Single Girl Dinner

i came across single girl dinner when juley mentioned she was a contributor over on her blog. snapped a photo of the chocolate fondant cake for one that i was currently devouring, & submitted it to jessica. i love this idea, it's such an inspiring/cheeky tumblr, & one that encourages the use of instagram. ever since i got my iphone, my food & drink photography has become rather obsessive. good to see i'm not alone ;)

chocolate fondant /

rocket & ricotta ravioli, served with wilted garlicky harissa spinach /

latte at the hayward gallery /

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{all photos by me}

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Moments

1. [fashion moment #236, within the sub-category of shoes].. these high-heels are the kind that make at least 2 strangers approach you instore & promise you that you have to buy them. they're that pretty. red satin, with peach ribbon-wrapped heel & bow. from ted baker.


2. so i've caught on with the whole kelly green phase this spring (following in the hallowed footsteps of Jean and Taylor), & purchased myself this lovely, pleated little number from primark. the belt came separately. together, they came to £15. Suh-weet!


3. new dress from dorothy perkins. old necklace from accessorize.



4. happy belated pancake day, via instagram! i had toasted walnuts, celery & mascarpone for starters, & then nutella with mascarpone for dessert. mascarpone x 2. what's not to love?



happy weekend, folks! Anyone up to anything exciting?!




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{all photos by me}

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Happy Burns Night!

cranachan: a scottish dessert consisting of cream, toasted oats, raspberries, whisky, honey. 'nuff said. (Lottie made this).

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{all photos by me}

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Tilapia en Croute

 #iseefaces (*ahem*)

 bit rustic looking! next time, i'll cut the pastry a little neater..

I popped over to Audrey's blog a few days ago & loved the idea of this recipe! I substituted thin yoghurt instead of cream, & added some red chilli to the sauce as well. I also decided, being fussy, to remove the skin of the fish fillets (I chose tilapia as there was no bass easily available, but it worked well) - by hand! This isn't necessary of course, but it makes for easier eating, ha!

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{all photos by me}

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Holiday Mash-Up

Winter walks, Lebanese food in South Ken on Christmas Eve-Eve, carols by candlelight at the Royal Albert Hall, everything tastes better dipped in chocolate, empty plates, keeping warm wrapped in blankets & fleeces, coloured nougat, matching running trainers with Dad, & banquet(s) of food.

Happy Holidays!

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{all photos by me}

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It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

I made my own Christmas cards this year using iPhone snaps, adding text in Paint, & then uploading to a blank template over at Funky Pigeon.

I made a festive fruit compote with cranberries, currants & figs.

You can download the above as wrapping paper over at the Guardian. It's from an old German postcard.

Gifts were wrapped using doilies & baubles & string.

Fairy lights look pretty even during daylight hours, hidden in the shadows from the bright sun.

This Clinique mask is a godsend at this time of year, helping to fight against the taunts of the wind & the cold & the periods of richly decadent food consumption!

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{all photos by me}

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Austrian Poppy-Seed Cake!

 

Last month, I baked an Austrian poppy-seed cake in celebration of Dad's 60th. I used this recipe. 

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{1 & 2 by me, 3 by Grandpa}

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Instagrid

1. Lunch at Whitechapel Gallery 2. Yeti slippers, Forever21 3. Winter trees 4. Fairy lights 5. Xmas shopping essentials 6. Babel in Clapham 7. Spitalfields 8. Brioche, fois gras & red onion chutney 9. Writing Xmas cards 10. Primark jumper / Zara belt 11. Barry M Golden Foil polish / Rimmel blue glitter 11. Homemade mincepie & sherry 12. Port 13. Steak & cheese & bean wrap 14. Mincepie 15. Chocolate & walnut tart 16. Sunset over London

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{all photos by me}

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Breakfast Lunch Tea

Banana loaf is pretty much an all-rounder really.. 


I used this recipe, with the addition of a teaspoon mixed spice. Fresh from the oven, I pricked the top with a cocktail stick & then drizzled over a mixture of honey & brown sugar.


Served with some fresh pomegranate, fruit tea, & the morning's papers. A great start to any day!


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{all photos by me}

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Pizza, Pizza! {Fiorentina}

I made pizza fiorentina!
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It's so simple, looks great, & can be pretty healthy.
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Spread a generous amount of tomato puree on a pizza base (if you're fancy, make your own. I just used a shop-bought base).
Get a bunch of spinach & remove some of the larger stalks. Microwave for a minute & then pat dry to remove excess water.
Arrange spinach over the pizza, along with some tomatoes & cheese to your taste. I had a sundried tomato & feta deli mix in the fridge so I used a couple of handfuls of this.
Bake for 6-8 mins. Remove from oven, make a small indentation on the pizza with the back of a spoon, & then crack an egg into it.
Bake for a further 10 mins or until the egg has just set. If other parts of the pizza start to burn, place foil lightly over them while the egg continues to cook.
Season with sea salt & black pepper.
Have fun experimenting - next time I might add some currants & toasted pine nuts!


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{all photos by me}

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Light Lunch / Hearty Supper

Carrots dipped in cream cheese, celery & peanut butter, manzanilla olives with manchego, tomatoes & thyme on a toasted potato cake.

I have a rediscovered love for cream cheese - I mixed a spoonful into some mashed potato - perfect creaminess without the heaviness! - & poured over a generous helping of beef bourguignon that had been simmering on the stove through Sunday afternoon..

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{all photos by me}

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Happy Hallowe'en!

Like all good holidays, Hallowe'en can be celebrated with cake! I chose a cream cheese icing for the first, tinted it with red food dye, & then shaped some devils horns from black sugar icing. The ghost involved cutting white squares from ready rolled white icing, draping over the cake, & then adding the eyes & mouth with a black icing pen. Ghoulish!




{all photos by me}

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What To Do When Your Carrot Cake Won't Rise

...cut it in half, & place one half moon on top of the other - perfect!
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Of course, it may take some explaining to your friends that you haven't just baked a cake & then eaten half of it..
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The four of us shaped some carrots from Royal Icing, held a Facebook contest to see which one came out top (no.1), & OD-ed on the leftover icing.
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I used this recipe.

{all photos by me}

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Breakfasts at Home

definitely one of the best meals of the day; certainly makes my top 3 ;)


coffee, most glorious.


i'm currently enjoying the nutty muesli from Dorset Cereals.


weekend breakfasts deserve something a little special: a tangy, citrusy sponge with greek yoghurt, or toast topped with blue cheese & quince jam/tomatoes, olives & balsamic.

{all photos by me}

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Lasagne - With Blue Cheese & Pimento Stuffed Olives

It's such a classic meal, in all-in-one dish... Lasagne!

I went to Jamie for some guidance, & pretty much followed his cooking narrative through step by step. I love the simplicity & speed of his recipe, it was really easy to work with.

I didn't have any butternut squash to hand, so decided to experiment with adding a couple of layers of sliced hard boiled egg (as tested by a friend's mother's recipe!), & some pimento stuffed olives. For the cheese sauce, I used low-fat Greek yoghurt, adding a mixture of blue cheese & parmesan to make it really tasty.

Comfort food at its best.

{all photos by me}

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