What to do on Rainy Days

Its been raining so much the past two weeks. Even though summer is approaching, rain is an expected part of dutch weather. I've got to say though, I don't mind the rain so much. Rain to me represents a fresh start. new life. Its also the perfect kind of weather to stay in and drink tea and get cozy.

When its raining I love staying in. My perfect rainy day is filled with lots (and LOTS) of tea. My current favorite teas are the Dilmah teas!! Where have they been all my life?! They are so amazing! they smell just as good as they taste. I AM OBSESSED! My two favorite flavors are 'Rose with french Vanilla' and 'Berry Sensation'.

What I also love to do on rainy days is to light up rose scented candles, read books and watch series. Currently I'm reading "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappear" by Jonas Jonasson. Haha yes I know, such a looong title; But really its an amazing book so far.

Okay so ofcourse I don't always get to stay in on rainy days. I have to go to school and run errands and live life outside my house. When its raining I like to dress really comfortable and cozy. My go to look is a soft comfortable sweater, a good pair of fitting jeans and some boots.

You can click here or down below to see a full description of my Rainy Day Look.

Its now Friday so that means the weekend is here! YAY! I'm hoping for beautiful sunny days. What are you doing this weekend?

Also what do you like wearing on rainy days?

Happy Weekend!

Xx

Rati :)

Chocolate Orange Brownies || Spring Treats

First, let me just begin with saying CHOCOLATE. That should be enough of a reason for you to make this recipe.

Second, just look at this picture.(Trust me, it tastes even better than it looks).

Third. The taste of chocolate and orange mix is incredible!


I found this recipe on Sorted Food's Youtube channel. (You can check them out here). I had to try it out! The recipe is on point and so yummy. It is a perfect treat for this beautiful spring weather.

When I was making this recipe, my original intention was to make a video of it. But silly me, I forgot to charge the camera and I had already started the baking process so I couldn't turn back. You can watch the video of my Failed attempt at filming this process by clicking here!

The marble effect of this brownie is made by the cheesecake filling on top. So in essence, this brownie recipes is a two-in-one master piece of cheesecake AND brownies. It will give you a taste-gasm. Yes, I said it, a Taste-gasm. Your mouths will thank me.

I have listed the ingredients and instructions below for you!. Enjoy this yummy treat :).

Ingredients: 12 Squares
The Brownie Goodness:

• butter (140g)
• dark chocolate (200g)
• caster sugar (225g)
• 1 tsp of vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• plain flour (60g)
• cocoa (60g) 

The CheeseCake Toping:

• cream cheese (75g)
• caster sugar (50g)
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 egg, beaten
• plain flour (75g)
• 1 orange 

Instructions:
For the Brownie Layer:

1. Preheat the Oven to 170°C and line the baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Slowly the butter, and sugar together either in the microwave or over the stove. Be sure to continue stirring everything all together as it melts. Then leave to cool a little.
3. Mix the eggs and vanilla together. Then add to the melted chocolate mixture whilst stirring. miix until it is smooth and glossy.
4. Add the flour and cocoa to the mixture.
5. Pour into the lined baking pan.

For the Cheesecake Layer:

1. Mix the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until smooth.
2. add the orange zest to the egg and mix into the cream cheese mixture
3. Add the flour to the mixture and stir until smooth
4. Put the mixture onto the brownie mixture in tablespoon blobs.
5. Using a knife, move the mixture around to create a marble effect.
6. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes

Let me know in the comments below if you´ve tried this recipe!

Please also check out my youtube channel at www.youtube.com/RatiZv . I post a video every Monday and sometimes twice a week on Thursdays. :)

Enjoy!

Xx

Rati

240 hours in Zimbabwe || Christmas in Africa - [Part 3]

On my last Saturday, my family and I went to the Lion and Cheetah Park close to the capital city, Harare. I was so excited to go and see the lions and the wildlife. Contrary to popular belief, in Africa, you don't walk outside and see wild animals (well.... not normally). You actually have to go to a game-park or safari to see animals such as lions, cheetahs and giraffes.

We left the house quite late that day as the park isn't so far from where we live. We arrived at around 3pm.

