Saturday, March 31, 2007

Until Dawn


That's what this curtain is called by one of my favourite designers Tord Boontje. You could also use it as a room divider or wall art.I can't believe it's 190 at Top 3,you can get it fo about $90 US.It comes in white as well


He also designed the garland light a few years ago

There's dinnerware as well,oh so cute.

Making pizza

Resting the dough

Pizza with toppings ready for the oven

Pizza ready for eating


I was reading through The Kitchen section of Apartment Therapy the other week and there was a discussion about what to do with quail eggs and there was a link to this recipe at Lex Culinaria for prosciutto and quail pizza that appealed.I'd seen quail eggs used in recipes in Delicious magazine but had never tried them so bought a dozen one day.
Last Sunday i had the house to myself and thought it would be a great opportunity to make make this so i could make as much mess with the flour as i wanted.I selected this pizza dough recipe from Epicurious. For some reason i was scared to make anything with yeast,i tend to think that something will go wrong with ingredients that react.
Making the dough was so easy and i love watching and hearing the sound of the ball of dough form in the food processor while it spins around.

After i rolled out the pizza,i let it cook in the oven for about 10 minutes.Instead of adding tomato paste to the bottom i applied some crushed garlic which brought out the most amazing aroma to the kitchen while it cooked.I added some boccocini,then tore shreds of prosciutto allover,tomato,rocket and shaved parmesan.I let it cook in the oven for about 10 to 15 mins then topped it with a few quail eggs and put it back for a final 5 minutes.
It tasted lovely and it was very satisfying knowing i had made it from scratch.
Only thing i wouldv'e changed was adding the shaved parmesan and rocket at the end with the eggs.

Websites i visit

These are some of the sites i visit almost daily for interior design tips,ideas and inspiration.
Decor8
Oh Joy
Apartment Therapy
Design Sponge

Sick

I've spent the last 3 days at home sick.It always gets me at this time of year when the weather changes and the weather has been too confusing this past week,one day it's humid,the next cool and raining,then it's cool in the morning,hot in the afternoon and cool again at night.So many people i know are sick right now,a friend had conjuctivitus, at least we're sick now instead of while we're on holiday.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Goodbye Summer

Loving the cooler weather and the absence of such high humidity and seeing my hair straight again.
However not loving the sore throat and runny nose,i always get sick during the change of seasons.
I'll have a quick return to summer weather next week when i travel up north.

Enjoying

Colour Week on Flickr
A different colour is chosen each day.
Inspiration can be found in all colours

Monday, March 26, 2007

My slow weekend

Voting in state election, shopping trip to Macro, reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s, dvds, reading through Blueprint and Saveur,listening to and reliving Kylie Homecoming concert reading blogs, making pizza from scratch.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Friday lunch picnic




I made chicken schnitzel rolls with caper mayonnaise,a friend bought some cupcakes and blueberry tarts and we came together last Friday for an end of week picnic in Hyde Park.It was a lovely sunny day except for the stinking humidity which i've had enough of,and very relaxing and difficult to return to work,but nice to return to an air conditioned office.

I love



Whisk and Pin Summer Blend muesli.
Even in winter it's my muesli of choice,lots of fruit and nuts.
I want to make this granola as posted on from Little Birds here

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Magazines received!


I received my magazines last week from Heidi in the US,I was lucky enough to get Savour and Blueprint.My only question is how magazines from America with a large population,can be so thin.Was it a slow month for them?I love them anyway,especially the styling in Blueprint.
Oh and i got lovely Philosophy samples,tea(some taken by customs unfortunately).

