Escape

David and I spent a night at a spa hotel in Ashford this weekend. It was a delayed anniversary gift from the in-laws. It was really lovely just being able to spend a couple of days relaxing and not having to rush around doing housework or run errands etc.

We had a facial and a massage each and spent the rest of Saturday afternoon chilling out in the pool and the jacuzzi. Dinner was superb, as was our suite!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend too! ♥

A few snapshots from yesterday... and yes - curls!



PS I've revived The Solo Photo... but with a weekly photo instead of a daily one. take a look!

x

Sometimes...

...I really miss having a wedding to plan!

nostalgically,

Bowl of Hot Soup

Last year, I did something I never thought I'd do. I requested something for Christmas that was a kitchen appliance. A particular hand blender to be precise. I made it very clear that this was simply because I was eager to make soups from scratch, and that it didn't mean that any random household item would in future qualify as a Christmas or birthday present.

David's parents got me the hand blender and it instantly became a much-loved part of my kitchen, even before the soups started being made. Knowing it was there meant the soups would come. Because until the hand blender joined my kitchen, I could barely eat soups at all, despite how much I love them. [I challenge you: go forth and find a ready-made soup that does not contain any onions or garlic.]

Today's soup was Moroccan Roasted Sweet Potato Soup, and it is so far a prize-winning soup (in my opinion, anyway). And you know me well enough by now... would I be about to post this recipe if it weren't the simplest thing known to mankind? (I wouldn't - because if it were complicated I'd never have gotten round to making it myself in the first place...)

Ingredients (serves 4)
675g sweet potatoes, cut into big chunks
1 carrot, cut into big chunks
olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
900ml hot vegetable stock
2tsp runny honey
generous squeeze of lemon juice
natural yoghurt, to serve
warm pitta bread, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Put the sweet potatoes and carrot into a roasting tin. Pour the oil over the vegetables and toss together so they are well coated. Season with freshly ground pepper, then roast, turning occasionally, for 40 minutes or until tender and turning golden. Remove from oven.

2. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the stock and honey. Whizz with blender until smooth. (Once done, you may want to transfer to a saucepan and reheat)

3. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour into bowls and swirl some yoghurt into each. Serve with warm pitta bread.

(Can be frozen up to 3 months, before yoghurt is added)

So I sit here listening to my new Regina Spektor CD (a little treat to myself),
wondering what lies in store now that we're in for a round of redundancies at work (confirmed today),
but feeling more than a bit pleased that my blog muse seems to have returned,
and I beg you: get hold of some sweet potatoes and MAKE THIS SOUP!

deliciously,

Spotlight

** denisescicluna.com **

[look out for the jellyfishmonsters!]

Dusk, Part Two

Remember when I mentioned the beautiful dusk the other day? I'd used a random picture of the sky that day because I hadn't had the chance to take one myself... But today I did.

Beautiful, isn't it?

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.
Eleonora Duse

x

Monday Appointment

It's been a while since I shared a good recipe. I bought The Philadelphia Cookbook the other day at The Works (I love that shop for cheap new books!) and it has some recipes that I just have to try, even if simply because they're so easy!

The one I made last night was Chicken Biryani. It takes about 10 mins to prepare and another 20 to cook. And pronto, your dinner's done.

Ingredients for 3-4 servings
1 tbsp olive oil
[1 large onion, chopped]
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 medium courgette, diced
1 tbsp curry powder or paste
225g easy cook rice
550ml chicken stock
120g Philadelphia light
25g flaked almonds, toasted

Heat the oil in a deep pan, fry the onion until beginning to brown. Add the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides.

Add the courgette and curry powder and fry for 1 minute, then add the rice and stir well. (I also mixed in 1 tbsp of sugar as it needed something sweet.)

Pour in the hot stock and add the Philly. Stir, put the lid on and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked through, stirring once or twice during the cooking time. Add a little more liquid if it becomes too dry. Serve with the almonds sprinkled on top.


Now, I didn't get round to taking a picture of my delicious dinner (and it certainly was delicious!) because I was dangerously close to being late for my dinner date... with Glee that is.

Never one to follow a show, this and the new season of Grey's Anatomy seem to be doing something intriguing to me. I am sitting down in front of the TV on Mondays and Thursdays and watching TV. Now all I need is Sky+ (which we've been talking about getting for over 3 years...) and my new square-eyed existance will be complete!

x

Almost One

We've met little Matush before, but hasn't he grown?! He'll be one in less than two weeks! He and his parents came over to visit us yesterday afternoon and it was great fun :) I'm still blown away by those crystal blue eyes of his - he'll be a proper heartbreaker some day, don't you think?

x

Dusk

...and then I looked out the window at 17.00 and realised the sky had a glow to it that wasn't there at the same time of day just a week ago. The days are starting to lengthen and that fills me with hope. Every year, the moment I realise the days are lengthening - even just a little bit, something magical happens. It never fails.
It's that quiet feeling called Perfection.

The Simpler Things

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
You tell me your blue skies fade to grey
You tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on

I don't want to be moaning all over the world wide web. I've had not just a bad day... this entire week was shot from the word go. I've been quiet, and I am still not here to moan. (I've even been quiet on twitter! *gasp*) I'm here to remind myself of things that make me smile and give me that bit of a mental lift. And maybe if someone out there is having a bad day (week!!!!) as well, maybe any one of these things will help too.



pretty chocolate designs on my cappuccino :: seashells :: perfect reflections on water :: bookstores :: lightning :: daisies :: lights :: swings :: jazz :: snoozing on the beach, to name but a few...

My breathing is easier, my headache is lifting, I'm calmer. It's the simpler things in life that make it worthwhile. I need to remember to make space in my haphazard life for the simple things.

What would your list look like?

Living Room Makeover

I have just had one of the most productive weekends I've had in months. Totally redecorated the living room, and I am LOVING the result. Saturday... ok, we slept in a while, then got straight to work. Two walls were to be painted which were previously wallpapered with a design we'd never have chosen ourselves.

The first day I tackled one wall, David hung up the new curtains and I hemmed one set of them. Today, the second day, I tackled the more difficult of the walls. This meant moving the wall unit and more furniture than yesterday's wall involved. The wall itself was also less plain-sailing than a straight wall. It included the window area and radiator (which was, most certainly, sent to test me). The hemming of the second set of curtains will have to wait a couple of days.

I am now rather shattered, wishing for a further weekend on top of the one I've just WORKED through. The snow still hasn't stopped (ffs!!), which means that for the third day in a row, following the slight 'incident' I had in the car last week which scared the living daylights out of me and made me swear to myself that I won't be driving again until this weather sorts itself out, I shall be walking in to work tomorrow. But hey, it's all well and good: in another five days, there'll be another weekend... one I'm certainly not painting through!

And with no further ado, I present the before and after pictures :) Enjoy.



(The ceiling was not painted - it just seems to be reflecting the wall colour. I quite like it!)

Next up... our bedroom!

creatively,