As I left the restaurant last night I wracked my brain trying to remember how to say goodnight, Yassa, I had remembered, as I raised my glass and said yassu in reply. Sadly I only remembered kali nichta as I put my hood up against the rain. I used to speak conversational Greek, honed from years of family holidays spent on a scooter bombing along back roads of island after island. From Corfu, to Zante, from Aegina to Poros, Paros, Antiparos, Andros, Tinos, Thassos… The fear of flying off was balanced by the fear of running out of petrol yet again, miles from anywhere.

…or maybe it was years of honing my chat up line on the beach with the cute Greek boys.

 S’agapo. M’agapas?  (I love you, do you love me?)

I still prefer kalamata olives, I cook with Greek olive oil, and I even grew to like sharp spiky retsina and mythos beer. I love dolmades, beef stifado with cinnamon, spanakopita, and bread to dip in taramosalata and tzatziki. Greek food, along with that of its neighbour Turkey, will always taste like holiday to me.

My last holiday to Greece was a disaster. A month after the LTE had walked out I was to spend a week en famille in a villa onCorfu. Greecewas still the same, the vines, the cats, the sleepy old men outside the post office, the bobbing boats, the cheesy waiters, but I was depressed, sad, ashamed. I don’t remember the sunshine, just bleak, lonely days.

Now 5 years later I am going back, this time to the home of Corelli and Pelagia, to a villa in Pessada on the Island ofKefalonia. We will hire a scooter, bomb around the island again and sit in taverna after tavern under those vines…and then lay by the pool. Heaven. Time to wipe away those lingering traces of the past, bring on the sun.

…does any country make you feel the same way as Greece does to me?

Miss S x

P.s If you want to visit Greece without leaving Edinburgh I’d highly recommend Edinburgh’s only Greek restaurant My Big Fat Greek Kitchen. Excellent yummy food, great atmosphere and friendly staff and they do takeaway too. This post is nothing to do with them, I just wanted to say how good it was.

What is your take away of choice? Indian, Mexican, Chinese? Sadly, because of an allergy (intolerance?) to msg I have to, in the main, avoid Chinese food. Which I love – the msg is what makes sauces salty and sticky and oh so yummy.

However, having made the discovery that if you step beyond the realms of sushi and sashimi I’ve found Japanese food makes a great Friday night substitute and I have never looked back. We even treated the whole family to a Japanese buffet in Australia on Christmas Eve. It was fabulous and I am glad my sister loves Japanese food as much as me.

My favourite Japanese main course has to be tonkatsu – deep fried pork cutlets with an omelette on top, or ashamedly, I also the Wagamama version of katsu curry, but teriyaki chicken comes a close third.

This was the first sticky Japanese sauce and I must admit I was a bit nervous and almost cheated with this one at the last minute, but I preserved and it turned out pretty well. Although I’d recommend munching this all at the same time, as unfortunately the sauce turned a bit jelly like the next day – although that could have been me being a bit heavy handed with the cornflower!

Teriyaki chicken with stir fried vegetables  

You will need:

• Boneless chicken thighs (if you are using a slow cooker, breast if not) I used a pack of 5/6
• Sugar
• Soy sauce
• Ground ginger
• Black pepper
• Garlic, powder or crushed
• Cornflour
• noodles
• vergetables to stir fry

To make the sauce: mix together

Sugar – half a cup
soy sauce – half a cup
cider vinegar – 3 tablespoons
ground ginger – a teaspoon
Garlic – a teaspoon or powder or squished
Lots of ground pepper

• Top up the mixture with water so that it covers the chicken, I used a couple of cups.
• Cook on a low heat in a slow cooker for 7/8 hours or in a pan until the chicken is cooked through.

To finish:

• Remove the sauce from the chicken and thicken with cornflower
• Serve with stir fried vegetable and noodles of your choice.

Easy peasy and really tasty. Enjoy!

Miss S x

It is going to be contained tho, as I am going to be taking part in Wedding Wednesday’s hosted by Something Charming. So yeah, avoid Wednesday’s from now on if you don’t give a sh1t about flowers, venues or breakdowns in communication.

Actually I have no idea why I am explaining myself about this one, as it was never going to be long before the Smidge wedding became a feature of this blog. I am the girl who started her pinterest board the night she got engaged after all.

