Today I got a day off work to drink cider and eat BBQ in the sun...

And I hear there was a horse race...?

PS I'm not naked, just wearing a strappy dress. You probably assumed that.

7 Days Of Dinners!

Ooops... so I haven't blogged in a week. Sorry friends! Smack on the hand! Here's this week's *hopefully* delicious meal plan...

Monday: Mexican Pulled Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Tuesday: Creamy Caprese Pasta with garlic bread (yeah, stolen from this week's plan. Chris was out this week so I made a quick and easy quiche)

Wednesday: Balsamic Beef & Glass Noodle Salad

Thursday: Chris is hosting a LAN at our house, so I'm spending the night at my parents'

Friday: Bisteeya (Moroccan chicken & almond filo pie) with salad

PLUS *maybe* Caramelised Strawberry Shortcakes for dessert because Hatti's coming over!!!

Saturday: We're out at an engagement party (nawwww!!)

Sunday: Chris is in charge, so who knows?

Hope you have a week of great eating too!

New Feature: 7 Days Of Dinners!

Hey friends! If you've read my blog in the last 24 hours, you know that yesterday I got super-excited about food blogs. One weekly feature I discovered on a couple of them is a 7-day meal plan. I plan my meals for the week in one hit anyway, so I figure why not broadcast it? It'll be a good record for me, and maybe it'll inspire some of you. I'll link to the recipes I'm using whenever I can. Hope you enjoy!

Monday: P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps (I believe P.F. Chang is a restaurant chain in the US)

PLUS Ricotta-Mascarpone Mousse with Balsamic Strawberries for dessert!

Tuesday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup with garlic bread

Wednesday: Stuffed Zucchinis

Thursday Dinner: Jalapeno Popper-Stuffed Chicken with Hasselback Potatoes

Friday: Creamy Caprese Pasta

Saturday: Chris is working at a gig, so probably vegemite on toast!

Sunday: Oven-bake fish and salad

Here's to a delicious week!

What I Did 365 - Day 261

Don't you love those situations in life that involve long, convoluted tales about band mixing and late-afternoon job interviews and unplanned last-minute car swaps? They really keep you guessing! Chris surprised me one Thursday evening by arriving home in a Murdoch University Campus Security Van. You need to know that Chris is not on staff at Murdoch University, let alone part of the security team. So I had a lot of questions, namely "If you've got to steal car, why would you make it a burly security man's car?" Turns out he didn't steal it, and that through a long, complicated turn of events, he simply had to borrow it to race out to a job interview in Mandurah which he unfortunately never made it to (it's OK, he didn't actually want the job anyway, more the interview experience). We spent the evening returning the van and tracking down his car to take us back home. A fun little excursion indeed!

What I Did 365 - Day 260

They ain't pretty, but they're one of the greatest comfort foods out! On the Tuesday we headed home from Margaret River, stopping only to pick up a new shower head at Bunnings (thanks to our old one snapping off in Chris's hands moments before we left for our holiday down south!) and a small handful of groceries at Woolworths. Our meal requirements for the evening were:

1. Something delicious

2. Something comforting (after our long, harrowing road trip)

3. Something easy

Parmesan and parsley-crumbed lamb chops ticked all three requirements, and so while Chris got things in order around the house, I spent 20 minutes crumbing, cooking and salad making, and... voila! Delicious meal! We both adore lamb, so it was the perfect post-holiday meal.

Food Blogs!

[Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes] 

 

Today I've had a rare day with Chris. Thursdays mark the start of my 'weekends' (don't get too jealous, I work all the way through yours!!) and Chris has fallen ill with that unshakeable cold that's been going around this season... you know the one, where you're sick for a week, then you're mostly better for a couple of weeks, and then you're hit again? Seems like a heap of my friends and co-workers have been experiencing this particular brand of sickness over the last couple of months!

[Stuffed Zucchini]

Anyway, I've spent today rugged up on the couch with my sick husband. We've been watching movies, catching up on the latest How I Met Your Mother and Glee episodes, devouring Mi Goreng (the 2-minute kind) for lunch and other than a nice couple of hours when Steph dropped by to eat dinner with us and borrow a wig from me, we've basically been total slobs. I'm OK with that. In amongst all the TV-watching and noodle-eating, I've been glued to my laptop, hunting down recipe after recipe on Pinterest. Through this process I've been discovering a great number of food blogs, a couple of which I've added to my daily reads. So the purpose of my post today is to celebrate the wonder that is food blogs!

[Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies]

 

How great are food blogs? If you're not into any, but want to check some out, some of my favourites are:

- Mandy's Recipe Box

- Bakerella

- Pioneer Woman

- What Katie Ate

- Cassie Craves

And for every blog I've listed, there's another 10,000 equally amazing blogs that I'm yet to discover! I just LOVE the format of food blogging - every recipe tends to begin with a story or anecdote of some sort, there are multiple photos available of the process as well as the finished product, and there are comments readily available from people who have tried the recipes and have suggestions for making it even better!

[Linguine with Garlic Breadcrumbs]

A fantastic resource I also discovered today is Food Gawker - the most extensive and amazing collection of links to the very best recipes that have ever been blogged. If you're looking for inspiration for dinner tonight, breakfast on Sunday or just the perfect cake for that upcoming event you're planning, get browsing! My advice does come with a small warning tag: If you love food, you will become addicted to Food Gawker.

So, those are my thoughts on food blogs. I've always wanted to bring more of a foodie element into my blog, so maybe this is just the inspiration I need!

Shoes For Every Occasion!

Hi guys. Umm, I love shoes. I've been thinking lots about shoes lately - mostly which pretty pairs to layby next at Betts! Hahaha. But I've been broadening my scope and have discovered Style Tread, basically the greatest shoe resource in Australia (with FREE SHIPPING to boot)! We are broke, and I'm having to hide my debit card from myself this month... but look who's tempting me! I could definitely imagine all of these shoes getting me through those critical moments in life...

Mae Orange by Ko Fashion - for Summer nights spent at the outdoor cinema

Roxie Black by I Love Billy - for shooting an AK47 in the Cu Chi tunnels of Vietnam

Abeeba Yellow by Siren -  for reading the latest issue of Frankie in the park

Girgio Bright Multi by I Love Billy -  for dates to the hardware store

Darva Multi Glitter by Lipstik - for cocktails (mojitos, specifically) with your sisters

Larkan Peach by I Love Billy - for weekly oil painting classes

Mae Aqua by Ko Fashion -  for fun trips to the dog park with your fur-babies

Malaga Black by I Love Billy - for strolling through the Fremantle Markets on a Saturday

Malbi Fuchsia/Orange/Purple by Ko Fashion -  for coffee and window shopping at the mall

Sheena Ice by I Love Billy - for girls' night out at an Italian restaurant.

How great would life be if I had all of those shoes?!