WTM: Yarra Valley Dairy

Sundays just scream country adventure to me, and my favourite country place is the Yarra Valley. Just far enough away from everything, yet close enough as well. It's about a 45 minute drive from my house, and just over an hour from Melbourne CBD. There are so many amazing wineries out here, as well as cafes, small boutiques and little nooks and crannies to explore.

One of my favourite places to visit is Yarra Valley Dairy. For no other reason than I love cheese. I mean, I really love cheese. If you love cheese, you really need to make the trip out here. 




Yarra Valley Dairy has both the cheese factory, which uses fresh cows and goats milk from neighbouring farms to make their delicious artisan cheeses, as well as their store front, where you could spend hours looking at all of the wonders on offer, tasting cheeses and wines, and sitting down to enjoy a ploughman's platter.



The staff are delightful and full of knowledge, rattling off information about all of the cheeses. For any tastings, you'll try about 6 different cheeses, including my favourite Juno (with juniper berries). Keep in mind though, the tastings are free for groups of less than 8, for groups of 8 or more, it's a $3 per person charge. Well worth it either way. 



Other things on offer around the store include things like: homewares, chocolate, sauces, jams, wine and bread. Most things are sourced from the local region, and they're high quality and delicious. Speaking of wine, they also have wine tastings on offer, with plenty of bottles to chose from.

  

We tried all of the cheese (even though we already knew and loved them) because who says no to free cheese from Yarra Valley Dairy? Had a bit of a wander and a look at all of the homewares, they have a new range of crockery including some amazing looking tea cups, as well as a few linen items like tea towels and aprons.



In the end though, we were there for the cheese, and the cheese is what we wanted. Between the 2 of us, we could have bought one of everything. We showed restraint though, and left with a Persian Fetta, House Cow, and a couple of Junos (because there just isn't enough for the two of us to share. Normal people yes, Alex and I, no.)



Oh, almost forgot! They also have pates and pies and other yummy treats!



Clearly we were excited about cheese! If you are going up to visit on a weekend, be prepared to find a full store, as it's quite popular. 



You can find them here:

Yarra Valley Dairy
70-80 McMeikans Road, Yerling
9739 1222

Lots of love!

J (and Alex I guess)

xx

WTM: Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery

Sunday was an amazingly beautiful day, and we just couldn't waste it being at home inside, so Alex and I thought it would be fitting to head out to the Yarra Valley and explore some of their most popular attractions. We went off to the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery first to buy some of our favourite treats.



As you can see, it was a lovely day, so there were people everywhere. It's nice here, because the kids can play on the grass and run wild, while the parents can sit and relax with a picnic.



Of course, even though Alex isn't a tourist (not by the classic definition, she lives 10 minutes down the road), I had to make her take an awkward tourist photo. I think she did pretty well!

Because nothing says dorky tourist like an awkward photo with a giant fake chocolate bar.

If you've never been before, be prepared to be shocked. There is literally walls and shelves filled with chocolate, and 3 giant bowls of chocolate drops for you to try (we may have taken a couple more spoon fulls then they would have liked...). At the moment it's the Rocky Road Festival, which is running 1-31st May, and in celebration of this, they have 31 flavours of this Aussie classic in blocks, bars, truffles, ice creams and hot chocolates. 

  

They also have a truffle bar, where you can pick and choose your own truffle mix, in a box of 12 or 24. There are so many flavours it was so hard to decide! Some of my favourites were Peanut Butter, Marble Mint & Hazlenut Crunch.

There is a cafe in store so you can purchase your goodies and sit down to enjoy them, as well as other delicious treats like the Smokin' Salmon, Zen Duck and B.L.A.T. On a hot day, we recommend trying out the ice cream (free tastings!) which are house made decadent delights.

The store has free entry, and it open every day except Christmas day, from 9am-5pm. You can find them here:

35 Old Healsville Road (Cnr Melba Highway)

Yarra Glen, VIC

9730 2777

Love J xx

Healthy Home Made - Roasted Capsicum Dip

This is such an easy recipe and takes little to no time to make. You can buy most of the ingredients preprepared which cuts down on the time.

If you want to start from scratch, then keep reading, if not, skip to the bottom. But be warned, you're going to miss out on the good bits...

