opposites attract

so while my boyf is off at the gym (hey, in my defence for not going i DID run this morning), i'm at home baking treats. the rule is - if you want something sweet/naughty, you have to make it yourself. the logic behind the rule being a) you earn it, cos you've made it and b) you know what went in it, meaning the majority of the ingredients won't contain freaky scientific names or numbers.

so this afternoon i made Nigella's chewy almond macaroons. not the schmancy pants filled ones, the old school chewy, plainer ones.

Start off with this:

 2 cups almond meal
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground cardomom
2 egg whites
Some rosewater
Some blanched (or slivered) almonds

Then do this:
Preheat your oven to 200ºC and line a baking tray with baking paper
Mix the meal, sugar, cardamom and egg whites together in a big bowl til it forms a really thick dough
Wash your hands all biblical-like with a splash of rosewater and roll the dough into walnut sized balls
Place said balls on tray and using either flaked (it's what i had in the cupboard) or blanched almonds, stud the top of each little morsel.
Whack in the oven for 8-12 mins (check after 8 I mean)

Then they'll look like this!!

Then you eat them (once cooled on a rack) with a lovely cuppa.

Afternoon tea is my favourite meal.

it's a new day

step one:

**NB I do not look like that when i run.

step two:

And finally, step three:

Enjoy your Saturday bunnies xx

friggin obsessed

how amazing is Katie Quinn Davies blog What Katie Ate??!

Seriously, it's bloody incredible.

 

In between maintaining the most delicious looking food blog i've ever seen, she also works for Martha Stewart Living AND is working on her own book due to be released next year!

I'll be the first in line to get a copy, then i might stroll around the bay to Rozelle from Glebe and get her to sign it. So lovely to hear about locals and their passions taking flight! Hurrah for Katie!

i love these females

Sarah-Jane and Heidi from Sass and Bide. Two of the hottest milfs goin' round.

pretty mother flippin pumped for this

excuse me

how was your day? was it lovely? mine was.

it started off with plenty of laughs on the way to the bus stop this morning as the boyfy battled his way through the blustery rain with THIS

Pretty much the worst / funniest umbrella i have ever seen!

Work wasn't that lovely but I did manage to have some of the best pumpkin soup for lunch. i love how soup fixes everything, even gloomy grey days in the office.

book club

I'm reading Blood Meridian at the moment and it is horrible. Horrible horrible horrible. Beautifully written but a horrible story. There is so much violence and hate and sadness, I'm actually really struggling to get through it. It's set in the 1850's and it's essentially a cowboys and indians story, except bloody and awful and terrifying.

In case you're wondering why i even picked this book up in the first place, it's because it's one of the books picked for the month of April on First Tuesday book club which is on ABC1 on the first tuesday of each month. Der. Each month they pick a new release and a classic and Blood Meridian was this month's classic. Generally, I relish the chance to have someone make the decision for me and I get the opportunity to read both classics and contemporary novels i never normally would even pick up - then sometimes you get something like this. A book that makes you lose sleep.

As horrifying as it is, I'm not one of those people that can knowingly not finish reading a book so I'm sticking to it. Only around a third to go - then no more nightmares!! Hopefully next month they pick something more up my alley...

far out brussel sprout!

did you know brussel sprouts are in season right now? i know they divide opinions like nothing else, but i love sprouts. i think it's because they're so daggy i feel sorry for them.

but yes, April is when sprouts are at their best and here is a lovely recipe i'm very fond of by the glorious Donna Hay. I made it for dinner tonight with some beautiful fresh little baby sprouts.

