Breakfast in bed

1a
It would be rather cheeky to call this a recipe.A croissant with a few salad leaves,a handful of chestnut mushrooms sautรฉed with a small knob of butter,some garlic,a pinch of thyme and a fried egg.No extraordinary ingredients,no innovative methods of preparation…Naaaah!It’s not a real recipe,is it?But trust me it tastes freaking amazing!

So let’s say it’s something different…Let’s say…it’s not a recipe but….an inspiration.An INSPIRATION to learn to relax,cook something simple,because simplicity can be amazing too and to have breakfast in bed from time to time!We live in such a mad world,why not slow down and spoil ourselves sometimes?

3
I’m an inspiration hunter.My whole life is based on the inspirations I take from what surrounds me,what I see,what I hear and what I taste.I look around,have my eyes wide open and pay attention,because you never know when it’s going to hit you.But when it does,you’ll know straight away!Your heart will beat like crazy.And the best thing is that the same thing or situation can inspire everyone differently.

6a

Ever since I remember, I’ve had a problem to stick to the recipes.Not being disrespectful to chefs and recipe authors,I’ll be forever grateful to them for inspiring me so immensely,but we are all different,and we all like different things, and we all have different experience….and we not always have all the needed ingredients to hand,do we? ๐Ÿ™‚

So,I let these recipes to inspire me.I twist them.Let them run trough me.I experiment and improvise a lot.Sometime it works, sometimes it doesn’t.But I always learn something,and that’s to me more important than ‘playing safe’.

Cooking is one of the most awesome things on the planet(just after taking pictures!).It can be so much fun(if we let it be) and it shouldn’t be taken too seriously.And most importantly,it should suit ‘YOUR’ taste buds.So please,take my ideas,my recipes and my photography too, go and do some great things with them,something ‘yours’ and don’t forget to SHARE it with the world.

Because that’s the thing about inspiration…you take it,shape it into something yours and give it back so others(and me!) can draw inspiration from it.It’s like a circle.Isn’t it great?! ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

6a
4b

Inspiration for a breakfast in bed.

You’ll need:

Comfy bed
Cup of tea
Great book

Also:

croissant
salad leaves,rocket salad and baby beetroot leaves
handful of chestnut mushrooms
small knob of butter
few pinches of fresh thyme
little oil
two eggs with the brightest yolk in town ๐Ÿ™‚

To do: Preheat the oven to 180C.Melt butter in a pan,add mushrooms and thyme,sautee for few minutes. Cut croissant into two halves and place in the oven for couple of minutes to warm up.
Fry the eggs sunny side up on a little oil.Assemble by placing salad leaves on a warmed croissant halves,top with mushroom and eggs.SLOW DOWN,RELAX AND ENJOY x

Bea’s Mulled CIDER

1
Why is everyone so anxious about turning 30?Honestly!I’ve watched my friends getting panic attacks before the BIG ”three-o” birthday, totally dreading that moment when they stop being 20-something…like the fun of life ends after you reach the third decade.
I think the whole world go a little(ok,a lot!) overboard with the cult of youth and I can’t understand why being younger is perceived to be somehow better that being older.(???)
So,for the past year I’ve been experiencing a very strangeย phenomenon.No one had ever reacted unusually about how old I was,whether I was 10,17 or 28.But I suddenly noticed the difference when I would say to people that I’m 30 this November…..”ohh 3o!!!” That’s how everyone reacts.What is more,I can see ‘I’m so sorry to hear that’ look on people’s faces followed by comments like “Still,no babies!?”, “Join the old gang”, ”It’s not so much fun any more”,or my favourite “Time to invest in a good anti-wrinkle cream”.

And here is what I have to say:I really can’t wait to be 30!I truly mean it!

I feel, that until now, my life was like Spring,that I was slowly waking up,absorbing things around me,sprawling my wings and NOW I’m finally ready to fly!Ready to enjoy the Summer and live my life to the fullest!

Sure, getting older is weird…..that feeling when you discover that your parents were right….99% of the times…that’s weird.And when suddenly your favourite way to celebrate Friday evenings is to have a long bath,get into pyjamas and sip warm tea…that’s even weirder.Or when you spend more money on good quality ”cotton-rich” lounge pants than on high heels!Who would’ve imagined?Not to mention that it takes a week to regenerate after a hangover!!!

But getting older is also a wonderful experience,and so liberating,like when you realize that you don’t need to fit in and be the person everyone expect you to be.You can just be yourself.(woo-hoo!)You start to accept your imperfections and fall in love with the freckles, that you used to hate so much.You discover the powers you have inside of yourself and realize you can do absolutely everything if you only believe you can.(So simple!And I’m sure my dad mentioned it to me before!)The possibilities are endless and everyday brings a new lesson.A new adventure.
What is there not to be excited about?I’m so excited about everything!

So,I’m raising my glass to those born in 1985 and to all of you!Let’s celebrate life!!!<3

2
Have you ever tried mulled cider?I can’t believe I only discovered it recently!(oh,all this new things you discover while you get older ;)) It tastes like Autumn and is full of my favourite flavours!Apples,cinnamon,cloves,orange,honey and some % of course too ๐Ÿ˜‰ A perfect drink to celebrate with during those colder days,whether it’s a Birthday,Bonfire Night,or just a quite and cosy evening ๐Ÿ™‚ Enjoy!

3 bb
4b

5
6
7b

RECIPE:

for 2 drinks

INGREDIENTS:

500ml dry cider(I like medium)
1 small apple,cut into 8 parts
2 cinnamon sticks
2 pinches of cinnamon
10 cloves
1 tablespoon of honey or unrefined cane sugar
parted or grated zest of half an orange

METHOD:

Mix the ingredients in a medium saucepan(you can even do this up to 12 hour before,for the flavours to mix),stir over a low heat for around 5-10.Don’t boil.Serve warm.

TIP:For kids and drivers you can swap cider for a fresh apple juice,and without adding honey or sugar ๐Ÿ˜‰

MOUTHWATERING BLUEBERRY AND LEMON CAKE

2b
Hi!It’s just a quickie! I really wanted to share with you this lovely recipe that I made for In Clover magazine.

You should know me well enough to realized that I get excited about exciting recipes and I just cannot keep them to myself so I’m spreading the news!This cake is my “dream come true”. A cake that I want to make special memories with…bake it for our anniversary,my mum’s birthday,picnic party with friends and a lazy Sunday afternoon…It’s perfect.

MOUTHWATERING
BLUEBERRY AND LEMON CAKE
with almonds and maple syrup

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs
100g unrefined caster cane sugar
200g self-rising flour, sifted
120g ground almonds, sifted
60g unsalted butter, melted
juice and finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
40g almond flakes
60ml maple syrup
150g blueberries

+butter and ground almonds for greasing a tin

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180C.Grease a 19cm springform cake tin with butter and sprinkle with ground almonds. Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer for around 10 minutes until pale and tripled in volume. Add the flour, ground almonds, melted butter, lemon juice and grated lemon zest and gently mix to combine the ingredients. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter and transfer the mixture to the tin and spread it evenly. Sprinkle with the almond flakes, drizzle with 1/3 of maple syrup and bake for 50-55 minutes or until cooked and tested with a skewer.
Leave to cool for 15 minutes then carefully unclasp the tin and move the cake to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Brush the remaining maple syrup over the top and enjoy!

TIP: Halfway through baking, you can place a layer of baking paper or kitchen foil over the top of the cake to prevent over-browning.

HAPPY BAKING!