All the others

Why I loved Steve Jobs!

I am writing this on my 2011 MacBook Pro. Last night one of my heros died – Steve Jobs.

My husband says ‘I’ll never go back to Windows’, after a few weeks of flirting with my our Apple laptop.

In 2006, I had a sleek black iPod which we loved. I still have it, dead as it is.

But it was in 2009 that I first ‘met’ or even cared that there was someone called ‘Steve Jobs’.

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Reunited – My Camera & I

What joy it is to hold my camera again

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Daring Cooks get stuffed with Dolmades

Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food.

Historical Note: Stuffed grape leaves are a part of many cultures including the Syrians, the Turks, the Greeks, the Lebanese, the Albanians, the Israeli’s, the Iranians, the Iraqis and the Armenians (just to name a few). Generally speaking the stuffed part could be in zucchinis/courgette, eggplant, tomato or peppers. Really it also extends to stuffing certain types of fish as well. It is suggested that the origin of stuffed grape leaves goes back to the time when Alexander the Great besieged Thebes. It has also been suggested the Byzantines refined and spiced up the recipe and used the leaves of other vines such as hazelnuts and figs.

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On being published: ‘Foodies of the World’

Thanks for your support and wonderful comments – at the moment, our internet access is scuppered/broken/not working plus I’m out of country from Wednesday – in Paris :-) till the weekend, sans husband and kids  attending a conference and looking for piment d’esplette! Thank you so, so, so much.

Love,  Oz

——♥♥♥♥♥—–

I’m not at all surprised that it was an Aussie publishing house that ‘launched’ my recipes into the world of print. Ladies and Gentlemen, as of the 1st of October, 2010 I am proud to say I’ve been published by The Slattery Media Group. A dream I skirted about in this delicious post. A dream which has now come true.

And just before you get the idea that I’ll now be rolling in $$$$, I will if you buy the book :-) . This cookbook has 2 of my recipes, the other 98+ recipes from other gorgeous food blogs. I say gorgeous even though I haven’t seen the final copy = it only launched on the 1st of October, symbolic in the fact that the same date is Nigeria’s Independence day. But I still am THRILLED to the high heavens because my dream this year was to get into the sphere of writing proper and to slowly start building a portfolio.

In the words of the editors/publishers:

 

‘Foodies of the World is a collection of profiles and recipes from the best blogs around the world. It compiles the greatest recipes, with the sweetest stories, from the best bloggers into one handy guidebook and recipe collection. As the blogs selected come from all over the world (India, France, USA, UK, Australia, Germany, Italy, Estonia and Turkey are represented so far), the recipes will cover a variety of cuisines and courses. The overall tone is one of community, and sharing your love of cooking with the world. Its quality, complete and beautifully real’ design will inspire the reader to spend time in their own kitchen’.

My connection to Australia has been there for the last 12 years. My Nigerian friend, E who now lives in Copenhagen, moved there over a decade ago and she opened my eyes to the beauty of the country – think beaches, Neil Perry, Kylie Kwong, the Sydney Opera house and the Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks. I even considered going to university there but opted for sunny, windy, cold and rainy Liverpool instead. How come? And then I have  few good Aussie pals – both at work and in the blogosphere who only make me long for more of that countrinent (country-continent).

And I figure this cookbook cum guide, available to buy takes me a few steps closer to my dreams of visiting Australia, if nothing else. Thank you dear readers for inspiring me, for your constant care and ♥ – food is a part of my reality and having people to share it with makes it very special. Thank you.

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Details

WhatFoodies of the World book, contains over 100 recipes.

Where can I find it to buy: Online, via the Slattery Media shop (cheapest for Aussie citizens I would guess)!

Thank you for all your support and *clink*, here’s to more good news soon for us all.

Love, Oz

Wordless Monday: Farm fresh Strawberries

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Buddha's hand strawberry

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Regular looking strawberry

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Beautiful strawberry

These strawberries come from our weekly drive-by farmer, grown on his farm. I love the weirdness of some of the strawberries – imperfect can be beautiful too, like me…and you.

For more Wordless photos on Kitchen Butterfly, see my Wordless category

For more Wordless photos on the main Wordless Wednesday, visit the Wordless Wednesday blog.

Wordless Saturday: Farm fresh eggs

Almost every week, we take delivery of beautiful eggs from a drive-along farmer. I love the way the feathers stick to the eggs and the sheer beauty of it all.

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For more Wordless photos on Kitchen Butterfly, see my Wordless category

For more Wordless photos, visit the Wordless Wednesday blog.

Serendipity in Amsterdam

Ser*en*dip*i*ty (noun)
Not finding what one is searching for, but finding something better.

Kate says: I love this word. Not only because of its dictionary meaning, but also because it sounds like the kind of life I’d like to have: Serene with a little dipity added!

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(You’ll find the above lines on her blog!)

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Paul Van Waarden restaurant, Oud-Rijswijk

Can you guess where I’ve been?

Well, I haven’t gone to Barbados yet…….though I am seriously counting down!

So, I haven’t been on holiday.

IMG_5961I’ll give you some clues

#1 – Twinkle, twinkle, little……

#2 – Very French, very fine dining connotations….and a ’round’ man

#3 – My desire as a gourmand has been to visit one!

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And the winner of ‘Top of the Props’ is…..

…..#28!

At the end of the competition, I had a total of 67 comments. I took away 4 because 1 person didn’t want to be counted ‘in’ and 3 comments were from my friends who aren’t into blogging…leaving me with 63.

Off I headed to Random.org….and the number generator chose….#28, which is Aoife of The Daily Spud.

Giveaway_Top of the PropsCongratulations Aoife, please send me an email at kitchenbutterfly.giveaway@gmail.com and I’ll pop your box in the mail ASA….

Some top prop secrets? Here they are, a selection from the comments:

  • Using giftwrap as nice backgrounds
  • Ikea….hold lots of promise for some (me included!)
  • Use props from your home…
  • ….and collect from (extended) family….!
  • Look in the remnant bins at fabric/craft stores and at secondhand stores
  • Some ‘scour for mini pots and cutlery they serve inedible airplane food in for bento making props…and eco foodstalls for pretty wooden sporks’
  • Dried leaves and twigs from the park
  • Tea towels and place mats are super useful too

Thanks for joining in the fun!

Have a blessed ‘new’ week and join me tomorrow for some Empanadas….♥♥♥

Top of the Props….and my first GIVEAWAY!

Hey Houston, we have a PROPLEM…

Too much of a…For when it comes to the acquisition of props…..I am shameless.

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