30 before 30: #19 - splurge on a fancy meal out

I did something very cruel to one of my oldest, dearest friends last month - I was the decoy for her surprise 30th birthday party. The ruse to lure her into a bar where at least 30 of her friends were lying in wait involved the promise of tapas (oh yes, clearly I chose my friends based on their love of food from a very young age!). More specifically, these tapas had to be from none other than MoVida Bar de Tapas. Upon realising that there would be no tapas at her surprise party, I was quick to reassure her that a girly date at MoVida would, in fact, be her birthday present from me (albeit at a later date). Dare I say it, her relief was palpable!

More than a month after the big day, we set out to enjoy our much anticipated meal. Being a hot night, we both settled on beers - Alhumbra Negra for me (one of the most delicious cerzevas I have ever tried!) and Moritz lager for her. We requested a banquet style dining experience to minimise decision making on our parts.

Two dishes stood out as particular highlights for me - jamones, served with pan Catalan (i.e. beautiful aged ham, served with toasted bread, rubbed with garlic, tomato and drizzled with olive oil); and "Cecina" (air-dried wagyu beef with a poached egg and truffle foam). Both dishes took me straight back to Spain in terms of their flavours.

Unfortunately, my excitement at being transported back to Europe, coupled with the dim lighting in the restaurant meant that these outstanding dishes weren't captured on film. Here are a couple of grainy photos I did manage.

We finished our meal at MoVida with a serving of churros and a cheese platter. To say we were stuffed is probably an understatement.

It is clear to see why MoVida has a near cult-like following in Melbourne. The atmosphere is buzzing and the food is simply excellent.

30 before 30: #9 - make a sweet pie from scratch

I have a confession. 

Up until last weekend I'd never before made my own pastry. 

Wait.

It gets worse. 

Up until last weekend, I'd never made a sweet pie or tart of any kind. 

You have my full permission to stop reading now. All my credibility as a foodie has likely vanished. I get it.

If you're still with me at this point, please let me explain. I'm a person who likes structure generally in life, but for some reason prefer to use recipes as inspiration, rather than a step by step guide to a dish (i.e. what they're meant for). This works perfectly well for savoury dishes, breads, even some cakes, where you can taste as you go. My experimental approach to cooking does not gel so well, however, with more technique-focussed dishes, where specific quantities, ingredients and cooking times are required in order not to...well...this:

 

You'll be pleased to know that, while not the prettiest pie in the world, this pumpkin pie was a resounding success and most definitely not an epic fail. 

While it's clearly not the most beautiful pie to grace the face of the planet (does the word "rustic" jump to mind, anyone?), it sure as heck was tasty! I *basically* used this recipe (yup, even after recognising that such delights require me to follow a recipe, I couldn't help but make some modifications). Because pumpkin puree is not readily available in pre-made form in Australia, I wrapped my slabs of pumpkin in foil and baked in the oven for around an hour, before scooping the flesh from the skin and pulverising in the blender.  I also upped the levels of spice on all fronts - big flavours are the best. Finally, I couldn't quite get the pastry to roll out on a lightly floured bench, so I sandwiched it between two sheets of grease-proof paper and had no problem.  

The result was a most delicious dessert. And you know what? Pastry isn't as scary as I thought. It does require forethought and planning, so it may not make a regular appearance on our menus (probably a good thing for our waistlines, mind!), but I can certainly see myself adding to my tart repertoire (once a tart always a tart?!) for special occasions in the future. 

30 before 30: #16 - completely replant one of our garden beds

I always feel at peace when I make order of chaos. This is especially true when it comes to our garden. With our new house, we have inherited a beautiful, leafy garden. Most plants are hardy and were planted by real green thumbs who knew their stuff. There were, however, a few questionable plant decisions - camelias in full sun anyone?! The garden beds are also, in parts, quite cluttered. 

