Gorgeous Gourmet Greek Pizza.

I have been waiting all week to post this bad-boy.

You are going to love it. 

Friday night pizza has become a regular occurrence in our household.

Sometimes we dabble in a bit of the frozen stuff. Often we will call upon the glories of delivery. However, a few years ago we jumped onto the 'do-it-yourself' bandwagon.

Now, creating the perfect home-made pizza is no easy task! It takes a persistence (and wine) to mix, rise and knead the dough of perfection. Baking it is another matter. For a while we stuck with the good ol' pizza tins. Don't get me wrong, the pizza was enjoyable but nothing compared to what was to come after the purchase of the pizza stone. 

With the new addition to our family routine, I decided to get a little bit crazy up in here.

Thin and crispy kinda crazy.

As I whipped up a new batch of dough, I decided to take it that one step further and 'go gourmet.' 

I threw a little bit of Greece on that baby - oh yeah, you heard right.

And look what I did!

Is it not simply beautiful?

It tasted AH-mazing too. 

Heavy on the Greek, light on the dough.

Wa-La!

Gorgeous Gourmet Greek Pizza

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees - nice and hot!

Ingredients 

One batch of your favorite thin and crispy pizza dough

(Want mine? Just ask!)

For the base:

One bag of Baby Spinach

Two Teaspoon of Olive Oil

One clove of Garlic (mashed)

90 grams of Ricotta Cheese

Dash of Nutmeg

Half a Teaspoon of Oregano (dry)

Wilt the Spinach with the Olive Oil and Garlic. Once prepared, mix with ricotta cheese and season with Nutmeg and Oregano.

For the topping:

Artichoke Hearts 

Sun-dried Tomatoes

Capers

Mixed Olives - Black, Green, Pitted, Pimento-stuffed!

One grilled Red-Onion

Feta Cheese

Pesto (save to dab on last)

Layer your pizza with all the antipasto you can dream of. I pretty much threw everything under the sun on to this glorious creation. Crumble your feta cheese and throw that on last. 

To finish, dab on as much pesto to satisfy your craving.

Chuck it in the oven for a good 10 minutes - pizza stone or no pizza stone you should have yourself one delicious pizza my friends!

A Headscarf...Or Two.

With the revival of colour back into fashion lines now that spring has bloomed around us, I will do almost anything to add a bit of pop into my style. Taking full advantage of my new, shortened 'pixie cut,' I feel it is just about that time to dabble in some headscarves. 

You can either go two ways when sporting the headscarf. It can be uber-chic or there is that slight chance that you could look like you have either stepped off a farm...or a pirate ship. However, I am a firm believer that absolutely anything can be pulled off with the right 'tude!

Our house is like a black hole for scarves. Between myself, Mumma J and Middle C - we tend to go a bit crazy when thrown into a bucket of vintage scarves. Personally I go for the brighter prints. Anything with a bit of a design and a crazy mix of colour is right up my alley. The question is:

How do you wear them?

I suppose it depends how much hair you have. Or how your hair is looking that day. Want to cover up some greasy-do that a bit of dry-shampoo (love the stuff, by the way) won't fix? Blanket your hair with a scarf, chuck on some lippy and presto! Although I am now venturing into the matching of bold patterns, I am taking baby steps with this one. I like to pair my scarves with a neutral counter-piece. Any form of denim or dark dress is fine by me. Careful not to step to far back in the 90's though (unless that's your style. I am cool with that!) Scarves are timeless items to have in your wardrobe my friends!

If Grace can do it, so can you.

Happy Monday!

From One Pinterest Preacher To Another.

Oh man, I had a serious case of blog jealousy today.

I know you have had it. 

We have all had it, blog-related or not. 

It's that point during the day as you are surfing the web, only to find someone else's totally awesome blog and you think...

'Man that looks cool.'

And so it begins. The endeavor to jazz up your own page, whilst totally ignoring the fact that it was fine to begin with. 

It's like primary school art class all over again. 

So there was my Sunday for you. Only to make the most minimal of changes yet feeling oddly satisfied that I have upped my game in the blogging world.

YAY for me. 

