FOOD AND/OR FUN ? - Zara Vancouver

A tribute to Bon Jovi? Or Bon Jovi's tribute to pasta... you decide.

Like a magician... this video is spellbinding.

FOOD - Pino's Ristorante Pizzeria, Crows Nest

Wow! I won't beat around the bush, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

My brother's choice of main - Ravioli di zucca - ravioli stuffed with pumpkin and topped with a crispy sage and hazelnut butter. 

Tim ordered the classic fettucine carbonara ... because he's a classic kinda guy.

And I picked the Risotto Bosco - risotto with wild mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and topped with rocket. Mmmm...

After our delicious main courses, we couldn't resist finding out how good dessert would be...
So bro ordered the ricotta cheesecake -

Tim ordered the creme caramel...

 

I ordered the Crostata di Nutella - pastry filled with hazelnut mouse. Very delicious!

Overall - I'd rate Pino's
Food - 9/10
Service - 10/10 !

Certainly recommend this place if you're on the North Shore and feel like some delicious hearty Italian for dinner!

http://www.pinos.com.au/

FUN - Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Recently (on Saturday), we had the opportunity to go to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney to see the newborn Tiger puppies! Yes, you may argue that they are in fact called Tiger cubs, but I do not accept your argument as valid. They are actually called Tiger puppies.


The Taronga Zoo has an amazing location overlooking the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The view alone makes the day worthwhile...oh, and seeing lots of aminals is good too. I won't get into the debate about what is humane and what isn't - but zoos are important for conservation (refer Tiger puppies), so let's assume everything is peaches and cream shall we.

In typical alphabet fashion, we started with the chimpanzees. There was a little guy who was eating an orange to mitigate scurvy. Very conscientious young primate.




After the chimps, we saw some other friends. Many of whom won't be pictured or mentioned in this posting as they were not cute enough. The Tiger puppies had a lengthy line (26 minutes!), but when we got there we were immediately disappointed. Apparently Tiger puppies need sleep. Booooooo....no pictures...

We saw some fighting elephants...why were they fighting? Well, some elephants are just jerks.


Croc looking for a handout...


...and a confused little lizard...


Flying penguin!! Well, kinda. The sensation is there for the viewer, but not the viewee. Viewee is not a word...


Oh, and meerkats! Meerkats are small! I could eat at least two in one sitting.


Don't believe me about the view?!!?


Oh, also, when one goes to the zoo, one should avoid getting sick. I was sick. The whole day. Oh, and the food at the Harbour View Cafe or whatever it was called sucked. Good day though. We finished off in true alphabet style by going back to the chimpanzees thus wrapping up the day in a neat little package!

Food - Pancakes with a Twist

Tim and I like to do things differently. For example, we don't own a car, we sleep with stuffed toy puppies (Puppy and Princess) and we like to experiment with food to find that perfect flavour combination (like toast with jam and cheese and cracked pepper - recipe to follow shortly!). Anyway, this is a recipe for pancakes, and it's really yummy!

Pancakes
Makes 10 pancakes.
Ingredients

• 300g (2 cups) self-raising flour 
• 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
• Pinch of salt
• 500ml (2 cups) milk
• 2 eggs
• 60g butter, melted
• Melted butter, extra, to grease

Pancakes with mango, brie and maple syrup - Yuck!

Tim really likes to push my buttons, so he puts together all kinds of ridiculous combination of flavours and waits eagerly for a reaction. If my response is yuck, you know what his response is going to be - yum! Well, apparently this mango, brie and maple syrup combination was a yum (times a million) from Tim. All I can say is try it at your own perilous demise. Just to put things in perspective on what you might be getting yourself into if you choose to accept Tim's endorsement, during our early days together he once innocently put cheddar cheese on a Thai curry I had cooked, before heating leftovers in the microwave.

I like my pancakes with Madame Dalfour Wild Blueberry jam and Tasmanian double brie. Now that might also sound strange to some, but for me, it's pure heaven!

p.s. - Our shower is still not fixed! 47 days and counting...

