Wednesday 28 December 2011

colour me

Chanel - Riva, Rimmel - Instyle Coral, Dior - Trafalgar.

For someone who wears black more often than I should, there’s no better way to inject a little colour to an outfit than with nail polish.  For me, it’s a cheap, subtle and perfect solution to start embracing colour. Summer seems to be all about coral shades – ranging from those with orange hues to those which are more pastel in colour. I’m also loving baby blue and bright red shades at the moment.

Thil
xx

Friday 23 December 2011

a taste of france

Shades of Chocolat
Doux Réve
Éclair Café
Croissant aux Amandes

Nestled in New Farm is a gorgeous little French patisserie called Chouquette, named after a treat made with choux pastry and sprinkled with pearl sugar. One of my lovely friends recommended Chouquette to me, and after viewing their delectable goodies online I made a date to experience a little bit of French sweetness. Overwhelmed by the variety of fresh breads, stunning gâteaux and scrumptious pastries on offer, I finally settled for the Shades of Chocolat gâteau– a three-layered chocolate mousse on a crispy praline feuilletine base, topped with a mirror glaze, chocolate ribbon and gold leaf. It was amazingly silky smooth, insanely rich and just absolutely delightful. And if that wasn’t enough, stealing mouthfuls of my friends’ purchases convinced me even more of Chouquette’s deliciousness.

So be sure to check out Chouquette and try your very own sweet piece of patisserie heaven!

xx

Chouquette on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 20 December 2011

a festive treat


After two weeks of craving and consuming gingerbread cookies in assorted shapes and sizes, I thought it was finally time to make my own. Whilst I gave up on the idea of creating a masterpiece like Adriano Zumbo's gingerbread house, I settled for the simpler (but still delicious) option of baking gingerbread men. For a first attempt, the cookies turned out beautifully and tasted scrumptious - no thanks to a great recipe. Decorating the cookies was definitely the highlight for me, only second to actually eating them of course!

Thil
xx

Sunday 18 December 2011

back to basics


Every baker has their one staple, always-go-to, never-fail recipe. For me, that recipe would have to be vanilla cupcakes with butter cream icing. It’s one to which extra ingredients can be added to make a more decadent cupcake, one that is so simple yet so delicious, one which can be prepared in a short amount of time which is especially important during midnight cravings, one which can be decorated depending on the occasion, and one which is created using minimal ingredients which is perfect if baking supplies are lacking.

My favourite version of this recipe is the one I came across in a Woolworths Fresh magazine some years ago, and it’s been used countless times since.

1.       Preheat oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan forced) and line a muffin tray with paper cases.
2.      Combine 1 ¾ cups self-raising flour and 2/3 cup caster sugar in a large bowl.
3.      Whisk 125g butter (melted and cooled), 2 eggs, ½ cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a jug.
4.      Add butter mixture to flour mixture and gently stir until combined.
5.      Divide batter evenly between paper cases and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, testing with a skewer.
6.      For the butter cream icing, use an electric mixer to beat 250g butter until pale. Gradually add 3 cups icing sugar and beat constantly until combined, light and fluffy.
7.      Spread or pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.
8.     Stuff your face with as many cupcakes as you can! =)

Friday 16 December 2011

skirting around








                                  
Shaleeni (left) wears Rachel Rachel uneven hem maxi skirt and Lulu sheer black maxi skirt.
Shamila (right) wears navy stripe vintage maxi skirt and Supre shirring waist maxi skirt.

Whether you’ve raided your mum’s wardrobe to create a classic vintage look, or have explored the countless boutiques with new season stock, maxi skirts are the perfect centrepiece for a fun, versatile and comfortable summer outfit. 

xx

Thursday 15 December 2011

twelve days of christmas

From left to right, top to bottom: Kuku - Get Em Girls dress, Beginning Boutique - I Love You Scrabble pillow cases, Typo - lucky lanterns, Tiffany & Co - Tiffany Notes silver cuff, baby elephant, Mimco - Electro envelope clutch, return tickets to Europe, unlimited supply of cupcakes, Sabo Skirt - delicate silver love ring, Aldo - Withey peep toe high heels, maltese puppy, Peter Alexander - spotted mini shorts.

This year I decided to write myself a Christmas wishlist in the hope that my very own Santa will appear from thin air and spoil me with some lovely and much desired gifts. Although my list could potentially be endless, these are a couple of my favourites - one for each of the twelve days of Christmas.

I hope you're all busy shopping and organising gifts for your loved ones!

xx

Wednesday 14 December 2011

the beginning

So after many months of contemplation, I finally decided it was time to start blogging again. For me, blogging means I can share my culinary cravings and baking adventures, utilise my SLR more frequently, and just have fun writing about all things weird and wonderful. It also serves as a perfect procrastination tool - not that I really need any more!

Hope you enjoy reading about and living the sweet life with me. =)

Thil
xx
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