Overtime, we hope to simplify our outside space and get a few more edible plants into the ground. In the meantime, we have given a new lease of life to the worst hit garden bed post-Summer. As those living in Melbourne would know, this Summer has been long, hot and dry - a pretty nasty combination for flora and fauna alike! This west-facing bed copped the worst of the afternoon sun (as evidenced by our hedges in the shot below, which we're hoping will come back to life as the weather becomes more moderate). 

We chose French lavender for this bed, due to its relatively hardy nature (especially in drier conditions)...and, well, it's pretty, smells nice and generally works well with the 1920s cottage-y feel of the front of our place. 

My apologies - it's a hideous shot, I know. I can assure you that it looks really great (especially compared to the yellow, dry mess it replaced!) in reality. Now, fingers and toes crossed that it will survive Melbourne's current Autumn heat wave. To all you global warming deniers: come to Melbourne. There's no denying it!

30 before 30: #2 - make colourful pasta from scratch

Huzzah! I can strike my first 30 before 30 item off the list - colourful pasta creation. I received a big bag of fresh spinach in last week's CERES box. On a slight tangent, if anyone in the Melbourne area loves fresh, locally sourced, organic produce delivered to your door, CERES is the way to go. We get a small box delivered each week. Last week, the nectarines and tomatoes were the best I've ever tasted. Highly recommended! 

Okay, so back to my local, organic spinach. It was perfect for lurid green pasta dough. Basically, I adapted my standard pasta recipe slightly - I used about 320g of 00 flour, 2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk and a little over 150g of fresh spinach. I first steamed the spinach and squeezed out the excess liquid. I then blitzed it in the food processor for about 20 seconds and then threw in my other ingredients. Once the processor had worked its magic, it was time to get down and doughy. About 10 minutes of kneading later and I had my ball of dough ready for resting.

I rolled out my dough and decided to hand cut my pasta, rather than use the fettuccine attachment - for the rustic look, you know. A few minutes in salted boiling water and topped with freshly made basil pesto and a quick olive oil, chilli, garlic and zucchini sauce (there can never be enough green, right?!), and it was time to dig in!

Definitely made all the more enjoyable when you're sitting on your deck admiring your garden!

30 before 30

I'm hitting the big three-oh in about four months. Weirdly, I've been looking forward to the start of a new decade if for no other reason than to present some sort of façade of maturity to the world!

In order to commemorate the occasion, I got a great idea from Cassie (one of the best bloggers around for those interested in food, fitness, craft and general awesomeness), who is also hitting this momentous milestone mid-year - a thirty before thirty bucket list. 

I wanted my list to be fun, achievable and get me to a good place prior to commencing the next decade of my life. Some of the items represent a personal challenge (a day of veganism, for this cheese- and meat-loving gal?!), some represent pure hedonistic pursuits and others will encourage me to do the things I love, but don't always make time for. In any case, they all make me smile and I think that's a pretty good way of moving into a new chapter of one's life.  

So here we go - 30 before 30, Georgia style (it's kinda like Gangnam style, only not really...):

1. Make something crafty for the house

2. Make colourful pasta from scratch

3. Travel out of the state

4. Participate in a fun run

5. Go vegetarian for a week (including one day of veganism)

6. Read at least one fiction book

7. Attend a live sporting event

8. Try 5 new (to me) beers

9. Make a sweet pie from scratch (including the pastry)

10. Sew something

11. Lose 5kg

12. Spend at least one day in Daylesford

13. Do some sort of physical activity every day for one week

14. Go on a substantial day hike

15. Have a picnic

16. Completely replant one of our garden beds

17. Watch 5 movies on the IMDb Top 250 list that I've never seen

18. Bike ride into Melbourne and back home

19. Splurge on a fancy meal out

20. Attend a live performance of some sort

21. Donate to charity

22. Redecorate/reconfigure our "formal" lounge room to make it more usable

23. Learn how to decorate a cake

Cake made by Three Sweet Treats - the most beautiful and elegant cakes in Melbourne, in my humble opinion!

24. Cook a meal for my parents

25. Send letters or parcels to my closest friends in other countries

26. Go technology-free for 24 hours

27. Buy a new handbag

28. Learn how to take really good photos with our DSLR

29. Visit a winery

30. Knit a scarf for winter

Un-fun, fun run?

