#3 Red Cacao

#3 Red Cacao, Stirling, Adelaide Hills

redcacao.com.au

High five me with a grin, a slice of chocolate and a coffee on the side! This is SUCH a cute place. Small enough that it could be your entranceway to your overly large 27 bedroom home, Red Cacao offer a treat for the senses that I haven't met in other places before. It was such a choice place for many locals and Adelaidians on their late Saturday morning that some people even didn't bother with the option to wait a few minutes for a table to free up, but took takeaway options instead. Mind you, it was a gloriously wintery day in Stirling - foggy, constant rain, autumnal leaves still adding colour to the grey skies, people rugged up with beanies and scarves and long thick jackets.

So, you've been seated, and your drinks have been ordered. Not only do you get some triple coated almonds to demolish while your eyes take in the sight of your presented choices, they pair what coffee you choose with what 2 chocolates that match your drink. BRAVO! for such a great idea. I went off the regular trail and opted a choice of the Barista Blend mug of Flat white - a fruity bright bean of origin I am not sure, which was paired with a delicate Vanilla chocolate that had a melt in your mouth soft centre, and also a Hazelnut chocolate. I am pretty sure I was exhausting everyone with my grunts of appreciation and "I totally blog food - not" commentary - while my friend Miss K did the same from her palate of appreciation.

We also had some fruit (?) loaf - which was the perfect savoury addition to the somewhat sweet choices we had on our table already. Buttered those slices of loaf up and enjoy the beautiful warm bread and goodness!

And then what more could be better after such a fabulous feast, but to feast your eyes around the township of Stirling in the beginnings of winter. Such joy for the senses, and a perfect way to spend the weekend morning.

The Mustard Cowl

The cool weather has officially arrived in Adelaide, and my favourite accessories have been getting a great work out - the neck-embracing scarf.

I have such a variety of beautiful, warm, patterned scarfs, but not many that are just one colour. I also have many scarves that are one piece of long material that you can tie in a variety of ways but only one that is the universal loop you can wrap around without the need to tucking in edges.

I have also been dreaming more about the gorgeous colour of mustard yellow of late, and while on a spontaneous visit to Spotlight yesterday (my other, other, OTHER, other home away from home), I was wooed by Miss K to purchase this chunky Moda Vera Jester Wool (50gm) in yellow.

And then I was wooed by Ami's Long Double Crochet Cowl pattern that she made - which I found by Pinterest. In 2.5 hours this was begun and finished - I may have been dawdling a little bit. I think her wool was thicker than mine - or she could be super mini-tiny and it looks ginormous on her. But I can say - its mighty cozy!

The Coffee List Thus Far

The list keeps growing...

Read up reviews so far:
Cafe #1 - Mockingbird Lounge
Cafe #2 - The Little Fig

#2: The Little Fig, Melrose Park

#2: The Little Fig, Melrose Park - Find them on Yelp!... here

Its little, its almost hidden, its quiet - but it just feels right on a surprisingly active street where sits The Little Fig. Surrounded by teeny places such as a bakery that has tradies shipping through at a fast pace, a ceramics and tiling shop that runs classes while you run your eyes over the goods, and a few other interesting shops including ones to purchase somewhat expensive dust collectors at. But its there, and this neighbourhood has never looked so full!

Staffed by two, the menu is simple but very good. The coffee was made well and was exactly what I needed from the moment my lips hit the cup till the final milk moustache was wiped. The foccacia I ate had the right combination of flavours and colours and had me slowing my rate of consumption to enjoy the flavours - forgive me but I'm vague on what it was called. There was Salami and tomatoes, spinach and feta on a yummy bread of sorts. Reading through the magazines was only required part time, while people watching through the glass to outside of the shop added to the glazed over look I occasionally fell into considering I had just finished work.

For the size and location, it was surprisingly busy for 1:30pm, and by 2pm I was the sole occupant listening to the banter of the staff working which both entertained and amused me.

A great place to bring a couple of people for brunch I would assume, and I would aim to do that even in the summer months because the sun would warm this little shop right up and keep those sitting outside in happy sunshine good vibe-ness. A definite re-do is necessary.

Hey Big Spender...

