Winter Harvest Festival at Rouse Hill Town Centre

Joined in the fun of the first Winter Harvest Festival at Rouse Hill Town Centre this morning. This event was a collaboration of Rouse Hill Town Centre and the Hawkebury Harvest to celebrate local and regional foods, a chance for visitors to sample the tastes of winter.

We heard the sounds of the event even before we arrive at the scene.  The music of the band helped us in finding our way.  Live music while going around or having brunch or morning tea made everyone feel the festive air.

It's our first time to attend a farmer's market.  The great thing about these kind of events is you get to discover the local producers in nearby areas.  Most of their products homegrown or homemade. 

Ford's Farm is a well-known orchard for mandarin picking.  Their mandarins are so sweet.  They sold 3-kilo bags of mandarin for only AUD$6.00.  They also sell Cumquats, Lemons and Limes.

Other than getting to know and buy local produce, you get a chance to taste the products.  That's one of the best advantages of buying produce in the market as compared to buying produce in grocery stores--not only do you get to buy fresh produce, you also get to taste the produce before buying them.


Taste tests:  Honey, Jams, Wine, Bread.

There are lots of chocolates and pastries too!  We had a taste of the truffles at The Chocolate Pot and it was delicious. 

 Can't help but by a small box.

Other than food, there are other items found at the festival:  Potted flowers and baskets to name a few.

Loots from the Festival:

We bought a 3-kilo bag of Mandarins, Bloodwood Honey and Mixed Berry Jam from the Enniskillen Orchard.  The Mixed Berry Jam is made of preserved Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries and Blueberries (berries galore!!!!).  It's soooo delicious.  I told my Husband that I won't have to miss the jams from Good Shepherd because I finally found an equally delicious jam here.

The Truffles from the The Chocolate Pot is a great find.  I'm not much into flavoured chocolates but their truffles are different.  The flavours of their chocolate are not overpowering.

The truffles we bought were (top left to right) cherry, champagne, hazelnut, (bottom left to right) orange, coffee and mint.  The orange and coffee truffles have cute designs!! :)

Chocolate Boutique Cafe: The Chocolate Room

I'm always on the lookout for a cafe to hang out in the city.  I could always hang out at popular cafes but they're always full and noisy.  Although sometimes I have coffee in the middle of the mall, I also yearn for a more quiet cafe to relax and unwind at the end of a busy work day.

We discovered The Chocolate Room in Parramatta but the Husband told me that they also have a branch in Sussex Street, Sydney.  The cafe is near his place of work so very ideal for me.  After work, I sometimes go there and have my "me" time while I wait for him to get off work.

The Chocolate Room is one of the many chocolate boutique cafes in Australia.  At The Chocolate Room, you'll get that total chocolate and dessert experience.  They serve chocolate drinks in different flavors (classic, mint, hazelnut, tiramisu, coconut, meringue to name a few), cakes, pastries, waffles, fondue...plus they serve good coffee too.
 

I love their Iced Coffee with Vanilla Ice Cream and Whipped Cream.  Refreshing and not too sweet.  A bonus of coffee beans on top.

Their Vanilla Cheesecake is one of my favorite cheesecakes.  Creamy but light.  Not too rich and not too sweet.

They serve their Vanilla Cheesecake with melted chocolate swirls, whipped cream on the side and slices of  fresh strawberries.  
 

Their Banana Split looks inviting and tastes delicious.  You need to have someone to share the goodness, sweetness and calories with.

One of their cakes: The Opera.  Thin layers of almond sponge cake, ganache and coffee butter cream, glazed with chocolate on top.  Just by looking at this lovely creation will make you drool.

Their simply irresistable Chocolate Cake, joy for the chocoholics (one of which is my Husband).

Pancakes with Pear and Vanilla Ice Cream.  A filling afternoon snack which combines the sweetness of ice cream and tanginess of Pear enveloped in pancake harmony.

One of their signature dishes, the Waffle Wonder, is a favorite of mine.  Who would resist warm toasted Belgian Waffles showered in rich, hot chocolate sauce?   Their chocolate is rich in cocoa, which produces a stronger taste in chocolate.

Other than having a quiet ambience and sinfully delectable food, the service is friendly and the prices are more reasonable compared to other chocolate boutiques.

The Chocolate Room branches are located at the ff:
Sydney CBD
Shop 210 Maestri Towers
corner Sussex & Bathurst streets
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone 02 9269 0004

Parramatta
Shop 11/15 Phillip street
Parramatta NSW 2150
Phone 02 9687 6882

For more branch locations, click here or you can check out their website for more info.

Affirmation: One Step At A Time

Affirmation:

When I am very busy, I remember to take things

one step at a time.

