Phew! I nearly missed the boat on my In My Kitchen entry for October. Today is the deadline. I’ve been Spring cleaning and blog work and helping John finish up his new index plugin. Hopefully the free version will be out this weekend. My fingers are crossed!
A couple of weeks ago I attended Eat Drink Blog 2014 in Brisbane and met up with quite a few bloggers. I met Urvashi from Go Bake Yourself. Folks, she’s as much fun in person as she is on her blog. She has the most beautiful smile and she’s one smart cookie. The photo above was part of a food styling presentation at EDB2014.
I also caught up with Tania Cusack from My Kitchen Stories and Jacqui Guglielmino from Everyday Cook. The two of them kept me laughing in spite of suffering some pretty icky vertigo the whole weekend. As many of you know, Tania works for an upscale Italian import company and she brought me some incredible goodies.
We don’t have any Italian food stores on the Sunshine Coast and only a couple of places that sell imported food. This was such a treat, I can’t tell you how excited I was.
REAL white balsamic vinegar. This isn’t one of those bottles that say ‘Italian Dressing’. Wonderful stuff.
I was over the moon with my gifts and felt awful that I hadn’t brought anything with me. I owe Tania big time! Also in my kitchen and everywhere else is my new camera. This is the camera I’ve been wanting for a very long time and recently I was able to get one. I also got a 105mm macro lens to go along with my 50mm. It’s time for some serious practice. I have no excuse for a shoddy photo so apologies in advance if you see one. I’m just getting used to the tethering bit but that’s really cool.
In my kitchen today was this wonderful hotdog I had for lunch. Sometimes I need to feel like a yank and today was one of those days.
And finally last but not least, Charlie tried on his Halloween costume. He’s going to visit the olds at the nursing home to help deliver candy and treats to the residents so we had to be sure the costume fit. He’s going to BEE outstanding!
He wasn’t too sure about it to be honest. He doesn’t mind wearing clothes but he’s not happy about a hat because there’s no room for his ears.
My apologies for being so late and if you want to be a part of the In My Kitchen group of food bloggers from around the world, please visit Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial where you can join in or view what’s going on in other bloggers’ kitchens. It’s a fun group.
NEWS! Coming up 17th – 19th in Brisbane is the Good Food and Wine Show. I LOVE this show and last year I went with my granny shopping trolley and filled it up and bought ANOTHER shopping trolley so John could walk around with one too. We filled them up with cheese and olive oil and wine and wonderful things.
If you’d like to go I’ve got 3 double passes for any show day. Just tell me you’d like to go and John will pick the winner. You will be able to pick up your tickets at the door. No fooling around with addresses and mailing. Easy Peasy!
Hope to see you there!! Look for the people with full trolleys and big smiles.
Hopping over from Hotly Spiced. I can’t imagine your ever having a bad photo based on this post, but oooh, a macro lens. That’s the lens I’ve coveted. I especially like the picture of Charlie, what a doll.
Seriously, the macro lens is the bomb. I use the 50mm and the 105mm equally. 24-70 and an 85mm are on my wish list. 🙂 Lovely to meet you!
Really fun post! And really always I find amazing yours pictures.!
I love your camera ! Mine is little but I hope to have some camera like this!
xo
You’re really kind, Gloria!
Aww I love Charlie’s costume, he will be such a hit! 🙂
Fingers crossed that he carries the little pumpkin filled with candy and doesn’t stop to eat it! 🙂
So … you’re a Nikon girl! I haven’t tried tethering yet – I move around so much. I can’t wait to hear how you love your new lens – awesome! My husband shoots with Nikon but I’m a Canon girl. Treats – what a treat – and your puppy is so adorable. Such an expression! Have a great weekend. If you ever come visit I will gift you cans of pure pumpkin to carry home!
I shoot Nikon because I used to shoot Nikon and the lenses would still work. When I bought Todd Porter and Diane Cu’s course on Creative Live I was pleased as punch that they shoot Nikon. You CAN tether and not be on a tripod. My light is SO bad in this house that I need the slow shutter.
I enjoyed reading your post. = ) Your new camera looks great!
Love the photo of Charlie! He is so cute, and I’m sure everyone will love his outfit!
Thanks, Melissa!
I enjoyed reading your post! Love your camera!
And Charlie’s outfit is adorable!
The orange blossom honey jar made my mouth water and when I saw Charlie in the bee costume, I put the two together and laughed. There are so many edible treats in your kitchen and the camera is a wonderful luxury. Happy photography in the future.
