tasty, but I would have loved something with more bite. The bread was just ever so lightly toasted and needless to say the girls gobbled it up to no avail.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V9yMlVbafR7tz7Mu8VVuw8qax2UqoHeqLa57_jAA8dXpLPaLxk5tn8rv0HErQ10eaW_Z4w_uXN-chwgwubeWb-2Z5wbhBvVJnKndUxEg6ycsZmd6A9XFYO5-C1p3M_JleJz6rg-8DJE/s640/DSCF4630.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Truffle scrambled eggs with goats cheese and roasted tomato on sourdough </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V9yMlVbafR7tz7Mu8VVuw8qax2UqoHeqLa57_jAA8dXpLPaLxk5tn8rv0HErQ10eaW_Z4w_uXN-chwgwubeWb-2Z5wbhBvVJnKndUxEg6ycsZmd6A9XFYO5-C1p3M_JleJz6rg-8DJE/s1600/DSCF4630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Wanting to try something different as always, I leapt for the truffle scrambled eggs. It appeared looking divine. It was a winner. The mound of smooth, scrambled eggs, enhanced with the rich truffle oil married wonderfully with the oily, creamy, blobs of goats cheese and chewy sourdough bread. The tomato was pleasingly roasted, warm, a little crisp, but still chewy. The only flaw I could find was the forest of rocket underneath the scrambled eggs. Myself, not being a big rocket fan found it torturous trying to consume the bitter leaves with the rest of the sweet, rich creamy dish. For others it may have provided a great break in taste and texture, but I would have preferred spinach. Also, I would have loved more of those tomatoes! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvo2IN_sVntEZo30zEVmKixH24fuS_1bb4lJeZZNjKZiE4VbDZf_KA3Pzhca16CSj8TGDYX8f-5Y83zzs432__p8J0mWsqu_mKppBu4JWXT034FE9JFMGAD0oYXd5TxSsMjLO9IIhB0nY/s640/DSCF4631.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Retro bric a brac</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvo2IN_sVntEZo30zEVmKixH24fuS_1bb4lJeZZNjKZiE4VbDZf_KA3Pzhca16CSj8TGDYX8f-5Y83zzs432__p8J0mWsqu_mKppBu4JWXT034FE9JFMGAD0oYXd5TxSsMjLO9IIhB0nY/s1600/DSCF4631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Looking around the room after breakfast, the bustle had died down a little closer to 9am. I was now able to scout out the decor which consisted of some random artworks. My favourite find was a small table by the bathroom with an assortment of old household items. Being a huge retro fan, I was pretty rapt by it :) The impending time of our lecture meant I had to grab my coffee take away, but I'm sure glad I grabbed it. Served in cute takeaway cups with a brown and white swirly pattern, the coffee was roasted wonderfully, with sweet, citrus and chocolate notes. I loved it so much I kept trying to get my friends to try some! </div><div style="text-align: left;">Overall, <b>Qube on Bay</b> is a lovely, hidden escape from the noise and pubs of george st. A lovely Surry Hills esque dining option, but in the heart of uni territory. I'd definetly go back to while away an hour or so in that quaint courtyard and try the buttermilk pancakes with blueberries!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/1453352/restaurant/Ultimo/Qube-on-Bay-Sydney"><img alt="Qube on Bay on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1453352/biglink.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZZJIkrE77PgQc6_vUhXtHeSU6EzOB9ODVFA1ZfGU17SjIdelWpMJQmhpQ5r6Due3IAb54B88_7nRuY0euzY8jIzGU51W52yHX5t8ja1-FOphQqRQ7uSYBHsBK_zvWhZHpVdE4eF42XI/s1600/staticmap.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZZJIkrE77PgQc6_vUhXtHeSU6EzOB9ODVFA1ZfGU17SjIdelWpMJQmhpQ5r6Due3IAb54B88_7nRuY0euzY8jIzGU51W52yHX5t8ja1-FOphQqRQ7uSYBHsBK_zvWhZHpVdE4eF42XI/s400/staticmap.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, I like nothing more than a bit of deep reflecting. Cause when things get so busy I often tend to let my brain jump into auto-pilot. The take away shop I work in called 'Building 12, is the perfect place to showcase this state of mind. When asked the other day of whether I get into some deep thinking in that little shack when it's quiet, I admitted that my thoughts or lack thereof are so vacant it feels like a stone skipping over the water. It's songs like this smooth, genre meshing number by lo-fi band Mount Kimbie, called 'Before I get off' that kicks a chilled out, but active thought process into my mind. It's the perfect Sunday afternoon study music, best played in that fading sunshine, with a laptop or book in hand and just not quite enough momentum to tackle the books. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OQ7AF8IG7Eg?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OQ7AF8IG7Eg?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-33506367051887770072010-08-17T04:24:00.000-07:002010-09-14T22:21:30.506-07:00We're gonna party like it's ma Birthday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5qm8PH4xAss?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5qm8PH4xAss?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Third time lucky. Third decade luckier.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Thursday the 12th of August I crashed into my roaring twenties. The celebrations commenced on Wednesday night when Kate one of my neighbourhood besties popped over with a <b>delightful hazelnut vanilla sponge</b>. We tucked into cake with French champagne whilst watching my favourite episodes of the OC (season one of course, the New years Eve and Valentine's day ones). Initially I was going to tune into some disney movies, but realized the best way to end my teenage years was to revisit a show that was the epitome of those angsty years. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn7FKlSnPogAO05E_cm3gR1KFmTzSn28Nb4L7Xe8miNoEG2dETGHKuTpY7owA9ZttLa42OT5MelDv_yp3jNvtI51iGNdq9B_6JXYqGnpGrmhIvkQ8M3fUXVVTBF44Z3E8j_feQuf-QBg/s400/DSCF4597.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Birthday cake #1</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqetx_Zx8BPQwZJtaErFYg_AiSQhCVnQy7FpNFNUK8aRKfO_4Y9Z1tBtuVUyg2vrnZUetJ1EFqFAo1ez_Me2keiQZ9dbB2BxKXd43MhHxDPtQrTMJ1jD9qn1s2Xu81He88ExwRTrFV8Yc/s1600/DSCF4595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqetx_Zx8BPQwZJtaErFYg_AiSQhCVnQy7FpNFNUK8aRKfO_4Y9Z1tBtuVUyg2vrnZUetJ1EFqFAo1ez_Me2keiQZ9dbB2BxKXd43MhHxDPtQrTMJ1jD9qn1s2Xu81He88ExwRTrFV8Yc/s400/DSCF4595.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn7FKlSnPogAO05E_cm3gR1KFmTzSn28Nb4L7Xe8miNoEG2dETGHKuTpY7owA9ZttLa42OT5MelDv_yp3jNvtI51iGNdq9B_6JXYqGnpGrmhIvkQ8M3fUXVVTBF44Z3E8j_feQuf-QBg/s1600/DSCF4597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then Thursday morning I awoke to find a bottle of Spanish sparkling wine and an enrollment into a Tafe Sommelier course from my dear parents. Off to university for a long day of presents, study and Spanish. I took advantage of my three hour break to enjoy some bubbly, a <b>mezze plate</b> and a couple of jugs of pimms with some of my favourite ladies: Frances and Annie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfQu6RS7UirLuztajConVacJN_LRa8ZyxieowSX1UhAJpNPQqJ4_7lzGdcbcIwqSWLwFREbrf5tSMcL9Qv2YgYSpAVf_2rTOteY4AjVNTDSpmMjP8ZGucon0mNEBuG_BNBlCbh5vDb4Y/s640/DSCF4598.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mezze plate at the Loft</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfQu6RS7UirLuztajConVacJN_LRa8ZyxieowSX1UhAJpNPQqJ4_7lzGdcbcIwqSWLwFREbrf5tSMcL9Qv2YgYSpAVf_2rTOteY4AjVNTDSpmMjP8ZGucon0mNEBuG_BNBlCbh5vDb4Y/s1600/DSCF4598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> When the day was done, Pete picked me up from uni and we headed back to my house for a home-cooked birthday dinner extravaganza.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The menu featured a starter of lovely roasted nuts, mersey valley cheese, brie cheese, Maggie Beer Fig and quince paste and drinks. This was followed by the main fare of <b>Duck Tagine with Date and Pomengranate Chutney, </b>a recipe picked up from the August issue of NZ food magazine <b>Dish</b>. It<b> </b>had such a wonderful variety of texture, with the tender duck, crunchy almonds, golden carrots that snapped, soft, salty olives, and smooth caramel chutney.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OEVqQvHNIGtHDdsIuJlkTSVXe3pH3KyjjmccoE2v2ftlh9kyAo-fOsaLpN8VKK3hbic25YTPzYbTdo8ox5Fi_6BRmp5PyMgqNBh-1DBZl_QrGesTcmjJCzxh97CJIioBLRRi825YBn0/s320/IMG_6330.JPG" /> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqN2ZaqwZsfXS-AJJACATnmy_Ej92zROm0mWvna9ZPOAkrY4M8JgTMF3UrXWNr4psXeFz-qeSwBfrDNSZQy5gJ5sFsVuX4wxEOTbqbZUu_hxpQNlhCvJTyekSOYB7hU2YIB_Dth9BHqQ/s640/IMG_6333.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Duck Tagine with Date and Pomengranate Chutney</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dessert had me up in arms all week struggling to pick an indulgent sweet treat, birthday-esque enough, not too rich, but tempting to even the fussiest of palates. I settled with a inventive recipe from my favourite sweet <b>masterchef</b> contestant Callum (the dessert king): <b>Chocolate croissant bread and butter pudding</b>. My was it divine. Coupled with very naughty brandy soaked raisins, it was like eating a pud of love.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhdTWpfijcVWejsbFuFWdh5hIL9yeXwZav0z2w8mbKV9p1_6lw7n5FH5qkTHjcNWTNj3A-lGvKZIolCSEUj8mrnQCzmku8KCo_87GE7f14Qzs37mtXzjoSvoJOb49vW4O2Yl42Lv9nRo/s640/IMG_6338.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Enjoying the chocolate croissant bread and butter pudding. Cake #2</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><b>Chocolate Croissant Puddings<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Serves 4</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Preparation: 20 minutes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Cooking: 25 minutes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">50g (1/3 cup) raisins</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">60ml (1/4 cup) brandy</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">300ml pouring cream</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">6 egg yolks</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">2 chocolate croissants torn into 2cm pieces</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">40g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Roasted hazelnuts</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Strawberries</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Pomegranate seeds</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.7pt; text-indent: -11.35pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Marscapone</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm; text-align: left;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Preheat oven to 160C. Lightly grease 4x180ml (3/4 cup) dariole moulds</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Cut 4x3cm x 24cm strips of baking paper and place a strip in each mould to partially line the base and side, and extend beyond the rim (this helps to remove puddings from the moulds).</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Combine raisins and brandy in a bowl and leave to soak until needed.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Place cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk egg yolks until thick and pale. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Gradually add cream, whisking continuously until well combined. Add torn croissants and soak for 10 minutes.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fill each mould halfway with croissant mixture, then top with one-quarter of the chocolate and spoon over remaining croissant mixture.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Bake puddings for 25 minutes or until custard is set.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to plates</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Spoon over the raisin mixture and scatter with hazelnuts, strawberries and pomegranate. Serve with marscapone</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Devour with delight </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Wingdings;">:)</span></li>
