Ode to Kate

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On the eve before a certain Kate marries her prince, it was in fact another Kate that was spoken about in excited tones between friends over last weekend’s Easter lunch. In between caramelised poached apples and cheese souffle; conversation had digressed to the treasure trove of online shopping and all of its rewards and bargains to be had. Different websites were tossed about as we spoke about the availability of international brands and shipping costs to us down under and I informed the others about my weekly activities of hopping onto the likes of shopbop, asos or net-a-porter for a fashionista fix that is unlike anything I can tap into locally. Never one for falling in line with high street fashion, I love trawling through these websites to view the alternative.


Recently for a close girlfriend’s birthday; I volunteered to source the perfect present. After much trawling; both online and in-store, I came back to the Kate which was discussed at Easter. This Kate is fashion-forward without being too on-trend. She can be described in many ways but to me; she is bold and colourful, yet always remains classic and elegant and consistently sits on top of my wishlist as an ongoing love. This Kate is Kate Spade. Still not readily available in Australia and with only a small selection popping up in Pink Zebra, David Jones and Papier D’Amour; Kate Spade is quintessentially New York.

The present I eventually found on Nordstrom’s website suited my girlfriend’s tastes down to a tee. It is a clutch that has a “Read all about it” feel to it as it largely resembles Saturday’s rolled up newspaper; yet has full functionality to store all of one’s needs for a night out painting the town red. I fell in love with it the moment I came across it and almost didn’t wrap it up and hand it over! So as one Kate will soon have all eyes on her as she says “I do”, I dedicate this post to the other Kate; Kate Spade ~ who just happens to be yet another love of mine that I simply wanted to share with you.

Page turners

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LOL; no, not laugh out loud but Lady of Leisure. That is my serene title at the moment as I wait patiently for the impending arrival of the birth of my baby. I am at that “anytime now” stage so trying to make the most out of my LOL status; whilst doing an array of activities to keep my mind supple and in a non-vegetable state as I wind down from work and try and sit still for longer than 5 minutes. Mr ELG has this strength; I apparently do not.

Since mum taught me to read at the ripe old age of 2, I have always been one to have many books on the go. Never a one-book-woman, I find that books of many genres have always been able to whisk me away from the mundane. I love the imaginary landscapes, the truth of numerous voices, the colours and themes and the many characters that you discover are your best friends, worst enemies or just passer-bys. And if I were ever to be stuck on a desert island and it was a pre-meditated journey so I could take a bag of books with me; this is the list in no particular order (which is also ever-changing):

  1. The Solitaire Mystery, by Jostein Gaarder
  2. Perfume, by Patrick Suskind
  3. The Millennium trilogy, by Stieg Laarson
  4. One Day, by David Nicholls
  5. Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith
  6. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
  7. Prospect Park West, by Amy Sohn

Right now, however in my LOL phase, I am re-reading the finer points of Active Birth Skills, by Juju Sundin and Sarah Murdoch to prepare myself for that L word that I am about to face and embrace. In addition, I have Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua on the go. Through her honest style of writing, I am literally laughing out loud as she writes about the distinctive style of Chinese parenting. This is bringing up memories of my own upbringing and how I am running in the other direction! I discovered my local library last week and have a spy novel on the go too (the secret lives of spies is ever intriguing) and let’s not forget the book club book I was supposed to have finished last month; How it Feels, by Brendan Cowell. Loved him in the TV series “Love My Way” but am finding his style of writing extremely confronting.


However it is the magazine MINDFOOD which takes the cake for the Page Turner award of the moment. Yes, I think I am one of ‘those people’ keeping the print industry alive! The current issue has Rebecca Gibney on the cover and despite my many books that I have yet to finish, I have not been able to put this magazine down since its weekend purchase. I usually flick through a magazine cover to cover and then go back to the articles of interest and feel time slip away. MINDFOOD has found the right balance of food and fashion, editorial and advertising, travel and puzzles, gossip and reality. No longer thinking should I purchase that stripy dress…now thinking about how and where do I subscribe?!!

Addiction to stripes

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I was shopping with my sister the other day and she said that everytime she sees something stripy, she thinks of me. We were in Trenery and I had picked up a black and white striped tote bag to look at. I laughed at her but then realised she was pretty spot on.

