Hope you are all having a spookily fun day! There is much excitement in our house with dress up day at school and two parties to go to over the next few days.
I offered to do some baking for the events and was trying to think of something Halloween themed to make. It has been quite last minute so I was going to attempt to make some spider infested chocolate chip cookies which is basically where you pipe legs and a head on to the chocolate chip which is used as a body. Unfortunately I couldn't find a nozzle thin enough anywhere! So this will have to do ...
I've used a recipe from a cooking book from my old school in New Zealand.
125 g butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla essence
1 egg
1 3/4 c self raising flour, sifted
1/2 t salt
125 g chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease 2 baking trays. Cream butter, sugars and vanilla in a bowl. Add the egg, beating well. Mix in the flour and salt. Add the chocolate chips and mix well to combine. Shape teaspoonsful of the mixture into small balls and place on tray. Allow room for spreading. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.
Wishing you a happy Halloween!
MP
Friday, 31 October 2014
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Greece Trip Part One - Athens
We took a bit of a gamble taking our main summer holiday so late in the year, but it turned out to be one of our best holidays yet even though the pools were rather chilly. The weather in late September and early October was ideal for lounging around and sightseeing.
We flew into Athens and decided to get the train from the airport to Monastiraki station as it is a direct line, taking around 40 minutes. Unfortunately we missed a train by a matter of seconds and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. It was a short walk from the station to our hotel and we were there soon enough, despite initially setting out in the wrong direction as both myself and my husband are hopeless with maps!
We stayed at the Fresh Hotel, which kept cropping up in the various articles I read about Athens and proved to be an excellent base. Upon arrival we were quickly shown our room and we then went on up to the roof terrace for our first view of the Acropolis and a quick meal at the hotel restaurant.
The following morning we had breakfast at the hotel (it was included) and then set off for the Acropolis. A short walk from our hotel we came across the Roman Agora and discovered that the ancient sites were going to be free for the day. We headed on up the hill towards the Acropolis. There was a place to leave buggies (for free) at the base of the climb, so we did that and then walked on up the path.
The view of the city of Athens gets better and better as you climb and follow the path that takes in the various ruins that are collectively known as the Acropolis. It was great to walk around up there and take in the scale of the structures and try to fathom their age and history.
We headed back down the hill and walked around until we found a place (School Pizza Bar) for lunch. The rest of the day was spent relaxing up on the roof terrace at the hotel. The top level of the hotel consists of an all-day bar and restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a small pool area with loungers. The sunset view was pretty good from up there!
That night we just headed downtown again and found somewhere (Melilotos) to go for dinner.
The next day after breakfast we sat in the sun by the pool, then I took my daughter for a walk to buy our ferry tickets and then across to the playground in the National Garden.
Later that afternoon we walked down to one of the spots that I had read did the best souvlaki in Athens. Not to be confused, with a place by the same name, we tried Kostas on Agias Irinis Square. The place is tiny and very basic, when we arrived there was a short queue out the door.
The souvlaki were delicious, in fact I am thinking of them now as I write this!
We walked back up to the hotel and marvelled at how different the surrounding area was on a Monday afternoon, as compared to Sunday night. There are huge food markets on Athinas Street and the area was bustling with hundreds of people.
That evening we went up to the Acropolis for sunset as I wanted to get some photos of the Parthenon and the other structures with a blue sky background as it had been cloudy on our visit the previous morning.
We had a really early ferry to catch the following morning, so we decided just to eat at the hotel again that evening.
For me, our time in Athens was a perfect combination of sightseeing combined with relaxation. I didn't have a huge list of restaurants or bars that I wanted to try and found that eating at the hotel and other places that we came across worked really well. It is definitely a city I would return to as I don't think I could ever tire of looking at the majestic marble structures that are spread around the city and I am keen to explore some more on my next visit.
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Images all my own.
Monday, 20 October 2014
Toy Storage Solutions
Currently all my daughters' toys are stored in big plastic boxes in our living area which is starting to annoy me a bit! I know I'll have to keep a few of their toys out here but I'm looking into storage solutions for their room so that the bulk of the toys can go in there.
It's hard to go beyond the white cube shelving as it's so practical and I like that you can hide things away in the baskets.
 
