Sizzling September

I couldn't have picked a better day to have friends over for a barbecue. The sky was as blue as Siti's contact lenses. At some point the day it did start to feel rather hot and still but all the better for drinking ice cold Pimm's and vodka jelly shots. Even more perfect still for Nigella's watermelon and feta salad. I've been wanting to try this salad ever since I watched her make it on tv. The fusion of ingredients piqued my interest. And the best part is that its dead easy. Simply toss cubed watermelon, crumbled feta, finely sliced red onions, flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped black olives and mint together with the juice of 2-3 limes. I used limau kasturi instead which is not as sharp as lime. She also adds olive oil but there really isn't any need. It was just perfect! It was tangy, sweet, juicy, herbaceous and refreshing. Perfect for a hot summers day.

We also had sausages, smokey bbq beef kebabs, honey & mustard chicken kebabs, tamarind prawns and grilled brandied pineapples. I bought the sausages from Fogal in Plaza Damas. They were almost sold out when I went to buy them on Wednesday. Guess everybody was preparing for the long weekend. I managed to get hold of some Italian sausages and chicken sausages. The Italian sausages were a combination of pork and beef and they had a lovely and spicy aroma to them. The chicken sausages were not very good. The ones from Rawlins is much better. These were very dry and full of bread crumbs. It was disappointing especially since I paid so much for them.

We ended the evening with a super rich peanut butter cake from Le Meridien. Its creamy and crispy all at once. Oh it was so good but I struggled to finish my tiny slice. Must try if you are a peanut butter fan. Anyway, its late and I've been awake for far too long. I had a lovely day and received many wonderful presents from my dear friends. Thank you for your thoughtful sms, you know who you are. I have some cake left which I will be eating for breakfast. Mmmm...