Merry Christmas everyone. This Christmas I am spending with my wonderful boyfriends family for the first time. In an effort to pitch in I am bringing sweet treats. My baking efforts have included Chocolate chunk cookies, Gingerbread and Chocolate brownies. To top it off I have also made Chocolate truffles and will be making Tiramisu. I have been a baking and chocolate queen this week.

Firstly lets have a look at the Chocolate chunk cookies. My work colleagues always love when I bring these into work. My secret is...... doubling the vanilla and using milk and white chocolate melts instead of chips. I am a big fan of vanilla, and if I am putting it in a recipe I want to taste it. Hence the double shot of vanilla in these cookies.

Recipe

125g unsalted butter

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence (it is worth getting essence or even vanilla paste if you can)

2 1/4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon of bicarb

1 cup of white chocolate melts (roughly chopped)

1 cup of milk chocolate melts (roughly chopped)

It is a basic recipe, and simply a case of preheating the oven to 180 C, then creaming the softened butter and sugars together until light and creamy in texture. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium until well combined. Add the sifted flour and bicarb and stir until they are well mixed in then add the melts. Using a desert spoon, place spoonfuls on the baking tray (lined with baking paper, no greasing or flouring required). Place them in the oven for 10-12 min until the are turning golden. Remove from the tray with spatula and place on a cooling rack, then repeat. This recipe makes between 3-4 dozen depending on the size of the biscuits.

I will post the other recipes over the coming days but here are some pics of the yummy foods I have prepared.  Merry Christmas everyone :)

I have been walking past Two Cups in Spring Hill everyday for the past six months. I have always seen happy smiling faces coming out and have admired the Quote chalk board out the front. For six months I have been saying I should try them soon. But whether I was running late for work, or had other things on my mind, it just never happened. Until this week.

With the Christmas rush on for all workplaces I have been starting work a bit earlier a few days this week. On Thursday morning I had not had a morning cup at home and was sleep walking to work. As I approached Two Cups I could smell the coffee and breakfast foods. I could see a couple people enjoying a full cooked breakfast out front, and the sounds of friendly laughter from inside. I admit my body was just crying out for coffee/caffeine but my logical mind had no objections.

As I entered I was greeted by the barista. He was serving what sounded like a long standing customer, but he took the time to ask what he could get me and put my coffee in the queue. Once he had finished serving the customer he turned to me and a had a friendly chat, even though it was 6:45 in the morning. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him make my latte as I could tell he knew his craft well. I even ended up with a little latte art on my cup instead of the normal pour and serve that some cafes do. Two cups also advertises coffee courses, and a book on how to use your home machine effectively. Very tempted on both accounts.

I've been back in a few times since and the service is always great, as are their homemade sweet chilli and cheese muffins. Definitely a place to check out if you enjoy good quality coffee and a friendly atmosphere.

Phew, all the Christmas shopping complete. Yay!! Feels good. Now I just need to wrap the rest of them and I'm all done.

Now to get the baking mindset on tomorrow. On the cards are Chocolate chip biscuits, Gingerbread, Chocolate Brownies and Chocolate Truffles.  The plan is to take a goodie basket to my boyfriends parents place for Christmas day :) I can't wait.  I think I am finally starting to get in the Christmas spirit this year :) With only a week to go it is about time. Also, as this is the first Christmas with my boyfriend I cannot wait to see him open his gifts.

So today I bought ingredients for the above mentioned treats and tomorrow I melt, bake and ice. It's going to be an epic day. Tonight I am off to my Boyfriends work Christmas Party. We are going to Sunnybank for yummy Asian food. I will try to sneak some photos and post a review tomorrow (while things are baking).

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family. May you all have a wonderful and safe holiday season. I look forward to catching up with you all soon.

What the brittle should look like

So I'm attempting to make Peanut Brittle. I followed the recipe exactly but the toffee did not colour and when I kept cooking it waiting for it to change colour.... it turned to sugar again. I'm not sure what went wrong at this stage.  But I now have a tray of roasted peanuts coated in a fudgey substance. I'll wait and see how it sets, but it is definitely not the right colour.  Time for some more research into Brittle basics I think.  I'll post some photos tomorrow after it has set and I have attempted to cut/break it.

