Kids Lunchbox Inspiration

Lately I have been so uninspired when it comes to doing my son's lunchbox, so I decided to get some inspiration, and voila I came across this brilliant website with gorgeous ideas to keep the little ones and us smiling. Aren't these great?

Also check out the sheknows.com website, there are lots of more brilliant ideas and suggestions for healthy and creative bento boxes and lunch options.

Source: Image via Studio tout petit

Fall inspiration

What a great inspiration this one is. With so many apples in the garden this Fall this is a great idea to use them up. I love the use of the tree twigs, that is so original. I will definitely be making some this weekend.

Source: Image via Allison Baker Design

Pina Colada Please!

Lets welcome the weekend with one of my favourite cocktails of all times, Pina Colada. A delightful combination of pineapple, rum and coconut cream. This drink reminds me of warm weather, sandy white beaches, and gentle warm sea. And since the weather forecast for this weekend is supposed to be rather sunny, lets celebrate with the one and only Pina Colada cocktail. See recipe below. Have a great start to the weekend my beauties. Love. xoxo

Ingredients:

• 120ml of pineapple juice
• 90ml of rum
• 60ml of coconut cream
• 2 cups of crushed ice

Preparation:

Pour all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend briefly at high speed. Strain into a glass and serve. Garnish with a slice of fresh pineapple if you wish and enjoy!

Pavlovas to Die for!

Looking for some cake inspiration at the moment, and as I was browsing some of my favourite blogs I came across these mouth-watering, lip-smacking, show-stopping pavlovas that I just had to share with you all. Aren't these just amazing! I will be definitely replicating one of these very soon. Enjoy!

Source: Images via dustjacket attic

Moules Marinieres, Care to Join me!

Tonight's dinner, one of my favourites. The French classic Moules Marinieres. Simple, easy to prepare and so delicious. Steamed mussels in white wine sauce, garlic, parley and cream. What else can you ask for. Serve it with some rustic bread on the side to mop up all that delicious sauce. For the recipe see below. Enjoy. xoxo

Moules Marinieres Recipe 

Ingredients (serves 2 people)

• 1kg of mussels (I used frozen ones)
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 150ml of dry white wine
• 55 g of butter
• 1 large handful of finely chopped parsley
• 4 tbsp of cream (single or double)
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and then add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes on a medium heat until the onions have softened.
2. Pour the white wine into the saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the mussels and cover the pan with a lid. Cook the mussels on a high heat for several minutes, gently shaking the bottom of the pan several times during cooking to redistribute the mussels.
4. If possible, remove the mussels one by one as they open, placing them in a colander with a bowl underneath to catch the juices and set to one side.
5. Discard any mussels that have remained tightly shut.
6. Boil the remaining liquid in the pan until it reduces to half and finally stir in the cream and parsley. Taste the sauce, as it may be quite salty and add any salt or pepper to your taste.
7. Transfer the mussels to a large bowl and pour the reduced liquid over the mussels and serve immediately.

Cinnamon Buns and Watching the Rain Fall

Today I woke up fancying Cinnamon Buns for some reason. I guess it is because is raining outside. Love watching the rain fall, so tranquil and calm. Have been also meditating and listening to a rather soothing sound by Paul Collier. 

Anyway, on the subject of food, I remember coming across this recipe a while back from the beautiful Sweetapolita. I have tried it before and have to admit they are one of the best Cinnamon Buns I ever tasted. So with no more delay, mines are coming out of the oven now and I am going to get stuck in. If you want to try this recipe too go here. You won't be disappointed. Have a beautiful rainy Tuesday. xoxo

Source: Images via Sweetapolita

Sunday Breakfast

Good morning my beauties, I hope you are having a good Sunday morning. Me, I started this fine Sunday morning on a healthy note. A healthy Sunday breakfast to start the day, while reading the papers. After that, perhaps watch a morning movie, a spot of baking in the afternoon, a lazy stroll in the park hand in hand and to finish it all a relaxing bath in the evening to get ready for the week ahead.

What about you, how are you going to spend this Sunday and any exciting plan for the week ahead? Let me know and happy Sunday. xoxo

Source: Image via creamy life

Good Morning All

Good Morning my beauties. Let 's start the day with a hearty breakfast. After that I am ready to tackle the world. Will be back shortly. xoxo

Source: Image via marley and me

Happy Birthday

To my beautiful sister V, happy birthday wishes. That this day is celebrated with happiness and love and hopefully we will be together soon. Lots of love my darling. xoxo.

Source: Image via dress design decor

Food ideas

Just thinking of inspirational ideas on how to present my sherry trifle for Xmas, when I came across these on Country Living. It's it great. xoxo

Source: images via Country Living

What's for dinner?

How about this yummy Pumpkin Risotto with Goat's Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts, and for dessert this beautiful Flourless Chocolate Cake with Frangelico. Sounds good and I just can't wait to tuck in!

