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| flowers in spring. |
With only about two months left of this year, I am once again struck by how fast time has been speeding by. Each year that passes now seems to be infused with a stronger sense of urgency. Simon and I are talking more about hopes and dreams for the future: thinking about doing things differently, thinking about embarking on new projects together.
And by the way, while, as yet, it is mainly just a hobby for Simon, I've been hassling him about getting his photography out there and it's starting to yield results already. He recently won a contest with this absolutely stunning photograph of pigeons at the Gateway of India in Mumbai. So proud!
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| Gateway of India. |
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What else has been going on? I was invited to be a guest at the launch of Senoritas' late night menu and new cocktail list recently, where I was introduced to "antojitos", Mexican street snacks which translates literally as "little whims" - how poetically cute! Simon and his DSLR came along for the ride. I've included a few photos below; if you would like to see more, feel free to hop over to my Facebook page where it's under the Media / PR Events photo album.
Being greedy we tried almost everything that was on offer, except for one of the cocktails. Some highlights of the night: Chicharrón de Puerco (crunchy pork crackling served with guacamole and salsa), Chocolate Dia de Muertos (dark chocolate ganache with guava jelly and chilli), and the El Pimento cocktail (who knew capsicum could be so tasty in a sweet alcoholic drink?).
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| chicharrón de puerco (crunchy pork crackling) at Senoritas. |
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| chocolate dia de muertos ("day of the dead" chocolate) at Senoritas. |
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| cocktails! at Senoritas |
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Also, I figure it is time to tell you more about how quinoa has been taking over my life this year. In fact, it's kind of a staple these days. I've been cooking quinoa more often than I cook rice - a pretty big deal coming from someone with an Asian background! It takes just 15 minutes and it's so easy to throw a few things together to make a full meal. Admittedly, I haven't done anything particularly precise or exciting yet, but when I do I'll be sure to share a recipe with you all.
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| a simple quinoa dish. |
What are some of your recent delights?
Well done Simon! He is so clever! I can't deal with quinoa.
ReplyDeleteHe is! :D
DeleteWhat do you not like about quinoa? The taste, the texture, or something else?
Wow, winning a competition with 812 entrants is massive - excellent job to Simon! It's a lovely photo, too.
ReplyDeleteRecent delights? Being gifted plane tickets to visit my family for Christmas. Riding my bike yesterday as snow flurries began to fall around us. Having a joyous amount of excitement inside as I filled out a job application last Friday (even if I don't get it, I'm glad to have finally just been so excited about a job possibility). Finally having enough in the bank so that I can buy staple ingredients without fretting!
Such wonderful delights! Good luck with the job application, here's to more boosting of your bank account! And yay for being able to visit your family for Christmas! x
DeleteSimon's photo is breathtaking! Congratulations to him!!
ReplyDeleteMy recent delights have been a week in the (literally already freezing) northern Ontario wilderness. Such magic, learning, healing, overwhelming deliciousness and friendship.
Will pass him your lovely words! :)
DeleteThe wilderness sounds wonderful, even though I am a little scared of the freezing cold. Looking forward to your post on it!
What a beautiful photograph!!! hehe lately, I've been enjoying quinoa too! But for me, nothing beats rice :P
ReplyDeleteYes, I still love rice, but I find quinoa easier to cook for lazy one-pot meals. :p
DeleteOMG OMG OMG :) So happy for Simon please tell him I said congratulations!
ReplyDeleteSo nice to be introduced to new dishes isn't it! I've never heard of Antojitos either hehe :)
And you're into quinoa too! I'm probably the only one who's not :P
Thanks, I'll definitely be telling/showing him all the congratulations here! :D
DeleteYeah we had a fun night snacking and drinking... mmm yummy Mexican flavours. :)
Yep, got into quinoa this year. Maybe you shall succumb one day. ;)
How hot is it getting! Melbourne cup day and it's windy as hell and muggy! That photo is stunning. I am trying to get into quinoa. It looks so weird. I have made a bread and salad out of it so at least I'm trying!
ReplyDeleteMaking bread with quinoa is interesting, you're certainly making an effort!
