It’s been a while since our last regular edition – mainly since we haven’t truly been doing much! however we’ve put together a few highlights from the past month or to ensure that Christina as well as I have been in lockdown. 

This regular edition has some fantastic meal concepts if you’re running short of new things to cook at home, plus our mixed drink classes we’ve been running remotely as well as some hot tips on gins you should try.

And of program there’s the little matter of my birthday to talk about, not to mention Mother’s Day, lots of trips to our back lawn as well as I eliminate most of my beard… on purpose.

We hope you enjoy this catch-up.

Cheers – Jim & Christina xx

Let’s be honest, there hasn’t been a great deal to smile about over the past few months. however it’s so important to try as well as stay upbeat.

Things such as this chalk drawing Christina’s discovered during her everyday exercise truly help.

Another thing that’s truly assisted us is our view. We’re lucky to have what I reckon is one of the very best back lawns in the city, as well as we try as well as put it to as much utilize as possible.

Especially at the moment.

We frequently pop down just before sunset for a bit drink as well as a game of backgammon. By the way, this prosecco from Zonin is perhaps the most underrated bubbly you’ll find. It’s under $20 in national bottleshops as well as it’s superb.

We’ve been cooking at house quite much the whole time limitations have been in place, however tonight we’ve decided it’s time to support regional restaurants too.

It’s a bloody great decision – these takeaway pizzas from Capello Ristorante in Balmain east are tasty – just as great as when we’ve eaten in. Can’t wait till doors open again. hope it’s soon.

We’re back in the garden once again this evening enjoying the gorgeous light over the water.

This Chardonnay is likewise a pleasure – a bit winery we discovered when we were on the Mornington Peninsula earlier in the year (which feels like a century ago!) called Portsea.

Remember to drink Chardonnay a bit warmer than other white wines to get the very best from its flavour as well as body.

But this is where most of our time’s been spent: in the kitchen!

Here are 12 things we’ve eaten that I can extremely suggest turning the oven on for:

1. Lasagne

I made a huge batch of variations of bolognese a while back as well as froze it all. then you just have to add things to it to produce anything from chilli to a pasta sauce. When you do, make sure you add gastrique to the mix; it transforms any type of tomato-based sauce completely.

2. Creamy poultry pie as well as polenta

I like having frozen sheet pastry at house as well as baking pies fresh. The Aldi puff pastry is most likely the worst puff you can find, however since it’s like a hybrid of puff as well as shortcrust, it makes the very best pie pastry you’ll find.

Polenta is likewise super useful. You can make it creamy like a mash (use stock rather than just water) or you can make polenta chips like these as well as it’s my trick component to the very best roast potatoes you’ll ever have.

3. Thai red curry

When it comes to cooking South east Oriental food, I let Christina take over. She’s a genuine master – as well as since our cooking class in Bangkok in March this year, she wields fish sauce like a pro chef.

4. Indian curry

Easily one of my all-time favourite foods, Indian is a great deal of fun to cook at home. I tend to go a bit crazy when it comes to cooking up a curry, however right here are a few of my favourites to make.

I’ve likewise just recently added naan bread as well as saag tarka dhal (the one I’m utilizing the strike torch on) to my repertoire. watch this area for in-depth recipes.

5. Left-over pies

Kind of linked to both the lasagne as well as my point about having pastry in the freezer, one thing I like doing is making pies out of dinner leftovers. I made a batch of bit celebration pies from a chilli I made. Christina’s quite happy with the outcome!

6. Meatballs

Another thing you can do with a huge batch of mince is make meatballs. They’re truly simple to mix up (I utilize an egg to assist hold whatever together, however many recipes don’t) as well as then you can freeze them for later.

When you comprise the sauce, just plop the frozen meatballs in for about 20 minutes or up until they’re cooked through.

7. Gluten-free choc peanut butter cookies

Christina made these bit works of art for my birthday. She hasn’t made them in a while, which is most likely why I can still in shape into most of my clothes.

