December 22, 2013
Red Velvet After Dinner Mint Ice-cream cake
As Christmas day looms, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding , Panettone and mince pies pop up everywhere as festive celebratory desserts. However for me, if it was a toss between ice cream or Christmas cake, I definitely would do a double somersault pike into the ice-cream option. Trifle is typically served for a kiwi or aussie Christmas dessert as well, but I haven't yet come across a trifle recipe that I truly love.
December 05, 2013
Gold details for the Holidays
I've been obsessed with gold details for the longest time, and constantly day dream about how I would incorporate matte gold, rose gold or shiny gold accents to our future owned home. In the mean time though, I've begun incorporating little gold details in our rented apartment to jazz up the place. I finally pre-ordered a set of gold flatware from West Elm, and can't wait till it gets here! Here are some items I'm loving for the upcoming holidays as ways to dress up your own home or as gifts for others.
1 Matte Gold Flatware / 2 Gold rimmed Champagne Coupe Glasses / 3 Sculpture Sphere bookshelf or tabletop decoration / 4 Glasshouse White Christmas Candle / 5 Gold Dots Stemless Champagne Flutes / 6 Gold Grid Cushion / 7 Gold Pencil Holder / Vase / 8 Wishbone Bottle Opener
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1 Matte Gold Flatware / 2 Gold rimmed Champagne Coupe Glasses / 3 Sculpture Sphere bookshelf or tabletop decoration / 4 Glasshouse White Christmas Candle / 5 Gold Dots Stemless Champagne Flutes / 6 Gold Grid Cushion / 7 Gold Pencil Holder / Vase / 8 Wishbone Bottle Opener
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December 04, 2013
Casual Neutral Sundays
^Coated Snakeskin White Shorts / Witchery
^Leather Espradrille / Seed (also seen here)
^Sunglasses / Karen Walker (seen here, here and here)
This grey and white top has gotta be one of the most versatile tops ever, not to mention comfy AND breezy. Now I want to get the black one and also the singlet version for the hotter months coming up. Perfect for a Sunday morning stroll, a casual brunch with friends, or a breezy afternoon of reading in the sun :) I wore this top on a makeup and hair job I did for a wedding not long ago and even though the day was grey, it was still quite humid, yet I didnt feel an ounce of fluster with it being long sleeved. This is possibly my go to uniform for hands on beauty relayed jobs like hair and makeup! Slight stylish attire whilst remaining comfortable and neutral is the best!
And as for these espadrille, I try not to wear these shoes too much considering the white leather, and then Seed goes ahead and brings out a tan and black version. They really need to stop doing that, it's getting unhealthy!
I can't get over how cute that wee fluff monster was, peeping out under the gates to see what was going on in his hood while we shot these photos :)
We're finding it difficult finding accommodation for Bailey Buster Lee over the Christmas holidays, while I did consider taking him over to NZ with us for the Christmas break, the price of doing so was way to high for a short period of time, not to mention the potential trauma of being on a plane. Not to fret though, I've found a home for half the days we're gone, now just hoping there are some willing volunteers to have fun with him for the other half of the time that we're away.
Happy hump day guys... nearly there...nearly there!
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December 01, 2013
Cheesecake mousse with Meringue, Ginger crumble & Summer fruits dessert
Christmas dessert over this side of the earth normally entails a bit of traditional Christmas pud if you feel like it, but mostly, as the Christmas season is Summer here and it's nicer to have refreshing cold desserts, we love a good ol' Pavlova with lashings of cream and fruit or a nice cheesecake.
This recipe is a great one to whip up quickly, especially if you're dealing with a large host of guests for parties this holiday season. It still captures the essence of a cool kiwi summer dessert with the addition of meringue and tangy summer fruit, and also a bit of Christmas spirit with the ginger crumble. And anyways, sometimes the best desserts are simple and served in a cup.
Prep time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 12-15mins
Serves 4, halve the recipe to serve 2
Ingredients:
Ginger Crumbs:
Passionfruit pulp or any other chopped Summery fruit to garnish
4x Champagne Coupe glasses (or any other cocktail glass) for serving
Steps:
Ginger Crumbs
Cheesecake Mousse
To plate up
How cute are these champagne coupes? I've been wanting to get some for our household for awhile (pretending like we drink champagne all the time) and when I saw these Karen Walker Home ones, I thought they were simply perfect! Perfect for drinking cocktails, and perfect for serving simple desserts like this.
Feel free to change up the spice on the crumble with some nutmeg and cinnamon, and change out the fruit with cherries, to make it feel more festive!
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p.s. another dessert served in a cup
This recipe is a great one to whip up quickly, especially if you're dealing with a large host of guests for parties this holiday season. It still captures the essence of a cool kiwi summer dessert with the addition of meringue and tangy summer fruit, and also a bit of Christmas spirit with the ginger crumble. And anyways, sometimes the best desserts are simple and served in a cup.
