Gum Paste Roses

Isn't this just the most beautiful gumpaste rose? it's from cakejournal a fantastic blog with tutorials on everything cake decorating...from making buttercream icing to gumpaste strawberries, check out this list.

There is also a fantastic link on the blog to a youtube tutorial on how to make this gorgeous rose...onto the next stage of my cake decorating career...

Thought For The Day

Love this thought from Mrs A In The Cove's blog...just had to repost, hope it inspires you.

mrsainthecove.blogspot.com

Delicious Tomato & Eggplant Pasta

I have just started volunteering at the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program at one of the local schools and loved it. The Grade 3 students were so excited about the class, so organised and capable they were amazing.

I picked up heaps of recipes from the class and this tomato and eggplant pasta was one of them.

My younger daughter in particular is a fussy eater and there is no way she would eat eggplant but she loves this recipe. The eggplant is roasted with the tomatoes then blitzed in the food processor so it becomes a beautiful creamy sweet tomatoeee sauce, delicious! You must try it.

My daughters friends who have stayed for dinner love it.

{Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Pasta}

1. Cut up an eggplant

2. Cut some tomatoes in half or a punnet of cherry tomatoes

(whatever you have in the fridge)

3. Place in ovenproof dish with some olive oil and salt & pepper

4. Roast at 180C until golden

5. Place in food processor and blitz

6. Cook some pasta

7. If it is to thick add some water from the pasta to thin down

8. Season with salt & pepper to taste

9. Mix sauce through pasta (I used penne) or serve on top

(depending on how you like it) and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese

Serve with a rocket salad and some rustic bread and you have a delicious, healthy meal....my family started cheering last night when they found out this was for dinner!

Cristina Re

Cristina Re well know for her beautiful stationery and scrapbooking paper has opened a flagship store in Langridge Street Collingwood called Where A Girls Goes.

I haven't been there yet but plan to visit soon...the store looks beautiful and you can buy everything from beautiful stationery, handmade chocolates, silk pillows, ribbon, indulge in high tea and do creative papercraft workshops. Her purpose for the store is to give her customers - women, a beautiful experience and provide items to transform the everyday.

Pop on over and have a look at her website it is so beautiful.

Images cristinare.com

Small Latte On Chapel

Antipodes

I went out for lunch today and ordered a mineral water and this beautiful big glass bottle of Antipodes water was brought to the table...what a great bottle...the waiter let me bring it home where I knew it would be a perfect match for my little bottles...refreshing drink as well

Flower Market Visit

You won't believe this dear reader but this morning I had to wake up at the ungodly hour of

4am

have a quick coffee

drive with my cousin Carol to the Melbourne Wholesale Fruit Vegetable and Flower Market, and meet the lovely Jan with some other gorgeous people for a tour aboard the Tutti Frutti Express.

Safety vests on and off we all went...it was an exhilarating two hours, the place was buzzing with forklifts everywhere moving pallets of fruit and veg for delivery all over Melbourne. We chatted with some of the business owners who were very friendly and thrilled that we were interested in what they do.

I loved the business that sold the micro herbs (seen alot on the last series of Masterchef), very much in vogue at the moment in the food industry. They are so gorgeous, baby versions of basil, wheatgrass and celery to name a few...

My favourite part of the tour was visiting the flower market. We walked around and Carol chose some stunning white tulips and white bell shaped flowers to take home as a souvenir and I chose some arum lilies and two bunches of tulips (yellow and purple) to take home.

It was a great experience and I'd highly recommend the tour to anyone interested, Jan was a great tourguide and you never know...you might even score a free apple to munch on if you're lucky as well as learn lots of interesting information about a working day that is all over by the time we wake up.