tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89497868879715895492024-03-05T01:57:12.104-08:00Lipstick on my wine glassBest-dressed, well-read, well-fed.lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-34596630923843911272015-04-04T02:07:00.000-07:002015-04-04T03:34:23.263-07:00TEA AND VANILLA COOKIES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Rainy days have always called for a big pot of tea in my household - in the afternoon I grew up watching my parents enjoy tea and biscuits. With the middle of the Easter long weekend being as gloomy as it is, I felt quite a longing for afternoon tea. And what better to accompany this than some home-baked biscuits?<br />
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I've been doing a fair bit of baking, now that I don't live with roommates anymore (a clean kitchen seems to motivate me), and this recipe for <a href="http://www.butterandbrioche.com/vanilla-and-earl-grey-tea-cookies/" target="_blank">Earl Grey and Vanilla Cookies from Butter and Brioche</a> has been beckoning me for a while. I felt dissuaded due to not owning a food processor but this has been rectified - and I'm pleased to say that it was one of the most relaxing evenings I have spent in the past month with these cookies and a big pot of tea.<br />
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The recipe calls for any type of tea you prefer - I used black tea and the subtle flavour of tea set off the buttery crumbly texture of the cookies wonderfully. My boyfriend and I could not stop ourselves from grabbing cookie after cookie - we had to stop ourselves from eating the whole batch and saved some for another rainy day.<br />
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Try to freeze the dough roll well - ours turned out a little crumbly due to my misreading of the recipe and we had to reshape the round pieces - but rough-hewn different shapes of the biscuits only lends to the charm, in my opinion. A good conversation and good company is made that much better by having something warm and fresh to snack on.<br />
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The recipe is as follows, from <a href="http://www.butterandbrioche.com/vanilla-and-earl-grey-tea-cookies/" target="_blank">Butter and Brioche</a>:</div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">2 tbsp. earl grey tea leaves, or preferred black tea</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">¼ cup caster sugar</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">1 whole vanilla bean, chopped into quarters and ends trimmed (I didn't have vanilla bean so just omitted this from the recipe - although I imagine the cookies would be just that little bit more flavoursome because of this!)</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">½ tsp. ground cinnamon</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">¼ cup icing sugar</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">1 ¼ cup plain flour</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">Pinch of sea salt ( I used normal kitchen salt.)</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">2 tsp. heavy cream (I used Gippsland double cream)</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">1 tsp. vanilla extract</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">½ cup butter, chopped and slightly softened</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin: 0px 0px 12px 10px; padding: 0px;">Demerara or raw sugar for sprinkling (I used white sugar)</li>
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Method</div>
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<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 12px 30px; padding: 0px;">Place the tea leaves in a small stainless steel fry-pan set over medium heat, shaking the pan to distribute the tea leaves into an even layer. Watch the leaves and stir them carefully as they can darken easily - toast them for about two minutes until the tea is fragrant. Place the toasted leaves in the bowl of a food processor to cool.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 12px 30px; padding: 0px;">Add the caster sugar and vanilla bean segments to the food processor bowl with the tea leaves and pulse to combine into a fine powder. Add the cinnamon, icing sugar, flour and sea salt and pulse to just combine. Finally add the cream, vanilla extract and butter and pulse to form a rough dough.