Cherry Season + Panna Cotta

I'm always a little sad when the cherry season comes to an end here.  I love their flavour and colour but the weather in Brisbane means that cherries don't last very long before they start to deteriorate.  My parents gave us a batch of them earlier this year, more than we could eat quick enough so I decided to make cherry compote with the rest of them.  The flavour of the compote is just beautiful, especially over some greek yoghurt for breakfast.  I made clove panna cotta with the compote and also served it with some Dello Mano brownies Ruen gave us, yum!

Australia Day 2012

I hope everyone enjoyed a fantastic Australia Day!  We certainly had lots of fun being invited to Caroline and Vini's beautiful home for a backyard barbeque.  It was a fun mix of Australian and Brazilian style!  I brought along sunflowers and helped tie flag bunting to the fence, another friend made lamingtons, Triple J's Hottest 100 was the soundtrack...

The rain held off for us to enjoy the yard... their garden is so lovely and green at the moment and they have a frangipani... one of my favourite flowering trees!

I think Lola enjoyed lounging in the sun the most... so cute! 

As promised the barbeque was in true Brazilian style... it was delicious!  All that wood coal does something amazing...

To top it all off was this scrumptious chocolate mud cake from Pearl Cafe.  Apparently you can order any of their cakes and they bake it for you fresh... good to know!  It was also very delicious...

Thanks to C+V again for such a fun day!  

Celebratory Dinner

Last weekend we invited some friends over for dinner to celebrate the coming holidays, my graduation and birthday.  We agreed that as birthday boy I would choose the menu and be chef du jour for the main course; lamb loin with couscous and capsicum chutney.  Meanwhile Helen prepared the entree and the all important birthday cake.  Earlier in the week Cathryn had directed me to a recipe for Fruit Tingle cake (the Fruit Tingles, otherwise known as Lifesavers, are the round sherbet lollies on the top, recipe from Sydney baking blog Raspberri Cupcakes).  The recipe called for three layers of orange cake with butter cream icing infused with crushed up fruit tingles.  Thankfully Helen was keen to try the recipe so now I have my own one. Yum!  It was a great evening shared with good friends.

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A Beach Cottage

Cake Days

It was James' birthday on Friday and we have been busy making cakes all week!  James and I put in a team effort on Thursday evening to whip up this coffee walnut layer cake to take in to the office for birthday morning tea.  I loved the way it looked with the coffee buttercream, chocolate shavings and fresh strawberries.  It definitely tasted very decadent!  Another cake to follow shortly...

Manly Marina and Afternoon Tea

A few weeks back we met up with Dad and Leonie for lunch and sweet treats.  The week prior had finally signalled the end of our studies for the year so we had no guilt in eating, drinking and chatting the afternoon away.  We headed down to the William Gunn Jetty at Manly Marina for a seafood lunch before returning to the family home to continue celebrations over afternoon tea and plenty of sparkling wine.  The bay is so beautiful on a bright sunny day.

Sunday Breakfast with A+O

A+O invited us to Sunday breakfast at their lovely home yesterday.  You may remember that James contributed to the initial design concept for the house and it really appears like it's all coming together quite well after almost a year.  Their garden is thriving, furnishings are in, everything feels homely and lived in now.  French toast made with the yummiest brioche, homemade ricotta and fresh berries were so delicious...

The table setting on the deck was beautiful in my favourite colour scheme of course... blue and white!  How can you go wrong?  So summery...

O+A recently put their vintage scalloped mirrors up in their entrance way... I love the way it all looks!

I had fun wrapping our Christmas gifts for A+O in this bright turquoise patterned paper... the pattern reminds me of David Hicks wallpaper...  I hope they like what's inside too!  

It was the loveliest start to Sunday and a much needed break from working at the office all weekend to hit today's project deadline.  I felt refreshed and recharged.  Thanks again A+O!

Ramen Lunch

I have been working out of a project office over the past two months and really miss having lunch with James, a nice advantage when you work in the same practice with your partner!  Our main office is only a short walk away but it seems far when there are deadlines pressing and all we want is a quick bite close by.  However, today was not a mad deadlines sort of day and James suggested we try a little out of the way Japanese ramen noodle house located on Adelaide Street between the two offices.  I have walked past Taro Ramen Cafe many times and always wondered about the food.  It was very tasty and I'm definitely keen to try some of the other noodle dishes on offer, yum!

