live | christmas gift guide... Ideal Home Show

Last week, we made a trip to the Ideal Home Show at Christmas.  We've never been to the show before, but have heard some great things about it, and thought it would be nice to see all the cool things that are on offer.  We took the tube up and emerged from Earl's Court Station to find ourselves in a veritable Winter Wonderland, complete with fake snow, Christmas trees, Father Christmas on his sleigh, elves and reindeer.  Some technical whizz somewhere had come up with a way of making the fake snow actually fall from the sky (or just the top of the building!) so it felt like it was really snowing! It was cold enough to be convincing too! 

We were completely struck by how enormous the whole place was! The snow is centered around an ice rink on the ground floor, which, if we had booked in advance, would have allowed us to ice skate for the first time indoors! We hadn't booked, though, and it was busy all day.  

I thought I would write this post as a sort of Christmas gift guide.  The show was blocked out into various different areas: Interiors & Home Accessories, Technology & Gadgets, Home Improvements & Outdoor Living, Food & Drink and Fashion & Beauty.  Finally, there was a whole section on Christmas gifts and decorations.  In each section we found some gems that would be great to add to your Christmas list, or think about buying (or making!) for someone you love.  

Fashion & Beauty

We ended up firstly in the Fashion & Beauty section, which Sarah and I have to admit was rather more underwhelming than we had hoped! Not being fans of Peter Andre or Amy Childs seemed to put us at a bit of a loss as to what to look at! Either way, on venturing further, we found some lovely stalls selling genuinely pretty things.

Loving that necklace!

Estella Bartlett

Our favourite was definitely a company called 'Estella Bartlett', who make beautiful delicate necklaces and bracelets.  They'd make perfect gifts, and you can find them either online at their own site, or in John Lewis.  We particularly loved their 'botanica' necklace, which features a silver plated leaf. 

I think we loved the packaging nearly as much as the accessories! So simple, clean and classy.

Beautiful swathes
of shimmer

The Little Tibet 

We enjoyed 'The Little Tibet's' stall a lot too.  They are a small company bringing authentic Tibetan products to London.  They had some beautiful multi-coloured silk scarves that looked so shimmery on the models, with a lovely classic paisley design.  These kinds of scarves never go out of fashion and are always welcome at Christmas.  We don't like having cold necks, but it's always a bore to wear the same scarf every day - so it's nice to be able to change it up a bit!  

Zuzka Natural Beauty 

Honey Glow!

Finally, we were struck by 'Zuzka Natural Beauty's' stall.  This is a cosmetics company developed by a lady who had suffered from really sensitive skin for a long time, so she developed a range of natural cosmetics that would be suitable for even the most allergy-prone skin.  We were drawn to the stall by the lovely products which really utilise natural herbs and flowers.  The company is actually based in Dorset, which is quite a long way away, but they do have a website where you can buy online.  

We were also attracted by the fact that all Zuzka's products are organic.  Our skin is our biggest organ - there's logic behind saying if you wouldn't put it in your mouth, don't put it on your face! Medical research has shown that carcinogens in our skin products can pass through the skin and into the bloodstream, so it's best to go as simple and as clean as you can.  Zuzka only use organic herbs and flowers, and don't have any harsh detergents, SLS, synthetic ingredients,
animal ingredients or artificial fragrances.  We loved the 'Honey Glow' range, which was created to
bring life back to dry skin.

Food & Drink 

Around the corner from the Fashion & Beauty area, we hit the Food & Drink part of the exhibition.  As you can imagine, we were quite excited about all the new things on offer here!! There was even a Christmas Cookery Theatre where, had we arrived at the right time, we could have seen the likes of Aldo Zilli or Gino D'Acampo cooking up an Italian Christmas.  I was quite upset we missed Gino actually, as I am big fan of his cookery books.  'The Italian Diet' would make a lovely Christmas present for anyone who loves Italian food, but also is mindful of their health or wants to lose weight.  The food is gorgeous - literally every recipe in there is something our family would eat.  

Chia UK 

Chia seeds galore!

