The Paris love affair continues ....

In my eternal search to consume all things Paris I have stumbled upon this fab website that I just had to share with you. My little Paris is a great collection of the latest goings on in the city of lights. It has great reviews on restaurants, shopping and anything else hip that's happening. I love love love the brilliant illustrations and the quirky touches that give it that french flair we so love.


check it out - www.mylittleparis.com/en


xx J-B

Paris ... the best city in the world

It's no secret that Paris is our favourite city in the whole wide world. We could spend a whole life time exploring this treasure trove of fashion, design, eating, architecture and all the best things about life and never get sick of it. The best thing about Paris is while there are always plenty of new things and places to try - the old gems always remain faithful. JellyBella cannot consume enough about Paris, our fridge and walls are covered in tidbits about this french jewel - so we thought it was time to start collating our favourite bits of Paris.


Astier de Villatte - ceramics heaven 
This gorgeous shop represents everything french; it oozes style, is chic and classic. The design company is famous for its amazing handmade delicate white porcelain ceramics, bespoke fragances, candles and cashmere scarves. My day isn't complete unless I've had a cup of tea in my gorgeous cup and saucer, I don't care what any one says it definitely tastes better.

173 Rue Saint Honore paris
www.astierdevillatte.com

Merci
This 1,500sqm concept store spread over 3 floors, sells a range of fashion and home decor and includes a flower shop and cafe. Think Stella McCartney and Yves St Laurent - all the profits raised go to charity. It's a parisian must!

111 Boulevard Beaumarchais Paris
www.merci-merci.com

Colette
This is the ultimate guide to what's hip hop and happening as far as fashion is concerned. To see the latest fashion trends and direction a visit to this design mecca will get the juices flowing and inspire your next look. The fashion is paired with the latest books and gadgets and anything that is 'now'. The best time to visit Colette is at the very beginning of the sales in june and january. Many bargains can be had. Check out these gorgeous Guiseppe Zanotti heels I snagged for a bargain.

213 Rue St Honore Paris
www.colette.fr

Jamin Puech
If your after a one of the kind bag - this is the place to find it. The unique designs really make the right statement. There are a couple of stores in Paris, my favourites are in the marais and St Germain. Well worth checking out if your after that something extra special. I was lucky to find this beauty in my christmas stocking. Boy santa has good taste!

Send us through your favourite bits from Paris. We'll continue to post ours.

x xJ-B

Spaghetti carciofi e scampi from the Sant’Elia markets

This morning Fed and I went to the Sant’Elia markets in Cagliari, which are on the sea front that faces the port. At the moment it is full of winter goodies including lots of fresh seafood. The seafood is at its best in winter because the waters are cold and clean.

The fisherman we bought the scampi from.

The view of the port from the markets.


Fresh olives and home-made olive oil.


The lovely guys we bought our bread from.

And the guy we bought the carciofi from- he insisted I take a photo of him and his beautiful artichokes!
We picked up some delicious carciofi and scampi and decided to make some pasta for lunch. Here is our recipe:
Spaghetti carciofi e scampi
6 fresh artichokes
18 scampi
1 splash extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 sprinkle chili
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
Salt to taste
80g-100g of pasta per person


While wearing gloves cut the stalk from the top of the artichoke and peel the leaves away, until you have the hearts. Cut them into 8ths and cut out the little furry bit in the center. Place them in a small bowl of sparkling water for later. We put them in sparkling water so they don’t go brown.
Peel the scampi of their shells and place them to the side for later.
Peel and slight crush the garlic, place it in a large pan on the heat, with a splash of olive oil and the chilli, until the garlic is slightly golden. Add the drained artichokes to the pan, and slowly cook on a medium to low heat until they are almost cooked (about 20 minutes).
Put on the water for the pasta to boil, adding a heaped table spoon of salt to the water and when ready, put the pasta in.
At about seven or eight minutes, before the pasta is cooked, add the scampi to the artichokes, oil and garlic and cook gently until the pasta is just before al dente.
Drain the pasta and add it to the artichokes and scampi and stir through. Add a sprinkle of parsley and a little more extra virgin olive oil, then serve.



