Weekend wonders

I have two very dear friends coming to visit this weekend - I've been bridesmaid to them both and am so looking forward to sharing a bit of my Melbourne with them.

I am so so so excited about finally visiting one of my Melbourne 'musts' tomorrow. Aren't the pics above gorgeous?! They're from Mossgreen Tearooms where I'm having High Tea with my most recent bride Jourdanne (and my local loves Bree and Gemma) tomorrow afternoon.

But first, the fun kicks off with a city drink with Sam tonight - you might remember her from this wedding . . .

I'm still tossing up which bar to take her to - so much pressure when visitors are in town! The shortlist is Hihou, Von Haus, Ombra and Cumulus Up. 

Sounds like a whole lot of stuff yourself silly with food and drink, if you ask me! 

Just the way I like it xx

Wine time, or vodka even

 

TGIF ladies! We made it!

 

Heading out with the girls tonight and I'm especially thirsty. Dashing home from work to slick on some lippy and slip on some heels. Luckily my morning blow dry has *almost* held.

 

Loved this quote I found on the sheshopped instagram the other night. That Lucy Cornes is a crack up!

 

The mood I'm in, I might need my friends to confiscate my phone . . . #trouble

 

Happy weekend lovers xx

 

PS. Go the Power! We're having a Mexican Showdown party to celebrate the first game at Adelaide Oval tomorrow. I'll share the famous pulled pork recipe with you next week . . . if Liam lets me!

Couldn't have said it better myself

(If only sound worked on this!)

 

This dating game is ruthless! And tiring. And expensive.

 

It's been a fun summer, but seriously, where is he?

 

There have been a few candidates along the way, let's recap:

• The weirdo with the bag of chocolates keeping warm in his pocket that he produced as a gift for me (weird, but they were Lindt so . .  .)
• The dude with the lisp who was so lovely but reminded me far too much of my brother (so pashing was way out of the question)
• The English guy who liked long {awkward} pauses and wore sneakers with socks
• The catch of the year who I never met even after four weeks of texting (I'm starting to think he never existed - just call me Casey Donovan)
• The dude who drank coffee, and only coffee - look, I like coffee but I'm so much more charming and witty and gorgeous after a few vinos
• And most recently, the perfect guy (sigh) who turned out to be the biggest turd in the world (insert expletives here)

 

I even looked this up this morning, out of pure desperation, but my mother would kill me.

 

The time has come to turn to the sisterhood - surely you must have wonderful, eligible, charming male friends out there?

 

My friends are having their first 'Bring a Friend Friday' drinks at The Carlton this Friday in the city, and I invite you to a) come along and b) bring a delightful male guest! We're all new to Melbourne and are keen to broaden our friendship group - it's very Adelaide centric at the moment an it's time to adopt new peeps to the fold!

 

There will be other singles there (that's the good thing about this city, I'm not the only one!) and it's sure to be fun. Beats sitting on the couch on your own eating a whole block of chocolate and watching online episodes of Real Housewives of Melbourne (because that's not what I did at all last Friday night . . .)

 

Let's talk, friends!

 

PS. How GOOD is Real Housewives of Melbourne!? #carcrashtv #loveit

 

UPDATE

 

And here my friends, is the extended clip . . .

 

 

A not so Miserables New Years Eve

Warm weather . . . lovely friends . . . hot BBQ . . . courtyard dining . . . DIY Pimms bar . . . decadent desserts . . . striped straws . . . gorgeous South Australian sparkling . . . new outdoor chair covers . . . lots of yellow . . . and Hugh.

(As in Hugh Jackman. The one and only)

Yes, this sums up my beautiful New Years Eve celebrations.

I had a delish NYE dinner with a gorgeous friend and then we headed to the movies to see Les Miserables.

It's three times as fabulous as everyone says it is.

Go see it. Now.

Happiest of happy new years cheer to my friends - new and old. Here's to an even bigger and better 2013 full of love, laughter and lots of colour.

xoxoxo

PS. Here's the recipe for that delicious, colourful salad. It was a winner and has kept me going all week! Thanks to Love and Lemons via Camille Styles


Sweet potato and pomegranate salad

salad components:
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed, plus olive oil, salt & pepper for roasting
2 cups baby salad greens (baby kale, spinach, arugula, etc.)
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup toasted pistachios, toasted & chopped
handful of chopped cilantro
2-3 chopped scallions, white and green parts

dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 clove minced garlic
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
salt & pepper, to taste

Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Chop the sweet potato into bite sized cubes. Drizzle with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until they start to edges start to turn a darker brown.
Make the dressing: Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, salt & pepper. Taste & adjust. Set aside.
Assemble all salad ingredients, toss lightly in the dressing.

