My Favorite Restaurant in Australia!!

I love the weekends here! After a relaxed morning, the girls and I headed over to Kotara Mall to do a little shopping in the afternoon and then went down to Darby Street for dinner at Goldberg's once again.  Can I just say that it is the best restaurant that I've been to here in Australia!

We all decided to try different dishes tonight as we've heard that everything is really good and from my first visit at Goldbergs, I could believe it.  On the specials menu tonight, there was kangaroo and scotch fillet which the other two girls ordered and I had the Roasted Capsicum & Basil Polenta.  Everything was delicious!

 Kangaroo
(tastes like beef to me)

 

Scotch Fillet with Asparagus

 

Roasted Capsicum & Basil Polenta

(Pesto mushrooms, roasted peppers, zucchini, kumera, spicy baba ganoush with tomato chutney)

My dish was unbelievably good! There were layers of the roasted peppers, zucchini,  kumera (sweet potato), and basil polenta stacked in a beautiful tower with the tomato chutney on top and the baba ganoush on the side.  All the vegetables were tender but firm and the flavors melded together nicely in the mouth with just the right amount of saltiness.  There was also a reduced balsamic dressing around the dish that added sweetness to the dish as well.  The basil polenta was crispy on the outside and firm on the inside, perfect! I really enjoyed the baba ganoush (mashed eggplant with spices) with its flavor and spice.  I would never have thought to add it to this dish but it was wonderful with it being slightly chilled in comparison to the roasted vegetables and had a good texture and consistency.

 

 Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake & Berry and Ricotta Cheesecake

(Chocolate cake topped with dark chocolate mousse & more chocolate)

&

(Baked ricotta cheesecake with blueberries)

We decided to share and indulge in dessert as well and were quite glad we did. The two chosen were the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake that was chocolate heaven and also the Berry and Ricotta Cheesecake which was light and refreshing to offset the sweetness of the chocolate mousse.  Both came with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a touch of fruit, delightful!

 

Good food and good times!

Needless to say, we enjoyed our meals very much and I have deemed Goldbergs to be the best restaurant in Australia! It's not just that the food is fantastic, but the service, atmosphere, and the price also is unbeatable and unlike any other place I've been to.  Enjoy vicariously my friends!

Goldbergs
137 Darby Street
Cooks Hill NSW 2300

Re-creation of Pumpkin Pesto Penne from Goldbergs

I did an earlier post on a restaurant here called Goldbergs where I had an amazing Pumpkin Pesto Penne with Pancetta.  It was so good I needed to try and re-create it.  I didn't have all the ingredients that went it in, but had most of it and gave the recipe a shot.

  Pumpkin Pesto Penne 
- pesto
- half an onion diced
- 4 cloves or more of sliced garlic
- 1 half butternut pumpkin roasted and cut into cubes
- half a package of penne pasta cooked
- olive oil
- sun dried tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste

1. Rub olive oil and salt over the face of the butternut pumpkin and roast in 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until able to cut and scoop out flesh, but not too cooked so that it has a mushy texture.
2. Sautee onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil along with the sun dried tomatoes.
3. Add about a cup of pesto to the onions and garlic.
4. Immediately after adding pesto and stirring a bit, add cooked penne to the pan with some of the pasta water and toss so that all the pasta is coated with the pesto.
5. Add cubed roasted pumpkin to the dish and cook for several minutes before turning heat off.

 

Penne, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, diced onions, sliced garlic

Roasted butternut pumpkin and sauteed onions, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes, yum!

 

Voila!

I really wished I had some pancetta and fetta cheese to add to the dish as in its original recipe.  Regardless, it was still tasty and if you've never added pumpkin to your food before, you should! It is chock full of beta-carotene and vitamins and adds a sweetness to your dish that balances well with a salty component like pesto in this case.  I've also had pumpkin in lentil salad here as well as in soups and on its own as a side dish.  It is definitely not an ingredient to be used only for the fall, but should be eaten year round!

Australia Day!

Sydney is an old friend and I was glad to return for the past two days to celebrate Australia Day.  January 26th the city stops to celebrate Australia's heritage.  I headed down to Sydney Harbour with Bob, Sharon, and their two grandkids to see the festivities.  It was a nice hot day and we lathered on the sunscreen, but even then still got a nice burn/tan.  Out on the harbour there were many things going on from noon till evening.  Everywhere Aussies were dressed in Australia's colors of yellow and green and had flags tucked in various places. Flags were in bags, back pockets, wrapped around shoulders, worn as tattoos etc etc, lots of Aussie pride if you didn't know.

