comfort food, literally

Staying well-fed as ever in Bondi, and what with a bit of a wintery chill setting in and the days growing dark by five o'clock, we come home at night, plug in the radiator, and get cookin' in the kitchen. Tonight it was all about the truly good comfort of bangers and mash, enjoyed couchside because the lure of the tv was too much to bypass in the name of sitting at a table and eating properly. We threw in some brussel sprouts to change up the greens, and they were so tasty it made is wonder why they get such a bad rap? Hmm, must have something to do with all that butter...

Haydn was at the helm of the stove, and, as always, he made the culinary magic happen.





Then he enjoyed the fruits of his labor....



good night,
tc

Puppy time

Yesterday after Haydn and I finished breakfast at Sun Cafe, I communed with this little puppy who was enjoying the scene. Awhile ago a friend directed me to The Daily Puppy and let me tell you it will undoubtedly put a smile on your face no matter what else is going on. Another friend shared her happiness distraction of going to YouTube and typing in "puppies" in the search. Voila, instant entertainment and higher spirits.

What an adorable pooch:

The more I think about it, the more I know it's true

Wilco is my all-time forever favorite band -- hardly a news flash -- and I have been a very lucky girl to work at their record label, to have met my husband through our shared Wilco experiences, and... to have seen them THREE times this week in Australia. Yes, indeedy, it was a long wait for their triumphant return to Oz since their 2003 tour, so the folks here have not had the great fortune to hear all the new tunes since then. Unlike some of us, ahem.

That changed with a heaping helping of 2 hour+ shows this week. I headed to Melbourne for the Weds and Thurs shows and enjoyed the sidestage view. I also enjoyed this amazing pizza on my Thursday strolling through St. Kilda.

(Obligatory Chunkytoast food mention)



Saturday, the lovely Joeley B accompanied me to the Enmore for an incredible show -- the room was filled with big songs, grand noise, and the audience showed enthusiasm, reverence, and thankfulness. (The Melbs peeps were probably all these things too, just not as demonstrative). And per always, I can't take a picture at a concert to save my life. So my pictorial includes one crappy shot from Enmore and then the random goodness of having an all access pass.

The kind of pic that Haydn and I will look back at in 20 years and reminisce about when we were cool:



Dueling tour managers, Jason and Haydn:



Stage awaits in Melbs:



Aforementioned poorly executed pic from Enmore show:



Wilco friends:



Ahhh, good times. Lucky people you are in Eur and N America when the band comes your way very soon.

xo tc

go back a bit

Time to catch up on the life and times...

Headed up to Brisbane and Straddie for the long Easter weekend. It wasn't as spectacularly sunny as one might think if you haven't spent the last 80 some years in that neck of the woods. Sooo, we had some sun, some wind, some sideways rain and lots of home cookin' and time with the kids.

Johnston kids with their Easter loot



Jack and Ella, before the rain came down and we raced back to the car. Ella runs fast, lemme tell ya



The green house next to the Jetson's-esque pad is the Johnston place

Ominous skies

The first time I ever heard the word "ominous" was when I took an advance level spelling test in 5th grade. For some reason that word really stuck with me andI remember it was used in the context of "the dark clouds made for ominous skies," or something to that effect.

Well, here are ominous skies in full effect:



I walked out the door this morning with sunny skies to the east and nearly black skies to the west. I headed towards the bus stop in the sun and snapped this pic as light and dark met (sounds like an English class motif!). Thankfully, the sky waited about 2 minutes before it opened up with pouring rain and pebble-sized hail and I had been able to get onto the bus without getting drenched. An adventorous commute today, indeed.

xo tara

The kitchen is now closed

There's been an abundance of home cooking this weekend, mostly because we were around, it was overcast and a bit rainy, and because we had good ideas, a bit of culinary inspiration.

Haydn, on his continuous mission to make me an unabashed egg-eater, got up early Saturday and headed to the Friendly Grocer and our neighborhood butcher for the goods. We had a cheese and veggie omelet with fresh salsa and bacon. Mmm, bacon. And the flat whites come from the kitchen too, with Haydn doubling up as chef and barista. And, yes I nearly ate it all.

