Spices from my Travels
It is fair to say that I set foot in no country or city *ever* without a trip to the local food market. Much to the chagrin of my children and the patience of my husband, at least part of one day in any place is spent perusing local delicacies and chatting to vendors. And even though I have been to Israel on multiple occasions, no visit is complete without a pilgrimage to Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda, and both the Carmel Market and Levinsky Markets in Tel Aviv. This year was no exception. Especially as I needed to re-stock all my spices for the first Building Feasts Supper Clubin a few weeks! I brought back almost an entire suitcase of spices and halva. And not only am I fully stocked, I am totally inspired to cook the delights consumed in mass quantities on my travels.
Travel Necessity – Packing Cubes
I am horribly late to the party. Seriously. How have I not used packing cubes my whole life? Well, it is not technically correct that I did not know about them, as my beloved sister gave them to my husband for his birthday last year. But to be honest, at the time I sort of dismissed the concept and did not really understand their true packing value. Especially as we then only had packing cubes for one, not six of us. However, as our holiday approached and I started to get my head around organising six people for 13 days in three destinations, a family Bar Mitzvah and no access to a washing machine, something triggered the need to separate everyone’s attire into separate spaces. And the lightbulb went off above my head. Packing cubes literally saved the day. Clothes for all occasions were packed in separate cubes, eliminating the need for full unpacking at every destination, endless rummaging through duffle bags, and a limited amount of chaos in the boys room. I can safely attest to the fact that packing cubes have changed my travel life forever.
Get Your BBQ Game On – Feeding the Fire
April means two things in our house – the heating is turned off, and my love affair with outdoor grilling is rekindled. From now until November you can find me in my winter coat, under an umbrella tending to meat and vegetables on the BBQ. The weekly use of the grill sees several exciting activities: 1) Feeding the Fire – my favourite book on the subject is drawn out of hibernation. Joe Carroll takes me through cooking on fire on any device with clarity and success every time 2) Rubs, sauces and marinades are prepared and ready to use, 3) new summer menus move from dreams to reality. So, if like me, you love a little fire in your life, this cookbook should be part of your collection.
Beauty Essential – Perricone MD no Foundation Foundation
In my youth I could just about get away with a lick of tinted moisturiser and some mascara before leaving the house on an average day. But post 40 I need full on war paint at all times to try to conceal the damage caused by years of self induced sleep deprivation. Thanks to the recommendation of my good friend Kelly who holds more knowledge than I could ever retain about natural makeup and skincare solutions, I discovered this Perricone MD miracle morning rescue. It is light enough to feel like you are 19 again and wearing no makeup, but does the job of just about even-ing everything out for a natural un-made-up look. Perfect for those like me in denial.