Around the world in 80 plates

 Like any good holiday, my recent trip to New Zealand was full of ah-mazing food discoveries.

Here are some of my faves . . .

Bluebird chips with onion dip (I ate a whole bowl to myself at the wedding recovery BBQ. Enough said.)

The best nibbles plate ever including homemade guacamole, smoked chicken, smoked salmon fillet, grilled haloumi with pickled red onions and yes . . . more onion dip.

Matched with Martinborough's finest whites.

Grazing platter at Poppies Winery. 

Hello dolmades and grilled courgettes and capsicums (gosh, I'm even speaking like the Kiwis now. I mean, zucchinis, not courgettes)

Beautiful Pinot Gris.

An ah-mazing feast at Shed 5 in Wellington. My camera carked it so I didn't get a pic of my fish and chips but it was GOOD.

And I just wanted to order "fush and chups" while I was over there. Small pleasures.

Fern had the cannelloni (and Sophie the banana)

Bridal brunch at Elk Cafe in Palmy.

The kumura (ahem, I mean sweet potato) mash was TDF. With poached egg, hollandaise and bacon.

Oh yes, definitely necessary to line the stomach before a big day.

Isn't that right, Lou?

Oh how I love food travels around the world!

Brekky bites

So I've just downloaded the blogger app on my iPhone and am having a play with it while I watch the same Olympic wrap up for the third time. Apologies if it's a bit random, the features are limited!

Oh the joys of daytime tv when you're home sick! I love love love the olympics but mark nicholas's Olympic gold segment is not as exciting the second time.

Did you get up early for the opening ceremony?

I was up at 4.30am making blueberry muffins so that they'd be hot out the oven when Emma arrived. I ate my way through the day, totally delirious with exhaustion, only magnified by a scary late night drive home from the Barossa in the thickest of fogs. It was scary!

I felt hungover (without a single drink!) and cranky all weekend - I have a newfound respect for mums with bubs!

But back to the food ... my signature corn fritters came out to play for the opening ceremony.

And so did ham and cheese croissants, complete with green and gold cutlery!!! Merci l'aguiole!

Looking forward to lots more late nights on the couch over the next fortnight.

Let the Games begin!

Hoorah!

Emma's coming over bright and early at 5am tomorrow morning to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony with me. I'm setting up camp in the living room complete with quilts and pillows and she's under strict instructions to still be in her pjs when she gets here.

No frills at that hour of the morning! I might be able to muster some bling earrings for the occasion though . . .

I've cooked sweetcorn fritters tonight and have treats at the ready for a lazy morning on the couch - ham and cheese croissants, toasted turkish pide with peanut butter, smoked ocean trout and chorizo to go with the fritters, then of course a sweet finish with Donna Hay blueberry muffins and scones with jam and cream if we so desire.

Have I gone overboard a little? Never!

Congrats to Lauren Jackson. What a special moment to carry the Australian Flag.

Let the games begin!

Pic from the Glitter Guide

Bastille Day

 

Welcome to breakfast at L'atelier de Monsieur Truffe.

One minute you're walking along a cold, wet street in funky Brunswick, feeling a little worse for wear after making good use of your Golden Ticket the night before . . . 

. . . and the next your friend pushes you through an unassuming red door and you're whisked away into the most unexpected world of deliciousness.

Let me take you back to last weekend when Lill treated me to a Bastille Day gastromic experience of French proportions.

Monsieur Truffe is known for its chocolates - even producing them on site behind a glass viewing screen (check out the cool red machinery!) - but its extended menu is what floated my boat.

I didn't know where to start - savoury vs sweet breakfast options (I know, it throws me every time) or do I venture into the lunch menu? And what about the specials of the day?

 I needed something hearty after shaking my booty at Mr McClelland's Finishing School the night before and knew we were in for another large night taking advantage of my second Gold Ticket.

So I chose the chorizittos with spiced beans and a poached egg on sourdough. Wowzers. Totes hit the spot.

