The Joys of Cooking....removing sap, a bit of nature and a new book.

Browsing through cookbooks and trying new recipes help to keep me enthusiastic about cooking.
Cocooning inside The Humble Bungalow on a blustery day making a hearty stew feels so good.
Harvesting and eating root vegetables seem to go hand in hand with the shorter daylight hours and cooler weather.

The colours of yams, parsnips, turnips and carrots remind me of autumn...

Our family have been enjoying "Little Stew" for years.

It is a simple meal of ground beef and vegetables made with a rich gravy.

It simmers in the large Le Creuset dutch oven for hours and is just as tasty the next day.

Little Stew

Saute a large diced onion until soft.

Add ground beef and brown.

Make a "gravy" with a bouillon cube or beef stock and pour over cooked beef.

Add vegetables, any that you like.

I used carrots, potatoes, and peas.

Season with salt and pepper.

Simmer for several hours.

I served it with some home made bread.

Our large Le Creuset gets used most days.

It's a heavy Dutch oven that can go into or on top of the oven.

I feel like I get a workout merely lifting it in and out of the cupboard!

This Ulster Weavers linen tea towel is new from The Irish Linen Shop on Government Street.

I liked the whimsy of the lone black sheep.

I bought some new linens from them when I walked by 

after the Veteran's Day Ceremony at the Legislative Buildings.

Speaking of new things...

I found a new ~ to ~ me platter.

It is enormous and will be fabulous for the turkey dinner at Christmas.

I love the oak leaf and acorn detail on the edges.

In the "Oak Bay Style" 

I grew up in Oak Bay and went to both Oak Bay Junior and Oak Bay Senior High Schools.

(many moons ago)

I plan to go to out and gather up a bunch more cones to decorate this platter.

I read recently that cones are considered "autumn roses."

I got the cones but ended up getting some sticky sap on my coat!

Grrr..."How to remove sap?" 

I entered this line into a google search and to my relief the results were "hand sanitizer removes sap."

It worked and was so easy, no damage to my coat either!

Reading another book by Linda Grant and loving her writing...

a former English literature professor who spent time lecturing at Simon Fraser University in BC during the 1970's.

I've been shopping for some new core wardrobe pieces and will share them with you later in the week.

~ ~ ~

“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn--that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness--that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.” 

~ Jane Austen ~

 Persuasion

Revlon Red Velvet...

Have you noticed how many magazines have articles on choosing the right red lipstick?
Red seems to be in vogue this season.

When I regularly went to the Aveda salon to have my hair cut the stylist would always offer to refresh my lipstick after my cut and colour. It was a wonderful opportunity to try a new shade without having to parade in front of all and sundry at the make up counter. Frequently I would treat myself to a tube of the shade that my stylist would recommend, but that was a few years ago and I now go to a salon that sell Bumble and Bumble hair products but no cosmetics of any kind.

I went to the drug store with the idea in mind, of a new shade of red for the holiday season.
With the cosmetic clerk's help I tried on a dozen or so shades from a variety of brands.
I found one that I liked and she thought was perfect!

Guess what?
It's the same shade of red that I have been wearing for evening for the a couple of years!

I guess that just proves that often we don't always need to try to change what's not broken.

Do you have a favourite shade of red lipstick?

While I do not wear red garments I find that I can wear this red velvet shade by Revlon.

Worn here with my Banana Republic top...feeling just a wee bit French.

Hope that you are having a FUN weekend.

Hostess

XO

Bits and Bobs...Books and Bags in the Bungalow.

It has been a quiet day here in The Humble Bungalow.
It's one of the first days that I gave myself permission to just relax and have a slow day. A guilt free day of indulging in reading and drinking tea with no thoughts of jumping up and tackling the domestics.

I ate a variety of fresh fruit for breakfast and lunch. 

(no WW points!)

I splurged and ate sushi for dinner.

I've rediscovered our local library.

They have their collection online so it makes it easy to peruse the collection.

 Holds can be placed with the click of the mouse. 

I have been reserving many books...from home decor to entertaining, fashion to food and novels.

Quotes from the book jacket.

"A good handbag makes the outfit."

"Only the rich can afford cheap shoes."

"The only thing worse than being skint is looking as if you're skint."