This is the beautiful work of Katie Quinn Davies, a food stylist and photographer all the way from gorgeous Sydney, Australia. Her blog - What Katie Ate - is full of inspirations for all things food and drink. Give it a try and let us know how it went. Bon appetite.xoxo

Source: images and recipe via what katie ate

Sunday Baking - French Apple Tart

I have spent the morning baking this delicious French Apple Tart. We have so many apples in the garden at the moment and it's such a shame seeing them go to waste. I love the smell of melted butter, sugar and cinnamon and this is exactly what this recipe main ingredients are, together with the apples. The sweet pastry crust is also quite easy to make if you have a bit of patience, as it requires at least 1 hour in the fridge for the dough to set and about 20-25 minutes of blind baking. But the end result is worth waiting for believe me! You can serve it warm or at room temperature with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. See below the recipe if you want to give it a try and enjoy it, I am sure I will! Have a great weekend. xoxo

Ingredients and preparation for the Sweet Pastry Crust

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1 large egg

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg. Add flour and salt and mix until it forms a ball (don't overwork or the pastry will be hard when baked). Flatten dough into disk and cover with cling film and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm. Have ready an 8-9inch tart pan with removable bottom. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 11-12 inch circle that is about 3mm thick. Transfered it into the tart pan and roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan to get rid of the excess pastry. Press the dough into the tart pan and prick the bottom. refrigerate for about 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line the pastry shell with parchment paper or foil and fill it with baking beans. Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes until dry and lightly browned. Remove beans and cool crust.

Ingredients and preparation for the Apple Tart

6 medium sized apples

2 tbsp butter (divided)

1/2 cup of sugar (divided)

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp cinnamon (divided)

Peel, core and slice 3 of the apples. In a pan melt 1 tbsp of butter and stir 1/4 cup of the sugar, the lemon zest and 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon. Add the apples and sauté over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft. Gently mash the apples and stir the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.

For the top layer, peel, core and cut the remaining apples into slices 1-2cm thick. Melt 1 tbsp of butter and stir 1/4 cup of the sugar and the 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon. Add the sliced apples and sauté until they begin to soften. Spoon the apple mixture into the cooled pre-baked tart and then  arrange the apple slice in a concentric circles over the apple sauce. 

Bake the tart on a baking tray in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 25-30 minutes or until the apples are nicely browned and soft. Remove from oven and sprinkle the tart with icing sugar. Once the tart is cooled lightly glaze the apple slices with warm apricot glaze.

Pretty Food

Pretty food for a pretty Sunday. Just though I would share with you another amazing food stylist and photographer Aran Goyoaga. Her photos are beautiful and inspiring and she even shares some of her recipes too. Check out her blog Cannelle et Vanille and get inspired to cook and bake. Have a great Sunday. Ciao xx 

All images are courtesy and copyright of Aran Goyoaga

Celebrate Summer with Tartelette

Just though I would introduce you to this beautiful blog I have recently discovered, Tartelette. This blog is an inspirational place devoted to food photography and styling. It is such a pleasure reading it and the pictures are to die for. To celebrate Summer and the discover of this amazing blog, I am sharing with you some of Tartelette's beautiful recipes that features one of my favourite Summer fruits - Strawberries. Have a great day and enjoy!

To view the recipes click on the image

1. Strawberries and Vanilla Charlottes 

2. Strawberries Vanilla Ice cream & Strawberry Thyme Shortbreads

3. Powdered Strawberries & Vanilla Bean Macarons

4. Strawberry & Rhubarb Pate de Fruit

5. Cold Strawberry Mint Soup & Apricot Tea Cakes

6. Pistachio & Strawberry Mousse Mille Feuilles

7. Strawberry & Vanilla Floating Islands

Source: images via Tartelette website

Beautiful Friday - Cheers everyone

A Martini after a long and hard week is the perfect choice to welcome the weekend. Cheers everyone, have a beautiful Friday whatever you do. Ciao xx

Weekend late mornings

The best thing about weekends, it's a late morning brunch.Freshly grounded coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, a bowl of fresh fruit and most of all freshly baked buttered croissants. Good morning everyone, have a fabulous weekend!

Source: image from Paris Hotel Boutique via this is glamorous

Lets have tea continued...

Since we have been exploring tea parties in the last post, lets continue it and talk about foods that would best go with such a special occasion. The famous Victoria sponge cake is a must I think. It's so easy and quick to make and it compliments the tea so well. My version is quite straight forward, try it and enjoy it.

Ingredients

For the Sponge

175g of self-raising flour

175g of caster sugar

175g of unsalted butter

3 beaten eggs

Filling

3tbsp of strawberry jam

250g of double cream

1 pack of fresh strawberries

Method 1. Set the oven to 180C/gas 4. Lightly butter two sandwich tins, each with a diameter of 20cm.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, and then slowly add the beaten egg.

3. Fold in the sifted flour and spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tins.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool and then remove from the tins.

5. Whip the cream until thick and use it to fill the sponge with the jam.

6. Slice the fresh strawberries and spread it on top on the cream

7. Dust liberally with icing sugar to serve.