one of those nights.

i inhale the rich smokey essence of my 12 year aged scotch whiskey as it draws ever closer to my mouth, in the cool glass. its a quiet night here, and i am making the most of it. i'm fighting the patriotic urge to switch on the tv set and watch the football game between warring states, knowing full well that that would ruin the solitude and silence here felt. so instead, i'm going to bake something, maybe a few things. i have some girlfriends coming over tomorrow night for some crafting and making, and i want to serve sweet treats and goodness so we can fumble away the night with happy hearts and bellies. I think i'll craft some of that chewy caramel corn, and some pretty strawberry iced cupcakes (with special Hershey's strawberry syrup).

it will be a nice evening - one with jazz playing on the long player, whiskey in hand (still) and quiet service to friends.

a.

rainy weekend at home

this weekend has been one of indoor quietude. not quite like that quietude that Wendell Berry encourages, of stillness, sans technology and open ears to the birds and the trees. (we live in suburbia, up the street from the coal train line and just over the hill from the steel works - there isn't much of that quietude 'round here.)

but, instead, we've stayed in bed longer than usual, drank more cups of tea than usual and explored new areas of this, our 'new town'. as the rain fell yesterday we took the northern distributor to visit some of the nicer northern suburbs that lay between the towering escarpment and the rocky coastline. we huddled under the leaky umbrella and our hoods, watching some mediocre waves roll over the famous Sandon Point. it was my first visit to the famed break. it was pretty beautiful, with the deep inky seas, rolling white horses and voluptuous clouds above.

today, i laid in bed again, keeping safe from the chill and read some of my favourite blogs. after a trip to the corner store i starting baking; some of the tastiest ginger cookies that suit this melancholy weather perfectly.

a.

oh yeah, and christmas happened.

g and i woke bleary eyed early. i made a cup of tea, we sat in bed and exchanged gifts, giggles and cuddles. its special - that time with each other, just us giving our gifts. (p.s. he gave me a Taurus 3 diamond ring saw! more than epic!)

the endless food, sweet treats and summer beverages were all enjoyed with ease and gratitude. what a wonderful time of year! that there in the bottom left is a white chocolate & mango layered pavlova. it was unbelievable.

new christmas lips, and the obligatory christmas hats.
our christmas nights were filled with fun and frivolity. first was christmas eve, with my wonderful family over at the beetleshack for a dinner of soft cheese and tapas, then onto an old school friends place for cocktails on christmas night. (above cocktail: Army Special - vodka, gin, lime juice cordial & ice...divine)
(yep, these two lovely ladies are my family. seriously - its lots of fun) check these girls out: the beetleshack and berry&fin

a.

so much has happened...

in these last couple'months.

it was my birthday - ages ago now - old news. but some dear friends threw me my first ever surprise party. it was so wonderful. this glorious chocolate mud cake magic was made by hand, (that is my name written in white chocolate letters!) just for me. and these gifts, graciously given.

my brave friends started THE coolest coffee bar/boutique - The Glass Onion Society, so i made them a glass onion (obviously), and have since drank many a cup of fine tea and latte there.

i prepared for the festive season with a night making this little ginger cottage. a warm and calm evening with mum, just spent having fun.

my post christmas time has been spent fairly similarly to this. except, sometimes my feet were up in a hammock at our favourite holiday place, or swishing under my longboard at perfect pointbreaks.

all in all, its been a pretty darn good few weeks just gone. i hope you've had a meaningful christmas, a happy and celebratory new year and relaxing break - from whatever it is you do.

a.

p.s. big love to my sister over at The Beetleshack for being so kind.

wednesday - today

Jose Gonzalez drove me home from school this afternoon, with the splishing and sploshing of rainwater hitting the undercarriage of the car as i bumped over cracks and potholes. my school day quickly faded from memory as i dreamt of the chewy, salty ginger bickies i was going to make when i got home (they're baking themselves in the oven as i write...).

