Togetherness in a modern family bathroom

One of my guilty pleasures is the other posts feature on Bloglovin. Damn you, beautiful homes! I'm forever adding pictures and links on my computer..for later. Anyways, one of the rooms that caught my wondering eye, was this country house featured on Stylejuicer.

A trough as bathroom piece is nothing new but this version is modern, clean and sleek. With ditto mirror and individual shelves this would be the perfect way to end the nightly squabble that is teethbrushing time..

Sticky chocolate coffee cakes

I had a rich and creamy mousse planned for dinner but my guy came back from grocery shopping with a can of pre-whipped cream. The shock and horror. Being too lazy meant a scrambled dash through the kitchen cupboards for a replacement dessert. 

I decided to take the idea of mousse and make it firmer. With a good hint of coffee for a bit of adult fun. Still super chocolaty but without any dairy. I paired it with cherries baked in rum, balsamic, cinnamon and black pepper and honeyed ricotta to balance the richness.

Molten chocolate coffee cake

200 grams pure chocolate

3 tablespoon cacao

150 grams butter

3 tablespoons ground coffee

3 eggs

3 yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons self-rising flour

Preheat the oven to 200 celsius. Butter and flour (cocoa or icing sugar) 8 ramekins. Melt the chocolate, cacao and butter and mix in the coffee, while mixture is warm, till dissolved. Allow to cool slightly. Beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla in a mixer. Temper the egg mixture with and the chocolate and slowly add the rest while mixing on low speed. Gently pulse in the flour. Pour into prepared ramekins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until  lightly firm. Let cool but these are best served warmed. Flip onto a plate and serve with cherries, cream and drizzled in syrup. These babies taste just as good with a 15 second reheat in the microwave which is perfect for less dinner party stress.

Sip, Chug, Gulp!

No clue how that happened but the thing that is never far from hand is water. I have a specific container for nighttime sips, working-out gulps and now office chugs. I've long had my eye on the memobottle but couldn't find it in NL till recently at Decovry.

The bottle fits perfectly in the portfolio I use for my work paraphernalia, looks the shizzle on my desk and still manages to hold almost a litre. This is my favourite bit of work kit. Keeping hydrating never looked so good..

Down the rabbit hole

I finally got around to doing the new school year shop for the kids. I wish I had a reason to get some new kit for myself.. And if I could, I would squeeze myself into a few of these. The H&M studio A/W collection for kids is chock full of flounce, ruffles, embroidery and rich materials. Whimsy on overload springs to mind as well as a big toothy grin. Totally impractical for my wild bunch but it sure makes me want to try...

Dinner bell

I'm a sucker for home decor. Beautiful products that add fun without being throwaway. So I pretty much love every single piece by Pat Kim. The racetrack mirror, inspired by my boys, for us girls, would be perfect for last minute checks.

But it's the dinner bell that has me smiling. How amazing, to ring this instead of screeching "go wash your hands and get your butt to the table"? Hung on the kitchen wall for instant access, this puppy would be out for breakfast, lunch and dinner.. 

A series of 7's

We recently upgraded our punie four-seat dining table for a whooping 4 metre long one made out of solid walnut. Standing tall, proud and oh so lonely with only four chairs. So besides wondering how to style that sucker, I'm lost chair-wise.

Luckily I've swayed my other half to the wonder that is design and he insists on series 7 chairs. My first and truest chair love. Heck, I'm sitting on my pink one as we speak. But in white, black, wood, colour, upholstered, with or without arms? I can't make up mind. And so the search for inspiration begins..

Chill

Here I was stressing because it's Wednesday, the to-do list keeps growing and the clock keeps ticking. Then I spotted the perfect reminder to simply chill the heck out! 

This fun foodie project by Studio DIY! makes me want to run out to the shop and get sugaring. Or at least sit back, have a coffee and stress less..

Seedling

Scattered through the house is a madhatter's assortment of seedlings in various stages of growth. Everything from sage and pickles to agave and flowers. I’m as in love as the kids with watching things grow. My favourite, this tiny passionfruit plant..

Chocolate brandy buttermilk cups

My guys are big on chocolate and so birthday desserts need to be oh-so chocolaty. I was leaning towards a mousse but decided to go with a bit more bite. This is dense, full-on, chocolate flavour. Omitting the brandy, still doesn't make it a kids treat. The buttermilk and brandy round of the intense flavour of the chocolate. I dare you to eat two servings...

Recipe

• 1 cup (soy) heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 140 grams 85% cacao dark chocolate
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• brandy, to taste
• powder sugar

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Warm cream and buttermilk over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate. Whisk brown sugar, yolks and brandy (I added about two tablespoons). Temper the egg mixture with a bit of the warm chocolate mix and continue stiring while adding. 

Divide among individual baking dishes and place in a large baking pan. Fill pan with hot water, about a third to half way up the dishes. Grate any remaining chocolate in a thin layer over the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and then sprinkle with powder sugar before refrigerating till chilled.. If you can wait that long, as they are pretty darn tasty warm. The grated chocolate and powder sugar add a nice crunch, similar to a creme brulee.

First bloom

Saturday's tradition of fresh flowers disappeared the moment we decided to move. Not just the move, or the fact that every view outside has tons of flowers. It also had to do with being settled or actually not being settled in my case. The space, with the switching of the dining room for what we themed 'the winter garden', makes it feel more like our space. And so in came the first bouquet, in my favourite spot, keeping a lookout for our pesky but super cute garden squirrel foraging under the walnut tree.

34

My guy opted to spend his birthday at home. Just the four of us, nothing too fancy, just dinner. We had a roasted garlic soup and chocolate brandy cups for dessert..with a glass or two. Cheers to 34, my love!