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 12px 30px; padding: 0px;">Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap scattered with a handful of demerara sugar and roll it gently to coat the outside and form a log shape roughly 1 ½ inches / 3 ½ cm thick. Sprinkle the log with extra demerara or raw sugar to cover it entirely, and transfer it to a freezer for at least thirty minutes to chill.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 12px 30px; padding: 0px;">When ready to bake, pre-heat an oven to 170 C / 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Remove the log from the freezer and cut ⅓ inch / 1 cm slices off the log, rotating as you go to ensure the cookie shape remains round. Transfer the cookies to the prepared trays, leaving a couple of inches / centimetres between each – the cookies won’t spread that much but they do need their space to crisp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are beginning to brown.</li>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-41320239115691310852015-04-03T04:32:00.001-07:002015-04-04T02:18:17.239-07:00PHOTO OF THE DAY: CREME BRULEE CUPS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-12687690145933121032015-04-03T04:22:00.000-07:002015-04-04T02:18:25.608-07:00BEEF AND BEER PIE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On those rainy days which I like to term as 'doona days', a rich and thick meal is always on the cards - especially when it's the start of the Easter break. Lately I have been feeling very thankful for my lot in life, and why shouldn't I? - sharing this tasty pie with my boyfriend reminded me that despite having some bad days as of late, we do enjoy each other's company....third-wheeled by some kind of delicious meal of course.<br />
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I only used 500 g of chuck steak, and used about half of a previously chopped onion, and only one carrot, but you do get more flavour to it if you used the two full onions. For the lager we used Bittburger, which made it slightly bitter but still good!<br />
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I should mention that we didn't have liquid beef stock at home....and I was about to send my boyfriend to the store to get some stock. Then we remembered that on account of it being Good Friday everything was closed. We therefore used 2 Oxo Beef Stock Cubes, stirred them through two cups of boiling water. The resultant mixture was quite rich but it does work.<br />
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Ingredients<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1/4 cup plain flour</li>
<li> 800g beef chuck steak, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces</li>
<li> 2 tablespoons olive oil</li>
<li> 2 medium brown onions, chopped</li>
<li> 2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped</li>
<li> 2 tablespoons tomato paste</li>
<li> 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce</li>
<li> 1 1/2 cups Campbell's Real Stock Beef</li>
<li> 345ml bottle lager beer</li>
<li> 1 sheet ready-rolled frozen puff pastry, partially thawed</li>
<li> 1 egg, lightly beaten</li>
</ul>
Method<br />
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Place flour in a shallow dish. Add beef. Toss to coat. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Cook beef, in batches, for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.</li>
<li>Heat remaining oil in pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion and carrot, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Return beef to pan. Add tomato paste. Stir to coat. Add worcestershire sauce, stock and beer. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Set aside to cool.</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Spoon mixture into a 6 cup-capacity ovenproof dish. Top with pastry, trimming excess. Brush pastry with egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve.</li>
</ul>
I got this recipe from a <a href="http://taste.com.au/">taste.com.au</a> recipe book (Budget Gourmet) given to us by my boyfriend's mother. The online recipe is <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/22644/beef+and+beer+pie" target="_blank">here</a>! It says it serves four but if you're particularly peckish...then don't bank on it.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-78266041354239915322015-03-28T17:54:00.001-07:002015-04-04T02:18:39.520-07:00BILL'S RICOTTA HOTCAKES AT HOME<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dining out for breakfast is a luxury in life, according to my mother - but it's one of those luxuries which I would gladly pay for here and there. Nevertheless there is a joy in making breakfast together with my boyfriend, and we thought we'd try to recreate the famous ricotta and banana hotcakes minus the honeycomb butter. There is something special about sitting down at the breakfast table on the weekend to eat a much deserved and special meal together.</div>
