The promise of Spring

The first of the cherry blossoms...and with their blushing blooms comes the promise of spring.

 

 

 

Bluebells pushing their way up out of the soil.

Hellebores bobbing their blousy heads.

Colour creeping back into the garden.

 

 

 

 

Veggie beds filled with broad beans, cauliflower, baby cos, rainbow chard, carrots, garlic, onions, kale and corriander.

 

 

 

This week has been beautiful for outdoor play...positively warm at 15 degrees. So lovely to stand in the sunshine and take in the garden as it starts to wake from its winter slumber.

 

Bring on Spring!

 

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Trufflicious

 

 

Winter is by no means a dull affair for foodies in Canberra. There are several festivals through July and August paying homage to Canberra's produce. The Truffle Festival is an impressive one. Last year's festival had over 350 individual events spanning 200kms across our region.

 

 

My lovely sister-in-law Margie and her friend Ali came to stay for a long weekend recently. One of the highlights of their visit was a truffle hunt at Tarago Truffles, a property just half an hour from our place.

 

 

 

Ali had quite a soft spot for the dogs who were the star of the hunt. The girls learnt about the Perigord Black Truffle from their hosts Denzil and Anne Sturgiss and loved the harvesting experience, including a fabulous truffle infused alfresco lunch at the end.

 

 

And the prize for wandering through rows of hazelnut and oak trees in the icy cold elements...

 

 

...these beauties!

 

Margie and Ali came home bearing gifts for us...a gorgeous Tarago truffle fresh from the ground, some moorish King Island Dairy Double Brie and a divine bottle of red.

 

Ermagawd!!! HEAVEN!!!

 

These tasty treats came with some fabulous recipes to boot.

 

For Truffle Brie take a good quality double Brie, slice in half. Layer finely shaved slices of black truffle on one half. Place the other half back on top. Wrap in foil and leave to infuse in the fridge for 2-3 days. Serve on crackers accompanied by a beautiful robust red wine.

The earthy flavour of the truffle really compliments the creaminess of cheese.

 

 

 

Truffle goes really well with butter, eggs, cream and cheese.

 

I whipped up some truffle scrambled eggs on sourdough toast for dinner one night. A simple but sumptuous dish using freshly laid eggs from our hens that were stored with the truffle for 24hrs.

 

 

 

 

Add a dash of cream and a little salt and pepper to the eggs, scramble them over low heat, serve on thick slices of Italian sourdough toast and finely grate truffle over the top.

 

 

 

 

Bellissimo!

 

Thanks Margie & Ali...it was Trufflicious!

 

The Truffle Festival Canberra Region is definitely worth indulging in.

It's a taste of Mid-Winter magic!

 

xx Em

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Jackman's Batman Party

Our littlest Little turned four on Tuesday.

 

 

 

According to Jack, if you can't be yourself, then be Batman, always be Batman! We decided on a small party this year with a Gotham City theme. It was great fun gathering ideas and putting it together. Pinterest, I couldn't have done it without you!

There was Joker Juice, Robin Sausage Rolls, Spider-Man Spinach Pastries, Bat Sandwiches, Penguin Popcorn, Two Face Oreos, Mr Freeze Cheese and Villainous Veggies.

 

 

 

 

The photo booth was great fun.

A couple of rolls of black gift wrap and a chalk pen made the perfect Gotham City skyline and I found these great prop printables here.

 

 

 

 

The kids played Detonate the Bomb & Batman Bluff in the Bat Cave, then they piled into Jack's room to put his new Lego sets together.

 

 

 

 

Jack picked out this cake on Pinterest and I gave it my own twist. It was my first attempt using fondant (eeek) but it eventually worked out. The cake itself was a rich chocolate mudcake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Yum!

 

 

 

 

We are so grateful to our friends who helped celebrate Jack's birthday, all crammed into our little cottage on such a chilly winter's day.

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Jack!

We love your feistiness, your quirky sense of humour and your sweet, sweet affectionate self.

Your imagination knows no bounds, nor does your energy.

Fantastic Four...we love you to the moon and back!

 

 

 

xx Em

 

 

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