The stars were conspiring against me last night, as I lined up for my fourth fun run - a 4km trot around the Melbourne Zoo.

A brief history of fun runs a la Georgia:
I ran a mammoth 10km mid last year - my first ever race and one that I had done zero (and I mean zero!) training for. My goal? To jog the whole way no matter how slowly. The result? Success. Must have been due to some residual fitness built up at a boot camp I'd been doing.
I then participated in two shorter runs with my beloved later in the year. Both were good fun and we PB'd (that's sporty parlance for achieved a personal best) in both.

Skip forward to last night - my first ever evening fun run. I'd had an epic day at work, was on antibiotics for an infected toe, oh...and about that infected toe...umm...ouch! All this, coupled with the fact that there were cool things to look at, like this Gorilla (we also spent time checking out the giraffes, zebras, monkeys and, somewhat less awesomely, a toilet block), and the crazy (and unexpected) hilliness of the course meant that what was meant to be a fun run turned into a very un-fun fun run.

Basically, what should have been a 25 minute jog (oh yes, we are *that* slow!) turned into a nice evening stroll around the zoo.

I suppose I shouldn't get too down about the event. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and our surrounds and I know that, given the circumstances, I did my very best. However, I still can't help but feel a tad frustrated.

I think there's only one way to proceed: fun-run redemption in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

Stuff I'm loving

Howdy blogsters. Long time no talky. Happy new year to all of you. Well, Christmas/January have been exceedingly busy, but heaps of fun. I'm pleased to report that the BMI is on its way down...albeit veeerrrry slowly (and, to be fair, this did not occur until late January when the bulk of the eating and drinking ceased). The family made it through the silly season with sufficient silliness and lots of catching up with new and old friends. During this time I've made some new discoveries, which I'm excited to share with you.

1. A new local!

The Glen Iris/Ashburton area is filling up with young families fast and there is a real demand for good quality, relaxed, family-friendly breakfast options. The Resident Cafe has been newly renovated and fits the bill perfectly. The coffees are outstanding - really made with care; and provenance and flavour are both emphasised in terms of the food. For avid cyclists, the cafe is right on the bike path and you will feel at home if you're into lycra (I personally have never understood why amateur male cyclists feel the need to wear fabric that shows everything - someone care to enlighten me?). I have frequented the Resident three times in the last month and have been impressed each time. My only (very minor) gripe is that the service could be a wee bit faster and more attentive.

Fennel, orange and raisin toast 7.5  |  Brioche bun, bacon, vintage cheddar, zucchini pickles & BBQ sauce 7.5

2. Fromager d'Affinois with Trentham Tucker Fig and Ginger crispbread

Umm, yes. More. Now. That is all.

Both available from Leo's supermarkets in Melbourne.

3. Klops (and other Polish comfort foods)

My nana was the best cook in the universe (that's a fact, not a subjective opinion!). Her repertoire was small, but what she could make was extraordinary. To this day, I still have people asking me to cook her schnitzels, her apple cake, her chicken soup...the list goes on. One of her famed dishes was her meatloaf ("klops" in Polish). I have been experimenting with flavours to try to emulate her klops and, while I'm not even close, I'm pretty happy with some of my efforts.

I've also made a kugel (an Eastern European, Jewish cake made with egg noodles, grated apples and lots of spice). Next on the list: Cholent.

4. January dining specials

A big thank you to everyone who went away in January and caused Melbourne's restaurants to offer fabulous deals to fill seats. Famed chef, Gary Meighan's Melbourne eatery, Fenix, was one such establishment which slashed prices (50% off!) in the first month of the year. My beloved and I shared a wonderful meal at Fenix - three starters, two mains, a side, two desserts and a few drinks each. The price? $90-something. We will be back for food cooked with a lot of heart and soul.

L-R: Humous w. braised sweet & sour chickpeas  |  Southern style fried chicken wings w. chilli, caramel and lime sour cream  |  Spanner crab crostini w. avocado mousse