mosaic road

1000 £ Bend - Cafe - Bar & Market

Mismatched retro couches, kitsch artwork and cheap meals and drinks are all staples of 1000 £ Bend. A venture of Jerome Borazio, owner of former bar St Jerome’s, 1000 £ Bend is appealing in the unpretentious, shabby-chic way Melburnians love so much.

via www.broadsheet.com.au

There was a homemade goods market at this venue at the weekend. There were some fabulous stalls with gorgeous jewellery, scarves and even an "ice your own cupcake" stand. The market was held in the warehouse-y area beyond the red curtains in the photo. After our wander we sat in the cafe for coffee and I further indulged in a Bloody Mary. The food looked fabulous but on hearing there was a 30 minute wait we chose to just drink !! What caught my eye on the menu was a bowl of Coco Pops and milk  !!!!

Using Howquadale Honey

A friend of mine has a farm property up in the Mansfield/Howquadale region. Recently they moved some bee hives up there and this week I received a jar of their "homemade" honey.

The texture, colour and taste is sublime.

 

I used some of it in this golden Honey & Polenta Cake. The cake was lovely and not a bit dry. Often my use of cornmeal in cooking is a bit disappointing. If I make cornbread it is wonderful warm, right out of the oven but after that is tends to be like chomping on sandpaper !! But not this time !!

 

Why Did I Bother ??

I replace my dog beds every year or so and as dog bed buyers know, they can be very, very expensive items especially if you go in for the very plush varieties. I shop around online trawling for plush dog bedding at a reasonable price. I found two wonderful ones, new on Ebay, located in New Zealand. They are fabulous and were incredibly cheap even considering the airmail postage rate. But then when I repeatedly see two dogs snuggled in one bed I do wonder why I just did not buy  the one, just a single would suffice it seems !! Or I could get a third dog !!!

The OXFAM WALK

My daughter set off yesterday very early along with dozens of others/ Their aim is to walk 100 kms in 24 hours. She set out after an endless amount of training walks and preparation. She also set out carrying an injury, a stress fracture in her foot. She called me at 5.30 this morning and after walking all day and all night, after covering 75 kms , she had to retire due to this injury. What a mammoth effort on her part !! Needless to say she is exhausted and every bit of her body hurts but she walked a mighty long way under duress and she and her team raised $5,000 for people in need.

A Connection ??

Isn't it funny that when big, shady trees are covered in lush, green foliage , we eat salads full of a variety of leafy greens and now when when the trees are losing their russet, yellow and orange leaves , we are tucking into root vegies and soups of the same colours. 

 

 

 

 

 

Could Anything be Cuter ???????

Anzac Tartlets

Anzac Day is April 25th so there are lots of promotional recipes around. I decided to try one so went ahead and purchased a pack of commercial Anzac cookies. The cookies become the tartlet shells after being softened in the oven . I made a caramel filling on the stove top using sweetened condensed milk and then topped this with melted dark chocolate. A sugary, decadent treat was born, not for the faint hearted !!

 

 

Gorgeous Little Coffee Art Video

click here - there are such clever people in this world !!

 

Daylight Saving Ends

Today is our last long day. Tomorrow heralds the start of the evenings closing in too early for my liking and that very specific autum chill will be in the air. The sun will be low in the sky and the central heating will be turned on. The only plus for me is that it is the time for comfort food and the smells of baking will be wafting and the oven will be warming up the kitchen . So there is no time like the present to get into warming and rustic food like these glistening, baked cinnamon and date apples, slow cooked to perfection.

The Last Bunch of Flowers

For the last 18 months I have had a steady stream of glorious blooms left on my porch by my lovely neighbour, a flower buyer for a florist. Now he has left this job and is heading off on some extended travels. I have been so spoilt and  have loved every single stem and stamen and will miss this privilege immensely. Thank you Zac and bon voyage.