morning shortcuts

Remember those homemade croissants that nearly drove me nuts? Well, I baked these a while later but just never got around posting them. I wanted to try Emmanuel Mollois' recipe, featured on Poh's Kitchen, but when I saw it I opted for the easy way out and made my own filling :) It was too early in the morning to make so many different components, and it looked too sweet for my liking.

On a note, I have been getting rather annoyed with the blog layout, so I decided to revamp it. The new design is purely inspired by artist + designer Sun Wahyu (his blog and works) and Japanese food stylist and bread baking instructor Niwa Akiko (her blog and website). I really hope I didn't copy too much :(

Another thing, pretty much the same reason as Lalarhs (except I'm not a science student), I will be going on a hiatus for one month. SWOT VAC and exams are just around the corner, so priority goes to studying. I am not going to post anything here until I hit the holidays, but I will probably be making small updates on twitter and klippity klop.

Over and out.

***

cheat's almond croissants

taste the filling as you go and feel free to use honey and icing sugar interchangeably. add more or less depending on your taste buds.

ingredients:
makes around 2/3 - 3/4 cup of almond butter filling

• 50 g unsalted butter, softened
• 50 g almond meal
• 1 1/2 Tb honey
• 25 g icing sugar, sifted
• dash of vanilla essence (optional)
• almond slices
• homemade or store bought almond croissants
• icing sugar for dusting, optional

method:

Mix butter until creamy. Add almond meal, honey, icing sugar, vanilla essence and mix until well combined.

Slice the croissants in half and generously spread almond butter filling on top. Sprinkle a pinch or two of almond slices on top and lightly press into the butter.

Toast in a moderately pre-heated oven until the croissant is warm, crispy and golden. Lightly dust with icing sugar before serving.

day 3: autumn camp

Porepunkah Resort; Porepunkah

The last day of camp! Everyone wished they could stay longer! We had a fairly slow morning as people slowly filed in for an awesome breakfast. Before checking out, I took some shots of the accommodation; Porepunkah Resort. It was actually a caravan park, but there were 4-star cabins and houses inside. I recommend this place if anyone decides to visit Bright.

Canyon Walk; Bright

We departed for the Canyon Walk soon after. With the minimal gear I was carrying, it was an easy 3 km walk. It started off with a paved path, but it got rocky and kind of slippery with the mud trail. Luckily we were blessed with good weather and no rain, so the ground was rather firm.

Canyon Walk; Bright

Canyon Walk; Bright

Amazing Foliage, Canyon Walk; Bright

Amazing Foliage, Canyon Walk; Bright

Apparently, only the European trees planted by the early settlers change colour during Autumn. The Australian trees (and pine trees) stay green all year around.

Livestock Paddock, Canyon Walk; Bright

Livestock Paddock, Canyon Walk; Bright

I was so happy when we were able to pass a livestock paddock with cows! During the road trips, we passed so many livestock paddocks but we couldn't stop to take photographs :( The cows here were particularly friendly and we were able to get super close! I even got to see a cow with snot coming out of it's nose :P It was one big snot!

Canyon Walk; Bright

Canyon Walk; Bright

The Canyon Walk used to be a gold mining area. I was able to spot some locals trying their luck to pan some from the river.

Canyon Walk; Bright

Canyon Walk; Bright

Canyon Walk; Bright

Bright

Before heading back to Melbourne, we returned to Bright for lunch and more photographs! This is the last post for camp and I hope you guys have enjoyed "visiting" rural Victoria through my lens.

● Day 1

● Day 2

day 2: autumn camp

Eurobin Falls Picnic Area, Mt Buffalo National Park

To burn off calories from day 1's BBQ dinner, we spent our time until sunset up in Mt Buffalo National Park (part of the Australian and Victorian alps). I thought we were going to walk on the nature trails but we ended up driving most of it!! But in the very end, we managed to drive up to the plateau and hike up 1.5 km to The Horn (the peak of Mt Buffalo).

We spent a while at Eurobins Falls Picnic Area finishing lunch and taking photographs of the waterfall. I forgot to take my tripod, but I think I got some decent shots of the waterfall.

Eurobin Falls Picnic Area, Mt Buffalo National Park

Bent's Lookout, Elevation 1300m; Mt Buffalo National Park

Before heading up to The Horn, we stopped at Bent's Lookout to see if we could spot any hang gliders. Unfortunately there wasn't otherwise there would be a photograph. It was also chillingly cold up there! From this point, one could walk to Lake Catani (I think it was around 1.2km), but we drove there instead.

Bent's Lookout, Elevation 1300m; Mt Buffalo National Park

Bent's Lookout, Elevation 1300m; Mt Buffalo National Park

The Chalet (currently closed), Elevation 1337m; Mt Buffalo National Park 

The Chalet is a historic guest house, however it is currently closed. According to fellow camper L, who was also my driver for camp said that The Chalet is always saved at last minute when bush fires strike at Mt Buffalo.

The Chalet (currently closed), Elevation 1337m; Mt Buffalo National Park

Lake Catani; Mt Buffalo National Park

Lake Catani; Mt Buffalo National Park

Lake Catani; Mt Buffalo National Park

Lake Catani; Mt Buffalo National Park

Plateau leading to The Horn Track; Mt Buffalo National Park

L: The Horn Track, R: View from The Horn, Elevation 1723m, Mt Buffalo National Park

To me, the view of the alps was pretty much the same, so I didn't take much shots from The Horn. The hike was pretty fun, though it was a bit hard to breathe (I was probably out of breath too :P)

For the photos at The Horn, I was able to borrow a plastic filter which helps darken the sky (not the ones at the plateau though).

View from The Horn, Elevation 1723m, Mt Buffalo National Park

Sunset @ the plateau; Mt Buffalo National Park

● Day 1

day 1: autumn camp

Good ol' Days; Bertallis Alpine Breads Bakery, 51 Bridge St, Benalla, VIC 3673

Fotoholics's (photography club based at UoM) autumn camp group returned to Melbourne from Bright earlier this week in time for week 9 classes. The camp comprised of 3 days and 2 nights which were jam-packed full of activities and photography time. For me, the best thing about camp was that I felt comfortable carrying my camera around, taking photos and talking about photography without looking like a nerd. During outings, we could go at our own pace, so I felt I wasn't burdening people to wait for me or my friends complaining I was being like a tourist. Which is usually the case when I'm in Melbourne.

The first town stop we made for lunch was in Benalla. There was a lot of bakeries and cafes, so it was pretty hard to choose from. One disappointing thing about Benalla was that we encountered a bunch of teens who were being racist towards us on the streets and the same group at McDonald's...although we did meet a friendly couple in another cafe. 

Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria

The last stop for the first day was at Boyntons Winery where the owners and their staff make private label Feathertop wines. Most campers didn't participate in the wine sampling so we hiked up the valley to take photos. Most unfortunate, the grapes had all been harvested so there were none to take photos of and taste.

We stayed at the winery until sunset (for photographs) before heading back to accommodation.

An Autumn Tale; Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria

Most of my scenic photos of the winery were pretty crap, but the above photograph was my favourite.

Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria

View from the top of the valley; Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria

Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria

Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria

Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria

Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria

Sunset; Boyntons Winery, Alpine Valleys North East Victoria