Unwined

This Sunday we attended the Unwined event in Subiaco, Perth.

Unwined showcased tonnes of different wineries and many different food stalls. Much like the Beer and Beef festival, you are provided with a tasting glass and you visit each stall and try all their different wines. I don't actually drink wine, But I did come away with a little bit of knowledge on what wines I absolutely don't like and what wines I could learn to tolerate. I realized that I cannot stand dry wine, nor can I enjoy a very sweet wine. So somewhere in the middle is my comfort zone.

I loved how passionate people are about wine. Some of the stalls, the presenters were so happy to speak to you. The friendly guy at Higher Plain Winery spoke to us for about 15-20 minutes about how their wine is made and even showed us a binder full of printed pictures of how their wine is produced. The lady at 52 stones taught me how to taste wine properly, where you hold a small amount of it in your mouth and lap your tongue over it until it creams up and then let it sit in your mouth, it really did taste better! She also told us how to make a pretty amazing sounding sangria using frozen peaches and their brand of rose, I think we'll definitely be trying that one for Christmas!

I might be able to give a better review of the different wines next year when my taste buds have matured, but apart from the wine, there was some amazing food. Now this is my element. Unfortunately, I wasn't very prepared and forgot to charge my camera the day before, so I only have pictures from my phone.

First up, I got a Banh Mi from Saigon Soul Food.
I've never had one before but I had previously read a blog about them so I was pretty excited to try one out.
 It's a Vietnamese dish and the name stands for "All kinds of bread"

 So it's basically this crispy toasted baguette filled with crispy fresh salad, barbecued pork belly and on the bottom it has crunchy peanut sauce spread over it. It was really amazing but I could only eat half. When I ordered it the guy asked if I wanted the "Full experience" which included chilli sauce, also, but I told him to hold the chili sauce on account of not being the greatest with spicy foods. But once I was eating it I could really see the sauce bringing it all together. Yum!

Along with the Banh Mi, I got a delicious Pomegranate cider from Thorny Devil Brewery

This drink was so refreshing, it wasn't overly sweet, which is what drives me away from drinking cider in the first place and it has an amazing but subtle pomegranate flavor. They also have a really good apple cider that is also subtle and not too sweet. A perfect summer beverage!

My sister got these AMAZING cheese croquettes. They were SO good. They were crispy and delicious on the outside, creamy and cheesy on the inside. I'm pretty sure that's chipotle sauce on the top of them, too. These were so good that after sharing them around, we had to get another serving.

This was a Pork Pho Bun that my sister got. I had a bite and it was really good. The bun is so soft and the flavors of the pork, capsicum, sauce and other leafy greens went together really well. It's only small as well so it's the perfect thing to have if you want to try a few dishes.

Okay, I've never had an Espresso Martini before... but WOW. They are so amazing. Especially these liquid nitrogen Espresso Martini's from Cocktail Gastronomy. They put in the liquid that makes up the drink(Kahlua, Liqueur etc) and they freeze the top with liquid nitrogen, put a dollop of cream on top and sprinkle it with cacao. Then you drink it with a straw and eat the frozen top and cream with a spoon. Oh my goodness, so amazing.

These cheese balls I didn't actually try. But they were deep fried balls filled with what looked like goats cheese and jalapenos. My sister said it was quite rich, but also pretty spicy. Hence why I didn't try them. She said they were really delicious, though.

My brothers girlfriend got some Paella. Which looked amazing. I don't really eat seafood, but I did have a try of the rice and it was really good but by that point I was so full, I could not fit in another bite!

It was such a lovely day filled with wine, food and good company. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was friendly and inviting, I even brought Oliver along! Perfect day out for families or for a fun day out with your friends. We might see you next year Unwined!

Damn, that's a good dam.

It was 32 degree's here in Perth during the week and luckily that burst of warm weather fell on one of my good friends birthdays. So we packed some beer, some snacks, some towels and headed to the dam. Firstly, I led everyone to a place called Oakly Dam, I went there a few days prior with Matt and Oli and it was great. But this time, the heat brought the bugs. My friend almost got attacked by the biggest leach I had ever seen. So being the suburban kids that we are, we bailed from there and went to a place with more of a water flow to reduce the amount of critters. I decided to go to Dwellingup Dam, which is a place my friend and I frequented a lot a few years back. It was amazing. I was in my element, climbing the rocks and swimming where the others were too scared to go (I may have had a few drinks under my belt at this point, hence the confidence)

It was amazing, though, I can't wait till Oliver is old enough to adventure to places like this with me. He will love it. Here are a few pictures from the day.

