Gone eatin'

Please excusez-moi as we duck over to Singapore and Thailand for two weeks of much needed relaxing and eating (well, we don't really need to eat, but we really WANT to).

Hurry up with my luggage Bell Hop!

I do hope our economy seats on Singapore airline are a bit more comfortable that traveling seemed to be for this other Miss Piggy....deary me.

Image source

Miss Piggy vs New York

After booking my New York holiday with my friend Miss M nearly nine l-o-n-g months ago the we day fly out has FINALLY arrived!

I think the below poster summarises fairly well what my plans are when I'm in New York...eat eat and eat some more. Oh and maybe a little sightseeing and shopping...and brunch!

I won't be blogging when I'm away, but I hope to return with a tonne of great photos (or just a tonne of photos) and some great tips on fantastic places to eat in The Big Apple.

See you all in a few weeks.

2012 Foodies Guide to Sydney

I've been published! Or my name is in a book that has been published.

In a bit of exciting news from Miss Piggy Land I was asked to be a contributor to the 2012 Foodies Guide to Sydney which is due to hit bookshops at the beginning of October.

Contributing to this book was both incredibly exciting and frightening all at the same time.  It was an experience that really pushed me outside of my comfort zone.

I was thrilled to be asked to write a few small reviews for the publication however I was hyper-aware that I was being published alongside qualified journalists and writers who have been writing as professionals for years. I felt myself under a bit of pressure to write something...readable. Was my writing good enough?  Would the spell check on my little ole laptop work properly so that I didn't submit writing that looked and read like it was from a four year old?  Should that comma go here...or there?

Writing a blog, where you can blather on for as long as you like, is a whole other ball game to producing a succinct and eloquent piece of writing.  As well as learning how to say what I had to say in only 50 words (yes 50 words - I can't even order a meal in under 50 words) I had to present myself to the businesses being reviewed and ask questions which is completely the opposite to the anonymous type of blogging I've been undertaking for the last year.

I have to say the thing that I most enjoyed about contributing to this book was meeting and talking to small business owners in my local area. This is A LOT of great food in Parramatta  from Artisan Bakers, Persian Grocers and Spice Shops that will awaken your senses the moment you step across the threshold.

All in all it was a great experience to contribute in my small way to this guide and I'm as pleased as punch to see my name in actually print for the first time EVER!

Thanks Hardie Grant Books for the great opportunity - it's been challenging and greatly rewarding!

Celebrating 100 posts with a Masterchef giveaway

I was a little surprised when I realised that this post was going to be the 100th on my blog.

I sat back and thought to myself "wow, I sure have eaten out a lot since I started blogging in October". And then I thought "hang on, you've eaten out more than 100 times since then, what about those unwritten posts and places you've revisited two, three or four times more after your initial post"?

Seems like The Adventures of Miss Piggy was a pretty apt name for this blog, hey?  Oink oink.

Although, with the start of Season 3 of Masterchef I seemed to have slowed down my eating out. Unbelievably I've only missed two episodes since the show started and I'd recorded these on Foxtel IQ so got to watch them later anyway.  When someone suggests a mid-week dinner I really have to weigh up "Masterchef vs Eating Out".

So, to celebrate my 100th post and the commencement of Masterchef, which is hopefully going to save me some money and calories by having more meals at home, The Complete Basket Case and Miss Piggy are giving my loyal readers (and un-loyal ones too if I'm totally honest) a chance to win a great Masterchef Gift Hamper worth $110.

View the gift basket here: 

http://www.thebasketcase.com.au/the-master-cook-p

The hamper contains all sorts of goodies that can be enjoyed whilst you rug up in your lounge room and cheer on your favourite Masterchef contestants, including:

• Luke Mangan Olive oil/Vinegar 250ml
• Carrs water crackers 125g
• Rutherford and Meyer fruit paste 120g
• Rosenborg Brie cheese 125g
• Luke Mangan Sparkling Mineral water 750ml
• Frou Frou Gourmet Cordial 250ml
• Masterchef Magazine (current)
• Seasonal Vegetables
• Belgian Chocolate Bar 100g
• Ribbon and gift card
• Presented in a woven reed Homewares tray

To enter just leave a comment below letting me know who is your favourite Masterchef contestant and if you've ever replicated (or attempted to replicate) any of the Masterchef dishes.

Make sure you also email your comment to me at melanie2880 [at] hotmail [dot] com so that I have the email address of all contestants and can notify the winner.

I'll randomly select a winner on Saturday 4th June and notify them by email the following week.  Good luck!

Personally I have my fingers crossed for fellow food blogger Billy (or #teambilly as he's referred to on twitter), but I also have a soft spot for Kumar and think Jay is doing alright "on the pans" so far. And would I ever try to replicate any of the Masterchef dishes - no way! I'm still waiting for Adam Liaw's restaurant to open as I loved his food but there is NO WAY I'd be able to cook any of the amazing dishes he made last year.