Super Easy Pizza Base Recipe || Foodie Friday

Brighton Beach and a Birthday || The Brighton Side of Life

I feel like I have been neglecting Brighton on my blog, especially since I live here and I love it!
This week was full of cooked breakfasts, sunny beach days and a birthday celebration. So I thought this would be a good week to show you what we got up to. So here are the highlights....

Tuesday 17th February

 A definite way to start the week in good spirits is to have Pancakes! So obviously I joined in on "Shrove Tuesday" (a.k.a Pancake day), which is a bit naughty considering I had no intention of partaking in Lent, with the decadent week we had planned. In any case, I will jump at any excuse for a cooked brekkie.

Later that day, with the sun shining. I took some time to head down to Brighton beach to enjoy the sun and read a good book. Much to the envy of my fellow Brighton-ites stuck working in their office blocks.

Pear and Ginger Glaze Cake Recipe || Foodie Friday

The Hairy Coo "Free" Tour || Scotland | Travel Diary

On our first full day in Edinburgh, we took a tour with The Hairy Coo Tour company. This was a "free" tour, in that we put our own value on our experience and pay at the end accordingly. Allowing anyone on any budget to get a great experience.

At 8:45am the sun was just rising and we jumped onto the bright orange mini bus, designed to look like a Highlands hairy coo (a.k.a cow said with a Scottish accent). Our tour guide and driver was Donal, the founder of the company and a proud Scotsman.

Our first destination was the Firth of Forth bridges, all three of them. Quite a confusing tile for a newbie to the region, but to clarify: there are three bridges over the estuary or "firth" of Scotland's River Forth. To add another alliteration to the mix, they all cross from Edinburgh to Fife.
Each bridge was built in a different century and in a very different style, this was to accommodate for the previous bridges "short comings".

So you have the Firth of Forth bridges leading to Fife. Phew...I reckon they might as well add another bridge into the mix just to make it more difficult.

The two bridges from the 19th and 20th century are easily visible in the picture below, and if you look closely over on the far left side you can see the 21st century bridge starting to take shape.

Edinburgh Hogmanay Torchlight Procession || Scotland | Travel Diary

As part of the annual opening celebrations to Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival, there is a Torchlight procession on the 30th December. We decided to be a part of the tradition, and carry a torch ourselves, along with 8,000 other participants!

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.