Firestick Cafe - Pokolbin, NSW
on Jan 1, 2009 in Cafe Hunter Valley Restaurant Regional NSW This restaurant and cafe sits in one of the prettiest settings in Hunter Valley that I had to spend a good five minutes taking in the view from the carpark. For a suburban queen/city slicker like myself, this is surely one of the more picturesque res...

Happy New Year from Sydney!
on Dec 31, 2008 in Random Musings Sydney is definitely one of the cities to be in for new year celebrations. Sydney is also host to one of the best firework displays in the world and although there are other places in the world that I wish to live in, there's no place I'd rathe

Vanillekipferl and Hot Chocolate for Santa (and myself)
on Dec 30, 2008 in Sweet Nibbles Biscuits and Cookies 'Twas Christmas eve and after a casual family dinner and a spontaneous bout of bowling at Strike Bowling Bar, Mr S. and I arrived home with a severe case of the sweet munchies. Now I was one of those children that insisted on leaving milk and cookies

Christmas Dinner and a Chocolate Tart
on Dec 29, 2008 in Chocolate Sweet Tarts How do you like the Mother's über-loud and ultra-kitsch Christmas table-cloth?...oh Mother... Christmas dinner is usually a Hosted-by-Mother event when the pilgrimage of relatives descend on our household. It doesn't take much stress to push

Christmas eve with a tart called Miss Harry?
on Dec 25, 2008 in Savoury Tarts Lunch Vegetarian Pastry Christmas Eve dinner at our household is always a casual affair for our family - the calm before the storm of Christmas night. Oysters are always a permanent fixture (3 dozen of them and always Sydney Rock) and two huge Scotch fillets added the heavy...

Orange Butter Cake with Coconut Crumble
on Dec 23, 2008 in Fruit Cakes Can you believe this is the first time I've been in the kitchen, right and proper in a while? Sadly with the countdown to the silly season, party planning, shopping and an endless parade of social occasions and Christmas parties, I barely had the ene

Using this opportunity to show off my tree...
on Dec 21, 2008 in Random Musings ...and to greet you all! Christmas is the time of the year for get-togethers, presents (admit it) and family (whether you like it or not). More importantly it's the one time of the year when you can eat yourself silly and all is forgiven....well that