Poor Charlie looks seriously unimpressed! That is one serious looking camera Maureen looks like you’re having a lot of fun with it.
Charlie – please play the game:) Wish all this was in my kitchen – so looking forward to taking part in this when I have a bit more of a permanent kitchen!
You could pretend 🙂
How great to meet Uru! Love her blog. And you have some really great stuff in your kitchen this month. But I’m envious of your D800! That’s a wonderful camera (from what I’ve read — haven’t used one), and that lens is world class. Tethering is cool, isn’t it? I’ve been doing it for the last 9 or 10 months or so, and it makes a huge difference. Fun post — thanks.
Tania is so generous and I can just picture her arriving in Queensland with a suitcase full of goodies. What great treats. I must visit that Lario store where she works – they seem to have everything. Great looking new camera and lens. The tethering will be so convenient. And you have another plug-in on the way? John never stops. Sorry to hear you still have the vertigo issue; I was hoping you were through with that. Charlie doesn’t look like he likes Halloween at all but what a cute costume. That’s so lovely of you to visit the old folks and bless them with Charlie handing out treats xx
Gorgeous post, Maureen… love Charlie in his outfit… not sure if he’s saying ‘Kill me now, please’… or ‘Hurry up and take the picture, I’m dressed to party and have places to go’. : D A macro lens is indeed the bomb! I have yet to set myself with a tether… lovely photos!
Your photos are out of this world. You don’t need any tethering or I’ll never catch up. 🙂
You make me laugh… do you not realise how lovely your photos are? You have such a gift my friend!
What a great post Maureen, I love all the food, condiments, balsamic vinegar, Hot Dog, etc..!! Charlie looks great in his Halloween costume 🙂
Such wonderful goodies – Tania is such a doll! Disappointed I had to miss seeing everyone at EDB, glad you had fun. The American hotdog gave me a laugh ;D thanks for the peek into your kitchen!
I am so glad you had the chance to meet so many beautiful blogger. What an awesome opportunity! Charlie will Bee fantastic. He is so cute
G’day Great, fun post as always Maureen and is it always fun to catch up with fellow bloggers!
I’m not so sure your four legged friend was up for the cossie!
And yes, I still have my Yank days here too!
Thanks for this month’s kitchen view also!
Cheers! Joanne
Hi Maureen
You do not owe me big time. You earned those goodies fair and square. You drove me to places and helped me with things. Hope you enjoy them. I just love that picture of Charlie It is adorable. I have noticed how different your pictues are since you got your new camera. Very very nice xx
Hi Maureen, always thought Uru had and has a lot of great energy, love the costume!
I LOVE your Nikon kit! Amazing!! And hurrah on blogging conference. So awesome that you got to meet Urvashi and Tania 🙂
The beautiful food looked good, the new Nikon camera was so good I had to pin it, but Charlie takes the cake Mauz x
LOL I’m hoping just standing next to the camera I’ll be a better photographer 🙂 Charlie is a cutie. Not when he’s getting treats from the cats’ litterbox though.
I love the look of that cake…and the dog, of course!
Love the new camera – what a fun toy to play with. All your gifts look delicious and I love how you feel like a yank occasionally – we had hotdogs when I was little occasionally but they were those party franks and there are no veg versions I can ever find but I do have some veg hotdogs in my fridge to try if I can ever remember to get some hot dog rolls.
Charlie is just too cute. Love Charlie.
A well stocked kitchen and great camera.
First of all, my pantry is a disaster, too, but I did purge one shelf a couple days ago, tossing expired cans and bottles dating from my early blogging days. It’s a bit better. And then there’s Charlie’s costume! He’s adorable. Again you had fun with your blogger buddies…lucky you meeting Uru, too 🙂
Such a wonderful gesture from Tania.
Have fun shooting pics. It is a bit challenging in the beginning but once you get the hang of it, oh you will have so much fun 🙂
Dear Maureen, Beautiful pictures. I think your pictures always look wonderful though.
Charlie is absolutely adorable!! He looks so much like my little Inka and I think he is adorable too!
Blessings dear. Catherine
Charlie is so cute in his costume 😀 I am sure he will cheer the folks up. I am really lucky with living so close to mainland Europe I can get all those super delicious goodies in most stores 🙂 I think I would really miss the large choice I have in most shops if I moved away Europe.
