Tongue-Tickle

The Spice of Life is a recipe compilation devoted to people with an appetite for life; people who love to laugh and live to eat.

All the recipes have been sourced from members of the BBM food group that i administrate.

From treasured family favourites to clever conveniences, this compilation is a rich resource of ideas and inspiration.

NiQi Living Luxe has made a pdf version of the recipe book available for you to download.

The effervescent enthusiasm for the first edition of The Spice of Life recipe compilation was overwhelming.

So much so, that NiQi Living Luxe has put together a second edition for you to download and enjoy.

Kindly visit www.niqi.co.za for both downloads.

niQi|living luxe limited edition Cupcake Wrappers are now available @Salehs Bakery in Mayfair, Johannesburg.

A set of 12 beautifully handcrafted cupcake wrappers complete with liners retail for R100 a set.

Available colours include:
The b&w range with purple, fuschia, lilac and royal blue
The whimscial range of pretty petals and dainty floral details
A new and exclusive boys range, featuring an ‘out-of-space’ theme with foil liners in lime green and royal blue.

Kindly contact Ayub Saleh on 011 837 4274 to reserve your set.

Salehs Bakery is situated on Church Street, Mayfair.

Salehs Bakery also stocks little sugar flowers, edible gems, and other cupcake decorations to perfectly match the wrappers.

Introducing my range of luxury {handcrafted} tea-towels ::

A most mundane household object, the tea towel is used for drying dishes and wiping up kitchen counters.

Tea towels were originally used to keep scones or a pot of tea warm, and were also used by the mistress of the house to dry fine china. From these humble origins, I have reinvented the tea towel, treating its surface as a blank canvas, and sometimes ignoring function altogether. My collection brings together a reinvention of collectible kitchen decor and affordable art.

All fabrics are 100% cotton and the prints are imported from the USA and England and some locally produced.

Each piece is uniquely handcrafted and machine and hand washable. All products are made in a smoke free environment with strong emphasis placed on cleanliness.

Meet the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ range of tea-towels.
First out of the collection of luxury tea-towels, this 100% cotton towel is inspired by my love of needle & thread and beautiful things.

Available in blushing peach, turquoise and cream, this ornate and colourful floral design is whimsical and adds a special sort of glamour to your kitchen.

PRODUCT DETAILS & SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions :: 55cm x 35cm
Fabrics :: Cream Waffle weave (locally produced) + 100% cotton imported from the United Kingdom
Detailing :: Plastic button + lace
Price :: R200 {excl postage within South Africa}
Quantity available :: 12

Contact niqilivingluxe@gmail.com to place an order.

‎’The Secret Garden’ collection is a beautifully delicious tea-towel in candy pink polka-dot and chewy turquoise.

This is the first niQi range which caters for the Islamic client.

Each piece is embroidered with the following choice of words …::

‘My Halaal Kitchen’ {5 in stock}
‘Foods of Jannat’ {5 in stock} – Pictured above
‘Muslimah’ {5 in stock}
‘Love, Peace & Cookies’ {5 in stock}
‘Kitchen Couture’ {5 in stock}

PRODUCT DETAILS & SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions :: 55cm x 35cm
Fabrics :: White Waffle weave (locally produced) + 100% cotton locally produced fabric
Detailing :: Lace + Embroidery + Removable retro brooch with layered fabric, stiching and button detailing
Price :: R250 {excl postage within South Africa}
Quantity available :: 25

Contact niqilivingluxe@gmail.com to place an order.

There are 7 delicious collections in my tea-towel range, all launching before Christmas! -Great gifting-

Visit my Facebook page {naqiyah mayat} to become a friend and hear about exciting events and promotions.

SPECIAL :: FREE delivery on all items ordered before end of December 2010!

* Source: http://www.visualingual.org/teatowelshow/

I recently hosted my best friends Bridal Shower at our house.

With both of us being fans of the famous tv Series – Gossip Girl – the concept fell rather nicely into place.

I began with the ‘invitations’ which were text messages to all the guests, in true Gossip Girl style.

Of course, my name wasnt revealed until the very end, and guests were still left wondering who I really was!

I put together little goodie bags for the guests, which included a gorgeous cupcake (sadly macaroons weren’t available!) from Sadiyah from Vanilla Bakery, a recent Glamour magazine, samples from Clarins and Chane, a head band (All hail Blair Waldorf!) and little pink and white almonds in a ‘wedding dress’ paper box. The ladies were delighted at their little treats!

The backdrop to my event was traditional black and white Chanel-inspired, offset by fushia and purple flowers. Guests were offered teas and coffee inside, while mocktails were being served outside in the garden.  

Catering was provided by Salehs Bakery in Mayfair. Ayub created mini’s of all our favourite desserts and accented with the colours i had provided. There was also a selection of savoury finger foods for guests who preferred something salty to offset all that sugar!

Entertainment was provided by Jessica from It’s a Date Special Events Planner, she may be contacted on (072) 984 7025.

As a decadent Ramadaan snack, i packaged an assortment of Medinah dates that were filled with home-made toffee studded with an almond, cream enveloped with fresh grated coconut and chopped almonds, a Nikki-bar filling and chocolate coated kajoor. Each of the 90 hand crafted boxes contained a card with a recipe inserted.

