Elsja Down Under

Oreo Balls… YUM June 28, 2009

And now for more ball baking adventures… except with these particular bites of heaven, I didn’t even have to turn on the oven. These were WAY easier and quicker to make than the cake balls (and I think they taste better as well).

Recipe:

• 1 package of Oreos (16oz)- I used reduced fat
• 1 tub of cream cheese (8oz)- I used non fat
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips

1. Crush the oreos into fine crumbs- you could use a food processor but since I don’t have one, I just used one of these…
2. Add in the  cream cheese and stir until it becomes a mushy paste
3. Roll the paste into little balls about the size of a walnut and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper
4. Freeze balls for 20-30 minutes
5. Remove a few balls at a time (so the others can stay cold while you’re working) and dip the balls into the melted white chocolate
6. Tap off excess chocolate and place on some more wax paper
7. Add some oreo crumbs to the top for decoration

ENJOY

I Think I May be Crazy June 24, 2009

I’ve done it.

I’ve finally done it.

I’ve crossed over to the dark side. I’ve become a person I never thought I would be. I’ve done something I swore I would never do. Does this make me a hypocrite? Does it mean I’m getting really freaking old?

Two years ago I was desperately trying to convince my sister that she was crazy. I stared at people with disdain and wondered what on earth they were thinking.

Now I’ve become that crazy person.

I really can’t believe I finally broke down and did it.

I bought Uggs.

Yes… UGGLIES. I bought some. Why? What does it say about me that I used to snarl at people wearing these horrendous boots, thinking they were actually fashionable. Ok so maybe I just want my little tootsies warm when I run across to the store during winter and maybe my only other alternatives are flip flops and tennis shoes which require me tying them up every time I put them on and maybe I don’t want to tie up tennis shoes every time I want to run across to the store when it’s cold out. Maybe I just want to slip something warm on to my feet very quickly.

Or maybe those are all excuses and I still haven’t figured out why I actually wanted some. Even my sister said “wow I can’t believe you spent money on those.”

What’s next? Will I be sporting some bright green Crocs in 2 years? God I hope not.

Missing Australia June 22, 2009

I’m definitely happy to be home, and I’m loving spending time with my friends and family- but there a a few things I am missing.

1. Andrew. Feels like I haven’t seen him in forever and it’s only been 5 days! I still have almost 2 weeks before I see him again.

2. TV that doesn’t include the Tru TV station. Don’t get me wrong- I truly enjoy the vast variety of stations here and I’ve been excited to flip through them all over the last few weeks- but why is it that everyone here (i.e. my dad and brother-in-law) ONLY want to watch Tru TV??? I just would like to say that is the worst TV station EVER! “Tru TV, not reality, Actuality.” I’d like to change the slogan to “Tru TV, not reality, just plain SHIT.” Operation Repo is satan’s latest crap contribution to cable TV and I do NOT understand how ANY civilized human being can enjoy that show. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed my fair share of reality shows and pointless TV in the past- but this show has to take the top prize for the worst thing on air. I cannot believe those fat, ghetto, painted-eyebrow scum are probably making WAY more money than me. Why did I go to school again?

For those of you who may not have been blessed enough to see this show yet… here is one of the cast members:

I think I liked her better in her first movie, The Little mermaid:

3. Yoga. I haven’t been in weeks!! Oooh how I miss it. Sure I could go here, but that would involve paying money- and I don’t like paying money for classes. I’d rather vacuum and wash mirrors for free classes! Then I can spend money on other non-essential items like Ugg boots, giant packs of orbitz gum, grape vodka and a pocket pie maker.

That’s all really. I’m happy with everything else here… the weather (finally), the comfy guest bed I’m sleeping in, they gym (for some unknown reason I find the gym here MUCH more tolerable than the one at home), Pei Wei, Panera, cheap brewed ice tea at every restaurant I go to, free refills!!! I just want Andrew back here. Either that or I want bring 3 months worth of Strawberry Poppy seed salad home with me and then just fast forward a few months so I can skip the Sydney winter all together. Oh and if they could open a Pei Wei or Panera in Sydney, that would be awesome. It’s not a far fetched dream- they did after all open up a Counter Burger.

Bowling Skills June 20, 2009

Wii bowling has totally improved my real bowling skills. I know this post is a little delayed but last week when Andrew, my sisters, their husbands and I went to Strike bowling bar in Tustin. In a game with 6 participants… I WON! I couldn’t believe it. It’s one thing to beat 1 person, or 2… but to beat all 5- INCLUDING Andrew who beats me at EVERYTHING… annnnd Trevor who usually is right up there with Andrew on bowling skills. Icouldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it!

Then we started a second game and I started throwing gutter balls right away.

My win was a total fluke, but a fluke that will be rememberd and cherished in my memory forever.

