Spring things

It's a super windy Saturday, which is a nice excuse to stay in. I have a giant pot of chicken stock on the stove and the beginnings of a strawberry and ginger shrub. I'm looking forward to making fruit sodas with it later tonight. I'm testing a bunch of summer recipes this weekend - fun stuff like cocktails and ice cream sandwiches. If you're interested in all of the above (well, minus the chicken stock), the recipes will be in a special four-part newsletter I've been writing for work. You can sign up here, it'll be out super soon!

I've been all about tiny novelties lately. Tahini on toast with honey, sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon for breakfast. Pop-ups around town for dinner on a Friday night. Oat milk lattes, just out of curiosity (verdict: they're good but it totally depends on the brand of milk... and the barista. Oatly and Minor Figures are my faves).

For the last month or so, I've been going to work early on a Tuesday, which means I'm often on my way home just after four. It makes the evening feel long and relaxed - and it's the night I usually tackle something more complicated for dinner and go for a walk afterwards, and still have time to watch TV and have a shower and eat something sweet - it's pretty weekend-like.

Often it's the night I make a recipe from East by Meera Sodha. Months ago, my friend Lisa suggested we both get a copy and cook through it together. It's been nine weeks since we started, and we take turns choosing the recipe for the week. We rarely double up on our selections, so it's been a good way to try dishes I wouldn't have picked myself - like this roasted paneer aloo gobi. It might be my favourite recipe in the book so far. Lisa lives in Sydney, so every Sunday night, we recap the dish and our weeks over email and share a pic of how it turned out. It has become the nicest weekly ritual.

Something else that's fun - my brother Derrick who lives in New York made me a playlist a little while ago, and every now and then he adds a new song or two. It's a fun way to keep in touch, and a luxury to have music chosen for you :)

Finally, I made the ultimate mid-thirties purchase the other week. I bought my own enamel casserole dish - in pale pink. Every other nice pan in my home has been a gift from my parents or a wedding present. I bought it specially for this cookbook, where most of the recipes are based on a 30cm round roasting dish. I'll be making baked sausages with apple and blackberries next.

Hope you've been well!

X

Spring long weekend plans

It may still be Sunday afternoon but I'm already day dreaming about the long weekend that's right around the corner. My parents and brother will be in town to hang out and celebrate my niece's sixth birthday. We've talked about a fish and chip picnic by the lake, a trip to a late night Indonesian diner and we almost always end up at the local gelato shop - because my dad loves it.

My favourite thing to do on a long weekend (or any weekend really) is try a new and slightly more decadent recipe. Next weekend I'm planning to make braised beef short ribs and rice and serve an apple crisp with ice cream for dessert.

If you're planning an extra yummy meal too, I can highly recommend Ottolenghi's chicken marbella (roast chicken with dates, olives and capters) and baked saffron rice. I made both this weekend and we ate them in our friend's sunny backyard.

The best thing about this meal is that you can do most of the prep ahead of time - I marinated the chicken for the full two recommended days, turning it every now and then. The rice bakes in 25 minutes (and has onion, plenty of garlic and saffron) and stays warm, so you can easily bake it before the chicken and pack up both if you're heading to a picnic. It meant we could have a decent Sunday sleep in, blueberry bagels and coffee for brekkie before getting a start on the rice and then roasting the chicken. We were out of the house before 12!

Other plans for next weekend... getting stuck into Three Women (my library reserve finally came good) and a lakeside walk with friends from yoga (with a pit stop for homemade salted miso brownies). The only thing left to do is get through the working week ;) I'll be heading back to Sydney for a couple of days, which has been the best excuse to make a booking at Bella Brutta for pizza.

Have a lovely week!

X

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.

Spring things

In the last fortnight, like clockwork, the plants on our balcony started coming back to life. It caught me by surprise because I was sure I'd killed them all. Even the parsley. So is the magic of spring, and with it the temptation to change it up in small and simple ways.

In our little home it's meant some spur of the moment spring cleaning. Over the weekend I sorted through the thirty-odd books that'd been stashed under my bedside table and put them away. Now there's a smaller stack of things I'm reading now and am planning to read soon. Makes me happy just looking at it.

