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I had this amazingly divine dessert at The Green Peppercorn at the new Morningside Shopping Centre on Thursday night when I went for Serena’s farewell dinner.
It is listed as “Lindt Milk Chocolate Bon Bons” on their dessert menu and is priced at *R45.00 per portion. Three Lindt milk chocolate balls that have been covered in pastry to resemble a sweet in a wrapper and deep fried, are served with a small bowl of Amarula custard.
My Thoughts
This dessert was orgasmic to say the least! As you bit into the bon bon you discovered the Lindt ball had melted. And when you dip it into the Amarula custard, the chocolatey goodness is accentuated. On it’s own, the balls were scrumptious! And the same goes for the custard. I’d definitely treat myself to this again! Note to self though, when eating the bon bons be sure to eat them in such a way that the melted chocolate isn’t wasted by dripping on your chin.
Try it and let me know what you think!
Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles
*The price is correct at the time of publishing
Yesterday the annual Hospice Charity luncheon took place at Summer Place in Hyde Park. As it was a charity function, we were contacted a few months back to ask if we would like to decorate a table or two. These tables would then be sold to corporates/socialites so they could attend the event where many great prizes were up for grabs.
The theme to this year’s event was “Deja Vu”. And after much discussion between the Boss and myself, we decided on a ballet oriented theme – Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake revisited. The below interpretation is described as ballerinas who have just finished a rendition of Swan Lake, and in changing out of their tutus, have thrown their shoes in a pile so they can rush off to the after party.
The decor showing the pile of ballet shoes in the centre of the table with a few shoes cascading down from the chandelier above:
Last week the Boss had asked me to attend the function on his behalf and market the company a bit. And to tell you the truth, as much as I was excited to go to such a wonderful event as a guest, I was worried about who I was going to bump in to. You see the company I previously worked for had also opted to decorate a table and I was worried about the repercussions of them seeing me there. But evidently I had nothing to worry about – when I saw my ex colleague we chatted for a bit before we both went our separate ways.
The luncheon was jam packed with local celebs and socialites. Top Billing was there, as well as a few other media, to interview a few of the designers about the tables and the ideas behind the decor etc.
Socialite Edith Venter with Janez of Mens Health fame and now Top Billing presenter:
I spotted these on another table and thought how wonderfully different the idea was to place flowers in a hand-made beaded shoe rather than the ordinary vase:
The event was wonderful! In addition to the gorgeously decorated tables (each of the 25 tables were unique), there were gifts sponsored by Honey Accessories for each guest, gorgeous items for the auction section of the programme, and spot prize giveaways. These spot prizes took the form of a piece of paper slipped under a baseplate or chair cushion. And YAY for me, my luck was in luck! 
I won a Honey Accessories gift hamper which consisted of a red handbag, bracelet and necklace. And on top of everything, on departure we were each handed an Annique giftbag which contained a lipstick, nail polish, gift vouchers etc. I felt thoroughly spoiled by the time I left yesterday! And it was great to feel like a guest when I was actually a ‘designer’.
Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles
Over the weekend Gary and I had the chat… The chat about getting fitter and healthier, not that kinda chat! We went to a few shops to see what it would cost to get new running shoes (replacements for his ancient ones, and new ones for me because I don’t have), and some running kit. I decided we shouldn’t buy anything yet as we should make the effort to run before actually ‘treating’ ourselves.
On Sunday night, after all this chatting about fitness and healthiness, we said we would get up early on Monday morning for a quick run before getting ready for work. But Monday morning arrived and I hit snooze as soon as the alarm went off and decided sleep/cuddling would be a better way to spend those minutes!
I ended up getting home from work earlier than normal and, while waiting for Gary to come home, had psyched myself up for a run. As soon as Gary arrived I informed him that he needed to get changed as we were going running. To say he was dumbfounded is a severe understatement! (I’m not known for my will to do any exercise!)
We changed and headed out for a simple run around the block. But this was not as simple as it sounded! After only a few metres of jogging I was gasping for breath and had already developed a stitch. So it was a case of jog for a little bit, then walk for a long bit (so I could catch my breath), then jog again for a little bit, etc. It also didn’t help that my muscles were still sore after the pole dancing antics on Saturday.
I did manage to make it back home in one piece, albeit gasping for breath and hardly able to walk! But I am determined to get fitter and healthier. And Gary, the wonderful supportive fiancé that he is, will be by my side and will motivate me until I can run around the whole block!
So here’s to a great challenge! Hopefully I can keep it up!
Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles
Remember the post where I asked whether I should or shouldn’t attend a school friend’s bachelorette party?! Well I decided to RSVP yes! Firstly it was a great excuse for a party, but also because I knew it would be wonderful to celebrate this memorable event in her life.
The party took place this past Saturday and the invitation said to dress up with a cowboy hat and some cowboy accessories. Now usually I am so super organised that I would have had the gift and outfit selected a week or so before the party. This time, however I was not so organised… Wednesday I went to my nearest costume hire shop and found a black stetson and a gun and holster. And Saturday morning (the morning of the party) I scoured the entirety of Sandton in search of the perfect gift (which ended up being not so *perfect).
The afternoon arrived quickly and I wrapped her gift before getting ready. First it was the make-up and fixing my hair, then it was deciding on what to wear. Thankfully Gary came to my rescue and suggested this and that to ensure I was a “smokin cowgirl”!
