that time of year

the autumn switch has been flipped around these parts and i couldn’t be happier with a few months of cooler climes ahead of us. the real excitement, however, is the promise of vegetables made for braising, roasting and for making soups with. so i took the first cool day of autumn to welcome them in.

i’ve wanted to braise shallots ala molly stevens for some time now and the final push came via the spilled milk podcast (have you listened to it yet? it’s a fortnightly riot, i tell you). i took in the concept of the recipe and adapted it to the two bunches of green sitting in the crisper.

the whole process is rather simple really, and why it took me so long to try i will never know. all it requires is the buttering of a baking dish and laying out the stalks along with water, flat leaf parsley, a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of pink salt and freshly ground pepper. the whole mess goes into the oven at 190˚c  with a sheet of foil to create a little sauna until the shallots turn buttery soft. after about 30 minutes, i peeled back the sheet of foil to allow the juices caramelise just a bit more. they looked nothing like the spritely specimens you see above. rather they are wilty and become a tangled mess on your plate. all of which makes a mighty supper with a side of crunchy bread to mop up the juices.

d.

change a little

you know i suffer from this affliction where i travel, journey and explore only to come home and mope around for months. months and months of sulking about the place. it’s rather tragic really. most people like to write about those travel experiences. some people have been known to hold gatherings where they will set up a projector and beam happy holiday snaps for friends and family.

i kind of avoid it.

ask me how my travels were and i have a standard response: “it was great and i want to go back. now” yes, i am no fun to be with once i arrive back home. pity my travel partner; this time my husband who has had to withstand the moping in real life.

well today, i’ve changed. i can’t promise that it is a permanent change, but today i share some photos with frankie magazine of a city which i took quite a fancy to: portland, or. do check it out if you get the chance.

and of course you can see a whole bunch more from our trip seattle, portland and new york right here.

d.

hei + film

hei!

astrid has been compiling a lovely series called why do you shoot film?

today my words and photo [from a photo walking when we were i soho last month] feature on hei astrid. check it out and the rest of her lovely blog.

the photo above was not taken in soho, rather at my graduation ceremony which took place a few weeks ago. the university served refreshments afterward. i only had my natura classica in tow and snapped some quiet scenes from the morning.

good day!

remember to look ahead

just as i was sulking about, i read this and felt inspired enough to start scanning some polaroids from our trip. this is one of 60+ shots which i’ve had sitting on my desk for the last month.

this one is from the stairwell outside our room at the ace hotel. it was a pretty nice place to stay.

somewhere in between

you’d think i would have my act together by now. we’ve been back from our travels for a month now and yet my mind still wonders. i really admire those who can slip straight back into their everyday routine. i am not one of them.

i’m trying though. i set up a little container garden on the balcony. i moved some furniture around. i got a hair cut. i’m even moving offices. and yet.

tell me, how do you settle back into your routine after travelling?