Pass It On - Salmon with Chermoula Sauce

I found this recipe one day when I was strolling through the bookstore looking at cookbooks. I didn't want to fork over the $20 for the cookbook, even though it would have been a great buy because there were so many good recipes. So, I put my memory to the test and read over the recipe a few times, ran out of the store, rummaged in my bag for a pen and some scrap paper, and madly started copying the recipe from my memory. Now that I think of it, I could have just gone to the library and borrowed the book. Oh well.

Either way, I remembered all the ingredients and we had a really lovely dinner! The sauce is fresh and light and has some good kick to it thanks to the chili flakes. Plus, it's really easy to make, which scores big points at our house! Served with some brown rice and a salad, and you have yourself a dinner to be proud of!

Salmon with Chermoula Sauce - From Australian Women's Weekly
   -serves 4

Salmon: Season salmon with salt and pepper. Oil the salmon skin so it won't stick to grill. Grill salmon until cooked. Meanwhile make sauce.

Chermoula Sauce:
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup corriander
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. chili flakes
1 tsp. ground corriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. tumeric

1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup greek yogurt

- Combine first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend together.
- Add in lemon juice and oil and blend again.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in yogurt. Serve on top of salmon.

Mt. Glorious

On Sunday, Uncle Errik and Larissa took us hiking at Mount Glorious, in D'Aguilar National Park. Lucky for us, the rain let up on Sunday, so it was a lovely day to head outside and enjoy some more of Queensland.
The national park is only a short drive from Brisbane, but you feel like you're in a completely different land. Much like our hike at Springbrook National Park, Mt. Glorious is a rainforest wonderland. We did a lovely 4km walk through the lush vegetation while the birds were singing and chirping all around us. I made sure to take as many pictures as I could, but my favourite is this one of a tree root that looks like a snake. It startled me for a moment when I first saw it!

I love walking in the rainforest. I love how the trees stretch up so high and block out the sun, how the birds chirp and sing to you the whole time you're walking, and how the moisture just hangs in the air. There's always something to see and the smells are so fresh and invigorating. I just have to make sure to watch where I'm going because there were a few times I tripped on a tree root. But, I managed to avoid falling on the wet ground, so I would call this adventure a success!

Mr. Snake (aka crazy looking tree root)

The AFL Grand Final (Part 1)

Ah yes, it's that time again. Grand Final time. There are a few events down here in Australia that everyone knows by name, and knows them well. There is the Melbourne Cup, the biggest horse race event in Australia, where the entire country stands still. There is, of course, Australia Day. And then there is Grand Final day.

Despite what you may have heard, not all of Australia is in love with Aussie Rules Football. In truth, the sport's main draw is in Victoria and only recently has it drawn much interest from the rest of Australia, who favour Rugby League, or Rugby Union if you're a fancy boy who went to private school. Cricket and soccer are largely ignored, as they should be. But the AFL Grand Final is always held in the Victorian capital, Melbourne, at the famous, 100,000 person capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, or MCG for short.

This year the game featured two strong Victorian teams, maybe not a big surprise, but Brisbane was host to a bit of a dynasty a few years ago and won 3 premierships in a row, so nuts to you, Melbourne! But the glorious Brisbane Lions took a few too many pages from the Edmonton Oilers this year and had an abysmal, injury filled season...sound familiar?

Grand Final Day starts off at around 8am, with fans from all over the country in attendance. For the AFL, each team sells 'memberships' at the start of the season, and these memberships grant you certain priviledges, one of which is preference for Grand Final Tickets. As Andrea and I were not members, we could not attend. Frowny Face. But the day is full of festivities and fans dressing up and parading their teams flags around the stadium, singing songs and enjoying some friendly rivalries with the opposition's fans. One attendee was asked to describe what the Grand Final is like, to which he replied, "Ah I reckon its a lot like Mardi Gras, just a lot more bogan.

For those needing translation, this is a bogan.


What's great about AFL is that it's probably the second fastest game on the planet next to ice hockey. There are no penalties, high scoring games, fights, hitting, tackles, and stoppages only when the ball is out of play or the ball's progress is stopped by a tackle. Players typically run 18km a game, most of which is spent sprinting, jumping, kicking, hitting, and punching. I've never seen a game where players hit and punch each other as a matter of course just for the heck of it. No penalty, no stoppage, just play on. Although it's a violent game, it's much more about finesse than rugby, which is very stop and start. As there are no natural breaks, runners come onto the field to relay instructions and provide water to the players. Obviously height is important to an AFL player, so most players are nearly 2m tall, which is probably about 1m taller than your typical no-neck rugby brute.

The game was great and very fast in the beginning, with Collingwood taking off to a typical early lead, which they held for nearly the entire game. Slowly but surely, St. Kilda clawed their way back to get within a few points near the end of the game, and then they finally took the lead with a goal. The last minutes proved to be like trench warfare, and after the final second ticked off the clock, both teams scores were tied, an occurrence seen only 3 times in football history, and never since the AFL's inception in the 1970s.

