Why not??!!

Yes - another wedding related post. But this is just fab!

Why go with a traditional bouquet when you can have one single giant flower?

I love this! It is hand made from water colour paper - and hand painted with watercolours!

This is almost enough to make me call my florist and scream " stop press! " ( or similar line appropriate for a florist's line of work rather than a printer..."stop arrangements" perhaps?).

R
x

Oh what fun we'll have!

Oh dear! I must send my apologies for my lack of presence on this here blog of late.

You see - I am getting married in a month!

I must also send my apologies for the fact that my posts recently have been less food orientated and more wedding inclined.

You see - I am getting married in a month!!

So when my brain isn't focused on the necessary tasks of day to day living it is well and truly fixed on our upcoming nuptials.

However, I do find time to take refuge from all this and I do that in the form of emersing myself in one of the many brilliant wedding blogs out there.

Today I want to share a wedding with you that is just so darn cute! All the details are well thought out and look utterly georgous. This wedding comes via 100 layer cake which is simply devine!

check it out here:

http://100layercake.com/blog/archives/8844

Well enjoy and I will endevour to get some food posts up soon!

R
x

One Word - Beautiful

I came across this amazing shot via Polka Dot Bride.

Such a beautiful family photo.

Love it!

R
x

Spring has sprung!

It is true - Spring is here. YIPEE!!!!!!

This means many beautiful blooms, many pretty dresses, and many MANY picnics all to be enjoyed in the months ahead. So many delightful things!

I hope you have a fab week enjoying the warmer weather!

R
x

An Almighty Pav!

I know I know I have been super slack on the blog front of late. Please forgive me!

To try make it up to you I am going to share what will undoubtedly be the BEST pavlova you will ever eat. Ever.

It is crunchy, gooey, and totally indulgent.

It is - the chocolate raspberry pav!

My Mum shared this Nigella Lawson ( aka kitchen goddess ) chocolate pavlova recipe with me. I was nervous at first having never made any kind of pavlova in my life let along tackle a chocolate one however I was super pleased that I did as it is relatively easy ( with some basic skills ) and provides high praise from your guests.

I made this for a Sunday lunch and it finished off what was an utterly delicious meal ( many thanks to all of the contributors! )

A couple of things to note with the recipe:

1. Follow it to the T. It will ask for peaks - make sure you get them!
2. Your pav will sink. It is ok though - once you stack on the cream and raspberries you can't tell. It is what it is meant to do!
3. When you serve it with a meal make sure you leave space for a second slice!

So, I implore you to give this a try. It is well worth the 6 egg yolks that you have to try find a recipe for once you have whipped up their white counter parts!

R
x

p.s. photo from Nigella's site - I like to think mine looked pretty close but I didn't think to take a photo of it! Sigh

The Humble Sandwich

So we can see spring around the corner. We can't feel it yet but the days are getting longer while the sun does its darndest to be seen into the evenings. Of course this means two things - picnics and picnic food! One picnic food I think is so hard to go past ( for any meal really ) is the simple salad sandwich. The essential elements though are a good bread ( I like a nutty wholemeal ), crisp lettuce, tomato, carrot and my personal favorite - beetroot! Just beautiful.

However, while it is going to start warming up enjoy the benifits of winter while they are still here - hot chocolate, friday nights on the couch with a doona and yummy stews :D.

R
x

Moo!

How beautiful are cows? They are gentle yet strong, handsome but beautiful, elegant but rough. I love them. I love the shape of their heads and their large back sides.

Last year Luke and I went to a beef door - like a cellar door but for meat! We came across it while staying in the Blue Mountains and took a drive to the Megalong Valley. A truly beautiful find. The owners of the beef store - Megalong Meats, raise Angus cattle. We came across these friendly two while winding our way down the drive way of the property.

I love these photos - I can get lost staring into those beautiful faces...

R
x

Lovely spot for a cuppa

So another tea related post my friends!

