Things to delight your eyes ...

Coffee Group babies
Originally uploaded by kebabette

Busby Berkeley stylee babies

My new slippers from Japan - Thanks F and K!!

Go fug yourself ... yes yes I know we all love the fashionista laughfest but what category causes most amusement? POLTERWANG!

Gok Wan is in NZ - love him immensely - see him on Close up, Breakfast, loving his show Fashion Fix - we've got him at the library too and on the library blog.

Were I to dally on Trade Me my key words would be ...

Blythe
rose
lace
boots
sequin/s/ed
velvet
fur
coats
jackets
shoes
opal
tanzanite
trelise cooper
tamsin cooper
coffee tables
...

Congratulations ...

... to Moata for winning a Qantas Media Award for her Blog Idle. Totally deserved, she shows those celeb bloggers how it's done - with a styling vocabulary and turn of phrase, plus sharp and smart observations.
... and to Moata and the rest of the team from Christchurch City Libraries at the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival for bringing it on back home to those of us who can't be there in person. And to the library for supporting NZ Music Month and music in general.

My signature dish = Spinach lasagne

I can't remember where I got this recipe from, but it's the bomb:

Spinach lasagne (serves 6)

2 large onions (peeled, chopped)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 400g cans tomatoes (whole ones or those neat new cans with already blended tomato mixtures are best)
900 g spinach - cooked, drained, chopped (this sounds like an awful lot, I never use this much ... you can also use silverbeet instead and throw in other soft veges such as courgettes, mushrooms etc)
350 g cream cheese (I usually just use a pottle which is less in size)
2 sheets fresh lasagne (most packets have 6 - I open the bag of fresh lasagne and split into 3 portions for freezing - so 1 packet will do 3 of this recipe)
Topping - breadcrumbs
You can also add in other cheeses with the cream cheese - parmesan, mozzarella, whatever

1. Fry onions in oil 5 mins, add garlic and fry another 5 mins without browning.
2. Puree 3 tbsp of onion mix with tomatoes. If using already chopped up cans, you can just mix them in together.
Add the rest of the onion mix to the spinach together with the cream cheese/cheeses.
3. Put layer of spinach mix into bottom of shallow ovenproof dish and cover with layer of lasagne, then half tomato sauce mic. Repeat the layers, ending with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top, and maybe a dash of cheese.

Bake uncovered in preheated oven (190 degrees C or 375 Degrees F) for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with salad

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My other recipe pick - Fresh Lemon Loaf from the Edmonds Cookbook, with some poppyseeds added in. Really tasty stuff this.

Return of The Manics

I haven't been taken by a book so instantly as seeing this on the shelf at Whitcoulls. Gorgeous!Around the world with Mouk : a trail of adventure / Marc Boutavant ; [translated by Linda Burgess].

And was utterly captivated on a cold Sunday listening to an interview with Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers on the essential The Guardian Music Weekly - plus the full interview as an extra.

Miss New Zealand - High heels, high hopes. Highly entertaining look behind the scenes of this rather antiquated competition. Would make a most excellent reality show.

Loaves, Fishes and Girls with big eyes

Remember ...
Old school baking? Am hoping to get hold of a copy of Allyson Gofton's new book Bake as I am on a baking kick. Loaves to be exact. I'm trying to cut down on the biscuits and sweeties and have switched to a nice slice of loaf with my cuppa. So easy to make, especially in those silicon loaf container. Thus far have made banana, date, and my own invention ... glace cherries and pebbles. Citrussy ones next I think. On the food side of things, last week we enjoyed a fresh fish agenda. City Seafood Market is the place to go and we've decided to do the fresh fish thing every week. So dang tasty and good for you.


Those 70s painting of cute kids and kittens with big big moist eyes? Sas Christian does something similar for today. Adorable.

Gene? Indie band of 90s touted as a bit like The Smiths with an archly foppish frontman Martin Rossiter? Time to listen to them again if you stopped (I never did, way too catchy and melodic to forget).

Designer John Galliano? Been hankering to sample his new fragrance Galliano - my sister kindly sent me a sample from Melbourne and it measures up to all expectations. Which is no small achievement as my hopes were high. It's stunning and reminds me of many of my favourite fragrance attributes - Chanel no 5, Guerlain, soft powdery, divine.

Blythe Love? Haven't bought any for a while but still feeling the Blythes.
Doronjo x Blythe

Le Jardin de Maman

and ...

More goodies.
* The coolest dance video in ages
I give you "Polite dance song" by The Bird and the Bee
* hot news - upcoming music by Jarvis Cocker, Stuart Murdoch (of Belle and Sebastian fame) and the Manic Street Preachers. Wow.
* Remember this? Dodgy inferences about the Lone Ranger and Tonto ahoy

Smile like you mean it

What's making me smile?
ah, the usual
* Sequins - even on bed (why the hell not, good one Koylee)
* Zombies spouting black liquor. From the Handsome Furs

* and especially Sabrina (and her baby talk)!