Charmaine Olivia

My newest ladylove crush is San Franciscan artist Charmaine Olivia. Her work is so dreamy and pretty and just a tiny bit dark...

Happy occurrences...

Yesterday was the loveliest of days. Only good things happened all day!

My sister came to visit me and we talked in great length, went shopping and drank coffee.

Then my parents arrived and the four of us went out for an amazing lunch at one of my favourite restaurants. We all talked and laughed and I was so very happy to spend time with my family all together.

After our parents left for home, my sister and I lazed around, watching gossip girl and eating my cousin's left over wedding cake. Then we went out for dinner at another of my favourite restaurants with my boyfriend and a good friend of hers. It was such a pleasure, to talk and laugh with some of my dearest people, drinking wine and eating good food. My sister and I shared a beetroot and yoghurt salad and a turkish pizza with roast tomato, harissa, roast eggplant and haloumi. Amazing.

So that was my lovely day! Family, boyfriend, good food, wine and shopping! Oh, and Gossip Girl haha... xoxo

Continuing on my quest for the perfect shade of red...

Little Loves:

- spending time with my family and boyfriend

- knitting in winter

- buying handmade gifts

- all animals

- eating out

- cooking and trying new recipes

- farmers markets and fresh, simple produce

- eating macarons out of a box with tissue paper

- going to the hairdresser

- new clothes, especially skirts, stockings, underwear and nighties

- tea - english breakfast, darjeeling, chai, russian caravan, vanilla rooibos, peppermint

- drinking tea from pretty tea cups

- old and mismatched fine china

- a clean house

- new scientist magazine

- to do lists and crossing them off

- herbs (culinary and medicinal), especially growing them myself

- red wine

- having time to read

GET BACK TO THE KITCHEN, WOMAN!!!

Oh why hello! I think it is most peculiar that I never post any recipes on here, considering that I LOVE cooking and am very passionate about health and nutrition.

So, I decided that today is a good day to post a recipe... I made this today and it was DELICIOUS, if I do say so myself. And also, very healthy and vegan.

Masoor Tamatar Daal Recipe (Red Lentil and Tomato Daal)

Ingredients:

2L vegetable stock

2 strips of dried kombu, soaked in 1L of water

3 cups red lentils, rinsed

1 large onion, diced

800g tinned diced tomatoes

1 large carrot, chopped

1 chilli, finely chopped OR a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, to taste

3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 1/4 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp tumeric powder

spring onion, finely sliced

flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

lemon

salt and pepper to taste

What You Have To Do:

1. Saute onion and garlic with some olive oil in a huge stock pot. Add tinned tomatoes, carrot, chilli and lentils.

2. Add your stock and kombu water (SEE NOTE!) and bring to boil.

3. Once boiled, reduce to simmer and leave lid off for about 40-60 minutes. Stir occasionally and don't let it stick!

4. Stir in the cumin, paprika and tumeric. Taste it and see if it needs salt, pepper, cayenne or whatever you fancy. Don't add too much cumin though or it will taste weird.

5. At the end, when liquid has reduced and thickend, add spring onion and parsley. You could even throw in some spinach or kale or whatever you have on hand. Finely slice up the kombu you soaked in the water and add.

6. Serve with or without rice, but definately with a squeeze of lemon.

NOTE:

This whole jazz about kombu water really isn't necessary if you can't be bothered. You basically need to have 3L of liquid and you can just use all stock if you want. I like to soak the kombu in the water for like 10-15 mins. The kombu itself and the soaking water is full of nutrients and flavour. Rad.

PS. This recipe will probably feed waaaaay more people than you need it to, but never fear because it freezes perfectly.

I have stumbled across a treasure today - the artwork of Kevin Tran, a Sydney-based 23 year old fellow. Lovely indeed.

Lock envy...

I am so envious of natural born red-heads. I think I should become one... I've got pale skin, a small collection of freckles and green eyes - no one will ever know that I'm just sneaky pretending!