{Baking Pinspiration}

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Some pinspiration to get you back into your kitchen, and to the oven! 

Aren't these images just so beautiful too?! For more like these, pop on over to my Pinterest boards  and feast your eyes.

Happy Baking!

xxx

Korean Samgyupsal...South African Style

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A few pangs for Korean food left us with a slight longing to return to Korean soil...to combat that for the time being, Farmboy and I set about recreating one of our favourite meals, Samgyupsal. Samgyupsal is traditionally thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat, usually neither marinated nor seasoned. It's cooked on a grill by each person and eaten directly from the grill. It is often dipped into a spicy pepper paste.

Here is a photo of the real deal in South Korea (taken when my mommy came to visit!), followed by our attempt a few days ago...

The Philippines...looking back

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Philippines

While Farmboy and I were teaching English in South Korea in 2010, we spent the second of our holidays with Farmboy's brother and sister-in-law (who were teaching in Japan) in the Philippines. Here are some special photographs, taken by my wonderful husband. I learnt all I know about a camera from him.

We flew from Incheon & landed in Puerto Princessa. From there we took a 9 hour shuttle to El Nido where we spent 6 days, of which were spent on an Island hopping tour. At the time El Nido was incredibly small, with just one road of restaurants and cafes. It has since increased in size but I have heard that it is still a very special place to visit. You can now fly directly into El Nido saving you a very long and uncomfortable ride from Puerto Princessa. If you get to El Nido, make sure to hire a scooter and head of in search of Nacpan beach, a beautiful stretch of coastline.

For more info on our trip, including tips and other travel advice, click here to visit our ever so helpful (but rather old and slightly out dated) blog on life in South Korea >>> FarmboyandCityGirl.com

Enjoy

x

Letters from across the sea...

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This parcel arrived for me from a very dear friend in South Korea. Claire and I first met while waiting to board our plan for the start of our Teaching English in South Korea Adventure. That was in 2010. 

We have been friends ever since, and even though vast amounts of oceans separate us, whenever we do chat over Skype, we pick up right where we left off every time. I miss you Clairebear. Thank you for the wonderful package!

Sun, Sea & Sand in {Sodwana Bay}

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Hello again friends! I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend, and that you all are feeling refreshed and ready for yet another short week, in preparation for lots of stuffing of faces with Easter eggs and hot cross buns!

Farmboy and I, along with our friends Kelly & Nathan headed off to Sodwana Bay (near the Mozambique border, up the North Coast) for the long weekend, with tents and blow up mattresses in tow. Apart from a very nasty incident last wednesday evening when my precious camera and Farmboy's work laptop were 'liberated' from my LOCKED car (using who knows what kind of sci-fi tech) but apart from that, the weekend was swell. Here are some snaps taken with Nathan's iPhone (ah man I really am mad about Instagram) with being without a camera and all...

{If you are ever looking for a holiday destination that feels very exotic and tropical, with incredible snorkeling and only about a 4.5 hour drive from PMB, then head out to Sodwana Bay}

{Flowers} from Freshly Found

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After reading Nadia's lovely House & Leisure post on Freshly Found last week, I just had to do a post on the gorgeous paper roses Denise (the brains behind the brand) created for our wedding in September  last year. Denise has expanded her paper flower range which began with roses and lilies made from vintage books, to now include recycled paper proteas and strelitzias. Every single one is lovingly hand crafted, with exquisite attention to detail.

 And here are the gorgeous paper roses that Denise lovingly crafted especially for our wedding, photographed by Jacki Bruniquel...

Visit Freshly Found's blog here and their online shop here.

WholeWheat & Oats BarOne Chocolate Cookies...recipe

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Ingredients

2 3/4 cup / 255g rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup / 125g whole wheat flour

2/3 cup / 45g wheat bran (or germ)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 cup / 225g unsalted butter

1 cup / 185g natural cane sugar or light brown sugar

1 cup / 170 g firmly packed Muscovado or dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

200g Bar One (I used 2 x EXTRA sized bars) chopped.

