The Happiness Tag

There’s this lovely tag doing the blogging rounds, and it was sent my way yesterday via my Michigan foodie friend Sadie, from Sadie’s Nest. Our mutual friend Anna, from Life Bellissima has also given me the sweetest mention and so here I am writing up mine. I thank both of you lovely ladies from the bottom of my heart for your friendship and generosity of spirit, and for taking the time to blog your recipes and posting updates on your families and lives.

Coffee Date #2

C&T has by now become quite the fixture in my life. I find myself thinking about new recipes and reviews continuously, especially when I’m doing the usual mundane things, which most of the time are house chores. Stirring a soup in the kitchen is also included in this list, although funnily enough it’s not as boring as it seems for me. Anyways, all this is to tell you that I feel I haven’t had a proper catch up with you in ages.

A few months ago, I registered for a couple of online short courses with WordPress. One of the writing tasks was exactly like this – a kind of coffee chat/date, and I’m thinking about making it a series on this blog. I’ll try to post them regularly, although not that often as to become mind-numbingly tedious! That’s not my plan at all. I don’t keep a journal for various reasons, however this format of blog writing could serve me well.

Blogger Recognition Award

I’m always very honoured when people tell me they like reading C&T. This week I received a lovely comment from fellow blogger Carol about another nomination. Although all these award nominations tend to be very similar in nature, they are still a serious acknowledgement from the people doing the same things you do: running a blog and trying their best to create good content for the readers. I have been nominated quite a few times before but I don’t spend as much time as I would like to write something up for these types of things, mostly because I am usually too busy during the day. I have done just one before this, which connected me to amazing bloggers. It’s a great way to interact with people with the same interests.

Writing 101: Unwinding and A Tour of The Three Cities

As much as I love taking care and updating C&T, sometimes it takes a lot out of me. I’m not complaining, but there are times when all I want to do is wind down and not constantly think about the next thing I should write about. Spending time in the kitchen is, of course one of the best uses of my time, but there are days when going out into the world seems more appealing. Walking is a stress-buster. I love to walk, as long as it’s not in the middle of nowhere and there are people around. This reminds me of the countless times I walked into Guildford. I used to find it so relaxing that I rarely bothered using the buses. I haven’t been going for walks often this past year. The summer heat doesn’t help but today I managed a short stroll, which was fun.

Bucatini with Ricotta and Maltese Sausages (for #PastaFriday)

The weeks are really going by so fast. I can’t quite get my head round it. However summer doesn’t seem to want to come to an end here in Malta. The weather is glorious, a little too hot for my liking, but it comes with one perk. If you’re into eating with family and friends on a breezy rooftop, or if you’re lucky enough to own a luscious green garden, this is definitely the perfect weather for you. There is nothing like fresh food and great company, with perhaps a nice bottle of chilled white to share. This simple pasta dish reminds me of all that. I am looking forward to winter cooking, but in the meantime I don’t mind eating this now.