Vegetable Tart for Two

This is the perfect quick fix dinner for a hungry boyfriend and a health conscience girl :)

Ingredients:

1 pack of ready to roll puff pastry
1 tin of mix beans in chilli sauce (Tesco calls it a Taco sauce)
1 Onion
1 Leek
About 8 Plum Tomatoes
1 Chicken Breast (Optional but keeps the boyfriend happy)
1 Yellow Pepper
Salt & Pepper
Butter (Optional)
Olive Oil
Grease proof paper
Baking beans (Dried Beans)
A baking tray


Recipe:

Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and let it rest until it is room temperature (otherwise it will crack when you roll it out). Preheat the oven at 180 degrees.

Cut the puff pastry into shape (I cut around a 12inch cake tin & made two tarts for this meal but you can make a big rectangle tart for ease). Score 1cm around the edge of the pastry (this area will become your crust). If you want to impress, butter the crust to make the pastry golden.


Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes (bake without the topping). To do this cut some grease proof paper into the shape of the inside of the tart. Put the paper on the tart and cover with baking beans (This weighs down the tart while allowing the crust to rise).


Whilst the pastry is cooking its time to chop up your vegetables (& chicken). Fry the onion for about 1 minutes then add the leek (and chicken). Fry for 3 minutes (until the chicken in white) and then add the other vegetables. Season the mix with salt & pepper. Fry until the vegetables are completely cooked.


The pastry should be ready during this time. Take it out the oven, remove the baking beans & paper and pour the beans in chilli sauce into the tart. Put back in the oven for another 2 minutes, until the beans are hot.


Take out the pastry, add the vegetables and serve hot. Yum :)

Home Sweet Home

I've just moved into my lovely new home in Durham for my final year of uni. As I'm living with just two other girls, there are loads of my cute decorations throughout the house. :)
Here is a sneak peek of my new home...

I'm so happy with the place and cannot wait to make more decorations (with lots of 'how to' posts to follow!)
But for now it's time to stick on a Disney film and settle in!

Make your own - Cute Felt Hats

I made some cute mini top hats for the guests at my birthday. I was really chuffed with them! So, I'm going to show you how to make your own... because they are way too expensive to buy!

What you need
- 1 Felt Sheet
- Thread & Needle
- Pins
- A pair of Scissors 

- A ruler/A straight edge

- A Pen/Pencil/Tailor Chalk

- A big cup
- A little cup

- 2 Hair clips

Draw around the big cup on the felt. Then draw around the little cup directly in the middle of your first circle. Draw around the little cup again on a different part of the felt. Finally, draw a rectangle using the ruler - this needs to be long enough to go around the perimeter of the small circle and as tall as you want your top hat to be. I made mine taller than mini top hats normally are because it looks better when the feathers & ribbon are put on them (about 8cm). Your drawings will look like this:

Then cut them out.

Pin the rectangle around the perimeter of the small circle and sew together. 

Then pin the donut shaped felt to the bottom & sew. Like this:

Once you've done that your hat is made!! Simple slide some hair clips into the stitching so you can attach it to your head! Or sew the hair clips onto the bottom of the rim (I would advise the latter). 

Now you can personalise your hat by adding some ribbon, button, feathers, lollipops... whatever floats your boat!

xxx

 

Birthday Celebrations

My family have clubbed together for my 21st and bought me a sewing machine!
I cannot wait to use it! I've got a gorgeous 1950's day dress pattern to make... so watch this space!

I received so many lovely gifts this year! So thank you everyone! A big thank you to James for my diamond bracelet :). It's simply beautiful.

So, the party!
The party was a bit of a tea party (so English!). To make is extra special, Mum, James & I were very busy in the kitchen! All the food was handmade and delicious (if I do say so myself)... and all very easy to make!

We made (and ate):
Crackers with Cream Cheese & Salmon/Pates & Tomatoes
Cheese Twists

Vol au Vents with Chicken & Mushroom/Vegetable filling

Prawns with Chilli Mayonnaise
Potato Salad

Mini Burgers with Mozzarella Cheese
Crisps (okay, we didn't make these)
Cookiepops
Mum's homemade chocolate & raspberry brownies (Seriously delicious)
Raspberry Jelly
Strawberries dipped in Chocolate
Chocolate Stars
Mini Chocolate Chip Cup Cakes
Colourful Jelly Beans

Yum, yum, yum! 

There was also delicious Rose Sparkling Wine from France...

I also made lots of special presents for all my guests! But I'll tell you all about them tomorrow, for now it's time for a post-party chill out. 

But first, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all my friends and family who've made my birthday so amazing. xxx