The best LOL ever. EVER.

Friday night @ Onde

A Friday night dinner with friends and this:


Onde's rather delightful duck confit with poached apple segments and walnuts. A charming combination with the duck done so it was perfectly tender and dripping off the bone whilst retaining it's moist sweetness. Putting the duck on the salad had the rather nice boon that the dressing was essentially duck juice - always a fan of the old French tradition of dressing salads with meat juices.

With a too busy schedule and a need to have at least a semblance of a life outside of university and work, these Friday night dinners have become rather the highlight of my week. And to have a few passable bottles of shiraz and cheerfully passionate discussions about the future of state politics, the actions of St Kevin of Canberra and the like? Divine.

Victorian Clouds

For bads33d who occasionally pines for Southern shores.

Meilleur en France

I very much enjoyed the film Waitress. It's a little kooky, has a charming and witty script and involves much cooking. I do however think that the Americanness of the cuisine was somewhat of a dissapointment.

Here's how I imagine the pies would have looked if the movie was French:

The 'Weekend in Sardinia' pie:

Amaretti crust filled with creme brulee and topped with blood orange marmalade glaze and honey poached mandarin segments.

The 'Winter evening in Melbourne' pie:

Sweetened shortcrust pastry crust filled with cinnamon poached pears and caramelised pecans. Served with clotted cream.

The 'Broken heart' pie:

Hazelnut meal pastry crust filled with frangipane studded with red currants, wild strawberries and raspberries topped with minted sugar crystals.

The 'Hot and heavy kissing' pie:

Chilli cocoa pastry crust lined with dark coverture chocolate filled with marbled white and dark chocolate mousse topped with chocolate dipped sweet basil leaves.

I would serve these all with either a strong cup of Earl Grey tea with a slice of lemon or, if you preferred, a cup of strong black coffee - halfway between an espresso and a long black.

The hardest job on earth

Obviously, as we are told so frequently, being a mother is the hardest job on earth. But there are some others that might just come close for those who are not quite ready for the full challenge:

* Mossad/PLO double agent
* Zimbabwean Bank Manager
* President of Italy
* Columbian Soccer player
* UN weapons inspector
* Liberal Party leader (federal)
* Liberal Party leader (NSW)

The things you learn when you fly

From the VirginBlue website:

The only item that can occupy a seat (apart from a Guest of course) is a cello. To book an extra seat for your cello please call the Guest Contact Centre.

I am utterly charmed by this and almost tempted to take up an instrument myself...