Road-trip Day 2 - Country Roads to Shepparton, Victoria

Having stayed at Tumut, New South Wales for a stop on our road-trip to Shepparton, we left checked out early to enjoy some breakfast before continuing on our way. On our walk to dinner the night before we had noticed a place called the Pie in the Sky Bakery thinking that it would be a lovely a country pie.

     

Pie #1

Pie #2

Unfortunately our beef and mushroom did not live up to our expectations. It was mainly filled with gelatinous goop and very little 'real'filling. Luckily though, we had hedged our bets and shared the one pie in order to compare it with one at the nearby Bakers of Tumut. This pie was definitely a step up as though the filling was a little gelatinous it did have some little chinks of beef and large slices of mushrooms. The coffee there was ok, but the breakfast overall did not compare with the high calibre of the dinner we had enjoyed in the town the night before. We weren't really complaining though as the hot pie and coffee was just what the doctor ordered on a cold and foggy winter morning. 

Foggy Roads

We took the south road out of town with direction to Holbrook. We drove through some pastoral land and some little country towns, about 10 k's away from the highway we were shooting for we saw a sign for the Adelong Falls Gold Mill Ruins. The fog had just lifted so it was the perfect time to stop and enjoy the views. 

The Gold Mill Ruins were unexpectedly beautiful. They were nestled in a small valley along the river and showed the ruins of a once bountiful goldmine, where at least 25 tonnes of gold were recorded as being mined there though it is possible for the actual figure to be at least double that. There were several walking tracks available ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours in duration. We took the shorter walk since it was an unscheduled stop and we weren't really dressed for hiking. 

  

 It was a great little stop, but we soon pressed on. We drove until lunch time when we arrived in the little town of Holbrook. Having done my research using the motel's wifi the night before, we headed straight for J & B's Gourmet Cafe. As soon as we walked in we spotted the special board with the Beef Brisket Pie and knew we were going to be trying that! We were very happy we did too, since at last we had found the true country pie we were looking for. It was beautiful flaky pastry with an incredible home-made beef brisket filling that was oh so satisfying. We also enjoyed their home-style ice coffee but the best thing was the service. When they brought out our pie Tim commented to the waitress that it would go very well with some gravy, she then offered to whip some up for us. She came back with some incredibly deep and rich actual, real gravy. We were both incredibly impressed.

Pie #3

Despite having very much enjoyed our light lunch we weren't about to miss out on the other main food attraction in Holbrook which is the Holbrook Bakery. The line was out the door but the beautiful smell of baked goods encouraged us to stay. When we progressed in line to be inside, we were greeted with the lovely sight of so many beautiful desserts. I had a hard time choosing but went for a classic Vanilla Slice. Tim was finding it hard to decide and wanted to ask for a recomendation He asked the baker if she would recommend the desserts or pies and she said the pies. I could hardly believe it but he went for pie #4 of the day!

Cakes @ Holbrook Bakery

Pie #4

Holbrook Bakery

Holbrook

After this lovely stop we felt completely refuelled enough to drive into Victoria at last. We were making really great time driving along the highways belting out some tunes from my ipod classic when we saw a sign that read something like "Rutherglen Historic Wine Region Scenic Route 300 meters left turn", We weren't looking out for this sign and neither of us was 100% sure of what we had just read but both agreed we had seen the key words: wine, scenic, left. At the next turn off we took a very poorly marked exit and headed to what we hoped was Victorian Wine Country. 

I was in charge of directions on the trip and was checking the GPS at regular intervals to make sure we were going the right way. After this turn off however the satellites seemed to have completely lost track of our position so we were completely unsure of where we were going. Two detours later, we eventually made it to the town of Rutherglen and the Information centre we had seen signalled a while back. The lady inside was a little too helpful since she starrted off by saying that the wineries would close in hour but when we asked which she would visit if time was limited she wanted to give us the history of each of the many estates. Her colleague seemed to read us a little better and butted in to her dismay to say we just wanted to go before they closed. Damn right we did! We hightailed it out of there en route to what was described as their number 1 winery, the aptly named Campbell's Wines. Tim was pretty happy with our choice, since he works for Campbell's Soup. We arrived at a luxurious estate amongst the vineyards and were very impressed with both their reds and fortified wines which we learnt is what the area is famous for, especially those made from the Durif grape. We left with our wallets a little lighter but our car definitely a lot heavier.

