December 22, 2014

Quick Canapes

December 22, 2014/ Rachel Wong

This is my favourite time of the year! It means warm Summer evenings, Christmas of course, and lots of festivities. It's always handy to have a couple of easy recipes up your sleeve for when you're entertaining or bringing a dish to a friend's place. For those planning their last minute Christmas menus or organising gatherings for the new year - here are a couple of good canape recipes to store away for all your holiday fun and frivolity.

1. Jamie Oliver's Chilli Sausage Rolls: Because who doesn't love a good sausage roll?! A classic but always a crowd pleaser.

2. Fresh Prawn Crostinis: These are a favourite in our family - a good one to start the evening with, with a glass in hand

3. Caramelised Onion and Goat's Cheese Tartlets: Because caramelised onion and goat's cheese are a match made in heaven!

4. Chicken and Pine Nut sliders: Because everybody loves a good slider with a cold bevvie!

5. Fresh Summer Rolls: A fresh and light option for those hot Summer days

6. Garlic and Thyme Quinoa Patties: A good vegetarian alternative for any casual gathering

November 21, 2014

Guest Blogging

November 21, 2014/ Rachel Wong

Happy Friday everyone! This week has been a whirlwind - so much going on and many late nights but feeling blessed and so happy to welcome in the weekend! This week we were guest blogging over on Blog Society, sharing some simple ways to find and fuel your inner creativity.

Being creative is something we strongly believe in and are passionate about. What's more, we believe that everyone was made to be a creative being - but for some of us, something along the way may have hindered our ability to realise or express it. Far too often we hear people say to us, "I'm not the creative type" - but that's just cause you haven't found that side of you yet! Creativity feeds the soul. And comes in to many more forms than just being able to paint a pretty picture. You can find the whole post over here.

November 18, 2014

A Change In Perspective

November 18, 2014/ Rachel Wong

Life has been pretty crazy as of late. The weeks fly by and naturally at this time of the year everyone's frantically trying to tick things off their to-do lists as the year draws to an end (that's even scary for me to say). For us, working full-time alongside planning a wedding, moving houses and all our other commitments has been exciting but also draining. It's brought about some pretty emotional times. Both good and bad. But when I say bad, I actually mean good. You know, the glass can seem half empty but it's actually half full. What I've learnt (and am still learning) is it's all about perspective.

As human beings, we tend to fixate on the things that are difficult - especially when we get busy. I don't have enough time for this. I can't seem to balance that. I wish I had more time for this. If only I could do less of that. But what if it wasn't all so bad? What if being busy was just a by-product of having a great job and an amazing family to occupy our time? What if being stressed was because we had so many (good) things to do in the day? What if we started turning our half empty glass into one that is half full. How different we would see the world. Our lives.

It's so important to reflect on the highlights of our day, month, or even year. To consciously make an effort to think about the blessings in our lives - big or small. To have an attitude of gratitude. To focus less on the negative and more on the positive. Change your perspective. Start doing this and you'll start to see the challenges and difficulties less as obstacles and more as positive opportunities.

November 15, 2014

Five Instagram Accounts We're Loving

November 15, 2014/ Rachel Wong

I'm sure some of you have realised that food styling has gone gang busters as has the rise of healthy eating blogs, cooking with superfoods and sharing vegan recipes. Baking has become an art with emphasis on experimentation and pushing the boundaries of what we know baking to be. I think it's safe to say that food in general has become a major interest, topic of conversation and focus in today's culture - and we love it! Lately, I've found myself scrolling through some amazing food-related Instagram accounts (which also happen to be some of my favourite food blogs) so I thought I'd share a couple of my favourites at the moment with you. Whether you're into food styling, food photography or just eating in general (that's where my expertise lie!) these will get your mouth watering and inspire you to try new recipes or just help you find somewhere new to eat!