Samoa Blondies: A Blondie for My Blondie

Between the years 2010-2012 KCH and I were absolutely convinced that we were going to replicate our favourite cookies in the whole entire world, Girl Scout Samoas. KCH’s wonderful sister would ship her boxes of these delightful treats, which we would scoff whilst simultaneously indulging ourselves with our Gossip Girl fix. Gossip Girl is now over, KCH has repatriated back to the States, and I have no sister in America to send me Girl Scout cookies…

I was catching up with KCH over the weekend, and for the longest time after our phonecall all I could think of were the happy memories we shared. From discovering the joys of quinoa, to blissful days spent in bed tending to her Smurfs, and our epic trip to Budapest when we ALMOST didn’t make our flight, and how we cried through our hangovers until there were no tears to be shed even when her fiancé called to let her know that he got into law school! KCH is truly one of the best friends I have ever had. The kindest, most thoughtful friend any girl could wish for, with a jewelry collection so fabulous it puts Iris Apfel’s to shame. So this blondie recipe is dedicated to you, my favourite blondie in the whole entire world, KCH…

            150g butter

            1 cup dark brown sugar

            ¼ cup white sugar

            1 large egg

            2 tsp vanilla extract

            1 ¼ cup flour

            1 ¼ cup desiccated coconut

            1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180°C. First brown the butter by heating and melting it in a saucepan over a medium heat. Keep a close eye on it as it burns easily, but it should start to smell nutty and look amber. Allow the browned butter to cool for a few minutes before combining it with the sugars. Then stir in the egg and vanilla before stirring in the flour, coconut and chocolate. Pour the batter into a greased/lined cake tin (I used 8”x8”) and bake between 25-30 minutes, depending on how gooey you desire the blondies to be. Allow the blondies to cool before cutting up into squares. 

Vegetarian Borscht

London has been covered in snow for the past couple of days, and as a result I have been hibernating as much as I can! What was once luscious, fluffy, white snow has now turned into grey sludge. The cold air and the wet sludge outside has made me yearn for some comforting soup… and what could be more comforting (or joy-inducing) than a bowl of bright pink soup?!

I have been making my own version of the Russian classic Borscht for a while now, especially since going pescetarian (so many restaurants use beef-stock and include chunks of beef – except for The Delauney). I have always enjoyed Borscht, can’t quite decide if it’s the vinegar-y, slightly sweet taste of the soup, or just the colour… Probably just the latter!

 Gorgeous rainbow of vegetables!

All chopped up and ready to be sautéed. 

All the delicious vegetables in this recipe not only concoct a delicious soup, but the nutritional benefits are sure to be ridiculously great! I am a firm believer in eating the rainbow (more colours, more nutrients), and this soup packs in purple, orange, green and more green!! Beetroot in particular is a great source of calcium, magnesium and iron as well as vitamins A, B6 and C, and folic acid. Plus, the garlic in the soup is a great anti-oxidant AND anti-bacterial, warding off the cold and flu virus!

This recipe feeds 6 for starters, or 4 very hungry tummies…

            2 beetroots, peeled and diced

            2 potatoes, peeled and diced

            1 onion, peeled and diced

            3 stalks of celery, diced

            3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

            ½ head of cabbage, sliced (I used Savoy)

            1 tbsp bouillon

            1 litre of water (or enough to cover the vegetables in the pot)

            3 tbsp good quality vinegar

            1 tbsp sugar

            olive oil

            lots of dill

            pot of soured cream

Start by prepping all the ingredients. In a large pot, heat up a splash of olive oil before adding the garlic and onion. Allow the two to soften a little and flavor the oil. Then add the beetroot, carrots and celery and stir around in the pot and allow to soften for about 5 minutes. Then add the cabbage and potatoes, before covering all the vegetables in water. Add the bouillon, stir, and allow the soup to boil for 40 minutes. When all the vegetables have been thoroughly cooked through add the vinegar, sugar and dill. Blitz the soup up in a blender before serving in bowls with a dollop of soured cream and some chopped up dill!!

London Art Fair @ Business Design Centre

Over the weekend I braved the snow and ventured to Angel, where the London Art Fair was taking place at the Business Design Centre…

The fair was a lot larger than I was expecting, and though I did not go to see any work (or artist) in particular, I’m glad that I went! A collection of London’s finest galleries (some out of London, but mostly London-based galleries) showing what they see as their top works… an efficient way to get a bit of a round up!

I’m not going to pretend to know much about these works, because I don’t. I thought I’d snap a few pictures of what I considered to be beautiful pieces. I only have two qualifications: firstly, if I would fork out money for it, and secondly, if I can locate a place for it in my home (mentally, of course!)

Nateo Venancio, I Wanna Be Your Dog, Acrylic on canvas, 130 x 170 cm (£6,000)

Jef Aerosol, Allen Ginsberg, 2011, Spray paint and stencil on cardboard, 29 x 30cm (£800) 

Jef Aerosol, Vega, 2011, Stencil on cardboard, 21 x 21 cm, (£700)

Jef Aerosol, Pail Auster, 2012, Spray paint and stencil on cardboard, 26 x 19 cm, (£700)

Jef Aerosol, Pop Duo, 2012, Spray paint and stencil on cardboard, 210 x 163 cm, (£6,000)

Lluis Barba, The Studio of the Painter, Pierre Subleyras, 2011, Edition 1 of 6, C-type print, Perspex mounted, 181.1 x 186.5 cm, (£22,500 + VAT)

Lluis Barba, Gallery of Views of Modern Rome, Giovanni Paolo Pannini, 2012, Edition 1 of 6, C-type print, Perspex mounted, 116.1 x 150 cm (£12,000 + VAT)

Man Ray, 1890-1976, Mirror for Laughter/Miroir pour Rire, 1970, Original Titled Ink and Pencil Drawing on paper, 18 x 13 cm (£4,000)

Alex Rennie, 1977, Totems 3, 2012, Oil on linen, 180 x 180 cm, (£12,500)

Simon Casson, Cyrene, 2011, Oin on canvas, 140 x 180 cm (£18,000)

David Spiller, If Not For You (Pinocchio), 2013, Lithograph on Somerset paper, Silkscreen edition printed onto Arches Satin a smooth 100% Cotton paper, Edition of 75, 76 x 77 cm (image), 86 x 88 cm (paper) (£850 unframed)

David Spiller, Love is the Light (Goofy), 2013, Lithograph on Somerset paper, Silkscreen edition printed onto Arches Satin a smooth 100% Cotton paper, Edition of 75, 76 x 77 cm (image), 86 x 88 cm (paper) (£850 unframed)

Simon Patterson, Saptarishi, 2012, Screenprint on enamel, Special limited edition of 15, Commissioned by the London Transport Museum, 102 x 127 cm (£18,000)

Justine Smith, Time Is Money Map, 2011, Archival inkjet with pearlised screen printing, Edition of 90, 78 x 114 cm (£1,200)

Nicola Hicks, His price is everything, Bronze, 2011, 79 x 56 x 59 cm

Bryan Kneale, Twin Vortex, 2012, Stainless steel, 44 x 78 x 49 cm (£20,000)

Jeffrey Blondes (American, born 1956), Trees and Sky: 52 weeks x 60 mins, 2009, Mounted archival pigment print, 216 x 140 cm, Edition of 7 (£8,500)

Stefan Hoenerloh (German, born 1960), Preliminary stage of: American Maincourse, Mysteries of Topramen, 2012, Oil, acrylic and ink on canvas, 120 x 85 cm (£14,000)

Francesco De Molfetta, Snack Barbie, 2009, Hand painted and glazed terracotta (£6,000)