This year I was given a rather special sweet treat from the lovely Sadiyah from Vanilla Bakery.

Sadiyah treated me to a dozen cupcakes for my Mothers Day treat to my mummy friends.

I packaged them in her cupcake showcase boxes and ribboned it up with a pretty picture on the top. I finished them off with a little label and some shiny gemstones. Each mummy received a little bouquet of flowers, a cupcake and a mug.

Sadiyah may be contacted on {0747306952}

niQi {living luxe}

The kids had their own little assortment of mini bits to enjoy at our son’s Peter Rabbit First Birthday party. On their menu was sausage rolls, mini burgers, mini vienna rolls and mini chicken pitas. A very special thank you to my mum for putting it all together, the help was much appreciated.

The kids and adults enjoyed the chocolate fondue, which may be hired from Elsa at Crazy Chameleon. 

These little chocolate cakes were topped with Peter Rabbit figurines. The cake was ordered from Salehs Bakery.

Mini fruit sticks, mini cheesecakes and mini milk tarts for our mini’s …

- END -

Photo’s courtesy of Louise Diesel Photography.

niQi {living luxe}

As with any kids party, the kids have to be kept well entertained, so as to ensure that the mummys and daddys can sit down to a nice meal and have a bit of adult-time as well. That, and to make certain that there aren’t any whining kids that insist on leaving too early. We hired a jumping castle, but also kept the littlelies in mind by hiring one with a ball pond in the middle. This may be hired through Elsa at Crazy Chameleon.

The jungle gym is our own, which the kids enjoyed.

We also hired kiddies rides. Im sure many of you are familiar with these, the ones that operate with tokens.

They were ideal for the really little kids.

I hired a fantastic and very talented face painter who painted all the kids faces based on

the Peter Rabbit theme. The children lined up for this and were very pleased with their new ‘looks!’

The kids adored the balloon sculpturor who did an amazing job at keeping them entertained for over 45 minutes.

He may be contacted via Elsa at Crazy Chameleon.

I had to also bear in mind the older kids that were attending the party.

I gave them their own little space inside with the Wii and a Fun station for the little ones who wanted to join.

Outside, we had the Teletubbies on for any other kids who wanted to watch.

Photo’s courtesy of Louise Diesel Photography.

The mums and dads who were invited to the party also had a little place of their own. The adults were served lunch and tea while the kids enjoyed their party treats and entertainment.

I used the same paper as the the one’s on the bunting for these paper-fold centre pieces. The base was

filled with white marshmallows and made for beautiful centre pieces for the adults tables.

I personalise them to suit your colour scheme and may be hired from Elsa at Crazy Chameleon.

Elsa supplied the baloon arrangements.

With a chance of rain predicted for the day, we made an almost last minute decision to erect a tent.

It worked out beautifully as Elsa helped put up the chinese lantern style balls which added some dimension

to the decor. I bought them in pale blue, yellow and white and they matched perfectly!

The Menu:

  Entrée

Gagar ka Halwa {Carrot Halwa} with a swirl of fresh cream

and a sprinkling of coloured almonds

Combination Entrée

Tickled pink Bombay Crush

Main Course

Chicken Biryani, Dhai, Carrot Atchar and Papar with a side salad

Fancy a piece of cake?

Delicately flavoured vanilla sponge with a creamy butter icing

 Something sweet perhaps?

Butter pastry Palmiers, Fresh cream apricot turnovers

A sprinkling of some salt

Chicken cocktail pies and Chicken samoosas and Chicken croissants

All served with a fiery hot dipping sauce

Tea or coffee at your request

Photographs courtesy of Lousie Diesel Photography

Hiring of chairs, chair covers, tables and table cloths from Elsa @ Crazy Chameleon.

Catering courtesy of Fatima Bhai

niQi {living luxe}

I had a clear idea of what i wanted the kiddies table to look like when i began planning our son’s Peter Rabbit themed party. It is very difficult to find anything Peter Rabbit related in South Africa, as party planners feel it is very expensive to import. I had to think creatively and try to incorporate the idea in the little details.

With the help of Elsa Mansour from Crazy Chameleon Parties, the tented area was transformed into a whimsical mix of pastel shades and all things Peter Rabbit. Thank You Elsa for helping bring my vision to life.

Elsa is able to supply the ‘Happy Birthday’ banner. She hires them out to clients based on their theme and colour scheme.

I made the triangular bunting out of the paper that i used on the place-cards.

The colours worked beautofully together and blended into the pastel shades that i had chosen.

Elsa had also arranged for the centre piece name sign to be made according to the theme

and design i had supplied her with. These are hand made and painted according to the colours that you choose.

They can also be made with glitter for a more glitzy feel.

To add to the garden and nature feel, I used little grass palcemats for the kids.

I opted for a baby blue and pale yellow serviette which fitted in perfectly with the colour scheme.

I designed the juice wrappers and water bottle wrappers for the kids table and party packs.

The wrappers were printed on a slight glitter paper with details of the date and event.

I also worded the wrapper creatively with nutrition facts. These can be made to order, so please

contact me should you wish to have these at your next event.

niQi {living luxe}

Kindly contact Elsa in helping you plan your next event.

Images courtesy of Louise Diesel Photography. Please call them on {011 869 7759} and speak to Riani.