We were really excited to learn more about the new health craze: Chia seeds.  Where better to head than the 'Chia UK' stall?  The people on the stall were really friendly and gave us lots of interesting information.  Chia seeds are an amazing wholefood.  It's a nutty tasting seed, from a plant that's a member of the mint family.  Like the nutritional powerhouse quinoa, chia has really high protein levels, but is also balanced with carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.  Not only that, but it has more Omega 3 than any other plant that we know of.  It's really good for any stomach issues you might have.  Being a member of the mint family means it's a great aid for digestion..  It also is really good for any athletes you know because it maintains the electrolyte balance and improves stamina during exercise.  If you're interested in this element of chia seeds, you might like a recipe we saw for a natural chia energy drink from the amazing 

website 'Oh She Glows'.  

Chia UK were offering a range of products, including, obviously, bags of chia seeds, but as a more interesting Christmas gift, you could combine this with some interesting books on the subject.  

Yonanas 

So cool.  So tasty.  So healthy!

OK.  So we didn't think it got much cooler than this.  This company were offering the most amazing ice cream maker - at it's most basic, you take some bananas, freeze them, take them out of the freezer 15 minutes before you want to eat ice cream, and then literally put them through this machine, with nothing else! to make the yummiest frozen banana ice cream we've ever had.  But it doesn't stop there, because there are so many different recipes! We tried banana and berries, but there were also exciting 'cookie dough' flavours (banana and a couple of biscuits), banana and chocolate, banana and anything else you can think of!.  We got very excited.  The machine costs around £30, and would make a great present for a family who likes ice cream (us please!) 

Olivier's Bakery 

Friendly Olivier and
his delicious bread.

Now, we know this isn't a standard idea for a Christmas present, but if you know us, you'll know that we love really good bread.  We get excited over great sourdough.  If you like bread too, or you know someone who does, why not give them a nice hamper of great flour, fantastic yeast, maybe a nice mixing bowl, and a bread recipe book.  

Olivier himself was at the show, and he was very friendly!  He showed us all the speciality bread he makes, and I told him that I remembered seeing his stall at Borough Market.  Olivier was born in France, and his baguettes are testament to his heritage.  Delicious! He uses organic flour for most of his products, and he even does a 100% spelt loaf, which is very tasty!

Technology, Gadgets, Home Improvements & Outdoor Living 

We put these two areas together.  There was a lot to see here! 

Hello, Little Printer!

Little Printer

This is an amazingly cool, web-connected printer, that would fit in the palm of your hand! It's really cute and perfect for anyone who lives a busy life but doesn't like reading off a screen all the time.  You use your smartphone to subscribe to over 100 different publications like BBC Good Food Magazine, or the Guardian, and the Little Printer gathers all your news into a miniature newspaper, that you can print at the push of a button.  You can even create your own publications, and print personalised content to loads of different people.  The printer costs £169.  

We had our photo taken,
and then printed
by Little Printer!

Meadow in my Garden 

We loved 'Meadow in my Garden's' stall.  This company sells seed mixes to transform your garden into a beautiful summer meadow! They're a very environmentally conscious company, conscious of the pressures imposed by us on pollinating insects and birds.  The UK has lost about 97% of it's wildflower meadows since the 1930's, and this has had a big impact on pollinator numbers. With this in mind, they hope to allow us all to create a mini-meadow somewhere in our back gardens.  There are over 13,000 square km of gardens in the UK, more than all the nature reserves put together!  So if we all do something to restore these important environments, we'll be on the right track to re-create the biodiversity found in Britain not too long ago.  

Who fancies a beautiful
meadow in their back garden?

The company make a really wide range of easy to grow seed mixes that can be tailor-bought for any particular garden.  Have a look at their website for all the different options available.  Their 'meadow in a box' presents would be a lovely gift, and don't cost too much money either - from £2.99 to about £10.  

Diverse Vinyl

This is a totally cool shop for any music-lovers out there.  They offer new music, but on vinyl.  Simple, and very cool.  

We particularly liked the 'Play & Display Flip Frame', which, for £39, allows you to hang your records on your wall in a nice frame, but then really easily to swap in and out different records to change the display, or take them out to play them without having to take the frame off the wall.  Great idea.  

