Show & Tell

One of Warren's pics of my home town, Weymouth from a UK trip in 2009

So for this week's Tuesday sillies :

* I'm so going to win with this illusion that was created in UK!

* I love these cute family travel maps

* on the same travel theme, this game is very addictive & gives an overwhelming sense of satisfaction when you get it right

* a very sweet animation "My Happy End" (not rude!!)

* is that a somersaulting giraffe in this go-pro adrenalin junkie movie?!!

* oh gowwon then!! Here's one for Lula, although all those cake visuals at this Virtual Teddy Tea Party might make me dive in to the nearest gateau (oh yes, it's not supposed to be for me)

* It's quite incredible what a couple of kids can do with some spare time, bits of lego & a lot of imagination http://bit.ly/16Csylk

* I'm always attracted to things Japanese & this site is no exception. Beautiful images, ideas & inspiring short films.

* This is such killer tune, Shine by Hot Creations from Warren. I LOVE it. Like REALLY love it. A LOT! Reminds me of the old days ♥

* Andy shared this amazing art installation in Copenhagan. Incredible

Tuesday Homework

Pretty much since I moved to South Africa we've seen our 'besties' at least once a week. We've been friends with the our amazing "Swampies"/ "Poops" for about 10 years now so that's a lot of chit chat, fun times, life expereinecs & silliness we've shared & we feel so lucky to have them in our lives.
In our younger crazy days, Friday night was the meeting night. Without fail we'd put on our dancing shoes & hit the streets of Cape Town, it took a lot to slow us down, & I treasure those years so much.

But 5 years ago, by pure coinsidence, both Poops & I fell pregnant in the same year which worked out perfectly! Obviously we had to change our lifestyle & social activities (it was time!); weekend parties were no longer on the agenda, so we replaced them with Tuesday night supper dates. It's so easy to lose contact if you're not going out on a regular basis, so Tuesday's are set in our calendars & unless one of us is absolutely dying of flu or so grumpy it would just be horrid for the rest of us we try to stick to it as much as possible so that we all stay connected & our littlies bond.

Now Lula & Maya are besties. They're only 4 1/2 months apart. They're growing up like sisters & love each other to bits.
We love our Poops' more & more each day too ♥

So this year Tuesdays took a twist & Andy had a great idea to add an element of fun in to to them. We have to bring 'homework' to the dinner. It can be anything. The empahasis is on it being something the others haven't seen or know about. So a viral campaign, a joke, an App, an amazing video, a newly discovered artist or just something wierd we've seen on the internet!

I love it. It's such fun.

I'll post them each week along with anything else I see that I like.

* Andy told us about this newly discovered Egyptian City

* Unexplainable shapes in the Chinese Dessert

* A Canadian Politician who confirms that we are living in the company of Aliens (hmmmm.....)

* And this video from Die Antwoord. "Cookie Thumper". Not my favourite. Yuk

* This is a cool take on Photobooths

Last week we had :

* Samsies

* And this fantastic App for IPAD that we are totally in ♥ with. Paper. Obsessed.

I need to get sourcing for our next 'show & tell'!

x

Easy Reads

Last night we had our 2nd Winter Dinner Date Party and we got chatting about books (as 1 of our friends is about to jet off for a few weeks in Italy and needed some reading recommendations - jealous!!)

I have to say, that I often feel quite awkward explaining my feelings about reading. To say I 'struggle' to read sounds like I barely made it through school or am incapable of interpreting the label on a tin of soup, but what I mean is, either I battle to find time to read &/or lack the concentration required to get stuck in to a good book.
I think it must be a bit like drinking or exercise? If you don't drink very often, it's tough to suddenly party like you did in your twenties at the annual office Xmas party, and you're not going to be very good at it (I know, but that's another story). And if you're not a regular at the gym, it's going to be a struggle to embark on a 5km run thinking that muscle memory will carry you through (again, I know!).
So the same goes for me & books.
My mind isn't used to it, so it often feels too much of an effort.
Especially since Lula was born I just haven't got in to the 'swing' of reading.

Last end of year holidays though, I had quite a bit of time off, my parents came over from the UK and we had a really chilled break. I had time to read.
I read One Day
And I loved it!
I couldn't put it down & loved grabbing a few pages over a cup of tea in the morning sun or a chapter or 2 after an afternoon snooze, and reading in the evening instead of watching tv.
I was disappointed when it finished but decided to set myself a New Years Resolution to read more.

Inspired by my holiday experience I was excited to start the 1st page of my next book.
And it was so disappointing. I just couldn't get in to it.
And I thought that maybe it was because I was back at work & my mind was back to thinking about a million things at once, leaving no room for a book.

Then we went on holiday & I packed 2 recommended books to get me through the long flight to Thailand.
When God was a Rabbit
Case Histories
I loved them and even borrowed a 3rd book from the resort we we were staying at.
The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
I was inspired again.

