My Heels are Higher than your Standards ~ Statement tshirts Act I

Statement t-shirts! I loooove them! There is nothing boring about an outfit comprising by jeans or black trousers, statement t-shirt, scarf, big earrings and a hat. Simple yet sexy and very modern! I can't get enough of them and I definitely prefer them to tops or tshirts that feature flowers or pretty and feminine designs. 

One of my first statement tops was the following very classic one

I wore it for many years and as I pulled it off with no problem I started getting into the habit of buying every tshirt or top that had a clever logo. You can find plenty of them but some are just too good to pass by and not get.

My favourite one from last summer is a top featuring Miss Piggy and the phrase 'call me diva'.

I love Miss Piggy but sometimes I find her too feminine for my taste. I love fuchsia, it is my favourite colour, but light pink just doesn't do the trick for me. This top on the other hand with the strong phrase caught my eye and balanced the girly softness that characterises Miss Piggy's dress style.

As I was walking through the stores with a friend of mine today she spotted this awesome tshirt. I am becoming a bridesmaid this week for one of my best best best friend's wedding and she asked we wear heels that are not that high. All my heels are at least 4 inches high (most actually are 4.7) so we were discussing with my friend that I will have a problem at the wedding. As we were having the conversation she spotted this tshirt with the phrase 'my heels are higher than your standards'. It was funny and so so perfect for the moment. We laughed and I thanked her for spotting it! I can totally relate to it. As we were rushing and I had other things in mind I didn't get it I just took a photo of it instead. When I came back home I decided to look for it online.

The tshirt is by the brand Blonde and Blonde that features clothes designed by Alexandra from Orange County California. I looked on her website's online store but I couldn't find the specific tshirt. As we spotted the tshirt in Bank here in the UK I looked into their website and I did find it in their online store. It costs £18.00 which I think is a very reasonable price. You can find the tshirt and get it online here. I think I will do that myself!

Read More

Funky Chocolate Marcipan Volcanos ~ Αμυγδαλωτά με Καρύδα, Μαρμελάδα Πορτοκάλι και Σοκολάτα

One of the amazing benefits of loving baking and cooking is that when you crave a specific ingredinet you can find so many alternatives ways of using it to create the perfect treat!
Almonds, coconut flakes and chocolate are always in my cupboard. Last night I was craving for something small chocolatey and coconutey. I looked on the web for recipes with these ingredients and the result was a plethora of cookie and cake recipes. I wasn't satisfied as I wanted something more moist and preferrably not baked. As I was continuing my search in both English and Greek I came accross a few recipes of what we call in Greece Αμυγδαλωτά treats similar to marcipan. Building upon the basic recipe for Αμυγδαλωτά I decided to add coconut, orange curd and chocolate and make my own version of marcipan chocolates. As expected I loved them but yes I wasn't the only one. A friend that visited me last night loved them too and ate 3-4 of them :)

Ingredients:
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup coconut flakes
3 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup orange curd
200 g dark chocolate to coat

In a bowl we mix the dry ingredients with the vanilla essence and the orange juice. The aim is to get a sticky dough we can work. If needed we add more water. We form small balls and put them in the fridge for half an hour. Once out of the fridge we dip them one by one in the orange curd and put them in the fridge. We melt the dark chocolate in Bain-marie and set it aside to cool for 10 minutes. On our kitchen counter or table we place kitchen foil and on top of it we arrange the balls. With a spoon we pour chocolate on each ball and then if we want decorate with crystallized decorating sugar or coconut flakes.
We place our marcipan chocolates in the fridge and cool for 1 - 2 hours.

Read More

Pins & Brooches

I have to admit that pins and brooches are my least favourite pieces of jewellery. For some reason I have associated them with older ages and thus the thought of wearing one has been demotivating for years. I grew to like them when I started using them to accessorise my winter hats and thus I have associated them with winter. As it is starting to get cold I decided that it was about time I remind myself of the pins and brooches I have. This one caught my eyes as it is one of the first pieces of jewellery that my sister created. It is very basic and as it is quite big I usually wear it with heavy sweaters. Since then her pin and brooch designs have become more articulated. She has also managed to create pieces for younger and modern girls.

One of my favourite designs is the following dress one.

It's made with felt, swarovski crystals and metal. Unfortunately this one hasn't ended up in my jewellery box but she gave it as a birthday present to a close friend.

Another favourite is the following more sophisticated one. 

For this one she used corals, swarovski crystals and lava rock. This one was given as a gift to one of my mum's best friends. Despite it's 'mature' look I would definitely wear it.

I have to apologise for the poor quality of the two photos but I can't get new ones as both of the brooches are with their rightful owners. Needless to say that they are loved and wore on a regular basis.

I love how she mixes different materials and ends up with designs for various styles and ages. She has plenty more back home but unfortunately no photos. I promise to upload more once I am back home. It is true that it has been a while since she made something new so indirectly with this post I am trying to encourage her to use her imagination and surprise me with amazing new designs which I promise to continue to share.

Read More

Thessaloniki Bagels ~ Koulouri Thessalonikis

'Gastronomos' is a cooking and baking magazine produced by one of the biggest newspapers in Greece. It comes out once a month and it is being sold along with the newspaper on the Sunday issue. Last Sunday the October issue was out and to my excitement it featured recipes from Thessaloniki. Needless to say I was very excited and asked my sister not only to get the issue for me but take photos of all the pages and send them to me. Later on I found the issue online so I also downloaded it from there.

The basic characteristics of the Greek cuisine are identified with the used ingredients. The use of fresh mediterannean vegetables, olive oil, feta cheese, kaseri cheese, fresh fish and meat is the basic characteristic of the Greek cuisine. The recipes are very simple and healthy and make up a very balanced and healthy diet. Despite the uniformity of the recipes accross Greece each area has developed its own culinary identity as it basis its recipes on local products and specialties. I would say that it is one of the best countries for food tourism.

