Macaroons and Cakes

We went to Laurent today...snapped some bad photos of good things while I was waiting for Miss A and Mr Octopus to get served. We have some Macaroons- more macaroons can be seen on my favourite blog in the whole world (so far!) Paris Breakfasts.

And some cakes...

Colour 2

Another gorgeous day! This time I looked down and took this.

Colour

Was a gorgeous day today!

I looked up- and snapped this pic.

Thursday Thirteen #5-Thirteen Paintings with Kiss in the title

Thursday Thirteen #5 Thirteen Paintings with "kiss" in the title. 1.The Kiss- Gustav Klimt 2. The Kiss- Edvard Munch 3.The Kiss- Gerald Laing 4. Kiss, Kiss-Momar Ndiaye 5. A blue kiss in the shadows- K.Madison Moore 6. Kiss, Kiss- Lionel Njuguna 7.Prelude to a Kiss- Joesphine Wall . 8. Subway Kiss- Mary Hatcher 9. Kiss and Freeze- Kebe Fox 10. God's Kiss- Gayle Levee 11. The Kiss- Francesco Hayez 12. The Stolen Kiss- Jean Honore Fragonard 13. The Kiss- Roy Lichenstein

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Anthony Browne New Book!

I love (totally love) Anthony Browne's books! I had a heap of them before my kidlets were even thought of. Unfortunately (!?) Miss A now thinks they are all her books! And recently keeps reading the Willy books. We actually have two copies of one of his books because while in England we saw a signed copy that we just HAD to have. I'd love to meet him. Anyway today I walked past a bookshop and this new Anthony Browne book was in the window...so in hurried excitement I dashed in and got it. 

Other links

Walker Books blerb on Anthony Browne

Age Article from 2006

The Guardian interview 2000

ALSO HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY TO MY GORGEOUS NEICE! More on that in another post!

Blibbets

Well the slow cooker is back!! Yay! Speaking of slow cookers there are some on special from this Thursday at Kmart (page 15 of the catalogue) so if you have been hesitating.....GO AND GET YOURSELVES ONE....(not looking at anyone in particular  you know who you are!)

On the non slow cooking non meal front I have made a simple sponge with pure vanilla (oh yeah!!) icing...and today I made choc chip muffins Gabriel Gaté's  recipe from this book

It's a favourite recipe! And I just love this book! (and we have a signed copy by all three contributors!)

Hive

Well today we went for a reasonably long walk...certainly the longest walk I have had since Mr Z was born. We ended up at a nursery (the plant variety) and I fell in love with this HIVE swing by Sirkul designs. Again their website lets them down- they really are sensational chairs, the Hive being my favourite in the range.

Thursday Thirteen #4-Thirteen of my favourite yoga poses.

No.4:Thirteen yoga poses Click for more information 1. Savasana (Corpse Pose) 2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) 3. Vrksasana (Tree Pose) 4. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) 5. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes) 6. Padmasana (Lotus Pose) 7. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge pose) 8. Natarajasana (Dancer pose) 9. Marjaryasana (Cat pose) 10. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward facing dog) 11. Supta Virasana (Recling Hero pose) 12. Balasana (Child's Pose) 13. Garudasna (Eagle Pose)

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As a yoga teacher/therapist (although not teaching at the moment, a little busy with our new addition to the family!) I still feel I have a duty of care to say that none of these poses nor any combination thereof are intended to be a complete yoga practice but rather poses that I personally enjoy at this particular moment or find interesting. You should not attempt these poses willy nilly, and it is best to get some professional guidance- some poses are contraindicated for specific conditions and the nuances of yoga and yoga poses require some individual guidance.Most of the yoga in the Western world is known as Hatha yoga- then there are various branches of hatha eg. Iyengar, Kundalini, etc etc...a simple google will reveal all sorts, it is best if you plan to undertake some form of yoga practice to try a few different classes to find the best style of class that suits you best. Yoga practice is not about conforming to a picture in a book - each body is different- so everyone will look slightly different when working with an asana...anyway before this descends into an essay on my thoughts about yoga practice I will finish this post with a book I love!! If anyone wants further information please leave your email address!

Yoga book I love!!

Structural Yoga Therapy- Adapting to the Individual by Munduka Stiles

Cake decorating with a 3 year old!

Well today we made cupcakes! Miss A has been assisting me in cooking exploits from a young age. Today she decides she wants to "help" decorate the cupcakes. She helped measure flour, sugar, crack eggs etc, so I guess she felt it was time to move on. Unfortunately "helping decorate" involved her climbing up and sitting on me in an awkward manner and squeezing the piping bag anywhere and resisting any guidance!!!!!! LOL! Here are some examples of the results!

I actually don't mind cake decorating when I am in the mood. Mind you before Miss A's birthdays I hadn't done any since at high school...and that my friends was EONS ago!

