Broom Broom

Gem here. I was invited to a lovely baby shower on the weekend and was blown away with one of the gifts given to the 'Mum to be'. A friend had made this for her.....



NAPPY MOTORCYCLE

The photo doesn't do this justice but it is made up of nappies (or diapers/pampers if you are from this part of the world), receiving blankets, wash cloths, gorgeous baby sock handlebars and of course the cheeky monkeys and toy keys. I was very impressed with this clever version of a 'nappy cake' so have found a good step by step link on how to make one. It is not as hard as it looks so give it a go and you will be very popular at the next baby shower!

http://www.sweetaprils.com/2011/08/diaper-motorcycle-tutorial-diy-how-to.html

Finding the sunshine through the rain

Nat here.  Despite the gloomy rainy weekend here in BrisVegas we managed to find the sunshine!  Before the weekend started I had lunch on Friday with J and M at Spring which was great - fab chicken baps and lemon curd tartlets but I did think the cupcakes were a day old...and I know cupcakes!  It had a great vibe though and the cooking classes look a treat.

Friday night was dinner at Popolo over at Southbank (can't get enough of the dessert degustation!) with the husband's folks before heading to John Cleese  with T & B as well.  Good show, although wish there was more Fawlty Towers chat.  It bucketed down, not the best City Cat weather at all.

Saturday I tried THE dip for L's birthday dinner (Happy Birthday L!!) - and it was a hit Gem!  A quick pic before the second little pot was devoured.  I didn't have Le Creuset I must admit, mine are Le Kmart and for $3 you can't go wrong!  I'm thinking they would make cute Christmas presents with a little pre-made pudding or apple crumble?

P gave me the gift of inspiration for the upcoming 80s dinner party:

And I received a birthday gift from K:

K made it herself, isn't she clever?

Sunday was breakfast at Cirque (the relish is nearly as good as Cayman Pepper Jelly) and then lots of counting at a stocktake over at the old School:

Then husband and I popped over to Iceworks and had a quick taco tower and cocktail with M&M, we planned our trip to Tassie...can't wait!

We then popped over to B&T's to celebrate the signing of their contract on a house at Paddington, we even had a sneak peek!  We were around to see little S eat his avocado...100/100 adorable

SUNSHINE!

We topped our Sunday off with a bike ride over to Yeronga, for those who know me and the stories my Dad tells about my bike riding history I can tell you all that I AM getting better!  

Soaking up the Sunshine

Gem here. Got to love a good old beach day on Seven Mile Beach.... 

Need I say more!

Nat and Shaan- come back to Cayman xo

Spaces

Nat here.  Being an apartment dweller I love seeing brilliantly designed small spaces.  I just adore this pic from Brabourne Farm today.  Gorgeous much?!

SUNSHINE!

Have you had your daily dose of Brabourne Farm today?  You must!  Click here. 

Recipe Video Sunshine

Nat here.  Well she's at it again, Katrina Meynink serving up something delectable.  Feast your eyes on this divine video of how to make a red velvet cake.  Grandma-ma, I'm going to follow Katrina's instructions and whip this up for you when you're next over for tea!

SUNSHINE!

I'm also going to try your artichoke dip for L's birthday dinner on Saturday night Gem - I'll let you know how it goes!

Sunshine Dip

Gem here. I have been dying to christen my gorgeous little pair of Le Creuset petite casserole dishes. They are so adorably tiny and are a divine frog green (my fav colour) but because I only have a pair I have struggled with inspiration as to what to use them for. Individual chocolate puddings came to mind but with only two pots how does that work unless I am indulging my husband?!



Cuteness!



And then my Mum emailed me a recipe that she and her friends are loving at the moment and I knew I had found the perfect solution to spoil my dishes on their debut...

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

Ingredients

1 tin/jar artichokes (approx 340g), drained and chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Mix artichokes, olive oil, basil and garlic together and marinate in the fridge for 12hours.
2. Mix in the mayonnaise, cheese and salt and pepper to taste and pour into ovenproof dish.
3. Bake in 180degC oven for 35minutes.
4. Serve warm with oven dried Pita bread or Lebanese bread.

This recipe was so easy, fit perfectly into both pots and was a lovely treat to take to a dinner party we went to at a friends place last night- it was a hit!

80's sunshine

Nat here.  I have been seeking inspiration for an upcoming 80's dinner party that we're hosting in March, trawling through Mum's old Women's Weekly Dinner Party Cookbooks.  We must have had ESP about the gourmet throw-back as she threw an 80's luncheon today! Ok..Mum didn't know she was throwing an 80's luncheon however with prawn vol-u-vents, quiche, tossed salad (with sliced tomato and crumbled egg of course) and devil's food cake for dessert she now realises that is exactly what it was! They (ok...we) must have eaten well in the 80's as everything was yumm-o...

