Man Blocks. Sausage Rolls. Cool Britannia.

Hello 2011.

It's been a very relaxing start to the year here at SSG Manor.  I've been kicking back on the sofa reading on my Kindle and sipping beverages.  Mr SSG has a bee in his bonnet about the Australian Cricket team (who doesn't) and is firing off a strong comment on a news website.  2011 may well be the year of Mr SSG: The Blog.

Speaking of Mr SSG.

He Shopped yesterday.  After walking many 'man blocks' (his words) from his office, he finally got to the Ralph Lauren store at the QVB with my greige polo in his backpack.

The lighting isn't accurate but this is greige in real life.

After craftily sizing up various pink polo shirts against The Dead One, he settled in this one.  At a price he was happy with.  There was a 50% of sale going on at the time.

Good work, Mr SSG!

As I wrote yesterday, NYE was a rather low key event for us.  I did however make dinner.  Sausage Rolls using the recipe in the AWW's The Complete Book of Modern Entertaining.  It can be found in the section Tea Party: Country.  For my country readers, the rest of the menu was lamingtons, buttermilk scones with strawberries and cream and a featherlight sponge.  No beverage suggestions.

To make 48 mini sausage rolls (bite size), 750g of sausage mince is required.  I don't know about you but I don't think I've seen sausage mince outside of sausage skins at any supermarket or butcher recently.  I improvised with a 50:50 mix of lean beef and a pork/veal mince.

The dry ingredients are 1 cup of stale bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon herbs and a chopped onion.  I upped the herbs to about 2 tablespoons and added salt, pepper and crushed garlic.  I'm sure seasoning is what makes sausage mince, sausage mince.

So it doesn't look that appetizing at this stage, but at least I know what I'm getting in my sausage rolls.  A beaten egg is also needed to bind the mixture together.

The AWW suggest piping the mince mixture onto the halved sheets of puff pastry.  I don't own a piping bag and found it just as easy to mould the mince mixture along the middle of the pastry.

I decorated the top of my mini rolls with sesame seeds (for that patisserie in Balmain feel) and then glazed with a beaten egg.

30 minutes at 200C and here we are!

We nibbled our sausage rolls as we watched the BBC Proms.

I love sauce with my sausage rolls, and lots of it.  Best is a mixture of ketchup and barbecue sauce.

The AWW sure know a good sausage roll recipe.  I liked the flavour of and texture of the mince filling.  Also, they weren't greasy at all.  I used a low fat puff pastry.

In true nanna style, I let the rest of the sausage rolls cool under a netting cover.  We've been snacking on the leftovers today and there aren't actually that many left....

It's a seriously hot day in Sydney today.  Clear blue skies with bright and clear sunlight.  A day for staying in until the sun sets.

In between eating sausage rolls, I've packed away our Christmas decorations.

And making more healthful drink choices.

Champagne punch: 1/4 glass fruit juice, 1/4 glass ginger ale and then fill with bubbly.

 Mr SSG and I are off to see The King's Speech tonight.

The convenience of buying tickets online.  Adult tickets are $19.

It's been Cool Britannia week here.  Except for the Ashes.  The BBC Proms, The King's Speech and this gem of a movie, The Boat That Rocked.  I've just been watching it this morning.  Set in the UK in the 1960's, it chronicles the lives of DJs on a ship in the North Sea (to get away from strict broadcasting bans imposed in the UK against the playing of 'rock music' and its amoral consequences on British society).  The film got mixed reviews on its release.  I remember the name of the film but didn't know much about it. Then I found it on Foxtel today.

It is long and complicated but the acting is brilliant and the music was perfect for New Year's morning.

This is one of my favourite scenes, Rhys Ifans in character as a very ... sexual(?) shock jock.

Happy New Year and I hope you're having a lovely day.