i had to stop at the shops to pick up the necessary raw sugar, ground cloves and ginger - it was a minor inconvenience - having to slosh through rushing gutters, in completely silly, inappropriate shoes. my feet now still a little damp, i sit, waiting for my afternoon tea and preparing myself for a night of peaceful creativity.

a.

the middle day in Melbourne

toasted granola, hot chai, tram rides, rose street markets, rich cheesy arrancini balls, happy hour, and a whole lotta lamb...

we had a good time on saturday.

i think this was my favourite part of where we stayed...the restaurant cumulus inc. was only two doors down from our apartment block. we went there each morning for a delicious breakfast feasting and on saturday night for an unbelievable dinner (see bottom of post).

we scoured the shelves of this second-hand bookstore for probably an hour, unawares of time as it passed by, with trams, cars, bicycles and people passing outside. it was worth the 'we'll have a look' stop. from the grumpy old woman captaining the store, to the 'leave bags at front counter!' signs (which we disobediently ignored), this was a great experience that saturday morning. it was restorative, as i stood reading poetry from Harwood, Kipling, Browning and the likes. I did some bargaining and walked out with two leather-bound glories of Browning and Kipling.

my lunch - dense, rich aranccini balls with parmesan and sicilian olives

we walked up flinders lane on saturday night about a quarter to eight, dreaming of what cumulus inc. became in the evening time...it was beyond all we imagined (too much?)! the atmosphere was electric, noisy in an intoxicating way. we placed our name, ordered some wine from spain and waited. not bothered at all that we had to stand and watch as diners chatted and laughed while enjoying their meals. our time came, we were escorted to the bar...the kitchen bar. we had front row seats to the magic and mastery of the kitchen. we watched, as an apprentice copped it from 'the boss', the one with the metaphorically bigger white hat. we ordered...venturing toward a shoulder of slow roasted lamb. a whole shoulder. we also requested a side of broccoli to balance the carnivorous main. when they arrived, we were coy yet jolly...how was i going to attack this piece of meat? well i just asked - the head chef i think. he was helpful. we enjoyed our succulent, moist and dangerously flavoursome little lamby. (i apologise if you are a vegatarian, but i am clearly not.) i only ate the greens so i didn't feel so bad, but they too were extraordinary. who would have thought that a crispy anchovy and caper crumb would go so perfectly with broccoli? i now know. with another glass of red we stuffed ourselves full, finding more and more tender meat on the bone, that we had to, in the end, leave some. our stomachs were so miserly compared to that cut of meat. it felt a little wasteful, but we had done well.

as we waddled home, down the street about 20 metres, we were so content. content of a day exploring Brunswick st, eating delicious food and chatting along the way.

a.

stories to tell...

do i have some stories for you!

i had a wonderful trip down to melbourne last weekend to shop, eat and drink with a dear friend. i'll fill you in over a few installments. for now, here is a mere peek of what we got up to...

that right there, my dear friends, is THE most amazing toasted granola i have ever eaten. i can't explain its goodness to its full extent...i'll leave your minds to imagine the crunchy, toasty sweetness that it was.

a.

smoothie recipe

as per request....

so it goes a little like this; i rush a smoothie together 5 minutes after i'm supposed to be out the door on the way to work. so, please forgive the ambiguity of measurements and ingredients. its all very flexible anyway...i mean, c'mon - its only a smoothie.

all you need is a stick mixer and large cup to mix in, then a cup to serve in. (see aforeposted picture of my new smoothie cup...it has insulated walls for heat/cold and is the perfect weight in the hand, with a beautiful blue lid)

a couple of tbsp of cooked quinoa (necessary morning grains - its handy to have a batch cooked in the fridge for each mornings smoothie delight)
a couple of tbsp of natural yoghurt
a cup of frozen berries
a small handful of fresh strawbs
a cup of milk
1 - 2 tbsp of honey (i do like it sweet) - you have to work to make sure the quinoa isn't too overpowering in the mix...i'm sure fresh berries would help that.

i just wizz, pour and run and out the door!

a.

mi familia

a family feast.