 Flags in bags........

around the shoulders.....in hand....

We sat in the shade and walked to the water when the race took place

Many people had their picnic blankets and lawn chairs out by the harbour foreshore and we joined them in a shady spot to watch the water activities.  First up was the annual Ferrython.  There were boats of every size and shape out in the harbour loaded with people all cheering the races and from shore there were thousands of people lined near the opera house as well as on the foreshore closer to the Sydney bridge.  Four ferries dressed in bright colors and flags raced down the harbour to cheering fans.  The ferrython was followed by the Tall Ships race.  One of the ships, the Southern Swan, was one I had ridden and written about in an earlier post.  It was a sight to see, all the ships with their sails proudly out and filled! Following the races there was a display of F18 planes up above and a Red Beret splash down into the Circular Quay.  These berets jumped from a plane miles above shore and parachuted down safely into the water, amazing! 

 

Ferrython!

 

Tall ships race!

Red beret parachuting down!

Aussie pride!

We followed the hot day in the city with some fun in the water at Freshwater beach closer to home.  The boys and I bogey boarded and surfed to our hearts content in the refreshing surf.  Many other families also had the same idea and though it was crowded we enjoyed ourselves immensely! What a wonderful Aussie Day experience!

Pesto chicken with Mushroom

Dinner tonight, pesto chicken! Another creation from my head I'm afraid as I did not have all the proper ingredients to make it the normal way.

Pesto Chicken with Mushrooms
- 4 chicken thighs
- sliced mushrooms
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- pesto
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

1. Saute sliced garlic in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Place chicken thighs on garlic and brown each side for about 3 minutes to make a nice garlic crust.  Season with salt and pepper and add mushrooms to pan as the chicken is browning. 
2. Once browning is done, pour in the cup of chicken broth and let chicken simmer for about 20-25 minutes, flipping once in between to allow for even cooking time.  The broth will infuse the chicken with flavor and provide a nice sauce with the mushrooms once it reduces down.  Add water if more liquid is needed. 
   
3. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through and the final step is to place a good spoonful of pesto on each piece of chicken and turn up the heat to allow the sauce to bubble over the chicken and cook all the way through with the pesto flavor.
4. Serve over rice and with a side of vegetable!  Bon Appetit!

Pesto Chicken with Mushroom

Dinner is served!

Not having your own kitchen with all your trusty spices and tools is a bit of a challenge, but its a lot of fun and it is still always a pleasure to cook for others!

Blackbutt Reserve...... Koala petting!!!

It was nice and cool today which was a relief from yesterday's heat.  Elodie and Gustavo took us girls up to Blackbutt Reserve.  It is a lovely and wonderful place for a picnic as well as a good place to see some Australian wildlife.  The drive is about 20 minutes out of Newcastle and once we arrived we were immersed in the bush.  There are tall trees, lots of green, and plenty of space to walk about.  The reserve was established in the 1960s and holds animals indigenous to Australia such as koalas, kangaroos, and wombats among many others.  What's great about this place is that there is no fee to see these animals unlike in Sydney where the zoos and wildlife centers charge a hefty entrance fee.

What to see first?

The highlights for the day were ding ding ding petting and seeing a baby koala up close and personal, then seeing a wombat for the first time, and last but not least having an awesome Aussie BBQ!

Where the wombat lives.....

Ahhhh wombat sighting!!! He's so cute and big!

I have been wanting to see a wombat since coming to Australia and at the Taronga Zoo they were hiding in their burrows, but at Blackbutt we were able to view their sleeping quarters and they they were! Much bigger and quite unlike what I imagined them to be.  We called them tanks because they were so large and oddly enough cute.  I will never forget seeing them because all of us just laughed and laughed at how cute they were.

Getting ready to grill!

Yummmmmmmm!

Enjoying the afternoon

In Australia the parks have areas with BBQs that are electrically heated and are free to use for the public.  It is wonderful! I wish they had it back in the States.  We had gone to the store before heading over to Blackbutt and picked up some steaks, tomatoes, bread, sausages, onions, and strawberries.  Elodie also made a nice couscous salad the day before.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely and the relaxed Sunday atmosphere was awesome as we enjoyed the conversation and company.

