New Acquisitions

for the cookbook shelf. . .  Second hand bookstores rock. 

Bargain Shopping

Yesterday I found NARS shower gel marked down from $38 to $10, Frederic Fekkai shampoo & conditioner at half price, and Scott’s Zirh shaving products marked down from $103 to $19.  It was a very good bargain day! 

Another Impulse Buy

Scott’s latest random food purchase: bitter melon.

Indigenous people of the Ryūkyū Islands have the longest life expectancy in the world, and bitter melon is a large part of their diets, so taking a cue from the Okinawans, we’re trying to incorporate it into ours as well.  Here’s to living to the ripe old age of 110. 

Today I Am Sad

My new camera has been stuck in Sydney Customs for two three four five days. . .

I was really hoping to take it out for a spin learn to use it this weekend.  Boo customs officers.  Boo. 

The camera is our anniversary gift from the folks at home.  They kept asking what we wanted, and there was really only one thing we had in mind, and that was an upgrade from a point and shoot to a DSLR, so I picked out the one I wanted, along with some lenses and accessories.  I stopped short of the underwater gear, though I might pick that up later for a wee bit of diving.  They were kind enough to purchase and send it early so I could master it by said anniversary (which for those of you who’ve forgotten is June 29th).   It took four days to go from the States to Sydney, and now it sits in a warehouse somewhere.  Boo Customs. 

I know they have a lot of work to do, and they do open every parcel, but  still. . .  I want my camera!!!! 

UPDATE:  Customs, it seems, has returned my camera to the sender.  Now I have to wait for it to get back to the States so it can be sent straight back here again. . .

Milk Glass & Cupcakes

Yesterday was the 4th Saturday of the month, so it seemed appropriate to visit Kirribilli Market.  Another easy to reach North Shore market, Kirribilli is focused on new and vintage fashions.  Of course, there’s still a nice little selection of food too.

I’m currently on the look out for a vintage camera case, as I’m taking delivery of my new camera next week (more on that later ).  I had no such luck finding one yesterday, but I did come away with a choker of vintage milk glass beads for a couple of dollars.

As hunger started to set in, we headed over to the food stalls and opted for some super tasty Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa, Cole Slaw, and Rice & Peas covered in hot sauce from the My Jamaican Guy bbq stall (which I can only assume is named after the Grace Jones song).

After spending a very warm day in the sunshine, sorting through racks of clothes with the Harbour Bridge looming in the background, we decided that we deserved a little treat.  On the way home we stopped in Colonial Bakery in Milsons Point, an old-fashioned little shop offering many varieties of slices and pies and such.  After much indecision, we went with this Creme Caramel Cupcake.

Noms!! 

Market Madness

It’s the third Saturday of the month today, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time for the Northside Produce Market in North Sydney.  That’s awesome not only because of the farm fresh produce, artisan baked goods and organic meats, but also because it’s so close that we can walk.  Up and out of the house by 8am (a rarity for us, I assure you), we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through Crows Nest and on to North Sydney.

Here’s a very small selection of the wares:

Rainbow Trout                                                                  Various Plain & Stuffed Olives

Various Varieties of Tomatoes                                Artisan Breads

Fresh Flowers                                                                      Pastries

And what did we come away with you may ask?

*New Season Gala Apples
*Asparagus
*Zucchini Flowers
*Corn
*Heirloom Tomatoes
*Free Range Eggs
*Kipfler Potatoes
*Smoked Trout
*White Sourdough Loaf
*Flat Olive Bread
*Semi-Dried Tomato Stuffed Olives
*Willowbrae Chevre Cheese
*Fresh Parsley & Shallot Fettuccine

*For nibbles, we also grabbed an almond croissant and a caraway, dill and vodka sausage roll.

Can you say noms?

Holy Cow

I just ordered a five month supply of wine. . .

The plus: I saved $800!

The minus: The concierge is going to HATE me. 

There’s half a case of Champagne, half a case of Pinot Noir, a case of Shiraz Viognier, a case of Cabernet Sauvignon, a case of Sauvignon Blanc and a case of Semillion.

In these tough economic times, if you’re able, you should really do your part to help out the economy, and I’m happy to say that with the exception of the Champagne and the Pinot, they’re all Australian.

Anyone want to visit now? 

Just Buy It

With the current financial climate being what it is, the adage that “it’s cheaper in the US” has never held more truth. (That may not be a common saying, but it’s one we’ve always used ) We love coming home for so many reasons, and one of them is undoubtedly because we get to go shopping.

Electronics are always priced better here, and thus we shall be returning with two new games for the Wii. For clothing, there just aren’t the great sales like there are round here, so I’ve been topping up on very smart stylish items for work, and we’re preparing for the upcoming Summer (new Prada/Cavalli sunnies anyone?).

Our best haul so far, however, has to be to be Amanda’s five pairs of shoes and our six cookbooks. Everywhere we go we’ve found another pair of really cute shoes for Amanda, so her feet are going to be styled to the max. And then yesterday we discovered a cookbook sale – but not just on any old books. We picked up a book from Australia’s own Bill Granger which normally runs at $60 in Oz, as it’s the US import version. We also found a book from Michael Chiarello, host of NapaStyle, one of our favourite Fine Living Network shows. Add to these the Latin, New Orleans, Party Drinks and top British chef collection, and we got an impressive haul. Did we mention that all the cookbooks were brand new and marked down to $2.99? Today we’re going to buy some new luggage, so that we can haul it all back.

Who doesn’t love shopping?