Sweet berry love

Today’s post has been one month in the making! I’m so very excited to share with you my very latest completed knitting project, hot off the needles – the little cardigan that I made just for Bugs!

“Sweet Berry Love” is what I’ve named this garment. The pretty reddish- pinkish-brownish with little flecks of orange and blue yarn (designed by the very famous textile artist Kaffe Fassett) kind of remind me of berries which is where part of the name comes from. The other part of the name comes from the buttons – these cute little heart shaped ones I found at the craft store which matched the colours perfectly! A simple and easy enough name to remember!

Knitting with variegated yarn always pleases me tremendously- I love seeing how the colours change with each stitch and each row that you complete. Here’s how the cardigan looked when I reached the halfway mark.

Seeing on the buttons made me really happy because I knew that in a matter of minutes, this little project of mine would be finally complete!

Here’s a few close up shots of Sweet Berry Love showing the detail knit stitches on the yoke and side of the cardigan!

I tried the cardigan on Bugs just before washing – it was really great to see that it fitted her to a tee! And best of all, I manage to complete this before winter officially starts tomorrow! Three cheers to that!

Hope your day is filled with lots of sweetness and berries and love!

Giving in

When you live just a few streets away from a famous food outlet, it’s tough to ignore or walk pass it, especially when it’s on the way to your favourite local library!

It was really misty late this morning when Bugs and I made our way to return our batch of overdue books.

We took our usual route, passing by rows and rows of houses….

some pigeons pecking away at some bread….

and of course, the newly opened, fabulous Movida bakery!

I tried to walk past it but this round, my stomach took control and commanded my feet to march in the direction of the bakery. A few minutes later, we emerged from the place with a terrific pork terrine sandwich and a beef and porcini mushroom pie!

The Dude was really excited when I showed him what we were having for lunch! It was probably the most exotic sounding food we’ve had in a long while! We couldn’t decide who should have what so we decided to divide the spoils equally before conquering!

The pie was fantastic! Best pie I’ve had in a very long while! Absolutely buttery pastry with melt in the mouth beef and smoky mushrooms – truly a perfect winter warmer snack!

The pork terrine sandwich was equally delicious! I’d never had terrine before, although I did read about how they make one in a food magazine ages ago (a real labour of love for a chef I think). This one was really really yummy and very well complemented with sweet relish and a bit of dried fruit! Even The Dude who normally shys away from pork, gave this the two thumbs up! That’s a lot coming from him!

It seems I’ve been writing a lot about food lately! But that’s going to change with tomorrow’s post! I’ll end off with a little sneak preview of what’s to come!

Have a fabulous day everyone!

Look what’s stewing

The whole family’s still in the midst of battling the nasty cold monster. After a few days of eating this (in case you are wondering, that’s chicken congee with a touch of purple carrots- weird looking but very comforting!), The Dude and I were seriously craving for some hearty food, especially since the weather is getting a lot colder!

So today, while Bugs occupied herself flipping through her latest favourite library finds….

The Dude got down to the serious business of making us a warming bowl of mushroom, red wine and beef stew!

This was yet another recipe that we extracted out from the handy Australian Women’s Weekly slow cooker book I got gifted for Mother’s Day. It’s a little different from the beef and veg stew we did not too long ago. For one, there’s lots of fennel that goes into it….

And quite a bit of bacon as well to give the dish that smoky depth of flavour.

The surprising thing about the recipe for me was that besides needing (obviously) mushrooms, spring onions (and lots of them) were also a key ingredient in the stew!

We sautéed off the vegetables and bacon as instructed before the red wine was added to the mix.

This then went into our slow cooker where some beautiful stewing beef and a tiny mountain of chopped fennel were already waiting!

A few hours of slow cooking later and our beef stew was finally ready! I did take a little longer to finish my meal as I spent some time savouring the flavours in my mouth – the smoky salty flavour from the bacon, the melt in your mouth beef, the aniseed flavour from the soft fennel all melded perfectly together in this awesome dish! Big change from the somewhat bland congee we’d been having the past few days!

