This local produce market has been one of the highlights of my 2012 Australian holiday so far. My mum has been coming here for years, but after all the times I’ve visited back home, this is the first time I made the effort to go myself.

It has made me so envious of the availability of delicious produce. Not only is there fresh local fruits and vegetables, but potted herbs, eggs, at least three different bakeries, flowers, and many stalls just selling the one thing they’ve got – local avocados, mushrooms or tomatoes.

Alongside the produce there’s a mini United Nations of vendors with easy to eat snacks. Last Saturday I tried Japanese Nikumaki, these funny little meat rice balls (amazing, especially with fresh green chillies and coriander sprinkled on top), and this week I watched a guy stretch out the dough by hand to make me a grilled Lebanese pancake, filled with spinach, feta, mushroom and pork mince. It was like a Lebanese quesadilla and it was delicious!

So, if you ever find yourself in this part of the world (southern end of the Gold Coast of Australia), check out the Palm Beach food & farmers’ market on a Saturday morning. Your taste buds will thank you!

Wow! I can’t wait until next year when ACT and I visit my family and friends in Australia. If only to stay in one of Andre’s Mews, in Melbourne.

A boutique hotel-apartment-mews in (my old neighborhood) Melbourne’s Richmond, Andre’s Mews not only looks lush, but has a wonderful story behind its existence. A few handfuls of individually designed apartments, built by the owner’s daughter over 8 years to fulfill his dream. It’s really worth checking out their ‘About Us‘ page and reading the full story. Full of love and character, this place is like something I’d love to create some day.

The picture below is of the 2 bedroom apartment, The Ellen done in a “sophisticated French city” style, but each room is individually designed, so there’s sure to be one you’ll love too! All apartments have a courtyard or terrace, internet connection, plasma TV, air-con and heating, and are walking distance to local shopping and the best Vietnamese food in the city.

Enjoy!

Lucky you, Melbourne peeps! The lovely Virginia Martin has opened her first Bul store – a haven of gloriously beautiful tailored clothing that are as charming as the woman herself.

Find it at:
Level 3
Curtin House
252 Swanston St
Melbourne
t: 03 9663-0390
curtinhouse@bul.com.au

Here’s the appeal for me; I can’t wear shoes with massive heels – and sadly that’s what is mostly on offer these days. But Bul’s collection is perfect for life in the city, sensible yet beautiful. These shoes are destined to be a keeper – especially when teamed with Bul’s tailored coat, oversized cable knit cardie, and pretty dresses. Lush!

When so much fashion (especially in London) is OTT, it’s refreshing to see something that looks like it’d actually be comfortable, as well as super stylish.

Maybe I’ll see a collection at Liberty of London soon? I want!

It’s a good time for producer-types in Australia. The ABC are looking for multimedia producers to work on an exciting new project that aims to engage audiences across regional Australia over all platforms: tv, radio, online and mobile. Read more about it and apply here. Deadline is the 5th March.

ABC Open Intro Reel from ABC Open on Vimeo.

One of my goals for twenty ten is to do something very adult – I’m going to buy a piece of art for myself. It’s going to have a ltd. edition number on it, something like 10/30. It’s also going to be from Jeremy, the lovely man behind The Jacky Winter Group, which represents Australian illustrators.

I’ve already purchased a print of his for a friend a while back, but I find his illustrations so beautiful, the lines are so amazingly detailed and colours are fantastic – I want one for myself.

Take a look at the full roster of Jacky Winter illustrators here or read the Jacky Winter Peter Peter blog , it’s like porn for those of you interested in the latest illustration gossip and amazing images.

I’m a week and a half into my Australian summer christmas holiday. It took a few days to get into the vacation vibe; but now I’m waking early, baking & listening to music, swimming at the beach, napping, hanging with the fam & watching tonnes of movies. Christmas in the sunshine is great!

So the title of  this post was a bit of an excuse to post some pictures of the newest member of our family – little Caio. He’s 10 months old and it was hilarious fun snapping him mid bawling! he’s actually a really happy kid, more like the photo below. way too cute!

So, on to the recipes! when I visit my mums, I always bake up a storm. This time, the favorites by far were the cranberry & macadamia cookies and the apple cinnamon muffins. Recipes below.

CRANBERRY & MACADAMIA COOKIES

ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (chopped if needed) macadamia nuts
- 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

directions

1. preheat oven to 190c (375f)
2. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda & salt and set aside
3. Beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar. Beat in the egg, then beat in the vanilla
4. gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, until just moistened. stir in the macadamia nuts and cranberries by hand
5. roll into tablespoon size balls and drop onto a greased or lined baking sheet, and press down the cookie dough with a fork to flatten (but not too much!). sprinkle with brown sugar if desired
6. bake 12-15 minutes or until edges look golden brown. cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack

APPLE CINNAMON MUFFINS

ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter

directions

1. preheat oven to 190c (375f). grease muffin tin or put paper cups in tin
2. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt and set aside
3. Beat together the butter, sugar and the eggs until smooth. mix in the vanilla
4. stir in apples and gradually blend in the flour mixture & spoon into muffin cases, filling almost to top
5. in a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. cut in the butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan
6. bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. allow to sit for 5 minutes before removing muffins from the pan. cool on a wire rack.

and so am I this southern summer, but sadly not in the same city as Kelley Stoltz at the same time he’s doing shows. pants!

- 20 Dec 2009, 8pm – Workers Club, Melbourne

- solo w. UV Race and Ships Piano
27 Dec 2009, 8pm – Pure Pop Records, Melbourne

- solo
7 Jan 2010, 8pm – Curtin Bandroom, Melbourne

- 9 Jan 2010, 8pm – Sandringham Hotel, Sydney

- w/ band
16 Jan 2010, 8pm – the Corner, Melbourne

- Summer Tones Party w. Bright Black Morning Light, Kes Band, Roland S Howard, Dent May and more…..
17 Jan 2010, 8pm – The Retreat Hotel, Melbourne, – w/ lisa miller, shane o’mara and sarah bethe nelson

Listen on his MySpace page

and Om’Mas Keith for their ghettotech-meets-space-invaders piece of genius that is ‘wind it up’. I’m about 3 months behind the times – apparently it was released on 20th July this year on hyperdub, but nonetheless, i found it and now I love!

in other Mark Pritchard news, seems he’ll be a regular feature at the lovely Lorna Clarkson’s new sunday afternoon shindig in sydney – b-side @ the beresford.  sounds like my perfect sunday afternoon – a bunch of talented music peeps dusting off those weird and wonderful records that don’t get an airing at the discos they usually play about town. here’s hoping they’ve got one scheduled when I visit Sydney later this year!

b-sides @ the Beresford

and for those who won’t be enjoying the oz summer like me, console yourself with other mark pritchard tunes/mixes, most under his harmonic 313 guise, on my new favorite music blog – rcrd lbl.

Quite a few years ago my mate Rae Begley and I used to put on a party, named The Party (yes, the Peter Sellers movie… it’s in my all time Top 5) at a little bar in Melbourne, Loop. We wore vintage dresses, played 80s pop alongside new indie-electro-rock and then always some soul/disco/beats. I always got really drunk and never mixed the records! We also did the graveyard shift at RRR once in a while and generally had a great time about town. Good Times! Then Rae moved to London. Then I moved to L.A.. Then Rae moved to Sydney. Then I moved to London!

These days Rae still calls Sydney home and she is headmistress extraordinaire at the lovely little PR Agency, Little Hero. They’re the home to many a great fashion label, do pop up shops with brands like Cheap Monday and her blog is cooler than Kanyes’! Such deserved success for a truly talented lady. Checkit!