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Personal Reflection:

As I write this, I'm savouring the last few hours left of my week long holiday.  The week that had been was a good balance of rest and recreation.  It was a week that I was able to spend time with family and friends thru parties and coffee dates.  It was a week of re-connecting not only to loved ones and most importantly to myself. 

As we all know, holidays aren't always enough but I choose not to think of the longing for more days of leisure.  Instead, I look forward to going back to another busy week at work tomorrow.  I know I have a huge week ahead of me but I trust that this affirmation will help remind me to take one step at a time...one task at a time to ticking off responsibilities that need to be done.

Have a great week everyone!   Take it easy, breathe and smile!


P.S.  You might be wondering why I put up a very relaxed photograph when I'm talking about being busy.  My message behind this photograph is that even if we are too busy with so many things, there is, still and will always be, time to relax...to take a step back and breathe.   :)

Back to Blue

Blue has always been one of my favorite colours.  When I was in my teens, I have an abundance of Blue outfits.  When I started working, my love for Red and Pink overpowered all the Blue that I had.  Now, I started buying Blue again.  I realized that my wardrobe should have a balance of all the colors.  I love my Blue either bright or light to the eyes.  This winter, bright hues of Blue brings more vibrance than the usual Black hues.

And since we are talking of Blue, let me share with you one of my favorite Blue songs.

I NEVER SAW BLUE LIKE THAT (by Shawn Colvin)

Today we took a walk up the street
And picked a flower and climbed the hill
Above the lake

And secret thoughts were said aloud
We watched the faces in the clouds
Until the clouds had blown away

And were we ever somewhere else
You know, it's hard to say And I never saw blue like that before
Across the sky
Around the world
You've given me all you have and more
And no one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now
Oh, I, I never saw blue like that
I can't believe a month ago
I was alone, I didn't know you
I hadn't seen or heard you're name And even now, I'm so amazed
It's like a dream, It's like a rainbow, it's like the rain And somethings are the way they are
And words just can't explain
Cause I never saw blue like that before
Across the sky
Around the world
You've given me all you have and more
And no one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now
Oh, I, I never saw blue like that before

And it feels like now,
And it feels always,
And it feels like coming home
I never saw blue like that before
Across the sky
Around the world
You've given me all you have and more
And no one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now
Oh, I, I never saw blue like that before

Oh, I, I never saw blue like that

Things I Love: White Chocolate

I don't eat chocolates everyday and I seldom have sweet cravings but I do love chocolates from time to time.  My favorite from all the chocolates are white chocolates.  My Husband usually tease me and say, "You seldom eat chocolates but you eat the unhealthiest chocolate of all." (hehe).  That's true because white chocolates only contain cocoa butter and no cocoa solids.  My Husband (the chocoholic), on the other hand, loves dark chocolates and takes pride that he loves the healthiest chocolate.

The good thing about my love for chocolates is that I can live without them for a long time.  However, one of my "security blankets" at home is to always have white chocolate in the pantry.  I don't need to eat them, I just need to know that they exist inside our home and I will feel no fear (LOL). 

I'm always on the quest to finding the yummiest white chocolate but I do have three favorites at the moment.

Lindt's Lindor White Chocolate.  This is white chocolate heaven, so far the best white chocolate I've ever tasted.  It has a smooth centre that will ooze creaminess inside your mouth. 

Kit Kat White Chocolate.  The perfect Kit Kat break for me.  Biscuit covered in white chocolate is just so refreshing.

Cadbury Dream Real White Chocolate.  Melt-in-your-mouth white chocolate. I love the super milky taste of this chocolate.

Do you have any white chocolate favorites? 

Good Food & Wine Show (Sydney, 2010)

The recently concluded Good Food & Wine Show in Sydney was a blast! 

It was my husband and I's first time to attend this awesome event and we're so glad we shared this experience with my mom.  For weeks, I've been so excited to attend this show at the Sydney Convention Centre and it didn't disappoint at all.  Not only were we able to discover and taste culinary delectables, we were also able to watch two celebrity chefs in action.

We arrived at the venue at a quarter to 10 on Sunday morning.  We were the first ones to enter the venue and we got on to exploring right away.  The Husband bought a Good Food and Wine Show Granny Trolley, his way of gearing up for the shopping that awaits us (how cute!!!), and a Wine Glass with Wine Glass Holder (a pink one especially for me!) so I'm all geared up for all the wine tasting ahead.  How thoughtful, right?

I love the clever concept of the The Wine Glass Holder because it keeps your wine glass insulated and has a strap so you can wear it around your neck for easy mobility.  It also helps you avoid losing your glass.

What's in the Good Food and Wine Show?  Other than an opportunity to taste food and wine, you also get to discover appliances and knick-knacks related to cooking, plus there are stalls for magazine subscriptions, all for discounted prices and lots of give-aways.

