cafe longford finally has its very own espresso machine! it has taken us 9 months of price checking, unsuccessful ebaying... after using the freebie 3.5 bar machine for several months, the chance came (for a real bargain) to get the ever popular paul bassett EM6910... it sure is noisy! (OHS wise, best to use ear muffs while operating - to dampen the piercing hissing when frothing milk)... and back to the topic of bargains - it was bought at myer during the myer and american express promotion... all in all, it was bought for $530 (such a bargain price is achieved after the rebate $50 myer vouchers from AE, $50 off advertised by myer, an extra 10% off from myer for myer card holders (saving another $60) and a bonus $30 car wash voucher)... usually it retails for $699 and is not seen discounted for less than $650 anywhere else... to add to the bonus, there is a freebie DVD and freebie 1 1/2-hour barista course for one...
the freebie course was bagged by mcduck and the resident chef of LF cafe could only practise her skills quietly at home... it took litres and litres of whole milk and soy milk to achieve the 1st batch of foamy cappuccino...... now that i have figured out the art of steam wand positioning (just under the surface of the milk) and have improved on the technique of "chasing the froth" (the rise of the wand with the rising foam)... the coffees made by cafe LF is pretty consistent...
the best economical and healthy is made with a single shot of espresso with a portion of 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 home made soy milk... home made soy milk will give the drink its sweetness while the (50%) whole milk gives it creaminess without being too sickeningly filling and fatty, should one be using 100% whole milk... and of course it is cheaper too with home made soy milk! - yep! true spirit of a bargain hunter shines...
although i must say... cafe LF doesn't skim on the quality of coffee... for a similar price to vittoria beans bought at coles, i would rather get freshly roasted beans from forsyth at the end of willoughby rd, and grind as necessary - it makes all the diff!
the veggie patch is producing organic veg for food too (as above)... the yield is quite minimal and it doesn't help when one has to share the goodies with a growing population of caterpillars! just as vasilli says, squashed caterpillars are the best deterrent for other mother moths and baby caterpillars... so my fingers have been busy squeezing green slim out of plump wriggling worms and at the same time saying a pray for each worm that looses its life for its cause (of being organic pest control)...
at the cooking front, the home made salted eggs (from the mooncake fest) have finally matured... 1 or 2 has become overly matured and had to be thrown out... these golden, gleaming salted egg yolks have been wrapped into pretty presents of glutionus rice dumplings... each yolk is divided into several bit and each was accompanied by red dates, chinese mushrooms, fatty pork, mung bean etc etc and covered in glutionus rice and bamboo leaves...
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at the cooking front, the home made salted eggs (from the mooncake fest) have finally matured... 1 or 2 has become overly matured and had to be thrown out... these golden, gleaming salted egg yolks have been wrapped into pretty presents of glutionus rice dumplings... each yolk is divided into several bit and each was accompanied by red dates, chinese mushrooms, fatty pork, mung bean etc etc and covered in glutionus rice and bamboo leaves...now they are in the freezer, ready for an emergency din din...
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