Tapas Feast

In celebration of the daily tradition we started while in Spain, we hosted a Tapas soiree at the apartment on Women’s Day. Mother Nature was clearly in a fantastic mood, as the weather was gorgeous and the company was even better. Accompanied by crisp white wine, we enjoyed the following home-made tapas – let me know if you would like the any of the recipes and I will mail them with pleasure:

-       Toasted bread with Aubergine & Red pepper dip

-       Garlic & Tomato brushed bread

-       Patatas Bravas with garlic aioli

-       Battered courgettes

-       Paprika toasted almonds

-       Croquettes

-       Dusted squid

-       Lemon grilled mushrooms

-       Serrano wrapped asparagus

-       Honey glazed chorizo

-       Orange & lemon zest marinated olives

Marinated olives - Image, my own

Croquettes - Image, my own

Of Course, we discovered all of these tasty nibbles while in Spain – the first stop being Barcelona. We arrived in this thrilling city rather late at night and feeling a tad bit grumpy, having to haul ass and luggage half way across the city, not certain of just how far down La Rambla our apartment was. When we finally met up with Mano, the owner, and settled into the authentic space in the Gothic District, excitement mounted at the thought of what the next few days would bring.

One of the most mouth-watering moments in Barcelona had to be the La Rambla Food Market. You really have to see, smell and taste it to believe it. It’s a sensory overload. From the stacked fruit stands at the front, to the live seafood in the middle, and the hanging cured meats and overflowing cheese shelves all around, a foodie can get all kinds of lost down this rabbit hole.

Fruit stand at the food market - Image, my own

Seafood at the market - Image, my own

My favourites were the cones of cured meat (new favourite = Serrano Ham); fresh fruit smoothies and a warm crepe dripping in Nutella (which I am sure is more of a French Tradition, but the sultry Spanish man who served it gave it some Barcelona flair).

No trip to this expansive city would be complete without a bird’s eye view of absolutely everything. Thankfully, the cable car from Barcelona Port to Montjuic offers exactly that. After admiring the skyline over one of many glasses of Sangria, we took a short bus ride down to the Poble Espanyol, a re-created Spanish town, taking all of the best and most notable architectural features of the country into account.

View of La Rambla from the cable car - Image, my own

Aside from the cuisine, architecture and art (the Picasso Museum is a must-see, as is the Dali Museum, just a two hour train ride out of the city) Barcelona’s beach is also pretty awesome, thanks to the warm Mediterranean water!

  

My favourite part of the city has to be the posh side, Gracia, where we stayed on our way back home – with the high street shops (so much time spent in Zara!) and the gorgeous people strutting their Haute Couture through the streets, if I was to go back, and I so hope I will, I will spend some more time in this neck of the woods, for it was also where we had the largest and most authentic tapas feast and learnt about all the tasty morsels we served on Women’s Day.

To attempt to sum up Barcelona in a few short highlights is not an easy feat, but if I absolutely had to, I would say:

Highlights:

La Rambla Food Market

Gracia shopping district

Day trip to the Dali Museum in Figures

Walking the vibrant streets at night

Barcelona street art - Image, my own

But I could have done without:

Those annoying men on La Rambla, trying to sell you crap you don’t need, making that terrible duck sound with some contraption in their mouths - I have since learned they are scam artists attempting to distract tourists in order to pick their pockets! Totes assholes!

But all in all, the most magical city, where a week is two short, but year would never be enough!

If you ever get the opportunity, go go GO!

x

Day five (or is it six?)

New leaf still successfully overturned, minus the following tiny indiscretions:

• The most sumptuous three-course meal at Don Pedro’s on Wednesday night – totally worth it. I highly recommend this brilliant little spot for a romantic dinner or a great meal with mates.   
• A Chicken Burger at Quiz Night at Fireman’s while finishing a disappointing 13^th out of 21 groups. Sad face.
• Too much wine (but I would be setting myself up for failure if I thought the new leaf was wine proof) – perhaps the wine and the 13^th place are inextricably linked. Hmmmm.

Otherwise the week has been filled with one or two gym visits, tons of stairs at the office (which I like to see as mini workouts) and some great home–made healthy meals. I tried out Quinoa for the first time and it was not gaggingly gross as I had expected. It was actually rather yummy – probably helped along by the 80:20 ratio of everything else to Quinoa. Steamed fish, chicken & zuchinni wraps and a few salads here and there rounded off the week. All and all it has not been a bad first week of “being better” (most of the time anyway).