It’s a fact that most days I am wearing something with stripes. Whether they’re blue and white, black and white, red and white, rainbow striped or multi-coloured; I love the look! Not only do I adore wearing stripes but everything around me also falls in line. My quilt cover is a black and white ticking stripe, my coffee cups are red and white striped, I eat off blue and white T.G. Green Cornishware plates and bowls and whilst in Noosa recently, I bought a collection of shirts for Mr ELG; all stripes of course! Sharing this addiction with Mr ELG, we even had nautical chic as our wedding dress code. Knowing what we’re like, many of our guests interpreted this well, paid homage to our addiction in various ways and subsequently a lot of our photos and memories are filled with all things striped.

So why write about stripes now? Well I have recently come across this divine Karina Grimaldi dress on shopbop and felt the need to share and share alike. I have a similar one only it is 3/4 sleeved and not a maxi and I love the flexibility of jersey, its comfort and feel on the skin and ability to dress it up or down. Still pondering whether I should press purchase and go to checkout…?

 

BEST bircher muesli ever!!

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After ordering a great bircher muesli a couple of weekends ago from Clipper Cafe in Glebe; I came home and googled “best bircher muesli recipe”. This returned quite a few responses from different recipe sites such as Taste, Allrecipes.com and bestrecipes.com. Jamie Oliver had a pukka one come up as did Gordon Ramsay. I took a look at most of the pages and started thinking what do I love about bircher? Well, I love its sogginess, non-dry texture and will tend to ask and add milk to get the consistency right. I love grated apple mixed through it although a rhubarb/strawberry compote has worked well too in the past. I love the crunch of nuts also mixed through bircher whether they’re roasted hazelnuts, almonds or pistachios. I love a drizzle of honey for natural sweetness. I don’t mind if there is a scattering of sunflower seeds or LSA stirred through either and I prefer the taste of thick greek yogurt as an added dollop to finish it off.

So with Saturday breakfast not too far off I thought I would enlighten you with what I think is the BEST bircher muesli ever and I have a confession to make; I have made and eaten this three times this week already. Mr ELG also scored it a perfect 10. It incorporates most of my loves noted above with some added extras and is super easy to make the night before and whip together within minutes the moment you wake up. The result is a deliciously scrumptious, textured, slightly tart and yet ever so sweet wholesome breakfast to eat that makes you crave for more as soon as you have eaten the last spoonful and feel good about yourself at the same time!

Ingredients:

2 cups of rolled oats

Juice from 2 lemons

1 cup of water

2 handfuls of almonds – lightly roasted and chopped

1/2 granny smith apple – grated

6 dried apricots – diced

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon per person

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg per person

2-3 Tablespoons thick greek/natural yoghurt per person

Start this recipe the night before. Mix together oats, lemon juice and water. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Per person, spoon 2-3 large tablespoons of the soaked oats into separate bowls. Divide all ingredients equally and place on top of the oats (reserving some of the grated apple) and mix ingredients together so they’re just combined. Garnish with remaining apple, eat, hopefully love and enjoy!

 

burnt orange

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orange ~ Fanta, Valencia, Hermes, tandoori chicken, Autumn, Julia Gillard’s hair, butternut pumpkin.

burnt orange ~ Uluru.

In a past life, I used to be a tour guide and lead groups of up to 50 American students around the Central parts and the East Coast of Australia. I will never forget my first sunset at “the rock”. A local was passionately telling me that the naked eye alone would not be able to recognise and see all of the many shades of colour change and that I would have to have my finger ready to tap away at my camera and take at least 10 shots per minute to see one of the most beautiful sights. Lo and behold, when I returned home and developed my photos (it was not quite the digital age yet), my 30 or so photos of this impeccable sunset showed a myriad of shades of red, pink, purple and finally, a glowing burnt orange as the dust settled and Mr Moon came out from his hiding place.