Fun - Canberra International Film Festival

Hey you. Yeah, you. Do you like movies? Well, if you do, (and you should), International Film Festivals are fantastic venues to tickle that collective fancy of movie goers from the young to the old. Granted the metropolis of Canberra has yet to ping the radar of the Hollywood elite, a ripple is well established in this the 15th year of the Canberra International Film Festival (CIFF). Local girl Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are All Right, Jane Eyre & Restless) will be gracing us with her presence - so that should be a treat!

We've signed our names on the dotted line this year so as to embrace the deals that come with membership like free popcorn, free lunch, free boat, etc. Just kidding, the perks are as follows:

a) More than 40% Discount on CIFF Tickets;
b) Access to Opening Night + VIP Party;
c) Free Screening Wednesday 12 October HIGHER GROUND with CIFF Director Simon Weaving;
d) Free Screening Thursday 10 November THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD as well as announcement of 2011 CIFF Audience Award; and
e) 6 Free Screenings throughout the year

Say what, 6 free screenings throughout the year?! Yes please!

Additional to the 6 free movies, and in association with point a) above, we are watching 6 movies at a discounted rate. As we have not yet seen the 6 movies in question, the only information I can provide is the titles of said movies:

- Take Shelter, Sidewalls, King of Devil's Island, I am Slave, Perfect Sense & Bobby Fischer Against the World

Also, the closing night has a movie from Canada starring Australia's golden girl Olivia Newton-John, "Score - an Ice Hockey Musical". I've seen hockey games before, and I have heard songs be sung. Nice work Canada. Nice work at exposing Canberra to real hockey (albeit with song). Ouch, take that Canberra Knights...

Check the link.

http://www.canberrafilmfestival.com.au/

Once we have seen some movies, we will provide detailed reviews!!

p.s. - We watched an interesting Australian drama the other day (we've been watching a lot of Australian movies lately actually), The Last Train To Freo - worth a watch.

Food - for thought, Chomsky

Feed your brain.

http://www.chomsky.info/

Food - MANGO Milkshake

If one is lucky enough to live in the tropics, one has the privilege of enjoying 'magnificent mangoes' whence they are in season. If one is fortunate enough to live in a non tropical part of the world (Hello! Canada, eh?), seasonal fruits equate to 'age appropriate apples' or 'gullible grapes' or even more delicious, the 'pathetic pear'. Don't get me wrong, I like those fruits. But mangoes are gold. Made out of actual gold!! Honest!



Anyhow, we make mango milkshakes as a tasty summertime treat. The recipe is easy enough - mangoes, milk, honey. Done and done. Also, a blender is useful. Also, an understanding of how to remove the mango from the skin is vital!!



Makes 2 glasses of mango milkshake
1 ripe mango
2 tablespoons honey
1.5 cups milk

Once mixed, the mango, milk and honey combine to form one of the sweetest drinks this side of the Mississippi.



I usually struggle to sip this drink - often it is chugged. Oh so good though. Wow. Canada may have apple cider (yum by the way!), but Australia has a very good fruit called the mango that rivals anything under the sun.

Bon appétit!

Food - 2 Yummy !

Emu Bank, along the shores of Lake Ginninderra in Belconnen has become a hotspot of social activity. Alright, so it's no Manuka or Kingston, but it has moved up a notch from fast food Hungry Jacks and Red Rooster drive-throughs to more sophisticated and trendy dine-in style eateries. A hidden gem among the up and coming is 2 Yummy, and it is exactly what it touts to be, 2 Yummy!

2 Yummy Chinese restaurant, shores of Lake Ginninderra

Fresh BBQ pork and duck on display at the front entrance

Tim and I have tried a few dishes from this place (most are very tasty!), but we always go back to our favourite, chicken with spicy peppery salt.... yummy!

This is a dry dish. The chicken is crispy and spices are salty and hot! It goes really well with steamed rice.
I've attached copies of the menu for an idea of dishes and prices.

2 Yummy take away menu

2 Ymmy take away menu

Bon appétit!

2 Yummy
3/114 Boardwalk Emu Bank Belconnen 2617
http://www.2yummy.com.au

Fun - Accolades for Anonymous Accolades

Question: What are the eight sweetest sounding syllables in the whole world?

Answer: Test. Test post; 1, 2, 3. Nice chooks.

