A little bit country

Growing up I was a part of a group of four. We were practically inseparable, and although we made friends with others, our foursome was impenetrable.

Then came high school. of new people and new adventures later we had drifted apart and, long story short, by the time we properly came back together, we were a five. 

Two have ended up in Armidale, two are still on the Central Coast and I am in Sydney. We all try to get together in any way we can as much as possible, but some of the best times have been spent in Armidale, or "Farmidale" as we fondly refer to it. 

Last Friday, the Coast girls and I jumped in the car and drove 5 hours north to visit the other two. Going on these road trips it's like we revert to being 12 again, packing the car with as much junk food and 90's music as we can stomach. The girls had brought a cool bag with soft drink, some chips, crackers and Lillie's and I had baked brownies. We kareoke'd until we could kareoke no more and laughed so hard we nearly had to pull over.

The thing about these fabulous women is that we have all grown up to be very different people, yet we know eachother so well, it's like things never changed at all. Big is pregnant and just moved into a new house her and her hubby built, Little is about to embark on a motorbike trip to Finland through Asia with her partner, Sish is slowly doing renovations to her home, and Fizz is newly single. Yes, we all have nicknames and no we will never call eachother by our first names.

We headed into town for lunch a Bistro on Cinders and indulged in two courses. I went for the Thai Beef Salad as I felt more justified in ordering dessert, which I had picked out before we were even shown the menu board - flourless chocolate cake with lime, walnuts and margerita cream. The service was knowledgable and friendly enough to have a little fun with us as well.

Stuffed with food and plied with a good strong shot of coffee we ventured out to Dangar Falls to get some fresh air. Unfortunately it hadnt rained in a while so the falls were absent, but the scenery was still beautiful.

 

Little & I have always bonded over food and this trip was no different. The decision of roast lamb was unanimous, and without much discussion, I got to preparing the veg while Little worked the lamb. It was simplicity at its best.

I'm not sure if I could live out of the city, not yet anyway. But I look forward to our weekend escapes. The next trip is not too far away as we send Little off and welcome Big

Easter Long Weekend

How was everyone's long weekend?

I took the time to get as much R&R as possible and started watching the first series of Game of Thrones - which I must say is amazeballs!

I am also proud to say I managed to get through the entire weekend with verry little chocolate consumption - this may be a first! I did bake some indulgent Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies for B-man though, which are so rich even he is struggling to polish them off! I am much more of a hot cross bun girl myself, and although I try to eat clean and gluten free 90% of the time, I always end up on a 5 day bun binge over the long weekend.

In a Pre-Easter moment of weakness I stopped by one of my favourite sweet shops, Sweetness Patisserie, to check out their range of bunnies and accidentally ended up leaving with a sample of their tasty delights. My mixed bag consisted of chocolate Easter bunny pops, lime & poppy seed shortbread (gluten free), caramel apples *squeal!*, handmade marshmallows (for the record, I would like to buried on a bed of these light, soft, fluffy & totally delectable delights), lemon curd and chocolate dipped candied orange slices. If you can't already tell, the caramel apples were my fave, and I can never go past a cheeky 2-pack of their marshmallows, particularly the passion fruit ones. The choc oranges went to my Mum, review pending!

I also tried my hand at a moorish salt & pepper chicken that B-Man loved so much he said it was one of the best dinners I've ever cooked him. So, of course, I had to share it with you.

Salt & Pepper Chicken with Thai Dipping Sauce - Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 x chicken breast fillets
2 x eggs white
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup plain flour
3 tsp sea salt flakes
3 tsp Chinese five spice
3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Rice bran oil, to deep fry
Shredded iceberg lettuce, curled shallot tails and sliced red chilli, to serve
Thai Dipping Sauce
60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs sweet chilli
1 tbs fish sauce

Method:
1. Cut chicken, diagonally, into 5mm thick slices.
2. Use a fork to whisk egg whites in a bowl until foamy. Add chicken & toss to coat. Place combined flours, salt, five spice & pepper in a bowl.
3. To make the dipping sauce, whisk lime juice, sugar, sweet chilli & fish sauce Ina bowl.
4. Heat oil to 180°C in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 of the chicken to the flour mixture & toss to coat. Shake off excess & add to the oil, 1 piece at a time, & cook for 2-3 mins or until golden & cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat in 3 more batches.
5. Arrange the lettuce on a serving platter & top with chicken. Sprinkle with shallots & chilli. Serve with dipping sauce.

What long weekend baking did you get up to? Where do you stand on the choc v hot x bun divide?