Blithely Unaware

And Then There Was Veuve.....

2012-02-13T09:08:00.000+11:00

Hamish surprised me the other night with this amazing box of goodies. 

I know heaps of you have seen it on instagram, but I had to share. 

He said it was what my beauty box SHOULD have been. 

SO true H, so true.

In the Veuve fridge IS A BOTTLE OF VEUVE!!! 

Only my most favourite Champagne after Belle Epoque. 

Le sigh.

He really is a keeper.

What has your favourite surprise been lately??!

♥ ♥ ♥

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Horrorbox

2012-02-10T10:34:00.002+11:00

I sent that email last night to a certain beauty box company, before I'd even received my beauty box.

Then this morning the postman came a knockin'

Let me put it this way, I shouldn't have even bothered opening it.

Let's take a look inside:

Ahhhh the Proactive, which nobody should really use without consulting a dermatologist. It's not really the sort of product anyone can just slap on.

Some finger tip sized lip gloss which will be thrown into my handbag never to be used***

Some awkward eyeshadow

Nail files which I will leave at work in case of an emergency

Lollies...

Then the greatest gift of them all.....

LIP TATTOOS

Ohhhhh yes, this was the full sized luxury product I received this month. If I had of kept the blue eyeliner from last month I'd be well on my way to becoming a 2 bit hooker.

Needless to say I've cancelled my subscription.

Do any of you receive a beauty box? Which one and is it good??

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THE LIP TATTOOS?!!!!

***I just worked out it's actually blush, I assume for a fairy because I have NO idea how a human sized blush brush (even a small travel one) would fit in the pot.

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Because I love you, of course!!!!!

2012-02-09T14:34:00.001+11:00

I made these Raspberry and White Chocolate muffins for Hamish to take to work the other day.
A girl at work gave me the recipe, thank you T!!!!
Let me tell you, I watched the oven like a HAWK!!!
We have the worlds smallest, worst 1960's oven.
It's SO bad :( :( :(
A few of the muffins burnt and couldn't be salvaged but 90% made it out alive, yay!

Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins

2 cups of self raising flour
2/3 cup of milk
1/2 cup castor sugar
125 grams of butter
1 egg slightly beaten

cup of frozen raspberries and white chocolate

Mix everything except the berries and chocolate when everything is mixed through gently fold in the raspberries and chocolate.

Pop in a 180 degree oven for 20 - 25 mins!

What treats do you put in your lunchboxes for work?!

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Green Smoothies App! Giddy Up!

2012-02-08T14:20:00.000+11:00

I just downloaded this GREEN SMOOTHIES APP!!! It's brilliant and only $2
I've just expanded my morning smoothie repertoire ten fold!!!
As much as I love my raspberry/LSA/cinnamon/1/2 low fat milk 1/2 water mix IT'S GETTING A LITTLE BORING :/ :/ :/

NOW I NEED A JUICER BECAUSE MY BLENDER CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH!!!

Do you make smoothies daily? Or JUICES?!
What sort of juicer do you have??! What sort of smoothies/juices do you make!?

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Room - The Discussion

2012-02-07T11:24:00.000+11:00

So, who read Room by Emma Donoghue? Pretty much everyone that responded to the call loved it except one, that I've heard of so far.

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Room for me was intense, there were parts where the hope shined through but it always seemed to have a touch of melancholy.

Having Jack grow up in a world that was completely structured by his mother seemed idyllic when they were in Room but as soon as she started telling him the truth the flaws ripped through the reader like a bullet. I must admit I was angry with his mother at times for the choices she made but the reality was what else could she have done?

There was always an element of hope in the back of my mind that Jack and his mother could be free and completely normal. The reality of it hit home - no matter how much help they had the post traumatic stress would always be a part of them. I also realized that the choices Jack's mother made in raising Jack had a huge impact on his recovery (attributing to my frustration with his mum's decisions). It was an incredibly overwhelming thing to come to terms with. Yes they survived, but with their freedom came the psychological shackles of their time in Room - something they could never truly lose. In my fantasy world I wanted them to break free completely. I wanted a peach pie ending where everything was OK and normal. Having Jack say goodbye to Room at the end was a pinnacle point in his (and his mother's) recovery but it didn't leave me happy, I felt it was bittersweet.

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I found this on the Room website and it is the only way to describe how you feel when you finish the book. The world is indeed the same but there is something different, sad, a violation and it lingers for days.

If you would like to buy Room you can find it here.

The official website can be found here.

Did you enjoy the book?

Did Jack's mother really have any other way to raise him differently, to prepare him for the outside world?

What did you think of Room and the ending of the book?

Soba Noodle Ooodle Snoodle

2012-02-06T05:51:00.000+11:00

After a rather heavy weekend of food and booooze it came to Sunday and I wanted something fresh and light.
It turned out soba noodles were calling my name.

This was delicious and took 20 minutes.
AND I CHEATED.... I used pre made teriyaki sauce.
I'm BAD at making sauces... well, I haven't really tried... but the bottle just looked so easy.
DON'T HATE THE PLAYER HATE THE GAME!!!!!

Make this for lunch or dinner and use different vegetables or make it vegetarian or use salmon or some other fish... I will shut up now.

:) :) :)

Soba Noodle Salad

1 pk Organic Soba Noodles, use 1 bunch. (I used the Hakubaku brand it's organic, made in Victoria and easy to find at the supermarket)
1 Chicken breast
Generous handful of snow peas
Enoki Mushrooms
Bottle of store bought Teriyaki sauce... See the picture below, that's the one I bought and it was perfect. shhhhhhshshshshshshsshhhhhh okokokokokok I am a cooking CHEAT but at least I can admit to it hahahahahaa

Cut your chicken up into bite size dices
Pan fry your chicken in a non stick pan with a spray of oil
When browned add a splash of Teriyaki sauce then set aside
In a double boiler bring some water to the boil Add the noodles
Set a timer for 4 minutes
After 1 minute put your snow peas and Enoki mushrooms in to steam
When the 4 minutes is up put aside the mushrooms and snow peas
Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water a couple of times

To assemble the salad pop the noodles onto a plate and top with snow peas, mushrooms, your chicken and some sesame seeds.

YUM YUM YUM!!!!

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It's Friday Yo, Wait What!

2012-02-03T10:46:00.002+11:00

The most fantastical letterbox I've ever seen.
Sunburst Profile
If you love Biggie Smalls then go to Soundcloud and find the Jamie XX mash ups here.
My favourite ice cream stand in the city.
A letter for my Shnooks, the bestest friend in the world.

Just a little selection from my instagram, find me: blithelyunaware

:) :) :)

Do you instagram?
Pop your name in the comments!
Do you think EVERYTHING looks better in an instagram?!!?

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Crying Tiger Salsa - Oh my!

2012-02-01T15:56:00.000+11:00

To say I am obsessed with Crying Tiger Salsa would be putting it mildly.
This salsa is what all my salsa dreams are made of - and more.
It's fiery and cool at the same time and has the perfect amount of crunch.
Pop it on steak that's been bbq'd like we did, oh, oh, ohhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Crying Tiger Salsa

1 Lebanese cucumber - diced
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes - diced
2 birdseye chilli - chopped
1 long green chilli - chopped
2 tbsp corriander - chopped
1 tbsp mint - chopped
4 shallots - finely diced
1 spring onion - finely sliced

Place all ingredients into bowl and set aside

Juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp palm sugar - chopped
1 tsp thin soy sauce

Whisk until sugar has dissolved and taste, the sauce should be slightly salty and sour, but with some underlying sweetness to balance it out.