 

You need:

• 200g of orrechiette (little ear) pasta
• 300g small brussel sprouts, outer leaves removed and quartered
• 1 clove of garlic
• 30g butter
• 2/3 cups runny cream
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp oregano leaves (fresh are best)
• 8 slices pancetta (the really really thin rounds)
• fresh grated parmesan cheese for serving

You do:

• Cook pasta in salted (as salty at the Mediterranean!!) boiling water for 10-12 mins til lovely and al dente
• While your pasta is bubbling away, lay the slices of pancetta on a baking tray and grill under hot grill until really well browned - almost burnt - and set aside to cool
• In a medium-hot pan, add your butter, crush in your garlic clove and toss in the oregano - cook for 1 min
• Add your quartered sprouties and cook for 3-4 mins until tender
• Next add in the cream, lemon juice and cooked pasta and toss to combine
• Serve generously (it IS getting chilly outside you know...) in bowls, crinkle the grilled pancetta into little crumbs over the top and add parmesan before serving. it's super yummy with freshly cracked black pepper on top too.

 Bringing sprouts back into fashion one household at a time!

good morning

I woke up early and went for a gorgeous 6am walk this morning.

 

I forget how peaceful and still everything is at that time of day. The only people around to keep me company were a few locals with their puppies.

A really nice way to start the day - stretching legs, fresh air, pinched-pink morning cheeks, bliss.

my long weekend.

i had a nice time this weekend, i went on a road trip to melbourne.

it had everything a little trip away should have - yummo food

And a fair amount of footy

 The weather in Melbourne was amazing, sunny, crispy and autumn-y. A really truly lovely weekend.

Now I'm back in rainy Sydney, ready for bed and not ready for work tomorrow. :(

sunshine on a rainy day...

... is a fresh mani, a delicious skinny flat white and all the iview I can handle.

When really, what I should be doing is this...

and getting ready for our road trip down to Melbourne tomorrow. First I need to get my hands on some of those incredible vintage suitcases...

it's raining, it's pouring

afternoon delights

After our busy bee morning this morning cleaning, dusting, scrubbing and washing, we decided we actually needed to enjoy this delicious autumn day and to take advantage of the fact that it's a Friday and we're not at work.

So we headed to our fave frenchie patisserie (which was open - hallelujah!), stocked up on some grub -  i had the single most amazing salmon and dill quiche in the entire world, boyfy had a lovely beef burgundy pie (naughty on good friday) and we headed down the road to enjoy the sunshine in the park.

Good Housekeeping Friday

The list of things to get done today keeps getting longer and longer...

annie leibovitz is a genius.

The Boyfy and I have been dying dying dying to get to her exhibition at the MCA in Sydney. And 3 days before her show finishes, we managed to get there.

We pretty much had the gallery to ourselves on this Good Friday eve and it was spectacular. I know it was spectacular because it made me feel like I wish I could photograph things even a fraction as well as her.

Here's a bit of a taste... all shots courtesy of Annie.. naturally.

The White Stripes...

Kate and Johnny...

Mick Jagger...

i quite like this show

This show is quite excellent, and I don't even normally like cop shows. Susie Porter is just great.

Ok, time for some beauty sleep. Goodnight sugar plums xx

massive girl crush

Her name is Elin Kling and she's from Sweden and I want to be her. Yep.

i < 3 NY

My lovely friend Mon and I spent some time today scheming and planning our upcoming trips to New York. While Boyfy and I are spending a delicious 4 weeks there in October this year, Mon and her Husby are taking 3 weeks to drive across the US of A, then spending a week in NYC.

We won't be there at the same time, but it's damn exciting having a friend to get excited with.

Only approx 180 days to go!!!

what are you doing tonight?

i'm watching this...

 

And this is in the oven...

And later me and the boyf might go do this...

 

Hope your night is lovely x x

guess what i'm doing on my lunch break today...

 

Zara opens in Sydney today! Yahooooo!!!

it's finally happened. russell brand has weasled his way into my heart.

I went, I saw, I now have a crush.

Russell Brand has never really excited me but today, I am a changed lady. My lovely friend Kass took me along to an industry screening - how suave, we even got free popcorn - to see Arthur. I've never seen the original but apparently it starred Dudley Moore and he looked like this:

Honestly, it's not entirely my kind of movie, and i know it's not hipster to like rom-coms but it was HILARIOUS. Best Tuesday laughs.