Happy New Year xx

I am so glad to be starting another year.

Needless to say, this year is a welcomed kick to start afresh.

New outlooks, new goals & a few thousand resolutions.

Instead of choosing one wild resolution that I never stick to, I have approached the new year with a motivation to enhance my lifestyle and more focused on small self-improvements. 

 

Here are a few I have jotted down:

1. Eat more fresh fruit & veggies.

2. Read more inspiring books.

(Currently: Diane, A Signature Life. By Diane von Furstenberg)

 

3. Drink more water.

4. Blog at least twice a week.

5. Grow herbs on my balcony.

6. Pursue a dream. (I will keep you posted)

7. Host more dinner parties. 

8. Re-create a different cocktail for each dinner party. 

9. Learn how to cook a Moroccan Tagine dish.

10. Take more photos.

Have a wonderful year.

Vxx

IMAGES: google-hanneli, herb pots, moroccan tajine, stylish table settings, cocktails, farmers markets paris, diane a signature life, fiji water.

Sweet Sunday

"Breakfast is the most underrated meal of the day"...that's what my lovely husband said this morning with warm Turkish toast topped with scrambled eggs hovering near this lips. I couldn't agree with him more. With every cafe brimming with people & their children & or puppies I assume we are not the only ones...and aren't Sunday mornings the best time to sit back & have all the cooking done for you?

You would think so, but after enjoying my latte & corn fritters this morning, we sat back and watched my weeks worth of Oprah recordings, aren't the Obama's an inspiring pair?...& then felt the urge to bake- it happens regularly. Last week's Lemon Cake was divine (& just so easy) so this afternoon's choice was Flourless Chocolate Cake...still yet to be devoured.

Although what I am about to mention has been critiqued & slammed here & there I will gladly self confess my obsession with these two.

Katherine Kallinis & Sophie LaMontagne. The sugary sweet sister duo of 'DC Cupcakes'& owners of Georgetown Cupcake.

It is positively, visually tantalising. I love the gorgeous little decorated cupcakes & the candy pink cupcake boxes stacked to the ceiling. The store is to die for pretty & absolutely chic...

It all just really makes me want to grab my lolly pink cardi & a spatula!

Have a wonderful week xx

IMAGES: GEORGETOWNCUPCAKES.COM, GOOGLE

El Toro Loco Lovin'

It's been a year since my lovely fiance proposed.

So therefore, quite obviously the best gift I have ever received was my gorgeous engagement ring which he picked out himself & couldn't possibly be more sparkly cushion cut perfect.

But, the way he ridiculously spoils me, this years anniversary gift almost made me cry just the same! Especially when I unwrapped an enormous box that soon revealed itself to be filled with lots of CANON EOS goodness!

Yes, the camera I never came around to getting last month was now in my eager hands.

And over just a weekend the battery is already dead due to my snap-happiness!

Apart from the fabulous gift, he also took me to my favourite restaurant.


El Toro Loco.

A fabulous Spanish restaurant probably a little more famous due to it's dangerously good looking television chef Miguel Maestre of Miguel's Tropical Kitchen.

We did soon come to notice the place was full of women, women absolutely everywhere!...& probably disappointed women at that with no chef behind the open kitchen...sad women everywhere who were likely to have come for the mere Miguel factor alone.

Nevertheless, the tapas were phenomenal. Duck pate was to die for, amazing garlic prawns, fish croquettes, baby chorizo that had the most delicious hint of cinnamon-who would have thought! ...& how can a tomato salad taste so good?

And then there were the churros...sweet crunchy sugary chocolaty heaven ♥

And here's a little Miguel clip to make your mouth water...I'm talking about the food not the accent!

If you live in Sydney El Toro Loco is a must...if you don't..it's still a must!

IMAGES: YouTube, weheartit, Tiffany&co, andremartinphoto.com.

We all scream from ice-cream...♥

It's the first really warm day in Sydney & at a nice 27 degrees it's time to think about summer BBQ's (that us Aussies are so good at) ice cold drinks & most definitely ice-cream. 

 

So, while searching ice-cream recipes on Taste.com.au I came across one I'm sure my fiance will beg me to make.

Caramel & macadamia ice-cream ...sandwiches.

When you think ice-cream can't get any better it does...by a mere two tasty biscuits. YUM!




Caramel & macadamia ice-cream sandwiches

Ingredients (serves 12)  Method

250ml (1 cup) milk

600ml thin cream

6 egg yolks

140g (2/3 cup) caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

240g (2/3 cup) Nestle Caramel Top'n'Fill

80g (1/2 cup) unsalted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

24 wafer biscuits, to serve

A mug full of heaven...

So just the other night I had a brain wave about an email I received with a fabulous recipe for making chocolate cake in a mug. It was a pretty old email, I had never tried it, but if you google it, it's been talked about time after time again. Now I know why, it is so EASY & DELICIOUS!

It was a late night treat for my sister and I so I had to scavenge through the kitchen to try & find some ingredients.

I did quite well --except for the fact that I had NO MILK!...How is it possible to not have milk...it's more than just a staple --it's MILK!!! Nevertheless, I found some light thickened cream & thought I would improvise. It panned out pretty well. There are quite a few variations on the idea here & here.  Below is the one I variably stuck to....

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.

Add the chocolate chips and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high).

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate or just dig in!

 
IMAGE: http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/

R&R

Tomorrow afternoon I'll be road-tripping down to the South Coast of NSW for some r&r. I am seriously excited as this is long overdue!

A house on the beach is the perfect setting for reading, watching dvds, going for walks...and seeing as though it is still winter here -some BAKING!

Ah, the simple pleasures...they always make me quite excited..See you next week Sydney...

IMAGES: google.

sweet treats for the end of the week...

Just because it's the weekend....♥

IMAGES: WEHEARTIT.COM

Yummy macarons..

It's hard to come by macarons in Sydney.

Trust me- I have looked.

On my way to buy some sushi for lunch yesterday I passed by the Croquembouche Patisserie that- from memory- on the very odd occassion have some in store.

A jar with only 6 remaining chocolate and hazelnut macarons caught my eye. I had to get there before anyone else saw them!!


And...success...I bought 2..one of each.

They were HEAVEN!


They definitely look far from what my homemade macs looked like a few months ago...

I am hoping that next time they may look something like Laduree's...or Pierre Hermes...

You can always depend on the French to create something that is not only the most delicious thing to eat but also candy to the eyes....yum ♥

IMAGES: littledollface.uk, google images, my pics.

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet

It's Bastille Day and there is no denying that I have an irrevocable love for all things French.

For me, France is a visual euphoria. And there is no better day than the 14th July to display some of the things I love about Paris and France the most.

I can never get enough of the Eiffel Tower, I love photographs with a hint of the tower in the background, or a sparkling shot of it all lit up...I love french fashion houses like Dior, Sonia Rykiel, Balmain, Vuitton, & always Chanel.

The beautiful facades of hotels, cafes, bistros and boutique shops.

I love Carine Roitfeld and the man who created the stiletto Roger Vivier, Rene Caovilla's whimsical shoes & Laduree's sugary macarons in a multitude of sinful shades.

I love that chic men in business suits ride bicycles through the busy Parisian streets and that a wonderful shade of blue tints the sky of Paris at dusk.

Celebrating France one day a year is simply not enough....♥

IMAGES: google search, flikr.