Saturday, December 24, 2011

Dressember day 24: Christmas Eve Styles

Found a dress I hadn't worn before! #dressember day 24

Blue and white stripes from asos

I found a dress I'd completely forgotten about - a brief reprieve from repeats. I'd forgotten about it because, honestly, I don't really like it. 

Annoyingly enough I received ... many compliments on this dress. From twitter, from my husband, from the girl at my coffee shop, it was baffling. 

I still don't like it. 

About to brave the supermarket - need a coffee first Xmas presents all wrapped, finally.
Everyone's in the Xmas spirit Out for lunch
Beaching it on Christmas eve Classic me. At least my tattoo isn't sunburnt
Wine & Hugh Grant!
Christmas Eve
pre-supermarket coffee / presents finally all wrapped / local art in the xmas spirit / lunch at Beach Babylon / hanging on the sand / priority: don't get the tattoos sunburnt / finishing the evening with Christmas movies & wine.


Friday, December 23, 2011

Dressember day 23

Purple flowers for #dressember day 23

Purple flowers.

A day spent in either the supermarket or the kitchen.
I made: chocolate candy cane (salted) brownies, mushroom and walnut pate, and peppermint bark.

Candycane chocolate brownies

Candy Cane (salted) Chocolate Brownies

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Christmas just isn't Christmas without any Candy Canes


To me, chocolate and peppermint is the flavour of Christmas. I can't help it. With that in mind, I fiddled around with my favourite brownie recipe and created Candy Cane (salted) Chocolate Brownies. They are so good.

(NB: my pan is a little larger than required so I made a one-and-a-half batch. The recipe below is just for one)

Candy Cane (salted) Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

8 tbsp butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp peppermint essence

For the icing:
2 tsp butter
Icing sugar
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp peppermint essence
3 candy canes


Ingredients


1. Preheat Oven to 200c

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Christmas calories don't count, right?


2. Melt (entirely too much) butter in pot over stove

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3. Remove butter from heat, let cool about a minute, then add sugars (I use the pot as my bowl the whole way through. I'm all about saving on the washing up). Mix well.

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4. Add eggs, flour, cocoa, salt, and essences. Mix well.

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5. Line pan with baking paper, pour in batter, and pop in oven.

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6. Bake 20-25 minutes, test with a knife in the center and remove when only a few little crumbs cling to the knife.

7. Cool one hour.

8. In another bowl mix the butter with enough boiling water to melt it, icing sugar, cocoa, peppermint essence, and another pinch of salt, until you have an icing with a good consistency - add water a tsp at a time to water it down.

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9. Have your handsome husband (I mean, if you have one lying around, it's handy) unwrap the candy canes and crush them. Try not to eat too many of the bigger pieces.

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10. Sprinkle over the icing! Enjoy. Also, if you happen to have a metric tonne of melted white chocolate from when you also made peppermint bark? you can add that too.

Addendum

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Dressember day 22

My first repeat because I'm feeling useless today #dressember day 22

Blue on blue dress from Cotton On. So comfy.

My first dress repeat. I would feel disappointed if I did not feel quite so useless. 

Either way, this was the perfect outfit for how I spent most of my day.

Chin dimple

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Dressember day 21

Day 21 of #dressember

Striped low back shirt & sheer pleated midi skirt. 

Today Wellington was beautiful but the wind was bitter. Warm enough that my jackets all felt too heavy, but too cold for short sleeves. This outfit was perfect for doing all all all of my Christmas shopping. 

Love this! #graffiti #wellington

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Dressember day 20

Day TWENTY of #dressember. Only 11 to go.

Watercolour cami by Portmans, linen mini skirt by Glassons. 

I am coming dreadfully close to repeating dresses. Or entire outfits. I could always just make like Amy & start wearing very-much-evening dresses in the middle of the day. But ... I guess we'll see tomorrow. 
Tomorrow I have to do all of my Christmas shopping & I can't think of a single dress I own & have not already worn that will suit. 

I think this is the epitome of a #firstworldproblem. I am ridiculous. 

It's 4:22. This is acceptable, right? I'm going with yes!

Monday, December 19, 2011

365 in 2011

Oh Darling 365

Sunday: steadily bold
Sunday
I am who am overly bold will be steadily bold - Iris Wilkinson on the Wellington waterfront.

Monday: waiting on Hubert
Monday
Waiting to play photographer at the law school.

Tuesday: watching Dawkins documentaries with Jesus
Tuesday
Spent the afternoon watching a documentary on religion by Richard Dawkins and halfway through realised I was watching with my Jesus pillow between my legs. It amused me at the time.

Wednesday: Hello!
Wednesday
Oh Wellington, you are covered in these kinds of stickers.

Thursday: vintage decoration
Thursday
The cross stitch Sarah heart is one of my oldest christmas decorations - my Grandma made it for me a million years ago.

Friday: Wellington layers
Friday
The history of Wellington is writ in layer upon layer of gig posters.

Saturday: Xmas errand
Saturday
Tiny ivy. Christmas errands.


&


Xmas Tree

Dressember day 19

All black for a grey day #dressember day 19 The jumper has a lace back #dressember day 19

Portmans lace insert jumper & cotton on sheer black skirt.

Summer is still not playing along. I am mad at the weather in New Zealand. But! Seeing as how I've decided that I am officially on holiday until the new year, this was the perfect excuse to spend the day watching The Wire.

I may be late to the bandwagon but damn if I am not jumping straight on.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Dressember day 18

A blue on blue dress with a fuchsia belt #dressember day 18

Two shades of blue dress, fuchsia patent leather belt, & back to glasses for a few days. 

Perfect for Christmas shopping, cupcake-ing, & dinner with the family.  

Red velvet Gingerbread cupcake

(I can't believe Christmas is in a week!)