Airports June 17, 2009

Airports used to be exciting places. Going to an airport meant you were going somewhere cool or picking up loved ones who were coming to visit! Now 90% of the time, airports are filled with goodbyes for me. I’m almost always saying goodbye to someone. When I flew here I had to say adios to Andrew thinking I wouldn’t see him for 3 weeks.  Then he ended up making it out here which was awesome, but tonight I just had to drop him off and say goodbye again for another 2 weeks.  I also had to say goodbye to my sister and her family from Texas tonight since they’ll be heading off to the airport tomorrow. And then in 2 weeks I’ll have to say goodbye to my friends and family once more when I head back to Australia. Seriously, there aren’t too many happy trips to the airport these days. Even when I’m really excited to see one person (or group of people) I’m always having to say goodbye to someone else I love in the process.

I don’t like goodbyes. I’ve had WAY too many of them in my lifetime (well,  really in the last 3.5 years), but I guess that’s what happens when you are in a long distance relationship forever and then move all the way across the world.

A Lesson in Geography June 11, 2009

Ok I know I’m not blogging, but I’m too busy visiting family and friends but I thought I’d post about an interesting experience I had yesterday with a woman who is clearly an idiot.

I was at the nail shop getting a pedicure. I was chatting to the lady (well attempting to, her Vietnamese accent was pretty strong) and I mentioned that I moved to Australia.

She asked how long I had been there and I said almost 2 years.

Then she asked the following:

“Where in Australia you move, Toato”?

I couldn’t understand her and so I was trying to think of all the cities in Australia that sounded like what she had just said. But then she cleared it up for me…

“Where in Australia you move, Toronto, Quebec?”

I didn’t even know how to reply at first. I was so amazed. It’s not like I told her I moved to Australia and she asked if  I am living in Vienna (Austria) which at least SOUNDS similar.

So I just replied, “No, I live in Sydney…Australia… not Canada”

Then the woman proceeded to scrub my feet with exfoliating scrub. Everyone knows the heels and balls of the feet are the roughest, so it’s a good thing she spent 2 minutes scrubbing my sensitive arches.

Seriously… what a moron!

California Shopping & Dining June 3, 2009

What is it about going back to California that gives me this incredible urge to shop and eat? I don’t even typically like shopping all that much (unless it’s for home and kitchen goods) and even just a week ago I thought to myself “I won’t be buying much when I go home, I’ll save some money.”

Yeah, right.

That all changed. I leave for California tomorrow and of course I’m excited to see my friends and family but I’m also really excited to go shopping. So much for my plan to make this a cheap trip. I just can’t resist! I pretty much ONLY shop when I go home. I still think I’ve probably bought less than 10 items of clothing since I moved here. Shoes? 2 pairs since moving. I’ve been here almost 2 years people! That is an accomplishment for a girl!! However, the lack of my shopping down under means I go a bit crazy when I go back to the states. I probably could have squeezed all of my stuff into one big suitcase- or maybe one big and one little. But, I’m bringing 2 big ones to lug back all the stuff I buy while I’m away!

Here’s a little snapshot of a few of my favorite places that I intend to visit while I’m back:

California, here I come! I’ll be there Thursday, bright and early!!

A Grown up Kind of Fun June 1, 2009

So at what point in our lives do we officially become adults? More specifically, when is it that we start having adult parties? I remember high school parties… some one’s parents were out of town and word would spread about the party through phone calls and pager messages. We’d all show up, cram into the backyard and stand around on wet grass while trying to avoid falling in the pool. We’d grab the infamous red plastic cup and go straight for the keg where we would pour ourselves a big cupful of nasty cheap beer. There were no finger foods or munchies and if there was music it might be rap, reggae or punk.  Someone would be doing a keg stand in one corner, a beer bong in another corner, smoking pot in the 3rd corner and a fight might break out in the 4th corner. Looking back, these parties sound miserable… but we had the time of our lives!

So when did I go from enjoying such parties to looking back on them with disdain? Really…when did I get so old?

The party we went to this weekend was pretty much the complete opposite of the crazy high school party. It was at a nice apartment overlooking Sydney Harbour. Guests were actually invited, not texted randomly by people who just heard about it through the grapevine. There were no plastic red cups, but there were about 45 -50 wine and champagne tasting glasses. The keg full of cheap beer was missing, instead we had a table full of nice wine including champagne, whites, reds and dessert wines. There was a table full of homemade finger foods including grilled onion tarts, fig and goats cheese wrapped with prosciutto, gruyere, onion and garlic pizza squares, pesto stuffed cherry tomatoes, a gourmet cheese board and a few different dips. Instead of doing keg stands, Alex (the host and birthday boy) lead a delightful night of wine tasting. Each person brought one nice bottle of wine. We each had to bring a different type and we all started off on champagne and worked our way through the wines one by one starting with the lightest and most mellow and moving up to the heavy reds and finishing off with the dessert wines. Speaking of dessert we also enjoyed a WONDERFUL lemon tart that went very well with the petritis semillon as well as my cake balls and some macaroons that were better with the heavier port. It was great to really compare the wines and enjoy tasting the differences in all the varieties. Drinking wine in this way is so much more fun than drinking one type all night.

I guess there comes a time in our lives when we do grow up and or idea of fun totally changes, but honestly I don’t think that’s a bad thing. We just evolve and learn to appreciate things that we never could when we were younger. Like wine, champagne and onions… all of which I detested at one stage but now thoroughly enjoy!

Cheers to adult wine parties which are so much better than teenage keg parties!