Breakfast #1





Sunday morning was American-themed breakfast with pancakes, real maple syrup (thanks to Gregg!), and, hmm, maybe some more bacon. And flat whites. Weekends are for breakfast. Haydn made a tall stack of flap jacks, so we summoned Jimmy over to help out and we all sat around looking at the social pages of the newspaper. As it should be...

Breakfast #2



So tonight, I thought I should give my husband a break from slaving over a hot stove and I tried a little taste of home, or at least my most favorite soup from Der Rathskeller, Chicken Tortilla Soup. And I'd like to thank Joan Lunden for shaing her recipe, it's quite the popular one when Googling "chicken tortilla soup." Delicious, and definitely has some fire to it. Highly recommended.

And, scene: dinner





It's Grey's Anatomy time and then the weekend comes to a close.

Go Badgers!
tc

Letter from Melbourne

...written from home at Bondi on Sunday evening.

We went down to Melbourne this weekend, me for leisurely Melbourne times and Haydn for tour managing. However, we did a mighty fine job of both clocking in some good leisure. For starters, it helps to stay at the Sofitel to put you at ease. Check. Two, it helps to be pretty much within walking distance of all that Italian food. Check. And some cafe time is crucial. Check. Check.

I did some wandering on Saturday and found the recommended Flinders Lane -- there are streets and there are lanes in Melb, and the streets have corresponding lanes. Hence, Flinders St and Flinders Lane. Haydn and I rendezvous'd off of Flinders Lane (a Lane of a Lane?) and I might have had a Chicken Parmigiana as big as my head. Here is Desgraves, lane of lane.



The only downside to Melbourne would be the rather alarming amount of pigeons who really aren't afraid of people, for instance landing on cafe tables, flying at your head, and hogging the sidewalks. Tradeoffs.

More Melbs:




Wilco in Melbs, soon:




Cheers,
tc

new look

hey y'all, as you can see it's been a blog-tastic day, and as I have recently hit my 100th post, I thought it might be a good time for a new coat of paint around here. Still working out a few kinks and not sure what the "565" thing is in the header, but it came with the template. There ya go.

The Big Winner, part 2

And, now for part deux of the post...I visited the Beach Burrito Company for a fourth time and found a real winner. After a mix of good enough (burritos) and disappointing (no-melt nachos) , I went back for the quesadillas. After a highly leisurely day and an afternoon swim, I found a menu in my beach bag and couldn't resist the lure of my dear friends chipotle, guacamole, and three cheeses.

After ordering, the guy at the counter said "Amy, right?" because they call out your name when an order is ready. I corrected him, but I think I might now be a regular, or else I have a Bondi doppleganger named Amy who likes Mexican food, too.

But the BBQ chipotle chicken quesadilla was sublime. The chicken had a great grilled taste, and the three cheeses did a fine job of melting. Plus, this is a lovely, filling meal because it includes chips, salsa (very fresh with coriander(AU)/cilantro(USA)), and guac. The chips, which I did give due credit to in my earlier post, are sooo good there - thick, crispy, salty, seemingly made on premises. Well done, and I quite enjoyed the dining music of The Smiths Best of.

Beach Burrito Company gets it right.

Pictorial proof:

The Big Winner, part 1

Darn Interweb. I just composed a sparkling, witty post detailing my birthday party Pub Trivia glory, only to have the new version of Blogger not save my draft even though I clicked "Save as Draft."

So, abridged version -- we came, we saw, we named the Golden Girls theme song. It was the big 3-0 and I thought I'd put to use my 30 years accumulated knowledge of tv, music, pop culture, sports, and some history and geography for good measure. My friends/revelers split into two teams, and after round 2, my team comprised of EMI colleagues (marketeers, no less) emerged triumphantly beating nearby clans of Lawyers and Accountants - this assumption based on crisp blue and white shirts and trendy eyewear. The jeans and tshirts record company peeps brought it. Who says it's a dying industry?

And to the victor, the spoils (cheap champagne, jugs of Carlton...)

Thanks to all for coming and for the happy birthday wishes from near and far.


Here are the pics:






The question was: How many (lawn) bowling clubs are there in the Sydney Area? Our answer below, was about 100 under the correct answer.