I was so excited about tucking in that I kind of forgot to take pictures of the stew just after we had plated up (The things I learn from watching MasterChef!). This shot was taken after we were more than halfway through with the meal – the picture doesn’t do justice to what it looks like in real life but trust me on this when I say it was absolutely delicious!

Have a hearty S-tewsday everyone!

Orange outbreak

Ooooooh ’tis the season for colds and flu it seems. Especially since everyone in the household is down with the cold!

It started with Bugs having a stuffy nose. Then The Dude’s nose started dripping a little more than usual. And the next thing I knew, I started sniffling as well.

We’ve been drinking lots of water and consuming oranges to fight off the nasty bug. Hopefully that and a little bit more rest will do the trick!

But before I sign off and grab some much needed rest, I thought I’ll share with you a few quirky craft finds that I spotted on the Internet using -you guessed it, oranges!

Enjoy the pictures (looking at bright colours always makes me feel peppy!) and see you tomorrow folks!

Orange tea light from Petite Elefant

A very pretty dehydrated orange garland from Crafting a green world

An incredible looking orange peel teapot from Jan Hopkins

Fragrant orange pomanders for autumn or Christmas from Make-Handmade

Eating Graffiti

Remember the exotic looking eggplant- Graffitti that we picked up at the green grocer yesterday? We were really really curious as to how it would taste so we decided to cook it today, especially when it still was fresh!

I’ll have to say that this is probably the most awesome looking vegetable that has sat on our humble chopping board! I did spend a few minutes admiring the magnificent purple streaked skin before Graffiti finally went under the knife!

Even when cut up, the individual slices looked really pretty!

Graffiti did come with a sticker which had some suggestions on how best to cook and enjoy it -coated in egg, breadcrumbs and cheese and pan fried, very yummy!

But we had other plans for Graffiti which were of a more spicy nature! This round we sautéed some chopped onions before adding the eggplant and a tiny teaspoon of spicy sauce for a quick stir fry!

This eggplant sure looks different from the normal variety even after cooking – you can still kind of make out the purple streaks on some of the pieces in the picture!

And it tasted surprisingly much sweeter than the usual eggplant, especially considering how little seasoning we added this time round!

I’ll never thought I’ll say this but I’m a big fan of Graffiti now! Will be stocking more of this amazing produce the next time I visit the green grocer!

Have a happy Sunday everyone!

Veggie tales

Hooray! Its the weekend! We were back at good old IKEA again and this time we spent a little more time checking out the children’s section!

There seemed to be a veggie theme going around the kids furnishings at this time of the year. Not a bad idea to start the love of healthy eating and greens early I think!

Vegetables definitely seem a lot less yucky and harmless when they look as cute as this broccoli wall holder….

Or like the one printed on this cool playmat!

The vegetable theme was literally everywhere! You could find them on bibs….

On bed sheets and blankets….

And of course, in the form of cute soft toys!

Here’s Bugs crawling fast away from the broccoli toy that I tried to interest her in – hmmmm she might a little more convincing that vegetables are good for her I think!

Before we headed home, we dropped by the local green grocer for provisions and spotted some really exotic European eggplant! That’s normal eggplant in the left and the European one right next to it!

The exotic European eggplant even had a name – Graffiti! Very appropriate especially if you take a closer look at its skin which is a really pretty purple and white combination! We brought home one to try – will have to share how it tastes once we get round to cooking it!

Have a deliciously beautiful day everyone!

Cold comfort

How do you warm up on what possibly is Melbourne’s wettest day in
17 years (I’m not making this up- read more about it here!) Why with a bowl of hot homemade soup of course! Preferably of the potato and leek variety please!

If there’s one recipe that can be whipped up in a jiffy and still taste like you’ve been slaving over the stove for hours, this one’s it!

