PINK AND GREY

 I let my pink Parikkas out of the closet for the first time in years!
They go well with the vintage deadstock knit top that I got from Style me Betty a few years back.

The skirt however I have worn a lot lately, as you may have noticed. I am very much of a period-wearer, going trough my wardrobe in cycles. The skirt is H&M.

POTS AND PLANTS

As you may recall me saying before; I am a huge plant consumer and I start feeling all green-thumb at the change of seasons and usually spend a small fortune on plants and flowers for both the house and garden and balcony. (And now in spring time on seeds to. But I seldom get as far as to actually plant them to be honest...).

Some plants I've managed to keep alive and even grow for years*, but the ones I try to treat like they should be treaten over winter (like my geraniums) always die. So I've just stop doing that, and the ones that are by the window all-year round instead of being put in winter-mode make it.

This week I had a couple of days kind-of-off, so I took the time to change the soil for my indoor flowers, took come cuttings, bought a lot of new plants.

I haven't really liked it at home in quite a while as I have been so busy and everything has been so messy but new plants and flowers really do magic!

I always thought this part of the dining room was too pale and lacked something (while waiting for new wallpaper or some paint on the furniture or what we decide to do when the time is right); I have been seeking a large colourful painting for the wall to give it what's missing but for now, plants shall do the trick - they can really save a lot of things.

Ah, orchids, I love them, but have never managed to get any to bloom again after loosing their blossoms, even thought I've cut the stem like adviced. This time I'm going to try and be more consistent with fertilising etc. I think I'm going to name Monday my plant day so I'd remember to do all those other things that plants need to thrive other than just water them.

I clearly have it in me to become not only crazy cat lady but also crazy plant lady one day.

(*btw, someone was worried that the large plants in the living room would not make it as they were not by the window but I can let you know that they are doing just fine ;)

RAW MANGO CHEESECAKE

Spring is here, Easter around the corner, pretty much all food featured anywhere is yellow.

So I am not going to be any worse - here's a yellow cake suitable for the season! (Or at any other time of the year, of course.)

You will need:


A couple of mangoes, cashews, pecan nuts and almonds, lemon juice, dried dates, dried pricots and cocoa butter.

This recipe makes for a rather small cake, 20-25cm in diameter.

Let the apricots and dates soak for about 10-15minutes in water so that they soften up.
I used six (small) apricots and 2 dates.

Make the crust first. Mix almonds and pecans in a mixer; I used 1,5dl of both. You can use just pecans too if you so like (and perhaps live somewhere where pecans are not ridiculously expensive). You don't need to mix them all smooth, leave a little crunch. Add the apricots and dates plus a pinch of salt and mix.


Press the crust out in a baking mold. Add a baking paper or plastic film if the mold does not have detachable edges. I usually put a bit of baking paper in the bottom anyway.

Put the crust the fridge while you make the filling.


First start by puttig the cocoa butter, 1-2 tbs, to melt in a cup or glass placed in a bowl with hot water.

Mix 200g cashews along with some squeezed lemon juice in the mixer (about half a lemon). You can add a few drops of lemon more after a while to make the mixing easier. Use a spatula to push down any cashew crumbs that rise along the edges of the mixing bowl. The mixture has to be very, very smooth. It has to be all smooth before you add anything else; you can not "go back a step with this one".  The mix will start forming a ball when it is ready.


Slice one mango and add it in pieces. Mix smooth.
If you want you can add in a spoon of honey or agave (or some sweetener of your choice), but it will be fine without.


When the cocoa butter has become liquid (add some more hot water to the bowl if it has not yet melted), pour it in a thin string while mixing. Mix for a while so the cocoa butter blends in well.
The cocoa butter is used for firming the filling. You could also do this with coconut oil.

Take a couple of slices of the other mango and put it in the mixer with the filling. Mix for a while so the mango gets a bit chopped up and mixed in, but it does not need to dissolve completely.
(Use the rest of the mango for decoration on the cake or just go ahead and eat it while you wait for the cake to be ready.)


Take out the crust and pour the fill on. Put in the fridge for a couple of hours or in the freezer for about half an hour before serving.

Then enjoy!



Next time I think I will take some bits of dried mango and grate in on top of the cake for some extra mango-ness!

The cake will stay fresh some 3-4 days when kept cool.

BOYZ

EDIT: If you don't bother to read the text beneath the pictures or can't grasp it; these pictures are for a drag (-king) performance mixing burlesque and boyelsque, playing with gender roles and also doing a parody on nineties boy bands such as NKOTB, East 17 N'sync and, well, whatever their names were, as well as on those pierced-tattooed-trying-to-be-badass metal-hiphop-genre mixing bands of the early '00s with a little dose of  Magic Mike male stripping in it ;) Next Friday at Drag Me To Hel.

Channeling our inner late nineties/early 00's boy-band selves!

Because as you may know, burlesque is about more than just sequins and fluff (and corsets and top hats, which seem to be the most widespread stereotype).  Although I do like sequins and fluff very much too.

I took these pictures of us last night at our studio after my pilates class. It was probably the quickest "photoshoot" we've ever had.

Last year I went to Drag Me To Hel as a spectator (dressed as Mr.Freelancer) with my fellow Bitty-lads, and here the idea for a super corny boy band act was born. And alas, this year the BittyBoyZ will share the stage with drag queens and -kings, faux queens as well as other gender bending burlesque acts. At Dubrovnik on March 28! Whoop whoop! I mean ye ye! Or something that one of the Boyz could say.  Now if you excuse me I have to go watch some East 17 videos (and Magic Mike clips too once I am at it. Heh).


And a little psst. If you have a moment go drop our pages at the London Burelsque Festival -we'll head there in May- a like? Mine, The Rubies and the Bitties (in a bit more glitter and fluff).