Tuesday 25 February 2014

So far so good!

Hi friends! I just noticed that it has been over a week since my last update here. The last week has been kinds crazy. Many visits to the hospital to see why I had the two black outs I wrote about. I have had a brain test, heart test and yesterday a ct scan of my brain. The first brain test results are good, so that makes me happy! The heart test was good too, but I need to do a second one just in case. Now just the result of the ct, but my neurologist expects the result to be good here as well. He thinks it is very likely that my black outs were just sheer bad luck. That I just slipped in the shower and the second fall I just tripped and hit my head to the table. That is also what I am hoping, but to hear the doctor actually saying that his is possible really helps! So far so good it is. This weekend me and my parents went to visit the famous Kinderdijk. We could use the distraction! Kinderdijk is about 30 or 40 minutes from my home, and it is so beautiful. It is on the Unesco world heritage list and visited by many tourists. It is a typical Dutch view, with all the mills.
It was so nice to forget about all the tests, hospital visits and so on and just enjoy the beauty of this place. I really needed that! Me and my mum have also been working on setting up a new webshop with some of her drawings. She is making some amazing art, with a sweet retro feel and pastel colours. We are now working on some more drawings, but this is the first in the series. What do you think??
Have a good day everyone! And please keep your fingers crossed for me that all the results will be good!

Sunday 16 February 2014

Life lately.

Hi everyone! It has been a bit quiet here lately, but I am still around. Life just has been a bit hectic with hospital visits due to another fall/black out. I hit my head and needed stiches. Next week I have an mri scan planned to see if the black outs are caused by anything in my body or if it is a result of a stressfull period in my life. So yeah, not very fun or exciting things. In between the not so fun things, I did get around to doing some fun stuff haha. I took some snapshots of these happy moments. Hope you will enjoy!
Tried on this super cute outfit. Bought the skirt and going to buy the top!
Being woken by sunshine is the best way to wake up!
Got this awesome trolley at Ikea.
It's the most amazing blue/green aqua colour. Looks great in my kitchen.
Really enjoying all the Dutch success at the Olympics. The picture sort of shows iceskating haha.
Snail mail, isn't it pretty?! Snail mail really brightens up my day!

Tuesday 4 February 2014

{Recipe} Chocolate cake with ganache

Hi everyone, I want to share a delish recipe with you for a cake that I have made loads of times. It's a big hit among friends and family. And I love it too! An amazing (and amazingly simple) chocolate cake. Because you just can't go wrong with chocolate right?! This recipe is for a 'plain' chocolate cake, for added flavour or texture you can add macademianuts, chocolate chips (white! oh yeah!) or cranberries, just a few suggestions that will make the cake even more spectacular. Enjoy!

Recipe for chocolate cake and ganache
Gram to cup conversion table

Ingredients
150 gr butter
180 gr flour
200 gr pure chocolate
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
250 gr sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
125 gr icing sugar
10 gr cocoa powder
200 gr cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 150 C/ 302 F (hot air oven). Chop 175 gr of chocolate into small pieces. Melt the chocolate with the butter. Let it cool for a few minutes. Whisk the eggs, set aside. Mix flour and baking powder together. Add the sugar, vanilla sugar and a pich of salt. Mix together. Then add the eggs and chocolate and butter to the flour mix. Whisk untill smooth. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. For the ganache chop the rest of the chocolate into fine pieces. Melt it and let it cool. Mix the icing sugar and cocoa powder together. Add the cream cheese and mix untill smooth. Finally add the chocolate and gently mix. When the cake has cooled, cover with the ganache.

Monday 3 February 2014

Winter in Paris

Hi friends! Did you have a good weekend? Mine was really nice, I did some shopping with my mum and yesterday I had a friend over. We did some baking and talked throughout the afternoon! That's what friends are for right?! As promised I would post some new pictures from my stay in Paris in december. I did not take many pictures, only some with my phone, so I had to wait for my friend to send me the pictures she took, and here they are! I hope you like them, it brings back many good memories for me.

Walking next to the beautiful Notre Dame!
Making new friends on a Paris terrace.
Pretending to be cold near a fake palmtree and fake snow.

Eating my first escargot (snail). It was gross!
This was much better: fried chicken!

At the Eiffel Tower by night.

The beautiful Sacre Coeur. And look at the pretty blue sky!

Enjoying a short lunchbreak at the Louvre.