September 2010
Monthly Archives
A french Miss Marple? | Postcard from the Cote D’Azur
There are two entrances to our villa. One opens from a small enclosed courtyard to the street. The other entrance is a pretty weathered blue door that opens onto the tiered laneway that meanders down to the next street. Off this laneway are the entrances to various other villas. About two villas down on the right, behind a vibrant bright red door with a black cast iron door knob in the shape of a hand, lives Miss Marple. Madame Marple, an older grey-haired french lady known to the owner of our villa, is our protector. There is a tiny olive … Continue Reading
My very first meal on French soil | Postcard from the Cote D’ Azur
Having settled into the Villa, we were then free to start exploring the pretty little village of Villefranche Sur Mer. As it was about 2pm in the afternoon, we wandered down the cobbled laneways towards the sparkling water of the Mediterranean. All of us were fairly exhausted by that stage. Fatigue and jetlag had started to take hold. We happened upon a little cafe by the water and decided to rest and have our first drink on the Cote D’Azur. Champagne certainly hit the spot. We then browsed the local markets held every Sunday. Lots of stalls with very old … Continue Reading
The Villa | Postcard from Villefranche Sur Mer, France | Day 1 – arriving
After what seemed like a journey of marathon proportions, ie. Sydney – Singapore – London – Nice – Villefranche Sur Mer, I stepped through the heavy wooden doorway into the quintessentially Mediterranean/French villa. The ochre-tiled private courtyard covered with climbing vines intertwined with bamboo creates an oasis from the heat and the sun. Distempered walls in a traditional Mediterranean palette create a visual feast of colours and textures. Canary yellow, soft ochre tones, earthy reds, duck-egg blue, exposed metal and the golden hues thrown from the authentic floor boards. The island in the kitchen is covered in greyish plaster, applied … Continue Reading
Ristorante Buon Ricordo’s Marmelleta D’Arance Di Siviglia | Seville Orange Marmalade
One of my absolute favourite Sydney restaurants is Ristorante Buon Ricordo in Paddington. Armando Percuoco and his beautiful wife, Gemma, opened Buon Ricordo in 1987, serving classic Italian food. It is their vast knowledge and experience, along with their generous spirit that sees the restaurant, to this day, a popular destination for ‘foodies’ from all over the world. My favourite dish has to be finely sliced kingfish with pomegranate, candied orange and extra virgin olive oil. It is the orange that I would like to concerntrate on today. Oh, and I never leave the restaurant empty handed. Gemma’s generous gift of … Continue Reading
A journey of gastronomic proportions | The South of France
My tastebuds have spoken! And I listened. They said “we want to eat and drink everything French”. And I listened. So in exactly one week today, ‘the one’ and I (along with six kids) will embark on an adventure to the incredibly picturesque French Riviera, the likes of which could put the Griswold’s “European Vacation” to shame. We willl also encounter a short stay in both Paris and London experiencing the delights of The Palace of Versailles amongst endless other sightseeing journeys. Keep your eyes peeled for up-coming posts from the other side (of the world that is). There will be … Continue Reading
Happy Father’s Day | All-in-one breakfast cake
The first thing I would like to do is apologise for the lateness of this specific blog post. My little darlings had used up the allocated download allowance for the month. Hence the internet was slower than I am after an hours exercise! One positive thing to come out of this – I made enquiries. I found out that I could upgrade from 25GB to 200GB for the same price. Yes, that’s right – THE SAME PRICE! Perhaps the little darlings did me a favour? OK, enough ranting. Now back to the task at hand. First and foremost, I would … Continue Reading
A salute to Spring – Cocktail hour aperitif – Cointreau lime quencher
It is the first day of Spring here in Sydney. So to celebrate the end of Winter and look longingly forward to the warmth of Summer, I have decided to serve these fresh and fruity quenchers on the deck before dinner. I want to thank my eldest daughter’s boyfriend Peck for the idea. He works in a bottle shop when he is not slogging it out at University. His side passion is to whip up all these amazlingly good aperitifs for us to try. All you need is a bottle of Cointreau, some limes and a large bottle of Sprite … Continue Reading
Hi I’m Linda
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