Well we only got out for a little bit ;)

To be honest we only got out of our car because we were given permission by the park guard keeper. He was standing right there just in case anything wrong happened. Also the lions were behind the fence. We were pretty safe.

The park also had a wildlife area with different animals like zebras, ostriches and warthogs.

This turtle is called Tommy. He is a South American turtle who is over 250 years old! How amazing is that?! At the end of the day we watched him walk himself from the water pond, which he likes to hangout in, to his little hut-like home.

Just before leaving, my brother, sister and I found an abandoned truck. We all know that when you find an abandoned truck in the wild, YOU MUST PLAY WITH IT!
And we did.
Trust me, we took so many pictures on that truck.

My last Sunday in Zimbabwe was on the 29th of December. My brother, sister and I went to the Avondale Flea Market in Harare. At this market you can buy mostly new things ranging from clothes, toys, artwork and jewelry. We walked around for a bit and bought some things. 

My last day in Zimbabwe was the 30th of December. I had a long flight ahead, with torturous layovers. My first stop was from Harare to Johannesburg, where I had a 7 hour layover. Then I went from Johannesburg to Cairo and had a 5 hour layover. Then finally I arrived in Amsterdam on the 31st of December at 2pm (Phew!).

My 10 days in Zimbabwe were absolutely amazing. I loved spending time with my family, seeing all my cousins and aunts; as well as going to the Lion and Cheetah Park. It was such a good time.

I hope you enjoyed viewing my trip to Zimbabwe.

You can see PART 1 were I visit the villages in Masvingo and PART 2 were I visit the villages in Nyanga.

Leave me a comment or share this post if you liked it.

Xx

Rati :)

240 hours in Zimbabwe || Christmas in Africa - [Part 2]

On Part 1 of my 240 Hours in Zimbawe trip I shared pictures of my family's Christmas trip to the villages to see my Grandma from my Mum's side. We got back to the city, in Harare, on the afternoon of Boxing Day (Dec 26th). All of us were tired and had an early night. This is because early the next morning, on the 27th, we had another road trip planned to go to the Nyanga Villages to visit my Mbuya ('Grandma') and Sekuru ('Grandpa') from my Dad's side. I dragged myself out of bed, showered, and packed my road-trip essentials into the car. I didn't need to pack much with me because we were just visiting for a day.

 

About three and a half hours on the main road, we took a turn and headed on to the dust road that leads to my Mbuya and Sekuru's home. The landscape in Nyanga is so lush and gorgeous! I love how beautiful it is!

My family and I obviously took a picture break. Who wouldn't? :) We took way too many pictures.... It was awesome!



Look how gorgeous my Mama is!! I love her.

After taking a 'million' pictures, we got back into the car and continued on our way to my grand parent's place. Thirty minutes later we arrived!!

The hut above is the kitchen area. It is where my Mbuya and Sekuru cook their meals. Close-by, they have a house which they sleep in.

Look at that view! My grandparents get to wake up to this EVERYDAY! Also they are rockstars at farming. Look at all that corn!

Me and my Daddy! You should know, I really am a Daddy's girl.

At every village, within about 5-10km of each cluster of homes, there is a community borehole. This is where people come to get their drinking and bathing water. It's very sanitary. The locals usually collect the water with buckets. We took a pit-stop at one of the boreholes to refill our water bottles.

We left my Ambuya and Sekuru's place at around 4pm to head back to Harare. It was so good to see them both after so long! We got home, in Harare, at around 8pm.

By this time I only had 3 days left in Zimbabwe. Of course my family and I planned for more awesome stuff to do. My last adventure in Zimbabwe was visiting the Lion and Cheetah Park! We got to see lots of lions, zebras and other wild life! You can check out details on that visit here on Part 3 of my 10 Days in Zimbabwe!

Xx

Rati :)

Baked Butternut Squash Salad

 Man this salad was so good! I remember growing up I used to hate butternut squash for some weird reason. If my mum made it, I would make something else for myself to eat. Then I think one day I had butternut squash soup and my world was changed forever (exaggeration much?!!)

I bought the ingredients to this recipe fresh from the market near my house. That weekend, I also went exploring around Amsterdam. You can watch video of my weekend here.

