RECIPE: Homemade Zesty Lemon Curd

This one is for you Rachel xxx

Another recipe I found on my search for eating healthier and knowing what is in my food was this one for Zesty lemon curd (note to self: must start writing down where I found these recipes). I love, love, love lemon curd but after finding out that most shop bought lemon curd is made from Palm oil (*angry face*) it was added to my "Do not buy ever again" list.

I've tried and tested the original recipe I found and then tweaked it a little as I found it a little too sour. So far I've had great reports of the tweaked recipe.

So here goes, the "what you will need" and the "how to make it" :)

You will need:

2 large lemons

125g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

50g unsalted butter

Finely grate the zest of the lemons into a glass bowl.

Add the juice of the lemons and the sugar and mix together.

Add the eggs and the egg yolk and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Add the butter (cut into small cubes).

Heat a large sauce pan of water to simmering level and place the bowl over the water to heat the mixture (the water should not touch the base of the bowl).

Stir frequently until the curd thickens, you want it to be the consistency of a good thick custard.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Transfer into a jar and keep in the fridge.

This recipe makes approx 250 ml, just over a medium jar size, perfect size for consumption before it goes off. It lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge (if it lasts that long!! Its just too tasty!!).

Or you could make some cakes and add a tsp to your cases in between your mixture for a lemony gooey centre :D YUM!!!!

RECIPE: Cheese biscuits

I made about 6 batches of these cheese biscuits before Christmas, most of them were wrapped up for Christmas gifts, but I did keep a few for myself. They are so tasty and very moreish...so be warned you wont just be able to eat one :D 

I've been asked about the recipe and I am really bad at finding recipes on the internet, scribbling them down in my note book and then tweaking the recipe as I go a long and then forgetting where the original came from. 

So here is the one straight from my note book.....

You will need: 

3oz Butter (cubed)

4oz Strong cheddar

2oz Corn flour

4oz Plain flour

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

(Handful of grated parmesan for sprinkling on top

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius 

Cover baking tray with greaseproof paper

Sieve plain flour, corn flour, cayenne pepper and salt into a bowl

Add cheese and butter (cubed) into the dry mix and rub together

Once combined knead a little and roll into a ball

Roll out onto a floured surface

Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes

Place onto your baking tray and sprinkle with the parmesan

Bake for 10 mins or until golden brown

Leave to cool for 15 mins then you can either transfer to a tin of scoff them whilst warm

Hope you enjoy making them as much as you do eating them. 

RECIPE : Cappuccino cake

If you like coffee you will love this cake, if you like chocolate you will love this cake, if you love cake you will definitely love this cake!!!!! Don't be put off if you're not a coffee lover, its not as intense as it sounds, its more of a chocolate cake with a hint of coffee. And if you really hate coffee then why not substitute it with caramel flavouring? 

To make the cake you will need :

50 gms Cocoa powder

6 tblsps boiling water

3 eggs

50 mls milk

175 gms self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder 

100 gms margarine/butter

275 gms caster sugar

To make the coffee cream filling/topping you will need :

300 mls whipping cream

1 tsp coffee

2 tsp boiling water

Method : Cake

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare x2 cake tins

Mix cocoa powder with the hot water until it makes a smooth paste (dont be tempted to stick your finger in to taste as it smells so chocolatey and delicious - it is bitter and will not taste as nice as it smells - I found out the hard way ha ha ha!)

Cream the butter and sugar together

Beat the eggs together with the milk and add to the creamed butter and sugar

Mix in your cocoa mix

Sift in your flour and baking powder - don't over mix

Pour into the two prepared tins and bake for 25-30 mins (test with a skewer to make sure its cooked in the centre)

All to cool and then remove from the tins

Place on a wire rack to cool completely before adding the cream filling/topping

Method : Coffee cream filling/topping

Whip 300mls whipping cream (or double cream) 

Mix 1 tsp of coffee with 2 tsp of boiling water - stir till dissolved

Add to the whipped cream and fold in til mixed

Spilt into two lots and sandwich one half in-between the two cakes and use the other half to spread on the top.

Dust with cocoa powder and add walnuts/pecans if you wish :D 

Enjoy!

Feeling festive

So this started off the feeling festive bug......

So then I listed all of these in my Etsy shop.....

Which then led to lots of little ginger cuties globe-trotting their little sugared socks off :D

Lorraine Pascale and my Kmix win!!

I am a huge fan of celebrity chef Lorraine Pascale, I've followed her from her early days creating delicious deserts and cakes on TV and was gutted I never got to visit her cupcake shop in London before it closed. 

I love her new healthy eating lifestyle and following her on Instagram and you tube has really motivated me to be healthier and more active. 

