Weekend

Weekend so far has consisted of:

 

 

 

Obsessing over my latest 100drine boxes. I now have 7

 

 

and shoo-ing Charlie cat away from my newly tied craft cupboard and brand new footstool

(£30 from TK Maxx, god I love it!)

 

You?

 

 

Chicken and Tarragon Pies

Everyone has a go to dish that you know can be relied upon to impress. For me it is absolutely my Chicken and Tarragon Pies they are amazing!

 

Recipe makes 4 pies

 

I started by softening 6 baby leeks and 1 large onion in a saucepan. When really soft add 4 skinless and bonesless chicken thighs chopped into quarters, add 175ml of white wine (nothing fancy) and leave until reduced by 1/3, add 200ml of hot (really important!) chicken stock and leave until reduced by 1/2, this should take about 10 minutes on a low heat……

 

…pour 150ml double cream into a jug, add a handful of roughly chopped tarragon and season, add to the pan, bring to the boil and then simmer for 6 minutes.

 

Transfer the mixture into ramekins and leave to completely cool, add your pastry lids (remebering to snip a hole in each one to let the steam escape) glaze with milk and bake at 220 for 25 minutes. ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

 

Pinterest Inspired Baking

Another pinterest idea stolen!
I kept seeing 'crescent roll' ideas and thought they looked really easy so would have a go myself, I wasn't sure if I would be able to find the pre-rolled croissant pastry in England but apparently it's very common and available in all supermarkets.

I picked up a tin of Jus Rol chilled crossaint pastry from my local sainsburys, and separated out each indivial crossiant - they're perforated so you just run a knife along the line.

I did two types: Peanut Butter M&Ms (all the way from New York!) in one and slices of apple with cinammon sugar on the other.

You just place your filling on the pastry, and roll them up. Stick them in the oven for 10 minutes

and enjoy!

 

The apple and cinammon ones were lovely for dessert with custard, or as a breakfast pastry on their own!

So easy and if you take a bit of time to make them neat they look fab.

Time for tea

Dinner today is roasted quail with Laverstoke farm smoky bacon, and chorizo (to be served with buttery olive oil mash)

And today I've been eating non stop these tasty little morsels. Canned chickpeas, drained and dried, oven roasted for 10 minutes with rapeseed oil, cayenne pepper and chilli powder. A great desk snack, that's full of healthy fats and fibre!

Christmas Catch-Up

It's been a while since I've sat down and done a proper post so I thought it was about time! Warning - this is going to be a long, and very photo heavy one!

So Christmas is over, just the New Year to get through and then life will go back to normal. I do love Christmas, but this is the time where I start to miss my routine, and the endless food is getting a little boring..

We spent Christmas in Venice, I've been many times before and it was as beautiful as ever - because there are no roads and you have to walk (or swim! not likely!) everywhere there is a certain peacefulness that I haven't witnessed in any other country in the world, I think that's why I love it so much. I have taken thousands of pictures of Venice but it's always the more everyday things that are so special, such as the rubbish boats, fire engine boats etc that are the most interesting.. here are a few of my favourite pictures from this time out;

Furs are obligatory in Venice - it's cold!

Look at the size of those meringues!

Christmas Eve post!

I can't resist a Disney store...

I have no shame in admitting that I had my eye on this man for quite some time...

We had Christmas Day lunch in the hotel we were staying in and this is what we had;

Peach Bellini with Canapés

Corn Millefeuille stuffed with Porcini Mushrooms over melted Asiago Cheese

Risotto with Treviso's (Treviso is an area of Venice) Chicory and Venison

Valeggio's Tortellini in Capon Consommé

Yuletide Turkey and Chesnuts with Glazed Baby Onions and Duchess Potatoes

Yule Log with Egg-Nog

Coffee and Confection

It was absolutely delicious at the time, if a little filling! But the morning after when we came down for breakfast one by one we all gradually admitted that we had been violently sick during the night - so looking at these photo's now is making my stomach turn a little! Oh well, maybe next year will be better! At least none of the calories will count!

As you may have seen in a previous post, I am taking part in the Rory Gilmore book challenge. I finished my first one (before 2013 has even started!) whilst I was in Venice. 1984 by George Orwell. It's crazy that a book that was first published in 1949 is so extremely relevant to modern life. It's a great story and really makes you think about the control of everything around us. Onto Huckleberry Finn now!

Also - my sister asked me what I was doing when I wrote my name in the book once I had finished it. I didn't have an answer! I've always done this for as long as I can remember! Do you do anything strange with your books?

How was your Christmas?

What have you been upto?

Firstly, I'm sorry for neglecting you. Life is a mile a minute at the moment, but it's Saturday afternoon, I'm nice and cosy,  I've just had a Strawberry lemonade and a Yum Yum. 

I've got a cup of tea and I'm sat in front of The Good Sheperd (amazing film) so I'm ready :)

 

My mum's 53rd birthday is this coming Monday, but we as ever do things a little differently in our house, so yesterday when my sister got home from Uni it was cake and presents day. My mums cake is HUGE, it's a victoria sponge (with the most amazing plum jam) it's covered in green fondant icing and the top is then decorated to look like her allotment. It was supposed to have a shed but we just ran out of time - it took 3 days! She loved it though and that's the main thing :)

 

 

 

 

 

As for presents she got a really good haul! I got her 2 pairs of earrings (silver swallows, and orange gems) a goat's cheese making kit, a masons traditonal mixing bowl (hers broke a few months back) Paul Hollyood's 'How to Bake' a zebra print scarf, 2 gorgeous smelling soaps, and Paulie on DVD. My oldest sister brought her two trees for her (real!) allotment, a Mandarin and a Lime Tree. My other sister got her a nail varnish, notepad, chocolates, sugar mice and phone cover.

Tomorrow my nan is coming over for lunch - Roast Rib of Beef with all the trimmings and Cherry Pie.

 

In amongst the present wrapping I have found time for a little cross-stitch, something I haven't done for a while, and I'm really pleased with the results!

 

 

Before!

 

 

After!

 

In case you hadn't guessed it's Dorothy and Toto from the Wizard of Oz. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but just pleased to have finished!

 

Now that mum's birthday is out of the way Christmas has officially started in our house, the tree and decorations are all up and any leftovers were taken to work to decorate our office, we're getting a tree on Monday so the best is yet to come!

 

 

Most cluttered desk in all the land!

 

 

When I get home from work I've been obsessing over No Angels - it's a brilliant comedy drama set in a hospital that was on Channel 4 back in 2004, and the first series has now been added to 4OD. The soundtrack is so good I had to buy the CD, lots of Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin.

 

 

Now if I'm not making a cake, decorating something, sewing or watching No Angels, the chances are I'm probably shopping - here are my favourite purchases so far this month

 

Glass Dish - £2.49 - Vintage fair

 

 

 

Teacup and Saucer - £3.50 - Vintage Fair

 

 

Hair Clip, Collar Necklace and Heart Earrings - New Look - £10.45 (3 for 2!)

 

 

And my secret santa present for work - A gorgeous green scarf, a can of gin and tonic, a lindt chocolate bear and an aero christmas tree. Not bad for a fiver! I tried to make it look a bit more interesting too with ribbons and Crafy Creatives jingle bells!

 

 

 

And if I'm not doing any of that I'm continuing my Pinterest addiction and day-dreaming over pictures like this

 

 

What have you been upto?