Luke and I woke on Saturday to a most beautiful day. We decided to treat ourselves to scones for breaky ( possibly Luke's favourite breakfast ).

We decided to try somewhere new so set off to explore our backyard. We came accross a very cute cafe on Coronation St, Hornsby - Busy Beez. It is a cute cafe which also happens to sell a somewhat eclectic mix of homewares and other bits and pieces. This cafe is relaxed and cute ( it even sports a courtyard along with bunting! ). It feels like you are enjoying your meal in someones lounge room which is really wonderful for a lazy Saturday.

I took the above picture whilst enjoying my tea :D Note the game of fish going on...

R
x

Excuse me miss, would you fancy a cup of tea?

It has been a busy few weeks! Work has kept me run off my feet and the wedding planning is keeping us on our toes.

Luke also had to make a last minute trip to Melbourne so left me for 10 days.

It was amongst this stress that I discovered something my 90 year old Nana as enjoyed for years - tea with honey!

I am such a fan of it - I would go as far as to say it is my favourite way to enjoy a cuppa!

While googling images to use for today's post I cam accross this very cool product made by Honibe - the Honey Drop! A super convenient way to have your tea your way on the go. Brilliant no?

R
x

WOW! Aren't we lucky!

Well could today get any more beautiful? With perfect blue blue skies and gorgeous breeze I think not! I am spending it catching up on house work then I get to go pick Luke up from the airport after 10 days away so I can't stop smiling.

Enjoy your sundays everyone!

R
x

( the photo above is the view from where I sit right now - my couch looking onto the balcony, we are pretty lucky )

Chocolate and Coconut Panna Cotta

As promised here is my chocolate and coconut panna cotta. I decided to make it when after a night out Luke came home to announce that I should make panna cotta… well ok. I always thought it was difficult so avoided it like the plague. The thing is – this recipe is too easy! It melts in your mouth but isn't too rich or sweet. A tart berry such as raspberries work really well with the dark chocolate.

Another reason I love this is that is uses so few ingredients and those that it does use can usually be found in my pantry at any given time.

I promise you it is a recipe that will impress any guest! Give it a crack!

375 mL CARNATION Light & Creamy Coconut Flavoured Evaporated Milk

200 g Dark Cooking Chocolate broken into pieces

2 tsp gelatine

2 tbsp hot water

250 g raspberries ( or any berry really )

½ Cup Shredded Coconut

1. Heat evaporated milk until hot without boiling. Add dark cooking chocolate, stir until well combined.

2. Dissolve gelatine in hot water, combine with milk and chocolate mixture. Pour mixture evenly into 6 x 1/2 cup serving dishes such as ramekins, refrigerate until set.

3. In a fry pan toast shredded coconut until golden brown.

4. Unmould panna cotta onto serving plates just before serving.

5. Decorate with raspberries and coconut.

6. Enjoy!

Tips: Do not add any oil in the fry pan when toasting the coconut. To unmould the panna cotta, dip the ramekins in warm water then run a knife around the edge of the dish. Be careful not to leave the dishes in the warm water for too long otherwise they will melt!

R

x

( sorry for the poor photo - I took it on my iphone. )

Be Back Soon!

Well I have a busy few days ahead of me. My work's annual conference is on and as I am on the committee I have my work cut out for me. So, as I will be staying at a beautiful seaside hotel for the next few nights I won't be able to post anything until my return.

See you on the other side!

R
x

p.s. when I return I promise to share an amazing panna cotta recipe with you. It will be worth the wait!

Bling for a Saturday Night

So, they say diamonds are a girls best friend. I don't think that I have one best friend - I'm just not like that. I am a little more easily pleased and if it sparkles I befriend it.

I was on the Tiffany & Co site today ( I have been known to waste - I mean spend hours on their) and found this beauty. This brooch comes with the low price tag of just $112,000. Bargain!

Sadly this stunner will never become my friend. I will have to admire from afar.

