I have returned to finish telling you about my wonderful weekend with the "Night Owls" out at the Fairburn Dam!!
Saturday afternoon found us all fighting food comas due to the constant consumption of food worthy of Donna Hay magazine, however we are strong women and found the will to soldier on to dinner!!
In the afternoon Wendy put a loaf of garlic Sourdough in the bread-maker, which emitted an aroma that had you floating to the kitchen on a wave of euphoria, only to stand at the machine sniffing like a bloodhound on the trail!!
Wendy also had baking a traditional Moussaka, with moist layers of rich mince and melt-in-your mouth eggplant, under a gooey hat of homemade Bechamel sauce and golden cheese!!
These delights where served with Evelyn's perfectly al-dente pasta salad, with a beautiful balance of sauce, pasta and fillings; as well as my Roast Pumpkin and Pine nut Salad with my favorite roasted pine nuts and ricotta crumbled lover the top!!
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Amazing meal made better when shared
with amazing company! |
Our sweet tooth's were not forgotten when we later enjoyed my very first ever baked cheesecake!! Of course I couldn't just choose to do a nice easy vanilla bean or some other version of simplicity.......no, I choose to attempt not only a baked multiple steps Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake!!
I follow an amazing blog called The girl who ate everything and it is really fabulous not only the food she makes but she does it around her busy family. Did I mention that this blog is American?? Hence the beginning of my issues with this cake. Dum, dum, dum!!
When cooking from American recipes the first step is translating the measurements into the corresponding Australian one, all good, or so I thought. The base no worries, I made do with some plain shortbread biscuits, and the cookie dough balls, delicious to the point of eating so much of it straight out of the bowl I think I may have put myself at risk of having an immediate coronary!!
The filling......hummmm, well thinking I was super organised, I mixed the filling according to the directions, at some point I thought, "Gee that looks very runny and it has a strong egg taste. Is that right?" Re-reading, yes I was fine, into the base and then the oven for an hour. Sitting down to check the recipe, yet again (Not that I could do anything now it was in the oven), "Oh S*#T!!" I didn't translate the cream cheese!!! A recipe I believed to only require 1 packet of cream cheese, actually requires 3.5 packets, meaning I then spend the next hour sitting on floor in front of my oven praying for this cake to please be edible!!
An hour later it had risen around the sides and was browning nicely, however it was custard in the middle. Emergency call to experienced Foodie friend which went along the lines of, "Help Me!" She assured me that the eggs should help it set, just turn the oven down and double the bake time.
Needless to say while I'm not proud of this effort I am determined to try this again just for the cookie dough balls themselves!!
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My poor cookie dough balls all sank, never fear,
I am not one to run away from a sweet challenge!! |
All this energy consumption was going to require some form of burn off and after a few (many) glasses of wine, some good music and relaxed company meant that some super smooth versions of Flash dance and line dancing, (What a combination!) where soon being busted across the sewing room floor!
On the last day of any retreat I always wake up a little sad because you know the fun is coming to an end. This retreat I think everyone felt the same as we all seemed really upbeat but eventually Wendy quietly said over her coffee cup, "I don't want to go home today." This set off a big run of group hugs and cuddles around the table, then we all remember we would be seeing each other at the next retreat in three weeks and we still had a whole day of sewing and eating ahead!!
Everyone seems to get this buzz of motivation on the last day, I think we all realize that we are running out of time without life distractions and we had better pull our fingers out so we have something to show our husbands for two days away!
These are some of the projects the girls where working on over the weekend.
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| Evelyn's Angel Cross-stitch |
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Some of Wendy's hexagon
flowers for her quilt |
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One of Julie's stitchery blocks
for her quilt |
On Saturday night the fire was lit up again and the girls put some wrapped potatoes in the coals for lunch the next day, however over the course of the night they ended up being left to their own devices, with the results to be determined the next day.
Julie delivered the potatoes (which ended up being perfectly soft and moist - don't ask me how!) cut and filled with left over Moussaka and melted Edam cheese, with a fresh side of Orange and Beetroot Chopped Salad, yum!
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They where so good, the flavour of the fire went
through the potato and gave it a delicious smoky undertone! |
Despite the massive food fest we all did manage to get through some UFO's!
