JJJ - Hottest 100

Every Australia Day {or invasion day if you prefer} has special significance for me, particularly as an expatriate.  You would be forgiven for thinking that it engenders a longing for the sights, smells and sounds of home.  There are certainly many occasions where you may have a point.  But on the occasion of our National Day, it is for one reason alone . . . 

There is a favourite year, it cannot be denied.  The songs from which, are a constant in our home and regularly pop-up on playlists that we throw together for all manner of reason.  The fondest memory I have of this album was @ our wedding reception.  We had given Phil-the-Magician the thumbs up, to play anything that features on a Hottest 100 Album.  As I began bopping away to the not-so-sweet refrains of Technohead's, I Want To Be A Hippy {Go on - click on the link} my new husband bolted from the dance floor and shut the song DOWWWN!  Phil-the-Magician then played a Spice Girl's tune {no, the link is not supplied within this post - thank you very much AND no, it was not on a Hottest 100 album}.  To this day, I am yet to forgive my Mr for such a grievous trespass!  Moving on . . .  It was in the great year of my favourite Hottest 100, that I enjoyed sweet redemption and a new lease of life!

• I survived
• I suffered through my first faltering attempts @ University life
• I saw snow and skied for the first time
• I met the Mr
• I rented my first 'home'
• I discovered the sweet delights of drunkeness
• I toked and philosophised 
• I supported the North Queensland Cowboys in their inaugural year
• I road-tripped and camped out
• I began working full-time with kidlets
• I hoped and I felt FREE

IN THE YEAR THAT WAS 1995

This year the Mr and I delayed until Friday the 27th.  We fired up the barbie, hung the Aussie flag, blew up the kangaroo and beach ball and transformed our dining table into a ping-pong table.  After many failed attempts to download and play the countdown, we gave up and played the Hottest 100 - 2010 instead :) 

Whose Wine is it Anyway?

It was a mild {in all honesty it was bloody cold} evening as the Mr and I exited our apartment block in search of a taxi... We arrived @ The Club's Restaurant at the appointed hour and met with our friends Leah and Heather.  With the warming support of several outdoor heaters, the four of us were caught up over bubbles before being ushered in to our cosy corner booth within the restaurant interior.  I, at least wore some nylons.  Heather wore a summer frock with a pashmina draped over her shoulders.  Who has cold-weather clothes in Abu Dhabi?  Fair point!

So, to the event . . . Our panel of three gentleman were the Spinney's Wine Manager {an Australian who is quite fond of French wine}, the Spinney's Beer Manager {a Scotchman who was a little too attentive to our sometimes vocal brigand} and an Englishman from Leeds {I recall that he lives in Abu Dhabi and is getting married in a couple of weeks but I don't recall WHY he was on the panel LOL}.

Check out the menu . . .   It was srumdidlyumptious :) 

To the wines . . .  We enjoyed a Claire Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc with the Tuna Tom Yam.  Followed by a Bio-dynamically produced Bordeaux with the Lamb Ribs.  The Mr was certain that the wine was the Bordeaux and not the Chilean Carmenere or South African Shiraz Grenache.  Leah too, was confident that it was not a Chilean Carmenere.  Paired with the food, we were all convinced that it could indeed be the Bordeaux!  As it was . . .  With this course, came a quaint Leek and Potato Cappuccino.  It looked something like this {although this is not it}. 

 Leah, I'd love it, if you could upload your photos :)  

 You beauty - Good on you Leah :)

Bonus points if you can explain how they managed to aerate the concoction and present it toasty warm.  The Duck course was served with an Argentinian Cabernet Franc.  And to finish, the Lemon Souffle was served with a South African Rose produced from Cabernet Sauvignon.  

I'd say that overall, the favoured wine was the Argentinian Cabernet Franc - loved the glass it was served in.  The four of us could have knocked off a bottle with our glasses only half filled!

The ladies and the Mr managed to achieve 50% accuracy in their tasting.  I, on the other hand managed to call 100%.  Nah . . . Just pulling your leg!  Actually I managed a big fat ZERO.  Be kind . . . We'll put it down to a useless palette as a result of this unyielding cold ;)

Following a successful evening, the Mr and I left the lovely Leah and Heather to the taxi rank, while we toddled on our way by foot.  Two drunken Aussies meandering homeward over hill and over dale.  Well . . .  Over damaged pavement and pot-holed, compacted sand.  Did I mention that it was bloody cold - What the?

A Visit From The Goon Squad

There was a lot of chatter about this book.  It was the Good Reads, July 2011, challenge and as most are aware by now, it won the Pulitzer in 2011. It certainly was flying out of the library door @ regular intervals with very happy readers upon its return…

Here’s what GoodReads had to say . . .   Bennie is an aging former punk rocker and record executive. Sasha is the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Here Jennifer Egan brilliantly reveals their pasts, along with the inner lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs. With music pulsing on every page, A Visit from the Goon Squad is a startling, exhilarating novel of self-destruction and redemption.

I’ve just finished reading it and I managed to get through it in two weeks, reading a chapter each night.  I wasn’t particularly enamoured with the content {even though, Pearl Jam was mentioned on page 21} however, Jennifer Egan's writing is engaging.  I looked forward to reading each night and I enjoyed the challenge of placing each character within the social circle and time that she had constructed.

Marieke Hardy suggested that this book is genuinely clever and it managed to achieve what David Mitchell attempted with Cloud Atlas.  I've linked the episode of First Tuesday Book Club in which A Visit From The Goon Squad features.