An update

This little guy turned 9 months old the other day (On the 7th). It's so crazy to watch time fly past so incredibly fast. It's true when they say that it goes even faster when you have kids. I think that's due to watching this small being grow and learn right in front of your eyes. His personality already makes me feel warm and proud. He is cheeky and mischievous, but so loving and happy.  He is also very clever, I think. So far he only has two teeth and they are the cutest darn teeth you have ever seen. You can actually see little nibbles out of food.. Adorable. Another incredibly cute thing he does is shaking his head. All the time he is just shaking his head. He does it if he likes something, he does it if he doesn't like something... He just does it for the heck of it. Sometimes he does it real fast so he closes his eyes into a squint and it always makes his Pa and I laugh. He absolutely loves the outdoors. If I take the rubbish out or check the letter box, he makes a break for the front door and when it is shut behind me, he gets so upset. Don't worry, bub, you're mama gets a bit stir crazy being indoors, too! That's why we take daily walks, Also to exercise. He just calms right down when he is in that pram. We sometimes just go for a short walk around the big park down the road, or a lonnnng walk and we just see wherever we end up. Either way, Oliver ends up falling asleep after he has taken in as much nature watching as his little brain can and I get exercise and some peace and quiet. Can't wait until we can find cool places to explore and go hiking as he gets older. That is, if he continues to love the outdoors as much as he seems to now. I hope he does. Being outdoors just makes people happy. It definitely makes me happy. There's something mentally healthy about it. Whenever I'm feeling down, I'll go for a walk. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful, safe place. And I am so blessed to have this happy, old soul as my son.

This past week

I have had a pretty good time this past week, and weekend. I think it's mainly because I was outside, a lot. I love being outside and so does Oliver. That makes for a happy babe and a happy Ma. Plus, my house stayed clean just about all week. Which was amazing.

During the middle of the week My parents, sister, Oliver and I decided to go on a picnic. We went to a place along the Swan River so my Dad could do some fishing. We set up a blanket and had some chicken rolls, cheese and crackers and a cold beer. We took Oliver on the see-saw which he loved, and on the swing and the slide. He absolutely loved crawling around chasing the birds and digging in the sand. Then we left my Dad to do some peaceful fishing and we went on a walk.

The weather is getting to that point where it's warm enough to wear skirts, dresses, playsuits but you still need a jumper or a jacket for when the afternoon turns into the evening. Ah Spring, you beauty.

Then came the weekend. Matt, Oli and I drove down to Yallingup near Dunsborough for a daycation. The weather was beautiful and driving along the coast it smelt like salty water and sunshine. It reminded me that Summer is definitely coming. We stopped off at Smiths Beach and we had a beer in the sun (We like to drink beer in the sun, okay) and enjoyed the sunshine. Oliver was a menace, though. He was eating sand by the mouthfuls and crawling straight for the ocean. He started to get tired and so he was rubbing sand all over his face and almost in his eyes. So we decided that was enough of the beach for one day and went to the Yallingup tavern for dinner. 

 It's these simple pleasures that make me happy. They keep me from going stir crazy. And it's as simple as driving somewhere new and having a drink or some food in the sun with my loved ones.

That's enough to keep anyone happy, I think.

Beer and beef festival!

I had the pleasure of attending the Beer and Beef festival over the weekend. 

My sister had a spare ticket and she extended it my way. The weather was amazing!
The festival consisted of lots of different stalls set up by different breweries. Upon entry you get a tasting glass (which is just a wine glass on a lanyard) and you visit each stall and try all the different beers/ciders they are offering and then you have the option to buy a pint if you want.
It also had market stalls, live music and a big projector to watch the football!

I really liked the garden ale from Stone & Wood, which is a brewery in Byron Bay. I don't like many ales, I am more of a draught girl myself. But I really enjoyed this ale, it was dry and refreshing and I ended up buying two pints of it! Another drink I am not a huge fan of is cider. It is a bit too sweet for me to enjoy. But tasting just small amounts of each I was able to enjoy it a bit more. I really liked a cloudy apple cider from Custard and Co, though. I would definitely buy that again.

 Another drink that was really good was the Ruby Cooler. It was Gin, Grapefruit and soda water. It was so refreshing because it was quite hot by then and I'd been drinking a lot of beer so to mix it up with a bit of gin was good. By this point I was a bit merry:

 Okay, so now let's talk about the food.

First of all, there was a stall there called chewy mooey and they make the most delicious beef jerky. I tried the original which had a really nice flavor to it. The chili one is really good, too, it's not too hot straight away but the heat does build. I got some for my partner and he has tried most of the jerky on the market, he is a serious jerky eater. And he gave me the thumbs up on this one, so you guys can check out their site here if you want to find out for yourself,

 All the food looked so amazing, I wish I tried everything. But I'm not sure if that would have been a smart idea. The first thing that we got were these Mogo Mogo balls with chipotle crema.