Sunday funday

We had the most magnificent birthday lunch at Kim's last Sunday - the SFC was the perfect venue and with good booze and food plus awesome company, good times were guaranteed.

Now, I'm no style guru, so make sure you pop over to White & Wander to find out deets of the theme (think clam shells and fishing nets, gorgeous!) so I'll put my efforts into describing the food.

Oh, the food!

Here's the hostess with the mostest in all her glory.

Hello mojitos!

My little contribution to the day. Nacho dip. So creamy. So good. Recipe to follow.

Best drinks bar I've seen in a long time. Kim made me my first ever negroni. And I liked it. A lot. (Although mine had a lot more OJ than this decadent recipe!)

Emma's handywork. Wowee.

  

Marinated chook, Greek oregano and garlic lamb and scrummy salsa salad (sweetcorn, avocado, tomato, spring onion, coriander, lime juice and bean mix - black beans if you can get them)

Calabrese salad, age old favourite of rocket, pear and parmesan. . . with walnuts. More chook.

Ta da! The table

My over filled plate. Complete with Kimberlee's Mum's secret potato bake.

I should mention there was also beautiful crusty sourdough and drinks coming out of our ears.

Then the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. . . . Magnums for sweets. Yummy!

Bursting at the seats and with our belts loosened, we sat our the back drinking Croser and challenging Pippa and Emma to artwork masterpieces . . . with chalk in the courtyard.

To top it all off, I left to meet other friends for a drink . . . then popped back to do it all again with leftovers later that night.

Best. Day. Ever!

An icy reception

Popped over to visit Miss Brown at the SFC the other night and celebrated the new house with a few ciders and some delicious Thai.

Miss Clements got us excited with her decorating talk and we spent hours surfing the net for side tables, bar carts, lamps, you name it.

But back to my area of expertise (because I'd hate to confuse a Hamptons style with Hollywood glamour!) . . . let's talk about the food and drinks.

I made my easy 'taco' dip but I'll save the recipe for you when I have a better pic. Kind of looks like your fridge has exploded unless you get the right angle.

On to the drinks. We cracked open a few Pipsqueaks by the fab team at Little Creatures and Kimberlee served them up in the most gorgeous coloured glasses. As Emma said, it was like we were in the Mediterranean somewhere.

But the wow factor for me (I'm so easily impressed!) was the shape of the ice cubes!

Kimberlee produced long, thin sticks of ice that were so much more elegant than your usual cube. They'd be GREAT for Pimms.

Further investigation has hunted them down at IKEA . . . and prepare yourself for the shock, but they're only 75c each! Bargain of the century!

So guess where I'm heading this weekend. And you know what? I might even pick up a heart tray while I'm there! Talk about breaking the bank!

My new friend

Okay okay, if the truth be known . . . I like a beer or two. Especially at the pub with the boys from work on a Friday - they don't really understand the concept of 'Jansz' in the sports bar while laying bets on the dish lickers (that's the greyhounds for the unitiated).

Tragic, I know.

But last week, while making eyes with the cute barman, I was introduced to a new 'white beer' by Hahn. It was served in a tall glass . . . complete with slice of orange! I almost felt like a lady!

From the Lion Nathan website . . .

"Subtly spiced with essences of orange and coriander it’s excellent with food and makes a great alternative to wine."

I concur!

Footnote: I don't voluntarily spend my Friday nights in the Sports Bar with my workmates but my team lost the footy and I had a bet to settle!

H2-Oh

It's no secret. I like to drink. A lot. But not everyone has the same appreciation of alcohol that I do, and that's okay.

But I will not stand for my sober sisters settling for boring booze-free options (try saying that after a bottle of fizz!). There is no reason why non-alcoholic options can't be sexy, so I thought I'd put together a collection of some inspiring 'straight' drinks. These are great alternatives to lemon, lime and bitters. Serve them at your next do and your Desi Driver friends will thank you.

Donna Hay brilliance - jugs of water flavoured with ginger, lemongrass, and lots of fruit. Bring on Summer!

Spice up your Winter with an interesting take on a hot chocolate - put a skewer through a vanilla bean and then wrap it in a cinnamon quill to use it as a stirrer.

Mint tea, classic. Looks fab wrapped up in a bundle rather than hidden in a tea pot.

Make drinks fun for those not 'drinking'. These DIY mochas are kind of like the beverage version of an affogatto!

Add some zest to your water pitcher with slices of fruit, and your favourite herb. Here, Sunday Suppers has combined lemon, orange and lime with sprigs of fresh thyme. Best if left for a couple of hours for the flavour to intensify.

Flavoured mint water not only cleanses the palate but also serves as a stunning centrepiece.

From Sunday Suppers