We dined at Poseidon on Emphiram Island for husband's Mum's birthday, it was delightful.  Run to dine with their degustation type delights before it is turned into a tapas restaurant in the next few weeks.
This was dessert - aptly named "milk, oats and honey", with salty biscuits, sweet honey jelly and tart milky panna cotta it was a taste sensation!  Husband's chocolate assiette looked nice...although it was gone before anyone else was able to try!

Big celebrations were held on Friday night for a wonderful friend C who finished the last subject of her law degree, let's just say, it's been a long time coming - we are all so proud...and relieved that we can plan holidays, dinners and parties in exam periods from this day forward. We discussed the under usage of the Oxford Comma....very apt for finishing a law degree I'd say.  I tried to pretend I was aware of its meaning.

Drinks and nibbles at Tank Restaurant were delightful, particularly as we saw Alistair McLeod himself whipping them up.  Dinner at Southbank afterwards was also great, as were the night-caps at the old Plough-Inn.

Here's cheers to C!

So - any other ideas for the 80's themed dinner party for 12?  I hear avocado was the truffle oil of today?

Sweet Dreams

Gem here. Can you imagine as a kid, waking up surrounded by chocolate!

I am not 'arty' at all but have a great respect for anyone who is. One of those people is my wonderful cousin Sophie who has designed and created this fantastic kids bedding range called Bed Toppings.

Bed Toppings literally turn kids' beds into giant objects so the whole bed can play dress up! Whether it be a Chocolate Bar, a Sardine Tin, a beautiful Flower Bed or a Box of Pencils, this bedding (available as a set or as separates) will make any kiddy snug as a bug in a rug!

http://www.bedtoppings.com.au/



Funny

Nat here.   Shaanie showed me this youtube clip recently and I think it needs to be named - best youtube clip EVA (word EVA used with express permission from CSD).  I know this looks a little naughty for a sunshine post with the "s" word on the video.  However I dare any girl to watch this and not find things that they say!  It constantly makes me laugh when I unintentionally utter the words, the one tonight was "can you please turn it down", I actually think I had the same face and everything!

SUNSHINE!!

Decadence!

Nat here.  If you are chasing something ridiculously yummy, head on over to Katrina's blog and check out her cookie-dough brownie - it would satisfy ANY chocolate craving me thinks!  Find the delicious recipe here.

Katrina is the author of a Fantabulous cook book called Kitchen Coquette which has been receiving outstanding reviews (which I believe don't even touch the sides - it is hands down THE cook book of our generation!).

SUNSHINE!!

If you head over to her blog, tell her we all said hi!

Happenings and being all loved up

Nat here.  It was such a big weekend it was still going on Monday this week!  We went down the Coast on Friday night to husband's parents.  Husband's Mum cooked her famous pork roast...it made me think of you Gem!  We went to the beach for a quick dip on Saturday morning and I tested out my kindle...it's fabulous!

  Saturday we tourist stripped it up again on the Cat into Southbank to have dinner with M&M, we went to Poppolo which was delicious...M1 had a delightful cocktail with frangelico and muddled fruit.  We also had crackling pig, you've started a revolution Gem!

On Sunday we could have city-catted it up but chose to drive into Powerhouse...lucky as a big storm rolled in.  It was lovely to see B&T and J&D, not to mention little Miss L and Master S...seriously cute babies.  I was so enthralled in them the only picture I took was our view on arrival!

Last night we went to Alchemy to celebrate the fact that two years ago husband asked me to marry him, on a secluded beach in Cayman.  Apparently I nodded the wrong way...I was in shock I tell you! Don't worry, I eventually yelled "yes"!

Engagement Spot = SUNSHINE!!

Afterwards we celebrated with our Cayman family - Shaanie, Gem, S and L with respective husbands...it is one of the best memories of Cayman we have.

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you are as loved-up as I am today!  SUNSHINE!!

A Cayman delight

Gem here. As so much is imported onto our tiny islands, when there is something locally grown and/or made it is a real treasure. When Nat lived in Cayman she actually spotted this winner and since then it is a staple in my pantry- Hot Cayman Gourmet Pepper Jelly. I guess in Australia we would compare it to a chili jam.

