Family Fun

This weekend my mum pulled off something special!

DISCLAIMER THOUGH ...

*We all helped ... a bit...*

My smartypants mother has finally completed her PhD! Insane or what?!

And so, we thought it was about time we got as much of our family together for a little celebration.

After a day of putting together quite a feast in the kitchen, we shared cuddles, bubbles, laughs and lots of love.

This variation of roast potatoes was a veggie version of a recent recipe in The Times magazine! 

So easy - slice potatoes as if you're making dauphinoise, Mix in a large bowl with melted butter (instead of duck fat as per The Times), salt, pepper and oregano (we used rosemary though!) and bake for 1hr 15mins at 200 degrees. 

Easy peasy and hands down the best roast potatoes I've had in a while!

We had two types of pasta going! We figured this was a safe bet, as everyone loves pasta! 

You can't go wrong with Spaghetti Napolitana! Finger kissingly bellissima just like the Italians (or in our case Indians) do it!

And then for the (slightly) more adventurous there was baked Rigatoni with spinach and green peppers in a cream sauce and a baked cheese topping...carb overload, cheese overload = absolutely divine!

And then what happened next was great ... my little sister got involved and got her hands stuck in making desert. Delicious apple crumble with custard and pouring caramel sauce. This literally vanished as soon as I put it down on the table so there are no photos of the finished product! Testament to just how indulgent it was!

Clearly our theme was carbs, carbs and more carbs! But I mean, who's complaining? Right?!

Once we got all the prep underway and cooking, it was time for all the family to pile in!

And I got to play with the camera - I'm not very good at taking photos yet, it seems my hands are not very steady, and I've not quite worked out how to adjust the shutter speed for those action shots!

But anyway here's a selection of the less blurry shots!

My dad and his aunt - apparently this is their first ever photo together! Even though they've lived with each other for so many years!! (And you can just see me clicking the photo in the mirror!)

My dad's cousin/brother/best friend ever! These two grew up together in Mombasa, and from the stories were unbelievably naughty. They pulled off some pretty great stunts in their time including moving a neighbour's bed from his bedroom to his flat roof and then lurking about laughing while they saw him running around searching for it! (Not sure I'd have got away with doing anything remotely as cheeky as a child!)

My dad's aunty and uncle, and my cousin brother - budding psychiatrist Rajiv!

My aunty and cousin with the newest family member Aidan!

My mum being congratulated by my aunty Naina!

And my mum's bestie tucking into dinner! We had a bit of a production line going with all that food!

My talented little sister who clearly had a big appetite on the weekend with the size of that plate!

But the star of the show was our newest addition - here again with his yummy mummy!

What I love about our family is that everyone just gets stuck in, makes some noise and has a good time! There are no formalities with us and its a more the merrier kind of attitude.

I love family time. They're my favourite dinner party guests and I can't wait till we have them all over again!

P.s. try out those potatoes - they look great when they come out of the oven with a crispy top - and they're definitely a crowd pleaser!

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Wishing For: Winter Warmers

The holiday season is fast approaching.

And just before it gets here, the shops will be getting into the holiday spirit with some festive sales.

Here's what I'm dreaming for and lusting after ... I'll be keeping all my little fingers and toes crossed hoping that they'll appear in the Black Friday sales!

1. Tory Burch Striped Sweater (here)

2. H&M Super Skinny Jeans (here)

3. Sophie Hulme Messenger Bag (here)

4. Kurt Geiger Sneakers (here)

1. Topshop Vest (here)

2. Accessorize Earrings (here)

3. Chloe Dress (here)

4. Stuart Weitzman Boots (here)

1. H&M Body (here)

2. Eina Ahluwalia Necklace via Pernia's Pop-Up Shop (here)

3. H&M Skirt (here) (I already have this though - I couldn't wait! You can see it on this blogpost)

4. Kurt Geiger Heels (here)

Are you wishing for anything special this winter season?

Happy shopping!

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Cake Classics : Lemon Drizzle

Baking is my go to hobby whenever I'm feeling low. 

And this simple, sunny, succulent recipe for the classic lemon drizzle cake is super easy and ALWAYS delivers the perfect pick-me-up!

