Out n About (5)- Epic July (1) - Part 1

 
Emily's Place
Melbourne Central, 
211 La Trobe Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

After a crazy night on Friday (my good friend's 21st... yeah was one powerful night! :P) decided to got out for brunch. 'Emily's Place' was a lovely little cafe;with a relaxing atmosphere and decent food. This was my very first time eating a bagel! :D According to Mr Owl.. it was sub par. Oh go away buzz killer! :P It was most scrumptious! 

Yeah being a sucker for anything vintage, I sure was in heaven! Beautiful decor,calming music and JOHNNY DEPP ON THE SCREEN! (yeah I know..I didn't capture him properly)Yes .. it was heavenly in every way! :P 

TOQ<3

TGIF #3 - Friday wake up call..

Food P0rn -English muffin,Cos lettuce, bacon, fried egg, cheese and mayo. 

 I got so hungry seeing these photos so I quickly got some oats with some milk to eat while typing this. Yeah got up very late on Friday and I was quite cranky. Of course I love sleeping in but not until 12!!!  >.< Apparently my dad had tried to wake me up by knocking on  my door. Ahhahahaha yeah that obviously didn't work at all cause I didn't hear a thing just K.Oed!   
ANYWAY nuff of that.. I needed something scrumptious to get me back to my ol' self. So used what was in the fridge and pantry (and thank you Mother Owl for having bacon for breaky! Less work for me XP)and boom! Yeah just needed the tomatoes to be a BLT sandwich mini burger  or whatever you want to call this! But boy was I HUUNNGRY I just couldn't wait any longer! And I must add .. (IF YOU DISLIKE RUNNING EGG YOLKS  OR EGGS IN GENERAL AND YOU'RE NOT VEGAN.. SORRY WE CAN NEVER BE FRIENDS. Yes, cousin/s I know you all hate eggs cooked like this and you guys are not fit to be here!!! .. :P

 And yes I made a juice too! I used a blender so I had to use about have a cup of water. I am dying to get a juicer. And got some fresh mint from the garden and poured the juice on top!  Happy camper from then onwards! :D <3 (and yeah I need a fancy jar for my juice :P they'll do for the time being :P)

TOQ<3

whats been happening (and heres some juice for ya'll)

Some watermelon,1 red apple and mixed berries poured over a handful of garden fresh mint leaves! SO REFRESHING!! Perfect for spring and summer! Or in my case in the middle of winter XD 

I keep apologising..for  not posting then saying heey gonna be back on track

....but it just never happens (So much respect for those who can post consistently no matter how busy they are!!) But yeah ever since class started it has been chaos... (and in regards to personal matters) but the blog comes across my mind a lot especially when I take snaps of a delicious meal etc but I just never get around to posting anything and now I have so many photos to share with you  that are from months ago! Anyhoots took some photos this morning and from there will get back to posting regularly (now I have tons of foods and places to ramble about :P) in the mean time I'll post up this crappy quality snap I took of the juice I've been sipping on all day ;P

 TOQ<3

Coconut Cookies

Coconut Cookies

Cooking time: 15-20 mins

Prep time: 20mins

Makes 25

125g butter

½ cup white sugar

¼ cup milk

1 ½ cups self raising flour

¼ cup custard powder

1/3 cup coconut

1. Preheat oven 180°C. Grease and line 2 baking trays.
2. Using a electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add milk and mix until well combined. Fold in flour, custard powder and coconut and mix to form a soft dough.
3. Roll mixture into balls (use 2 tsps of mixture for each). Place onto prepared trays, flatten with a fork. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool 5 minutes on trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
4. When cold, sandwich together with your favourite flavoured icing mixture.
   
   
   (or like me just have them the way they are; on their own!) :3

Enjoy! :)

TOQ <3

Vegetable and Sourdough Strata

YES that's not sourdough, cause believe it or not there was no sourdough at the bakery! >< Even at Woolworth's (Safeway) They didn't have any!!! (of course when we need it for a recipe its not there ><) Instead opted for baguette! :P  Not fussed, it was still yummy!! :3

Vegetable and Sourdough Strata (Recipe from 'Simply Heavenly Vol.2' )

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55-60 minutes

30g butter

1 red capsicum,cut into 2cm pieces

1 red onion, sliced

100g baby spinach

¼ cup roughly chopped basil

¼ cup roughly chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

5 slices of sourdough bread, each cut into 9 squares

125g block cream cheese cut into 1cm cubes

5 eggs

2 cups milk

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

½ cup grated tasty cheese

1. Melt the butter in a large fry-pan and sauté capsicum and onion for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stir through herbs and season.
2. Arrange half the bread in the base of greased 2 litre baking dish. Top with vegetable mixture and the cream cheese. Cover with remaining bread.
3. Beat together the eggs,milk and mustard, then pour over the bread. Top with cheese and bake in a moderate oven 180°C for 45-50 minutes or until set.