</ol><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCkaRF1RZVh80_NUaT4rDzw2t5Dlx56d6LO4_6jNU8kWnvSlPimSGgkQ7y_DQNMRdwTxcTIRqiyP-Tdyw7c6JqcNKaOD39nb7cSdyiZnolmrJr6g3Igmp7HzyO3bbTMC8t7S5BPCv6Uw/s640/IMG_6339.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="428" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The birthday girl, her Prince Charming Pete and Brown Brothers Muscast mmm :)</b></td></tr>
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCkaRF1RZVh80_NUaT4rDzw2t5Dlx56d6LO4_6jNU8kWnvSlPimSGgkQ7y_DQNMRdwTxcTIRqiyP-Tdyw7c6JqcNKaOD39nb7cSdyiZnolmrJr6g3Igmp7HzyO3bbTMC8t7S5BPCv6Uw/s1600/IMG_6339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now, I have a little birthday tradition that began way back in 2008, with my eighteenth birthday, It consists of donning a gorgeous vintage dress to celebrate my birthday like a party princess. They say it's my party and I'll cry if I want to. But why cry when you can shine! There truly is no better way to sashay into a room or swing and get crunk on the dance floor than in a ridiculous, but beautiful frock. In 2008 it was a dress with a corset bodice of black sequins and metallic blue ribbon with a metallic blue frou frou skirt. Last year it was a square cut mini dress with rainbow metallic patterns on the fabric. My past two dresses I gathered at <b>Paddington markets</b> and a vintage shop in Newtown respectively. This year I tried something new and tread a road I'd not yet travelled in bidding and buying off ebay. Searching "vintage dress" I found this stunning number from the <a href="http://stores.ebay.com.au/funki-chunki">funki chunki </a>vintage store: A to die for pastel pink lace sequinned and beaded mini dress of eighties vintage! The auction was due to expire on my birthday and I committed myself to being the highest bidder. The only catch, it was a size 6. This made the Saturday (the day of my party) an exhausting experience as I had to knock back my work lunch of an evil enticing ham cheese tomato croissant to commit to pulling the booty hugging dress off! </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtspLgubYc-yCi3UYXYma_Lyg-RJ2ERtbn6RxoodWIfr5uK7Bka85yOUp8npYQLTaz2hyphenhyphenN6DZQRGeACpBh6Cb4tCqNako700UqTf4BilQntvlX_OZQQajPieSil1a575b17tPVewrDnI/s640/393999525_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="512" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b> 'The' birthday dress</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtspLgubYc-yCi3UYXYma_Lyg-RJ2ERtbn6RxoodWIfr5uK7Bka85yOUp8npYQLTaz2hyphenhyphenN6DZQRGeACpBh6Cb4tCqNako700UqTf4BilQntvlX_OZQQajPieSil1a575b17tPVewrDnI/s1600/393999525_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Despite wasting away my food and instant gratification, it all had a happy ending as the dress fit like a glove, or like anything on beyonce. That is it was a bootylicious number! </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkNg_xIV5WYkyANnavTOKaKPjrNslF-Gelef5XJpcSwQaM9oiGDns6Mc5ctxk11EJem3pWgghejVvZCyKyXrCF2lvLvf-DiA1pkAP4qvjU6uW7FHBa6feJ_NCEir1i_2wzayREYvFE4k/s640/39853_1601316393203_1244870884_31745136_6001410_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sam and I enjoying classy cocktails at the Burdeken=</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I wore this number out for some smashing snacks with friends at <a href="http://www.cafelounge.com.au/">Cafe Lounge</a> in Surry Hills. Recently voted Sydney small bar, this hole in the wall packs a punch and left me whole-heartedly happy. Entering through the red moulin rouge curtain draped over the door frame, patrons are greeted by sunny yellow and ravishing red walls, tonnes of dynamic art work, vairious furniture arrangements and an awesome dj that actually uses LPs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSN42NtiyZ8uK8gUQyULu5h32JkZrRcAZ11UGmqA-eyFXHE0n5auHYyrIWZARLAJXJnuCb_NGoJQdjbPqMCfkqjaF7jyjKRp-TnrO6uRRhAahWXlTlseFYJQuZ9k5ahGljNNp3vbgWqTs/s400/Cl_070716110252631_wideweb__300x375.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cafe Lounge</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZY84ZpKsw_jbigQPkI5pFML2HRXXS43R3deWpO7O7DA10XUtpc4RZ04K6geU84az12OFsV4pzeTBoepH3f5RFJgn7PwjMCi6TdXlcXrMXNPfCXLUrZextZiNOun7L5U2N_Y9ZP3qAMwo/s400/DSC02557.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sexy red lounge at Cafe Lounge</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZY84ZpKsw_jbigQPkI5pFML2HRXXS43R3deWpO7O7DA10XUtpc4RZ04K6geU84az12OFsV4pzeTBoepH3f5RFJgn7PwjMCi6TdXlcXrMXNPfCXLUrZextZiNOun7L5U2N_Y9ZP3qAMwo/s1600/DSC02557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSN42NtiyZ8uK8gUQyULu5h32JkZrRcAZ11UGmqA-eyFXHE0n5auHYyrIWZARLAJXJnuCb_NGoJQdjbPqMCfkqjaF7jyjKRp-TnrO6uRRhAahWXlTlseFYJQuZ9k5ahGljNNp3vbgWqTs/s1600/Cl_070716110252631_wideweb__300x375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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We enjoyed the $20 function menu. The menu included a trio of moreish dips, baba ghanoush, tzaziki and kalamata olives with shreds of turkish bread, which the only fault I found was that there was not nearly enough bread to soak up the dips, or it simply was gobbled up to quickly. The wedges, extrodinarily golden and crunchy were served with sweet chilli but were enhanced with aioli instead of the traditional sour cream. The salt and pepper squid had a soft coating that just fell of as the perfectly cooked squid melted in your mouth. Served with a pickled ginger sauce these morsels were the catch of the day. The selection of thin crust pizzas included Anna: roast pumpkin, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, sage, blue cheese and dried roquette. The sharp blue cheese just blew my mind with those tender sweet vegetables and thin crunchy base. Similarly, tasty was the sharpness of the balsamic onion sauce on the chorizo pizza (baby spinach, chorizo and balsamic onions), whilst the Mediterranean (Artichoke, eggplant, olives and oregano) was lovely but mild in comparison to the other heartier toppings. With our meals I enjoyed a glass of the bubbly <b>Dunes Pinot Chardonnay</b> ($9), a sweet, fresh, strawberry sensation, as well as the strong, but quenching<b> bohemian</b> (green fairy absinthe, creme de cassis, fresh lime and cranberry juice shaken over ice at $17). I finished off with a glass of the wonderfully perfumed sweet Spanish wine, <b>Vina Esmerelda</b> (at $9).<br />
<br />
At our next venue, the Burdekin, a wonderful easy to get to place on the corner of oxford street and Hyde Park, I enjoyed a rockstar reception. The Burdekin is a seductive establishment, with five levels. The street level is sparse, has a comforting wooden floor, plenty of booths, stools and chairs for chilling, a long bar, and some well-tuned ambient djs. Some friends that had arrived earlier notified the bartenders of a birthday girl on the way, and when I arrived I was greeted and treated to a sexy strawberry cocktail served in a martini glass (my favourite). Sipping on that sweet soft, slightly foamy beverage was like drinking a strawberry lollypop only more sophisticated :) This flavour conjuring sweet childhood nostalgia but served in an alluring adult glass summarizes my joy on the night. I had such a marvellous night giggling, talking a little too loud, being spoilt and enjoying the company of so many friends old and new. Truly good food and drinks put one in the mood, but friends improve it because they join you in it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iCNH55y0Uh-cLvR_Gf6QkotzFcdnp75r8T3r9LwK1YQ6G86uGyd-XoBSC6DKke1nIdok_v-A5CQpvnV3T5ABShAk2JUIKb97Dv-wNlV53Dg0NV056kCzEFHDGugUzmRg_itV67hhYr4/s640/41072_1601319353277_1244870884_31745162_6696086_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>My best friend Jack and I - check out the hectic beading on the left sleeve.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iCNH55y0Uh-cLvR_Gf6QkotzFcdnp75r8T3r9LwK1YQ6G86uGyd-XoBSC6DKke1nIdok_v-A5CQpvnV3T5ABShAk2JUIKb97Dv-wNlV53Dg0NV056kCzEFHDGugUzmRg_itV67hhYr4/s1600/41072_1601319353277_1244870884_31745162_6696086_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Plus, as if my week couldn't get any better. My iphone 4 arrived yesterday! Hello instant communication and amazing apps! Love that sleek slidey apple box it comes in. Will review some apps perhaps.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">x<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm9RuENbMky9xg-X9hYyTPl13xJdSaaqIkx3r8-jHl2ILFQHyQFga0Khd3ajcTMrgdzzta4nvQ3K7fGuj6-uMCFhuY5yxVpQL8qKUUEynL_9b9IlBWirUiDd453b_zIH2jEmQDUvu3kM/s1600/data=LtgX-e3f8ctI3U5dJtbt7EJ1ZfRneYme,iUWvMz5YK8A_v3h16lpSuUuyPYAnTTBBDXtMjpcU6Qfk3dABXCXq_Z60UT5Kz_8SmaJ-CmOGXYicVJ8BxTK_nlLOKf5DITChMJqRp8f5UlRWfKTCcwW2N4U.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm9RuENbMky9xg-X9hYyTPl13xJdSaaqIkx3r8-jHl2ILFQHyQFga0Khd3ajcTMrgdzzta4nvQ3K7fGuj6-uMCFhuY5yxVpQL8qKUUEynL_9b9IlBWirUiDd453b_zIH2jEmQDUvu3kM/s320/data=LtgX-e3f8ctI3U5dJtbt7EJ1ZfRneYme,iUWvMz5YK8A_v3h16lpSuUuyPYAnTTBBDXtMjpcU6Qfk3dABXCXq_Z60UT5Kz_8SmaJ-CmOGXYicVJ8BxTK_nlLOKf5DITChMJqRp8f5UlRWfKTCcwW2N4U.gif" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cafe Lounge</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>277 Goulburn St<br />
Surry Hills NSW 2010<br />
