Almost over

My great market finds

Details of the brooch

Jarod contemplates his next move

The weekend is almost over but it has been a great one.
Found some great stuff at Rozelle Markets,an old Limoges plate for just $2 and vintage brooch for $10.
Had a big sleep in this morning,then had my sister and her family over for Sunday lunch,then played Jenga with my brother and nephew and I was the champion winning both games.Yay,go me!
Got to try our new coffee plunger with some Illy coffee and made a great cup of coffee for everyone which we enjoyed with some sweets.
I'm off to enjoy what's left of the weekend with a quiet night in watching a dvd and reading the Sunday papers.

This Is

The latest fround og this is is hosted by Flossy P.
This is what I got but haven't used,All of these cookbooks were bought last year but I haven't got around to using,apart from an amazing intense chocolate mousse cake from Nigella,and I have looked through all the gorgeous photos in both of the Tessa Kiros cookbooks.But with the colder weather and new kitchen there's no better time to start.
More particiapnts of This Is listed at Three Buttons

Inside Out magazine May/June 2008

The NY apartment of Australian stylist Sibella Court

Love the large file drawers

Simple white ceramics

Love the combination of gray and blue together

This magazine just keeps getting better and I wish it came out monthly.These are some of my favourite images from the latest issue

This Is

This is just one of the many ways i recycle,the home recycling bin which is double the size of the general rubbish bin.I laso recycle at work and am always dropping off clothes to the op shop.
More participants of This Is at Three Buttons

Chinta Ria,Cockle Bay

Have eaten here twice in the past week.Lovely flavours and fresh ingredients,My favourites would probably be the chicken curry,so very tender and Chilli prawns.
And you're greeted by the massive Buddha at the entrance.

Vintage David Jones

All millinery purchases were packaged in hat boxes

Sewing machines and tableswere made in Germany exclusively for the store.Unfortunately the haberdashery department no longer exists

Old packaging

Vintage spols and sewing kits

Lately the window displays at David Jones in Sydney have lost their wow factor but I really loved the recent window display to celebrate Mothers Day and the store's 170th anniversary of trading.
Vintage photos showed the main restaurant where people gathered for afternoon tea,such a shame such a restaurant in the store no longer exists.
Many of the unique touches that made shopping special have gone and like most retailers it's now about cost cutting and competing with other major retailers

This Is

Just one of the things that remind me of my mother,her vegetable and herb garden.For years my parents have grown so many varities,tomatos,beans,corn,cucumber,zucchini flowers,lettuce,parsley,mint,the list goes on.

Talk Eat Drink at Simon Johnson with Lorraine Godsmark from Yellow Bistro

The chef at work

Sampling a slice of the chocolate hazelnut mousse cake

Finished cake ready to be eaten

Crepes

When this year's programme of Talk Eat Drink was released my friend and I had Lorraine Godsmark on the top of our list.She used to be the pastry chef at Rockpool,once one of the top restaurants in Sydney and now owns her own restaurant,Yellow Bistro and Food Store in Potts Point.
We were even more excited and looking forward to the event after we had tried some of her amazing desserts during a recent visit to Yellow.

Lorraine made 2 desserts and and of course we got to sample both while enjoying some wine from Torbreck winery.We picked up some great tips from the chef about working with chocolate,making better meringues and some advice which makes cooking sound like science.The chef seemed to be let down by the Simon Johnson kitchen but we eventually made it out of there 1 hour later than scheduled but very satisfied.

This Is

My shoes i would sleep in if i could,My ballet flats,super comfy,and I wear them almost everyday to work.Shoes for me have to be stylish and comfortable to wear as I have to walk 15mins to the station and back home everyday.

I don't have a scanner so can't provide an old phioto of myself,and aplogies again for my lateness.

Progress

Our new kitchen is starting to take shape,it's all very exciting,yesterday it felt like I had walked into the wrong house.The granite is in place and now we just need to wait to have the kitchen doors installed,there seems to be so much waiting from the workmen as dates are changed and further delays.
What i thought was just a cold on the weekend turned into the flu and I've had such a rough time as it also coincided with the coldest April weather in over 25 years and I've slugged it out at work as I have to wait until next week when my sick leave is reinstated again,I could have taken time off as annual leave but really have to save that up for a holiday.

This is My favourite book

I'm very late with the latest theme in the This Is meme but wanted to get back in after a long break.

I have so many interests so it's very hard for me to pick my absolute favourite book,but my favourite right now is Everyday by Bill Granger.It has so many great recipes,something for every occasion and I love reading about the author's retuals throughout the week.I also love the styling in this book and it's beautifully shot by Petrina Tinsley who is probably the world's best food photographers.

Back

After some unexpected train delays last week I decided to just walk into the city,was glad i did as I'm never in this part of town,made a few discoveries on the way and of course had to take a photo of such autumn loveliness during my walk.


Took an unintentional blogging break these past few weeks.I haven't had the chance to do much,everything is allover the place,there's no workspace and right now I have to squeeze my office chair into a little nook in our spare room just to use the computer.On Thursday they began installing the cupboards,the kitchen is starting to take shape,they will be back this week to finish but we have to wait a little longer to have the granite cut and put in place.I cannot wait to be able to start cooking again,am craving a good home cooked meal.
Lunch today for Greek Easter was a very casual barbecue and now I'm sipping lots of hot tea trying to get rid of this cold before it's time to go back to work.

