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Archive for the ‘Food & Friends’ Category

Train Works

Posted in Food & Friends, tagged on July 10, 2012| 51 Comments »

A post for Mitchell, Little T, and Brydie’s Little Monkeys…

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Small Man is a railway enthusiast.

His childhood love of Thomas the Tank Engine has grown into a fascination with steam engines in specific, and railways in general. On Sunday, we drove an hour out of Sydney to visit Train Works in the southern town of Thirlmere.

The last time we were there, the centre was known as the NSW Rail Transport Museum.  Back then it was a large shed filled with old engines – now it’s a flash museum with interactive displays, an audiovisual show and a small café.  Steam train rides are available on Sundays.

The cab of locomotive No. 18 (top photo), the oldest engine in the museum, built in 1864

The M78 Mixed Traffic Engine intrigued us – it was decommissioned over a century ago, which means no-one alive has ever ridden on it…

Despite that, it was still leaking oil…

Women played a service role in railway history, and were dressed accordingly…

I’m not sure who wore this cool Sgt. Pepper outfit…

An old-fashioned signal/switch box…

Mail trains used to carry letters throughout the country, with the mail being handsorted for delivery on the train…

This cool little pay bus, powered by a Ford V8 engine, ran along the tracks and delivered wages to the railway workers…

The 4-8-4+4-8-4 Garratt engine was the most powerful steam locomotive to ever operate in Australia. It was too large to fit into a single photo!

There were lots of old-fashioned steam engines…

A turntable and a roundhouse full of engines being restored…

Naughty coal trucks!

Next weekend, the museum will be holding their Day out with Thomas event…

..and we caught a glimpse of the little tank engine hidden under a tarp (I’d recognise those colours anywhere)…

If you’re looking to entertain the kids these holidays, I’d highly recommend a visit to Train Works.  Even we big kids enjoyed it!

Train Works
10 Barbour Road
Thirlmere  NSW
02 4681 8001

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Our Week in Photos

Posted in Food & Friends on July 8, 2012| 76 Comments »

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?

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Turkuaz Motif

Posted in Food & Friends, tagged , , on June 28, 2012| 66 Comments »

You know how sometimes you come across folks who are so nice and so hardworking that you really want them to do well?

That’s how Pete and I feel about Metin Aydin and his wife Moya.  Their Turkish arts and ceramics business started as a stall at Orange Grove Markets and has now expanded to a permanent store in the Sydney suburb of Crows Nest.

Every six months of so, we pop in to see what new stock they have on offer.  It’s always such a feast for the eyes…

Pete was determined that we needed a new tablecloth.  He’d had enough of the dodgy bit of fabric that I’d found at Reverse Garbage which didn’t quite make it to the edges of the table.  Moya, bless her, unfolded and spread out half a dozen different tablecloths for us to look at, then waited patiently as we tried to imagine the intricate designs in our cluttered dining room. We ended up buying one that matched the paint colours in the room…

The shelves of the store are packed with brightly coloured plates, bowls and figurines, ranging from the affordable to the expensive. All their products are made in Turkey, and the ceramic pieces are hand painted with foodsafe glazes…

I looked at this plate a dozen times, but couldn’t justify the $50 price tag for the use I’d get out of it.  It is a one-off, handpainted piece, slightly larger than a dinner plate…

I did succumb to buying a few bowls though. At $15 each, I think they’re very reasonably priced, and I’ll often buy them as gifts.  The fish designs are new since our last visit, and I was quite taken with them…

The nicest thing about shopping at this store is that there is never any pressure to buy – Metin and Moya are completely happy for people to browse.  Mind you, it’s so mellow that I often end up losing an hour in there and coming home with a bag full of purchases…

If you get a chance, please visit Turkuaz Motif at either their store or one of their market stalls.

I don’t have any affiliation with the business at all – I’m just a very happy customer who wants them to do well so that I can keep buying their wares.  Please say hi for me if you pop in!

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Turkuaz Motif
Turkuaz Motif have now closed their retail store, but can still be found at various Sydney markets.
Details can be found on their Facebook Page.

Metin: 0413 638 591
Email: info@turkuazmotif.com.au

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Catching Up

Posted in Food & Friends, Frugal Living, Recipes, tagged , , , , on June 27, 2012| 51 Comments »

I’ve been really busy of late – it’s that time of year when everything gets a little frantic. I haven’t had time to write full posts for all the things I’ve been making, but wanted to share them with you nonetheless…

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I made a double batch of our very easy almond florentines…

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A chick pea, potato and purple kale curry, using a curry gravy base made according to The Curry Guy’s recipe…

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I’ve been experimenting with a tamarind chutney recipe.  It’s not quite right yet, but the failures have all been very tasty…

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I combined the very moreish Darling Mills cornichons that we bought at Eveleigh Markets with mixed olives from the Cheese Shop.  When we were much younger, Darling Mills was our favourite restaurant, and the complimentary olives and cornichons were always the first item on the table…

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Finally, we made and parbaked eight pizza bases for our neighbours Bernie and Jane. Making these at home is a doddle and sooo much cheaper than buying ready made – the bases work out at about 20c each, and freeze perfectly…

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Hope you’re all having a fabulous week!  Please excuse me if I haven’t dropped by your blog for a visit recently – hopefully we’ll come up for air sometime soon!

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Eveleigh Markets, Winter 2012

Posted in Food & Friends on June 25, 2012| 82 Comments »

Eveleigh Markets have become a Sydney institution.

Set up in old railsheds in nearby Darlington, these Saturday markets offer a wide (and expensive) range of gourmet produce.  We usually shop at Flemington, but we try to pop into Eveleigh every couple of months or so to check out what’s on offer.

Our most recent visit was prompted by a tweet announcing that new season, locally grown (NSW) truffles were available last Saturday.  The owners of the stall were knowledgeable and friendly, and didn’t seem to mind at all that I couldn’t afford their last remaining truffle at $170…

We bought potatoes for $5 a bag (about 1½ kilos)…

This stall dedicated solely to dog treats always makes me smile. We really do live in the first world…

I was very chuffed to meet my tweetpal, the gorgeous Ester from Country Valley Milk…

We purchased her blue cheese, unfiltered organic apple juice and some fabulous Pepe Saya handmade butter, made from Country Valley cream…

Ester’s stall was next door to Thirlmere Poultry – a small local (NSW) company breeding and supplying an assortment of free range fowl.  They have chickens, ducks and a few game birds on offer, as well as duck fat and offal.

We had an opportunity to chat with owner John Meredith today, a highly respected 35 year veteran of the Australian poultry industry, and a man with a great passion for the welfare and management of his flocks.  He advised us to always wash poultry before freezing it, to remove any pooled blood and to protect against salmonella. It was a joy to be able to buy free range birds that had been well cared for and gently processed…

Here is part of today’s haul.  We also bought a tub of Darling Mills marinated cornichons, some organic chestnuts, a French sorrel plant for the garden, and a 2.5kg free range Meredith duck…

Eveleigh Markets are well worth a visit if you ever have a couple of hours free on a Saturday morning.  Make sure to take plenty of cash!

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