THE COOKS

on friday night, while the boys were off on their own boys night, us girls thought it a good idea to get together and cook something yummy.  as we are all really big fans of the pretty blog, we perused their long list of recipes and decided on the ricotta gnuddi with pomodoro sauce, pictured above.

it turned out really well, even the with the sauce having burnt slightly due to us being a little tipsy on the red wine (wink wink). this one gets a two-thumbs-up from us!

photo by the very talented tasha seccombe for the pretty blog.

WELCOME LITTLE POOCH

so this very cute pup is the newest addition to my sister and her husband's household. 
his name is oscar and he has an awesome personality. 
he is also by far one of the most spoilt dogs alive today.
welcome little one.

WEEKEND HAPPINESS

hello! hope you had a lovely week. i finally have my normal routine back on track after a few weeks of studying. wrote my exam last friday and am feeling delightfully blank and relaxed.

since i have all this normal-people-who-got-their-degrees-and-don't-need-to-study-while-working-who-i-am-insanely-jealous-of kind of time on my hands, i cannot wait to start on another novel. first on my list would be the latest erica james novel and the new series of novels by jeffrey archer..

as for this weekend, friday night will be spent cooking and relaxing with some girlfriends, an outing to the boere market in silverton tomorrow morning and what is sure to be great wedding of a good friend of mine tomorrow afternoon. yay for the weekend!

WHAT WINTER MEANS TO ME

we recently had a few days of cold weather, which really caught me off guard. there has been no in-your-face change of the seasons as far as i have experienced. the trees are still mostly green and i am still wearing sandals and summer tops for the most part.

i do however look forward to when i can officially trade in the air con for extra blankets and snuggle a little while longer under the duvet before getting up in the mornings. trading showers for long hot baths. wear my leather jacket and my coat and change my scarves to match my outfits.  

there is nothing quite like sitting around a heart-warmingly camp-fire trying to warm your backside and your face at the same time  |  getting cozy on the couch with a woolly blanket and taking a nap in the winter sun  |  having malva pudding for dessert at the sunday lunch table  |  wishing i could wake up to snow in south africa  |   hot chocolate with marshmallows  |  all knitted things  |  taking a stroll and trying to crunch every dry leaf lying on the pavement  |  red wine with lamb shank |  holidaying in south africa's beautiful national parks, driving around for hours in search of the big five. cheers to the winter being on its way!

WORDS OF WISDOM

"this planet has no need for more successful people. this planet desperately needs more peace peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds. it needs people to live well in their places. it needs people with moral courage, willing to join the struggle to make the world habitable and humane. these qualities have little to do with the standards of success as set by the world." - unknown

MACARONI MACAROON

>> this past december was my first time in paris. what a wonderfully romantic and characteristic place!
      i loved all the little street cafe's, the museums, the food and the world famous monuments!

      i love the idea of traveling to a city and making sure i return with special items that will forever
      leave me with a memory of that place. one of the items i chose to buy in paris was the world famous
      macaroons from Laduree.
   
      with rick waiting outside the shop (absolutely furious with me for considering to buy these
      pricey sweet things), i enjoyed myself while choosing which macaroons to fill not one, but two
      beautiful boxes!
      yip, i sure did...

      and said luxurious "macaronis" (as rick calls them) were enjoyed fully with a bottle of champagne,
      ringing in the new year on a bridge in very rainy paris. x x x

FRIDAY TREAT CHEAT

This is one delicious calorie bomb...so if you allow yourself a good guilt-free treat once in a while, this one's for you! So easy to make...Heat milk in Microwave or on the stove, stir in chocolate and enjoy with some yummy chocolate chip cookies x 

Ingredients

- 70% Dark Lindt Chocolate {I put in the whole (mini) slab, but I would recommend you start off with half

  and add more if you prefer}

- 300ml Milk

- Melissa's Chocolate Chip Cookies to do the dunkin 

YumYumYum x

LIFE LATELY

>>  our dogs have been keeping me company while I attempt to do some studying for my upcoming

       exams. 

>>  got myself a brand spanking new iphone, whoooohooooo!!

>>  have some serious obsession with updating my tumblr. have a look here.

>>  deciding whether or not to move out of the comfort of my mom's little nest and into my own flat. 

       i should probably mention that i currently commute between pretoria and johannesburg 5 days

       a week.

>>  i constantly crave piza e vino's azzip pizza, which they took off the menu (tssk tssk). give me

       a pizza base + gorgonzola + pears + basil + pine nuts + parma ham and i am there like a bear!!

>>  reading the fourth book in the beautiful creatures and i must say, it is painful. i rarely struggle

       to finish a book, but this one is just too much of the same. boooo. not getting any recommendations 

       from me.

>>  realised there is a huge amount of scammers on the internet, on all the trusted sites i might add. 

       whether you are looking to buy a new car or buying or renting a property, beware! when that first

       response via email pops up and they mention they live in the UK and give you their whole 

       life story: SCAM alert!

>>  discovered pukka teas...i have only had the vanilla & camomile and it is magnificent!

>>  getting ready for winter here in south africa. bring on the soups and the scarves and my lovely

       boots that have not yet been worn