Life | Eat Street Markets

Hi lovelies! Bit of a change in today's post. I have been lugging my camera around much more frequently lately. Over the course of owning my camera photography has become a big part of my life. Instead of just leaving photos like this untouched on a hard drive I wanted to show them off. 

A couple of Fridays back I visited the Eat Street Markets. These markets have been running for a little while and held at the Hamilton wharf. To fit the location all the stalls are housed in disused cargo containers. 

This isn't the place to go to stock up on fruit and veggies, but they do have a great selection of stalls. From vintage clothing, to jewellery to home wares it all makes for a very tempting browse. The food stalls are also fab. I had the most delicious fresh juice whilst there. Make sure to go with cash though as many of stalls don't accept card and the ATM line can be lengthy. 

With the wine and cocktail bars as well as the plethora of dinner options this would make for a great night with friends or your partner. 

When we went around 7pm it was jam packed with people, so you might be better off heading in earlier or later. The Eat Street Markets run every Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 10pm. For more info on parking and the like check out their website here. 

If you're Brisbane based I'd urge you to check it out.

Where are your favourite markets?

Jess x

Recipe | Simple Spicy Vegetables in Honey Soy

After a fairly crazy weekend of birthday and Australia Day celebrations I found my nutrition levels to be fairly lacking. During the week I like to chill out and restore my body to a more healthy state and in addition to my daily seed-based breakfasts and salads for lunch I try to avoid heavy carbohydrate-based meals in the evening. This is one of this weeks detox meals full of vitamins but also flavour and different textures. Feel free to change up the vegetables with your favourites. 

Ingredients

broccoli, separated from head

mushrooms, halved

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2tsp hot chilli paste

1/4 light soy sauce

1tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 180°. Prepare baking dish with baking paper.

In a medium mixing bowl mix garlic, chilli, soy sauce and honey together vigorously. Set aside. 

Bring a small to medium pot of water to the boil. Place broccoli and mushrooms in boiling water momentarily; until the green becomes much brighter. This process is called blanching and normally happens in under a minute. You wouldn't normally do this to mushrooms but I find it gently breaks through the skin which allows the marinade to soak through better.

Drain vegetables and add to marinade. Toss throughly and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Move vegetables from marinade into prepared baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy!

If you have any healthy fulfilling snacks, feel free to recommend them in the comments.

Erin xx

Shopping | Top 5 Online Stores

 Hi lovelies! I thought I would do something useful with my addiction to online shopping and pass on some of the tricks I have learnt over the years. For the first instalment I thought I would give you a run down of my 5 favourite places to shop online.

DollsKill

If you look back on my previous outfit posts it's rare to not find something I bought through DollsKill. They stock many of the brands I love and their sales are killer. I also draw outfit inspiration from the excellent styling on the site. 

The $20 shipping cost may be off putting, however my clothes always arrive in 4 days or less making it the most affordable express shipping I have come across. They also have a great social media team and I would highly recommend checking out their instagram.

Playlist | Hottest 100 Vote 2013

Triple J Hottest 100 2013 from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

A fairly common thing to partake in once a year is voting in the Triple J (our nation's youth radio station) Hottest 100. I did a playlist of my votes last year and thought that I would once again share with your my favourite songs for the year. The countdown happens every year on Australia Day (today, January 26) and I discovered that some of my favourite songs made it and some of them didn't. For me, its is generally at least half of my favourite tunes that make it into the nations favourites. 

I hope you like my most enjoyed tunes of the year and please share yours with me below. 

Erin xx

OOTD | Check Mate

 Dress Thrifted / Socks Thrifted / Shoes UNIF 'Lost Sole' Boots

Hi lovelies! It's funny the things you find in thrift stores. Back at the start of summer I was set on finding a checked button up maxi dress. I even spent over $100 on one from UNIF but the fit wasn't quite right so I returned it. 

At Home | Candles Haul

After receiving two candles for Christmas, I have accumulated a few more to add to my previously depleted collection. What I most enjoy about these candles is that they are all made form natural products; soy and coconut. Previously being dissatisfied with other candles being too sooty these are absolutely perfect. 

Recipe | Warm Chicken Pesto Salad

Hi lovelies! Sorry it's been awhile in between posts. I've been moving house and have been internetless. I made this salad for dinner a couple of nights back and it was a really tasty, fresh and satisfying feed. Thought I'd post it up because I tend to prefer salads in the warmer weather. 

Playlist | Billy Kirkpatrick

Billy Kirkpatrick from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

Similar to Jess' last playlist, I've been indulging in some more soothing folk tunes in the last month or so. After a hectic year and festival season there is nothing nicer than chilling out with a good book and slow beats. This is a selection of music partly discovered at Woodford and some of whom I have loved a long time. A lot of them are home grown artists and two  of them hail from across the pond; Scotland and Canada. 

Sit back, sip some tea and enjoy!

Erin xx

About Face | A Lighter Day

Headed towards the end half of summer I thought I'd share with you the newest additions to my makeup routine. I usually wear a combination of Clinique's Anti-Blemish Solutions liquid foundation and Laura Mercier's Translucent Loose Setting Power. These are perfect for my air-conditioned work place and are barrier between my skin and grime of my day-to-day chores. However, I needed a lighter choice for weekend, out-of-work and the hotter holiday months; these products are my choice for a lighter wearing, low to medium coverage face.

