Well, we can finally say spring has sprung, with our first rains and a thunderstorm early Friday morning to boot. Everything looks cleaner, far less dusty and there’s a “new” feeling in the air. Beautiful!
Here’s the recipe I promised, and it really is delicious and sure to be a winner.
Honeyed lamb chops
Ingredients
4 loin of lamb chops.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
15g butter.
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint.
2 to 3 tablespoons of honey.
Half a teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind.
Lemon slices, to garnish.
Method
Trim the lamb and season lightly. Place in a grill pan and dot with butter. Cook under a moderate grill for eight to 10 minutes until well-browned. Turn the chops over and continue for two to three minutes.
Mix together the mint, honey and lemon rind and spread over the chops. Continue to cook for five to eight minutes until well-browned and cooked through. Serve with the pan juices spooned over and garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of fresh mint. Delicious with baby potatoes and garden peas, or alternatively a potato salad with thick mayo and a green salad to accompany.
Sprucing up your lounge
The lounge, or sitting room, as some prefer to call it, should definitely be comfortable with couches which are not too soft (otherwise you’ll never get out of them), cushions for the wow factor, a coffee or side tables, a standing lamp, a pouffe (to put your feet up after a hectic day) and a few throws, either in a basket in the lounge or folded over the arms or back of the couches, whichever you prefer.
Colour of the walls
Again, if you have been reading my previous articles, you’ll have picked up I love the colour grey, and it’s such an easy colour to work with. I would choose a darker grey as a feature wall and paint the other walls a lighter grey. Other workable colours which are fresh, are pastel greens with a darker green feature wall, peach with a paler peach or even a lemon colour.
Good quality lounge suite
A good quality lounge suite or separate couches are well worth purchasing as they will most likely be a well-used piece/ pieces of furniture. @HomeLiving and Coricraft have some fabulous designs, and if you shop wisely you can buy in their annual sales and save yourself quite a bit of money.
MRPHome are also stocking some nice couches/ chairs and their prices are good. I’ve personally never purchased a piece of furniture from there, so I can’t give any advice.
I personally would choose a plain colour, not patterned, and would go for grey, cream/ beige (if you don’t have little ones) or a brown shade. Black is also a popular colour, but too harsh for me.
For pops of colour, you could choose a bright chair in peacock blue, saffron, emerald green or red. It will definitely be the stand out wow piece.
Cushions
If you’ve chosen a toned down colour for the lounge suite brighten it up with a few colourful cushions. Or choose a few plain coloured cushions, and one which is bright and cheerful.
Throws
These can be patterned, floral or plain depending on the colour of your lounge suite. Woolworths, @HomeLiving and MRPHome, have good selections.
Lamps
There are so many different variations. Take a look at Builders Warehouse, @HomeLiving and Coricraft or find a local supplier for light fittings.
Coffee/ occasional tables
I still prefer wood to glass but it will depend on how you have decorated the rest of your lounge. With wood there is so much choice of different colours from light to dark wood and lots of variations in between. For side or occasional tables if you’ve gone for a more up-to-date look maybe steel and wood will look great, even for the coffee table.
Accessories
Add a vase of fresh flowers or look for faux flowers which will look great, and will last. Grandiflora has some excellent faux flowers, you won’t be able to tell if they are real or not! On the coffee table, place a few coffee table books and magazines, add great looking coasters, and there you go!
That’s it for this week. Shop till you drop!
Julie
