BIRTHDAY WISHES & KISSES

 

 

Hip-hip-hooray, happy birthday to my darling friend. Last week we celebrated her birthday, we all met at her place with a home made dish in hand. Seema was in full swing making her Grandmother's special curry and a delicious fish curry when I entered her busy kitchen, the smells coming from the stovetop were dreamy. By dusk we were all working together to fill our plates, passing dishes and bowls at the makeshift buffet table of home made dishes, the theme of the night was curries; bean and lentil curries, fish curries, buttered chicken, rogan josh, tandoori chicken, yoghurts, mango chutney, rice, naans.....I had two full platefuls of food and my tummy was greedily bursting by the time she blew the candles on her little cakes. There was not much room for dessert, but somehow I managed to fit in a sweet slice of everything. Lemon meringue pie, brown butter and salted honey pie, NYC cheesecake and a raw cheesecake.....I was pigging. The best way to celebrate is with your friends and with food, and to have both of them together is a treat for all, thank you for a delicious evening. Happy Birthday beautiful lady, I hope that your wishes come true. xo

p.s. (How amazing is her loungeroom, big envy over her style. I drool!)

 Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Images taken using Canon 5D Markiii//50mm 1.4

Please do not use my images without permission.

BLOOD ORANGE & HAZELNUT CAKE

It has been a while since I have baked a cake and I saw this featured on the Australian Gourmet Traveller facebook page as a weekend challenge. I was up for it. So we went down to the local fruit and vegetable shop and stocked up on some blood oranges and raw hazelnuts. We roasted the hazelnuts and popped them into our Vitamix to make the Hazelnut Meal, got messy squeezing the blood oranges and the rest was history. We are trying desperately to save some cake for morning tea tomorrow, a slice for hubby and a slice for the ladies at the fruit and vegetable shop, but as I type this my son is asking me if we can have cake for dessert. This cake is delicious and I had a slice with a cup of coffee and a slice with a cup of tea, and I must say that it is best had with a cup of tea.

Weekend challenge, what was yours?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Images taken using Canon 5D Markiii//50mm 1.4

Please do not use my images without permission.

NOT FRUIT CAKE

As a kid I can remember attending several Baptisms and my favourite part of the day was always when I finally got to enjoy a slice of the cake which I had been stalking all day. They were usually covered in cloudy-like-tufts of sweet white buttercream icing and it was usually harbouring a vanillary sponge cake or a dense chocolate mudcake underneath. Only once had I been let down, I had innocently thought it was a vanilla sponge cake with chocolate chips and it turned out to be fruit cake. Fruit cake.

On this day Vinnie cried uncomfortably during most of the ceremony and she fell asleep minutes prior to getting her head wet, she howled seconds after her little head became soaked. Paddy was beautifully patient with her crying and his calmness made me calm. After the ceremony Matty was in his element as he started up the BBQ, and Paddy kicked off his formal attire to play with his friends. They ran around the salty oval chasing, kicking and passing the beloved football. The rest of us soaked up the wintry sunbeams as we sat on a patchwork of assorted picnic rugs. My favourite part of the day was when we shared lunch together and finally cut into that cake.

P.S. It was cream cheese frosting + chocolate fudge cake.

P.P.S. Thank you to my beautiful friend Angie, for capturing the first image xo

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

 

Images taken using Canon 5D Markiii//50mm 1.4
Kodak Portra 800

Please do not use my images without permission.