Totally Blatant, Completely Unsponsored Promotional Post - The Little Village.

I have a friend. Well, I have a lot of friends, but this is a very old friend. Okay, maybe the old won't be appreciated... a very *ahem* long-term friend.

She has started a business in the Sydney suburb of Chipping Norton. Now, she has no idea I am posting this, and in fact the only thing she has asked of me since she opened her doors is to *like* her facebook page for the business.

Little Village : A fabulous store in the heart of Chipping Norton, Fabulous Flowers, Gourmet Food, Picnic Hampers and Gorgeous Gifts.. No artificial Flowers, Foil Balloons or Fluffy Bunnies to be found here.. It's a gorgeous Little Village.

BUT, all the little bits and pieces that make it onto my facebook page have me drooling with hunger, dribbling with desire, or just plain out peeved that I live in another state and cannot get in to drown my senses in whatever the most recent experience on offer is!

The latest is this:

I LOVE relish! And the temptation is so great with this promo that I have looked at affairs and obligations, and all sorts of crazy schemes to fly in. Of course, the temptation to shock the pants off my friend by strolling in unannounced enters into it somewhat... but I. JUST. CANNOT. SWING. IT.

Shop 7 /94 Childs Rd, Chipping Norton NSW 2170

So if you are in Sydney, pop on in. And don't forget to tell the owner (Libby), that Madmother put you onto this. 

Hours of Trade: Mon - Fri: 10:00 - 18:00

Sat: 09:00 - 12:00

She'll either laugh, or get a bit creeped out if the numbers overwhelm her. Let's go for the latter. I owe her one!

Now I'm just going to make you lot drool too...

Note: All photos copyright The Little Village - I stole them

from her Facebook page!

Now I better go 'fess up to her. Hoping sense of humour still intact now she is big business woman entrepreneurial type.

Just in case it is not... I do have OTHER photos from many moons ago, Lib. But I played nice and didn't include those.

Oh, and

*SURPRISE!*

Disclaimer: this is a totally unsolicited post. I have not been paid, nor offered any gratuitous reward, in fact I have not been to the store (as yet), and the owner may well slap me one when I do get there.

Oils? Seriously, Oils?

If you are wondering why there is one oils song on loop it is because of this post I have linked elsewhere. Need the song to singalong, lol.

Eat It All Out.

Sorry. Won't be for long.



A Memoir in Memory of Memoir Mondays, with Kudos to Thea for her Inspirational Post...

Yeah, I know, the title itself is enough of a novel without the post... But here goes, *deep breath*.

I was MIA for a few weeks as well you know, sunk into the quagmire of sadness and nursing a severely wounded spirit. And so I missed a couple of the infamous Memoir Mondays. Imagine my sadness when upon my return I read this post of Trav's on his aptly named  I Like to Fish... blog.

Now, whilst I understand the reasoning I am one who truly hopes this is a mere skuttlebucket in the Travisphere and that he hurries on back to us blog buds.

But in my own little world as I am, I am holding a Memoir Monday all on my lonesome. If you wish to add to this pseudo blog hop, feel free to leave link in a comment and I'll add ya at the bottom of this post. All you need do to join is:
Grab the button from Trav:

Do your memoir and link it here, it has to be a true tale, and either add a comment on Trav's Blog to let him know, or tell me to do it. Just so he knows we care...

Now, on with my tale... and the story behind the second half of the title.

In my google reader today, up pops a post from the lovely Thea at Do I really Wanna Blog? Now, this a subject near and dear to my heart, as not only do I have two terribly fussy eaters, but I myself was one such creature in my childhood (and even a little now as a all growd-up).

All those wonderful little jibes sounded so familiar, all those "Ooh, what do they eat then?"

comments we endured, not to mention the nasty holier than thou attitude of those "Oh, my kids will eat anything I tell them to" pariahs.

I choose my battles, and as long as they eat, and eat reasonably healthily MOST of the time I sure as hell don't stress over diet.

This brings me to my Memoir Monday Memory...

As I mentioned my children in their finicky fussiness taker after moi. However I grew up in a household where by hell, you ate what was put in front of you or else you will sit there until did! No, not Wise Woman, but Grumblebum imposing his formidible will upon his picky, stubborn daughter. Did I mention how much I take after him in lots of ways?

So, there we'd sit. Glaring at each other. Until I got smart. Learnt to always wear a top or coat with deep pockets, made sure I did a toilet run mid-meal (with masses of food buried deep in my stretched cheeks), brought the family pet in under the dining room table (though that little bugger hated most of the same things I did - bar lamb's fry... very grateful for his appetite for lamb's fry), ducked into adjoining lounge room on a quick ruse..

Wise Woman often remarks that she was still finding food stuffed down the back of the lounge decades later.

Did it change my eating habits? No. It wasn't until I was much older and moved away that my tastes expanded. But I grew up, as will my boys. I don't sweat the small stuff, as long as they eat reasonably healthily most of the time, then I am happy. I tell you though, the smell of fried lamb's fry still makes me dry retch.

And next time my darling sister-in-law makes snide jibes about my kids "And what on earth do they eat?" when they refuse her jam drenched cheese dip, I'll sweetly remind her of the times she bought McDonalds on the way to our place for a meal, when I had already checked and organised their favourite foods... How short memories can be.

See Thea, you are not alone in the kitchen as the short order cook (though I personally prefer to be called Queen), in fact I doubt there would be elbow room!

Schnitzel anyone?

  

Eat It All Out - or The Madmother Munching Musical

Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin tonight's presentation I give to you one of the greatest Aussie bands EVER:

Midnight Oil!

Yes, the Oils with "Read About It"

Remember the days? Play it right through, go on. Love that driving beat, the anger, the passion. True blue Oils. Shame he didn't stick to what he did best, but that's a whole other blog topic.