I think I will forever be a student of life. Forever learning. Years studying. Forever being challenged in a variety of ways. I think this could easily be said for many people, and many people would agree with this. Happiness for me is seeking to understand things better - how to care for people better (and thats why I'm studying my Bachelor of Nursing). How can I make this better (bring on the cook books, craft books, gardening websites etc). How can I spend money better (just don't have any, its a lot easier to not spend it). The humble Aussie dollar has a history worth reading (if you are like me and easily find 'useless' or 'unnecessary' information interesting) and holds hands intimately with the concept of 'spending your hard earned money' in 2014. But do we really need to, and can we do without?

What brings this topic up is the concept to live within your means. I am no flasher of money, and usually have enough to get by without the odd hiccup here and there. I try to shout someone a coffee at least once in a while, not because I think I need to or because they need me to (and sometimes, they do!), but I really enjoy giving to people when I can and spontaneous giving is more my style. I'm totally hopeless at birthday gifts especially if you aren't someone I can easily give a daggy useless gift to, or I already have your present in mind after your last birthday. I am influenced by the people around me and on the occasion, I have found it challenging to not spend just because those I'm with are spending theirs, even if I want to. I could easily justify spending it only to feel the bottomless stomach realisation of not-quite-enough-in-the-kitty for bills etc.

The point is - how do you do life within your means? Some people have the most excellent husband/wife excuse of needing to check with them before a decision is made - what a handy provision marriage provides! Some people have the ability to say they are needing to go home and study and actually can do that, which can get them out of plenty of spending situations. A lot of people have regular hours of work and can balance the want to spend and eat out according to their earnings and expenditures. So what if you live on your own, have irregular (and fluctuating) hours of work and are a professional procrastinator of studying? Welcome to me.

Don't confuse this as a whinge, this is actually me being realistic, and it will be a helpful reminder later on that I have thought about this, others have seen this, and therefore I should be accountable to my words... and those words are:

--- we can actually live off of less money than we think we need! (Can I do it?? Yes I can!)

Go ahead and think I'm losing my mind - or tell me that you've heard this before - but that one sentence is what I need to remember. I actually don't need to have hundreds of dollars in my bank account to survive the next week of life. I actually have food at home that will make great filling meals and I actually can be less slack about that.

Take the humble potato bake. Until yesterday, we had not met in my kitchen - only from other peoples most excellent provision. A synapse of activity occurred in my brain and the cells came alive and an idea formed. At its most simplest, all you need are potatoes, some milk, flour, a knob of butter and an oven. A bit more fancy (and if you have it) you can add cheese, breadcrumbs, pepper and other veggies if you like. A potato bake is easy to make. Slice the veggies thinly and layer in a dish of sorts (I don't have a dish, so I used a circular expandable cake tin - which did make this more like a potato cake). Make some white sauce with the butter (melted), small additions of flour till you get a dough and then slowly add milk to the mixture till its creamy and the consistency you want. Go fancy and add pepper here, before pouring over the veggies. Cover with some breadcrumbs and cheese or bake as it is. Voila. A perfectly great side dish or a meal in itself if that is what your after.

The best thing is, those ingredients probably came to around $15 and could feed a group of 5 or be several side dish meals - instead of spending $15 on one meal that is gone in 12.5minutes. Where has my brain been? Its been tricked by good advertising and the ability to access food fast in many places convincing me that those will be easier to get than cooking myself.

So - my challenge to me is to keep seeking cheap things to make to eat. Do you have good cheap suggestions of food thats easy to make at home? The one additional information I should include is - I don't have a microwave. I don't need one, and its just another appliance using up electricity. So food either has to be frozen ready to cook or edible cold.

#1: Mockingbird Lounge, Glenelg

 #1 - Mockingbird Lounge, Glenelg, South Australia

http://www.mockingbirdlounge.com.au/

Meet the Mockingbird Lounge - which if you were like me and hadn't been privvy to its sass and vibe - is the place you have quite literally ALWAYS wanted to go to: a bookshop, filled with nooks, grannies and crannies, and plenty of rooms to sit in where you can drink hot beverages and eat delicious food amongst that not-so-musty library smell - while attempting to stealthly beat your opponent at a board game. 

Is there more you want to ask for?

From the front, it looks like a teeny tiny place. At this point, you might even hesitate to enter. You step in the door, and to your right the front counter is laden full of delicious yums to tease you. On most of the walls throughout this beautiful cafe (sorry, Lounge) are tall bookshelves, filled with books beloved by people for you to purchase. On the other walls displays art for sale or funky gifts you can get for your loved ones 
(even if the loved one is yourself).

