The First Night

The first night in the new house was magical.

After bending my King sized bed up the stairs, somehow putting together my first fashion clothing trolley, unpacking about 50KG's of my clothing, (the other bags have gotten lost amongst the sea of boxes and other black bin bags dominating the house...) and falling UP the stairs . . . . things are starting to look a little more cosy.

We kicked it off with having a family barbeque outside and while the meat was sizzling deliciously away on the grill I tied up my bikini and took a stroll down to the beach.

It had been a pretty humid day so after all of the moving and dust I was fairly ready to wash off the stickiness and grime.

Diving into the ocean and realizing that this was my swimming pool was beyond fascinating. The water was so warm and shone a bright, aqua blue color that was almost too inviting.

I swam around for a good ten minutes before heading back up to the white picket fence house that I can now call home and enjoyed a nice summer salad with my folks.

I ran a bath later in the evening and lit up one of my soy based oil candles. Shantaram, the book I am busy reading, accompanied me into the deep set bath and that was my wind down from the stressful day.

 

 

 

By 8pm on a Friday night I was absolutely exhausted and retired to bed.

I'd gone out earlier in the day and found a cheap set of bedding in Game for just R130.00

The bedding is white with scattered beige and purple flower patterns printed on it. I've been needing new bedding for a while so I was really happy to find such a pretty and affordable buy.

In bed, I put on the first episode of Terra Nova season one, not really sure on what to expect.

 

I actually found myself really enjoying the episode. I've only seen the first episode at this point but basically it is based on the future and how badly humans have damaged the world. They can no longer see every day things that we are accustomed to like the moon, flowers, colors and fruit. Somehow, someone managed to make some sort of a time machine and selected people could enter into this new time zone and start fresh.

Basically the people are given a second chance at the life that they once knew - apart from the over-sized bugs and dinosaurs lurking around beyond the boarder of their sanctuary as well as a different colony of people called 'Sixers,' that are continuously trying to make war with them.

I won't go into too much detail but I really would recommend you trying this show out if you decide on renting some DVDS and having a night in tonight.

If you do - let me know what you think of the show!

 

I promise to get photographs to you soon of the progress - unfortunately the house is still very much packed up. We've really only got our necessitates out and about and my room has become a bit of a dumping ground.

I mentioned that I had two rooms - the bedroom and the lounge. Well, because my folks need to sleep apart right now because of my dad’s TB (amongst other illnesses,) he has taken a mattress up to my lounge and has set up camp there.

I knew moving back in would them would have these sorts of situations... grinning and baring it for the meantime but hopefully soon my upstairs section will be mine to enjoy and set-up as I please.

Hope you are all having a marvellous weekend.

Much love,

Jade

Strawberry Chicken Salad

What you'll need to make this refreshing, summer salad:

• Mixed Lettuce
• Strawberries
• Cashew Nuts
• Slithers of Chicken Breast
• Lemons
• Feta
• Cucumber
• Red Peppers 
• Onions
• Spring Onion
• Balsamic Vinegar

Cut chicken into cubes and grill, squeezing fresh lemon juice over it constantly and grinding some salt & pepper on. 

Leave in a bowl on the side to cool down while you prepare the salad. 

Toss in some mixed lettuce, chopped spring onions and onions.

Add cucumber, small diced red pepper and halved strawberries. 

Take handfuls of cashew nuts and crunch them in using your hands before adding in the chicken pieces. 

Once salad is prepared add the feta on top, serve into portions and pour a decent amount of balsamic over it. 

A while ago I started craving chicken salad, strawberries and nuts - creativity soon struck and after combining all of these scrumptious ingredients I mananged to prepare this. 

I took my creation along to a dinner party that night and had such positive feedback. 

Everyone adored the combo of feta and strawberries and they told me they had never tasted such incredible chicken. 

Needless to say - I was pretty chuffed.

This salad is deliciously refreshing and perfect for a Sunday afternoon in the sun along with some chilled white wine. 

 Enjoy!

The Perfect Summer Salad

So I got a bit of hype over the salad photograph I uploaded in my August Favourites Post. 

If you're having a dinner party and fancy throwing a salad together that is easy, simple and most importantly delicious...

If you're wanting to add hard boiled egg to your salad or simply just looking for a new salad dish to try out, then read my post below to find out how to make the perfect summer salad:

What you'll need:

• A box of eggs
• Bean-Sprout Lettuce Mix
• Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Red Pepper
• Cucumber
• Mange-tout
• Tuna
• Mayonnaise
• Salt & Pepper

Start by boiling your eggs. 

I don't know about you but I buy free-range!

Put the eggs into boiling water and leave for five minutes. 

Remove the eggs, letting them cool on the counter while you prep the rest of the salad. 

For this specific recipe, I literally scrounged around finding all the greens my fridge stocked and chucking them in... Lets just say that is wasn't a planned success! 

But for interests sake:

I had a bean-sprout lettuce mix packet which I lined my salad bowl with. 

I chopped up about three baby cucumbers, first length ways and then sideways, making a 'half-moon' shape with them. 

I scattered them over the lettuce and continued on with stuffing in some mange-tout. 

To add some colour I diced up a red pepper - it also adds a bit of that succulent juice you're always looking for in a salad. 

Cubing some cheddar cheese I dunked a few squares in before halving my eggs and prettily placing them around the sides. 

Once the salad is dished up onto your plate, coat the salad with a tuna / mayonnaise mix (I never measure anything, I literally go with my gut and hope for the best with anything I make!). 

Grind some salt and pepper on top (optional) and get two freshly made, hot fish-cakes to eat alongside and enjoy!