Mango Crafts

This company uses wood from salvaged, reclaimed or managed sources to create amazing furniture.  

The furniture really shows off the wood to it's best advantage.  It looks so beautiful and natural!

Christmas Decorations 

Just one for this... we love them and we know you'll already love them too... 

Yankee Candle

We love all the different smells! The new Christmas ones are divine.  Sarah was a fan of 'Christmas Cookie' and 'Merry Marshmallow', whilst I loved 'Apple & Pine'.  So lovely.  The gift set shown costs £14.99.  

So, we had a lovely time!

We enjoyed ourselves, and hope to go back to the Spring time show next year! 

Enjoy today!! 

- rosinaviolets    x

make | christmas cake!!

So, it's getting near to that time of year again everyone! I hope you are looking forward to a good relaxing break, and to showering all your favourite people with love.  I can't believe this year has gone so quickly! This weekend, we seized the moment, and decided to bake our Christmas cake.  This recipe will make one round cake in a tin with a diameter of about 20cm.  It's not got too much sugar or saturated fat either, so it's a little bit healthier than standard Christmas fare.  But Christmas is all about indulging and living it up a bit, so don't worry too much - you can always live more healthfully again in the New Year! The cake still comes out rich in fruit and dark, two things our Dad requires in a good Christmas cake.  Our advice is to make ahead and feed with brandy every week until you marzipan and ice it.  Have fun with your decoration! We will keep you updated with what we choose to do with ours.

Merry Christmas in advance everyone!

- rosinaviolets    x

Christmas Cake
Makes 1 20cm round cake

20cm round cake tin
375ml orange juice
200g candied orange peel
150g dried cranberries
150g chopped dried apricots
150g chopped prunes
100g currants
140g plain flour (keep half back to coat the fruit)
100g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
60ml olive oil
2 tablespoons margarine, at room temperature
3 tablespoons black treacle
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites

• Grease the cake tin with some margarine.  Line it with a double layer of baking parchment.  Preheat the oven to 140C.  

• Bring the orange juice to a simmer in a small pan.  Mix the orange peel, dried cranberries, apricots, prunes and currants in a large bowl and pour the orange juice over the fruit.  Let the bowl sit for about 10 minutes until most of the juice is absorbed.  Strain out any excess before tossing the fruit with 70g plain flour, to coat.  

• In another bowl, stir together the rest of the plain flour (70g), baking powder, wholemeal self-raising flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and salt.  

• In another (sorry washer uppers!) bowl, put the sugar, oil and margarine.  Use an electric whisk to beat together until smooth.  This will take about 2 minutes.  

• Beat in the black treacle and the vanilla extract.  Now add the egg whites and whisk for a couple of minutes to incorporate some air.  

• Use the electric whisk to beat in the dry ingredients. 

• Now pour in the fruit mixture.  Mix it well! Let everyone have a go at stirring, for good luck.  

• Put the mixture into your prepared tin, and bake in the centre of the oven for up to 3 hours.  Check on it during the last hour.  The cake should be lightly browned, and firm to the touch.  If you put a skewer into the centre, it should come out clean. 

• Let the cake cool in the pan sitting on a wire rack for 20 minutes.  Then you can take it out of the pan, and let it cool completely.  

• To get it all boozy in time for Christmas, you can either wrap the cake in a piece of cheesecloth drizzled in 2 tablespoons of brandy, then cover it all up in cling film and then foil.  You can leave it in a cool place for up to 2 months, adding a bit more brandy to the cloth every fortnight. Alternatively, you can skewer all over the top of the cake in concentric circles and drizzle a tablespoon of brandy over the top once a week.  Make sure after each addition you wrap the cake up again really well, and don't keep it anywhere warm.  If in doubt, make some room in the fridge.  

make | lemony glazed chicken

This week we created a delicious peppery marinade to put on your chicken or turkey breasts.  We did it with chopped up turkey breasts, and then in the same pan we baked some new potatoes and veg.  You can use this marinade on other meats too - let us know how you get on!

