Girls Night In 2011

The total raised is $1094!!!

Yesterday saw my annual Girls Night In afternoon tea. The Girls Night In is a fundraiser for the Cancer Council. The funds raised go towards Cancer Council's ground breaking research, prevention and support strategies for ALL women's cancers. It is also about raising awareness for gynaecological cancers that sometimes get overlooked.


I have been holding an afternoon tea for the last few years (maybe five!) and I enjoy putting the afternoon together. This year promised a bumper turnout and I was hoping to beat our $600 donation total from the previous two years.


Our total so far, from online donations and raffles, is $803, with a few more pledged donations!

I had originally planned to hold it outside, but the numbers and threatened thunderstorm (I am still waiting) meant that I elected to hold everything indoors.

Mum and my sister E kindly leant me all the bits and bobs that I needed to cater for the numbers, including chairs and drink dispenser from E, and cake forks and teacups from MotherC.

A HUGE thank you to all who came and ate and also to those who were not able to make it and still donated.


This year C's cousin JR kindly donated a pamper pack of Sebastian hair products and we ran a raffle on the day. She put together a basket of some fabulous styling products and I am sure that the winner KL will be looking super extra gorgeous in future.

The menu this year was varied. Kind thanks to all who helped with the catering.
We had pink macarons and white macarons (BakingN), coconut macaroons (BakingN), carrot cake (MotherH), chocolate cake (MrsP), a selection of sandwiches (MotherC), fruit tarts (BakingN again!), fairy pikelets (KL) alongside my vanilla cupcakes, gingerbread, chai cupcakes, chocolate cake and apple and cheese tart. BakingN did a lovely job of making the beautiful pink flowers adorning my chocolate cake, as well as the pink lilies and assorted flowers on the buffet.


I also forgot to serve Mum's spinach and ricotta rolls... although maybe I forgot on purpose so that I could keep them for myself!

My sister E did a fabulous job of styling the tables and ensuring that the teapots were primed and ready to go.

Thank you to EB for being a superstar collector of donations and writer of receipts.



The Girls Night In would not be the fabulous day that it is without the support of so many wonderful friends and family. Thank you!

You can check out my fundraising page or have a look at the photos from last year.

Queen of hearts at Koko Black

After our exhausting shopping efforts at the Upmarket last Sunday, E and I went in search of sustenance! E suggested that we try Koko Black in Claremont**, and I thought that sounded like a splendid idea! Koko Black is recently opened here in Perth, in the brand new Claremont Quarter building.

It was lunchtime and I was a little unsure as to whether we would be able to find anything savoury at a chocolate salon! They luckily had a couple of sandwiches on the menu and we combined those with a Queen of Hearts high tea.

E went for a chocolate chai. It needed to be strained and was so thick that she could not pass it through the strainer! I was concerned about a sugar overload and stayed conservative with a pot of English Breakfast Tea.


Our stack of loveliness included roasted vegetable sandwiches, mini tomato tart and leek tart, and a selection of sweet bites. My favourite was the creme brulee. Nice top that you cracked through to get to the runny vanilla centre. Bliss!


The Queen of Hearts was $37 for two people, including the drinks. We were very impressed with the spread and I thought it was great value for money. We may just have to hang out in Claremont more frequently...

** E and I were debating whether or not Claremont was a "Tourism Precinct". The majority of the shops, including Coles, were closed and so we concluded that it was not. Over here in Perth we have regulated shopping hours, and Coles and Woolies are not allowed to open on Sundays and late nights (except Thursdays). Last year our government introduced "Tourism Precincts" to certain suburbs in an attempt to slowly dissolve those regulations. It has been a slow process.

A tiny milk jug

I bought a second hand milk jug yesterday. Not for any particular reason, I just felt like it. The restaurant at the bottom of the building where I work is closing down and selling out all of their stock.

I feel guilty for not supporting them more than I have, although they are more of a fine dining restaurant rather than a cheap and cheerful lunch bar!

My patronage however would not have assisted in their decision to stay in business, as apparently the landlord wanted to increase the rent by half again and they chose to shut down rather than pay the rent raise.

At any rate I have a new little jug that I can use with my teapot - at least until I find myself a blue one! It sits in size between the cute jug that my sister E gave me and the generic jug I use when I have company.

Image

Chocolate cake and lashings of tea

A long weekend is always a good excuse for a lazy afternoon, and I invited some girlfriends around for a slice (or two!) of chocolate cake.

