{favourite five: food editor & author, donna hay}

When one thinks of food -- one of life’s greatest passions -- style and design aren’t usually the first things that come to mind. But Donna Hay, Australian-based food stylist, author and magazine editor, beautifully unifies the two potentially contrasting worlds of glamour and gourmet food.



Donna, who has a flair for food styling, knows that good food never goes out of style -- in fact, it signifies the very essence of style. Cooking since she was just eight years of age, Donna's passion for food would lead her to an extraordinary career as a best-selling cookbook author {18 books to date}, a homewares designer, and a leading food editor, becoming the food editor at Marie Claire at the age of 25. She was named one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ cookbook authors by the international Gourmand Awards in January 2007.





Donna's signature style is comprised of the display of delectable recipes made with basic ingredients, and all beautifully photographed -- a style that has become the standard for food publishing worldwide, and the inspiration for a new generation of amateur cooks and would-be chefs alike.



Today, what's on your dinner plate and inside your pantry has become a kind of self-expression -- much like the contents of one’s wardrobe or jewelry box -- and of course, who doesn’t love to indulge in a little of both!

So, this week, we're positively thrilled to invite Donna to share with us:

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{the top five most essential items for your pantry:}

1. Cheat’s Ingredients
These ingredients are an easy way to add plenty of flavour. Chilli Jam is great for stir-fries, mixed through vegetables, or spread over chicken, fish or pork as an easy marinade. Caramelised onion relish, makes a great base to an onion tart, or a tasty pizza mixed with shaved potato and gorgonzola.

2. Wide Neck Glass Storage Jars
I like the convenience of seeing exactly what and how much of an ingredient is inside. Plus, the large neck opening makes them easy to scoop from - you can get a full size measuring cup and your hand inside.

3. Good Selection of Dried Pasta, Rice and Noodles
They are pantry staples and make a great base for a simple home-made meal. Just throw in a few fresh ingredients and in no time you have a fuss-free lunch or dinner, perfect for the family or unexpected guests.

4. Time Poor, Sweet Solution
This is a self indulgent one, but being as time-poor as I am, I love baking and my friends often expect a home-baked sweet treat when they drop over for a coffee. That’s why I developed my new range of baking mixes including cupcakes, an indulgent chunky brownie and chocolate-filled macaron – they’ll never know they were made from a mix and you don’t have to spend half their visit working in the kitchen.

5. Asian Based Ingredients
My favourite vibrant ingredients: soy, fish sauce, palm sugar, sesame oil, all combine for great sauces and dressings on Asian salads or noodles. Simply mix with fresh flavours such as lime juice, coriander and mint, and you’ll have an Asian feast in no time.

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. . . and to this we say: bon appétit!
~ laily

{p.s.} previous favourite fives:
* fashion photographer & illustrator: garance doré
* jeweler: camille eddera
* artist: kimia kline
* actress & fashion muse: chloë sevigny
* floral stylist: denise porcaro
* entrepreneurs: rent the runway
* designer: rachel ashwell
* interior designer: tricia foley
* photographer: romina shama

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e d i t o r ' s n o t e:
have been a huge fan of donna hay's for as long as can remember, owning nearly all of her cookbooks despite not being able to cook, and so, completely & utterly delighted to welcome her as a guest today . . .
~ roséline xo

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SPECIAL UPDATE: this post from thursday, may 12 was removed during blogger's harrowing nearly twenty-four hour outage, and as there is currently no indication when or if it will be restored, it has been re-posted -- thank you for your patience! & new posts soon x

{p.s.} thank you to everyone who took the time to comment -- unfortunately, all comments before the outage were lost -- sincerest apologies!

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{table for two: call me cupcake}

. . . frilly cakes and raspberry icecream, rainbow cakes with swiss meringue frosting, chocolate cakes with fudge icing, and walnut, caramel and chocolate ganache tartelettes . . . the fanciful creations of call me cupcake are like warm summer afternoons beneath the willows and sparkling breezes along the water's edge . . .















{p.s.} amazingly, the cake in the second last was her first & don't you just adore all the pink?


{images: call me cupcake via simplesong}

{table for two: what katie ate, encore}

. . . this week's table for two is favourite australian food photographer katie quinn davies, who was featured here in july, but has added a charming new cookbook layout to her blog, a few gorgeous new photographs, as well as amazingly wonderful new recipes, such as farfalle with bacon, peas and sage, baby fig and apple fruit tarts, conchiglie pasta with mushrooms and parmesan cream sauce, red velvet cupcakes, and of course, pink grapefruit granita . . .




















{p.s.} previous table for two features:
* desserts for breakfast
* what katie ate

{all images © katie quinn davies}

{table for two: desserts for breakfast}

. . . with utterly delectable recipes such as lobster lobster mac 'n cheese, ginger-champagne pancakes with champagne-poached pears, apricot pistachio chocolate mousse tartlets, rosemary pancakes with poached pears, chocolate ricotta and lemon poppyseed pound cake and chocolate & lemon mascarpone cupcakes{!}, desserts for breakfast, by bay area graduate student, stephanie, will have your inner martha whipping up deliriously beautiful concoctions in no time, or at least inspired to do so . . . unless, of course, you're like me and have an astonishing lack of culinary skills, and, like carrie, might as well keep sweaters in your oven . . .
















{above: kiwi & pineapple sorbets}

{p.s.} a few things on this sunny thursday afternoon:
* previous table for two: katie quinn davies
* special thanks to felicity for another lovely link xo
* also, in case you may have missed the tweets, a brand new page...

{all images © stephanie s. 2009-2010 for desserts for breakfast}

{table for two: katie quinn davies}

. . . must confess am rather quite a disaster in the kitchen, but could happily recommend the best tarte niçoise or crème brulée in town, share the most delicious-tasting recipes and beautiful cookbooks and could most definitely gaze at stunning food photography forever, and so, was utterly delighted to happen upon what katie ate, a blog by australian food photographer katie quinn davies, who cooks, styles, and photographs every delectable recipe and may even inspire an afternoon venture back into the kitchen . . .

{p.s.} also fun: a peek at katie's home

{images: photography by katie quinn davies, via pretty good; also seen on decor8}

{hello + brand new things}

. . . hello! has been a while since there was site news and today there are many exciting things . . . under the intoxicating glow of dimly lit chandeliers and candlelight over a late dinner one evening, p. came up with the brilliant idea of creating a beautiful way to browse the {this is glamorous} archives, and while things are only at the beginning, here are the new pages so far . . .

one: features & favourites
browse favourite posts, as well as categories, and soon, weekly features such as two lovely things, at the shops & colour inspiration . . .
{click here} for a peek

two: photography | fashion | travel
browse by category, broken down into photography {in both design & fashion}, fashion editorials & lookbooks, and travel . . .
{click here} for peek; this page is still in progress

. . . still more to come, but for now, it's too many cups of coffee and dashing out the door, a perfectly messy topknot, heels and trench . . .

{this week is going by quickly!} hope it's beautiful where you are,
xo

{images: 1 - style me pretty via follow studio; 2&3 - ~elena; 3- cannelle et vanille via follow studio; 5 - ~elena; 6 - scan by this is glamorous, photography polly wreford for wedding inspirations by margaret caselton}