test of the week.... 'feeling blue'

so i thought id post my weekly test shoots on here.. .. its a good way of checking out what its like to work in a studio & what we get up to in our free time. im the luckiest stylist in the world because i get to work with my bestie every single day (who also happens 2b the most amazing photographer ever, nicky schuch :)

now, i wont lie.... sometimes shooting for clients gets more than a little ho-hum @ times so cuenca&schuch try to shoot our own stuff as much as possible.... from food to fashion to my trash n treasure :)

here's our latest addition called 'feeling blue'.....

hope you like it :)

kilmore antique & collectable's fair....

ohhhh there's nothing more exciting than waking up early on a saturday morning & heading to a good ol' fashioned antique's fair! i know, i know... i sound like a 70 year old grandma but ive bean fossicking all sorts of beautiful trinket(y) things for years & i get super excited in anticipation of maybe finding something wonderful.... something amazing... something that no1 else has....! yay...!!!

there were so many things i wanted to buy!! i ended up leaving with an old train luggage rack im planning to put on my kitchen wall & fill with all the cookbooks that dont fit anywhere else.... i also bought the most exquisite art noveau tile which im not sure what im going to do with.... maybe a really tight food shot perhaps? or just put it somewhere in the house.... who knows?

i fell in love with this baby little chair & table but i dont have any kidlets yet so couldnt justify buying them *sad face*

on our way back to melbs we managed to stop off & have a little look around some garage sales....
it was really nice 2smell the fresh country air.....
i should do it more often :)

my hipstamatics (some old... some not so old)

i was getting bored with having to wait till next sunday till i had something amazing to cook, shoot & eat 2put in here!! arrghh.... so i thought id add some of my favourite hipstamatic shots & start a new post....

this one is titled: i love pecks! xx

the most beautiful view ever: yamba

 reflective living room....

 

fig & pistachio friands (baked in a muffin tray!!)

i love my sunday's! its my day to cook & bake & do all the things i most enjoy :) its funny that im posting a sweet 1st up as im not really a sweet tooth @ all. im more a salt n vinegar kinda girl but my partner LOVES his sweets & desserts so i thought id spoil him (again ;)

FIG & PISTACHIO FRIANDS (BAKED IN A MUFFIN TRAY!!)

you'll find friands in most kiwi cafes, but this is a favourite @ our place. you'll need a metal, oval-shaped friand tin (which i couldnt find in the clutter of my kitchen drawers) or you could use a small muffin tin instead ;p


ingredients:

140g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
100g peeled unsalted pistachios
50g plain flour
150g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
4 large egg whites

method:

1. preheat the oven to 190C/fan170C. lightly butter the friand tin & place the nuts in the food processor and blitz to fine crumbs.

2. sift the flour and 100g icing sugar into food processor and blitz for a few seconds. add the melted butter to the dry ingredients in the food processor and blitz again to combine. tip the mixture into a cute little mixing bowl.

3. in another bowl, whisk the egg whites with the remaining icing sugar and a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. mix a third of the egg white into the flour & butter mixture, then add the figs.
the figs will look like this when bought:

 but you will need to cut them into little chunky bits & add to the mixture :)
carefully fold in the remaining two-thirds of the egg whites. spoon the friand mixture into the prepared moulds and bake for 20-22mins, until a skewer instered into the friand comes out barely moist.

4. leave to cool for 10mins before gently tapping out and cooling on a wire rack. serve dusted with icing sugar.

enjoy!! :)