On another note I may be attempting chocolate brownies tomorrow night :)

I'm a fan of tea, whether it is a cup of English Breakfast to start the day, a nice Earl Grey to warm me up on a Winter afternoon, or a cup of soothing Chai to finish the day. Tea and the subtle (or not so subtle) variations in the blends will always bring a smile to my face. I think it is partially that memory of being a child and having mum fix me a cup of tea and a milk arrowroot biscuit for afternoon tea.

Recently I visited The Tea Centre on Little Albert Lane. Firstly, I love walking into this place and feeling like I have stepped into a wonderful fragrant tea house.  From the wall of tins containing tea from all over the world, to the variety of tea pots and cups to purchase, this place has the perfect cup of tea for any palate.

On this visit I had the Pai Mu Tan Stockholm Blend and a sinful little Pavlova with fresh fruit. I have to admit that I am partial to the White teas when I go out. I have so many varieties of tea at home so when I go out I enjoy having something a little different.  The Pai Mu Tan Stockholm Blend is white tea with orange blossoms, rose petals, safflowers, calendula blossom, vanilla and apricot.

The wait staff are very good at the Tea Centre. They give you just the right amount of time to peruse the menu, and then provide your order quite quickly also. The tea comes out in it's own little pot, and they let you know how much longer to leave it steep. My tea is a very light floral flavoured tea with a slight sweetness from the vanilla and apricot. I've just poured the tea into it's cup and taken the first mouthful when my sweet treat arrives. The little pavlova is actually two small meringues sandwiched with cream, kiwi fruit and strawberry slices. There is more of the same on the top as well as a drizzling of passionfruit. It was a purely light and delightful afternoon treat.

When I finished my tea and wandered around the store the have a look at the tea pots the staff were friendly and answered all my questions. I highly recommend The Tea Centre for a quiet relaxing afternoon (or Morning) tea. Stop in to sample their hot or iced teas, or even a coffee if you prefer. Stay and enjoy Devonshire tea or one of their sweet deserts. Have lunch and enjoy a Chicken filo wrap, or quiche and salad. And definitely stop in to look at the wonderful assortment of tea pots, especially with Christmas just round the corner. You may find the perfect gift for that special person.

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day in Brisvegas, enough cloud cover to keep the temp down, and a cool breeze off the Brisbane River to make being outside a delight. How to spend such a great day? Why exploring the streets and parks in Brisbane.

After grabbing a Toffee Nut Frappuccino I was off to explore.

 Starting in Post Office Square I headed back towards the Queen Street Mall. I then headed down Edward St to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. I hadn't been in a few years, but this place has a timeless relaxed feel. With plenty of grassed areas and a couple play areas for the kids the Botanical Gardens is great for both the family outing as well as for a nice romantic picnic. I spotted both during my walk.

Walking though the gardens it is quite easy to forget you are actually in the middle of the city. There is plenty of wildlife in the park and the traffic noise just fades away. I was lucky to grab a few images of Australian wildlife as well as the (non-official) bird of Brisbane (the Ibis). With so many in and around Brisbane I sometimes think they should be.
I would highly recommend spending a nice relaxing afternoon in the parklands. With a nice picnic and some reading material, or that special someone, it is just what the doctor ordered.

So I turned the big 33 recently. As it was the middle of the week I had the day off from work to spend it with my Mister. The morning began with a nice walk through Spring Hill to ostensibly pick up cream for the pancakes I was making for Breakfast. Yes, I cooked breakfast on my birthday, but for a good reason... that being the banana syrup I was making to go on them. Now that the price of  bananas has gone down they are re-entering my diet. Yay!!!

After the yummy breakfast we relaxed playing PS3 and computer games before heading out to our first movie of the day. We were off to Cineplex at Southbank. Cineplex is great for movies and snacks. With tickets from $6.50 (before 3:30pm) to $8.50 for normal 2D movies, and a large drink and popcorn for $7.90 it is possible to go to the movies for under $20.

Anonymous was good. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I've since been informed that it is factually incorrect, with the timings of the plays and historic events completely out from reality. Still it was enjoyable.

