Ricotta Pancakes with Roasted Strawberries

Christmas was very different for me this year.  I spent it with my wonderful boyfriend cooking a very simple roast chicken with mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and green beans.  We spent two days just being lazy.  Lazy meaning we stayed inside and not left the apartment.  Watched some movies.  Lots of Christmas movies.  I feel great now.  After a few days of not working, I feel rejuvanated.  Ready to tackle the week. 

And these ricotta pancakes...

Not that it requires much tackling.  I just measured all my ingredients in a bowl the night before and just combined everything when I woke up the next morning.  I even left my whites out at room temperature.  (They really whip much easier when they're not fridge cold).

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones and eating lots of turkey and ham.  Everyone tells me Aussies eat lots of prawns and oysters and have barbeques to celebrate the holidays.  I really can't let go of my Canadian roots and bought a nice organic chicken to roast for dinner tonight.

Will post some updates soon.  For now, it's time to relax from a crazy month of work. 

Cheers!

Blueberry Rhubarb Olive Oil Cake With Oat Crumble

 When Jeremie and I are lucky to have a day off together, we like to walk around Circular Quay, a big tourist area.  I've been there many times and whether it was a weekend or not, there's always lots of people walking around.  There are so many restaurants, bars, and coffee shops to choose from it can make your head spin.  The world renowned restaurant Quay, Rockpool, and Aria are all in the neighborhood.  Our usual spot is this place called Opera Bar.  Named so because it's so close to the Sydney Opera House.  The Opera Bar is busy all the time, and there's always live music. Once the sun goes down, the view is spectacular.  Being right on the edge of the water, the view of the Harbour Bridge on one side and the infamous silhouette of the Opera House on the other, it's a hard view to beat.

Right ahead is the Opera Bar.  It's right across the water from Quay Restaurant.

After a big day of walking around, we usually stop by a cafe to unwind.  One afternoon, I ordered a banana muffin thinking I haven't had one in a long time.  Bad choice.  It was dry and had no traces of mashed bananas in it.  To top it off, it had a strong banana extract flavour and a few banana chips.  My hopes of eating a banana muffin were crushed... or mashed. 

Missing My Mom's Cooking- Chinese Steamed Fish

I've never missed a good home cooked Chinese dinner.  Not even when I moved to Toronto for a year.  Planning a dinner was always something like a good bowl of pasta, vegetable soup, stew, and if it came down to it, a sandwich or a bowl of cereal.  (Sorry mom).  Chinese food was never something that came to mind when thinking of what to make for dinner.  These past few months, it was all I can think of.

J'adore le Chocolat

It's been about five months since I started at Kakawa Chocolate.  I've learned so much even though I'm only there a few days a week.  Tempering chocolate, making caramels, nut brittles, and marshmallows are all something I do on a regular basis.  I've recently been able to start hand dipping chocolates, something I still need to practice.