Fall oh Fall !

    Technically  fall starts in few days, but it still over 33° and trees are still green and bright, and since i'm not a big fan of the heat and the summer to me is only the few days i spent at the beach, i like to think that it's already fall !

   And what a better way to start fall than a "vanity organizing" session ?! ( i know, there are  better ways but i Enjoy organizing !)

    I've been cleaning and ditching "too chemical" stuff from my beauty and skincare shelves since last spring, but it has been a "very slow" proccess because i simply couldn't find "cleaner" alternatives that realy work for me in here, the only "mostly clean" beauty and skincare brand available is Yves Rocher, wich is good but not all items are great, specialy makeup.
 
      I rarely wear makeup, mostly when i go out, wich is once or twice a week, and even when i do, it's a "no makeup" look, so i dont care much about how long it lasts or the makeup trends that are going on,( i do genuinely hate anything that the kardashians started though ..) but i do care if it's good for the skin or not,  and since online shopping is a catastrophy from here i asked my lovely brother to bring some stuff that i read great reviews on  from Germany : LaveraKosmetics, Dr.hauschka, Bareminerals, Isadora, and a Zoeva vegan brush set. i still have "regular" items and "not so clean" brands but most of my stuff are cruelty free now ( wich is very important to me)  except some body lotions and fragrances, wich i'm not proud to use but cant get rid of them as they're gifts. now that my Minimalist skincare and makeup set is completed, i organized my vanity !


the vanity table is a DIY . the mirror is vintage, the star is a candle holder but turned it into accessory holder.

 the lidded candle jar hold cotton rounds and q-tips. toners and facial oils are homemade :)

i keep my makeup kit in this box , i dont reach for it everyday so it's good to keep it safe from sun rays and dust.

the "chair" is a case too, it holds some extra skincare bits, hair straightener that i barely use, ladies stuff, and toilettery bags.

 hope i inspired you in some way :) enjoy the rest of your summer !

xoxo

Imen.

Noms 2

It was supposed to be a " the week in photos" post but it wasnt that interesting, so i'll give you some shots of my baking activities this week :

Spinach pie: my sisters favorite, spinach, ricotta and ground beef  baced pie .

Cheese cake; a personal interpretation of Nigella's famous cheese cake! my dad's favorite :)

not food, but this is the main reason my allergies are the worst this year: olive blossom. my enemy is in my own garden. looks pretty though.

have a bloomy week

Imen xoxo

the week in photos: food diary

I was in a"Nigella Lawson" mood this week ,so i had few "homemade gourmet" dishes:

Tusday:

i tried "oeuf en cocotte" Rachel khoo style, substitue the salmon eggs with chilli flakes and it was yumy :p

Wednesday: 

with warm weather comes tomato soup ! the classic, with herbs and garlic olive oil.

Thursday:

turkey breast , lemon and veggies kebobs with potato salad ! no need t tell you how delicious it was ;)

 if you're interested in the recipes please ask ! and if you got some interesting ideas please tell me .

hope you had a delicious week 

Imen xoxo

The corner coffee lounge

       Last saturday we had our breakfast at The corner coffee lounge.

 i loved the simple style and the cosy atmosphere, we sat at the "non smoker" part and it wast a bit empty wich we liked :)
 my sister made a reservation of the "breakfast for two" menu and we enjoyed each and every part of it!

 i recommend everything in the menu, i've never ate that much for breakfast !

      the waitress is so charming and smily , the manager asked for our opinion  personly wich is very polite i think.
      conclusion  :gourmet breakfast and a warm ambience, what's more to ask in a place to eat :)!

hope you had a yummy weekend

see you soon

Imen xoxo

Quick lunch: Tuna meatballs

     In my pescetarian phase, few years ago, i started cooking for myself, since my family love all kind of meat, and one of the first recipes that i've learned to master is Tuna meatballs. it's a traditional dish, and  i've simplified it because i'm a very lazy person.

you can substitue Tuna with any other kind or ground meat, sardines..

Ingredient : for 2 persons (6 meatballs)

-1 cup of bread crumbs

-I can of tuna (drained and squeezed)

-1egg

-1/3 cup of parmesan cheese

-1/2 cup of frozen spinach( squeezed perfectly)

-1 spring onion, minced

-1 tbsp of harissa

-2 tsp mixed spices( cumin,black pepper, coriander seeds..)

