Me! On my wedding day! |
Time for a new Obsessions Post! I thought I'd start today's post with a rare photo of me - from my wedding day at the start of the month. Squeee! I love this photo partly because I look incredibly happy, and also because it contains three of my obsessions: Review dresses, expensive champagne, and Beatrix cake!
Here are my current obsessions.
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Image source: IMDB |
I have (obviously) been a fan of The Simpsons forever, and Futurama too, so I was really excited when Matt Groening announced a brand new show: Disenchantment! It's funny and quirky and modern, despite being set in a non-specific ye-olde time. Also, Elfo is super cute! It took me a couple of episodes to get into it, but halfway through I was hooked, and I literally squealed at the end of the cliffhanger final episode. The next season doesn't come out until sometime in 2019, gaaaaaah. I want to know what happens!
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Peonies |
Peonies! They’re soooo beautiful and the season is so short. They’re super expensive but I can’t resist splashing out on them when I see a beautiful bunch. They really light up the house! I even lined up for that Hello Blooms Peony Party event they had the other week where they were selling $4 bunches (although after an hour queueing we gave up and went to get brunch instead, haha). My preference is for the bright magenta ones, but they’re all gorgeous really. According to Chinese folklore they’re the flower of love, and I was so thrilled that there happened to be one in the wedding bouquets my best man picked up for our wedding. (I just asked him to get random mixed bouquets from a nearby florist, so it was a coincidence that they contained a peony - I’m taking it as a good sign for the marriage). The picture above is the latest regular bunch that's been decorating my living room. Gorgeous.
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Image source: Harper's Bazaar |
Freddie Mercury and Queen. I have enjoyed Queen's music ever since I was little. I'd probably call myself a lite-fan rather than a full-blown obsessive; I'm someone who would listen to their Greatest Hits rather than get stuck into the albums or the B-Sides or any of their solo projects. I have, however, always loved the great showman Freddie, and was crazy excited for the release of Bohemian Rhapsody. In the lead up to the film's release, I was reading any article I could find about his amazing life, and, much to Sandra's great relief, the Tom Jones music was replaced by Queen on repeat. I watched the film the weekend it came out, and I loved it! I know it's gotten mixed reviews, and to be honest, the negative comments I've read are all valid - it's historically inaccurate, it glosses over the band's hard partying ways and Freddie's prolific sex life with men, and is basically a simplified singalong rock biopic.
Despite all that, I still loved the film, and found it incredibly moving. The focus is clearly on the music, and I think they did an excellent job of creating that feeling of excitement and elation that you get from Queen's songs. And of course, Rami Malek's portrayal of Freddie Mercury is incredible. (Gwilym Lee as Brian May is also excellent, even though he's been getting less attention). So yes, despite flaws, would highly recommend.
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Cardamom Tahini Pumpkin Pie |
Pumpkin baking! You saw I made a cardamom-tahini pumpkin pie, but I’ve got soooo many pumpkin-based sweet treats on my list to bake! I follow quite a few American food bloggers and bakers (Half Baked Harvest, Bravetart, Joy the Baker, Pinch of Yum to name a few), and in the lead up to Thanksgiving they’ve all been posting so many pumpkin recipes! And I want in! They all just look so cozy and comforting and warming and delicious. Obviously here in the Southern Hemisphere it’s completely the opposite season, but given how cold and windy Melbourne’s been this week, a nice warm comforting pumpkin cake could be just what I need. I’ve got some pumpkin purée leftover from the pie, and can’t wait to bake some more pumpkin treats!
Top of my list right now are: pumpkin cinnamon sugar donuts, pumpkin pot pie (this one's savoury), pumpkin skillet coffee cake, yeasted pumpkin bread, pumpkin coffee cake muffins.
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My current savoury culinary obsession is Indonesian chicken with sambal. You may remember I used to love the ayam balado at Fat Oma, which has now sadly closed down. And since then I've been looking for a place to get my spicy Indonesian chicken fix. Basically what I want is a crispy and juicy chicken maryland covered in a super spicy chilli sauce (or sambal). I'm still learning about Indonesian food, but there seem to be loads of variations on this theme - ayam balado / penyet / gepuk / geprek / bumbu rojak, to name just the ones I've heard of! (A kind person on Instagram explained the difference to me).
Indonesian Chicken - ayam bakar bumbu rojak at Pondok Rempah (487 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000) |
My new favourite place is Pondok Rempah (487 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000). A colleague of mine introduced me to it a few months ago and now I've been visiting at least twice a month, and am working my way through all the different chicken-and-chilli combinations on the menu. I love this place! This particular one is ayam bakar bumbu rojak, which is grilled chicken with a smooth chilli sambal containing coconut milk, lemongrass and galangal. I tend to prefer the spicier sambals, but this was still great.
And yes, I'm definitely researching different Indonesian chicken and sambal recipes and totally intend to make my ultimate version at home.
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That's it for now! Coming up on the blog: lots of fun recipes, our trip to Malaysia, and the wedding! Woohoo!
You can see all my Current Obsessions posts here.