It’s school holidays and we’ve been spending a bit of time in the city.
Sometimes I forget how glorious Sydney Harbour is, even on overcast winter days…
We sat for a while at Circular Quay, watching the ferries depart…
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We went to Little T’s 3rd birthday party, and his parents Will and Bethany created a bespoke cake to his detailed specifications…”I want a car cake with a trailer with a boat on it..”
Big Boy and Small Man were assigned to bubble duty…
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Breakfast at the fabulous Kazbah in Balmain included Big Boy’s French toast with bacon, baby figs, cream and apple cinnamon syrup…
..and my traditional Foul Medammas – chick peas, fava beans, tahini and boiled egg, served with Lebanese bread..
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We bought a pink sprouting kale for the garden from Eveleigh Markets – it’s a non-heading variety…
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And I’ve been experimenting with dark chocolate filled with sesame praline (more on that soon!)…
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Busy times! How has your week been?
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Wonderful pictures – especially of the men making bubbles!
I’m making your Big Boy’s breakfast tomorrow- just for me!
And the chocolate looks perfect!
Thanks for sharing your week, Celia!
Aren’t my boys lovely? I’m a bit besotted with them.. :) Hope you enjoy the breakfast as much as Big Boy did, Heidi! :)
Lovely looking boys, Celia! Can’t wait to hear more about that chocolate, either.
Amanda, thank you! The chocolate was interesting – I’m not sure it’s an improvement on the straight sesame praline, but Pete seems to think it is..
A fun and busy week…that French toast breakfast with figs sounds scrumptious!
I’ve been experimenting with breadfruit recipes for an upcoming article to be published in one of our local magazines…It’s been interesting and fun.
Sonia, that sounds very interesting indeed! I’ve never cooked with breadfruit before…
Although I’ve eaten quite a bit of it since I moved here 19 years ago, it is only lately that I have started playing with it and developing recipes… It is a very prolific tree and quite inexpensive to grow, making it a good food provider in tropical areas.
I think Sydney is one of the most attractive cities in the world. The harbour is second to none. I must come down for a visit soon.
Maureen, we always feel very blessed to live here. And to be able to sit by the water and look at the harbour bridge and the opera house for free! :)
Celia, I love the look of your breakfast! Oh doesn’t the harbour look so beautiful in the winter sun.
Your boys look so grown up; are they taller than you yet!
Elaine, they’re enormous! They’re taller than both Pete and I – taller than me by a full head! :)
i lived in the middle east for 6 years and became addicted to foul. the flat bread (afghani style) with sesame seeds with a bowl of foul is my idea of heaven. never saw it with eggs though, will try it. x
Lynda, I’ve never made it before, but have been wanting to try it for ages. It’s my idea of heaven too – breakfast of flatbread and something savoury and delicious to dip it into. Ottolenghi has a recipe in his book, so I’m going to give it a go. Or maybe I’ll just go back to Kazbah.. :)
Things look lovely at your place Celia…I like the sound of Kazbah, it makes me wish we were closer to Sydney! I look forward to hearing more about the chocolate. Have a lovely Sunday.
Jane, looks like you’ve been having a lovely weekend too! Kazbah is a treasure – reasonable prices and really interesting dishes…
Looks like you’ve had a lovely week – made all the better by a trip to Kazbah! (You lucky thing!!!) Best place for breakfast :)
Have you been to the one near you? The group breakfast on the weekends is amazing…
Yep – it’s really quiet there, though… :(
Nowhere near as exciting. A batch (hatch?) of birthdays – Mother and youngest son, with a shared dinner yesterday: Beetroot soup, rustic chicken with parsnip & potato mash, twice baked chocolate souffles. Wrote a poem or two, one on the naughty c-word (to sort of show it could be done without ever actually using it) and am planning to make some sausages tonight (Old English pork). A bit of weeding this afternoon. That is sort of it.
Sounds like a very full weekend, Cosmo! Dinner sounds amazing – we’ve just come back with beets from the markets – did you roast them first, or just boil them? And I’ve just gone and read your poem – naughty naughty – left it out of the poem and snuck it into the preamble.. ;-)
What a lovely week. Sydney harbour, bubbles, yummy food and chocolate. Our week has been mud, mud and mud as we build a deck and then a leisurely Saturday bike ride through Southbank (Brisbane) followed by dinner at Caravanserai.
Jo, it sounds like a glorious, if hardworking, weekend! Hope the deck is going well!
The harbor looks beautiful. I think the little boy liked his cake very much! It looks so cute!
I have been cleaning our house so we can finally move! Plus working in the garden; it’s summer here and very hot outside! In between there is still the canning to do, so it keeps us busy!
Manuela, the cake nearly led to marriage counselling.. ;-) Are you moving? That’s very exciting news! It must be hard to be leaving the garden though..
The garden is right beside the new house, so it’ll still be there!
Sesame praline eh? Oh golly gosh that must be delicious!
I’d happily have your breakfast in Balmain. Mr Chocolate just said this morning that we should go over there… that breakfast could be a damn good reason to.
The sesame praline has met with mixed response here – being Chinese, I adore it, and Small Man is quite partial to it too. Pete is undecided and thinks I should just make more hazelnut praline instead. :) Breakfast at Kazbah is fabulous – if you can get there on a weekday, you’ll avoid the weekend crowds, but whenever you go, it will be great..
What handsome boys you have.