Pour sauce over salsa and allow to macerate for 10 minutes.

omm nom nom*

*Hamish wrote that, I don't use that phrase... argh.

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Huxtaburger, Huxtaburger, Huxtaburger and ya don't stop,

2012-01-30T10:04:00.000+11:00

Hamish and I went for a date to Huxtaburger the other night.
Owned by the enigmatic Kiwi Daniel Wilson (Hamish used to work for him), who also owns Huxtable, Huxtaburger is an immediate cult classic burger shop.
With a tiny menu (less is SO much more)ice cold beers and crunchy chippies Huxtaburger doesn't have to try at all, it just is perfection.

Let me take a moment to describe my burger to you:
Perfectly toasted brioche which was super soft but crunchy on the outside,
insanely juicy Moondarra Wagyu beef pattie,
crunchy lettuce,
caramelized pineapple.......

54u82390rujjerwio*(@WJD$gFHDEWR83HF*4%

I just....
I can't describe the taste to you properly.
Please, please for the love of all things GO.

Huxtaburger

 106 Smith Street, Collingwood.

 Ph 9417 6328

Open: Tues-Thurs and Sun, noon-10pm.

Fri-Sat, noon-11pm.

huxtaburger.com.au

P.S Get the Brooklyn Lager it's a beautiful beer and goes so well with the burgers.

Oh my god I want to go back right now.....

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January Wedding Update

2012-01-27T10:57:00.002+11:00

Rather than bore the beejeebus out of you all with wedding post after wedding post I've decided to do a monthly update. Each month I'll post a few of the decisions we've made or are thinking about. Yay!

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1. Photo booth props... because we are getting a photo booth!!! yayaayayaayayaa

2. White lanterns in the tree where we will get married

3. Vegetables as part of our center pieces on the tables.
We can't have candles because our venue is heritage listed :( :( :(
Vegetables tie in well with the market gardens at the location.

What sort of center pieces did you have at your wedding?

Did you have a photo booth? Where did you get your props??!

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New Goggles!!!!!!

2012-01-25T11:03:00.001+11:00

I got new goggles the other day!
YAY!
I'm short AND long sighted in my left eye and short sighted in my right eye.
To be honest I'm not 100% sure what this means.
I didn't like any of the frames at OPSM so I bought these Elizabeth and James frames online from Shopbop.
You can find them here.

Here's a story....

I emailed shopbop and Elizabeth and James to find out if I could put my lenses in them.
Customers on Shopbop asked in the review sections for other pairs if they could, Shopbop never replied to their queries.
Anyway I received 2 emails back.
Shopbop said NO and Elizabeth and James said YES.
Being the kind customer I am I emailed Shopbop back to say they were wrong and suggested that maybe they update their website to let customers know they can put their prescription lenses in.
... they still haven't.

Bad form Shopbop, bad form.

On the plus side I only had to pay $30 for the lenses because my health insurance covered the rest, yayayayayayayayaaaaa.

Do you wear glasses?
Where do you get your frames from and how often do you change them?

Book Wormssssssssssssssssss Club

2012-01-24T12:18:00.001+11:00

It appears a lot of the readers of Blithely Unaware also love reading BOOKS!!!
How would you feel about a book club of sorts?!?
Then I will be forced to stick to my read-a-book-a-fortnight mission. HA!

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If you would like to join in leave a comment and let me know.... I propose that our inaugural book is this:

Room by Emma Donoghue
You can buy it here.

If you would like to comment about the book I will do a post on Feb the 7th.

Yayaayayayayayaayaaa

Get reading book wormmmmmmmssssssssssssssss
OH! If you have already read ROOM (as I did a couple of weeks ago) please still feel free to chitter chatter about it!!!!!

:) :) :)

Strictly Confidential Roxy Jacenko yaaayaayayayayaa

2012-01-23T17:15:00.002+11:00

Hello Peeps!

I've made it my mission to read more this year, my aim is for a book a fortnight - ish.
So far I've read 2 books.
I'm pretty much on track yayaayyayaaaaa.

This little number was bought from here.
After reading SO much about it on Twitter I had to get my paws onto it and see what the fuss was all about for myself.

I loved it, LOVED it.
Ladies, if you're after something light, fun, witty, FULL of shameless faboosh-make-you-smile fashion and gossip then read this book.
Strictly Confidential is written by the Public Relations guru herself, the founder of Sweaty Betty PR, Roxy Jacenko.
I die for Roxy, DIE.
Do you have Sweaty Betty PR on Twitter?!! You're cray cray if you don't because they put up the best photos, find them here.

Anyhoo, Strictly Confidential follows the enigmatic Jazzy Lou through the trials and tribulations of the fast paced world of public relations.
This book is so much fun, I can't recommend it enough.
Picture yourself reading it while you're at the salon or catching some rays.
Perfection.

Have you read Strictly Confidential?
What books have you read so far this year?

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A Blue Corning We Will Go

2012-01-17T16:14:00.001+11:00

On Saturday night I went to Blue Corn with my favourite home girls, R, Holly, Mez and Nat.

We had a ball cocktails, wine, Mexican food and GOSSIP bwaaaaaaahahaahahahahaaaaa

Nat and I have twinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn bags yaaayayayayayaaaa!

Nat and Mez's arm candy, Mez's photo is so bbllurryyy - I'd had a couple of wines by then. Don't judge!

Beautiful Holly pondering over the menu... Eating shit loads of El Yucateco on her corn chips and by shit loads I mean she practically gave me a heart attack when she poured it on.....

R's peace fingers haaahaahahaaaaa
She asked me if I managed to get them in the photo, I said NO then came home to this surprise.
She will be happy.

Where do you like to go with your friends on a Saturday night? Telllll meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

:) :) :)

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Selling: See By Chloe - Sold

2012-01-11T13:18:00.002+11:00

I'm selling this See By Chloe satchel that I bought from Shopbop... see the original blog post here.

It just doesn't get the love from me that it deserves.

:( :( :( :( 

SORRY BAG-A-LOO!!!

I've only used it a couple of times.

 It's the softest most soft leather ever and happily fits half my life in it. 

The photos make the leather look very shiny, but it's not. 

I've still got the original dust bag and tags.

 $100. 

Happy to ship worldwide. 

Let me know where you are so I can work out postage.

~~:) :) :)~~

~~Email me: blithelyunaware@hotmail.com~~
~~Or contact me on Twitter: twitter.com/blithelyunaware~~

~~Yaaayayayayayaaaaa~~

Not A Thing Chicken Wing!

2012-01-09T19:32:00.002+11:00

I have some EXCITING news peeps!!!!
We are getting CHICKENS!! (when we move house in a couple of months...)

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Yaaaaaaaaaaaaayayayayayayaaa Hamish said we can have 3. 

I want to name them: Biggie Smalls, Christopher Wallace and The Notorious B.I.G.... HA!

We are getting them because they will give us delicious organic eggs and they will work magic on the garden.

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Have you ever had chickens or do you have chickens in your garden? Do you have any hot chicken tips for us? 