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Betty's Quilt from last
years retreat! |
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Dallas completed a full block
of foundation piecing |
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My Christmas Tablecloth using the Wedge ruler!
I am going to foundation piece a center circle!! |
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A table runner using
the leftover wedges! |
The final meal of the day is a unanimous favorite with the Night Owls, which is a selection of antipasto delights such as dukkah, balsamic vinegar, grilled capsicums, fresh breads and of course cheeses!!
So with a flurry of brooms, cloths and the complete organisation that I find more mature women have (notice I wasn't brave enough to say older women?) we where quickly tidied, packed and saying our goodbyes, which while sad, it was good to know I would be seeing some of them again soon for the next retreat.
I love these weekends because while returning home absolutely shattered physically, I also feel totally invigorated and full of inspiration to move onto the next project, whatever that may be!!
A very special present was given to Miss 4 this weekend which was made by a super talented Night Owl Evelyn. Evelyn is in possession of a very special skill that is rarely seen or appreciated in it's true form any more - smocking.
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| How stunning is this!! |
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| Look at the work and the detail!! |
Upon seeing this creation it took some smooth talking from Evelyn to convince Miss 4 that she should leave her clothes on because she couldn't wear it yet!!
The dress is hanging in pride of place at the end of Miss 4's bed and is adoringly patted each night - photos of Miss 4 in model mode coming soon!!
On Monday I took the opportunity while in Emerald to follow the girls advice (and my stomach) to find the perfect macaroon!
If you don't know, these decadent little portions of sweet, frilly, feeted heaven are my Achilles heel when it comes to cooking - I just can't make them and because of my absolute adoration of them I am refusing to attempt them anymore.
My love for these creations knows no bounds and I will without hesitation pass any and all other desserts in favor of these caps of crisp, chewy, luscious delights!!
Anyway (wiping the drool from my keyboard) I was told by good sources that a local Emerald business - Highland Homewares not only stocked my little dreams but they where made fresh and served with real ground coffee by a true Barista!!
The business has just moved into it's new larger location, and when I lived in Emerald while I enjoyed the store I never managed to get there often, so when I entered I had no expectations or idea of what I was getting myself into!!
I'm not one to be speechless often but when I rolled back the door and stepped in, that's where I stayed for a good minute! I was floored by the stunning displays, aromas, colors and textures that called at me, I had no idea where to go first, well.... yeah I did, macaroons!!
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| The front entrance! |
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If it's on Masterchef you
can get it here!! |
Walking towards the coffee shop, my only thought was, "Get the macaroons. Then you can look!" I swear I heard a herald of angels singing as I came to a complete stop in front of a case filled by a rainbow!!
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| A rainbow behind glass!! |
There was positively no possible way I was going to be able to choose one delight over the other, therefore my only option was to take one of each!! Literally skipping on the spot like a child, I explained to the staff my love for macaroons and while they seemed excited for me, I'm still not sure if they where laughing AT me or WITH me!
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Passionfruit (yellow), Cherry Ripe (Red), Jaffa (Orange), Redskin (Purple),
Salted Caramel (Blue), Chocolate (Brown), Vanilla (White), Mystery Flavor (Tan). |
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I fell in love with the teacup and it came home with me too,
along with some Lemonade Fruit Melange Tea!! |
While I was beside myself with delight Mr B however did question the validity of buying $30 worth of macaroons, I told him if he had to ask for a reason he just would never understand!
For the next four hours I cradled my treasures on my lap in the car, due to my serious fear of them being maimed in any way by a child's ungentle foot or husbands unthinking hands.
Mr B kept sneaking me side looks and shaking his head but my caring devotion paid off when we arrived at Ground Zero with all frilly feat in tact!! (I would like to add that I do think I crossed into bad mother territory when I took the macaroons into the house before the children!!)
Over the next two days I set aside private moments to truly appreciate each individual flavour and decided on Jaffa, Cherry Ripe, Redskin and Salted Caramel to be my "Buy again" friends. (If Mr B ever lets me return to Emerald!)
Another massive post but so much has happened and the best part is sharing it with you all!!
Until next post - which I have already started a list for!
May your bobbing always be full
Amanda
