A Day in the Life III

1) The perfect morning - a good book (currently Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie), a glorious Christmas tree, and a total sense of calm

2) Homemade fresh pasta with broccoli sauce and florets. Recipe coming soon!

3) Flowers from my parents for having done well in my final school year exams. While the roses smell literally like lollies, my favourites have to be the snapdragons!

4) Christmas light hunting on two occasions this week. First, as pictured, with my cousin, Daycha, and secondly last night with my friend, Phebe. 

Every Little Thing

In a season filled with presents, gift wrapping, and shiny lights, I think it's important to remember the little things, and how grateful we are for them.

This year, I am thankful for...

 ... the playfulness of my adorable dog (even when she's just woken up)...

...the precious time I spent with my darling cat...



...the sweet times...



...baking with my mum...

...going on adventures with my dad...



...getting through my final school year relatively unscathed (and having so much fun with friends, too)...



The Snow is Falling

Christmas in Sydney is not at all cold (though 2012's Christmas certainly seemed so - let's hope for a repeat, shall we?). Nope. Not one bit as freezing as Europe and those other Northern countries. Even our Winter is warm in comparison.

But for some reason I long for sub-zero temperatures, sweaters and socks, hot chocolate and a cozy fireplace.

Those cold nights wrapped up in blankets, with hot chocolate and a favourite movie.(Titanic, anyone?) *Sigh* Those are the kind of things a girl wants....

But instead of sulking and remembering how UNBEARABLY HOT it is in Summer, and how not-really-cold it is in Winter, I made CHOCOLATE SNOWMEN!!! YAY

 

These cake balls are eeeeeeeeeasy - so easy in fact I've already made them three times this Christmas season!

All you need to do is bake up any chocolate cake recipe you fancy (or any other flavour, for that matter), and then when it has cooled, crumble it with your fingers into a bowl until the cake resembles crumbs.

Right. Good work. That was fun, I know. Now make a small amount (maybe 1/2 - 1 cup full) of buttercream. Should be chocolate, I guess, but so long as it's sugar I really don't think anyone will care! Mix this into your cake crumbs until everything is slightly sticky with frosting.

Roll balls of cake (about 1-2 Tablespoons full) and put them on a baking sheet lined with baking/parchment paper. These balls of deliciousness need to be chilled until firm - about 30 minutes.

 

Once the balls are chilled, melt some white chocolate buttons (I end up using about 2 packets, but not all at once since the chocolate resets quickly) and dip each ball into the chocolate. I'll admit, this is the hardest part for me, and the least likeable part of the process. BUT it gets better from here!

As soon as a ball has had its dunking in chocolate, place it back on the baking paper and quickly put a marshmallow on top for the snowman's head. Repeat with the rest of the balls, then chill them again in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes. 

Decorating time!!! Melt some more white chocolate, and, one snowman at a time, drizzle the chocolate over its marshmallow head until the whole marshmallow is covered with chocolate.

You don't want to drizzle so much chocolate that you can't see the first layer of chocolate on the cake ball, though, since you want the snowmen to look as though they are melting :D 

Now, quick as you can before the chocolate sets, stick a fruit tingle or other flat disc-shaped lolly onto the marshmallow head as a hat base.

Wrap a sour strap (cut into 4 so it's not so chunky) around the snowman's neck for a scarf to keep himself from getting too cold.

Then drop cachous onto the head for eyes, and a small orange (or blue for a frostbite snowman!) chocolate chip for the nose.

If you wish, you can add more coloured choc chips, some M&M's or some cachous onto the body for buttons.

Dip a mini marshmallow into some white chocolate so that it will stick to the fruit tingle hat base.

 

And voila! Gorgeous and addictive chocolate cake snowmen! Perfect for that Christmas party, or just for some fun and yummy-ness!

Gift Card Haul

So, my first haul post!

I love reading these on other blogs and spend a lot of my 'YouTube time' watching them, too, but I never imagined that I would accumulate enough to actually make one myself.

That is, until I realised that 3 of my gift cards (from Christmas, birthdays...) were about to expire after two years of sitting idle in my wallet.

On to the haul!

The first place I went was Big W, which I must admit I'm not a huge fan on. Apart from their books, I really never buy anything in Big W, but I decided to stray away from my usual purchases and get some things for the upcoming summer (though today is so rainy I can't imagine, and am hoping, that maybe winter holds on a little longer)

These sandals are incredibly comfortable to walk in, and are, I think, pretty easily adaptable to a number of colours and outfits.

They are fabric material with a rose gold clasp and rose gold studs on the T-bone style.

While at Big W I also got a summer hat (Emerson Ladies Wide Brimmed Hat) - wide rimmed and black - to protect me from the sun and be a fashionable addition to my outfit. Usually I just wear caps to the beach and outside, but thought that not only does this protect my face and neck, but looks a lot more feminine too!

