Crowns for Talin....

Well I did manage to make eight crowns for Talin.....

I would have loved time to make more...but I believe that every crown helps....

So....if you have time.....and are speedy.....its not too late.

The details can be found in the link from here....

Miss Bells gave them the tick of approval..... she was a tad smitten in fact....

Have a great week everyone...

Meal planning...

 The past week my meal planning revolved around my new cookbook....

and some pomegranates.

So here is a snapshot of what featured last week...

Mushroom Risoniotto - from the River Cottage Veg book

Bruschetta for Sunday lunch ... from the Stephanie Alexander cookbook

Flatbreads..... Caponata and white bean Hummus ....from the River Cottage Veg cookbook

(Miss Bells begged to stay for dinner on this night.....but wasnt impressed by the dinner spread.....so she enjoyed a couple of party pies instead.....I am still chuckling....because I called "Dinners ready"....
and she roared in to the table.... took one look at her party pies and exclaimed
 "What the Dickens!")

We also had  steak with a broccoli salad (thanks to the e2c for the most scrumptious recipe)

and a delicious quinoa celery pomegranate salad using and adaption of this recipe here......

I swapped the bulgur for quinoa which was delicious.

What I loved most was.... 

for the next two days I had a beautiful lunchbox of salad to take to work for lunch....it was crunchy...tasty.....and filling.

Then last night Meg cooked a yummy beef and chorizo casserole over a bed of couscous....such perfect wet cold weather food......we followed it up with an apple pie courtesy of Sarah Lea....
the perfect end to the week.

So....today I'm beginning the plans for this week ahead..the never ending cycle.... but instead of thinking of it as a chore.... I'm trying hard to make it fun....healthy.....and interesting.

Paper and glue...

Thought Id share a couple of layouts I whipped together this week....

I loved using up scraps that were on my desk.....some new bits and pieces that I bought at the e2c retreat.... some hero arts vintage typewriter stamps...washi tape...

and the cutest metal buttons from here..

Thrifty Thursday..... racing in at the last minute...

Just a little bit of Op shop goodness today.....

Two small supper cloths....both featuring maps...which I have big plans for (more on them at a later date.)

....and a little lap quilt.

In one of our Op shops they have a pile of ready made lap quilts....all backed....made from gorgeous pieces of vintage fabric.... some of them are a little unappealing.....but this one grabbed my eye..

I cant resist green and yellow....and the floral was so sweet....and the price tag.... $6.00

...its actually the perfect size for the cot.... but really....I don't think Brookey really minds what is on her cot at Nans.

I think Ill stick with its intended purpose and use it as a throw on the couch.....it fits in rather nicely....and that way we can all appreciate its prettiness.

Crowns for Talin.....

The lovely Lea directed me to Staceys plea for help...

and I knew immediately that I wanted to help out.

So now I'm asking you..
please ....have you got the time to help out as well???

You don't need to be an expert.... they are simple to make...and if we all pitch in it will be a huge help.

Lets help to make this the most special birthday ever.

What I wore Wednesday- I'm back..

I said I was done...

there would be no more wiww's for me.

I was so bored with my wardrobe....and so certain everyone else must be too...

but then I missed it...

so I thought Id pop in with the occasional one.....and see how I go.

Skirt - Op shop- Jay jays brand.

Long sleeve Tee - new from Target

Denim Jacket -bought this one recently at the Op shop for $8.00 I think.

Red beads - Op shop $4.00

Scarf - a gift from Briony...so snugly and warm

Shoes - Emerson flats from Big W

What are you wearing today?

In the kitchen - tahini dressed zucchini and bean salad

I had happy mail today...

My much awaited new cook book arrived....and I'm absolutely delighted with it.

I had ordered a copy of 'River Cottage veg everyday'  after the  e2c retreat 

all inspired after seeing Alis copy....and listening to Tatum and Lauren in discussions about all the delicious recipes they had and were going to try.

I have been a fan of Hugh's for years....thanks to pay TV at work....and the culture of our team and its love of cooking and food television.

I cant wait to sink into my chair at work tonight and make plans on what to make this week....no doubt some of these will feature in my weeks meal plan.

Of course it was mid morning when I opened my book......and one of the first recipes that jumped out at me was the tahini dressed zucchini and bean salad....

I had almost every ingredient on hand.....I just needed to grab a fresh chili and some sun-dried tomatoes.

It was a delicious.... easy....tasty....healthy and filling lunch....

and the best bit.....even Ian loved it...

although he did mention it lacked meat.....a piece of steak on the side.....or some shredded chicken added through would have been a nice addition.

Alex mentioned Id better fold the top of that page so I can find it again.....definitely worth making again.

..................................................................................................................
Note: I have just sat and read the introduction in the front of the book and it makes an interesting read....
in this book Hugh is all about persuading us to eat a lot more vegetables in out diet....to take the focus off meat and make vegetables the heros of our diet.

One little excerpt that really grabbed my attention was
"I think the kind of vegetable cookery Ive embraced here is more democratic - there's no longer a tyrannical piece of meat dominating the agenda, making every thing else feel like a supporting act."

I can already see that through reading this book I might just get a little change in mindset... and my family may just have to embrace the veges a few nights a week.

I imagine this food will fit right in with desire to eat foods that are 'good calorie value'.... there is nothing better than loading up my plate and knowing that it tastes good....and wont add another inch to my bum.

(I purchased my book through the book depository online....I couldnt find it locally....as I do prefer to buy locally if I can......but it came reasonably quicky and was a great price.)

Thrifty Thursday

This was a special find...

a lovely big leather satchel type bag....

from the Op shop in Port Lincoln.

Not only is it a great bag for work....but every time I look at it Ill think of my recent trip away.

Then today I spied this..... it was $2.00...

I remember we had one when I was a child....it sat on the buffet with a beautiful jug and glass set....maybe Mum has it still....although I cant recall seeing it for years.

I am not sure what I will do with mine.... but I just knew I needed it for something.

No doubt it will come in handy.