Nigella's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake made another appearance. It is such a simple cake - measure all of the ingredients into a food processor and mix! Then bake. I also thought it would be a good time to christen the friand pan that M gave me as a birthday gift and make my first ever friands! A simple recipe for lime friands meant that I could make use of the abundance of limes on our tree.

It is so lovely to catch up with my girlfriends, and share news and stories. M brought her daughter LittleK, who appreciated the chocolate icing on the cake! Of the five of us who were around the table, three of us at various stages of housebuild and we caught up on the progress and shared ideas. N is learning the finer arts of cake decorating and she is always full of interesting and useful hints for improving your baking.



Photos of my baking efforts:
Chocolate cake
Lime friands

The long way home

Tonight I went around to E's place after dinner to spend some time with her. She had suggested dessert or a walk and I thought that sounded like a nice idea.

When I got to her place I realised that she meant to walk to dessert, so off we went! We passed a stack of Dockers supporters making their way home from Subi Oval, and I guessed from their lack of enthusiasm that Freo had probably come second.

We did a lap of Oxford Street in Leederville to scope out a venue, and ended up at Greens & Cock. I counted 21 different cakes in their display cabinet, an impressive selection! The Chocolate Cherry Meringue Torte caught my eye and we shared a slice and a pot of tea.

The photo shows how it was served up. I kid you not! Three layers of meringue filled with cream, chocolate chips and bottled cherries. We were both disappointed in the meringue, E's assessment being chalky and overbaked. Still, we got out sugar fix and a good cup of tea to catch up on the week that has been.

We took a different route back to E's place and it seemed to be the scenic route. We walked alongside the freeway and random roads until eventually we recognised the Northbridge tunnel. Leederville to West Perth via Northbridge. We both needed a bit of exercise anyway and it meant that we could talk for longer.

As you can see from the photo Perth streets are extremely busy at 10pm on a Saturday night. Cranking.


I suggested to E that we should sample all of the cakes in the display at Greens & Cock. Not all in one sitting though. That would be a good excuse to get out for a walk and chat. Stay tuned.

Friday Night Fondue

The remnants of our first Chocolate Fondue night of 2011!

In contrast to the last one, this time around was about the biscuits rather than the fruit! We had marshmallows, chocolate teddies, lemon creams, biscotti, caramelised onion biscuits and licorice, with some apple, nectarine and grapes thrown in for good measure. It was a fondue feast!

I bought Fair Trade chocolate again too, from the Oxfam Shop. 200g each of milk chocolate and dark chocolate did for the five of us, although I am sure that we could have managed to make it through more.

I am lucky to work close to the Perth Oxfam shop and can pop there quickly for tea and chocolate and any other goodies I wish to buy from them! The tea that we are provided at work is pretty nasty. I usually bring my own in from home but last time I ran out I headed to the Oxfam shop to try their wares!

Sunday Afternoon Tea

I always love catching up with my girlfriends. We had an awesome spread this afternoon! Such a wonderful variety of food and of course more than enough for the five of us.

M was the healthiest, bringing along a fruit salad. P made vegetarian quiche and EJ a lovely cheese and fruit platter. N wowed us with her chocolate macarons. Beautiful and melt in the mouth they were! I tried a new brownie recipe as well as making some sandwiches. In general we have mostly sweet foods so I was trying to balance it all out.

I was also able to use some of my pretty china, and the teapot and milk jug that C and I received as a wedding present.

Sorry about the spelling mistakes in the title, hopefully I have removed them all now!

Fruit mince pies!

I love fruit mince pies. They are one of the things about Christmas that I look forward to every year! Last year I attempted my first ever home made fruit mince pies and I enjoyed them so much that I wanted to share them with my friends!

Two weeks out from Christmas though and most people already have plans. Still, I managed to scrounge up four friends and we enjoyed an afternoon of fruit mince pies, apple custard glen, white christmas and vanilla slice!

I was excited too that I was able to pull out some of my pretty china. Clockwise from the bottom left corner are Royal Albert Moonlight Roses, Royal Albert 100 Years 1900s Regency Blue, Royal Albert Silver Maple (vintage), and Duchess (vintage). The two vintage sets were Kitchen Tea gifts from my friend L and my sister E. Yay!

I was also able to use our new Noritake Toorak Noir teapot, sugar bowl and creamer. So very excited to use our pretty crockery.

Recipe, tips 1 and tips 2.

Green tea cupcakes

The large quantity of tea that I received as kitchen tea gifts has inspired me to make green tea cupcakes. The link is somewhat obscure, but I got there in the end.



I started looking for some inspiration. Recipes are not that common so here are the top three for later use and experimentation.

