i am currently obsessed with....

bananas and peanut butter! Mashed together, separate, on celery, in smoothies, on toast, on bread, together in pancakes (amazing, by the way!).. the list is endless. So I wanted to share a couple of recipes I have come across including these 2 obsessions!

Bananas first......
I came across this recipe from A cup of Jo. Its a wonderful blog, you must check it out!
It is called "The best banana bread you'll ever have (with Bourbon and Chocolate chunks)" Sounds too good to be true!

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (from about 3 bananas)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8x4-inch or 9x5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Stop the mixer, scrape down sides of the bowl, and add bananas, lemon juice and bourbon. Beat until well incorporated.

Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl. Add the walnuts and chocolate chips and incorporate the last of the ingredients with a spatula.

Batter will be thick. Spoon the mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow loaf to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with milky coffee and enjoy!

Motoi Yamamoto: Salt man!

While browsing my google redder on the weekend, I came across these amazing pics posted by This is love forever ...

Following the untimely death of his young sister, Motoi Yamamoto began making these incredibly intricate ephemeral installations of salt. Not only are his pieces a commentary on the fleeting nature of life but salt is a large part of the death culture of Japan, used often in funerals. Can you imagine seeing one of these in person?
via Trendland

Isn't it incredible?

foodie weekend! yes!

I love when I get to indulge in a food inspired weekend! It started with Grill'd on a very wet and rainy Friday night. I missed the BrisStyle Twilight market due to said wet weather and boy, did it set in! I quickly ran from my car with the brolli, picked up my take away and ran back to the car! I enjoyed the crispy bacon and cheese with the tasty rosemary salt chips! yum!

On Saturday morning, Sam and I made our way to One Drop Coffee.

These guys really know their coffee and I was served a delicious El Salvador Piccolo. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. I'll definitely return now they are open on Saturdays 8am-1pm. The breakfast menu looks very appealing too! mmmm...

                            

On Saturday night, Sam and I booked a table at The Crosstown Eatery in Woolloongabba. I have been wanting to try this place since it opened. 

Sam and I enjoyed 3 courses of gorgeous bistro-style cuisine in a welcoming and cosy environment. We started with the sticky pork spare ribs and pan fried haloumi with beetroot, quinoa, lemon and almond. One word for the ribs - AMAZING! The meat was falling off the bone and coated in a sweet and rich sauce that tasted like heaven! I would go back just for that as (consistently) good ribs are hard to find these days. The haloumi was a generous size with the lemon providing the great acidity to cut through the salty cheese. The nutty quinoa was well paired with the earthy beetroot. 

My main was the spatchcock and it was enormous. I didn't realize I would be getting the whole bird! It was beautifully cooked in a rich, meaty jus and served on a bed of cavalo nero with a side of duck fat potatoes. Sam ordered the lamb cutlets with tzatziki and served with beetroot puree and israeli couscous in a tomato sauce. It was tasty, but not as good as mine! It was also on the smaller size, but that didn't matter as I had spatchcock to share!

For dessert, I chose the mini vanilla bean panna cotta which was perfect - in size and flavour! Lovely texture and topped with a thin chocolate layer on top which added an extra somethin' somethin'. Sam enjoyed the chocolate nut brownie with vanilla bean ice cream and toasted coconut. This was so yummy and had a bitter chocolate taste - not too sweet :). The service was attentive, but not over the top as well as friendly and fun. We left The Crosstown very happy and very full! We will be back again!

Unfortunately, the menu on the website is different to the one currently in house and I forgot to take pictures as I was so involved with eating the food! D'oh! Thankfully, the reviewers of Urbanspoon remembered to take pictures!

haloumi

sticky pork spare ribs - must try!

dining rooms

bar

Sunday was fairly low key. For our morning coffee, we went to see Naomi at Shucked in Newstead. I enjoyed their new signature blend "Shuck n awe"- smooth and well balanced. I love the breakfast menu here and would've dove in had I not eaten so much the night before! :P

 source of pic

For afternoon tea, Sam and I went to visit Bien at Dello Mano. They opened up on Doggett st, Fortitude Valley last November and have enjoyed growing success ever since. I tried the signature hot chocolate (filled with spices) and a peanut butter brownie. Sooo good! Dello Mano really does make the best brownies EVER! Sam had the iced chocolate which had the same spicy, chocolate base as mine, but mixed with ice cream. Delicious!

I hope you enjoyed a fun, foodie weekend too! x

Honestly...wtf

This a freaking cool website, and the name is even better: Honestly...wtf. I have just spent so much time gazing at its delicious pages. Take a look.

Divine.

J'espere que vous passer un bon week-end!

Bisous.

I had to share.....

