[lately] pre-birthday @ noop

The last few days have been ones of goodbyes. Yesterday, we said goodbye to my brother Nick as he headed back home to WA after his week of chilling and family time here. And today we said goodbye to my sister Lauren and her little family as they headed off to spend three weeks with the New Zealand Friends And Relations. Since Abby is only twelve weeks old, three weeks is a quarter of her life so far -- she'll be a different person when she returns!

My birthday falls during their time away, so Lauren planned a little pre-birthday afternoon tea at Noop, her latest local discovery. It was a great little place, and rare in that all of the baked goods (and there were so many AMAZING sweet and pretty things) are baked locally, instead of being shipped in from somewhere else. I hate going to cafes and seeing the same row of generic cheesecakes and mud cakes which could be bought anywhere (including McDonald's) so it was awesome seeing a little coffee shop doing their own thing and doing it nicely.

Peanut butter chocolate ganache cheesecake? Uh huh.

My lunch: ham and cheese toastie and peach iced tea.

Milkshakes are automatically cooler when they come with two straws -- and those amazing metal cups you can use to top up your glass with.

Some of the birthday treats Lauren spoilt me with: the first issue of new Feast magazine, Leeland's Love Is On the Move album, and Caramello Nibbles. Not pictured: adorable moccasin ugg boots.

I love my family!

[some images by Lauz]

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Conversations:

BushMaid -- life is indeed wonderful and busy just now :). And yay you hosting a story writing contest! I hope it goes brilliantly and you get to read lots of great stories from entrants.

Samantha R -- I always wish I had more time for journalling. I'm so disappointed to have had that habit fall by the wayside in more recent years. In a sense, blogging has taken its place, but I still miss the unguarded mind-bomb that journalling can be.

Katie -- I'm loving the photography focus on your blog. I feel like I learn lots from your picture-taking; you always have something cool to share!

Laura Elizabeth -- isn't it weird, this love-hate relationship with study? I really do love it, and yet it IS a massive job and can be a pretty huge stress factor. Oh strange contradictory life! Ah yes, StJohn!! I kind of don't want Jamie Bell to play StJohn because he's always been a bit of a noob in any of the Jane Eyre film adaptations. Are you going to go see it? PS. Received email! Loved email! Replied to email!

Rach da Axe -- so the sun has found its way down to you, too? Yay!

Staish -- ooh, you may have some textbooks I could use! Yes! I will ogle them accordingly next time I see you.

Eweight -- oh do it, do it!! And then we could compare notes! And be, like, at the same school and stuff :).

Asea -- PhD applicationsssss! Woohoo! I wish you success. And I'll have to lurk your facebook piccies and be all jealous of your homeland explorations.

Breakfast food of champions... or something

Yum.

I'm re-discovering the joys and challenges of shopping and cooking for one, on a limited budget. One of the ways I want to achieve this is by purchasing fruit and vegies in season. Not only are they way better for you -- no nasty cold storage for three to six months, thank you! -- but they're also the cheapest. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be in the habit of picking my fruit and veg from the local markets on a Sunday, but Sundays are busy around here and I haven't made it to the markets in ages. In the meantime, go supermarkets go?

I'm not sure if the picture above looks yummy or not; I can only remember what it tasted like, and that is influencing my conception of how appealing the image is. Yesterday I had half a tiger loaf left over from the day before, and was also determined to use up some more of the small tub of pears I'd bought through the week. I sliced the pears lengthwise and cooked them in my enormously heavy frypan in a little bit of butter, until they were just starting to caramelise. After removing the pears, I cooked thick slices of the tiger bread (dipped into egg and milk for french toast) in the same pan. The juices from the pears mingled with the butter and made a thin little toffee to fry the bread in, crispy and naturally sweet.

I served the french toast with the pears on top and man it was good. And I took smug satisfaction in the fact that I totally made up the idea out of necessity.

(If you want to see pictures of breakfast foods in which there is no doubt of their gastronomic appeal, go here. SO MUCH YUM)

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Conversations:

Samantha R -- the fireworks were perfect.

Jessica -- sprung! I was tired and lazy and could not think up any interesting captions whatsoever. In future, I shall not make the same mistake. ;)

Hetzelhouse -- I am enjoying it so much; thanks for sharing that joy!

Laura Elizabeth -- Yes, my Easter long weekend was great.

Chocolate and peanut butter oh MY!

Um, these no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars were (note the past tense) totally as NOMsational as they look.

I had seen the recipe floating around the internet in various places, and I finally gave Jessica's version a go, Australianising and Danielleising the recipe in the process. Since they actually worked and they were actually yum, I'll share the recipe here (so easy. So good. SO GOOD).

225 g melted butter
250 g packet of Arnott's milk coffee biscuits, crushed
1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
250 g block milk chocolate
4 tbpsns peanut butter, extra

Mix butter, cookie crumbs, icing sugar mixture, and peanut butter (I used a food processor to make the crumbs and then blend the mix). Press into a slice tin lined with baking paper. Melt the chocolate and peanut butter together and pour over the top of the slice, spreading the top smoothly. Allow to set in the fridge and then cut into fudge-sized squares.

It's actually that easy.

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Conversations:

Samantha R -- ooh, I hope you enjoy the album :).

A dose of pretty:

There's been so much prettiness in my week, and since everyone needs a little dose of pretty in their lives, I'm sharing. First, Spring-coloured macaroons!

Tiramisu from my favourite new patisserie.

A gorgeously handmade (and international, no less) Valentine.

An edible Valentine from closer to home.

Dried flowers hanging from the kitchen dresser.

An amazing surprise from my mother -- a gorgeous little bedside chest of drawers with the cutest porcelain handles and a little sliding-out tray for coffee.

Postcards which help me to pretend I'm back at the National Gallery. The large one with the grumpy small person is by Brack, the bottom one by Drysdale and the top one is by Margaret Preston. These three ladies hanging on my wall inspire me to create stories.

What prettiness has brightened your week?

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Conversations:

Cara -- yes! Let's cheer one another on while we row! :) PS. I finally sent you an email!

Samantha R -- You're so right: immersion is key. xx

Foodcrush!

Behold my latest food crush! I recently discovered BreadTop and it may be love or it might just be infatuation. Only time will tell. In the meantime, I promise you that this is the best bread I have ever tasted. And the Asian food influence just makes it even better. My family (whom I have converted) and I definitely recommend the crispy chicken donut, the taro bun, the chocolate caterpillar, and the onion naan bread. Soooo good.