A Glimpse of Ellen

I don't know how it happened, but our Melbourne itinerary somehow collided with Ellen DeGeneres when she was in Australia.  The girls and I had a whole day to spare in the city and it just happened to be the day Ellen was making an appearance for her show!  

We had planned a visit to the National Gallery of Victoria but alas, the gallery is closed on a Tuesday (I swear it used to always be closed on a Monday!) so we thought we might head on down to Birrarung Marr, behind Federation Square, to see (if we could) perhaps catch a glimpse, or at least hear the Talk Show Legend.  But when we approached the corner of Federation Square and the Yarra River our hearts slumped.  

The que was unbelievable....  I sent this pic to MrL who was on the other side of Australia, probably with the caption "look at this line!!!"

Thousands of people.

I suggested to the girls we take a seat outside near an outside stage and screen as it was pretty obvious that there was no way we would make it inside the the formal stage where things were going to happen.

The crowd kept building up with a lot of people having the same idea and the formal line being told that the stage area was now closed.

It wasn't too long before the Queen arrived.  There was a big buzz in the air.  And she acknowledged the people who couldn't/didn't get into the main arena.

Can you see her there waving?  And that's her mum across from her and wife Portia climbing the stairs ahead in a pretty red dress.  (She too did turn around and wave - she is a Melbourne girl after all!)

Monet and I were particularly thrilled.  Lily?  Nah.  She had no idea.

After watching a bit of the recording on the big screen ahead of us I was faced with two hungry and restless daughters.

But I soon put a stop to that.

My Ploughman's lunch went down a certain treat and the girls enjoyed their meals too.

A fantastic day.

Have you ever made sushi before?

We hadn't.  We aren't even big eaters of sushi truth be told.  But Monet had been asking for a while if we could make some, and after sampling a few pieces at a friend's place before Christmas, I said "sure"

'Coles' sell kits for around $10 which include the seaweed, rice (which you cook), the vinegar for the rice, the rolling mat, wasabi and soy sauce.  Pretty good value.  I had a few extra chicken tenderloins left over from the previous evening's meal, so I cooked them and sliced them up, a tin of salmon slices, half an avocado, carrot and cucumber batons.  

After cooking and preparing the rice, they were really easy to make.  And fun too.  Monet got into the act.  One thing is to have a sharp knife to slice the rolls.  I could imagine having blunt knives would squash them.

The six sheets of seaweed was right amount for the cooked rice.  And it yielded a lot of sushi.  Too much for the three of us (Lily wasn't tempted).  Thank goodness they were fine to eat the next day too and they were just as good.

Fratelli

When MrL's parents were up over Christmas we all visited a particular little restaurant that I had been eyeing off since our return but hadn't set foot in the place.  After our dining experience I had wished we had been there previously.  

Fratelli opened up on the Esplanade of our beach-side suburb when we were living in the UAE.  After a little research we have found out that the current owners and chefs of the place were the original owners of Lunico's, which we frequent a lot (see previous post!)  During the day, when closed and shut up shop, this restaurant looks like an old run down marquee.  But when they sides of the marquee open and the 'Open' sign is turned on the gate, you see that it isn't run down, but it is rustic.  In a comfortable way.  

The food ordered was delicious.  

And I love a good kiddies menu.  Lily (and the rest of us!!) loved the spaghetti and meatballs.  Delicious.

I've been dreaming of this ricotta and spinach gnocchi, baked in the oven in a tomato sauce, since I had it!

I don't usually do desserts but when the in-laws do, I do too.  Vanilla-bean panacotta thank you.

Can you see that lady waving?  No, I don't know her.  But we were sitting on the table behind them.

Frantelli.  Definitely a restaurant to put on your list to visit if you're in my neck of the woods.

Two days before Christmas...

...we celebrated MrL's birthday.  My in-laws had arrived the day previously for a handful of nights so it was nice to have them here to help celebrate.  It was also nice of them to have the girls for the afternoon.  *heehee*

I was actually pretty organised this year and MrL scored well with pressies.  

The six of us headed to Palm Cove for lunch.  We had decided (after deliberation) to eat at the Far Horizon's Restaurant, located within the Angsana Resort of the Palm Cove foreshore.  It was actually the same restaurant that MrL and I had our little wedding celebration at, back in 2008.  

With hesitation we ordered off the menu but no one could fault their food.  I must note that the kid's menu was great and different from everywhere else which offer the same thing.  Monet had chosen a platter of bread, ham, cheese, cucumber, ham and lettuce and Lily had a toasted cheese sandwich with apple slices on the side.  Mine was Peri-peri chicken on a light salad.  Washed down with a James Boag beers or two, was lovely....

After lunch Nanna and Poppy took the girls home....ahh....