Hens Night

Cocktails at Lotus

Almost 2 weeks ago now we had Tegan's hens night which started at the very respectable time of 2pm for High Tea at The Victoria Room.We all made sure we were there nice and early as we were all threatened by Gemma to be there on time so we could all be there by the time the bride to be arrived.
Tea is served in a dark spacious room decorated in old British Colonial style with gorgeous chandeliers,plush sofas and ornate armchairs.We opted for the standard option and just kept ordering bottles of champagne as we went as there were about 10 of us altogether.Tiered plates were placed in the middle with sandwhiches on top,sweets such as cupcakes,sticky date pudding and florentines in the middle and scones on the bottom served with jam and clotted cream.
Antique tea strainer stolen from High tea

I fell in love with these beautiful silver antique tea strainers and decided i had to have it and put it in my bag and took off with it.We then made our way to the sofas for more drinks and decided to play a game where we all chose an occupation and that would be what we did for a living had someone approached us that night and asked us that question.Occupations ranged from hallmark greeting card writer,battery tester for the CSIRO(specialising in AAA) war correspondant for Marie Claire magazine,bra designer and fitter,greyhound trainer,2nd best cellist for the Australian Chamber Orchestra,sex therapist,diplomat for the UN,and politician in the current state election.
aah,we took so many cabs that night,first trip was to Lotus for a drink,you approach the bar staff and tell them what you're in the mood for and they create a drink,we told them we wanted a drink in their most fantastic glasses,i can't quite remember what they came up with but it was certainly fruity.
By them with all the suagr all afternoon our bodies were craving salt and decided the easiest plan would be to go to BBQ King in Chinatown where it's easy to feed a huge group,we started off with the mandatory duck pancakes then ordered a few dishes to share.
Then a we all walked to the other side of the city for karaoke and we all took turns belting a few tunes,some people then decided to call it a night and the remaining bodies soldiered on finding a bar in Martin Place,ti's such a different disappointing crowd in the city on weekends,full of kids still in their teens,we had a quick drink and then as it approached midnight decided to go to someone's place in Bondi,called to make sure the nearby pub would still be open to bu some emergency bottles of wine,hot chips from the corner shop and some wuiet chit chat for a few hours before it was finally time to head home at about 2am,it certainly was a marathon effort lasting 12 hours.

I couldn't do it

You never realise how addicted you may be to things until you try to get rid of them.I don't even watch much tv but i always need it as background noise and that's exactly what happened during my little experiment.I was worse with the computer,i would still quickly go online as soon as i woke up each morning.The internet has become so important in our lives,you don't even need to ring places anymore,find most info on their websites.
Oh well,it was good practice and i may take it more seriously for this.

Clover

The countdown is on for the wedding in April and i gladly joined the girls to help out with some preparations.My mum would be so proud if she knew i was sewing on Saturday morning.It was a very poor effort but i hadn't touched a sewing machine since i was 13.Alot was accomplished and Tegan had a fitting for her dresses being made by the talented Kathleen.I finally received my invitation and met my Thylacine Clover who's named after Clover Hill sparkling wine.
It was still early in the evening so we went to Tegan's new apartment and they have done such a great job in updating the place,the previous owners had a yucky cream coloured paint and hideous pineapple print blinds.Then it was off to the local Korean for a cheap and lovely meal then back to their place for more wine and chit chat while listening to the saturday night party mix on the radio.
Sunday was time for some culture as Lisa,her friend John and I watched The Singer as part of the French Film Festival,it was in some parts as predictable as any Hollywood love story and didn't make sense in some parts.Had a quick drink at the Beauchamp Hotel then it was time togo home and finally do the domestics i neglected to finish all weekend.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Do Your Bit For The Environment


I had seen these string bags at a design store and they were about $20 each,i love the look of them and they would be great to take to the growers market but they were clearly too expensive.You can imagine my joy when i saw the link to this Australian website estringbags.com.au and they're only $2.50 each and a range of bright colours or black.And they had arrived 2 days after ordering.

I love getting things in the mail,I can't wait to receive my magazines from Heidi in the US soon.

It's been a very busy week at work and i haven't had time for much else.I made another visit to Sky Phoenix for yum cha this week and it was absolutely packed,it's pretty quiet on the weekends compared to what i saw during the week.Armen and I always said we'd go there one day for lunch and we invited Nick as a thank you fo the other week when he took us home one night.

Starting this afternoon we have Tegan's hens night,We're starting at 2pm for high tea at The Victoria Room in Darlinghurst follwed by drinks and dinner at Lotus and we will take it from there,who knows where the night will take us.I can't believe it's only a month away from the wedding at Brampton Island.So excited.

