Tag: Mr. Michie (page 11 of 20)

May 29, 2013 / 0 Comments

9 Years

It was a dinner with a mutual friend, that led to a drink and a dance, that led to a walk home through moonlit streets, that led to a talk on my front porch till dawn, that led to an official date where I was too nervous to eat, that led to hand holding, that led to a dance in the middle of the street, that led to a kiss on my front porch, that led to forever.

Here’s to another 9 years with you, you still make my heart flutter!

{Photograph by Elliott Erwitt, Valencia, Spain, 1952 // Pinned HERE}

May 27, 2013 / 0 Comments

Our Weekend

We have been quiet the past two days, just catching up on sleep. Today I am going to attack the house with a vengeance, so I can spend the rest of the week relaxing and doing a few projects I want to do around the house, which will be easier to accomplish with the house organised.

To start the ball rolling for breakfast we had rye bread with cream cheese and cucumber and avocado toppings. It was really delicious. Mr. Michie added some fresh chillies to his avocados, I am not that adventurous in the morning to have done that!

Yesterday we went grocery shopping, while picking up some potatoes, I spotted these:

a little taste of home, I couldn’t believe it! They are going on the menu this week, we are going to make baked sweet potatoes with something heavenly to go alongside it. After shopping we grabbed a sandwich for lunch and then took a long stroll. We headed over to the pond, but the baby ducklings must have been napping, because they weren’t out and about and their mamas were staying near the reeds keeping a close eye.

We sat on one of the benches and felt the sun on us, what a glorious treat that was, as it was supposed to rain all weekend.

We strolled across the common and through the woods to our other pond and watched the ducks swim around the lilies. After awhile we started walking again, through the woods, across the road and into the other side of the forest.

Heading down one little path, I heard some noise and stopped. I was extra quiet and for the next 15 minutes or so, I watched a little family of baby wood mice run around a rotting tree that had fallen into the woods. They were so cute and fat and furry. They ran in and out of the little holes chasing one another then running through the leaves. It was just the cutest thing.

We were greeted by robins and blue tits and wood pigeons. The sunlight dappled the path, it was just magic. I love sunny days where we walk in our woods, where life is all around if you just take a moment to stop and listen. It is pure and simple happiness.

We picked up some ice cream on the way home and had hot fudge sundaes with salted pecans, whipped cream and fresh raspberries. It was wonderful, the tastes of Summer wrapped up in a bowl!

May 23, 2013 / 0 Comments

The First Strawberries of the Season

Today was Mr. Michie’s last class with his Year 13 Media students. They traditionally have a cake day once a week and the last one was his to do.

I normally do Mr. Michie’s baking for those days and last night we made a 3 tiered vanilla cake with a whipped cream and cream cheese frosting. We slathered the frosting on each layer and then packed it full of strawberries, before putting more frosting on top to keep the next cake held in place.

All of the kids loved it! There was one layer left over from my baking as my little European fridge could not have handled a 4 tiered cake, we almost didn’t get the 3 tiered one in! So with the leftover layer, I spread the remaining frosting on it and piled it high with our first real strawberries of the season and fresh blueberries.

It was the perfect dessert!

May 6, 2013 / 1 Comment

The Weekend

We got up bright and early on Saturday to make the most of the glorious day we had in front of us! Every art exhibition that I have wanted to see lately, we were never able to get tickets for. I love Roy Lichtenstein, I always have and Mr. Michie was not going to let this slip by without taking me.

So off we went to the Tate Modern and what a day it was! We loved the show. I still can’t believe that I got to see Whaam!, in person!!! And, one of my all time favorites, We Rose Up Slowly. It was beautiful, I stood in front of it for ages, just taking it all in. The colors, the scale, the beauty of it.

After the show we stood in the line buying a few postcards and Mr. Michie with his cheeky grin commented on how funny it was that Lichtenstein’s work made comment on mass production and the consumer’s need to buy into mass production and here we were buying massed produced postcards about work that was in part created to comment on mass production. That was his arty farty comment on the day! We still bought the postcards!

We had lunch at The Diner, I got a short stack of pancakes, that were deliciousi-oso! Mr. Michie got an order of chili cheese fries. We wandered into Liberty’s as there was some fabric I wanted to see in person. On the way out we walked through the jewellery department, and we spotted a stunning ring, but we clearly didn’t look like two people who could buy jewellery there as the two sales associates wouldn’t even speak to us. It is always amusing to be judged. Judged by someone who knows nothing about you and has already formed this opinion of you in their mind.

We left there, strolled into Convent Garden and ended up going to Wahaca for an early Cinco de Mayo feast and ate cactus tacos and chicken tinga and frijoles and spicy slaw, it was wonderful as always. It was the perfect day, out with my baby, just enjoying where the wind blew us.

April 29, 2013 / 2 Comments

Custard Creams

A cup of tea and a nice biscuit, just go hand in hand in England. It seems wrong to have one without the other.

However, I quite often have one without the other and I drink my tea all wrong as I am mostly a black tea drinker and not a milk or milk and sugar tea drinker.One of the local coffee shops has started creating giant versions of some of England’s best loved biscuits to have with your hot beverage of choice. One of these biscuits being a custard cream. This homemade custard cream is absolutely divine and the perfect thing for a Monday morning breakfast!

