Forrest, Victoria - great from every angle

Forrest, Victoria, Australia. Interesting facts: Population 238 -  dog lovers, beer connoisseurs and mountain bike fanciers. On my count there are about 1:15 official mtb tracks per resident of Forrest.

We've just returned home after four nights in Forrest with a few close friends to celebrate my hubby's birthday. In summary; an action packed, fun and very comfortable long, long weekend.

We stayed at Forrest Church Retreat on the main drag. Great location - walking distance to the Brewery and a short ride to the many MTB trails.

The Forrest Church Retreat has four separate sleeping areas (two private, with double beds, another double bed on mezzanine (although open to the house), plus four bunk beds in an open rumpus/entry area. It cost us $1500 for 4 nights - pretty good value split between the 5 of us. The Retreat was well equipped for riders with a lockable bike shed, plenty of under cover bike racks and a big washing machine to clean those filthy riding clothes! The house (a converted church, amen) has a big, functional and open kitchen which was a lot of fun to use. Pretty much everything we needed was there - coffee plunger, dishwasher and ample pots and pans. All linen was provided (and was clean - bonus!). Wood fire, and ducted heating kept us toasty on the winter days and nights. 3 bathrooms made things comfortable too. The house can sleep 10, but noise and headspace would be a consideration. No pets, yard is not secure so leave the kids at home. Overall, very happy and we hope to get back there.

Visits to the Forrest Brewing Company became a daily ritual for our little cohort:
Thursday: coffee and lunch - smashing steak sangers, savory pastry selection and interesting soup... fuel for a big afternoon of riding... but more on that later.
Friday: beers and salty chips after a muddy ride in the late afternoon, sitting outside under the tin roof listening to the rain and studying the enormous trail maps affixed to the brewery wall.
Saturday: dinner, including confit pork belly with smoked beetroot and local spuds; thai style fried rice; and the obligatory steak/chips/salad combo. Sticky date pudding with a birthday candle made our night.

It wasn't a fluke. The place was consistent - with the great team working the welcoming magic, keeping the fire going, turning out the great food, beer and impeccable service. Read more or check out the video on the FBC website. Top beers on tap included pale ale, red ales and blocksplitter stout. Also a few local wines on offer. A triumphant local gem.

Anyhoo... the main reason I'm writing about Forrest isn't the beer, or the accommodation, it's the bike adventures! Might be going away from the traditional homeharvestcook focus... but what the heck! It's about celebrating the good things in life.

This was our fourth visit to the Forrest mountain bike tracks in the past few years. We are drawn by the technical trails, fast flowing loops, and overall variety. Heaps of useful information and maps here: RideForrest.

A riding highlight for me was a one-on-one lesson with Jess Douglas [accomplished world champ endurance MTB-er]. Read all about her here: Jess Douglas. Yep she knows how to ride a bike. What a treat! Jess runs MTB Skills, a growing business which currently runs group and individual courses in Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and Queensland. Lots of info on the website.

It had been raining in Forrest for most of the week leading up to my scheduled lesson, and we almost bugged out on account of the wet and cold... but after a hearty lunch at the Brewery, we decided to suck it up and make the most of a gap in the rain.  Rugged up in thermals and multiple layers we headed out on the Yaugher trails. Jess patiently coached me through cornering, correct positioning and technique, and helped me overcome some fears. A few hours coaching with Jess was a great way to kick off the long weekend of riding, and I had a few solid days afterwards to practise and reconcile.

Here's a happy snap after the lesson. I was totally exhausted, albeit inspired, and elated to have knocked over some of my biking demons.  I highly recommend this experience for anyone wanting to improve their riding skills.

Over the following few days, we covered plenty of ground on the Yaugher trails - unfortunately the Southern loop was too wet and we didn't want to risk damaging the tracks. The Forrest Mountain Bike & Cycling Club are a committed bunch, running events and working with DSE and local landowners to maintain the trails. Let's not ruin them in the wet, ok?!

In addition to great riding and the brewery, Forrest has limited facilities (but that is part of the charm). There's a pub and a general store with limited opening hours. We heard a whisper there's a new bike/coffee store coming soon - The Corner Store - for bike hire, maintenance (including help if stranded on a trail - brilliant!) as well as cake and coffee. I will look forward to checking it out next time we're in town.

While away, I enjoyed a yoga class in nearby Apollo Bay with the ever smiling and positivity-oozing Natasha Sikand. She runs regular classes as well as retreats. Delicious porridge for brunch at Cafe 153 in Apollo Bay after yoga. Coffee was good too!

We also checked out the small nearby town of Birregurra, perusing local produce at the Birregurra Farm Foods and Provedore and eating ah-mazing burgers from the general store.