It is a sumptuous blend of spicy, sweet and tangy made using locally grown scotch bonnet peppers and what Caymanians called 'seasoning peppers' plus four other locally grown species of West Indian peppers and sweet peppers (among other secret ingredients). Scotch bonnet peppers are synonymous with Caribbean cooking and look a lot like a mini capsicum but pack a lot of heat. Pepper Jelly is made by a one woman weekend operation which started out as a hobby for an avid gardener and is now a highly demanded product with residents and tourists alike. Despite its popularity, to maintain quality and that good old homemade taste only roughly 36 jars per week are made without a preservative or dye in sight.


Scotch Bonnet peppers

Now to the most important part....Pepper Jelly is best eaten with cheese and crackers in fact goats cheese and a generous dollop is a match made in heaven. But Pepper Jelly's uses span only your imagination; ham glaze, basting for ribs and other roasting meats or add to sandwiches, stirfrys, pizzas and burgers. To make your salads dance- whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, grainy mustard and Pepper Jelly until emulsified for a spiced-up vinaigrette.

This week I chose to use it for a glaze for fresh Salmon = SUNSHINE!!

LIME & PEPPER JELLY SALMON

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 lime zested and juiced

2.5 tablespoons 'Hot Cayman Gourmet Pepper Jelly'

2 tablespoons butter melted

Fresh cilantro/coriander chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Salmon fillets

Method

1. Mix ingredients until well combined. Add S&P to taste.
2. Save 1/4 of glaze and set aside for a dipping sauce.
3. Season both sides of salmon fillets with S&P.
4. Brush salmon with generous amount of glaze. Can then marinate in fridge for 30mins if wish.
5. Pan fry or BBQ salmon until cooked to your liking. Brush with glaze as cooking.
6. Serve salmon with remaining glaze (that had been set aside) poured over the fish or on side as dipping sauce.

I made roast vegetable and fresh mint wholewheat couscous to accompany my Lime and Pepper Jelly Salmon.

On the label for Pepper Jelly it says "Shelf Life: Don't know- never lasts long enough to expire!". What's not to love about this Cayman delight.

Morning Rush

Nat here.  Are you always rushing in the mornings? I am, but with husband away (and with therefore one less drop-off point) I have an extra 20 minutes in the morning, I like to use that time to sit and ponder...

SUNSHINE!!

Shaanie, the flowers are starting to bloom...they smell aaaamazing!

I received another birthday surprise, seriously this birthday is one of the best eva!  Movie tickets from Gem - what a great idea with all the fab movies around at the moment.  Questions for Ben looks great and with the same creators as The Castle, it is bound to be fantastic.  The Castle always makes me think of Gem's husband, we call him Dennis Denuto, he struggles with Tray 3.

Birthday Sunshine!

Nat here.  What a weekend! I hit the big number before the even bigger number with a 3 in front this week and my wonderful friends ensured it was a memorable one!

The weekend started off with a family BBQ, followed by a breakfast with the stars on Sunday - thank you A, C, K, L & P...wow we sound quite alphabetical with my N thrown in.  The girls showered me with amazing gifts which were all unexpected!  I was lucky to receive a gorgeous jewellery box from the world's best French Corner at Newmarket.  I was also lavished with the foodies guide to Brisbane (essential foodie reading which I can't get enough of!), a Donna Hay Cookbook - as Gem calls "Dons" - divine! And a fabulicious (new word?) subscription to Vogue Living.  Not to mention the presence of K, honestly, as I told you K - a gift in itself.  The vitamin chat was solid - what does everyone recommend?

Salt at Rosalie was the destination...delish. As FF would say "run, don't walk"..particularly to the potato galette with smoked salmon.

A Day on the Green at Sirromet was the destination for some great food, fab-o company and let's face it not the best wines.  Our best summary of the wines was "not offensive".  Hearing 'Electric Blue' by Icehouse in real life was surreal, it was like being time warped back to Rage on a Sunday morning.

On the actual birthday in question (Monday - at work, horror!) it was an equally fun day which included breakfast in bed courtesy of husband, the most beautiful voicemails from friends (including from the Cayman Islands, Melbourne and Theebine!) a new kindle, lunch with husband at Cru Bar (order the vanilla and passionfruit mojito stat) and birthday cake complete with candles at work.  After work was a meeting however S made it lovely by a) telling everyone it had to end quickly and b) buying a lovely gift of MOR products.

Last but not least, some flowers arrived today...all the way from Singapore.  With husband away stepping out of the lift to a gorgeous bunch of lilies warmed my heart!  Thank you Shaanie and CSD xoxo

SUNSHINE!!