(02) 9356 8888</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Open Tue-Thu 5pm-10:30pm</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fri 5pm-12am</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Sat 9pm-12am</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Sun 9am-9pm</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-46639230567763055022010-08-15T08:01:00.000-07:002010-10-02T08:24:12.446-07:00What time is it? Time to wander<meta content="" name="Keywords"></meta> <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta> <meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator"></meta> <link href="file://localhost/Users/elizaberlage/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Thursday 5<sup>th</sup> August 2010<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Oxford Art Factory<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">$15<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Who: Step-Panther, Jinja Safari, Gypsy & the Cat<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Plus: The Honey Pies<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">One would speculate that the week following Splendour would be a massive comedown, with the music scene and goers in a somewhat sleepy hiatus after all the camping, drinking, dancing and sideshows from and after the epic weekend. But no, music lovers who had splendour bendered and those who hadn’t, packed out the oxford art factory last Thursday for an evening of up & coming indie goodness. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Arriving a little past nine to that underground music haven, we’d managed to miss out on Step-Panther’s surfy guitar-pop set. With a half hour gap til Jinja Safari we stumbled next door into the Gallery Bar and struck gold. The Honey Pies, a kooky guitar pop band of shaggy, haired flanno-wearing blokes in alternative glasses treated us to their strumming. Echoing the likes of the Artic Monkeys with their dancey hooks in ‘Sex wax’, and then delighting our ears with melifluous numbers such as sixties Beatle-esque song, ‘Fool in love’, the band were a sweet surprise. Sipping on ‘purple rain’, one of Oxford Art Factory’s staple cocktails (chambord, blue curaco, apple juice and lemonade), it was hard not to be swept up in the glorious toe tapping melodies. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">As the Honey Pies were wrapping up, Jinja Safari were heating up the main stage. We strolled in to find the stage transformed into a jumpin’ jungle. With vine leaf wrapped microphone stands, bongo drums, a jangly sitar and cooing vocals, the Sydney boys delivered with their charming performance of ‘peter pan’. One of the singers bore a striking resemblance to Lance, the ‘pretty long-haired one’, of Mighty Boosh fame, whilst the drummer echoed a monkey-like character with his cute hoo hooing into the microphone. After the radio favourite was done, the boys impressed with more jumping and jingling. Cute track ‘hiccups’, actually had a nervousness in the floaty, yet rapid synthesizer and percussion.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pizt5JoxyU0doteA8P_RJUPXQabrz1MWmW_FyZPGXn3X4A2Jvc8_E29pz1UZCiLds3p-iFf8zVVxlkmA4BNqXyx7LPTouZvCUNGtlpiSn_OttSRlKBbEIPFkiRzSLx0lu5WibJQC6Io/s1600/fb4aa_885951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pizt5JoxyU0doteA8P_RJUPXQabrz1MWmW_FyZPGXn3X4A2Jvc8_E29pz1UZCiLds3p-iFf8zVVxlkmA4BNqXyx7LPTouZvCUNGtlpiSn_OttSRlKBbEIPFkiRzSLx0lu5WibJQC6Io/s400/fb4aa_885951.jpg" width="265" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Cf_TmLesw6rnkaK2vPLF7WVTdUznxW6PnFrNfgxfCNwNPF8tOwsDJL9IcfQDiMhGsjkb18gBH8NeZusJQkoNQ63kz6rj6X4-RruNhDHZ-g_LujAiiOUQtSPuyQZWdXYAI1hQ5yI2Ets/s1600/96e12_885966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Cf_TmLesw6rnkaK2vPLF7WVTdUznxW6PnFrNfgxfCNwNPF8tOwsDJL9IcfQDiMhGsjkb18gBH8NeZusJQkoNQ63kz6rj6X4-RruNhDHZ-g_LujAiiOUQtSPuyQZWdXYAI1hQ5yI2Ets/s200/96e12_885966.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Following a short break the black curtains re-opened revealing Melbourne’s Gypsy & the Cat in all their wonder. The very cool cat band warmed the crowd with their dreamy indie electronic track ‘Time to Wander’. There was an air of eighties power ballad in ‘Breakaway’, reminiscent of Hall & Oates and Spandau Ballet, but with higher tenor vocals, whilst ‘Pipers song’ generated a sweet nostalgia for Fleetwood Mac in it’s guitar loops and beautiful harmonies. Much to the delight of the audience the boys closed with the soaring vocals and reverberating keyboard of cleverly named ‘Jona Vark’. The live performance and stage presence of both bands certainly trumps their recordings, which tend to sound a little washed out. Gypsy and the Cat have this indie electronic sound that’s just a little trippy like Pink Floyd, a little airy like Cut Copy, but they bring a stronger beat and I think a bigger heart and sense of hope. These recently unearthed bands deserve all the hype and radio play, as their live performances showcased their mesmerizing, infectious talent. The Australian music scene certainly has a lot of emerging talent to fall for.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNZTw6V295xEQGkmqCb9u-yIoQNjHpPNWdMGHuQSPbTEDy_QLqPA8U6CCTz-5hK8gUkJSgXb3h-GdJijQs4vqpghDJXU2WPSWEa90HPrF7NN82jeG8M_-F-PDhWfJdA_UY0R4Pr64Qao/s1600/52e16_888919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNZTw6V295xEQGkmqCb9u-yIoQNjHpPNWdMGHuQSPbTEDy_QLqPA8U6CCTz-5hK8gUkJSgXb3h-GdJijQs4vqpghDJXU2WPSWEa90HPrF7NN82jeG8M_-F-PDhWfJdA_UY0R4Pr64Qao/s200/52e16_888919.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN1CClXXOL_icAv9oSLKQ1hy3ynsCjmo-bQb2LEOSUFofr5AB-leJJ-b41xkuBMMO4y2hnfH5nGaUVojV4WA0Wxe1sqNafYug6-_yUgZJ8bPalQDLatv2Konf0nLUH9CXbwp8Nvj_RDk/s1600/a0f7e_888926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN1CClXXOL_icAv9oSLKQ1hy3ynsCjmo-bQb2LEOSUFofr5AB-leJJ-b41xkuBMMO4y2hnfH5nGaUVojV4WA0Wxe1sqNafYug6-_yUgZJ8bPalQDLatv2Konf0nLUH9CXbwp8Nvj_RDk/s200/a0f7e_888926.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">PS. You can download a free digital copy of the Honey Pies delightful EP<a href="http://www.myspace.com/thehoneypies"> here </a> and you can check out the cute as a button looney tunes clip for 'Fool in Love' <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb3B6zZy2tQ">there.</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Some Step Panther for your listening pleasure <br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie"
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Check out Jinja Safari if you haven't already</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie"
value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r1de_sABLpE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Hope you dig Gypsy and the Cat's groovy 'Piper's song' as much as me</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie"
value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sGQS8AkkulI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param
name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param
name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed
src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sGQS8AkkulI?fs=1&hl=en_US"
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height="385"></embed></object></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-81733929422527961722010-07-07T06:54:00.000-07:002010-09-14T19:48:09.436-07:00Mama Mia<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Mamma mia, here I go again</span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > <br />
My my, how can I resist you?</span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > <br />
Mamma mia, does it show again?</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> <br />
</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >My my, just how much I've missed you</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size:85%;">My mum arrived home from an overseas trip on Monday night but I was out pub crawling in the Balmain Rozelle precinct that evening so I didn't get any quality time til Tuesday. When Tuesday rolled around I wandered home like a school boy from his books. After a series of cuddles and a good run down on her trip to Tasmania I of course popped the big question, "Muuum what's for dinner?". An awesome answer excited my ears and satisfied my stomach, "Minestrone soup". Oh boy! <br />
<br />
As a general rule I hate winter. We're like polar opposites. I'm fire, it means ice. Except in Australia we barely even get any ice, so it's not even a proper winter! I'd like winter if it mean snow so we could all build snowmen, igloos, have snowball fights and have a kickass ski season. But instead this nation is mostly reliant on a few snowmakers down south and the rest of the time hangs with bated breath for that elusively timed extremely cold temperature and a bit of precipitation to create some sleet we might hope to make some dodgy snow cones out of. <br />
<br />
</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U7nKauRUHtQEODEx1K4KPNdIJ19gPpu7zpVmjyN6V3piSDv_vaFQ3DHnMDFXmzlcBY4-D8UAqljmvo5PSQryKnQ9bbg97IIvlbKby-GZMkJJvlUGm_2xQoxIYsONQ0MR_77mB5_QOGc/s1600/s_7_sadsnowman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U7nKauRUHtQEODEx1K4KPNdIJ19gPpu7zpVmjyN6V3piSDv_vaFQ3DHnMDFXmzlcBY4-D8UAqljmvo5PSQryKnQ9bbg97IIvlbKby-GZMkJJvlUGm_2xQoxIYsONQ0MR_77mB5_QOGc/s320/s_7_sadsnowman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491445998884573570" border="0" /></a> <br />
<span style="font-size:85%;">I love summer. The exfoiliating sand in between my toes, in my scalp, in just about everywhere. I love the smell of salt on my skin, on my hands, on the chips, everything wet, then crusty, golden sky, scenery, skin. Making a mess of the cold creamy ice cream dripping everywhere and removing the mess when shelling juicy fresh prawns. The endless days and unforgettable nights of love and laughter with friends and family. <br />
<br />
But when it comes to Winter, what saves it for me is food. And a lot of credit for that goes to my mum. Winter means comfort. Lazing in bed til well after 11, late breakfasts that become brunch, early dinners and plenty of movies before sleeping like a log in that ever loving doona. Lazing in front of the heater reading a book for hours until it's finished. Then moving onto the next one. <br />
Winter means comfort food. Stews, ragus, pastabakes, slow roasted meat and vegetables. Beautiful red wine to warm the heart and soul. But nothing epitomizes comfort and love more than soup and pudding. So mum's menu tonight did wonders for a harsh critic of the coldest season.</span> <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Minestrone Soup</span></span> <br />
</div><br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHETGzCe-darvoDVLyZFxipYxNvHgloa6Sqvf83AeXeKhI8JB2dbR8UUD6_GYJFlfC6IRgWv_ZFz4I-Ptw8LNpOoXEfR6lvxHzb6iy9zmSMgozB9pX_4AHb5WgyqT9ShlIP38c-lMOyaY/s1600/IMG_6280.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHETGzCe-darvoDVLyZFxipYxNvHgloa6Sqvf83AeXeKhI8JB2dbR8UUD6_GYJFlfC6IRgWv_ZFz4I-Ptw8LNpOoXEfR6lvxHzb6iy9zmSMgozB9pX_4AHb5WgyqT9ShlIP38c-lMOyaY/s320/IMG_6280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491175823326891170" border="0" /></a><meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/elizaberlage/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>149</o:Words> <o:characters>854</o:Characters> <o:lines>7</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1048</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1287</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Mmm minestrone. Possibly my favourite winter soup. Chock a block with goodness in the form of veggies and garlic this is one soup that is great for chasing away those winter blues. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Serves 4-6</span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Ingredients</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">1 tbsp olive oil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">2 onions chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">2 cloves garlic, sliced</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">2 carrots chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">1.3kg smoked ham hock, chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">2x400g chicken or beef stock</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">4 cups water</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">1 cup small pasta such as risoni</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">300g broccoli, chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">400g cannelini beans, drained</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Cracked black pepper and sea salt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsely</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Parmesan cheese </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Pesto</span></span></li>