However, I am also the girl who has already had her first mini-meltdown over the wedding, even before the date or the venue has been set, at the very scary thought of standing in front of 150 people I really don’t know very well.

(My family (and friends) is tiny. B’s isn’t)

It was a meltdown that had me ranting about every little tiny thing and almost called off the whole thing before it had even got off the ground. It solicited a very grovelling apology.

Yes, I am the bride who is petrified of being a bride.

It is all starting very well isn’t it?

Smidgezilla xx

P.s pop over to pinterest where I have just pinned some very lovely but out of my price league dresses. A girl can dream can’t she?

Right before I went on holiday to Australia I was at my heaviest/biggest ever. I was bulging over the top of my clothes; nothing was fitting correctly any more. I wasn’t fat (I am tiny, I admit) but I was no longer happy with myself, I no longer felt sexy, my confidence was shot to pieces. Even if everyone else still thinks you look great, mentally this is no place to be. It was time to bite the bullet – exercise needed to enter my life.

However, I might be all bravado over on Twitter, but in reality I am still scared, petrified even. I’ll be honest with you; I have never ever considered joining a gym before and this is why:

• communal changing rooms. It is not the changing that bothers me; it the opportunities for humiliation as you show yourself up trying to put your bra on under your dress whilst not revealing your spotty knickers. It pisses me off that everyone around me is so much better at communal changing room aerobics than I am. Plus I hate having to make cheery conversation. Please do not talk to me whilst I wresting with my bra.
• swimming pool floors. They make me feel a bit sick; people wear flip flops for a reason. Do they clean these flip flops before they enter the gym every time? I doubt it. Loose plasters, athletes foot, craggy toe nails, blurghhhh. Sorry if you have now brought your lunch back up.
• running machines – seriously? A moving platform?  Surely they are a health hazard; my sister gave her self a bloody nose once, why the hell would I risk that? I also cannot run more than 3k and I am liable to stop running at a second’s notice. Can you imagine me leaping off, arms akimbo and flailing to catch the person next to me? Well I can, it is not pretty.
• gyms are sticky and sweaty, and the pool is freezing cold. Now whilst I love a bit of hot/cold steam, swim, sauna, spa, freezing shower therapy (ill pass at the water bucket over head) but I do it because I choose to, not involuntarily.
• leering/looking/being appraised. I do not like being looked at at the best of times – I am not a confident, centre of attention person as long term readers will know well – and walking around practically naked in front of other people I not something I enjoy. It is not just the old men though, but also the fit and supple young men and women that frequent gyms – please stop appraising my body compared to yours, I do not go to the gym for a competition.
• gym bores. We all know one. It might be a grunter, or a ‘got to keep myself in the game’ chanter or just the people who advertise proudly how far they have run that week, or how many weights they have bench pressed. Whilst, competition, training, doing something for your self is all well and good, but just like having a big house, a flash car or a big salary, we do not need your ‘dedication’ shoved in our faces.  Some of us are beginners and will never get your ‘motivation’. So Shhhhh already.

So, yeah, gym’s are so not for me. But a spa? Well, that’s different. A spa with a stainless steel pool, with a sauna, tropicarium (?!) steam room and jacuzzi. With hairdryers and posh products in the showers. That does zumba and circuits (the only classes I like), that has white towelling robes and a membership that offers discounts on massages and facials and a free personal training session a month (gah). A spa that offers free guest passes and discounted hotel stays.

That’ll be the fabulous Scotsman Spa. Not a gym and therefore something completely different.

Honestly. Wish me luck. Anyone got any suggestions on how to make going to the gym better? Any tips for a newbie?

Miss S x

P.s the Scotsman Spa has no relationship with this post.

Melbourne is described as being the most European city in Australia; in travel guides this refers to its wide boulevards, trams and old(er) buildings. However, the city is also famous for its Tapas restaurants and craft beers, which all help Melbourne live up to this European reputationd. However, we manage to take a fantastic food journey across the world, whilst staying in this fantastic city…

Starting in Spain (sadly despite trying we weren’t able to get a reservation in one of the famous Movida Tapas chain. This is due to the first week of January being holiday time, where most melbournites leave the city for the beach, unlike Sydney, there aren’t hundred of beaches near by) we were able to dine on Tapas down at Melbourne’s own beach resort – St Kilda.