I arrived at the party and after greeting everyone, was dragged into the kitchen by one of my good friends to look at the cake. How innovative and funny?!
The rest of the afternoon was spent sipping champagne, chatting with friends, and indulging my sweet tooth (though unfortunately my corset prevented me from eating a lot which was obviously an oversight in wardrobe choice). Then it was time for the bride-to-be to open her pressies, but with a catch… Her fiancé was asked a range of questions by one of the bridesmaids, and the bride-to-be needed to answer two of these correctly in order to open a pressie.
The excitement began when she was sent off to get dressed for the evening’s activities. We all traipsed up the stairs to see the final product – black tights, super short denim shorts (she’s quite conservative so this was out of her comfort zone), boots, a black top with a checked top over tied at the waist, a pink feather boa, a pink fluffy stetson, and a two-gun holster. She looked wonderful – cute without the sleaze.
And then it was off to Sunninghill for some pole dancing lessons!
Now although I may have a dirty mind and a naughty sense of humour, I am quite reserved. So pole dancing was waaaay out of my comfort zone! Luckily I was tipsy on champagne and full of dutch courage, so I let myself go and enjoyed the moment. We were taught a short routine in manageable bits and luckily my co-ordination (sometimes lack thereof) didn’t embarrass me. I’m sure Gary is a bit irritated that we don’t have a pole in the bedroom so I could show him all the moves I learnt…
I was given a couple vouchers for a free lesson, and even though I have muscles hurting that I didn’t know I had, I’m hoping to use them soon. Anyone want to go with me?
Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles
*The lingerie set I searched high and low for and finally settled on, was bought by one of the other guests, and her present was opened before mine. *sob*
1. I am LOVING the Cake Boss series on Discovery channel. (How gorgeous does this cake look?!)
2. But I don’t love how it makes me crave cakes and sweeties and biscuits and…and…and after watching it.
3. Running the office without my boss here is a catch 22 – it’s easier for me to get things done but it’s difficult to do certain things when I need to phone him for this, that or the other.
4. Watching a funny movie with my fiancé is the best when he’s giggling his socks off.
5. I am addicted to the series 24. (Yes I know I’m late in the game with this one but it’s gripping stuff! Just started season 2!)
6. I must buy the doglets some new toys. Hopefully this will stop them wanting to rip up inspect the rubbish bags.
7. I’m grateful that my fiancé is a tech-whiz and has been able to sort out my Sinful Sweets page/tab issue. (Now I just need to find some more yummy desserts to post about.)
8. Disorganised Doofus is causing me unnecessary stress and pressure (today he waits until just now to tell me we don’t have an appropriate white tablecloth for a table setting mock-up we’re doing first thing Monday which we’ve known about since Wednesday).
9. I find working with lastminute.com people infuriating.
10. A huge cup of milo is great at first, but once it’s finished, it can make me feel ill.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles
…you’re old when the movies being shown on TCM are movies that were made in your lifetime – you actually know them and have seen them (I’ve seen Bad Boys and City of Angels on the line-up)
…your day can only get better after starting it by cleaning up after the naughty doglets decided to ‘unpack’ a rubbish bag all over the garden
…you’re weird when you get I-won-the-lottery kinda excited because you were finally able to schedule a meeting between the venue, the caterers and the bride (the diary next week is almost fully booked and it’s taken many attempts to secure this meeting)
…you’re up-to-date with work when you’re looking for work to do to keep yourself busy
…your office is quiet when the lack of phone calls is directly proportional to the lack of emails
…it’s time to go make another cuppa tea when you’ve been staring at a draft post for so long that your fingers (poised at the keyboard for when inspiration strikes) are frozen and too cold to move
Is there anything I should know?
Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles
I saw this on Cat’s blog and thought it’d make a nice post here.
What’s the first thing you notice about a man when you meet him?
I am a very aware person so for me there are quite a number of things I notice about someone when we first meet. Probably on the top of my list is grooming. I check his hands to see if he bites his nails. I see if his hair is well groomed. I look at his shoes to see if they’re newly polished. I look to see if he’s clean shaven or if his beard is neatly trimmed. I believe that if a man takes care of himself, he’ll take care of you.
After that I look for a gorgeous smile, an infectious laugh, a sense of humour, unguarded eyes, etc, etc…
As Cat said, if you need some blog fodder – consider yourself tagged!
1. Surprising your loved one with a romantic dinner out really does start the weekend off nicely.
2. It’s great to have breakfast with varsity gal pals and catch up but it’s not great to realise how little left you have in common with them.
3. I must be getting old because I can’t believe it costs R98 for two people to see a movie (we saw Twilight Eclipse on Saturday)…in my day…
4. Waking up to the smell of pancakes is the best way to start a Sunday.
5. The Dog Whisperer guy knows what he’s talking about – we took the doglets for a walk yesterday and put some of his suggestions to use.
6. I should not assume that a job is being done properly – upon cleaning and tidying my house yesterday, we found out our ex maid had not cleaned properly in ages!
7. I really should do more exercise – the doglet walking and house cleaning have left me feeling very sore today.
8. Watching all the episodes in a series’ season is the best way to watch – we finally finished the first season of 24 yesterday.
9. Sometimes it’s necessary to drive with the radio off – discovered Bullet needs to have it’s brakes checked (it’s going in on Thursday for a service).
10. Home-made prego rolls are a great end to a busy weekend.
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