You only requirement five ingredients, they’re gluten free as well as they’re the most tasty thing you’ll ever eat. Here’s the recipe.

8. Bacon egg rolls

Perhaps not the most inspiring-sounding option, however when you have truly good, locally created bacon, things truly step up on this tasty lunchoption. I’ve likewise popped some pickles on here, which truly works by the way.

But finest of all, I made the bun at house too. I’ve utilized this bun recipe before a few times as well as it never fails!

9. chocolate brownies

You may believe those packet-bake brownie kits you get at the shops is cheating, however I tell you what, the Betty Crocker triple choc brownies are an absolute win. A bit sprinkle of Maldon salt on top turns them into rather full-grown choices too.

10. Choc as well as berry cupcakes

I desire we might take credit history for these, however they’re really a gift from our gorgeous neighbours Denese as well as Jack. They even provided us these magazines to keep us entertained. So sweet.

We have a type of baked products barter system with them. usually it’s cookies in return amazing things – including this incredible block of rocky road.

11. Banana bread

For a while, I believed Christina was hoarding bananas, which I believed was neither a great concept nor sustainable. It turns out she was keeping them up until they went black to make into banana bread, which likewise turns out to be extremely in-trend at the moment.

I’ll have to capture her for the recipe at some point, however in the meantime, here’s my routine bread recipe I’ve been utilizing for a couple of years now.

12. Macadamia shortbread cookies

If I might state I have a wonderful speciality, I believe it would have to be these gluten-free macadamia shortbread cookies. They’re so great however dangerously more-ish. These are my go-to currency when Denese brings round something delicious.

A shipment came the other day from our brilliant buddies Kathleen as well as Jarrod, who run Nip of guts – a distribution as well as advertising business for Australian craft spirits.

They likewise have a pre-mix mixed drink business called Aussie Spirits, as well as they’re making these amazing 1-litre bottles of negronis (and other cocktails) while we’re all in lockdown.

We’ll be enjoying this lovely gift during our Skype phone call with them later tonight. missing buddies as well as not socialising is one of the hardest parts of having to stay put during the epidemic.

Our own personalised Negroni bottle as well as a long online chat with great people assists a lot.

Get your mixed drinks mixed as well as sent to you here.

Another of Christina’s recently found comforts is a great bath. I don’t understand why, however she’s truly into them at the moment. perhaps it’s the chilly evenings… or perhaps it’s that I keep bringing her champagne while she soaks.

Come to believe of it, perhaps I should have a bath!

There are few things in life that beat a great martini. as well as the more olives you can get on your stick the better!

On IGTV recently, we started doing mixed drink hour classes – as well as right here you can watch exactly how I make ours.

I’m utilizing Warner’s Gin – a gorgeous London dry from the UK. The Warners are a couple working together like us, so we feel some kinship there. They’re likewise the major sponsor for Hospo forever – a foundation to assist people in the hospitality market who are having a hard time with mental health and wellness in these difficult times.

Warner’s are putting $5 from every bottle offered towards the foundation up until the end of the month.

Today, Christina is embellishing the office. We’re costs more time right here than ever before, as well as these huge white doors aren’t finest backdrop for Zoom calls.

So she’s utilizing Japanese washi tape to produce these awesome line drawings. The tape just peals off, so if you make a error or have to eliminate the pictures, it comes off easily.

Tonight is one more mixed drink hour class on IGTV. This time, we’re making negronis. There’s been a bit of hype to negronis just recently thanks to Stanley Tucci’s aberration (sorry Stanley, you can’t ‘just switch gin out for vodka’) as well as likewise Alexander Kraft of Sotheby’s worldwide on IGTV with The Rake.

If you haven’t seen this guy before, he does routine tours of his estate, his vehicle collection, his watch collection, his vintage cigars… he’s amazing as well as every space has a negroni set prepared to go.