Located on the cosmopolitan Fitzroy Street (a mix of backpackers and tourists), whilst disguised as a restaurant, like any Spanish place, Pelican is just as much about the wine as the food and indeed in some cases the wine is much better.

The popcorn chicken with tarragon & lemon dipping sauce was a bit scrappy and the patatas bravas a little generic, but the warm beetroot salad with truffled pecorino & watercress was excellent and the pulled, spiced lamb with fennel seed flatbread to die for. The service and welcome (ok the waiter was Scottish) was great, in all, recommended.

Heading east from Spain to Italy, our best meal of the trip (and maybe in the top ten of all time) was found on the same street as our apartment (the excellent Punthill Grand). An unassuming place Da Noi doesn’t have a website, nor a menu as such but instead offers a tasting menu with which you put your dinner in the hands of the excellent kitchen.

No menu at Da Noi ever the same, specially designed every day with fresh produce from their farm, this might be a brave choice, but a really rewarding one nonetheless. The food was simple, from grilled green beans and beetroot with baked muscles and skate, to mushroom ravioli with veal, to grilled lamb chops and salad, finished with a trio of desserts, but every course was exceptional. Da Noi might not be a budget choice but it deserves its price tag.

Our next step eastwards was easy as the city has a plethora of Lebanese inspired restaurants and hidden down in the depths of Windsoris a little treat – Mama Ganoush.

Taking the Spanish approach (again) Mama Ganoush offers a range of sharing dishes, from hummus to traditional tabouleh salad to grilled quail in garlic, turkish chilli & fresh thyme and cabbage rolls of ground lamb and rice with minted tomato salsa.

They also do a selection of larger mains, but we stuck to sharing. If you need more persuading, Mama Ganoush is owned by the brother of famous Melbourne chef Greg Malouf (Malouf’s Mezza).

As for Asian food (a staple of Australia life) with one of the best names for a noodle bar ever (guess what they wanted to actually call it?) MoPho Noodle Bar, situated in a little laneway off Yarra Street behind South Yarra station comes highly recommended. The chef/owner is famous for his stints at other famous restaurants (yadda, yadda) but all you need to know is the plates are huge, the noodles are great and they do endename beans (my favourite). Great if you are staying in the rather fancy Chapel Street for somewhere a little more down to earth.

They say coffee in Melbourne is a way of life…and with coffee comes the coffee shops which there are hundreds. My tip is to search out the quirky and unique, avoid the laneways – where it is fun to people watch, but the price is jacked up.

1000 £ Bend is located in the city centre on Little Lonsdale Street and is described as a place to eat, drink, write, draw, relax, ponder, experiment, listen, watch, evolve, enjoy or as I put it, just sit back on a comfy couch, drink good cheap coffee and watch the fish. There is also a thriving craft beer scene in Melbourne, but the best Australian beer still has to be Little Creatures.

However, whilst the brewery is actually out in Western Australia, Little Creature’s have a dining hall on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. The barn of a building is great for big parties (the pizza’s look great) but just as fun for couples popping in for a few beers. Exported to the UK god-knows how many years ago, the Pale Ale is a well respected and enjoyed craft beer, but LC also does an excellent cider (Pipsqueak) and golden ale (Bright Ale) and amber ale (Rodger’s). The Bright Ale went down a treat.

After all that eating and drinking we had to do a bit of wandering around the famous laneways, took a few trams and of course enjoyed our view from the balcony!

One of Melbourne’s famous laneways

The view from our balcony over the city

On a tram…

Have you been to Melbourne, any other recommendations?

Miss S x

Wine and Love meme is a weekly Thursday post where bloggers review their week through whines (wines) and loves. It really was a wine week this week as I resorted to wine drinking last night rather than tonight – wine drinking on a Thursday always seems ok to me, what with it being Friday the next day.

Wines

• It has been a really mixed up week this week, what with the joy of getting my adoption file on Monday, to finding out an address and phone number (!!) to sadness in finding out that potentially I’ll never get the chance to meet my mother, to the excitement of potentially of having a brother. It has been a total rollercoaster emotion wise and i’m not yet ready to write about it any fuller way than in a bullet point list like this – avoidance? maybe, but in any case I am taking a couple of weeks to think things through before I go back to the counsellor to start the next step.

