How quickly a Sunday rolls around and I look back to reflect on the things I have achieved in the last week. This week, I can definitely say was busy as I sit here enjoying some couch time trying not to think about going back to work tomorrow.
Last weekend I headed out for lunch with some friends and was really excited to try a new African/Ethiopian cafe, cafe Merkama. I was very pleased that they cater for people like me that can never make decisions about what to order by having a tasting plate on the menu. We shared a selection of 8 dishes accompanied by an Ethiopian flatbread. I think this was the most surprising thing of the meal, it had such a unique taste not to mention the look and texture. It reminded me of a sponge and was really bubbly! You should really check this place out. I had heard great reviews and not only was the food great, but the service was amazing. We were greeted with a cup of tea when we arrived which was perfect in the cold Ballarat winter. Lunch certainly gave new recipe Sunday something to compete with! I tried another lamb shank recipe this week but they were individually wrapped up in baking paper and cooked in the oven as parcels. The meat was cooked really really well but I was disappointed with the flavour. The spices and juices that were bundled up in my parcels dried up much quicker than anticipated. I probably wouldn't do this one again. Lunch won this round!
Monday rolled around quicker than anyone wanted but I was actually looking forward to a little bit of a change as I headed out to a food handlers course for the day. It was something I actually found very interesting not only for my job but obviously enjoying cooking it certainly made me double think a few things I did during the week!
We also had a morning tea at work this week so I took the opportunity to cook up something a little bit different. I have been looking at the Sarah Wilson, I Quit Sugar recipes recently. The diet or plan or detox isn't something that I think I will try but I do really enjoy trying some different recipes using alternative ingredients. I decided to try a Raw Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake (except I substituted for blueberries as I already had some). It was actually a lot messier to make than the recipe sounds, mainly mixing with the food processor. So if you do give it a whirl, beware it did not mix very easily! It uses a lot of nuts, I am not sure if I have mentioned it before, but I am not a huge fan of any kind of nuts so I didn't love it to be honest. I will definitely try some more of her recipes and I did have some good responses from other people, although who knows if they were just being polite!!
My work week continued to be busy as expected so when the weekend rolled around again I was really looking forward to some relaxing time. It didn't really turn out that way as I had a lot to pack in to two days. I was catching up with some friends for a special milestone birthday on Saturday night of a very beautiful friend. I headed out to Daylesford Saturday afternoon for a goddess themed evening. She requested we bring out a signature dish so I took the opportunity to make a quick and easy guacamole, always a crowd pleaser. It was a lot of fun and lovely to see some old friends over dinner at the Daylesford Hotel. Nothing really jumped out at me on the menu so I decided to go with a scotch fillet burger. I am not a big steak eater so I was a little nervous but it was really really tasty. The chutney was delicious and I can't remember the last time I had bacon, I always forget how good bacon is! I really enjoy Daylesford and for a 30 minute drive I do not get out there enough, something I will try and change in the near future.
As the weekend draws to a close, I am excited about heading out to dinner with my girls tomorrow night. I love having new things to try and write about! Good luck getting through the work week, for those teachers out there, happy last week before holidays!! Smile brightly xox
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