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Such A Vibrant Thing

2012-01-06T10:26:00.001+11:00

Yayayaayayayaaaa YAY!!!!!
This is a salad I whipped up the other day for luncheon: Homemade chicken schnitzel, orange, nectarine, roasted chickpeas and wild rocket.

SHUT. THE. DOOR.

Make this for luncheon, you won't be disappointed.

Homemade Chicken Schnitzel

1/2 Organic Chicken breast butterflied then bashed with a meat hammer thingy to make it flat
1 beaten egg
Cup of Plain Flour
Cup of Organic Bread Crumbs

Bash chicken breast with a meat hammer to flatten
Dip in flour and coat
Dip in egg bath and coat make sure you let all the extra egg drip off
Dip in crumbs and press down coat evenly all over

Fry in a non stick pan with a small spray of rice bran oil

To assemble salad chop a nectarine and orange toss through wild rocket leaves and sliced schnitzel. Sprinkle with roasted chickpeas and drizzle with a little olive oil.

:) :) :)

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Who Lives In A Pineapple Under The Sea?

2012-01-04T15:23:00.000+11:00

Last night I was doing some restaurant menu snooping and got my heart set on pork neck tacos for dinner with greens and pineapple salsa.
Lucky for me Hamish got home and agreed to my wishes.

After eating them I've got to admit, pulled pork would have been so much better but we had nada.
OH MY STARS!!! I just read that pulled pork recipe/post again..... and remembered how good it was. Must. Make. Soon.

Anyhoo, here is the pineapple salsa recipe. Have it with either the pulled pork or pork neck. We used gluten free white corn tortillas and had them with coriander, iceberg lettuce and a healthy dash of El Yucateco.

Pineapple Salsa
1/4 Red Onion
1 Medium Tin Pineapple (If you can get a fresh one use a fresh one, otherwise tinned in NATURAL juices is best)
Tablespoon Coriander
2 Birdseye Chili
1/2 lime

Chop coriander, chili, red onion finely.
Add to pineapple pieces
Dress with the juice of 1/2 a lime
Season to taste

*If you don't like too much heat omit the chili or have less :) :) :)

Someone remind me to make PULLED PORK this weekend!!!!

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Party Party

2012-01-03T15:13:00.002+11:00

Christmas day still.... party time!
1. Our drinks bucket the ice melted in 1/2 an hour in the humidity.

2. Our PASS THE PARCEL BALL!!!

3, 4, 5, 6. Pass the parcel prizes!!! There was something in almost every layer, honestly the best pass the parcel I've ever done. Yes, Hamish wore his uniform.... he was cooking and didn't want to get his clothes dirty. Bless.

7. Cherry Vodka slurpee shot it looks like a drink but it was icy underneath.

8. The end of the night.....

That's it for my CHRISTMAS PHOTOS!

And now a NEW YEARS PHOTO!!!!

Hamish and I on new years day yaayaayayayayayayayayaayayayaaaaa

HAPPY NEW YEAR PEEPS!!!

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2011 The Year That Was....

2011-12-30T21:43:00.001+11:00

1. I thought deeply, DEEPLY about the FOODS THAT SCARE ME!!!!

2. I attempted to start the CAPTCHA REVOLUTION but some of peeps STILL HAVE THE JTUEWI90UR328 things..... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

3. I become obsessed, OBSESSED with these chicken wings... not a thing chicken wing...

4. I was offered a place to do my Bachelor Of Interior Design!!! Yes, yes!! I'll be deferring for a year (for the wedding) then commencing in 2013 :) :) :)

5. Shannon Bennett invited Hamish and I around to his place... and....

6. Hamish proposed!!!!!

7. We held out engagement party and it POURED :( :( :(

8. I'm super excited about getting married in 2012... I've been wearing my wedding get up since '86 in anticipation of the BIG DAY... Look out Hamish!!! Bwaaahaahahahahahahahaaha

Happy New Year!!!!

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De Constructed Biggie Mac Happy Meal

2011-12-30T11:03:00.000+11:00

Our whole Christmas dinner comprised of little children's party surprises from our popping candy chocolate dessert to our special pass the parcel (more on that later). Hamish had been wanting to do a de constructed Big Mac meal for AGES and this was the result.

We went to McDonalds and asked for the Happy Meal boxes and small fries bags. For our beverage we served Lemonata with red and white stripe straws.

The actual meal was Parmesan crisps (which went soft in the humidity :( :( :( ) in the small fries bag and steak tartar complete with special sauce and burger bun soft sesame croutons. It was all mini mini in size, perfect!

It went down so well and hearing everyone's squeals and laughter when we brought out the boxes just made it all the more exciting.

What was your favourite meal/course on Christmas day?

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Prep!

2011-12-29T14:53:00.002+11:00

Prep list for Christmas dinner, stuck to our fridge... so we knew what we were doing... :/ :/ :/
Heston Blumenthal's Popping Candy Chocolate tart recipe (our dessert)
The Jenga Fridge Game
Hamish separating coriander leaves
Kaffir Lime Leaf chopped by hand... by me.. baaaaaaaahahahahaa as IF. Chopped by Hamish
The start of our gravy.... stock making!
The amazing, delicious Gremolata (< recipe link!)which Hamish put on these GIANT...
Prawns!

Christmas day prep on Chritmas eve... it took all day but was well worth it... we were still messing with the menu at midnight on Christmas eve.

When did you start your prep and when did you finalize the menu?

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Sweets For My Sweets

2011-12-26T14:52:00.001+11:00

So this is our Christmas dinner dining table. I had NO idea how I was going to style it until the last minute... literally the last minute. The day before Christmas Eve I had to make multiple visits to the shops to get things I'd forgotten on previous runs. Gah! Idiot!

The red takeaway food boxes were the "bon bons" the boys each had mini bottles of Hendricks Gin and the girls had a couple of pairs of earrings. I put in Lindt Christmas chocolates for something sweet.

Everything was laid out by Christmas Eve morning and we were free to start on the cooking and by "we" I mean Hamish was.... eep! I have so much more to show you guys!!!!

How did you decorate your Christmas table?

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Feliz Navidad

2011-12-23T20:51:00.000+11:00

Source Unknown

Merry Christmas peeps!

It's been a fantastic year for Blithely Unaware, an engagement, lots of laughs and love and a little dog called Mooks.

Thank you all for your support!

We will be posting our Christmas celebrations soon.

♥ ♥ ♥

Kind Of Chicken Pasta Salad Thingy

2011-12-14T16:50:00.000+11:00

I made this the other day when I was waiting for the creepy TV fixer man.
HE WAS CREEPY BECAUSE HE WENT TO THE TOOT AND FLUSHED IT 3 TIMES.
Creep.

Anyhoo, this was the hero of the day my roast chicken pasta salad thingy.
JUST so you know creamy pasta salads are TOP OF MY FOODS THAT SCARE ME list.
This is NOT a creamy pasta salad.
This is LIGHT and FRESH!!!!
I kind of fudged my way through the whole thing without thinking and it really worked.
Yes, yes I've used fennel and rocket AGAIN.
I looooooooooooove it though and so should you!

