one of those perfect winter days...

i wanted to share these images with you because the day was truly one of those magical ones!  we packed a lil picnic and set off for the bay.  4 hours later we had eaten much, explored the rock pools, chased the dog and lost ourselves in the beautiful day that it was...

coming out...

loving persimmons atm...prefer them when their flesh is firm, we wash, cut into quarters & eat

well...coming out from under a rock that is!  i have been missing in action and the blog posts i have done since the new year have been half hearted...  several reasons...working (now not working), chasing 2 busy lil girls and keeping up with them, lost the love for being creative...and finally and most painful of all...old computer combined with shit internet propelled me into a state of 'don't wanna bother with it'.

now with more time on my hands and several months to consider what i want to blog about (cause that is why i blog - for myself first & foremost)...i have emerged refreshed, energised, inspired, happy and ready to BLOG!

i had a lunch recently with a blogger friend, danielle from digella...  we sat for 3 hours chatting, laughing, almost crying, understanding, analysing our blogs and i guess as corny as it sounds nurturing each other.  i asked her what she likes from my blog and she said the cooking, the props, the story told and this instantly hit a cord with me.  that is what i love.  i love inviting the friends or family...the menu planning...the sourcing...the preparing...the welcoming of people to our home...the music we play...the children licking their fingers and asking for more...the sometimes copious amounts of delicious wine, cheese and other.  

so my main focus for 'greenbeen' will now be on doing my gigs at home...with the odd foodie outing that i think is worth mentioning.

with this post i wanted to throw in some images that have been my life for the months i have been missing... and when i next post i will be blogging about a long lunch that we had with friends that was moroccan inspired...

this delicious breakfast is from 'wee jeanie' at yarraville...since having it i have been loving to bits baked eggs with various combinations...esp beans in sugo w eggs & fetta!

my dad made me 2 of the above wooden paddle boards. i love them & they have inspired me to serve weekend lunches & dinners on them

miss 8yr old has several favourite dinners and one of them is bruschetta...she now makes it herself.

the days are shorter now and the cottage front door gets closed early to keep out the cold...this is a classic shot of our 2 animals living happily together (sometimes)...

we live close to footscray and if i am not there buying from the market we are there eating vietnamese almost weekly...feeding a family of 4 for $30 is pretty awesome esp when it is so fresh & delicious!

petaling street, 111 kingsway, glen waverley

after a hellish 1hr & 30 minute commute driving on a friday night in peak hour & on the eve of a long weekend, with a 5yr old wailing she needed to wee the whole way (which i in turn lectured her about not going to the toilet before leaving & also having drunk her water bottle like she was a camel)...we arrived at glen waverley to have dinner with matt (this is where his work office is)...

my main thought was i hope we can find delicious food to compensate for the awful trek...and make it all somewhat worthwhile. 

sometimes pressure like this has ended us up in the worst restaurants with whingy, overtired, scwabbling children and you simply sit, order, poke the food around your plate and say 'well we won't do this again'.

kingsway at glen waverley is buzzing with people spilling out onto the street drinking and welcoming the long weekend.  there are many restaurants, mostly asian, to choose from.  one of the first things that caught my eye with petaling street was the two words 'hawker food'.  the place was packed inside and out.  we were fortunate to get a table quickly (the awful trek was becoming a distant memory) and sat with the extensive menu eliminating and selecting.

first things first...tsing tao beer arrived and the rest of the dinner was a truly delicious and awesome experience!  the children were happy, the husband was happy...the diners around us were happy...oh and i was so happy!  this is what good food...& a little beer can do to your spirits! 

family of 4 ate for $49.20:

traditional malaysian roast chicken (half chook) $12.80

wonton dry noodle w eggs noodles, wonton, vegetable & bbq pork $9.20

malaysia tradition coconut rice w sambal, peanut, cucumber, egg & crispy ikan bills $7.00

chicken fried rice w egg $9.20

+ 2 beers & complimentary tea

petaling street has 4 restaurants...glen waverley, box hill, melbourne city & hawthorn

petaling street

bloggers baking class

since november last year i have been running the saturday 'kids bake free' classes at brasserie bread melbourne.  for 1 hour the children (aged between 5 & 12) are all mine and they make smashed pizza and chocolate bread.  at the end of the session they leave with their piping hot baked goods and very happy faces.  the classes are becoming hugely popular by word of mouth and we are now booked weeks in advance.  to book call 1300 966 845...or look at the website www.brasseriebread.com.au

as part of the melbourne food and wine festival, brasserie bread melbourne are running adult bread making workshops.  i was recently included in the first class that was 'invite only' for various media and food bloggers.

