Butternut Squash Cake || My favourite recipes || Foodie Friday

As the weather gets cooler, I am always looking for reasons to use my oven. Warmth AND good food? Yes please.

As a child and up until recently I HATED pumpkins, it was one of those foods that no matter how much my parents tried, I just couldn't stomach it. All until I started baking with them.

After a quick internet search I came across a recipe on "My baking addiction" and Oh. My. Gourd (ha ha) it turned out to be amazing!

Sweet Potato and Orange salad || My Favourite Recipes | Foodie Friday

 This recipe is a family favourite in my house. My Mum passed it down to me, and she got it from my Aunt. In New Zealand we tend to use "kūmara" which is a New Zealand variety of sweet potato, but your average "sweet potato" will work just as well. This salad is perfect on the side or on its own. A mixture of sweet, sour and crunch, this salad recipe is always a crowd pleaser, and is super simple.

Incredible Bonfire night in Lewes || The Brighton side of life

Lewes is the Bonfire capital, boasting the worlds largest Bonfire Night celebration on the 5th of November, with 3,000 participants and 80,000 expected spectators. This small town of 16,000 locals, grows immensely for this annual tradition.

"Imagine a head-on collision of Halloween and Mardi Gras and you're well on your way to picturing Bonfire Night, Lewes style – barrels of burning tar, processions of thousands of fiery torch-bearing crowds, massive bonfires and firework displays" —Rough Guides, Daily Telegraph

We left Brighton at 4:30pm to catch the train to Lewes. The trains were crowded but running regularly to accommodate the mass influx of people. We arrived early and trekked our way up to our chosen vantage point, where conveniently, the Pelham Arms Pub was right across the road.

Happy Halloween: Pumpkin carving and sugar skulls || The Brighton side of life

The festive season is upon us as soon as the leaves start to change, and it is noticeably more infectious living in the Northern hemisphere, where pumpkins are actually in season, (as opposed to in New Zealand where Spring has sprung) the weather gets noticeably cooler and the leaves scatter the footpath. I have found myself  "falling" for the season, with all its orange hues, the excuse to drink lots of warm comforting tea and the opportunity to expand my winter wardrobe. Cute cozy hats, come at me!

Who doesn't love a good bear or fox hat?

With pumpkins in almost every shop window, we made an event of it with our fellow Kiwi Brighton-ites, by having an evening carving pumpkins and muling over cider. An activity thoroughly enjoyed by all, at very little expense.

Lemon Drizzle Cake || My favourite Recipes | Foodie Friday

I originally searched for this recipe after getting Game of Thrones withdrawals in between season. For those of you that don't know, a main character in the book/TV series is Sansa Stark, and she has a soft spot for lemon cakes. So here is my version of it. I have made this recipe many times for my friends and have received great praise.

 

Lake Como || Travel diary

June 18 (Travel day 50/71)

Unfortunately we arrived in Lake Como when I was still feeling very sick which distracted from my appreciation of the beauty of the location. On our first day I spent most of the day watching YouTube in bed while enduring coughing fits. We had average kebabs for dinner.

June 19

On our only full day in Lake Como we enjoyed a lazy, relaxing day.  I was still feeling very sick and tired so we didn't venture far, but the nearby lake and shopping district were impressive enough that we didn't feel the need to exert ourselves. 

We walked around shopping district of Como and around the central shores of the lake. Taking in the idealistic scenery, fancy houses, interesting monuments and well dressed dog walkers.

We know people back home who run a lake weed harvester company, so this photo is for them.

 

We ate at an Italian cuisine restaurant later that evening. Chris had pizza and I had pasta near the main town square. Chris said best pizza he's ever had, so since I was already sick (I'm lactose intolerant and it gives me cold like symptoms if I eat cheese) I had a piece and it really was delicious. We retired back to our hostel to watch movies for the evening.

On this occasion we booked our hostel earlier than most, which meant that we got rooms at the Busabout drop-off point, unfortunately of all the people on our bus, we were the only ones who were able to get a room. The other Busabouters were staying at accommodation on the other side of the lake which meant we were a bit isolated from the group and got a bit lonely. In hindsight it was probably best to isolate myself from social activities while being sick, but it kind of sucked at the same time.

So instead on our last day we re-walked around the shores of lLake Como. We had originally planned to use this day to travel to Milan but that proved too much work while I was unwell and we left it too late. 