The glaze is a great way of getting some yummy flavour into chicken breasts, which can be a bit bland just by themselves.  It's really easy and quick to make and utilises honey for sweetness and Dijon mustard to contrast.  Honey is really good for you.  Our friend Rowena and her family keep bees which make the most delicious honey! And it's local! It's a great source of antioxidants and has particularly special ones called flavonoids which can help prevent cancer and other inflammatory diseases.  All honey is also naturally antibacterial because of a special enzyme the bees put in it which creates hydrogen peroxide.  This means it's particularly good for your stomach and has even been shown to help treat stomach ulcers!

Enjoy today!!

- rosinaviolets    x

Lemony Glazed Chicken

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts
4 tablespoons honey
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
400g baby potatoes, cut in half
steamed broccoli & vegetables to serve

• Slash each chicken breast two or three times.  

• In a shallow dish, mix honey, lemon zest and juice, garlic, mustard & pepper.  Add the chicken, marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge (for best results - leave overnight).  

• Bring your oven up to 200C.  Arrange the potatoes and chicken in a single layer in your tin.  You can also add other vegetables that like to be roasted (we had some leeks in the fridge and some mushrooms).  Pour over the marinade.  

• Roast for 25 - 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked.  

• Serve with vegetables.  

make | pumpkin soup

We always think it's a shame you can only buy pumpkins in the supermarket over Halloween.  But while they are there, we take advantage and buy a couple to enjoy! We've had them as a replacement for our favourite butternut squash in lots of recipes.  Particularly successful was a delicious beef and pumpkin curry!

But this week is a really easy recipe that you absolutely can't go wrong with.  Hardly any ingredients, hardly any prep.  Just boil, blitz and eat!

So here it is, our favourite pumpkin soup.

Enjoy today!!

- rosinaviolets    x

Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4 generously

1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
750g veg (we used 600g pumpkin, 150g carrots)
2 1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
2 tsp turmeric
250ml water
500ml vegetable stock

• Prepare your veg.  Mince the onion and garlic, cube the carrots and pumpkin.  

• Add all veg and spices to pot.  Add liquid, bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes until everything is tender.  

• Allow to cool a little, then use your blitzer to blend everything together! 

• This makes a thick soup, but you can add more stock to get it to the consistency you like.  You can even add some lentils, or pearl barley to make the soup more substantial.  

make | winter vegetable hash

Good evening all.  This week, we got really cold!  We've only just turned on the heating this weekend, so during the week it was freezing at home!  Emily has been known to sit next the fire with a book and refuse to move.  Thank goodness for central heating! Now we can type without our fingers seizing up.  And Emily's iPad actually works again.  (She's convinced it doesn't like the cold either - it's screen froze twice last week!).

Rather than creating something new this week, we tried a recipe that came off one of those cards you can pick up at the supermarket.  This one was a Waitrose recipe card, for 'Parnsip, carrot and kale hash, with poached eggs'.  It was really yummy, so we decided to share it with you all! It also counts as two of your five a day.  If you find it a struggle to eat eggs (like Emily - she never fancies them in the morning, preferring a sweet breakfast), then this is a great way to get one in this week.  They're super good for you - our Guyanese Grandma always tells us about the levels of vitamin B12 which is relatively difficult to get from elsewhere.  They're also a really good source of protein.  They've done loads of tests and now know the cholesterol in eggs doesn't adversely affect our own cholesterol, so they're safe to eat (in moderation, like anything), even if you've got cholesterol problems.  But overall, they're quite a superfood on the quiet.

Hash is a really good and easy way of using up whatever leftover root vegetables you've got hanging around in your fridge.  You could even use leftover roast potatoes and greens from your Sunday roast.  Even better, grate in some fresh beetroot, or courgettes.  (We love both of those!).

We hope you enjoy this quick and easy recipe as much as we did.  Thank you Waitrose!!

Enjoy today!!
- rosinaviolets    x

Winter Vegetable Hash

Serves 4

4 parsnips, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, peeled and cubed
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
200g curly kale
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp garam masala
olive oil spray
4 eggs

• Put the cubes of parsnip, carrot and potato in a big pan of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes.  

• Add the kale and cook for another 3 minutes.  All the vegetables should be done.  

