Okay, it’s been a couple of weeks since we caught up, so let’s get into it…
Sunshine Coasting
Last weekend we celebrated a friend’s 50th birthday with a personalised bus tour to some of the breweries and distilleries here on the sunny coast. Craft beer breweries and gin distilleries seem to be popping up all over the place.
It was a great day out although I have to say I’m certainly not used to day drinking and was ready for my bed very early that night.
We stopped at:
Sunshine & Sons – my favourite stop of the day. Their gin was fabulous.
Terrell Brewery – for cider, beer, and food truck lunch.
Mini golf at Bli Bli – the start was delayed while the snake catcher dealt with an unregistered player ie an Eastern Brown Snake. I accidentally got a hole in one when my hat slipped over my eyes as I hit the ball and it ricocheted twice before dribbling into the hole.
El Diablo – for cocktail platters (which were way too sugary for me) and food truck dumplings.
Mother’s Day
Sarah was down for the weekend so we went out for breakfast at Mooloolaba before she needed to drive back up the coast. How good does my salmon croquette look?
I spent the rest of the day curled up on the lounge with my dog watching Midsomer Murders.
Writing
I finished the rewrite for The Cafe On Beach Road yesterday. I just have to write up a few of the recipes that will be going in the back of the book and it’s ready to send off for structural editing.
I’m behind in a lot of other writing related activities – partly because of day job commitments and partly because I’m being creative with excuses and partly because I spent last Sunday watching Midsomer Murders.
Anyways, I wrote a bit about it here.
Reading
During the week I finished reading Anne Bronte’s Agnes Grey, our book club read. I’ll tell you more about it in the May bookshelf round-up, but I loved it.
I’m also loving Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code – and more than once this week opted to read after work rather than walk.
Kitchening
I made a batch of yoyo biscuits last weekend – you can find the recipe here. Mandarins are in season so the first batch (of many) mandarin mini muffins was made and sent into work with Grant. The recipe is by my friend Sammie. You can find it here.
What else? For dinner the other night we tried this beef and broccoli soboro. It’s one of those Japanese-style dishes that is naturally healthy and super quick to whip up midweek.
And, for a midweek meat-free option we tried this vegetarian carbonara with mushrooms and miso and a vegemite miso noodles – both by Hetty McKinnon.
I’ll tell you about the vegemite miso noodles when I tell you about the cookbook it came from.
Looking forward
I’m finally getting to Sydney next weekend. I haven’t seen my parents since March last year or my work colleagues since November 2019, so it’s all overdue.
It does, however, mean that I’m likely to be offline blog-wise for the best part of a week. Hey ho.
Okay, that was my week. Linking up for the weekend coffee chat with Natalie and Life This Week with Denyse.
And Anyways... 
What a lovely weekend you had last week, Jo. I loved The Rose Code and Agnes Grey too and I think I preferred Agnes to Wuthering Heights. You’ve inspired me to be in the kitchen this week I’ve made Banana and Walnut Bread, Veggie muffins and I have a Spicy Italian Chicken and Fennel slow cook on the go. Enjoy your weekend. x
Yay for an accidental hole in one! Sounds like a fun weekend.
Hi Jo – I laughed at you getting you hole in one (I could even picture it in my head!) and lovely that Sarah could catch up with you for the Mothers Day weekend. Congrats on the progress with the book and I hope the day job is settling down a little bit. PS Thanks again for being my guest last week – very much appreciated (esp seeing I know how busy you are!) xx
How nice with a distillery/brewery tour! I’m really looking forward to being able to do things like that. The pasta & mushroom dish looks fabulous too.
That looks like a fab weekend, except the brown snake!! Love the rise of the distillaries here!
What a fun post. I love all the photos of where your tour took you and your food always looks yummy. CHecking out your recipe for the yo yo biscuits right after this.
What a fun weekend you had last week, Jo. The salmon croquette and what you cooked at home look amazing. I watched the beef and broccoli soboro video and want to try that soon. Congrats on the progress of your book! Have a great week and great trip to Sydney. Thank you for linking with #WeekendCoffeeShare.
Yum! You had me at the Vegetarian Carbonara with Mushrooms and Miso. But the you lost me at the Vegemite Noodle dish! 🍜 You just can’t teach some people about the finer pleasures of life! 😀
Ha! I am not a day drinker either. I would have been ready for bed early that night too! 🙂 Mmmm…that vegetarian carbonara sounds delicious! I am bookmarking the page. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Joanne. This looked like a great week of touring, dining and (my favorite) reading. You can count me and my wife as being among those who have room in our home only because of our kindles keeping us from endlessly collecting books that are read once and then shelved.
Adding all those places from the tour to my Queensland itinerary – not if but when I get there! I love that Snoopy cartoon – it really speaks to me! Thanks for the shout out – reminds me that I need some mandarin muffins in my life. Safe travels and have a ball in Sydney!
so looking forward to seeing you!
That 50th birthday event sounds wonderful. Almost like normal times! 🙂 You are a busy bee, Jo, combining work with leisure in a what seems like right balance. I’m thinking you could link your recipe posts up with Donna’s (Retirement Reflections) monthly food link-up as well.
Congratulations on finishing the final draft of your new book and enjoy your trip to Sydney! I haven’t seen my parents and family and friends back home (Belgium) in three years… 😦
Hi Liesbet. Thanks for dropping by. I link up with Donna’s foodie link up each month – but under my food blog (Brookford Kitchen Diaries) and yes, it’s always a massive feeling when a draft is done! have a great week.
Great to catch up again Jo. Your food looks so yummy. Have fun with your parents. I can imagine how much you’re looking forward to it. I can’t wait to catch up with my son and grandsons in Noosa. Hoping to get up there in August
Exceptionally beautiful photos, Jo! It would be difficult for me to pick out a favourite. The distilleries looked like tons of fun. I can (almost) smell the wonderful salmon croquette. I looked up Midsomer Murders after a recent conversation. Not on Netflix although I may hunt it down for our Winter season viewing. We are camping soon and off the grid. I have put “The Rose Code” on my download list. Drooling again….
Nice post. Beautiful place.