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180 C.

Line two baking sheets with wax paper and set aside. What worked better for me after a few tries was Holsum smeared all over the pans, finished off with flour.

In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, wheat bran, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Either by hand, or using an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar for 3+ minutes, scraping down sides a few times along the way. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla - scraping the sides of the bowl another time or two. Add the dry mixture, and stir until everything barely comes together. Then stir in the chocolate, mixing until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Use a small ice-cream scoop, spoon, or 1/4 cup measuring cup, to make uniform dough balls. I used a metal 1/4-cup measuring cup, filling it about 3/4 full. Arrange each cookie at least 3-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. They'll flatten out quite a bit. I squashed a small chunk of bar one into each dough ball for some extra yumminess.

For extra crisp cookies, bake until deeply, deeply golden on the bottom, about 15+ minutes. Rotate the pans once about 2/3 the way through baking - back to front, top to bottom. Like your cookies a little chewier? Bake for less time. Cool on a rack.

Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.

Prep time: 20 min - Cook time: 15 min

{adapted from my absolute favourite recipe site: 100 cookbooks}

Being a kept woman...

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As of 2 weeks ago, I am sad (and a little bashful) to say that I have again returned to the ranks of the unemployed. I was in a wonderful {temporary} post, teaching full time as a Grade 3 teacher until the Department of Education placed their permanent teacher. We all thought it would take years for that to actually happen, but alas, 6 weeks later and I was out of a job. So I am now a lady of leisure, which trust me, sounds a lot more glamorous that it is. But, in between handing our my CV and going to interviews, I do get to meet up with friends for lots of tea drinking and spend lots of time getting my bake on (watch out for a yummy Whole Wheat & Oats BarOne Chocolate Cookie recipe up later today!).

I'm hoping the lack of jobs is God's way of nudging us towards some overseas adventures :)

So this is where I am spending my morning today...

{Antiques} Lions River Trading Post...Midlands Meander

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A drive around the Natal Midlands always leads to some exciting find, whether it is a lovely coffee, boutique store or Antique barn. And thats exactly what happened when Farmboy and I headed out a few weekends ago in search of a fishing spot. 

I present to you, Lions River Trading Post:

Address:

11km from Howick

-29.4632, 30.1643

Telephone Number:

+27 33 234 4098

Open 9am - 5pm daily.

{Blogging} Centering your Menu Bar on Blogger

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The last post in my series {Blogger Tips} was on how to centre your header image/text , and today I'm going to be showing you how to do the same with your menu bar. Once you've got your header exactly where you want it, you need your menu bar to be adjusted accordingly so your blog doesn't look wonky :)

On my old blog, my menu bar (which is actually just a list of pages that I have put under my header as opposed to being on the left or right hand side) is at the top of my blog.  I have pages such as "Home" "About", "Contact" etc. 

To have your pages line up nicely with my header, here's what you gotta do:

TEMPLATE > CUSTOMIZE > ADVANCED (scroll down to) > ADD CSS 

Paste the following code and hit enter

.PageList {text-align:center !important;}

.PageList li {display:inline !important; float:none !important;}

Make sure to look at the live preview, if you're happy then click APPLY TO BLOG and there you go! Easy peasy! 

Let me know if you found this helpful!

xxx

Ryan & Liesa {Wedding}

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On Saturday 2nd March, Farmboy and I headed off to the Crab Apple Chapel in Dargyl (in the Midlands) to celebrate the marriage of two very special people. The reception was held at The Cairn of Old Kilgobbin, a gorgeous country style venue with lots of love and soul. 
Ryan & Liesa Rollin are the beauty and brains behind the antique cutlery jewelry brand and shop in Howick, called Rollin Vintage.
With their creative flair and appreciation for all things vintage, their wedding was absolutely beautiful. 

Here are a few photographs of the day...{not too many of them as I will be giving those more personal ones to them as their wedding present}.