• Not Quite Nigella


• Betty's Bites


• Daydream Delicious

A slice of France

For weeks before Jean Pierre Sancho opened its doors, I would walk past and wonder at what tasty treats we would soon be able to eat! Since it opened, I have never quite organised myself to try those treats, until this weekend.

I have a few friends who love their food, and K is at the top of the list. Selecting a suitable venue for food is always fun! We get to try new places and sample different foods. It had been an aeon since we had properly caught up and after changing our minds about breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, we settled on afternoon tea at JPS.

There was a bit of miscommunication about our meeting time but thankfully I brought a book and had something to do to keep me occupied. There was only so long that I could wait however without ordering food so I started without K.

The food was delicate and tasty and I will definitely have to brave the crowds for a workday lunch!

The view while I waited...

I was ravenous and ordered myself salmon and spinach quiche. Yum! The quiche was lovely with flakes of salmon and the pastry light. It was larger than I had expected and the salad was a welcome touch.

Still hungry, so had the most gorgeous coffee eclair and a hot chocolate. The chocolat chaud was served European style, at a temperature to drink immediately rather than having to wait for it to cool down.

K also ordered a slice of quiche and coffee eclair. Great minds think alike... although she did mention that quiche is BabyA's choice...

BabyA picking up the sultanas that she had thoughtfully decorated the floor with.

Girls Night In 2010

Last weekend saw our Girls Night In for 2010! The girls were trying to remember how long I have been doing it for, I think we have had five so far. The first one I am sure was a cheese night but the afternoon tea just seems a lot easier especially since a lot of my friends have children and I think that it is easier for them to drop in and eat cake!

In a contrast to last year, Sunday dawned as wet and windy. (Last year was very sunny and we had to keep moving the cakes on the table as the sunshine was melting the icing!)

Thank you to everyone who came and ate and also those who could not make it and donated. Our total raised for the Cancer Council so far is $545 with a couple of donations still to be received.

Mum pulled out lots of random pink sheets to adorn the tables, and one of her friends dropped around some lovely pink flowers to brighten up our tables.

This year there were seventeen of us to eat the yummy goodies! There were a few friends who baked for the occasion and we had the best spread ever this year.

Tasty treats included a P's pink pavlova, N's red velvet cake, Mum's spinach and ricotta rolls, M+S+M's mum's carrot cake, M's lemon slice, pink doughnuts, chocolate cupcakes with (pink!) white chocolate icing, lemon tart, cheese scones, musk sticks and salmon and cucumber sandwiches.

There cannot be a party without punch! This is a simple recipe, two litres of tropical punch juice, 1.25L each of lemonade and dry ginger ale and some strawberries. The ice block is actually half of the juice that mum froze.

I borrowed these poms from M, she made them for her daughter's first birthday and the colour was just right for us! Dad put them up for me before escaping the pink to go and visit his brother.

I think that Y was very optimistic in bringing her hat. Still, it made a pretty picture!

A breakfast afternoon snack

For the last week I have been enjoying my version of Nigella's Breakfast Bars. Yum! They make a great mid-morning snack in the office, and on the weekend I can enjoy them with a lovely pot of tea.

Girls Night In!

It is that time of the year again, Girls Night In for the Cancer Council!

It is great to get together with your girlfriends for cake and a cup of tea and a good excuse to raise money for research into women's cancers and support services.

For the last few years I have been hosting an afternoon tea event. Cupcakes, tarts, quiches, finger sandwiches, scones and of course tea! This year I have embraced technology and I have set up a fundraising page. As well as donating online there is a counter to see how close we are to our goal. Last year we raised a modest $600 and I am hoping to beat that this year. Every year the amount raised has been slowly creeping up!

Adventures in the land of pineapples - Brisbane still

Back to our Pineapple adventure (1, 2, 3)! Saturday dawned and it was warm, a sultry 27C. For a midwinter temperature that was very warm to us. Neither Elissa nor I had packed appropriately for the weather so we made do. Thankfully I had packed a couple of t-shirts and skirt.

First on our schedule was a catch up with friends, old and new. A former work mate had moved over to Brisbane a few years ago and I could not leave town without saying "hello". D and I had started at the same company within a week or two of each other and she was always good value in the lunch and shopping stakes! We also met Kylie of Flying Ducks fame. Both Elissa and I had corresponded with her and it was exciting to meet her in person and hear more of her adventures!

Elissa and Kylie had been a part of a package exchange and they took the opportunity of our visit for them to exchange their packages in person. It was Christmas in July - literally! If you are curious what is in the packages then read Kylie's post for a more eloquent rundown. And photos.

