A - Z Guidebook - Kronborg Castle, Denmark

Kronborg Castle in Helsingor, Denmark   

Look at how skinny I was back then!  This was in our backpacking days, when we travelled around the world for 9 months.  We loved Denmark, even though every museum in the whole of Europe was closed for 4 months over the tourist season so we got to see very little of the art and culture.  Sadly, the Museum workers had decided to go on strike over summer, and were on strike for 4 whole months! Luckily, some places were still open, like the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, which I will tell you about another day:=)

We stayed in the red light district of Copenhagen (lots of mirrors on the ceiling in our room), which was a lot of fun.  We had one of the best breakfasts there: cold meats, cheese, bread and a whole pot of coffee for each person.  Aah, my kind of start to the day, not being a huge fan of cereal or toast.

We even got to go to Sweden for a couple of hours.  The Oresund Bridge between the 2 countries hadn't been built then, so we took a ferry to Sweden.  We wandered around for a bit, then jumped back on the ferry to Denmark.  We only had Danish money with us, (though the Information bureau kindly accepted our Danish kroner so we could buy a booklet from them), so we thought it best to head back (the delights of Copenhagen were still calling).  Plenty of reasons to head back to Sweden some day, and I would surely love to see inside some of those museums and historic houses.

Take a look at the other travel photos here at tiffinbitesized, or even better, join in with your own delectable photo!  This is a monthly link-up where you too can share one of your fave photos from your travels.  This month, the letter D is the star attraction.

My Sunday Photo 13 September 2015

a ride at the local school fete this weekend   

I loved this ride, as all the cups have Alice in Wonderful characters on them as does the tea pot.  And as you may have guessed from some of my other posts, I adore Alice!

You Light Up My Life - or, Ceiling Lights I Have Known And Loved

Anyone who has followed my blog or Instagram account for a while will know I love taking photos of ceiling lights.  And they are usually in cafes and restaurants.  Maybe I notice them because I have some spare time when awaiting my food?:)  Or maybe because they seem to put up really interesting pendant lamps these days. Either way, I am often to be found looking up, and snapping away.  So I thought I would share a few of the more unusual lamps that I have come across in the last year or so.    

cheeky cherubs at Sweet Decadence at Locantro, Daylesford VIC   

industrial light at Piggery Cafe, Burnham Beeches, Sherbrooke VIC     

gorgeous globes at Matthew Thomas, Sandgate Brisbane  

kinda spooky octopussy light at Chowhouse, Fortitude Valley Brisbane  

superior sphere at Brick Bistro Bar, Redcliffe   

The Belle General Cafe, East Ballina NSW    

lovely lanterns at Nikuya Japanese Restaurant, Fortitude Valley    

Elixir Coffee House, Stafford    

a bit sci-fi; a bit industrial; a bit scary at Delfina's Bistro, Fortitude Valley     

I think part of my fascination comes via hubby's work as a designer, and also from my great love of lighthouses:=)  Maybe one of my Scottish ancestors was a lighthouse keeper?  Who knows?   I just know I love lights (and lighthouses), and will keep snapping away while I wait for my coffee or dinner to appear.

yep another of my weird, wonky doodles:) 

Nutty Muesli Breakfast Bars

5 ingredient muesli bars     

I hate breakfast cereal!  I remember as a child having soggy cornflakes and weet-bix before running out to catch the school bus (we could see it coming round the bend in the road from our kitchen window).  Every now and again mum would buy cocoa pops or frosties as a treat, but this was rare. Oh, she did make porridge in winter which I loved.  (See, the Scottish blood again).  I don't know if this story is true but our Scottish friend told us that back in Scotland where he grew up, his nan used to make up a whole heap of porridge, then let it get cold and firm and keep it in a kitchen drawer! They would then slice off a piece in the morning, and add hot milk for breakfast.  This is either incredibly funny or incredibly true and weird; I am not sure which.

Mr P. loves a big bowl of cereal in the morning, but sometimes we run out or he doesn't have a lot of time.  He recently bought himself some breakfast bars from the supermarket, so he could eat a couple on the run.  I figured I could make some that were just as good, and hopefully better.  I told him that I was going to make some for him, which pleased him, though he did say the packet ones were pretty good.   Huh, not really what I wanted to hear!