Campbell's Winery

Campbell's Vineyards

After leaving Campbell's we thought we might have time to duck into another nearby winery which was Stanton & Killeen Wines. As with Campbell's winery we liked that it was staffed by members of the family who were very knowledgeable about their products and processed. We had a lovely chat with the people there and bought some of their wine too. What most impressed us is that they have just planted Albariño grapes at their estate which will give fruit in three years. Albariño is a very popular wine in Spain (and Portugal) and I for one am very much a big fan of it and am very excited to see how it their harvest / wine turns out for them. It was such a lovely experience that I was very glad we had stopped there before they closed!

Stanton & Killeen Winery

After our very merry detour of Rutherglen, it was time to hit the road in earnest and we drove all the way down to our accomodation in Shepparton. After a great day, we were happy to arrive at our destination at last. Dinner that night was a quick bite at a local pub and then an early night's sleep. Tim would be working all week but I would be getting to know the town and just enjoying myself on a country escape!

Road trip to Shepparton Day 1 - Enchanting little Tumut

As many of you know, Tim and I are back permanently in Sydney or at least for the moment! While we were in the USA we were very lucky to explore a lot of different regions and go on lots of little road trips. One thing we kept saying was how much we wanted to get out and explore Australia together once we got back.

Pretty soon after coming home Tim was being sent down to Shepparton, Victoria for work. Since I had some free time we decided to make a little road-trip out of it. We drove down on the long weekend, then had one weekend in the middle and one at the end to explore. During the week days I would get to know Shepparton and just chill out on a country escape.

In the morning of public holiday Sunday we woke up to get ready for the trip. We had a lot on so we decided to get some incredibly lovely coffee at Maldini's Espresso in Strathfield along with a steak and mushroom pie for me and a cheese and bacon pie for Tim from the local bakery. The pies were nothing to rave about, but it was unwittingly the start of our pie journey along the rest of the road-trip.

After the pies Tim went to pick up the car from Hertz and he got back in great spirits with a bright blue SUV. It may not have a lot of power but it was at least big and comfy for the long drive.

So once we got the car packed with all our luggage - the great benefit of car versus air travel! - we were on our way. It was good to leave later on the Sunday since the traffic was good. Also, having only planned the details of the trip that morning we didn't have a reservation for the night yet. We wanted to stop at Tumut, New South Wales so we called the Best Western Motel Farrington and asked if they had vacancies. An older woman had answered the phone and let us know that they did. We asked if we needed to book in advanced or could we just turn up. She chuckled as she let us know there was no need to book ahead, only to arrive before 8:00 pm when the reception would be closing that night.

The deadline was no problem, we estimated we would arrive between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. The problem was that we did not realise the sun would set at 4:45 pm and it would be pitch black by 5:00 pm! To get to Tumut we had to exit the highway and take a very curvy and hilly road with roadwork in the dark for 45 minutes. Tim was getting a little on edge on the somewhat perilous road and said he was also beginning to think we had made a bad choice in choosing Tumut as our first destination. "What if there is nothing there?" he asked. I told him about some of the lovely places I had googled while he was collecting the car. "What if they are closed for the public holiday or close early like the Motel?" I doubted this since city people come to these places for the long weekend.

We finally arrive at around 5:30 pm (perfect timing), and checked in with no problem. It really was a no-frills motel but they had lovely customer service and were very nice and helpful with all our questions / requests. So with their directions we headed out for an early dinner at around 6:30 towards the Oriental Hotel which was only a 15 minute walk.

It was a lovely classic Australian Pub but with a revitalised, loved feeling to it. Starting with the huge Brumby Sculpture on the side of the building, following through to the warming fire in the hearth of the the Hotel and ending with the very attentive family feel to the service. So once we walked it seemed like most of the town was gathered there to dine or party. We had to excuse ourselves as we squeezed past a boisterous crew having drinks at the bar who wanted us to join them. We went straight to the Bistro line, I think I accidentally pushed in front of two other people but they insisted that we were there first and of course we had to go before them. Everyone was so friendly, it was almost unnerving. 

As we waited in line we perused the menu and were most impressed with the selection of Beef which was sourced 15 km from the hotel where it is grass grazed by local farmer and then locally butchered in town. Incidentally Tim and I just watched Food Inc this weekend and we had this sort of thing in mind and we were discussing it on the way down. Our food industry is thankfully not so bad as USA but doesn't mean we are not headed that way. So that is why we were also very happy to be supporting the local farmer and industry especially for a cow grown in ethical conditions and eating it's natural diet : grass. But I digress. We also ordered local smoked trout from Mount Kosciusko region. Tim was not sure if he would like it, but it was so beautifully fresh and flavoursome that we both really enjoyed it.

