Last week I posted my Bake List which is my top 12 'must bakes' which I will attempt to achieve during the next year or so. Today is the turn of my Cook List. these are my top 12 'must cook' recipes which I have never made before. So, in no particular order, here is my Cook List:
The Cook List
1. Lamb shank pie
2. Boeuf bourguignon (as per the Julia Child cookbook from the Julie/Julia Project)
3. Ragú and polenta (as per the Two Greedy Italians)
4. Cloutie dumpling (as per our secret family recipe)
5. Steak and Guinness pie
6. Onion bhajis and samosas
7. Mini beef wellingtons
8. Salmon en croute
9. Chicken breast stuffed with haggis and served with a Drambuie sauce
10. Beetroot chips (like the Tyrells ones you get that look like pot pourri)
11. Sausage rolls, from scratch inc pastry
12. 40 garlic clove chicken (as per Nigella Lawson)
So there it is! Have you noticed how not a single one of these dishes is particularly healthy? I think I shall have to do one a month so not to end up the size of a double decker!
What would be on your Cook List?
A space for creativity
Friday 30 September 2011
Tuesday 27 September 2011
Weekend pics
Last weekend saw me holding my third stall at the Vintage and Handmade Market in Chelmsford and so I thought I'd share a few pics of the stall.
Next Saturday, I'll be in Gidea Park at the Havering Handmade Autumn Fair, so pop in and say hi if you're in the area.
Next Saturday, I'll be in Gidea Park at the Havering Handmade Autumn Fair, so pop in and say hi if you're in the area.
Thursday 22 September 2011
Market preparations
This Saturday I will be at the Vintage and Handmade Market in Chelmford's Shire Hall so I'm busy getting my stock organised and ready to go. It's always a juggling act trying to get new and existing stock ready while continuing to do paid work and run a household etc. This week has been no different and there is still an element of last minute organising but there are some great new ideas in the pipeline so watch this space, people!
If you're in the Chelmsford area, it would be great to see you on Saturday. The market is full of vintage and handmade stalls so theres's something for everyone. It's free entry and the best part is the vintage tearoom run by the lovely Plum Fairy who serves tea and homemade cakes on beautiful vintage china. So if you're out shopping and fancy a bit of cake and mooch round, come along to the Shire Hall at the top of the High Street, 10-4.
Hope to see you there!
PS. If you do come to the Vintage and Handmade Market then you can get 10% off when you spend £20 with Princess Crafts just quote 'blog'.
If you're in the Chelmsford area, it would be great to see you on Saturday. The market is full of vintage and handmade stalls so theres's something for everyone. It's free entry and the best part is the vintage tearoom run by the lovely Plum Fairy who serves tea and homemade cakes on beautiful vintage china. So if you're out shopping and fancy a bit of cake and mooch round, come along to the Shire Hall at the top of the High Street, 10-4.
Hope to see you there!
PS. If you do come to the Vintage and Handmade Market then you can get 10% off when you spend £20 with Princess Crafts just quote 'blog'.
Wednesday 21 September 2011
Feeding the fabric addiction
Any crafter/sewer must, at one time or another, admit to a wee bit of an addiction to fabric and prints. Well, today's the day! My name is Kerry and I'm a fabric addict.
I try not to feed this addiction too much but yesterday I visited my local fabric shop of choice, the aladdin's cave of material. *swoon* I had to go to the shop as I've been asked to make another of my royal wedding tea cosies and required the fabric. I was very good though and before I went I did a quick inventory of my stash and earmarked the 'good bits' to become various things which I want to make. So while I was in the shop I made myself stick to the shopping list of royal wedding fabric, wadding, calico, wooden buttons and ribbons for my projects. I was most impressed with myself when I got to the til and realised I only bought one thing that wasn't on my list!! (this is probably beacause I didn't let myself even look at anything else in the shop!) This is it:
These are my selections from my current stash for some new projects and new product ideas for the Princess Crafts shop:
The photos are a bit rubbish on account of it being so bloomin' dark today!
I did feed my addiction but managed to do it in a controlled manner, so go me!
PS. Come to see me at the Vintage and Handmade Market this Saturday in Chelmsford and get 10% off when you spend £20 just quote 'blog'.
I try not to feed this addiction too much but yesterday I visited my local fabric shop of choice, the aladdin's cave of material. *swoon* I had to go to the shop as I've been asked to make another of my royal wedding tea cosies and required the fabric. I was very good though and before I went I did a quick inventory of my stash and earmarked the 'good bits' to become various things which I want to make. So while I was in the shop I made myself stick to the shopping list of royal wedding fabric, wadding, calico, wooden buttons and ribbons for my projects. I was most impressed with myself when I got to the til and realised I only bought one thing that wasn't on my list!! (this is probably beacause I didn't let myself even look at anything else in the shop!) This is it:
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| Medium sized cupcake print - perfect for a new product idea I've had! |
The photos are a bit rubbish on account of it being so bloomin' dark today!
