Out.

The night before last we got the babysitter in so that we could go out......yes, on a Wednesday night. We had an invitation to the Light the Night Launch. Sadly, Hobart isn't getting a walk this year, if you want to participate you have to host your own. I'm not quite sure how this would work.....with my husband and children out on the lawn in the backyard....the Leukaemia Foundation suggest that you can have a bbq. We are on the case though, Felix did a fundraising magic concert for the boys at his school on Wednesday and raised $36 to be shared between the Leukaemia Foundation and the MS Society. Well done Fe! His next performance is for the kinders.

It is like a well timed military manoeuvre getting ready to go out in this house......especially at 5.30pm. Needless to say, I am usually exhausted by the time I've fed and watered the troops, cleaned up for the babysitter and sorted out their bed attire and going out is the last thing I want to do......but then euphoria usually hits at the bottom of the driveway.

I cooked my stand by dinner that I save for such occasions......'Pasta with Bacon, Peas and Cheese'. A recipe which I bastardised from a Delicious magazine from about 10 years ago. The original also called for such ingredients as cream and a specific French cheese. My version bears little resemblance to the original as it has been pared back to as far as it can go. Mercifully, all of my children love it, even the baby. Here is the recipe in case you have plans over the weekend:

*Cook a packet of spiral pasta.

*6 minutes before it is ready, tip in almost a packet of organic peas and two chopped rashers of organic, free range bacon.

*When it the timer goes off, drain and stir through chopped parsley and grated cheese to taste.

*Serve.....and run upstairs to get dressed.

The essential ingredient in the recipe is the free range, organic bacon......because the factory farming of pigs is CRUEL. Last weekend a young animal rights protester spent 24 hours in a farrowing crate on the lawns outside Parliament House in Hobart to highlight the cruelty involved in the horror that is  factory farming pigs. Read about it here.

My delivery from The Outnet arrived in time for me to wear this:

The dress is strapless bronze sequins By Malene Birger....as if I could wear that out on a wintery night in Hobart....I had to accessorise it with a black skivvy, black Sass and Bide jeans and a black linen jacket from Asos as well as wrap a pashmina from somewhere in the Crawford Market in Mumbai around my neck....for extra warmth.

I spend most of my time disappointed that Hobart is so daggy. Yet there are places in town that can quite convincingly delude you that Hobart really is hip, cool and groovy....baby. After the launch we went for a drink at Sidecar:

This is one of those places, but seeing that it is an offshoot of Garagistes it shouldn't come as a surprise. And then we headed in the direction of Remi de Provence for dinner because coincidentally, Wednesday night is cassoulet night:

Can you tell that our foray into teetotalling vegetarianism is over?

PS I have tried to email JMAC, the winner of my Giveaway, through Google Friend Connect twice now.....to no avail. JMAC, if you are reading this, and I have every reason to believe that you will as you are a bona fide follower, please get in touch with me so that I can send you your prize. However, if I can't flush you out over the weekend, I might have to redraw. 

Rx

Manic.

Things have been manic in my house and unfortunately I've had the mood to match. Yet, I'm happy to report that this week I have been to Bikram Yoga every day and have finally managed to accomplished all of that tedious back to school palaver. Books...tick. Shoes...tick. Uniforms...tick. Haircuts...tick.

I have also done the hard yards in the boys bedroom going through ALL of their drawers and ALL of their toys - a job not for the feint hearted. In my quest I went here, not once, but twice today:

These boxes inspired  Felix to sort through ALL of his Lego - cheap at any price.

The result of all of this over the top domestic drudgery is that today I feel euphoric and haven't shouted at my children once...except for maybe when Tobes overfilled the handbasin which seriously fessed up the floor. Isn't it truly peverse that tidying up can be so therapeutic?

So tonight I am cooking a French dinner for six. My organisation is such that I have made the gougeres - to have with drinks:

A panicked call to my friend Mary, the ultimate pastry chef, assured my that they can be quickly reheated just before serving.

The Caramelised Onion Tart entree:

And Rabbit with Agen Prunes for main which I am going to dish up with potatoes that I have just been out and picked from the garden - lucky my children don't have a pet rabbit:

For dessert I have made individual chocolate pots which will go on a plate with a chocolate biscuit, fresh raspberries and double cream. You will just have to imagine this dessert spectacular in your mind's eye and hopefully I'll remember to take a photo if I don't get too tiddly and caught up in chat.

The chocolate biscuits are from Nigella's How to Be a Domestic Goddess. Seeing school starts this week I've made the dough which you can then leave in the fridge and bake in the mornings while you are feeding your children breakfast before you have to throw them and their lunchboxes into the car and race them to school. If you are looking for an easy packed lunch addition all you need to do is cream 250g soft butter with 125g caster sugar, mix in 300g self raising flour and 30g dutch press cocoa powder. Roll into walnut sized balls and then bake at 150 degrees for around 12 minutes....et voila recess snack sorted.

Last night I went out to dinner here:

I wouldn't rush back - we were the only people in the entire restaurant and I understand why. The occasion was celebrate Kim's big brother's milestone birthday. He's not letting age get him down - he was sporting a mohawk.

I wore my new jacket that I bought at the net-a-porter sale:

What am I going to wear tonight? I'd better just peel the potatoes before I commit.

R