Monday Munchies: Cold Curry Rice!

Hello everyone! Happy Monday! And even more, Happy Cyber Monday!


I know, I know, this is my 200th blog entry, and I should have something better for it than just a recipe entry, but since I've already missed a full week of blogging, being on vacation can do that kind of stuff to you... I have decided to push back my intended "Etiquette for Etsy and/or online buyers" post till some other time, maybe the 250th entry?


And it's not like I have enough time off, since poor G still has to go in the morning to work while I either go back to sleep or grab a cup of tea and snuggle to read or check the web... except for last week when we went to Darjeeling to have more tea than water and see the views of the Himalayas!


In my experience, vacation makes me lazy! So, without further ado, I leave you with the recipe for this Monday!



Cold Curry Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- - 300 gr rice

- -- 1 teaspoon curry

- - 100 gr raisins

- - 2 apples

- - 1/2 lemon squeezed

- - Pinch of salt

Method:

- - Re-hydrate the raisins in warm water for about 15-20 minutes.

- - In the meantime, put a pan of water with salt on high heat, and add the rice as it starts to boil. Stir the rice and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

- - Mix the curry with water and add it to the rice. Stir it in and put the lid on the pan. Let it simmer for 10 more minutes. Then drain well and put it a wide bowl, stir well till the rice is fluffy and not all stickied up. Let it cool.

- - Wash the apples, cut them up in halves and core them. Chop them and pour the lemon juice over them, so they will not brown. Drain the raisins and mix with the rice. Add the apple chunks too. Mix and serve cold.

If you substitute the water for boiling the rice for vegetable broth, it’ll be even tastier.

Ebee Paperie!

Hello from India everyone!


This is still one of my scheduled entries, since with the whole trip, unpacking and getting into the whole routine at G's house, I thought it better to have all blog entries planned, and then start next week afresh, though I may have to schedule some entries too, since we'll be going to Darjeeling for a few days!


Today, I wanted to show off the cutest set of note cards for any photographer to have! As soon as I saw these cuties at Ebee Paperie's Etsy shop I fell in love! These cards are really cute and not cluttered and really to the point, with the super cute camera image in there. They're blank, so they can be used for any and all purposes! And you'll have to agree with me, the grocery bag/kraft envelopes do round up the whole set great!.










Erin was super generous to send me a set of her Camera note cards when I asked her if she did ship internationally in her Ebee Paperie shop, and I do know for sure I must get me a few more sets of them! If I finally manage to get my act together and work on selling my photography, I fully intend to use them as thank you cards for my (future & hypothetical) customers!








Ebee Paperie is one of the three ventures of Erin, along with Erin Bradley Designs and Ink Obsession Designs! She's a designer, and if you add to that her love for paper & ink, you can understand how she juggles all three shops! In her Erin Bradley Designs Etsy shop you can find premade sets of banner, avatar and even logos for your Etsy shop, at her Ink Obsession Designs shop you can find all sort of invitations and cards for all occasions, premade & printable, with even more variety at her website. And Ebee Paperie is the shop for all sort of printed cards!


I found Erin on blogger, and started following her Ink Obsession blog, and really loved her graphic design style, and as she started adding blogs, one for Ebee Paperie and one as a more personal one, I followed them too. She's quite fun to read, and she sometimes shares some important lessons with her fellow bloggers, like "always back up your files on an external HDD or you'll cry!" and "Do not use your laptop or HDD as a coaster for your coffee/tea!" (and I have to say, I am guilty of the last one, or should I say, I was?).


If you have an Etsy shop and want to get your shop a bit more festive but are tight on budget to get one of Erin's premade sets, you're lucky, cause she's offering a free Holiday set of banner & avatar for your Etsy shop in her blog! http://erinbradleydesigns.blogspot.com/2010/11/holiday-freebie.html


Have a great Friday & weekend everyone! I know I will, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows part 1, here we go! ;)

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Lady Moon Designs!!