You'll need:

3 fresh medium sized red capsicums
2 cloves of fresh garlic (not peeled)
oil spray
salt & pepper
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 cups pine nuts
1 red chilli

Start off by preheating the oven to 180°c for 10 mins. Then grab your capsicums, core & deseed them, then cut into halves or thirds. Lightly oil the pieces, put them and the garlic on an oven tray, and bake for 30 minutes.

While they're baking, we need to lightly dry toast the pine nuts. In a non-stick pan, with no oil, throw in the pine nuts, and toast over a medium flame. You'll see them change to a light golden colour. Make sure not to burn them though. Set aside to cool.

Grate the parmesan, and put in a bowl, ready to go.

When the capsicums and garlic are done, squeeze the garlic out and carefully chop them and set aside to cool. Make sure everything is cool to touch before putting them in the food processor. 

Then, put everything in the bowl of the food processor, and blitz until you reach the consistency you like. 

Now, you may find that you use all the pine nuts, or not a lot, work the recipe to your tastes.

 

You can serve it straight away, or chill it till firm.

Let me know how yours turns out!

Love,

J xx

Healthy Home Made - Basil Pesto

I never really liked pesto, it always tasted far too basil-y for my liking. That is until I tried it with chicken, in a foccacia. My taste buds were hooked! It was so creamy and delicious, I had to try and make my own!

It couldn't be hard right? Just chuck a few things in the food processor and away we go!

Actually, it really was just that simple. I doubled the batch because I didn't think it would make much, and I wanted to share it with my mum.

*Side note, my mum has just figured out how to use the internet on her new smart phone, and happened across my little bloggy-wog. I'm so excited! Hi mum!

I had bought a couple of bunches of fresh basil from Bushy Park as well as a small bag of pine nuts, so all I needed was some parmesan and I was good to go! 

Now, I had garlic and olive oil at home, so if you don't have these, make sure you grab them as well.

1 1/2 cups fresh basil  - I tore up the leaves and guestimated
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
enough oil to emulsify

So, all you really need to do is throw everything in the food processor, and blitz till smooth-ish.

It's hella tasty, and half the jar has already gone. Thankfully I have more of everything, so I'll be making another batch next weekend.

Now, you know I wouldn't leave you without a little food porn...


This is pesto chicken, baby roma tomatoes, baby spinach on light rye bread.


Enjoy!

Love,

J xx

Challenge 2014 - Week 13 - Churros

Desserts are one of my favourite meals, full of sweet delicious goodness, how can you go wrong. So for this weeks challenge, we made churros.

I scoured my cook books, and came across two recipes for the choux pastry, one that didn't work and was a horrid disaster, and the other, from Margaret Foulton, which was a massive hit!

So, I'm going to share Marg's recipe, which we found came out much fluffier and nicer.


Churros, with Chocolate Sauce, and Butterscotch Sauce

Churros

I forgot to have the eggs and butter in this pic as well

1 cup plain flour 
1 cup water 
125 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces 
1 teaspoon sugar 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
4 eggs, beaten lightly 

1. Sift the flour on to a square of greaseproof paper.
2. Put the water, butter, sugar and salt into a saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil and, using the greaseproof paper as a funnel, pour the flour all at once into the boiling mixture.
3. Over a gentle heat, incorporate quickly and thoroughly with a wooden spoon and beating until the mixture balls around the spoon and leaves the sides of the pan (a bit of muscle is needed here). This process dries the paste and cooks the flour.
4. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate and cool to lukewarm. 
5. Put into a bowl and gradually beat in the eggs. If the paste is very stiff, beat an extra egg and add gradually, until a pliable consistency is obtained. Beat the paste until well combined, shiny and smooth.

Chocolate Sauce

Getting things ready for the chocolate sauce!

100gm dark chocolate, chopped into bits

1/2 cup cream

1. Warm the cream on the stove, but make sure not to boil

2. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate, and stir to melt and combine!

Butterscotch Sauce

So few ingredients for such a yummy sauce!

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt (regular or large-flake sea salt)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter, add sugar, and cream, stirring till all combined.

2. Bring to the boil, and boil for 4-5 minutes.

3. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes, before adding the vanilla extract.

Okay, so now you have everything ready to go, it's time to cook these little beauties!

1. In a large saucepan, heat a few cups of oil. We used vegetable oil, but you can use canola, or bran oil, which ever you prefer. Heat it over a medium flame, until a small cube of bread sizzles when dropped in the hot oil.

