Many people ask me if, as an American, I like living in Australia. Do I like it better than the US? Do I miss home? The answer is always an emphatic “Yes!”! Yes, I do like living in Australia more than I liked living in the US. And yes, I do miss living in the US! I’m contradicting myself a bit there, but I’ll just start with why I like Australia. Australia seems pretty unique to me and I love the little Aussie quirks and slang. I haven’t gotten used to the different spellings (favorite vs. favourite, etc.), but I do catch myself saying something Australian every so often (“arvo” instead of “afternoon”, or “foothpath” instead of “sidewalk”, or “afternoon tea” instead of just “snack”). Most people ask me if I’m either Canadian, or, very oddly, if I’m Irish! Irish!? I must have some weird mix of Australian and Hoosier accents that, when combined, sound neither Australian or American. Bizarre.
There’s a great multicultural community here, which means I can great a wide range of ingredients for cooking. I couldn’t do this in Indiana. I haven’t used many of the ingredients I’ve came across, but if I ever need them, I know exactly where to find them. I love the Asian supermarkets, for example. I could spend hours in those shops!
Speaking of shops, one of the things I don’t like about living here is that most shops close at 5pm. And you’re lucky if they’re open on the weekend, with the exception of the big shopping centers. However, there is one designated night that the shops stay open until 9pm. It’s called Late Night Shopping, and this special, exclusive event only happens on Thursdays. I think this is just so weird, coming from a place where the shops are always open until 9pm!
On the plus side, there is always something to do here. Always something happening, always somewhere to go, always something to see or experience. I didn’t get that in Indiana. In Indiana, you have to have a car to go absolutely anywhere, unless you’re just walking to your mailbox to get the mail, and you have to drive for ages to get anywhere (if you don’t live near a major city, that is). Well, in Sydney, you still have to drive for ages to get anywhere because the traffic is horrible, and the roads are in horrible condition, but there is always public transportation. Train, bus, ferry, you can usually get to where you want to go without relying on a car. In fact, there are people here that do not even own a car!
Australia is a really gorgeous country, full of many unique landscapes and landmarks (and people!). The weather, at least in Sydney, leaves a little to be desired, but I really like it here and can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather live.
But yes, I still miss the US. My entire family is there, my home is there. I really feel it during holidays, like Christmas, or Thanksgiving, but most of my family uses Facebook and I can call my parents easily any day. I also miss the US because of all the things! The US has everything and most things you can’t get here in Australia. Or if those things are able to be shipped overseas, the price of shipping will be about the cost of your house. No, really.
One of things you still can’t get in Australia is Biscoff spread. It just hasn’t made its way Down Under yet. If you’re lucky enough to have a Coles that stocks Biscoff biscuits near you, however, you won’t feel too left out. Seriously, Coles does stock these biscuits now – you’ll have to look extra carefully because the package is small and tucked in between other bigger packages of biscuits. They’re not called Biscoff, just Lotus, which is the company that makes Biscoff. They are one and the same biscuit. Lotus makes the products, but the products are called different things in different countries.
Biscoff spread, though. Good luck finding that. Well, okay. I’ll let you in on a little secret. You can get Biscoff spread in Australia. But you have to be proactive by checking for new stock and purchasing as soon as – AS SOON AS – new stock arrives, because it sells out quicker than you can even blink your eyes. Check out this post I wrote a while back, you’ll find links to four online shops in Australia that stock Biscoff/Speculoos spread. Again, this is not called Biscoff, it’s called Speculoos. But it’s the exact same. If you want it, get in super quick. It can take up to 5 weeks for the shops to get new stock in.
So today I’m going to share with you a little something special you can make if you’re lucky enough to find Biscoff biscuits and spread. Can you guess where I’m going with this?
Biscoff spread, Biscoff biscuits, chocolate, marshmallows. Sounds a little bit like…
S’mores! Only with a Biscoff twist. Seriously, why did I never think of this before? I got inspiration from Biscoff’s Facebook page when they posted a photo of s’mores, only using Biscoff biscuits instead of graham crackers. The rest just kind of happened.
I don’t have access to a campfire, so I had to improvise and use a bit of my recipe from when I posted about how to make s’mores if you live in Australia (where graham crackers are sort of like a fairy tale). These Biscoff s’mores are made in the oven and pretty quick to assemble and bake.
You can’t tell me you that you haven’t just developed a huge craving for Biscoff just now.
Can you easily get Biscoff where you live? What’s your favorite way to enjoy it?
- 8 Biscoff biscuits
- 1-2 tablespoons Biscoff spread (I use creamy)
- 4 squares dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
- 4 marshmallows
- Preheat oven to 160C (if you're not sitting at a campfire, that is!). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Spread 4 of the biscuits with a little bit of Biscoff spread and place them on the baking tray. Break the chocolate into four smaller squares (as you see in the photos above) and arrange them close together on top of the spread. Cut the marshmallows in half and place two, sticky side up, on top of the chocolate of each biscuit. Lie the remaining 4 biscuits on top of the marshmallows and push down gently.
- Carefully put the tray in the oven so the s'mores won't topple over, then bake for 4-6 minutes. Keep your eye on them constantly as when the marshmallows start melting, they'll melt really quickly. Take them out when you see the chocolate has melted and the marshmallows have melted only a little bit. They'll continue to melt as they sit.
- They'll be messy to eat, but so delicious! Enjoy!