A Crabby Visitor

Gem here. Being winter in Cayman at the moment (a chilly 25degrees Celsius!) we have been leaving our windows and door open to enjoy the fresh sea breeze however this morning we had an unexpected visitor.
After hearing an unusual scratching noise on the tile floor I looked up to see a land crab tiptoeing along our hallway coming from our bedroom. The little fellow must of been hanging out in our room for half the morning. After scaring myself senseless, I tried to gently coax our visitor towards the front door but it wanted none of it and decided to hide under our couch for some time. After a team effort between husband and I we eventually managed to sweep him outside to join his friends. Better get back to sweeping the floors- look at that dust!

"C'est Beau"

Gem here. A friend recently returned from a trip to France and kindly brought me back a very authentic souvenir.....macaroons (macarons in French). Now these weren't just any macaroons. They were the mother of all macaroons from St Emilion, a small medieval village near Bordeaux famous for its fine wines and the birthplace of these delicate almond biscuits (where they have been using a traditional recipe since 1620). Wow, what a treat. With the macaroons presented on the paper they were baked on, I cherished every crumb even sharing a ration with husband.

SUNSHINE!

When I next get a hankering for this gorgeous delight (and I don't have anyone going to St Emilion!) I am going to give this recipe a whirl which brags that it is the real deal.

ST EMILION ALMOND MACAROON

Serves: 4 people

Prep time: 25mins. Cook time: 20mins. Resting time: 30mins.

Ingredients

150g of ground almonds

175g of white sugar

2 egg whites

Icing sugar

*nb: In addition, the original recipe includes essence of bitter almond. Quantity is a closely kept secret so feel free to experiment until you achieve a balance of bitter and sweet that appeals to you.

Method

1. Mix half the sugar with the ground almonds, add one egg white and mix well.
2. Add the rest of the sugar and again mix well before adding the second egg white.
3. Once all the ingredients have been incorporated the mixture should be soft without being sticky. If it is too hard then add, little by little, an additional egg white until the dough is pliable.
4. Leave to sit for 30mins.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 150degrees centigrade.
6. Lightly oil a baking tray or cover with greaseproof paper.
7. Dot small rounds of dough- well spaced- around the tray.
8. Dust with icing sugar.
9. Cook for 20mins- opening the door from time to time (this is said to help the macaroon remain soft inside while developing a crisp shell).
10. On removing from the oven- lift from the baking tray almost immediately and leave to cool on a wire rack

Can be kept refrigerated in a plastic container for several days but are best eaten the same day.

Although a macaroon can really be enjoyed often and anytime, it is particularly suitable as a light dessert biscuit with a glass of champagne or fortified sweet white wine (French of course!).

"That's beautiful"- Bon Appetit



Christmas Pig

Gem here. Pork has always been a celebration meal in my family. Every year Mum would ask my sisters and I what we wanted as our special birthday dinner and each time without fail we would exclaim: "roast pork with crackling"! So when good friends asked us and another family over for a pre-Christmas get together and then followed it up with they were cooking suckling pig on the beach- my mouth was watering.....

Our host M went down to one of the local Cayman farms the day before the feast to pick up the freshly slaughtered, neat little BBQ size piglet only to find he was presented with a humongous 50lb hog! The same height as M's 4 year old son, not only was it too big for the esky (and had to spend the night in the bathtub filled with ice) but he was now going to have to find a way to cook it. With the help of the other husbands, a new chicken roaster, a few trips to the hardware shop for modifications and a bike tyre found on the side of the road to help manually turn the monstrosity, M had himself a 'pig on the spit'. Stuffed with vegetables and herbs, slow roasted over a fire on the beach in the gorgeous salty sea air for around 8 hours and basted periodically with fresh coconut water plucked from a nearby palm tree, we had ourselves the most succulent roast pork I have tasted in a long time with a full coat of the snappiest crackling so no one would go without. Thanks M, what a celebration meal to remember!! 



Fresh coconut crust (note the ingenious bike tyre!)



                                           

Devoured!

Barossa

Nat here.  Well my friends, did the sun-shine on the beautiful Barossa last week!  What a place!

We visited lots of wineries and if we had to pick a favourite it would have to be Murray St Vineyard.  Andrew Seppelt the winemaker showed us around for a bit of a private tour which was fantastic.  Every wine maker I've met (ok I may be exaggerating with that statement) always says "wine making really is an easy process"....in that case I think we should set up a little vineyard in the Barossa immediately...or keep dreaming!