Hello everyone! *waves* You can consider this the equivalent of a recorded message, cause right now, I'm either killing time at Heathrow's airport, or flying towards Delhi & the bf!


But, I thought that wasn't a reason to abandon the blog, and thanks to Blogger scheduled posts, I'm bringing you yet another edition of Wearing Handmade Wednesday!

Lady Moon Designs Dark Love Shrug

Lady Moon Designs is the perfect shop for you to visit if you want tops, skirts, jackets, corsets with an alternative sense of fashion and a healthy dose of goth! Anna, the very talented designer, seamstress and one-woman-factory behind it, lives in Tasmania (how cool is that?). Her pieces are gorgeous, with the coolest fabrics and great quality! I own many pieces, including some sexy underbust corsets! Now, I have my eye in a Ring Master jacket with that amazing purple skull damask fabric... And, if you need more reasons to visit her shop, she offers Free Worldwide Shipping!

Monday Munchies: Seekh Kebabs, easy recipe by Miss Masala!

Monday is here, but this Monday for me is a very exciting one! It's my last of work before my one month trip to India to visit the bf!


So, what better way to mix both things than doing a Monday Munchies entry with an absolutely yummy Indian recipe?


This recipe can be found in "Miss Masala: Real Indian Cooking for Busy Living" by Malika Bassu. And let me tell you, if you want to start cooking Indian dishes, and either aren't an expert cook, or don't like cooking all that much to spend hours on end in the kitchen (like myself), this IS the book you need! Also, you can check her website/blog for even more yummy recipes!


First of all, you get explanations on all sort of things important on Indian cooking, like the different spices, tricks & shortcuts you're never told in regular cookbooks, and everything that Malika has learnt in her path to enjoy her homeland food without changing her modern lifestyle!


The Seekh Kebabs recipe is the first one I've tried, mainly cause they're G's favourite dish, and I really wanted to see if I could make them easily or if we'd be resigned to only eat them at restaurants... Well, it really is a surprisingly easy recipe to put together, and a REALLY yummy one! If you don't want them too spicy, you can always play around with the quantities till you find the right balance for you! Also, the recipe uses minced mutton (lamb), but you can use other meats, I plan on making them next time with chicken. Now, onto the recipe:


Seekh Kebabs
Makes about 15 kebabs

Ingredients:

- 8 cm (3 inch) root ginger.
- 12 garlic cloves.
- 25 gr (1oz) fresh mint.
- 25 gr (1oz) fresh coriander
- 1 kg (2lb 3oz) minced lamb (or chicken, beef...)
- 1 large egg.
- 3 teaspoons Garam Masala.
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder.
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg.
- 2 teaspoons salt.
- 15 bamboo skewers


Method:

1. Peel the ginger & garlic, pink the mint leaves from their stems and cut off the hard ends of the coriander stalks. Beat the egg in a small bowl.
2. In a food processor, whiz together half the ginger, garlic and fresh herbs, along with one quarter of the mince and half the egg. Grind the meat to a smooth creamy paste. Remove this into a large mixing bowl and blitz another quarter of the mean with the rest of the ginger, garlic, fresh herb & remaining egg.
3. Now, add the remaining meat to the bowl, along with the spices and salt, and go in with your fingers, mixing the whole lot. You want the ground meat and the mince to integrate well together so no one notices that you cheated by not grinding half the mince.
4. Cover the bowl with a plate or cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or longer if possible. Overnight would be great too.
5. When you're ready to go, dampen your hands and divide the mixture into 15 even-sized lumps. Moistening your hands under the tap will prevent the mixture from sticking to them. Likewise, soaking the bamboo skewers in water for 20 mins will prevent them burning in the heat of the barbecue or grill (cause I doubt any of you have a tandoori oven at home). Then take each lump and shape it into a narrow sausage around one of the skewers. Keep wetting your palm to make this process as easy as possible.
6. Finally barbecue or grill each kebab at high temperature for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking. Serve piping hot!