Koala yay!

Ted the 1 year old Koala.  He's soooo cute & cuddly!

Last but not least we had our personal koala encounter.  We waited all morning for it as it started at 2 pm.  When the gates were opened,we were introduced to Ted, a 1 year old baby koala who nonchalantly munched and chewed his Eucalyptus leaves as we gushed over how cute he was, took pictures, and petted him.  Koalas are really soft and cuddly, I wish I could have picked him up!

It was a great way to spend a day trip and I enjoyed it a lot.  Tired, full, but content I return back to my room ready for a busy week ahead.  Tomorrow I will take my second train trip down to Sydney and spend some time with my family friends as well as do some work with my preceptor.  This Tuesday is Australia Day, a national holiday here so I will check out the festivites and share them soon!

Pasta de Sausage

Another cooking night! Mel and I made a new friend yesterday, her name is Tracy and she got in about 3 days ago to Newcastle from China.  She is a business student studying at the University for one year in a masters program.  W took her to the beach yesterday and had a lot of fun trying to teach her to swim, building a huge sand turtle, going to the mall, and then having dinner.  I decided to make a sausage penne pasta for dinner and had a lot of fun seeing what I could invent up!

My ingredients for the night

(salt, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, tomato pasate, balsamic vinegar)

(garlic, onions, sausage, mushroom)

Penne pasta & sauteed onions, garlic, and sausage

Penne de Sausage!

Penne de Sausage

- 3 or more sliced garlic cloves

- 1 onion diced

- mushrooms sliced

- 3 sausages cooked and sliced

- 1 package of penne pasta cooked
- sun-dried tomatoes

- tomato paste

- olive oil

- balsamic vinegar

- italian seasoning

1. Slice and dice all your vegetables up and set to the side. In the meantime, bring pot of water to boil and toss penne in to cook.
   
2. Fry up sausage and slice.  To sausage oil, add more olive oil and fry up onions and garlic.  Add a dash or two of balsamic vinegar to the pan and reduce out.  Once onion has cooked to a translucent consistency, add in the mushrooms and the sausage.  
3. Add tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes to dish once everything has been combined.  At this point the pasta can now be added into the pan.  Add some of the pasta water directly into with the pasta also that the dish will have a sauce base and add more olive oil and Italian seasoning to taste.
   

Voila! Penne de Sausage!! Enjoy!

The past week's adventures

This past week has been busy.  Some things I did...
Go on my first train ride ever! We traveled to the main University Campus to speak with the pharmacy school's advisor and got a good perspective on pharmacy practice in Australia as well as the school's curriculum.  It is different as expected and I feel with the exchange of information from us in the U.S. that we provide their school with a different perspective and ideas to implement in their own program. 

My first train ride!

The whole train to ourselves! Not really...

We found out we were on the wrong one so had to jump on the right one which had way more pple

Friday night we had dinner with Elodie, a co-worker and her boyfriend Gustavo.  Elodie is the person who helped Mel and I set up our housing and work arrangements here so I am really thankful for her.  She is spunky and has lived in France, Spain, and now Australia, a world class traveler! We had dinner over at a place called the Grind.

Elodie and Gustavo

 TGIF!

Mushroom

(Portabello mushroom with thyme and basil stuffing, arugala, roasted red bell peppers with balsamic dressing)

Dinner for me was great! I enjoyed my mushroom, yes that was how it was named on the menu) the stuffing was just right and with the salad and dressing on the plate it was light and refreshing.  The other dishes my dinner partners ordered unfortunately was not as great and they were disappointed because either the dish was too creamy, too spicy, or just unflavorful.  All in all though, I had a great time enjoying the company and it was a good way to end a long week!

Muesli

One of the greatest breakfast and snack foods I've encountered since being in Australia is muesli!  It is a combination of rolled oats, fruit, and nuts.  I did a little bit of reading on Wiki about it and discovered that it was developed in the 1900s by a Swiss physician for patients in the hospital where fruits and vegetables were an important part of recovery.