After another drink we made our way along the Esplanade and ended up at a bar we had wanted to visit but never had.  The Rising Sun.  It didn't feel like Palm Cove, had a very Mediterranean feel about it.  Was lovely.  And as a bonus we spied a kid's corner located under one of the stain glassed windows.  I'd love a nook like this in my dream home...

We should have stayed there for the remainder of the afternoon but instead we moved on to a couple more places.

MrL's dad picked us up and back to the apartment they were staying at.  They were happy to look after the girls a little longer so we went to Lunico's for dinner.

A lovely way to end a birthday.

Happy Birthday MrL xx

MrL's meal - those sweet potato chips were to die for.

A Must

A few weeks back MrL took a well deserved break from work and headed down to our home state of Victoria for 4 nights.  It had been close to three years since he had been to see family and friends and so it was a must.  

Monet was on her last few days of school holidays so we went to the cinema to see 'Tinkerbell' which Lily just adored, ate McDonald's, had a picnic party on a rug in the lounge room, had toasted sandwiches for dinner and went shopping along other things.  One thing we did too was drive up to Port Douglas for lunch.  

Both girls insisted on an ice cream from a certain ice cream parlour we hadn't had one from ever.  They certainly won't be our last ice creams from there either - ohh they were delicious and thoroughly enjoyed to say the least.   Can't you tell?

After a walk up and down the main drag and browsing in a few stores, we settled on the Central Pub for lunch.  It ended up being a wise choice as it was enjoyed by the three of us.  I indulged in a serving of Barramundi Spring Rolls with a mandatory schooner of XXXX Gold.

Monet surprised me with her choice for lunch; steamed veggies served with a dollop of mash.  It made a nice change from chicken nuggets and chips which was Miss Lily's typical choice.

No visit (ever) is complete to Port Douglas without visiting The Point.  We always end up there, with good reason - it is picturesque, even if it had been raining on and off.

And there is a playground.  In the girl's book, it is therefore a must to visit.

Mother's Day 2012

Hard to believe sometimes that these two little faces below belong to two little humans I helped make.  Weird.  

We had a pretty lovely day yesterday, celebrating Mother's Day.  MrL went and bought McDonald's for breakfast which I really appreciated.  (I usually cook us a breakfast every Sunday here in Australia and in Abu Dhabi I cooked breakfast every Friday.)

I did well with the Mother's Day present loot.  Perfume, a cook book and Monet chose well at the school Mother's Day stall.   She even gave me a present they had put together in her classroom.  "It's meant to be a joke Mum", Monet kept saying as I tried my hardest to compose myself and not cry.  lol.  (I spoke to a couple of other mothers at school today and they all said the same!)

Lunch time saw the four of go to one of my favourite spots in Cairns, to Mondo's.  There is something about this place I just enjoy.  I think the rest of Cairns thought the same with the number of people there!

Monet got a couple of comments from a couple of 20-something girls, who had taken their mother out for lunch.  I saw them looking at the four of us as we sat at the table next to them.  When they got up to leave about twenty minutes later, they came over to Monet and said that they seriously "loved" Monet's look, especially the frames.  "Keep wearing them, they are very, very cool and stylish..."  Such a giggle!  And then the mum piped in and said "Cool!" and gave Monet the big thumbs up.  Funny.

We wandered back to the car and enjoyed the stroll along the boardwalk and down towards the Lagoon.  The girls walked hand in hand and chatted away about such silly things, it made me smile.

A really nice Mother's Day.  2013 has big shoes to fill.

Very Impressive

As I type this I have two VIPs sitting in the terminal lounge of Melbourne International Airport awaiting to board their flight to us in Abu Dhabi (and also onto the UK).

Considering it was one of the VIPs birthdays a few weeks back, I have used it as an excuse to make one of my favourite sweet tooth indulgences.

My Pavlova is currently baking in the oven.

Monet suggested having a cake of some sort too, so I figured I would make some cupcakes using the easy peasy Nigella Lawson recipe I just love.  I've cut off the tips of the cakes, waiting for me to ice later on this evening...

The girls and I are off to Monet's school's annual 'Fall Festival' this evening.  Basically it is a Halloween celebration and the kids always have a blast.  Each family is requested to bring in a dish and each grade is allocated to bring in something Savoury or Sweet for dinner, which does not contain alcohol (bummer) or pork product (double bummer).  This year I've opted to making mini pizzas - simple pizza base has been made and patted out and cut into circles, which I will later on slap on some pizza sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

I'm pretty sure my VIPs will be requesting my pizzas in the coming week.

Lunch Time Tanties

Last Friday it was decided that would really ought to go out for lunch. MrL has been putting in a load of hours at work and actually having one day off is a rarity these days.  We decided that we'd go to one of our favourite restaurants here in Abu Dhabi, Pregos.  Beautiful Italian.  Not just pasta and pizzas either.