Talking to my reading muse at work, I learnt that even the most avid readers have books that they don't enjoy or just can't get in to, and it's about learning what genre you like & moving on to the next.
This friend of mine, Megan, knows me soooo well, she knows better than me what books I like & she put me on to Gone Girl.
I enjoyed it despite being back to normal day-to-day working life, and a thanks to her I'm back on track with reading again.

And I'm not ashamed to discuss now that I like easy reads.

When I say 'easy' I don't mean large font and pictured diagrams to help explain the story!
But light, well written fiction.
I like humour. A story that's imaginative or inspiring with a bit of sparkle that makes you smile inside & out.
My current book ticks all those boxes
The History of Love

I now love reading & am constantly on the hunt for these types of titles.
Here's a few on my to-read list:
You Had Me at Hello
The Snow Child
The Night Circus
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

And this one posted on A Cup of Jo's blog looks quirky & funny.
Lets Explore Diabetes with Owls

Now I just need to master the ability to remember a story longer than a week after I've finished it!

Practise. Practise. Practise.

Winter Dinner Dates #2

I was so looking for forward to this last Saturday night. After the success of the last dinner date, I knew it would be fun to plan a 3 course meal, decorate the table & enjoy fun times with a  few different friends around the fire.

BUT, I got so carried away with catching up with everyone & tucking in to the delicious starter ( that lead in to the pie & then in to the over-boozy pud...), that I totally forgot to take any photos :(

The menu was a winner though so I definitely want to remember that :

The menu

- Baked Camembert with triangle Pita chips
- Roast chicken pie served with buttered baby carrots & peas
- Kahlua & Choc-Chip Cookie milkshakes

And they were all super easy:

Baked Camembert & Pita Chips

250g Camembert
6 pack of Pita breads
Garlic
Thyme
Olive Oil

This is soooo easy but really yummy & is  a great winter starter to share with friends.
Literally you get a Camembert 'round', make a few slits in the top & poke sliced garlic & thyme in to them. Bake for 10 mins until the cheese is melted & fonduey. Mmmmmm!
At the same time, take some pita breads, separate the 2 halves, cut in to quarters, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with Molden salt, and bake for 7 - 10 mins.
Done!

Chicken Pie

For the pie, we used a Nigella recipe that I've made a few times, but this time Warren added a twist by roasting a whole free range chicken & using that for the filling.

1 x large chicken (I used 1.5kg)
250g bacon
400g brown mushrooms
Leeks
Frozen Puff Pastry
600ml Stock

Roast a chicken (with seasoning/garlic/onion/herbs or however you dress yours normally).
Meanwhile saute the leeks in a little olive oil, add the bacon until it's cooked & then the mushrooms.
Once the chicken is cooked, take the skin & bones out & roughly chop to add to your bacon mix.
Make sure you keep all your roast chicken juices!
Start the sauce with a basic roux made from 2 tbsp butter & 2 tbsp flour (cook for a  few minutes) & 300 ml milk, slowly whisked in. Add the saved chicken juices & an additional 600ml chicken stock (made with cubes/powder). Stir it altogether until it thickens a little.
Pop the chicken, bacon, leek & mushroom filling in to a large pie dish (I used an A4 sized Le Creuset) & pour over the sauce.
Top with the rolled out puff pastry & cook for 30-40 mins until the pastry looks ready and the filling is bubbling.
Serve with your favourite veggies

Kahlua & Choc Chip Cookie Milkshakes!

Per serving:

1 cup of Coffee or Vanilla ice-cream
3/4 cup milk
60ml Kahlua
1 lrg choc chip cookie
(1 cup Crushed Ice if you have)

Stick them all in an electric mixer, whizz them together & poor in to glasses. Sprinkle extra broken cookie on to & serve with a straw (+ spoon!)

I think I was a bit heavy-handed with the Kahlua when I multiplied the quantities to make 7 servings, so use you discretion when adding that (I guess a tot or 2 at max, per person is plenty thinking about it) so that your guests can still drive home!

<3

To set the ambience Warren plugged in our 10th Anniversary Party playlist - a chilled selection of Amy Winehouse, Melodie, Adele & Ellie Golding followed by my current favourite Mumford & Sons.

And the table decor was kept the same as the last time (mini cheat!) : Protea flower heads in my Chinese supermarket enamel cup find, music sheet place mats & old book pages & doilies as a runner. So pretty - although we have discovered that tea lights dotted in abundance around the table with all these paper accessories & serviettes inevitably results in a mini fire & a 5 min episode of hysteria as we try & stop the whole table catching a light!

Lula was so excited about us hosting another dinner party & whilst she didn't have any little friends to hang out with this time, she felt so special staying up a bit later to chat to the grown ups. Each guest got one of her glo stix on arrival & she was very proud to show off her baby dolls & lego to them all. When she went to bed, my friend Gorge read her a story & we all took turns to tuck her in & say good night (with our then very garlic breath from the cheesy starter!). So sweet.

Wonderful evening with wonderful friends.

