Monthly Round-Up | July

Eat and Drink
Louis & Sons Delicatessen, Stones Corner

I posted a haul from this marvellous deli earlier on in the month and can happily say it is one of the best finds I've had in a while. While I love deli food, when I enter stores such as this I don't normally let myself get at 'spendy' as what I did in here. There was something about the quality of the products, the well balanced and reasonable pricing and the very 'small business' atmosphere that made me want to fill a bag to take home with me. Check out what I picked up here. 
Listen
1000 Forms Of Fear - Sia

It isn't often my favourite musicians become, or are, insanely internationally famous but recently the world has been taking notice of some incredibly talented people, for good reason. When Sia first entered my conscience it was through her album Some People Have Real Problems and her sensational songwriting ability had me completely won over. Her latest release 1000 Forms Of Fear, had such insane promotional build up that it topped charts worldwide. 

If you haven't been living under a rock, Chandelier, should be familiar to you. If you enjoy it, even in the slightest, I recommend the whole album front to back. Some of my favourite tracks include: Elastic Heart, Burn The Pages, Fair Game and Big Girls Cry. The quality of the song writing lies within the fact that Sia is an excellent songwriter with exceptional vocal talent.

Tech
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Lens

I'm not sure if I've mentioned what I use to shoot my photos before. My camera of choice is the Canon 600D and until this week a 55-250mm lens. For OOTD shoots it has been perfect and very effective, however, a real pain in the backside for food and beauty photography. I finally got myself this 50mm lens and am blissed out with happiness. Look forward to some less awkwardly positioned food photography in the near future. 

Beauty
1 Second Volume Mascara by Bourjois

It feels like I'm constantly putting new mascaras in my beauty favourites section. I never used to be such a mascara fiend but I can definitely notice the trend in that direction. I wouldn't call this my all-time-favourite but it definitely does what it says. My lashes look more voluminous, which I want, and long enough to suit my liking. They can occasionally get a bit of a spidery look at the end but I'm going to lay part of the blame for that on myself and some dodgy application. 

I appreciate that the brush is plastic and it has quite a cool texture. However, when you pull the brush out of the barrel there is often a weird large excess that needs wiping back into the inside which can be frustrating if you're in a hurry. 

Like it but don't love it. 

Advanced Night Repair Serum by Estēe Lauder

This is sort of a cheaters favourite because I've only been using samples of this product. The full size product is way out of my price range but I thought I'd let you know its amazing if you can afford it. My skin has been going through an undesirably acne phase for the last week or two and because of all the treatments I've been putting it through, is now very dried out. Add harsh winter winds and you have some very uncomfortably skin. I found these in my sample stash and have been using about a pea sized amount before applying my moisturiser at night. 

If I could afford the full size product I think the long term effects would do great things for my skin. Unfortunately, once my samples run out, I will be returning to my almost-as-effective rose hip oil.

What have you been enjoying this past month? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Sunday, chickens!

Erin xx

Recipe | Mussel Puttanesca

Serves 3 - 4 

Ingredients

440g tin diced tomatoes 

2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 red wine

fettuccini

1/2 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives

1tbsp mussel paste (use other paste made from seafood if unavailable)

1 cup baby spinach, ripped

parmesan cheese, grated for serving

caviar

In a frypan, at a medium heat, place diced tomatoes, vegetable stock and red win. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to low. Let this mixture simmer until it thickens; mine took about an hour, give or take. 

Once your tomato mixture has thickened, place a large pot of water on to boil. Place the pasta in the water once boiling. 

Meanwhile, add chopped olives and mussel paste to the tomato mixture. Combine and heat through. Add the ripped up baby spinach, cook until wilted before removing the pan from the heat. 

When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frypan. Toss to combine. Serve out desired portions and top with grated parmesan, fresh baby spinach and caviar. 

Hey presto! You're done. 

I cooked this for my brother a few days ago and, being the seafood and pasta lover that he is, he demolished it and asked for more. I am aware that the mussel paste may be hard to find but if you can get your hands on it, don't be afraid to try it. If you read my last blog post, you'll see I found mine my local delicatessen, Louis & Sons. 

Happy Sunday, food lovers!

Erin xx

Shopping | Louis & Sons Delicatessen Haul

At the beginning of this year, a new delicatessen graced my local high street, Stones Corner, with its presence. It has taken me several months (I keep walking by after hours) but I finally got to Louis & Sons and, me oh my, I am they're newest fan. Once I saw the prices on their high quality items I picked up goodies with very little restraint and will definitely be heading back in the near future.

First things first, I could not leave a deli without purchasing olives. Louis & Sons stock a fairly broad range from Mount Zero so I picked up some green manzanilla olives at the best price I've ever seen any Mount Zero olives for. I will definitely be returning whenever I need to restock on the rest of their range. I also got some wild olives from Pendleton to sample another companies take on the variety. 

The next thing I found is a very polarising item which belongs in the seafood category. There are many people in this world who will turn their nose up at fresh seafood and even more at processed. I, however, belong to neither of these groups of people and revel in the fact that it simply means: more for me (except when my family is involved). There were a few different varieties of seafood pastes on offer and even though they were all appealing to me the mussels stood out from the rest. This delight works as a dip for crackers and also as the main ingredient in a puttanesca variation I cooked recently (blog post coming). 

Sadly, these last two items have been my least favourite of the haul. There is nothing particularly wrong with the charcoal lavoche except that they are fairly plain and unassuming. I agree that it is best for accompaniments like crackers to be that way but I was expecting something a little more interesting from the charcoal. 

The cheese would have to be the biggest let down. It generally takes a lot for me to dislike food, particularly one labelled Premium Vintage Cheddar BUT I a not a fan of this cheese by  the Kenilworth dairy. It had a strange after taste and sourness to it that almost makes me think it is past its best before... if thats possible. 

One tiny bit of a disappointment in an otherwise lovely haul from Louis & Sons. If you're a Brisbane southside local, I highly recommend checking this newish delicatessen out. The prices are great, as are the products. 

Happy hump-day lovelies!

Erin xx