Lately

Participated in Earth Hour

Took advantage of the strong Aussie dollar and bought some material and stamps on Etsy

Can't sew at the moment but have decided on my next project with one of my favourite colour combinations at the moment

More goods on Etsy,practical and very pretty push pins

Saw a beautiful sunset on the last day of daylight savings

This is my jewelery box

This is where i keep most of my jewelery,just some drawers from Ikea that have been painted.
Some more precious items are kept in pouches so they don't tangle with other pieces.
Some pieces are cheap finds at markets or chain stores,others more expensive pieces with lovely details and some vintage finds.
Most mornings I'm in a rush and don't get time to select something to wear to the office but getting ready for a big night I will select some earrings or a brooch to give me a little pick me up.
All participants are listed at Three Buttons.

Renovation hell

We're currently going through renovation hell at home,but I'm looking foward to a new modern kitchen,Each day there is another part of the cupboards gone,on one side of our kitchen,the oven and cooktop only remain,there is no bench space apart from a small spot next to the sink or the dinner table nearby which itself is mostly covered with tools.

The spare room where our computer sits is cluttered with crockery,drawers and appliances,i sit in an awkward position to use the computer,i skip breakfast in the morning because it's all just too much,I spend most of the evening after work out with friends or in my room,there is no space to sit down and do something,just want to wake up and have a new kitchen.

This is...The contents of my handbag

It looks like the inside of my bag is very clean but the zippered pouch on the left holds all of those little nic nacs that accumulate in a bag,receipts,gum and so on.The ipod keeps me entertained on my commute to and from work.You can't tell in this pic,but my wallet is this really dark navy,violet,i chose it for the colour.

More participants in This Is at Three Buttons

Silhouettes

Looks like silhouettes have been flavour of the month for a while now and I love the look of them so decided to join the bandwagon and make my own.

First step was to take a photo of myself from the side,developed the photo then traced the silhouette then decreased the size to fit the photo frame.
Then using carbon tracing paper i traced it again this time on the black sheet of cardboard then cut it out and applied some spray adhesive to the back and pressed it down on the white background.I should have first traced it the wrong way so that it was flat when cut but that was easily solved by just applying some pressue to the silhouette and keeping it straight between 2 books overnight

Home made Hot cross buns

Piped and ready for the oven

Love seeing the mixture rise to double its original size

Enjoying a bun on Easter Sunday

For years I have said I would make some hot cross buns instead of just buying them and this year i took the plunge.
I had some problems with the piping,i decided to bring out a piping kit I had bought but never used and the instructions on how to assemble it were terrible so i decided to just put the paste in a glad bag and snipped off a corner,there was much more pressure than the bag could handle and it broke so half of them look messy,then i had some extra buns without crosses and figured out how to use the piping accessories just by looking at the picture(should have done that first) and finished off the last row with some much more decent looking crosses.

Recipe from the Sydney Morning Herald

1/3 cup caster sugar
2 x 7g sachets dry yeast
11/2 cups warm milk
600g plain flour
Pinch of salt
11/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
60g butter, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup currants
Paste for crosses
1/2 cup plain flour
4 tbsp water
2 tsp caster sugar
Glaze
1 tbsp very hot water
1 tsp gelatine powder
1 tbsp caster sugar

Combine caster sugar, yeast and milk in a bowl, stir until smooth, cover and rest in a warm place for 10minutes or until frothy.

Sift flour, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice into a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub butter into flour mixture. Stir in yeast mixture, egg and currants until well combined. Cover and rest in a warm place for 45minutes or until mixture has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about five minutes). Divide dough into 16 even pieces and roll into balls. Place balls into a lightly greased square cake pan lined with baking paper. Rest covered for 10-15 minutes or until balls have risen to the top of the pan.

Combine paste ingredients in a small bowl and, using a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle or a plastic bag with a snip off one corner, pipe crosses over buns.

Bake for about 20minutes or until well browned and cooked. Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Brush buns with warm glaze and cool on a cake rack.

(Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, so you could begin the dough the day before. Let it rise, punch down and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, punch down once, knead and form into buns and allow them to rise before baking.)

Makes 16.

Can be stored in an airtight container for two days.

This Is...My demon

Chocolate,and how appropriate the timing since it is Easter Sunday,i'm guessing this will be many people's demon no matter what time of year.
We're lucky to have some great chocolate makers here in Sydney,and I was the very lucky recipient of a bounty of chocolate goodies from the Lindt cafe here in Sydney,This was my bunny minutes before it was attacked.

More participants listed at Three Buttons

Autumn is here

1. Autumn / Versailles, 2. the long way home, 3. snow of ginko snow, 4. Dandenong Ranges, 5. a tradition, 6. essence, 7. Reminiscenza, 8. Untitled, 9. late autmn, 10. Untitled, 11. color, 12. glow, 13. neon golden, 14. morning stairs, 15. Autumn Ride !, 16. reaching

Some beautiful Autumn images from Flickr to celebrate the new season,today the cold weather has arrived here in Sydney.