I Miss My Tropical Fruits
Filed Under Australia, Food with 8 Comments
This is the largest mango I’ve seen this season.
The problem with the La Niña weather that Sydney (and much of eastern Australian) has been experiencing in recent months is that it does affect our supplies of certain produce – tropical fruits like mangoes being a prime example. The relatively cool weather and near constant rain changes everything. I mean, we haven’t yet had a day over forty degrees, which is practically unheard of at this time of year! While there have been some mangoes in store, there hasn’t been the proliferation that you would see in better years – there’s been no boxes of a dozen mangoes for $15.
I have to admit, I miss the hot weather to some extent…I’ve learnt to appreciate the Australian summer since I spent the summers of 2005, 2006 and 2007 overseas in a Chinese/European winter. Life isn’t quite the same without at least one forty degree day in summer.
No Hablo Ingles
Filed Under Food with 10 Comments
So I’m having a Mexican-themed house-warming party later this month and I don’t know what food to make. The whole reason it’s Mexican themed is so I can wear a traditional Mexican dress that I bought in Mexico on my trip last year, and so Kieran can wear the Mexican wrestler mask I bought him. Unfortunately, there’s no other way for us to wear them, unless it’s some kinky Mexican sex game where we cover each other with guacamole and refried beans and he puts his chorizo in my taco…so a themed house-warming it is!
My question: What food do I make? We are unfortunately limited in Australia as to the variety of DIY Mexican food available to us. Outside of the white-washed Old El Paso range in supermarkets, there isn’t much available. You would be hard pressed to find anything of real authenticity like the Mexican food I had in Tijuana that made me pass out in a chilli coma.
My initial thoughts are that I prepare corn bread and nachos for dipping in guacamole, salsa verde, salsa roja etc for snacks. For more substantial food, I’ll set up a “make your own burrito/taco” line, with empty taco shells and burrito wraps. The options would include: cooked spiced mince, grilled chicken, chopped lettuce, tomato, beans, cheese, etc. Drinks would obviously include mojitos, margaritas and tequila straight. I’d like to make churros for dessert, but I don’t think I could be bothered to go to that effort if I have twenty plus people attending.
Do I go the easy way out and just have a barbecue, but marinade all the meats in a Mexican salsa? Does anyone have any quick and easy suggestions (I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen) that won’t require big bucks and/or a specialist Mexican supermarket range?
…and for my next themed party, “Dress Up Like Your Favourite Food”.
Review of 2011
Filed Under Life with 2 Comments
I reviewed my 2011 resolutions yesterday, but my life isn’t made up just of those four resolutions! What was 2011 actually like for me?
I started off the year with a short week long holiday in Sydney. That holiday helped me to decide the next step I wanted to take in my life – a move to new horizons. I got a new job in Sydney which meant moving cities and finding a new apartment. I also got Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. Comparing kitten Darcy to grown Darcy is really quite amazing – you forget how small he was to begin with!
2011 was a year of focusing on myself, my needs, and what’s best for me. I got rid of a toxic drain in my life, and upgraded to a newer, shinier, more in tune model. I tried to look after myself a bit better. I started with beauty treatments, and then started working on my fitness.
I tried to collect some new experiences a bit too. I went to Mildura in country Victoria for a weekend, and then drove out to Gippsland (country Victoria again) for a night at a B&B. I spent a day in the Hunter Valley when I got to Sydney. I jumped out of a plane, got a new tattoo and went skiing. I reminded myself that travel is what makes me happy, and as a result, went to America (with ensuing controversy) and booked tickets for Beijing.
Looking back at all that…I had an absolutely massive year!
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