Happy weekends everyone. I hope you are doing something fabulous. ( I on the other hand have spent the night on the couch doing work. Boo to that! )

R
x

Photographs That Make You Love Love!

I stumbled across a photographer's website today that I immediately fell in love with. Jonas Petterson creates awe inspiring images that genuinely take your breath away. There is not a single shot on his entire website that I could say " meh " to. I simply can not express in words just how much I am on love with his work. So, I implore your to take a look around his site, get lost in it, and fall in love with it with me.

All photos are from Jonas' website.

R
x

The World's Most Beautiful Tea Bag!

I am a huge fan of tea. No secret there!

While I am more of an Irish breakfast with milk and one sort of gal, I do occasionally dabble in the fruit or green tea varieties.

Now, if I was able to buy these tea bags, I would absolutely convert to the green side! Are they not the world’s most beautiful tea bags? Unfortunately Russian designer Natalia Ponomareva didn’t make these for commercial use so we may never be able to enjoy such a beautiful cup of tea although the blogs are hot with offers to bring them into the Australian market. YIPEE!!!

R X

amour amour

Paris, the city of love! I know you HAVE to have tips for us on Paris so post away!

Hope you are having wonderful weekends!

R
x

Get your clogs on!

Sooooo you may have guessed our next stop ... Amsterdam!

I have been to the above clog before but violent illness prevented me from wanting to climb on in so sadly I don' have my own photo.

On my last visit there we had a tour guide in the form of my Mum's cousin, the lovely Susan. As Luke and I will be going alone this time we need as much advice as possible!

So what are your tips on Amsterdam?

R
xo

Nächste Station Berlin!

Sooooooooo a few flights later and we will be in BERLIN baby!!!!!*

I have visited Germany a couple of times ( loved it! ) but have never been to Berlin. I am sure my fluent German will get us through our time there ( by fluent I mean I am able to sing a song about various body parts hurting... ) but would love to hear your tips and tricks!

R
xo

* I feel the need to clarify here, between New York and Berlin is actually a stop to Oslo, Norway. I don't need to ask for your advice on this one as we have our very own tour guide in the form of Luke's old house mate Heidi. If you do have a tip on Oslo by all means please let me know!

Oh the places we'll go...

Please allow me to digress for my next few posts and employ you all as my personal travel agents ( because our current one is a tad lazy! ).

Luke and I are taking 5 weeks to travel in November and while we have our tickets booked and most of our hotels we haven't thought of anything else.

SO! For the next 5 posts I will be asking for your suggestions on some of the different cities that we will be visiting and looking for your tips and tricks, places to eat ( foooood!!! ) and the must see places! Money saving tips are also welcome :).

So let's get started with.... NEW YORK!!! ( start spreading the news! )

R
xo

Hot soup anyone?

Well I am home today from work feeling rather average.

When you tell people you aren't feeling too crash hot they all seem to have a remedy for you. Hot chicken soup, cups of tea, honey and lemon drinks ( no thank you! ) or my personal favourite ( which I use quite often ) screaming at people that they need to eat for garlic and ginger and they will never get sick in the first place! ( hmm well despite the fact that I am actually sick I stand by this claim...)

So, what do you tell people to do when they decided that your direction is the best place to cough?

R
xo

Chocolate!

Who doesn't love chocolate? It is warm and delicious and totally bad for you.
I headed down with my wonderful sister Sarah and Luke on Saturday to Phillip Island in sunny ( or not so sunny) Victoria. To my delight the small island has it's very own chocolate factory where there is absolutely going to be a flavour for every one. We made our purchases and sampled them over the rest of the weekend. My pineapple and coconut rough was amazing with it's soft centre and the ginger in milk chocolate was perfect.

Should you find yourself on Phillip Island ( I know I know who finds themselves on Phillip Island? ) I strongly suggest you visit Panny's with a full wallet and an empty belly!

R
xo

Picnic!

