food travel life: The Greatest Blog of ALL Time

I know! Isn’t it amazing that this is the greatest blog of ALL time!? Don’t you just feel ridiculously privileged to be reading the greatest blog EVER?

In all truth, I just wrote that to see how many people would click onto it. Shame.

Anyway, I do have something to say. So feel free to read on if you’re not too angry at me with the trick tactics I used to get you here.

First of all, hi – it’s been a while.

I was starting to feel like this list thing just wasn’t going to happen. This whole going-to-Melbourne-for-a-couple-of-months thing threw in a bit of a spanner where I didn’t expect it. And I’ve been far too lazy to actually look at my list and go do something. But on Saturday, I awoke with great enthusiasm and great ideas for the day ahead. This day was going to be truly great. The greatest day of ALL time you might say.

It started off the way any great day should…sunshine and morning tea with stunning friends in the greatest café of ALL time.

This time we were at the Newmarket location of little & friday…not quite the same feel as the Belmont one…it’s still very cool and very unique, but the Shore is where it’s at. Nevertheless, I had to come here (and force my friends to also) in order to tick it off my list. And a doughnut was on the cards once again…this time, the classic cinnamon sugar glory.

Imagine the best cinnamon doughnut you’ve ever had…

*mmmm….yummy*

…and then laugh in its face.

That’s right.

Niki had the rhubarb tart, I had me some bliss and Nelly had a risotto cake. I can tell you from previous experience that the tart is a true delight (not a sentence I had planned) and, from sampling on the day, the risotto cake was absolutely marvelous.

So yes, if you haven’t been to little & friday yet, you definitely should do something to change that. And you should almost certainly take me with you.

The list ticking was not over however. Not by a long shot.

I got home, quickly sorted out my life, and then headed to…the…LIBRARY.

As #3 of my list states, ‘go to the local library and spend a lazy Saturday morning perusing cookery books and get some inspiration for free before hitting the shops’. I may have cheated slightly…with not so much ‘perusing’, and was more ‘quietly rushing’. But I got in, took a photo of myself with chosen books (sunglasses make me unrecognizable, clearly, hence taking photo of oneself in library is less embarrassing)…

…and I got out before the clock struck midday. Saturday morning in a library looking at cookbooks – done.

This was then followed by a shop for the ingredients in which to cook for dinner. I also decided that it would be a grand time to buy some saffron and Heilala vanilla essence (also on my list). Pak ‘n’ Save provided the saffron and I E Produce supplied the vanilla. Now when I say ‘provided’ and ‘supplied’, I mean that I paid for them. And by ‘paying for them’, I mean I took out a mortgage.

Shelter is overrated anyway.

Once home, my talents were severely challenged when the smoker I borrowed off the wonderful Honores didn’t work. And by ‘didn’t work’, I mean Jo’s an idiot. As you can see, I can make fire. But fire is not smoke. And my list clearly states that I must smoke my own salmon, mussels, chicken and veggies.

A couple of hours later J-man rang to my rescue and informed me that those pans of fire need to go under the smoker in order to create smoke. It worked a charm. Almost too well in fact…my chicken cooked in about 10 minutes (not really the idea). Anyway, I smoked. I ate. I ticked my list.

Now you’re probably thinking, ‘Wow Jo, you’re so amazing…so many things in one day.’

Let me put a stop to that this instance. I’m not amazing.

I also made chocolate chunk cookies (from the little & friday cookbook, using Heilala vanilla)...it uses a wonderful amount of butter, sugar and chocolate (I had peanut butter chocolate on hand so figured it would be as good as any. Unless you’re allergic to peanuts. Then it would be very very bad).