GRRRR ARRRGH

Sometimes being married to a chef SUCKS!

Occasionally I have the urge to cook for my husband. Once I made a roast chicken with special stuffing that went under the skin on top of the breast meat. It took me all day and was pretty adventurous for my cooking abilities. H ate it and said 'my only criticism is that there was too much prosciutto in the stuffing...stunned silence. 'Your ONLY criticism?' I asked, 'why must there be a criticism, why not just say thank you?'. I swore I'd never cook again.

Having forgiven this past assassination on my cooking character I gave it another go with one of my mum's old recipes, tuna and spinach crepes. 'Needs pepper' were the only words uttered. After a few choice swear words I again swore off cooking for good...until last night.

As previously mentioned I had two dear friends over for a meal. Not wanting them to be disappointed with their allocated chef for the evening I spent the entire day slaving away to make a meal worthy of them. I even went to South Melbourne Market, which usually scares me!

The feast consisted of a roast garlic, thyme and marscapone risotto with toasted almonds and breadcrumbs followed by a pecan pie MADE FROM SCRATCH - yes pastry too (pictured)! The PHD and the Actress seemed very impressed, damn it they WERE impressed and I must say, so was I. In fact I felt so confident that I spooned the left over serve of risotto into a bowl and cut a piece of the special pie. H arrived home after I was asleep last night so I didn't get the verdict until this afternoon and while he liked the pie (he never seems to have an issue with my baked goods) the risotto was just 'ok'. IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK THAT HE JUST LIE TO ME???? I know he's a chef and will always know better than me but if he wants to avoid a punch in the lunch he's going the wrong way about it!

Anyway, rant over. I love you babe but next time please just say thanks!

In other cooking escapades I gave the rainbow sponge a go in hot pink...success! Looking forward to constructing the whole thing.

In a completely unrelated topic I am considering selling my wedding dress. It seems like a really sensible idea one minute and then the saddest thing the next. Has anyone done it? Regrets? Let me know.

CULL CULL CULL

In a bid to de-clutter my life (wardrobe) I have put a few items on ebay.

There are some real treasures there so check it out!

http://shop.ebay.com.au/lloysen/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

Friends in High Places

Most of my closest friends are those who I have known my entire life. Friends from school or family friends have turned into successful adult relationships. This morning I had an email from one such friend informing me that she had started a blog, inspired by my bravery. This particular gal pal has spent the past few years living and working in Freetown, Sierre Leone...and she thinks I'm brave?

This got me thinking, so many people I know are doing much more interesting, brave things than me and what interesting blogs their lives would make!

Earlier this year one friend was treading the boards with Geoffrey Rush for the Melbourne Theatre Company, another is completing his PHD at Cambridge on full scholarship, one is a successful electrician whose beautiful wife works in shoes...SHOES! Another has the most beautiful baby girl in the world and one living and working in Japan. I have cousins writing novels, following their dreams at fashion week, being nurses and teachers and saving the world! Such exciting, interesting people who I have known since childhood, it is a real joy to be part of their lives (and it doesn't hurt that they provide good blog material!)

So the PHD is home from Cambridge for a few days and tonight he and the Actress are coming to my house for dinner - although most people would be disappointed to come to a chef's house to have his wife cook for them these two have known me long enough to know what to expect...take away. Just kidding, I will cook!!

These two lovelies have been friends since school days, I've known and loved them even longer than H! In fact if it weren't for the Actress I doubt I'd be married to him now! After breaking up with him, when I was all of 15 years old, and then realising I still liked him the famous C was the one who asked H if he hated me (on my request) and that paved the way for a reconciliation that has not faltered for almost 11 years.

I have so many people to be proud of, what a lucky girl I am.

xxx

Blessed

I was not christened, I have never been to a church service that wasn't a wedding, in fact I am an atheist so when an Icelandic volcano erupts sending plumes of ash into the atmosphere and delaying air travel to Europe days before my beloved sister is due to leave me for two years it ALMOST makes me question whether there isn't some greater power out there granting my secret wishes.....naahhh!

In all seriousness I will be thrilled to wave M off once air travel is deemed safe once more - and not just for the promise of Krispy Kremes at the airport :) Travelling and living in a foreign city was the best thing that I ever did (apart from marrying the love of my life of course)and I cannot recommend it highly enough. So, even though it is with a very heavy heart, I am preparing to bid my little sister blister so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu.

On a brighter note (literally) I am undertaking the great task of making a technicolour dream cake for my cousin's upcoming 21st birthday party. Another of my fabulous cousins posted a photo of the glorious creation online (I have included it in this post also) and I have accepted the challenge and enlisted H as my assistant. The cake looks to be several layers of a firm sponge, each a different colour, each separated by a different coloured frosting, the entire thing frosted and coated with multi coloured 100s and 1000s! Sublime. It will either look very magical and Dr Seuss like....or it will all melt into a brown mess. Cousin L, who made the initial discovery has agreed to take full responsibility so I figure it's win win for me, I'll be the hero or it will be L's fault!

One last thing - thank you to everyone who has been supporting this blog. I haven't written anything for a while and several people have told me they missed it - yes they are all related to me but hey, they're the best kind of people!!

Thar' She Blows!

Well, what a weekend it was for us Melbournians! After a boring day in the office on Saturday I arrived home just before the deluge. Wind, hail and rain so fierce we had rain coming inside the flat. Personally I've never seen a storm like it, I watched it all from my bedroom window and the way the wind was whipping around was downright scary. H had water coming through the light fittings in the restaurant which is never a good thing - I hear electricity and water don't mix! Check out the photos of our driveway, before and during!