I already had some macadamia butter in the pantry, and I wanted to make this an Aussie sort of bar so I decided to use macadamias as the nut of choice.  I can't believe the Queen prefers to eat Hawaiian ones.  The cheek:)  Doesn't she know what good little Colonials we are?  And shouldn't she be supporting the Aussie nut trade?:=) Mmmmmph!

I have used the recipe from Minimalist Baker as a basis - here; and I have tweaked with the ingredients I prefer.

ingredients:

1 cup (220g.) medjool dates, pitted - you end up with c. 200g.
1+1/2 cups (150g.) rolled oats (I used wholegrain), toasted
1 cup (180g.) roasted nuts of your choice
1/4 cup maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice like agave syrup, honey etc)
1/4 cup nut butter of your choice - peanut, almond, whatever:)


Throw in dried fruit, choc chips, banana chips and so on; whatever takes your fancy

Method:

Pit the dates by slitting down the middle vertically, and pulling the seed out

Throw the pitted dates into a food processor and blitz till it starts to look like a dough, and/or forms into a ball 

Toast the oats in a 180C oven for 10-15 minutes till lightly golden
(Make sure the nuts go in for 5-10 minutes too if you have bought raw ones)

Place the dates, oats and nuts into a large bowl

Pour/spoon the maple syrup and nut butter into a small saucepan, and warm over a low heat till gently bubbling round the edges

Pour the warmed syrup mix over the nutty, oaty mix and combine well together - you will need a bit of muscle here to incorporate the dates

Spoon it into a lined baking tray about 18 x 28cm

Press it down very firmly and cover with baking paper or clingfilm

Place in fridge or freezer for at least 20 mins.

Take it out and cut up into bars of whatever size you fancy

Store in airtight container for a few days, or whack 'em into the fridge or freezer

ingredients all ready to go!

everything blitzed and toasted

heating up the syrup and nut butter    

spooning out the mix into a lined tray  

all flattened out :)  

chilled and cut up; ready for eating   

Okay, I have to tell you I am not a fan of these bars.  They taste great, and are probably healthy.  But I just don't like muesli!  Mr P. likes them, and that is the important thing as I made them for him.
I have put them in the fridge to keep; we live in a sub-tropical climate, so pretty much everything goes in the fridge.  They are also a wee bit crumbly, so I think it needs the extra chilling.  Next time I will add finely diced dried apricots for a bit of sweetness and flavour.  

My Sunday Photo 6 September 2015

the Tridosha Salt Company van 

This weekend Mr P. and I went along to the annual Sample Food Festival at Bangalow near Byron Bay.  It is a wonderful festival, full of cooking demos, entertainment and food.  And there are heaps of stallholders with their marvellous products including this one which makes and sells gourmet salts. The Byron Bay area is an old hippie habitat from way back, and it is heartwarming to see how they really care about recycling, and nurturing the environment.  Such a fab day!

In My Kitchen September 2015

This is going to be a brief In My Kitchen post this month as August was rather quiet on the kitchen front.  I have a weird phobia about August!  For some reason, it just gives me the willies and I am always so happy when it is over.  Thank goodness it is now officially Spring and September.  

a tea-towel signed by Kitty and Penny Flanagan-such a funny show! 

our lovely friend Miss PP went down to Hobart and made some jam from her fruit trees   

a rather heart-warming book full of homestyle recipes      

Kitty Flanagan was brilliant!  What a fab show.   We have seen her a few times and this was her best.  We queued up to have a tea towel signed by her and sister Penny.  Oh dear, Penny was not in a very good mood I fear.  Kitty had to tell her to come and sign it for us.  Big sister stuff:)

Our friend Miss PP owns a house in Hobart, and she goes down to check it out every so often.  This year her cumquats were splendiferous, so we ended up with a jar of lovely marmalade. (You can tell she was a teacher by her lovely handwriting).  

I know it sounds cheesy but Melissa Gilbert's book is actually rather good.  Full of stories about the TV show, and lots of lovely, homely recipes that it would be a pleasure to make.  (And I don't mean homely in the American sense of plain and unattractive).  

Oh dear!  I just bought another cookbook out of the blue.  I found out that Rachel Khoo was in town signing books, so off I went to see her. How could I resist?. She is so lovely!  Such a sweetie, and full of smiles and chatter.  Without thinking, I leant down to have a photo taken with her, and put my arm around her shoulders.  She was kind enough not to shrug me off.  And she said she likes the (brief) look she has had at Brisbane.  

I love her beautiful drawings    

me and Rachel Khoo! 

