Weekend

Hey my lovelies! Hope you all had a nice weekend. Mine was pleasantly uneventful. On Friday night the hubby and I had a quiet night in playing scrabble and indulging in a lovely chocolate fondue (with fruit- that makes it healthy, right?). After all that chocolate, I needed a sleep-in on Saturday morning - minus the husband, as he had a date with his dirt bike. 

The rest of the weekend was a blur of long walks (thanks Spring!), housework, and time with Smudge. 

Now to take on the new week!

X

Molly

Crunchy rosemary and parmesan fries

These rosemary and parmesan fries are so good! Enjoy them as an afternoon treat, or as a side with dinner.

Crunchy rosemary and parmesan fries:

1 medium potato per person

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Grated parmesan

Rosemary

Scrub the potatoes and cut into chunky wedges. Pat dry with a paper towel and drizzle with oil oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and grated parmesan.

Bake at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the fries are tender and golden brown.

These are so easy and so good. Enjoy!

X

Molly

Smudge Saturday

I love watching Smudge play outside. Some days he spends all day curled up on my bed, and other days I barely see him at all! Oh to have a cat's life. If he's outside and he notices me watching him, he always runs towards me and tries to get inside. He doesn't really get the concept of windows! Such a treasure. 

This weekend has started off really good. Date night with the hubby last night - we tried out dinner and a movie at a new cinema. The food was amazing and the cinema is straight out of the 1920's. It is available for hire, it would be so perfect for a Great Gatsby party!

Today we plan on doing some housework, taking a walk and maybe doing some baking - the best kind of Saturday.

What are your weekend plans?

X

Molly

South Island: Collingwood and Havelock

These are some pics from our last few days in the South Island. The top of the South Island has to have some of the most beautiful beaches in New Zealand, and they are so secluded. I don't even know if I should be telling you guys this! I'm probably giving away some of New Zealand's best kept secrets.
We had breakfast at a gorgeous seaside cafe in CollingwoodThe cutest little chocolate shop! Love the paint job.After begging the husby to pull over every time I saw a 'real fruit icecream' sign he finally gave in on the very last day of our trip. Love a good boysenberry frozen yoghurt!

Beautiful scenery

This photo was taken on the last night of our trip. We were travelling back to Picton to catch the ferry and stopped in Havelock to cook up the salmon we caught that day for our dinner. So yummy!
XMolly

Advertising shake-up

Hey my lovelies!

Just letting you all know that I am no longer with Passionfruit, which means no fees - so cheaper advertising options for you guys!

My large ad space is now $5, or $12 for three months, and my small ad space is just $2, or $5 for three months. 

Sizes

Large (one month) $5.00 USD  Large (three months) $12.00 USD  Small (one month) $2.00 USD  Small (three months) $5.00 USD

     

I'm also looking for some new ad swaps so if you feel that your blog or business would be a good fit with The Cottage Diaries, flick me an email!

X
Molly
thecottagediaries@gmail.com

Stuff I Luff #13

Some mouth-watering quinoa recipes:

Roast sweet potato and quinoa soup                 Sweet quinoa tabbouleh       

Gorgeous gift wrapping by WhipperberryCute outfit by Rachel the Hat 

Gorgeous kitty                       DIY book headboard

Gorgeous home styling by Ink and Spindle

Hope your all having a fab weekend! Ours has consisted of housework, baking and watching movies, along with a good dose of spring sunshine!

X

Molly

Guest Post by Wonderful at Home - Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

Hi! My name is Kristen, and I blog over at Wonderful at Home. I have the great pleasure of guest posting for The Cottage Diaries today! My husband and I are trying to get healthier, and take in more foods that are better for our reproductive health while we go through our fertility treatments, so I decided to make this very tasty dish, and share it with you all! I bet just by looking at this, your stomach is starting to grumble with hunger, so let’s get started! 

If the name of this dish doesn't immediately send you into the kitchen, trust me that the taste will.  Let's start gathering our ingredients. 

(Makes 4 servings)
2 cups of vegetable stock, and 2 cups of chicken stock
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
6-8 sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups of risotto rice
8 oz of fresh asparagus, cooked
salt and pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Finely chop the onion, and slice the sun-dried tomato and set aside
2. Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce the heat and simmer over low heat while you cook the risotto
3. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Stir in the onion and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is golden brown
4. Reduce the heat and add the risotto. Mix to coat the grains in the oil and butter mixture. Cook, stirring continuously until the rice is translucent
5. Gradually add the hot stock with a ladle, stirring between each pour so the rice absorbs. Increase the heat to medium so that the liquid simmers. Add the salt and pepper. Cook for 25-30 minutes (most importantly, until the risotto is tender, the liquid is mostly absorbed but creamy.
6. While the risotto is cooking, cut your cooked asparagus spears into one inch pieces and slice. Fold into the risotto in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
7. Sprinkle in some Parmesan cheese and stir
8. Divide into warm serving bowls, and sprinkle more Parmesan cheese on top.

I hope you all love this dish as much as we do. I was pretty happy when my husband finished his last bite and said "I really want to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!" - Yes! Winner Winner! 

Thank you for spending some time with Wonderful at Home today. I hope you will stop over and see me more often!