H&M home...

Well played H&M Home. There are at least half a dozen goodies on the website that I would very much like to get my hands on. Those fish plates, in particular, are fab. I love the shower curtain too but is that a step too far when you already own two budgies {literally}. I don't want to step over into crazy bird lady territory. Given that it is all reasonably priced, much akin to their clothing range, I could certainly see me picking up a few bits and pieces. Polka dot grey table cloth anyone?

The jar, I have to point out, isn't from H&M. Instead it's from Matalan's really quite good home range. I could help but notice its distinct similarity to the Anthropologie numbers. That said, I think it's bigger and it is certainly cheaper. Granted, the chalkboard isn't quite as fancily shaped but it is much of a muchness. Think a little visit to Matalan might be in my near future...Same goes for paying for that basket of H&M home goodies that I've got up.

B

Procrastination Organisation

Right now I'd like to be doing anything other than the mountain of reading that is lurking far too close for comfort. I've tidied and washed and put off for pretty much as long so I'm really just eeking it out now - I'm really have to start. So I did some crafty stuff instead. And then blogged about it.

In an attempt to procrastinate further, and feeling the need to be just a little bit crafty, I knocked up these books as a gift to myself, my mum and my sister.

I loved the simplicity of this notebook when I stumbled across it a few weeks ago. That and the pop of colour from the bright orange cover and I was sold. However, spending £8 on a notebook seems a little bit steep when you're not earning any money and I'm trying my hardest to be a little more frugal {we're getting there...} so I popped off down to Paperchase with a couple of ideas to hand instead.

These stickers were perfect for the pop of colour - neon pink tiny hearts, what's not to love? They were £1 for something ridiculous like 600 {they'll definitely be making an appearance on some cards!}. The kraft exercise books provided a simple backdrop that made the hearts really stand out and I simply used alphabet stamps that I've had for quite a while to add my own "i love lists" to the front. I really love the finished result! It probably took me less than 10 minutes to make all 3 and I can see them with a range of slogans tailored to the person {for one friend, the expression "sorting my life out" springs instantly to mind}. So for a grand total of £6, I have 3 gorgeous notebooks and roughly 597 neon hearts.

I think they make lovely gifts - handmade without looking naff {ahem}. I can imagine a bundle of all 3 tied up with twine - who doesn't love a new notebook {or is that just me showing how cool I really am?}.

I've decided to start making cards again too. I spent a small fortune panic buying cards the other day - I only needed the one and got sucked in by all the letterpress charm...I did make my own for a while and then simply got lazy about it. Being still time poor but increasingly cash poor as well, friends and family can expect a few more handmade cards around the place. Decorated with hand stamped letters and neon hearts. Lovely.

Love B x

Gifting...

I think this will become a pretty staple gift in our home so apologies in advance to any of you who read this and then receive one yourself!

It was a friend's birthday the other day and not wanting to go round empty handed I popped into Anthropologie in town. I could spend a small fortune in that shop but I exercised restraint {ahem} and came away with just one of their monogrammed mugs {well and some other bits and pieces but they're all gifts too. Honest!}

I love these - we own 2 ourselves - and I think they make a lovely gift for someone. Still, I was feeling like it was a bit meh so when I saw this gorgeous bunch of yellow roses in M&S I grabbed a bunch to bring home with me.

I recently read a post on A Cup of Jo about making supermarket flowers look extra special so I set about using some of the tips I'd read to encourage the flowers to open up and look slightly more full of life. Cutting the stems under water is apparently a trick, putting them in hot water and gently opening up the petals and blowing on them helped too.

I trimmed the stems right down so the flowers were just above the edge of the mug and removed the leaves, though these weren't visible anyway. After that I simply fastened them all together with an elastic band and moved the 7 individual stems about until they filled out the whole of the top of the mug {so you couldn't see the stems, if that makes sense?}

Another tip I'd picked up, was wrapping the cut ends of the roses in wet paper towel and wrapping cling film around this to help the flowers survive the gift giving process.

The end result?

A beautiful gift because lets be honest, what girl does not like flowers? And who doesn't need their own monogrammed mug for a cuppa after some exhuberant birthday celebrations? 

What do you think?

Love B x

Chicken, Mushroom and Pancetta Pie

Now, lets be honest. This baby isn't going to win any awards for its looks but it was utterly delicious and perfect for a Sunday afternoon where I was feeling a little 'fragile'. Plus, it was the inaugural pie in my new {to me} enamel pie dish. I had had my eye on these for a while {after watching a few too many Jamie's 15 minute meals} but I was reluctant to spend basically any money on them. This one was a stonking 99p in a charity shop that I happened to pop in to and it's the perfect size for a generous pie for two. Clearly the charity shop gods were smiling on me that day!