Kind Of Chicken Pasta Salad Thingy

1 Roast Chicken
1 Cup of rocket leaves
1 baby fennel bulb finely sliced
Small handful of spaghetti
Wedge of lemon
Salt and Pepper
Good olive oil suitable for dressing

Roast a chook or buy a rotisserie chicken.
I roasted mine stuffed with garlic
When the chicken's cooked shred all the meat off it
Skim the oil from the baking pan and keep the chicken juices

Cook your spaghetti
For my salad I only used a small amount I wanted to make the rocket more dominant

Mix some of the shredded chicken with the spaghetti and rocket leaves and finely sliced fennel
Pour the roasting juices over the pasta salad and mix through

Dress with a squeeze of lemon and some olive oil

Season to taste

YUM YUM YUM

:) :) :)

Christmas Tippity Tips

2011-12-12T11:00:00.000+11:00

I whipped up these Christmas nails last night and refuse to wash the dishes because I don't want to chip them.
HA!
I used:
Essie - A List
N.Y.C Color - Red Sparkle

Have you done Christmas nails yet?

Phillippa's Cafe On A Sunshine Day

2011-12-11T18:37:00.000+11:00

You guys already know how much I LOVE Le Cellier. Well, this is my city answer to Le Cellier. Phillippa's can be found @ 15 Howey Place, Melbourne.

My bff S and I had these toot sweet sandwiches a gorgeous chicken one and a vegetarian one for S. The sandwiches were fresh and didn't taste like they'd been kicking around for hours. There was LOTS of filling and the bread was dense and full of flavour.

I will be going back to Phillippa's this week, no doubt. It's fast becoming a favourite lunch spot pre work.

Get your cabooses there STAT!

:) :) :)

Rag And Bone My Love :( :( :(

2011-12-05T13:34:00.001+11:00

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~~I got these Rag and Bone babies for the engagement party and they were too narrow.~~

~~So I got them stretched (which did NADA)and they still didn't fit.~~

~~Now I am selling them.~~

~~Brand new. In Box.~~

~~Size 38 but would fit a 37 quite easily~~

~~They're the most gorgeous shoe~~

~~GAH~~

~~I AM SO SAD~~

~~:( :( :(~~

They are currently on Net A Porter you can find them here.

~~If you're interested DM me via: blithelyunaware@hotmail.com~~

~~Or tweet me~~

~~twitter.com/blithelyunaware~~

~~I'm happy to ship overseas if you cover shipping costs.~~

:( :( :( :( :(

Sold!!!!

It Rained At Our Love Parade

2011-11-29T13:12:00.002+11:00

I'm telling you now readers... I PRAYED EVERY SINGLE DAY. I SAID MY HAIL MARY'S EVERY SINGLE DAY.... Annnnnnnnnnnnnd it still POURED. It didn't just RAIN the HEAVENS OPENED.

The streamers below totaled 500mts.. they took me HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS to cut... But I think it was worth it. I hung this beautiful Dom Perignon quote in the middle of them.

The rain didn't stop us from having the time of our lives!!! We had the most amazing engagement party. Lots of laughs, dancing in the rain, cocktails, Champagne and delicious food. It all went SO quickly, I wish I could go back and experience it in slow motion.

These are our lolly bags, they were a HIT! Along with the Mr Whippy Van the two totally brought out the kid in everyone.

Annnnnnnnnnnd these are our thank you postcards, I picked them up from the printer today... once again done by the amazing Shellie!

Unfortunately these are the only photos I have, I didn't take ANY with my camera. We were too busy socializing and drinking and laughing. I know some of my friends and family took photos, I'm hoping I get a hold of them soon. In the meantime......
I made the decorations myself, do you guys want a tutorial on any of them?!
Let me know!

Respect Our Work! Support Your Nurses!

2011-11-24T10:33:00.000+11:00

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I know this blog is normally light and happy and I love to keep it that way, but this issue is too close to my heart and too important to ignore.

The Victorian Government is planning to abolish our nurse:patient ratios and replace us with lower skilled, cheaper workers. They are seeking to split our shifts so we go home during the day THEN have to return to work. They are trying to make our job IMPOSSIBLE. FINALLY they do not want to give us a pay rise. We are angry.

We are first and foremost patient advocates we became nurses because we CARE ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEIR HEALTH.

We did not become nurses for the MONEY.

The media is painting a picture that all we want is money, the issue of our pay is there but the PATIENT'S SAFETY is what we are most worried about.

If you would like to read more this article was published in the Sydney Morning Herald today.

PLEASE RESPECT OUR WORK

SUPPORT YOUR NURSES

If you are in Victoria please wear red today as a sign of your support.

WE WILL NOT STAND DOWN

Nailing It Yo!

2011-11-22T16:24:00.000+11:00

Doing my nails, getting my nails did - IS ONE OF MY MOST FAVOURITE THINGS IN THE WORLD!!!!! I do my nails myself most of the time and try to paint them 2nd daily, perhaps daily.... sometimes.... depending on how much time I have.

A few peeps have asked me what I do to keep my mitts in the condition I do. Let me say straight up, they are NOT in good condition. I wash them hundreds of times a day at work and put them through chemical torture.

I try to curb cuticle HELL by using the following:

1) Essie Apricot Oil. I swish this onto my cuticles. For the love of all things holy THIS is the grail. If you're serious about NAILS then you must get this.

2) CND Sticky nail polish, I use this as a base coat. Always.

3) Essie Good To Go. This is my top coat but really I drift between top coats, sometimes OPI, sometimes Essie.

4) CND Sticky nail polish, I use this as a base coat. Always.

5) An orange stick! To push my cuticles back, I don't like to cut them!!!!

4) A GOOD hand cream. SERIOUSLY, HOW HARD IS IT TO FIND A GOOD HAND CREAM. I like AESOP and I like this one by Mozi, you can buy it at Myer or online here.

What do you do to keep yo tips in tip top shape?!

TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!!!!

Sunshine Before The Rain

2011-11-18T09:46:00.001+11:00

This was last Saturday.
Sunbaking perfection.
We sat in our front garden with Mooky galloping around, drinking cider, listening to Gil Scott Heron and Wu Tang and talkingtalkingtalking.
We talked so much I didn't even pick up a magazine.
Such a perfect afternoon...

May all your weekends be blessed with good hip hop, sunshine and chitter chatter with your best homie.

♥ :) ♥ :) ♥ :)

The World's Biggest Bun

2011-11-17T09:19:00.000+11:00

I conjured up this bun the other day and peeps on Twitter and instagram asked me how I did it... using this thing.

IT'S SO MUCH BIGGER THAN A REGULAR SOCK BUN!!!

If you want it to be SO MASSIVE like this then get a large sized one.

If you want to do it this weekend and can't wait for shipping go to Hair House Warehouse to get one, but be prepared to drop $15 for it.

The one I got from HHW was (I assume) a large because, well, look at the BUN!

I've considered layering one on top of the other to make it fuller... what do you guys think?!?!!

There you go, that's my hair secret for the day.

xox

Tacos With My Best Friend

2011-11-15T17:17:00.000+11:00

About eleventy million years ago I RAVED on Twitter about the Pork Neck Tacos Hamish whipped up for dinner one night. They remain, hands down, the BEST tacos I've ever had. YUM!

So I have been hassling him for the recipe and FINALLY last night he wrote it down for ALL OF YOU TO HAVE yaaaaayayaayayayaaa!!! 