 

You can mix many things into muesli and it is very easy to make on your own.  I chose to make a simple one after having tasted one with oats, wheat bran, raisins, dried apples, almonds, and a sweetness perhaps from honey or brown sugar.  My homemade one consists only of oats, raisins, and wheat bran, but it is delicious and I've been having it every morning for breakfast.  You can choose to eat it with milk or yogurt or plain.

My homemade muesli with wheat bran, raisins, and oats

Yum Yum!

I wonder why muesli isn't as popular in the States.  It's nutritious and delicious! I'll be making it for sure and sharing it with everyone back home!

Jambalaya Ghetto Style

I have a pretty decent shared kitchen in my apartment complex complete with gas stoves and walk in refrigerators. Though things are a bit well used due to the number of people using the kitchen I was able to whip up a decent meal tonite for Mel and I. With just a little bit of creativeness and resourcefulness we made some delicious jambalaya. 

Ghetto Jambalaya

- 4 stalks of celery chopped

- one chopped onion

- 3 cloves of garlic or more minced

- half a bell pepper chopped

- 3 chorizo sausages

- one can of diced tomatos

- italian seasoning

- chili powder

- 1 cup of uncooked rice

- 2 cups of chicken broth

1. Chop up all your vegetables and place to the side.  In the meantime fry up your sausages until they are cooked and then take out of the pan to cool and slice into pieces.  With the oil leftover from the sausages, add some more olive oil and fry up your onions and garlic.  Throw in the celery and bell pepper once your onions have cooked down a bit and become translucent.  Season with Italian seasoning and some of the chili powder to taste.  Throw back the sliced sausages into the pan and mix with the vegetables. 
2. Wash out your one cup of rice until clean and push aside contents in frying pan so that rice can be sauteed.  Cooking the rice this way will add a nice flavor to it once it is done.  After it has been well mixed in the oils, incorporate it with the other contents.  
3. Open your can of tomatoes and pour it along with the juices into the pan and add your two cups of chicken broth as well.  Stir so that the rice is covered in the liquid.  Taste and add more seasoning if needed. 
4. Cover and bring to a boil after which heat should then be turned to a simmer and jambalaya allowed to cook for about 20 minutes.  Check and stir about halfway through to make sure that rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.  If more liquid is needed, add more broth or water. 

 Chopped up vegetables

 

Wonderful gas stoves and our chorizo getting nice and brown

Everything cooking up nicely

Ghettofab Jambalaya!

Real jambalaya would require Cajun seasoning which I didn't have so I improvised with Italian seasoning and chili powder for a bit of the heat which I normally would have gotten from the Cajun spices. I also would have liked to use a much spicier sausage and added some fresh peeled shrimp.  All in all though, it was still a great dish and I definitely had fun being creative!

Mondays....

It's a Monday...thought I'd share a little bit of where I work, live, and play.  I'm working at the Centre for Gender, Health and Aging which is affiliated with the University of Newcastle.  The centre is located not directly on the main campus which is nice for me because it is only about a ten minute walk from where I live where as if I had to go to the main campus it would be about a 20 minute bus ride.  At the office I have my own room complete with computer, a desk, comfy chair and plenty of lighting.

My messy but awesome desk

My apartment is shared with other renters and students.  It houses a total of about 80 people and has 3 floors.  I'm on the second floor and a few doors down from Mel.  Our rooms have a bed, desk, balcony, and bathroom.  Downstairs there is a large shared kitchen.  Each renter has their own locker to store dry foods in and there is a huge walk in freezer and refrigerator that we all store our cold food in.  There is also a common area with couches and two flat screens where we can watch TV as we eat or just hang out at.

 

My room for the next 5 weeks

(desk, bed, balcony, bathroom is to the left of the window)

Today after work since the weather was so nice Mel and I decided to head down to the beach and get some sun.  It's about a 15 minute walk which isn't too bad.  In Australia all of the beaches have salt pools next to the beach. These are Olympic sized swimming pools that are filled with ocean water that filters from a hole in the wall.  The bottom of the pool has sand and its fantastic, I think it is the greatest thing ever! People swim in it to avoid the rough surf and it's great because you can swim laps and run in it without being afraid that a rip current will take you out. I love it!

Chillaxing

Beautiful afternoon

Life in Newcastle is not so bad with work and new things to try and see, but I do miss home, friends, and family.  I'm thankful for the time to be here and look forward to the next few remaining weeks that I have here.