So lets get cracking!

Start by weighing out 115g self-raising flour, 115g sugar, 115g butter (told you it was an easy recipe!) and 1 tsp of baking powder.

Then comes the star player!

Add the zest of 1 lemon to your dry mix. 

And then crack in 2 eggs (as if it wasn't yellow enough in that mixing bowl already!).

And then get to mixing pronto!

Pour your zingy cake mix into a lined baking tin, and whack it in the oven for 35 mins at 180 degrees. 

Once you take the cake out, let it rest in the baking tin while you make the drizzle.

50g of sugar and the juice of one lemon ... that's it! Easy peasy right?!

And then go for it ... Drizzle away!

While your cake is still warm, let that sticky syrup run wild over that perfect golden crust and soak all the way through the sponge!

The idea, is that there's just a bit too much sugar for the liquid, so it doesn't all dissolve, and when you pour it over the cake, some of the sugar gets stuck on the top and you get that crunchy little sugary icing when you bite through it!

Then it gets even easier ... cut a slice (or two) and get stuck in!

Sweet. Sour. Sticky. ... aka Perfect!

I'm going to add some chopped mint to my drizzle next time so it tastes even more fresh and gives the cake a pop of colour! What are your variations on a classic cake? Let me know your suggestions.

Happy baking!

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Duck and Waffle

To escape the torrential downpour that seemed to hit London last night, we dashed inside the Heron Tower for a spot of dinner at Duck and Waffle. (Wearing rain appropriate footwear of course!)

But I am going to apologise now for the grainy iPhone pics - forgot the camera! Massive fail!

Glad to be dry and no longer splashing through puddles, the lift doors shut quickly behind us and off we went.

We flew through the skies! And hurtled all the way up to the 40th floor!

What a view of the city we had!

And then we were seated at one of the best tables in the house! With a stunning backdrop of our city all lit up!

So our wonderful waiter Alberto kick-started our evening with some (not on the menu) lip-smackingly delicious non-alcoholic passion fruit cocktails. 

He could clearly tell it was date night!

And I eagerly awaited all the calorific food we'd ordered!!

Although, we pretended to be healthy and ordered some olives to start ... as you do!

We shared those with a slice of violet artichoke and parmesan bread.

It was hot like it had come straight out of the oven and to our table. 

A wonderfully savoury entrée to the rest of the meal ahead!

To start, I had the coal charred aubergine with cumin, garlic and yoghurt. 

A deliciously toasty and smokey aubergine balanced with the freshness of cool yoghurt. So scrummy - I really tucked into that!

But Mr Zerodays' wild Cornish pollock meatballs with lobster cream and parmesan were only so-so.

Then came the eponymous Duck and Waffle for Mr Zerodays!

Each element I'm told was individually delicious, but he just couldn't make the sweet and savoury bits work together in his head! 

My Jerusalem artichoke ravioli with charred cauliflower, smoked butter and malt crumble was insane! It was rich, silly and utterly divine!

The charred cauliflower shavings in particular were incredible! I will be adding those to some dishes of my own!

And then we finished it off with a wonder of a desert! 

A shell of pistachio macaroon sandwiching a rich and heavenly dark chocolate mousse pearl!

This was a desert that made me go "mmmmmmm" at the table! 

Out loud!! (And I really didn't want to share it!)

Despite me being a tad selfish and indulgent when it came to desert, our evening was lovely!

Great venue, great view, great service and great food!

Couldn't have asked for more really!

I was quite sad taking the elevator all the way back down to earth! 

But we did meet the owner on our way down, and he let us know that this place is open all night!! I'll definitely be heading here for an early breakfast after the next big night out! I can only imagine what the sunrise must look like with this view!!

Let me know of any other restaurant recommendations you may have ... I'm always looking for somewhere new to try!

Happy eating!

Outfit:

Coat: Karen Millen (old but similar here and here)

Top: Cropped Jumper from Zara (old but similar here)

Skirt: Red Lace and Satin Mini from H&M (here)

Belt: Accessorize (old but similar here)

Boots: Dune (old but wishing for these and these!)

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