1.08.2010

To all FOOD and BEAUTY Lovers



I just realized I've posted on Loveology about LOTS of things.
But not, NO never(!) about FOOD!
Such a shame,
because isn't food one of the most beautiful
and
important things in life?



It's not only about the food,
well...okay, sometimes it is.
Don't you just love those gorgeous, pure ingredients?





To me, it's also about beauty. (Is it ever NOT?)
The beauty of the food itself.
The beauty of the decorated table you're having dinner at.
The good times you have while eating together with LOVERS and friends.



I have to be honest
and tell you that I rarely eat together with others.
And I miss it. Dearly.
I live on my own, that's why.



I've never been a great cook.
I mean, I CAN cook.
But really making something special out of it...
I just never took the time for that.



Since we've just entered a beautiful New Year,
I've decided to start COOKING.
And I mean REAL cooking.
Spending hours in the kitchen...
Trying all sorts of different recipes...
Throwing dinner-parties...
Inviting lots of friends and family to join me for dinner...

YAY! I am so excited about this!



My favorite course of dinner
has always been the desert.
So I'm planning to specialize in deserts...













Of course,
when you're cooking beautiful food,
you need a beautiful table
and breathtaking decoration...





I am really into whites and pastels,
for calmness and serenity.
I also LOVE vintage, flowered cups and plates.
And, of course some beautiful, fresh flowers!









At the moment,
I am organizing an High Tea for family and friends.
It will take place at the 31st of January,
so expect pictures of my own creations by then!

I've already got two great books to start with!



The box with the two books on the right;
Happiness is a Cupcake is absolutely amazing!
The photography (by Paul Barbera) is STUNNING!








Now,
I'd LOVE to here about your favorite recipes!
What's your specialty,
and what do you recommend me to cook that I really have to taste?


(Photography by Con Poulos via Donna Hay, Tartalette, Canelle et Vanille, Apartment34 and we ♥ it.)

28 comments:

Shannon King said...

Baking is my hobby. I have a cupcake book & my bf got me a muffin book for christmas- with 500 recipes!
xx

Heidi said...

These pictures are so yummy :)Food can truly be so beautiful.

goldlionaz said...

I have just started getting into 'real' cooking too and inviting friends over for dinner. I love it, it is so rewarding! Recently I made the best mac & cheese, truly delicious and comforting.

http://everythingsgold.blogspot.com/2009/12/mac.html

I look forward to hearing about your adventures in baking!

A girl said...

Hey Sifra, I love the pictures!!

Visit my new Etsy shop ;) http://flavanilla.etsy.com/ ♥

Anonymous said...

YES! food is so pretty sometimes (I think there's a tumblr devoted entirely to pretty foods)
Kudos to you for that awesome New Year's Resolution! I too, would love to spend more time in the kitchen making more extravagant things (my dream is to make french macarons!), but unfortunately, I rarely have the time.

Anonymous said...

to learn how to cook is my resolution #6. i haven't tried to cook anything yet, i admit... thanks for this fine reminder. :) good luck to us both! i look forward to photos of your High Tea get together.

Miss Alexandra said...

okay. i just got THE greatest cookbook for christmas. i'm actually not much of a cook, though i'm going to school for pastries ironically enough.

please please pick up a copy of "the pleasures of cooking for one" - she goes through what to have in your fridge/pantry etc., how to reuse leftovers in different recipes so you can plan for a week. oh, and it's by judith jones- she edited julia child's "the art of french cooking" !!

Missa said...

I'm with you on the desserts! My favorite cupcakes to bake are these:

http://www.thejoykitchen.com/recipe.lasso?recipe=1142&menu=one

It's been awhile, I should bake some soon. A friend of ours, who is an exceptional baker, is cooking up fresh doughnuts in the morning for a bunch of friends. Yum, I can't wait!

Kimberley Brandsma said...

ah alles ziet er zooo lekker en mooi uit!
ik ben ook van plan om meer te gaan bakken maar ook om gezonder te gaan eten.8)

Amy said...

Those pics are divine! Made my mouth water, I am hungry! I have that Sophie Dahl book it is really gorgeous, thinking about getting the cupcake one.

Cécile said...

You must try a simple, very easy, but chic french dessert: Madeleines!

Emma said...

ziet er lekker uit!
ik organiseer ook elk jaar een high tea en een van mijn favorieten is toch wel een lemon poppyseed muffin met lekker veel citroenglazuur!
bak ze!

Emma said...

ziet er lekker uit!
ik organiseer ook elk jaar een high tea en een van mijn favorieten is toch wel een lemon poppyseed muffin met lekker veel citroenglazuur!
bak ze!

heleen said...

Haha, je mag me altijd eens uitnodigen voor een van je dinner-parties ;)
Gisteren heb ik voor het eerst 'vegan brownies' gemaakt en ze waren niet alleen heel makkelijk om te maken, ze proefden ook verukkelijk! Je kan het recept vinden op www.vegetarisme.be (doorklikken naar "culinair")

Ella said...

Sophia Dahl (the writer of one of your cookbooks) is my friends' aunt! I've read the cookbook from start to finish and all the recipes look delicious.
Beautiful pictures
x

indigotangerine said...

those look so so good. Especially the tomato cheese on bread dish. Is it lunch time yet? Eating with friends is so special, almost bonding, sharing the sustanence of life if yu will
-indigo

A Beautiful Party said...

wow these pictures are so beautiful! i love pictures of food. more than i like eating the food. well, maybe. ( : I wish I had more time to cook. I let my boyfriend do that. But I always try to take pictures of his beautiful meals. Have fun in the kitchen!

Petra said...

wow, all the beautiful pictures of food an sweets makes me really hungry, love your blog! // Petra from sweden.

Anonymous said...

such beautiful photos.. everything looks too good and perfect to touch! xo.

laura tj said...

i am droolingggggg..

muchlove said...

Oh yes, I love beautiful food too!

bee said...

Wonderful post! I dream about cooking wonderful food and serving it up on lovely plates to lovely people... it's just hard translating that dream into reality sometimes!

Unknown said...

yummm yummm yumm. food :)
this is beautiful. i love it when food is taken time to display.

Helena said...

Firstly, I really like the idea of brownie hearts on top of cupcakes. It looks nice and I bet it tastes even better.

I spend quite a lot of time in the kitchen, and I love trying new things. My latest favourite is sweet potato muffins. They're nice as a dessert (with frosting on top), but you can also eat them for breakfast without too much guilt :)

Giovanna said...

Gorgeous images! My favorites are the macaroons (Yummy!) and everything with chocolate! I also love the decoration :)
xoxo
Giovanna
www.bohomarket.blogspot.com

FairyFaye said...

Yummie post!!

I'm doing great! Should be blogging more often though.. :)
Maaaaaybe I'm going to Paris in februari, not sure yet.
How are you?
<3 Rowena

Tina said...

All these pictures are so pretty. I love photos with a lot of pastel colors like this. Cupcakes are a favorite of mine. I like the way they look almost more than the way they taste. I've aquired a bit of a cupake collection - notebooks, pens, stickers etc. They're just so cute! :) I also love baking, making things for other people is so much fun because I love wrapping things up in pretty cellophane packages with cute tags.

little-a said...

hey
je bent van Nederland hé?
als je eens naar belgie komt.. Julie's house in Gent een echte aanrader voor cupcakes en taartjes !!

love
A.