Our negroni is made with Warner’s gin once again – however this time around their pink rhubarb gin. It adds a tasty wonderful tartness to the drink – however see for yourself. I’ve been taught by genuine master mixologists exactly how to make a negroni. I hope my learnings come through!

In one more of our mixed drink hour classes on IGTV, I talk about the wonders of the gin mule as well as – of program – show you exactly how to make it. I’m likewise utilizing the Warner’s rhubarb gin here.

Discovered that the bit harbourside pools as well as beaches around Balmain are not as risk-free as they may seem today. I don’t understand if this is a indication that the harbour is cleaner than typical or what, however a note on the rocks warning about a blue-ringed octopus living in thewater right here is a bit worrying.

They’re one of the most poisonous creatures in as well as around Australia… which is stating something!

Thanks to Christina’s hair as well as beauty site Hair Romance, we’re lucky sufficient to be working with the super-talented hair stylist Anthony Nader today in his awesome Surry Hills salon as well as his hair product as well as devices business Sydney salon Supplies.

We’re producing some ‘cuts-at-home’ videos with him to assist people trim their overgrown hair in lockdown.

We’re shooting a men’s hair as well as beard trim at the moment – as you can see from this BTS shot.

Inspired by Anthony’s craftsmanship, I’ve decided to provide myself a bit of a beard trim too. Not sure which version I prefer… though the picture in the bottom right makes me question where my chin’s gone!

Today, to celebrate Mother’s Day, we’re at Christina’s sister’s place. We’re welcomed by the home gargoyles – Raven the black lab as well as Monte the moggie!

Christina’s sister’s home has a fantastic back lawn as well as the most recent addition is the terminate pit. As our nephews get the flames going, we prepare for an evening of fun as well as catch-ups.

We enjoy the warmth of the terminate with Christina’s mum as well as our brother-in-law – designer as well as builder of the terminate pit.

And if you’re wondering what those silver pear things are, they’re potatoes we’ll be baking on the terminate later.

After dinner, we break out the marshmallows. It’s so great to see everybody – it’s amazing to believe the last time we saw these guys, talk of an epidemic was almost conjecture as well as fiction.

Today is perhaps the most important day of the year. Yes, that’s right, it’s my birthday!

We were supposed to be in Europe today, however obviously Covid has seen to that. however if cancelled travel plans are the worst that occur to us, I believe we’re quite lucky.

It’s more than sufficient for me to be costs my birthday with this amazing woman. I barely notice the view when I’m with her.

But sitting right here with Christina, negronis, a magnificent cigar as well as a bit of backgammon – not to mention a new shirt – I couldn’t be happier.

Unless you include a curry feast! This magnificent meal comes from our regional Indian as well as is precisely what I was hoping for.

Thanks to my mum as well as dad for the present. We’ve ordered far as well much food – to the point that the guy on the phone taking the order persuaded Christina to get more rice since he believed this was for more than just two people!

I took my own advice though as well as have made pies with the leftovers. great deals of pies!

Thanks likewise to our incredible neighbours Red as well as Lysh for the beers. young Henrys natural Lager goes so well with a curry.

Tonight is the very first time I’ve been out to socialise since lockdown began as well as (obviously) since the rules were relaxed a bit.

I’m off to see my mate Pete for a cigar as well as some whisky.

As I come home, I realise exactly how quite the harbour is at night. It’s been so long since I saw it like this. as well as that’s the great thing about being at house so much: you see the beauty once again in locations you’ve seen so often.

It’s a damp night in the city. In fact, Sydney is the only location I’ve ever been both chilly as well as sweaty at the exact same time. exactly how can it be both damp as well as chilly?

But as the low clouds tug as well as pull at the buildings as well as towers, the moon glints down from its shining seat in the heavens.

Only morning, with the pale sun pinking the sky, do the city mists flee, leaving a damp, glimmering town below.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this regular Edition. Stay risk-free as well as be happy.

Jim & Christina xx