Amongst posting delicious recipes and fitness tips Lorraine also gives away some fantastic items from her sponsors. Every time, I have entered in the hope of winning and two weeks ago I did just that!!!! I won!!!! And what a prize I won too, a brand new Kenwood Kmix mixer. I couldn't believe it. I'd had a pretty crappy day so to find out I had won really made my day. 

Lorraine is so lovely, I messaged her straight back to say thank you and she replied and even said hi to my Dad too :) 

Can't wait to give it a whirl and make some cakes with it. At the moment it is sitting pretty on my kitchen bench and very pretty it looks indeed! 

Spppoooookkkyy!!

OK well here I am again, playing that age old game of blog catch up. This is what you get when you can never find anything to blog about and then low and behold it all comes at once. If there was ever an award for sporadic blogging I'd be right up at the top. 

So please excuse the fact that this post is from Halloween, if you are a follower of Instagram then you will have already seen these photos. I've always been a huge fan of Halloween, mainly because I like a damn good excuse for decorating the house and behaving like a 10 year old all over again.

We did our best to make the front of the house as spooky looking as we could and it has vastly improved from last years efforts. Mr. B added the red light to make it look a bit more sinister, but I was worried we would be giving people the wrong impression of what we were offering ha ha ha. Maybe a red light would have been better if it were green :D

I cant take any praise for this years pumpkin as Mr.B took care of it. Didn't he do a grand job of it. I covered the huge log with cobwebs and added a tarantula....we also had a flashing "BEWARE" sign on our gate but I couldn't  get a good photograph of it. 

We had quite a few children from the village on the hunt for treats and they had all made a fantastic effort of dressing up. We let Mr. Pumpkin head burn right throughout the night and reluctantly decided to put him in the bin 4days later. I did however roast the pumpkin seeds on the afternoon and they were delicious. I'd never thought about roasting them before but noticed that quite a few people in blog land were doing it so I thought why not give it a go!! 

I'll post the easy instructions at some point if you're interested?

'THE' list

Oooops I've just remembered that I promised to tell you all about my 'LIST' but I think I forgot about it just a little bit :) In the break after Christmas just before I went back to work I sat down and started writing a list of things I wanted to do or learn in 2015. I don't really tend to make New Year's Resolutions, and this year especially I wanted to be able to look back at a year where I really took charge of business. Also having a list to work to seems to be the best way to get myself motivated. I do love a good list, don't you?

So would you like to see that list? 

OK here it is:

1. Master twist locks

2. Learn how to bake red velvet cupcakes

3. Master piping

4. Go on holiday!

5. Learn to crochet

6. Master zippered pockets

7. Learn to ice skate - without falling on my butt!

8. Eat healthier

9. Drink more water

10. Meet up with the lovely Sarah and Rachel (I promise ladies I will do this!!)

11. De-stash some fabrics

I think its a reasonably achievable list, some sewing/crafting goals and some personal ones thrown in too. Now you might be thinking how is "Go on holiday" on a to do list but since we haven't been on holiday for the last 3 years its definitely on my to do list. We have thought about going to Cornwall or Devon, as I'm a northern gal the south coast was a little too far to travel when I was younger. Then maybe next year we can stretch to a overseas holiday. Obviously you can see the progress with the sewing/crafty goals here on my blog and I'm making a concious effort to eat healthier and move about more. 

I went ice skating at Christmas and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it, I hadn't been skating since I was 14. I'm proud to say that I didn't fall over once and by the time the session was over I wanted to skate again. Nottingham has a pretty impressive ice rink and I have heard a little rumour that they do a disco session on a Friday and Saturday night!! I'd like to make more time for fun activities and since Mr.B can already skate its a great opportunity to do something fun together. So the general goal for 2015 is to live healthier, have more fun, push myself more and spend more time with my lovely friends. 

I've got this list nailed!!! :D

Makeover...

Last Summer I decided that I wanted to paint my studio, so I put together this little collection of images that inspired me. 

I love this colour, as I picked it from a Dulux chart it does not have a name just a number. So for argument sake I will say it's mint green. I find it very relaxing and is a great colour to match with. 

I've already been and bought the fabric boxes that fit into my IKEA shelving unit and have my eye on a new chair for my sewing desk but that will have to wait until I have some spare pennies. I've had a huge clear out and re-organised all of my sewing stash ready for my studio makeover. 

I picked these up at B&Q a couple of weeks ago in their sale. A teal coloured throw and two cushions. I don't really have a colour scheme but I figure that grey, teal and orange look really nice together with the mint green. I also have some prints to go up on the wall once it's all decorated. Just need to get this banister finished and then I can get started.

Red velvet yumminess...

