Seriously....More Shopping!

On Friday I took off to Melbourne for another big day of buying. This time it's to pick Winter 2013 stock. I've always found it fairly difficult to choose 6 months in advance but on one hand you at least know what customers wanted that you didn't have this winter. I also know what has sold out the quickest, so I know what to make sure I have loads of next time.

Next winter is going to be very different from this seasons colorways. There is loads of orange and purple, navy and green, florals and patchwork fabrics. I'm so excited about what I can bring to my little shop. Here's a sneak peak at what I'm looking at when I meet with my agents.....

Picking from the new range Fabrik was just delightful!

Baobab has some very funky designs

 

Mizzle basics



These gorgeous crotchet booties are part of the new Mizzle winter range and I just love them!

Four and a half hours of buying and I was exhausted. I'd hoped to get a bit of shopping in but since it was 4:30pm on a Friday afternoon and I knew I'd have to battle peak hour traffic back to the hotel in St Kilda, I decided to call it a day.

My bestie turned up at 7pm and we headed out to Mama Baba for dinner. I wasn't sure what to expect. I was ready to be disappointed since there was such a hype about George Calombaris's latest restaraunt venture and I'm not normally a fan of going to celebrity chef restaraunts.

I'm not foodie, I know nothing about wines and I couldn't care less who the chef is. But, I know what I like and don't like in a meal. There's no point in plating up a pretty dish if it's not going to fill me up and taste delicious.

Mama Baba is at the end of a little lane just off Chappel Street in South Yarra. You would never know it was there and it's totally unexpected in appearance.

 

The entrance.

We started at the bar and enjoyed a few drinks before we were seated at our table. If you don't like noise this is not the place for you. The music is loud and so are the customers. The seats are close together so expect to be able to hear all of your neighbouring tables conversations. Somehow this works well though and we had some great conversation with our neighbours.

Entree of beef carpaccio......oh yeah!

Scollop's and they were perfect

Tortellini Prawn saganaki, tomato & feta. It honestly tasted more like crab to me but it's definitely a dish I wouldn't normally order so maybe it just wasn't my taste.

Desert...... this was the Ferraro Roche and it tasted exactly like one! Oh this was heaven.

An Italian Mess. By this stage I was so over full I just couldn't fit it in. But my bestie demolished 3/4 of it!

All up I was definitely not disappointed by Mama Baba. Totally worth the 4 phone calls I made over two weeks trying to get a booking. And to Stacey on the reservations line....you are so lovely to deal with.

So that was day one of my freakin' weekend. Part two tomorrow as I'm buggered and it's time for some sleep.

Single Mum's Meal #1 - Baked Salmon & Broccoli

Since separating from my husband a couple of weeks ago one thing I've struggled with (apart from the obvious) is cooking for one and a half. Emily is not quite two and only eats a quarter of my dinner and a lot of the time I don't feel like mashed potato and peas (which is her favorite). 

So tonight I tried something different. And I've decided to start a series of recipes for single mum's who want something healthy, budget conscious and quick to make. 

Recipe #1 - Baked Salmon with Steamed Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomato's

Small Salmon Steak with Skin On

Small head of broccoli 

1 tbs of sun-dried tomato strips

1 lemon

50ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Dill Tips

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

Pre-heat your oven to 180'C. Grab some baking paper and a small baking tray. Place your salmon steak in the baking tray and drizzle with some of the extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle the top of the salmon with some dill tips (I used Masterfoods dried but fresh would be great if you have it). Season well with salt and pepper. Thinly slice the lemon (about 3-4 slices) and place them on top of the salmon. Now for the tricky bit. Take the two sides of the baking paper and bring to the center, fold down the top & tuck the ends so you've made a little parcel. Don't do this two tightly as you want air to circulate. Pop your fish in the oven and bake for approximately 30 mins or until the fish is cooked through. 

While the fish is cooking prepare your dressing. Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice into a jug. Add the remaining olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Add the crushed garlic and stir well. Cut your broccoli into pieces and place in a microwave steamer bowl. I use a Decor one from the supermarket and it does a great job. Sprinkle with the sun-dried tomato strips and dressing. Add a tiny bit of water (about 10ml) to the bowl so your broccoli doesn't dry out. 

3 minutes before your fish is ready put your steamer of broccoli in the microwave and zap on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Check the broccoli and give it a toss. Put them back in and zap for another minute. That should do it. 

Then it's a simple matter of taking your salmon out the oven (it should be done), opening the paper and sliding the fish onto the plate. Add your steamed broccoli and viola! Amazing, delicious and healthy! 

The salmon cost me around $5 for the piece, the broccoli was about $1 and the sun-dried tomato strips cost me $3.50 but the jar will last me ages and I can use it in lots of other dishes.