Lemons & Lisianthus

One thing that's good about all this chilly weather is the fact that cut flowers seem to last so much longer.  We still have the pale yellow Lisies from three weeks ago thanks also to regular trims and changes of water.  James' mum has a fruit laden lemon tree in her yard at the moment and we've benefited by being given an enormous number of lemons!  I had my parents, sister and brother over for Sunday lunch last weekend so I decided to bake snapper with lemon and basil pesto served with roast root vegetables.  We had a couple of snapper portions remaining so on Tuesday night I went with a favourite Chinese dish of steamed fish with ginger and spring onion pesto and soy dressing served with jasmine rice. Two different pestos, baked and steamed, two delicious and very satisfying meals! 

Insalata Di Granseola

This week we celebrated Angela's birthday with an impromptu mid week lunch at Il Centro Eagle Street Pier.  Helen and Angela slipped away from work meanwhile I was lucky enough to arrive back in time having been on the Sunshine Coast that morning.  The food was excellent just as it has been the past few times we have dined there.  Helen ordered the Insalata Di Granseola (fresh crab and avocado salad with tomato gaspacho) which was certainly well presented.  The other dishes were just as scrumptious.

Easter Baking

Good friends of ours moved into their new house over Easter.  James had a hand in the design so we were keen to see the finished result.  Hence we decided to pay a visit with afternoon tea in hand to have a sticky beak and also offer them a brief respite from all the unpacking and cleaning.  I baked a batch of scones followed by a coffee walnut tea cake to take with us.  One of the advantages of having a longer weekend is definitely the chance to do some baking and then to enjoy the resulting goodies with friends...

Tuesday Touring

Making the most of our Tuesday public holiday we packed a picnic hamper before heading off for the Brisbane Valley.  We meandered our way through the lush Brisbane Forest Park stopping for morning tea of homemade scones and tea atop Mt Nebo.  Then to Esk via Lake Somerset for a late lunch.  The striking scents of the forest, the birdsong and the lakes made for tranquil surrounds.  Our destination for lunch was a park where the old Esk railway yard used to be, the old station a great centre piece.  For lunch we had pasta and tea cake for dessert.  I love fresh pasta and this one, prepared with asparagus, tomato and zucchini from the Saturday markets, was definitely a favourite.  I didn't think to take photos of lunch... too tasty.  Anyway, having enjoyed the last patches of warm sunshine we returned home before late afternoon showers washed the day away.

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A Beach Cottage

High Tea with Friends

James and I were delighted to host Angela's birthday high tea on Sunday.  Angela and I have been great friends ever since meeting in the eighth grade of high school and we've been close ever since.  James and I have held a number of afternoon teas over the years but Angela had moved to Melbourne some years back and had missed them.  Hence I wanted to hold a high tea especially for her on a very special birthday and I wanted everything to be perfect!  James transformed our little city balcony into a leafy oasis and I baked up a storm to fill the table with scones with jam and cream, cupcakes, the most enormous birthday cake with chocolate mousse icing and ribbon sandwiches.  Everything was blue and white, the lilies from the markets opened up and Caroline bought along lots of bubbly with delicious hibiscus flowers.  It was great to finally meet all the friends Angela had mentioned over the years and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves over the never ending pots of tea.  Happy birthday Angela!

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A Beach Cottage

Powerhouse Farmers' Markets

We were graced with the most beautiful Brisbane weather on Saturday morning waking up to glorious sunshine and clear azure skies.  We headed over to the Powerhouse Farmers' Markets to pick up fresh produce and flowers for the special birthday high tea we were hosting the following day.  The markets were so busy with early risers but lovely and colourful with so much to tempt us.  Perhaps it's because I am still thinking of France but I definitely found myself charmed by all the French inspired stalls brimming with macarons and pain au raisin.  I loved the plum tomatoes in the baskets and the cake stall was amazing with towers of the biggest lamingtons I have ever seen! A wonderful way to start the weekend...