Okay so Rachel Khoo wasn't in my kitchen, but I now have a signed copy of her book so it's like she is in my kitchen.  It's lovely when one of your idols turns out to be as nice as they seem on the telly!  (And no she wasn't tipsy; just friendly).

Join in with Celia from Fig Jam & Lime Cordial for the monthly IMK get-together.  Where you too can share your kitchen goodies with fellow bloggers around the globe.  Always a fascinating read!

The Jetty Oxford - Restaurant Review

Want some great food?  Want some great people watching?  Come to The Jetty on trendy Oxford Street, and indulge in both.  You can sit on the high stools and watch the beautiful people passing by on their way to the ferry or City Cat, as the restaurant is right next to the gorgeous, heritage-listed terminal.  

fabulous ferry terminal   

The Sunshine Coast sis-in-law had come down to the city to taste a bit of the high life (ha ha).  We thought a riverside lunch was in order, so off we toddled to the other side of town.  Never say we won't go anywhere to get some great food.  Mr P. and I had had lunch here just a few weeks previously, so I was keen to come again and try out a few more dishes.  

I couldn't resist a glass of French rose, while Mr P. had his usual strawberry milkshake, (plus a sneaky glass of ginger beer later) and SIL stayed with the sparkling water.  

very quaffable Bouchard Rose $9.50   

strawberry malted milk $6   

ginger beer $4.50  

I chose oysters, and seared scallops from the Small Plates part of the menu, which I had eaten last time also.  But I just couldn't help myself, as I had really enjoyed them the first time.  The oysters were fresh and succulent, and came with a chardonnay shallot vinaigrette.  The scallops were a fraction disappointing this time. The plate was swimming in a bright yellow (turmeric?) sauce, and had very little cauliflower puree. This was a bit sad, as the sauce added very little to the dish, and I would have loved some more of that smooth puree.  The scallops themselves were verging on undercooked.  I like mine to be just done, but these needed a few more seconds on the grill.  I still enjoyed it but just not quite as much as the previous lunch.

seared scallops with cauliflower puree w/-golden raisins & toasted almonds $18.50 - (just not as pretty or tasty this time)  

oysters arranged so prettily the first time 1/2 doz $16  

still tasty but not so nicely plated  

Brussels sprouts w/-bacon, honey & sesame seeds $9 

The sprouts were a bit crunchy but went well with the bacon etc.  SIL ate her way steadily through them, as they were a hefty bowlful.  We shared the chips, though I think I may have eaten some of her share too:)  The chips were chips; not much to be said but tasty and moreish.  I like my aioli to be really garlicky; this one was quite mild. One day I will find a restaurant that makes pungent aioli, even though Mr P. may not want to kiss me for a while after. 

chips w/- aioli $9 

wagyu beef burger w/- chips etc $22 (first visit)    

another view of the beef burger (2nd visit)   

Mr P. enjoyed his beef burger and chips.  He said it was juicy, and flavoursome.  (I really wonder if the wagyu makes much difference to a burger, considering it is slathered in sauces?).  Mr P. had this burger both times, and had no problems scoffing it down.

And thus we come to dessert!  It really was kind of SIL and Mr P. to go the whole hog for me, by having desserts that I could photograph.

sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch sauce and walnut cream $14.50  

chocolate fondant, Lindt choc sauce and espresso icecream  $14.50  

vanilla bean brulee, biscotti and lemon curd icecream $14.50   

We all agreed that the desserts were delicious.  The brulee had a great snap; my fondant was moist and chocolatey, and the toffee pudding was a sticky treat.  One small thing which I found tiresome (and yes I know I have whinged about this before) is my dessert coming out on a wooden board. What's with that?  Pretty darn hard to scoop up the icecream when it is running over the board.  And it was jolly hard to get a full mouthful of all the elements as the little ramekin didn't lend itself to holding everything at once.  That aside, it was delicious.

The Jetty does dinner 5 nights a week, and also does catering and functions.  And they have great coffee too, which you can drink at the coffee bar or take away.  

The Pickings' verdict?: Service was friendly and professional; the atmosphere relaxed, and the food was modern and well-executed for the most part.  A congenial place to eat and hang out, and do some people watching.

And look what came by during lunch.  This stunningly cute yellow car.  The driver was very considerate, and hung around so we could take photos:)

so cute...

    

1b Oxford St,
Bulimba 4171
Ph: 07 3899 6113