-2 tsp salt

-2 tsp sweet chili powder

-4 tbsp olive oil

-3 tbsp tomato paste

- 1 tsp honey

- 4 to 5  cups of water

Preparation:

In a medium cooking pot, put 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp spices, 1tsp chili powder, olive oil, half tsp harissa, the honey, 1 tsp salt, half the onion and the water, stir and bring to boil on a medium to high heat and let simmer for 10 mn. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients in a glass bowl,( bread crumbs, tuna, the squeezd spinach, onion, parmesan cheese, harissa, spices and the egg,) preferably with clean hands. Form 6 meatballs and let them dry for 5 minutes so they wont break .  Put them gently in the sauce, and cook for about half an hour on medium heat, serve hot and bon apetit !

The week in photos

As a way to practice photography, i decided to take photos everyday, of almost everything and in every condition, dont wait until it's sunny enough or the perfect time of the day, and it was fun ! not always great results but i'll learn nothing if i dont make mistakes. here's my week :

Saturday 28/02/2015

felt in the mood for cooking , made calamaris and red sauce tagliatelle for dinner , my mom's favorite pasta.

Sunday 01/03/2015

lazy sunday  lunch with my sister.

Monday 02/03/2015

Beading, i should finish this spring collection but i'm not feeling inspired enough for new designs...

Tuesday 03/03/2015

went shopping with mom, but didnt bring the camera, and didnt regret it, nothing interesting to shoot.

Wednesday 04/03/2015

Perfect weather,  played with the manual mode , and it was fun, but i still need to practice..

 Thursday 05/03/2015

as the typical procastinator , instead of working i  cleaned up my vanity...

Friday 06/03/2015

stumbled upon this yummy recipe   and tried it (minus the roasted strawberries) ! not disapointed at all !

Saturday 07/03/2015

a quick self portrait because the light was lovely.

my sister and father birthdays are in the same week ( 3 an 6 march) so we decided to celebrate them together today.

I made this Lemon Tart and the mini ricotta, spinach and beef salées .

that's all folks ! hope you've had a better week than me :)

Imen xoxo

Brown crêpes

              When it's sunny enough for me i like to spoil myself with a real breakfast. i find it Very hard to do it everyday as i'm an extremely moody person. i've had this idea of "dark crêpes" last week, mainly because i like adding Cocoa powder and chocolate to almost everything in my breakfast.

for 8 crêpes(2 persons)

    

  -1cup of all purpose flour

  -1 1/2 cups of milk

  -2 tbsp of vanilla sugar

  -1/4 tspof  salt

  - 2 tbsp of vegetable oil( or melted butter)

  - 2 eggs

  -1 tbsp of cocoa powder

in a glass bowl, mix the flour and the cocoa , add the sugar,salt, milk,egg and mix well. add the oil and mix again. in a hot crêpes pan pour a soup ladles and cook for half a minute on each side. serve hot with your topping of choice. cream cheese and/or hony  are  lovely with the cocoa flavor!

  if you try this please let me know what you think :)

enjoy your weekend!!

  Imen xoxo

Limy breackfast

           As of today i'm entering my "breakfast" phase! to clear things : winter is my dinner phase, spring and summer are my breakfast phase :) wich mean the main focus is on breakfast and brunch food , and today i'll give you an easy citrusy flavored recipe :

Lime and lemon pancakes and syrup, you need to make the syrup the day before.

 Pancake recipe

for 6 pancakes :

1 egg
1 cup of  sifted flour
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup lime juice
1 lime zest


preparing:

put all ingredients in a glass bowl, mix untill all combined, you dont need to work all the lumps .
grease a hot skillet , pour the mixture with a soup ladle, one pancake at the time,  let cook for 1 minutes on each side, or until the edges are brown.

serve hot with butter, fruits if wanted and syrup .

Lime Syrup:

for a small bottle

150g white sugar
2 tbsp honey
half a cup of water
half a cup of mixed lime juice and lemon juice
1 lime and 1 lemon skins

preparing: in a sauce pan mix all ingredients and wisk until the sugar is disolved. then put on a very low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes( or more until the syrup is thick enough for you ) remove the skins and let cool a bit before  pouring  it in the serving bottle. keep in the fridge and use it in the next few days .

         I'm not very good with mesuring and exact  details as i always forget to take notes when trying new recipes , so please taste and be very careful with cooking times( check if it needs less or more minutes to cook)

hope you'll enjoy this recipe ! tell me what you think if you try it .

have a lovely time

Imen xoxo