• Despite trying my hardest not to use data in Australia, even going as far as buying a data package I still managed to get a £278 bill on my return. Orange are being wankers and refusing to help me with it. Looks like ill be leaving them at the end of my contract but dammit I wanted my iPhone 4s as soon as possible and ill have to search around for a new contract now. Any deals out there?

• B’s birthday was a complete disaster – firstly I bough him tickets to see Laura Marling (and a hotel for the night as the concert is in Glasgow) and it turns out to be the same night as his cousin’s 21^st, then we go out for drinks and I get so drunk I throw up. Classy bird.

• I am still finalising the ring, after finding the perfect coloured sapphire yesterday we discovered that it had a small chip, back to the jewellers we go. It is still looking like 3 weeks before I get my dream ring. Hurry up. I know I sound like a spoilt brat with this one, what with the economy, people out of work, but surely I deserve a little princess like behaviour?

Loves

• I have rectified the birthday mess by instead buying B a pair of Folk blue suede shoes – which might even end up being his wedding shoes as they match my ring. Plus they had been reduced even further in price since I first looked at them, which I think is a small win in this whole mess.

• Despite the fact I hated organising my first wedding (my mum did it basically) I am loving having control over this one (ok with B too, luckily he has lots of ideas, most of them mad) and I am already enjoying getting inspiration. I have started a wedding board over on Pinterest which you can check out (with all my other boards) here. If you need an invite let me know, be warned Pinterest is addictive.

• Finally this weekend is looking fab – with a Burn’s supper with friends I haven’t seen in yonks on Friday and a wee engagement party/ birthday drinks for B on Saturday – I am looking forward to celebrating all over again. Cheers!

What are your wines and loves this week?

Miss S x

P.s Anyone want Laura Marling tickets for Glasgow on the 10 March?

In the meantime, I wanted to show you a few pictures of our newly decorated living room. So excited to (nearly) have it finished – just the new sideboard and a couple of new cushions to come. Ignore the empty fish tank, it will be filled once the sideboard is in as it weighs a ton!

We had the flat painted whilst we were away on holiday and thanks to B’s dad we have a new leather sofa, so we all we had to do was put up the pictures (Bob in particular) and buy a new sofa (Sater from Ikea – £200 – bargain) as well as a new cat armchair (also from ikea – £80 – spoilt brats) as well as install new lights.

Our pictures are mostly from Etsy. The Edinburgh print is a commission from BirdAve, although this is a similar one, the Bob card is from Weisenheimers (we just framed it) and the big Bob is from Art.com (I think). We also have another Bob print in the post from Modprintables – the lyrics of our favourite Bob Dylan song and what I think will be either a reading at our wedding, or even the first dance! I think as a couple we need to curb our Bob obsession – quickly – before it gets out of hand!

The new sideboard is currently being refurbished by Trash Furnishings. It’s from Morris of Glasgow (1950s) and it is being updated. Hopefully I shall have it in the next few weeks.

I may put up some other flat photos soon…people love having a nosy don’t they…

Back soon with an adoption update!

Miss S x

This is happening today.

4 months after I made the decision to take that first step, the time has come. I have no idea what I will find, how I shall feel. Whether there is anything at all in my adoption file.

I haven’t hopes, I haven’t expectations, and I haven’t a desire for all the questions to be solved today.

All I know is little steps. That is all I can do.

….and try not to throw up.

Wish me luck.

Miss S x

(Part 1 is here, plus you can read all my adoption posts via the adoption tag and thanks to the lovely people at Scottish Adoption for helping me with this)

Butter Chicken is a curry house staple and B described this as better than any he’d had! The plate was practically licked clean it’s that good. However, to get that goodness I must be honest and let you know that this recipe does involve some work and some faff as you need to marinate the chicken over night and roast and grind some spices, but to be honest the hard work is worth it.

The ingredients list also looks long, but all these spices are used pretty regularly so if you have to buy from scratch you will use them again. Or go to your local Indian food store and buy them in small amounts like I do.

Butter Chicken (adapted from one of my many slow cooker recipe books)

You will need:

• Chicken breast fillets, chopped into medium sized pieces.

