SLAM!!!

While surfing around the internet for some fun facts to put on my blog, I found this description of Brisbane -

Brisbane - In 1824, a southern state governor sent a party of difficult Convicts to found a new settlement in Queensland. These days, southern state children send their difficult parents to Queensland to retire. Also a Mecca for Southern State teenagers who upon finishing school, head north for a week of booze and debauchery.

Fact of Fiction??

Sounds a bit like Florida!!!!

Anyway, on with the day!! We had another rough night. Samuel wanted to play at 1am. If he just wanted to play quietly in the bedroom we could have probably worked with that, but, nooooo. Samuel wanted to go and play in the kitchen, living room, anywhere but our bedroom! Threw a bit of a temper tantrum/I'm so tired I don't know what to do with myself tantrum somewhere between 1am and 4am. I sure hope that the Imms are heavy sleepers! Don't think anyone could sleep through the wails of despair - Jim's, mine, or Sam's!!! *when apologizing to Andrea and Jonny later in the morning, they informed us that they had ear plugs (a bucket full to be exact) and that they had made use of them.


After another delicious breakfast of Vegemite on toast - well, I had Vegemite on toast, everyone else had cereal or honey on toast - we headed off for the day. We had decided to go for a drive to a little touristy town called Montville and grab some lunch there or somewhere else along the way.

The drive was beautiful.

We stopped off and took some photos of the Glass House Mountains.

Another photo

After admiring the beautiful view, we drove to Montville. Here is what what travel directory says about Montville.

"Sometimes we all need to sit back, recharge the batteries and unwind from the hectic day to day of our modern world. If you are looking for some romance in your life, or simply need to relax, then the old world charm and magic of Montville, just an hour north of Brisbane - it's the calm behind the coast.Montville, the jewel of the Blackall Range, will captivate you with the tranquility and beauty of its national parks, scenic walks and inspirational lake views. Allow yourself the time to soak up the majesty of the rainforests and let the cool mountain air revive your spirit. The quiet beauty of this area makes Montville the perfect romantic getaway destination.From shopping to galleries, chic cafes to fine dining restaurants and exciting young wineries, Montville has a well earned reputation for excellence. You'll be amazed at the skill and craft of some of Queensland's premier wood workers. For art lovers , Montville's galleries are both unique and rewarding."

Montville is a beautiful little town. It was fun to stroll down the street and window shop in all the different stores. Jim was very glad that I just window shopped! The temptation was definitely there to buy things, but I worried about getting it back to Florida! We ate at the take-away place pictured on the left and topped our meal off with a ice-cream.

Andrea, Jonny and family had to leave before us because they had to get back home for a baptism. We meandered our way back, amazingly we didn't get lost! We stopped off along the way and stopped at some lookouts along the way. I thought Joshua took more photos of everything, but, alas, I was mistaken!!! I will never forget my camera again!!!!

As a thank you, we bought Chinese food for everyone for dinner/tea that night. The highlight of the evening was..........

TIM TAM SLAMS!!!!!

What is a Tim Tam slam you may ask???

Let me tell you

Take one pack of Tim Tams and one can of Milo

Milo is a milk beverage with chocolate and malt, produced by Nestlé and originating from Australia. It was developed by Thomas Mayne in 1934. The name derives from the famous Greek athlete Milo of Crotona, after his legendary strength.
Use
Milo is added to hot or cold milk to give it a malted chocolate flavour and extra texture. When combined with cold milk, it retains the gritty texture of its raw state. Milo can be stirred into steamed milk or hot water to create something similar to hot chocolate or cocoa. Sugar can be added to the Milo beverage, but many people enjoy it without the addition of sweeteners, appreciating it for its subtle chocolate flavour. Another possible use is making a normal cup of cold Milo and microwaving it for approximately 40–60 seconds. This gives the Milo drink a biscuity cover on top.

