ordinary pleasures

food is often the center of my world - i love to eat it, cook it, grow it.  being in australia has afforded me the sensory-filled delights of shopping at open-air markets, eating fresh in-season food, and cooking with fine ingredients.

shopping - as a household, we've committed to a weekly shop in the city at the vic market.  it is not only cheaper than the grocery, it is stocked with local and regional produce with an array that is mindboggling.  sunday morning (we skipped church) the three of us went in and bought cheese from tasmania, olives, sundried tomatoes, fresh ground peanut butter, croissants, bacon and a newspaper.  since we've been here, we've eaten more fruit and veg than i can remember - mangoes, peaches, avacodos, asaragus, tomatoes, garden cukes, beans, beets, lots of greens, lettuce and good australian garlic.

dairy - unbelievable in this country.  the every day stuff is great.  at the grocery we can get greek yogurt, pouring cream, custard, king island double cream (used in devonshire tea), and cadbury's ice cream.  at the market we can buy goat feta,  fresh ricotta in mounds, and cheeses of every kind.

baking - i've enjoyed this especially because it slows me down.  in order to use metric measures and kath's scale, i really have to take my time.  the ingredients here are so lovely to bake with - the butter comes eurpean style and the eggs are so real the yolks are a rich dark orange, almost red.  the other day i made a cake from one of kath's favorite recipes - a lemon pound cake.  i used lemons from uncle pete's backyard.  i thought it would be perfect, but i messed up the oven setting and it sat in a lukewarm oven for an hour just bubbling until i realized it.  It was edible in the end.  i also had fun making a cafe-style rhubarb cake with some of kath's fresh rhubarb.