As I was driving down Middle Head Road, Mosman yesterday morning on my way to the aptly named Burnt Orange; this vivid memory was a beam in my thoughts. I have heard many things about this cafe/shop but given its location is somewhat off the beaten track, I hadn’t been there until yesterday when the showers had set into Sydney and Balmoral beach was not shaping up to be the best wet-weather destination. Located in an old golf house, with a sweeping verandah wrapping its way around the homestead; I walked through the store to make my way out the back. Within moments, I saw beyond the headlands, a magical view over Sydney Harbour despite the steady drizzle of rain. A couple of tables were already filled with “ladies of leisure” and parents and new babies in tow. One of my companions for the Burnt Orange visit was a soon-to-be-three-year-old-going-on-thirty-year-old who immediately focused on a pink chair and that just had to be “our table”. Mixing kitsch with laid-back, I could only envisage this place on a weekend packed to the rafters with locals and visitors craning for a table and latte. But on a somewhat wet Tuesday morning, Burnt Orange had a relaxed, c’mon-in feel to it and a couple of hours passed by as my girlfriend and I made our way through an assortment of eggs, toast, scones and brownies with no feeling of being rushed to go and free up our table.

Also attracting the eye as I sipped on my delectable chai latte was an array of locally sourced gourmet foods in bottles and bags. Easter eggs and rabbits were on display and I could feel my senses being enveloped with every breath.

Finishing up, we headed downstairs to the homewares part of the store and I have to admit I was in a state of bliss. It was lovely to see the stock was not stock-standard yet unusual and different and I could imagine any piece having a place in my home. Upstairs housed more goodies to entice your wallet opening; cute kids clothes, lazy girly pyjamas, cozy embroidered blankets, colourful and witty cards, coffee table books on everything from French bistro fare to Givenchy shoes and my girlfriend and I did not succeed in leaving the place empty-handed.

For a destination off the beaten track; I will definitely go back soon if not for more perusing through the beautiful store for a “just because” gift or to sip another seriously-good chai latte. Burnt Orange; no longer associated with just a big bloody rock.

Burnt Orange @ 1109 Middle Head Road, Mosman NSW 2088

Autumn’s arrival calls for Caramelised Onion and Potato bread puddings

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Autumn; leaves turning orange, yellow and red. Clocks turning time backward and air becoming crisper and cooler. Nights are already dark at 6pm and no more long summer nights. Boots, scarves and pea coats are in store and my new Donna Hay magazine makes a timely arrival into my mailbox. However it’s not the donuts that entice me into the kitchen (cover photo) but a recipe that encompasses the heavenly words of caramelisation and puddings together. To me, autumn and winter signal the heartier and heavier meal; bakes, casseroles, slow-cooked stews…food to eat and devour that keeps the heart beating and soul ever so warm while the air chills down outside.

Making a couple of changes to the DH recipe; I used a 6-hole muffin pan and Pecorino over Parmesan. I also made my own caramelised onion from two small brown onions sauteed in olive oil with a bit of brown sugar and a dash of water added at the end of 20 or so minutes to complete this jammy goodness. I also had some leftover kipfler potatoes and used these instead of the prescribed chats. But sticking true to most of the recipe (see below) resulted in the most divine savoury bread puddings that partnered perfectly with a slightly thick roast pumpkin soup for a Sunday night session that also calls for an early night to bed to get the most out of that extra hour!

Caramelised onion and potato bread puddings

300g chat potatoes, thinly sliced

10 sprigs of thyme

Olive Oil for drizzling and brushing

4 large slices of thickly cut sourdough bread

20g butter, softened

quarter cup of caramelised onion (store bought/fresh)

4 eggs

125ml milk

25g finely grated Parmesan

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place potatoes and thyme on baking tray. Drizzle with oil and roast for 20 minutes or until potatoes are crisp and golden. Spread the bread with butter and caramelised onion and tear into rough pieces. Reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees Celsius. Whisk eggs, milk, Parmesan, salt and pepper together. Cut 20cm squares of non-stick baking paper, brush each square with olive oil and press each square into lightly greased muffin tin. Arrange potato and bread mixture in the paper cases and pour over equal amounts of egg mixture. Top with thyme sprigs and bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or cold.

See Donna Hay Issue 56 ~ Autumn; page 98

Enjoy because Mr ELG and I most certainly did!

Clipper Cafe – a bloody brilliant breakfast spot!

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Date: Saturday 26 March, 2011. Suburb: Glebe. Destination: Clipper Cafe.