I'm waiting til October to bring my spring/summer clothes out of storage but I got a little head start this weekend, folding up heavy coats and bagging a few things up to give away. 

And I actually put some effort into food prep this weekend, after I edited this story about meal planning. The point that stuck? Scheduling regular days and times to do it each week, and making it part of your routine. I make time most days to exercise, but had never thought about food prep in the same way. I always assumed it'd somehow get done.

Over two days I made a half-day rye bread for our lunches this week, a batch of veggie stock, curried coconut lentils for the freezer, plus and a banana, coconut and pineapple loaf. It felt surprisingly easy... possibly because I've been listening to Dispatch to a Friend non-stop since last Thursday and it's all about finding pleasure in cooking. Also, I only planned to make two things (the bread and the stock). Everything else was a because-I-felt-like-it bonus :)

And on Sunday night, the perfect spring meal that's part winter and part summer. I made a roast chicken with potatoes (I love Nadine Redzepi's recipe). Then there was takeaway Gelato Messina for dessert and Flavours of Youth on Netflix. 

Avocado Toast with Pesto and Hummus

I made a great green sandwich the other day, by accident, while waiting for a cake to come out of the oven. It kept me full until my friend came round for cake and tea :)

Now that it's spring, I'm eating more open sandwiches and a lot more colours too! When it warms up a bit more, I'm going to start carrying my Turkish towel (the perfect picnic rug for one) for outdoor lunch breaks and lazy weekends of reading and eating by the lake.

Avocado Toast with Pesto and Hummus
Serves 1 as a hearty snack, double the recipe or add an extra piece of bread for a decent lunch

You'll need:

The biggest piece of bread you can find (think middle of the loaf!)*
Spinach or coriander pesto
1 tbsp hummus
Half an avocado, sliced
Parmesan cheese, grated
Chilli flakes
Pinch of sea salt, pepper
Two lemon wedges

* If you're Canberra-based, I'm a big fan of Three Mills Bakery bread. They sell extra large loaves of sourdough (pre-sliced!!) at Ainslie IGA.

Here's how: 

Toast your piece of bread and slice your avocado while you wait for it to pop.

When it's ready, spread a generous layer of pesto on your toast, followed by a thick layer of your favourite hummus. Lay your avocado slices on top, then garnish with sea salt, a few turns of pepper and a sprinkling of chilli flakes.

Grate some parmesan cheese on top (I use a microplane to keep it light) and then squeeze over some lemon juice. Enjoy in the sun :)

Spring things

How are you feeling now that we've (finally) hit spring? I've just gotten over a lingering cold and it's been sunny enough to ride my bike again. Yay! September is looking good - Tony and my third wedding anniversary is next week, I'm heading to a conference about podcasts, and there's a Blue Mountains holiday on the horizon.

Other good things - my friend Beth shared the story of a water ballet on Facebook. The ballet was staged by friends in a wading pool to honour a dying artist's final vision. The dance was choreographed, the swimming costumes handmade, and the resulting performance so, so joyful. Here's a great quote from the article: "Be involved. Be engaged - appreciate your beautiful, awesome body that isn't failing you."

I recently discovered Thalia Ho's baking blog, Butter and Brioche, and I've been trying out some recipes. I started with her spelt choc chip cookies, next on my list is this chocolate sheet cake with thick frosting and a sprinkle of fleur de sal. Thalia's Instagram is beautiful too!

A post shared by By Madeleine Dore (@extraordinary_routines) on Aug 28, 2017 at 3:00am PDT

Was August busy for you too? I feel like time is going to keep flying, so I was especially thankful to see Madeleine Dore's series on being creative and burning out on her Extraordinary Routines blog. It includes interviews with many Australian women I admire, like Nirrimi Firebrace and Kate Berry.

I am reading Jessica Friedmann's debut book of essays Things That Helped that chronicles her experience with postpartum depression. I saw Jessica speak at the Canberra Writers Festival and was moved by her honesty and articulate account of early motherhood. I am only part way through this book but wholeheartedly recommend it.

