Potato Salad With Mustard Dressing Recipe

Potato Salad With Mustard Dressing Recipe
(From Cookbook Inspiring Tastes by Masterfoods)

The potato salad is an iconic Aussie bbq dish. If someone asks me what to bring to a bbq, I'll always say potato salad please because I've never actually made it myself (besides a failed attempt when I forgot about the potatoes boiling but we won't mention that!) So when I was asked to bring a potato salad to a bbq on the weekend it was a chance to redeem myself. I picked this recipe for it's tangy dressing which I thought would hide any imperfections in my first potato salad - it was a winner and I'll definitely be making it again.

Ingredients:

1 kg potatoes, peeled

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces

3 eggs, hard boiled

Mustard Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tbs lemon juice

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

4 spring onions, chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Cut the potatoes into quarters and place in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon for a few minutes until golden and crisp.

3. Peel the eggs and roughly chop.

4. Combine the potatoes, eggs, half the bacon and half the spring onions in a serving bowl.

5. Make the mustard dressing by combining the mayonnaise, lemon juice, wholegrain mustard and the remaining spring onions in a small bowl. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper.

6. Pour over the dressing and toss through. Garnish with bacon.

Playing along with Hummingbird's Song Baking Bliss (ok technically it's not baking but it's too delicious not to share!)

Feature Tiles And Window In The Shower

I'm full throttle into re-designing the bathroom with a new double shower, adding in a toilet and a twin basin vanity. I think I've borrowed every book there is about bathrooms from the library and have post-it notes on every page in my magazine stash with gorgeous bathrooms I love the look of. But I still can't quite make a decision on what tiles to pick. Truth be told I've had my heart set on a striking feature wall of dramatic tiles, but as there will be a window on the wall I want to make the feature - the back of the shower - I'm beginning to wonder if it will still look like a feature wall.

I'm also not sure what the deal is with windows in showers, a bath you see a lot of but not with a shower and I'm not really sure what to do. Do we replace the window with glass bricks? Do we keep the old window in as is? Do we dare I say brick the window in so it's just a solid wall of tiles? Will it still look like the striking feature wall with a window in the middle or will I be disappointed?

Help!

Here's some feature tiles I love the look of and windows in the shower that seem to work

What would you do if you had a window in the shower?

[Image 1 and 2 The Block Katrina and Amie, Image 3 and 6, Image 4, Image 5, Image 7, Image 8 unknown source found here]

My Bachelorette Pad For Sale

Before the days of Jarrah Jungle I lived in my very own inner city bachelorette pad. This was my first home I bought and I've decided the time has now come for me to sell. So while looking for photos for the sale, I found some when I use to live there and boy my colour palet has certainly changed since then! As I reminisce about the fun filled years of being a 20something in my bachelorette pad I thought I'd take you on a tour so come inside, kick your shoes off, grab a glass of wine and I'll show you around ...

This is the gourmet kitchen which I certainly didn’t use to it’s full potential, usually just whipping up a toastie sandwich for dinner. My fridge had a dedicated shelf for alcohol and a shelf for chocolate tim tams and that was about it!

Next onto the dining area which I used maybe once a year …. to sit my itty bitty Xmas tree on!

The living room which has a stunning sunny outlook into the pool area and to the front gate of the complex so I could perve on the hotties coming in. Yes it was like my very own Melrose Place (does anyone remember that show?!)

The master bedroom with its own balcony doors and not 1 but 2 wardrobes to fit my clothes. The 2nd and 3rd bedrooms I used the wardrobes for the rest of my clothes, living alone has it’s pluses I could spread my clothes out into every room!

My ensuite where my girlfriends and I would all get ready together drinking wine and doing our makeup and hair ready for a night on the town. Combined with the laundry, I didn’t even own a washing machine back then I think I just kept buying more clothes! Oh and my lovely Mum would do my washing and bring it back all clean and folded. You can see why I’m so shocked that I have to wash every single week now!

And the Piece De La Resistance .... the balcony which overlooks the gorgeous pool and spa area and tropical garden. I’d sit out with friends and we'd enjoy a glass of wine and take in the surroundings. Sunday mornings were the best with a coffee and newspaper and the morning sun waking me up.

The best thing about apartment living – there is no lawn to mow or weeds to pull, the caretaker takes care of it all. The pool was cool, the spa was warm, the sauna sweltering, and I had so many fun times inviting my family over for endless BBQs by the pool and my friends over for midnight spas.

I’m sad to say goodbye to my bachelorette pad (and lifestyle!) but I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to live the life of a bachelorette before I found the love of my life and started making Jarrah Jungle our home.

Wish me luck with the sale!

[All images my own]

Book Review: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

My October Book Club read was The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

What I noticed first about this book was the age of the author - a young blonde 20 something who has made it onto New York's Top 20 Under 40 list. I was really impressed with the authors style in the first half of the book the story telling was fantastic. The second half got a bit lost along the way (or rather I got lost!) with 2 and 3 stories being told at once it was hard to see where one ended and another began.

The story is told by Natalia and is about her grandfathers life, first when he was a kid and later when he was being pursued by 'the deathless man'. The thing about this book is that the stories are whimsical and hard to believe (I mean a tiger having a wife? Really?). Meanwhile the reality of the book is it's being told in the midst of World War 11 and when Natalia is out in the danger zone treating sick kids. So it's like being read a fairytale in the midst of a crisis which is quite surreal.

I would recommend this book for those that like a bit of whimsical in their reality. Of course it's about tigers too, so animal lovers you will no doubt bond to this book as well.

I'm going to start rating my books from now on and I give the The Tigers Wife 3.5 out of 5

[Image via Angus & Robertson]

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

I'm back from my whirlwind Sydney trip and unfortunately I didn't get much of a chance to shop for housewares or clothes I was too busy getting drawn into the chocolate shops ...

I can highly recommend the Lindt Cafe in Circular Quay with brightly coloured macarons (as the French call them) and which Lindt have called Delice. The strawberry delice is absolutely to die for so sweet and tasty. You can also buy a take home pack although I very much doubt they will make it the whole way home with you without being devoured!

For a no kidding around real as real can be hot chocolate you have to try the Guylian Cafe which is a bit further along the Quay near the Chinese Gardens. Each time I walked past it beckoning me to go inside for a delicious hot chocolate. The chilli chocolate truffles are amazing too.

In The Strand Arcade I couldn't resist taking home some treats from the iconic Bon Bon Fine Chocolates shop. Where else can you get sundried cherry's covered in milk chocolate and roasted coffee beans covered in dark chocolate.

I will be enjoying my chocolates with a cuppa this weekend!

[Images via Pininterest - Quote, Photo 1, 2 and 3]

Sydney Suggestions?

I'm heading to Sydney for work next week and hoping I get a bit of time for some much needed stress relieving retail therapy!

Can anyone please suggest where I should go shopping for funky housewares or art? I'd love to find something a bit different for my lil Perth home! Thanks :-)

Image from Sheraton (where I'm staying)

Chair Changeover

I managed to score a comfy leather recliner for my craft room, as it didn't fit in the man cave (more on the man cave progress to come). I had to move out the computer desk and chair and jarrah armchair to make space for it. Its pretty dominating in the room but oh so comfy to sit in.

Before

After 

What do you think, should I keep the chair or is it too big for the room?