berlach family feasts are not that regular...but when they do occur, there is no shortage of raucous and rioting. when all the members are placed together in one small area there is as many conversations happening as there are members and no shortage of laughing and jest.

food is relatively key to any such meeting, which i think can be traced back to my bubunia and her wonderful provision of food for her family, who you can read a little about here and here. both my mum and dad are really brilliant, but most importantly adventurous cooks who cooked me anything from italian to lebanese while growing up (even though our strongest ancestral roots are polish and english). we always set the table, prepared the water and the wine and sat and enjoyed the food before us - critiquing the finer points of the cuisine along the way.

here are some images from one of those most recent evenings at my beloved brother and sister's home. you can check out their love for food and family at the beetle shack.

one very happy customer. totally satisfied by the generously coated tandoori chicken, fresh carrot and coriander salad and zesty cocktail.

an evening of indian feasting enjoyed with a cocktail of two. (cocktail - coriander + grapefruit mule kinda thing...delicious)

a.

homemade granola...in the making

inspired by graingirls amy and vicki, here is what i've spent this beautiful sundy arvo doing...

crunchy cinnamon granola with oats, quinoa, almonds and the added kick of apple too (my addition). visit the graingirls yourself, and be inspired.

a.

p.s. it's still crackling away in the oven.

de nouveaux aliments

things i've been sampling...

Fat Yak beer; not bad, not bad at all. rich. well - richer than the corona i had drunk shortly before it...

Hot winter cider - from Sweden, none less! I stumbled upon this beauty on a cold evening browsing the bott'lo shelves. It was a no-brainer...alcohol served hot, on a cold night. mmm

radishes in my salad. a crunchy peppery pop.

curried/deviled eggs. quite delicious actually, and fun to make. hard boil yo goggies, then mix the hard yokes with mayo, curry powder, chive and parsley. replace into their perfectly now-void holes and garnish. beauty!

p.s. i don't speak french. i cheat and google how to spell things in french. sorry Carney.

a.

this chilly evening...

wearing - warm, long wintery bed socks

nibbling - freshly popped and caramelized corn...so delicious! my friend amy whipple at graingirls gave me the inspiration to rush around after work gathering the necessary components for such a cheap and easy sweet treat.

enjoying - these beautiful tulips from my darlin' of a man...x

awaiting - the juicy lamb chops we shall devour this evening with some roast sweet potato, and broccoli (doused in garlic butter)

in need of - an adequate sized glass of margaret river organic port. i think i'll go get that now

i hope you're well

a.

food, glorious food

so much of my recent holiday jaunt was centered around food. my families european heritage has a lot t do with it, but also the occasion and glory that is easter added to the unnecessary amount of food. but i loved every minute. here are some examples...

hap-hazard pastry base pizza (w. left over roast sweet potatoe, lamb shanks, a bit of mustard. delish)

beetroot slaw. a bit of a berlach family tradition

venison cappaccio w. capers and truffle oil from The Studio Gallery in Yallingup

bubunia's 'meat & gravy' w. salad (i love her cutlery...hoping it lands in my hands one day)

an alfresco mexican feast on my first night in freo

a.

a monday night at home

usually monday night serves us up a fairly hectic schedule of polo training, church meetings and family dinners. tonight we opted for the evening off. it has been so peaceful.

Dinner:

Spicy eggplant and chicken {pork} stir fry, found in a beautiful magazine a cherished friend gave me for my birthday late last year.

i love my brother dberlach for many reasons, but tonight it is for the fresh chillies he gave me as a love offering on friday afternoon. thank you x

the finished product. not such a loving or aesthetically pleasing plate up - i was devouring it so quickly i only remembered that i wanted a photo of it plated, when i was licking the bowl...oops

i drank wine while i prepared this meal, which was a longer preparation than i'm used to (compared to our 'fast food' diet) and i drank wine after as well. grant enjoyed it, which is so nice. i think i'll peruse some blogs and maybe try some sketching tonight. a peaceful, creative and restful night. bliss

a.