Weekly Love: Week 145
I’m sitting here, finishing off this blog post today curled up on my office sofa, still wearing the big scarf I had on to take my car to the garage this morning. Everything is just too cold. I can see the trees outside my window swinging violently back and forth, so it is no surprise that all I can think about right now is soup. If you’ve got a nice, hot, steaming bowl of something on the brain too, here are the recipes for my Pea & Mozzarella Soup, A Basic Chicken Soup, Pumpkin & Coconut Soup, A Warming Carrot Soup, and my aptly named ‘Winter Cure’ Kale, Barley & Root Vegetable Soup. Grab the ingredients on the way home, make a massive vat of soup for dinner tonight, and don’t leave the house (and preferably your duvet) all weekend. Simple.
1. Over on the Borough Market blog, I’ve started my new column of easy, healthy and exciting desk lunches you can make ahead and take into work with you. I’ve got so many exciting dishes planned I can’t wait to share with you, but for now click through for my recipe for this Pearl barley & Pomegranate Tabbouleh. | 2. Sitting down with Waitrose Kitchen to a leftovers lunch: leftover roast duck, soba noodles, baby kale, spring onions, sesame oil, hoisin sauce and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. | 3. Making the beetroot and cinnamon smoothie for breakfast Hemsley + Hemsley created for the Vita Coco Coconut Oil event I attended last month. You can get the full recipe over on my Instagram, and keep your eyes peeled for more coconut oil in upcoming recipes. I’m a little obsessed. My favourite ways to use it so far are scrambling my eggs in it and stir frying Asian greens. | 4. My first ever veg box, from Abel & Cole for my collaboration with Ebury publishing to celebrate the launch of Rachel de Thample’s book FIVE. I promised I’d let you know how I got on with the box, and I need to be honest that I did not finish it. I think it was the chicory: I’ve never been a fan! | 5. Something I did make using the shiitake mushrooms from the box, was this delicious leftovers lunch: the end of a homemade loaf topped with shiitake pan fried in butter with a dash of soy sauce, topped off with tamago ribbons (Japanese omelette made with mirin) and lots of fresh chopped coriander. | 6. Curling up on a Sunday with some of my favourite cookbooks and a freshly baked plate of Chocolate-truffle Cookies from Joy Wilson’s book Homemade Decadence.
- Zoe has asked some of my favourite bloggers, including Carrie from Wish Wish Wish and Rosie from The Londoner what they consider makes a successful blog.
- Speaking of Rose, she’s found us the very best Trattoria in Florence.
- Also, Carrie has written a great piece of being young and being in a long term relationship.
- Photos of breathtaking libraries. (via Harriet)
- ‘To Fall In Love With Anyone, Do This’ is one of the most fascinating, and surprisingly heartwarming and thought provoking thing I’ve read in a while. (via Joy)
- Bondi Beach. Yet another reason Australia is somewhere near the top of my ‘to visit’ list. Also, once I’m there I want to visit The Grounds of Alexandria.
- Okay, scratch that. All of Carin’s holiday photos have me wanting to hop on a plane to Sydney.
- The very best way to slow-cook pork belly.
- David Lebovitz has found us the best place to buy French pottery in Paris. He also talks us through the etiquette of having bread for the table in French restaurants.
- Speaking of Paris, Melanie’s photos from her recent French trip (Paris, Alsace and my local Le Mont Saint-Michel are simply dreamy to look at.
- Refinery 29 has put together a great feature on how moving to a new city can effect your skin, and how to negate the effects. I suffered with this a lot when I moved to L.A. – a useful read.
- Do demands from cookbook authors as to what type of eggs, butter, oil, etc. we should be using really matter when we’re cooking and baking at home?
- Sarah’s ‘The Definitive Guide To Healthy Eating’ had me in stitches, and helps dispel so many of the ideas we read on the internet about what is and is not good for us to eat.
- The Kitchn asks the age old baking question: how do you measure 1/2 an egg? They’ve also put together a brilliant round up of absolutely everything you need to know about tofu.
7. A breakfast of navel oranges, blueberries and fresh mint, with my usual glass of V8 juice, reading Uyen Luu’s book My Vietnamese Kitchen. I’ve cooked a fair bit from it, and I’ll be sharing it with you guys at some point. | 8. A few Sundays ago, I joined a group of bloggers for an early Chinese New Year treat at Millennium Hotel in Knightsbridge. Everything is Asian themed, and all of the dishes are exciting, and unique – I’d really recommend it for something a little different in between a days shopping, as long as you remember to hoard the pork dim sum buns for yourself; they’re the best! You can find more information on the hotel website. | 9. Geeking out on food and literature with the Hemsley + Hemsley book and Peter Ackroyd’s retelling of The Canterbury Tales. | 10. Lunchtime toasts: avocado, sunflower seeds, avocado oil and fleur de sel, and fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. | 11. Delicious, ice cream filled profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce at Canterbury’s newest opening, Chez Joel. | 12. Watching the red slowly creep into every blood orange I cut into, carried back home with me from Borough Market.
- Here are the top 20 street foods you must try around the world. (via Amy)
- We have Izy to thank for gluten-free, sticky toffee pudding pancakes.
- Into The Gloss has published a fascinating history of blush.
- Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the stunning photography and vibrant recipes on my most recent food blog find, The View From Great Island? Also, I need to try their post on how to make your own clotted cream.
- I feel like Matcha White Chocolate Fondu is a fantastic idea.
- Refinery 29 have put together a list of L.A.’s best brunch spots. My all time favoruite brunch in the city, The Tasting Kitchen is on there I’m happy to report. Read my review here!
- Here are some stunning overhead shots from The Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef.
- PUNCH has published a fascinating piece on Utah’s Zion Curtain Mormon driven laws denoting that all alcohol and drink mixing needs to be hidden in public bars and restaurants.
- I really enjoyed reading Emily from Cupcakes & Cashmere’s ‘Day In The Life’.
- 6 places to visit, visiting Dublin for the day.
- Tieghan introduces us to the joys of frying our pizza bases.
- Los Angeles? Here are the 30 best things to do in L.A. this month.
- The New Potato sits down to talk all things breakfast and Downton with Laura Carmichael.
- A Beautiful Mess has published a lovely little guide to Charleston, SC.
- Fashionista has put together a line up of the 20 most influential style bloggers in 2015.
- There is an entire Instagram dedicated to Venice Beach sunsets. #takemeback
- Style Me Pretty tours my new office crush, belonging to Man Repeller. Copper chairs, please!
- Tess has written a great post on soy: what you can find it in & if it is actually that good for you.
- Nicole’s pictures from Pokai Beach in Oahu make me want to hit the beach. Now.
What have you been enjoying this week, and what do you have planned for the weekend?
Discussion