We met at the Shingle Inn for morning tea. It was a mountain of food as you can see here and I failed to finish mine. I felt over sugared! High tea was served with a glass of orange juice and a pot of tea, a different twist that I have not come across before.

Here we are, Elissa, Kylie, me and D.

All good things must come to and end and we eventually had to say goodbye. Elissa and I rolled onto our next adventure and waddled(!) across to the Westend in search of some shops that had been in Kylie's guide. A couple we liked (and the only ones that I took a photo of) were Don't Tell Fannie for local fashion and Nook, for handmade and funky designs from Australia and the world. They have many brands that I have previously seen and admired, including versions of the Mattt bag that is now my favourite accessory.


After our sojourn to the Westend we caught a train to Fortitude Valley to see what was there. Shopping was the main activity on the agenda and we did a quick reconnaissance of the shops. I was feeling very poorly by this stage and resorted to over the counter drugs to keep myself feeling vaguely normal and able to still be a tourist.

The next morning we headed out to Southbank for the Young Designers Market. This market was excellently awesome and there were stalls and stalls and even more stalls of locally made and designed items. Clothing, jewellery, accessories, and everything that a girl could want. I was impressed with the size of the market and the amazing range of products. They happen on the first Sunday of the month and I would definitely recommend coinciding your visit to Brisbane with this market.

We were both feeling the pain of tired feet and lack of energy - I am sure that it says somewhere that you cannot get sick on holidays - so we headed to the Queensland Art Gallery to get some culture and also to escape from the heat. Unfortunately this also meant walking around but at least we could frequently stop as we admired the art.

A baby shower

It was lovely to be invited to celebrate the iminent arrival of S&RH's first child. The party was held at their house, organised very effieciently by her friends. I stayed until the end, after most of the guests had left and RH came home to help SH unwrap their gifts.

There were many tasty treats to be had, including my contribution. The most impressive was a croquembouche made fresh by her friend M. She used this recipe to create her work of art. It inspired me to experiment a little more with my creme pattiserie recipe.

SH unwrapping a potty. There was much discussion about tips for cleaning it but I tuned out. Lalalaaaaa...

Expectant father RH getting involved.

Many of S&RH' friends are parents, so the gifts were very practical. There was an abundance of baby wipes and nappies and blankets and bibs and all sorts!

A fantastic spread. The orange cupcakes were lovely and moist and I was in heaven with the creme patisserie in the profiteroles. Yum! Check out the three tier nappy cake (non edible) on the left.

Laundry baskets of loot! Their new baby will be very well provided for.

Chocolate fondue

I love to catch up with my girlfriends. On an evening we might have cheese and biscuits or more often chocolate fondue. Everyone brings something to dip, and I fire up the fondue pots.

Tonight we had a very fruity array of dipping foods, including mandarins, bananas, rockmelon, watermelon and oranges. NM made orange cardamon biscuits and homemade marshmallows. It was a treat!

We started off with dark chocolate, and finished with milk chocolate. I think that the dark chocolate is more appreciated so I will try to remember that for next time. I bought Fair Trade chocolate for us today. Usually I just pull out whatever is in my pantry but I thought today I would buy something special.

It is always great to catch up and hopefully we will be able to do something again shortly.

Sunday afternoon snack

A cinnamon scroll and a cup of tea to end my weekend. Perfect!

Hearts

My sister and I braved the crowds at a Bridal Expo this morning. We enjoyed the sample from The Sassy Cookie so much that we bought a bag of their heart shaped cookies for our afternoon tea.

We went back to E's apartment to put up our feet, wade through the rain forest of information that we had picked up and to enjoy our sweets.

The pastel cookies complemented E's pink heart cup nicely! A lovely and simple treat.

Morning tea

I love my little Zero Japan teapot! It is perfect for three cups of tea and just right for me when I am having morning or afternoon tea. I still have not added to my teaset, too many other pretty things to admire!

There was some Multigrain Fruit Bread from the New Norcia Bakery in my freezer and I thought it would be a perfect snack on this overcast Saturday morning.

Kicking it all off with afternoon tea

I really enjoy being able to catch up with my female friends over a pot of tea and some cake. It felt like an aeon since I had seen any of them in a relaxed setting so today L, M+LittleK and J came over for some girl time.

I also wanted to get out some of the pretty china that I have been collecting and use it! I made sure to wash the dust out before the girls came over.

I made the madeira cake; M and L were responsible for the other goodies that you see.

One refill and a couple of hours later and we were all done!