Recipe: Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

I made a half batch of this salad on Monday, and it's lasting me through this particular cold, dreary week. Recipe originally from Cookie and Kate.
I learnt that 'pomegranate seeds' are actually called 'arils'. And one step further, I learnt how to remove said 'arils' from the pomegranate using the water method. Big week for me!

Ingredients

• 1 cup black or red quinoa, rinsed well in a mesh colander
• 6 stalks of leafy organic celery, leaves picked and reserved, cut into a small dice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• loose 1/2 cup curly parsley, chopped
• 2 pomegranates, arils carefully removed

Instructions

1. Pour the rinsed quinoa into a medium sized pot on the stove. Add two cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Cover and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, until the water is absorbed. In the meantime, chop your celery and parsley. Once it’s done, remove from heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
3. Drain the quinoa and transfer to a mixing bowl. While it is still hot, mix in the celery, olive oil, vinegar, allspice and salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and leave it to cool completely, or close to it.
4. Once cool, add the parsley, celery leaves and pomegranate arils. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary (more vinegar or salt and pepper), then serve.

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& other stories Haul

 When I was in Copenhagen recently, I couldn't resist going to H&M's latest retail venture & other stories. Upon entering the store, the immaculate and perfectly merchandised layout made every single item look appealing. The store had first caught my eye after seeing some pictures of their gorgeous packaging on Pinterest, like the nude lipstick shown above.

As I made my way down to the cosmetics section (I arrived only half an hour before closing time, so I had to prioritise), this pale pink wallet caught my eye. I've been looking for something to replace my leopard seed coin purse that I had been using while travelling, and while the colour may not be durable (time will tell), it was too pretty to pass up. As I by-passed the delicate and simple jewellery, the chic footwear and crisp lines of clothes, I came across the cosmetic section. I wish I could've bought it all. I think I picked up the lip balm in "Dungaree Rose" because of its similarity to this By Terry 'Rose Balm' (featured in many of this is glamorous's outfit posts). It was near impossible to walk past the powder and blush (in Applebloom Pink) inscribed with a quotation from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet':

"Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days"

As Australia readies itself for the launch of H&M  - sadly not in time for the Isabel Marant collaboration - I can only hope that this may spurn on the likelihood of making shipping available to Australia from & other stories.

Images: one, two, three, four

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Sorry xoxo

Just a quick note from Dubai airport to apologise for my absence. I've spent the past few weeks completing exams then travelling with my family throughout Denmark, Sweden, Italy and the UK, so it's been all systems GO for a little while. Once I'm back and settled on my home turf I have a stockpile of blog entries to add (hauls, DIYS and Would You Rather's all ready to go!)
Hope you're all keeping well and smiley and look forward to more posts in the coming days!

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Would You Rather: Acoustic Versions

These two emotionally soaring songs are just what my Friday night packing mode called for. Hey Rosetta's "There's An Arc" has long been a favourite of mine, and my friend introduced me to Bastille's "Pompeii" earlier in the week. Warning: you may find yourself getting unexpectedly emotional.

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Do It Yourself: Wrapping

 

Below you can see my favourite wrapping I did for Christmas last year, heavily inspired by the Fete magazine image at the top. Anything that has elements of fabric and ribbons, brown paper and spots, stripes and florals has me won over.  Having a stock pile of brown kraft paper, ribbon, striped fabric and washi tape will ensure that any gift you give will make a statement.

 

Images: one, two, three, four

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Recipe: Watermelon, Feta and Balsamic Salad

How amazing does this salad on Sweetsonian look? Summer in the northern hemisphere makes this salad perfectly appropriate. A few simple ingredients, fresh produce and stunning presentation, that's my favourite type of food.

Simply slice the watermelon into cubes (or for a fun alternative, you could use shaped cutters). Place rocket (arugula) on the plate and scatter the watermelon on top. Crumble the feta over the arrangement and season with salt and pepper. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic and perfecto! Can't wait to try this as a post-exam treat.

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Do It Yourself: Candles

Studying is not an ideal way to spend my weekends, I would much prefer to be making beautiful things inspired by these posts from Creature Comforts and A Pair and a Spare. Love my Tubereuse Diptyque candle my parents "gave me" for my birthday (bought in Paris with birthday money!) but the price tag isn't very student friendly. These two projects are glamorous and affordable and would be fantastic presents to make for your friends.

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