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| Shoes and handbags on blue background |
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| Kitchen equipment - retro and modern at the same time |
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| Musical notes |
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| Lime green birides on grey background - scrummy! |
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| Teeny tiny ballet shoes in vibrant pink |
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| Ballerina fairies - I wish this was wallpaper for my office! |
I did feed my addiction but managed to do it in a controlled manner, so go me!
PS. Come to see me at the Vintage and Handmade Market this Saturday in Chelmsford and get 10% off when you spend £20 just quote 'blog'.
Monday 19 September 2011
The Bake List
The second series of The Great British Bake Off has been amazing foodie telly and the list of things I want to learn to bake has been getting longer and longer! After reading this post on Cake and Feminism I was inspired to write my own Bake List. There's a huge list of things I want to make/eat and so I decided to write the top contenders into a list which I can work my way through (and tick off as I go along!).
There are 12 items on the list (in no particular order) which I think is plenty to be getting on with as I plan to do one a month.
The Bake List
What would be on your Bake List?
There are 12 items on the list (in no particular order) which I think is plenty to be getting on with as I plan to do one a month.
The Bake List
- Butteries
- Tarte au Citron
- Chocolate Eclairs/Profiteroles
- Pumpkin Pie
- Macaroons (flavour tbc)
- Shortbread
- Bread Rolls (flavour tbc)
- Cheese Twists
- Chocolate Pavlova
- Tipsy Cake
- Bagels
- Melting Chocolate Puddings
What would be on your Bake List?
Friday 16 September 2011
Emptying out my brain
My brain is getting full. Full of ideas, things that need done, things I want to do, things that need planned and things that need thinking about. It is times like this that I look out some paper and a pen and start writing it all down. My iPhone has an app for making lists but there's something about actually writing it down that makes me feel like I've achieved something. And the satisfaction of ticking things of the list, well...
Yesterday I dug out a notebook to start on the list writing. There is so much in my brain at the moment that for the first time ever I've actually written a list of lists that I need to make. So far I have 13 items on this list and these are just the ones off the top of my head, if I put some more thought into it I could probably bring that to 20!
Today I'll be on a long car journey (this is a scheduled post) so the notebook is coming with me and I'll be writing the lists and dumping all the stuff out of my brain to make way for new thoughts and ideas and then everything will stop being a jumbled up mess in my head. Ooh, it feels good even just thinking about that! Please note I will be a passenger as Mr PC will be driving so that I can a) make my lists b) get some crochet work done on a secret project which I will share soon.
Are you a list writer?
Yesterday I dug out a notebook to start on the list writing. There is so much in my brain at the moment that for the first time ever I've actually written a list of lists that I need to make. So far I have 13 items on this list and these are just the ones off the top of my head, if I put some more thought into it I could probably bring that to 20!
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| time for a brain dump! |
Today I'll be on a long car journey (this is a scheduled post) so the notebook is coming with me and I'll be writing the lists and dumping all the stuff out of my brain to make way for new thoughts and ideas and then everything will stop being a jumbled up mess in my head. Ooh, it feels good even just thinking about that! Please note I will be a passenger as Mr PC will be driving so that I can a) make my lists b) get some crochet work done on a secret project which I will share soon.
Are you a list writer?
Thursday 15 September 2011
Unpacking the woollies
Now that September is here, the weather is turning autumnal. Oh wait, hasn't it been autumnal all 'summer' long?? Well, now that it is officially the end of summer, thoughts are turning to winter clothing. If you're like me, you'll have a 'summer' wardrobe and a 'winter' wardrobe which get swapped about at the appropriate times of year.
These next few days all my flip flops and sandals will be boxed up and out will come the boots and seriously cosy slippers. Away go the vest tops and out come the long sleeves and the jumpers. And, I will probably treat myself to a few new cardis and some thick zip up hoodie type jumpers to make sure I'm nice and cosy whilst working from home (indoor attire only!).
I'm swithering (uming and ahing) whether to get a new winter coat or whether I can make it last a third winter. The jury is still out. But I do know that there will be plenty of new scarves on the horizon to add to my already large selection. My top fave at the moment has got to be my fuschia pink frilly wool number. And guess what, I'm also unpacking the woollies for my upcoming events and so lots of new frilly scarves (and other knitted items) on the Princess Crafts stall once again!!
They will also be reappearing in my Etsy shop once I get new photos of them all. Here's a pic of my favourite one from last year:
Watch this space, new woollies coming soon!!
These next few days all my flip flops and sandals will be boxed up and out will come the boots and seriously cosy slippers. Away go the vest tops and out come the long sleeves and the jumpers. And, I will probably treat myself to a few new cardis and some thick zip up hoodie type jumpers to make sure I'm nice and cosy whilst working from home (indoor attire only!).