I love picnics. It's true. Luke also loves picnics. Being able to eat outdoors in such a beautiful city is totally irresistible.

In the Sound of Music, Maria took their kids (clad in curtain outfits) on a wonderful picnic that was so good they all just had to sing! I think a good picnic can have a similar effect on anyone ( minus the old curtains ).

So, seeing as I have a bit of experience at this I thought I would list my top 5 essentials for a good picnic. Here we go!

1. A picnic rug - nothing says " this is my spot " than a lovely tartan rug.
2. A bottle of bubbles ( champagne )! This works much better if you are able to get public transport to your location.
3. Wonderful dip and crackers - I always take my onion dip which is featured on this blog.
4. Something sweet like freshly baked home made cookies or some choc dipped strawberries.
5. A plastic bag! More and more parks now days have few or no bins so be sure to take a plastic bag to take your rubbish with you. After all - you want to preserve the your special spot for years to come!

What would your top 5 be?

R
Xo

Beautiful

A beautiful image to share with you today recently featured on Polka Dot Bride.

I just think it is stunning and captures their love so beautifully!

R
xo

Gadget Love - FRED

I have to admit that I can be a little obsessed with cool products. Even if all they do is look good I can go a little crazy. I was recently in a shop in Melbourne that is a heaven for me - it stocks kitchen goods and a huge range of produce. I was picking up one gadget after the other excitedly claiming " this is brilliant - I would LOVE one of these " to which Luke eventually responded " you want this whole shop!". He wasn't wrong!

So, I thought I would share with you today a brand that is so whacky and cool - Fred. My Mum bought me their wonderful M Cups yesterday which are featured above. They are 3 matryoshkas dolls with each of the 6 pieces being a different measurement - cool huh?

Luke also bought me the door stop a couple of years ago - took me a little while to figure out what it was!

What I love is that really have a different way of thinking about a product. Yes it has to be functional but it doesn't have to be boring!

Check out their website - www.worldwidefred.com.

There are heaps of stockists in Australia so keep an eye out for them!

R
xo

Wedding Love - 100 Layer Cake

Good morning! I woke up to be greeted by the most beautiful morning. Perfect blue skies and crisp air - the sort of day that leaves you smiling like an idiot.
I thought I would share another blog that I love with you today - 100 Layer Cake. It is a wedding blog that I find hugely inspriational with unique and amazing weddings featured. Yesterday they posted a fun wedding that I immediatley fell in love with. They have truely captured what a wedding should be about - love, fun and friends.
Check out the full post on www.100layercake.com/blog

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! ( If your city is anything like mine today I don't think it will be hard! )

R
xo
All photos are from the 100 Layer Cake Blog

Double Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

This week at work we celebrated one of my colleagues 50th birthday so I honored this by making him some manly cupcakes - double chocolate stout cupcakes to be precise! They were lovely and moist with a subtle beer flavour. I highly recommend you try them out ( if I do say so myself! )


Ingredients
Cake
1 cup Double chocolate stout*
125g butter
2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups caster sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
Icing
1 cup cream
200g bitter dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 170 degrees
Line 2 x 12 muffin trays with cupcake cases
In a saucepan, bring stout and butter to the simmer and whisk until combined.
Add in cocoa powder and whisk.
Once all are combined and smooth remove from heat.
In a bowl, mix the sugar and flour together.
In another bowl, mix egg and sour cream with an electric mixer until smooth.
Poor in chocolate/beer mix and mix until combined.
Add in dry ingredients and mix briefly. Now, using a wooden spoon fold ingredients until all are combined.
Divide equally into cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

To make the icing bring cream to the simmer and add in chopped chocolate. Whisk until smooth.
Refrigerate until icing has thickened and spreadable. You may even do this the night before.

Spread icing over cupcakes and decorate with whatever takes your fancy. I choose colourful choc drops.

Makes 24.

R
xo

* I found a double chocolate stout at Dan Murphys however if you can't find one then you could use any stout such as Guinness.

