Lickable Happiness

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I don't care what you do with this. Put it on cupcakes. Steak. Breakfast cereal. Spread it all over your lover then gently lick it off like a kitten. Just make sure you put it on the top of your list of things to eat before you die.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
Adapted from Bake and Shake

Ingredients
170g cream cheese, softened
100g white chocolate of premium quality
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Melt the white chocolate using a double boiler, or a heavy duty ceramic bowl over a pot of simmering water (but make sure water and bowl do not touch!). Allow to cool a little.
In another bowl, cream together the icing sugar, cream cheese and vanilla. Add the melted white chocolate and fold until smooth. Spread onto item of choice and consume immediately.

A Humble Suggestion

As a Canberra blogger I feel it is my civic duty to notify you, or at least those of you who reside in Canberra, about two very exciting gigs coming up in our own little city. Two gigs featuring two of my favourite bands; bands I've posted and gushed over, possibly to the point of hyperbole, on this here blog.

The Drones, my favourite Australian band in recent memory (or at least since Augie March fell rather spectacularly from grace with their last two releases) are playing at the ANU Bar this Thursday the 30th of April. I posted about their show at Melbourne Laneway a few months back, and can't wait to see them again. Their live show, like their amazing latest album Havilah, is a truly mesmerising, devastating, primal and at times darkly humorous experience, and I thoroughly, thoroughly recommend you attend. Tickets through Ticketek.

The Drones - The Drifting Housewife



I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Ratatat are really very fuckin' cool. I wrote this thing in my uni magazine about how they combine the best of hip hop, electronica and rock into a totally new and very sexy beast, and my co-editor added a simile involving a hairy Biggie Smalls. True or not, this gig promises to be a really fun time, and great for your street cred. If you don't believe me, just listen to Seventeen Years. Yeah. I know. I'm right, right? They play the ANU Bar on Sunday the 10th of May. Tickets also through Ticketek.

Ratatat - Seventeen Years

Street style favourites

You can call me sad, but...I die, I die, I die...

Garance Doré and Scott from The Sartorialist are coming to Australia! They are two of my all time favourite fashion bloggers/street style photographers and if you don't know them you definitely should.

Scott Schuman and Garance Doré

It's not like they are coming to Canberra, but it is still kind of awesome just to know they're in the same country. Like I said, sad.

Wearable joy

Rudd money, a well thought out and wise economic decision by the Australian government? Or a shameless excuse to spend money recklessly? I'll take the latter, thank you very much, Little Kev.

Part of my $900 handout I responsibly spent on the bond for my new house (!) and the rest I spent buying this amazing set of 4 stacked rings by iosselliani. iosselliani is an Italian company who make seriously beautiful jewelry. Roberta Paolucci and Paolo Giacomelli are the designers behind iosselliani, which began in 1997. They find influence for their designs in classical Italian jewelry and then rework those traditions into modern, exciting pieces of wearable art. I particularly like how in some of their pieces they contrast the traditional metalwork and precious stones with an unusual shape or a slightly edgier detail such as a snake or puma head. I love my rings so much already! They are each so individual that they can be worn on their own, all stacked together or in countless other combinations. Sorry to gush so much, but this is the most exciting purchase I have made in a long time and the only one I will be making for quiet some time I suspect, now that I'm moving out of home!

I bought my set of rings from pixie market, a great online shop that sells clothing as well as accessories in an affordable price range. But you can buy iosselliani jewellry from their own online store as well.

Image from pixie market. I would have modelled them myself, but unfortunately I have small child-like hands and nobody wants to see that.

Jealousy...

Facehunter

This year I'm going to embrace layers and try as hard as i can to be as crazy hot as this girl is.

That's my post for this evening, hope you're all well.

xxx

My Quirky Practices.

(Image found via Blue Ant Studio)

Unlike lucky Julia who is currently free as a bird, I am enslaved by my work and am being held hostage by 'the man'. Sure, it's my own doing, but it still kind of sucks. Working full time in an emotionally draining job, then having to come home and learn about how to do my job better (I'm doing honours in psych part time over the next two years) really takes it's toll. I've no time to do anything other than work and uni and it's not going to stop for another year and a half! Ugh!

So, my recent 'life dilemma' of being stuck in a perpetual state of stress has got me thinking... What lengths should people go to to achieve their 'life goals'?