All in all, a magnificent and action packed, super-sized weekend in a beautiful corner of the earth.

Forrest, thanks for having us.

E

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Ragubbit or Rabbigu?

Making my first rabbit ragu - it's in the oven as I start this post. For some reason the unusual and uncommon meats seem to make us squirmish. Fear of the unknown? Trying to challenge that attitude by proving that rabbit can be awesome. Time will tell.

After reviewing my cooking library and taking some inspiration online, I decided to freestyle it.

Found these recipes helpful: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/cuisine/meat/recipe/pappardelle-with-rabbit-ragu-20111019-1m68w.html (because it didn't suggest using the kidney - baby steps!)

and

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Rabbit-Ragu-233984 (because it included bacon!)

Contemplating making my own pasta, but not sure I have enough eggs... or energy! Would be a good opportunity to give the food processor (that I pined over last christmas and have barely used), a run. Hmm. But the ready-made stuff is so easy.

The rough-and-tumble recipe:
Preheat oven 170 degrees celcius.
Chop: 1 rabbit into 6 pieces - [husband, cleaver or both are very handy at this point].
Chop: 2 brown onions, 4 garlic cloves, 3 sticks of celery, 1 large mushroom*, 150g bacon; 3 carrots.
*[not sure this is too traditional, but we love mushies, so why not!]

Heat olive oil in a heavy pan (which has a lid and is suitable for the oven). Brown the rabbit pieces in the oil. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your pan. You don't want to overcrowd the meat during browning process. Once browned on all sides, remove meat from the pan.

Add a little more olive oil, throw in onions, garlic, celery, carrots, mushroom and bacon. Fry for a few minutes, stirring. Add some fresh sage and rosemary leaves, and a bay leaf. Add a cup of white wine to deglaze the pan and scrape all the sticky bits off the bottom so they get into the stew and don't burn. Cook for a few more minutes, the veges should be softening. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 cup tomato passata, and 2 cups chicken stock. Return the rabbit to the pan. Add a little more stock or white wine (depending on taste) so that there are no sneaky bits of meat sticking out of the liquid.

Pop in the oven and cook for 2 hours. Remove meat from the pan, pull meat away from bones and discard bones. Return meat to the pan. Put on stovetop and cook until the liquid is reduced.

Serve with pappardelle pasta (interesting fact: 'pappardelle' comes from the Italian word 'pappare' which means 'to gobble up' or 'tuck into' - http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pappare)

Looking forward to it! Time for a glass of wine methinks!

____________


The finished product

Pudding Pudding PUDDING!

Winter. It's that time of year where puddings are essential! Warm, soft cakey gooeyness with custard, cream or (and) icecream. Don't mind if I do!

My favorite pudding, of all time, without question is my Mum's self-saucing chocolate pudding. It tastes like saucy, dark chocolate heaven with a crunchy top... oh I want some NOW! Reminds me of our little family :)

A tried and tested left-over too, although usually didn't make it through the morning after - yep, breakfast of champions!

That recipe is staying firmly under lock and key...

But here are some other puds that are rocking my winter world:

1. Roly Poly Pudding (Nigella) - a mid-week cinch  http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/roly-poly-pudding-70

2. Chocolate and Madacamia Nut Pudding (Matty Hayden)http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/12646/chocolate-and-macadamia-nut-pudding

3. Caramel Croissant Pudding (Nigella again!) Just in case you have some spare pastries to deal with
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/caramel-croissant-pudding-38

4. Butterscotch, Banana and Pecan Pud Pud - I wonder whether a crumbly top would add value to this... pondering. http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/13685/butterscotch+banana+and+pecan+pudding

5. Citrus Passionfruit Delicious Pudding - fresh and zesty!http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/922/citrus+passionfruit+delicious+pudding

What's your favorite pudding?

Scarf Community Monday Night Pop-Up Restaurant

I recently spent a few days in Melbourne. I have been wanting to check out 'Scarf Community' dinners for some time, and this visit things worked out!

Monday night winter dinners with 'Scarf Community' http://scarfcommunity.org/, is a social enterprise helping marginalised young people with barriers to work get a foot in the door in the hospitality industry. My impression was positive, and this is testament to the effort and care of the volunteers and other supporters.

Last Monday night's edition was hosted in the lovely Libertine restaurant in North Melbourne.

My friend Andrea and I shared an entree board, with delicious olives, smoked salmon, meatballs and miniature pot pies [and some other treats that we inhaled without noting!]. We both opted for the paella for our main, which wasn't quite as impressive as the entree. It arrived more like a seafood risotto, although a very delicious one! If it had been advertised as a risotto, it would have been wonderful - 'paella' raised great expectations!