Here's Miss A's second and third birthday cakes. Her third birthday cake was a quick and simple one as Mr Z was not even a month old by the time her birthday arrived and to be honest I was too tired to create a masterpiece LOL. I hate fondant, royal icing and marzipan etc, so I use buttercream icing. I want to try a buttercream icing transfer soon!

  

There are heaps of sites/blogs out there- Gooooooooogle goooooooogle....here are a few.

Sites.

Cake Deco A tiny store in Melbourne jam packed with...just about everything!

Wilton

Cake Decorating Tips

Creative Cake Decorating- Just found it- haven't had time to delve into it yet but looks interesting.

A piece of cake- Heidi made our wedding cake and she is just brilliant.

Blogs.

The Cake Stylist

Cake Decorating Stuff

Bakeralla

The Cupcake Project

A Photo

This is a quick photo I took of my son (9 weeks) holding my thumb while he was on the boob! Considering I took the photo one handed I think it turned out ok. No new camera yet but I did feel some bodies (camera bodies people!!) today.....more on that later...right now I need my bed.

Snapshot & Digital SLR's

Well I've been a bit slack in posting so the summary snapshot of what I have been doing is:

• cooking (an apple crumble, marinated lamb, home made pizzas and Donna Hays Double Chocolate Cookies....yum!)
  
• nappy changing
• nose wiping
• cough medicine dispensing
• dreaming of Paris

Plus I have been thinking (always dangerous!) about getting a digital SLR! 

Either this one- Canon EOS40D

Or this one Nikon D300

So what do you think? I'm edging towards the Canon because I'd like a live preview....both of these camera's are fast.....but I'm after a good continuous shooting speed and I think the Canon might outshine the Nikon in that regard.  But then I like the sensor type on the Nikon better than the Canon...but then I don't like the sensor being made by Sony in the Nikon, have only read bad things about them....and apparently the Nikon software for RAW is rubbish- ...and on and on it goes....this way then that!! And then there is the Canon 5D.....

Come on people tell me what you think! I'm due to go and have a feel of them both soon!

Zombies

Well tonight I am feeling like a zombie! Miss A decided to sing, whine and be awake in the early hours of this morning and then decides she had to get up at 6am! 

I am thinking about making a new short film, but then I have been THINKING about it for a while...ok years now. Peurile Productions  (yes I convinced them to start a blog...no they haven't written anything in it!) tell me I have to wait until my kidlets are about 5 before I embark on such a venture and they are probably right, there's barely enough time in the day to do anything let alone everything! (Even when you get up at 6am!)

I haven't seen a movie, as in go out to the movies in a long long time!

I think the last movie I saw was La Doublure (The Valet)

Anyway I won't make a zombie film but I would make a good zombie in a film! (I am a member of Actors Equity, just incase anyone wants to approach me with an offer....yes clearly its time for bed).

Here's a link to reviews about Zombie movies....from GreenCine of course.

Good night...sleep well my lovelies....

Thursday Thirteen #3-Random Words

Thirteen random interesting wordsClick on word for definition 1. ipomoea 2. erlking 3. chlamydes 4. oeillade 5. esurience 6. clabber 7. gnar 8. ofay 9. nates 10.apraxia 11.uxorial  12. ahimsa 13. fahlband

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Laurent fix

Today I met my SIL and neice and ended up at Laurent! which I just love for that little taste of France without going to France (the website lets them down so go to one of their stores and you will see what I mean). We were looking in the display cabinet and I said "Oh that's a new cake" my SIL made a remark about me knowing the others so well and I realised how much of my life before moving here has been spent at Laurent! We used to live very close (too close obviously, if I know all of their cakes off by heart!) to Laurent and it was only today that I realised it's been a long time between hot chocolates! Well actually not that long as there is one near where we live now but it's a smaller store and harder to get into! 

The Laurent that founded Laurent spent time at Lenôtre so really nothing more needs to be said....sigh...

Whooo whoooooo

Night Owl Paper Goods that's who and in Australia they can be found in a special Pigeonhole! (Thanks Johann!) there's also other goodies in the Pigeonhole as well but they are the sole distributor for Night Owl Paper Goods in Australia.

I love these designs. My mum is a lover of owls so she is getting that one....as for the others...well I am not sure....I just had to have them! There are heaps more to chose from! These are postcards made from eco friendly wood (they are almost paper thin), but they also have note cards and other goodies.

Night Blooming Cereus

                                     

My friend recently showed me some pictures of the Night Blooming Cereus.

Here's some more information about them.

Salt and Pepper get close!

Pretty cool salt and pepper shakers! Viewed from above the design forms a yin and yang symbol..how cool is that? It's designed by Alberto Mantilla of the Mint Inc collaborative.

Shame I'm not into salt or pepper! They look so stylish!

Alcohol in puddings and cakes...

Well I had a thing for the good old chocolate self saucing pudding....now usually I put Kahlua in with the sauce ingredients and that is just delish!! But tonight I tried Grand Marnier instead with nearly equal success. Yum...(nearly equal only because I prefer Kahlua!!)