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The recipe is from Bill Granger <a href="http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/44/ricotta-hot-cakes-with-honeycomb-butter">here</a>. I've just provided the recipe for just the hotcakes. In lieu of honeycomb butter (the recipe is at the link) Ii just drizzled some honey over the butter, icing sugar and berries.</div>
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Ingredients:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li> 1+1/3 cups of ricotta</li>
<li>3/4 cup milk</li>
<li>1 cup plain flour</li>
<li>4 eggs, separated</li>
<li>1 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>A pinch of salt</li>
<li>50 g butter (for honeycombe butter. I didn't use all of this)</li>
<li>Strawberries/blueberries/raspberries/bananas. The original at the restaurants uses bananas so you can try that too - I used mixed berries.</li>
<li>Icing sugar</li>
</ul>
<div>
Method:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and mix to combine.</li>
<li>Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.</li>
<li>Add to the ricotta mixture and mix until just combined.</li>
<li>Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.</li>
<li>Fold egg whites through batter in two batches, with a large metal spoon.</li>
<li>Lightly grease a large non-stick frying pan with a small portion of the butter and drop 2 tablespoons of batter per hotcake into the pan (don't cook more than 3 per batch).</li>
<li>Cook over a low to medium heat for 2 minutes, or until hotcakes have golden undersides.</li>
<li>Turn hotcakes and cook on the other side until golden and cooked through.</li>
<li>Transfer to a plate and quickly assemble with other ingredients.</li>
<li>Stack 3 hotcakes on a plate and top with strawberries and a slice of honeycomb butter.</li>
<li>Dust with icing sugar.</li>
</ul>
</div>
lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-67797808258095858332015-03-03T05:25:00.001-08:002015-04-04T02:18:49.881-07:00CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Trying out decadent chocolate truffles for the first time posed an opportunity to take some really good photos. Its no bake no hassle, and licking off the spoon is a great way to help out with the cleanup! </div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-64349164978538421632015-01-25T04:39:00.001-08:002015-04-04T02:19:01.566-07:00THE JOYS OF PICNICS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Its the simple pleasures of life which help to pass the days. One of these things i love to do is having a picnic on a beautiful summer's day! With home-made fairy cakes topped with icing and sugar hearts, and good company, its basically a given that it'll be a great event.</div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-55069013534918744222015-01-24T16:53:00.001-08:002015-04-04T02:19:10.819-07:00PHOTO OF THE DAY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Opera in the domain.</div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-57345850292408578402015-01-20T06:57:00.004-08:002015-04-04T02:19:25.994-07:00WEDNESDAY READING: THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The good old murder mystery - saviour of the train/bus/plane/cab traveller, the gang of which I was a temporary member a couple of days ago on my flight. My mum took me to the nearby bookstore to pick out a tried-and-true classic Agatha Christie, called the Seven Dials Mystery.<br />
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This story was published in 1929 and my edition contains an interesting section by the editor on Christie and classism. Christie has been criticised for being rather a dodgy judge on elitist issues in England.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrENFjLQlR2yJOR3joYCwsmvR9h7fJYYf3tiFcNfhrxn5hwwXDpm_cEAgEaalxcj4UTMDjL_emfeVehwA5Cvbs00yoqyHSK9TY3GlYPtBf8pcf8TdizTNz8-PgXHgKDInPTsMX2wxwcg/s1600/2015-01-21%25252001.45.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrENFjLQlR2yJOR3joYCwsmvR9h7fJYYf3tiFcNfhrxn5hwwXDpm_cEAgEaalxcj4UTMDjL_emfeVehwA5Cvbs00yoqyHSK9TY3GlYPtBf8pcf8TdizTNz8-PgXHgKDInPTsMX2wxwcg/s640/2015-01-21%25252001.45.19.jpg" /></a><br />