Stand for 5 minutes before serving.

HANDY TIP

Strata can be assembled the night before and refrigerated until next morning. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to baking.

ENJOY!  :)

TOQ<3

Mushroom Soup

This soup was most delicious! Another great soup to make during this freezing winter season in Australia! Mushrooms are very healthy; really great for the immune system! Which makes perfect sense to make during this time of year!

Enjoy! :)

 TOQ

Succotash Soup!

Succotash Soup

(Source- ‘Step-By-Step 20 minute Cookbook 50 Delicious, Quick and Healthy Recipes’ By Steven Wheeler)

Serves 4

Ingredients

50g/2oz/4 tbsp butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into

   short batons

900ml/1 1/2 pints/3 ¾ cups milk

1 vegetable stock cube

2 medium-sized waxy potatoes,

   Peeled and diced

1 thyme sprig

225g/8oz/2 cups frozen sweet corn

225g/8oz/2 cups frozen butter beans

    Or broad beans

30ml/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley,

    to garnish

1.      Heat the butter in large saucepan. Add the onion and carrots and cook over a gentle heat for 3-4 minutes, to soften without colouring.

2.      Add the milk, stock cube, potatoes, thyme, sweet corn an butter beans or broad beans. Simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.

3.     

         Season to taste, ladle into soup plates and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Cook’s tip

Frozen sweet corn and butter beans are best for flavour and convenience in this soup, although the canned variety may also be used.

Enjoy!

Thursday Morning...

Feels so good starting up the day with a juice/smoothie, and today I made a Banana and berry smoothie. Haven't made a smoothie in a while.. mmmm was so delicious! Great way to use those over ripe bananas too!!

TOQ<3

Late Sunday Lunch - Leek and Noodle Frittata

I am most grateful for making this!!! One of the yummiest meals I've ever made!!! I want more!! (so did the rest of the owl folk! :P)

Leek & Noodle Frittata (Source: Coles Great Meal Ideas recipe card)

Prepare Time – 10 mins

Cooking Time – 25 mins

2 tsp of Canola oil (or whatever oil you prefer to use)

1 leek, finely chopped

2 rashers of bacon, finely chopped

1 packet of 2 minute noodles

2 cups boiling water

1 chicken stock cube

440g can Golden Circle* Crunchy cuts (beans, corn, capsicum), drained. ( It doesn't have to be in a can or this brand. I didn't have many vegetables in the fridge, so I just used 1 can of sweet corn kernels instead.)

8 eggs

1/3 cup of shredded cheese ( I used cheddar cheese instead)

¼ cup of chopped parsley

1. Heat oil in 30cm round non-stick frying pan. Add leek and bacon, cook, stirring occasionally over high heat until leek is softened.
2. Meanwhile combine noodles and water in medium heatproof bowl. Stand 2 minutes, add stock cube, mix well; drain noodles.
3. Add noodles and corn to the same frying pan; mix well. Preheat the grill.
4. Combine eggs, cheese and parsley in a small bowl or jug, pour into pan. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Frittata will be still soft on top.
5. Place frittata under the hot grill, grill for 5 minutes or until set. Stand in pan for 5 minutes before running a spatula around pan and turning onto a board. Cut into wedges to serve.

This is a great family dish! Healthy and so scrumptious!!

Enjoy!

TOQ<3

(very belated post!!) Sunday Dinner: Cottage Pie

CONFESSION ..This was my first time making and tasting cottage pie!!! YES I KNOW .. for a foodie like me.. geez wth! :P Anyway was great to FINALLY make the dish and I loved it!! Definately making a salad to go with it next time though! I just ran out of time! (quite a time consuming dish, but it was worth it!)It is a very hearty meal! Great dish to whip up in the colder months! :)

For the recipe click here! 

Enjoy!

TOQ<3

Gingerbread Biscuits!

Gingerbread biscuits

150g butter

3 tbsp golden syrup

¾ cup caster sugar

2 cups (300g) plain flour

1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 level tsp ground cinnamon

1 level tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

1whole egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C). Lightly grease 2 to 3 baking trays and line with baking paper.
2. In a saucepan heat to dissolve butter syrup and sugar then cool to lukewarm.
3. Shift flour,baking soda, spices into a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and make a well in the centre. Add whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla and syrup mixture. Mix thoroughly, then take about 1/3 of the mixture at a time and knead lightly (preferably while still warm) using a little flour. Dust a flat surface with a little flour then roll out a firmly using a floured rolling pin. Cut out with fancy cutters.
4. Arrange gingerbread shapes on trays. Leaving space between for spreading.
5. Bake for 10 to 12min. Cooking time may vary depending on your oven and the thickness of biscuits. When cool, place in an airtight container.

