Italian almond cookies with jam

The other day I fancied a bakewell tart but couldn’t be bothered to make the pastry – it doesn’t take that long really, I was just feeling exceptionally lazy! After a quick rifle through the baking cupboard I found a bag of ground almonds and decided to make Italian almond cookies. There are so many recipes, all different. Some say to rest the dough overnight, others just put it straight in the oven. You can whisk the egg whites or blitz everything up in the processor. You can make them with caster sugar or icing sugar (which is why I’ve specified either below) and you can add various flavours. I was feeling a bit bamboozled!

INGREDIENTS

300g ground almonds

300g caster sugar or icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar)

3 egg whites Icing sugar for dusting

Pinch of salt

1.5 teaspoons almond essence (optional)

Raspberry jam

Makes 30 cookies.

Mulled Cider Recipe

Mulled Cider Recipe

This is a really quick recipe for mulled cider that you can either make to entertain friends or you can just make the bouquets and put them in a tin or a basket and give them as a gift.

For the bouquets you will need the following:

For each one:
1 Coffee filter
½-inch cinnamon stick
4 whole Allspice
2 pods cardamom
4 black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon cloves
Twine

Baileys Flat White Martini

Baileys Flat White Martini

Some people take their Baileys straight up, some add it to their coffee, the Flat White Martini takes it a stage further.  Oh boy.  Once you dabbled with this recipe from Baileys, you'll be whipping out your cocktail shaker at the drop of a hat.   Baileys Flat White Martinis are the sort of cocktail that curtseys at the start of a giggly lunch party and nods firmly at the end of a drinks party and oh so embraces you tightly at the meerest suggestion of a quiet night in.

Pregnant at Christmas time?

Pregnant at Christmas time?

This will be my second pregnancy over Christmas I don’t really remember much from last time round as it was four years ago. Other than making Cranberry sauce in a silk dress rather impromptly!  However this time round there are some things I’ve been doing to try and keep the festive season as stress free and enjoyable as possible. After all happy mummy means happy baby!! So here are my tips for being pregnant at Christmas

Creating Christmas Traditions and Crafts

Creating Christmas Traditions and Crafts

Creating Christmas Traditions and Crafts

I recently bought a few vintage Martha Stewart Christmas books and I have enjoyed looking through them immensely. I was surprised at how the ideas included are still as beautiful and elegant today as they were in the early nineties when the books were published. The books I bought are "Crafts and Keepsakes for the Holidays" and "Handmade Christmas". They focus on traditional ideas for creating handmade gifts and decorations for your home. Although I love many modern ideas for Christmas time there's something about a classic Christmas that never goes out of style.

It's brassicas out there

brassicas

It would be gratifying to be able to write about the garden in December with vibrant photos but, truth be told, there's not a lot going on.  Oh sure, the rivers of curly kale are not about to dry up any time soon, Cavolo Nero is still the champion producer of leaves for supper after nearly nine months in the ground (I don't pick every day so it has a chance to catch up) although it's looking more like a palm tree every day, calabrese heads are plumping up and the purple sprouts are looking so good I'm almost loathe to pick them.  So it's all about the brassicas at the moment.  My winter chard is a total fail, the failure being that I didn't make time to sow any seeds, ditto spinach and overwintering broad beans. As the forecast harsh winter hasn't yet materialised, I may chance a few of those seeds under cloches; I seriously doubt it will come to much but what's to lose?

Children’s Book Club Straw Flags

Children’s Book Club Straw Flags

Children’s Book Club Straw Flags

In a few weeks time at school we will be hosting a very special book club meeting.

And I thought that these straw flags would be the prefect way to get the party started!

Our special book club has a rather sophisticated feel and theme, that of a ‘millionaires club’. The invitations have gone out, and now it’s up to me to put the finishing touches to the preparations.

Lots of gold, glitz & diamonds and even a few gold tops strawberries! To get the conversation flowing at the party I have asked the children to bring their favourite book. These straws will hopefully help prompt them to share why they love their books so much!

Tips for growing your hair long

Tips for growing your hair long

First of all-stop washing your hair every day! Many people, particularly those with more greasy tendencies, feel like washing daily is the only way to keep the grease at bay. But really you’re putting yourself in a vicious cycle where over washing strips the oils out of the scalp, causing it to go into overdrive by producing more oil to replace what’s been stripped away, causing you to get greasy, encouraging you to wash again….it never ends!

Washing your hair only once or twice a week keeps the healthy oil production on track. And never underestimate the simplicity of dry shampoo. A few spritzes on day 2 or 3 can be a complete life saver, and there are lots of cheap brands out there that do the job and do it well.

Midtown Magic Bedroom

Midtown Magic Bedroom

Midtown Magic Bedroom

About three months ago I started redesigning our bedroom from scratch. Everything was going, apart from a chair, a light fitting and a rug. There was nothing wrong with the room, I just never really liked it. Bit boring for me and i’ve been wanting to do something more bold for ages.

Bramley apple and mincemeat sweet puff parcels

Tangy, melt-in-the-mouth Bramley apples stuffed with festive mincemeat and wrapped in sugar and cinnamon dusted flaky pastry.

Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 Bramley apples
8 tsp mincemeat
1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbsp demerara sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Vegan Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Recipe

Vegan Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Recipe

The creamy coconut sauce is rich and full of deep flavours but not too hot and spicy. I think next time I make this I’ll add in a fresh red chilli or two to spice things up a bit; if you’re after a hotter curry then you could definitely pop a couple of chopped chillies in as you make the curry paste. You might be wondering about cranberries being in a curry but after trying this, I think it might be their true calling. I used whole dried cranberries and they became soft and plump in texture and added a hint of sourness, in perfect contrast with the sweet potato and coconut.