</ul><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Method</span></span></p><ol><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Add onions, garlic and carrots, cook for 5 minutes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Remove the skin and visible fat from the ham hock and add to the pan with the tomatoes, stock and water, then cover and simmer for 35 minutes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Remove the ham bone and dice meat off the bone</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Add the ham, pasta, broccoli, beans, pepper and salt to the pan and cook for 15 minutes. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US">Stir through the parsley and serve with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese, some pesto and crusty bread.</span></span></li>
</ol><!--EndFragment--> <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maple Syrup and Pecan Steamed Puddings</span></span> <br />
<br />
</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzq0EesMt3THHqfZJo71Y3TEpnTIudGKLTXn9XfKBiJgUqNNMup849kl93uG5HQL6QZ7kjlwH8ogyXQoEKvKfm3zKuPerDMzjq2s3ogallYvPUVytLmKqzjy7XO8hmMI_cKeno2F5PbM/s1600/IMG_6261.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzq0EesMt3THHqfZJo71Y3TEpnTIudGKLTXn9XfKBiJgUqNNMup849kl93uG5HQL6QZ7kjlwH8ogyXQoEKvKfm3zKuPerDMzjq2s3ogallYvPUVytLmKqzjy7XO8hmMI_cKeno2F5PbM/s320/IMG_6261.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491174484614647970" border="0" /></a><meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/elizaberlage/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>244</o:Words> <o:characters>1392</o:Characters> <o:lines>11</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1709</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1287</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> <br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from the July 2010 edition of the ABC’s Delicious Magazine. Jamie’s style of taking lovely fresh ingredients and using simple processes to create something special is just a delightful way of fuss free cooking. The result was a yummy moist, sweet pudding with loads of pecan chunks to munch on. Plus an added bonus of a ramekin perfect for scraping up the tasty buttery nut residue.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;"> <br />
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Serves 6</span> <br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients</span> <br />
</span></p><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;"> 100g pecan nuts (can use other nuts if desired)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">175g plain flour</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">50g dark brown sugar</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">75g vegetable suet</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp bicarbonate soda</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">1 large free-range or organic egg</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">150ml milk</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">2/3 cup (165ml maple syrup), plus extra warmed syrup to serve</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Cream or custard to serve</span></li>
</ul><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Method</span></p><ol><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Preheat oven to 190C</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Grease six small heatproof teacups (or ramekins) well with butter.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Place the pecans in a plastic bag, tie the bag closed and bash the nuts with a rolling pin. You want to end up with a mixture of chunky and fine bits of pecan. Dust the inside of cups/ramekins with the bashed up nuts tipping excess into a large bowl.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Empty the leftover nuts from the bags into the bowl too, then add flour, sugar, suet, soda, egg, vanilla seeds, milk and ½ cup (80ml) syrup. Mix well.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Pour some of the remaining syrup into the bottom of each teacup/ramekin and pour some mixture on top. You want your ramekins to be about three quarters full.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Place cups/ramekins in a large, deep roasting tray. Fill tray with boiling water, making sure the water comes halfway up the side of the cups/ramekins.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Carefully place the tray in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until cakes are golden and cooked through.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Stand for a couple of minutes before turning them out. Serve with custard or cream and a drizzle of warm maple syrup. </span></li>
</ol><!--EndFragment--> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4AFrCKdXUD3CQluczSsHzaFiJw2CqR6f2QJAL9t0C52c3nHp81nEEnYIYseyCmtIgjFNTNkRfO7TZW0ggzcFGnMwy92G6EP04nC2S_WjA1Hra3NhoSjZcNJiKgWA1DonytSgisksmMY/s1600/IMG_6260.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4AFrCKdXUD3CQluczSsHzaFiJw2CqR6f2QJAL9t0C52c3nHp81nEEnYIYseyCmtIgjFNTNkRfO7TZW0ggzcFGnMwy92G6EP04nC2S_WjA1Hra3NhoSjZcNJiKgWA1DonytSgisksmMY/s320/IMG_6260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491166200177631794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >The lovely pudding with a macchiato :) perfect afternoon tea or dessert fare for a chilly home day. </span> <br />
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AAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-73245792479498651472010-07-06T20:11:00.000-07:002010-07-06T20:15:24.706-07:00Verbaliza on FoodOkay this was originally posted on my old blog <a href="http://savourtheflavour.com.au/">savour the flavour</a>, but I just had to put it up here. Read it for a glimpse into my food history. It explains a lot about my adventurous tastes now.<br /><br />Three small words. Food and Drink. I love you. <p>Some people eat to live. Some people live to eat. I am the latter served on a platter.</p> <p>But who am I? Some call me <em>Eliza</em>. Others call me for the late night booty calls.</p> <p>KIDDING! Mmm…kids are tasty. Okay, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m talking about goat meat!</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">WARNING:</span> </strong><em>The next few paragraphs contain animal eating references. This is recommended for omnivorous and carnivorous audiences only.</em> My first experience with this meat path not so trodden was on a family holiday in Vietnam. At the Da Lat gardens we were offered goat skewers. Boy were they tasty! It was on this trip after my bravado in trying goat, rabbit, snails and frogs legs that I decided I wanted to try every animal on the planet. This trip marked my second overseas odyssey, and the first big holiday where I let my tastebuds do the walking.</p> <p>My adoration for all foods great and small may sound both normal and abnormal, but what makes my adventurous culinary pursuits more excting is that it hasn’t always been this way. Like most babies I began receiving my food courtesy of my mother’s hands. ‘Here comes the aeroplane’ she would coo and the aeroplane spoon would land filling my mouth with it’s nutritious cargo. However, when the time came for me to fly my own aeroplane into the hangar there were some technical difficulties. I disliked the texture of fruit and vegetables when I handled them. So what should have been one small step for a baby, became a giant leap everytime I ate where my parents would desperately attempt to hide, force, trick me into eating fruit and vegetables.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 253px; height: 190px;" class="alignright" src="http://www.myreadablefeast.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/green-tortilla-chips.jpg" alt="" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">My previous and first venture overseas was to America, where I hopped around from New York, to San Fransisco, Yosemite National Park, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon and Hawaii. Traveling through these places I drank in diverse landscapes of breathtaking nature and heartstopping cities. Whilst, zipping here and there I also drank in the local culture especially engaging with the national cuisine. But after a diet of coloured corn chips, giant turkey legs, ice-creams that weigh your arm down, and plates of food as big as your head I returned to Australia quite overindulged. With the hindsight of my walk down obesity lane, I decided to haul myself out of my diet rut and embrace all things natural and healthy. It was time to get fruity!<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 415px; height: 309px;" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.thevirtualvine.com/images/theveryhungrycaterpillar/puzzlea.jpg" alt="" /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">The transformation of my food intake over the next year was like the story of the very, hungry caterpillar. Once upon a time, I had survived on an exciting menu of nuggets, macaroni cheese, baked beans, bangers & mash, and boiled eggs and soldiers. In the safety of that cuisine cocoon I was comfortable and unchallenged by unfamiliar flavours, spices and textures. Gradually my lunches changed from stock standard peanut butter, ham or cheese fillings to a rainbow of grilled vegetables including eggplant, zucchini, sweet potato, red capsicum, spinach. My morning tea changed from packets of tiny teddies & shapes to dried fruit and nut mixes and peels of bananas, apples and oranges. Food began to colour my world rather than define my weaknesses. I came out of my narrow food rut and became a beautiful butterfly, swooping down upon menus and meals to relish the wonders of our natural and man-made dishes.<img style="width: 318px; height: 148px;" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10" title="butterfly" src="http://savourtheflavour.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/butterfly.jpg" alt="butterfly" /></p> <p>Now at the keen age of nineteen I have dined upon a zoo of kangaroo, camel, buffalo, emu, snails, frogs legs, rabbit and goat. Not to gloat.</p> <p>There are so many ways to express the practice of interacting with these life sustaining and enhancing everyday necessities. Consume, devour, eat, feast upon, bite, chew, digest, feed, gorge, graze, inhale, slurp, shovel, sip, guzzle, sip, chomp, munch, bolt, dine, nibble, peck, scoff, snack, sup, swallow, wolf, savour. Each word to match a moment and a morsel. They complement the food in the way they sound and feel in your mouth. Some roll off your tongue. Some make you pout out. Some slide down your throat. Some are gone before you know it. Some echo on in your mouth.