Love Mae {blog & shop}

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"Love Mae... Pleasure to meet you, charmed, I'm sure!
It really is a pleasure to bring such lovely products to the homes and bedrooms of people who see life a little bit differently.
Love a little bit more passionately, live a little more recklessly and nurture a little more deeply. It is you that notices the precious detail in life and enjoys the moments that are truly important.
We are lovers of what we do and hope that you feel this through our colour palette, quality and environmental decisions.
We hope that you too fall in love with mae.
Love Emily and Peta x"

I stumbled across this gorgeous blog a few months ago, and the prettiness was just too much not to share. Thanks to the lovely free downloads, my desktop has never looked this good!
Pop on over to the blog (click here) and the shop (click here) to feast your eyes on more.
Aren't these wall decor stickers just too gorgeous for words?!

{Tea for Two}

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A few images from a new Pinterest Board I am creating...I'm loving all the neutral shades

 {I wish it was easier to find the correct source for each of these images, however things are pinned too easily on Pinterest without giving the correct credit...so if any of these images below are yours, please drop me a line here and I will either take it down or pop a link to your site} 

Cetaphil {face care review}

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I recently had a short stint on a generic form of Ruaccutane for my problem skin. I had been on Ruaccutane when I was in High School and it had done wonders for my skin, but for who knows what reasons, my skin decided to act up again. I tried all sorts of lotions and potions, anti-biotics and finally had had enough, so I chatted to my Doctor about another course of these pills. I can't even begin to explain what a difference I've seen in my skin. It is crystal clear now, and I barely ever wear any foundation anymore.

But, although seeming to be a wonder product, there are lots of side effects to this drug, and anyone considering it should have a thorough chat to their doctor before making a decision. For me the worst side effect was dryness. My skin, nose, lips and hair became incredibly dry (this was great as my hair just never got greasy) but not so great as nothing I tried could take away the dryness. Finally, I thought I would give Cetaphil a try. I had always heard dermatologists recommended Cetaphil to their patients  before or after any treatments, but the packaging always looked so unappealing. And considering that I am a self confessed package junkie (often buying products just because they look pretty on the shelf...how silly I know!) I was reluctant at first.

But, these plain little bottles and tubes were a life saver. They were the only products that calmed my skin, restored moisture, and left my face feeling supple, fresh, and clean all day. The UVA/UVB defense is excellent for sun protection, and although it does leave the skin a little greasy, wrinkles aren't a good look either, and you can feel the protection on your skin from the get go. All products in the range are fragrance free, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic, making them perfect for any number of sensitive skins.

I found these to be much cheaper at Dischem than Clicks, with savings of more than R50 per product at the time of purchase. The Cleansing Lotion 125ml was around the R65 (if i can remember correctly) and the Moisturizing Cream & UVA/UVB Defense were both around the R80 mark. All in all these products were fantastic for my very dry skin, and I would definitely recommend them.

Our Wedding {The Food}

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Here are some photographs (taken by our awesome photographer on the day Jacki Bruniquel) of the food we had at our wedding in September last year. Farmboy and I were very particular about the kind of food we were after, we were wanting mezze style platter with lots and lots of choice for everyone. We had the most phenomenal catering company Harris & Homes, headed up by the wonderful Sarah. 

Our menu was written up on home made chalkboards which were hung up above the food. Canape starters were served outside while the guests mingled and chatted during the family photo session.

Salads, sides and mains were served on gorgeous wooden boards, with sauces and jams served in little glass bottles.

Our dessert station/Candy Bar, was placed on a beautiful on yellow wood cabinet type stand that Farmboy found himself, and jars were filled with every sweetie you can think of. 

We opted for red-velvet cupcakes as well as a rose topped red-velvet cake for our wedding cake.

Every last detail was thought of, and Sarah helped to make all our foodie dreams come true. See for yourself...

 {photographer: Jacki Bruniquel}

{catering: Sarah from Harris & Homes Boutique Catering in Durban}