Surprise! Someone's 30!

My wonderful husband recently hit that famous age marker: 30 years old. He accepted it with grace, and honestly, he doesn't even look it in my opinion! I wanted to host a big surprise party and go all out. Or, as "all out" as you can go with a small apartment, lots of friends with kids, plus your own 9 month old son, all on a quiet Sunday afternoon. And, being American, I wanted to make a birthday cake. But I opted for cupcakes instead because I didn't have a cake pan on hand. Nor did I have any cupcake liners, and couldn't find them in the grocery store the week before the party either. So I ended up using wax paper. Which worked just fine, but gave the cupcakes this sort of ruffled edge appeal to them.

I think they turned out kind of cool looking, but they weren't your traditional even surfaced cupcakes that you can easily write upon in frosting. They still tasted awesome and here is the recipe for both the cake and chocolate frosting.

The surprise!

All of our pictures ended up being of the kids, shocking, eh? What is it about adorable children that you just have to snap a bunch of pictures?

And I forgot to take a picture of the table BEFORE all the beautiful food was eaten, but here is the aftermath.

One happily surprised Papa.

book sale

So I went a little crazy recently. You know, in a shopping kind of way. You see, I got this flyer in the mail that advertised a book sale. Not just any book sale, but all kinds of books you might like, sold for 6.40 Euros a KILO! I couldn't pass that up. Luc and I set out for an afternoon book hunt. Though the sale was advertised as being located in Etang Salé, it really was another 10 minutes from the center of town which we never would've found without the help of a friendly pizza man. It ended up being housed in the back of a large, white warehouse partially shared with someone using a very loud electric saw. (At least, I think that's what it was, though I'm certainly no expert on tools). The books looked to be unsold extras from the past few years. Five and a half kilos later, Luc and I were in book heaven. We ended up only getting children's books (8), and cookbooks (4), because everything else just paled in comparison.
Here are my cookbook finds:

1. C'est le Sud by Guy Martin
The cover is a little battered, but the inside....oh my...

(doesn't that look almost like it's really sitting on my table?)

2. Cuisine épicée by Cornelia Schinharl

It was originally a German book that has been translated and it features cuisines from all over the world. Very fun. Adventurous tasters only.

3. Cuisiner pour le plaisir by Grund
Originally titled Easy Food and printed in England

(oh yes, this would please me!)

4. Huile d'olive by Clare Gordon-Smith

Originally titled Flavouring with Oil, it too, was a British book before being translated.

(I'm planning on make the above recipe soon)

Then a few days later, I found these 2 cookbooks, which I had to have, because Marabout's books are so beautifully photographed that I was drooling looking at the pictures. (Note to self: if I ever write a cookbook, invest in a good photographer!)

The first smaller book has recipes that are made for advance preparation, with the idea that you can finish off the recipe quickly at the last minute-perfect for this stay at home mom! The second is a book only about vegetables. It's not one of your run of the mill vegetarian cookbooks, but a more thoughtful approach in how to best take advantage of all the different veggie varieties, how best to cook these vegetables, some delicious sounding recipes, and of course, mouth watering photographs.

Of course they're all in french, but it's good practice for me, and I like to think that I'm brushing up on my nutrition vocabulary a bit too for whenever I get a job here. We're saving the children's books to give to Luc for Christmas and his birthday, plus a few to give to friends. I can't wait for more book sales like this. 36 Euros well-spent!

the simple life

Living in the middle of the Indian Ocean is nice, quite nice in fact. But sometimes, well, you feel a bit isolated. It's not the clear blue water you see EVERYWHERE that makes you feel that way. It's not the constant chatter in the french language either. No, it's the fact that La Réunion is a tiny forgotten little island that is difficult and expensive to ship certain products to. And don't get me wrong, I completely embraced the "simple life" mentality even before living here. It's just that sometimes, just sometimes, I'd like to be able to purchase reading materials in English. Or perhaps a specific cooking ingredient to make something not french or créole tasting. It's hard to get items like that here. Sometimes I have family or friends who kindly offer to send me something of whatever I'm missing. And usually my answer is peanut butter. Or that I can't think of something off the top of my head. Or, I don't want them to bear the crazy shipping expenses to send me something that might cost half as much. Or, I suddenly feel that "simple life" conciousness sitting on my shoulder scolding me for wanting more than what this beautiful island already offers. Point being, it's hard for me to decide which option is better; living simply, or satisfying my urge to make homemade hummus. (I can't find tahini here!)