Last Saturday was in one word frenetic. NSW was going to the polls and voting for Barry, Glebe’s weekly Saturday markets were on and there were people everywhere, the skies kept threatening to open up and pour down and Mr ELG and I were starving! Clipper Cafe has been on the must-go list for a while but I had never quite got there until last weekend. Located at the Parramatta Road end of Glebe Point Road, it is masked by kitsch green and white awnings and peering in through the large glass windows, it looks extremely busy with people out and about already sipping their flat whites and OJs and Saturday catch-ups have long commenced. Our group of 4 are quickly seated at the end of a share bench table and within the blink of an eye, menus are in front of us and first round of coffee orders have been taken. I get the sense there’s no mucking around here and service is top of mind. Taking a first glance at the menu, it has all the Saturday-session essentials ~ eggs, avocado, sausages, bacon, smoked salmon, French toast. Personally I order the bircher muesli with pistachio, honey and poached pears. Friends choose eggs in a variety of ways; poached and baked with an assortment of tasty accompaniments. Our order is taken by someone with a great memory and no notepad and the scene is set to simply sit back, relax and get on with the goss.

As everyone is chattering away, I look around at the character of Clipper and clearly see that it has loads of that and much more. Life-size push bikes hang on the wall next to mini penny-farthings, a selection of travel books on Sicily and Guatemala entice the wandering mind and the place has a buzz, an electricity that meets the frenetic nature of outside. A sip of the coffee is satisfying; creamy and crisp in taste and feeling like we have not waited at all, breakfast is already upon us and waiting to be devoured. Each of us have food envy looking at each other’s orders. Everything is still grand.

The bircher has a subtle sweet taste and has been efficiently soaked. The pears are soft and instantly melt in the mouth. The pistachios are crunchy and add the texture required to confirm happiness in my bowl. Mary has the baked eggs which arrive in a mini red Le Creuset dish. Oozing with sauce and sausages and partnered with crunchy buttered bread, all I hear from then on is silence and satisfied slurping with a smile. Mr ELG ordered the smoked salmon and poached eggs, with capers on toast and moments later, it has also been inhaled. Claire has eggs and bacon – a Saturday standard turned superior. As I said; a bloody brilliant breakfast.

Topping it off, the bathroom was clean – always an extra tick in my box and as I wander back to my seat I notice a Ben and Jerry’s fridge full of tubs and I know I have found a great place I will go to again. The food has exceeded expectations, the coffee was ordered more than once just because it was that good, the wait-staff were polite, smiley and on the ball and while there was a sense of urgency, there was no rush and Saturday started as it’s supposed to.

Clipper Cafe @ 16 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037

a great love

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I am a hopeless romantic. Not a Mills and Boon type by any means but I love a good rom-com, I still subscribe to Polka Dot Bride to see all the beautiful weddings showcased even though I was married almost 12 months ago and I do believe without a doubt that my single girlfriends will find true love despite the shrinking Sydney male population of remaining eligible bachelors!

When I heard the news that Elizabeth Taylor had passed away earlier this week, I went online to ascertain more details and read a recent quote from her, “I have been supremely lucky in my life in that I have known great love.” Not just any old, plain love but a great love! Whether or not she was referring to the renowned great love between her and Richard Burton or any of her other numerous husbands and lovers; I found this to be very inspiring and and a terrific insight into her state of mind especially at the end of such a coloured life; despite the loss and heartache that goes hand in hand with the incredible highs and ultimate lows of a great love.

So what what defines a “great love“? I believe my great love is characterised by plenty of passion, equal amounts of respect, a solid friendship, undeniable sexual chemistry, a shared sense of belonging and is ever-changing and evolving. I hope this is how Elizabeth saw and felt it too…

Go…Eat…Love!

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No, I have not gone mad and forgotten the name of my blog nor confused the flow of the verbs. Instead, let me explain…

It’s no secret that Mr ELG and I love to travel and go places. It could be a local getaway, a longer road-trip or aboard a jet-plane. Doesn’t really matter where we go because somehow it is always a given that by the time we come home, we are numerous kilograms heavier luggage-wise…all due to the innocent jam jar (most likely to be plural).

Fact: Mr ELG loves JAM. Quite unlike anyone I have ever met before. This condiment love-affair also extends to marmalades, chutneys and honeys ~ savoury or sweet and at any time that you happen to open up my pantry, there will always be a jar or maybe 10! Blackberry, Fig and Raspberry rate up there at the top of flavour chart but anything goes really. Personally, pre-Mr ELG; my favourite spread of choice on hot toast was always Nutella. A definite chocoholic morning or night; I love it thickly laden and and spread right to the edge of the crust. Jam for me as a spread was hit and miss, although from time to time, I have bought a jar of Bonne Maman’s apricot variety but I will tell you now, I do not display the same enthusiasm for jam as Mr ELG.