Buon appetito!
Tell us what you think of recipe…. we would love to hear from you!
j-b x

Say Cheese!

French cheese’s are one of my top 5 weakness’s….take a look at some of these photo’s that I took this weekend at some French food markets….you will understand why…

all photo’s taken by me!
j-b x

La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy cookbook

“La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy” by Accademia Italiana Della Cucina

Foodies can refer to this collection of recipes as a culinary map of Italy. Over 50 years in the making this unique book was compiled by the Milan based Accadamia Italiana della Cucina, an organisation passionate about preserving the nation’s recipes. The dedication of these members sees them visiting villages and towns across Italy to collect never-before-documented recipes from grandmothers and farmers. All 20 regions of the country are featured- resulting in over 2000 recipes, eight chapters and two handy indexes.

“La Cucina” is truly an old-fashioned cookbook, where you can hear the grandmothers all over the Italian countryside telling you how to really make a dish the traditional way. It isn’t a modern day cookbook where the chef takes you by the hand and tells you everything step by step.

However, some recipes will require a bit of common sense because there are couple of mistakes, probably lost in translation.

Whether you cook the recipes from this book, or just want to read it for fun, you will gain a better understanding of the country through its cuisine. Most of the recipes are simple, and vary from region to region - which in my opinion is fantastic to see where a particular dish originated.

We love it!!!

j-b x

Santa

I’m just popping in for a quick moment to say hello to my lovely blog readers! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas day filled with family, love, good food and lots of joy!

I also wanted to show you this great photo I took of Santa on his new stand up paddle board he got for Christmas…..what a great view from my balcony!!!

Above photo taken by me!
Wishing you Happy Holidays!
j-b x

Hangin' In Hawaii

Jelly-Bella’s favourite destinations ….

You know your in Hawaii, when all you can see when you look up is the soft swaying fronds of palm trees. When the blazing sunsets and salty air make your eyes water and the smell of frangipanis warms your whole being.

One of the most amazing parts of the Island of Oahu, and my favourite, is the beautiful North Shore. Some of the houses along this stretch are incredible. A mix of traditional hawaiian style living spaces, with contemporary lines and shapes dot the beach front. The gardens are lush and green and overflowing with sweet smells and gorgeous colours. The inspiration here is endless......

J-B X

J-B's Hip Hotels

It is really hard to find great hotels that tick all the boxes. Places to stay that have character and flair, that are central to the action and affordable and that will have you booking your next stay before you’ve left. Once you find that little gem it’s important to pass it on and share the love. So of course we would love to share with you all the most fab and hip hotel’s we’ve stumbled upon on our travels.

Moana Surf-rider - Waikiki

One of the best qualities about the Moana Surfrider is that it’s rich and long standing history has been retained through all of the renovations it has undergone. As one of the oldest structures along the famous strip of sand that is Waikiki, it’s original facade has retained its elegance and character but has taken on a sophisticated and contemporary look with the pale grey and white colour palette.
The whole resort has a hawaii meets bahamas feel to it from the carpet featuring a palm tree motif, to the wicker lanterns that run along the hallway’s, it all works. While the rooms aren’t overly huge, the fit out is elegant and uncluttered. The plantation shutters add that extra touch. One of my favourite spots was the huge veranda/terrace that ran around the back of the hotel, gorgeous old wicker chairs lined up every afternoon, while high tea was served - a wonderful place to escape the afternoon heat and catch the cool sea breeze.

check out http://www.moana-surfrider.com/

Colours Of The North Shore

dusty pink evening skies. fragrant hibiscus unfurling their delicate layers to reveal shades of vibrant fuschia, lipstick pink and tangerine …. this is the colour palette of the north shore.

x J-B