Now I can hear you all muttering away there:

(though your heads are still bobbing to the steady beat as the song replays again and again in your head),

what on earth does this have to do with the

Blog This Comfort Food Challenge?

Well, I'm about to tell you.

For this challenge I have decided to do something a little off centre. I could have explained in great detail the comfort foods I turn to for consolation when life throws me more curve balls than I can handle. The love affair with pizza after a bad day at work, the satisfying nights with crispy bacon and homemade chips cooked by a man who loved me and only wished to take away my sorrow about the men who didn't. I could. But I won't.

Instead I give to you, sung to the tune of Read About It

Oh, and you could always download the song, hit play

and keep it running in the background whilst you sing. I have!

Eat It All Out 

Pepperoni pizza, dripping cheese the feature

Cholesterol will hit ya when you’re older dear

Some like fine dining, others prefer wining

For beer I am pining till my order’s here

Comfort food is greasy, digestion is so easy

In the morning I’ll be queasy, hope the bathroom’s near

Bowel motions nasty, face will be pasty

Depression will be all gone and the head will clear

         and the head will clear

You better eat it all out, eat it all out

 Just another consolation binge, trying to forget him.

Cheeseburger men are fickle, kept throwing out the pickle

He sure knew how to tickle though he was so dumb

Just give me the large chips, you know some men are such pricks

Thank God I ended this bit while I am still young

Yes, I’ll have the bacon, is it crispy you’ll be makin’

My hunger I ain’t faking, crap I burnt my tongue

My tummy’s feeling nasty, need alka seltzer fast here

Depression soon forgotten and the headache's gone
                and the headache's gone

You better eat it all out, eat it all out

Food will always help you heal, come on put it all out

You better eat it all out, eat it all out

Fritters are a glorious meal, come on pig it all out

Pepperoni pizza, hot dripping cheese the feature

Cholesterol will hit ya when you’re older dear

 My stomachs really whining, others will be dining

For beer I am still pining, oh my order’s here

Ooooh Ooooh Ooooh Ooooooooohohoho
Ooooh Ooooh Ooooh Ooooooooohohoho

Ooooooooohohoho

December 12: New Food #best09

 You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.

Gwen Bell #best09

Ah, no. Where do you think Boy 1 gets his dislike of new things and change from? Yep - me! My mother (Wise Woman 1) claims I would not have survived childhood if it were not for Vegemite, Sao biscuits, and Milo to add into my milk. I do try new things, I just am not very adventurous in my tastes. Sorry, this is just not one for me.

Tastebud Quickies or How to Fake a Feast

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.

~Voltaire~

It is terribly amusing to find my first challenge from Blog This: http://www.blogthis.com.au/ is a topic on quick-fix meals as I am the Queen of Takeaways and Mistress of easy entertaining. My darling husband loves to constantly tell the story of how in our first week of co-habitating we ate pizza four nights out of seven. It is his favourite dinner party anecdote.

What can I say in my defence? It was really GOOD pizza! And I could mention the fact that it covers all five food groups, just not in the proportions the biased medical fraternity recommends. Pfft, what do they know? But I won't.



Well, back to the topic at hand. My highest achievements in convenience cooking to date have to be the fake-outs I have created to:

• make my life easier


• allow me more time in the dining room and less in the kitchen missing out, and


• keep my guests oblivious to my little cheats, continually praising my culinary skills.
  

Now, this is nothing so crass as purchasing takeaway and passing it off as my own creation, no. More like taking creative licence and utilising the advantages of slightly pre-prepared courses. I suppose I must now lift the veil a little on my counterfeiting ability for the sake of this challenge. I can only hope you will keep it to yourselves, not spread the word too much. Would hate for some of my previous guests to find I am not the blonde Nigella they thought I was. It would be so very distressing for them to find the Goddess of Domestic Bliss has soggy, clay feet hidden by her imitation Manolo Blahniks. Here goes...

I give to you my favourite entree, and I must admit, a tasty quick fix meal for one when life is rushing by:

Madmother's Famous Tomato & Celery Soup.

Ingredients:

1 can Big Red Tomato Soup

1/2 stick of celery

1/4 onion

1 can of water

Dollop of cream

Fresh parsley

Serve with:

French Breadstick

Butter

Directions:

Finely chop celery and onion, add to water in saucepan. Bring to boil, simmer for 5 minutes. Add soup, stir, bring to boil again, turn off heat.

Serve adding small dollop of cream, swirl with knife for visual effect, sprinkle small amount of finely chopped parsley for garnish. I usually lightly toasted a thinly sliced breadstick, and added a small dish of butter curls for additional impact. Oh, offered cracked pepper too, of course. Really fancy stuff, huh? Fooled 'em every time. And the taste? Bellissimo. (Sorry, slight flash back to pizza world).

Bon Appetit!

My First Blog This Challenge!

Okay, I am going to add this here so I know what I am doing. Well, I can at least pretend to know what I am doing, I mean, hey - we all fake it a little sometimes. Don't we? Oh, maybe just me then...

Anyway, back to the task at hand. This is the first challenge I am undertaking after joining Blog This. Now, as I have no idea how to add this name as a link I will add the site:
http://www.blogthis.com.au/

I will be back to compose my blog in relation to these questions, but not tonight. Tonight I sleep.

Wish me luck. Challenge is as follows:

With the silly season upon us and busy schedules becoming even busier - we come to rely on those quick-fix meals. What is yours?

Is it takeaway? Where do you get it from and why do you choose the particular dish? Is it a weakness?
Is it a frozen meal or packet mix?
Do you make it? Share the recipe!
How did you discover it?
Show us pictures?

Have us salivating whilst sharing something useful!!