Lill and I swapped half way through so I got to try her croque monsieur that was seriously out of this world. Glad I only had half. Oh la la.

We also got chatting to a friendly German/American girl at our bench and she had the avocado, persian fetta, vine ripened tomatoes and basil on olive bread. Tres bien.

Other interesting menu items included eggs cooked in a jar complete with truffles, and pork ribs with slaw.

My only regret is eating so much that I couldn't fit in one of their famous hot chocolates. Guess I'll have to head back again . . .

Pics mine and from here

In my little corner

Adelaide has joined the revolution.

The revolution, that is, that's seen tree-lined suburban streets become home to gourmet providores and hot dining spots.

My little neck of the woods, in particular, is suddenly the "cool" place to be seen with Mums and bubs enjoying babycinos; yuppies sipping on lattes; artists feasting on grilled haloumi; and girls catching up over french toast and bubbles.

Anyone would think I was in Melbourne!!!

These little cafes offer so much more than your standard egg and bacon breakfast. Quite often they're corner stores disguised as art galleries disguised as gourmet grocers disguised as coffee shops disguised as sandwich bars disguised as lounge rooms.

Such establishments include The Pantry on Egmont, a mother's milk and The Stranded Store.

The furniture is comfy, the wait staff friendly and the food fresh and edgy. They do the classics, but they have  their own little twist on them.

Case and point.

French toast.

I rarely ever order sweet for breakfast but on a recent visit to The Stranded Store in Colonel Light Gardens, I was tempted by the daily special.

French toast with orange scented ricotta, smashed raspberries and basil.

It was just so different. And I caved. I chose sweet.

Ah-mazing doesn't even start to describe it. Can't wait to tackle my own version of this combination - I've never made French toast before . . . time to indulge.

Or just head back to Stranded!

Calling all cowgirls

Saddle-up cowgirls and head out back to indulge in all things wild west!

As promised, I'm thrilled to share Gemma's champagne baby bunch with you (don't worry, the baby mama stayed off the bubbles!). We had so much fun and the guest of honour was made to feel very spesh.

My photography skills (and time management!) have let me down again and I failed to get good pics of the set up and food, but you'll get the idea. These photos really don't do it justice - the backyard looked gorgeous and the food was so 'on theme', I wish you could've been there!

The guest of honour with her brother Cam

The first game was 'guess the baby name'. If Gemma and Ben hadn't chosen a name already, they'd have no trouble picking from this selection! The winner is yet to be decided . . . 

Loved the vintage cowboy fabric that I borrowed from White & Wander.

And there's Antonio keeping an eye on the drinks. Good bull.

Guests were treated to a bandana of their own on arrival and it was fun to see how everyone chose to wear them - around their neck, wrists and 'guns'

What's a Wild West party without Woody!?

 . . . and bullets hit the spot.

The bircher muesli was served in little cupcake wrappers.

These were a great last minute find - realised I needed some 'pregnant friendly' bites after going a bit OTT with cured meats and soft cheeses. I'll post the recipe later this week

Blueberry fritters with lemon curd and cream were a yummy start to proceedings, as were the corn fritters topped with sour cream and chives.

I dressed up some home made baked beans with chorizo for something a bit spesh. Perfect little serves in gelati cups, they were a hit! Stay tuned for recipe - they are so easy to serve up in bulk (I'll be eating them for breakfast, lunch and tea for the next week!)

Can't beat grilled asparagus and prosciutto with hollaindaise

Red hots are a constant on my party menu. So yummy and so easy!

The craft table was a hit in between yummy treats with everyone decorating personalised building blocks for the nursery.

Thank goodness for Kaisercraft!

Libby's cow pats were the perfect 'on theme' sweet

And whoopie pies are the new black - love these little bites! 

Gem's cowboy spears were the perfect 'sweet' finish to the day.