I highly, highly recommend cooking this instead of beef or the oh so fashionable prawn ones that seem to be floating around at the mo mo.

Now don't even get me STARTED on the salsa. Doritos Salsa, Old El Paso Salsa..... SHUT THE DOOR. This salsa recipe will knock your socks off. It's super easy and will keep in the fridge.

Now go get your Mexican on peeps!!!

:) :) :) 

Pork Neck Taco

500g pork neck, (or pork scotch) diced

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1tbsp powdered coriander

1tsp smoked paprika

Salt & pepper

2 diced tomatoes

Tabasco (preferably habanero tobacco)

30 ml white wine (or water can be substituted)

Thoroughly rub all the spices into the pork neck and quickly fry in a HOT pan.

After the meat is sealed throw in the tomatoes and around 10 - 30 dashes of the tobasco depending on how hot you want it… (I probably went for 30 odd)

Let simmer for a few seconds. 

Don’t worry about breaking the tomato down, you want the crunch and you certainly don’t want the pork neck cooked too much as it becomes chewy quite easily.

Salsa

2 fresh tomatoes - diced

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp fresh oregano – finely cut

1 tsp paprika

60 ml white wine

Juice of 1 lemon

2 birdseye chillies (cut into rounds)

1 brown onion – diced

2 cloves of garlic - minced

Salt and pepper

Sweat onion and garlic in grapeseed oil (vegetable oil is a fine substitute) over a low heat until the onion becomes soft. 

Add spices and sweat for another minute or so.

Add white wine and tomatoes and cook down until close to a salsa consistency. 

Add chillies and cook until salsa consistency is reached.

Add lemon juice and oregano and season.

Cool in fridge until time to use

Flower Children

2011-11-08T21:11:00.000+11:00

I went to our local florist today and took some quicky-iphone-snapz of the flowers available at this time of the year, so we've got an idea for the wedding.

I think the florist thought I was CRAAAAY-ZAAAAY when I asked if I could take the photos.

Sigh

Anyhoo... there's a bit of a reoccurring theme here isn't there.... W H I T E

What colour flowers did you/will you have at your wedding?

Pow Pow Power Balls

2011-11-06T12:29:00.001+11:00

I read about power balls on Table Tonic and decided I really wanted to make some for myself. You can find the original recipe here. I've changed ingredients a bit, which anyone can do... AND I've romanced the idea of dipping them in dark chocolate for a more decadent power ball.

Hamish HATES dried fruit so when I got him to try one I didn't tell him what was in it bwaahahahahaahaaa turned out he liked them, HA! Despite the dried fruit.

Give them a go they are super easy and great as fillers, snacks or even breakfast on the go.

Pow Pow Power Balls

1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups rolled oats
Small sprinkle of cinnamon
Dried Cranberries
Pitted dates
LSA Mix (in the health food dept)

Put all the ingredients into a food processor (except the dates and LSA) whiz until it's the consistency of crumbs add dates one by one and whiz. When the mix is like fine crumbs try to form balls, if it's too dry add more dates or too sticky add more dry ingredients.
Roll into balls then roll the balls in LSA mix.
Pop the balls into the fridge to set.
I make the balls so they are the size of a rum ball.

:) :) :)

Have you made POW POW POWER BALLS before? What did you put in them?

Embracing Thoughtful Eating

2011-10-31T17:02:00.000+11:00

So I "quit" all coffee and soft drinks around 4 weeks ago now. Straight up, cold turkey, BANG. No more coffee. It was making me feel sick. To the point where I was vomiting. I'm sure I will go back to it one day (coffee not soft drink), but maybe just on weekends. Not too sure yet, at the moment I'm not missing it that much... sigh....

The soft drink thing was easy to quit (I was drinking at LEAST 365mls of Coke Zero a day) but mostly boiled down to the fact that I read about Phenylalanine/Aspartame the shit they put in "sugar free" foods... It really is shit and damn scary stuff. Do a google search and scare yourself into not consuming it anymore!!!

Which leads my to the cray cray that is this SUGAR FREE NOVEMBER thing that peeps are going on about... if you're going to do it, don't be foolish and pick "sugar free" marketed products. My real hang up with this sugar free November thing is this: whatever happened to eating in moderation???? All of a sudden we can't eat carbs after 5, CAN'T EAT CARBS AT ALL, can't eat sugar, EVERYTHING has to be fatfreesugarfreecarbfree some diets suggest NOT EATING FRUIT, some diets suggest ONLY consuming protein.
WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!!! Relax!!!
I'm not a dietician but I'm trying to eat better and be a better CONSUMER I'm doing the following:

1. Reduce coffee intake because it makes me feel blergggggggg

2. Stop all soft drink consumption

3. Stop eating full on meals at midnight (when Hamish and I would have dinner because that's when he would get home) soooo eat dinner at a NORMAL time!

4. Watch my portions... I have been eating THE SAME SIZE PORTIONS as Hamish.. duh, he is a 193cm tall man.. we are NOT the same. I've told him to stop serving me such HUGE portions. Gahhhhhhh

And that's about it so far... I can't move mountains in a week but I can make sandcastles in a day. HA! THAT MAKES NO SENSE!!!

Anyhoo... my point is... put your relaxo pants on when it comes to the dreaded DIET and stop cutting things out because a trend tells you to... unless you're consulting with a dietician you could be doing more harm than good. Our bodies actually need sugar to survive!!!

What LITTLE changes can you/have you made to your diet that you've seen improvements from?

Quick Stick NOTD

2011-10-27T12:40:00.001+11:00

I shlepped this on today:
OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender
with
OPI Rainbow Connection

What choo flossin' on your nails right now?

It's Jones The Grocer!

2011-10-27T10:40:00.000+11:00

I caught up with one off my bff's JAZZY the other day for a quick sticks luncheon before trabajo. We went to Jones The Grocer at Chadstone and I had this beef burger. Yayayayayaa YUM! It was SUCH a sunny day and such a gorgeous way to spend my lunch time.

Ya, ya, ya I took these photos with my iphone - that's why they are crap OK! Sorry peeps!!!

Over lunch we decided I need a birdcage so people can put cards in it at the engagement party OR SOMETHING! What did you provide for card holding at your wedding/engagement? Tellllllllllll meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :) :) :)

Engagement Party Planning Yo!

2011-10-23T17:34:00.000+11:00

Hello lovelies!!!!!
We picked up THE engagement ring the other day and it's SO sunny and gorgeous at the moment I thought I'd attempt to take some photos of it.

Have any of you tried to take photos of your engagement ring?! IT'S INCREDIBLY HARD. I could either go the ugly finger route or some weird prop route... I went with the latter a Limoges jewellery box and Vogue Living bahaahahaa I have no either what goes on in my head either.

Here's some more ENGAGEMENT PARTY STUFF!!!!
The paper straws I bought from Etsy, say hello to our colour scheme!!!
Light pink, Sherbet orange and a soft grey.
I'm trying so hard to not make this too girly... GAH!!!
Wooden plates and cutlery... all biodegradable!!! Yaayayayayayaa as per my hope that the party is as greeeeeen as possible.
I bought these wooden love bird trees from Pink Frosting they are a fantastic site for wedding and party solutions!!!!
These paper tags are from Etsy and will be used to label our 2lt glass flagons which will have COCKTAIL AND PUNCH DEEEEEELIGHTS!!! But more on that later!!!!!