• Drain very well.  

• Stir in the cumin seeds and garam masala.  

• Spray a big pan with olive oil and, once hot, add your vegetables.  You can flatten them down a little bit with a fork.  Leave to cook for about 10 minutes, and then break up the mixture.  

• In the meantime, you can poach your eggs in a pan of simmering water for 4 minutes, until they're cooked how you like the.  
• To poach your eggs, you can do two at a time in a pan that will hold about 1 - 1.5l water.  
• Get the water hot, so there are fine bubbles coming from the bottom of the pan.  
• Crack your egg into a bowl, and then gently slide it down the side of the pan into the water.  Do the same for the other egg a couple of seconds later.  
• Then start the timer.  3 minutes will give you a runny centre, 4 minutes will give a slightly set centre.  You can go to 4 1/2 minutes if you like your eggs more or less done all the way through. 
• Use a slotted spoon to take the eggs out of the water.  You can then cook the next two eggs.

• Divide the hash between four big bowls and top with the poached egg.  Serve with ketchup or HP sauce.  

read | a rollicking good novel: Angela Carter's 'Nights at the Circus'

So, October has been and gone, and we have enjoyed reading our book of the month: Angela Carter's 'Nights at the Circus'! Set in London, St Petersburg and then Siberia, it's a perfect accompaniment to the increasingly cold weather.  We hope you have enjoyed reading it as well - it's certainly jolly good fun!

--

Emily
I'll let you in on a secret.  This was my second reading of  'Nights at the Circus'.  It was good the first time around, and even better the second!

It could well be the weirdest book I've ever read, packed to the brim with macabre clowns, a real sleeping beauty, a brothel run by a female version of Nelson (complete with a sword!) and a princess who can tame tigers to dance the waltz just by playing the piano.

Without doubt, my favourite character in the novel is Fevvers.  From her position of relative poverty in Nelson's house of prostitutes, she learns to make a living for herself using her assets - her wings!  In this position of power, however, she also carries with her the 'burden' of her femininity.  From the beginning, she literalises the slang term for women: 'bird'.  But Fevvers is not one to live up to stereotype.  She is constantly using her position to surprise people and make them readjust their prejudices.  At the same time as creating her as the 'ideal woman' Carter does not any idealisation of her body at all - she is instead celebrated for being a real woman with an enormous appetite for food, sex, and fun.  Her virginity (which is legendary), is told to herself as a fable, but this is all against what society expects of her, because she doesn't use it to support virginity as an ideal, but to make more money! She flaunts herself before the audience, and is in direct contrast to the closed, sensible person we might expect of a respectable Victorian woman.

Nights at the Circus is about more than just celebrating life, though.  At the centre of the novel, for me, was a constant idea of illusion.  What's real and what's not?  Does it really matter?  There are lots of characters in the novel, some of which are considerably more two-dimensional than Fevvers.  Carter uses these caricatures to show us that those who are all performance and no substance become increasingly unimportant.  Carter shows us this through the group of clowns at the circus.  Even within the circus, the clowns' performances are dangerous, but without the structure of the circus to contain their anarchy the clowns, who are entirely self-made, and who do not exist behind their painted on faces, are emblems of degeneration that for Fevvers at least is a 'crime against humanity'.  In Siberia, they end up performing a dance of the ultimate disaster and disintegration.  They dance themselves and their audiences out of existence!  For us to be fulfilled we can use an element of illusion to protect ourselves, but we need to appreciate and understand our own inner being as well.  Walser, at the beginning of the novel is presented as a handsome man of the world, but his experiences have not touched him.  By the end of the book, he's realised his own complexity which has developed through his love of Fevvers.  Because of this, he can separate himself from his journalist's mask of objectivity to discover 'what a piece of work is man'!  Fevvers' complexity stands in contrast to the caricatures in the novel, and as they wheel about the circus, sometimes veering off into obscurity, she stays constant and strong.  Her strength is her complexity.

