Ok so yesterday was what felt like one of my longest days in the last few weeks.

I was up at 6am nice and early still in the darkness, preparing myself for a long day ahead. I filled myself with lovely coffee brewed fresh from my machine. O how coffee keeps me alive. It is the beans from merlo that i love and adore, and when mixed with water and a touch of TLC they provide me with this fantastic thing known as caffeine. It is this coffee that wakes me up and prepares me for the day.

Anyway so after coffee I was headed for the Jan Powers Farmers markets in New Farm. I was originally going with my friend Yena, however she piked at last minute. So I spent almost 90 minutes wandering through the markets sampling and enjoying myself. Tempted to buy so much stuff I did not need but i managed to control myself. I did come away with plenty of fresh produce ready for dinner last night. After picking up some meat on the way home along with all the other essentials i was prepared for a monstrous day of prep cooking ready for a dinner party that showed i can cook and cook well.

The line up for the dinner party was a beautiful three courses:
Entree: Three Cheese Quesadillias with Avacado & Tomato Salsa
Main: Central American Chilli beef with Chocolate
Dessert: Chocolate Ganache Tart with Sour Cream Pastry

So all of these recipes were taken from websites or TV shows in some form or other. I began by setting out to make the pastry for the tart however as i went to check that the food processor worked it sounded like the motor was going to die any second. So i toddled off to Big W and $60 later i was holding in my hands a lovely new machine of food chopping and smashing and blending glory. I began with the pastry which although is a lot of stages, is actually very simple to make.

With the pastry in the fridge chilling, I began by prepping my vegies for the chilli. Onions done (my hands are gonna stink for months i just know it), Chilli done and more I began the Chilli and as it began its 90 minutes of slow cooking on the stove, I pulled the pastry out and began to cook that. Although after the first attempt at rolling it out I failed so I started again by balling it back up and shoving it in the Freezer.

2nd attempt at the pastry was much better and into the oven it went to bake. With the tart filling made (really simply just pouring hot boiling cream over chocolate) it was all finished! It was a wonderous. With the chilli also finished its 90 minutes of slow cooking goodness I could toddle off to the Bottle shop. Dan Murphys is fairly new to Brisbane people but has been on the gold coast for quite some time. I love it. It is like a bottleshop on crack. So much stuff. So little time to choose and I want it all!! I managed to pick up some clean skin wine and some Lowenbrau (I was remiscent of my Sydney trip) and I was happy to ply myself away.

When i got all the food to Brendan & Suzanne’s later that night I made up the Entree by just chopping everything up and shoving it into the bowl (probably wont make so much next time). It was a good night with the dinner looking awesome and going down well (I hope).

Today was a pretty relaxed day. Yena messaged me this morning offering free tickets to the Broncos game today and I tell you what, even though I don’t follow Rugby League it was a good game with the Broncos thrashing the Knights 71 to 6. I did though reiterate to myself that XXXX Gold tastes like ass, and should only be served to Bogans or those who have nothing else to drink when trapped at the footy (they normally serve Hahn light but we were seated up in Alcatraz and they have shitty bars and hence no hahn only XXXX Gold. Bastards.

So last night was the mega birthday party/Blarbq which happens once a year. It was a good night. I decided to have a few things I dont normally drink. While at Dan Murphy’s yesterday (my new favourite bottleshop) found a Throwdown of Bundy and cola. If you don’t know what a Throwdown is it is a 250ml Bottle. Usually found as beers such as XXXX or VB it is often something drunk by the older generation. My Grandma and Grandpa used to drink throwdowns all the time so thats probably where I will always remember them from. For some people they are the perfect glass sized beer but for me id rather have a Stubbie or Tallie.

So along with the Throwdown I was drinking a Fosters Tallie. Yes thats right. Fosters. I know i know, i said the dirty F word. Its not as bad as everyone says. I first tasted it onboard the boat to Hayman. I was quite suprised with just how nice it actually is. I quite enjoyed it, and for $3.70 a Tallie, why the hell not (i usually drink Coopers Sparkling tallies which are like $5 each). On top of that yesterday I decided to drink some Vodka i bought out of my mate Snuffy (adam) case buy. He bought some “Petrovka Vodka”. Apparently some high end vodka directly imported from Russia. At $15 a bottle I thought it was a bargain for some top end vodka. Wrong.

Tried the vodka just after he gave it to me. Just a small amount, straight, no ice. erch! It was pretty horrible. So into the Freezer it went. Which helped to improve the taste muchly. So 3/4 of a Bottle later and all the beer and bundy consumed it was around 2am by this point i was stuffed. It was a good party i must say. I also ended up crashing at Blair’s for a few hours on a mattress on the floor. Around 5:45 i remember waking up thinking, I dont feel so good and going to the bathroom. I emerged looked at the clock and went “i should go home” i was pretty sober by this time (i think). So i drove myself home nice and carefully. Several times during the drive i could feel my stomach just tighten a little and I could tell what was going to happen once i got home.