To make the marinade you will need:

• Cashew nuts (about 50g)
• Fennel seeds (tablespoon)
• Ground cinnamon (2 teaspoons)
• Ground coriander (tablespoon)
• Cardamom seeds (teaspoon) buy pods and shell them, as it is cheaper than buying both
• Black peppercorns (teaspoon)
• Ground cloves (1/2 teaspoon)
• Garlic (4 cloves)
• Ginger (tablespoon – fresh or ground)
• White wine vinegar (2 tablespoons)
• Tomato puree (100g or half a tube)
• Natural yoghurt (150g, small pot)

To make the sauce you will need:

• 50g butter (it is called butter chicken after all)
• A large onion, chopped roughly
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cardamom pods
• Chilli powder (mild)
• Chopped tomatoes
• 100ml chicken stock
• Small tub of single cream
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Coriander to taste

To make the marinade:

• Add the cashew nuts, fennel seeds, cinnamon, coriander, cardamom seeds, peppercorns and cloves to a dry non stick pan and roast for about 5 minutes until the cashews are toasty.
• Let the spices rest for a minute and then using a blender grind up the spices until they are a smooth powder. I used a Philips hand blender which I would highly recommend for all chefs.
• Add to the blender pot, or a bowl the tomato puree, white wine vinegar and yoghurt and blend together.
• Spread the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate over night or for at least 3 hours.

To finish:

• Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the chopped onion, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and fry off until the onion is starting to brown a little.
• Add the chicken mixture and cook for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is sealed (i.e the edges are cooked white)
• Add the chicken / onion mixture to a slow cooker or large pot
• Add the chicken stock, chopped tomatoes and chilli powder
• Cook on high for 7 hours if using a slow cooker, about 2 in a pan
• Once the mixture has cooked add the single cream, sugar (about a tablespoon) and coriander and take the lid off the pan or slow cooker and heat through for a further half an hour.

Serve with all the usual curry accompaniments.

Enjoy!

(sorry for the state of the photo, I was too busy eating to take a good one!)

Miss S x

If you don’t know Wine and Love meme is a weekly Thursday post where bloggers review their week through whines (wines) and loves. You can check out other bloggers taking part here via Nora’s blog and my previous posts are here.

I’ve missed a couple of W+L recently, but it is back!  On to this week wines and loves…

Wines

• The 20 degree drop in temperature. It is killing me. After finishing work at 7.30 last night (back with a bang) I sat huddled on the sofa with socks, slippers, joggers, a sweatshirt (B said I looked like a shop lifter) and my super thick duvet. I think I only moved to pull the cat I was using as a hot water bottle closer. I always thought I was a winter girl, but after 3 weeks in the sun I am seriously reconsidering this.
• My new job. Whilst I am sure this will eventually turn into a love (and believe me, I will make it) I am honestly finding work a little stressful right now. Nothing like jumping straight into the firing line to sharpen your brain.
• Aches and pains. I have a lot of them, antibiotics, a snivelling cold, a sore shoulder, I have plenty to moan about basically!

Loves

• Dubai. I totally surprised myself with how much I liked it. From the sparkling skyscrapers to the designer malls, to the fact you don’t have to walk anywhere, from the beaches to the restaurants to the hotels (I stayed at the fabulous Al Manzil – highly recommended), I kind of fell in love with being a princess for a couple of days. It was bliss.

• I was worrying for nothing about the flights. Everything went on time, there were no lost suitcases, delays or missed connections. There was however a lot of turbulence, which I still hate. I really want to travel toAustraliaevery few years (hopefully every 3) so I am going to have to get over this one. A lot of red wine, a cigarette patch and lots of movies helps.
• The cats are getting back to normal. After being left wild for 3 weeks (do not believe you cannot train cats – I am the boss in our house,) they are back under control and back to their whiny, sooky, kissy selves. Actually this is more of a love/hate than a love.
• B’s birthday tomorrow. We are going to Calistoga for dinner. I have never been before and I am quite excited.
• Etsy. Ok I am way behind here, but I made a couple of purchases recently – a card from the brilliantly funny (and slightly geeky) Weisenheimers & Co for B’s birthday and (via Kyla Roma) a set of Tarot Cards from Jordan Clark (all the way from Sydney, dammit!) which I think I will have framed. You may not know that I read tarot cards and I love the design of these.

What are your wines and loves this week?

Miss S x