My life goal is to run my own private psychology practice. It's going to be very highly regarded and it's approach to treatment will be ingenious.

One of my rooms will look something like this;

And because everyone is different and feels comfortable in different settings, I'll have another room that looks something like this;



My special therapy chair will look something like this;



And my practice will be full of quirky decorations (like the magazine table) to both look cool and to act as talking pieces.

When I publish my first critically acclaimed book, I'll dream about using this font;

So, my life consists of almost nothing else but psychological interventions for the next two years. Yes it's stressful, yes I'm boring to hang out with, and no I can't go out to have a drink with you tonight. But I'm cool with that, as long as I can keep working towards the idea of my brilliant practice.

(Excluding the first, all images found via the ever wonderful Apartment Therapy).

Autumn Pasta x Deux

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I know, I know, I didn't post every day like I promised or even every second day. But here, take my hand and let me make it up to you with not one but two glorious, easy, very seasonally appropriate pasta dishes. I have to admit I have nothing very witty or clever to say about these babies. They just make for good, tasty everyday fare. Although one is based on a pretty classic combination they're both improvised, so instructions are somewhat loose. Feel free to experiment wildly.


Roast Pumpkin and Sage Brown Butter Fettuccine


Feeds 3-ish

Ingredients:
1 300g packet of egg fettuccine or linguine
1/2 a butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubes into 1cm pieces, seeds reserved
A splash of olive oil
3 tbs of quality butter (or to taste)
1/2 a bunch of sage (a small handful)
Grated or shaved Parmesan, to serve.

Method:
1. Toss the pumpkin cubes in olive oil and bake at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes or until tender and golden. I like to roast the seeds, too (they take on a lovely popcorn flavour and are scientifically proven to make you happy - true story), so I usually chuck them in with the pumplkin after about 15 minutes in so they don't burn.
2. Cook your pasta according to packet instructions
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the sage and cook until the butter is slightly brown and the sage is crispy.
4. Drain pasta, top with pumpkin pieces and seeds, drizzle over sage butter and serve with salt and pepper, plenty of Parmesan and a green salad.

Tomato, Puy Lentil and Spinach Penne

Feeds 4-ish

Ingredients:
400g penne
3/4 cup puy lentils
A splash of olive oil
3 anchovies (optional)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 400g tins tomatoes
a splash of wine (optional)
2 big handfuls baby spinach
a nob of butter (optional)
flat leaf parsley, to serve

Method:

1. Prepare lentils according to packet instructions. This usually involves boiling them for 20 minutes.
2. Warm the olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic, chili flakes and anchovies if desired and cook for a minute or until anchovies have dissolved and garlic is transparent.
3. Add tomatoes and a splash of wine if using. Bring to the boil.
4. Reduce to simmer and add the spinach. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until sauce has reduced slightly, spinach has wilted and tinned tomatoey flavour is gone.
5. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to packet instructions.
6. Serve sauce on top of, or mixed through pasta and topped with plenty of flat leaf parsley. Rusticly charming.

Winter's Love

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Colored Smoke by Helmo via It's Nice That

I've been thinking about how I'm going to spend my upcoming stimulus package (or 'Rudmunny' as my friend Katy calls it) and have decided to appease our charming PM and spend it up good. Spend it up real good on a new wardrobe to keep me both toasty and dashing this winter.

However, my new year's resolution this year was quite simple: buy less stuff. And so far, I've totally stuck to it - I've hardly bought a single item that wasn't food-related all year. This may be attributable to the fact that I also haven't had a job all year and my unemployment benefits don't really leave much room for Dolce and Gabbana, but whateves, I'm still counting this as a major achievement.

And in the spirit of that achievement, I've decided to try and go as minimalist as possible this winter. I'm going to buy a few classic, versatile and grown-up pieces - I'm thinking muted tones and geometric silhouettes, hopefully find some op shop gems and jazz it all up with a few dramatic, homemade accessories and some bright as bright tights.

Consider the following my inspiration board:

witchery

mociun

lululovesgrace

gorman

marco polo organics

ban.do

a small collection
malene birger

satorialist

ozetta

And a tune to match:

Animal Collective - Winter's Love


PS. I feel real guilty for abandoning yee all this past month, so I'm going to try and redeem myself the best way I know how and post every day for the next week.
Or every other day.
Maybe.