2. Place your dough in a piping bag, with a medium-large start nozzle. Try to push it down to the tip, before squeezing it in the bag. Otherwise you end up loosing dough that could make another churro!

3. Gently squeeze the dough out of the piping bag, over the oil, until about 4-5cm is hanging out, then cut off with either a sharp knife, or cooking scissors, into the oil. It's a good idea to stand back a little when doing this, because sometimes the oil can splash. And definitely don't do this naked.

4. Fry in the oil, a few at a time, for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring/turning with metal tongs, until golden. 

5. Take out of the oil, drain on paper towel, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (white/caster sugar, with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon).

Delicious right?

Then, dip in your choice of sauce, and enjoy!

*Allergens/Vegetarian*

 - If making these for any vegetarians, first make sure they're okay eating eggs, and make sure if you make either of the sauces, that you purchase cream with no gelatin.

 - If making for people with allergies/intolerance's to:

•  Wheat - You can use gluten free flour with very minimal difference in texture or taste.
• Eggs - Unfortunately an egg substitute isn't really suitable for this recipe, so I would advise against eating them.

These are such a simple yet delicious dessert!

If you have any other dipping sauce recipes, feel free to share them!

Love,

Jayde xx

A New Harvest

Hi ya'll!

Over the weekend, Justin and I planted a few new things in our ever growing potted garden. 
When we started we had kale & silverbeet. Now we have our own little herb garden beginning! We have basil, oregano, parsley, coriander, mint & rosemary. We've also added a new fruit, some very delicious strawberries, and very mild Hungarian Black Chili!

This is our kale at the moment, still small, but they'll grow and be delicious!

L-R; Rosemary, strawberries, mint & chili's.

This is our silverbeet at the moment, they just got a haircut, as we're trying to get them to grow out instead of up. We have 4 stems in this pot.

L-R; Oregano, Parsley, Coriander, Basil. This little beauty will end up sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen. Plenty of sun, and in easy reach for premium picking!

Stay tuned to see how our little garden grows, and what delicious food we make with our crops. We'd still like to add a few more plants, but we're not sure what. It needs to be able to grow in pots and get a lot of sun. I'd like to grow some climbing beans, I just have to make sure my trellis is up to the challenge! Guess we'd best get the thinking caps on!

See you soon!

Jayde xx

Entertaining Guests

I absolutely adore entertaining people, whether its a small gathering or a large party. You see, it's not about the party its self, it's more about having the opportunity to see my friends. 

One of the upsides of entertaining, is being able to supply my friends with food, and plenty of it! 

So Justin and I are having people over on Tuesday for Cup Day drinks and nibbles. We don't follow horse racing (I personally find it rather horrendous and barbaric, but each to their own), it's just a really good excuse to do something. Plus, here in Australia we have a public holiday for it :)

Anyway, I digress, apologies. I originally wanted this post to be an instructional post of sorts, like, 'I want to entertain some friends, but I have no idea where to start', so I suppose I should probably get on with it!

Okay, so you want to have some friends over on the weekend, but where do you start?

Well, the first question you need to ask yourself is: How much effort do I want to put in? Only a little because I am really struggling budget & time wise, or a lot of effort, because I have all the time and money in the world? Pick your position between the two, and there you have it.

Once you have worked that out, everything else comes pretty easily. Just make sure you know how many people are coming, and if there is a reason to have people over. For example, for us, we're loosely basing it on cup day, so we're doing slightly fancier food than normal. Instead of pizza, we're having gourmet mini hot dogs, instead of coca-cola, we're having soda stream. You get the picture.

Make sure you always over cater, instead of under cater, there is nothing worse than being in the middle of a great party, and having to leave to go get food because the starving masses are started to get restless. That being said, if you aren't going to provide food (and don't panic, not everyone does), try to plan your event around the normal meal times. Don't ask people to come over at lunch time, and expect them to be okay when you don't provide them lunch...

Do any of your guests have kids? Yes, well make sure you plan for them too. It will make a big difference to the parents, when they realise you have catered for their precious little one. Because really, who wants a screaming child ruining your day, because you only have caviar and salmon, when all they want is a hot dog?