Thank you, darling. I think so, even though they’re looking a bit scruffy – we had to shake them awake to get them up for the 10am party in the park! Very different to when they were toddlers.. :)
I’m hanging on to find out about sesame praline-with or without chocolate. The Quay and a trip to Manly on the ferry for ice cream was my fav school holiday treat when I taught in Sydney.
Liz, Pete and I have decided that we just don’t spend enough time in town, so we’re going to try to do it more from now on. We’re only a short bus trip out, and it really is so very pretty!
Yes, those are two fine looking young men you’ve got there, missy.
It’s been half a lifetime since I’ve seen Sydney Harbor. What a beautiful place.
Big hugs, Maz.
Thanks love, they’re kind to their mother too. I bet your handsome young mancat is as well.. :)
He is a sweetheart in his own geeky way. We loves ’em.
Handsome lads you have! I think I might take my camera around Pietermaritzburg….should take about 10 minutes! :) Lovely roundup of your week, I think the opera house is a stunning landmark.
Sue, thank you! We’re lucky to have the Opera House here. I’d love to see your home town!
What a fun week you have been having Celia. So nice to see a pic of your lovely boys.
:-) Mandy
Thanks Mandy! We have been having fun!
Well hello there Big Boy and Small Man! Sydney is a beautiful city, Celia. Peter and I love to visit. As always, you are sharing some delicious goodies! Chocolate….. mmmmm.
Lizzy, it’s so beautiful that sometimes we take it for granted, which is a shame. We’re going to try and spend more time in the city this year..
What a great week you’ve had, and what handsome young men you have produced! Your pictures of Sydney Harbour bring back memories of our holiday in Australia.
We’re just back from a short holiday, braving the very unseasonable weather. We went to the very north of England and spent time walking and visiting stately homes and gardens.
Suelle, that sounds like a wonderful holiday, although I’m sorry you’re not getting more sunshine. And thank you for the lovely compliment, but the boys are almost the spitting image of Pete, so I can’t take a lot of credit for their handsomeness! :)
WOW! These photographs are all so beautiful and seems that there was a great fun… Happy Birthday to little T! His birthday cake is amazing… Thank you dear Celia, it was a wonderful voyage for me too, Love, nia
Nia, thanks for sharing our week with us! I thought little T’s cake was beautiful as well! :)
It does sound busy, but lots of fun too! I just love bubbles, we blow them for the dog to chase and he goes crazy :)
Our holidays start tomorrow and I’m seeing my mum…… I’ll relax when we get back!
Just listened to you on the radio, Becca! You were amazing! :)
What a beautiful week! I just love the detailed specifications the parents had to work by regarding the cake – young people can be so exact at times! :D
Chris, we’ve all been there, right? It made me laugh, little T was adamant for nearly a month before about what his cake should be.. :)
What a lovely weekend. It was so good to see the sunshine today. Your boys are great with the bubbles and what a gorgeous cake. I’m so keen to hear what you’re doing with the chocolate – it looks gorgeous! xx
Charlie, we’ve been playing with praline – always fun, if somewhat fattening.. :)
You have been busy. Lots of looking around and eating. How fantastic. look forward to your chocolate adventures.
http://www.mykitchenstories.com.au
Tania, it’s been a lovely week, but hectic! We’ve had visiting relatives too! x
Sounds like a perfect day with family and good food, especially the french toast with figs.
Karen, Big Boy loved his French toast, but my fava bean dip was just to die for. I can understand now why so many cultures enjoy it for breakfast!
Beautiful Photos – thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing it with us, Renee! :)
If you mention foul to people from Egypt and Lebanon here, their eyes glaze over. :) Liked seeing your week in pictures Celia.
Sally, having now tried it, I can understand why! :)
Beautiful. We’re crossing our fingers that we get out that way next year!
Hey, that WILL be fun! Hope you make it out here!
i’m sure just having your children at home made the week special celia but doing such fun things together would have made it even better..
Jane, it’s always a joy to have them around, even though they spend most of their time ignoring me. I never whinged when my toddlers were clingy, because I always knew it would pass, and I’d miss it! :)
I love it when the older almost grown up kids play with the little ones, making bubbles for them must have been fun. i love sydney and hope to get back there soon! c
Celi, I’m very proud of my boys, they’re both so gentle with the little ones. I don’t need them to be successful or rich, but I desperately want them to grow up to be kind. x
Looks like you’re making the most of the holidays. Oh how I love bubbles!
Claire, these were giant bubbles too! There were small people running all over the park chasing them! :)
Thank you for sharing your week with us!
Tandy, you’re most welcome. Hope you’re having a good one! :)
Makes me want to visit even more, thanks.
Peter, sometimes I think it’s worth visiting just to see Sydney Harbour. Next time I’m there, I’ll try and take more photos for you..
Tonight I finished my very last bar of Celia Chocolate. What a sad moment that was. I’d love you to open a shop so that I can buy more!! ;)
Darls, you know you only have to ring me.. ;-)
Awww… look at those happy little bubble-makers! Looks like lots of good things happening your way… and brunch at Kazbah just makes everything better! Fantastic!
Thanks SK! Kazbah is just the best place for an early morning meal!
Hi Celia, the dark chocolate sesame praline was very nice, thank you, but I think bigger bits may work a bit better. What do you think?
Glenda, I’m not convinced the chocolate improves on the plain sesame praline. I think I prefer the hazelnut praline with the chocolate, but you’re right, it might be better with larger chunks…