Service was very friendly and attentive (albeit a little nervous). Mentors quietly and patiently guided the trainees, assisting them to competently keep the patrons fed and watered. The trainees managed all of the contact with us, with the mentors quietly observing and giving suggestions and advice throughout the night. I noticed one trainee adjust his approach after serving us, based on feedback from his mentor, and do something differently at another table.

I applaud the organisation, the restaurants that lend their kitchens, all the volunteers and supporters, and most importantly, the trainees - taking a chance in the hospitality industry and making the most of it. I hope to get to another Monday night dinner before the winter months are over, and encourage you to do so too. Only $35 for a two course meal - pretty great value, and supporting a wonderful program. Check out the website for more information - http://scarfcommunity.org/

Libertine's dining room was gorgeous - and I hope to check it out on a normal opening night for some delicious french cuisine. http://www.libertinedining.com.au/

A road trip, a pumpkin and a well deserved coffee!

19/5/12 - Tunne Cliffes Lane - about 7km north of Heathcote along the Northern Highway


A really good night sleep followed by wholemeal pancakes for breakfast kicked my weekend off to a fine start. An easy hour's drive sout-west to my home town, Heathcote (shiraz country), a quick catch up with some extended family, stacking a load of firewood in the trailer, then lunch at Flynn's winery - http://www.flynnswines.com/ for a friend's birthday.

We then stopped by my folks place to for a cuppa and to raid Mum's latest batch of kasoundi and green tomato chutney. Home grown tomatoes of course! She also dug up some jerusalem (f)artichokes which will be made into soup this week, and gave us the most amazing pumpkin I have ever seen:

(apologies for the upside-down photo on the right). It is a good 40 cm across the loop, the bulb on the end is about 15-20cm diameter, and the long stem part is about 8cm diameter. It is hard to show the size of it in these photos. I cut and used about 500g of it tonight and 3/4 of the long stem part remains, so it will feed us for a while!

A quick game of scrabble with my sis [she thrashed me as usual], then off exploring for fossils in Trilobite Gully (oh the places you'll go with an enviro-science type for a hubby!). Didn't find any dinosaurs, but snapped the lovely photo that opens this blog entry. Hit the road and home with a bit of daylight to spare. Threw a few sticks for the pooch into the river to burn off some of her sillybeans. 'Helped' collect wood to get the fire started (mostly watched). Easy dinner and quiet night. Just what the doctor ordered.

A sleep in this morning, then a 16.6km run* to the lovely riverside town of Murchison. Lunch and (the well deserved) coffee with some great friends. Highly recommend Wagner Bros Fine Food Store http://www.locavored.com/wagner-bros-fine-food-store/. Delish coffee, and really good, wholesome food. Eyed off the cakes but resisted somehow.

[*Currently in training for the Run Melbourne half marathon (21.1km) in mid-July. 16.6km is my longest distance for over a year. Hello pain my old friend.]

Home for a relaxing hot bath and an afternoon of pottering around the house. A cuppa visit from a friend exploring an off-the-beaten-track mountain bike route from Murch to Shepp - looking forward to trying that one out!

Now, back to the pumpkin!

I am fortunate to have a very big family, and one of my many wonderful aunties hooked me up with a great recipe book recently: River Cottage Veg Everyday (http://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Cottage-Veg-Every-Day/dp/1408812126) in which the very lovely, passionate and talented Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall teaches us to turn boring old veg into tasty meals in their own right. Yes folks, there was no meat in sight tonight!

Using Mum's pumpkin, and a few alterations to suit the larder supplies, I whipped up North African Squash and Chickpea Stew. Hubby suitably impressed. Plenty of left overs for lunchest this week.

one of my favorite little things, above (the groovy egg timer)

the pumpkin.... and the stew mid-cook


The finished article with some roti:

Delicious food for the soul! Think I might need it for the coming week!

Until next time...

E
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Crochet

Trying to teach myself to crochet, after admiring some very nice crochet slippers on etsy :o)

I started with this youtube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqca00LdmAc - thanks Naztasia! So helpful and positive!

Here's my first attempt. It is a square masquerading as a blobby triangle. But it is cute.

Decided the yarn I was using (100% acrylic) was too stringy, hard to tell one chain from the next. I dug around in a bag of wools and other goodies my hubby's Nana Mavis gave me, and found this netting kind of ribbon fabric. Someone crafty will tell me it has a proper name. It didn't come apart as the wool had done, and was pretty sturdy, so was good to practise on. This is what I made next:

and that grew into this:

In the background are tonight's effort - something that ended up looking like a mini-beanie, and another - maybe the start of a scarf. Oh! The places you'll go!

Sugar-free Banana Bread

Sitting around with huzzy and friend drinking pots of coffee and decided we needed some food... so I made this up. Everything is approximate! And when I say sugar free - there is probably a little in the yoghurt... and of course in the honey - but no sugar as an ingredient.