Foreground: Winner; background: looks like a sore loser


It's the winning pen!

enjoying the view

Skipped out of work yesterday a wee bit early and headed to the Big Day Out and enjoyed this primo spot to watch The Killers. Their songs are great stadium anthems, that's for sure and it got the kids a bit riled up. Hence, side stage is the place to be, esp when you have an in with the tour manager...



Going to see them again tonight in their own proper show at Hordern Pavillion.

Happy Australia Day!
tc

haydn's diner, coming soon

I think June and Ward Cleaver have moved into Bondi, with the arrival of our ebay-tastic kitchen table today, coinciding with our greatly-anticipated shipment of Fiestaware (it literally came on the slow boat to australia), plus the classic Johnston family line-up of cannisters. We're very circa 1957. Check it! So how did we celebrate? Why, with ordering Thai food and eating on our respective couches. June and Ward would frown upon this I'm sure.

This new, stylish kitchen seems perfect for Haydn's legendary breakfasts and flat whites, so I'm dubbying it Haydn's Diner on weekends. However, there are rumours circulating that Haydn's Diner might have a soft opening on Friday morning, Australia Day. But due to other work commitments, this means he will close the kitchen at 9:30am. So, it's the early bird special or nothing. I haven't confirmed if Moons Over My-Hammy will be on the menu. Stay tuned.



tc

Nachos, take 1

So with a lovely summer evening before me and a work week behind me, I thought it a good time to try Beach Burrito Co. again. The place was pretty busy, but not annoyingly so for a Friday. I went for the design your own nachos and put on rice, cheese, green chili salsa, and roja salsa. Chips: salty, thick, fresh. Roja salsa: good quality. Green salsa: thick, and a real treat to have the green kind. Rice: orange, but not clumpy. Cheese: hmm....this is where things went awry. They didn't melt it. Nachos, cheese not melted. I was tempted to ask them to throw it into the microwave, but couldn't be bothered. And then I started to get jealous of the quesadillas of the girl at the table next to me. So...here's what I'm thinking: stick with the burritos, maybe even the tacos and then add on some green salsa.

I just don't get the non-melting of the cheese. It was a ton of food tho and it looked lovely and my tummy is full.

And here you go:



happy weekend,
tara

back to back

The last two evenings were spag bol, and I must say it's pretty nice and easy to come home and take contents out of fridge and dump in pan. Heat. Stir. Serve. Kind of makes me understand those people who prepare dinners for a week on a Sunday. Kind of. Was even better night number two, tonight. Though last night was accompanied by the Golden Globes and a sourpuss Angelina and leathery Brad, a disheveled Renee Zellwegger, a misguided Sienna Miller. Helen Mirren was the babe of the night!

Leftovers in action!



later
tc

stocking up

It's been a pretty quiet weekend around here, in fact I did not leave Bondi nor did I get in a car or on a bus. So nice! We even went to the beach today with approx 20,000 other people.

But it's that time of year, almost time for another Big Day Out tour for Haydn. He's taking off on Tuesday to meet up with The Killers in Auckland, but first and foremost he had to make sure I was well-fed in his absence. So last night he made a massive quantity of bolognese sauce. We had some spag bol for dinner (thanks for bowls, dave!) and then I put the rest of the sauce into 3 tupperware containers for reserve. Here is the sauce in progress:



So I'm well looked after. And there are rumors that there could be a burrito fund left for me as well, so as to carry out further research at the new Beach Burrito Bar at North Bondi. Yes, folks, that's right there is a burrito place a mere 10 minute walk from the apartment. This is terribly exciting, but the burritos so far seem somewhat adequate, which is ok considering there are no other burrito places. I did quite enjoy a mole chicken burrito the other night, but I think the key to this place may be the build your nachos option. Further analysis to come...

tc

We're all 2007

Well, I think everyone is pretty much in 2007 now, except for maybe Hawaii. But I'm at the end of Jan 1 2007 and it's back to the routine tomorrow and work and all that, so here are some pics from the last week or so. Haydn and I headed north to Queensland and got some major quality time in at Straddie. This was when Haydn still liked Straddie and we ate big meals at night and fell asleep at 9pm (well at least I did, it must be the sea air...).

