New Year's Eve & Happy 2013!!

Well, today is the 31st of December, and we tend to think back on the year we are leaving and reflect on the good and bad things. And we start with resolutions and wishes for the next year.

I'm fairly hopeful for 2013, and I'm fairly thankful for all the good things that 2012 had in stock for me. Not saying it didn't have bad things, cause it did, and things are not looking particularly rosy for the economy of my country or the people in it, but call it what you may, I still choose to look at the good things first and the bad ones... I just shoulder them and move on. 

That's gonna be probably my only resolution for the new year, to keep thinking positive, taking things the best I can and focusing to look on the bright side of things. Also, 2013 sounds like a good year for a big bloody change for me once and for all, so I hope I'll have scary but happy news for you guys this year!

I'm now gonna leave you with a few photos from this past year that reflect on the good part of it!

Gaurav and his friend Bhuvie, going Gangnam style underwater in Thailand

My first time attending a really big fat Indian wedding and wearing a saree! 

 My first trip to Ireland!

Guinness does taste better in Dublin! 

Wonders of the Ancient World: Newgrange! 

The good things of my job: awesome co-workers and patients that make it! 

And few things are better than the wedding of one of your best friends, and you being the photographer!

With these photos and happy memories, I wave goodbye to 2012 and will welcome tonight 2013 with my family and the 12 grapes to wish for strength and happiness for the next year! 

Happy New Year 2013!! ¡¡Feliz Año 2013!!

Friday Feature: Camamiel!

Well, my blogging hasn't really gone back into full force, but at least, I'm trying to update weekly, and hopefully I'll eventually get back into my 3 posts a week routine!

Today, the first of my days off at work for the holidays, I wanted to make a special Friday Feature! 

I might have mentioned Deb from On Cupcake Moon before, and how we have become taste twins, and how thanks to our common taste for awesome handmade goodies and shops we have connected and became great friends, and I actually can't wait to meet her in person (hopefully next year, twin!).

So, this year I wanted to make her a special Xmas gift, since I know we both love unique things, and after seeing her buying one of Camamiel's Xmas Angels, I thought that a fantastic gift would be a Camamiel mini-Deb! 

 Deb and her Camamiel's mini-Deb!

And we did it! We based the doll on a cartoon of herself that Deb draw, with her kitty, and Ana Camamiel did an absolutely astounding job making sure the doll was a faithful reproduction even to the Rocky The Zombie tee she's wearing!


And Deb absolutely loved it!! So, yeah, further proof that buying handmade is absolutely the best way to go for gift giving!!

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Julian Bean!!

Hello everyone! Not keeping my promise as well as I should, but I'm finally back with a blog entry!

For today's Wearing Handmade Wednesday one of my besties since college and fellow nurse, Pilu, and featuring one of my very favourite artisans & crafters, Erin from Julian Bean!

I fell in love with this set a while back, and since Pilu's favourite colours is black, and this black and white set was just perfect! And Pilu absolutely loved it!

Buying handmade is always a guarantee of an unique gift, and one that will be loved by the recipient, and also, quite a wonderful experience, buying from an independent artisan that puts loads of love into their work! 

Support handmade and independent artisan and crafters!

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: ReLovePlanet!!

Hello everyone!

This week I'm having a few more days of than I've previously had, so that reflects back a bit on my motivation, and also on my blogging, luckily!

For this week's Wearing Handmade Wednesday I'm using a shot of me and the bf singing "Angels" by Robbie Williams at a bar's karaoke night!

My ReLovePlanet slouch top

I've talked about the amazing Biance and her ReLovePlan.et shop and blog before, but I just wanted to show off one of my fave tops from her, that has the perfect comfy, slouchy fit, but that also looks very nice dressed up to go out!

That's all for today folks, hopefully there are more entries coming this week!

Monday Munchies: Piwi's Tiramisu Cupcakes!

Hello everyone!

New Monday, new week and finally new blog entry and new recipe: Monday Munchies is back!

Quite a while back I shared the recipe of a Cottage Cheese Tiramisu that me and my mum found at our usual cooking magazine Cocina Fácil (Easy Cooking) that we modified a bit, and that everyone in the family totally adores! 

So it was only natural that I wanted to turn that recipe into cupcakes!

Piwi's Tiramisu Cupcakes

I opted for a basic vegan vanilla recipe for the base cupcake, since it'd be the most similar to the lady fingers taste.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup soy milk

- Pinch tumeric powder

- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 2 TBS constarch

- 3/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/3 cup sunflower oil

- 3/4 cup granulated/brown sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Pre-heat oven at 350ºF/180ºC. Line tin with papers. Beat tumeric powder with milk, cook stirring often in medium-low heat till the milk starts simmering, about 2 to 3 minutes, when milk has yellow hue, remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Add vinegar to milk and whisk to curdle. Beat oil, sugar, extract and milk till foamy. Sift in flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until no large lump remains. Fill liners about 2/3. Bake 20 to 22 minutes.

Let the cupcakes cool for about 5 minutes in the tin, and then move them to a cooling rack to let them cool completely. Meanwhile make the chicory coffe and the cottage cheese cream.

Cottage Cheese Cream

Ingredients:

- 500 grams goat's cottage cheese

- 100 grams icing sugar

- 4 egg whites

- pinch of salt and drops lemon juice

Method:

Mix the goat's cheese with half the sugar till creamy. Beat egg whites on high speed with the salt and lemon juice, when soft peaks start forming add the rest of the icing sugar. Beat well, fold in with the cheese cream. Refrigerate till needed.

To assemble, make a hole in the cupcakes with an apple corer, soak the cupcakes with the chicory coffee (don't be shy!) and fill in with the cheese cream. Top with the cake topper and then pipe a dollop of cream. Sprinkle with Nesquik! Enjoy!

These were very much liked by my nephews and my co-workers, but on my first try, I was a bit sparse with the coffe soaking, so I'll be more indulgent next time!