Hard times, a new coat and some quiet time #littleloves
17 February 2018
Oops, I missed a week. It had started well: I was feeling rather good thanks to the marvelous weekend I had just spent. The sun was out, I tried out a new yoga class and I baked some cookies. However, the working week came and went leaving me exhausted and confused.
At the weekend, we went to see some friends at Liège. We stayed at their flat, played with their cat and even went for a run the four of us on Sunday morning. Going to see them was a long drive (2 hours – don’t judge) so we split the journey and stayed the Friday night at my BFF’s place in Brussels. We played board games and had a chat, it was lovely.
The past week at work was a bit better than the last but I still didn’t find the time to blog. Here are the little things that made me happy these past couples of weeks..
READ
I finally finished reading the latest book of the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. I’m glad I read it as I was so excited about it but, to be honest, it wasn’t really good or even very funny… I did some reading in bed on a Sunday afternoon and the cat was all curled up at my feet, it was so sweet.
WATCHED
I saw the last episodes of Grace & Frankie and even made it to the cinema! We went to see the latest Woody Allen movie in which Kate Winslet plays a desperate actress. I love Allen’s depressed and complex characters: they’re always on the verge of bettering their lives but failing miserably at the end… Kate Winslet was just stunning, I love her!
HEARD
The usual.. the radio and my favourite podcasts.
MADE
I baked some cookies over the weekend. I took some photos and did a bit of styling so I could share the recipe on the blog. I’m pretty happy with the results! And the cookies were delicious as always. I even brought a few to snack on at work.
I also made it to two yoga classes. I tried it on a Saturday and then went again on Friday early morning. It felt so good to take care of my body and it made me realise how tense I am. It will help me become more flexible and calmer if I keep going which I should.
WORE
My new parka! I found it in the sale and thought, why not? I also need to build a wardrobe as I’m the worst at buying clothes and fashion in general… I wear it everyday as it’s cold. The zipped pockets and hood are super handy so I’m happy I found it!
AND LASTLY…
Things at work have been very stressful lately and my weekends don’t always feel like retreats. I made sure to enjoy my free time but it has been a bit hard to keep it cool. I enjoyed seeing my friends, trying out a new class and going for a walk around town. I hope you had a lovely week, happy weekend to you all!
My favourite cookie recipe
7 February 2018
Over the weekend, I made sure I was doing anything but work-related stuff. I love to get creative and do things with my hands, go out and walk around town or just read a book under the duvet. I did all those things last Sunday – yay me! I figured I’d bake something I could eat all week, so I made a batch of my favourite cookies recipe and recorded it all on camera to share it with you on the blog.
NIGELLA’S COOKIES RECIPE
I can’t remember when and where I found this recipe but all I know it was on someone else’s blog and that it was a recipe from the kitchen goddess, Nigella Lawson.
INGREDIENTS
- 150 grams soft unsalted butter
- 125 grams soft light brown sugar
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (sometimes, I don’t have anymore vanilla extract so I just add one or two spoons of peanut butter…)
- 1 egg (fridge-cold)
- 1 egg yolk (fridge-cold)
- 300 grams flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 x 326 grams packet milk chocolate morsels or chips (I often add less chips as I find that 326 grams is quite a lot! – do as you like!)
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 170-200°C. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- Melt the butter and let it cool a bit. Put the brown and white sugars into a bowl, pour the slightly cooled, melted butter over them and beat together.
- Beat in the vanilla, the cold egg and cold egg yolk until your mixture is light and creamy.
- Slowly mix in the flour and bicarb until just blended, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Roll little balls in the palm of your hads and drop them onto the prepared baking sheet, plopping the cookies down about 8cm apart. You can keep the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge as you will probably need to cook two batches. There is also the possibility of freezing a roll of dough (that you just roll with the baking parchment) so that you can use it later when friends pop over and you have nothing in the cupboard to serve tea.
- Bake for 15–17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.
There you have it, quick and easy but, most of all delicious. Enjoy with tea or coffee. Dunk them in a glass of milk if you’re into that. I swear, those cookies are exquisite. I always get many compliments when I bring those cookies as a hostess gift.
I had so much fun baking and photographing this recipe last Sunday. It took me a while but I’m pleased to have upped my game in the photo department. I’m still using my iphone as I don’t have anything else yet…. but I’m impressed at what you can do when you try hard. I hope you enjoyed this post and that my photos will make you try Nigella’s recipe! Those cookies are that good!
Gravlax, Churchill and talking about breakfast all the time #littleloves
4 February 2018
It really has made a difference for me to focus on the positive at the end of each week. Doing this weekly reviewing helps me gets some perspective and appreciate the little things I would simply forget if I was still wrapped in my daily routine.
Last week was rough but now that I recall, I had fun with my family, ate sushi on Saturday night with my sister and her boyfriend, drank a John Wayne coffee at my local café, played with my cat, figured out stuff at work… It has been good after all.
Grab a cuppa and join me in this week’s little loves.
READ
I read this article over on The Pool titled “Following your dream career path is hard and lonely work – but that’s no bad thing“. As I struggle a bit in my new job sometimes, I was intrigued. However, I couldn’t help but have mixed feeling about this article. It’s a good thing I guess. I’m just super tired of always reading or hearing writers or speakers on the radio value freelancers and entrepreneurs because they are the only ones following their dream career path. I’m annoyed because even if I understand how scary and very stressful how being your own boss is, being an employee shouldn’t be regarded as the opposite of dream career choice. Being an employee has its advantages (security and good working hours) but it can also be hard, lonely and a dream career someone has chosen for themselves. I just wish the media would just stop valorizing one position over the other.
WATCHED
Grace & Frankie are back. Thanks to Morgana, I caught up on the news the show was back on. I love it because, well, the Hamptons! I would love to go one day. I love the fashion, the interiors, the colours. Most of all, the friendship between the two main characters is so fun and it makes me less afraid of becoming older…
HEARD
My usual podcast Tendances Première. I’m obsessed at the moment… I listened to an episode where they were discussing the Ikea business model. It was really interesting to hear how and why Ikea has become so huge. By selling us “happiness in a kit”, it imposes its scandic taste and makes our homes look the same. Also, I didn’t know about this but people actually have their first dates at Ikea stores!! Ikea takes such a big place in our lives I guess…
I heard some good news over coffee! I might get invited to another wedding soon…
MADE
I had to work last weekend but I made some time for me on Friday night and Saturday morning. We enjoyed my new favourite drink, Churchill’s gin and tonic and ate homemade burgers and chips for dinner. The gin was created by two cigar lovers so it tastes mixed tobacco and vanilla. I just love this drink!
On Saturday morning, I cooked some exquisite scrambled eggs – the secret is butter. I had them with the last remnants of the gravlax I made over the Christmas period. Hmmm… I need to buy another salmon filet and make some more! Breakfast is definitely my favourite meal of the day. I also love brunching. Well, I surely love to talk about food…
WORE
My swimming costume. On Tuesday night, I finally made it to the pool and swam for a good 30 minutes out of anger. Even if I had missed my friend (I got called back by my boss when I was leaving to meet her at the pool), it felt good to let go of the frustration I had accumulated during the day in the water.
AND LASTLY…
The weekend ahead looks promising: a new yoga class, baking cookies, live jazz and maybe a little morning jog! I’m trying to insert new routines in my life and take better care of my body… Also, I need to finish my book and start a new one, make the house look shiny and get some fresh air. Have a lovely week #Littleloves crew!
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