We also indulged in 'Raspberry Wranglers' (aka muffins) thanks to Gemma's Mum and 'Ham and Cheese Hustlers' (aka croissants). And of course, the obligatory Jansz. Yum.

Here's to a happy and healthy few weeks ahead for the expectant parents xo

Whoop whoop!

Very excited about Gemma's baby shower tomorrow (or bambino cloudburst as Briar calls it - gold!).

Putting the finishing touches on the menu tonight while Mum and Dad clean up outside. Bless parents!

Making Betty Crocker whoopie pies (yes, I'm cheating) but they're so good and I'm time poor and have too many other things to worry about to bother making my own from scratch. Don't mess with Betty!

I'm trying to give everything a cowboy flavour (tragic, I know!), so think I'll be calling these 'cow pats'. Just wait til you see what I've got in store with the 'cowboy caviar'!

Stay tuned for pics next week xo

Pic here

Dear Lill

Dear Lill

Next time I'm in Melbourne, can we please go here.

Coin Laundry in Armadale.

It looks really cool.

And I love the guys' aprons.

And check out the housemade baked beans.

And smoked trout on rosti. Hello beetroot!

Lovely clean lines and great communal benches.

Love that exposed brick wall.

Looks like just the sort of place I'd love to open in the Rads.

Happy for you to do some research beforehand, the Melbournite that you are. Or ask Tom, he's the breakfast guru, yeah?

See you soon xo

Pics from here and here

Yeee-ha!

I pinned this pic ages ago from a subtle revelry.

Love love love styled mag.

This pic was the inspiration for the Cowboy Baby Shower I'm throwing for Gemma in a couple of weeks. Random, hey!?

I love stacks of fluffy bite-sized pikelets and the feathers added a playful element that reminded me of a girl's take on Cowboys and Indians.

We're having a classy little champagne brunch at my folks place and I've been busy pinning my heart out to help get in the mood for the big day.

The props have been rolling in and it's slowly taking shape. 

If only Miss Tina lived in the Rads so I could call on her expertise! Have you seen her work!? Totes gorge. She'd rock this gig.

Stay tuned for pics in a couple of weeks . . . 

Breakfast dessert

I think I've shared my love of breakfast before.

It's probably my favourite meal of the day to go out for. Sweet or savoury? Your choice.

But Joy the Baker has opened my world to a whole new concept . . . where you can have your cake and eat it too. Why just choose sweet or savoury? Why not have both!?

Joy celebrates 'breakfast dessert' in this oh joy blog post. And it's revolutionary!

Having said that, I do have to admit how fond I've been of Urban Bistro's breakfast menu. They offer first and second course options to satisfy sweet and savoury cravings.

I'm currently planning a cowboy baby shower champagne brunch and am designing a breakfast canape menu so that we too can have the best of both worlds. 

Little bites of savoury followed by decadent sweet treats. Heavenly!

Thank you Joy!

Barossa brunch fun

I've said it before and I'll say it again, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day.

You can have multiple courses, you can drink bubbles with it, and it can be sweet or savoury.

Breakfast in the Barossa with golden oldie friends . . . now that is the perfect day out!

Darling Jo hosted our latest "boarders" catch up and cooked up a delicious treat - egg and bacon free form pies with toast for starters.

I know these are a favourite of Donna Hay's if you're after a recipe.

And decadent berry pancakes with cream and maple syrup to finish off.

Absolutely delicious. Goody worky Joey!

And hello cheeky monkey! Lucy loved sitting up at the table with the big girls. We bonded over youtube clips - she's one tech savvy toddler!

I need to start planning my menu for next time it's at my place.

Until then dear school buddies!

Bang!

I had high expectations of the gunshop cafe in Brisbane's West End, and it delivered on all fronts.

I went for the potato feta hash cakes, and they were out of this world. Seriously, one of the best breakfasts I have ever eaten. Or nearly eaten.

Such a shame I was so hungover and only managed a mouthful. What a waste!