myer autumn/winter launch 2012

Its that time of year again... I was asked to shoot the Myer Autumn/ Winter Collections for 2012 for FashionChannel.Com so went along to suss it out last Thursday. The show had a rural Australia-theme and featured Jennifer Hawkins and Jess Hart.

Hawkins and Hart joined the rest of the Myer cast at Melbourne’s Mural Hall to showcase pieces by designers such as Ellery, Yeojin Bae, Jayson Brunsdon and Toni Maticevski.

Seated in the front row were designers Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton of Sass & Bide, Arthur Galan, Jayson Brunsdon, Yeojin Bae, Aurelio Costarella, Nicola Finetti, Leona Edmiston and Wayne Cooper, as well as Kylie Radford of Morrison, whose brand was included in the Myer collections for the first time.

The show took inspiration from the outback town of Narrandera, NSW, with laser-cut brass, appliquéd mesh and hand-stitched detailing used to create an overgrown wheat field.

100 things about me.....

1. i'm half spanish, half macedonian but was born in melbourne, australia
2. my nickname is bean & ive had it now for 27years!!
3. i have a younger sister who lives in france
4. my favourite place on earth is cala de conta, ibiza
5. i broke my right little finger when i was 5 trying to run away from my sister
6. i learnt to swim before i could walk
7. music make me extremely happy
8. dancing to music makes me even happier! :)
9. i was 'crowned' spelling bee winner in grade six( i thought it was shit hot)
10. im only 152cms tall
11. dancing was my activity of choice in primary/high school
12. i once read 100 or so books for the ms readathon in grade 4
13. i lived in my family home will i was 21 years old
14. we used to have a 10' underground swimming pool growing up
15. ive always wanted to swim with great white sharks
16. sometimes i wish i was born in the 50's so i was old enough to enjoy the 70's
17. i find cooking therapeutic
18. i lived in spain for a year in 1982 & missed grade 1 all together
19. i eat my fish n chips with the fish wrapped in pickled onion & my chips drowned in vinegar
20. i used to write, photograph & style for my own fashion section of a magazine & called it 'rack'
21. the most flattering thing ive ever been called is a 'pocket sized venus'
22. i fell in love with a friend who died of leukemia
23. i once shared a balcony (amongst other things) with bono & helena christiansen
24. the smell of the ocean makes me happy
25. i used to ask my dad if i could have his blue eyes when he died when i was very little? ha!
26. i tend to be a jack-of-all-trades, master of none
27. people seem to think im funny
28. i got my 1st filling at 36 years old from eating a redskin
29. i played the piano for over 10years & then quit. i wish i hadnt
30. i dabbled in the saxophone & cello. i love the sound of the cello
31. i love oysters natural with a little cracked pepper & lemon
32. i cant never remember my favourite movies to tell anyone how much i like them
33. i am addicted to chilli
34. ive danced on the stage of the palais & the princess theatre in melbourne
35. my mother is only 18 years older than me
36. i ran my own business @ the age of 23
37. im not sure what blood type i am
38. i dont have a middle name
39. im a virgo
40. i want to start keeping a list of all the books i read
41. when i was a child i used to rip my hair out & had bald patches
42. i grew up with dead straight hair which is now very curly
43. i have both an australian and spanish passport
44. i once was the cause of breaking my sisters arm
45. as a child i used to collect as many bees as i could in a jar & them let them free
46. my parents divorced when i was 10 years old
47. it took me a long time to believe love could last forever
48. i have brown eyes & brown hair
49. my favourite subject at school was art
50. i used to speak fluent spanish and macedonian at the age of 7 (i wish i still did)
51. i was on my high school's ski team
52. people always comment on how small i am
53. i can still do the splits? ha...
54. my favourite colour is teal
55. ive bean a dj for over 12years
56. i have traveled through turkey & morocco by myself & loved it! ;p
57. i was single for almost 10years (mainly due to me not sleeping around! ;)
58. i like drinking vinegar!? (i like vinegar... a lot!)
59. i have never had a one night stand (even though i secretly wish i had)
60. when i was 7 years old i cut my left thumb almost right off
61. my 'career' is forever changing (designer, fashion editor, writer, dj, fashion stylist, food stylist, photographic producer, record shop bitch... the list goes on....)
62. i always wonder whether i will find what my true passion is
63. my favourite cuisine is japanese
64. im scared of dogs & really dont like them anywhere near me (i kinda hate them)
65. i have one dreadlock that ive decorated with beads & thread
66. my first concert without my parents was 'inxs - the kick tour 1988 (it was epic!!)
67. i love planes & flying
68. i believe everything happens for a reason
69. marrakesh is the best city i have ever bean to
70. ive had a diary since i was 10 years old
71. i have bean thinking about burning my diaries lately
72. ive watched jaws maybe 100 times... or even 150 times & know it almost word4word
73. my last meal on earth would be cothido madrileno
74. i still have my collection of mixed tapes from my madonna & prince days circa 1983/4
75. ive always wished i could sing like stevie nicks
76. i wish i had more patience
77. my thinks i was born biting my finger nails... :(
78. i dont have any tattoos but kinda want one
79. i would like to learn how to take a compliment
80. i believe in true love - i just don't think everyone finds it. it's a mystery.
81. when i was young i used to sleep walk & freak my mum out
82. i believe in fate
83. i hate ham but love jamon?
84. i can make really beautiful pieces of jewellery & clothes but rarely do
85. im lousy at small talk (and superficiality in general)
86. im slightly obsessed with hard cover cookbooks (i currently own over 50)
87. i really dont like baths that much. its like washing in your own filth... dont.like.it!!
88. i would really enjoy being a travel and food writer and then fill a small store with all my finds
89. i don’t drink coffee. it gives me anxiety
90. i eat my steaks rare & only ever eat eye fillet
91. i am not ticklish
92. im not very good @ gardening. i tend to kill plants
93. when i retire (which is a lifetime away!) i would like to do so on the balearic isles
94. im afraid of heights
95. i think dark chocolate is the only chocolate worth eating
96. my memory is very bad regarding parts my own past and the plots of books and movies
97. i'm an avid picture-taker
98. i sing @ the top of my lungs in the car
99. if i don't get enough sleep, i turn into a crazy, emotional, irritable basket-case
100. i have found the love of my life & am the happiest girl in the world :)

all my pretty little things....