I've made the decision this week starting from Sunday to not watch any tv for 7 days and i'm limiting my internet time to only checking emails at work and uploading photos.Sometimes it's too easy to get home from work and just spend so much time online.I'm hoping by doing this I will have more time for reading,i haven't been able to just sit down and read for such a long time and i have so many books and magazines to catch up on.I will take the time to make dinner after work and really enjoy it and maybe learn something creative.
See you next week.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Break open in case of emergency


This is genius!
It was given to me at work for a competition i won,emergency chocolate and it even says "If symptoms persist,consult your local confectioner".

Everyday Food and Garlic and Spinach Spaghetti


I love Bill,it's hard not to,he makes it look so easy and effortless on his shows and his books inspire and i knew i had to buy his latest book just before Christmas.It's a book that you can of course use every day,from Monday when you promise yourself you will eat better and start with salads,to Sunday where it's time for a big breakfast and slow cooked food.

The other week i made garlic and spinach spaghetti after work as these are the times when you need something fast but not compromising on taste.And with pasta you can make a big serve and take some for work the following day.


Serves 4

400g spaghetti
80ml Extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves,thinly sliced
sliced red chilli,to taste
80 ml white wine
90g baby english spinach
sea salt
small handful finely chopped fresh flat leaf(italian) parsley
Grated parmesan cheese

Cook the spaghetti in a a large pan of salted boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile, put the olive oil,garlic and chilli in a frying pan over medium heat and cook,stirring often, for about 5 minutes
until the garlic is goldern. Add the wine and cook,stirring for 20 seconds. Add the drained pasta and spinach and toss to coat it well.Season with sea salt and sprinkle with parsley,then serve with lots of grated parmesan.


bills.com.au

Magazine Swap

Anyone who knows me knows that i like magazines,the glossy pages,beautiful images and plenty of inspiration.I knew i had to sign up when i read about the swap at Decor8
I swap budy is Heidi from California who is lovely and very talented as she has her own online business PeekKeep full of beautiful Scandinavian gifts and accessories and she also works for Ridge Wines
I can't wait until i receive my package and also selecting magazines to send over to Heidi.

Karaoke

It had been such a long time since we had done something fun on a Friday night as a group with work colleagues and Kristy the organiser of everything,decided it was time for karaoke,we started with a large group but as the date got closer more and more people bailed out and in the end we had 6 or 7 people turn up.The others definitely missed out on such a fun evening.
We started off with a quick drink at the bar across the road from work and then made our way to Karaoke World
I chose Briney Spears Baby One More Time as my first song as my dedication to poor Britney in rehab,and karaoke is the perfect time to sing those old cheesy songs you grew up with.Jason couldn't keep a straight face while singing My Humps by Fergie,Nick couldn't keep up with the rapping during Outkast's Ms Jackson,Armen and I did a duet to The Pointer Sisters I'm So Excited,Kristy and I belted out Wannabe by the Spice Girls with our favourite part being the Zigi Zig Ahh at various points.We all joined in with Nick to sing Bohemian Rhapsody By Queen and our big finale with 2 minutes until times was up was Living On a Prayer by Bon Jovi.
I'm such a microphone whore when it comes to Karaoke,i love it,i'm really in my element and wish i was a talented singer,not big and well known but maybe working in a jazz club.
After karaoke we went back to the bar for more drinks and late night snacks before Nick was lovely enough to drop Armen and I home.
Can't wait until the next karaoke night.

Petria


This is my niece Petria,she's 5 months old and unfortunately had to be rushed to hospital last week when her older brother got a little too excited and rolled her over with great force and fractured her arm.she now has to wear a sling for a few weeks and probably feels like she's only got one arm,hope she recovers soon.

I Heart The Sartorialist



The Sartorialist was one of the first blogs i discovered and i was immediately smiten.He captured the style of these New Yorkers perfectly and has continued to do so around the world and for websites such as style.com
He always finds those cool(but not too cool that they're wearing something ridiculous,like other sites) elegant inhabitants of the cities he visits and always inspires you to make more effort next time.
One of my recent favourites is this look at the top,most people would not wear blue and brown together with the black base she has but it just loks right and effortless on her,it must be the way her shirt is left to hang out a little.