Spring at last?

- "Hey, how ya doin'?"

- "Good thanks, and you?"

Don't you find that we often say we are "good", "fine", or "well" even if sometimes it's not entirely true? I find myself saying that and then just afterwards, I realise it's not totally the case. I guess we give that reply for several reasons; it takes too long to say why we are not ok or we might think people ask us how we are just out of good manners so we would probably bother them if we were to say "actually, I am not all that well"! It calls for a 'lol', doesn't it? ;)

Enough of those reflexions...

On a less nerdy note, spring might be on its way or it could be that we won't have much of a spring and jump right into summer. The trees and bushes are in bloom and all the daffodils are showing off their lovely flowers.

It's so much more pleasant to walk and be out of doors when the weather is so generous, providing long days and enough warmth to make it comfortable.

My daughter and I have started going out and about again, by the riverside and the park. The ducks certainly seemed to like the attention, or maybe it was just the bread...

At home, as usual we have been busy. Justine is gradually playing with the toys she got for her birthday. She already wore her new booties and pyjamas. She took her new bag to school and had her new plushy key chain on the zip. Plenty more to go:)

I  have been baking, cooking and just trying myself at origami.

Grilled courgettes with melted cheese

Today I made biryani for dinner, fish biryani. Absolutely yummy! I made a cucumber salad to go with it. I know it's daunting to make but it doesn't have to be . You just have to start the marinating the night before. All you need to do is marinate fish, beef or chicken in yogurt in which you mix ground coriander, shredded mint leaves, salt, cinnamon powder, cloves powder, cruched garlic and ginger, melted ghee. Then you need to grab a large potato, cut it into wedges and fry in oil till all sides are golden. You also need onions, quite a lot, cut in slices and fry on medium low until golden and crispy. Rinse some rice in cold water, drain. Time for layering; thin rice layer, some potato wedges and some onions, rice layer, fish/chicken/beef (brown chicken or beef first beforehand), rice layer, potato and onions, rice layer and finally rest of onions.  Now infuse some boiling hot water with saffron and mix in some salt. Pour this over the layers until hot water just goes past the top rice layer. Cover and cook for 25 minutes without opening the lid. Enjoy with slices of cucumber.

I am by no means an origami expert but I can say I mastered the folds and unfolds and my favourite piece of origami of the moment is this cute heart bookmark. So easy and so useful too. We use them in our bedtime storybooks and we offered them as gifts.

After dinner, since I totally forgot to take my daughter to her swimming lesson (ha ha ha), I thought I might as well make her a scrumptious cake. She is a plain kind of girl (I mean she likes her pasta mostly plain, plain cakes, crackers separate from her cheese...you get me) so I went ahead and made Japanese cloudy sponge cake. So yum! So fluffy! Tastes like taiyaki (little fish-shaped custard filled buns).

I think I have done enough blogging for today. Enjoy reading through my blog and please do ask me any questions about what you read. Have a good day, afternoon or evening, depending where you are in the world. Fairy kisses....

Craft, cook, dance, sing and laugh!

Craft, cook, dance, sing and laugh!

Yeah, I mean it; if you do what you like, you will be happy. Not rocket science. I often came home from work feeling exhausted and wanting only one thing: shut the outside world out and put my feet up with a cup of steaming tea. However great that might sound, it's not always possible. We all have responsibilities and chores to do. I decided anyway, no matter how tired I might feel, my 'putting my feet up after work' time would not exceed a half hour. I get on with doing things and not just chores but playing Legos with my daughter, trying out a new bake, crafting something or listening to music and dancing to it. It is working in making me feel loads better. I don't feel as exhausted because I am happy to be self motivating myself to doing the activities I enjoy, if only I begin them and don't fall into a slumber. 

Here is an Easter basket I made out of old magazine pages. Paper crafting is a great way to recycle old magazines, which are usually colourful and bright.

Easter weaved paper basket

It is presently nearly 11 pm a2nd I 2have just taken out a batch of rolls from the oven (and have also eaten 2 already with butter!). Justine will have them for breakfast and I am guessing she won't have hers with butter or any other spread. To be fair, those rolls are delicious as they are. 

