My H&M wishlist...

Yay! The day is here (well, almost!). H&M will be opening in Johannesburg in just a few more days and I can't wait! Can you tell that I'm super excited? 

My H&M wishlist is quite extensive. It includes almost everything from the Balmain collection (a girl can dream!), as well as so many other pieces. Just how exquisite is the Balmain collection? The shoes, the accessories, the dresses...totally swoon-worthy! I'm also obsessing over a whole lot of other items and I can't wait to get my hands on them! Take a look at a few of my favourites...

BalmainxH&M

If You Make One Thing This Week...A Rice Pudding to Remember...

What a day! Do you experience days were everything goes wrong? You know, from the time you wake, everything is a disaster? Well, today was one of those days. I'm not sure how I managed to get through the day!

I had planned on doing a post on a rice dish that I was making today, and I burnt it! Whilst making the pudding, I dropped an egg and the milk boiled over! I'm really glad that the day is almost over!

Anyway, back to the pudding...This pudding is quite a simple recipe,  ( I always look for that) most of the ingredients can be found at home and it is so versatile. The friend, whose recipe this is, serves this hot, but I love it cold. It is great served warm in winter and cold in summer. This can be adapted to other flavours as well.

Rice pudding with Moroccan flavours 

2/3 cup rice (I use Thai jasmine rice)

1 litre full fat milk

250 ml (1 cup) whipping cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)

1/4 cup cold milk, extra

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon orange flower water
Honey almonds, see below
Zest of 1-2 oranges

Place the rice in a pot. Cover with boiling water and boil for fifteen minutes. Drain the water out and place rice back in the pot, together with the milk and cream. Place over low heat and and simmer till rice is really soft. You may need to top up with a small amount of milk. Stir in the sugar. Combine the cornflour with the extra milk and beat in the egg yolks. Add this to the rice mixture and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Stir in the cinnamon together with the orange flower water. Pour the mixture into a large serving bowl or individual little bowls. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until well chilled. Decorate with the honey almonds and a generous sprinkling of orange zest.

Honey almonds

1/2 cup almonds

2 tablespoons orange blossom honey

Heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade. Place the almond on a baking tray and toast until almonds are well roasted. Keep a close watch on them, as they can go from toasted to burnt and bitter in a flash. Heat the honey in a pan and add the almonds. Stir to coat and cook for a minute 

Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Going to bed now...Hope tomorrow is a better day! Goodnight...

New Bowls and a Dessert ...

On Thursday, I went shopping with my daughter and I saw these beautiful  bowls. They were oval in shape and not too large...'Perfect for dessert', I thought. I have been looking around for clear glass bowls that would allow me to layer desserts but always found ones that were too large for individual servings. When I saw these, I knew that they would be perfect! Of course I bought them!

 I had planned on making a layered mousse on Friday, but time was short and I was babysitting Mommy.B's twins. And right royal little divas they are! They screamed every time I put them down!

Anyway, getting back to the topic of dessert, I whipped up these Muhallabiya. Best decision... My family were really pleased and loved them! They went down a treat! Silky and smooth, they satisfied a sweet tooth without being too rich and cloying. This recipe requires minimal preparation, and is quick and easy to make. Allow some time for chilling, though...I love this served ice cold.

Ready to be decorated...

First some crushed pistachios...

...Then some rose petals...

Some more pistachios, just because!

Muhallabiya recipe:

1 litre full fat milk

250 millilitres (1 cup) double cream

2/3 cup sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

1 tablespoon rose water

Pistachios and rose petals for garnish

Set aside a 1/2 cup of milk. Combine remaining  milk, cream and sugar in a heavy based saucepan. Place on medium heat, and bring to a gentle simmer.

Mix reserved milk and cornstarch to a smooth paste. Pour into the simmering milk, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and is gently bubbling. Stir in the rose and blossom waters. Leave to cool slightly, before pouring into individual  serving bowls or into one large bowl.

Cool to room temperature, then chill until really cold. Decorate with rose petals and pistachios, and serve.

This recipe makes approximately 12 servings.

Note: This recipe can be prepared a  day before.

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Duck Egg Blue and Gold...

Hi lovelies, I hope you're having a fun week! 

 A few weeks ago, I invited a few of my friends over to dinner. I wanted to set a table that was a little bit different, so I chose a colour combination of duck egg blue and gold. I simply adore gold in table settings! Actually, I love gold in any setting! Tables, decor, fashion and of course, jewellery! It adds a glam and luxurious feel to any setting . Juxtaposed with duck egg blue, it makes for an interesting combination. I complimented the blue dinnerware with gold chargers. Coloured stem glasses added interest and a mirrored tray filled with candles and objet served as a centrepiece. 

  It turned out to be absolutely dreamy...

A double surprise and a nursery reveal!!!

This post is long overdue but hopefully worth the wait... In May, I gave birth to my twin girls which was a huge surprise, or should I say shock, to most of my family and friends! We knew that I was expecting twins, but we chose not to tell anyone. We found out at 6 weeks at an early ultrasound. It was the hardest secret that I have ever kept but so worth it when I saw the excited reactions of our nearest and dearest!

I've finally had a chance to photograph the girls' nursery and I am absolutely thrilled with the room and so excited to share it with you all... 

My inspiration for this room was gold and white with touches of pink, but once I started, I couldn't stop with the pink! Fortunately, we have a large bedroom that could accommodate two cots and the dresser/changing table, as well as the other pieces that I wanted to add to the room...

We started by painting the walls a gorgeous pale grey with pink undertones. The cots and changing table were custom made. It was actually Buddy's furniture and I  still loved the modern look so we had a second cot made to match.   

This antique chair has so many memories. It was mine when I was a little girl and it was originally upholstered in a floral fabric. We had it repainted and reupholstered in white and it turned out just the way I envisioned! I'm looking forward to making new memories with the girls...late night feeds, lots of cuddles and story time snuggled up together on the chair...

I purchased this side table and sprayed the tips of the legs gold to add some glam! 

We added floating shelves above the changing table which creates a lovely feature and a spot to display their keepsakes.

The girls' initials...A gift from grandma.

These wooden blocks belonged to me as a child...

Convenient storage for little items and accessories...

I painted these boxes with my Buddy's help (or should I say supervision?) during my 'nesting stage'. He wanted everything to be perfect for our little princesses! 

A gold bunny and toadstool for some cuteness...I went a bit crazy with a can of gold spray paint!

Gold and white wooden alphabets to spell 'LOVE'.

These heart shaped hooks next to the changing table are so convenient. I usually choose and hang their outfits up the night before so we have a less stressful time in the morning choosing their outfits. I do the same with Buddy's clothing...With my hands so full at the moment, every bit of pre-planning helps!

I did not find any linen to my liking. so I had some custom-made.

These pink and white bunnies were Buddy's first gifts to his sisters'. Aren't they just adorable?

I hand sewed gold braid onto a pink scatter cushion to form the word 'love'.  

A pink wooden box used as a toiletry caddy keeps everything corralled together and accessible for double diaper changes.

At the bottom of the changing table, we use these grey baskets to store toys.

These heart-shaped closet dividers make life so much easier! And, they are so easy to make... I made smaller ones to tie onto some storage baskets as well. I'll post a tutorial when time permits.

Our girly, gold, pink and white nursery is complete and it is exactly what I envisioned for my little princesses... I hope that many happy memories will be made in this space!