Ring it in . . .

What do you think of a New Year's Eve wedding?

I'm normally against it - I've thought it quite self centred and arrogant in the past.

But this year, I've swayed and think it's a great idea.

What better way to ring in the new year than with your nearest and dearest . . . and all dressed up!

Love this image . . . black and white dance floor does it for me every time. And the oh-so-high ceilings. Gush!

Wherever you are and whoever you're with, make it a night to remember. 

Happy New Year!

Here's to a bigger and better 2012 xo

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Bag lady

Greetings dear friends!

How was your Christmas and all that jazz?!

We had a lovely little celebration at my parents' place - not without its fair share of dramas - but the turkey was moist, Michael Buble was cranked loud and Dad stayed awake the whole day, so a success in my books!

Hit the shops for my first little shopping adventure today and while I'd love to stroll the streets looking oh-so-stylish like the glamazon above, I have to confess I arrived home with only two pairs of shoes and one pair of bra - a boring nude coloured t-shirt style at that. 

How dull!

Hope you've all had some more luck and have found the perfect party dress for New Year's Eve . . . I'm still on the prowl (all that Christmas pudding has not made the search any easier - zips are somewhat harder to do up this side of the festive season!)

Happy holidays x

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What time is it?

Someone in the office just mentioned Pimms.

And now I have a sudden craving for the festive beverage in a tall glass filled with ice and lots of yummy garnish - especially cucumber.

Reminds me of Sunday afternoons at the pub in London.

And sun soaked days at the cricket.

Bottoms up!

By a neck

I wouldn't mind one of these Lauren Elan necklaces for Christmas . . . or at any time of the year really!

Reminds me of the fabulous Elva Fields. Love.

Good crust

Holidays are made for cooking. Well, in my books they are.

We took the opportunity to have a pizza night on KI - I even carried my trusty pizza maker over on the ferry with me in hand luggage!

Two toppings on offer - Turkish lamb and haloumi, and Tandoori chicken. 

Lipsmackingly delicious.

Tandoori chicken pizza

Makes 1

Pizza base (either make your own like we did or use a prepared base - good recipe here)

Big handful sliced mushrooms

Tomato passata

Olive oil

1 chicken breast, sliced

tandoori paste 

natural yoghurt

mango chutney

rocket

coriander

thinly sliced red onion

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in about half a jar of tandoori paste and then add a couple of spoonfuls of yoghurt and mix. Leave to rest, covered, in the fridge for about 30 mins.
2. Spread the pizza base with about 2 Tbspn tomato passata and a slug of olive oil
3. Sprinkle the mushrooms over the base and then top with red onion
4. Evenly distribute the marinated chicken over the other toppings.
5. Cook in a pizza oven or normal oven until chicken cooked and base crunchy
6. Top with coriander and rocket leaves
7. Serve with mango chutney and extra yoghurt

Rouge la la

I don't believe it.

Boys don't like red lipstick!

Or so I'm told today.

I LOVE red lipstick. Well, I'm more of a pink gal myself, but there's something truly beautiful about a red pout.

I am known to bring out my MAC red on special occasions. Especially when a black and white outfit is on the cards. Derby Day anyone?

(Okay, so it's a bit faded here but it looked HOT on the day! Or did it?!)

Pink just wouldn't cut it on such an occasion.

And who can argue with Miranda Kerr - she totally rocks the rouge movement.

The reason for my sudden defense of red lipstick is a funny article I came across today by Kate Bowden.

I love her style of writing (I actually went to uni with her but had lost track of her in the seven or so years since, so it was nice to stumble across one of her stories!).

"Crickets". Gold!

. . . . Anyway, where was I? That's right, from Kate's story I was compelled to do my own little survey to find out if the red pout is, in fact, for 'slappers'.

Surely not!

What do you think, dear blog friends? Can the average girl next door carry off a polished red smile or can you only get away with it if you're super celebrity and super hot?!

To quote Kate:

"But, the point I am trying to make here, with about as much success as a blunt HB, is that there are many occasions on which the bird and the bee will disagree about what is looking good and what is, maybe, a little bit mingin’.

But the red lips? Nooooooo, surely the red lip is not being left out in the cold like Chris Brown post-car beating. Say it isn’t so."

Love it!

I've quite often discussed with friends how us girls can sometimes dress for girls, rather than guys - we care more about what other lassies think of our outfit than blokes on the street.

Does the same go for red lipstick. Is this why I'm still single!?

Read Kate's article here.

What do you think!?

Ditch the red and stick with my pink? Or bid farewell to all colour and embrace pawpaw ointment and clear balms like the fabulous Kate Middleton?! I mean, she did snag a Prince, after all . . .

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Hype for hydrangeas

A visit to Granny's is always special, but the big bunch of flowers I always go home with just tops it off.

Her hydrangeas are beyond beautiful at the moment.

I think they're a gorgeous choice for a wedding or long lunch table centrepiece . . . 

Don't you agree?!

Pics from Pinterest

Ohhhhh-begine

I love dips. Love 'em. 

And I was thrilled when let in on a family secret recipe during my recent trip to Kangaroo Island. It's a Turkish recipe and is so easy I am never buying store bought dips again.