</p> <p>On this food and drink blog I wish to share with you all of these experiences. I will of course be reviewing restaurants and cafes, but why stop there? On this blog I want to offer my 5 cents on everything from espresso coffee, to store bought iced coffee, hot chips, to packet chips. All food experiences should be remembered and able to be recalled for your present and future eating happiness. <em>Every bite you take, every sip you make. Every single day, every time you graze I’ll review it for you.</em> <strong>Welcome</strong>, to my food life! You only get one shot at life, so if you’re on to a good thing make it last! Savour the Flavour.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-7313429867584117072010-07-04T07:07:00.000-07:002010-07-06T19:25:13.081-07:00Hearts a flutter warmed and soothed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvi_r2rxLTwYkKCEJJ0N7fqSCUHy-E_6d0Pt0DR_UIPQF6pOm0-2Le-wSfjEZKvuYtJNd9JCSru7xrpcHISeirCWu81eOwdM-NBnffgs0Qw-KkYY6VuP3nvlPo-PA1p1a39yNlr0pSuE/s1600/ernestellisjuly-38.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvi_r2rxLTwYkKCEJJ0N7fqSCUHy-E_6d0Pt0DR_UIPQF6pOm0-2Le-wSfjEZKvuYtJNd9JCSru7xrpcHISeirCWu81eOwdM-NBnffgs0Qw-KkYY6VuP3nvlPo-PA1p1a39yNlr0pSuE/s320/ernestellisjuly-38.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490769067052829346" border="0" /></a><br />My review of Ernest Ellis w/ The Tourist & The Sleepyhands @ OAF<br />as appeared on the exciting cultural guide that is <a href="http://www.wordonthestreet.com.au/">Word On the Street</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ernest Ellis</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Supported by The Sleepyhands and The Tourist</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday 1 June 2010 8pm</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />On the chilly evening that was <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday the 1st of July</span>, not one, but three bands brought a heart-warming energy to Sydney’s cool underground indie venue the<span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">Oxford Art Factory</span>. Amongst the smoky darkness, all three acts burst out with sounds to inspire, and ignite on a cold winter night. First up of the support acts was <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">‘The Tourist’</span>, a collective of three inner west youths playing melodious indie folk. The two males commanded their strings and their enchanting female harnessed the magic of synthesizers and egg shakers to create sounds inspired by the likes of <span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204); font-weight: bold;">Grizzly Bear</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">Fleet Foxes</span> in songs such as ‘<span style="font-style: italic;">My little eye’</span>. I myself also felt some <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 255);">Radiohead</span> vibes in their haunting, melancholic arrangements such as <span style="font-style: italic;">‘Antarctica’</span>. The lead vocalist Dan was honoured to get a comparison to one of his favourite bands of all time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">‘The Sleepyhands’</span>, the second support act of the night emerged from the smoke as a large but dynamic collective of seven Sydney voices. The sounds influenced and assisted by one of the cream of the new Modular crop, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">Johnathan Boulet</span>, the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">Sleepyhands</span> hooked in the curious audience with beautifully crafted songs such as <span style="font-style: italic;">‘The Autumn March’</span>, heavenly harmonies in <span style="font-style: italic;">‘Cross your fingers’</span>, and bouncy happy-go lucky ditties. Altogether the enthusiasm and talent of this bunch of bright young things lit up the room, which in size and mood provided a fascinating contrast to the small support band that played previously, and the headliner to come.<br />Whilst enjoying the peculiar perfection of <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">The Sleepyhands</span> I found pleasure in sipping on a similarly unusual but wonderful winter cocktail. Slowly savouring the delightful drink known as the <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Hot Toddy</span>, a concoction of scotch, hot water, ginger, lemon and cloves, conjured comfortable feelings of cozy, lounge room chilling with lemongrass & ginger tea by a warm fire. Definitely an accompaniment just right for relaxed tunes in the coldest week on record.<br /><br />The show headlined by <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">Ernest Ellis</span> was arranged to launch their debut album ‘Hunting’, but it didn’t quite launch. It catapulted! Opening with their rockier numbers such as the alluring <span style="font-style: italic;">‘Pulse’ </span>the melodramatic three-piece band from the Blue Mountains had the excited audience eating out of their hand. It was tough not to be blown away by the magic of Ernest’s rare solo performance ‘<span style="font-style: italic;">Valley Song’</span>, a lovely strumming folk number that had the audience swaying and imaginations soaring far away to green pastures dappled with golden sunlight. The popular tracks that launched <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">Ernest Ellis</span> into the public eye didn’t fail to disappoint, with the ethereal, easy listening sounds of<span style="font-style: italic;"> ‘Heading for the cold’</span> and sheer epicness of <span style="font-style: italic;">‘Loveless’</span>. The encore set the band soaring with the audience roaring…onto the stage! Ernest’s earnest invitation that the crowd join him on stage to dance out the final song the catchy <span style="font-style: italic;">‘Want for Anything’,</span> was initially met with restrained desire, which later turned to growing enthusiasm. However, attempts were halted by security, only to be successful when the sheer number of excited fans climbed over the front of the stage and danced amongst the band members. I was one of those too eager to remain grounded, and instead hauled myself onstage to join the dancing celebration of spectacular music. That finale felt like a giant warm hug, an unforgettable moment that just made my heart explode! With the band booked in to play at this years highly anticipated <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">Splendour in the Grass</span> festival in August, it seems <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">Ernest Ellis</span> will continue to generate a magnetic pull of listeners to their marvelous music.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTA2C2H2FgeBZSZw4xJDx3XBwR2Fwy1iln45IStQYRy6MGdg7pt0O1OQg_vx8LjF2lBboIMkciWQ_p5cLGBdSyZRhyphenhyphenoAckl-dFGqDEL-cdxmUPBO16pvnvPjXOH7COErfQD3Ylp0CXS4w/s1600/ernestellisjuly-35.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTA2C2H2FgeBZSZw4xJDx3XBwR2Fwy1iln45IStQYRy6MGdg7pt0O1OQg_vx8LjF2lBboIMkciWQ_p5cLGBdSyZRhyphenhyphenoAckl-dFGqDEL-cdxmUPBO16pvnvPjXOH7COErfQD3Ylp0CXS4w/s320/ernestellisjuly-35.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490769167359492242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />I leave you with a little bit of music to marvel at from these musos<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/lovethetourist"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Tourist</span></a> (click the link to listen)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/sleepyhands"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Sleepyhands</span></a> (click the link to hit up their myspace for my joy)<br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kn_5zUHTOWc&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kn_5zUHTOWc&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br />Ernest Ellis<br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jqPqCKmPM1Y&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jqPqCKmPM1Y&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9ia4N_ABYk8&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9ia4N_ABYk8&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vSOB-hqIB0s&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vSOB-hqIB0s&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-43821011425855540722010-06-30T04:59:00.000-07:002010-07-06T04:43:27.518-07:00Baking for your life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoR4Yg_I4v0L2McJsYROPsEfJUdTuGlsEtAlS6OeurPGg7kY8j7c8Vy3N5PU168meMw-tooG5XygyQOkGKGJxZ0hG5pzwnDz7JyPa5RA8Me2Ewybk2wwQcruOnejVhFcj8WtjzOIskWOY/s1600/eat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoR4Yg_I4v0L2McJsYROPsEfJUdTuGlsEtAlS6OeurPGg7kY8j7c8Vy3N5PU168meMw-tooG5XygyQOkGKGJxZ0hG5pzwnDz7JyPa5RA8Me2Ewybk2wwQcruOnejVhFcj8WtjzOIskWOY/s320/eat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489903947307107714" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I have a confession to make. I am an addict. A masterchef addict! It is the highlight of my day. Things just feel all wrong unless dinner is being devoured to the glorious sights and sounds of Gary, George and Matt stamping, yelling plate up, discussing worlds of pain and scrutinizing the dishes of amateur chefs with their highly trained palates. Many of my friends claim that "life starts at 7:30". When asked by a peer at work the other day whether I ever get angry I claimed one of my pet peeves to be "people talking whilst masterchef is on!" (seriously it gets up my goat!). Anyway, I could honestly endlessly discuss my adoration of a show that encourages a competition about cooking tasty food and showcases amazing culinary masters but what I want to talk about is a particular episode about baking.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOdcdmVOhUllYpbGoTcczZZQ-YC7Q3b3yDZIG4xZetq7JToycMADKlkL1AbADT1Z-EtQ2Naal3LTmquwbhEAHMnExNrtV3RdiZjkIRHXRzF_w488Zt7ZFiOJQgl-BCiACRnlu9HieD-U/s1600/masterchef-logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOdcdmVOhUllYpbGoTcczZZQ-YC7Q3b3yDZIG4xZetq7JToycMADKlkL1AbADT1Z-EtQ2Naal3LTmquwbhEAHMnExNrtV3RdiZjkIRHXRzF_w488Zt7ZFiOJQgl-BCiACRnlu9HieD-U/s320/masterchef-logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489977936973535858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRZhuMoxPaQ3sUKU8KjwikUpfZiJCPwaPm0sOSYmWUq8HZXi8ArC_EOMwQ4l8vIDbm2Hku8BgyT36hEpYkuib_u10P6x5sYe96Jrf1Olg3anHX9D-a1CrYtiCC1mGta6_2Y2Sh4gAr5M/s1600/r430240_2058063.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRZhuMoxPaQ3sUKU8KjwikUpfZiJCPwaPm0sOSYmWUq8HZXi8ArC_EOMwQ4l8vIDbm2Hku8BgyT36hEpYkuib_u10P6x5sYe96Jrf1Olg3anHX9D-a1CrYtiCC1mGta6_2Y2Sh4gAr5M/s320/r430240_2058063.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489978326208932434" border="0" /></a>
<br />Last Wednesday the team challenge was a bake off! Amazing I know, being an avid baker I was salivating at the thought of the contestants road tripping out to a beautiful farm and creating iconic treats such as Lamingtons, Jam, Fruit and Neopolitan cakes and scones for the royalty that is the Country Women's association. But, what should have been an episode that took off like a kite, soaring to the highest heights, what I witnessed was a flop worse than a sunken souffle!