DeleteOh you were at Senoritas too?? Where? We were the super noisy group that night!
ReplyDeleteWe were the quiet couple in the corner. ;)
DeleteBeautiful photo! He should be doing something about it and I hope soon.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. I'll continue to hassle. ;)
Deleteplease do and thanks for leaving the comment on my blog :)
DeleteBig congrats to Simon so well deserved!!! Does he shoot mostly landscapes?
ReplyDeleteHe likes travel photography, so he's definitely into landscapes, but also people, animals etc. At home he mostly does pet photography (his housemates have pets). Or occasionally I'll get him to do a bit of food photography. :p
DeleteI love quinoa - recently I've been cooking one that's a mixture of different grains and adding seeds, broccoli and feta cheese. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteThat does sound very tasty! I should try it sometime. :)
DeleteWow dude, these are pretty impressive photos, much better than the half blurry ones I usually take for my site, lol. What struck me most though wasn't the food. It's that you're about to hit summer down there. I forget about the globe and how not everyone is getting into the cold weather now, haha! Happy summertime!
ReplyDeleteThanks, TB! Yeah, being a food blogger I'm used to the different seasons in the other countries by now. I try to cater for both hemispheres whenever I can, though I like to cook with seasonal produce so that doesn't always happen!
DeleteThat photo is awesome, both you and Simon have every reason to be proud!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cheezy! :)
DeleteThat Gateway of India photo is breathtaking!! Cannot wait to see what you come up with for us with Quinoa!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna! Hopefully it doesn't take me too long. ;)
DeleteYou had me at the words crunch pork crackling. Must visit Senoritas'. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteP.S Simon's photograph of pigeons in India is stunning. Great work.
Yeah, crunchy pork crackling makes such a great snack! Really enjoyed the pairing with guacamole and salsa, too.
Deletewow, that picture is incredible!!! Stunning. My most recent delight is dried figs. Nothing new, really but I've loving them.
ReplyDeleteHeidi xo
Thanks, Heidi. And what's not to love about dried figs! :D
DeleteBeautiful photos... I could dip into that quinoa!
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
DeleteOh My Goodness...heart stopping photography here. I was going to ask where you scored the other-worldly pigeon shot. Truly, Simon, Extra.or.di.naire. The singular focused flower is also gorgeous...this may be the first time I am not entirely focused on the food ;-0) though that looks pretty wonderful too! Great post.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks so much for your lovely words, Kelly! It seems you're not the only one being distracted by the other things... I guess there has to be times when the food is relegated the sideshow. :p
DeleteWhat a fabulous photo of those birds! I do like quinoa but I am lazy about preparing it. There is a food market up the road that usually has 3 or 4 quinoa prepared salads. I usually get a container to go and we eat it during the week. Have a good week!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I actually find quinoa easy to prepare and that is one of the reasons I find it appealing. Though I wouldn't mind someone making salads on my behalf, either! ;)
Deletewoah, that is one really epic photo right there! I can see how it won, congrats to your hubby!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Adrian! We're not married yet though. ;)
Deletethat photo is so spiritual - how amazing. pass on my congratulations to simon too please.
ReplyDeletei do that with quinoa - boil up a batch and the steam some veg and throw it in, dress with a little oil and balsamic (i need to learn some dressings). i make a lot of dishes like that - warm salads i call them, just to be fancy - throw together things, and hope it still works out!
recent delights - sharing time with my parents.
Thank you so much for the compliment, I'll definitely pass it on to Simon. :)
DeleteI often throw together things and hope it works out too, haha!
Lovely to hear that you've been enjoying time with your parents. Family moments are so precious. xx
Oh congrats to Simon!
ReplyDeleteI liked the El Pimento cocktail too - go capscium!
Yep, and I have since gotten a request from Simon that we try reproducing that cocktail at home! :p
Deletecongratz to simon indeed! awesome photos. he should start up a blog or post to flickr. =)
ReplyDeleteHe has a Flickr, but doesn't curate it much. He's quite into 500px at the moment. I'm definitely hassling him to get a proper portfolio or blog up. :D
Delete