The ultimate theme in the novel is that of reality and illusion.  At the end of the day, Fevvers is presenting herself as a bird-woman.  As the slogans on the posters read: 'Is she fact, or is she fiction?'  The circus is a setting for unreality, and the circus performers fake their appearances with make up and costumes.  Likewise with all the settings in the novel - the characters are constantly being unsettled by the mismatch between appearance and reality, and we are similarly turned head over heels!  What you see is not necessarily to be believed.  We've got to think to decide our own meanings.

Throughout all the confusion, Fevvers stays central, and roots us in positivity and acceptance of ourselves. The final image, of Fevvers' laughter being so enormous that it fills the whole world, is testament to Carter's message - you've got to understand, enjoy and express your true self to be fulfilled, even in a world that is filled with stereotype, prejudice and ill-will.  If we can learn to use these to our advantage, but not become them, then we are on the route to true happiness.

--

Sarah 
I said to Emily after I had finished reading 'Nights at the Circus' that I thought I might have found my favourite book! You might describe the novel as - 'out there', and you certainly would be right because it is the craziest, jam-packed-with-excitement bundle of joviality! The blurb gives the reader the impression of a fantasy-orientated plot, but in all honesty, I found the novel more real than I had ever expected.

If you have read the novel, you know that Fevvers plays the role of main character. She simply is the most extraordinary woman, or rather, an 'arealiste extroadinare!', as she is termed by the posters - she is not only a woman, but she is in possession of a puzzling uniqueness - she has wings! Yes, she is part woman, part bird, and the whole novel revolves around the enigma of Fevvers and the questionable existence of her wings - 'is she fact or is she fiction?' Carter almost seems to hint the truth in the way Fevvers is presented, however. Just 'woman' seems to describe Fevvers' whole anatomy in short, because she is the embodiment of all that is feminine, and is not ashamed to proclaim it to the world either!

The story follows the Circus' journey through London, Petersburg and Siberia and through this we experience a multitude of settings. In London, we get to know Fevvers as she reports to Walser, the American journalist who becomes so entranced with Fevvers he follows her and the circus around the world, of her interesting life prior to her fame as an aerialiste at the circus. This is a lengthy account, almost entirely spoken through the mouth of Fevvers, (a voice full of London idiosyncrasies we soon come to love), over the full length of one night in Fevvers' dressing room. Walser fills up his notebook with the wonder of Fevvers' life, and the company in the dressing room drink their way to merry idleness until the morning comes. This might be my favourite part of the novel, because we watch as Walser becomes increasingly enchanted by confident Fevvers, and we learn about the bizarre life that Fevvers has led. Carter reflects Walser's rising lust for Fevvers with frequent reference to the grandfather clock on the mantelpiece which claims it is midnight at the chime of every hour. I was really engrossed in the novel at this point - the life and soul within Fevvers' voice is amazingly apparent, and I could not help but find myself being rather drawn into the world of Fevvers just the same as Walser.

I have not written about the novel in its entirety by any means, I have merely skimmed upon a small fraction of the wondrous land (or rather, lands) you will be whisked to when you read 'Nights at the Circus' - it truly is the most exciting book I have ever read, fantastic for broadening your vocab (I had to put that in), and uplifts the system! Tell us what you think of it!

live | get some perspective

I heard some terrible news the other day - someone I met when I was on the holiday of a lifetime in Florida had been in a very bad motorbike accident, and was in intensive care in hospital.  Everyone was worried about him - he had broken a lot of bones, and was in a very bad way.

I didn't know him very well - I had only met him once or twice when I spent a month living with my cousin.  But what I did know was that he was a really nice guy, and he'd made me feel welcome at a party where I was a complete stranger.  He would have had every reason to completely ignore me, or just refuse to let me into his house!  I also knew he was a good friend to my cousin.

I suppose he belonged to my memories of my Florida trip.  When I was in Florida, I felt really good.  It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what made me feel that way - of course, anyone would feel good if they spent a month basking in the August sun, but I think it was something more internal.  Whilst my body was soaking up the sun, my mind was slowly starting an (ongoing!) process of accepting who I am and what I want from my life.  Looking back on that month of exploration and adventure, I suppose I never appreciated that anything could go wrong there.  As I remembered feeling good, so would all those belonging to those memories feel good, forever.  So, as I heard the news,  I felt really odd, it was all so incongruous.  Nothing like that should happen to someone like him.  He was too... good.  He belonged to the good world.