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<br />These contestants being the Top Ten clearly have talent! So much skill and passion is evident in the way they have cooked with their heart and soul from Sydney to Melbourne, London to Paris and back again. But, seeing the cooking catastrophe the calamity of cakes on Wednesday was a shock to my system and their own I am sure! Of the dishes put up, there were clear cut winner for 3 of the five baked goods, whilst two were deemed unjudgeable! Overall, the CWA and the judges commended the contestants on their efforts, citing the intimate relationship between a baker and an oven (absent due to the foreigness of the competitors to their appliance) as being the achilles heel in this challenge. Despite this difficulty, I still found the episode painful to watch as the contestants, in their hurried desperation to have the food ready for those lovely country ladies, left me underwhelmed by their demonstration of baking skills. Anyone who has ever made a cake knows the importance of beating, whipping, folding and mixing at the right time, intensity and duration. Forgo this and suffer the consequences, as our amateur chefs did.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmG4DmjZhdQ4tSSowdK4LhGRM4r4THJuaqmmsb1QCbIe0cRC4cygSohuTn0pjp4Q7F3Ka-TuXZrp1EdOxvBY9l06i12Uac4GBIKgJxmSO5eqwSJfgKjU6-x0WvoasFFD3giIKOtkFLiWA/s1600/teasconesmain_070226111332108_wideweb__300x449,1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmG4DmjZhdQ4tSSowdK4LhGRM4r4THJuaqmmsb1QCbIe0cRC4cygSohuTn0pjp4Q7F3Ka-TuXZrp1EdOxvBY9l06i12Uac4GBIKgJxmSO5eqwSJfgKjU6-x0WvoasFFD3giIKOtkFLiWA/s320/teasconesmain_070226111332108_wideweb__300x449,1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489976818472209010" border="0" /></a>
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<br />At one point in this episode one of the contestants wisely declared that perhaps they should have brushed up on their baking skills before entering the competition! Well spoken. I watch the show almost every night and am utterly baffled at the level expected in the cookery, but even more dumbfounded at the expertise demonstrated in performing often at such a high standard. I would love nothing more than to be a contender on MasterChef, however with my limited cooking ability this is a distant dream. But my love for food shall not die, and I do declare myself to be an up & coming bakestar! Which, by the way leads me to confess a new goal - to be a member of the Country Women's association. What a wonderful world - baking and tasting and attending events :) There is nothing I love more than baking. Whether it be a distraction on a day full of tasks and work to complete, or an indulgence whilst on holidays with oodles of time to spare. Baking for me means love. It means I get to bump around to bossa nova beats and like this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI6PXGG4Ulc"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">like this</span> </a> and soulful swing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2UsTG6Y0-8&feature=fvst"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">like this </span></a>whilst creating something to make my family and friends smile. Baking means I get to lick the batter, and be the first to scold my mouth on fresh and hot goods from the oven. So with that I showcase some of my latest and greatest bake offs that I would be proud to have judged by the CWA!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbdZMJmi8o6zUyYRHPqzN278RF4u4rCSaiwwDiMKuGgTTMxryr62_xWVZtChRZGsoIIJDN-gkVJ2Gq2MzrHGOe2_qmzvyboy5Sta33xfRhbAyntXL3_z5CUiY9HKpFd9FmslGLNacwyo/s1600/logo.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbdZMJmi8o6zUyYRHPqzN278RF4u4rCSaiwwDiMKuGgTTMxryr62_xWVZtChRZGsoIIJDN-gkVJ2Gq2MzrHGOe2_qmzvyboy5Sta33xfRhbAyntXL3_z5CUiY9HKpFd9FmslGLNacwyo/s320/logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489977084505272050" border="0" /></a>
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<br /></span><meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/elizaberlage/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>421</o:Words> <o:characters>2405</o:Characters> <o:lines>20</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>2953</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1287</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-alt:"Book Antiqua"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:0 5 2 1 2 1 8 4 8 7; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 256 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:385690718; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1899868258 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt;} @list l1 {mso-list-id:640496953; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-748792806 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l1:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt;} @list l2 {mso-list-id:795442365; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-960092382 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l2:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt;} @list l3 {mso-list-id:1878395335; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1049970630 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l3:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt;} ol {margin-bottom:0cm;} ul {margin-bottom:0cm;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--> <p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:180%;">Vanilla Rose Buttermilk Cupcakes</span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4nL4wOAgSK00jHwAGSWvYpB1lf-4otkEhNSA-9fl03yWrzxbyewLku0E9woq4WDPvlL7tD_Cx8tGC_DmoyuB34geYatyhQSCQ8o8_8Yq8XrK9DhnhSv6c5V1ChHoT8QnS6yDmAe6qrE/s1600/IMG_5486.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 525px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4nL4wOAgSK00jHwAGSWvYpB1lf-4otkEhNSA-9fl03yWrzxbyewLku0E9woq4WDPvlL7tD_Cx8tGC_DmoyuB34geYatyhQSCQ8o8_8Yq8XrK9DhnhSv6c5V1ChHoT8QnS6yDmAe6qrE/s320/IMG_5486.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489963220036121922" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><meta name="Title" content=""><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><meta name="Keywords" content=""><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/elizaberlage/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>78</o:Words> <o:characters>447</o:Characters> <o:lines>3</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>548</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1287</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><i>I baked these beautiful babies in May in honour of the woman who gave me a wonderful life, and continues to sustain my wonderful life through her amazing cooking. Yes, that’s right, I baked these cupcakes for Mother’s Day, although I do believe you don’t need a Hallmark Holiday to bake for the ones you love! I chose this recipe from my little pink pal: Anthony Carrol’s publication, Cupcakes and Muffins after we finally found some rosewater syrup at Harris Farm. I love using buttermilk in cupcake mixtures because it is just to die for.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients</span></span></p> <ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">3 eggs</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 cup butter, softened</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 cup caster sugar</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">½ cup milk</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 ½ cups plain flour, sifted</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">topping</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 cup icing sugar</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 teaspoon rose water</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">musk sticks</span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Method
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <ol><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Preheat the oven to 160C. Line your cupcake pans with patty pans (cupcake papers)</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">In a medium sized bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy.</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Add milk, flour and vanilla, and stir to combine. Beat with a hand mixer* for 2 minutes, until light and creamy</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Divide the mixture evenly between the cake papers. Use a scraper to get more out of your bowl. Also of extreme importance: make sure you lick up any remaining batter </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Wingdings;font-size:100%;"><span style="">J</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> happy days</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to touch</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack</span></li></ol><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; font-weight: bold;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Icing</span></p> <ol style="margin-top: 0cm;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Combine all the topping ingredients except musk stick pieces in a small bowl, mix with a wooden spoon until well combined, then whisk until light and fluffy</span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">To top cupcakes either place mixture into a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle and pipe onto cupcakes or use a knife to generously spread the mixture on for a smooth finish. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Chop the musk stick pieces into small bits (they should look like little stars) and top the cupcakes with these beauties</span></li></ol><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">*</span>I prefer using a hand mixer to electric mixers as you can really control the consistency and get a mini workout</span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYRRkEexro2_ZsdfvbrEbvlUaVxW6Xybh-SUYBTSpgp4JLqsBrpgiKx8xIvjIUOoL2V8jdkxlKS6NBWDYmnRFgFH6K_gNH-4I27RQFu4OuiPx0x1NBytTmJsIhtN_a2_G_P5p1if_d9U/s1600/Photo+127.jpg">
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<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:180%;">Chocolate Honeycomb Cupcakes</span></p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:180%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYRRkEexro2_ZsdfvbrEbvlUaVxW6Xybh-SUYBTSpgp4JLqsBrpgiKx8xIvjIUOoL2V8jdkxlKS6NBWDYmnRFgFH6K_gNH-4I27RQFu4OuiPx0x1NBytTmJsIhtN_a2_G_P5p1if_d9U/s1600/Photo+127.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 439px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYRRkEexro2_ZsdfvbrEbvlUaVxW6Xybh-SUYBTSpgp4JLqsBrpgiKx8xIvjIUOoL2V8jdkxlKS6NBWDYmnRFgFH6K_gNH-4I27RQFu4OuiPx0x1NBytTmJsIhtN_a2_G_P5p1if_d9U/s320/Photo+127.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489903132357935154" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><meta name="Title" content=""><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><meta name="Keywords" content=""><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/elizaberlage/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>145</o:Words> <o:characters>828</o:Characters> <o:lines>6</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1016</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1287</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:georgia;" >These chocolate bombs were baked to mark the birthday of a family friend, Maddy whom I nanny for. The recipe was also from Anthony Carrol’s publication, Cupcakes and Muffins and was selected in response to Maddy’s request for a chocolate treat, and was inspired after watching a recent episode of Masterchef in which Gary taught the contestants how to make honeycomb. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any glucose syrup so I followed another recipe for honeycomb, using golden syrup, honey, water and sugar. I boiled these ingredients on the stove and when they were dissolved poured them into a bowl, quickly adding bicarb soda. However, whilst the mixture did rise as predicted, it never hardened and remained very sticky and gloopy, like the toffees one makes for a school cake stall. Next time I’m trying</span> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.masterchef.com.au/chocolate-ganache-with-peanut-and-caramel-ice-cream.htm">Gary’s recipe for honeycomb</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span><o:p style="font-weight: bold;"></o:p><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>In lieu of decent homemade honeycomb I went for the next best thing. Chopped violet crumble pieces instead adorned the smooth ganache like icing of these devilish delights.</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients</span>