Ok I've got to PEACE OUT my dad's coming over for BBQ dinner and I'm in a mad rush to set the table and make SALADS.

:) :) :)

Heirloom Tomato Omelette Times

2011-10-17T14:13:00.000+11:00

Hello peeps!!! When I'm stuck for a quick breakfast and don't want a berry smoothie I more often than not turn to the humble omelette. It's light, filling and full of PROTEIN. This baby took literally 5 minutes to make. Did someone say fast food?! I served it with a couple of slices of Helga's multigrain for women (I think the FOR WOMEN bit is just a marketing thing) and a massive glass of iced water with lemon wedges. Yayayaayayaaaa

What do you like to put in your omelettes?

Heirloom Tomato Omelette

1 X Heirloom Tomato (I used one of the dark green ones)

3 X egg whites

1 X egg yolk

Tablespoon of milk

Chilli flakes

Salt

1/3 cup of cheese

Spray oil

In a bowl whisk the egg yolk and whites with the tablespoon of milk.

Add a sprinkle of chilli flakes, the cheese and salt to taste.

Whisk through.

Put your pan over a low heat with a spray of oil and pour your egg mixture in once the pan is hot.

Place thin slices of heirloom tomato over one half off the omelette.

Once it starts to bubble on top and cook through flip the side without tomato over so it's folded in half.

Once it's golden on the outside remove from the heat and serve with crunchy toasted multigrain bread.

:) :) :)

Little Bunny Foo Foo

2011-10-07T14:47:00.000+11:00

I realized the other day that our engagement invitations still hadn't made it to the old bloggy. Well, here they are! What was a 3am vision for me one night at work soon became a beautiful little invitation thanks to the AMAZING Shellie.

I was so excited to get these babies out in the post I didn't wait to buy pretty envelopes.... :/ :/ :/

We had our guests names printed on the invitations... naturally I forgot about a gazillion peeps. Sigh.

The engagement party is soon, so soon and I literally panic EVERY SINGLE NIGHT:

WHAT will the weather be/what I will wear/how will things be set out/will there be enough food/will there be enough alcohol/WILL PEOPLE LIKE THE MISTER WHIPPY VAN!?!?!!?!... WILL PEOPLE TURN UP!?!? Will people laugh and think it's awful/tacky/BORING?!!?!? GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
panicpanicpaniccccccccccccccccccccc

What are your hot tips for hosting a party?!

Hola Hola Hollandaise

2011-10-06T11:42:00.001+11:00

Last Saturday was HAMISH'S INAUGURAL SATURDAY OFF!

:) :) :)

So, naturally we celebrated with HOLLANDAISE and poached eggs. They were toot sweet. I thought I'd share the recipe with you because SO many cafes and breakfast nooks make it with powder and other magical "ingredients". This is the real deal. Make it this Saturday for someone you love. 

What is your ultimate SATURDAY BREAKFAST IN BED?!

Oh, oh, ohhhhh see that wooden cutlery?! I've ordered 100's for our engagement party - cute hey! Plus they are biodegradable, I'm trying to make our engagement party as eco friendly as possible... more on that later....  

Hola Hola Hollandaise 

2 X Egg Yolks

45mls White Wine Vinegar

2 X Bay Leaves

10 black Peppercorns

1 sliced shallot  

200 grams unsalted butter

Clarify butter by placing into a heatproof bowl in the microwave on high for 2 minutes

Let butter settle until there is 2 distinct layers

Carefully pour the clarified layer (top) into a separate bowl  

Do not allow the milk solids to mix in with the top layer

Place the white wine vinegar, peppercorns, shallot slices and bay leaves into a saucepan and simmer until the liquid has reduced to half it's volume

Strain the vinegar reduction into a bowl and add the egg yolks

Whisk vigorously over a bowl of boiling water on the stove top

Be careful that you don't let the mixture get too hot

Drizzle the clarified butter in slowly (in stages) whilst whisking

Whisk until the sauce has reached a constancy akin to yogurt

Serve immediately, this sauce will not keep in the fridge. 

Spike The Punch Bayyyybeeeeeee

2011-09-30T18:05:00.001+10:00

(Source All)

I literally JUST purchased the first necklace for my girl E's HEN'S PAAAAAARTAAAYYYY in November. We have to wear "something blue" so I thought this was perfect.
Now I want that orange and purple one too.
DANG THEY ARE SO SPARKLY AND GORGEOUS ARGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
If you want a piece of this amazing jewelery then get your cutie patootie's to the Spike The Punch store on Etsy, you can find it here.

:) :) :)

Hope you all have an amazing weekend, I totally do not like football so don't expect any footy hoo haa from meeeeeeeeee

♥

RETNA X CHANEL

2011-09-28T16:34:00.000+10:00

Yes, yes, yes say what you will about ART. I have a firm belief that it lies in all different mediums, on all different platforms, street art included (let's not turn this into a "what sort of graffiti constitutes art" debate). Street art has been and remains a big part of my life, I love it. Lots of people don't. I wanted to introduce you to Retna who is a street/graffiti artist from LA. You can read more about him here. His art to me echoes elegant, strong hieroglyphics. It is, in fact an alphabet that he has created based on fusing ancient scripts with graffiti form. Retna was commissioned by Chanel to paint their LA store recently. This is the result......

all images

What are some of your favourite artists? Emerging, established, olden days, old school or new....?

Happy Mopho Panda

2011-09-26T15:36:00.002+10:00

Hamish left Mopho last week and it was a bittersweet ending for both of us.

When we were driving away we both felt pretty blue :( :( :( Here's to days off though and perhaps a somewhat "normal" life for us. For the first time in our relationship Hamish will be having Saturday AND Sunday off. First. Time. Ever.

♥ ♥ ♥

There is only an hour and a half left to vote for this cray, cray blog in the Pedestrian Blogger Awards. Go here and click LIKE under Blithely Unaware.

:) :) :)

Prawn Slider Kewpie Roll

2011-09-21T15:41:00.000+10:00

There is a bit of a "thing" about SLIDERS and KEWPIE MAYONNAISE at the moment. So I thought I'd be "thingy" and make a prawn slider today. But they were out of dinner rolls at the bakery so I just made a normal roll. HA! Woe is me. I don't really get the slider hooo-ha I mean it's just a small roll.... they are CUTE though!!!!

Then there is the whole Kewpie thing which is a little bit hilarious a LOT silly. I mean really?! Haven't we all been eating Kewpie since the beginning of time?! It's bottled (albiet amazing) mayo. Yes you can JAZZ HANDS it up but at the end of the day it's just mayonnaise.

Anyhoo, I decided to roll with the ridic and make a prawn slider. The twist with the Kewpie is lemon zest, you should all know by now how much I love lemons. This would be a PERFECT races picnic basket treat or great for summer cocktail parties. Make sure you get yourself to the bakery early to get dinner rolls (unlike me, huhuhuhuhuuuu) or use white bread with the crust cut off. Yayayaayayayaaa :) :) :)

PRAWN SLIDER WITH KEWPIE MAYO harharharharrrrr

4 Prawns
1 Lemon
Kewpie Mayonnaise
Wild Rocket
Salt and Pepper
Dinner Roll
(This will make 1 slider)

Season and oil prawns, grill on a griddle pan until cooked through.
Zest 1 lemon
Add 1/2 the zest to 2 tablespoons of Kewpie mayo, stir through then spread onto your roll.
Pop prawns into the roll with a little wild rocket, sprinkle the rest of the zest over the rocket and season to taste.