All it needs is a couple of chopped potatoes….

A couple of chopped leeks (here they are being washed – no one likes sand in their soup!)….

Some chicken stock and that’s it! If you think that’s easy, wait till you hear what’s involved in cooking the soup!

First, the chopped leeks get sautéed in the pan….

Once they soften, the chopped potatoes and chicken stock are added into the pan and the mixture is boiled till the potatoes are soft which is really no time at all if you chop them small enough.

A quick blitz with the good old hand blender….

And voila! Homemade potato and leek soup ready for consumption! We like our soup with a touch of cream, a sprinkle of black pepper and a huge side of crusty olive bread!

The best way to beat the chill is with hot soup and lots of love! Hope your day is going great folks!

Diva-licious

The Dude went grocery shopping today at the local supermarket and got me this…..

Yeap….a mug, with the words ” Domestic Diva” emblazoned across it!

I was informed that the other choices on offer were “Hot Housewife” or “Groovy Granny” -both of which he thought were not as great as the one he selected.

“This cup just describes you!” The Dude declared as he handed me my present.

“Are you saying I’m high maintenance?” I quizzed.

“No,” The Dude firmly replied,” I’m saying you have an extraordinary talent for managing our household affairs well! That’s what “diva” means -check it up if you don’t believe me!”

Which was what I did. According to Wikipedia, a diva is “a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music”.

I’m no domestic goddess, The Dude and the mug exaggerate my abilities. Still it’s really nice to know that you are appreciated for your efforts, even if the living room remains in a constant state of mess!

It’s the thought that counts they say! Very true indeed! Yet another item to add to my collection of favourite things!

Hope your day will be as sweet as mine!

Hide and seek

This picture looks pretty ordinary, doesn’t it? If you look at little closer, you might be able to find……

A little person hiding behind the cabinet! That was where I found Bugs playing this afternoon after I’d searched high and low for her for a few minutes!

That little gap between the cabinet and the kitchen wall is Bugs’s special corner now. Bugs makes a beeline for it the moment she sets foot into the kitchen. It’s a pretty tight space – The Dude and I can’t fit into it which is why it has been the place where we store old nappy boxes or unused kitchen stuff.

But for some reason, that little cubby corner absolutely delights Bugs. She seems to get a thrill from being in that ‘hidden’ space – there’s always lots of chuckles and squeals emanating from that cramped gap, which was how I managed to find where she was hiding!

I tried luring Bugs out with a handful of her favourite toys but she would not take the bait. Finally a old plastic spray bottle that I’d found rummaging through the kitchen cabinets did the trick!

When your day is as cheeky as this little miss, it’ll be difficult for any frown on your face to exist!

Hope your Wednesday is going great!

Tenderly

Woohoo! The Dude and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary this week (we are very shy people at heart so the date will be kept secret!)! I thought I’ll kick start celebrations by getting us a little something from one of our favourite chocolate shops for dessert!

As we walked home from the chocolate shop, a little tune popped into my head and I started humming it. It was a jazz song that I’d listened to often way back when The Dude and I started going out. How very apt that it should resurface in my memory around this time now!

I’ll end off today’s short post with some pictures of the streets in autumn that I’d been taking over the past few days and the lyrics to that jazz song that’s still stuck in my mind!

Till tomorrow folks!

P.s : Scroll to the end to find out what was in that box!

Tenderly

The evening breeze
Caressed the trees, tenderly
The trembling trees
Embraced the breeze, tenderly

Then you and I
Came wandering by
And lost in a sigh
Were we

The shore was kissed
By sea and mist, tenderly
I can’t forget
How two hearts met
Breathlessly

Your arms opened wide
And closed me inside
You took my lips
You took my love
So tenderly

Your arms opened wide
And closed me inside
You took my lips
You took my love
So tenderly

Lyrics copied from MetroLyrics.com