So after our delicious dinner we enjoyed some lovely fortified port which was also very good but then just had an early night since we still had a big day ahead the next day to complete the journey to Shepparton.

Baltimore

We are really getting very close to the end of our American adventure now with little over a week to go. With this in mind we have been trying to get back out there to see a little more of this vast land before our forthcoming departure. 

The only thing is the weather was mostly not on our side. On the first day of Spring we had a snowstorm and the average temperature was around 5° C. This lead us to sadly postpone and eventually cancel our Niagara Falls and Lakes district road trip.

The first time we postponed the trip we dropped in for a last minute visit to my sister's house in DC. On the way back home we stopped off at Baltimore in the late afternoon. We went straight to historic Fell's Point after reading some descriptions on Tripadvisor on the way there. I made Tim park about 5 or 6 blocks away in a panic that there wouldn't be parking closer. True, there were closer spots but where we parked was free and the other spots weren't so he didn't complain about it.

 

We arrived at a bit of an awkward hour, around 3 or 4 pm onto South Broadway. I was sad that the Broadway Markets were closed on Sundays and I hoped that there would be other things that were open. Walking on, we found the quirky little Cafe Latte'da which had some nice cappuccinos. 

With our coffee in hand we walked down the increasingly pretty street on towards the harbour. It has a very UK vibe to the place, which reminded me somewhat of St. Andrews in Scotland but with wider streets and a striking lack of Gothic architecture and highlands. 

I was already happy to have come to such a cute little place and that was before I found the boutique Poppy & Stella. Just as a little side story I got it into my head that I needed to buy certain wardrobe staples before I head back to Australia but I never seem to find the perfect white blouse. And voilà! I found one at this shop as well as a cute little bag. Oh happy days for me ☺

So after triumphantly strutting out of the shop with my coveted loot in hand, we just meandered around some more. It's honestly a nice place to just stroll, shop, eat and drink. We decided that we actually could do with another coffee, and lucky we did because the The Daily Grind was more than decent enough, it was quite enjoyable actually. Sitting outside was also a great place for people watching. Although about 50% had to have been dog watching as that was what the ratio was closer to. The inside of this café was also cute with a bit of an Italian alley / piazza vibe going on. 

After all the coffee we were a little peckish and decided to try the highly rated Tapas Adela for a some delicious Spanish fare. While on the pricey side of things this restaurant was lovely. We sat at the window with a great view of the water and the street. The Sangria was very nice and so were the tapas. All in all a great half day stop!

For the Love of Art!

Recently I blogged about sharing my new found love of watercolours with my husband in 'A Date with Paints'.

A lot of people commented to me that they loved the idea and would be sure to try it out. Myself I know I am guilty of pinning a million ideas to "try out one day" that never make it past my Pinterest Board. But I love to share a good go-getter attitude of someone who sees a good idea and then acts on it straight away.

So here is the beautiful art of my good friend Romie and her husband Khan who were inspired to try out their own Arty date. Isn't it just lovely?

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Here is a lovely pumpkin bread recipe that I have had a lot of success with. Personally I love to shred the pumpkin a potato peeler to get the long strips you do for cucumbers. This results gives an even distribution of whole pumpkin and results in a lovely moist bread. In this recipe I substitute eggs with chia-water, so instead of this you could use 3 whole eggs. But keep in mind that the chia seeds do add Omega-3, Fiber, Protein, Calcium, Zinc, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Potassium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin B.

Likewise you could substitute the coconut oil for a different kind of oil. The benefits of using coconut oil however are many and include being a source of ketone which boosts brain function, is healthier for the heart, keeps you full for longer, and is a source of lauric acid which can kill pathogens.

Either way it is a very easy and yummy bread to make, enjoy!

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin (I used an acorn squash yielding approximately 3 cups)

3 tablespoons chia seeds

9 tablespoons water

2 cups wholemeal flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cut whole walnuts (to top bread)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160° Celsius or 325° Fahrenheit.

2. Grease a bread pan with coconut oil and set aside.

3.Wash, peel and de-seed the the pumpkin. Shred using a grater, potato peeler, or mandolin and set aside.

4. In a large cup combine the chia seeds and water and mix well, set aside.

5. In a bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well.


6. In another mixing bowl combine the sugar, chia-water mixture, coconut oil, and walnuts.

7. Combine both mixtures. Once thoroughly combined, gently fold in shredded pumpkin.

8. Pour batter into greased bread pan and top with whole walnuts.

9. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into bread. Once ready cool for 15 minutes inside bread before removing.