On the first hour of the morning, we were able to walk around and took photos of the place conveniently but after lunch, there was very little space to move and the hall looked like this...jampacked!

Nevertheless, it was still fun.  The event organizers provided a Show Planner and Map to help people maximize their stay and in getting their way around the place.

The best experience of the day was having to watch celebrity chefs and Masterchef (Australian Reality Cooking Show for Amateur Chefs) hosts & judges Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris.

I am a fan of Gary Mehigan.  I've seen him once when I was at the Vivid Sydney at the Rocks just a few weeks back and I was happy to see him in person.  To watch him on a show and do what he does best was such a great pleasure. 

The show we watched at the Celebrity Theatre was entitled "Your Place or Mine" which is a 45-minute cooking show by Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris.  I'm not much of a fan of George but he is a great chef as well and I like him too.

  

Together, Gary and George make a very entertaining team.  Not only did we learn a few recipes and cooking tricks from them, they made the show really fun--they made us laugh and dance.  As judges in the Masterchef show, they sometimes appear strict but on-stage, they are really approachable, funny guys.

The Celebrity Theatre had a big TV screen on stage so everyone can see what Gary and George are doing while they cooked and for close-up views of the food.

I remember they made pasta then turned them into tortellinis.  Another dish they made was baked prawns on a bed of Hommus.  They baked bread too.  And they made this dish that has beetroot as a main ingredient but I forgot what it was called.

After the show, George went straight to the Good Food Magazine stall and made a cooking demonstration again.  I didn't watch this time as I wanted to get on with my shopping and going around.

We had lunch somewhere else as we had to meet up with friends.  We went back in and went straight to the Nespresso stall to watch a demonstration of the Nespresso machine and for free coffee.  Chris wanted me to see how the machine works. 

Years ago, we planned to buy this machine for our home but I've been delaying it.  Chris already got me Nespresso cups and saucers but I said, "let's wait awhile before we buy the machine".  However, after attending this show, we finally decided on what Nespresso to buy in the future.  Now we are just waiting for the right time to buy it.

After coffee, we went around for a taste of more food.  The last order of the day was to buy wine.  We went to a several wine tasting, boy did I have so much fun.  Other than the taste of the wine, we wanted a good deal from sellers because we were buying in bulk.  We discovered Beelgara wines and bought two bags of wines from them.  Since we bought wines in bulk, they gave us two wine bags.  The wine bags are insulated to keep wine cool.

We went home with all of these from the show....

Two of these food magazines were free while the other two came from the two grocery bags we bought.

We bought two grocery bags for only AUD$15. The products inside those two bags where fixed and the total value of both bags were AUD$189.  Since you are buying it from the Good Food and Wine Show, it was only AUD$15.  Such big savings! 

What we paid AUD$15 for-- From Left to right (from top row): bag of caster sugar, small bottle of olive oil, small packs of condiments and spices; 2 jars of pasta sauce, cans of tuna, a jar of chicken soup; packets of chips, biscuits, peanuts and dried cranberries; samples of coffee and tea; bottled green teas; dog and cat food; small tube of whitening toothpaste, smales tubes of suntan lotion and Nivea facial wash and Blistex lipgloss; cleaning products and wet ones.

It was a long but fun day.  We learned a lot from the celebrity chefs plus we get to bring home lot sof goodies, some free and some bought at discounted price.

I look forward to attending next year's show.

Some Tips:

1.  Book your tickets early.  The earlier you book, the better seats you will get on the Celebrity Theatre Shows and more freebies.  The later you book, you might not have a chance to watch a celebrity chef cooking demo.

2.  Be early to avoid crowds and get more freebies.  In the afternoons, most freebies are gone and there are long queues for free wine/coffee/food tastings.

3.  Bring a granny trolley or your own grocery bags if you plan to buy lots of stuff.  You can also buy the Good Food & Wine Show granny trolley bag.  It's good quality bag and can serve as a souvenir from the event.

4.  The event's Show Planner and Map is your best companion.  Get it from the information booth as soon as you arrive.  It lists the schedule of cooking demonstrations, exhibitors and their corresponding stall number.

5.  Be prepared.  Check out the Good Food and Wine Show website so you know what to look forward to.

6.  Have some cash with you.  Some exhibitors don't have and EFTPOS/Credit Card system so having cash with you will surely make your shopping more convenient.  There are ATMs in the convention center but since there are a lot of people, there is also a long wait to withdraw money.

7.  Bring your own or buy your own wine glass.  Most wine exhibitors don't have wine glasses for wine tasting.  Having your own wine glass is a must if you will attend this show.
 
8.  Be discreet in taking photographs.  Not all exhibitors like people taking photographs of their products.  If they ask you to delete the photos you took of their store or products, delete them.  It's their loss anyway.

All photos by Chris and Ivy Sanchez, Copyright 2010