I first saw this delicious sandwich on the pilot episode of Gossip Girl. It’s a delicious twist on the traditional grilled cheese sandwich, the twist being truffle oil! The famous New York restaurant Gilt serves up their own version using fresh sliced white truffles, which sounds decadent enough, but is difficult for us everyday gourmands to put into practice. Truffles are notoriously expensive & definitely won’t keep as long in your pantry as a small bottle of truffle oil will. Besides, the Gilt grilled cheese sandwich will set you back $50! So not only is this sandwich fairly cheap by comparison, it is also easy to put together & is delicious! I think that at 3am it would make a perfect ending to a big night out!

In this recipe, I have used sliced grain bread, which is chewy & dense, is low in carbohydrates & has a low GI. I also used Nimbin Natural cheese, an Elbo style cheese that is free of animal rennet & one of the best tasting cheeses I have come across. You can find small bottles of truffle oil at most delicatessens’ but expect to pay as much as thirty dollars for 100ml.

Gossip Girl Grilled Cheese Sandwich

• half a cup of good quality freshly grated cheese
• two slices fresh grain bread
• butter
• truffle oil
• salt & pepper

Heat a small spoonful of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat & preheat your griller (broiler) or oven. Brush both sides of the bread with truffle oil using a pastry brush & then top both slices with the grated cheese. Season with salt & freshly cracked pepper & place  each slice into the frying pan face up. Let the bread fry for one to two minutes & then transfer the frying pan to the grill or oven to melt the cheese. This shouldn’t take too long! Carefully remove the frying pan when done. Sandwich the two cooked slices together (cheese facing inward of course!) & cut in half. Enjoy while still warm & gooey!

We have had some amazing weather lately. Luckily, where I am there has been no damage. For several days together it’s just been deliciously overcast; a cool break form the hot sticky spring days of a week ago. I went for a walk in the park & the weather reminded me of Britain & the outdoor sports used to pass the time there. So I whipped up three fantasy outfits on Polyvore that are inspired the sporting British gentry. They’re full of goodies & are complete with the necessities; boots, gloves & hats.

Rambling & Birdwatching

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Pack a luncheon basket with your favourite sandwiches & slip into some tights to keep warm. Add some matching boots & gloves in lilac, both with cute button detailing & finish with a wide brimmed hat (equally handy for rain & sun). Don’t forget to bring a pair of binoculars; handy for spying the local fauna.

Falconry

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Don your favourite pair of Christian Louboutin boots over velvet trousers & pair with a beautiful silk & cashmere blouse. Owls have been used as hunting birds too, so wear this topaz owl brooch for good luck. Finish the look with a wide leather belt & a pair of feathered earrings.

Horse Riding

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For a ride through the fields slip into some tailored, yet loosely comfortable trousers & pair with a tartan vest & blouse. A thick knit riding hat & some gloves will keep the cold out. Strap on a pair of cherry red Doc Martens & don’t forget the lucky ribbon & riding crop!

Extra Credit

• Join the Ramblers’ Association!
• Or the Royal Society for Protection of Birds.
• Check out photos from Dita von Teese & Marilyn Manson’s wedding for stylish falconry outfits.
• Visit this neat online gallery of vintage equestrian fashion.
• & lastly, How to Pack a Picnic Basket!

Tired of the ubiquitous (& tediously discreet) little black headphones that came with your walkman/discman/ipod/portable music device?  I know I am, & I don’t even have a walkman/discman/ipod/portable music device. Those white wires may have been cool in 2001, but not any more. They’re everywhere, they’re boring & they never match your outfit. Well my friends, I have the solution. Bling. Bling for your headphones. Bling for your head, really. Inspired by Nubby Twiglet’s brief post featuring lime green headphones, I began to scour the internet for aesthetic advances in the magical world of headphones. I was a woman possessed, a woman on a mission. Oh boy & did I find some good ones, some bad ones & surprisingly, some really ugly ones!

1. First up are some pretty neat retrofitted headphones made by Molly Friedrich. Molly whipped up a brass & leather case cover so that her ipod would match her headphones. Sweet!

2. They have more charm than a pocket watch & are about as useful as a paperweight, because this next set of headphones don’t actually work. Still, with all those pretty brass cogs, at least they look nice, right?

3. The lime green headphones! So lime! So musical!

4. These next headphones were made with sculpting clay & a coat-hanger. Inspired by Ruby Gloom, these headphones feature cute little sculls & a frame made of ‘bones’.

5. In the middle sits Irene McGee & her blindingly fucia marabou trimmed headphones. Comes complete with a set of instructions for DIY….if you’re so inclined.

6. They glow! They pulse to your music! Perfect for twelve year old girls on scooters or pastel obsessed individuals.

7. These headphones are so extravagent, they’re somewhat ridiculous. Expect to pay as much as $80,000 USD for these diamond encrusted earphones.

8. More bling than the last set, but not nearly as expensive. These swarovski decorated headphones will only set you back $2500. Also available in pink…what about blue?

9. This last pair was handmade by the same Molly Friedrich from the first image. Here she shows you how to make your own retrofitted headphones.

I’m particularly liking skullcandy’s G.I. headphones in grey. As far as I know they’re not available in Australia. Pitty. Though my search was for a set of headphones so beautiful they would make me cry, I think I would settle for a pair that pumped me music straight from a tree. How about you?

What I wore today, or at least what I wore about two weeks ago!! I planned to post this, but till now have been having some dastardly technical troubles. Fortunately for now, that is all in the past!

• Black velvet pencil skirt
• Black & white stripe T-shirt
• Black school socks
• Black lace shawl
• Black Mary Janes
• Black wayfarer sunglasses
• Lightning bolt earrings, Silver bangles, Silver & amber ring

Notes: I am totally in love with this skirt. I waer it far too often, & I think I might have to break out the sewing machine & try my hand making some just like it. This outfit is what I wore to my first ever day at the racetrack! As in horse races! My friend landed me a very cruisy job working with her for a bookmaker. This is the first time in my life I’ve been able to wear what I want to work (well, almost what I want…) so I took to the challenge with verve! The racetrack is an exciting place to be & I think I’ve managed to rekindle my girly love of horses.

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