Melt 100g butter, stir in about 2-3 tablespoons honey, mix well, add 2 eggs, mix! Add 1-2 overripe bananas (I only had one but another would have improved it). Mix well and mush the banana so its not too lumpy. Add a big spoonful of vanilla yoghurt. Mix. Add a handful of chopped walnuts and macadamias. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon, and some freshly grated nutmeg if you have it. Add about half a cup wholemeal flower and about the same of self raising flour. Mix well and hopefully it looks something like a cake mix. Add milk if too dry, or more flour if too wet. Put into lined loaf tin. Oven about 180, for about 20 minutes. We have polished off half the loaf! I'd probably go a bit more honey next time, and i think with the extra banana it would be a little sweeter.

 

Tis a bit rustic... but tasty!

Ruthie's Thyme & Bacon Chook

I managed to extract this secret recipe from my friend Ruth, and what better way to keep a secret than stick it on my blog!

Its is with adoration and thanks that I post this recipe, in honour of this wonderful person who is moving to another city for exciting adventures with her family.  Thanks for the memories :) Skype ya later.

No idea what the official measurements are, but this is what worked for me:

What you need:
- A whole chicken, broken down into parts - I got the butcher to do mine. I think I'd use just chicken thighs or drummies next time for something different.
- 300g bacon - cut into small pieces
- 12 shallots, peeled and halved
- olive oil
- white wine
- fresh sprigs of thyme
- fresh rosemary
- pepper
What to do:
- heat oven to 220 degrees celcius
- place shallots in base of heavy casserole dish
- sit chicken pieces on top of shallots and scatter bacon over
- pull some of the thyme leaves off and scatter, and throw in some sprigs whole, same with rosemary
- add pepper to taste
- pour olive oil over the top of the chicken and bacon (about 2-3 tablespoons)
- put in oven for 20 minutes, covered
- after 20 minutes pour a glass of white wine over and give the pan a shake
- return it to the oven without lid for another 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked and tender.

We served this with potato/sweet potato combo mash, just cooked buttery brussel sprouts and garlic mushrooms. Was a treat the following day for lunch with a basic salad too.

Thanks Ruth for sharing your recipe :) - you'll probably tell me that my interpretation of your recipe totally sucks, will have to come and try the real thing in ADL!

Summer Rain

Summer is officially over as we approach the middle of March. Over the past fortnight we have received over 155mm of rainfall near Shepparton. To help give this context, our average February and March rainfall are 33.8 and 33.5mm respectively. It is WET!  Towns to the north are battling flood waters and some farmers are even using boats to feed stranded livestock. Communities are sandbagging their little guts out and hoping that the makeshift levy banks will hold for a few more days. I hope so too.

Fortunately our patch, south of Shepparton (upstream on the Goulburn) is on higher ground. Our chooks were a bit sad and soggy for a few days, the yellow labrador found some mud (glorious mud) to wallow in, the washing piled up in the laundry basket, and most annoyingly, the grass that had been about 5cm for the last couple of months suddenly remembered how to grow and shot up to knee height almost overnight.  We made some slow, wintry food (oxtail stew, pork rillons) and cracked open some red wine and made the most of it. It almost felt like winter - aside from the shorts and t-shirts! I was tempted to light the fire, just for ambience. The sun has now come back out and the garden looks really lush (albeit overgrown and in desperate need of a few days attention).

To officially mark the end of summer, my hubby is playing his final cricket match for the season today. Cricket. That game. Some say its not much of a spectator sport - and I tend to agree... unless of course it's my hubby batting or bowling. Then I can watch all day. A picnic rug, packed lunch, glass of vino and good company really help.  I'm totally in favour of the Twenty20 match format - short and fast enough to hold my attention, but the traditionalist say its just not cricket.

This season has been a particularly important one for him (and me). After being sidelined with illness and injury for the last couple of years, it was something he looked forward to throughout the winter. To play a game of cricket initially started out as a long term goal, way off in the distance, but hard work, determination, consistency and perseverence paid off.  When summer finally approached, it was a huge milestone to be able to go to training and play games on Saturdays.  He even had a few great days with the bat - 49 and 68.

Summer 2012/12 has reminded me that living a good life means being able to do the things that you love. My hubby is now well enough to actually play a game of cricket - that means all the other things in his life are better too. I will never again whine about cricket having an opportunity cost of summer weekends away. He is happy and healthy. And he makes my world go 'round! Happy husband, happy days!

And speaking of doing the things we love, I've been busy making jam and chutney and am lined up for my first Farmers' Market in a couple of days. Who knew there was so much to organise...? Although if I'd known, it would have probably put me off, so better the devil you don't know in this case! Watch this space!