Imagine one is thirsty for water and then one receives that oh so sweet nectar. Imagine that. Now imagine that thirst is replaced by the need for a comment on a post about renegade chickens, and water is replaced by that oh so sweet comment.

Today at 1:31pm AEST - the 21st of October 2011 - the above scenario became reality! Thank you Mel Gibson. Thank you for appreciating the comparison we made between you and that chicken.

Food - Chicken Tonight!

We live in a small 2 bedroom house in a large townhouse complex. A narrow path leads almost directly from our front porch to the bus stop on the main street. Because neither Tim nor I own a car, we frequent this path often.

 Of late we have discovered that areas adjacent the path have been all like dug up and stuff, like so... like...















Now, some new people have recently moved in next door, and they have a small dog - most likely a pomeranian (or a cat, or some such wussy dog). I have seen this dog poop just at the head of our path! So of course, all (my) fingers were pointing at this little dog! I think, he goes poopy by the path, and then kicks the dirt all over it - like cats do!

So today when Tim and I get home from work and are just about to head into our complex, we see THIS guy (aka Mel Gibson)!

A chicken/rooster!

 We can't believe it! A free range chicken!

We have been watching a lot of ACA lately (A Current Affair of course!), so we decide to do some high quality, unbiased, factual journalism of our own. We follow that cluckin' bird.

Tim following the chicken.

We find that our chicken (now possibly a rooster) has a lady friend and a partner in crime...

...and she's very clucky & pretty.

Well, I suppose a conclusion to this tail would tie everything together like a neat little package. Unfortunately, there will be no such thing. Apologies for that. The path is still a mess - the chickens are running wild....our shower is still broken.

Anyway, since this blog post is under the 'food' catagory, here's what we ate for dinner tonight! Tim doesn't cook very much, but he made this deliciously fresh and healthy tuna (the chicken of the sea) and bean salad. Perfect for a royal Thursday afternoon. Royal because the Queen was in Canberra today! 

Tuna and mixed bean salad with lemon dressing

I wonder what the Queen ate for dinner - Kanga Bangas at the Ranga Hanga?

p.s - we love all God's creatures, big, small, wussy or delicious.

Fun - Damaged carpet due to leaking shower!!

Well, here we are. You and I. You (the reader) and me (me).

Please, hold the applause, this is nothing to cheer!! Our shower has been leaking for 5 weeks now!

















Wait, where are my manners! Let me paint a picture of mystery!!

First....we found some wet spots on the carpet!!



Following the 5 alarm emergency, we were advised to try some practical solutions

a) raise the carpet,




b) don't shower?

c) dry the carpet with a hair dryer?

Well, we tried all the above, and the shower door was replaced, and Megasealed (with horrible customer service) came to mega-seal, and it still looks like THIS!



So, here we are. You and I. You (the reader) and me (me).

Fun - Big is beautiful - Parkes and Talbingo, NSW

Our 10 day fun fiesta had two more major stops - the CSIRO Radio Telescope Faciility in Parkes and the Tumut 3 Power Station.

Fields of gold... no, mustard.










We don't understand AFL.

Just in case you didn't know, this is how we know the moon is made of cheese. Really. Pretty impressive, pretty big, pretty neat.

Tim's vital stats.

Tim loves all things BIG and small.

This is what Tim looks like.. to scale... on the moon.

Tumut 3 Power Station. Tumut is a palindrome.

Tim providing scale again. Diameter of pipes = 5.56m.

















There are some big things in Australia. Coming soon... the big merino of Goulburn. Not.

Fun - Yarrangobilly Caves, NSW

Tim and I recently took a very long weekend and spent a few days exploring Canberra's surrounds. We had a heard a lot about the Yarrangobilly caves, and it surpassed our expectations.

 The caves are in Kosciouzko National Park, which has some spectacular scenery. It was a pretty grey day, but I tried to do my best with my new Nikon camera.

 Snowgums.











Above the snow line.

Almost at the caves.

South Glory Cave is a self guided cave.

Tim provides scale to the mammoth glory hole.

Yarrangobilly is approximately 2.5hrs drive from Canberra and a great day out!