Chips for the kids, French Twists for the adults

Pretty much the only other thing you need to know about food, is people's dietary requirements. We have a couple of vegetarian friends, and we like to make sure there is a decent selection for them to choose from. Like Missy Higgins said "we have taste buds too" (https://www.facebook.com/missyhiggins October 17th, or http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/missy-higgins-rants-against-qantas-inflight-meals-20131018-2vrag.html). So we include a few different dips and chips, as well as a 'main snack' so to speak. Something that isn't chips and dips, but isn't a roast dinner. Our favourite is arancini balls, which Justin is a pro at making. Please check if any of your other guests have any food allergies, because there is (almost) nothing worse than sending a guest to hospital, because you fed them satay shrimp and they're allergic to peanuts and seafood. Talk about awkward...

We also try to give people a choice of foods, so we include something snacky & salty, like chips, (think of it as the entree of snacks), then something filling, like the aranchi balls (the main course), then something sweet, like home made run balls (dessert).

Biscuits/cookies make a great sweet snack for both kids & adults

Now, onto actual entertainment. We all like to think that our company is the best entertainment, but don't kid yourself, you're not as interesting as you think you are. So, have a back up plan! Pick some 'sick tunes' for the day, to play in the background, this will help with the atmosphere and stop those awkward silences from taking over. Try to make a playlist, so you can know that your music will take care of it's self, and you're not going to have 'Smack My Bitch Up" suddenly start playing. If you have iTunes, use Genius, you just pick a song, and it will make a 20ish song playlist for you, based on your selected song. Pretty handy!

Next, decide if you're going to have some sort of visual entertainment (remember, we already have audio). You could have a movie playing, a tv show, a special event (Melbourne Cup Day). Pretty much anything your heart desires! Just try to make sure it's relevant to what you're doing on the day. 

So, we've covered food, audio and vision entertainment, now onto drinks! Though I suppose I should have covered that after food, but oh well!

Drinks can be a tricky and expensive venture for anyone. You need to decide if you are going to provide alcohol, or just 'soft' drinks. After you've decided that, it makes it a lot easier! Plus a lot safer for you and your guests. Generally, unless it's a birthday/Halloween/new years party, we don't have any alcohol, and if we do, we advise our guests they will need to provide it themselves. 

Soft drinks sound a little boring I know, but you can always spice them up! A mocktail is a great way to add a little non-alcoholic splash to a party, you can garnish them with slices of fresh fruit, or those cute little paper umbrellas. I've put the links to my favourite 3 mocktails. By the way, limeade is just lemonade but it's make with limes instead of lemons. We made limeade with our soda stream, but you might be able to find it in your local shops.

We're almost done! Last but not least, is decorations! I do love a well decorated event. But sometimes doing it at home on a budget, can seem like an impossible dream. Don't despair, not all is lost! You just need to make smart decisions. Firstly, do you want to go all out, and make this the party of the year, or is this just a small gathering that you want to host every month/year etc? Working out this, will help you decide how you want to decorate. For example, if you're hosting a big end of year party, then yes, hiring the jumping castle is a brilliant idea. If you're hosting a simple afternoon tea, then try investing in some nice candles, cloth napkins and napkin rings. Why not invest in some new wine glasses, and each afternoon (say one weekend a month) a different person brings wine for everyone to try? 

I know what you're all thinking now, 'that's all well and good Jayde, but how do I cut costs?'.

I'm glad you asked!

The main two ways you're going to be able to cut costs:

1) Shop Around:
There is nothing worse than buyers remorse. Going all guns a blazing, and buying everything you see, then the next day, seeing all of those things on sale at various stores. It pays to shop around. I know it's pain in the ass, but if you want to be able to buy everything, you need to be money savvy. I personally love Aldi, I can buy almost everything I need, for a fraction of the cost. 
(You can read my blog about shopping smart here: http://adayinthelifeofjayde.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/beating-big-two-end-rant.html)

2) DIY:
Yes, you read right, do-it-yourself. This means, where you can, get your hands dirty and put yourself to work. When you think about it, would you rather pay $10 for a decorated mason jar, or would you rather pay $2 for the jar, 50c for the decorations, and 50c for the glue? Exactly! It's the same principle with food, if you can spend 30 minutes of your time, and spend only $5 to make dessert, wouldn't you rather do that then spend $10 on the same (less delicious) thing?

Justin making home made rum balls.

Action shot!

Alrighty folks, I think I've told you the basics on entertaining guests. So my job here is done!

Here are the links for a few of the thing's I've mentioned:
Rum Balls Recipe:
https://plus.google.com/115579508519657853131/posts/cL3VwbQhz2s

Mocktail Recipes:
https://plus.google.com/115579508519657853131/posts/hQ94BHWw9LL


Thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas or stories, please share them in the comment's section below!