June 20

Travel from Como to Lauterbrunen

Quick Summary (TL;DR)

Duration of stay: 2 nights
Was it enough time?: Not really, especially since I was sick. I would have loved to have visited Milan and explored the hills surrounding the lake if we had more time.
Where we stayed: 
Time of Year: June
Best memories: Relaxing and spending one on one time with Chris in a gorgeous spot.
Worst memories: Feeling unwell AGAIN!
Top tip: It is easy to catch public transport from Lake Como to Milan, so take a day trip.
Next time:I would explore further and take a day trip to Milan.
Lake Como in a few words: Relaxing, Tranquil, Rejuvenating
Recommended?:Yes, I would holiday here again.
Overall experience: 6/10, the place was great but being sick wasn't.
Next destination: Lauterbrunen, Switzerland

Monaco || Travel diary

17 June 2014 (Travel day 49)

On our third day in Nice we took the train over the visit Monaco for the day. We arrived in the Monaco train station and the difference between where we got on the train in France and were we got off was already startling. It was a very fancy train station with polished marble walls and floors. Not the usual for European train stations in my experience.

 For those of you who know Chris, he is a big petrol head and loves his cars. So as we exited the train station he suddenly got all excited and I had no idea why. He had instantly recognized the road we had come across as part of the Monaco F1 Grand Prix road race which he has both watched on TV and played on racing games. It was an unexpected novelty for him that was completely lost on me. Even though the race was not happening while we were visiting, you can still see the red and white striped ripple strips (on the left side of photo)

Most of our time in Monaco was spent admiring the expensive cars, expensive yachts, expensive buildings and beautiful vistas. There is certainly a lot of wealth here.

 

 We followed Chris's nose as he had a vague idea where some of the sites were just from playing video games. We walked up the hill and found a Casino which was surrounded by more fancy people and their fancy cars. Plus a few nosey tourists like ourselves. We attempted to have a look around the casino but got denied due to the dress code. Chris wasn't allowed in due to him wearing shorts and sneakers. So I had a quick squiz inside and then rejoined him outside.

 We walked the immaculately clean streets as the sun went down and the city lights came on. Spotting exotic cars as they roared past.

Quick Summary (TL;DR)

Duration of stay: An afternoon
Was it enough time?: Yes, we couldn't afford to stay the night.
Where we stayed: Back in Nice
Time of Year: June

Best memories: Looking out at the majestic ocean views from the hillsides and walking hand in hand with my "under-dressed" husband
Worst memories: Getting denied from the Casino
Top tip: Even if it is hot as balls, wear light weight pants and dress shoes

Next time: We would time our trip to watch the Rallye Monte-Carlo
Monaco in a few words:Wealth, Luxury, Exclusive
Recommended?: Yes, worth a day trip to see how the 1% live. We wouldn't bother paying the crazy hotel prices there though when it is so easy to travel from Nice.
Overall experience:7/10
Next destination: Nice, France

Nice || Travel diary

June 15 (Travel day 47)

We arrived in Nice on a beautiful sunny day, we strolled the promenade and longed to get into the blue waters, I'm not sure why we didn't. We went and got a quick lunch and walked around the central district. Though for some reason we didn't take many photos.

The view from our room

On our second day in Nice I started feeling quick sick.... AGAIN... damn bus cough. So I spent most of the day in bed regretting that I had not made the most of the beautiful sand and surf the day before. Chris hung out by himself around the city centre but didn't take any photos to show here. He enjoyed the city but wasn't compelled to do much without me.

On our third day in Nice we took the train over to Monaco. Follow this link for my blog post about our time there.

We woke up the next morning to travel to Lake Como. I was still feeling very sick. :(

Quick Summary (TL;DR)

Duration of stay: 3 nights
Was it enough time?: For our circumstances, no. As I was sick and so didn't get to actually see much of this beautiful place.
Where we stayed: Can't remember sorry, will update if I can find the info
Time of Year: June
Best memories: During our stay in Nice we visited Monaco while I was briefly feeling better, so that is the best moment, although not actually in Nice itself
Worst memories: Lying in my hostel room feeling sorry for myself
Top tip: Be prepared for topless sun bathers, there were a lot of them throughout the European beaches we visited.
Next time: I would explore more
Nice in a few words:Nice, beach, relaxing
Recommended?: Yes

Overall experience:5/10, only due to me not experiencing as much of Nice as I would have liked.
Next destination: Lake Como, Italy