indulgence – Page 6 – A True Love of Mine

Cupcake Gifting: Chocolate Sprinkle Cupcakes

Aren’t edible gifts always the best? If you answered ‘no’ you’re a liar. Or perhaps I need to be more specific? So, i’ll ask you again

Aren’t edible CUPCAKE gifts the best?

Of course the answer is yes! Cupcakes make a fabulous gift if you’ve only got a couple of hours to rustle up a gift for an impromptu (or forgotten!) birthday or celebration. They’re also super budget friendly which is a big plus for me these days and did I mention that they’re delicious? All you have to do is pipe a pretty swirl and garnish with sprinkles of your choice and your friends and family will love you forever. Because, sprinkles.

Southern Highlands Love: Eschalot

One of my favourite things to do when the weather gets chilly is hop in the car and take a drive down to the Southern Highlands. If I ever move out of the city, i’m moving down there. Everything is so green and fresh and its full of delicious food, friendly people and exciting antique shops (more on that one later!)

Berrima is a sweet little town just past Mittagong and its pretty much the perfect place for a picnic or lazy lunch, whichever you prefer. Many of the buildings in Berrima are old sandstone and it hosts perhaps the most hospitable jail i’ve ever seen. In fact, its a running joke with hubs that if i’m ever on trial for a crime, i’ll take a plea bargain as long as I can serve out my sentence in that jail. Every time we drive through Berrima we say we should go to Eschalot, a snuggly looking sandstone restaurant just at the entrance to the town. It always looks so pretty and the kitchen garden which is visible from the street is so enticing. As a last hurrah for the Summer holidays, hubs and I decided to lunch there last February. It did not disappoint!

Southern Highlands Love: Gumnut Patisserie Brioche Hot Cross Buns

I know that looking at this picture it must be difficult to believe that I don’t really like hot cross buns. I think its the orange peel that is sneakily included in the super fruity ones that puts me off. I think that they should come with a warning label if they’re going to have peel in them. I always have the intention of baking my own custom buns with choc chips and cinnamon instead of currants and peel but somehow I never get around to it. Perhaps because Easter comes at the end of Term 1 which always stretches out interminably and leaves me utterly exhausted at the end. Far too exhausted for adventurous baking.

Messina Milk Bar at the Spectrum Now Festival

I hate waiting in lines. Most often if I turn up somewhere and there is a big line I just turn around and go somewhere else, even if it’s something i’ve been waiting to try. So when it was cold and rainy on Friday afternoon, I figured that it would be the perfect time to take a wander around the Spectrum Now festival currently set up in the Domain. I had had my heart set on sampling some of the nostalgic ice cream chocolate bars at the Messina Milk Bar since seeing them on instagram earlier this week. With ominously dark clouds overhead our quest was rewarded with a mostly empty Domain and no lines at any of the food stalls.