Now, a word of warning, don't allow the friends or family to start trying them out before getting them to the table, they might not make it... They're that good! ;)

Getting ready to leave, the handmade way!

Hello everyone!


Is it Friday now? I'm in a bit of a whirlwind as of late with all the preparations for my trip, working extra shifts to cover the extra days off I'm taking, and just trying to pack for one full month!


Main thing I've realized... I really need a bigger suitcase for next time!


I just wanted to share a few of the handmade goodies that are basics for my packing & trip planning!


First, I'll start with my carry on luggage, I need a bag big enough to carry chargers, and all sort of basics, a book and my camera, so my Brooke Van Gory camera bag is absolutely ideal! Roomy, but fits the measurements for carry on luggage, and with plenty of space & pockets for everything! To add to its specialness, my bag is made with Rocky The Zombie panels, custom painted for it!






Second, any savvy traveler will tell you, bring all the essentials you can with you, and with the new regulations for liquids for carry on luggage, a small travel kit with all my facial care essentials is a must, and Spa Therapy Work has just the right thing!




And last but not least for this lil show off, my awesome contact lens case from Glamasaurus, ideal to always carry in all bags, not just in my carry on, so I can always be ready for an impromptu overnight stay at any point! Ain't it just super cute and cool!? ;)





That's all for now, some more next week, I'll have some posts ready for even during my flight! ;)

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Bunny Massacre Designs!

Hi there again everyone!


Wednesday is rolling in again, bringing us another edition of Wearing Handmade Wednesday!

My Bunny Massacre Scarlet letter, A for Atheist, custom dress

This week I'm gonna introduce you to a very talented lady from the UK, called Celeste, and her amazing brand of clothing called Bunny Massacre Designs! I found her on eBay, when handmade pieces were big there, and then she moved onto Etsy. I've got quite a few of her great designs, fantastically constructed and finished, and I even got this wonderful custom dress made from a t-shirt from the "Out Campaign" for atheists. A gorgeous dress that I can wear out proudly!


Right now, Celeste is having a huge sale on selected items on her shop, so pop by and check it out! I'm sure you'll find something you will love!

Monday Munchies: Baked Apples!

Monday is here once again, and to start another week the yummy way, I'm sharing yet another recipe with you all, and to help making Monday a bit better, this time is a dessert!


Once again, I got the recipe from a Spanish cooking magazine, "Cocina Fácil" (Easy Cooking). This recipe is yummy all year round, but using the oven is always better when the weather is getting cold, and apples just spell autumn!


Baked Apples
Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 4 Reineta apples (I've done a bit of search, and for you overseas people it suggests you use Pippin apples).
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons white wine
- butter




Method:

1. In a bowl mix the cinnamon and sugar.
   
2. Wash the apples, dry them well and core them, either with a knife or an apple corer.
3. Preheat the over at 180ºC (350ºF). Put the apples in a oven dish/baking pan, make sure there's some space in between the apples.
4. Stuff each apple with a walnut sized bit of butter and a quarter of the sugar & cinnamon mix.
5. Pour a tablespoon of the white wine over each one of the apples.
   
6. Bake for about 30 minutes.
7. Take them out of the over and let them cool. Serve each one in a dessert plane, pouring over them the leftover juices left in the pan and serve.
8. Enjoy!

Immortal Longings: Shakespeare Art & Illustrations from London!

Friday is here! But for me, this week is just one more day in the quite long chain of days in a row I have to work, but it's all for the good of spending one full month in India with the bf, so I will not be complaining!


I want to share a shop that is a must for all book lovers, writers, aspiring writers and lovers of art in general! I discovered this shop while doing a search for journals on Etsy, and when I saw Immortal Longings' The Tempest leather journal, I just fell in love! I started checking out their entire shop, and wow, all filled with gorgeous illustrations by Elisabeth E. Schuch all inspired in the works of the Bard, in the shape of prints, calendars, postcards, journals, bookmarks, or even wrapping paper (Hamlet wrapping paper, ain't that amazing?).