it was great to see michael klausen (co-founder of brasserie bread) devulge his magic of bread making.  thought i would share some of the shots with you...
class attendess included...
ironchefshellie
broadsheet,
amystown,
tourdeclance,
milkbarmag,
myfoodtrail,
offthespork,
ieatthereforeiam,
msihua,
thatjessho,
weekendnotes ...

thank you

thank you very much for your words of wisdom in relation to my previous post.  so many things written rang true and i have decided to pull back but not completely.  just wait a little while and see how i feel. 

i have asked myself why did i start blogging and it comes back to my love for good food, wine, menu planning, shopping for the ingredients, having friends over, being with family & friends and enjoying...stopping to eat & slurp...laughter is usually always involved, the people watching & seeing my little girls eyes light up when a flavour surprises them...(the list goes on).

whenever family or friends have been away i am often asking them 'what was your most memorable dish whilst on holidays?'  so many different responses!  and so many are paired with the weather, their mood at the time, the price, the wine, the parking, the waiter, the toilets, the napkins, the wine glasses, the vibe...i love the stories of what eating does!

many of my most happiest memories are through food.

pulling the plug...

for the last 3 months i have been struggling a bit with my blog.  struggling to keep up to date with it...struggling to get inspired to blog...struggling to want to take images with my camera...& even struggling to read my favourite blogs.

i first thought it was the big interstate move and life was just busier than it used to be.  then self doubt crept in and i have wondered 'well who wants to read about what i had for lunch or dinner?'  there are so many fabulous bloggers around and here i am just banging on about a delicious latte or a steaming bowl of pho!

my trusty canon camera was always stored in my handbag, at the ready to capture whatever came across my day...but now sadly it is hanging up amongst the hats on the coat rack.

i want to get back the inspiration i once had...will it come?  i have read before on other bloggers posts comments like 'gone on vacation'...or 'need time out'...  is that what i need or have i come to my blogging end?

i think i too have become more and more self conscious about taking images in public of the drink/food i am about to consume.  gone are the days of just snapping away...or asking the husband/children to wait until i have photographed it...or are they?

i also believe that blogging has added to my girth!  i call it my third boob!  not attractive...i eat and then i sit on my bottom and blog what i ate for several hours!  this process is not exactly helping my body that's metabolism is continuously slowing down...  hmmm would i be this size if i never blogged...i mean i could never stop eating delicious food & drinking my wine!?

i have in this post raved on...which is unlike me.  the essence of my blog has always been keep it short, always be positive and let the images do the talking.

i would love to hear from other bloggers who have thought their blogging inspiration was drying up?  how & will i get my gig going again?

good bye 2011

the arrival of our little friend...'chops'

my beautiful friend mady (+ her boys) visited & we spent some fabulous time together... 

we are loving our little cottage...has loads of character!

flowers from our garden collected for the christmas day table... 

a collection of snaps from the holidays...i hope you had a wonderful festive season and may 2012 be a great year for you!

my new year will be full to the brim with my beloved family & friends, good food, delicious wine, possibly a holiday thrown in, a sleep in past 8am (havn't had 1 in 8yrs)...and both my girls being in school together!  no more double drop-offs...

after 4 months living here i am getting used to the weather...it can change in minutes!

love my rope lights at christmas! 

christmas day roasted chook was delicious

there has been a lot of these over the season...thoroughly enjoyed every drop!

afternoon light up our cottage hallway...

discovered twenty&six espresso at north melbourne...love everything they do!

drinks with a good friend in the garden

our christmas day dessert...jamies christmas pudding strudel! it was delicious

plenty of home time with the children over the holidays...