Spring in the Valley 2009

One of my favourite events of the year is definitely the Swan Valley's Spring in the Valley. The weather is warmer, people start venturing out and if you end up on an awesome bus it makes the day all that much better.

On Saturday our group decided to spend the day at Sandalford instead of trekking round the valley and risk getting in to others also holding events. You see this year's festival saw charges for entering the Valley, charges for entering your event and then of course whatever you spent there was added to the day's expenses. I don't know why it was done this way this year (in previous years you paid your bus fare and only a select few charged for entering the door) but I heard it was to keep out the undesirables - anyhooo we paid up and proceeded to enjoy ourselves.

Halfway through the day Sandalford thought it was best to cut off selling alcohol as there was trouble about - no problem I had stocked up earlier and had enough to last me the rest of the afternoon. An hour later though the event was closed due to circumstances out of the wineries control (apparently trouble was really starting to brew and it was best everyone cleared out).

We were all pretty peeved off considering we were having such a good time and it's a shame a select bunch of tools seem to ruin a great day for everyone else. We were lucky though as we partied it up back at our troop-leader's house who provided music, pizza and pasta - saving the day and making it all the more memorable. Let's hope next year's fares better than this one!!!

Here are my girlfriends & I early on in the piece!!!!!

A visit to Gigi's on George

Last weekend I paid a visit to Gigi's on George on funky George Street in East Fremantle for an upcoming review in Menu Magazine. This place has been around for a while but has undergone some changes in recent months.

Now I won't reveal too much about my afternoon but I will say Gigi's is definitely one to look out for, if you're ever in the area or even looking for somewhere different to dine. The food was fabulous, the staff were brilliant and the cocktails to die for!!!

With summer just around the corner their new and brilliant Tapas menu provides even more delectable treats to choose from their already extensive and gorgeous menu. But that's enough from me, you can read more about the day in our December issue of Menu Magazine - in the meantime though here's a sneak peak of me enjoying their delicious entree of scallops!!!

CRAZY - BUSY!!!

So again it's been a while since I blogged but I have had a full on few weeks so again you will all hear about it one after the other in the one post - make sense - no, then just keep reading!!!

Where to begin a few weeks ago I was invited by Simon from Dimattina Coffee's in Osborne Park to take part in a barista course. Now I've owned a coffee machine since March but don't even look at it, let alone use it. Don't get me wrong I love coffee but when it comes to using a professional machine - forget it. When the offer came up to take part in a Barista Basic's of course I jumped at the chance.

So what did I learn, well Kaya our very knowledgeable instructor covered everything from how to extract the perfect shot of espresso to how to make cafe coffees with confidence including a cappuccino, flat white, ristretto and long black.

We also learnt how to correctly steam milk and how to avoid making coffee
too weak, too bitter, too hot or too cold. We also dabbled in some awesome coffee art making hearts and leaves (with her help of course), though I do think I'll stick to using my skewers to make my coffee look flash as this sort of thing takes practise!!!

Dimattina offer all sorts of courses from your basic, to industry based and learning how to get the most of your machine at home. To find out more visit http://www.dimattinacoffee.com.au/dc/index.htm

Take a look at what I got up to below:

On the Sunday of the long weekend Ari & I decided it was time we had a date night. It's been so long since we went out on our own so a night on the town was just what the doctor ordered (only these day our nights out as you all know revolve around FOOD). Ari rang around looking for places to go and would you believe it people there are hardly any good places open on Sunday.

We tried Jojo's, Osteria, Pata Negra, Andaluz and Galileo and they were all CLOSED. In the end we decided we try Azure in Mt Hawthorn and were pleasantly surprised with what we found.

I'd heard mixed views about this place and was very happy to discover the good stuff seemed to be all true on the night we dropped by. The waitstaff were very attentive and the food was first-class. This gorgeous resort-style, mediterranean cum Asian fushion restaurant is definitely one to try.

We ate the Italian salsiccia with garlic & Rosemary ciabatta to start and for my main I had the braised beef cheeks on a polenta mash, while Ari opted for the Pork Belly (so good). My beef cheeks were perfectly braised in a rich tomato sauce and just melted in my mouth with every bite. The polenta was soft and fluffy and mixed with the sauce was just delicious.

We were tempted to try the desserts ( which are baked daily & look oh so good) but after finishing of my beef cheeks and having to unbutton my jeans my stomach knew we both had more than enough.

I would go back to Azure in an instant and I have told many of my friends to try it out too, so why not give it a go. I promise you'll love it!!!

Me about to dive into the yummy Beef Cheeks


Last weekend Ari celebrated another milestone - his 34th birthday and as usual we celebrated with our favourite thing - FOOD & plenty of it!!!

After hosting several dinner parties at our house (and lack of space) Ari thought it was best we take him back to his roots and spent the evening at his mum's house. Of course she fed us with antipasto, entrees, mains & desserts & we were left absoutely stuffed!!!

It was a lovely night spent with both families celebrating another special day!!

Here's Ari blowing out the candles on his gorgeous Ruby's Patisserie cake - Yum!!


Now to the really exciting news (not that the rest isn't but this is really exciting - for me any way!).

I fulfilled a long-time goal of mine yesterday by apearing on one of my favourite cooking shows Foxtel's Charlie's Kitchen. I interviewed Charlie a while back for Menu Magazine and I asked if I could have a go at cooking on the show, he said yes and the rest is history.

It's been a long time coming as the interview was back in April (I think) but with work and other commitments it's taken forever - anyway I digress.

I won't giveaway too much as I want you all to tune in but what I will say is that it was an experience and one I would love a chance to do again (hopefully they'll have me back). I got to cook three meals, an entree, main and dessert & I also got to combine the cultures of both my parents and my husband's family which was an absolute treat.

Here is a sneak peak of what I go up to with the good man himself & I'll let you know when it airs on Foxtel soon.



Me making my dessert