I definitely needed a pick-me-up this morning as we have been up since just before 3am with Mr. Michie getting sick and I have left him at home and in bed today. I spent a good hour of early yesterday morning getting rid of ants that had invaded my kitchen over night. We discovered that their nest was in one of the pots by our front door that contained my climbing rose.

Unfortunately the entire pot had to go as the hive was just too large to contain, they started to spill out of the pot and they were inside some of the dead areas of my rose that were clipped down at the bottom. I am always sad to lose plants as I am attached to them. They bring me such happiness. But, there are more flowers by my door now, and that tub will really fill out in a week or so.

I also re-potted my orchids, so hopefully they will be happy with fresh bark and new pots, we will just have to wait and see. We made homemade pizzas last night with crumbled sausage, fennel and sauteed rapini. It was a really nice combination, It was light and tasted of Spring.

Mr. Michie also took me on a Saturday date and we saw “Iron Man 3”. We both really liked it. There is nothing better then watching a good movie, munching on popcorn and holding hands with your sweetie!

So, all in all it was a really good weekend, it just went by in the blink of an eye!

April 22, 2013 / 1 Comment

Snickerdoodles

We tried a new pizza place down the street on Friday night, it was delicious! A great date night treat! Stone baked pizzas, that were fresh, with homemade, locally sourced and organic ingredients and some items imported directly from Italy.

The dough was so thin and crispy, it was the perfect size! It was so good that after a full day on Saturday, getting up before 6am and running around all day and doing some serious gardening we went back for dinner. Mr. Michie picked up a pizza for himself and some lasagna and a salad for me.

We planted flowers this weekend, washed the outside windows and cleaned everything up. I am trying to fight off a bad sinus infection, so Mr. Michie took care of me for the better part of the weekend. We made a pot roast with lots of veggies and served it over a saffron infused risotto for Sunday dinner, it was heavenly.

We also made some snickerdoodles to snack on. Happiness is a snickerdoodle!

April 19, 2013 / 2 Comments

Stopping to Smell the Roses

The weekend is finally here! We have made it! I have a few errands to run tomorrow morning and then Mr. Michie is taking me to the nursery to pick up a few things for our little garden.

I have a terracotta pot that didn’t survive a pedestrian and now needs to be replaced and my other little flower boxes are truly ready for a punch of color!

So, this weekend, we are going to enjoy every moment we have together and remember to take time and stop to smell the roses.

Have a great weekend!

{image found here}

March 24, 2013 / 0 Comments

A Snowy Saturday Out

We left our house early on Saturday morning to beat the snow, well at least beat enough of the snow that they didn’t shut the train lines down. You could hear the ice cracking underneath the wheels as the train pulled into the station.

It was freezing cold, but just beautiful. We were in our own little wonderland. First things first, we got some breakfast, I had pancakes, mmmm!

Then we ran our errands and grabbed some lunch before heading home. Once home, we went to the grocery store and I spent the rest of the day making fresh yeast rolls, two shepherd’s pie and two turkey pot pies. All of this was for Mr. Michie, as I am sneaking away to see my family over the Easter Holidays.

He can’t come as, unfortunately, he is way too busy at the moment. He will be running Easter sessions for students and working on his Master’s over the course of the school break. At least I know I have left him with delicious food (even though he is a truly excellent chef himself) to enjoy while I’m away. I shall return with lots of surprises for him, to make up for the fact he couldn’t get away with me.

Today, I am making chicken ‘n dumplings and a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs. The snow has started to swirl outside again and our house is nice and toasty. It is a perfect day for just staying inside and being in the kitchen, while watching the snow fall from the window!

This was our view from the bridge over the train tracks:

This little wren was soaked through from the snow and trying to get a bit of those leftover sandwich crusts, he was so sweet and happy to pose for a picture:

March 14, 2013 / 2 Comments

Peach Cobbler

I grew up on a peach farm, so loving peaches is just in my blood. Mr. Michie, not so much at times, but I think I have finally convinced him!

The peach cobbler we made on Sunday was just delicious. Mr. Michie and I shared a bowl of it last night for dessert.

Happiness is…

March 12, 2013 / 2 Comments

Our Weekend

Well, I was going to share my weekend with you yesterday, but after my day in the cupboard, I just couldn’t.

It was my date night this weekend and I took Mr. Michie to the movies! It was so much FUN! I can’t tell you the last time we went to a movie in the evening, we are usually afternoon movie goers.

We saw OZ. We both really enjoyed it, I thought they did a nice tie in of the elements, the costumes were beautiful and I only wish she was real because the little girl the “wizard” helps save in China Town, I could just take home with me, she was so cute!

We grabbed some breakfast before going grocery shopping on Saturday morning:

Then I spent the rest of Saturday preparing Sunday’s lunch. I made my Nana’s macaroni salad, my dad’s green bean salad and homemade yeast rolls.

On Sunday we baked a ham and I tried a new peach cobbler recipe. It was delicious! I made a few changes, by adding some cinnamon and a little bit if lemon zest to the peaches, like I would do if I was making a pie.

I have been reading a series of books at the moment that take place in the South (The Caster Chronicles) and after reading what Amma has been cooking, I was hankering after a little Southern Home-style dinner myself. There was even sweet tea to boot!