Sunday night dinner - Lazy

 

After a day in the garden and inside sorting out which of the kids toys to keep and what to give away (exhausting). I really could not be bothered cooking ! However, since I really don't like take away I usually start just throwing something together rather than get take-out. As any other foodie will contest, once in the kitchen, well, you know, the creative juices take over.

So tonight I cooked:

Voila ! 

Scotch fillet steak with sauteed vegetables and steamed corn.

Vegetables were shallots, fennel, leek, carrot, zucchini, brocolini. I caramelised the shallots,fennel and leek with some crystalised honey I had. I then cut the other vegetables up smallish putting in the stalks of the brocolini in as well and leaving the heads until the end.
 

You can see in the background the odd lengths of corn, that's because they are fresh from our vege garden.

 

The finished product, just a little coconut oil garlic and dill and the vegetables do the rest. Husband and kids satisfied xx

 

If you would like more detail on the cooking of this dish just comment below - thanks guys x

 



Annies Lane Kaffe Scarborough - Review

This is the first of what I hope to be many reviews on food providers. Of all shapes and sizes, cafes, restaurants, take-away, fast-food and more. I am in them a lot, so I figure, why not share what my experience's are. So to kick this off I will share the opening night at Annies Lane Kaffe. Annies Lane Kaffe   is situated on the beautiful Scarborough Beach Queensland. This cafe has been recently taken over by the lovely Annie and the gorgeous Ed. Thank god for the new owners, the previous ones were beyond ridiculous (that's another story) Crisp linen table clothed tables add to the already lovely environment, looking out over moreton bay. They had a duo singing and we also had a special appearance from some carolers, awwwwh.

 

 

You can check this and other reviews of mine at

Urban Spoon

 

Annie's does breakfasts and lunch from Wednesday to Sunday, and have just started Tapas. Tapas will be on Friday nights to begin with and if last night was anything to go by you will need to book to get in.

I do love Tapas style eating and this was an attack on the senses. Beautifully presented and good portion sizes for sharing - tick. Calamari melted in the mouth with a lovely crispy covering an aioli dipping sauce. Prawns were on a crispy julienne salad with sweet chili sauce (were a little over cooked but still delicious and fresh)

Beef empanadas were a hit with the whole table. Chicken and mango lettuce parcels. Mushroom and feta on rocket salad and mussels with garlic butter sauce were all divine. There are a few other items on the menu (which I will try next time) The prices start at $8.90 and go up to $12.00. We were certainly full bellied at only $22 per person.

Annie and Ed are still awaiting their liquor license so they invited Ocean View Estates Winery  to supply the wine for this evening. We enjoyed a smooth Shiraz.

I have been thinking about how I am going to rate my experience's, which I am a little adverse to doing. I am also sure I will want to re-rate earlier reviews as time passes, but a girl has to start somewhere.

Hmm so what to use, Sun dried Tomatoes ? Juicy grapes? Crispy Croutons? Hot fries? That gets me thinking. I will be reviewing all different venues, so maybe I should have different scaling systems for different categories. So for High level Restaurant / Cafes I will use Truffles. For all other restaurants/cafes, Sun dried Tomatoes. For other types of venues that aren't really trashy take-away let it be juicy grapes and for takeaway venues, hot fries.  All out of ten.

So the verdict on this Tapas experience will be (drum roll) 6 sun dried tomatoes. I have had two other real tapas experiences, one in Sydney and one here on the Peninsula and I am using these to help me come up with this rating.

Definitely worth a visit, it was their first night and from our perspective the entire night went smoothly. Oh and the kids loved it so thats always a bonus- well done Annie and Ed x

 

American Election - Obama

Big congratulations to Obama and family. Also congratulations to the American public, who have been given a second chance at fixing the mess they are in.
From what I can see though, I wouldnt like to have Obamas job. See, this is what I make of it - the Republican's, a lot of which are extremely religious, usually well off and somewhat red-necky, walk around with their heads up their butts. That's generally speaking and obviously wouldn't represent them entirely of course.

Then there are the democrats, who sometimes get a little idealistic and flowery, but on the whole are "thinking" about a better future. A future that comes with changes and sacrifices, NOW. A thinking person realises, that it's best to cut back on things, on your own terms. Rather than have it forced upon you, when everything goes to the total crap-farm. So hopefully the Americans see it that way, sooner, rather than later. We here in Australia take it for the team, when it comes to taxes and other related levies, to provide for the long-term. It might bode better for the likes of the mining companies to do the same, and this money be tucked away for our future children. (This will be a subject for another blog).

It may also seem that the American election was won on the subject of Abortion and Gay marriage. So take note the heads of our two main political parties, it's looking like the same might happen down under. Not legalising these two matters does not make them go away, it makes them ugly. If we legalise these issues we can "move forward" to a better place. One that faces reality - we have gays in our communities (and more than you could even realise). And they should have the same choices as heterosexuals (gosh it sound sstupid even making this statement, it's so obvious)
On the matter of Abortion, people have many reasons to seek assistance with abortion, none of them easy. Abstinance does not work (the Catholic church is proof of that). Let us legalise Abortion so we can get on with trying to create better ways of avoiding the need to have one. Until we do this we will be stuck in a world that still doesn't understand human beings. We do things wrong, we make mistakes and bad things happen. Let's not make them worse by ignoring the outcomes and sweeping them under the table.