Monet was rapt to be out for lunch.  Miss Lily - nahh, not so much.  Some weekends she doesn't cope well when she's not in her (and mine) weekday routine.  With a refusal to get in the provided highchair, I managed to get her in out 'tot seat' which I have handy in the car when I need it.  I must've known something on Friday as I popped it into my bag with me.

When Lily refused to eat anything, as my last resort, she opted for a lolly pop (me bad), which calmed her for a good two minutes whilst our meals arrived.  Lily was not keen on eating anything from our plates either.  I don't know why, the dish I seem to always choose is delicious.

It wasn't long before she became restless in her 'tot chair' and not wanting to cause too many dirty looks in our direction of the few patrons in the restaurant, I fetched her out.  It was only a minute before Lily starting having her over-tired little 'tantie'.  Of course I just let her be.  These tantrum moments are just that.  Moments.

It's never long before she comes good, asking for her 'numb numb' and a cuddle, which I am always happy to give.

I'm not sure when our next lunch date will be.  I'll just make sure that Miss Lily is not too over tired next time.

A BBQ worth cooking on...

We bit the bullet a couple of weeks back and parted cash for a new BBQ, which we had been eyeing off for about two years! A Weber Q.  And she is awesome.  I only wish we bought one sooner.  We already have the normal kind of Weber (coal-lighting-type) and we had another gas BBQ, which we sold to a neighbour friend.  But this BBQ, well, she's a bewdy.

Even though BBQs are pretty much known across the world as the 'mans domain', well, not here.  Eight times out of ten, it is I who cooks on the 'gas-type' barbie, but I don't mind - it makes a change for me.  Our New Zealand Rb-Eye steaks had never tasted so good.

With the weather cooling down around these parts, especially now in the early evenings, it is now pleasant enough to sit outside and if we feel the need, eat outside.  The girls thought it was fabulous the other night.  Monet was swimming and playing in the pool, Lily was being the obedient little sister by throwing swim rings and the like to her big sister and I cooked homemade simple burgers on the BBQ.  (MrL was yet not home.)

They thought it was especially exciting when I suggested I pull out the 'picnic table' and they eat their dinner outside. Gee, didn't they think that was the best thing?

BBQ season - I love it.  (Funny as in Australia we think of Summer being BBQ season, but here in the Middle East we see Winter as being BBQ season.)

Friday Morning Snippet...

Our working week here (in case you didn't know) is Sunday to Thursday, but MrL is under the pump at his work (hand-over to the client is coming up) so today, being Friday, he had to go to work.  Ho hum.  As I have a head cold (which I am blaming on the change in the weather), I sat on the couch with iPad in hand watching the 2nd episode of the Aussie series 'The Slap'.

The girls were off playing happily.  Imagine my surprise when I saw the scene behind me going on.

It was very sweet, Monet and Lily playing 'Mummies' with their 'babies' and all sitting around the table having a mid-morning snack.

It was one of those moments I had to capture.  And I had to blog about.

Monet had prepared them all snack food and arranged them on four (!) individual plates.  Her plate presentation seems rather familiar... (See here and here)

German Food? Yes please!

Have you ever seen such an amazing shop sign like this one for Berlin's Galeries Lafayette below?

The French Department in Berlin

I thought it was stunning as it was up about two stories high, on the shop facade.  Inside was lovely too.  The 'Food Hall', which the Galeries is famous for (there is one in Dubai Mall), was amazing too.   It's centerpiece was an inverted glass dome that looked back up into the upper levels...

The Food in the Hall was worth taking photos off....  These Macaroons really caught my eye.  In hindsight, I wish I had of bought one of each and did a taste test!  (But at 1 Euro each, perhaps not.)

And I am a sucker for bread.

One of the things we like a lot about Germany (it being our second visit), is the food.  And because we currently live in a country where pork products are not widely available, we ate a lot of pork!  I love a good German Wiener Escalope, and this one was no exception.   Served on a bed of pan fried potatoes, a few fresh herbs and tiny cubes of bacon, washed down with some delicious Berliner Pilsner, what else can I say?...

Another day, another pork German meal - this time I ordered roast pork, served with sauerkraut, and a potato dumpling.  No doubt I washed this down with a beer too.

Our final meal in Berlin, before we flew home to Abu Dhabi, (and after we spent a week in Barcelona), we were after something typically German.  So of course, I had to order a German sausage on a bed of sauerkraut and those delicious potatoes with herbs and bacon again.

We were gone for two week on our holiday and tried a lot of different foods.  Both girls were quite good in trying new stuff and in that fact, so were Lyndon and I.  I'm pretty sure we'll return to Germany down the track sometime, if not for the food,  definitely for the beer! ;)