[ddot]

when things get a little hectic for me i like to remember thos days we spent last year visiting the country side. sure, they were marked with a sense of excitement and planning for our wedding party. memory of  those slow afternoons and quiet sunset give me that little skip inside, that things are not always so difficult as they seem. i think it is time to return.

something new for tuesdays. one photo of my neighbourhood.

today a welcomed cool change means a quiet start to the day with a hot coffee instead of iced tea. a humble start to a four day week as i sift through some magazine subscriptions. this year we are tightening our belts with certain luxuries so to balance things out a bit i ordered a gourmet traveller subscription. it aids in staying in and starting a week off nicely.

a few things which caught my eye + appetite:

• chefs at home: 72 great quick dishes

#43 cook chorizo in a little garlic and olive oil, add thinly sliced squid strips and cook for a minute. toss the lot through fennel sliced thiny on a mandolin, grate in some lemon zest, add chopped parsley and serve – MARTIN BENN, SEPIA,  SYDNEY

#64 toss a mixture of mint, coriander and dill through some shredded cabbage and dress with lemon juice and olive oil. top with persian feta for a new-age summer ‘coleslaw’. – MATT McCONNELL, BAR LOURINHA, MELBOURNE

• the feature on watermelon: i’ve never thought of watermelon rind pickle or rajasthani watermelon curry. i’d say yes to watermelon, gin and cassis icey poles immediately!

• the fig tart (pictured above) with goat’s curd and honey. oh my.

other mixed bits for the week:

these behind the scene images from inauguration day and inauguration balls. it kind of makes my heart swell. what a privilege to be able to photograph these moments.

i’m not a fan of most carrot cakes as they tend to dissapoint with dry cake, too sweet frosting. this cake looks pretty good, so i’ll have to give it a go v. soon.

foodzie: like etsy but for food only. i’m going to investigate.

now, i’m off to re stock our pantry cupboard which was overtaken by some moths last week.  i’m taking to storing grains and flours in the freezer until summer is over. those moths came out of nowhere and were so very destructive.  we’ve had most of the items on our dining table since then, trying to work through the tins of beans and packets of pasta which have been lingering for a while.

good day!

when the temperature was shifting between 38 and 42 degrees celsius and the long weekend ahead all plans for cooking had to be put aside. inspiration took the form of some fresh seafood and lemon.

and today when it was milder, i popped a few fresh beetroot in the oven to roast and waited for them to cool down a bit so that i could make a version of this salad. the roasted beetroot was sliced into wedges and then joined a medley of oranges and coriander, dressed lightly in extra virgin olive oil, fresh pepper and salt flakes. minutes later, with grilled haloumi and pinenuts, you have a hearty summer salad.

a real summer salad would see those beets cooked atop a bbq and possibly mango instead of the orange.

now for some summer drinks! happy weekend!

i’ve never been quite brave enough to stop a stranger and ask if i could take their photo, so i was surprised when i actually did so yesterday.

perhaps it was the hazy summer heat or the fact that there were a group of people in masks in a coffee shop. as they were leaving i asked the question and soon enough we found ourselves on the pavement taking photographs in between questions about protesting, organised religion and tom cruise.