Within Greece the basic characteristics of Thessaloniki's cuisine are the strong use of spices and the influences from eastern cuisines. The geographical position of Thessaloniki, it's openess to welcome population groups from all over the world, its occupation from the Ottoman Empire and the settlement of Greek refugees from Minor Asia have welcomed culinary influences from different parts of the world. Even though many of the dishes are very familiar to Turks, Armenians, Jews, Syrians, Lebanese etc they maintain their original local identity. Within Greece the cuisine is identified as the richest in quantity and quality and Greeks from all over the country visit just to taste it. This is one more reason why I love my city. Being born in a family that has been a part of Thessalnikis growth and history since its liberation from the Turks I was lucky to be exposed to every little cultural secret and the history behind it.

In this blog I have already presented one of my favourites and most famous Thessaloniki morning treats 'Mpougatsa'. The second most famous morning treat is the 'koulouri' or the Thessaloniki version of the commonly known bagel.

As always before making them I looked for more recipes and what I noticed is that they are all almost the same apart from the final stage. Following some other recipes I decided to add one more ingredient in the final stage. They turned out delicious and their taste is exactly the same as the ones I buy in Thessaloniki. What also surprised me is how easy and quick the recipe is. The only tricky part is that you have to plan it in advance as the yeast has to be left in water for 8 hours.

Ingredients:

750g all purpose flour

20g dried yeast

450 ml lukewarm water (40C)

70g sugar

50ml olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup honey or petimezi

1/2 cup water

300g sesame seeds

In 100ml of lukewarm water we add 2 tbsp of the olive and dilute half of the yeast. We leave it covered for around 8 hours to sour a bit.

After the 8 hours we repeat the process for the rest of the yeast and we let it aside for half an hour. In a bowl we mix the flour, salt and sugar. When both our yeasts are ready we pour them in the flour mix and add the rest of the water. We work the dough for about 10 minutes and add flour if necessary. The aim is to get a soft and elastic dough. We leave it to rise in a warm environment. I usually heat the oven in the lowest temperature and leave the dough to rise there.

We divide it in 40g parts and then form round bagels with each small part. In a bowl we mix the honey or petimezi with the warm. We dip each bagel in the honey mix and then in the sesame. All sides of the bagels have to be covered in sesame.

Preheat the oven at 200 C and bake for about 15 minutes or until our koulouria are golden.

Variations: If we want sweet koulouria we can mix raisins in the dough or add nutella or chocolate as fillings. Savoury variations include koulouria with feta cheese fillings or koulouria with olives.

Read More

Chocolate and London ~ Choccywoccydoodah

I was never a fun of big chain stores nor shopping centres. I love unique brands and small retailers that view their trade as an art and I get so excited when I discover new ones. The big luxury brands that centre the production of their products on their logos never made sense to me. Brands that manage to associate their name with a fashion forward trend are the real winners when it comes to shopping. I don't own any luxury item that shows off a logo and I don't think I ever will. My guilty pleasure is acquiring numbered items that are well made, very unique but never feature a logo as I don't like the idea of owning and wearing what everyone else does. I think the most unique item I own is a pair of Italian boots bought in Greece. It was a pair spotted by my sister and everyone that has seen it loves it! When they ask me where I got them from and I say that they are handmade, numbered and the store had only imported one pair per size I can see how much more they are valued. I am sure that this was the aim of their designers and makers. And it works!

The Greek market does not depend on big chains and thus I am always spoiled for choice. There a few dominant brands but you can find plenty of stores that feature smaller designers. When I am in London I love spending time in Oxford Street and shopping centres but when it comes to shopping I prefer to search online for smaller stores and look for that uniquely different option.

That's how I discovered Choccywoccydoodah. I came across it online and I was amazed by their cake designs and as a dedicated baker I had to check it out. First time I tried to visit was in June while I was visiting London with a friend. Unfortunately we were there on a Saturday and the queue was so long we had to wait for at least an hour for a table. That's how busy they get during weekends. We quit the idea and I decided to keep it in mind for another visit. One of my best friends was visiting from Singapore this week and I thought it was the best opportunity to visit it! She has been all over the world and she appreciates unique places as much as I do. She is a chocolate lover so I knew it was the best place to go and catch up. Needless to say she loved it! On the ground floor they feature some amazingly decorated cakes and a chocolate variety which you can buy on the spot and on the first floor they work as a cafe. 

We didn't have much time since our schedule was packed but their menu confused us! It took us at least 10 minutes to decide what to try. She ordered a chocolate cake and I ordered the sundae. Their portions are huge and so so worth it! Needless to say I couldn't finish mine!

Even after getting so full with all that sweetness we still had room for some 'window shopping' on their ground floor. The amount of time spent on those cakes and the imagination it takes to conceptualise them deserve my respect. One thing I am not a fan of is their use and fascination with skulls. I forgive them though since the rest of what they offer is not just food but a complete unique experience. The messages featured on the cakes are the icing on the cake. Sweet messages that remind us of the meaning behind the gesture of giving a chocolate or a cake as a present to someone. Reminding us that the sweetness of the chocolate signifies the sweetness of our love towards that person :)

I highly reccomend it!

Brighton Bar Du Chocolat

Address:

27 Middle Street

Brighton BN1 1AL

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 11am - 5pm

email: barbrighton@choccywoccydoodah.com

phone no: 01273 732232

London Bar Du Chocolat
Address:
30 -32 Fouberts Place, Off Carnaby St,
London W1F 7PS

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 11am - 5pm

email: barlondon@choccywoccydoodah.com

phone no: 0207 734 9713

Read More