After the movie we went to Max Brenner for chocolate what else. As always the wait was long but the food was yum. I think part of the charm of waiting at Max Brenner is using the time to change your mind about what you are going to order... over and over again. I had the Sundae and Mister the Waffles. My favourite part was eating the little pot of melted chocolate :)

We then walked back into Brisbane to enjoy a late lunch/early dinner at Aroma Garden. This suited me and my Mister perfectly as they have a broad range of food. He had the Chicken Parmegarna and I had the Chicken Tikka Masala. I love the flavour of my food. I could tell it was homemade and although not technically perfect it was tasty and came with really nice papadams. The meal was probably a bit over priced for what it was (over $20 each for the mains, even though they were a good size). It was nice and the service was decent but I've had better meals for less at other restaurants.

After dinner it was to a free movie care of @reviewbrisbane. We were lucky enough to win tickets to see a preview session of Immortals. Visually pretty fantastic, the movie was good but seemed to lack a little in the way of script. The actors were decent and the cinematography nice, it was just that feeling of missing something.

All in all it was a great birthday, made even greater by spending it with my Mister.

Recently I shared a wonderful lunch with friends at King of Kings in Fortitude Valley. We went for the Sunday Yum Cha. The food and service were amazing.  I particularly enjoyed the prawn and corn dumplings and the garlic chive dumplings.

The atmosphere was exceptionally busy, but happy. Everyone was having a great time. The wait staff were very attentive. In fact if I have any criticisms it would be that they could be overly attentive. We were there for a birthday lunch and as such were waiting for people to arrive and for the birthday girl to open presents and such. Even though it was clear that we were not ready to order (people were standing around the tables chatting) they came back repeatedly. Other than this minor inconvenience the lunch was fantastic. The food was delicious and plentiful. The tea was refreshing.

Over all I would recommend this restaurant to everyone who enjoys delicious asian cuisine. It was filling and inexpensive (we split the bill amongst the 8 people at the table and it came to $12.50 each) while catering to various tastes and needs.

Yes I know this is another off topic post, however I love my movies :) So here it is, the 10 movies I am looking forward to seeing over the next few months. (please note I have already seen Anonymous and Immortals - thoroughly enjoyed both - which is why they are not on this list) These are not in any particular order.

1. Melancholia - Kirsten Dunst and the end of the world. This movie looks stunning.
2. The Debt - Sam Worthington takes down a war criminal... who can argue with that.
3. Moneyball - a movie based on the way stats changed an entire game, and Brad Pitt looks great in it.
4. John Carter of Mars - As a fan of Science Fiction (films and books) I cannot wait to see John Carter.
5. Mission Impossible: Ghost protocol - The original Mission Impossible movie with Tom Cruise was great and I am really looking forward to the latest installment.
6. Tower Heist - This one looks hilarious. With a great cast of comedians I know this one is sure to make me laugh.
7. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of shadows - I can’t wait to see this one. Holmes and Moriarty face off :) yay!
8. The girl with the dragon tattoo - I loved the original and I am really looking forward to seeing what the director of Fight Club, Seven and The Social Network will do with it.
9. The Muppets: I grew up watching the Muppets and can still remember watching Kermit sing The Rainbow Connection. Definitely need to see this one :)
10. Underworld Awakening - A big fan of this series. Love all the movies and I am looking forward to seeing Kate Beckinsale reprise this role.

There are a few coming up in 2012 that I can't wait to see also.

Off topic a bit here, but I joined a gym!!! I am quite excited to be going back to the Gym.  It's been awhile and I am really looking forward sweating my butt off... literally. The aim is to go 3-4 times a week. Hopefully I might be able to fit a shift in on the occasional lunch break.
As mentioned in my previous post work has been very hectic and I have been finding myself mentally exhausted but not sleeping properly. Hopefully this can help me sleep better as well as the obvious health benefits. I have my first PT session on Tuesday :)

So life has brought me long work hours and short amounts of fun time. While I have managed to visit a few great places over the last couple weeks I have not been able to blog about them :(  This lack of Blogging will hopefully end this weekend when I shall post photos of a yummy Yum Cha lunch at King of Kings in Fortitude Valley. There will also be a few pics from the nieces Ballet recital in Maleny and their gorgeous Borzois, Oberon and Adonis. Stay tuned for blogging.

Brisbane has some wonderful weather, and we can go from clear blue skies to dark, to dangerous clouds, to blue skies all within an afternoon. Saturday was a lovely day and the that afternoon storm hit. I had gone outside to get some shots of the clouds as it came across when lightening hit nearby. I was rushing back indoors as the rain and hail hit. It was pretty spectacular. I didn't get many shots but here they are.