The Art of the Picnic

For our latest Book Club we read The Tigers Wife by Tea Obreht and had a picnic in the gardens of the National Gallery of Victoria. The gallery runs a summer event called The Art of the Picnic and do all the hard work and preparation for you. A delicious hamper, blankets and cushions are all provided in the beautiful green sculpture gardens hidden behind the gallery. Thanks to Phoebe for my delicious chocolate birthday cake too!

Tomato Butter Beans with Feta and Mint

After visiting one of my favourite Melbourne cafes MilkWood I was inspired to make these tomato butter beans. They are so yummy and I just cant seem to get enough of them. I'm not sure what is in the cafe's recipe but I think I made a pretty good tribute to the original.

    Tomato, Feta and Mint Butter Beans
                                                                                                                     

Ingredients:

• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of butter beans washed
• 1 white onion finely chopped
• olive oil for cooking
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 small block of danish feta
• 1 loaf of sourdough bread
• 1 bunch of mint

Method:

Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add the canned tomatoes and butter beans and bring to a simmer. Add the brown sugar to help neutralize the acidity of the tomatoes. Cook for approximately 5 minutes. Serve on toasted sourdough with crumbled feta and chopped mint leaves.

Docklands Dinner Date

As part of our celebrations for Sam's 30th birthday we headed to Watermark at the Docklands for dinner. Watermark is a cosy restaurant bar with live jazz and a view of the waterfront. Much of our fascination with the Docklands is based on the planning potential for the waterfront suburb. We love to walk around imagining the possibilties for the area and planning our very own utopia. The reality for now however, is an obvious failure of urban design resulting in a grey concrete landscape and poor use of public space. On the upside, the newly planted Norfolk Pines add some much needed greenery to the area and remind me of my childhood in the Sydney beachside suburb of Manly. 

Picnic in the Park

Last friday after work we had a picnic in the park near my apartment. It was the first chance I had to use the vintage picnic set that I was lucky enough to be given for Christmas. It was the perfect way to start the weekend; delicious food (including our new favourite smoked trout) cider, wine and some of my most favourite people.

My Rooftop Garden

 passionfruit vine

potted goodness

tyre herb garden

tomato plants

passionfruit flowers

spinach, basil and parsley

Sadly due to renovations in my building I have had to say goodbye to my little rooftop garden and find new homes for all my plants.