ham-it-up

what better way to kick off vacation then hanging out with a few of the kiddos and sneaking in a tiny little shoot  (*-*)  surprisingly enough, they were really into it for the most part-at least at first. 

she discovered the leaves

                           

Merry Christmas and a Shoppy New Year

Christmas time is a fabulous time of year.  I love searching for just right gift for everyone but thats when i get in to trouble.  I suddenly become aware of all of the things that i want to buy for myself!  So, i now have a 'gifts to me' folder in my favorites bar on my computer where i keep all of the ideas of things that id like to pamper and 'surprise' myself with over the next year.  A few of the fun things that i am currently trending and stalking are:

you can never have too many hats and i lose them like crazy

i really miss it :(

so, this is free so not so much on the shopping list, but i still love it <3

i love this camera strap....maybe soon :-)

'i am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara i could save the world'

.best.slogan.ever.

i <3 epiphanie camera bags

My Little Gifting Sweatshop

Since i was feeling a bit crafty and ambitious ( i didnt realize how ambitious i would need to be) i tried my hand at making yummy hot chocolate on a stick packaged with mini french vanilla snowman marshmallows. So, this recipe was made to look much easier than it actually turned out to be, for me at least. I didnt have an ice cube tray as suggested so i used a mini muffin pan and didnt want to grease it for fear of a disgusting outcome. In hindsight i should have at least use wax paper-i will next time- or even foil muffin wrappers in order to get them to release easily because mine SO did NOT! That said, the recipe photos were much prettier than mine but mine were still tasty...i hope the ladies at work feel the same way!

Just swirl into a cup of hot milk or cream and enjoy!

Christmas Crafting Fun

A couple of weeks ago we had our work Christmas party and this year we painted pottery.  After much consideration i made this:

London Calling

For the past few weeks I have been seriously jonesing for another trip to England and waking up to London Calling by The Clash this morning didn't necessarily help the situation.  I recently came across a memory card and in checking the contents found the pictures from last December still there, oh the memories!  In an attempt to satiate the desire to return I have decided to try to recreate a British Christmas Dinner, and since my family celebrated our official Christmas last weekend, nobody will be missing the turkey.  If all goes well, I'll be serving up a fantastic roast beef, roasties, yorkshire puddings and roasted vegetables, super yummy!  I've yet to decide upon a desert since the traditional Christmas Pudding wasn't a fond memory, perhaps a creme brule?  Not traditionally British...perhaps it will be more of an international Christmas. 

Updating Overload

YAY!  Vacation!  So i thought it would be brilliant to go on a bit of a cooking adventure while I'm off work, rest, schmest.  I'm always looking for fabulous new ideas and recipes and now i have a plethera of ideas to keep me busy for the next week and a half- hopefully they all work out nicely :).  My plans include a nice winter friendly chili- not a new recipe but a favorite, Parmigiano Panko Herb Encrusted Chicken, and my take on an English Christmas Dinner, sans brussel sprouts, with a fabulous Roast Beef and Perfect Roasties and homemade Yorkshire Puddings- I've been dying for this the past couple of weeks while I've been suffering from England withdrawls.  I'll keep you up to date on my foodie ventures. 

dinner: check :)

So, I managed to create a curry today.  I've gotta say, at first i was seriously doubting that i would like the final product, but in the end it didn't fully disappoint.  The only snaffu was that, in my attempt to make it more mild, I kinda eliminated all flavor and it became super bland, but that's nothing that a bit of seasoning couldn't cure, so season i did and it was rather nice.  Would I make it again?  Not likely any time soon, it took far longer than I had anticipated and longer than the recipe quoted.  I did however double the recipe for extra diners and it was ALOT but now I have premade lunches for a few days this week-extra bonus.  It didn't smell terribly appetizing-but not disgusting- while it was cooking but that again could have been due to the lack of spices.  Even though, I would likely do it the same way next time for fear of making it FAR too spicy.  I served it over rice with a bit of italian herb focaccia bread (the store was sold out of naan unfortunately).  Anyhow, a successful dish all in all.

Anyone interested in venturing into the art of curry, or at least interested in the specific recipe that i have followed (loosely)  it can be found here:  
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bengali-Chicken-Curry-with-Potatoes/Detail.aspx

saturday morning craving

I've been considering venturing into the kitchen to create a tasty dish that, quite frankly, intimidates me a bit.  I'm looking to the east for inspiration, curry!  I'm thinking of going semi-safe and going with chicken though, with the help of http://www.foodgawker.com/ {brilliant website btw}, I'm not only becoming more inspired but also very hungry just considering the possibilities!  I have managed to narrow down my search and have added a few choices to my short list, if all goes well I shall be posting my adventures in foodie land :-)  Stay Tuned!