Coconut Cheesecake Flan Recipe

The other week we were snowed in at my sister's house with four kids under three! It was complete insanity and took me about a week to recover from once we made it home. In the evenings, once we had finally put them to sleep we indulged in a little baking and made a different dessert every night.

Following the first snow - it got a lot worse that night.

On night one my sister suggested we make a variation of the classic Spanish dessert: Flan. This is a very popular Spanish dessert, so much so that as a kid I thought it was the only Spanish dessert. There are many variations but my personal preference is the traditional Flan de Huevo. That was until I tried this one!

My sister suggested we make the recipe 'Coconut Flan' from the book  Isabel's Cantina. We only slightly adapted it, namely we add coconut flakes for a little textural element. Because of its smooth creamy texture it is a actually more like when a flan meets a cheesecake who ate some coconut and they make a delicious baby and call it...

Coconut Cheesecake Flan

Ingredients

The ingredients

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 240 ml or 8 ounce packet of cream cheese, softened

1 400 ml or 14 ounce can coconut milk

1 400 ml or 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

6 eggs, lightly beaten

A pinch of salt

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit or 165°Celsius. 

2. In a small heavy sauce pan, place sugar and slowly pour in water evenly.

3. Place the pan over medium heat and swirl to combine two ingredients. Continue swirling until visibly dissolved.   

4. A clear syrup will develop at this stage, cover the pot with lid and boil for 2 minutes. 

5. Once boiled uncover and gently until the liquid turns caramel coloured.

Making the caramel

6. Immediately and very carefully pour the hot liquid into 23 cm or 9 inch Bundt  pan and gently coat the sides of the pan with the caramel by slowly swirling the  liquid.

The caramel is very HOT, use caution when pouring.

7. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese and salt either by hand with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer. 

8. Stir in the coconut milk and then the condensed milk to make a thick batter. 

9. Slowly add the eggs, combining gently until just mixed through and pour the cake into the pan.

10. Place in a bay-Marie of water reaching halfway up the pan in an oven tray large enough (as per photo below).

The water should reach half way up the Bundt pan

11. Bake in the oven for approximately 60 minutes or until just set. It should wobble slightly when shaken.

Allowing to cool to room temperature out of the fridge

12. Allow to cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge overnight or at least 4 hours.

Our head chef checking if it is ready the next day

13. Once cooled place the Bundt pan into a bowl with warm water for approximately 3 minutes to unstick the caramel from the bottom of the pan. After this time gently run a knife along the sides of the pan to loose it from the sides and turn it over onto the serving dish. 

It looks so good I feel like making it again!

Buen provecho!

A Date with Paints

Often it is easy to fall into routines that are not exactly good for us. I find this is also true when it comes to how we spend time with others. It is common to routinely go for drinks with friends, eat with family and watch TV with spouse/significant other. These are all things that I enjoy doing, but it doesn't mean that it should become the only way I interact with people. Also, these habits have exceedingly negative effects when indulged in too often. This is why I'm often on the lookout for new activities to try out both for me alone and to share with others. 

Painting and other creative endeavours have been shown to help in emotional and mental development and continued health. They are a positive way in which to relax and are make beautiful results, even if they are more abstract than realistic.

If you have been reading my blog you will remember that I recently took up water colour painting and am having a lot of fun with it. I decided that this would be a great activity to share with Tim. 

To make a day of it I gathered all the supplies needed and surprised him with it all laid out nicely and ready to use. These were water colour palettes, 2 glasses of water (one for rinsing brush, one for adding to paints), brushes in assorted sizes, paper towel, pencils, a sharpener, a rubber, a sharpie and art paper. Having it all prepared also meant "we are doing this now". It's like when you offer someone a cut piece of fruit rather than the whole thing, it's just more appetising / inviting. 

We decided to each draw two pictures in pencil for the other person to paint. Tim drew a fruit bowl and a Monkey Wizard for me and I drew him an owl and flowers. It's funny what the other one comes up with and it was a twist rather than just sitting down to paint. The monkey wizard was funny but I really enjoyed the geometric accuracy of Tim's fruit verses my usual 'rustic' style. It was also a way for me to mix things up with my painting. Tim also expressed that he would never draw and/or paint flowers himself but he really enjoyed the possibility of exploring techniques that the very simple daisy design affored him. Also he found my simple yet quirky little owl fun. Overall Tim very much enjoyed painting with me and said he would like to do it more regularly. 

After we finished our activity I got inspired to paint some more and I was very happy with my windmills from Consuegra. We were just there in September and took some great photos. I recreated it based on sight from the picture below.

Here is my version

I also sometimes do some googling for inspiration and here is one I did based on a Pinterest find (see link here).