my summer soundtrack

A perfect accompaniment to lazing on a beach, kicking back relaxing in a park or in the hustle and bustle of a humid city is that perfect summer soundtrack.  A collection of music that epitomises the season, the sultry, relaxed, sunny vibe that summer gives off. I love how various songs can be a soundtrack to a moment, a season, a time period, a person, a friendship, a romance. Music is so important and for me hearing the first few notes of a song that has been faithfully stored on your iTunes for years can bring you back, in an instant, to a life altering moment. 

Here is my shortlist (with new and old faithful tunes):

The Black Keys - Ever Lasting Light

Plasticines - Barcelona 

The Drums - Let's Go Surfing

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk

Norah Jones - Chasing Pirates

Har Mar Superstar - Almond Joy

Beck, Jay-Z & Pharrell - Frontin' On Debra

Solange - Stillness Is The Move

Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up

Crowded House - Weather With You 

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Universally Speaking

Vampire Weekend - Holiday

Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining

Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

Miles Davis - So What

Basement Jaxx - Raindrops

Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop

Aaliyah - Back and Forth

Donnell Jones feat. Left-Eye - You Know What's Up

The Stranglers - Peaches

Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Skies

The Chemical Brothers - The State We're In

Kelis - 4th of July

Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in L.A (probably out of all of these, my favourite summer song)

I heart chickpeas

So along with all the ingredients mentioned with that pasta (chorizo, tomatoes, crème fraîche), chickpeas are another ingredient that I really love and that goes so well in so many recipes. I found this recipe in Jamie's America cookbook (a recipe book that does come across as having pretty tricky recipes, but there are some that on a closer look are actually not that hard) One of my favourites is Jamie's chicken chickpea stew. A recipe where the chicken drumsticks and thighs are marinated in a light lemony, garlic marinade and the stew is full of tomatoes, chickpeas and tinned peppers which makes a rich, oily stew. It's so summery and lovely to enjoy with a glass of cold white wine.