Sugar Thursday and Message Cookies

I'm going to tell you a secret. Well it is, not really. It's one of those secrets that you can tell a few people but no one will really dob you in. Ok, here it is: we eat cake in English class.

Mascarpone Brownies

I haven't baked in so. long.

SO long.

And now I have.
And it was glorious.

Melbourne

So a few weeks ago, - no wait it must've been about five weeks - my friend and I spent about a week in Melbourne. We were busy most days marching around town having the best time, and taking heaps of pictures, of course! Here's a little of what we got up to… Prior Warning: The following contain a LOT of food shots, just saying :)

 First night: a wander through graffitied backstreets…

then an underground Japanese dinner. Off to a great start, I'd say…

White Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

I'm going to tell you about these cookies.

I don't really need to, to be honest. But yeah, you want to know - how truly soft and delicious they are, with the most satisfying and dreamy flavor combination possible.

The trick with these little pockets of joy is to eat them warm, straight from the oven… actually, that goes for all cookies. Go on, just try one. You need to check that it's cooked, right? You can't go serving undercooked cookies now, can you? Mmm, that's good…  Ooh and what about this one? Is it ok? And this one? Is the next batch just as good?…

Yeah. You get the picture.

I had seven.

That's how good they were.

-ARE. I am sooo making these again.

Thailand/Singapore Part 1

I just read this beautiful blog post on Enchanted Fig. She is so true in her writing, it inspired me to try and open up to you all. To try and hush my inner editor, or english teacher or whatever, inside me - it has inspired me, you mean. Let it just flow. Show my creativity. Show myself.

Candles and insense at a temple

Galangal

Na Muang waterfall

I just got back a few days ago from overseas. We went to Thailand and Singapore, my family and I did.  Everyday there was something new. In Thailand, it was colorful and elaborate temples the first day, waterfalls the next, and always, always seafood that had just been swimming when you ordered it.
Koh Samui, where we stayed, was frightening at first; I found it hard to trust the place, as if anyone would try and take advantage of me if I so much as looked at them. But after a few days, I relaxed. I learnt how to barter, to ignore the people outside restaurants and shops who were trying to beckon you inside, or to politely accept and scan their wares, without letting their eagerness bother you. When I smiled shyly at the shopkeepers, they warmly smiled back. Vegetable sellers would explain the cooking techniques of their produce, and I tried to keep up. The people were kind and lovely and helpful, and everything was different. But that is why we travel, isn't it? I left wishing that we could have stayed longer, to have more time to lie on the beach, to see more of the island, to learn more about the culture that is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. Powerlines are more like birds nests, and once I even found a string of fairy lights around a low hanging section. How did they even put those up with being electrocuted? It has a certain kind of feeling, not quite like beach life - although everyone has that kind of relaxed approach to things - but far from the electric air of a big city. It is perhaps a mix of the two - but then something else as well.

The Big Buddha and Surrounding temples 

A baby elephant we met

Na Muang waterfall

A local variety of eggplant

The most amazing 'pancakes' you will ever eat - more like a crispy crepe, but filled with any combination of sweet or savory centre. Ours was filled with banana and coconut before being slathered in Nutella and a drizzle of condensed milk to finish...

Lettuce Redeem Ourselves

I'll admit it. I had a very bad day today, food-wise. I started out innocently enough, but boredom and procrastination led me time and again to the kitchen, seeking out chocolate, lollies, meaty pasta and pad thai. It got to the point where I was making single portions of chocolate chip cookie in a mug. That was the bottom. After that I felt a little bit sick. So I got up, and did those jobs I was meant to do. It actually felt quite good doing something, because before then I had been feeling lethargic, disappointed and angry at myself. And dinner was another attempt at redeeming myself too.

Baked Eggs

You know what I love? Breakfast. Which is partly why I'm partial to these baked eggs. They have everything you need: perfect for when you feel like eggs, but can't really be bothered dealing with all the dirty dishes and the longer processes (measuring, mixing…) of what might be eggs benedict, or even scrambled eggs; but you want something a little more exciting - and healthy - than runny eggs and soldiers.

 Packed with about one serving of your daily veg, there is no measuring, no stresses about curdling, just chop, layer, done. Out of the oven comes this unassuming little package, it's top gooey from feta, crumbled there less than ten minutes before. The veggies retain some bite after being cooked, but are still hot and soft enough to meddle seamlessly with the burst egg yolk. This breakfast  really is the prefect balance between being seemingly indulgent and perfectly healthy. And who doesn't love that?

Notes: I said above that there is no measuring involved in this recipe, yet below I have included measurements such as "one tablespoon". These are all approximate measures, because this recipe won't end in disaster if you put a little more or less of each ingredient into the mix. Also, feel free to change it up a bit to suit your tastes or what you have in the fridge. I have included some variation suggestions below the recipe.

Baked Eggs

Serves 1

8cm piece (1 Tbsp) spring onion, finely sliced

small handful (¼ cup, firmly packed) baby spinach leaves

4 - 6 (1 Tbsp, firmly packed) basil leaves, roughly chopped

3 - 4 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 egg

1 Tbsp feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease one small ramekin.

Spread the spring onion around the bottom of the ramekin, and place on top the spinach, basil and tomatoes. Keep each ingredient as a separate layer, and do not mix the vegetables together.

Crack the egg on top of the tomatoes, and sprinkle the egg with feta.

Place in oven for 10 minutes or until egg white is cooked and the yolk is just set.

Serve immediately on small plate.

Variations: Replace feta with slices of mozzarella. Add roughly chopped ham or prosciutto, or shredded  cooked chicken on top of the bail before adding the tomatoes.