TEN FOODIE THINGS I LOVED IN SEPTEMBER!

Often in our rush to get things done, we forget the simple pleasures in life. Since having kids, I find that I'm seeing more through their eyes which literally forces me to stop and look at the smaller detail. This re-discovered awareness has resulted in me not just focussing on just great meals as a whole, but also the smaller elements that add to my enjoyment of a meal. So, here is my recap of the foodie things I loved in September ....ONE: "Traffic Light Sandwiches" at my lad's 5th birthday party. The theme for the day was car racing, and it was held at the local slot car track, so having sandwiches made with carrot, cucumber and tomato, but simply cut like sets of traffic lights delighted even the adults (and for the record, were scoffed faster than the plates of chocolate crackles). TWO: Giant (not just regular, but GIANT) Parma Violet lollies from my foodie friend Ya Ya. I have been hankering for the long lost taste of violet pastilles since my last travels to Paris (sadly, this was pre-children so many moons ago now). Knowing of my cravings, she wizzed me some Parma violets when she found them in the city. I was tempted not to share them, but was happy to find that only ONE of my children liked them so this meant that there was MORE FOR ME! I'm currently hot on the trail to Melbourne to find my traditional French Violette Pastilles by Abbaye De Flavigny. Tracked down to a store in the Block Arcade, but CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK!! Hopefully they will feature in my "things I loved" in OCTOBER. I'd love to hear of any other stockists if anyone knows any in Australia, no other flavour will do I'm afraid. THREE: big fat, juicy, zingy grapefruit picked from my 91year old neighbour's tree. The lad and I planned to make marmalade, but time got away from us so we just squeezed them for juice. An absolute delight - I'm lucky she is so generous with them, we enjoy them every year. FOUR : Bul-go-gi wrapped in Perilla Leaves. My local Korean grocery store is well stocked with great food and helpful advice. The whole family enjoyed wrapping the meat in the leaves and gobbling them up. With the left over leaves (you can't eat too much of this flavour in one sitting we found), we shredded them and sprinkled it on salad for a peppery taste. There is also Perilla Oil for making salad dressing, but so far I've only enjoyed the leaves. FIVE : Mini Tea cups given to my firstborn as a party favour. Made by the mother of the birthdayboy with tic-toc biscuits, marshmallows, freckles and lifesavers. She swore they were easy to put together, and they were so incredibly cute, I ache to make them. SIX : Dutch Poffertjes at the local fair. Little light puffy dutch pancakes smothered with maple syrup and icing sugar. Perfect to lift the energy levels after a hard day's spring fair action. SEVEN : Brioche and Olive bread, bought from the organic bread stall at the Northolme Grammer schools spring food fair. ALL of the bread was sensational. We enjoyed the brioche with marscapone and honey (my special Lebanese nutty orange blossom one bought in Haberfield), and the olive stick was cut up and served with olive oil and dukkah. Absolutely delicious. EIGHT : Fairy floss on a stick, as big as your head! Not that I'm advocating pure sugar as a healthy treat, but my memories of having this as a kid, watching the maker covered in flossy sugar, trying to catch the threads of cotton on the stick before they blew away, then twisting the stick until the ball stayed relatively stable enough to hand over to this huge-eyed child, quivering in anticipation. My daughter has my same glee when spotting a fairy floss stall at a fair. And, there is no other colour that comes close to PINK, although the lilac and blue do look rather pretty. NINE : now I have been a Maldon Sea Salt girl for a long time. However, when bumming around Claudios Firshmarket I came across Himalayan Natural Pink Salt. I couldn't resist. Its not as flakey as Maldon, so you don't get that satisfying crunch when salting a dish, but the fact that it is not processed, its mined by hand and stone ground from the Himalayan Mountains, and not to mention, a pretty shade of pink, then I was sold. Really, I can't taste the difference, but I enjoy thinking about its origins every time I salt. TEN : Cupcakes from "Cupcakes on Pitt". Now, I know they aren't the best cupcakes in town, coz the competition sure is tough out there, but boy they are cute. Handed around the office, squeals of delight from all adults as we drank in the visual of cutely decorated little treats. Lots of smiles as we enjoyed our afternoon tea that day. So, there you have it. Ten of my favourite little things enjoyed last month. I know its only early, but I'm already up to FIVE for my October likes!!! Make sure you stop and smell the roses every day...enjoy October and happi eating!