Sitting on the concrete floor of my mother's friend's flowershop I sorted and searched through the little plastic pieces for the right colour. Pop, pop, pop the little pegs broke through black paper, twinkling as they released the light. I followed the Lite Brite patterns until I used them all up and started making up my own designs -- swirls and zig-zags and 5-year-old interpretations of trees -- from the little points of colour. And then a question, asked casually and without … [Read more...]
Aperol Spritz and Sunset Sessions at Icebergs – Sydney
If overlooking the beach and air-kissing with the beautiful people of Sydney sounds like the perfect way to ease into another week this one's for you. Thanks to the 2013 Aperol Spritz Sunset Sessions -- at Icebergs during November and Watsons Bay Hotel December through March -- you can chill out each Sunday through the silly season from 4pm until late. The Bondi Sunset Sessions feature beats from some of Sydney's hottest DJ's including Andy Webb, Valerie Yum and Kali, and of … [Read more...]
Strawberry, Cucumber & Coconut Water Slushy
A dose of refreshment on a hot day, a dose of sunshine on a rainy day -- this frosty drink is as appropriate post-yoga as it is post-beach. Another thing I've decided to do as part of my sticking with what works approach is to finally dig out recipes and pics from the past year or so that haven't made it into posts yet. This was shot -- ironically enough almost a year ago to the day -- using stunningly sweet new season berries and coconut water from a young coconut. I froze the fresh … [Read more...]
Spiced Pear, Red Wine & Chocolate Cake
I'm sorry, it was entirely unfair for me to wait this long to post this cake. Entirely. It was baked and devoured back in April as part of a Seasonal Sunday Lunch feast and somehow is only now seeing the light of day. Remember this Drunken Chocolate Caramel Tart madness? This is that, but re-born into dark, rich cake. With spiced red wine poached pears. And a sticky red wine sauce. And as I just got back from a girls weekend in the Hunter Valley a red wine infused dessert is so … [Read more...]
Chocolate Caramel Tart – slightly drunken, utterly decadent, perfection
It is rare that I make things this brilliantly evil, I'm usually much more restrained, but when one is going to a cheese and wine party one has no other option than to pull out all the stops. This is not a Chocolate Tart with Caramel, it is not a Caramel Tart topped with Chocolate, it is what happens when Chocolate and Caramel meet at a party one night, get a bit tipsy and have a love child. Meet Chocolate Caramel. Drunken Chocolate Carmel to be exact. Now if you've been around here … [Read more...]
Aussie BBQ Sauce
It's funny you know, the differences you find in an activity as simple as cooking food over an open flame. For starters what do you call said activity - barbeque, barbecue, BBQ, grilling or something else - and what do the terms mean? Then there's the question of what to cook, and even what equipment to use. Let me paint the smoky picture in very broad brushstrokes... In America-land, grilling is what happens on a charcoal or gas grill, usually with chicken legs and hamburgers and maybe a … [Read more...]
Pina Colada Rice Pudding, or Rice Porridge. Wait, what time is it…?
I'll warn you in advance, I may be in a mood, I may be writing stream of consciousnesses right now, I may not feel like editing tonight, I may get a bit random. On the other hand, I may not. It's kind of like roulette. However the outcome is tropical and sunny so I'll try not to frighten you too much up front, ok? Great. I always have leftover rice. Always. This situation is primarily due to cooking a full cup of dry rice no matter how much we need - every single time. But the leftovers get … [Read more...]