Delicious with a crispy white wine

:) :) :)

Blithely Unaware has been selected as a semi finalist in The Pedestrian Blogger Awards. Could you PLEASE, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS FOOD vote for the bloggy so I don't look like a CHUMPAROONI.

Just click on this link:

http://www.pedestrian.tv/blogster/food

And "LIKE" Blithely Unaware.

♥ ♥ ♥

Winner Winner Chocolate Dinner!!!!

2011-09-20T20:21:00.000+10:00

Bupppbadabaaa ba baaaaaa.... (that was my attempt at a TRUMPET) HA! The WINNER of Willie's Delectable Cacao issssssssssssssssssssss

Iron Chef Shellie

We chose her because she picked BANANA BREAD (NOT my idea of a good time) which made Hamish HAPPY and me feel blerg and MEXICAN CHICKEN MOLE because that made BOTH OF US HAPPY!!!

:) :) :)

Congratulations Shellie and to everyone else get your bon bon's down to Grove and Vine and buy yourself some deeeeelicious Willie's Cacao.

♥ ♥ ♥

Just click on this link:

http://www.pedestrian.tv/blogster/food

And "LIKE" Blithely Unaware.

Fly-Lipino Dahon Tea Lounge

2011-09-19T17:11:00.002+10:00

Just a really quick post today to say HELLO MY NAME IS MEROWYN AND I AM HALF FILIPINO. Yes, yes, yes my pappa bear is from the Philippines. Woot woot!!! SO the only place I eat Filo food is at his place. Or when we are in the Philippines. YAY! That was until today... We hit up the newly opened Dahon Gourmet Tea Lounge in Cecil St in South Melbourne. You can find their Facey page here.

The photos above are the pork baguette and a chicken one. YUM YUM YUM. I want MORE. We also had Pancit which is Filipino noodles (see below) ohhhhhhhhh and ICED TEA because it's been a gorgeous day in Melbs today. My sister in law and I had a passion fruit and kiwi iced tea - it was deeeeeeeeelicious.

Have you eaten FILIPINO food before?!?!!!

If not (and even if you have) get yo self down to Dahon and have yourself some Filipino eats!!!

:) :) :)

Just click on this link:

http://www.pedestrian.tv/blogster/food

And "LIKE" Blithely Unaware.

The Nightmare Search For The Perfect T-Shirt

2011-09-14T13:21:00.001+10:00

source

1. James Perse

2. Splendid

3. T By Alexander Wang

4. Kain

So with MAXI SKIRTS being the main focus of my Spring/Summer wardrobe I need the perfect T-Shirt to go with them. YOU WOULD THINK THIS WAS AN EASY THING TO FIND. Well no, no it's not. Here's what I want:

It's pretty self explanatory.

So I need help.

I looked in Myers and DJ's the other day, albeit briefly and found NOTHING. Everything had a silly logo on the side (discreet but COMPLETELY UN CALLED FOR) or a POCKET!?! What, WHAT am I meant to put in that pocket?!?!

HELP! HELP! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

FIND me THAT T-Shirt!!!

Where do you buy your summer T-Shirts?!

Don't forget to enter my competition to win a block of Willie's Delectable 100% Cacao. Enter here lovelies!!!

Just click on this link:

http://www.pedestrian.tv/blogster/food

And "LIKE" Blithely Unaware.

Peanut Butter Fluro Time

2011-09-12T16:17:00.001+10:00

Hellloooooooooo peeps!
How was your weekend?
Mine was PRODUCTIVE. I made 2 skirts, painted a cabinet and COOKED.

Of course I made these oldies but goodies... PEANUT BUTTER CUPS... which on inspection are more like PODS. I've never had a POD though so someone tell me the TRUTH - ARE THEY PODS?!

Heheheheheheheheheheeeeeee yes, yes they've been on the bloggy before but I thought I'd show you what I meant by having the PB inside. You can find the recipe here.

NOW... Onto the HERO OF THE WEEKEND... My fluro cabinet.

I ended up using both spray cans. The cabinet is pretty small. If I still love it in a few months I will make my own cabinet (probably more a buffet style) using plain untreated pine painted white first so that it's even MORE fluro. I'll see if it's a passing phase or not first....

It is going in the kitchen for cookbook storage and flowers. Do you have feature furniture in your house that's a bright colour? Have you made it yourself?

Just click on this link:

http://www.pedestrian.tv/blogster/food

And "LIKE" Blithely Unaware.

THANK YOU SO MUCH PEEPS!!!!

♥ ♥ ♥

Instagram This Week

2011-09-10T10:18:00.003+10:00

1. New Sheer Pin Point spotted shirt from Shopbop/Rose Gold Michael Kors Watch/Tiffany Rings. Find the shirt here.
2. For Like Ever print from Super Rural. Find it here.
3. Chanel Mirifique gifted by the AMAZING Cotton Socks. Find her blog here.
4.Jamon/Fromage D'affinois/Baguette - Midnight snackarooni on night duty.
5. Chicken Burrito dinner for one.

What are your plans this weekend?

I'm off to brunch with 2 of my bff's yayaayayayayaaaaa!!!

Just click on this link:

http://www.pedestrian.tv/blogster/food

And "LIKE" Blithely Unaware.

I WILL INVITE YOU TO OUR WEDDING IF YOU VOTE bahahahaahahaha not really... but I'd be so happy if you did.

THANK YOU SO MUCH GORGEOUS READERS!!!!

♥ ♥ ♥

One Bruschetta Two Bruschetta

2011-09-07T09:25:00.002+10:00

In my infinite wisdom I've come to the conclusion that bruschetta is like a sandwich crossed with a pizza or maybe it's just like a really beautiful one slice pizza?! hahaahahaa I don't know.....

These two babies were created after staring at the latest cover of Gourmet Traveler. The chorizo one is in that magazine (and on the cover), you can find the recipe here. Yes, I used PEAS instead of BROAD BEANS. There were no BB's at the green grocer's huhuhuhuhuhuuuuu.

The mushroom one I read about somewhere and filed away in my "brain". It was most likey GT, I can't remember. Anyhoo, it's delicious. Make this at your next dinner party.

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BRUSCHETTA

1 x Portobello Mushroom per bruschetta
Butter
Rosemary
Garlic
Bruschetta bread
Spray oil
Salt

In a pan melt a little butter then gently cook the mushrooms until they are soft, add some rosemary just at the end.
Rub the pieces of bruschetta with a peeled and halved garlic clove, spray with oil and grill both sides until golden.
To assemble pop the mushroom on top of the bread with some fresh rosemary, pour a little of the butter from the pan into the mushroom.
Season with a little salt.
Serve with a glass of crispy white or a red.

Don't forget to enter my competition to win a block of Willie's Delectable 100% Cacao. Enter here lovelies!!!

:) :) :)

Blithely Unaware has been selected as a semi finalist in The Pedestrian Blogger Awards. Could you PLEASE, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS FOOD vote for the bloggy so I don't look like a CHUMPAROONI.

