Zucchini & feta fritters

Hello :) So last night it was just my sister & I home for dinner, as my parents were out which meant I had to cook! Just when I was getting used to the fact of coming home around 7pm to dinner already made ;) Well I scrolled through my list of bookmarked recipes and found a simple recipe for zucchini fritters, and luckily we had two zucchini's in our fridge ready to be eaten!

Here's a link to the recipe :) Isn't the photography just amazing?! Sure beats my dark, blurry shots! I also decided to add a handful of crumbled feta and replaced the scallions with red onion, cause I'm a rebel like that ;)

I served a few (the recipe made about 7 medium fritters) with steamed asparagus and mashed potato with chopped rosemary from our garden. My sister, whose name is Rosemary, said whilst I chopped the herbs, "Ah don't cut my arm".  Hilarious I know...

And cue blurry action shot! You can see my mother in the background, who came back just in time for the washing up! The cook must never clean...haven't you heard that saying? 

Fun fact: I turn 19 tomorrow! Yay for me! Luckily I finish uni early and then I'm going out for dinner & drinks with Adrian :) And I might go out for High Tea on the weekend! 

Have a splendid week!!!

Hannah x

An (almost) stress free weekend...

Hello :) I say an "almost" stress free because on Saturday morning I had to go into uni for a Chemistry exam....yuck! Thankfully it's over now, and so are my other mid session exams :) Afterwards I met Adrian at Central and we briefly saw the flower show in David Jones, which was lovely then had gelato at Circular Quay (I got mango, in anticipation for mango season which is starting!!), and shared some gozleme at the Rocks markets. Yum!

Later in the evening, I met some gorgeous friends in Glebe and we shared an amazing dinner which included beetroot risotto with walnuts, goats cheese and spinach. It was delicious! And then we walked to the Seymour centre to see a show called "Pirate rhapsody mermaid requiem" as part of Sydney Fringe Festival. We also discovered a pop up bar in Newtown as part of the festival, full of 1920's decor and live jazz music!

Now onto Sunday...

I had a slice of this brown rice tart for brekky this morning, which my mother made the night before and a big mug of green tea :)

Later in the morning I went to Bondi markets and there was a kite flying fair on at the beach!

At the markets I found a very sweet vintage Country Road dress, how could I say no to polka dots? The dropped waistline to me seems reminiscent on the 1920's, love! I know this isn't a fashion blog, but oh well, here's what it looks like.... :) 

And also, a week ago I finished "Perfume: the story of a murderer" which I really enjoyed! This week I didn't read a novel as I had 3 exams but next week I'm going to put my intellectual cap back on and read George Orwell's classic 1984! Have any of you read it? 

I've had hardly any time to cook this weekend, which is a shame because there's so many yummy things I have bookmarked to make! But hopefully next week I'll be cooking up a storm :) 

Oh and here's a song I've had on repeat this week, cause isn't it nice to be alive!! 

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! 

Hannah x

Blackstrap Banana Cake

Hello :) Ever since mentioning molasses on my blog, I remembered I'd bookmarked a recipe for banana cake which used molasses! I found the recipe on Adam Liaw's blog a while ago, just never got around to making it. And on Sunday, being Father's Day, it was the perfect time to make it...and splurge on bananas!! (although they've thankfully gone down in price).

Here's a link to the recipe :)

Mmmm I loved this banana cake/bread recipe! Probably the best one I've tried :) The molasses gives it a certain depth of sweetness making it a rich, dense and beautiful cake. And my dad went back for seconds, woo!

The only problem was cooking it in a loaf tin, as I always find the top bit cooks well and the inside takes forever! Next time I might cook it in a cake tin instead. It does look a little undercooked in the picture, which I thought too, but it was mainly just the gooey, delicious banana!

Well I'm going to keep this post short and sweet (just like the cake, ha), as I have 3 exams this week (eeeek!). 

Hope you're all having a lovely week! 

Hannah x

Fig + raisin bread on a sunny day...

Hello :) This morning I had a difficult decision to make. I could either listen to a lecture on the male reproductive system which I missed or go with my friend to Newtown to look around, enjoy coffee, cake and buy a loaf of bread. I chose the latter.

We went to Luxe Expresso, just off King St on Missenden Road. They have a-m-a-z-i-n-g food there!! My friend got a custard tart (the best one she's ever had!) and a macchiato and I got a jam torte and a soy cappuccino. Lattes are for the week, and cappuccino's are for the weekend I say ;) They have quite a selection of delicious looking brunches and lunches too but we just felt like coffee and something sweet.

I also got this fig + raisin loaf. Isn't she gorgeous?! When I got home I couldn't resist having a slice or two, but how did I eat it?
Step 1: I arranged the loaf on the paper bag and took arty shots...

Step 2: Cut a thick, generous slice. 