A post shared by Grace Bonney (@designsponge) on Aug 24, 2017 at 4:22pm PDT

And I loved this tour of a houseboat in the Netherlands, which is home to an impressive cookbook collection and a cat named Smurf. The house is compact, colourful and afloat!

Photos: Top image by Erika Schultz for The Seattle Times, chocolate cake photo by Thalia Ho.

Spring news + small celebrations

Our first year in Canberra is almost up and so is my contract for work. But on Friday I signed a new one, we renewed our lease for another year and booked a beach house for summer. After a slow start to the week it felt awesome. Here are a few happy snaps from the weekend just past:

At the end of the week I love to clear my head by stopping at the farmers markets on the way home from work. There were heaps of new stallholders last week, including one selling mini bouquets and cookies. I'd been quietly hoping that we'd be able to stay in Canberra, so I bought this little bunch to celebrate.

My usual Saturday morning yoga class was relocated at the last minute to the Nishi Gallery. It's a beautiful (and minimal) concrete space with plenty of skylights, which made for good cloud gazing in some of the more relaxing poses :) 

New flowers seem to be blooming in the gardens that surround our apartment block every day. Lately it's been bearded irises and this little guy (I'm not sure what it is!). Even when I can't see them, I can smell them as soon as I step out onto our balcony. It makes everyday things like watering the pot plants extra nice.

And on Sunday afternoon Tony came back from his trip to Sydney. We went out for big bowls of pasta to catch up and planned to see Woody Allen's new movie but didn't quiet get there, so it's something to look forward to later in the week.

Spring garden update

Over the last month, I've been slowly adding new plants to our balcony in preparation for spring. The new additions include baby spinach, spring onions, coriander, thyme, basil and flowers too. We're also growing parsley, mint, strawberries and one determined radicchio.

I'm a novice when it comes to gardening. When we left Wagga Wagga, my friend Sophie gave us a few starter plants, which has helped me build my confidence and work out where the sunniest spots are.

I've had a lot of help from friends. Dave recommended repotting our mint, to give it more room to grow and it's really taken off. And Sam's told me where to buy the strongest veggie seedlings in town (here if you're interested!).

I planted my basil a little early - it's still very cold in the mornings - so these guys will be staying inside for the next little while.

Aside from herbs and veggies, I'm growing flowers for the very first time. Here are my seaside daises :)

And now that the days are getting that tiny bit brighter and warmer, I'm getting back into the habit of earthing down after a day's work.

Do you exercise?

Every spring I rediscover exercise. In seasons past I've taken up running, joined a gym and bought a tennis racquet. But this spring is different. This month, I will have clocked up a whole year of regular exercise. It feels like a triumph and a bit of a fluke too.

Today, two girlfriends and my brother generously share how much they exercise in any given week, why they do it, what keeps them motivated and the kinds of things that can get in the way:

Weekend links

What are you getting up to this weekend? After another big week at work I'm looking forward to catching up with friends. I'll be visiting my friend's new home (I'm bringing rose and corn chips) and going to a special crab restaurant for dinner. I can't wait. Here are a handful of links to keep you busy:


Three clever women discuss their addiction to The Bachelor.

The 7 rules of compliment club.

A brave brave story by my friend Brad.

So true.

New books for small friends.

A fun gallery - couples now and then.

Donut envy.

And something exciting, The Good Food Guide 2016 is out and I'm listed as one of the reviewers, right next to Terry Durack no less :)

White shoes for Spring

I couldn't wait to pack my boots away for another year in favour of these bright white sneakers. I've had my eye on a pair for awhile and love how summery and comfy they look. Finally, a shoe trend I can get behind :)

I bought a pair of Vans and have seen similar styles here and here. Or if you wanted a pair of sneakers that you could walk around in all day without feeling a thing, the most comfortable sneakers I've ever owned now come in white.

And something funny - wearing white shoes makes me a bit more elegant. I don't kick them off when I get home and when I'm wearing them I'm a bit more careful about how I walk. As a back up, I've also use this special shoe spray from time to time, and leave my shoes outside to bleach on a sunny day - it really works!

P.S I love treating myself to one new dress each season, and currently have my eye on this one.