We headed to Brisbane for Christmas day, which was not nearly as hot this year as last when I thought I might melt away before dessert. But dip in the pool and a new baby, Avah, at the fesitivities made it quite a lovely day.

Boxing Day it was back to Straddie with Haydn's family and pretty much most of Brisbane, but oddly enough it rained Tues, Weds, and Thurs. Cabin fever didn't get the best of us and we soldiered on through our daily routine, fearlessly never missing a 5pm happy hour on the veranda.

The sun did come out on Friday and it was beach and sun and SPF. I was sad to leave on Saturday, with the kids still at Straddie for a few more days, but alas it was back to the big smoke of Sydney for us. And Haydn had already fired off a letter to the editor of the Stradbroke Island News about lack of friendly service and lack of services, so it was time to get back to the land where things stay open past 3pm and you can buy a steak from the butcher because 1) he isn't the only one and 2) it's not under renovation. But I do love dear Straddie for all it's quirks, but mostly for the time with our fam. I'm glad to say we made it up to Dover Heights for a spectacular view of the city (but not very spectacular photos, sorry) of the fireworks. Biggest fireworks display in the world they say, and I believe it.

And now our photo recap...

Haydn on one of our overcast days


Newest niece, Avah. Her brother Jack took the picture.


Haydn, Ella and Jack dancing to the Blues Brothers Soundtrack


Jack & Ella, enjoying the sunshine and its icy treats


Jack & Tara


Happy New Year!
tc

keepin it real

These pics are too good to not post. It was Amy and Leesa's "gangsta stylee" fancy-dress (love that term for any costume party) birthday party last night upstairs at the annandale, and i must say the effort put forth by party-goers was highly commendable. Everyone pretty much went to Paddy's Markets to find the appropriate gear. Check it out...











I tried to channel J Lo's MTV awards hair style from a few years ago when she attended with P Diddy/Puff Daddy/Sean Combs during that whole era.

I think Leesa and Amy had a great time, they looked hawt!

xo

the visitors from o'er there

The highlights are so many, beginning with ann, lucy, gregg, laura, and andy all coming over for beer and wine and segueing into a night in Bondi (re: Thai Ploy and BBs), with my bro and the incredible Jen announcing their engagement. There was makeup shopping at the Jungga, Target shopping at the Jungga, the big wedding day and the incredible dancing Johnston kids (my nieces and nephews). There was the Hunter Valley trek with my parents (and 2 Kiwis, and 6 Finns) and some very generous wineries. The Opera House tour was another highlight, as was the adorable, happy Norwegian baby in our tour group.

The afternoon at Manly brought the first ocean dip of the season as well as a delicious $5 ice cream cone -- makes me think of the $5 milkshake in Pulp Fiction. We trekked across the Harbour Bridge to Luna Park and its amusements. Laura, Andy, and I took in the Convict Museum and Laura and I tried out the hammocks the cons used to sleep in. (And we looked up our own last names in the convict data base).

There was a most spectular, elaborate cornucopia of Thanksgiving on Thursday at the beautiful Beach House. Three kitchens, 2 sweet potato dishes, and a table for 13 made for a glorious night in Bondi. All present: Mom, Dad, Tara, Haydn, Ann, Lucy, Gregg, Uz, Kathie, Sophie, Joeley, Andy, Laura. We didn't have football action, but we had Kath & Kim DVDs for post-turkey.

Oh, I'm so wistful now about it all, I can't believe my family and friends were here on my street, in my corner of the world, enjoying the breakfast spots of Bondi (Sun Cafe, Skinny Dip, Bondi Cafe, Baristas...). Most memorable times...




it looks like they're discussing world peace, but the topic was actually how to glue on fake eyelashes.


Ella and Ainsley


Tara and Laura striking a Young Hollywood Starlet pose


Either my dad can look pretty cool watching my mom's purse, or it was the shot of Dragon's Bite that we just sampled


Backdrop: Harbour Bridge


Backdrop: Opera House


Tara & Andy (nice shirt!)


Kathie & Gregg


Pa & the husband


The gang's all here


Ann in the warm glow of candlelight


Laura & I love to tour anything spooky and sordid: convict residence, check!


Much love!
tara