Listen to the hilarious reasonings for why your neighbours who are playing "up words" think their word is actually in the dictionary and that its real. Listen to the ladies discuss the fashion of famous Adelaidian's that they have seen turn up to events. ("Come on, Nicole (identity hidden footballers family member), you're too old to wear that skirt - even though we all want to wear that skirt, we wouldn't"). Listen to the laughter from the studio at the very end of the property - the studio with the BookClub meeting on Saturdays.
And the yums I got to try today - I had two delicious flat white coffees in not-so-quaint mugs your granny would raise her eyebrows at, with a white chocolate and raspberry muffin. YUM! Such a fun place to visit - very easy to get to - and now another home-away from home for me down here near the seaside.
And the yums I got to try today - I had two delicious flat white coffees in not-so-quaint mugs your granny would raise her eyebrows at, with a white chocolate and raspberry muffin. YUM! Such a fun place to visit - very easy to get to - and now another home-away from home for me down here near the seaside.

Get your Jane Austen collection in a vintage bound book for $10. I'm serious. Walk through the rooms that are filled with chatter and laughter about life and continue out to the back - a formerly shaded area that has been opened up to allow the sun to shine on you.  Grab a table amongst your newest friends (you may call them 'people you haven't met yet') and get your serious game face on.

Did your eyes read correctly? BookClub. Much like the Jane Austen Book Club, but with a twist. You can join up a group together and read through a Mockingbird Lounge book of the month, catching up to share your thoughts and ideas. Or, you can join up as an individual and be put into a group with others of whom you may not even know and whose opinions may marry or clash very greatly with your own. OR, you can bring your book club to utilise the bookclub of the Mockingbird Lounge - so you don't have to organise your own books for a while. And its pretty cheap ($10 per month).

29 New Coffee Places Before I Turn 30

The topic about my age once again popped up this past week in conversation with friends. Being quite boisterous and lively, I find many people believe I'm still quite young and untainted by the world, and it seems that more often people are a little surprised to find I'm 28 (still). Or, they think I'm really, really immature (and youthful looking). 

Let not my 16 year old hormonal skin fool you.

Being just over a year away from being 30 is no big deal to me. I say "bring it on" to each number that gets clocked onto my age. I really enjoy celebrating my birthday, because it gives me a chance to see some people who I often haven't seen in months. I don't love the spotlight of a birthday party - seriously, when people sing at you, where do you look? - but I absolutely enjoy spending time with friends and reflecting on memories of things we've done together in life. Every year brings a new adventure, and every adventure brings the chance to understand who I am and my place in this world.

Upon hearing of my 'coming of age(d)', there was a suggestion to do a Buckets List which gives me a chance to be inspired about what things I want to achieve on a student budget to help give attention to those hours where I need to study. However, a second suggestion of a count down of coffee places pricked my ears up quick. As a partaker of a coffee flavoured beverage at least twice a day, and a enjoyer of cafe's both near and far from my home, the idea to purposefully discover new cafes AND do a count down sounds too exciting to pass up. Plus, being a student, its quite easy to afford a coffee out every now and then.

So, feel free to join along as I detail the places that I visit, depicting greatness and notability, and the occasional bumsteer to avoid at all measures.

Cafe #1: Cafe #2:

The Alpha (the Beginning)

Putting the title as "das Verständnis" may make you think that you have arrived at the wrong page due to a faulty link because of the foreign language, but I assure you, that title was put there on purpose.

Not a newcomer to the realm of blogging, I'm an old hand at the art of whipping a post into being. In previous blogs I never really had a direction of what that blog would be, starting off aimlessly and ending much the same way. A thought would pop into my head and it would become a script read by others, but it never felt exactly right. Having left the realm of blogging for what I felt was a long time, I have been fondly thinking of things I could write about again, and have now been inspired to re-blog life as I know it.

Das Verständnis is German for understanding, comprehending, appreciating, having insight, to grip and to grasp. This is what I want this blog to be. A reflection of the experiences that encompass everyday life - with these things in mind. Though experiences are unique to individuals they are often best shared. There are few people who do life by themselves.

Above all things, I am passionate to serve the Lord Jesus, as well as my family and friends. Many people in my life do not have a faith in Jesus like I do, but I am not here to judge anyone, only to love people for exactly who they are and their importance to me. People accept the choices and beliefs of those they care about, and through doing life together, learn to understand what their passions and inner beliefs are.

Now that you've read this and been warmly welcomed, perhaps this blog is exactly what you wanted to find. Perhaps, sadly, this is not.