Moving along, next I went to Target, which I was so much more impressed by. While with my first stop I was struggling to find items to buy, Target gave me an overwhelming amount of choices.

Something I wasn't particularly looking out for, but caught my eye, was this deep pale salmon-coloured bag. I got the bag in this colour, but there was also white with silver panelling, minty green/blue, or a mustard yellow. The bag is wide, comfortable, and has a large detachable pocket inside to store things for easy-reach.

While I wasn't looking out for a bag, I was keeping an eye out for shoes, and these white sandals fit the bill, though upon wearing them I found that they aren't exactly as comfortable as I'd have hoped for!

Regardless, they certainly are very cute, with gold buckle details and an almost cobbled effect on the white.

 

 

The last gift card I needed to use up was from Peter Alexander - a pyjama shop that I absolutely adore!

 

I have plenty of P.J's though, so I went for some super cute 'Twinkle Toes' puppy dog pink slippers. I love slippers, and ugg boots in the winter, but I've never taken to wearing them through spring and summer. This year, though, I might, seeing as how fluffy and soft, not to mention adorable, these slippers are!

 

 

And one of my favourite purchases of the day is the Glasshouse triple scented candle in Passionfruit and Lime scent. This particular one is called Rio de Janeiro, and having already used my Bora Bora Glasshouse candle at home, I knew that I was buying quality here. The candle does not disappoint - absolute divine smelling, vibrant in colour, and the perfect boost to an otherwise rainy day.

 

 



Hope you all enjoyed this haul post!

I Saw the Photograph

Photography has always been something that I've held as very special, almost sacred.

I spend hours of my days sifting through photos from years back, or even from just a few hours ago. Mostly it's because I love the memories attached.

I had a bit of a down day a few days back, and the only thing that managed to pick me up was looking back at some photos of my cousins and I. I found myself smiling without consciously realising what I was doing.

My passion for photos and capturing memories was probably sparked by those quiet afternoons when I was little looking through boxes of old photographs with my dad.

And that, in turn, led to me trying out more artistic sort of images. Playing around, to make our photos present a more interesting sort of history.

I guess this is because I realise how few photographs we actually have from my parent's and grandparent's childhoods, and how much more important they are for it.

Nowadays we have so many photos. Phones have made the precious photograph become more of a daily event, and while I love capturing every day, I still want to feel as though there's something really special about the memory.

Would You Care to Sit With Me, for a Cup of English Tea?

Confession: I am an absolute tea addict (with the exception of peppermint tea)

I could drink 5 cups of tea a day, if at least most were Earl Grey.

I'm certainly not a tea snob, though. I'll drink any brand and any flavour, whether it be a herbal or fruity tea, or a posh High Tea or a supermarket brand.

But when it comes to my Earl Grey, there is no question about the matter - the tea must be the Twinnings 'Classics Earl Grey'.



Here's my reasoning: Twinnings Earl Grey is so smooth, soft and has the most beautiful subtle flavour. I've tried many Earl Grey's in my time, and each (except Twinnings) had this bitter taste that's hard to shake off, and rather off-putting.

I'm so happy with my Twinnings tea.

I don't know whether the allure of tea to me is because even on a Summer's day it reminds me of the comfort of winter, or else it soothes me from the inside out.

Regardless, as soon as a taste of this tea meets my lips, I'm instantly cured of any gripes or unhappiness.

*Note that I've not had this post endorsed by Twinnings (in fact, I'd be surprised if they ever find out this review is even here)

In the Dead of Night

IT'S HALLOWEEN!!!

A super scary, fun-to-dress-up-on, holiday - but I must admit I've only ever been trick-or-treating once before.

Mind you, I had the most fun I had had all year, but that's not the point - Halloween just hasn't been picked up as a major holiday in Australia like it is in America, or even the UK nowadays. 

Candy, treats, dress-ups and parties. Why don't people get into that?

Anyway, since I've just finished exams, some spooky cupcakes are in order, regardless of whether anyone comes to my door to pick get these yummy treats (more for me, then!)

So, to make this super scary graveyard cupcakes, you'll need to bake up some chocolate cupcakes - I've used chocolate because it needs to look like dirt, but if chocolate is not your preference then make whatever flavour you choose!

Pick up some Betty Crocker's ready-made icing (vanilla flavour is what I used, but in hindsight fudge probably would've been best) and then smash up with a rolling pin half a packet of chocolate biscuits.

Smear over some icing, then press a handful of the smashed biscuits onto the cupcakes. There! You've made some deliciously scrummy and realistic dirt. Hurray!

Next, you'll need some ready-made fondant. (I just bought some from my local supermarket) and cut out a sort of rectangle, then curve one edge to look like a gravestone. It doesn't matter if it breaks of tears a little; it'll just make it look even older and more spooky.

