Dinner for eight, Brisbane

Last night (May 25), we had a few friends over for a dinner party. It was an interesting experience on a couple of fronts. First, it was one of our few formal meals in the last couple of years without the McGlincheys and Clan Cox, and we didn't sweat our way through dinner (bless the tropics, and those that live in them!). This dinner was to celebrate nothing other than the fact it was Saturday, and we wanted to catch up with some of Jane's friends who have moved to Brisbane.

It takes a lot of plates to do one of our dinner parties. Some of the plates above were used more than once too!

The kids ate before we did - Home-made pork and fennel sausages, with mash. They followed that up with a fresh raspberry ice cream.

The grown-ups menu was designed for the cooler weather (using all those dishes we just couldn't up in Townsville!), and read as follows:

Hors d'oeuvres:

• Potato Latke, with spiced apple and sour cream
• Flash fried chilli prawns, with Nam Jim sauce
• Herbed lamb salad, in cucumber cups

We always like to serve fresh bread - this loaf was about 30 minutes out of the oven when the photo was taken. The crust was cracking as it cooled, with the smell filling the kitchen.

Appetiser: Roast tomato tarte tatin, with thyme and goats cheese topper

Apologies: I took the photo as I was building the plates, and forgot to take it again with the tarte tatin. It is a shame, as it was the dish of the night!

Soup: Roast duck 'Borscht'

Entree: 'Peposo Notturno', with buttered spatzle and brussels sprouts

The Peposo is intensely peppery, with plenty of garlic. It is an incredibly slow braise of a beef shin, and  is just to die for. As an entree, it is a perfect size to get all your tastebuds zinging!


Main: 'Choucroute'. Slow braised pork shoulder, pork and fennel sausage and bacon hock on sauerkraut with root vegetables

This dish is one of those typical eastern european dishes, without a lot of colour and fancy tricks. It might be on the ugly duckling list for its looks, but when it comes to taste, it is up there with all the other swans!

Cheese: Applewood smoked cheddar and cabernet paste Napoleon, with honey roast walnuts

Dessert: Chocolate and coffee mousses, on pistachio biscuit with mint, citrus and persimmon salad

The damage to the wine cellar!

As well as the wine, we also managed to see of a bottle of home made peach schnapps. The conversation was fantastic, and we saw the last of our guests out the door just before one this morning. 

MacK very kindly slept in to 0740... most considerate!

Now... whats for dinner tonight?!

More cooking and a kite show

Looking through the camera this afternoon, I came across a few photographs that are very cute, so though we should share!

Daddy, can I help peel the pears?

This isn't as easy as Dad makes it look...

Maybe if I sit the pear on the bench...

Oh, bugger it... if I am just going to eat it anyway, then why waste the effort?!

MacK and Jane at a local park a couple of weeks ago.

The photographs below are of massive kites that were on display at the Redcliffe kite festival a week or two ago. I had hoped that Robert (soft kites, NZ) might have travelled over for it (Robert used to work for us as a chef in NZ). Would have been good to catch up. The kites are ridiculously complex, and look amazing on the sky. As you can see, the weather was absolutely perfect for kites.

A belated message

It is amazing how time just slips away when you get busy. I am amazed to see that it has been a month since we last wrote, and already I find myself having to ask Jane what we did during the last month. I am sure that is just as a result of the sheer pace of life, rather than anything else!

What I can say is that I was home sick for a couple of days (my boss sent me to the Doc, and then got upset when I got sent home...), MacK had a week away from school with suspected hand, foot and mouth (which meant Jane had to take a week off work, as I was away in the scrub for the week) and we had Peter visit for ten days. Peter has just had a hand operation, and figured that if he couldn't play golf in Canberra in the cold, then he might as well not be able to play golf in Brisbane, where is is warmer! It was lovely to have him stay for the week (as it always is to see family).

In this message I will just give you snapshots of what we have been up to, in no particular order (which is my way of saying that I have no recollection of the correct order of things!). 

We had a fantastic breakfast with team Aleksiuk at a park in Bulimba. This particular park is mentionable for two reasons. The first is for the quality of the playground itself, which attracted dozens of people during the day. The second is that the park has no amenities. We had to wonder whether the planners considered that the only users of the park would be people who lived in the apartments around the park, who wouldn't need access to bathrooms. Our contribution to the breakfast was a 'rocher meringue'. Next time you come to visit, please ask me to make them for you. They are fantastic, and at least as good as Mum's pavlova. Very different, but bloody good!

Mum and Dad's house is very nearly finished. Tyson and I spent a couple of hours there a couple of weeks ago (with Ty doing professional work, and me just pottering!), and then took Mum and Dad out for an early Mother's Day lunch. My highlight was plumbing in a toilet. Quite proud of myself, I was. And yes - Mum assures me that she did a test run, and it was 'bombs away'!!

MacK still enjoys cooking, and pulls out the step stool to stand beside me when I cook. I really enjoy having him there, and can't wait until we can trust him with a knife! A couple of weeks ago I made a batch of toasted muesli, with MacK's help. He really is good at stirring... Jane took a couple of photographs of the pair of us. The photograph below is one that I just love!

The apron he is wearing is one made for him by a friend in Canberra, with the main theme being Lightning McQueen (Cars). And yes - that is a lime green silicon frog oven mitt that MacK is wearing!

Just after ANZAC Day, we went to Suncorp Stadium to watch the Reds play the Auckland Blues. MacK had a couple of firsts - his first real train ride (awake), and his first big stadium experience. If you look below, you will see that he might have enjoyed the night out! 

Before we went to the footy, we went to a craft market in Brisbane. Writing this blog, I am reminded that Jane bought me a present at the market... Let's just hope that she hasn't put it into a Crawford 'safe place'...! 

The other highlight was the visit to Brisbane by Melissa. She looked after MacK while Jane and I went to a dining in, and then she and Jane went to see the Brumbies play the Reds. It was great - I got to hang out with my boy!

We also took the opportunity to see Ross Noble (can't describe his brand of comedy, except to say that he is just random; a nutter). It was one of our first 'date nights' since two became three, and it was really good to have the night out. 

Our immediate future plans include a dinner for friends (next week) and working on designs for our future business logo and branding. We are still working with the architect on house plans, so no further development or piccys for you at this point.