It goes without saying that I've spent quite some time looking at this shop, wondering what to get, cause "everything" wouldn't really sit too well with my wallet nor my bank account, so I narrowed it down to choosing between all the available sets of leather journal & bookmark, and that was a hard job in itself. Midsummer's Night Dream? Maybe Romeo & Juliet? Twelfth Night? Macbeth? Much Ado About Nothing? Waaaay too many choices!


What to do? Well, I decided to go back to what drove me to the shop, and I settled on The Tempest set, not only is a play I like, but also it's blue, and that's my favourite colour! So, I went ahead, and ordered my Tempest bookmark & journal set!


When the package arrived, in less than a week, from London (apparently Royal Mail is back to normal again) the first thing I noticed was how well protected the journal arrived. There was this thick wrapping of giant bubble wrap around it!


Not only I got my amazing journal & bookmark, but I also got a Tempest postcard, and I absolutely love the illustration!






The journal is the perfect size to take with you in your handbag (unless you have a small one or a clutch) and I absolutely love the combined smell of the leather & inks... smells like a new book ready to be written or read! Sort of like the smell on old style bookstores... Forgive the crazy bookworm talk! ;)






What can I say, I'm in love with my journal, and I'm really hoping it'll help me get back into writing... it's been way too long since I've managed to write something other than my little ramblings here.







Hopefully, I'll be able to fill it up with short stories, ideas for shoots, all sort of things, so I can buy another sort of soon! ;) I'm still trying to decide which one would make the perfect Guest Book? Any ideas? Also, I'm thinking I really need that Hamlet wrapping paper...

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Fabulously Fierce Pets!!

Wednesday is once again here, so once again it's also time for Wearing Handmade Wednesday!


This week I'm also having a guest model, and you'll have to agree that she's a total cutie!

Miss Indy sporting her new Fabulously Fierce Pets leash bag!

Once I gave the Fabulously Fierce Pets' leash bags and the new collar to my friend Pilu, she though that Miss Indy needed to show off the leash bag as if she were a St Bernard with its barrel!


If your pets, be it a doggie or a kitty, need a new collar or you want something to hold your mobile phone & the home keys while you walk your doggie while wearing something without pockets, Fabulously Fierce Pets and her collars & leash bags are ideal for you! And if you need any advice or help about what to get exactly for your needs, Kylie as a pet owner herself can always help on what will be best!

Post Halloween Monday Munchies: Chicken Brochettes

Hello everyone!


Happy (belated) Halloween!! Halloween has to be my favourite holiday of the year, but since this year I was in Spain and at work, I didn't really get to celebrate it much. I had planned to have a blog entry with Halloween cupcakes, but I didn't manage to make them, so I'm just gonna share another yummy recipe and show off my Halloween ornaments by the very talented Ana, from Camamiel!






And now, onto the recipe. Like the Sweet & Sour Chicken, this recipe is from the Cocina Fácil (Easy Cooking) magazine, and has become one of my favourite comfort foods!

Chicken Brochettes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 3/4 kg chicken breasts.
- 100 ml soy sauce.
- 100 ml honey.
- Toasted sesame seeds.
- Olive oil.
- Salt & pepper

Method:

1. Clean the chicken and cut into bite sized cubes, salt & pepper to taste and reserve in a big bowl.
2. Whisk the soy sauce and honey with a lil water. Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, more if possible. Then drain the chicken cubes and fry them on a pan with olive oil.
3. Pour sesame seeds in a bowl and dip the chicken pieces in them as you take them off the frying pan.
4. Now it's the time to make the brochettes, put about 5 pieces of chicken on each wood/bamboo skewer, alternatively you can leave the chicken pieces as they are.
5. Pour the marinade in another pan on medium heat, and stir till it becomes syrup-like, then pour it over the chicken pieces or the brochettes.
6. Serve hot, don't be over eager and burn yourself, and ENJOY!