In the Kitchen: Pumpkin, Mushroom & Pea Risotto

One of my favourite reasons to look forward to cooler weather is the food. Rich risottos, creamy vegetable soups with crusty bread and lots of hot cups of tea are the perfect winter warmers. Risotto is one of my favourite dishes this time of the year. It is such an easy and versatile dish to make. Once you have the basic recipe you can use whatever ingredients you like! This risotto I have made is hearty and creamy without an excess of calories. Instead of using cream I have mashed pumpkin and stirred it through which has given the dish a lovely creamy body. The hint of nutmeg is a welcomed surprise on the palate too. The risotto recipe is gluten free, and could also be vegan if you left off the parmesan cheese at the end. Not only does it make for a yummy dinner cosied up on the couch under a blanket, it also does well as a left over for lunch the next day! Yum, yumm!

> Click to download the full recipe 

Work Outfit: Blue + Red.

Wearing: Coat, vintage, Top, ASOS, Jeans, Country Road, Boots, Country Road

I have been obsessed with this pale blue high neck shirt ever since I saw it pop up on ASOS. It's clean, fresh and elevates what ever it is paired with. In this case for work I have been wearing it with my waxed black jeans and leather boots. For impact, and warmth, I pair it with my favourite LRC (little red coat) which I found last year in an op shop for $10. Fun with that element of conservative - just how I like my work wear.

How do you keep your work wear fun?

Weekend Outfit: Get up to go out!

Wearing: Top, Zara (similar), Skirt, Finders Keepers (similar), Boots, Country Road, Clutch, ASOS (similar)

After nearly six months of living in Sydney I am finally back online and can resume working on my blog! Words can't describe the excitement last night when the little wireless symbol lit up on my Mac and I was back in to the portal of the online world. There were all of these things that I had made a mental list of that I would do as soon as I got back on to the internet but when it finally happened everything was so overwhelming that I just dipped my toes in Pinterest-land for a little while before venturing out into the inter webs. 

However living without the internet did have its positives, like watching Seinfeld every night, going to bed earlier, reading books (remember those old things...?!), writing in diaries and learning how to crochet. So it hasn't been all that bad. 

In regards to the above photos, this has been my go-to going out outfit of late. The mercury has begun to drop overnight as autumn is well and truly setting in. This calls for more coverage in which I've turned to a long sleeve blouse, skirt and boots. The bare legs can weather the cool brunt for a little longer while the boots keep your feet nice and toasty.

PS - apologies for my scarred legs - they have taken a beating of late; firstly falling on the stairs at work and requiring three stitches and secondly, and very embarrassingly, taking a tumble on the treadmill at the gym... it wasn't as bad as these though, promise!

Houndstooth.

Jacket: Zara (similar)

Top: Cotton On

Pants: Zara (similar)

Shoes: Wittner

Watch: Michael Kors

I took advantage of the Easter long weekend by heading to my Nana's farm to relax, read and get some outfit photos for the blog! I have been wanting to photograph these outfits for a couple of months now but sometimes, most of the time, life has other plans and things get pushed down the list of priorities. I bought the Zara pants in Japan, it was the only shop that sold clothes that I could fit in to! I'm looking forward to wearing this combination more frequently now the weather has cooled down and autumn is starting to filter in. 

Nana lives next door to people who own and race horses. I coaxed this one into coming over for a pat with some grass and imitation neighing. For the most part it worked and he hung around... until I jumped up to sit on the fence and scared him off down the other end of the paddock!

Jump.

Jumpsuit: Zara

Shoes: Wittner

Watch: Michael Kors

Lipstick: Chi Chi

Fact: when ever I go to a Zara I buy something. This is my latest Zara purchase from a recent trip to Sydney. The faux-leather panel and sheer top make the suit way more playful and a little bit sexy... but just the right amount to get away with during the day. To add a pop of colour and not over complicate the textures I used my favourite purple matte lipstick. No boring all black outfits to see here!

3.1 Phillip Lim Fall RTW 2013.

Photos from style.com

3.1 Phillip Lim Fall RTW 2013, be still my beating heart. I'll take one of every coat and vest plus a pair of the chandelier earrings and those amazing knee high black leather boots!

Oscar de la Renta Fall RTW 2013 .

Photos from style.com

These are my favourite looks from Oscar de la Renta's Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear collection! I loved the jeweled tones, gold bullion embroidery and the mixing of textures. Apparently John Galliano was on hand backstage and is rumored to have worked on the collection; those dark eyes and marcelled hair are most likely his handy work.