Just click on this link:

http://www.pedestrian.tv/blogster/food

And "LIKE" Blithely Unaware.

I WILL INVITE YOU TO OUR WEDDING IF YOU VOTE bahahahaahahaha not really... but I'd be so happy if you did.

THANK YOU SO MUCH GORGEOUS READERS!!!!

♥ ♥ ♥

Corny Love

2011-09-05T09:16:00.000+10:00

Yayayayayaayayaaaya for Mamasita's!!

Everyone's been there, good, cheap, fresh Mexican love.

My favourites were the ceviche, corn and the pork shoulder tostaditas (we ate SO much more than that hahaahahahaaa).

We drank a ~~couple~~ quite a few Tequilas and beers and Margaritas.

SO, the thing is I walked away wanting MORE CORN.

I've come across many, many recipes for Mexican Corn whilst cruising food sites. Recipes have been printed, bookmarked and gazed at but I've never cooked the dang thang.

So, in a post Mamasita haze I decided to see if I could do it, do it... and oh boy, I did. These would be awesome at a summer BBQ with a beer or a Tequila. They take all of 15 minutes to knock up and all of 2 minutes to inhale.

I'm in corny love.

♥

Mexican Corn

Corn cobs

Sour Cream

Paprika

Cummin

Pecorino Cheese

Lime

Corriander

Salt

Turn your oven onto about 200 degrees

Pop your corn in an oven tray and put in oven (no oil required)

Bake until the corn turns golden (about 10 minutes) and some of the kernels start to crisp up

Remove corn

Let it cool for a couple of minutes

Spread some sour cream over the top

Sprinkle with a little salt, cayenne pepper and cummin powder.

Microplane some Pecorino over the top

Garnish with corriander

Serve with some wedges of lime.... and a BEER!!

You can cook your corn on the BBQ, or grill it. The recipes I read online were all American and I couldn't be bothered sourcing $$$ US ingredients so just changed things like MEXICAN MAYONNAISE for sour cream (which is what some recipes recommended as a substitute).

Don't forget to enter my competition to win a block of Willie's Delectable 100% Cacao. Enter here lovelies!!!

:) :) :)

Moi aussi, je t'aime

2011-09-01T03:23:00.001+10:00

Yayayaayayayayaa HELL-O Bistro Vue!!! My most favourite fav bistro. We went there for Hamish's birthday. After getting suitably tipsy at my brother's place with pre dinner wine and CHEESE we trotted down the road to Bistro.

The night didn't disappoint. We had CHAMPAGNE(which I like to say in a husky smoking jacket voice while throwing my head back... ahhh... Hamish does the BEST impersonation of this Champagne character) and a beautiful bottle of red. I think we had some white wine with the entrees, yes, yes we did.

HA! WE ATE TOO!!! We had Oysters and SNAILS!!!! Eep!!! I was as SHOCKED as you that I ate something that could easily make my BLERGGGG FOODS THAT SCARE ME list!!! But they were delicious and because I was tipsy I didn't think about them creeping around the garden beds and just ATE THEM. Yah!

We also had a board with 2 cuts of BOEUF to share, David Blackmore's Full Blood Wagyu and Sher Wagyu. LEMME TELL YOU the Blackmore's literally MELTED. It was AMAZING. Hamish couldn't stop raving about it the next day.

The night ended with this beautiful creme brulee. It was perfection. You could literally lounge around inhaling these all day.. OK, so could I.

While we were there Bistro was awarded one hat at the Good Food Guide Awards. Congratulations to the whole team, that hat is very, very much deserved. Naturally, Shannon Bennet posed the next day for a winners photo with his cats:

I've named the cats (clockwise from the left) Tomme De Savoie, Munster, Chevre and Boursin. If you haven't been to Bistro Vue, pick up the phone and make a booking. The service and food are impeccable and the actual restaurant is so romantic. Perfect for a chef's birthday dinner.

Don't forget to enter my competition to win a block of Willie's Delectable 100% Cacao. Enter here lovelies!!!

Willie's Supreme Cacao Giveaway!!!

2011-08-30T20:29:00.002+10:00

Hello peeps!
Long time no CHOCOLATE
HA!

I wanted to tell you guys about Grove & Vine it's a beautiful boutique style shop that stocks the most gorgeous edit of wines, cheese and gourmet treats. The Mopho boys love to buy chocolate from there. A few days ago Hamish took me over to have a look and the owners Sherrie and Roger offered to give me some Willie's Cacao for a giveaway.

There is one 180g solid block of Willie's Peruvian Black 100% Cacao AND a block of the Peruvian Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao.... which I have a penchant, ohhh it's deeeeeeeelicious.

To win the block of Peruvian Black 100% Cacao AND the block of Peruvian Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao tell me in a comment below what you would cook with the 100% Cacao block. The most creative answer will win.

This competition will close on September the 14th at Midnight. It's open to residents in AU only. Sorry international friends :( :( :(

Next time you're in South Yarra pop into Grove & Vine and pick up some Willie's Cacao or some of their amazing French caramels... or some cheese... or some wine... you get my drift. Oh, and say hi to Hamish, he might be dressed up in his bow tie and hat like above....

Grove & Vine is open Mon - Sat 11am - 8pm @ 3/9 Yarra St, South Yarra.

:) :) :)

Oh, and for the peeps that asked... I bought... this one....

Gucci Gucci Animal Accessories

2011-08-25T19:42:00.000+10:00

I may or may not have purchased one of these at 10am this morning.... which one did I pick the pig or the whale? You can find yours here.

CHOCOLATE CHEATERS CLUB

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How do you likey my 4am IMPROMPTU SHITTY PAPER CUP PHOTOSHOOT. It oozes artistic. HA!
Chocolate isn't an EVERY MEAL FOOD but hell YES it's an EVERY DAY FOOD hahahahaaa. Not really. I don't even crave chocolate that much. I crave CHEESE. But here it is my CHEATERS CHOCOLATE THICKSHAKE.

This choco-palooza was born out of desperation a few years ago at work. We wanted chocolate thickshakes, we wanted them STAT dammit! It's a total cheat, you need no blender.

See this HEART with chocolate in the middle of it?! YES!?!! YES!!! That's what I came home to the other day. Hamish constructed the heart at 1am. Bless his little cotton socks.

What are you up to this weekend? WILL YOU BE EATING CHOCOLATE?!?! Tell me all your sweet secrets. xox

CHOCOLATE CHEATERS THICKSHAKE

3 dessert spoons of hot chocolate mix
6 scoops of vanilla ice cream, softened in the microwave for 30 secs
Ice Cubes
Milk

Put the chocolate mix into a 1.5 lt jug add a smidge of hot water and dissolve
Add semi melted ice cream
Add some milk
Stir
Add milk until you have almost reached the top of the jug
Top up with ice cubes

Drink it LIKE A BOSS

:) :) :)

Because I haven't been cooking anything inspiring....

2011-08-17T20:15:00.002+10:00

.................
I've decided to post some pictures of the food we will be having at our wedding......

Yayayayayayaaa I found these thanks to the sassy Slavisa.

source for all including gif

I've got to admit after looking at these photos my excitement is a little hard to contain.
It looks pretty good hey!!!