Hello, July!

I’ve set myself this challenge...can I tick them off? In no particular order...bring it!

Off to Adelaide...

On Friday afternoon, we headed to Adelaide.  It was Gus’s birthday and he had a delivery to do on Saturday so it was a perfect chance to see the girls and their fellas again.  Nothing makes us happier!

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Nate had this delicious lamb rack in the smoker for dinner...

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Kirby had to work both Saturday and Sunday but Bri and I caught up with her for Saturday lunch at Rain on Norwood Parade.   We shared the shallot pancakes...

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...and the steamed dumplings...oh, that sauce!!!

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I ordered green chicken curry - sooo good! I had the sweats afterwards! 

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We went out for dinner Saturday night.  I ordered this pizza but only had 1/4.  The rest went home in a box and Kirby took it to work on Sunday.

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I did have affogato for dessert...
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I had mixed up a batch of no-knead 5-minute artisan bread on Saturday arvo and let it prove until Sunday morning...the dough was quite gloopy but came together in a nice ball without kneading...

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I heated a cast iron dutch oven for 30 minutes in a 220C oven then dropped the dough in, on kitchen paper...

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After 30 minutes, I removed the lid and baked for a further 20 minutes at 200C.

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 A crunchy crusty loaf...

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Before we left to come home, I made dinner for the kids to have Sunday night.  Chicken penne pasta a la Joolz! 

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We were on the road by late morning.  It was very foggy up in the hills!

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I found this chip cutter in a Japanese shop called Daiko.  It was amazing, everything Japanese that you would find in a store in say, Tokyo.  I loved it.  Anyway, the cutter worked a treat on a couple of oblong white potatoes and produced perfect fries.

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I put them in a bag with 1 tbspn EVOO and a good shake of Nostimini spice mix...

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Yummy oven fries!

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We had bought some little lamb and pork mignons before we left Adelaide so that was dinner.  I must admit that the serving is quite large but peas, carrot and corn are 0 points. Gus did over do the lamb a bit but it was still tasty.

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Oh dear! I was very angry when Gus came to put together a kneeling chair that I bought at OfficeWorks.   There was one piece missing! 

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I will ring them shortly to see what can be done.  We are 400 kms away from the store! 

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Weigh in time this morning...please excuse my tootsies, they will be getting a pedicure tonight!

77.9 kgs so a gain of .100 gms from last Monday.  I’ll take that - it is hard staying on track when you’re away from home. Back into it today with a walk on the treadmill and some floor exercises that are in the WW magazine.  8.1 kg loss to date. 😝

Cheers - Joolz xx

Family reunion in Daylesford...

On the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, we set off on the Saturday to head to Daylesford for a McDonald family reunion...

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It was a very foggy morning with the fog staying until around noon...

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We had lunch in Ararat at Sicilian’s which was fantastic!  Gus had a tandoori chicken pita wrap and I had a chicken caesar one. It was humungous! I took half off my plate and I was still stuffed!

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Absolutely the best CC salad I’ve had in a long time! 

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We tootled our way to Daylesford, arriving around 3.30pm...

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We went out to dinner with everyone at the Royal Hotel.  Again, really good pub food.   Here are cousins, Heather and Fiona...

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Uncle Ross delivers a speech...

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Our powered site at the Daylesford Holiday Park...

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It was mighty chilly overnight but we were warm and toasty in Pearl.  We had hot water bottles and an extra blanket and were fine.  My nose got a bit cold!

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Beans for breakfast!

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We went to the Railway markets and browsed around for a while...

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We found a nice warm cafe for a coffee with Dunc and Mandy...

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Gus can never pose for a serious photo!

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After the coffee, we decided to head out to the Swiss Mountain Hotel which is out the road at Blampied...

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Gus ordered the gnocchi in blue cheese sauce with an apple and pear salad...I have never tasted gnocchi so tender and tasty! 

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We also shared this tasting platter which was delicious!

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We then visited Captain’s Creek winery for a quick taste...then it was time to head back...

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Sunday night, we all cooked our own dinner then ate in the park club house.  There was a nice open fire in there...

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It was Mandy’s birthday so I’d bought her a cake - you must have cake and candles on your birthday!

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As oldest of the McDonald cousins, Angus got to blow out candles for his birthday coming on June 22...

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Eggs and bacon on Monday morning before packing up and saying goodbye to all!

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We had lunch on the way home in Ararat again, this time at the Vines Cafe and Bar...Gus had CC salad...

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I had chicken, vegetables and roast potatoes (I left half the spuds)...

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We had a wet, dark trip home.  This big cloud was just out of Casterton, bringing thunder and lightning with it!

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When we got home 6pm, we unpacked what we could then I made a curry using a Passage to India sachet, quick, easy and tasty! A big weekend! 

Cheers - Joolz xx