Thanks, 

Jayde xx

My Favourites: Food

Okay, so if you've ever tried to compile a list of your favourite foods, you'll know it's no easy feat.
So instead of trying to tell you just a few things I love, I'm going to break it down. Because I'm a freak and I love lists...

Winter Food:

I am absolutely in love with potato and broccoli soup. It's so thick and delicious, served with Parmesan croutons, it's near on the greatest soup I've ever made. I have Alex to thank for that. Alex is my vegetarian friend. I tell you this, because she helps widen my culinary horizons, and is a good great cook.

Next I love my mums beef and barley casserole. There's just something about how simple and amazing it is. The meat is always cooked perfectly, tender and falling apart. The barley is always cooked just right and it's never soggy or gross. I friggin love it is what I'm trying to say.

Summer Food:

Justin and I recently came across Moroccan chicken seasoning, and instead of doing a boring seasoned chicken breast with vegies, we decided to mix it up a little. Along came our (going to be world) famous Moroccan Chicken Salad. Pretty much, we just chop up red, green and yellow capsicums, throw them in a bowl with some lettuce, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Then we crumble in some Aussie feta, dress it with our home made dressing, tear up the chicken and toss with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Divine.

You can't go past a classic food, and Caesar Salad is just one of those things. Almost everywhere I've had the salad, it's lovely. Something that is filling, yet light, and delicious.

Comfort Food (excluding ice cream or chocolate):

Growing up as a kid, the main meals I remember are steak and vegies, and spag bol. For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, it's spaghetti bologna. A rich and hearty meat sauce, with freshly cooked pasta, topped with grated cheese. It's just delightful. My mum taught me pretty much everything I know about cooking, and her spag bol is one of my favourites. Of course, over the years, I've perfected it. Added a little red wine here, some bay leaves there. But now, it's a classic in my house hold. And when I have kids, they will fall in love with it too. They will have no choice.

Desserts:

There can be only one selection in this category. Cheesecake. I'm sure this needs no explanation.
But here are my favourite flavours (mostly made by mum): Cookies and Cream, White Choc, Double Choc, Caramel Swirl and French Vanilla.

So there you have it, just a quick post tonight, because I'm about to watch American Horror Story.

Lots of Love!

Jayde xx

Parmageddon

As a meat eater, I love all kinds of meat meals, steak and chips, bacon and eggs, chicken parmigiana.

To be honest, I don’t know anyone (except vegetarians) who doesn't like a good parma! How can you not like it, juicy freshly crumbed chicken, home made Napoli sauce, good quality thinly cut smoked ham, golden melted cheese… Oh god, I’m so hungry now!

Anyway, on Wednesday night, we (Katrina, Justin and I) went in search for a top quality chicken parma. We decided the hills was the best bet, to a fantastic restaurant called Kelly's. 

Kelly's is a pub that is all about the locals. Local produce, local beer, local music. You get the idea. Originally named after Kate Kelly. Kate was mother, outlaw, horsewoman and sister to Australia's most infamous bushranger Edward 'Ned' Kelly, born on 12th July, 1863 in Beveridge, Victoria, just north of Melbourne. Whilst the Kelly brothers were on the fun from Victoria's law enforcement they relied on Kate to run guns, ammo and basic supplies to them in one of their many bush hideaways, ensuring she too lived with the Kelly name's infamy. The original building - now the tavern - was a log cutters cabin built in 1891 for the local timber industry workers. Over the years it has been home to many including the gypsy fortune teller Miss Portelli with her tea room, and is now one of the oldest licensed venues in the state. Because of the buildings history, the original tavern is now heritage listed. 

Walking up to Kelly's, you get this feeling of 'home'. It's just such a relaxing and chill vibe. You always get great service, and amazing quality food. Which is why we love going there. 

So anyway, sorry for digressing, I was telling you about Parmageddon! 

You are given a choice of four different types of parma, all with amazing names like Zombie Apocalypse and Doomsday. Which are exactly the ones we ate. Doomsday is very much like a standard parma, but it is topped with 3 different types of golden melted cheese, and the Zombie has BBQ sauce, caramelised onions, chorizo and cheese. 

I didn't get any photos of these amazing creations, mainly because people would look at me strange if they saw me taking photos of my food. But trust me, if you love parmas, head up to Kellys for a great night out.

Jayde xx