Cheesecake mousse Recipe
Adapted from Everyday GourmetPrep time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 12-15mins
Serves 4, halve the recipe to serve 2
Ingredients:
Ginger Crumbs:
- 150g cold butter, roughly chopped
- 100g flour
- 130g soft brown sugar
- 100g oats
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp powdered ginger
- 200gm Marscapone cheese
- 75ml condensed milk
- 35ml lemon juice
Passionfruit pulp or any other chopped Summery fruit to garnish
4x Champagne Coupe glasses (or any other cocktail glass) for serving
Steps:
Ginger Crumbs
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius
- Rub butter and flour together with your fingers. .Alternatively, place the butter and flour in a food processor, and blend until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Mix all other ingredients with the butter and flour.
- Spread mixture onto a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until golden.
- Break up with tongs and return to the oven for another 2-5 minutes or until evenly golden.
- Allow to cool.
Cheesecake Mousse
- Beat the marscapone cheese, condensed milk, and lemon juice with an electric stand mixer or electric beaters until combined. Place in fridge to chill for 5-10 mins.
To plate up
- Place a 3 or 4 tablespoons of the ginger crumble on the bottom of your glass, top with a quarter of your cheesecake mousse mixture (piped or just drop in with a tablespoon).
- Sprinkle over some more ginger crumble and also some crushed meringue nest.
- Place your chopped summer fruit to garnish on each glass and serve. I used mango and passionfruit on one and also cherries on the other
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p.s. another dessert served in a cup
November 26, 2013
Laser Cut Scallop Dress
Dress / Forever 21 (similar here and here, skirt here, short sleeved skater version here)
Leopard Heels / Windsor Smith
Belt / Sheike
Leopard Clutch / Nine West (also seen here and here)
Apart from the fact that I need to be careful I don't get hooked onto anything, this has the comfiest faux leather with the perfect mix of scallop and laser cut detail that is both feminine and a bit edgy.
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November 21, 2013
Roast Potato Chips
Roasted Potato Chips recipe
Prep time: 3 minutesCooking time: 20 mins (or less)
Ingredients:
- 1 or 2 large washed Golden Delight Potatoes (or any potatoes labelled best for Roasting)
- Good quality Olive oil
- Flakey sea salt
- Cracked pepper
- Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
- 5-6 sprigs of Thyme
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius.
- Slice up the potatoes on a mandolin slicer on setting #2
- Place sliced up potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle a thin stream of olive oil all over.
- Sprinkle over a good pinch of flakey sea salt, good pinch of cayenne pepper, season with cracked pepper to taste and then sprinkle over all the thyme leaves. Toss altogether.
- Lay all potato slices flat on a baking dish or baking tray. Place in the oven on the second to top rack, for 15-20 mins or until golden and crispy.
- Let cool slightly and serve!
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- ASOS Floral (on sale!)
- ASOS Flippy Wine
- Sheike Yellow
- Sheike Cobalt (on sale!)
- Sheike Hot Pink
- ASOS Metallic Leather (on sale!)
- ASOS Jersey wrap
- ASOS Crimson wrap (on sale! and also comes in black)
- Sheike Check
- Topshop Green Leather
- River Island Art Deco Bronze Sequin
I've been eyeing up a lot of pencil skirts lately in a slow effort to update my day job wardrobe, but have recently come to love the wide range of pencil skirts that is a departure from the normal tubular shape and can be casually dressed down for brunch dates, accessorized up for parties or just generally for any occasion. From fit and flare, to gilded with gold or bronze, or stretchy jersey, it seems there are multiple designs for everyone!
Generally, pencil skirts are great for any body shape, but don't be afraid to size up or down, as I generally find pencil skirt sizing doesn't match top sizing!
I absolutely love all these pencil skirts and have bought a few of these items for myself, while maintaining a watchful sale eye for the others. There's something so cool about being able to tuck in a t-shirt or a cami into a pencil skirt and throwing on a blazer. This is my slightly downgraded work attire as of late!
I can't believe M.L.P has reached over 400 likes, I am over the moon and delighted at all your support. Thanks for your continued reading and I hope I can keep creating blog posts more and more in the future!
Happy hump day everyone! Is it the end of the week yet? :)
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November 17, 2013
Sequin Polka Dots
I'm not impartial to a bit of sequin action, and when this is combined with polka dots, that is it, I must have it.
Pattern mixing has been a huge trend as well, and although I wouldn't normally pair polka dot patterns with a contrasting pattern such as leopard, it can work quite well, as long as you have common colours tying it all through. In this case it was black and orange!
^Sequin Polka Dot Top - J Crew
^Black Pants - Zara (similar here)
^Leopard heels - Windsor Smith (Unfortunately not online anymore but some are on ebay!)
We had Bailey watch us as we shot these photos (he was tied up to a nearby street sign pole), and while he barked a lil, I'm pretty sure if we could translate it, he was yelling out that we were bonkers and that this was so boring haha. Ah well, he will just have to get used to being a style shoot groupie :)
We have some friends over from NZ this weekend and since they are eager beaver foodies, we have and will be spending the rest of the weekend just eating every place down. As gluttonous as that sounds, I have no other words to describe what we're doing! So now there really is no excuse to be slack with a workout regime!
Hope you all are having a great weekend so far...dammit the days go by too quick!
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