quiet paws.

There’s something quite appealing about the curve of a line that travels smoothly from start to finish in unbroken fashion, turning away until it meets itself once more. The symmetry of the circle has long captivated human thought, has inspired the contemplation of true perfection, and has served as a fundamental of geometrical studies for countless generations of maths students. I can’t imagine what life was like before I understood the meaning of radius, diameter, circumference and that little number we like to call Pi. And perhaps more importantly, just where would I be if I didn’t know how to cut a round cake into the optimal number of pieces?

At the recent Brisbane Finders-Keepers Markets I picked up all sorts of lovely goodies (which I’ll gradually get around to featuring on the site), amongst which can be found these gorgeous little ceramic-topped magnets from Australian boutique stationery label Little Jane Street. Such an adorable richness of roundish goodness which came packaged in this lovely hand-stitched cotton bag.

Apart from the application of roundness to practical items like magnets, happily the circle also finds its place amongst the best sweet treats of the world.

The range of colours and contrasting textures of macaroons have made these light and chewy goodies a long-standing favourite of mine. So pretty, and just oh so tasty… it’s nice to know that circles are looking after our taste-buds as well. These beautiful macaroons came from Twist n Roll – a local French style catering business based in Brisbane. Yum!

So the next time all the straight lines and hard edges of the world get you down, think of the humble circle and remember that a start will always curve towards its finish regardless of where you begin…

I love a glass of red wine in the evening with dinner (my preference is for Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon if you’re ever buying). A glass of wine seems to be the perfect full-stop to the sentence of my day. The one downside to the drinking of wine in winter is that while it pleasantly warms me up on the inside, it still leaves my fingertips quite cold. By reaching out to my wonderful Twitter friends to help me with this cold-fingered problem, the concept of mulled wine was put forth (thanks Sarah!).

I tracked down a recipe for mulled red wine on the internet, picked up the ingredients (which included my very first purchase of brandy…a proud day indeed), and followed the very easy instructions to create liquid bliss!

While I don’t mind cooking on the odd occasion (my preference is for sweets and desserts if you’re ever over for dinner), I’d never before dabbled in the art of alcohol-tampering. But after trying my hand at mulled wine, it is an activity to which I will once again (quite regularly) return to.

Apart from tasting absolutely incredible, mulled wine has the happy coincidence of keeping my hands toasty warm…the perfect accompaniment to a winter’s evening. You should definitely try it for yourself on one such cold and frosty night.

I have to admit that along with coffee, chocolate is another indulgence that I often become a little obsessed with (perhaps I have a problem with food and drink starting with ‘C’?). While I would happily indulge in ‘lower end’ milk chocolates as a child, the last few years (actually maybe more like the last 10 years, but that makes me feel old, so pretend you didn’t read that), I’ve found myself drawn to the dark side…and the darker the chocolate, the better. Lindt very quickly became my ‘go to’ chocolate of choice. 

Working my way through their high percentage cocoa blocks, I started out with the 70% cocoa before moving up to the 85% cocoa. From there the next logical step was to sample the 99% cocoa block – certainly not one I’d recommend for the faint-hearted or the casual chocolate lover looking for a sweet chocolate hit. This is chocolate with a capital C. Anyway I digress…

Dello Mano is a local business which recently came to my attention through the Brisbane Farmer’s Markets where my chocolate tastebuds were seriously tempted after indulging in a free taste test of their luxury brownies. I don’t think that words can adequately express how delicious this taste test was – perhaps all I can say is that if that was to have been the last piece of chocolate goodness that I was able to taste in my life, I would be very, very satisfied. Ever since that first taste, I’ve been a loyal shopper at their market stall.

Granted their products are not what I would call cheap (from memory it is $3 for a choc-chip shortbread cookie, and $5 for a brownie bar), but don’t let the price dissuade you. Remember that quality and not quantity is king. The shortbread cookies are amazing (and I recommend storing your cookies in the fridge prior to eating, as it really does add to the textural experience). And of course the luxury brownies are divine. So far I’ve sampled the Classic Belgian Chocolate and the Espresso Walnut Brownie – they make a wonderful dessert or very special treat.  

Look I really would have loved to share some of my brownies with you, but perhaps your invite was lost in the mail? (or maybe some crazy chocolate-obsessed fiend forgot to send you one?). It may be best for you to just order some for yourself (psst…they deliver Australia-wide).

I’ve always loved coffee. Even before I started drinking it on a regular basis, I loved the smell of it – rich, sweet and woody goodness. Coffee was my greatest support throughout the long years of university study, it’s accompanied me to deep and meaningful catchup sessions with family and friends, and it makes the morning just a little easier to face. Let’s face it, without coffee I really wouldn’t know where I’d be.

In pursuing my coffee addiction, I was never much of a discriminating drinker. I’d simply go wherever ‘real’ coffee was available at a pretty good price. But that all changed when Tracey met Di Bella.

It was always destined to be a match made in coffee heaven. So much smoother and sweeter than any coffee bean I’d ever tasted, I suddenly became obsessed with their blends, going out of my way to frequent cafes that used them. I had become a coffee bean brand snob.

So I went a little nuts last week at the Brisbane mid-week Farmer’s Markets and stocked up on not one, not two, not three, but four bags of Premium and Swiss Water Decaf beans.

There is honestly nothing quite like the luxury of being able to freshly grind coffee beans at home for the perfect cup of coffee. But don’t worry, you don’t have to tell me, I know I have a problem…