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The novel concerns a group of rich layabouts whose practical joke goes rather awry. It's not a spoiler if I say there's a murder cause seriously! - my readers are not bonzos - and there's some rather dodgy and somewhat forced romance happening between utterly mismatched bonzos that you didn't even see forming... I frankly didn't agree with any of the romances. It felt like it distracted from the main point of the story. It is an interesting initial plot setup most certainly - in your average Christie manor house - but quickly dwindles into eyebrow-arching moments where I was kind of left thinking 'well, I didn't see that coming because I wasn't really given the opportunity to figure it out!'<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCEpHmgToR394CICn5OxaONsUvj_s39VwS2joDcv_X3-Tfuf77JttfdRhtHm_p4-o8TkcnMTDaNTElBdoiW4XGLdLHvkdx2KPURbYK6dMdbupa0GXk5G1mTBUcQT-d-HeHdrvCzrrLg/s1600/20150121_013651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCEpHmgToR394CICn5OxaONsUvj_s39VwS2joDcv_X3-Tfuf77JttfdRhtHm_p4-o8TkcnMTDaNTElBdoiW4XGLdLHvkdx2KPURbYK6dMdbupa0GXk5G1mTBUcQT-d-HeHdrvCzrrLg/s640/20150121_013651.jpg" /></a><br />
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That above comment applies to the romances even. Seriously - the pairings were unnecessary, unexpected and rather forced. Kind of like 'when a boy meets a girl....'<br />
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It did pass the time however - a big tick in my box for what constitutes a great whodunnit paperback! It is rather a thriller than a murder problem where the reader is left at the mercy of the characters. It's definitely not dull - as I pointed out it's a plot worthy of Christie indeed, and the lazy layabouts are just as interesting and colourful as ever on their own. My particular favourite was the eccentric Lady 'Bundle'.<br />
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Overall this isn't really Christie's finest work/ Sad Cypress or The Big Four still remain my favourite works of hers. Where the Seven Dials lacks in plot finesse however, it makes up in some interesting character developments. The characters are all rather likeable in the -turn-up-my-nose at the Eton-educated-loveable-cousin kind of way; but since this IS a whodunnit...I kind of want to be able to follow the trail of clues towards the endgame. But for a plane-trip paperback, or a lazy afternoon read (nothing too challenging) this is a nice choice and is a pleasant enough read. </div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-22535410081917446072015-01-20T02:26:00.001-08:002015-04-04T02:19:36.019-07:00PHOTO OF THE DAY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Boyfriend and I partook in this view of the rather shallow pool at Hyde park today.</div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-1498019557483138122015-01-18T05:00:00.001-08:002015-04-04T02:19:54.436-07:00ACCESSORIES: SILK-WRAPPED BANGLES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On my trip to Bangladesh, I was sure to pick up these gorgeous bangles to accesorise! They are plastic (I have wooden ones too) wrapped in reshmi - which means silk in Bengali - and come in a range of gorgeous colours. I find that they really brighten up any outfit and are just very suitable for spring and summer.</div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-90115409974257461392015-01-18T04:21:00.000-08:002015-04-04T02:20:04.476-07:00BREAKFAST AND MACARONS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After coming back, I had breakfast with boyfriend - some kind of bread with basil pesto, avocado and tomato and haloumi on it and two boiled eggs! I had to swallow the prospect of the price along with the good taste though...</div>
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Last night we also had macarons for a snack - it was part of my coming home present.</div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-43717371760539261992015-01-14T02:43:00.001-08:002015-04-04T02:20:33.655-07:00WEDNESDAY READING: LA TESTAMENT FRANCAISE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lately, having a tonne of free time, I've been reading a fair bit and thought it might be a good idea to do a weekly reading post.</div>
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The most recent book I read was La Testament Francaise by Andrei Makine. While it's apparently the winner of two prestigious awards, I felt it was rather flowery.</div>