If you want to see what the hype is about or you enjoy reading the recommendations of others {like I do @ times}, then it is worth your time . . .

BBQ with the Boys

We've been set up in our new digs for a month now, and the Mr has been pretty keen to throw a BBQ for his workmates.  We enjoyed a little reconnaissance @ the local hardware store last weekend, but no purchases were made.  On Monday, The Mr announced that the BBQ would take place over the coming weekend . . .

But . . . But . . . We don't have a BBQ!

We now have a Weber Kettle BBQ

So . . . To the menu!  The boys feasted on Moroccan marinaded lamb shoulder with couscous and round beef with green salad.  I managed to whack together some harissa sauce with yoghurt, mint and cucumber to accompany the meat.  If you haven't tried it, then I suggest you make some and gobble it up as often as you care to . . .

Harissa

{www.taste.com.au}

YOU WILL NEED:

Ï 8 Birdseye chilli     Ï 2 crushed garlic cloves     Ï 1 tsp each of salt, cumin & ground coriander   Ï 2 tblsp olive oil

Ï Whiz together the de-seeded chilli with the remaining ingredients until it forms a spicy sauce.

For a sweet treat, I whipped up some gingerbread, knowing that these lads would like to finish the night with a swig or two or ten {let's be honest} of fortified wine.

Gingerbread

{Nigella Lawson}

YOU WILL NEED:

Ï 150g butter   Ï 200g each of golden syrup and black treacle     Ï 125g dark muscovado sugar     Ï 2tsp finely grated ginger     Ï 1tsp each of ground ginger and cinnamon      Ï 1/4tsp ground cloves     Ï 1tsp bicarb soda, dissolved in 2tblsp warm water     Ï 250ml milk     Ï 2 eggs beaten     Ï 300g plain flour

Ï Preheat the oven to 170 C.   Prepare baking tin {I used a 26 x 19 - Nigella told me to use a 30 x 20 x 5}   In a saucepan, over a low heat, combine butter, sugar, syrup, treacle, fresh and ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves   Remove from heat and add milk, eggs and bicarb soda in its water.   Sift flour into a bowl and add liquid ingredients, beating until well mixed.  Bake for 45 - 60 minutes.

Masia Tempranillo: 2009

Spanish Tempranillo is a reasonably innocuous combination of words.  Couple this combination with an excess of alcoholic intake, nearing the end of a 'try before you buy' event and Spanish Tempranillo takes on a rather heinous life of its own...

Two weeks after that evening with my impaired ability to make half-decent decisions, I had the pleasure of taking home a couple of cartons of some rather yummy wine and ... half a dozen bottles of Masia Tempranillo, 2009.

C'mon I implored the Mr... I had just tasted the NZ rose' @ 40dhs per bottle, and I figured that the tempranillo @ 18dhs {yeah that's about $4.50} per bottle would be a fitting outdoors drink for the Christmas holiday season in sunny, but slightly cooler Abu Dhabi.

We cracked the 1st bottle open, only to discover that I WAS WRONG!  I WAS VERY, VERY WRONG!  I was so wrong, that I began to panic @ the thought of consuming 6 bottles of the stuff.  I'll admit that I even contemplated giving it as a 'host's gift' when we rocked up @ unsuspecting friend's homes for drinkies.  See... I told you that the stuff took on a heinous life of its own!

By this stage it was December 16th.  We had relocated to our new digs the previous day and to celebrate we enjoyed a TV dinner while viewing Oz & Hugh Drink to Christmas.  Aha!  I now know how we can do away with that wretched tempranillo - We'll mull it!

Over the next couple of days, I poured over my books and watched many Christmas-themed cooking shows until I settled on a recipe to attempt my first Mulled Wine.  YUCKO!
Never mind... With a bit of tweaking and much debate, the Mr and I settled on the following recipe:

Melissa's Mulled Wine 2011

YOU WILL NEED

1 bottle of red wine   Ï   large cinnamon stick   Ï   bay leaf   Ï   thick slice of orange   Ï   a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg   Ï   4 cloves   Ï   10 teaspoons raw sugar

Ï   Steep the ingredients together for @ least 45 minutes.  Then bring the concoction to a slow boil.  Take off the heat after the 1st bubble appears.  

Christmas 2012's mulled wine is sure to be bigger, better & tastier, I'm sure!  Perhaps a splash of brandy and... A tastier bottle of wine!

Pearl Jam Twenty

Resting under the Christmas Tree, packaged in brown paper and tied with string was a weighty package that I could not wait to rip apart and devour.  I just knew that it would be Pearl Jam Twenty.  What else could it be?  Turns out it was The Encyclopedia of House Plants * yawn *

Never mind . . . PJ20 was tucked away until Christmas morning when a bright red package was placed unceremoniously upon my lap - That's what I'm talking about!

Now to the book . . .


Do you recall times during your childhood when a summer's day stretched out before you and your only responsibility was to BE . . .


I had just one such day on Boxing Day, 2011.  Sitting on my verandah, looking out over the city, I began reading Pearl Jam Twenty.  I had Water on the Road playing in the background and I occasionally strolled inside to top-up with Chandon.


Hours went by as I immersed myself within the covers!


It was a day of pure pleasure for pleasure's sake :-)


I would recommend this lovely tome to those who adore Pearl Jam and are interested in various formats of Rock Biographies.  I found that it was particularly handy and indeed delightful to have my PJ discography to hand and youtube nearby.  As a result, I've now heard stuff that I never knew existed!