Once everything calmed down and the mudslide formally known as our backyard looked stable we decided to take advantage of the public holiday and get out of Melbourne.

H's parents have had a caravan on the foreshore at Dromana forever and it's a gorgeous spot to unwind and relax and just do nothing in general...it's also a great place to kick of a killer wine and cheese day in the Red Hill area! So that's what we, together with one of my fine selection of brothers in law, spent Saturday doing.

We kicked things off at Main Ridge Estate for a quick tasting, the Half Acre Pinot deserves a special mention. We then ducked across the road for some cheeky cheese and crackers at the Red Hill Cheesery (see pic) yum yum yum yum yum. I am partial to goats cheese and they have a fantastic selection. The Cheviot is particularly special and we have already devoured the chunk we took home!

Next on the list was Paradigm Hill....now, this was something special. The air was filled with the scent of lavender and the view over the vineyards was spectacular. We were greeted by winemaker George Mihaly and walked through four really special wines. The Riesling was exquisite as was the pinot, well worth a visit.

We dropped into the Merricks General Store and were instantly greeted by winemaker Kathleen Quealy who spent a good hour chatting and pouring us wine - too many to remember but some really interesting stuff. The General Store (which was heaving) is the cellar door for Elgee Park, Baillieu Vineyard and Quealy Wines. The store is a great space and it was delightful to spend an hour there talking to the passionate Kathleen.

Our last winery was Ocean 8, relatively new it is owned by the former owners of Kooyong Wines. Only open once a month, we arrived at the cellar door a little late and missed the Pinot Gris which we had heard a lot about. The Chardonnay was great and the pinot looks like it will be in a couple of years.

Our day finished at Red Hill Brewery as all good days should (you will notice that I have not mentioned any food apart from a little taste of cheese - this is because we got so caught up in the winey deliciousness we forgot to eat and ended up back in Dromana feasting on chicken and chips...and cheviot!

So a very successful Sunday in the hills, unfortunately it all came to a screeching halt when the three of us woke up in the middle of the night drenched due to the torrential rain and very leaky annex roof, it seems we couldn't escape the weather after all!

The Mornington Peninsula is really very close to Melbourne, especially with the new east link extension, it's a perfect day trip...just make sure you have a trustworthy designated driver! H drew the short straw this time and my BIL and I were chauffeured around having a whale of a time.

Check out the websites below for more info on the wineries:

http://www.mre.com.au/

http://www.redhillcheese.com.au/main.html

http://www.paradigmhill.com.au/

http://mgwinestore.com.au/

http://oceaneight.com.au/

http://www.redhillbrewery.com.au/

Alice in Wonder(ful)land

The story of Alice in Wonderland has always appealed to me - haunting and strange with a twist of beautiful - so when I heard that Tim Burton was recreating the classic tale I couldn't have been happier.

So when H and I had a surprise day off together yesterday we immediately decided to go and check it out. I left the choice of time and cinema up to H, a mistake evidently as he decided on the 3.30pm showing at IMAX only to discover that it was a 3pm sharp showing when we arrived to buy tickets at the theatre (this is not the first time he has made such a mistake and hence is fired from arranging social engagements going forward).

We raced across town to catch the 4pm at our local theatre - Gold Class no less, did you know it's cheaper during the day on a weekday???

Anyway, we got there eventually and loved the film. It was everything I hoped it would be, especially the Cheshire Cat voiced by Stephen Fry. Thoroughly recommend!

Tapas-tastic

Pathetic heading I know but in no way let it reflect the way that I really feel about tapas. I love it! The flavour, the spice and all things nice really appeal to me. I was first introduced to the Spanish delights in London, in fact one of my first 'dates' with my best friend was at a tapas restaurant. I read somewhere that tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people aren't so focused on working their way through an entire meal but rather nibble on little bits and tastes while chatting away. That was certainly true with Mrs London and it was true more recently at Bar Lourinha in Melbourne.

Located at the top end of Little Collins Street this cosy eatery is packed full of conversation and energy, even on a 'quiet' Monday night. We were seated at the bar and promptly dove into the menu, devouring green olives, Yellow Tail Kingfish 'pancetta' with lemon oil, Crystal Bay prawn tortilla, heirloom tomatoes with fromage frais, roasted mushrooms with garlic cream and a huge serve of pimientos (it's like Spanish pepper roulette, most of them are sweet and gorgeous but occasionally you get a hot one and MAN are they spicy little puppies...needless to say every single pepper that entered my mouth was hot, luckily beer sooths the pain).

It always helps to know the chef. Bar Lourinha is part owned by Matt McConnell but as most of you foodies will know the top chefs always employ a brilliant head chef to help run the show (my husband for instance ;). At Bar Lourinha that brilliant chef is Marcus Allen. Marcus and H worked together a couple of years ago and have remained great friends - who else would get the honour of a special dessert platter sent to their table?? OK, so the 'dessert platter' consisted of a couple of Kopikos (coffee lollies, a staple of the chef diet) but hey, we still felt special.

The real desserts were too good to pass up. Churros. Need I say more? Yes. Churros with dulche de leche (Spanish candied milk)....cue Homer Simpson drool noise.

So Bar Lourinha was definitely my cup of Spanish candied milk so to speak. They don't take dinner reservations but we didn't have to wait to be seated on a Monday night, apparently things can get crazy on the weekends but it's well worth the wait.

Check out the full menu and wine list at http://www.barlourinha.com.au/welcome.php

NB The photos were taken on my phone so aren't great, but you get the idea