Asparagus & Halloumi Salad

Following the success of my Roast Veg Bruschetta recipe a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd share another of my quick & easy but super tasty dishes with you.

My Asparagus & Halloumi Salad is the perfect way to use all of the delicious asparagus that is currently in season and best of all, when served with a glass of chilled white wine, makes you feel as if you're on holiday.

This is a great vegetarian dish but the halloumi cheese has quite a meaty texture which should satisfy most carnivores!

Roast Veg Bruschetta

I really like yummy food and I really like to cook, however I don't always have the time or energy to spend ages putting together a tasty meal.

So, what the solution? A list of quick and easy but largely healthy meals that I nearly always have the ingredients in my fridge / cupboard for and will get me and my husband and our guests if we have any fed in the minimum amount of time with the minimum amount of fuss.

Last night we wanted to do a supper for our friends who looked after our house whilst we were on holiday, but because we've just got back I didn't really want to get into cooking an elaborate dish. Enter - Roast Veg Bruschetta.

Money, money, money...

One of the things I internally struggle with the most is personal financial responsibility. On one hand I want to be frugal, pay down my mortgage and save for the future but on the other hand I want to buy all of the shiny things that catch my eye and all of the wonderful lotions and potions that are going to make me beautiful.

For one reason or another I've had a pretty tough few years and I have learnt that shopping doesn't actually solve any problems (and makes you feel even worse when you get your credit card statement) but also that squirrelling away all of your cash, whilst satisfying to see your savings increase / mortgage decrease, isn't so much fun either.

As with a lot of things in life, you need a balance. 

Ruby Slippers

At the end of the Wizard of Oz, after many trials and tribulations involving talking scarecrows, flying monkeys and a few song & dance numbers, Dorothy learns that all she needs to do to get home is to click the heels of her ruby slippers together and say, "There's no place like home" three times. All the while Glinda, the Good Witch of the North watches over Dorothy and guides her on her journey back to Kansas.

When the scarecrow asks Glinda why she didn't tell Dorothy earlier what she needed to do, the witch answers "Because she wouldn't have believed me. She had to learn it for herself".

Basically, the Good Witch of the North was the ultimate mentor - allowing Dorothy to make her own mistakes but ensuring that she was heading in the right direction to achieve her goal.  

Classic with a Modern Twist

Regular readers of my blog would be forgiven for thinking that I do little other than shop and lunch with my girlfriends. I do admit that I am a bit of a shopaholic and I hold my hands up to girly lunches / coffee / cocktails being one of my favourite pastimes. However in my defence, the hours I spend knocking plaster off walls, stripping wallpaper and sanding down woodwork don't get much blog-time and neither do the baked-bean on toast lunches because, let's face it, who wants to read (or write) about that?

So back to the good stuff....

My sister Abi's birthday was earlier this week so me, my mum and both my sisters met up in Leeds for afternoon tea and some retail therapy.

Mum, Abi, Kits & Me

School's Out!!!

All in all, I've had a pretty lovely week and here's what I've been getting up to...

As I don't have children you'd think that the school holidays would barely register with me, however as most of my friends are teachers I LOVE the school holidays as it means I have loads of friends to play out with!!!

On Monday my friend Rachel, happily for me, decided to spend her first afternoon of freedom lunching and shopping with me in Hebden Bridge, where she helped me choose this lovely scarf from a local boutique.

Ladies that Lunch

Since you met my littlest sister last year (Playing Hooky post), our regular Leeds lunch meet-ups have been upgraded to include a bottle of fizz and shopping. This time we thought we'd go step further and get our nails done as well!

We went to Pastille Beauty Bar, which is a really cute nail & brow/lash salon in Granary Wharf.