Next time I must remember my camera!

x

Park Life

Warren discovered this park right on our door step whilst doing a recce for a shoot and it's become our new favourite place for an Autumn/Winters' walk.

The grass is long & emerald green.
The trees are tall & create beautiful patches of dappled light.
Indigenous plants blossom colourful flowers.
Squirrels run & jump between branches.
The stream runs fast from the recent heavy rains.
Table Mountain stands tall in the background, reminding us where we are.
We think it's pretty perfect.

It's called Boschenheuval Arboretum @ Kirstenbosch, Cape Town.

This weekend we had such a wonderful sunny Winters Day - great conditions to kick a ball around our new favourite place!

And my new Sony HX20V camera has a fun little "mini" function on it which shoots with a lens baby effect.

Here's the results.

Park. Family. Sun. Lens Baby.
x

Some playful dogs also wanted to chase our ball!

Autumn sun

Winter Dinner Dates #1 (Part 2)

So our 1st winter dinner date was a success!

It was a cold wet Cape Town night but Warren's fire & a few extra bodies soon warmed things up perfectly.

We have never actually taken our lighting decorations down from Christmas - they just look so lovely. I actually added another paper wheel to them from newly opened In Good Company (that is full of deliciously pretty things).

Old music sheets & doillies make good place-mats 

Mini dotty serviettes also from In Good Company and Nutella Cheesecake recipe here

Proteas in cheap enamel cups make a nice alternative to vases & flowers which are normally too big on a dinner table

Lady Bonins Tea made a lovely berry infused iced tea

I just forgot to take a pic of Warren's amazing Slow Braised Beef in Guinness - eek. 

The play list:
- Coldpay
- Mumford & Sons
- Lulu Rouge
- Adana Twins

The littlies were too cute. Watching a movie with popcorn, chips & glo stix!

Then they gave us a show...

The Princess & The Wizard

And Hammy who found the whole thing very entertaining & laughed at everything we did!

x

Winter Dinner Dates #1

Up until 4 years ago, we were always out & about. Eating out, making last minute plans - being spontaneous. We loved socialising & being out in town.
The mix of drinks, loud music & smokey dark places had its day and I loved it
But since Lula was born there's nothing I enjoy more than being at home with my family.
And since spending more time at home I've discovered that I married a culinary genius!
Bonus!
So now there's even less need to go out! Warren's dishes seriously rival anything that you get from a restaurant.
Even recently I went for a delish' ladies lunch @ Uitsig where the pasta had a particularly good reputation & whilst it was really tasty, coincidently, Warren had made a similar carbonara the previous night, and I have to say, I preferred his!
So I thought, why go out when the food's so good at home. And so that we're not being totally anti-social what could be better then sharing a yummy meal with friends in the comfort of our home.
And now that it's winter, it's the perfect timing for hearty food, great company & a roaring fire.
So I've decided to host a number of winter dinner dates over the next couple of months inviting different groups of friends.
Now anyone that knows me well will also know that I never cook, so when I announced my plans to Warren he felt that it wasn't such a  good deal for him to spend the next few saturday nights cooking for a crowd!!
So I've promised to do my bit - I'm in charge of starters, desserts & decor!

The Menu

* Turkish loaf & Olives

* Slow cooked Irish Stew with basil mash

* Nutella Cheesecake

Ok I know my starter for this 1st dinner date is a bit of a cop-out & doesn't require much effort, but the dessert will make up for it & it's so easy even I can do it!

Nutella Cheesecake

I used a combination of a Nigella recipe & this one here.
Here's how I made it.....

Ingredients:

- 250g block of cream cheese
- Jar of Nutella
- Pack of digestives
- few Oreos
- 75g unsalted butter
- 30g icing sugar
- 250ml tub whipping cream
- Squirty cream

Start by crushing the bag of biscuits in a bowl. I used the whole 250g pack (minus 2 that I had with a cup of tea after work on Friday) + 5 Oreos. Melt the butter and add that along with 1 heaped tbsp of Nutella. Mix it all together really well until it's a moist sandy texture.

Then mix 2/3 cup of Nutella with the block of cream cheese (make sure it's at a warm room temperature or else it's impossible).
In a seperate bowl, whisk the cream until firm & fluffy, sieve in the icing sugar & whisk again to combine.
Fold the cream in to you nutella/creamcheese mix until you get an even chocolatey mousse.

You're almost done!

To serve the individual cheesecakes, I used old glass jam jars that we'd collected.

Divide the biscuit mix between them, crush it down to make a firm base & pop in the fridge to harden a bit.

Then add the soft moussey topping & they're ready for the finishing touches.

I finished  them off with a swirl of whipped cream & some crumbled Oreos (you could decorate with crushed hazelnuts, flaked almonds or chocolate swirls...)

And vioila.
Individual Nutella Cheese Cakes <3
Baking with no baking!
(and there's enough Nutella leftover for a few rounds of smooth chocolatey spread toast in the morning!)

I can highly recommend listening to this whilst making this dish - helps with the crushing, blending & whisking : )

xxx