Last year in Tasmania, on a road-trip up the Freycinet coast leaving Port Arthur behind and en route to Swansea, we began to see signs for Kate’s Berry Farm. Unfortunately the sun had just started setting so we cruised past the signs promising to go back the next day to explore. The next day’s exploration did not disappoint and after a flurry of sugary taste-testing, we left the quaint berry farm with two jars of raspberry jam; sugarless and another variety with Cointreau.

Back at home, I remember twisting open the sugarless raspberry jar and within a week, its contents were gone. Spread, devoured by both of us ~ it was happiness in a jar.

A week ago, it was time to clean out the pantry. Looking at the shelf with its numerous jars we had collected various jams from our travels sourced from Maggie Beer, Beerenberg, St Dalfour and Christmas Hills. And there at the back behind the 20 other jars was a familiar looking black and white label. Long lost but certainly not forgotten, there had obviously been a bit of a backlog of jam to get through. It was the other jar; the Raspberry with Cointreau jam we had bought from Kate’s Berry Farm. I must admit at this moment of discovery, I let out a little squeal (it’s always the simplest things!) Throwing aside my pantry cleaning chore, bread was quickly toasted and to eat this jam was priority!

And so I deem this post Go…Eat…Love…pretty similar I think to “I came, I saw, I conquered” as this is what I did. Having gone to Kate’s Berry Farm, I ate some jam and fell in love, on par with Mr ELG’s enthusiasm. Simple as that but admittedly spreading this Cointreau one a bit thinner; in order to enjoy every last morsel!

Kate’s Berry Farm @ 12 Addison Street, Swansea TAS

Little Italy on Hastings Street, Noosa

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I always maintain…a great restaurant is one you go back to twice, three times and then who’s really counting at that point? Especially when it’s located in another state, it’s 2 hours away and that’s just flight time.

In terms of what Aussies love to eat, I am certain that Italian food rates up there in most people’s top 5 and well for me it certainly does. I know Chinese, Indian and Japanese are favourites too in terms of our ever-evolving palates but for me, #1 is my love for a food that hails from that gorgeous Mediterranean boot of a country! I love to whip up a spag bol after work (from scratch – none of this bottled sauce for me please!), I often crave for rich lasagne with lots of bechamel sauce, I have boxes of Pastabilities Roast Duck with Star Anise ravioli in my freezer (just in case) and I cannot ever go past ordering spaghetti/linguine/fettuccine/tagilatelle/pappardelle marinara when dining in an Italian restaurant. I immediately scan a menu for this when I am in a restaurant and if I have been there before I know what I am ordering before I have sat down.

This was the case when I went back to Lindoni’s on Hastings Street, Noosa at the beginning of March this year. It was just under two years ago that I was in Noosa for the jazz festival and I dined at this al fresco Italian restaurant with black and white checkerboard tiles, handpainted pictures of Positano adorning the walls and knowledgeable waiters milling around telling me of the night’s specials. Grazing over the menu which was in both Italian and English, my eyes quickly picked up on Fettuccine Marinara al Cartoccio. The waiter explained that this was not your average marinara but baked and served in a paper bag and that this was a “fine decision!” Fine was an understatement ~ magnificent and eternally etched into memory is a better description!

Two weekends ago, I was back in Noosa on a family weekend. I said to my sisters who share my love of Italian food, “I promise this will be the highlight.” I didn’t lie. While the others purveyed the menu and ordered other tantalising tit-bits, one of my sisters and I ordered just as I had two years ago. Not just your average waiter, Tony also picked up my growing 32-week belly and omitted the mussels on my order this time around (as I mentioned above; ever-knowledgeable and on the ball). Just as my hunger pains peaked, out came the dish ~ the baking paper was removed with a flick of the wrist and out poured a steaming yet delightful version of Marinara and for the next 20 minutes it was all about me and the plate and my love affair continued.

The home-made tiramisu finished off the night for me and confirmed that when in Noosa, do as the Italian lovers do and go to Lindoni’s. Book so you’re not disappointed as the restaurant fills up most nights. And now I wonder when will I get back to Noosa next…?

Lindoni’s @ 13 Hastings Street, Noosa Heads QLD