<br /></span><ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">3 eggs</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 cup butter, softened</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 cup caster sugar</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">½ cup buttermilk</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 ½ cups flour, sifted</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">½ cup chocolate drops</span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Topping</span></p> <ul><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">½ cup chocolate drops</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 cup butter, softened</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1/3 cup thickened cream</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 cup icing sugar</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">½ cup pre-made honeycomb pieces, crumbled</span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Method</span>
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <ol><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Preheat the oven to 160C. Line a 12 cupcake pan with patty pans (cupcake papers).</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">In a medium sized bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Add buttermilk, flour and vanilla, and stir to combine. Beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes until light and creamy</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Divide the mixture evenly between the cake papers. Use a scraper to get more out of your bowl. Also of extreme importance: make sure you lick up any remaining batter </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Wingdings;font-size:100%;"><span style="">J</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> happy days</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to touch</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack</span></li></ol><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; font-weight: bold;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Topping</span></p> <ol><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Combine the chocolate and half of the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat. As the mixture begins to melt, reduce heat to low, stirring constantly, until melted. </span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Remove from heat, add cream and stir. Rest for 10 minutes: the mixture will be firm and velvety in consistency</span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Combine remaining butter, icing sugar, and vanilla extract, and stir until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate mixture, and stir to combine. </span></li><li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Apply icing to each cupcake with a knife. Top each cupcake with a cluster of crumbled honeycomb.</span></li></ol><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyJe4raMys0Z8mxluGh5UhWbVvsAywQKvtrJybbVH-m9WVdWtKT1nJL1knoAvjXhyphenhyphenNtU3yVB4kMEC0ok5bWNFhyphenhyphene3Ujn2b_A_QUbQO2ZGUSz6of-btfALsclkfkrAR9p2tGc0GeU7f3s/s1600/Photo+126.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyJe4raMys0Z8mxluGh5UhWbVvsAywQKvtrJybbVH-m9WVdWtKT1nJL1knoAvjXhyphenhyphenNtU3yVB4kMEC0ok5bWNFhyphenhyphene3Ujn2b_A_QUbQO2ZGUSz6of-btfALsclkfkrAR9p2tGc0GeU7f3s/s320/Photo+126.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489904159664262530" border="0" /></a>
<br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Sponge Sandwich
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUwALxPP7-5QuZ7Nf2wVhVTQjaLgA8h6UeltqcXJIm3jpY7out59sAapj7FKEkiyuijEz2vSq-FRK5KQ0h6u4GsbuuSVQ9qyU7zNlt_3Tkn_ewkrloAR_k2nmAjdPhDwLPpsy45RNj80/s1600/DSCF4408.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 486px; height: 364px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUwALxPP7-5QuZ7Nf2wVhVTQjaLgA8h6UeltqcXJIm3jpY7out59sAapj7FKEkiyuijEz2vSq-FRK5KQ0h6u4GsbuuSVQ9qyU7zNlt_3Tkn_ewkrloAR_k2nmAjdPhDwLPpsy45RNj80/s320/DSCF4408.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489904844271170866" border="0" /></a>
<br /></span></div><meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/elizaberlage/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>241</o:Words> <o:characters>1378</o:Characters> <o:lines>11</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1692</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1287</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:0 5 2 1 2 1 8 4 8 7; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 256 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><i>I baked this cake back in March upon a passionate request of my charming boyfriend, Peter, for his 21<sup>st</sup> Birthday celebration. This recipe is a classic from my mum’s favourite kitchen guide: The Commonsense Cookery Book. The book, endorsed by the NSW Cookery Teacher’s scholarship Fund, has been a companion to my mum’s preparation and cooking for as long as I can remember. Before baking the final product mum mentored me in a trial run, citing the importance of keeping the dry and wet ingredients separate, and the dry ingredients sifted seamlessly to ensure a light, fluffy, moist sponge. The only error I found was that my choice to use baking paper to line the pan resulted in an interestingly shaped, but overall tasty cake.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients</span>
<br /><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <ul style="font-family:georgia;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">3 eggs</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">¾ cup sugar</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">1 cup plain flour</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">2 teaspoons baking powder</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">3 tablespoons water</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Jam </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Icing Sugar</span></span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Method</span></span></p> <ol><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Preheat oven to 180C</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Grease two 18cm x 4cm shallow cake pans and dust with flour </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Separate egg whites from yolks</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Beat whites until stiff; add sugar slowly and beat well </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Add yolks and beat until thick</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Fold in sifted flour and baking powder</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Add water; stir lightly and quickly</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Pour into pans</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Bake in a moderate oven, 180-190C, for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Turn onto a cake cooler or paper sprinkled with icing sugar</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">When cool, place a generous dollop of jam onto the middle of one of the cakes, and spread it only slightly. Do this same process for the cream on top of the jam. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Gently place the other cake on top of this jam and cream cake (with the lovely golden top facing upwards) and slowly push down so the jam and cream ooze slowly towards the edge of the cake.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">Sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy </span><span style="">:)</span></span></li></ol> <!--EndFragment--><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">x
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<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-71218685763307776682010-05-17T07:01:00.000-07:002010-09-14T21:16:14.862-07:00#FungryGonna keep this one short and sweet. a brief post - similar to the experience of devouring a macaron. a small morsel, about the size of the circle you make when you do this<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYbjKP5IWaXM2kQnkj1W54NpyBj-w542BnPLYBwEtaH_mZ42P8ytMj9ygIZXVzYywxY-SJDF52YyiFtJPIBi8Rq4LyhinZCEPNOy9NtxI1TqScqHmC87z9dnd6-SeIcoYdGZGQIwkRls/s1600/hand1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYbjKP5IWaXM2kQnkj1W54NpyBj-w542BnPLYBwEtaH_mZ42P8ytMj9ygIZXVzYywxY-SJDF52YyiFtJPIBi8Rq4LyhinZCEPNOy9NtxI1TqScqHmC87z9dnd6-SeIcoYdGZGQIwkRls/s320/hand1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472239696160670306" border="0" /></a>Good things come in small packages. You nibble at the biscuit and ley it crumble with the quiver of your lip and enjoy its chewiness as you munch with your teeth. Upon further nibbling you hit the velvet creamy filling and it all comes together in an orgiastic harmony.<br />
Last Thursday I had a caramelised hommus (chickpea and caramel) macaron from the amazing <span style="font-weight: bold;">Adriano Zumbo Patisserie </span>(Darling Street, Balmain). I have since decided due to the perfection, seasonality and affordability of these delights at $2 a pop, I will try a new flavour once a week!<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZHLUOoSJArgV0n1oH08hkauVwnkd8h76aBwJ5du-_25_US4e8c1PVfhHj2Jj-e3Bp6dSGfh3nPvENSq_WlX3fOVx0e0FWnzivXXulbrsxeHvYRaaSi0TePoBAJ8qZ80kcFYr6YNA0y4/s1600/picture-12.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZHLUOoSJArgV0n1oH08hkauVwnkd8h76aBwJ5du-_25_US4e8c1PVfhHj2Jj-e3Bp6dSGfh3nPvENSq_WlX3fOVx0e0FWnzivXXulbrsxeHvYRaaSi0TePoBAJ8qZ80kcFYr6YNA0y4/s320/picture-12.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490773952347363842" border="0" /></a><br />
<br />
Now onto the trend of the time. I really do love Triple J. Being an avid J fan and a passionate foodie I was never more pleased then when 1. they started an afternoon of user-generated discussion to share puns relating to foods about bands. The silliness escalated and it soon became a top trending twitter topic!<br />
<br />
Here are a tall stack of the juicy ones (the first lot i cooked up myself):<span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><br />
