The Golden Boot

I like to drink tea.

I used to hate tea. Tea and coffee was stinky and tasted bitter and yuck. Then my sister introduced me to (and pretty much dared me to try) green tea. I was in my early twenties - and with regards to tea I have never looked back. (Don't ask about coffee though, I still can't stand the stuff and the smell of it makes me gag, but I know people out there love it and I respect that, I really do).

 

So now I love my black tea (straight, no milk, no sugar), I love my green and white teas, my herbal teas, my green/white/herbal teas (you know, the mixed together ones). What is my favourite tea at the moment?

 

why it's Clipper's Organic White Tea with Natural Raspberry Flavour. All I can say is "yummo", this is a tea that reminds me of white chocolate and berry cheesecake . . . 

no really!!

 

 

So anyone have any tea recommendations? 

 

xo

You know what?

I need a plan. A business plan, a life plan (dare I say it - a Christmas Plan) is needed. I am feeling all of the ideas for both businesses (motivational speaking AND my etsy/cottage business), but non of the direction. I need direction, I need to develop goals and mini goals, and pathways to get myself moving forward. So I have made a plan. A plan that this week will be my planning week. I will research, read, listen, look at anything that will give me inspiration to plan my careers. Anyone have any advice? Anyone else in the process of making a business and/or life plan?

 

What else have I been doing? I have been designing and stitching - 

 

 

I have been watching The Borgias - 

 

(aren't the costumes divine??)

 

(and the men handsome!)

 

I have also been cooking up a storm. This week I have made Carrot Soup (so SO good), Potato, Onion, and Garlic Soup (good - not as good as the carrot, but good), and Whoopie Pies (though I substituted the plain flour with rice flour and made buttercream icing to use as a filling as opposed to marshmallow).

xo

Friends and food.

I had some visitors this week. Steph and Isa are two people who are special to me in a way that will last a lifetime. About 4 years ago I came to Leeds Uni (in England) on exchange and house shared with an amazing group of girls and Steph and Isa are two of them. Steph is from Canada and Isa is from Germany and as a thank you for letting them spend the night they gave me some food. But not just any food, sweet sweet good food - Maple Sugar Candies from Canada and a variety of German chocolates. 

 

Now, the Maple Sugar candies did no last long enough for me to get a photograph. To eat Maple Sugar candy is like opening up a packet of brown sugar and just pouring it down your throat (once you start you cannot stop). The German chocolates, however, have lasted a little longer, but are no less yummy than the candies. Here's the proof -

 

(see those yogurette chocolates, oh my, I am addicted, lol).

 

It was so amazing to see these girls again, I think I'll have to make a trip to Germany and Canada in the very near future!!

 

p.s. the other week I had this bowl

 

of amazingly delicious berries, yum yum yum (as yummy as the chocolates above).

 

xo

Something old and something old . . .

Tonight (whilst waiting for Ginger Kisses to cook in the oven), I was flicking through a few of my favourite blogs and stumbled across a lovely photo of some antique spice jars. And here they are . . .

 

They are from this lovely blog here.

 

When I looked at the above spice jars I realised I wanted them, or something very much like them (cause my current spice storing method is very unattractive . . . I simply have the bottles of spices scattered on my kitchen bench . . . boooooring). So I have perused the net to get inspired by some antique spice jars.

 

from here

 

from here

 

from here.

 

xo

Ring that dinner bell . . .

I am sitting here in my little kitchen deciding what to make for dinner . . . hmmmm. After tossing up between easy and not so hard - but harder than easy - I am going to make some Bubble and Squeak cakes topped with tomatoes and a balsamic reduction.

 

 

Sounds rather posh doesn't it?

 

Well, I am getting the recipe for the Bubble and Squeak cakes from here - Abel and Cole (you will have to scroll down a bit to get to the recipe).  And I am getting the Balsamic Reduction recipe from here - Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness.

 

Yummo!

(image courtesy of Delia)

xo

Yummy cookies . . .

How yummy (and pretty) do these cookies look?

(image courtesy of Betty Crocker Recipes)

I love cookies, you know what its like; cookies that are soft and gooey and melt in your mouth. One is never enough. Well I made my usual cookies today, cause its a bank holiday and a lazy monday, cloudy, cool, and perfect for baking. Would you like to know how to make them? Here's the recipe (a variation of a basic butter cookie recipe) -

 

LEMON BUTTER BISCUITS

 

Ingredients

125g butter

1/3 cup of Icing Sugar

the zest and juice of one lemon

1 cup of plain flower

1/4 cups of corn flour

 

Beat (or mix) the softened butter, icing sugar, and lemon zest and juice together. When it is all mixed well, add the plain flour and corn flour. Mix together until it forms a nice soft dough. Tip dough onto a well floured surface and knead until smooth. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1/2 an hour. Take out of fridge and knead again on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a consistent thickness. Next, cut out the cookies (I use a snail cookie cutter, but I have used a cup before to make round cookies). Then lay the cookies of a baking tray lined with baking paper. Keep on re-rolling the dough until you have cut as many cookies as you can from it.

Then, in a pre-heated (160c/320f) oven, placed the trays and cook the cookies for ten minutes (a little longer if you prefer crunchy cookies). Let the cookies cool and then try not to eat them all in one sitting!!

Hope I remembered everything, lol.

 

Enjoy xo

 

p.s. just a word of note, my camera battery is flat, so the photograph above is of some other, yummy looking cookies . . . so if you end up making my cookies, they will not end up looking like Betty Crockers ones above, lol)

Madrid

Over the weekend I went to Madrid with my flatmate and discovered the wonders of a city that I believe is very under-rated (in relationship to other Spanish cities, such as Barcelona). Madrid was wonderful, and whilst there I got to visit some very special artworks - Picasso's "Guernica," and Goya's "The Third of May, 1808" and "Saturn Devouring his Son." The Museo Reina Sofia and the Prado were amazing galleries to visit. I really want to go back and explore some more, but here are some photo's from the past few days -

 

xo

Yum!

Moving to the UK was something that I had dreamed of for a very long time, and in the excitement of finally achieving that dream I also had a fear of suffering intense homesickness. Homesickness not just for my family and friends in Australia, but also for certain foods, such as Bakers Delight blueberry and white chocolate scones, Sara Lee's Banana cake, and Cadbury's Snack Bar chocolate. However, I have discovered some wonderful alternatives here in England, such as Jaffa Cakes and Yorkshire pudding's, and now Waitrose Lavender cupcakes. I only discovered these cupcakes the other day, and I am only now thinking I should have photographed one to share with you, but they disappeared to quickly. They are a visual and tastebud delight, with a light sweetness and subtle lavender flavour, and I am well on my way to Lavender cupcake addiction.

 

Waitrose

 

xo