We shall call this 'eggplant dip'. Original, hey?

1. Take three eggplants and peel off the skin in stripes (we call it pyjamas)

2. Dice the eggplant into small cubes (less than 1cm cubed)

3. Put all the diced eggplant in a bowl and cover with water and a sprinkling of salt.

4. Leave to rest for 15 minutes

5. Drain the eggplant and heat about 1-2Tbs olive oil in a frying pan.

6. Stir fry the eggplant until reduced and a change in colour - it should be slightly mushy, but not have lost its shape too much. Takes about 10 mins

7. Crush three cloves of garlic into the eggplant and stir through in a separate bowl (one clove per eggplant - you can change the amounts to suit how much you need)

8. Leave the eggplant mix to cool and when cool, add a tub of natural yoghurt (add as much or as little as you like, depending on how chunky you like it. Think of it like a chunky eggplant tzatziki.

9. Enjoy with pita crisps as a dip, or use as a side dish for main courses. Great with Turkish pizza!

Go on, try it!

Thanks Aylin for the recipe - I hope I got it right!

Christmas pretty

I'm back . . . but I'm busy.

(Isn't everyone?!)

Here's a Christmas pretty to enjoy thanks to Melissah at Scrapbook. She has collated some of the most beautiful Christmas snaps possible. Gorgeous and festive and oh so stylish.

And on the topic of Christmas, nothing grates me more than people who insist of calling it Xmas.

It's Christmas, people!

(Is it that obvious that I just got back from a horrid trip to the shops in my lunchbreak, and I'm a little bit stressed? Holiday shoppers do my head in - and don't get me started on the car parking! Just breathe . . . )

Take me away

I am off for a few days to spent some quality time with one of my most favouritest people in the whole wide world. 

Here's to some fun on Kangaroo Island - no doubt there'll be lots of laughs, lots of vino and far too much food.

This is how I'd like to look on the ferry on my way over to the Island, but alas, I fear I will have my head over the toilet bowl as I'm not much of a traveller.

All class, that's me.

Bon voyage!

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Talk Fringe

The highly anticipated 2012 Adelaide Fringe program was launched today and I'm off to a little soiree to celebrate tonight.

Bubbles and bite sized canapes. My kind of shindig.

Happy weekend x

Best ever

Best ever bread and butter pudding.

Jaffa croissant and chocolate pudding. Heavenly.

We mastered it again on the weekend. Hope you enjoyed the leftovers, JB!

Recipe here.

And jam and cream

 I love a road trip, especially when the desitination means catching up with a longtime friend who's pulled up stumps in the city for the country life.

Jourdanne moved out bush a couple of months ago so I packed up the car and headed north to spend the weekend with her and her boy on his farm.

Didn't see the poor bloke much as it's mid harvest and the busiest time of the year, but it meant us girls got to spend some quality time in the kitchen and Jourdanne could attempt her first batch of CWA certified scones.

So so easy and so so good . . .

Here's the recipe . . . word for word and with insructional pictures!

Mary Byrne's Traditional Scones

Claiming she's 'just a Bush Cook'

Ingredients

4 cups SR flour

pinch salt

300mL cream

300mL rain water (tap water is fine)

1 Tbspn icing sugar

1. Turn the oven on to 215C (not fan forced) or 200C fan forced

2. Dust work area with plain flour

3. Get a big bowl

4. Sift flour, salt and icing sugar into bowl

5. Add cream into bowl. Stir in with a spoon and mix til crumbly

6. Add water. Mix thoroughly with a knife

7. Should be damp but not too sticky!

8. Turn out onto dusted bench

9. Dust with plain flour over the top

10. FLUFF the dough on bench and then press it down. DO NOT USE A ROLLING PIN

11. Dough should be about an inch thick

12. Use a scone cutter

13. Spray a baking tray with oil and place approx 14-16 scones

14. Brush with milk and bake for 12-15 mins, until just browned on top

**Editor's note - don't you love the tennis racquet that is used to hold the oven door closed!? Love the country ingenuity!

15. Scones can be frozen in bags

Or just enjoyed lovely and warm and crunchy, fresh out of the oven! Best with Beerenberg jam (SA's finest!) - raspberry was our preference, and lashings of freshly whipped cream (like we needed more cream!)

So good, the perfect welcome to country life!

Night in

Had the best night over at my friend Sarah's the other night. She cooked up a mean roast beef with some awesome salads and we talked all things wedding, work and weightloss!

Even Rufus got in on the fun!

Never Too Old

One of the best bits about my job is that I get to explore country South Australia.

A recent workshop had me down on the Limestone Coast where we spent a lovely few nights in Penola - probably my favourite town in that part of the world.

Before we set off home, my boss and I ducked into this gem of a shop that we'd spotted from across the road the night before. It was jam packed full of unique finds so we risked being late for our next meeting to spend a wee while exploring its treasures.

Never Too Old is just gorgeous, one of those rare finds that takes you back to your childhood in a matter of seconds. We walked out with far too many purchases for our own good (I stuck to small treats like costume jewellery while my boss ticked off a few larger Christmas presents for her 18 month old) but we'll be back for sure.

Do you agree, the best antique/treasure hunting is in the country?