And now that’s its 4:36am on Saturday and I have woken up from such a warm, cozy bed for no reason whatsoever, I thought perhaps it’s time I post something about my recent European Adventure. I think I’m ready to look at some photo’s without pining for Sangria and Tapa’s, so here goes…

We started off in Amsterdam and spent one wild weekend at St Christophers Hostel, a vibrant abode in the middle of the red light district and a short walk from Centraal Station. This place is simply the best – if you ever you are in Amsterdam, I suggest shacking up in the middle of the action. Especially when transport costs and the euro are not your friends.

Chris (the fiance) and I having a beer at the hostel - Image, my own

This was my second time in Amsterdam and equally as fun as the first. Beyond the obvious pass times in this liberal city, there are so many great sites, awesome museums, amazing restaurants, quaint architectural landmarks and hilariously funny people to keep you out of mischief. One such place is Vondelpark. I didn’t explore this green belt the first time around, so I was eager to see what one of the “top 10 things to do in Amsterdam in 48 hours” looked like. And I was pleasantly surprised.

I suppose all cities need an area for its inhabitants to jog, cycle and read under the trees, and as a city girl myself, I love a good bit of nature planted arm’s length from the concrete jungle. From an opera singer practicing in the park’s amphitheatre, to lovers on a bench, this park had it all and was a definite highlight of the weekend for me.

Our arrival at the park - Image, my own

Pretty building across the lake - Image, my own

Other highlights:

Cute Dutch blonde police officers (all in their early twenties and in uniform….)

The friendly people

A litre of cheese fondue

Could have done without:

The blisters from walking through every cobbled street of this amazing city

From Amsterdam, we jetted off to Barcelona…. But its 4:59am, and I need some sleep before the Super 15 Final, so I’ll save Barcelona for the next post.

Night

x

It's called the present, because it's a gift :)

Its been too long. But I am back. And 100% committed to the new leaf I turned over today. The holiday from the holiday is over and I couldn’t be more excited. So, I am long overdue with some news and some snaps from Spain. And of course there have been tons of fabulous fun things since. But let me start with today…the here and the now.

After a mild state of depression when my holiday was over, I have decided to throw myself, head first, back into all the things that make me happy. These include event planning, cooking, and catching up with wonderful friends. Also on the list are running, gym, and making interesting and delicious healthy meals that make my heart and my waist band smile. More time in the kitchen and the gym, less time on the couch. That’s my August resolution.

I solemnly swear I am 100% committed to all of the above, but most importantly, to having the best time doing each and every item on my numerous lists! Otherwise, what’s the point?

There are so many awesomely exciting things on the horizon, and I want to soak up the fabulousness of each and every one. Hence a journey to rediscover all the wonderful ways to stay on top of the world, every single day!

The first little rule I have set is to make sure I live in the present - So, the theme of today’s post is, Today – lets call it, Day one:

It started with delicious warm oats for breakfast (yumo!) and one of my fave healthy lunches – Verjuice Chickpea Salad… I managed some work in the middle of course, but rounded off with a sunset promenade run – all in all, a fantastic day!

I thought I would share the easy peasy chickpea salad recipe, as it’s the quickest snack to make as well as being super healthy and delicious! I shared today’s lunch with the fiancé today and he even complimented its tastiness.  

The below recipe makes enough for 2 people for work lunch (or say 6 people if it’s a side salad at a braai)

You will need:

1 x can of tinned chick peas

Red & yellow pepper (half of each)

Cherry Tomoates (about 6 if they are big, or some more if they are teeny tiny)

1/3 of a cucumber

Feta (I used one round disk of the plain low fat kind)

1/3 of a red onion

Handful of rocket (I like the wild one)

Dash of verjuice (call it a ¼ of a cup, but it’s totally up to you)

Salt & pepper to taste

Then all you have to do is:

Empty the can of chick peas into a colander and rinse thoroughly – you have to get that tinny-ness taste out of the mix. Then pour the rinsed chick peas into a bowl and dash with about a ¼ of a cup of Verjuice. If you don’t have any, simply use lemon or lime juice. You can throw some oil into the mix (e.g. avocado oil) if you want more of a Vinaigrette. I wanted to keep it super low fat, so opted out this time.