Cake Pops!

I found this on Instructables a while back, and just remembered I bookmarked it. I love this website because you can find the quirkiest little DIY projects that sometimes don't even make sense. (How to make an art bowl from a pet bottle?) Or they are completely hilarious, a Yip-Yip costume anyone?

But this! This is such a fantastic idea! Cake? As a lollipop? Genius! With Halloween coming up, you could make cute little pumpkins, ghosts, or even zombie heads. Then, for the holiday season, you could do ornaments, a Santa head, and or presents. Why stop there? Go crazy and make them for every occasion, you could make little Thanksgiving turkeys, Valentine's Day hearts, and 4 leaf clovers for St Paddy's day. How about an adorable groundhog for Groundhog Day, which is everyone's favorite holiday and should definitely be celebrated by eating these cake pops. Just a thought. Send me pictures if you end up making these!



Cake Pops - More DIY How To Projects

I love autumn.... and mustard

This post is dedicated to all things lovely about fall. I could just eat up all of these images, since I come from living on the east coast, and truly miss my autumn season. Bear with me as I indulge in the scenes of fall and the rich colors which are missing here during ANY time of year.

Another thing I miss are the different foods fall brings. I can remember eating roasted, salted pumpkin seeds, thick soups and stews, candy corn, and apple everything.

Apart from the foliage and food, I also miss the cozy sweaters, long jeans, boots, and all things fall fashion oriented. I've been browsing the usuals, JCrew, Banana, and Gap, but I've really loved the fashion found on Etsy. Too bad it's too hot here to wear any of it.

Speaking of beautiful colors, I have this incredible love for mustard now. It's my condiment of choice alongside most meals now. I make all kinds of dressings, sauces, glazes, and anything else you can think of with this delicious gold-toned goodness. My favorite is this super simple recipe:

-olive oil

-red wine or cider vinegar
-good quality Dijon mustard

Combine all ingredients in a recycled jar and shake your heart out.

Notice I don't list any proportions, as I usually make it to taste, and if there's extra, it keeps in the fridge for several days. (Though usually, it doesn't last that long). I use it on green salads, tomato salads, fish fillets, chicken breasts, cold potatoes, etc. You could even use it as a dressing for a cold pasta salad....mmmm, that gives me ideas for dinner tonight.

PS-Obviously I had to find pictures via another source (SXC) than my own camara in order to share these visions of autumn, but it won't be a habit, I prefer to show our own photos.

I like elephants

This is monkey's favorite video. We have watched this video at least once a day since he was about 3 months old. He's now going on 10 months. Surprisingly, this doesn't annoy me yet. Hope you enjoy, it's really quite cute!

Under the Sea

As a little girl, I dreamed of being Ariel from the little mermaid. I would sing all the songs from that classic Disney movie and imagine myself being swept away by all the fun I could have living in the ocean. Looking back, it seems as though I've been able to live that dream.

(doesn't this look like the cave where Ariel kept all her treasures?!)

In the early part of the time I spent living in Madagascar, Alex took me on my first dive. Although I was completely terrified and thought I'd never survive, it really was a stunning and sublime experience that I encourage all people to try at least once. I was incredibly lucky as a first-timer. The sea was beautifully clear, in the almost untouched waters off the coast of this huge red island in the Indian Ocean. I saw a sea turtle, a sting-ray, and a couple of octopus's (how do you pluralize that?) making babies. Awesome. I couldn't wait to go back.

Since then, I've gotten my first level here in Réunion, and seen just about everything except for sharks. Not that I'm exactly missing seeing them or anything. One day though, I hope to work up the courage (and funds) to go cage diving with the sharks off of seal island in South Africa. Hey, dreams really do come true, even if you're a little girl wishing, no, yearning to be like a mermaid under the sea.