Pulled up at home left everything in the car cept my keys and just ran for the bathroom. I proceeded to have a chat with the Porcelain king and we had a love little talk. Once I waived him goodbye i dragged myself to bed and just collapsed. Once awakened this morning I didn’t have a hangover but was just mega tired and felt like crap (is that a hangover?). I tell you what I have no idea what caused it but when pulling the Bottle of vodka out of my bag after finally waking up and feeling half decent this morning I looked at the bottle and thought. This is the stuff that probably made me feel like crap. I was going to keep it till my body had the final word. It proceeded to pour the leftover vodka down the drain.

Lessons Learnt from last night.
Cheap Vodka BAD!
Fosters GOOD!
Throwdowns FUN!

Now for sleep.

So much has happened lately but over the last few weeks I have realised how much my tastes have actually changed.  I used to hate spicy food.  So much so that I went out of my way to avoid it.  Now im building up a tolerance to chilli, and loving it.  So much so that Tabasco is going into almost everything these days.

I have realised how much I love to cook as well.  Cooking for myself is a joy and cooking for other people is one of the biggest enjoyments I will ever have.  Lately I have found the joys and simplicity of Ramen.  Not that packet Migoreng shit.  I’m talking real ramen.  Made with proper ramen or soba noodles.  Really simple just chicken stock or vegie stock with some soy, chicken, asian greens and ramen noodles, in a nice big big bowl.
Have also been baking a lot this weekend.  I made 16 Chocolate muffins and an Orange and Poppyseed Cake and thinking of putting a loaf of bread on tonight so I can have some fresh bread tommorrow.  YUM!

Hrm now im hungry! damn food.

People in this day and age with money will pay for anything i think. Its my day off today so i’ve been watching a bit of tv. Predominantly Lifestyle Food and Discovery Travel and Living. One of my favourite shows at the moment is Thirsty Traveller. I mean where else can you make a show just based on alcohol. But the show is normally pretty good. But today was a show dedicated to Iceberg Vodka. People in Cananda (typical) go out into the open ocean looking for icebergs and pick up the floaty bits to make vodka with, and then sell it for a lot of money…. DUH IDIOTS! Why would you buy something thats been floating in the ocean.

But at the moment im watching a show on Lifestyle food called Miami After Midnight. Its all about the clubs and restuarants in Miami Florida. They serve entress for $85 and people pay for them. Clubs pumping at 1am ON A MONDAY NIGHT! People have to much money for this sort of thing. Although there are some good things about this show. All the fantastic cocktails and food. A desert of Warm Coffee Cake served with espresso beans and crushed oreos with a scoop of vanilla bean icecream YUM!

Now im hungry 🙁

I really dont get why people bag out the whole homebrand food thing. I reckon its good. As an example the Homebrand “Milk Chocolate Coated Wafers – Individually Wrapped.” Doesn’t sound outright enticing but to make it known what they really are… Kit Kats. Thats right individually wrapped fun size kit kats. They are yum to! Taste like the real thing but like 1/3 the price. I can get a bag of them for like $2. I hide a bag in my draws at work.

I just dont get why people frown on them so much. I eat a fair amount of homebrand/generic foods. Pasta, Milk, Cheese, Bread to name a few. They all taste good and cost pretty cheap (the milk is $1 a litre and is just as good as pauls).

If someone can explain to me why brand name is better than a generic made by the same company i’d love to hear your reasons….

PS im bored..

When i was a youngin a very long time ago.. my favourite sesame street character was cookie monster. Probably because he was just like me. We both love cookies, I can never get enough of them. Give me a box of just a simple sweet biscuit (like a cream wafer) and i will eat the whole box. I will not stop till they are gone.

So what do i do now? I bake them! I backed almost 30 cookies today from a Stephanie Alexander recipe. These are not small oreo size cookies im talking side plate size. Nice and crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside. Just the way I like them.

But it makes me think… why have I always loved to bake? What is so good about it. You have to be meticulously precise everything weighed out, temperatures correct, cooking time on the spot at times. It’s just so… annoying. I am looking forward to trying to make a “Angels Food Cake.” This is a cake that has 0 fat…. Thats right ladies NO FAT. In fact if any fat were in the cake it would be ruined!!! Its just simply egg whites and flour and sugar.

I have a recipe from one of my favourite cooking shows “Good Eats” and will have to try it out!

I must now resist the call of the cookie!