Soft pillowy rolls

These rolls are easy to make, hardly any kneading required and they bake for 20 minutes. However, it must be said that they need double rising; the time can be well spent painting your nails or doing your hair or even watching an episode of your favourite series on Netflix or Amazon Prime videos. Alternatively, if you have children, you could end up being Mia or Stephanie in a Lego session😉. They are worth it though. So delicious! I hope the Pioneer Woman won't mind that I reveal that the recipe is from her website. I absolutely love her show and her recipes. Please visit her website and try out the delicious recipes. It's no nonsense meals that are hearty, scrumptious and family-friendly. 

Anyway, time to dash, to read my book before some shut-eye. Have a good day, morning, afternoon, evening or night, wherever you may be. Until next time...

Nailed it!

I know this blog is supposed to be about life (yours) and style but let's face it, we spend a lot of our life eating or more precisely, cooking, thinking about what to make for dinner and so on. Therefore it's not surprising that recipes, tips and tricks are useful.
Everyone loves a little pot de crème or creme caramel dessert. I tweaked all the recipes I have found along the years and came up with my own very successful recipe. Silky, delicious and indulgent, this is an easy recipe to get perfect creme caramel every time.
It serves 6 in little ramekins or 4 in medium sized ones.
You will need 3 large eggs, 200ml whole milk, 100ml whipping cream, 3 heaped Tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Beat everything together with an electric whisk. You will also need 1/3 of a cup of granulated sugar to caramelise for the bottom of the ramekins. If caramelising sugar on the hob is not your strong point, do it in the microwave in a heatproof jug; use a small jug to make pouring easy. Add 1 and a half Tbsp water to the sugar and place it in the microwave on medium high and set to 2 and a half minutes. Then you have to do it by eye (and nose;)) until you get a nice brown colour and that unmistakable caramel smell. Increase the time by increments of 10 seconds. Stop the sugar cooking by placing the jug quickly in a bowl of cold water. Get your kettle ready with boiling water for the water bath. Pour the caramel quickly in the ramekins while still liquid. Then place the ramekins in a baking dish or deep tray and pour boiling water in the tray to about halfway up the ramekins. Pour the milk and egg mixture in the ramekins and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes. Your pots are ready! If you like nutmeg, grate a little bit finely on the surface of the creme caramel. Chill your little pots for an even better experience.

Happy Easter holidays!

Have you been having fun? We have been on Easter break for about five days. Rest was our priority as the last five weeks have been pretty full on at work and I am sure Justine worked very hard at school too:)

I always find time to cook tasty balanced meals though, no matter how tired I am. Justine has sometimes helped;) She loves mixing up various soaps in the bath (maybe she will be a chemist) and she extends her love of mixing in the kitchen!

I have also been crafting and watching my favourite movies again. I am reading The Hobbit (again!) and trying to make it last. 

Below, I am sharing some recipes with you and some ideas to make your everyday cooking easier. 

Pancakes 

These pancakes are easy to make, perfect for breakfast or snacking and they are practically foolproof. Here's how to make them:

Mix 150ml whole milk with one egg and 50g all-purpose flour. Add a dash of vanilla extract and beat well with a hand whisk. Last but not least, melt about half a Tbsp of butter and pour it in the mixture and beat again. Let this rest while you get the pan ready. A non-stick large frying pan is your buddy here. Heat it up on high until it's pretty hot then pour in a little bit of oil (about a tsp). Tilt the pan to coat it well with the oil. Reduce the heat to medium. Beat the batter before pouring each portion in the pan; there is enough for four big pancakes. Make sure there is a little oil in the pan before cooking each pancake and cook each of them for about one minute on the first side and 30 seconds on the other side. Spread with honey, Nutella or peanut butter or anything you want really!

Justine with the pizza we made

We made pizza a few times too. Making pizza at home is not as daunting as some might think. I followed Jamie Oliver's recipe; it always gives a great result. The crust is perfect and the topping leaves room for anything you might want to add or vary.