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the bertie beatles, backstreets icecream boy, Edith Pilaf, Yves Klein Stew, Devondra Banhart, Bon Alasker</span></span></span>, <span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">Elvis Parsley, Marilyn Salmonroe, Emiliana Terrine, Feastie Boys, camera tempura, </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">the grillers, the cooks, grizzly pear, MSTRCHEF, Refrigerator, The Pussycat Rolls, Sufjam Stevens, </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">passion pitted olives, </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">banana split enz, </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">milo cyrus, jatzin bieber, boy and pear, greenday eggs and ham, muse-li, </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"> Uncle Toby's Hall & Oates, the Smiths chips, Quiche-a Mitchell, Powderfingerlickin' good and Fleetwood big mac.</span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6201189189857986813.post-28370868251848645342010-05-06T07:14:00.000-07:002010-05-11T23:41:25.158-07:00You had me at helloHello! G'day! Alo! Hola! Aloha! Konichiwa! Ciao! Haai! <i>mArHAbA</i>! <i>Nei* ho</i>! <i>Goedendag! Hallo! Saluton!</i> Bonjour! <i>Guten Tag</i>! <i>Namaste</i>! Witaj! Privet! <i>Xin chào</i>! <i>Selam</i>!<br />Whatever language/s you speak I want to welcome YOU to the beginning of something very special. Something very exciting. Something I hope you will find mesmerizing. I hope that it will be as intoxicating to you as my life is to me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This is my new blog. It's aim:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">initially:</span> to be a record of my eating and drinking adventures as a stepping stone to a possible career as a food and wine critic. But you know what, that's not enough? If this is really going to be a boomerang banquet (meaning I try things and throw them back to you), it needs to give you a taste of everything :) so I'm broadening my scope to include my other loves fashion, fun and music!<br /><br />Right now, I can tell you about three amazing things.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG ENTRY TO SHOW YOU A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE FINDS THIS WEEK.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3bjchz4rhWZFRqDN1YDSY7Aq4gt93tzMExEh00F3JXjT9KOMvKXRbLGhvQ_Sf1ELR26yWfwXTkyqqOQ4XyATJNwyNuK_sOx8cHNAYNQENhrR2TwUS3rPJfxoXZjTmDB0NYZ36bKV2ME/s1600/yoda_pug.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3bjchz4rhWZFRqDN1YDSY7Aq4gt93tzMExEh00F3JXjT9KOMvKXRbLGhvQ_Sf1ELR26yWfwXTkyqqOQ4XyATJNwyNuK_sOx8cHNAYNQENhrR2TwUS3rPJfxoXZjTmDB0NYZ36bKV2ME/s320/yoda_pug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469628325194480818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIDGvn673ZOu6mAALGnhqCiCXF5aEoLgUJk94Yx1YLZMHc_J8JdKl15hBJd5iLK8s48P23qYLtvjb7BDO0JOrBbONn6AIwPcU3v6jbKa3y7NL1cFNDM5mzbwY_v0D7QlKCgXjxtjQvMI/s1600/29146_1409073460169_1032449609_1212712_6326162_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIDGvn673ZOu6mAALGnhqCiCXF5aEoLgUJk94Yx1YLZMHc_J8JdKl15hBJd5iLK8s48P23qYLtvjb7BDO0JOrBbONn6AIwPcU3v6jbKa3y7NL1cFNDM5mzbwY_v0D7QlKCgXjxtjQvMI/s320/29146_1409073460169_1032449609_1212712_6326162_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469628946437705426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SHhLoI6OumRzqah_Vt0KHrIXqNmqpDhG_-ogKsr17GI9_G1AvNS_AaftOF7U9hvFAKgDGqRgoaH3Y-eIQnae2gt-QpN9OxvevSpXyUKYjL4ZJkNlTpOHntroI0YwULLdtkhCrZLWV2s/s1600/IMG_8679.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SHhLoI6OumRzqah_Vt0KHrIXqNmqpDhG_-ogKsr17GI9_G1AvNS_AaftOF7U9hvFAKgDGqRgoaH3Y-eIQnae2gt-QpN9OxvevSpXyUKYjL4ZJkNlTpOHntroI0YwULLdtkhCrZLWV2s/s320/IMG_8679.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469629057932795666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLFAaIe9uGujzaeo56I8dRz40TklKN1r8mTRW3D-ybuQjhWJ-VCikNxQMrAK0WS4CevvxFRyoOhSFx0rwrJjlHCo4_jo8XvQo7GbzT2_O_Ysg0wFSMDLfx0fzHA4mxWZoYouhQL-Z7d0/s1600/n698727714_1352564_1231.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLFAaIe9uGujzaeo56I8dRz40TklKN1r8mTRW3D-ybuQjhWJ-VCikNxQMrAK0WS4CevvxFRyoOhSFx0rwrJjlHCo4_jo8XvQo7GbzT2_O_Ysg0wFSMDLfx0fzHA4mxWZoYouhQL-Z7d0/s320/n698727714_1352564_1231.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469628128783895314" border="0" /></a><br />Resume normal blog.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Numero Uno:</span><br />I've begun a breakfast club with my besties. Why do you care? Well, because it means that I'm hitting the 'burbs and the citay bringing you some reviews about the most important meal of the day!<br /><br />Now, for the very first review of the very first breakfast club meeting. Starring myself, Katie Clowes and Courtney Ryan... drumroll please....<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hungry Darling:</span><br />Darling street, Balmain<br />Prices and hours tbc<br /><br />An early start to the first day back to university after a two week break requires some substantial sustenance. So to fuel up for a big day of learning some of my homegirls hit up Darling street Balmain for a feed. We spotted Hungry Darling last week on a well-earned shopping spree in the inner-city suburb. The seasonal fruit breakfast menu and early opening hours caught us, hook, line and sinker. So 7:30am on a Tuesday we were there with bells on. One of only two tables in the cafe, we were waited on warmly, and genuinely by a tired but accommodating waiter who was also our barista. I went for the gut instinct and ordered up the delightful sounding vanilla poached pears with orange and ginger marscapone. This decision was complicated by the temptation of field mushrooms. After some intense deliberation my partners in crime ordered up another poached pears, and a poached egg dish with tomato, spinach and bacon on toast.<br /><br />Plenty of water and a comfy window booth sufficed until our food came out at just the right time for us to have worked up an appetite. They both had impeccable presentation, althought the pears could have perhaps had one more colour on the plate. However, what they lacked in contrast they fully made up for in flavour and texture. The pears were just soft enough to bite cleanly, not at all mushy, and had the perfect intensity of vanilla to balance with the natural sweetness of pears. In terms of temperature, this dish was, as Goldilocks would say "just right". Together, with the fluffy, citrus marscapone and sharpness of the ginger, it was the perfect way to start a long autumn day.<br /><br />The coffee was "just right". I order a skinny latte, and was not not disapointed. The friendly barista brought me out a beverage with just the right ratio of froth to milk, and the roast would have been a stronger intensity as the coffee was quite dark and strong :) just how i like it on my student days.<br />All in all it only left me $13.50 out of pocket. Which is certainly excellent value for the dish i devoured.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Numero dos</span><br />I'm really digging some tunes at the moment. Yeah, what's new pussycat, i hear you say? These tunes are those phenomenal numbers, of which I believe fit into two categories.<br /><ul><li> <span style="font-weight: bold;">STOP-</span> those tracks you hear that just press pause on the world around you. It feels like wearing rose-coloured glasses and watching butterflies skip across fields, flutter across the tip of your nose and the float up, up and away into a cloudless blue sky. Basically, those songs you fall in love with. when I think of them it's like a Marvin Gaye song, 'I can't get enough of your love baby!'<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">DROP</span> - those tracks you hear that get your toes tapping, hands clapping, booty shaking, hips swaying, knees knocking. basically, the ones that make you wanna dance like a maniac<br /></li></ul>Here are a few of those songs now:<br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/52NNbxkniLk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/52NNbxkniLk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kDULAuG8FgA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kDULAuG8FgA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9wHl9qRsMzw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9wHl9qRsMzw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zP-HvDYncoo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zP-HvDYncoo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9ia4N_ABYk8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9ia4N_ABYk8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Numero tres<br /></span><span>Speaking of western feelings, I leave you with a delicious description of my latest wardrobe compilations donned this week.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span><span>Being fashion week, I thought it was even more essential that I push the limits of my wardrobe to concoct wearable outfits for uni and autumn, always keeping in mind the spirit of fun.<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Tuesday:<br /></span></span><span><span>The return to uni, an early start, needing to make a good impression for group networking and a friends gig were the criteria I strove to address in the creation of that outfit. Teaming my newly purchased black leather mini skirt with a loose grey leopard tee, a white sheer scarf and cream boots I wanted a look that was a little indie, rock n roll.<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Wednesday:<br /></span></span><span><span>I wanted a cute as a button get-up to brighten 'hump day', but also one that would be cute for a spontaneous tea party. I chose a very feminine but chilled out ensemble consisting of my dusky pink, puff sleeved sportsgirl tee with thin horizontal silver stripes, my op-shop find target skirt - </span></span><span><span>cream with a faded floral pattern </span></span><span><span>tight, straight, with a ruffled flare at the bottom, then paired this with my favourite white ice-skating style ankle boots, and an ebay bargain cardigan of sea green. Honorable mention - my rose jewellery and muted hot pink lipstick to top it off.</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Thursday:<br /></span></span><span><span>Today I was feeling a little bit Western and needing craving some boot-scootin'.<br />I like short shorts, and so selected my high-waisted, faded levi denim cut-off shorts, tucked in a pink and white patterned man-style button-up, rolled up the sleeves and slipped into my $2 hot pink cowboy boots. My hair I pulled back into a mid ponytail, and then slapped a brown unicorn belt onto my waist. I was sure ready for a hoe-down, throw down!<br /><br />Ps. photos of the food, fashion and fun to come, as soon as I get the photos from my plaything - my Diana Mini - developed!<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPotvwUPzpPkpCzJ40SBwCjanTbvol5qLOuZexZ9yWsbLpilaoLNKmgHbdXfVjnikE6RFFfKOVIPpIQJnN2aSnhPZB3iZuFbCCDeJBvjNvQ2Px8lxYi2LLLn0WTkRAHIMzlUE1ChaW9g/s1600/lomography-diana-mini-camera_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPotvwUPzpPkpCzJ40SBwCjanTbvol5qLOuZexZ9yWsbLpilaoLNKmgHbdXfVjnikE6RFFfKOVIPpIQJnN2aSnhPZB3iZuFbCCDeJBvjNvQ2Px8lxYi2LLLn0WTkRAHIMzlUE1ChaW9g/s320/lomography-diana-mini-camera_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469438065880050962" border="0" /></a><br />x</div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02398895593013420123noreply@blogger.com5