 They were amazing! Basically they are a deep fried ball of pulled brisket with a banana coating on the outside. They look as though they are burnt, but honestly, if they aren't meant to be like that, then I want them to be purposefully burnt if I ever have them in the future again. Because the crispiness on the outside really pulled it all together. Same with the chipotle crema. The combination is really good. I could have eaten 20. They are from a Mexican restaurant called El Publico, and I even found the recipe online.. I'm definitely going to have to visit this restaurant.

Along with the Mogo Mogo balls, we got a texmex potato salad from Lot Twenty. Now the chef really talked this up. She said something along the lines of the sauce being made out of the juice from cooked brisket and a whole bunch of other flattering stuff, and I mean, it was good.

 But it just tasted like a potato salad to me., In the defense of Lot Twenty, though, they did try to get us to buy the ribs. I am in a world of regret for not taking their suggestion.

There were some amazing looking dishes that I didn't try but took photos of anyway.
Like these Cheeseburger Spring rolls from Eat no Evil. I asked how they tasted and the reply was
"tastes like pickles and mince"
Mmm!

 I saw many of these amazing burgers in the hands of hungry and satisfied festival goers.

 These are Smoked Beef Brisket Mac & Cheese Croquettes made with Margeret River fresh beef, roasted capsicum and wild rocket salad from The Stables Bar.

 Having recently trying Chilli Con Carne for the first time and loving it, my sister got The Stables Bar, Chilli Con Carne with Blackwood Valley organic beef, tomato, coriander, salsa & sour cream. She said it was amazing.

Towards the end of the festival I got a dish that I'd been eyeing off since I arrived. And that was the Crispy potatoes with slow cooked braised beef and cheese sauce. It was as good as the name made it sound. I got this from Chloe & Kelly, who I believe were contestants on Master chef.

It was a really great day filled with good drinks and even better food and a perfect way to spend a sunny spring day celebrating the Queens birthday long weekend.
I would definitely go back next year.

This kid is going to be great.

The place my partner spent his childhood is so beautiful. His parents own a cherry farm. I am so glad that Oliver has this place to run around in. I remember playing down at the creek at my Grandparents house.. It was such a big part of my childhood. So many memories playing among' the nature. The creek is all dried up now, I think. I would not really know. I have not been there in years. I want Oliver to have a childhood like mine. Not drowned out by technology, like so many kids these days seem to be. I want him to enjoy running around in the fresh air, getting dirty, scraping knee's and climbing tree's. This farm and his side of the family will help that, they are adventurous, nature driven people. I think myself really lucky to be apart of his family and I'm sure he thinks that about mine. My family grew up with such strong family values. We all really admire one another and get along incredibly well. I always think about how lucky we are to have been blessed with Oliver, but today, I am thinking about how lucky Oliver is to be blessed with our families. My heart feels heavy for the children that don't get this. The simplicity of a happy childhood. A loving, happy, funny family. As adults, it's our duty to make sure that earths children are happy, safe and loved. I'm so happy and blessed that I am able to provide that for Oliver. This kid is going to be great. 

A recipe: Frittata

My household has been sick these last few weeks and just when I thought I was finally over it, it's as if I caught another strand of the flu and got it all over again. I decided my immune system sucks and that I eat too much crap. We never plan our meals ahead and at least once a week we get take-out... We have a stash of those hand towelettes in our top kitchen drawer. That's when you know you have an issue. So, in an effort to be healthier, I made a GIANT frittata for the whole week so that I could just heat up a slice each morning. I'm talking 12 eggs in this sucker and jam packed with vegetables! It's really easy, healthy and tasty!

Now depending on how much you want to make, the amount of ingredients really depend.
What you will need:
Eggs, I used 12.

A few dollops of cream.

A handful of grated cheese.
Half a sweet potato, cubed.
3 white potatoes, grated.
A handful of spinach.
A handful of chopped mushrooms.
2 carrots, grated.
And 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic.

You want to start off by preheating your oven to 200 degrees.
Peel and wash your sweet potato and cut into small cubes. You can do the same with the white potatoes if you like, I just wanted to grate them to add to a thicker texture. But if you want more chunks then you can have both of the potatoes cubed. Lay them out on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil over the top of them. You want to half bake them.

After they are half cooked, take them out to a cool. Change the heat of your oven to 160 Degree's.

Whisk all of your eggs together with the cream and pour into your baking dish. Literally just put all of your vegetables into the egg and spread them out. Sprinkle the garlic through and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil. You want to cook the frittata slowly so that the inside cooks thoroughly without the top of it burning. Mine roughly took around an hour, for such a large amount. When the inside is cooked it'll rise and become fluffy and white and the top will be nice and crispy. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, return to the oven for 5 minutes and you've got yourself a frittata! (And a week of healthy, delicious breakfasts)