Wednesday 28 September 2011

Wednesday Desire

These.
Found here.

Ooooh yeh.

I can definitely see myself wearing one of these babies on my finger. I really like rings, they are my weakness. I have one beautiful ring which never gets taken off, it was purchased at the Sydney Rocks Market and is very VERY special to me. But the rings on my other fingers are constantly interchanged and I think one of these could be a good addition to the collection.
Pics via

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Lunch Today/ Tabouleh Goodness

So... was it glamorous? No. Was it homemade? No. Was it absolutely delicious?! You betcha!

With the weather heating up here all I wanted today was a salad for lunch. Now, considering this morning I was running really late I didn't have time to whip up a tasty salad for my lunch so the only option was to purchase one. So, this morning I popped into the nearest supermarket and grabbed a store bought, plastic clad salad. And to be honest... it was awesome! I just love tabouleh, particularly at this time of the year, the freshness of the parsely with the tomatoes and dressing... mmhmm.
I do, on the occasion where I am not running ridiculously late in the mornings, like to make my own tabouleh at home and thought I would share the recipe. It's easy and great for entertaining as all you need is 4 basic ingredients and a good quality olive oil.

Tabouleh Recipe
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Burghul (cracked wheat)
2 bunches parsely (Either flat or curly leaf. I use a combination of the 2)
1 spanish onion
1 large tomato
1 large lemon, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil

How to make it:
1. In a bowl, place burgul and cover with cold water, set aside until soft (usually about 45 minutes)
2. Finely chop parsely, spanish onion and tomato and place in a large salad bowl. Discard any large parsely stalks
3. Once the burghul is softened, drain through a sieve, pushing down on the burgul with the back of a spoon to get rid of all the excess moisture
4. Add burgul to parsely, tomato and onion
5. Dress with a little salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil

Eat and enjoy!
And this is what I followed up my tasty, tasty salad with...

The sweetest strawberries I have ever eaten!
We are currently growing strawberries at home, however they are neither this big nor this red, they are still somewhat smallish and green. Definitely not yet suitable for lunch!

There you have it, this was my lunch today, not particularly stylish but damn tasty!

Also, before I forget, the drink bottle in the background of the tabouleh pic is my "never leave my side" item of the moment! Made by Aladdin, BPA free and as it holds 300ml, perfectly sized for my handbag and not so big that I get daunted by the thought of having to drink al lthat water. I know, i need to drink more water but I just struggle *sigh*.

You can check out all Aladdin, earth friendly and reusable products here. These are, unlike my lunch, very stylish!

Saturday 24 September 2011

Spring Sun and Showers

So whilst the leaves in the Northern hemisphere may be turning all those lovely orangey brown hues and pumpkin starts to dominate in the kitchen, things here in Aus. have definitely started getting summery! The garden is currently awash with blossom from the various trees and shrubs and the grapevine is literally covered with new growth.
Fingers crossed the cherry tree will do likewise... We planted one in the backyard during the week and so far it has tiny little leaves growing on it! So exciting!

And if that isn't enough check out the amazing wildflowers I saw last week whilst walking up Anstey Hill



While it is nice and toasty during the day (I even got a little sunburnt playing golf... but that is a whole other story) it is still cold enough at night to need a nice cosy cardigan. And with all the sales on at the moment I can totally see myself in something along these lines...


Both via Dotti

I am totally excited for the warmer weather and cannot wait to start eating fresh cherries on lazy Sunday afternoons in the hammock. Cherries and hammocks, definitely my favourite things to enjoy in the warmer weather. What are yours?

Friday 23 September 2011

Friday Pretty

This cute little guy was a gift from one of my best gals. Made by De Nardi creative design right here in Australia! You can find the etsy store here with some absolutely lovely jewellery!

I LOVE this one and think it would look super lovely on my cardigan.

Pics via

Friday night fun!

Friday night spots...
This place is great! Cosy, great food and a brilliant vibe. Not to mention a GIANT apple tree in the cider garden.
More pictures to come....

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Tasty Treats!

I really REALLY enjoy cooking and eating tasty food. I love being able to share food with my family and friends and today I'm going to share a brilliantly easy recipe for tasty pastry scrolls. These make a great appetiser and are really handy finger food. I mean, who doesn't like beautiful pastry filled with cheese and sauce...

What you will need:
1 Sheet thawed puff pastry (I used Borgs brand)
1 cup pizza sauce or tomato paste
2 cups Tasty Cheese (grated)
1 1/2 cups ham cut into strips

How to make it:
1. Take your thawed puff pastry and place it on a clean bench
2. Spread pizza sauce or tomato over the pastry leaving a 2cm gap around the edges
3. Sprinkle cheese and ham over the sauce or paste
4. Roll up pastry
5. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge until required
6. Pre-heat oven to 210 degrees C
7. Take chilled roll out and cut into small pieces, about 3cm thick
8. Place these on a greased baking tray and bake for around 15-20 minutes.
Keep an eye on them, you will know they are done when the pastry puffs up and goes golden!

Ok, so they aren't so pretty to photograph, but trust me... YUM!

You can really interchange any recipes for the fillings.
Great filling ideas include:
Pesto and cheese
Mushrooms, sundried tomato and grilled eggplant
Turkey, cranberry and spinach
Or even try a sweet one with jam or Nutella...

And if you are like me and are a wee bit over zealous with the whole preparation thing and make a ton they can be frozen for another day.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

First. Ever. Post.

So here goes. My first ever foray into the blogging world. After reading all the pretty/chic/awesome blogs written by some very talented ladies out there and realising that so many of them, not all but most, were written about the USA and NYC in particular, I thought, hey, why don't I write something for those of us with a more "down-under" view on all things chic/tasty/pretty and awesome in life.
So here it is.
This beautiful place is Ansteys Hill. Not too far away from the house I share with my partner and 2 gorgeous cats. (more to come later on them)
Aren't those lillies just AMAZING!!!