Step 3: Spread with fresh ricotta. I'm kind of going through an obsession with ricotta at the moment. And I shall be making a pasta dish with ricotta tonight!

Step 4: Sprinkled with blueberries. These blueberries were so plump and sweet, I'm so excited they're in season :)

Step 5: Went outside to enjoy my bread in the sunshine!! But don't forget to wear a hat.... :) 

Hope you're soaking up the vitamin D.... 

Hannah x

Porridge with molasses: a way to boost your iron levels!

Hello :) So this morning after waking up at 8:30 (such a luxury!), I read a few blogs and came across this recent post from Oh She Glows (and if you don't already read her amazing vegan blog you should!). Angela made an "iron woman gingerbread smoothie" with lots of delicious ingredients, and in particular molasses (see here) which is rich in iron! Angela mentions in the blog that in two tablespoons of it has approx. 7mg of iron and 350mg of calcium (more than a glass of cows milk!).

Well this got me rather excited, and seeing as we had molasses in our cupboard for some unknown reason (actually it was for a cake I never made...), I decided to add some to my porridge this morning for breakfast to see what it would taste like. And it tastes pretty yummy! I only added a teaspoon as it was just an experiment but I could have easily add two. It was a deeply sweet ginger taste, yummo!

I also add a teaspoon of chia seeds to my porridge, which she mentions is also high in iron (woo!) and that we of course need vitamin C to help absorb the iron. Hello raspberries!! :)

So here was my breakfast this morning, with a teaspoon of molasses. You can see the oats are a slightly darker colour.

And here's the molasses...

As a vegetarian I think it's very important to consume iron rich foods so I'll continue to add a teaspoon or two of molasses to my porridge everyday! And the smoothie she made looks pretty awesome too, I'll definitely try it out :)

Have you ever tried molasses? 

Hannah x

P.S. Happy Spring everyone! Bring on the warmer weather!! :)

A delightful Saturday

Hello :) Just a few snapshots of my day so far...

In the morning I went with my friend Tara to Glebe markets. I may have bought these shoes which I kind of love ;) I say it a bit hesitantly though because I have quite a collection of vintage shoes now. I just can't help it when they fit so well...they can't be left behind! I justify this pair though because they are black (always versatile!), made in Italy, comfortable, very reasonably priced, and the mini studs make them rather unique, don't you think?

After we potted around the markets we had coffee at this adorable French patisserie. I had a soy cappuccino and a small sour cherry pastry, so yum! I also bought this light rye loaf. I mentioned in my last post I haven't eaten bread in a few weeks, so I had to buy a delicious loaf. The toasted sunflower seeds just make it. For a late lunch I had a few slices with fresh ricotta & strawberries. It's sooooo good and I got the idea from Cate's blog where she had this combination on a bagel. 

In the afternoon I did some study for Biology and this is the view from our sun room. Isn't this native bush lovely?

And look at one of our veggie patches! We just started to grow tomatoes, lettuce as well as lots of herbs. 

Frankie magazine came out this week, oh so exciting! It's such a delight to read on the train to uni. I think I accidentally squealed on the train when I came across a recipe for "strawberry, apple and vanilla jam. And they provide amazingly cute stickers to label your jam!! I'm going to make it with a few friends next weekend! 

I finished Anh Doh's autobiography the other day which I immensely enjoyed and already have my book I'm going to read next week, "Perfume: the story of a murderer". I loved the film, so I can't wait to read the book :) 

What have you been up to this weekend?

I also saw Horrible Bosses with Adrian yesterday (his choice, not mine). I'm not going to lie, it was pretty hilarious! 

Hannah x

Quick quinoa salad

Hello :) I've really been getting into quinoa lately! I think it's become a bit of a bread substitute for me. I don't know why, but I haven't really eaten bread in about two weeks. I haven't been consciously cutting it out though. For breakfast I've been eating porridge (now with chia seeds and LSA for some extra nourishment!) everyday instead of toast and for uni lunches instead of sandwiches I've been making salads. And quinoa seems to be my salad grain of choice at the moment!

I don't have much time in the morning, but I've been making this really easy salad combination all the time because it literally takes a minute. The night before I cook about 1/2 cup of quinoa and leave it in the fridge. Then in the morning I mix that with olives, pre washed spinach and rocket leaves, cherry tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts. No cutting required! How easy is that?! And some balsamic vinegar to dress it. If I have a few more minutes I might add some chopped cucumber, carrots and red onion. And sometimes I add a can of chickpeas too, for extra protein :)

And here was the rest of my lunch (morning/afternoon tea) today. It's pretty similar to when I posted my lunches here, when I was just starting uni. I also had a medium soy latte :)

 I've also realised the joys of the microwaves at uni, so occasionally I've been taking leftover pasta, curries etc. yummo. 

Well I'm finished uni for the week (woohoo!). I hope the weather continues to be warm & wonderful, so I can spend lots of time outside :)

Hannah x