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The story concerns a highly dislikeable and measly Russian boy who has a French grandmother and feels at odds with a growing French identity within him. Most of it is him bad mouthing his poor grandmother and then singing the praises of her Frenchness - in equal parts.</div>
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Also rated M for sexual refereneces - after all it is the monologue of a deeply dull teenage boy, although surprisingly imaginative! His erotic fantasies span not only space, but also time; one of the most exciting scenes is when he fixates over the hips of some poor women his grandmother's age.</div>
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Truly a visionary! His first sexual exploit is also a labour of love (for himself) and bears no relevance to the already nonexistent plotline.</div>
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A sister seems to somewhat exist in the story but is of no apparent importance as she just disappears from the narrative after a while, except to balance out the narrator's sheer impudence.</div>
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Basically the story is simply the wet dream of a teenager who doesn't let mere notions of nationality or ideology get in the way of his fantasies. </div>
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I supposethe premise is somewhat interesting, what with the dual identities, but the exploration of that theme is not dealt with. But what can you expect when the main character is a daft woozy?</div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-76213877198711666252015-01-13T03:09:00.001-08:002015-04-04T02:20:47.766-07:00EXPERIENCES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Reflecting back over the last couple of days, I realise that in a hasty bid to grow up quickly I forgot to savour some quintessential experiences.</div>
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Such as the experience of growing up in a refreshing pocket of greenery amidst a city that is almost stripped bare of it now. Visiting this time and having the opportunity to look at something I had previously taken for granted really put a more positive spin on my childhood. Of course, this much cannot be said about the company I used to keep...</div>
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But speaking of childhood, and with a craving for fairy floss in the back of my mind, I wanted to talk about one of my great loves - the ferris wheel!</div>
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Along with carousels, ferris wheels are what I always run towards whenever I'm in the vicinity of one. This also may apply to Lovisa stores....</div>
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While we didn't eat anything from the park that night (had tarragon chicken at home I believe), we bought a 2-for 8 buck double pass on one ride. Naturally we picked the ferris wheel with the gorgeous views over the still harbour.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MIbhXbNxZ8n0N4KgQV8hWUhSZmEksV0tgH9z8X6ej98BsPx4HAwQpRns0SgceEqE7HoC-LH0hcpDBKBgSOpE3i93MvbGFS6JWdsRJ82vZGZX3X1o9V3BBEtI1zdF4jOJ3RwdzX6xVg/s1600/IMG_20141212_214551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MIbhXbNxZ8n0N4KgQV8hWUhSZmEksV0tgH9z8X6ej98BsPx4HAwQpRns0SgceEqE7HoC-LH0hcpDBKBgSOpE3i93MvbGFS6JWdsRJ82vZGZX3X1o9V3BBEtI1zdF4jOJ3RwdzX6xVg/s640/IMG_20141212_214551.jpg" /> </a> </div>
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While traditional derivatives of the ferris wheel exist (in some parts of the world it is a wooden structure with less gondolas in it), it is the fairy lights which draws me to it, like an irksome insect to one's reading lamp. Makes for some wonderful memories too :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9eozygT0HCqxSEUJs0PUNUnwrwDK1wTY8hyphenhyphenmLtuA7-C0PUgWxYLWUhh2h-V59GEMG6lpgh536dT6EjgRnU1_n7sJNzCvnZMIk0abk92fPeGwtA7r_Aj_magOV3gfhLNqUgzJLwZ5_Q/s1600/IMG_20141212_220133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9eozygT0HCqxSEUJs0PUNUnwrwDK1wTY8hyphenhyphenmLtuA7-C0PUgWxYLWUhh2h-V59GEMG6lpgh536dT6EjgRnU1_n7sJNzCvnZMIk0abk92fPeGwtA7r_Aj_magOV3gfhLNqUgzJLwZ5_Q/s640/IMG_20141212_220133.jpg" /> </a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6BdikE1v0EGKoNbh6iczVV6lVZ9AqrmmSgv9X4ZrT7VzQCioSyUxpNb7dR_h66B6mxsMGlwESppsOOoKKpGseo4_oI_2gf4BJP_orSjLL6irHPTNoq_e89Wf9ffG8nuULXzGEQIdiA/s1600/20141212_215754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6BdikE1v0EGKoNbh6iczVV6lVZ9AqrmmSgv9X4ZrT7VzQCioSyUxpNb7dR_h66B6mxsMGlwESppsOOoKKpGseo4_oI_2gf4BJP_orSjLL6irHPTNoq_e89Wf9ffG8nuULXzGEQIdiA/s640/20141212_215754.jpg" /> </a> </div>