Cake Pops! Have you heard of them?? I can't wait for the day that i finally make them - I just need the right occasion! For future reference, the lovely girls at A Beautiful Mess have put together a "How to" for the amazing cake pop! (I think I'm a bit obsessed.. :P)

An afternoon with tea and cake pops would go perfectly with the dress I received today from People Tree. It's a lovely dress made with organic cotton :) So cute!

It has coffee cups on it! *squee!*

more headband-ly goodness!

little bee for little Lola!

floral head band with buttons! 

You can find these lovelies and more at this weekend's Young Designer's Market on Sunday - Little Stanley Street, South bank 10-4pm. I'll also have a little sale going on, so come by and check it out!  yay!

Here's to great weather in Brisbane!

introducing.... hair bands for little ones!

Isn't she cute? But to divert your attention for a moment, the hair band is one of 3 that I sent down to my little niece, Lola, in Sydney. She had her nappy bag stolen while on holiday in the UK recently, which had all her cute little hair accessories.. I was quick on the case to whip up some more for her, but I forgot to take pics of the other 2! Oops! I also made a little bear with blanket stitch detail and a bumble bee :)

northey st organic market

Just checked them out and I bought some great things - coconut flakes, nut butter, fresh veges, bananas and I enjoyed a raw food brownie! There is also take-away Di Bella coffee for sale, organic meats, breads, jams, honey and tea! Plus there is a dog park nearby so they get some exercise too. It's right around the corner from me in Windsor (yay!), near the netball courts and is a lovely way to spend a sunday morning. These markets are on every sunday 6 - 10:30am

See more info here

Jessiedex: Best of - worldly delights!

Want to know a great place to eat in the suburbs of Brisbane? Here are my favourites according to food genre :D

Best Thai: 

• My Thai Restaurant, Auchenflower. Amazing Tom Kha Gai and Duck pad prik king!
• Mons Ban Sabai Thai restaurant, Camp Hill. The Mussaman beef is gorgeous, as is the Red curry with chicken

My Thai - photo source

Best Indian: 

• Punjabi Palace - fantastic naan (try Punjabi delight! spinach and cheese) and delicious chicken mahkini in the Chef's specialties

Best Mexican: 

• Tuckeria for great fresh mexican. The burritos are huge and flavourful and the tacos are full, fresh and super tasty!

Favourite Greek:

• Ouzeri, West End. This Place is always full and once you've tried the food, you know why! The skordalia dip with warm turkish bread as a starter is sooo good and followed by the meat and potatoes oven baked in a bag, you're sure to eat well! It has been a while since I have eaten here, so I hope they still serve the same great food. I must re-visit!

Best Burger:

• Burger Urge, New Farm. With the recent menu change and renovations now complete, Burger Urge is a fun casual spot for a bit to eat. I love the Cheese Louise with bacon and the sweet potato fries with lime aioli! The Zorba the Greek burger is also pretty amazing.
• Grill'd also gets a mention for consistently providing great burgers and chips. I love the rosemary seasoning on the fries :D I'm never disappointed when I leave here.

Best Sushi:

• Sushi Train at Indooroopilly is a tasty suburban find. The chicken and avocado nigiri is awesome, as is the gyoza. I am also a  hug fan of the fresh salmon and avocado sashimi. For a dinner that provides all the well loved Japanese(/Westen!) favourites, Sushi train hits the spot! Be prepared to wait, though, as it is very popular.

Best Chinese:

• I always love Super Bowl, Chinatown, the Valley. See my blog post here

Best Vietnamese: 

photo source

• Trang's, West End. I love the rice paper rolls! Very basic decor, but cheap and tasty food! win/win!

Best Turkish: 

• Caravanserai, West End. The Ottoman meze was a great starter - so much delicious fresh food - dips, meat skewers, turkish bread, haloumi.. and more!

source

Best Bistro style:

• Continental Cafe, New Farm. I finally found a delicious French Onion Soup here! The Spring lamb with root vegetables as a main was perfect.

Best German food:

• The German club (Zum Kaiser), Woolloogabba. The pork belly is fantastic and the atmosphere is always fun and friendly. They also do Pork Knuckle! Yes! I love the beer hall too!

New places I'm keen to try: 

Portabella in Eaton's Hill. Apparently the pork belly is amazing!

Sake, Eagle street pier, City

Moo Moo Restaurant, City

Crosstown Eatery, Woolloongabba

Organic Char, Eagle street Pier, City

Hmmmm... the city seems to have a few places that I want to try! 

I'd love to hear where your favourite restaurants are :D

The Whitest boy alive!