Speaking of alcohol my SIL made a Chocolate Guiness Cake and I think this is the recipe she used....I didn't taste it but apparently it was pretty yum!....and Nigella has one too of course...not a yum (don't get the whole blokes going ga ga over her, but they are a gullible lot afterall, it's the way she licks the beaters apparently..you see what I mean). Here's one adapted from Nigella's.

Then I remembered there's also a fair few Chocolate Whiskey Cakes (click for a recipe). Apparently the Wunschebros Cafe has a famous one! ....I haven't tried it, but if you do let me know how it turned out.

Lament of the slow cooker & cooking thingies

I know I posted about my slow cooker before- and I am still waiting for the replacement...I am getting edgy there are alot of recipes I want to try and I just KNOW they will all be better in the slow cooker. Come on slow cooker I am sure you need me just as much as I need you!

Who would of thought I'd become this way over a slow cooker!

Anyway, now I have a confession- remember my post about menu planning- well since downloading the software I haven't even looked at it. I am keeping things simple by just looking through my recipe books/cooking sites, writing down the seven meals getting the ingredients in our weekly shop and then I am ready to go.

Some cooking sites.

Taste- Australian site, lots of recipes from various publications. I use this one a bit-even just to get inspiration.

Mealopedia   Menu planning, recipes, free sms of ingredients to your mobile

Chocolate and Zucchini (LOVE THIS ONE!!)

Gourmet Traveller- I used to subscribe to this magazine, pretty food, pretty places.

Good recipes

Lifestyle food

Simply Recipes

All Recipes

Epicurious

BBC Food

Some recent recipes that tantalised my tastebuds....and are on next weeks menu.

Cocotte Roasted Chicken I like to use Lilydale free range chooks for my chicken recipes...haven't made this one before but have made similar recipes so should be delish!

Jaret de Veau Braise a la Cuiller (Spoon-Tender Braised Veal Shank) That is if I can get veal shanks.....

Baked Pasta Casserole (minus the almonds...they just aren't my thing..thought I might add something else)

Vegie Shepherds Pie- well actually their version is lentil....last time I made it- I paid no attention to the recipe at all- just put what I wanted in it! (possibly chickpeas?hmm can't remember!) It was very very loosely based on this recipe.....if anyone ACTUALLY makes this recipe and sticks to quantities etc can you leave a comment here and let me know how it was? LOL.

I am thinking maybe a yoghurt marinated lamb dish as well...we will see.

Thursday Thirteen #2-Things that Disgust me

Well there I was merrily typing away about SIGG bottles when I realised that its Thursday Thirteen!!! So better get to it. The suggestion this week was for a gross list and I was going to do a gross image list but changed my mind. So here's thirteen things that disgust me....in no particular order. Will post the SIGG bottles later.

Thirteen things that disgust me(believe me there are more than 13!) 1. Smoking 2. Carnage against forests 3. Injustice 4. Greed 5. Rudeness 6. Drunkeness 7. Talking on mobiles while in toilets 8. The approval of the pulp mill in Tasmania 9. Coke 10.Chewing gum 11.Spitting in public 12. Pollution 13. Mcdonalds Note a good link on disgust is here at BBC

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Aren't they just beautiful?

Sing along now....3 SIGG bottles sitting on the window sill, 3 SIGG bottles sitting on the window sill.........

Actually there were four of them but I posted one of them as a gift.

Nice Swiss design all round don't you think?

Links.

SIGG-NATURES @ Hollywood life

SIGG NEWS USA

Triple Chocolate Brownie Recipe

Well I was browsing around and someone had posted a double chocolate brownie recipe...which reminded me that I had made a triple chocolate brownie recipe a few months back...here it is..

This is from the Marie Claire "Flavours" cookbook.

TRIPLE CHOC BROWNIES.

185g (6ozs) butter

185g (6ozs) dark chocolate chopped

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

2/3 cup plain flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup roughly chopped white chocolate

3/4 cup roughly chopped milk chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (or 350 F).
   
2. Place butter and dark chocolate in a suacepan over low heat and stir until just smooth. Allow to cool.
   
3. Place the eggs and sugar in bowl and beat until light and creamy.
4. Fold through the chocolate and butter mixture.
5. Sift the flour and cocoa over the mixture and mix to combine.
6. Add the white and milk chocolate then pour into a 23cm square cake tin, base lined with nonstick baking paper.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set. 
8. Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

The book suggests for total indulguence serve with a glass of liquer..but I think its indulgence enough on it's own.

Pretty Things....

Gorgeoussssss nesss nesss at Laudree what more can I say.....sigh...getting all dreamy about Paris again....

Chocolate as a cough suppressant

While I was at the hairdressers today I was given a magazine to read- it was dated Jan/Feb 2008 and it had an article about chocolate and its various benefits. One of the benefits was about dark chocolate as a cough suppressant- being up to 30 times more effective than any pharmaceutical preparation. This was cited as "recent research" from the Imperial College -actually the study was published in 2004.

Anyway enough hacking (cough, cough)  from me for tonight.....