Other than this dandy little achievement, I spent most of the morning on a complete Pinterest bender. Goodness, I was re-pinning left, right and centre! I will happily admit that I am your classic 'Pinterest Preacher.' The thing is bloody fantastic! I have made so many discoveries that I have already cyber-decorated my future house, cyber-planned my future wedding and cyber-dressed myself for every occasion under the sun. 

It is a fantastic tool for the up and coming. One shot of an amazing piece and away we go, clicking into the world wide web - browsing collections unbeknown to man pre-Pinterest days. This, my friends, is how I discovered Miss Mary Katrantzou.

London Fashion Week 12'

The woman has taken the fashion world by storm, with her spring collection being flaunted all over the runway at the recent London Fashion Week. Not only to mention that her limited collection at Topshop has seen many famous faces bouncing around in her bright, eye-popping pieces. 

Mary Katrantzou for Topshop.

Mary Katrantzou's color palette represents everything which is beautiful about this seasons spring fashion. She is a risk taker when it comes to matching the bold with the bolder, drawing inspiration from the simplest things - such as an English country garden. Her dresses are amazingly structured with insane use of digital print to explode colour onto unique design templates.

Wow. 

London Fashion Week 12'

Her personal line might have sprung to earth in 2008, but I thank Pinterest for introducing me to one heck of a fashion triumph!

P.S Keep your eye out for the upcoming:

Walking On The Wild Side.

I LOVE ANIMAL PRINTS.

Leopard.

Cheetah.

Zebra.

Dress me up in the whole freakin' jungle!

Some may raise an eye-brow when they see me coming down the street in my wild, crazy, leopard print jeans from Zara but hey, let a girl walk on the wild side every once in a while!

Happy Wednesday :)

All images from www.pinterest.com

English by Heart.

Out of the 1, 2, 3, 4 countries I have had the amazing opportunity to call home, England reigns as my (current) favorite. 

www.pinterest.com

Interestingly, when telling Englanders this - I am met with a disgruntled response. I tend to pin it down to the fact that majority of us dream that everywhere else in the world is far more desirable than the place where one has lived all their life. However come July, when the time comes to bid adieu to the land of K-Middy and tea - tears will longingly fall on my cheeks. 

Why I LOVE England

1. The Royals

www.pinterest.com

Yes, I do own a commemorative tea-towel marking the wedding of Kate and William. 

Yes, I did pin it next to my bed.

Yes, I am proud of it. 

Queens, Kings, Princesses and Princes. 

With the amount of royal scandal which occurs, we sure do have ourselves one dramatic modern-day fairy-tale!

Although I might not have a blog dedicated to every fashionable choice Kate has made, I am a true fan of this newly crowned princess. She has grace, style and beauty and bar the fact that I have never spoken a word to her in my life, I am just going to assume that she is the nicest person in the world.

2. London

www.pinterest.com

Truth be told, I really disliked London when I first came to visit. It just was not my scene. My 17-year old self just was not feeling the mixture of accents, tubes and general commotion which took place in London-town. Maybe that was because I had been living in New Zealand for the past 5 years? 

It did not take me long to fall in love. 

Carnaby Street

Selfridges

Fortnum & Mason

Covenant Garden

Call me one to follow the tourists but I stand by the fact that that tour-books have got it right. Day and night the city is amazing. It might not have the 'city never sleeps' vibe that N.Y.C carries, but it sure is quintessential. 

3. Music

www.google.com/images

Adele.

Need I say more?

I have been a fan of the English music scene long before I came to settle in this area of the world. Yes, the artists I love are loved by millions but that does not stop me from appreciating the fact that the Brits have got it going on when it comes to authentic and untouched talent. Rarely are we seeing over-vocalized, over-commercialized pop-Queens - but instead artists who sing about their experiences, feelings and most importantly artists who can actually belt out a tune. 

Check these kids out!