I'm seeing them tomorrow at The Tivoli! I cannot wait :D The video above is one of my favourites - "Burning".

the whitest boy alive started as an electronic dance music project in 2003. it has slowly developed into a band without any programmed elements.

members:

• erlend øye – guitar and vocals
• marcin oz – bass
• sebastian maschat – drums
• daniel nentwig – rhodes and crumar

Source of above info

• They are from Norway
• Erlend Oye is also a member of Kings of Convenience - another favourite band of mine!
• The band is based in Berlin. I'd love to visit Berlin.

Getting ma geek on!

I'm a fan of geekery.... more-so because of Sam, as he is really into computers and gaming. Below I have found some great images I discovered on Pinterest - my new obsession!

Found on Pinterest here

Sam is a huge "Portal" fan! (:P I love nerds) Image found here

Awesome! 

I only found out what a "Tardis"was recently, thanks to an episode of Grey's Anatomy. In the episode, a building fell down where a comic book/gaming convention was being held. The victims were taken to Seattle Grace hospital. One guy arrived in Emergency clutching a Tardis - and his ear had been torn off! Others were dressed as zombies and mistaken for being hurt with all the blood and guts from their costumes! haha Good times...

Source

I love Xmen... and Christian Bale! Optical illusions are pretty cool too.. Remember Magic eye? It was the BEST!

too cute! love

Good deed for the day: wrote a feel-good text to a friend in need.

Good for: my friend and me!

Jessiedex favourite

I thought this was a good opportunity to introduce some of the Jessiedex favourites in Woolloogabba!

I went vintage shopping on Saturday! yes! I love vintage shopping! So many cool items to discover - especially at the Woolloongabba Antique Store, 22 Wellington street. It is HUGE!! The floor area is filled with hundreds of small, individually stocked "micro shops". You really could spend hours here, uncovering all the nooks and crannies! This store also has a cute little cafe inside (at the front), serving wraps, sandwiches and a selection of sweet things. I really love their eclectic mix of teapots for serving and the salt and pepper shakers on the tables.

cutest S and P shakers EVER!

One of the micro shops - this one was very organised :D I love love love the bunting!

I also stopped in at Brown Dog cafe for a take away coffee. It was very busy, not a free table in sight, so very popular with the locals. The coffee was nice and the service is friendly :) Definitely worth a trip back to try the food!

this picture sourced from beanhunter

Happy Sunday!

Jessiedex: "Super Bowl", Fortitude Valley

In the Jessiedex, for good Chinese, I recommend "Super Bowl" 185 Wickham street, Chinatown. It is also well know for its mouthwatering Peking Duck (2 courses)!

We arrived at about 7pm and these tables weren't filled yet, so I thought we were in for a quiet night! By about 7:30, the place was packed with rowdy conversation and the eager anticipation for good food.

 It is a rather "no frills" place to eat - minimal decor inside and out and the floor is lined with a maze of tables and chairs. However, where Super Bowl lacks in design, it more then makes up for with a substantial menu filled with chef's specialities, Chinese and Malaysian dishes. I'd also suggest you make a booking as I've never see this place empty! Although, I did see a few walk-ins were accommodated quickly, if you are game to try your luck!

Our first course arrived of Peking duck - thin pancakes with hoisin sauce and filled with cucumber, shallots and of course, the crispy duck skin! Super Bowl often leaves some meat with the skin, so you get a nice, juicy bite of duck. There was 6 of us at dinner, and with 8 pancakes, 2 of us were lucky enough to get an extra serve!

The second course of the Peking duck is San Choi Bow, which uses the meat part of the duck in a stir-fry with vegetables and puffed noodles. This is then served in a iceberg lettuce leaf. You roll it all up and enjoy! It is sooo delicious with the tender duck meat, and the crunch of the lettuce provides a great texture. 

I LOVE chinese greens! Here they are steamed and served with oyster sauce - simple and very satisfying.

The crackling BBQ pork is another dish I always order! It has the salty, crunchy skin which melts in your mouth, the juicy fatty layer and then the moist meat layer - all in a bite size piece! Amazing! I could just eat a plate of this and nothing else! :P

Something new that we tried was the crispy skin Shandong chicken with bones. It was very tender, but the bones proved to be a bit of a pain. I love sharing everything that we order, so I get to try it all! haha!

Super Bowl is the ideal place to bring friends and enjoy some fairly cheap, tasty dishes in a casual environment. It definitely has a vibrant atmosphere with all the loud chatter of the customers enjoying themselves. Another tip, If you visit on your birthday, the staff dim the lights in the whole restaurant and sing "Happy Birthday" to you while your cake arrives!

On the walk back to the car, my friends and I dropped in to Shlix on Brunswick street.

They have a huge variety of gelatos including Mars Bars, Peanut Butter and Chubby watermelon! I also spied some sorbets, which will have to wait until next time to try! ;P A great way to end a fun night with friends :D

I hoped you enjoyed the first Jessiedex post! There will be plenty more in the future :)