Our other favourite cellar doors would have to be Shaw and Smith, Bird in the Hand and Henschke.

http://www.murraystreet.com.au/

We ate like Kings and Queens at Appellation...husband joked that re-mortgage might have been necessary to pay the bill but I thought it was well worth it...they even had a pretty gum tree to set the scene at our pre-dinner drinks.  Note the Pimms again?  It really is the drink of summer...

http://www.thelouise.com.au/dine/

We stayed at the Barossa Pavillions which are gorgeous little guest houses with spectacular views, particularly from the swing on the verandah - love!

SUNSHINE!

 http://www.barossapavilions.com.au/

A trip to Adelaide wouldn't be complete without visiting THE gourmet Mecca - Maggie Beer's...and, we actually saw her!  I was completely celeb shocked and couldn't talk, literally.  Best picnic EVA!

Overall, I would give Adelaide and the Barossa one million points - fab, fab, fab weekend away.  Our last night in Adelaide we dined at Bistro Dom, if you are in Adelaide it's a must try - best duck EVA and that's coming from someone who has regularly dined with the King of Duck aka Shaanie's husband CSD.

Are you booking your flights now???? Good, you won't regret it!

Non-Alcoholic Arty Fun

Shaan here.

I like a glass of wine (or two or more) every now and then but as I am on a fitness kick I have been trying to find fun things to do sans alcohol.  And along came Arteastiq in Singapore!  I got together a group of ladies who were all interested in finding their inner artist and signed up for a 3hr art session.  You can free-paint (ie go it alone) but we all thought that for a few extra dollars we would go the art teacher option.  The class was called 'Still Life Fruits' but we were able to use our artistic licence (I use this term VERY loosely) to put our own spin on it.  Despite a mid-class tanty about my disastrous efforts a few minutes with the teach taking us through shading and adding dimension and things started to turn around.

All-in-all it was a great 3 hours.  I can definitely see why people love painting (even if they aren't good at it), apart from some friendly banter amongst our crew, I didn't think about anything else other than my creation for the entire time.  Whilst I won't be going out and investing in art supplies, I will most definitely go back again soon for another foray into the artworld.

...now to find a place to hang my first creation in my pint-sized Singapore apartment...

www.arteastiq.com/artjam.html

Inspiring!

The end result.  No-one's going to pay any money and my hubby had a giggle but I am happy!

Super Delicious Breakfast

Shaan here.  Ok, I am not a breakfast person.  If left-over pizza versus bacon and eggs was on offer at my house I would most definitely go the left-over pizza nuked for a minute in the microwave - delish!

However, Wild Honey in Singapore is changing my mind.  With its country themed all-day breakfast options it has something for everyone.  Of the two locations I prefer Scotts Plaza.  If you are visiting Singapore it is a great place to fuel up before you hit up the famous Orchard Rd for a bit of shopping.  The big plus is that unlike the Mandarin Oriental location, you can make a booking and they have a great deck if you are happy to brave the balmy Singapore weather (being an Aussie this is no problem for us).

www.wildhoney.com.sg

Latte with a smile!

SUNSHINE!!!!

Greasey-Stain-Removing Sunshine!

Shaan here.  So we have all had those weddings to attend where you and your hubby know and love the happy couple, truly believe the relationship will last and so you are extremely keen to find the perfect party dress to wear and kick your heels up with them on the big day.  The day arrives, you spend more time looking for your camera than getting ready and then wonder why your hair doesn’t look quite right, you cry through the ceremony and speeches, eat too much food and, wait for it, drink too much alcohol…  and then the night ends… with an hour wait for a cab, a greasy kebab in hand and then finally, oh finally, you make it into bed.  Makeup not washed off, shoes still strapped on, handbag firmly wedged under your arm and your party dress still on.  Morning, or should I say midday, arrives and when you finally feel like you can sit upright you make your way to the bathroom and a fleeting glance in the mirror confirms your worst nightmare.  Your “perfect party dress” is still on but has been decorated with rather large grease stains not to mention a few unidentified food particles from aforementioned greasy kebab all over the beautiful blue silk.  Ruined!  Or so I thought...

...and then along came Dylon Stain Remover 'for greasy stains'!!!   I found this product in a Singapore supermarket and thought I would give it a try.   It comes in a nifty hand-sized pack with a sponge applicator (yes, yes, so even I couldn't stuff up the application!).  The alternative being never able to wear a dress I love again after only two outings!  I have to say that it was a complete success.  After a go with Dylon and then a trip to the drycleaner the dress came back good as new and lived to see NYE 2011!  

SUNSHINE!

www.dylon.com.au/fc-stainremovers.htm.  

Before

During application - SCARY!

After!