mini!

Here we have a tray of mini burgers.





















And here we have the missus modelling a mini burger in her mini dress. I think that's her "oooh a mini-burger" face.

There was a lot of excitement about the burgers, much more than enough to make all the fiddly bits worth while. The rest of the food included mini butterfly cakes, mini fairybread (oh the cuteness!), mini lebanese pies from tabet's and mini sushi (possibly that was just small though).

For those who like details the burgers were made of homebaked mini-buns, patties (soybeans, rice, spices, mint, coriander), baby beetroot slices, fried onions, cherry tomato slices, lettuce, tomato kasundi. Yum!

For those who like other details there were amazing cocktails designed by the missus, cute baby action, drunken dancing and heaps of good quality peeps. The best thing that happened that night though, and possibly the best thing that's happened in my life so far was a surprise performance by Quel and Sammy of the final dance sequence from Dirty Dancing. Back-up from Maree and Claire. These ladies had been rehearsing so hard.. all the right moves. Never have I felt more honoured and well loved.

God birthdays are good.

Did I show you this before? I can't remember but I really love it.

Yes, it's made from marshmallows. I feel bad that I can't remember who did it, it was at an art school show in the underground carpark at the Collingwood Housing estate. There was a brazier and toasting forks too.

mini is like so hot right now

Look, I'm not proud of the OC watching habit that me and Sammy developed this year. I've tried quitting a couple of times but somehow it lures me back. And I know it's bad for me, bad bad bad but sometimes you learn really important things. In season 2 we learnt about the "group hang" - this is a great thing where you all go out on the town as friends and then end up hooking up with your friend's quasi date. Last week, in Season 3 we learnt from Summer that as far as food for kick-off carnival is concerned "mini is so hot right now."

So that's it. It's decided. My birthday kiddie pool* carnival and suit launch is going to have mini food. Mini food! So far I'm thinking mini burgers, mini bagels and mini lebanese pies from Tabet's. Any other suggestions? I'm thinking we need something less bready and things that don't need preparation once I've had too many cocktails in the kiddie pool would be great.

*Is it just me who thinks kiddie porn whenever I say kiddie pool?

summer camp breakfast

I love days where everyone just mooches around together like summer camp. No real plans but nobody really wants to go their own way for long. It starts with breakfast for 10 in the big kitchen..3 copies of the Saturday paper.. some wandering in and out to garage sales and voting. Cycling down to the velodrome for some strange performance art and slapdash picnic. Back home for a little rest. Sammy comes over because she's lonely at home after an hour's separation. Over to the ranch for board games, beer, whisky, gorgonzola arancini, pesto. Then crepes with ice cream and a surviving jar of feijoa jam that never quite set.

So yeah, I'm concentrating on refining my breakfast cooking at the moment. Last weekend was french toast with a loaf of Challah (egg bread) I bought specially on Thursday at the best Russian bakery in Melbourne. French toast with stale Challah is the best. Thick slices. Some browned bananas. Maple syrup. It was quite the luxury breakfast in these $10 banana times.

ps. Blogging seems hard lately. I'm not sure why. Practical issues of internet time and all, sure but something else hard to put my finger on. I might keep trying but I'm not sure.