Enjoy! :)

Sunday Breakfast .. Sinhalese style

Mum decided to make some äpä (in english they're called hoppers)  My fave is egg hoppers! Just love dunking pieces of hopper into the yolk! So yummy! I'll post the recipe up at some point.

TOQ<3

So many foods.. so little time ....to post :P

Got so many things to post from today!! Will post them up very sooon!

Breakfast of Champ.... ..The Food Owl!

It has been such a long time since I made my last juice; I felt so ashamed! gr! Finally got frozen mixed berries and kiwis. Usually the golden kiwis are sweeter.. but this one was a sour monster!! (explains why there's a ton of them still in the the fruit bowl!) Anyway, to mellow out the tang from the kiwis and berries I added half a banana to mellow it out. It was perfect; and not overwhelmingly sweet either!

Was just right! :)  And to go with that Avocado toast! I just love avocado on toast!! (has to be toast!!) With a dash of lemon and seasoning.. so delish!  :P

TOQ<3

Thursday brunch

It was mama owls birthday yesterday!  :D So I made some mini pizzas! (saving the rest of the birthday cooking for Friday night when it's less chaotic! :P I missed english muffins so much; and the many pizzas I use to make! I didn't have enough time to experiment with toppings cause the parents were getting really hungry!  So I quickly topped with the basic pizza toppings... nothing adventurous! .. Seriously the variations are endless! So easy and fun to make.. and eat!!! :P 

TOQ<3

Breakfast With Audrey

Eating wheat free banana pancakes (banana,1 egg and some cinnamon) whilst watching one of my favourite Audrey Hepburn films... It has been a lovely morning. :)

TOQ<3

Sri Lanka '13

Little welcoming gift from a relation :3

MR KING COCONUT!!! King indeed! ;P

Yes that is coconut water from that king coconut! Boy nothing beats the fresh stuff! Consumed so much!! Miss it so much!! ><

Set Yoghurt! My childhood in a cup! :P

SRI LANKAN NEW YEARS!! <3

 was so busy going on trips and visiting family; I didn't take enough photos of the food!  

Miss them [the family] loads! And the yummy food!!

(of course! :P)

 

TOQ<3

Pumpkin Soup!

Pumpkin Soup

Serves 6

One of my all time favourite soups! A bowl of this and some toast and I am most happy! :D he he One of the things I love about winter.. soup soup SOUP! ;P 

(Source: recipe card promoting Glad Tuckaway Foil Trays.)

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil

1 med onion, diced

1 potato

1kg pumpkin

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup milk

½ tsp ground nutmeg

pinch of ground cardamom

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sour cream and chives to serve (optional)

Method

1. Heat oil in a deep pot and fry onions until soft.
2. Peel and seed pumpkin and peel potato and cut both pieces. Add onion along with the nutmeg and cardamom. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Add stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and cook until pumpkin is tender.
4. Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. (personally I just use a masher; not fussed with the texture of this soup unless I am serving this to guests.)
5. Return to pot. Add milk and heat but do not boil.
6. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped chives and ground pepper.

Enjoy!

TOQ<3 

5 super soups for health and beauty!!

I found this link whilst scrolling through tumblr ...
Check it out!
Has recipes and also useful information about the super foods used in each recipe!

Gives me more reason to devour soups all winter!! :3 And all year too (yet to try cold soups!).

TOQ<3

Coconut Bread!

Coconut Bread (Source: Better Homes & Gardens AUS April 2013)

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 55 mins

Serves 10 – 12

Cooking oil spray, for greasing

400 ml can coconut milk

2 eggs

75 ml vegetable Oil

2 ½ cups shredded coconut

1 cup caster sugar

Softened butter, to serve (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 24.5 x 12cm loaf tin with cooking oil spray. Line base and sides with baking paper. Put coconut milk, eggs and oil in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Mix flour, coconut and sugar in a separate large bowl.
2. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and beat with a wooden spoon to combine. Spoon into prepared tin. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with butter if using. (I'd suggest berries or slices of bananas, it will compliment beautifully against the delectable coconut flavour).

Enjoy!  

TOQ 3

Last Summer...

1.Home grown strawberries! :3 2. Homemade pizza topped with basil from the garden! 3. our fab BBQs :D 4.TRIFLE (shall post the recipe at some point) 5. Gelato out of the tub (I know nothing beats the fresh stuff!)

TOQ<3