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The view from the inside while we descended was quite magical. Poor boyfriend, a little nervous with heights, chose not to look down at all stages of our journey up and down.</div>
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I think, if I were younger I would have scorned going for a ride on a ferris wheel. But being the ripe old age that I am, it feels just more and more important to savour these days of relative freedom (no job, no kids, no taxes) and do these small things which lend to great joy in my life.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tZGYzXCHAX2z0EM98x807M2HnZtCsHGAu7zROnmH0QdOUjnTC91tDDmug7GpF3dmZe_fE5Rrj1BrukPIboEW7SenEeQT8Q9ZAsHRjpPpYz_ttLM7SIe7UFp02WXGOfxzXw6-AODwwg/s1600/20150107_153053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tZGYzXCHAX2z0EM98x807M2HnZtCsHGAu7zROnmH0QdOUjnTC91tDDmug7GpF3dmZe_fE5Rrj1BrukPIboEW7SenEeQT8Q9ZAsHRjpPpYz_ttLM7SIe7UFp02WXGOfxzXw6-AODwwg/s640/20150107_153053.jpg" /></a></div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8949786887971589549.post-64971016687518757532015-01-12T09:34:00.001-08:002015-04-04T02:20:59.648-07:00WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 12<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After a 3-year long hiatus I have returned to the blogosphere, this time hopefully with more of an understanding of what I want to write about and Blogger, once again, seems to be the suitable platform for this holiday whim of mine. On my adventures I will usually be accompanied by my boyfriend, who is often the photographer, and if not the photographer, then he is the initiator of the outing! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcBsNAIcIY97FoEl1mkU0MpAaczb0cipvuRYbSTmNh0h94t_ur2Dw6rN8_9pCX987XlOUFOjAID2HP9deKnoZJRC_fdCUhVRjdZGuCRLZteRoZMrt-Cd3WfqMN1eOrV6f9B_3IY0G9A/s1600/IMG_20141217_145225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcBsNAIcIY97FoEl1mkU0MpAaczb0cipvuRYbSTmNh0h94t_ur2Dw6rN8_9pCX987XlOUFOjAID2HP9deKnoZJRC_fdCUhVRjdZGuCRLZteRoZMrt-Cd3WfqMN1eOrV6f9B_3IY0G9A/s640/IMG_20141217_145225.jpg" /></a></div>
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Speaking of my boyfriend, currently I am on a trip away from him, and I do miss him. Looking at old photos thus is a way to revisit some great memories with him, friends, and family. </div>
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Lunch together for our 7 month anniversary was A-1 (okay so we celebrate menseveraries - so sue me!) and the coffee was superb too. After i get back i hope we go back for breakfast - he hated avocados and boiled eggs but he just deals with it - a development which I am immensely thankful for. After all, Crust pizza with avocado on top isn't quite as wonderful enjoyed on one's own - a stretch of the imagination indeed.</div>
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Scrolling through photos on my phone I see this stunning bouquet of rainbow roses. I've included a photo - its from the same day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zKxYlcf8d3dPm2pHgwy_nIo7xTIpc8Ugr02bgQKoLSTGl7PbeOXAmtaWI1NCOcVraVp5iAG-udaQ39Eb5dL2CF3zqg2Rlp6_NbDNzRfZonoOS5Gabajynxyqiuo48zbq8wpLI-9fMQ/s1600/20141217_140947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zKxYlcf8d3dPm2pHgwy_nIo7xTIpc8Ugr02bgQKoLSTGl7PbeOXAmtaWI1NCOcVraVp5iAG-udaQ39Eb5dL2CF3zqg2Rlp6_NbDNzRfZonoOS5Gabajynxyqiuo48zbq8wpLI-9fMQ/s640/20141217_140947.jpg" /> </a> </div>
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Lunch was ground beef burger with..stuff in it - I can't recall what it was. Being both of slight build, Boyfriend and I shared this along with a side order of mushrooms in garlic oil. The sauce was a chilli aioli blend - v v v tasty!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7jF9lMHJJTJ68v8euRRFznjxCiheL3ZngJUb7anGpsNE7Dq3H3J54Rm9Zt8kVWm0OWz9hUBBduCIXeuLroqXs-wM7xcaZi4gDVVfWM2FMpeq5uuI9uj3an8sEtbpcyU21IG0_0bmUQ/s1600/IMG_20141217_150233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7jF9lMHJJTJ68v8euRRFznjxCiheL3ZngJUb7anGpsNE7Dq3H3J54Rm9Zt8kVWm0OWz9hUBBduCIXeuLroqXs-wM7xcaZi4gDVVfWM2FMpeq5uuI9uj3an8sEtbpcyU21IG0_0bmUQ/s640/IMG_20141217_150233.jpg" /> </a> </div>
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lipstickonmywineglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16291240686308159052noreply@blogger.com0