SPRING '14

Everyone (me included) is so desperate for the Winter to be over, that Spring brings with it such great expectations. Today, even though we did actually wake up to a frost we were treated to a beautiful Spring day, full of sunshine and crisp blue skies and it got me thinking.

I'm going to enjoy these next couple of months of warmer times, and I'm especially looking forward to taking more walks with the kiddos, eating a lot less stodge, drinking (& creating) some interesting waters' to keep at hand, and planting a whole bunch of stuff to get cooking with throughout the summer months.

Ahh, I do welcome March!!

What are you looking forward to?

original images: pinterest

FIVE FINDS FOR A FRIDAY / WEEK .07

01. GO HERE - I don't think there is a thing wrong with Le Bal Cafe. I know i would visit if I was local!
02. DO THIS - Have you heard about Bullet Journal? I love lists, I make lists, I lose lists. This helps me be on top of five peoples' busy schedules! I'm so glad I heard about it.
03. EAT THIS - A Bahn Mi bowl? Yes. Yes indeed. This will be happening at some point in my kitchen over the next week (and forever more I should imagine), because we are still Sriracha obsessed here!
04. WEAR THIS - I think it's fair to say that I have total hair envy.
05. D.R.I.N.K - Ding ding! It's blood orange bourbon time! TFI Friday...

WARM HALLOUMI SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS & LIME

Is it still February? Just? Phew! Then here is my second salad of the year, just in time. This is a lovely warm and comforting salad with just enough zing to keep it fresh tasting. Halloumi is one of my most favourite cheeses, and it's the one way that I can guarantee I'll get a salad down my kids necks ;)

So, c'mon #getyoursaladon

LIFE SNIPPET

We spent half term down in Crackington Haven, which is a beautiful little Cornish village situated on the North Coast. We've been visiting since Dexy was three, and Flo was two and we love going back every year if possible.

This year we holidayed with our friends and their three boys so we had a house full, which was fab (although we did drink quite a lot of margaritas.... hmmm, i wonder why!)

Here are some iPhone pics of our stay because yep, I went and left my SD card at home so didn't get my SLR out once. We had beautiful weather every day except one and there wwas rock pooling, sand castle building and fish & chip eating a plenty. Exactly how a Cornish holiday should be, right?

I'll be back tomorrow with a salad recipe for #getyoursaladon, a little blog fun I'm having with Lucy and talk about being very chuffed at being nominated again for this years MADs and general other chit chat about blog re-design ideas.

See you then!

LISTENING TO...

God's Gonna Cut You Down - Johnny Cash 

I love the Johnny Cash version of this song, yet I've never seen this video. It was made after his death i think, but it's still good.

WE LIKE TO READ / THE HIGH STREET BY ALICE MELVIN

Last Christmas all three of my kiddos were really lucky in the books department and got some excellent ones to add to their (slightly out of control) collection! I'm really glad that all three of them love getting a good book and settling down with it. Dexter has just finished the Tom Gates series and is eagerly awaiting more, and Florence is all about Captain Underpants at the moment, having just finished the Clarice Bean paperbacks (which are awesome!). Little India is currently obsessed with The High Street by Alice Melvin and to say we read it a lot is an understatement! 

FIVE FINDS FOR A FRIDAY / WEEK .05

01 - I thought this Moroccan roasted garlic pesto pizza looked interesting! I think i may have to investigate further...

02 - This Tee is brilliant!

03 - I always find the perfect calendar round about Feb time, and this year I'm even 2 years out!

04 - This concrete counter top DIY is something i really, really want to do. The mister really REALLY does not, I've just asked him.

05 - Lets Go! I'd like this as a print somewhere.

Have a good weekend folks!

LISTENING TO...

They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse in your soul.

I remember spending hours trying to learn the lyrics to this when I was about 9! I would sit with my massive yellow Walkman playing my copy (which I'd recorded from the top 40 off of my mums radio in the kitchen) over & over again. I think i used to write the lyrics down too, probably to practice acapella in front of the mirror!

Paid off though, here at 34 years old I still know every word! Skillz. 

PORTABELLO MUSHROOM BURGER

Every now and then, I crave burgers - who am I kidding, I'm always craving burgers, but as a fully signed up member of club grown-up, I realise that I can't eat them every day. Every now and then though I notice I've got some lonely little leftover Portobello mushrooms sitting in the fridge, and what better way to use those up than with a juicy vegetarian take on the old fashioned cheese burger ?! 

This recipe is simple stuff. I served it with some Mexican Slaw and a homemade ketchup / mayo / pickle combo and it was delicious. It would also go well with some sweet potato wedges and a big old dollop of homemade tomato ketchup!

FIVE FINDS FOR A FRIDAY / WEEK .04

01 - Sometimes a recipe makes me say a naughty word out loud. This one did exactly that!

02 - I'm hoping to get some more houseplants. I just kill everything though, that's my problem. I think this post would help.

03 - Do you have a teenager? This laundry bag from Hunkydory Home is fab!

04 - There's this saying: "Know when to give up & have a margarita!" Cor, how refreshing does that look?! 

05 - I think I'm grown up enough for a grown up watch and I'll take this one please.

FIG, AUBERGINE & ROCKET PIZZA

I think this is the first pizza recipe that I have posted on here, so yay for that. It's also the first time I've had fig on a pizza, so a round of applause to that too. It's also the very first time that I've posted a recipe that is semi-shop brought so hooray for occasionally taking the pressure off!
I made this pizza last Thursday when I wanted something that could be made and consumed in the 1hr 15 minutes that my big kids were at their Woodcraft folk club (hippy street cred? check!). 
India was in bed, I poured a glass of something that may, or may not have been alcohol free, and I made this delicious pizza topping - lovingly created on top of a Sainsburys pizza base (other supermarkets are available people ;).
Had it been the weekend, I probably would have made my own dough, because let's face it, it does taste much better that way, but for a quick supper, this is 100% the way forward for me and I don't feel guilty, not one. little. bit! 

LISTENING TO...

The Be Good Tanyas - The Littlest Birds.

So pretty.