Italian Hot Chocolate.

Today I decided to stay home. Im flying to noosa in a couple of hours as a surprise trip for my dad's birthday, so I've given myself the day off to rest and pack. I decided to do this after falling into my bed at 8 pm last night ready for sleep, and much too tired for anything else.

To be honest though, I'm very sick of writing about how tired I am. This is after all a food blog, not a blog about a girl who does too much.

This weekend I'll be spending two whole days in beautiful noosa. I can't wait to get there and bask in the sunshine. It will be nice to get out of the city too. As much as I love Melbourne I feel it can be a bit wearing at times. Its so easy to get caught up in the perfection of everything. I sometimes find myself sitting on the train trying to work out if the girl sitting beside me has a designer handbag or not. She gets points if she does, but if its a fake extra points are deducted. FOR GOODNESS SAKE! I DONT EVEN HAVE A DESIGNER HANDBAG MYSELF. WHO DO I THINK I AM??? Its like there is this extra personality that takes over me as soon as I step into the city from flinders st station. At home I'm lovely. At home I like earthy handmade food and don't judge anyone. But in the city, everyone is skinnier than me, or wears better clothes, or 'shouldn't pair that handbag with those shoes.' I think its time to go back to the farm for a couple of days and have a reality check. Sometimes I'm too pretentious for even myself.

Talking about pretentious tough, I really cant wait to be back in Hastings St. I miss the boutiques, restaurants and cafes. I know they have nothing on Melbourne food and fashion, but I love them because they are home. I love going to the cafes that when I was a kid I used to envision myself 'all grown up' sitting there with girlfriends drinking cocktails or on dates. In my teens when all my friends wanted to hang out on the beach, I would be longing to sit in 'Aromas' and drink a coffee with a piece of biscotti. Alas I was born a foodie, there was never any escaping my fate.

My best friend back home has booked a table for me at Bistro C for breakfast this saturday and I'm so excited to sit and watch the ocean while eating some good food. A weekend away is just perfect! I love little trips. They add a bit of luxury to life (I'm a bit of a fan of luxury.)

Here's a little luxury for you though. Its an italian hot chocolate recipe which i made last night for a little treat. The bace mix can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Its a nice thing to have around the house incase any guests drop in.

Italian Hot Chocolate:

You will need:

• 1/2 cup of good quality dark chocolate
• One cup of cream
• Half a vanilla bean. (Cut it down the middle. Scrape out the seeds and use these.)
• Milk

What to do:

1. In a pot add your cream and vanilla seeds. Bring to the boil.
2. Take off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir stir stir until it has all melted. This can be put in the fridge in a small box and used later. It will set hard but this really doesn't matter as it can be melted in when you heat your milk.
3. Depending on how many you want to make or how strong you like them, add your milk to the pot. Warm and serve.