Me:)

Two of our colleagues left the college and we went out for a farewell dinner with them at the Indian Zest (by the riverside). The meal was lovely, the decor amazing yet simple and the staff very efficient. I took that picture just before going out. I am forty years old now, in case you were wondering about my age;)

Justine as Harry Potter for World Book Day

Justine dressed up as Harry for World Book Day:) and soon we will be going to Harry Potter world in Watford. We are both very excited!

My little caramel creme pots

These caramel creme pots are easy to put together. I will make sure to include the recipe soon. Below is the crochet basket I made for Justine to hold her Easter treats. I used chunky fabric yarn for it and basket stitch.

The card we made for one of our dearest friends

Feel free to ask me questions about the posts and its contents. Enjoy!

Let your creativity run free

Hi guys!
How are we all? It's feeling properly like winter here in the south east of England; one figure temperatures (in degrees Celsius of course;)) most of the day. When it's chilly outside, it often means that we spend more time indoors, which is perfect for cooking comfort food (I know that often comes with a shedload of calories!), baking, crafting or watching movies cuddled up in a soft blanket.
I have been doing all of the above. Lol. Let me show you some of the things we made, Justine and me. As the saying goes, a picture speaks louder than a thousand words. So, here goes...

Fish curry with okras (ladies fingers)

Justine helping with cake decorating

                                      Paper origami lanterns to replace the fairy light covers

Citrus notebook made with felt and hot glue

Bracelet made using a knitting doll (french knitting)

Kiana, Justine's doll wrapped up warmly in her newly knitted scarf

The felt owl now has a warm scarf too:)

Justine's homemade squishy and clay sundae

As you can see, we have been busy in a good way. Today Justine is at her daddy and I always miss her when she's away but I know she will have a great time. I will keep you posted on what's happening in our partof the world, so check in when you have a spare minute.

Autumn crafts

Hi there readers. What have you been up to lately? I have been crafting, working, spending time with friends. I have taken up knitting again after a long time of not doing any, only to find out that I am not very good at it;) So, to make up for it, I am watching lots of videos on YouTube or visiting websites that help people like me:)) I am getting slightly better... I learnt to "increase" in knitting and also to change colour. I never really managed that before. My little girl is mad about slime and squishies. Her idea of crafting is somewhat different from mine,lol.

My daughter is doing a project on Egypt at school and we made a mummy and sarcophagus for her to take in. They loved it and put it on display for parents' evening:)

I wish you all a festive Halloween! See you soon for another post.

What on earth...?

It's been cold and wet, it's been muggy and warm, at least too warm for the season...or has it? Maybe it's me having no recollection of the last eight winters.
Enough small talk! So things have been busy around here; Justine is in year 3 and eager to learn and demonstrate her independence, at work it's been hectic, as expected! All this left me very little time to write or for my other hobbies (you know I have plenty;)).
I have decided though that, for things to happen, I must make time. I was on my own this Saturday and thought I would only heat up a can of soup and eat it with the lovely little loaf I bought at the supermarket that afternoon. However, I changed my mind. Not entirely but I did spice up the dinner by making a delicious little stir fry of my own recipe. I will share it with you.
What shall I call it? "Bring on the heat stir fry"? Maybe that sounds too hot and some people will be put off by the name...let's not call it anything particular for the time being. Just try it when you can and let me know how you liked, or disliked, it.

You will need (meal for one):

A half bell pepper; red is best, cut in squares
5 salami slices, each cut in half (use chorizo slices if you have them)
2 small or 1 large chili pepper sliced lengthways
A handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in quarters, or 2 plum tomatoes sliced
A splash of soy sauce
A dash of oyster sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
One clove of garlic, minced

Fry all of the above in medium hot oil, starting with the garlic followed by peppers and then, a couple of minutes later, all the rest. Fry together, turning constantly to avoid burning the food, for about 3 minutes. Done.

If it takes your fancy, fry an egg in that same pan and eat it with the stir fry. The egg will taste of the mixture and this just takes the humble fried egg to a whole new level.

Grab yourself a crusty loaf, grill it and spread with luscious butter. Warm up some soup and eat the lot, together, dipping the pieces of bread in the soup and eating it as accompaniment to the stir fry.

Enjoy!