Recipe | Kale Chips

Hi lovelies! Continuing on from Erin's previous post on how to cook edamame, I thought I'd show you my experiments with kale chips. Initially these were a bit of an experiment as I wasn't sure I would enjoy these chips that much. However several empty bowls later I can confirm that these are just as addictive as everyone says they are.

Travel | Victoria Checklist

Working in the food industry, you're often bombarded with recommendations of other businesses striving for the highest quality. You also desire to seek them out and recommend them to others. I've spent the first ten days of 2014 in Victoria, visiting my family, and have a list of places I went to under recommendation or sought out. All but one of these locations is food oriented with the exception being a magnificent antique centre.

Nails | Pastels for a Non-Pastel Girl

Clockwise from top Bourjois 1 Second Polish in 09 Lavender, China Glaze in Re-Fresh Mint, Barry M Hi Shine Gelly Nail Paint in Lychee, OPI in Gouda Gouda Two Shoes

Hi lovelies! I'm am not the girliest girl there is, so whenever spring and summer come around I often feel a little bit lost in the sea of pastel nail colours. Over the past couple of years I have managed to broaden my horizons from red, black and more red. Here are a couple of lighter colours I have been loving lately. 

2013 | Yearly Round-Up

Some of the my favourite places, adventures and sounds from the year that was. 

Eat and Drink

Next Door Kitchen and Bar/South Bank, Brisbane

If you follow A Rose and a Peony or my personal account on Instragram then you may be aware of my slight addiction to this modern tapas-style 1920s themed bar and restaurant. Having tried most of the items on the menu, past and present due to lack of self control, the one item that is constantly on the cards is Truffle Parmesan Fries. Other favourites include Wagyu Meatballs, Slow Roasted Lamb Neck (sadly, no longer available), and their signature Giggle Juice. 

Lefty's Old Time Music Hall/ Caxton Street, Brisbane 

The most fun you'll have in a bar on Caxton Street, if not in Brisbane. Walking through the front door transports you to a western saloon complete with large taxidermy and a constant stream of country music (mostly live). Their specialty drink of freshly juiced apples with your spirit of choice can be seen in most punters hands all night, every night (often with a complimentary bag of popcorn). If you're not averse to a bit of country music this venue is definitely worth your time.

Hear


Pure Heroine/Lorde

Surprise, surprise, I too am a lover of Lorde's debut album. I won't join the crowd of many to review this album but it would be lying if I didn't include Pure Heroine in this list. This album filled my ears for weeks on end and I eagerly await her new releases. 

Days are Gone/Haim

Again, adding Days are Gone to my favourite albums of 2013 isn't radical. I only discovered this towards the end of the year but have already had plenty of time to fall in love with their sound. The combination of many genres makes this music so perfect and enjoyable; pop, folk, funk, disco, grunge and many more are all reason I love this album and trio of musicians. 

Circus In The Sky/Bliss n Eso

No matter the objections, my adoration for Australian hip-hip is endless. Bliss n Eso are one of many amazing Australian groups flourishing at the moment. This album was definitely a high point of my music for me this year. Containing originals, collaborations and reworks of great Australian tunes. 

Stray
California Design 1930 - 1965: Living in a Modern Way/Queensland Art Gallery

This exhibition that highlights one of my favourite design periods is still showing at the Queensland Art Gallery until mid-February. I find some aspects of design in this period incredibly inspiring as they were creating during a period of rapid expansion and fluctuating wealth. If you have time in the next month, I highly recommend this exhibition of beautiful design from the West Coast. 

The Mornington Peninsula/ Victoria, Australia

When this blog first started I was temporarily living in Melbourne. One of my favourite past times (as unemployment made shopping depressing) was to visit the towns along the picturesque Mornington Peninsula of Victoria. With a plethora of gardens and wineries there is a lot of entertainment available as pitstops along the coast. If you click the link above you can see a more in-depth post about my adventures there with blog regular, Honor. 

That completes just some of my favourites for the year that was 2013. I hope to discover many more places and hear many amazing albums in the year to come. Expect more regular favourite posts this year. 

Happy (belated) New Year!

Erin xx

Playlist | If You Keep Losing Sleep

If You Keep Losing Sleep... from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

Hi lovelies! Unfortunately I have always been a person who struggles to switch off at the end of the day. Over the years drifting off to music had become a habit of mine and I thought I would share some of my favourite sleep inducing songs.

Recipe | Edamame

Just a super quick recipe post from me today. I've been recovering from a hectic week of partying and dancing at Woodford Folk Festival with Jess and some of our dearest chums. We are both addicted to steamed soy beans (otherwise known at edamame in Japan) but neither of us have ever cooked them before. After finding them in an Asian grocer in Richmond, Melbourne, I have successfully brought my addiction into my parents home. This is a great healthy snack food but also makes for a great meal if you're feeling lazy. 

OOTD | Festivals and Flowers

 Crop Top by Nasty Gal x Lazy Oaf / Corduroy Circle Skirt by American Apparel / Shoe T.U.K. 'Mondo' Creepers

Hi lovelies! I am absolutely shattered after getting back from Woodford yesterday. As per usual the weather was boiling at the festival and this outfit ended up being what I wore on New Years Eve.