Easy spring picnics

On Sunday afternoon, we grabbed some brie, kombucha and hummus from the grocer near our apartment and headed outside for a late snacky lunch. We went to our favourite spot, a shady area by the lake that played host to Christmas last year, and it was one of those moments that was just really nice. It reminded me that picnics can be just as fun without a homemade pasta salad or a specially made batch of brownies.

The very next day, we woke up early and drove to a national park because we'd been invited to do a yoga class by a waterfall and who says no to that? The class ended up being on top of the waterfall, rather than below it as I was expecting, which was nothing short of terrifying. But we survived and were rewarded with breakfast :)

The hosts served yoghurt, fruit salad, nuts, muesli, muffins and tea and I was grateful to be tucking into my first mango of the season. We chatted and ate on top of a rock that overlooked some mountains, with cool breezes and the sound of the waterfall trickling below us. It was pinch-me great.

And because I have a weakness for chocolate coated fruit and nuts, I was stoked to try the chocolate that was part of the breakfast spread.  Choc chai almonds are my new obsession, from the serve-yourself-nut section of Coles. I am so looking forward to more spur of the moment picnics this season.

A new cookbook + an indoor picnic

I messaged my friend Maayan the other day to say that I'd found a recipe book that summed up our friendship, written by Molly Yeh who is Chinese and Jewish. Soon we were planning a picnic so I could try out a few recipes, mainly the scallion pancake challah and the homemade hummus.

We picked the worst day for a picnic - it was blowing a gale and raining in unpredictable bursts so we relocated to my apartment for a picnic inside. Tony made cups of tea for everyone while May and Sam unpacked chicken pate, cold meats, snowpeas, radishes and mangoes.

I also made a salad and had white chocolate cupcakes and strawberries ready for lunch dessert. I took a photo of the challah before it went in the oven, in case I stuffed it up mid-bake. It's filled with spring onions, chilli flakes and sesame oil.

Molly Yeh's cookbook is awesome. If you read her blog, it fills in some of the blanks about how she came to blog about food and how she met her husband, Eggboy. It's also really entertaining and packed with new recipes. I've made three things so far and I'm slowly working my way up to the cake on the cover that has suspended sprinkles inside!

Here's what else I've been flipping through lately - I picked up Sophie Hansen's Local Is Lovely at the library yesterday and added some sourdough starter to her pikelet recipe. And we're having burgers tonight from the Huxtaburger book, which was a birthday present from my friend Kristy :)

P.S If you're a Molly Yeh fan-girl like me you might also like her interview on My Open Kitchen and Radio Cherry Bombe. Recipe-wise I made lots of friends with these chocolate and green tea cupcakes (and learnt how to use a piping bag), changed my mind about tahini with this sheet cake and this quick peanut butter cake is worth memorising. Also she's the best on Instagram.

Picnic for one

One Friday night on our way to dinner, Tony and I passed a girl setting up for a picnic by herself. She had a towel, some fancy chips and a book and she was still there when we passed the same spot on our way home. I love organising picnics for friends but I was curious to try a solo picnic. It might sound a little lonely but it's actually super relaxing.

On Easter Sunday I packed a thermos of tea, some Easter eggs and a new book and walked down to the lake. Away from my computer and things about the house that I'm very good at fussing with, I drank tea, read and people-watched in the sun. I'll definitely do it again, next time I'm home alone or need a little time to myself.

P.S I'm reading Erin's book Simple Matters and am loving it.