February Bites

It's hard to believe that we are now two months deep into 2015. February has been all about work, but with some fun times too - catching up with friends, movie nights and little adventures. Summer may be over, but I'm keeping it alive as long as the weather will co-operate with a few more beach trips and eating lots more summer produce.

One of my favourite things to do on the weekend is visit farmers markets, whether I'm in Sydney or travelling. A few Saturdays ago we wandered down to the Bondi markets and picked up a great haul of fresh fruit and veggies. The tiny strawberries were super sweet. That eggplant was turned into a moussaka. We roasted those tomatoes slowly and then put the torn up buffalo mozzarella and basil on at the last minute so it would get a little melty. Served with fresh crusty bread, it was the perfect summer dinner.

And no market trip is complete without a little naughty snack. This raclette toastie from Raclette Plus was incredibly good, and they are the nicest guys too.

My friend introduced me to this amazing old school milk bar out west, and I thought it was the greatest thing ever. The burger, potato scallops and chips were just how I remember from childhood. The prices were still stuck in the 90s and there was a huge assortment of lolly bags for only $1. I really wish more of these kind of places still existed today.

Speaking of amazing burgers, I finally tried Mary's in Newtown when one of my best mates visited from Brisbane earlier in February. This is as close to a perfect burger that I've ever tried in Sydney, but the fried chicken was even better. Come back soon Scotty!

I'm sure other freelancers would relate to this - some days you just need to change up your surroundings and get out of the office. One random Monday, I went to check out Bondi Harvest in Bondi Junction and was really impressed with the decor, food… and free wifi :) Looking forward to heading back for breakfast sometime soon.

My favourite snack this month was this delicious creamy yoghurt made locally in Bondi (bought from the markets) with granola or fruit, or both! I've tried it with berries, banana, thinly sliced nectarine, and a little drizzle of honey.

To round out the month, I caught up with Steph and Karen for some much needed girl talk and Vietnamese food. I was talking about this spicy soup for days afterwards to any one who would listen. Mmm.


Inspiring Reads

• No matter if you're single or in a relationship, it is always important to know how to be happy alone. I really related to this article from Designlovefest, and even though I've been happily single for a while now, I think getting to know YOU and being happy in your own company is a process that takes time.
• A nice little reminder from Cocorrina that We Don't Have to Do it All. As freelancers, it's easy to become a little control monster, but it is exhausting. Time to let some things go, to make more time for other things that I really love.
• Karen made some insanely good looking Chocolate Biscotti.
• I love The Bojon Gourmet's spicy take on the Moscow Mule, the Mumbai Mule that adds coriander, cumin and saffron and looks crazy good.
• Need a bit of pep for the work week ahead? Here are 50 Motivating Quotes for Business and Blogging by Elle & Company.