LOUMII

We have a rosemary bush out the front of our house that is nearly as tall as our fence. It grows rampant with nothing more than sun and a little water now and then. Mostly I forget it’s there until I get a whiff as I’m walking by. My pots of herbs live out the back so I’m usually dashing out there to quickly grab some mint or thyme or parsley, forgetting about the bushy evergreen herb at the front just begging to be picked. So when Jonah and I invited our families over for a little get together last weekend, I make a conscious effort to use some of the delicious, spindly perennial.

I popped beetroot in a roasting tin with oil, a good handful of fully clothed garlic cloves and lots of rosemary (with a good lashing of Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper, of course)…

And then I filled some recycled glass jars with rosemary sprigs and placed them alongside tealights. Not only did it look great but it smelt divine!

And I added some baubles of colour…Who ever said blue and green should never been seen?!

Today is Thanksgiving in the US, something we don’t celebrate in Australia and I have to say I’m a little envious that many will be sitting around the table with a fire going and sharing in a feast while savouring each other’s company.

Even though today is just another day for us, I’m going to remember all that I’m thankful for - a healthy and happy family, a fiance who is unconditionally kind, the ability to have a baby and the freedom to do what I love. 

What’s everyone else thankful for?

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Spring is here and apart from the fact that pollen seems to swirl in the air and make J sneeze to no end, we love to sit outside and enjoy meals surrounded by the lush plants that come to bloom in our courtyard around this time.

Lately, I’ve had a craving for homemade pizza. My mum would make homemade pizzas all the time when I was in my teens and I can almost smell the goats cheese and fresh basil seeping from the oven.

I recently stumbled across this great spread from Camille Styles which has inspired me to invite the friends over for a grilled pizza night of my own!

Have any of you got favourite pizza toppings? 

Our trip to Europe and USA is fast approaching and for some reason now is the time I’m revisiting all of the photos I’ve taken on my previous sojourns. One set of photos I always look over lovingly are those that captured my stay in Aix-en-Provence. I strolled through flower markets brimming with buckets full of beautiful blooms…

Oh, and did I mention how cheap they were? Well, they’re much cheaper than flowers we get here.

And I remember staring wide eyed at the stalls bursting at the seams with morsels of deliciousness. I would love to host a cheese tasting evening with wheels as big as these…

And let’s not forget the big scoops of olives doused in oils and herbs.

Hope your weekend is as calm and perfect as this beautifully shot photo over on Sunday Suppers. 

Stay warm and out of the rain, or in it, if that’s your thing.

Jasmin x 

It was mum’s birthday last week and my sister and I decided that one of her presents would be a voucher to a day spa in Bali at the resort she’s staying at in a couple of weeks. As the spa is in Bali, we had no voucher to hand over so I wanted to find a fun way of essentially giving her a bit of paper for her birthday (yawn!).

At the last minute I came across a puzzle card at Kikki K. It’s such a cute idea. I wrote on the back, then broke up the puzzle and put it in the envelope. We went to a restaurant for her birthday dinner and we all sipped on sparkling wine while we watched her put the puzzle together and then, to her surprise, read about the gift that awaits her. The cards are around $10 so they’re a bit more expensive than your normal card but the experience is well worth it, and if you had the time, you could always make your own.

Some of you may remember a while back I had a craving for the pumpkin muffins my mum used to make when I was little. Still without that prized recipe, I decided to scour the net for another. I found this one and I have to say they were almost as good as I remember them. I highly recommend making these for an afternoon tea with friends or family - they are quick and oh so delicious!

In keeping with the autumn colours I could see beyond the kitchen window, and of course, the rich orange of pumpkin, I tried to find the things I had around the house that would complement the colours. I served green tea in a glass teapot, piled the muffins onto a woven brown tray and sat a recycled jar full of subtle purple flowers on a doily. Seeing as I used cinnamon to cook with, I also grabbed some quills and used them as a bit of a centrepiece. You could also add some nutmeg.

Anyone got any recommendations for their favourite afternoon tea? 

I’ve been sans internet for the past couple of weeks and the problem was finally fixed this morning. It turns out our adorable little Pablo had chewed through the cable outside and cut off our link to the outside world :)

Well, that’s not entirely true but I did come to realise just how much I rely on the internet, especially as we’re in the process of building a mobile app for Loumii. Don’t want to give away too much but you can guess from our logo that it will be centred on curated events, and there’ll be a focus on DIY.

The process is exciting but it’s also a lot of digging in the dark. I have many ideas on what helps to make event planning easier but I certainly don’t come from a tech background  - for that I’m relying on my smart cookie of a developer to solve some of the problems I can’t.

I’m also going to heavily rely on my testers - family and friends who’ll be testing the app for us, letting us know what works and what doesn’t. There’s a long road ahead but I’m hoping that we’re building something that will give much value to those that plan any events of any sort. I plan to keep you all updated on our progress on this blog. Oh, and if anyone is interested in becoming a Loumii tester, please shoot me an email - jasmin@loumii.com.

I’ve been sick all this week and so, unusually for me, I’ve been totally off food. I’ve been living on big cups of green tea and drinking iced water from a karafe. I’ve been eating clear soups and nibbling on peeled apples. And up until this morning I haven’t missed more indulgent food at all. But then Pablo and I curled up on the couch and watched Toast, a gorgeous but sad movie based on the young Nigel Slater, one of Britain’s most respected food critics. The scene above is particularly memorable and even though I’ve never been the biggest fan of lemon meringue pie, I must say this scene made me hungry. I think I must be getting better.