Did I tell you about my list? No? Well I shall save that for another post. So on this 'list' was to attempt to make Red velvet cupcakes. I know I have made cupcakes before and some of you might remember that I went on a cupcake decorating course a few year ago. But all my previous baking has been based on the 3 egg rule. You know you take 3 eggs and weigh them, what ever the weight this is how much butter, flour and sugar you need. 

This recipe however came from Nigella's website and to be truthful the ingredients scared me a little. 

I've never used cider vinegar in cakes before or buttermilk for that matter. But I thought Nigella can't be wrong ( I love Nigella she's my favourite TV chef). I loved the deep red colour of the batter once I'd added half a ton (not really) of the red food paste. They smelt devine whilst they were cooking and I managed to get a modest 28 cupcakes out of the mixture. 

I made cream cheese frosting for the tops, again Nigella's recipe and it is the nicest one I have tried to date. Then I grated some chocolate on the top of the frosting. I took some to work and sent some over to Mr.B's parents, the rest were consumed by us with many a cup of tea.

I'm glad I took the plunge and tried out this recipe the cake was deliciously chocolatly and moist and light. This photos not great but they really were red, given it was a more demure maroon colour rather than the rich crimson of the raw batter but it was good enough for me and my testers who all said they were yummy!

So Red velvet cupcakes = tick! 

Almost...

Proudly displaying my very first attempt of piping properly!!! It turned out better than I had hoped. To me it looks magnificent but I think that is mainly due to the fact I have always wanted to accomplish piping and that I didn't have to unpick it once. Was it a fluke I got it first time round? 

I can't really say that for the piping on the seams of the main part of the bag, now that was tricky!! I've come to the conclusion that the thick piping along side the canvas material and extra interfacing to make the bag really sturdy was just too much for me and my little machine to handle. There was quite a bit if swearing and unpicking but it paid off in the end.

I'm really happy with the overall shape of the bag. I just want to do a little bit of tweaking (as I always do). There are some little side panels to fit, a twist lock and the strap of course. Then I am going to tackle the lining, which includes the next thing on my "learn to" list which is to master the zippered pocket!!! 😧

Wish me luck x

1st's

So last week saw my Great Nephew celebrating his 1st Birthday! I can barely believe how fast this last year has gone. And he has grown so much over that year, given that he was was born premature and was so tiny and fragile it's amazing to see how strong and happy go lucky he is. 

I love to give presents and a gorgeous little boys birthday was so much fun to buy for, in the end I decided on this gorgeous silver helicopter money box.

Whilst googling I found this cute website called www.my1styears.com they have the most adorable gifts for babies. They even give you the option of adding personalised ribbon to your gift and they come in a gorgeous 'Tiffany' style gift box, yes I know I nearly squealed when I saw this. Fabulous!

Also this week saw my first return to the studio in quite a long time. It felt good, I felt more organised and motivated of what I want to acheive to move forward. I wrapped up the winners giveaway prize from my week off, tidied up and started drawing out a pattern for one of the new bags. Hopefully this is the start of new chapter. 

Happy Easter!

We've spent a lovely weekend relaxing with my parents, eating good food and chatting. I am yet to make a start on our chocolate eggs but I'm sure later on this evening when we get home I will manage to make a hole in a few ;)

A long weekend ahead...

Today was the start of a very long weekend for me, no day job now until next Wednesday!! *punches the air*

So ashamedly I have spent most of the day in my PJ's, in my defence I have done ALL the ironing and made some lemon and vanilla cupcakes, oh yes as well as vacuuming the house. So not bad for having a day off.

I've also been busy adding some new items to my website, including these gorgeous clutch bags and trying to get through the mountain of emails that have been building up this week. We're travelling up north tomorrow to spend a couple of days with my parents and then I intend to spend Monday and Tuesday working on some custom orders. Over the past week my order book has started to fill up fast. They all seem to be varied projects too which I like so cant wait to get started. 

Going to try really hard not to spend the weekend scoffing chocolate eggs but I just cant guarantee that will happen so lets not mention it on Monday ;) 

Have a great Easter everyone xx

Learning to crochet....at last

Ever since I was about 12 I'd wanted to learn to crochet, I knew how to knit at a basic level (this has never progressed) but was always intrigued by 'knitting with one needle' which is how I saw it. I'm not really sure why I never tried it, maybe it was that other hobbies just got in the way. 

Last year I bought a note book (which I keep in my bag for writing ideas in) and in the front page I wrote:

"I want to........"

First line said "1. Learn to crochet" followed by another four projects I'd like to conquor. There was never a time limit and with most things with me they stay on a list and I'm still saying the same thing the year after. But a few weeks ago I just had the urge to search on Etsy for some crochet hooks and within about five minutes they were in my shopping basket and paid for. To be honest I'd pretty much forgotten I'd ordered them (yes my brain is rubbish at remembering things I've done) and was so excited when they arrived with the postman.