For centuries, an interest in clothes has been dismissed as the trivial focus of vain, empty headed women.

And yet clothes matter, because how we choose to dress ourselves defines our identity. From the immigrant arriving in a new country to the teenager who needs to be a part of the fashion pack or the woman turning forty who must reassess her wardrobe. the truth is that how we look and what we wear tells a story.

And what a story. The Thoughtful Dresser tells us how a woman's hat saved her life in Nazi Germany; looks at the role of department stores in giving women a public place outside the home; celebrates the pleasure of adornment; and savours the sheer joy of finding the perfect dress.

Here is the thinking woman's guide to our relationship with what we wear: why we want to look our best and why it matters.

In this book almost 1500 of the world's perfumes are reviewed.

There are only a handful that the experts claim are masterpieces.

I've made a list of a few that I would like to sample.

This handbag is new to me...

A lovely gift from my daughter who regularly shops in the local thrift stores.

The brand is Valentina and it is made in Italy.

The leather is sturdy and unscuffed and I love the shape and style.

Thank you J!

Elle Canada has a couple of interesting You Tube Video's I thought you might like.

 How to Tie an Hermes scarf and 15 accessories that you will wear forever.

What perfume do you love to wear and do you have an all time favourite?

Hostess

XO

OOTD ~ Janice Riggs might call it Potato Sack Dressing!

Oh my! I just finished reading Janice Riggs, the writer of the fabulous Vivienne Files.
Today Janice has some great tips on dressing 10 years younger.
That would make me um, 48.

I appreciate and agree with her tips and they all make sense.
Today I think perhaps I've dropped the ball...

OOTD

Grey grey and more grey.

Skirt ~ Armor Jeans

Top ~ Segments Merino

Scarf ~ Tilo

Boots ~ Hush Puppies 

Belt ~ unknown maker

This Tilo scarf gets lots of wear as it is light and not too warm under a coat.

I liked the details on the belt.

 I have worn this to cinch in some of my bigger clothes which I am keeping until I reach my final WW goal.

I plan on replacing some of them when I get there.

Looking at this rather plain errand running OOTD I can see that I could switch up the boots and scarf.

Perhaps my cowboy boots and a colorful scarf are in order.

OK readers it's your turn...

Please "be kind" when you chime in on what you would do to perk up this OOTD.

Hostess

The No Make Up Look

Are you familiar with the "No Make Up Look?"
It is make up that looks like you only better!

Too much make up makes me feel like a clown!
I've never gone in for the thick pancake and pressed powders...

I want to use products that imbue a subtle, healthy result.

I've noticed that aging has changed my skin tone and elasticity so I need to use a lighter touch with all cosmetics and choose shades that flatter softly without screaming or drawing too much attention.
I also found that eye shadows can settle into the creases, that powder mineral based formulas seem to stay set and look fresh much longer.

Here is what I have in my make up bag:

I can "do my face" once it is cleansed and moisturized in under 10 minutes between sips of my morning tea.

I highly recommend having good lighting and a magnification mirror.
As a woman whose eyesight is rather dodgy without her specs I would be messing things up something dreadful if I cannot "see" what I am doing!

Bobbi Brown

Foundation

Bronzer and Blush

The foundation and bronzer are applied with brushes.

The cheek lip tint duo are done with clean fingers.

Eye pots are Mac and Pur

I always curl my lashes and mascara is a staple because my lashes are so fair that they virtually disappear.

On days when I am going out of the house, not just for my walk, I will use some liner and shadow.

Lining the upper eye only and using a very thin line.

Lavender Mourite, the eye pot on the right is great by itself for daytime.

For evening I'll add some of the darker Haux above the Lavender for a bit of a smokey eye effect.

Bobbi Brown Fresh Melon

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Sugar Plum and Pink Truffle

for evening I wear a Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet.

“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. 

That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.” 

~ Gwyneth Paltrow ~

Enjoy your day and remember that Kindness Matters!

Hostess

XO

As an after thought....

My darling daughter gave me the most gorgeous vintage handbag!

 I will share it with you just as soon as I can.

The NZ meat pies were a huge success on Sunday evening.

I ate a piece and they tasted seriously delicious...lip smacking good.