Pretty as a Picture

Meet my new friend - Sony NEX-3 which I got yesterday for my birthday from hubby. 

Isn't she pretty? I love her! She comes equipped with a 14.2 megapixel Exmor™ APS HD CMOS sensor, 2 lenses, 1 attachable flash, HD movie recording and some other features...but the thing I love most about her is the Sweep Panorama feature. I can't wait to take her overseas with me. Me + Sony, on top of the Eiffel Tower..

And her stylish white jacket with my Chanel-esque chain ♥ 

Happy Birthday Mum

July is my mum’s birthday and this year she celebrated her 60th milestone in 3 parts (I think she secretly wanted it to last for longer).

Part 1: Steam Boat Feast (pre-birthday weekend)
We all gathered at my mum’s best friend’s place (also known as my Aunty Connie) over a ferociously steaming hot pot, otherwise known as steam boat. It’s one of our favourite ways to eat during winter, mainly because it is so cold and this definitely warms your heart and delights your soul – with great friends + family and great conversation all sharing one big meal.

Aunty Connie prepared so much food, we pretty much ate from 3-9pm and there will still so much leave over.

Tiger prawns, fish fillet, octopus, fish balls, cuttlefish balls, tofu fish balls, meat balls (and every other type of 'ball' you can think of), sliced meat, liver, shiitake, choy sum and other green veges

Followed by Bread Top green tea cake, fruit salad and white cherries

Part 2: Family Dinner and Birthday Cupcakes (actual birthday)
Putting the skills learnt from cupcake class in good use, Christine, Belinda and I slaved all night to make and decorate cupcakes. Belinda baked organic vanilla cupcakes, while I made Guinness chocolate cupcakes (these are delicious…I’ll include a recipe the next time I make these).

Adding the final touches

Happy 60th Birthday mum! She loved her cupcakes...

...and I love my bows (Christine created the bow up-do)

Part 3: Brunch at Bills (post-birthday weekend)
Finally my mum loves a good celebrity chef, so to top of her birthday we took her to Bills in Surry Hills for brunch (actually it was more like lunch by the time we got seated).
We all order corn fritters (is there anything better?!) and Steak sandwiches.
We really wanted to order the Banana Ricotta Hotcakes – but we were so full. Next time...

A summary of mum's bday: Food, food and more food! We definitely ate our way through her birthday. Can’t wait to do it all again next year.

Mastering the Brownie

Brownies - MasterChef style.

This is the recipe adapted from Gary's Chocolate Gluttony - minus the additional gluttony, but I kept the chocolate sauce for good measure.  

I've halved the original recipe (not wanting to over-indulge considering all the trips to Max Brenner this week) Also not being a fan of dark chocolate, I substitued it with white chocolate and milk chocolate instead.

BROWNIES 

Makes roughly 14 slices. You can always double the recipe for more brownies.
125g melted butter
1 1/6 cup caster sugar
45g good quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
1/4 tsp baking powder, sifted
2 eggs
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup equal parts of chopped white and milk chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 165°C. Line baking/slice tin with baking paper. Add melted butter and sugar to an electric mixer and mix on medium speed, add cocoa powder and mix until combined and has a gooey consistency. 
2. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each one to mix through before adding the next. Add in the sifted flour and baking powder with electric mixer on low speed, beating until well combined. Stir through peanuts and chocolate until combined.  
3. Pour into baking tin and smooth over the surface with a palette knife. Bake for about 30 minutes until firm at the edges but still a little soft in the middle. Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE
75ml water
1 tbs caster sugar 
100g couverture milk  chocolate, chopped

Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves. Add chocolate, leave for about 10-20 seconds and then stir until chocolate melts. Pour into a bowl and reserve. 

These brownies are absolutely delicious - next time I make these I think I'll make the chocolate chunks a bit bigger and try substituting the peanuts with another type of nut like walnuts or macadamias. You can't fault the chocolate sauce and it's so easy to make!