Love your life, today!

Since I heard the news, I have been thinking about him, and his family, and my cousin, a lot.  Wishing and hoping and sending lots of love across the ocean to give them all the courage they need to come out on the other side, and be stronger.  His condition is improving, but he's not out of the war zone yet.

Let me take this moment to ask you all to send all your love to him.  Even if you don't know him, I believe love is a powerful thing.  It'll get there.

I was thinking about this, and I think what I'm learning here, and what I wanted to share with you all is that this has given me a huge whack over the head.  It's like this guy I met when I was on holiday is reaching across the Atlantic, grabbing hold of my shoulders, giving them a brisk shake and yelling at me: 'Get some perspective, girl!'  OK! I get it!

Sometimes we can all feel like we are living in a little bubble.  There are lots of stresses - too much work, not enough time to exercise, not enough time to do what you want to do, to make the most of your dreams, or even to spend time dreaming!  When something like this happens, it forces you to realise that worrying about those small things that are preventing you from doing what you want is SO NOT WORTH IT.  You are greater than the work, than the university professors giving you headaches, than the parents yelling at you, than the boyfriend troubles, than the worries that you're not good enough, not thin enough, (or not curvy enough, as the case may be), not perfect enough.  We're under a duty now, to my cousin's friend lying in hospital right now, to live like tomorrow might not happen.  Let's make the most of today.  To do that, you've got to stop the relentless worries in your mind.  None of them matter.  What matters is that you are happy, and that you are giving love to those you care about.  Get some perspective!

Love, like you haven't got another day to love.  Do it now.  Do it for Adam.

make | simple sicilian: fish in a little bag

We made a recipe this week that was super easy and super tasty.  The best thing is you make it all in a little parcel out of tin-foil and then there's hardly any washing up! Just the pan you used to make the quinoa and the plate and cutlery you used to eat it off of.

We called this Sicilian style because it utilises lemons and tomatoes, two big flavours of Sicily.  We used cod fillets, but you can use whichever fish you like best.  It would even work with a chicken breast!

We used a mixture of quinoa and brown rice.  Quinoa is really tasty, but you must rinse it before you cook it to get rid of the soapy flavour that coats the grains.  Whenever you're cooking quinoa, boil it in water or stock for the first 10 minutes, and then leave it for another 10 minutes with a sheet of kitchen roll over the top and then the lid on the pan until all the water is absorbed.  You'll get it perfectly cooked every time.

Take this recipe and switch it up to use whatever you've got in the house.  We love cooking in these foil bags - all the flavours really get going in there, and nothing goes dry.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Enjoy today!!

- rosinaviolets    x

Sicilian fish in a bag (or anything-in-a-bag!!)

200g quinoa, rinsed
100g brown rice
2 big handfuls cherry tomatoes
300ml hot vegetable stock
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 lemon
bunch of basil, stalks removed
4 x 150g fillets of whatever fish you like best

• Get your oven to 200 degrees C.  

• Put the quinoa, rice, stock, tomatoes and cinnamon in a saucepan, and bring up to the boil.  Simmer the whole lot for 10 minutes.  

• Whilst that's going on, make your bags.  Take a piece of kitchen foil, about A3 size, and fold in half.  Fold over the 2 sides a number of times to make a little bag, but leave the top open (as shown in the picture).  Get a baking tray ready for your bags to go on.  

• Take the quinoa and rice mixture off the heat.  Put a sheet of kitchen roll and then the lid on the pan, and leave for about another 5 - 10 minutes, until all the  liquid has been absorbed.  

• Finely grate the zest of your lemon into the quinoa and rice mixture.  Tear in the basil.  Mix it all up and then divide it between the bags.  Chop the lemon into wedges ready for when the bags come out of the oven.  

• Place a fillet of fish on top of each pile of quinoa and rice mix in the bags.  Season with salt and pepper.  Seal up the bag and put them on the baking tray.  

• Bake them in the oven for between 20 - 25 minutes, until the fish is done all the way through.  Serve with green veggies!