I know those 8 shelves are going to fill up pretty quickly so you could put 2 of them side by side like the image below but I think that would take up too much space in their room. And I'm not hugely keen on stacking them on top of each other as they love to climb up to reach things at the moment and I have visions of it toppling down!
 
I saw this as an option from the Great Little Trading Company. I like the deep drawers, nice and big to hold lots of things.
 
Also from the Great Little Trading Company are the Northcote Storage Units which can be combined to create different sized units.
 
A quick search on Google didn't offer too many other solutions that I liked. Anyone out there with any ideas?!
MP
Images: 1, 2, 3 & 4
It's hard to go beyond the white cube shelving as it's so practical and I like that you can hide things away in the baskets.
 
I know those 8 shelves are going to fill up pretty quickly so you could put 2 of them side by side like the image below but I think that would take up too much space in their room. And I'm not hugely keen on stacking them on top of each other as they love to climb up to reach things at the moment and I have visions of it toppling down!
 
I saw this as an option from the Great Little Trading Company. I like the deep drawers, nice and big to hold lots of things.
 
Also from the Great Little Trading Company are the Northcote Storage Units which can be combined to create different sized units.
A quick search on Google didn't offer too many other solutions that I liked. Anyone out there with any ideas?!
MP
Images: 1, 2, 3 & 4
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Holiday Rental Essentials - A Smooth 'Check-In' (and Welcome Drinks!)
We have recently returned from two weeks in Greece. On this trip we stayed in five different places and overall we were really impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone we encountered at the various hotels. A full trip report will be coming soon, today I just briefly wanted to talk about one aspect of our experience and how it can relate to a holiday rental.
We arrived at one hotel by taxi, laden down with luggage and groceries (as this place had a full kitchen) and went to the reception to check in. After the usual check in procedure with passports etc, the owner then pulled out a map of the island and proceeded to show us all the best beaches, things to do and tavernas to try. This took about twenty minutes and was interrupted at one point when he needed to answer a phone call. The information that we were given was really appreciated - we tried two of the recommended restaurants and had a great experience at both of them. However, it was the timing of the information that wasn't the best. I found that I was going to need to peel myself off the sofa by the end of the talk. When I arrive somewhere, I like to be shown to our room as quickly as possible. It is always nice to unload all of your luggage and freshen up before having a look around the hotel.
By contrast, at our final hotel we used their transfer service and were greeted at the port with a bottle of water and then at the hotel with a glass of Champagne. We were shown quickly to our room, given a brief tour of the room and then left to our own devices. The staff throughout the hotel were then always available throughout our stay to offer advice on sightseeing and restaurants.
So, this week's holiday rental essential is to ensure that your guests have a quick and easy 'check in'. If you are meeting them in person to hand over the keys to the property, make sure that it is fast and simple. Have all of your additional tips and information typed up for them to consult at their leisure and perhaps offer to pop back in after they have settled in if they want more information on things to do and see in the area. A welcome drink - whether it is cold water, a glass of homemade lemonade, beer, wine or a cocktail is also a very nice touch!
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Image: 1
Thursday, 9 October 2014
Beauty Advent Calendars
There are eleven weeks until Christmas and I'm sure all the shops have already started their big push. I haven't seen much evidence here in Switzerland but that's most likely because I hardly ever go shopping here apart from the supermarket!
Anyway, Liberty had tweeted that their Beauty Advent Calendar is available for pre order and so I took a further look. And WOW! I want one ...
Nars, Diptyque, ESPA and many other luxury treats are housed in this beautiful calendar. They're on sale on line and in store from November and cost £149.