I saw a video clip the other day that was done by some uni kids, the subject was gay marriage. It was quite funny.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/college-humor-gay-men-will-marry-your-girlfriends-video_n_2117777.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false


I also saw a clip of what is typical of a lot of Americans (this girls beliefs handed down from parents). This comes ffrom FEAR, of what I really have difficulty understanding, but fear breeds hate and it is sad.
 

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/2012/11/08/14/57/us-teen-think-australia-has-a-christian-male-president

Food for thought xx

 

Breaking Dawn 2 -Review

 

 

Breaking Dawn Part 2 - Review

 

Well, hubby and I (yes, surprisingly he will come to this girly flick with me) just saw Breaking Dawn Part 2.

First up, I must admit, I am a Twilight Loverrrrr ! The first editions of this saga were a little B grade, however I still enjoyed them. With most stories, the books are usually much better and I know this has been said before. The same goes for Twilight. I do think it is a difficult one to convert to screen though as a lot of the story goes on in peoples thoughts.

Anyhoo, I think this last installment is the best, it has grown up a lot and the acting wasn't as wooden. I really enjoyed it. As usual the geography and special effects were great. Such beauty and contrasts, I love the clean crispness of the scenes in these movies. I also love the opulence. So much aesthetically pleasing objects all through the movie- ahhh.

It was great fun, highly recommend you go and see it, even if your not a huge fan xxx
 

 

 

 

Breaking Dawn 2 Movie 

Sooby - Subaru Outback - Feel the Love

The Curiser had to go!

My family have been big Toyota supporters in the past. I have had 3 Toyota Camry's. We have had 2 Toyota Land crusiers and we still have a Toyota Rav 4 for the business. For many reasons, practical and emotional we decided it was time for the land cruiser to move on.

My husband was very apprehensive, which made my two boys even more emotional about selling this beast.

What is it about a car? The attachment, the memories, the habit, the worry that you might be moving on to something worse ?

I think all the idea tossing we were doing, was making the kids fret even more about selling the cruiser. That and all the teasing we were doing.  They would say stuff like, "how could you sell this car mummy, it hasn't done anything wrong" and would even cry !!!!! It ended up being  joke in the house, with me talking to the car and saying that it had to go. 

It is really an awful process off-loading a car that you have many memories in, so I tried to make light of it.  

Cut a long story short. I took the boys to see an Outback that looked promising. We went for a test drive, it was black leather interior, beautiful bucket seats in the back and a great huge boot. Then we explored the sports button !!! Well this sold it to the boys, it didn't take much for them to start rationalising the need to sell the cruiser and get this little baby. After a bit of haggling and so on and so forth, little Sooby is now a part of our family.

We have loooooved it so much so far, the best thing I ever did. I can now whip into car parks, it's heaps cheaper on fuel, oh and that sports button is the bomb.

 

What did husband think? We took it on a two week road trip to Victoria, take a look at the following pictures.

 

Yep, it definitely cut the mustard, we are very happy with this new (old) car. Its a 2008 model but has all the mod-cons.

 

What car love's and lost's have you suffered ?

 

 

Blogger, is such a dirty word !

(Pic copied from Brooklyn Based Blog)

Hmmm, I have been thinking, well I am always thinking, heaps and heaps of stuff and ideas going around and around - what fun !!

What is it to be a person that writes Blogs ? Wikipedia's definition is, quite lengthy (see below link), it talks about the origins about web-logs (we-blog). A place where every day people have a portal, to talk about ideas and feelings and share knowledge. A place to share "real" experiences and have a bit of fun.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

What makes me sad and sometimes angry (although I try to avoid this emotion) is the people that make "blogging" ugly. There are more and more cases of Bloggers that review different idustries, threatening to give bad reviews in their posts if they dont receive free accommodation etc etc.

Blackmail is totally unacceptable ! The funny thing is, the masses might be sheep, but they are not  stupid. With this sort of behaviour people will soon tire of "bloggers" and look to other mediums for entertainment and advice.

Not so long ago, I had a local "blogger" threaten me, if I didnt let them post about my business. I have my own blog(s). Which I mantain sporadically and to be honest I quite enjoy this medium of communication with my customers and friends. 

I think I still have the right to decide who promotes my business and who doesnt ?? 

I spend a lot of money promoting my business through different and many chanels and I wish to retain control over the content of this promotion. I will not be held to randsom, by some un-educated, "Kardashian" who cant write a piece unless it is all about him/her !!

 I also don't believe it is ok for someone to create a so-called business of the back of real businesses. Businesses that employ people, rent premises, carry stock, support communities, pay insurances (and many other costs). I constantly see businesses giving products to these "idiots". Let's face-it most of them are idiots, and the majority of their followers are other bloggers making each other look like they have heaps of customers following their posts. Dont be fooled people, most of those that follow these blogs are other bloggers, and they dont really want to buy your products !!
Anyway, now I am off my high horse.

I guess the saving grace is that for every one of these "users", there are a 100 more bloggers with credibility and real content. Im off to have a little glass of Fifth Leg, cabernet sauvignon shiraz merlot. xx

Check out this blogger, shes one of the good ones xx

http://frenchwomendontgetfat.com/content/mireille%E2%80%99s-musings-l%E2%80%99art-des-vacances

Key Ring - Betty Boop - my Pen Name

Just had to share my new Key Ring, Im so excited to get this key ring !

Betty Boop, my inspiration for my pen name - Betty Boots xxx

How cute xxx