Finely chop the red onion, and then chop the rest of the fresh ingredients into salad size chunks for easy and ladylike consumption. Throw it all into the bowl and mix. Add in some loosely torn rocket and crumbled feta. Give it one more stir and then spoon into bowl / Tupperware for work.

I like to make it the night before because the Verjuice infuses into everything (and because I am super lazy in the morning).

Verjuice Chickpea Salad - image, my own

I hope you can get some use out of this simple, tasty lunch time snack.

I hope to bring some more food ideas to the blog over the coming weeks, as I endeavour to make healthy food fabulous.

Have a fantastic week

x

get a move on...

Its been just over a month since I last posted anything... siss! I feel mortified!
So many amazingly fun things have happened and I have not taken a few moments to reflect on them! double siss!

Apologies to anyone who may have been looking out for a post (all 3 of you perhaps :)

I promise, before this week is out, I will write something about the amazingly, wonderful, warm, delicious, sexiness that is Spain :)

But now, off to dinner with some good friends at a new spot in Kloof Street, Jackal & Hyde. Ill let you know if its fab ;)

x

Adiós Amigos

I was undecided whether to blog a teeny weeny little goodbye post. It seemed a little, “Cheers biyatches, enjoy the cold, while I summer in Spain”. But having given it a second thought, I realised that the very reason I started writing was to remind myself, and others, how fortunate we all are. And getting to go away with your friends, experience new cultures and cuisine, and have a good old jol, is something almost everyone (reading this) gets to do every once and a while. So I hope that whether you are taking a break now or in the future, you have countless other reasons to celebrate!

I am not sure if I will write while I’m overseas, so I hope that over the next three weeks, everyone I know has something to make them smile. Be it a big glass of red wine and a great movie on the couch, or something more life-changing, I trust there will be many blessed moments in 21 days.

And if you can’t think of anything right now, have a look at this video – a friend sent it to me today, and it made me smile.

Have a safe and happy June & the start of July. Until we meet again. X

A little overdue, but better late than never.

This past weekend, my fiancé and I were blessed enough to celebrate our engagement with friends and family. Some important people were jet-setting when he popped the question, so we decided to plan an engagement brunch for a date when everyone could attend.

Over 50 bottles of bubbly later and we all survived the gorgeous day, with more than a few stories to tell.

If that was a taste of the love and laughter that fills a wedding, I cannot wait! Thanks to everyone who made it so special! 

Deliciousness - Images, my own. 

Life's too damn short

Last night I decided to make some important lists of things to remember for my overseas holiday… when the visas are done and the flights + accommodation are all paid for, the final thing every A-type personality does is make some more lists. Just to be sure.

I started to think back to my last overseas trip in October 2010 and of an experience that I will never forget, for all the wrong reasons!

Thanks to the French train staff strike, we were stranded in Paris for the day. We had been scheduled to take a train down to Nice, but the Parisians decided, on that day, it was time to show their dissatisfaction with the retirement age being raised.

This all happened 2 hours after my wallet was stolen on another train, traveling through Brussels.

Having lost a credit card and few Euros in the process, and filled with concern about whether we would have to pay for new trains, spend an extra night in Paris etc, I spent the entire day completely stressed out, and didn’t want to “waste” money on coffee, food, wine… I know, right? Me… not wanting to waste money one wine! How ridiculous. What can I say; I was young(er) and clearly insane!

What struck me last night was that I was given an entire extra 12 hours in Paris. Paris! The most amazing, thrilling, enchanting city! And I completely wasted it!

We had spent the first few days of our trip in Paris and they were magical. Then, a subconscious genie granted a wish I didn’t even know that I had, and we were given a small window of extra Paris-time which I squandered, waiting for the next leg of our trip to start. Concerned with what was to come, I totally missed the gift I had been given. Looking back, I cannot help but kick myself for how foolish that was!

Luckily, we live and we learn, so, I have decided that as I count down the days until my next trip, I outright refuse to waste a single second while I am in Amsterdam and Spain. From the moment I close my laptop next week Thursday, I am 100% committed to living in each and every moment that my vacation grants me! I am going to soak up every second, make the most of the up’s and the down’s and find joy in the inevitable delays that come with travel.

After all, you never know what amazing parallel opportunities arise from unexpected changes to “the plan”. Isn’t that usually when the most memorable moments are created?

I like to think so. x

Paris is just the best! - Images, my own.