this was a quickie shoot nicky&i did a few weeks back. im actually wanting to do a HUGE poster size version of this with a HUGE collection of all my things.

its very frankie magazine...

its tres cute!

hope you like :)

fricassee of mushrooms, bacon & shallots with poached eggs and parsley

every sunday is cooking day @ my place. it usually starts with me whipping up a super easy, quick breaky for my (always) hungry boyfriend while he runs to the local milkbar 2grab the sunday paper. this is one of my favourites as its made up of ingredients that i always have in the fridge. this recipe is not @ all calorie friendly but its so yummy who cares right? 

fricassee of mushrooms, bacon & shallots with poached eggs and parsley

ingredients:

6 swiss brown mushrooms (or any you fancy!), sliced

2 strips of organic bacon

2 shallots

2 free range eggs

2 strips of pecorino or parmesan

2 tablespoons of butter

2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar

parsley

method:

1. fry the two strips of bacon, add the sliced shallots.

2. remove bacon and cut 1/2 inch strips

3. add sliced mushrooms to the pan, caramelize and deglaze with butter and balsamic.

4. boil some water (approx 10cms/4 inches) with 2tablespoons of vinegar

5. drop eggs in, poach and plate. add cheese & parsley.

voila!

fancy a tart?

im not really in2 desserts. never have bean. probably never will. dont know what it is about sugar. id way prefer another entree 2dessert. maybe im sweet enough? *anyone who knows me will be reading this shaking their head vigourously right about now* ;)

i thought the colours of dark chocolate against the brightness of raspberries would be nice 2work with..... so here it is:

photography: nicole schuch
styling: natasha cuenca
shot: 12/1/12

seared scallops with cauliflower puree & crispy pancetta

ohhhh how i love LOVE love seafood...!! any seafood...
my earliest memory of eating seafood was at one my parent's annual new years eve parties. we used 2have this amazing 10' underground swimming pool growing up & my parents used 2have these hedonistic parties... i always wish i could go back & suss out what exactly everyone was getting up to & what made the same man strip naked & jump off the pear tree in2 the pool EVERY year! aaaanyways, mum bought 3 dozen oysters & left them in the fridge one year but alas! she apparently only had 1dozen 2serve by the time everyone had come over.....
why? how? u may ask...

well....

i (vaguely) remember opening the fridge & slurping one down being extra careful to leave the shell in the exact same spot. i honestly thought no one would notice & that if i left the shell in its place a new oyster would magically grow back?? haha... i suppose i (may have) slurped my way through about 24 oysters over the course of the day....
i was only 4 years old.... ;p


seared scallops with cauliflower puree & crispy pancetta

ingredients:

for the cauliflower purée

1 head cauliflower broken into florets
55ml of double cream
sea salt flakes (i use maldon)
white pepper
truffle oil (optional)

for the scallops

200g of pancetta
20 scallops, trimmed, without the roe
1 lime, juice only
sea salt flakes
black cracked pepper

method

1. for the cauliflower purée, cook the cauliflower florets in a pan of boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until tender but with a bit of bite. drain, then place the florets on a plate lined with kitchen paper to dry completely.

2. place the florets in a food processor with the cream and blend to a smooth purée. transfer to a pan and place over a medium heat. stir in the cheese until melted, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and set aside until ready to serve.

3. for the scallops, grill the pancetta until the fat has been rendered out and the pancetta is crisp and golden-brown. remove and cut, then set aside.

4. grab a frying pan & sear the scallops for about 1 minute on both sides on high heat, or until golden-brown all over and just cooked. Squeeze over the lime juice and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. smear the cauliflower puree on2 a plate and sit the scallops on top. then sprinkle over the pancetta & drizzle with your truffle oil.

now eat ! eat! eat! :)

broccoli (from our garden), stilton and roasted walnut soup

so my partner, wally, has spent almost every non-rainy weekend for the past 6months out in our little yard sowing and cultivating our very 1st veggie garden! its so lovely to have fresh, organic veggies to cook up... he's so proud of his little garden & so am i  :)

here's a soup recipe i decided to whip up on one of those rainy days wally was kept indoors! ;p

broccoli (from our garden), stilton and roasted walnut soup

you will need:

3   large broccoli heads
3 or 4 brown shallots (roughly chopped)
60   grams of stilton blue cheese
20   grams of roasted walnuts
700 grams of homemade chicken stock (you could use veggie stock if you like!)
olive oil
1 x bay leaf
salt & pepper to season

method:

1. heat a pot with some olive oil and saute your shallots till they are soft & mushy.

2. cut up your broccoli heads into chunky bits and throw in2the saucepan & add your stock. add some salt & pepper 2taste & the bay leaf. reduce heat & let simmer until mushy.

3. while the soup is cooking, turn your oven on & roast the walnuts.

4. grab a hand blender (they are usually easier 2use for soup!) & blitz.

5. ladle into soup bowls and add your stilton & roasted walnuts.

6. eat with a crunchy french stick!


too easy!! :)