What’s with the chili?

I am fascinated by hotels. Well not the hotels as such but the interior design….What makes the designer chose a certain theme for instance? Two days ago I stayed overnight in Gothenburg. My daughters where going to visit the Gothenburg Horse show and me and the hubby where thinking more in terms of long leisurely lunches and some art galleries. We stayed at the Radisson and our rooms got me thinking….

The rooms were a disaster waiting to happen you see ….as interior design goes. I think the designer went for a sort of best little whore house in Texas effect with a bit of jungle theme thrown in for the fun of it. The chili red roof and the gigantic mirror with the rococo glass frame gave you a feeling of “red light district” and the wall behind the bed with its leopard print and the drapes made of glass beads made you start listening for the jungle drums. But the chili, that’s where the designer completely lost it….

If you look closely in the mirror you can see the leopard print on the wall......

Beads, beads, beads

Why on earth would you put a gigantic wooden chili on the wall ?????

And at the hotel breakfast, that’s where I lost it.....

It happens every time. My head starts rotating like a propeller when I try to get a good look at all the goodies and decide where to start first and my husband says I am a danger to innocent bystanders when I almost knock them over in my rush for the buffet table. But I like buffet breakfast, so dah!

Apart from the interior design and the casualties at the breakfast table we had great fun. We went for a stroll about town, visited a few art galleries and had a very loooong lunch. All while the girls were having fun watching show jumping and dressage.

We were not the only ones taking a stroll.....

On Friday hubby and I visited a photo conference. And do you know what I did? I bought myself a new camera. Believe me it wasn’t planned! No sireee! It just sat there in an exhibition case crying out for me to buy it. So what could I do? The poor thing was lonely and wanted a new home. I had to buy it! You understand that don’t you? And I was SO happy I almost walked on air. And all the way home in the car (3 hours) I sat with the box in my lap giving it the occasional hug and a kiss or two.

When I got home I was seized with misgivings….mulling it over you could say ( I am understating it here…..) . How could I buy a new expensive camera just like that? Without due reflection? What was I thinking of? Well, the truth is I wasn’t really thinking was I? I was “craving”! So now I have two cameras… and I just have to take twice the amount of pictures….. Oh joy!

Please Welcome the newest member of the family: Miss EOS D40 !!
My Canon EOS 350 D now has a big sister.

When in doubt always eat chocolate so I might as well end this post with a really good recipe combining the two - chili and chocolate.

Chocolate truffle with chili

250 g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped

seeds from one vanilla pod

100 ml thick ( double) cream

80 g honey

50 g unsalted butter

half a chili ( more if you like it hot), finely chopped

Pour the cream, honey and the vanilla seeds in a sausepan and give it a quick boil. Take it from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add 50 gram unsalted butter and stir until the butter is melted and it’s smooth again. Add the chopped chili and stir. Cover the pan and let it cool. When the chocolate is cool and set, make small balls and roll them in cocoa powder until completely covered.

Invite the one you love ( or the one you want to make fall madly in love with you) and serve the chocolate truffles with a glass of champagne. Or two…

Enjoy

Jeanette