On to this bad boy. It was originally a Jamie Oliver recipe but aside from the ingredients, I really just played around with the whole thing. Keep in mind these quantities made a large-ish pie for two people

Ingredients:

chicken thighs {you could use breast if you'd prefer}

6 spring onions, finely chopped

8 closed cup mushrooms, roughly chopped

400ml chicken stock

2 tbsp single cream

1 pack of pancetta {or finely chopped bacon}

Cornflour

1 bay leaf

Thyme

1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry

Egg/milk for brushing

I had roasted my chicken the day before for dinner. If you aren't using leftovers, roast your meat before you start cooking. In a large pan over a medium heat, fry your mushrooms and spring onions with a little bit of oil. Add in your pancetta too. Tear or chop your chicken into pieces that are roughly the same size and add these. This was probably the most time consuming aspect as the meat I was using was still on the bone and a bit fiddly. 

Turn down the heat slightly and add your stock, cream and seasoning, including the bay leaf. Go easy on the salt as the pancetta will already bring a bit of salt to the whole she-bang. Mix some of the stock with a tablespoon or so of cornflour and stir this through the liquid to help thicken it up.

Cut your puff pastry in half and use one to line the bottom of your pie dish. This is controversial and Mary Berry would have a heart attack, but I couldn't really be fussed with blind baking the base and I'm partial to a bit of 'soggy bottom' in my pie though if it's not your thing, simply skip this step entirely. Or bake it beforehand with some rice to stop it 'puffing' up.

Transfer the meat and vegetables into the pie dish with a slotted spoon. You want to pack in as much as possible, lets be honest. Continue to let the sauce simmer away for a few more minutes to thicken up a bit then transfer that over too, being careful not to spill over.

Put your pastry lid on top and tuck it in nice and snug, folding over any edges and pressing them down with a fork. I meant to use my pastry bird to get my pastry top nice and crispy but totally forgot. Score the top of your pastry with a knife then, using a pastry brush, cover the top with milk or beaten egg to help it go that nice golden brown colour. I cooked mine in the middle/top of the oven at gas mark 6 for about 20 minutes, turning it once so it didn't burn in the hot spots of my oven.

We enjoyed ours with mashed potato {heavy on the cream and butter. Oops!} but some green veg wouldn't have gone un-appreciated! The perfect addition to a Sunday afternoon curled up.

Love B x

kitchen storage

I love these vintage style storage canisters by Wayne Hemingway at John Lewis: the vintage type faces and bright colours are eye catching without being obnoxious and I love how the colours stand out but are matte at the same time. Definitely adding them to the kitchen wishlist.

Love B x

Back to School

Perhaps not the most 'wow' of wish lists but heading back to university has me packing my bag up again and preparing for another 5 week stretch of lectures and tutorials. There is still that vague back to school feeling, though its wearing thin over here. Home stretch though, and my thoughts still turn to how I could make the every day just a little bit brighter - even if it's just thanks to the polka dots on my shoes or a bright orange notebook!

This flask would be perfect for the endless amount of tea I need to get me through a day and anyone who knows me would vouch for my love of lists {I think I need to purchase this notebook by Happy Jackson}. The handbag would be a huge downsize for my usual everything-but-the-kitchen-sink numbers but I'm still on a decluttering kick which is even extending to my accessories - it would be good to not need a map to navigate through the contents of my bag!

The glasses, devoid of lenses and from H&M, are a simple reminded to update the frames I've now had for a couple of years and the padded coat? Well that is simply because I live in Scotland. It's nothing fancy but daily jaunts into the playground make it an absolute necessity.

Love B x

Prawn Ramen

This was another Slimming World Recipe that I knocked up during my week off. I had my first Wagamama experience not that long ago - late to the party, I know - and I was particularly envious of the giant bowl of ramen that Sandy ordered. Looking for some healthier dishes to plate up saw me stumbling across this one and I just had to give it a go. It packed full of vegetables and you could limit or bulk up on noodles as much or as little as you like. We made probably enough for 3 or 4 and S was quite happy to polish off the rest of the portions which gives you a clue as to how more-ish it is. The addition of the ginger and the chilli give it some much needed heat that makes it a perfect comfort food dish without being too heavy.

ingredients:

3 or 4 'nests' of noodles

1tbsp sesame seeds

a good couple of glugs of soy sauce

1 pack of stirfry veg - I used one with Edamame beans in

2 tbsps of lazy garlic or a couple of cloves

5cm of peeled and chopped root ginger

1 de-seeded red chilli, finely chopped

2 pak choi

A bag of frozen king prawns {defrosted first, of course!}

1litre veg or chicken stock

1 sachet of miso soup paste

It's actually surprisingly simple, just like making stir fry until you add the liquid. Cook your noodles as per the instructions then drain and leave to one side, keeping them warm.

Put the wok on quite a high heat, then stir fry your sesame seeds in a tiny bit of oil until golden brown then add a glug of soy sauce {it might start to pop and spit at this point - careful}. You can put this to one side if you would like, in a different bowl. Stir fry your veg, chilli and garlic in a little bit of oil. Go easy on how much you use - if I'm trying to be healthy, I put the olive oil in a spray bottle then I can control it. After a few minutes, add your prawns and the pak choi {you could even add the prawns in last minute if they're already cooked and just need heated through}.

Turn the head down, add the stock, the miso and another glug of soy sauce.

I put my noodles in the bowl first and then ladel-ed the soup and veg over the top but I presume you could just put the noodles straight into the mix.

Really tasty, really comforting and still low in fat and chokablock with vegetables! Perfect!

Love B x