Emeli Sande

Ben Howard

Ed Sheeran

4. Fashion

www.pinterest.com

Is there any other country which can make the simple gum-boot a staple, must-have item?
I think not!
Although most assume top-hats and tweed when thinking of English style, I think freedom. Never before have I lived in a place where people are allowed to express themselves through fashion without falling under the watchful eye of the mass-'norm.' Of course there are trends, but you decide which trend you follow. Me? Leopard print is my current go-to. I am a sucker for a bit of leopard. Might be a tad outrageous for a simple-folk, yet in London I am simply a wee fashionista ready to be identified for my taste in the animal print. 

5. Surrey

Own Image - A Surrey scene.

City girl meets country girl.
Majority of those who know me would laugh till they cry if I announced that I, Christine, would be living on a farm. Who doesn't love a farm though? The roaming green grass, the clear blue sky...the smell of cow sh&*...
Welcome to Surrey - the place where you can have it all. You can wear your pink Hunter wellies without dirtying them up in the nasty. Sold?

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (out of many, many more) pure and simple reasons why although I might not have the passport (yet) or the heritage, I am an Englander by heart.

Rocking the Maxi Skirt.

I have always been some-what apprehensive about the maxi skirt. I think most of us are.

Is it really that hard to pull off?

With a tinge of 'gypsy' and generally suited to the taller of the human beings, rocking the maxi skirt can be difficult. That is until you decide to break the mould. Fight the tag and make that skirt your own. 

Whilst strolling through the wonderful city of New York a few weeks ago, I came across this skirt in an Anthropologie store window. The mix of pastels was right up my alley. I had been contemplating a skirt purchase for a while but ran into the difficult decision of color choice. Ever run into the horrible problem where you purchase something pretty only to realize later that you own absolutely zilch that will go with 'said' garment? I was determined to bypass such a predicament. After doing the ol' 'I'll have a think about it and come back later,' I gave in and piled the cash onto the shop counter. 

Although this skirt and I are new-found companions, the potential is unlimited. Dress up, down and all around - ladies and gentlemen we have a winner.

Floral skirt + Crop top = Summer
www.pinterest.com

Bold red skirt.
www.pinterest.co.uk

 Add a slingback heel and you're good as gold!
www.pinterest.co.uk

Kicking it Old School.

Whilst indulging in the fun that is the morning school run for Little C, something sparked my attention on the radio...

"You could bring your iPad or just kick it old-school and bring pen and paper."

Old-school?

Pen and paper?

I am sorry but when on earth did it become 'old school' to write with pen and paper? Although my disbelief is tinged with irony considering I spend majority of my life tapping away on my laptop, but has the world moved so quickly that the ol' Biro and note-pad has become outdated? Can I claim to be 'old fashioned' merely on my preference to write in a diary rather than storing my life events on an iPhone? On my preference to sit in a lecture and scribble away rather than play Solitaire as the lecturer is recorded on the latest what-sit device? I am one on the younger buns in the bakery, so I know my outrage is nothing compared to those old folks who watched the evolution of the computer out-date the typewriter - but give me a break! Soon will come the days of no more textbooks, magazines, newspapers. Who wants a coffee stain on your morning paper when you can take a trip to the local Apple store (soon to replace all local news-agents) after you knock your mug over? Soon will come the generation who craze over the latest iPad cover rather than the newest scent of the classic sparkly gel-pen. 

Have you ever had the dreaded 'Apple jealousy' syndrome? The feeling when you buy an Apple product, only to be out-done a few months later when the way cooler version hits the market? Yeah, look out teenage girls of the world - dramas are about to get WAY serious when Suzy-Sue comes in with the latest Mac what-sit before it's even released. But the school kids won't find out via the banter of the school play-ground. Oh no, a mass e-mail will be sent out as it happens, when it happens. Because that is what we are promised isn't it? Being in the know before the person who is the 'know' even knows? 

What is next? A devise to read minds? 

Would not be surprised.

Don't get me wrong, I consider myself reasonably technologically knowledgeable yet never beyond my years. I have the computer, the phone, the music device but I am not gathering up all my notebooks and pens in attempt to stay with the times. Walk into an antique store in twenty-years time and you will be faced with a Bic pen and lined, A4 notepad. 

Just you wait, just you wait. 

Personally I would rather kick it old school - all day, every day.