To write some creepy things on your gravestones (think: RIP, Look out!, Dead...) dip a toothpick into some red food colouring and write to your heart's content, before pressing the fondant pieces into the icing on your cupcakes. It's a little difficult to write neatly with toothpick, I admit, but the slanted and slightly shaky style suits the theme of the day, don't you think?

And there you have it! Some spooky gravestone cupcakes to give to all those trick or treaters coming to your door tonight - or else, to eat all on your own! :)

Red is the Colour That My Baby Wore

To me, 33 degree heat is summer, and while I'm certainly not a fan of the hot season (put me into a rainy, cold and cloudy scene anytime) I do love the abundance of summer fruits on offer!

Strawberries in particular are one of my favourite fruits - and while we do have a strawberry plant outside that gives us a few rather less beautifully red and juicy fruits, we do buy them from the supermarket and fruit shops too!

Fruit on a hot summer's day is the perfect antidote to the hot weather - whether eaten straight in their perfectly natural form, or else made into a coulis for scones, blended into a smoothie with banana and milk, or made into gorgeously refreshing icy poles!

What's your favourite summer fruit?

We All Want to Change the World

Lately, my family and I have gotten completely obsessed by M*A*S*H, which I know is an old show but it's so brilliantly created that I can't help but love it.

One of the characters that I am so inspired by - in terms of their ethics, morals, and behaviour - is B.F.Pierce, better known as Hawkeye. 

His stance on the war, on the world and on others is so strongly founded and so much in line with the views I wish to inspire unto others. 

Yes, Hawkeye is a womanising, loud prankster, but even though he mocks the war at every possible opportunity, he knows when to become serious and is the best surgeon at the 4077th. 

More than that, Hawkeye cares so passionately about the "babies", as he calls them, that he works on, because he sees clearly the injustice of conscripting men aged only 18 and thrusting them to the Front.

M*A*S*H is an inspiring program all around, and its values and lessons are still so relevant and resonating for today, especially when war and violence has become such an everyday part of our lives via the news etc. 

What shows do you think of as being valuable for today's society?

A Day in the Life II

1. A friend and I found moustache lemon-lime flavoured lollies at a birthday party!
2. A box of chocolate treats for my friend's birthday present.
3. First strawberry picked of the season
4. Nursing my sick cat this week 

Garden in the Shade

Have you ever grown anything from a teeny tiny seed to a full on veggie that you can proudly call you own? I have. And it's an amazing feeling - almost like a miracle.

My mum and I grew PEAS!!!

I had gone to my local Bunnings about a year ago, and inspired by Jamie Oliver's garden (I literally dream of that garden bursting with healthy foods haha) bought a packet of pea seeds, and broad bean seeds which I have yet to plant.

I've loved growing my peas, and the satisfaction you get when you pick them is indescribable! I couldn't even believe how many pods we got - it was an adventure in itself just looking behind vines and leaves finding more and more pea pods :)

Growing peas, tomatoes, radishes, carrots - it's so so easy and more rewarding than I imagined! I hope this post has gotten you interested in growing your own veggies too!

The produce tastes a million times better, too, and you know that there are no pesticides or any nasty chemicals tainting your healthy foods! Give it a try :)



A Day in the Life

1. cleaning my room and found a vintage cat tea cup that used to belong to my mum!
2. my dog managed to jump up on the lemon tree's pot, then couldn't get down so we rescued her
3. my cousin and I - seeing as I'm an only child he really is like a brother to me
4. a cute chalkboard message I found in my friend's room :)

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Strawberry Fields Forever

Anything with the word 'English' or 'strawberry' in it, I jump at the chance to use, make it, be it, bake it – anything, really. So when I came across a recipe for 'Old-English Matrimonials' I knew I had to make them!

The name for these bars comes from – you guessed it – weddings! The reason being that these bars are both smooth in parts, and lumpy in others, just like marriage. They were traditionally served at weddings.

For our sweet-satisfaction, though, Old-English Matrimonials are essentially an oat-y-buttery-base topped with a layer of jam, then covered in an oat-like crumble topping. Yum!

The recipe that I used contained ¾ cup butter, but for my taste it was way too much, so for the recipe here I've reduced that to ½ cup, but feel free to do either :)

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Recipe:

Preheat your oven to 160°C/ 325°F and line a square pan (at least 2 inches deep) with baking paper.

In a large bowl, combine 1 ¼ cups of plain flour, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 ½ cups rolled oats, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ cup of melted butter.

Pat half of this mixture into the pan so that it is a solid mass of biscuit.

Spread ¾ cup berry jam over the base. (I used a strawberry jam that had bits of fruit in it).

Carefully drop balls of the remaining oat mixture onto the bar, and spread it about so that it covers all the jam.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, then cut into bars when cooled.

p.s. Please make these, they are amazingly good!