It might look like a daunting list of ingredients for the homemade curry paste, but the spice mix here should actually be easy to replicate as it doesn’t use anything too out of the ordinary. However if you don’t have all of them in your cupboard already then you could cheat and pick up a pre-made spice mix/curry powder for much cheaper than the individual spices.

Braised stout beef and carrot stew with parsley dumplings

Braised stout beef and carrot stew with parsley dumplings

Ingredients

For the stew: 3 tbsp olive oil 800g chuck beef steak, trimmed and cut into 5cm (2in) cubes 3 onions, thinly sliced 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme 2 tbsp plain flour 500ml can Guinness or stout 300ml beef stock 4 carrots, sliced on the diagonal 1 tsp light brown sugar 1 tbsp red wine vinegar For the parsley dumplings: 175g self-raising flour 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley 2 tbsp snipped fresh chives 75g beef shredded suet Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Turnip House, Shropshire

Taking over Turnip and Corn house on the edge of the Shropshire hills for a weekend of family chill was a portion of much needed rest. This home straight to Christmas I always find to be a weary one. I guess its a mixture of the darkness kicking in early and all of your insides craving a slower pace, hearty food and a duvet while your daily schedule powers on at full force.

Blissfully all those cravings got their longed for fix on this weekend in the countryside, and alongside all of my nearest and dearest too.

Blogging tips: Photos and videos

Blogging tips: Photos and videos

Including videos and graphics in blog posts is nothing new, but with the increased popularity of social media sites such as Pinterest, they are becoming even more popular online. Some people argue that the average person’s attention span is getting shorter every year and they need to be enticed with something much more eye-catching than a textual article.

If you want to keep your blog up-to-date and interesting, adding videos and graphics as a focal point rather than an aside is a good idea. I’ll be practicing what I preach, and begin vlogging in the near year, so be sure to keep an eye on my YouTube channel for some cringe-worthy footage of me and my partner in crime, Petal! 

Syria and visiting families affected by the crisis

I first wrote about Syria on my blog in May 2012.  It was more of a rant than an informative piece.  A rant at the lack of media attention for the Houla massacre that had taken place overnight.  A few days later I was at it again, asking “Will you Look Away“, part of a campaign suggesting this was Syria’s tipping point and that the violence had to stop.

It hasn’t.  It has got worse.   With a migrant crisis on an unprecedented scale.    It has come full circle for me in an odd way.  I wanted it on the front pages back in 2012.  I wanted the world to be talking about it, for petitions to be signed, for it all to end.    Now I don’t want it on the front pages anymore.  Not because it depresses me but because I simply still wanted it to end.   The loss of life.   The tragic stories that we get bombarded with on a daily basis are sickening.   Families separated, families grieving, families trying to get to safety.   Families in the relative safety of camps where they try to rebuild their lives whilst dreaming of one day being reunited with loved ones and getting home.

Upcycled Toy Car Christmas Ornaments

Upcycled Toy Car Christmas Ornaments

I started making these a few weeks ago, well by that I mean I spray painted them then left them lying around for a few weeks until today when I finally got around to finishing them off. In that time I’ve seen similar crafts everywhere and I also saw a lady on Handmade Christmas (craft show in the UK) decorate a tree with spray painted pink trees but I’m going to post about these anyway because I love them!

To make these upcycled toy car ornaments you will need:

– Old toy cars (I found mine in a charity shop) – Spray paint – Yarn – Glue gun – Sprig of Christmas tree

Make Your Own Pom Pom Christmas Baubles

Make Your Own Pom Pom Christmas Baubles

This is a really quick and simple craft, although if making your own pom poms then it will take a tiny bit longer.

You will need: – Fill your own bauble cases – Pom pom (either ready made or handmade) – Pom pom maker (if making your own) – Yarn

For the ready made pom pom baubles you literally just put them in the case and tie the yarn through the hole at the top.

I don't want to be a full time blogger

It feels like there’s an increasingly common assumption that the ultimate goal for bloggers is to become a full time blogger. To have the chance to throw in the towel on your day job and blog for a living. It’s become a reality for some people, and they do it well. There are some of them who you’ll find in my blog roll at the bottom of this page who I think are bloody brilliant pro-bloggers. But, after lots of deliberating, e-courses, conferences, conversations, and huge amounts of procrastination, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not for me.

There are a few main reasons for this, one of which has actually come as a bit of a surprise…

Gingerbread: the perfect last-minute Christmas present

I’ve just finished putting together a big batch of gingerbread for the children to give to their teachers this Christmas. If you’re looking for an inexpensive, simple homemade gift then it doesn’t get much better than this!

Orange and Rosemary Shortbread

These  biscuits pack a real punch of orange flavour and a subtle hint of rosemary so kids will probably love them just as much as adults. They'd be really nice popped into little bags for teachers gifts or even for foodies in hampers. I've decorated mine with some rosemary flowers too although I'm surprised that I still had some flowering in the garden. It must be all this mild weather. These were glazed with an egg wash, but I don't think they really need it. So leave it out if you want to. 

Ingredients:

225g unsalted butter, softened

150g granulated sugar

zest of one orange, finely grated

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

1 free-range egg, separated

275g plain flour

2 tbsp orange juice (squeezed from the orange)