I have found Milo in the supermarkets here in the USA, but it is not the same as Australian Milo. It is usually in the Hispanic section does not taste good to me at all! It seems stronger, almost coffee like.

Tim Tams Original (Arnotts Tim Tams).

• Tim tams are made from two Chocolate biscuit (cookie) layers joined by a creamy chocolate filling, then the whole lot is dipped in milk chocolate.
• Tim Tams are simply irresistible!
• Tim Tams are are Australia's best selling cookie!
• Contents: 11 tim tams per 200g packet (7oz) net

WHAT IS A TIM TAM?

• Tim Tams are Australia's favourite chocolate biscuit (chocolate coated Cookie with a creamy center)

HOW POPULAR ARE TIM TAMS IN AUSTRALIA?
Arnott's reports that "Around 30 million packs are sold each year - that's nearly 300 million biscuits, or two packs for every Australian." That's a lot of Tim Tams! Yes, they're pretty popular with Aussies!
HISTORY
Tim Tams were first launched in 1963. They were named after a horse that ran in the Kentucky Derby in 1958. A member of the Arnott family, Ross Arnott, attended the race day and decided 'Tim Tam' was the perfect name for the new biscuit he was about to launch. Since the launch of the Original Tim Tam biscuit Arnott's have now made eight different flavoured Tim Tams: Original, Chewy Caramel, Mocha, Double Coat and Classic Dark Chocolate, Special Edition Tim Tam Hazelnut, Limited Edition White Chocolate and new Special Edition Chewy Choc Fudge. (Source: http://www.arnotts.com/)
WHAT DO TIM TAMS TASTE LIKE?
Tim Tams were developed so that the chocolate has a slight hint of caramel in it. Where as the cream in the center is more a vanilla, butter and chocolate flavor. Whatever the combination, it works well and tastes great.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• NAKED Eat an icy-cold Tim Tam all on its lonesome.
• TIM TAMS WITH BERRIES & ICE CREAM Tim Tams served with strawberry and vanilla ice cream sprinkled with some fresh berries.
• TIM TAM CHEESECAKE Make your favourite cheese cake however use crushed Tim Tam biscuits and butter to make the crust.
• TIM TAM SLAM Also known as the TIM TAM Suck or TIM TAM Bomb. Grab a Tim Tam and a warm drink (Milo or hot chocolate are best). Nibble both ends off the biscuit and use it as a straw for your drink. When its saturated, quickly SLAM it in your gob before it falls apart. It can get kinda messy, but who cares when it tastes that GOOD!
• TIM TAM CHOCOLATE SUNDAE wiggy at www.geocities.com recommends the "Tim Tam Sundae". Get 4 Tim Tam Chocolate Biscuits (roughly chopped), add extra creamy Ice Cream, then 2 tablespoons Hot Fudge Chocolate and sprinkle on some Toppings to taste.
• TIM TAM CHEWY CARAMEL EXPLOSION At Arnotts (www.arnotts.com) they suggest the Chewy Tim Tam Caramel Explosion. Get 1 pack Chewy Caramel Tim Tams roughly chopped, 8 generous scoops Vanilla Ice-cream & 8 tbs Caramel Topping with Chocolate sprinkles to garnish.
• TIM TAM THICK SHAKE The Editors at www.coffeebreak.com.au recommend the "Tim Tam Thick shake". Mix a packet of Tim Tams, 8 scoops of vanilla ice cream & 400ml milk in a blender. Rich, thick and full of chocolate. Hmmm.
• TIM TAM FONDUE haven't been able to find a Tim Tam Fondue recipe yet, but I'm sure it must exist. Hmmm, just imagine dipping fresh strawberries, pineapple pieces, berries, banana and mango into a warm thick Tim Tam sauce.

For the life of me I can't understand why they don't sell Tim Tams here in the United States. They are a little bit of heaven!! Tim Tam Slams are very addictive, but oh so GOOD!!

Sally-Ann