Snapshots: A Weekend With Mr. Flynn

Today was one of those perfect winter days in Brisbane. The sky was clear, the temperature was warm and the light that covered the green hills of Paddington was simply magic. It was the type of day that implores you to go outside.

And today we had the perfect reason to do just that.

Snapshots: Weeknight Cooking for Friends

For most of us, Mondays aren't usually welcomed with a smile. That's why it's good to do something special once in a while so you can look forward to the start of the week instead of spurning it. That's what I did this week and it certainly helped beat the Monday blues.

Shae, Dave, and their son Flynn came over for dinner and a touch of wine (Flynn's experience was sans wine, of course!) I decided took make two dishes I had been craving from the A16 cookbook, a favourite in this house: braised cannellini beans with garlic, marjoram and oregano; and pasta with homemade oven-dried tomatoes, garlic, and chili. Although I have to admit that, in retrospect, I probably should have served the beans first, followed by the pasta, and it would have been wise to include a salad of some sort. But hey, this was Monday. Surely I can be forgiven for serving two ridiculously filling dishes together...

Going in the oven for six hours

Love this Nero d'Avola

The tomatoes could have stayed in longer, but they turned out nicely and we all decided it was better they were still a bit juicy.

My toughest critic.

Flynn gave his seal of approval.

Snapshots: Playing Catch Up

Well hello there, strangers. After neglecting my poor blog the last two weeks I figured I'd return with a photo-heavy post featuring snapshots taken since I last wrote. A lot has been happening lately, what with wedding preparations, my birthday, and a slew of other developments. It seems to have settled down a bit, which should mean I'll be back writing more regularly.

Now, on to the photos! 

These were taken during a recent visit to a very special restaurant in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

Deconstructed Black Forest Cake

Outside the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) along the Brisbane river. 

Peter, my friend Sasha, and I went along to Matisse Up Late where we sipped bubbly while attempting to draw live models (they succeeded, I did not) and wandered through the incredible Matisse exhibition.

Matisse was followed by Japanese at Sake

Gardening took up a lot of my time over the last couple weeks. Here's one of two gorgeous little magnolias blooming in front of our house.

Spider Lilies in our front garden

Over the holidays and the rain-filled month of January I let my garden get taken over by weeds. Up until this point I had been on top of it, keeping it pretty and respectable. But come February it was a jungle out there. Something just had to be done. 

I weeded, bought some sugar cane mulch, and got to work. I wish I had a before photo, that would make for a dramatic makeover effect, but alas, I only have the after shots.

Here's me getting my mulch on.

And voila! A complete success.

The rosemary is still going strong.

But I'm hoping to bring my marjoram and chives back from near death.

Peter's mother made a delicious lunch on my birthday...

which was followed by a yogurt and lemon cake

Later that evening Peter took me to Ortiga.

The jamón was super flavourful, a highlight of the night.

And here's Gustav Klimt's Judith I, a superb Valentine's Day gift.

Happy Presidents Day!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's been raining here in Southeast Queensland for nearly two days straight. A mix of heavy downpours and gentle but steady dripping have resulted in floods, road closures, and even some home evacuations in a few pockets of the region. And while I enjoy the tranquil sound of rain (especially last night as I watched Nadal in the Australian Open), I wish it would just stop already. 

I realize rain is good, especially in a region that, up until recently, has been in a severe drought. But it was only a year ago that this city was submerged underwater from one of the worst floods ever, and those who experienced the devastation are a little on edge. 

Of course a repeat of what happened last year is highly unlikely, given the situation is different now than it was then. (Last year it rained heavily in the months leading up to the floods. Plus, the dams were so full that water was released from them just days prior, causing water levels to rise around Brisbane. Management of the dams is still under scrutiny and has become an election issue.) 

But even though the scale of this week's drenching won't come close to last year's, friends whose houses were damaged by the 2011 floods would probably like to have at least a year off of worrying if they should pack up again. So please rain, lay off. 

Here are a few snapshots of last year's floods, taken by my dear friend Shae. 

I believe this was taken in Graceville, which was one of the hardest hit areas.

Cleaning up in Rosalie. I live just 2kms from here.

I was lucky enough to be stateside during this disaster, however I wish I had been around to help my friends during the aftermath. It sure was a mess. 

So rain, rain, please go away, come again another day. (Preferably for just a brief shower or two.)

¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Welcoming 2012 with a Mexican Feast

I hadn't planned on throwing a New Year's shindig, but on the 29th, after a brief phone call with his friend, Peter informed me a party at our place was officially on the agenda. 

My recurring craving for Mexican food meant a Mexican-themed spread was in order. We kicked off the preparations the night before, starting with a marinade for the fajitas.

Cumin, jalapenos, garlic, salt, coriander, oil, and lime went in to what turned out to be my favourite fajita marinade yet.

We bought some pretty big slabs of meat from our local butcher.

Ready to go in the fridge

Just some of what I chopped up for the gazpacho, including chives from my herb garden.

When New Year's Eve morning rolled around we got back to work on the rest of the spread. I toasted some birds eye chillies for a very spicy salsa that would be both an accompaniment to the tortilla chips and a seasoning for the carnitas. 

Meanwhile, Peter got stuck in to the flour tortillas.

He kneaded and kneaded. . .

and divided up the dough.

A couple hours later we had 32 tortillas.

I poured a couple cups of that spicy salsa over a kilo of boneless pork shoulder, added some broth and water, then simmered it for four hours on the stovetop. Not long after, the delicious aroma of what would eventually be carnitas wafted through the house.

When the chunks of pork were good and tender I pulled them apart with a fork, put them in a pan, and roasted them in the oven for about 20 minutes. 

Peter and Ben fired up the barbecue. . .

. . .while little Louis only had eyes for his own dinner.

Peter's brother Dave sported the Brisbane Roar's jersey (soccer) ahead of the night's game.

Ben sliced up some freshly grilled peppers for his salsa while Richard helped out with the guac.

And voila! Quite an impressive spread, is it not?

I zoomed in for a closer look.

Everything turned out perfectly (with the exception of my rice, which went a little mushy) including:

Simone's roasted red capsicum salsa,

Ben's chargrilled corn salsa,

my gazpacho and so much more. (I wish I took more photos.)

We finished off the evening with a little piñata action. 

Franni put it back together after it had been severed into two pieces, so someone else could have a swing.

And he did. 

We finished off the celebration back on the balcony with margaritas, sparking wine, and the sound of fireworks in the distance. 

Happy New Year everyone!