Review - Sake

Hello from a very wet Sydney! A few days of rain as left this usually fine city a little soggy so it is fitting that I have a Friday night at home with a dvd and some popcorn!

This week I was fortunate enough to dine at Sake (recently featured on Master Chef). It is located on Argyle St The Rocks, just down from our church. After a few weeks of walking past and wishing I could try it out, an opportunity came up when I had to pick the location for a dinner for my team at work. I was super excited about trying it out! I have to say that this was one of the best meals I have ever had.

The butterfish lettuce cups in miso sauce are divine and their beef teriyaki is to die for! While sashimi is not usually my thing it was beautiful and fresh.

The décor is very sleek and stylish with low lighting and a large open kitchen. The bathrooms were strangle dark however an establishment like this can pull it off.

I was amazed at how busy it was for a Wednesday night so be sure to book well in advance.

I would highly recommend you try it out if you are after some beautiful Japanese cusine.

Tomorrow I will be sharing my Double Chocolate Stout cupcakes so be sure to check back!

R
Xo

All photos are from the Sake website www.sakerestaurant.com.au

Winners are grinners

A number of weeks ago at an all office lawn bowls competition I was over the moon to have won a meat tray in the raffle. Not usually one to win anything this really made my day and I truly enjoyed cooking up my winnings for dinner that night. A couple of weeks ago I won a Twix through their 1 in 6 wins promotion. I was pretty happy with this also and thought I had been having a good run. It wasn't until these were shadowed last week when Luke won an all expenses paid trip for 2 to Mauritius which we plan to take early next year. We are both totally shocked to win such an awesome prize which lightened what had been a fairly glum week.

I was sharing my exciting news with a few of my work mates and 2 of the 4 people I had spoken to had both won trips to the USA. I was always of the opinion that no one actually won these prizes - they are there to make a product more appealing but a bit of a fairy tale.

So, what have you won? Have you, like me been thrilled by a meat tray? Or have you won the major prize like a car or a Boys Town house?

R
xo

It's been a while...

Firstly, apologies for taking so long to put up a post. Luke and I have had a crazy week which saw us flying down to Melbourne for a few days.

While in Melbourne I took some time out to go shopping with my sister and found some truly Melbourne gems.

But, we can't all spend time trawling the streets of Melbourne for those unique finds so I thought I would share with you a site that I LOVE - ETSY! Etsy is a one stop shop for all things hand made and customised designs. With sellers literally from all over the world you are sure to find something special. All sellers use pay pall so purchases are secure.

check it out! www.etsy.com

R
xo

Crafty!

I thought I would take a moment to brag here (because the whole idea of this blog isn’t self indulgent enough!). I was recently invited to my gorgeous cousin Julie’s baby shower. I knew instantly what I wanted to get her and set off to buy the bits and pieces. The picture above is the result!

It is made from half a bag of infant sized nappies, two tiiiiny singlets, two wrist rattles, a baby towel and a satin covered gift box. It was super easy to make and looked pretty darn good.

Sadly I wasn’t able to stay for the party as wedding preparations required me to be the other side of Sydney which was such a s shame. Julie’s sister Emmie and Mum Charmaine did an amazing job and setting the house up for the party. Everything was mini and utterly gorgeous!

Apologies for the picture quality – it was taken on my iphone as of course not one of the three cameras in the house was charged: S.

R
xo

Can you feel the love?

Engagement shoots were something I had never heard of until very recently. Couples arrange for a photo session to capture their love and excitement of their recent engagement. I have seen some truly beautiful engagement shoots in my research for the wedding. Themed, elegant or incredibly simple allowing their love to shine through.

While Luke and I didn’t have a photographer ( rather a tripod ) we donned our Sunday bests and headed down to the beautiful Fagan Park Gardens to take some shots.

Below are a couple of these and a few of my favorites from various blogs.

Enjoy

R
xo