A tie, sure, no problem. Let's just to go overtime and finish thi-wait, kicks? Kicks would be all righ-wait, not kicks? They play an entire new game next Saturday? For reals? Yes, they play an entirely new game the following week. While the players were obviously exhausted after regulation play, many of whom fell to the ground after the final horn, I just can't imagine playing two Superbowls in a single season.


Many fans, and players, consider this rule to be a joke, and it is a bit of a throwback to the old league, but nonetheless we will have the AFL Grand Final Part 2 this weekend, again at the MCG, with beers and sausage rolls with Uncle Errik, as we did last weekend. The question is...what if they tie again?

Rain, rain, and more rain

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

I thought Brisbane in spring would be sunny, warm, and overall just lovely. But, this past week has been nothing but rain and clouds. Though, I guess when you are inside all day at work, it's not too bad. But still, where's the sun? Maybe we jinxed it by buying fans this past weekend...

Apparently it's supposed to be sunny and warm at this time of year, but for some reason, this spring has been wetter and a bit cooler than usual. It's not that big of a deal since we know the heat and sun are coming soon, and really, it's still quite warm out. But the fair dinkum Aussies just can't handle this 'horrid' weather. It's been cloudy for a week and they're complaining about the lack of sun and how miserable it is outside. Someone asked Chris the other day how we can stand it during winter in Canada. Haha..that's why we came here!

Either way, the forecast for this weekend is for clear skies and sunshine. Which will be lovely because the Jacarnada trees are starting to bloom and I'd love to spend part of the weekend walking around and taking pictures of these beautiful, huge trees that produce these stunning purple flowers in the spring. Apparently when the petals fall, it looks like a blanket of purple on the ground! I'll definitely be taking some pictures in the next few weeks of these trees in bloom. For now, you'll just have to make do with a pic I found on the internet.

Happy weekend to everyone!

Fans

My uncle took us to Bunnings (the Home Depot of Australia) today so we could buy some fans before it gets too hot and they're all snatched up. We bought two. One for the bedroom and one for the living room. I'm putting a lot of faith in these fans that they will at least keep us somewhat comfortable when the inevitable sticky, hot, still, sultry (am I missing anymore adjectives?) nights come along. Bring it on, summer! We're ready!

Pass It On - Prawn and Pineapple Curry

I first saw this recipe on the internet when I was searching for another curry recipe to make. I was instantly drawn to the title, because I love prawns and I love pineapple. Once I read through the entire recipe, I knew it was something we had to make. For a few weeks, the recipe was in the back of my mind, and then finally, the other day, I decided it was time to get organized and make this delicious dinner.

We definitely weren't disappointed. I love that you make your own curry paste in this recipe. The smells that come from the paste as it's cooking in the oil are mouth watering, and I knew instantly that this dinner would be a success. The 'hardest' part about this recipe is making the curry paste. But since you just combine everything in a food processor, it's really quite simple.

I really hope you give this recipe a try because it's so delicious and I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

Happy cooking!

Prawn and Pineapple Curry (from taste.com.au)

Serves 6    Prep: 40min   Cook: 10min

¾ tsp. fennel seeds

¾ tsp. cumin seeds

¾ tsp. coriander seeds

4 french shallots, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely chopped

2-4 small fresh red chillies, finely chopped

4 macadamia nuts, chopped

1 tsp. ground turmeric

¼ cup veg oil

1.2kg green king prawns, peeled leaving tails intact, deveined

1-440mL can light coconut cream

2.5 tbsp. fish sauce

1 small pineapple, peeled, hard core removed, cut into 2.5cm pieces

1.       Place the fennel seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a mortar and pound with a pestle until finely ground. (Alternatively, use a coffee or spice grinder).

2.       Transfer the fennel mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger, chili, macadamia and turmeric, and process until a coarse paste forms.

3.       Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the spice paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until aromatic.

4.       Add the prawns and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until the prawns just start to change colour. Add the coconut cream. Reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the prawns are cooked through.

5.       Stir in the fish sauce and pineapple. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the pineapple is heated through. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Brisbane Festival

Chris and I have had a very busy weekend, including an event filled Sunday. We've signed up at a gym just down the street, so we got up around 8 to get in a workout before we got on with our day. I guess with all the cooking we've been doing, we need to try to stay in shape so we don't roll back into Canada. After our workout, we headed into Chinatown in Fortitude Valley for Yum Cha (Dim Sum) at a lovely Chinese restaurant called King of King's. We arrived around noon and there was a line-up down the stairs, but luckily we only waited for about 10 minutes before we were seated in the massive dining room. By the time we sat down, we were both really hungry! We had lovely bbq pork dumplings, seafood dumplings, spring rolls, prawn dumplings, plus plenty of green tea. By the time we were done, we were both ready for a nap, but we headed to the outdoor market to have a peek around.