I already had some left over wool from a blanket that I'd made Nell just after Christmas so I thought I'll just have a go. I found some fab tutorials on Youtube, too many really. I found myself flitting between videos to see how different they were but then found a couple that were really basic, just what I needed. 

I decided that the wool I had wasn't really suitable (any excuse to buy craft materials) so I ordered two balls of wool from Knit Nottingham which arrived today. If you look at the photo above you can see how ridiculously chunky the magenta wool is :D 

I love to learn new skills and I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into a crochet project soon.

Don't worry I'm not trading in my fabrics for balls of wool, in fact my next project is going to be to make a roll for my crochet hooks and I have the perfect fabric in mind for it too.

Great mugs of cocoa

Now I know that Christmas is well and truly over but I couldn't let January go by without showing you these custom made Cocoa Mug Decorations.

You may remember that last year I made some custom gingerbread decorations for a lovely lady called Mary in Atlanta, the little 'girl' gingerbread men/women had bows on their heads and on the back of each decoration were her children's names. 

Mary asked me last year if I could design and make some Hot Cocoa Mug decorations, again with her children's name on the back. Well this is the finished project, I love how they turned out and the look fab hanging with the gingerbread fellas.

I wonder what Mary's theme will be this year???

Gigantic GBM

Watch out little gingerbread man!!!! There's a giant you!!

I've always wanted to make a larger version of my gingerbread men but never had the time. Over Christmas I shut myself away in my studio and came out with this 'little' fella.

Cant decide whether to put him up for adoption, give him away or keep him for myself???

For the boy contd.....

Firstly, Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2014, lets hope this year is a blast.

Back in September you may have seen this sketch, which then turned into this, and then this....well here it is all finished. 

I used a baby blue cotton fabric for the centre which was backed with interfacing to make it more rigid for sewing the felt to, then added a cute mini polka dot border.

The letters and bear were cut from felt and hand sewn to the cotton.

I just love to hand sew :) 

It was all finished and wrapped in time for Elijah's Christening. 

I'm thinking about doing some more textile pieces like this in the future.

Christmas Market - the Riverbank - Sunday 8th Dec

Next Sunday I will be here at the Riverbank, selling at their Christmas Market, open from 11am-5pm. 

This will be your last chance to get your hands on some fab handmade Christmas gifts in person.

See you there :D

Love Patchwork and Quilting issue 2

In amongst all the crazy prep for Christmas I was asked by the very lovely editor of Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine Jen, to make and write a tutorial for my very popular fabric boxes. Even though I was super busy I said yes, I love to write tutes and relished the fact that it was a new challenge as I had to make part of the project patchwork.

As I'm no quilter or patchwork artist, I stuck to quite an easy format but I think they turned out rather well. I love the photos they staged and love how retro they look. The fabric I used is by Melody Miller and was supplied by the Eternal Maker.

I also had to provide a high res photo of myself *gulp*. As I don't have any 'recent' photos I asked Chris if he would take one of me especially. So after a little bit of make up application and a change of clothes we came up with this. This is me *waves* Helloooooooo

1st Christmas Market of 2013

This was me last weekend at the Farndon Boathouse Christmas Market. I thought that since I've been absent from my blog for a little while you would all understand if I showed what I'd been up to.....making all this lovely lot for my fairs.

It was a lovely day and the fair was quite busy, there was a brass band, mulled wine and mince pies, lots of fantastic stalls and Santa was there too :) I took a large selection of products, some new clutch bags, mini clutch bags and purses.

I also took along some of my new felt swirl brooches that I've been keeping under wraps, these proved to be popular and they come in these cute gift boxes.

I also made a selection of these felt rings, in large and small I was sporting one for most of the day but as it was a little chilly I did give in and put my gloves on a few times :)

I love the new animal print fabric I bought in just before Christmas, my favourite is the blue print at the top.

I also made a large selection of my fabric boxes but this time they come as a set of two, large and small.

My felt flower hair bands made an appearance don't they look cheery all stood in a line together.

I've missed doing craft fairs, I love being able to chat to other stall holders and getting to chat to customers. Although I always give the best customer service I can through my website and etsy store, I don't think you can be actual face to face interaction.

Make up bags were also popular, they make great Christmas gifts.

My little ginger soldiers were with me again, don't they look cute on this little stand (which was actually a mug tree).

And their smaller counter part, the mini gingerbread men brooches were also there, proudly displayed on their very own stand.

We're all packed and ready for this weekends fairs, Tom Browns Brasserie on Saturday 10-4pm and the Riverbank Sunday 11-5pm.