The first beauty advent calendar I noticed was a Ciate nail polish one last year and I thought that was a great idea. I've just read that when the Benefit one was launched in 2013 it sold out instantly and then were found on eBay for four times the price. There seem to be a whole array of them this year. I think the Benefit one still looks great and a bit more reasonable at £60:
Jo Malone, Ciate, Selfridges, L'Occitane, Body Shop and I'm sure there will be lots of others all have calendars available also.
Treat yourself!
MP
All images via Cosmopolitan UK website.
Monday, 6 October 2014
Simple Dinners
On Friday we invited some neighbours around last minute for dinner. I was going to try a pulled pork recipe anyway for just 2 of us so I thought I may as well invite some friends over. This recipe is great for feeding crowds and requires minimal effort! A friend and I have been talking for a few weeks about different recipes for slow cooked pork, she's from Texas and makes a lot of Mexican recipes which require this like Pork Carnitas. Yum. Anyway, so I finally decided on this super simple recipe from chow.com. Basically, you chop up 2 onions and 4 cloves of garlic and lay this on the bottom of your slow cooker. Add a cup of chicken stock. Pat a shoulder of pork dry with a paper towel and rub in a spice mixture of salt, cumin, cinnamon, chilli powder (I also added smoked paprika which isn't in the recipe). So it looks like this pre cooking:
Turn on your slow cooker for 8 hours and you have this. Beautiful tender melt in your mouth pork. I added a little bit of the cooking liquid back in and then served with buns, coleslaw and bbq sauce.
For dessert, I didn't have time to prepare anything complicated as I had only a few hours notice. So I went for Jamie Oliver's Brownies which come out perfect every time. I left out the cherries and walnuts this time but served it with the orange infused creme fraiche which goes really well with them. The brownies are nice and crunchy along the top and dense, dark and fudgey in the middle.
Turn on your slow cooker for 8 hours and you have this. Beautiful tender melt in your mouth pork. I added a little bit of the cooking liquid back in and then served with buns, coleslaw and bbq sauce.
For dessert, I didn't have time to prepare anything complicated as I had only a few hours notice. So I went for Jamie Oliver's Brownies which come out perfect every time. I left out the cherries and walnuts this time but served it with the orange infused creme fraiche which goes really well with them. The brownies are nice and crunchy along the top and dense, dark and fudgey in the middle.
MP
Friday, 3 October 2014
Holiday Rental Essentials - A Proper Shower
We are currently in Greece and have been staying in a few different hotels. On our arrival in Santorini we had just one night in a hotel in Fira. I got up in the morning and took a look at the 'shower' and thought to myself, I don't know if I can be bothered with that! I forgot to take a photo, but I am sure you may have come across a similar set-up before. It was a tiny cubicle, with two half doors (i.e. a large open section!). There was a hand held shower that could not be attached to the wall. My husband decided to skip on showering, in the hope that out next hotel had something better. I gave it a go, only because I usually need a shower to help me wake up in the mornings. I was pretty careful and was only in there a few minutes, but I still managed to get a fair amount of water over the bathroom wall and I made no attempt to wash my hair. I've stayed in places before where we have only had a solar shower or outdoor shower, other places with just cold showers. One place where you had to push the tap every 10 seconds to get a burst of water and other places that only have a bath. When I was younger and went to Florence for a couple of months to try and learn Italian I stayed in an apartment where the shower was attached to the wall but had no curtain or wall or even separate floor area to the rest of the bathroom, so after every shower you would need to wipe down the basin and toilet and mop the floor! It's possibly a sign that I am getting old, but I consider a decent shower to be a holiday rental essential these days. Unless I happen to be camping, I would hope to find a shower that is attached to the wall at a decent (or adjustable) height. The shower should have a clean curtain, or doors, or a design that prevents water from getting all over the rest of the bathroom. And you should be able to easily adjust the temperature and hopefully be closer to the rainfall vs. trickle end of the spectrum. What are your thoughts on showers? Are you happy to make do on holiday, or do you prefer something more like what you have at home?
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Image: 1
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