Your new camera is an absolute beast, what a fabulous new gadget in your kitchen 😀
LOVE your shot of it 🙂
And Charlie? If I lived in QLD, I unashamedly would visit daily to play with him!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hahaha how gorgeous is Charlie! Oh and I have major camera envy Maureen.
hi maureen
lovely things in your kitchen this month- and i LOVE that camera. I am hankering after one myself. Such a shame i couldn’t make the conference- i know it would have been fun.
and yes i would love to go to the food and wine show next weekend so i am shaking my hand at you madly….:))
poor charlie- i think he is a wee bit fed up!
Thanks for the tickets maureen. It was fun!
I had vertigo on Saturday and didn’t make it until Sunday. I had a good time too!
Look at that doggie! I bet you gave him a huge treat before and after the shoot right? 😉
So you met Uru… lucky you. I can literally imagine her as a chocolate chip cookie right now. ^.^
I always feel like join the in my kitchen group but then I don’t know if I can take one more thing in my tight plan.
You should join in my kitchen if only to show us what Indian ingredients you have that we would only be able to swoon over. 🙂
I love Charlie’s costume – so cute!
I adore your new camera. I have serious gadget envy now!
You have a brilliant camera – I saw it. 🙂
Wow!! Maureen, congratulations on your new camera!!!!!! I am a little camera/lens obsessed Not that I can afford much of either. I also have one macro lens that I use for almost all my food photos. I really wished lenses were not so expensive.. sigh! That hot dog photo is amazing!! I can see you are going to have a lot of fun taking food photos. 🙂
Thanks, I have a lot to learn. For anyone familiar with Creative Live, John Greengo is my friend, figuratively speaking of course. 🙂
What a nice post, Maureen. I would love to go to Brisbane to the Good Food and Wine but wow, that plane ticket would be pricey! Have fun…:)
Does the drawing for the tickets include airfare? 🙂 I would love to visit Australia and love even more meeting you in person. You’d have to bring that darling doggy along though, he is so….. cute. He doesn’t look real impressed with his costume though. I know he will make the day and bring many smiles at the nursing home!
I wish it did! We’d have the best time seeing the sights in Queensland. 🙂
You’ve got some great new goodies in your kitchen Maureen! Tania always brings the best goodies! 😀 And Charlie looks ADORABLE!
Don’t worry I just scraped in as well! The cutest is definitely your little bee. Oh Charlie.
I still haven’t opened my Roza’s sauces. They just look too good. I do this all the time. I don’t want to use them then I end up forgetting about them. Not this time!
Did we create the exact same image for the free tickets?! Great minds!
Looks at all of those gourmet goodies! and that camera!!! Well, that’s just downright exciting!!!! Of course the last picture was the best. Charlie is the BEEst dog!
Great stuff in your kitchen, Maureen! Love the new cam! You have such a cute dog wearing that bumble bee costume, LOL!
Gourmet Getaways
I really love the first photo – seems you had a great time at that meeting. So nice that spring is coming to you as we will be in winter soon. I can hardly wait your summer posts.
What a fun post! Glad you made it in time, as you are so diligent about participating (contrary to “certain bloggers” who were born and raised in Brazil and shall remain nameless)
LOVED the bee-outfit, the look on his face is priceless…. my gosh, what a great shot! And of course, in my next life I want to be born a great photographer, so maybe in this life I can fly to meet you and you give me a lesson with my lousy camera that I never learned to use to its fullest? I am hopeless – end up doing 99% of my photos with the cell phone. For shame!
Me again… tired of never getting notification of your new posts, even though I am a reasonably well-behaved person… 🙂
subscribed by email – let’s see if now I’ll be in good terms!
For a second there I thought those Brownies were also in your kitchen and I was gonna hop on a plane just to get me a nibble! 🙂
That tomato chutney has me fascinated and CONGRATS on the new camera!!!
I’m so sorry to hear about the vertigo, but so happy to hear you had fun with Tania. She’s a hoot! I’m glad she brought you such wonderful treasures! The camera is the bee’s knees (no pun intended Charlie, you do look very cute in your bee costume) and there are days when only a hotdog will do.. 🙂
Wow you must be super excited with that camera 🙂
I know the feeling
Tania is a real sweetie isn’t she! Lots of losing goodies indeed, but that new camera is the bomb! Lucky you 🙂
Oh poor Charlie, he looks so sad. Maureen, I have camera, envy 🙂
I was sorry I missed EDB, Maureen. It would have been nice to see you again! Perhaps I’ll run into you at the Good Food & Wine Show. Love all the things in your kitchen and Charlie looks so adorable!
white balsamic! I needed that in a tofu marinade today but only had the ‘regular’ kind. Aiieeee… no idea how my recipe will turn out!