I'm swithering (uming and ahing) whether to get a new winter coat or whether I can make it last a third winter. The jury is still out. But I do know that there will be plenty of new scarves on the horizon to add to my already large selection. My top fave at the moment has got to be my fuschia pink frilly wool number. And guess what, I'm also unpacking the woollies for my upcoming events and so lots of new frilly scarves (and other knitted items) on the Princess Crafts stall once again!!
They will also be reappearing in my Etsy shop once I get new photos of them all. Here's a pic of my favourite one from last year:
Watch this space, new woollies coming soon!!
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Yarn Fairy's latest delivery
You've heard me mention the Yarn Fairy before, well at the weekend, she paid another visit and left me a small bag of wool related goodness! It even had my name on it...
Here's what was inside!
The Yarn Fairy's latest delivery has added to my ever growing stash and whilst I have no plans for any of these for the time being, they are quite happy residing with all the other yarns until their fate has been decided.
And last but not least, the YF also sent me some surprise Elemis samples! If you know me, you know how happy free samples of Elemis make me! And I had to take a pic while the camera was out:
Here's what was inside!
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| Some odds and ends c/o |
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| This pink is my fave |
And last but not least, the YF also sent me some surprise Elemis samples! If you know me, you know how happy free samples of Elemis make me! And I had to take a pic while the camera was out:
Happy days!
Has the YF visited you lately?
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Now stocked in 3 shops!
Hello! A wee bit of excitingness for you, Princess Crafts teacup candles are now available for purchase from three retail outlets (shops, to you and me)!!
*happy dance*
Clare at The Traditional Vintage Flower Company has been stocking my teacupcandles for a while now and they receive many lovely comments (*blush*) and some have even gone to new homes!
More recently, I have started renting a space in the cabinets at the fabulous Make Do and Mend shop which is the most splendid of shops in Chelmsford. The lovely Hannah has set up a beautiful shop showcasing local artists and crafters in addition to the great workshops on offer. You can learn to knit, crochet, sew, make felt and even how to upholster a footstool! Go take a look at her website and book yourself a course, you won't regret it! Here's a few pics of the goodies I've got in her shop at the moment:
And, last but not least, I made my first 'wholesale' sale last week and some of my teacup candles will soon be ready for purchase at the Juniper Florist in Sudbury!
Small steps but big progress, so I'm feeling quite impressed with myself this week!
*happy dance*
Clare at The Traditional Vintage Flower Company has been stocking my teacupcandles for a while now and they receive many lovely comments (*blush*) and some have even gone to new homes!
More recently, I have started renting a space in the cabinets at the fabulous Make Do and Mend shop which is the most splendid of shops in Chelmsford. The lovely Hannah has set up a beautiful shop showcasing local artists and crafters in addition to the great workshops on offer. You can learn to knit, crochet, sew, make felt and even how to upholster a footstool! Go take a look at her website and book yourself a course, you won't regret it! Here's a few pics of the goodies I've got in her shop at the moment:
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| Sporting the new smaller tags |
And, last but not least, I made my first 'wholesale' sale last week and some of my teacup candles will soon be ready for purchase at the Juniper Florist in Sudbury!
Small steps but big progress, so I'm feeling quite impressed with myself this week!
Tuesday 6 September 2011
In limbo
On account of being out of action for 3.5 days (and counting) due to what I have named The Mother Of All Headaches, I'm totally behind on everything, housework, proper work, crafty work, blogging etc. While I continue my unplanned leave of absence from the rest of the world, I thought I'd let you hve a look at some new photos I took last week. These crochet goodies are destined for the Etsy shop and shall be appearing at my upcoming events. I'm quite excited about them and will share more info soon!
Normal service should resume soon!
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| (camera not included) |
Normal service should resume soon!
Friday 2 September 2011
Racing against the sun
Yesterday saw the first sunny day in what feels like an eternity so I decided to do a photoshoot of all my new candles which have been waiting for the nice weather. I realised I left it a bit late in the afternoon and so had to race against the sun as it was moving over the house to the front garden and therefore the house was casting a large shadow in the back garden. Note to self, do it at midday next time, not 3pm!
I was frantically snapping away hoping to get a few decent shots and I was also moving the table around to get it in the sun as much as possible. Late afternoon sun in our garden casts some huge shadows so that was a challenge, but it has made for some interesting photos (at least I think so).
These candlesare destined to be listed in my Etsy shop over the weekend but I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of a few and if you like any of them you can get in touch and have first dibs cos once they're gone, they're gone!
I was frantically snapping away hoping to get a few decent shots and I was also moving the table around to get it in the sun as much as possible. Late afternoon sun in our garden casts some huge shadows so that was a challenge, but it has made for some interesting photos (at least I think so).
These candlesare destined to be listed in my Etsy shop over the weekend but I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of a few and if you like any of them you can get in touch and have first dibs cos once they're gone, they're gone!
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