After the market, we took the train back home to relax a little bit before we headed to the Brisbane Festival. Tonight was Symphony at Sunset, a free outdoor concert at Eagle Farm Racecourse. Luckily for us, the racecourse is just a quick walk (or super quick bus ride) from our apartment. The event encouraged people to pack a picnic dinner (minus alcohol), so Chris and I brought some rosemary baguette that Chris made last night, some brie, apples, and a couple Tim Tams (chocolate biscuits) for desert. It was a beautiful night for an outdoor concert, and we had a great spot on the grass. We spread out our beach towel and sat down to eat our delicious bread and cheese and enjoy some lovely music from the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra.

The concert was just under 2 hours and really enjoyable! After that, we decided to walk home to get in a bit more exercise and because the bus was going to be a 20 minute wait. Now we are home and Chris is making us a light dinner. We'll probably spend the rest of the evening relaxing and getting ready for the new week.

I hope you had as good of a weekend as we did!

Redcliffe

Today, Chris and I took the train to Redcliffe to spend the day on the beach enjoying some sun and ocean. Redcliffe is only about 40km north of Brisbane, but it takes about an hour to get there with public transit. The beaches aren't the white sand and long stretches that you would see on the Sunshine or Gold Coasts, but it's still a lovely place to go for a day of beaching.

We were really lucky that there weren't too many people around, so we were able to find a spot on the sand all to ourselves. We spent our time reading, listening to music, and just enjoying being in the sun and beside the water. We both got a little bit red, but we were pretty diligent about sunscreen, so no nasty sunburns for us!

I'm really happy that it's starting to get warmer and warmer each week...I see many more beach days in our future!

Pass It On - Pumpkin Chai Bread

Once again, this week's Pass It On is a delicious loaf. I found this recipe on the internet while I was searching for an alternative to banana bread. Though the recipe was initially posted as a gluten free Pumpkin Chai Loaf, I just used regular flour and it turned out really delicious.

I also cut back on the sugar because I find a lot of recipes to be too sweet if you add the full amount. I only used about 2/3cup of brown sugar, and I think it was still sweet enough.

When this bread was baking, the wonderful spice smells reminded me of Fall. I think it would be the perfect thing to make on a cool day. Enjoy!

 
Pumpkin Chai Bread (recipe from Scandi Foodie)

1 cup cooked and mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup light olive oil
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs
1/2 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups gluten-free plain flour (I used all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk together the pumpkin, olive oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and orange juice. Stir in the dry ingredients and the walnuts and mix well until smooth. Pour the batter in to a greased loaf tin and bake in 175C for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Riverfire

This Saturday was the much anticipated Riverfire, which is the big fireworks introduction to the month long Brisbane Festival. And, we definitely weren't disappointed. Chris and I joined about half a million other Brisbanites along the river at Southbank Parklands to take in the festivities. It all started about 4:30 with a fly by of a Black Hawk helicopter. I have to say, it was less than impressive, but since people had been parked out since 9am, I guess the city felt they needed to do something to keep them entertained.

Since the fireworks and F11 fighter jet fly-by didn't start until 7pm, we decided to head to an outdoor pub and grab a couple Aussie beers and enjoy the hot weather. Spring officially arrived this week, and it's almost like mother nature flicked a switch to bring on the heat. The past couple days have been in the mid to high 20s, and it doesn't cool down at night...so it is heavenly! This is what we came here for!!!

After our beers we headed back towards the river to try and find a good spot to take in the show. Unfortunately the rest of the 500 000 people were doing the same thing, so it lead to some intense crowds and a tad bit of frustration. But, we managed to get a pretty decent spot really close to the river. The show started off with the F11 fighter jet doing it's famous 'dump and burn'. We were so excited to see this, and weren't disappointed. Last year was supposed to be the last year for the fly-by, but they brought it back one more time. I'm glad we were around to see it. A fighter jet flying across the sky with fire shooting out the end of it, coupled with the incredible rumbling noise it made was a show in itself. After it flew by, it climbed up into the sky, and you could see the glow of the flames behind the clouds like a giant firefly. It was really impressive.

After the fly-by, the fireworks began. The city had put up mini barges along the river that set off fireworks, plus they were set off on most of the bridges that go across the river, and they were set off on top of some of Brisbane's tallest buildings. All in all, 6500 fireworks were set off in a 20 minute show that was set to some fun music (there were speakers set up all along the river). I took some videos and pictures, but I'll search YouTube in the next couple days for some other views of the festivities. Since Brisbane's river curves quite a bit through the city, we didn't have a view of the Story Bridge and the fireworks that were set off there. But, I'm sure I'll find a video and post it later.

We had a fun time and hopefully we can take in more of the Brisbane Festival next weekend.There will be lots of art, music, and performances over the next month.

For now, I hope you can enjoy our pictures! I will try and post a video once I get Chris to edit it for me :)