This recipe is a good classic baked vegetable classic in salad form. Its so simple to make (I try to keep my recipes that way), but its also so tasty (I also like to make sure of that too :D ).

Serves: 2 (or 1 hungry person. No judgement here :D )

• 350 grams cubed butternut squash
• 130 grams green beans
• 1 small red onion
• 1 medium/large carrot
• 200 grams eggplant (optional)*
• 1-2 handfuls of your favorite garden greens.
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• Spices of choice(I used black pepper and basil)
• 2 tbsp dried goji berry mix (or any dried fruit) (optional)*
• 2 tbsp almonds (optional)*

Wash all your veggies clean
Preheat oven to 425F/220C/7 gas mark
Peel and Chop the butternut squash and carrot (and eggplant*) into small cubes
Slice the onion into half rings
Cut the green beans in half and remove the stems
Mix all the vegetables in a bowl with the olive oil and spices
Tumble the vegetables on a foil covered baking sheet. Try not to crowd them.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Turning them once and rotating the pan once until golden brown. (Keep an eye on it!)
Prepare the lettuce. Toss on the veggies and mix in the almonds* and goji berry mix*
Serve.

I forgot to shop up my eggplant to put in the oven to roast with the rest. But it was still good regardless.

Let me know if you try it out. Or if you have suggestions of what else you would add in this.

Enjoy!

Xx

Rati :)

240 hours in Zimbabwe || Christmas in Africa - [Part 1]

On  the afternoon of the 19th of December 2013 I flew from Amsterdam to Zimbabwe for an amazing 10 days visiting my family, friends and country. There was so much I wanted to do and had to do in only 240 hours. It was intense. It was amazing and I absolutely loved it!

I arrived on Friday the 20th at around 2pm. The flight was long because I had two lay-overs in Cairo, Egypt and in Johannesburg, South Africa.When I arrived, it was so wonderfully warm! I felt so lucky to have some extra days of summer in DECEMBER! That weekend I spent it mostly with my family and catching up with friends from highschool and friends from church.

During the Christmas week, my family and I were going to be travelling a lot to see new places and visit our  extended family all over Zimbabwe. So on Christmas Eve's eve we did the present opening. Santa came early ;) !

Our first trip was to the villages in Masvingo. We were going to have a huge family reunion with the relatives from my mum's side and see  my amazing Mbuya (Thats 'Grandma' in Shona. Shona is one of the three official languages spoken in Zimbabwe.)

That morning we woke up early. Packed our things and we were off!

My sister was ready to go!

On our way to Masvingo we drove through smaller towns and cities.

After 6 hours of driving and a couple of stops along the way, we finally arrived at my Grandma's place in the villages! The rest of the family was already there. There was so much hugging, laughing and joy!We all stayed up so late into the night talking, laughing and eating. It was great.

We all went to sleep late, but the next morning was Christmas so everyone still got up early.

 To finish off Christmas day, we decided to got to the river with my sister and cousins. On our way there, we stopped by my grandma's shop. Her shop is the local village grocery store.

There was this gorgeous model just hanging out in the store ;) . (haha the "model" is my sister).

Right opposite the store there is the local pub. About 200 meters away was a church. In most villages or small towns there is always a grocery store, a pub and a church. It's funny to see that.

After our short visit to the store, we continued on our way to the riverside.

We stayed until sunset and took loads of pictures with my cousins and sister. It was so fun! As you can see a lot of my pictures ended in mid laughter or accidental snaps. haha!

That evening we had a huge Christmas dinner and early the next morning we were said our goodbyes and traveled back to Harare (the capital city of Zimbabwe).

We arrived late afternoon and all we wanted to do was rest. Mostly because we knew that the very next day we were travelling again. This time we would be going to the villages in Nyanga to visit my other Mbuya from my Dad's side of the family.

This not even halfway through the week so there's still more to come. See the rest of my 10 days in Zimbabwe here. I visit the beautiful Nyanga villages for the day (Part 2). Then over the weekend we go to the Lion and Cheetah park (Part 3)!

Thanks for reading!

Xx

Rati :)