Finally, all my Winter-weather summoning dances have paid off. The weather has finally and seriously dropped here in Australia! It was NINE DEGREES overnight (that’s 48F), which is fully winter for us. Like legit cold. And I’m as happy as a damn clam. I just love the cold. I love staying in, with a bubbling pot of something on the stove (I made some killer vegetarian baked beans, heavy on the smoked paprika, and ate them with buttered toast, it was awesome), and watching goofy movies with my boyfriend. We’re churning through films at the moment, all the old Sean Connery Bond’s (so sexist – terrible) Jurassic Park, Chicago, Kill Bill, The Candidate, Thomas Crown Affair (amazing), Bullit, and School of Rock. It’s a random selection and I’m fine with that.
Now that the chill has finally set it, my mind has turned to camping. Not what you might immediately jump to in the depths of winter, but honestly, camping in summer is just too damned hot. Give me a crackling fire, and a tent, and a human-sized bag of marshmallows and I’m happy. Whenever I think of camping, I think of pine forests, whenever I think of pine forests, I think of Oregon…
Weekend Guide to Portland. This is the perfect little guide to Portland, if you ever find yourself lucky enough to be headed that way. Michelle is (as far as I’m concerned) a connoisseur of all the finest that Portland has to offer and she keeps is just weird enough.
Dreamy photo art. Talk about a waking dream – these beautiful images are so evocative. They feel intensely familiar, and yet elusive at the same time. I want to try and find each of the real life locations and then buy the corresponding picture as I do. Art scavenger hunt.
Stirring Slowly. Georgina Hayden is a long time colleague of Jamie Oliver’s, and thus I have been stalking her work for many years. She is a beautiful writer, comes up with dishes both inventive and comforting, and I really can’t wait for this book. I would buy it for the title alone.
Camp Cooking. I’ve fallen down an internet hole of camp cooking. Lucky for me, Steph is in the game so you know you won’t go hungry. This Yaki Udon looks like exactly what I want to eat under a forest canopy. Also, kind of in love with this blog now, too.
Cabin life. Give me a cabin in Northern California or give me death.
Learn to cake. Lyndsay Sung of Coco Cake Blog is a killer lady. And she is now teaching a class of Crafsty! She’ll show you how to make her signature cute, playful animal cakes, and that is sure to make anyone with a pulse happy. Get it gurl!
Round ups on round ups. My friend Amina has included my epic Milo Pie in this round-up of Summer recipes. Ch-ch-ch-check it out!
AND NOW! My camping/winter inspired brunch menu!
Let’s start off with some Fruit Foccacia by a Lake, shall we?
After that I’m going to want to warm up, so it’s back inside for a bowl of these gorgeous oats, with almonds, coconut sugar and vanilla.
Then after a few hours, and maybe some more hiking and building up of an appetite (and remember it’s cold! So we need our energy), a giant mess of waffles with bacon, and a creamy coconut hot chocolate, please and thank you.
As an Oregonian it makes me so happy that pine trees make you think of Oregon!! You ought to visit and get a good dose of chilly weather. :)
I would LOOOOOOVE that!