Make: My First Dress

Last weekend it was a Bank Holiday here in the UK and on the Saturday and Sunday of the Bank Holiday I attended a workshop where I learnt how to make a dress. Now this is a big thing for me as I was awful at textiles at school - or I was at least made to feel as though I was. I don't actually think that I was, but the girls who got to use the machine were the ones whose mothers had already taught them how to use machines etc. Anyway, the lovely Stevie from BeeBee's Vintage Dress is starting sewing classes and I thought "What the heck, I'd give it a go!" and it was so worth it.

The course was two days long and that included shopping for fabric, cutting the pattern, cutting fabric, lunch and plenty of tea and cake!

I was super proud that I got to cross the boundary of not feeling confident with using my sewing machine i.e. not using it. I almost got to the point of selling it! But I thought that it would be worth a try anyhow. I don't regret it at all - I have these new found skills and a pretty summer dress out of it! The dress that we created was the Colette 'Hazel' which is a great indie pattern and such a pretty style of dress that is suited to many body shapes and fabrics.

Stevie is a great teacher - she is patient and helpful and really knows her stuff! So if you're in the Brighton/Worthing area and fancy learning something new, make sure that you get in touch with her.

Now to make a skirt with the remnant - wish me luck!!

This Is Not a Food Blog Part 2 - Turkey Burritos

So on Friday I posted two recipes for a yummy Chinese inspired turkey feast! Today I am presenting another entry into the British Turkey competition - Turkey burritos. Now anyone who knows me, knows that I love Mexican and Mexican-inspired food, and so this was a given for me!

The main recipe is for the chilli to go inside of the burritos - you can then use the chilli base for anything you wish - of course, I chose what I did, so have added additional instructions to go with it! Whatever you do choose, I hope that you enjoy it...

For the chilli

• 500g British turkey mince (mix of breast and dark meat is better)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 red pepper, diced into square inch-sized pieces
• 2 tins tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tin red kidney beans, drained
• 1-2 red chillies, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, ground
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Half teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt, pepper and sugar

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add the chilli, onion, two-thirds of the celery and half of the red pepper. Cook on a medium heat until softened but not browned.

Add the cumin, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne. Stir and fry this mixture for a minute or so.

Turn the heat back up to high and add the turkey. Stir and fry it, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon.

Add the chopped tomatoes, plus one of the tomato cans full of water and the Worcester sauce. Add the salt, black pepper and sugar to taste. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for an hour.

To make the burritos....

Collect your fixings - I used wraps, white rice cooked in chicken stock with coriander (cilantro), refried beans, guacamole, grated cheese and jalapeño peppers. Layer them up and roll. I like to wrap the bottom in tin foil too!

Oh yes, and enjoy!!

Sunday Lovin' - Poorly Pick Me Ups

Hello everyone!

If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed that I haven't been feeling too well over the past few days and have had little more energy to just lay in bed... I was very unwell on Friday night and did not get to sleep until Saturday morning when the sun was rising - not nice!

With that in mind, I thought I would share with you some of the things I am loving this Sunday to pick me up from being poorly - or at least things I can dream about having or doing whilst still in my sick bed :(

Here are the things that have been getting me through my rough few days:

mints, peppermint tea, rich tea biscuits, new cadburys chocolate, great movies

I also thought that I'd share things that are on my radar once I have some money in my pocket again. I'm hoping to pop some more things onto eBay, so make sure you keep an eye on my Twitter for when I'll be popping things on there, just in case you are looking for a bargain. Can you see there is a colour theme popping up?!

 'Brand New Day' mug by Bread & Jam, vintage ephemera pack, diamond/ruby brooch from Designosaur, chambray shirt from Topshop tall section, Essie nail polish in 'watermelon', Basic Grey Mint Julep 'Alvina' scrapbook paper from Sarah's Cards

I'm hoping to get out of bed soon if just for some fresh air and to wash my hair, but I feel as though I am getting better already and I shall be posting my other turkey related recipe tomorrow!

Have a relaxing Sunday x

This Is Not a 'Food Blog' - Turkey Chinese Style

From many of my recent posts, you might think that I am trying to turn this into a food blog - I'm not. Or at least, I'm not intending to. However, I do love to eat good food, cook and bake, so if there's something food wise that I'd like to share, then, well, I'm going to be honest I shall be sharing it!

Over the next day or so I'll be sharing a selection of recipes which tie in with a competition that British Turkey are running - they are my entries into the competition which challenged entrants to come up with some exciting dishes which involved British turkey.

Today I am sharing with you two recipes to help you create a Chinese-inspired meal using British turkey.

Salt and Pepper Turkey 

• 400g British turkey thigh, cut into pieces no longer than 2" and no thicker than half an inch
• 4 tablespoons cornflour
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• about 100ml sparkling mineral water
• vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 1-2 red chillis, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1" ginger, chopped
• 1 green pepper, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
• 1-2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon groundnut oil

1. First, cook the turkey. Mix the flours and water into a thick batter. Batter the pieces of turkey and deep fry them in vegetable oil until they are golden and the turkey is cooked. Set the drained cooked turkey on a baking tray and put into an oven at 100 degrees C to keep them warm and crisp.
2. Heat the groundnut oil in a wok until it is smoking. Add the chillis, garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds. Then add the green pepper, onion, salt, pepper and sugar and stir fry them for a further minute or two.
3. Add the battered turkey pieces to the wok. Stir fry them until they are throughly coated in the onion and pepper mixture and are piping hot.
4. Add the sliced spring onions and serve at once.

Turkey Chow Mein

• 100g British turkey thigh, finely diced and marinaded for at least an hour in:
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• half tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon five spice powder
• 250g egg noodles, cooked
• 200g beansprouts
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1" piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon groundnut oil

1. Heat the groundnut oil in a wok until it is smoking. Add the spring onions, garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds.
2. Add the turkey and stir fry for 2 minutes until it is cooked through.
3. Add the beansprouts and stir fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add the noodles, sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir fry until everything is thoroughly mixed and piping hot.

You could serve the two together or on their own and they would be great with some stir fried vegetables!

Check back again over the weekend for another delicious turkey recipe that you can try!

Silhouette Shape of the Week - Lace Up Cards

I've not done one of these for a while so am sorry to the free Silhouette shape fans out there! This week's free Silhouette shape of the week is the lace up cards which is a selection of print and cut designs that can be used with some string or shoelace to help with motor skills.

The pack doesn't just include the truck above, it also includes a dinosaur, sail boat, shooting star and tricycle.

There's a great tutorial on how to create them on the Silhouette blog and don't forget that I have featured lots of fab free Silhouette cutting files on my blog already, so make sure you have them all downloaded!

Bake: Home Made Foccacia bread

In my last post I featured a recipe for sriracha chicken and said that I would write up the recipe and method for the home made foccacia bread too. So, without further ado, here we have the recipe for home made foccacia bread...

Recipe

The bread itself

• 1kg strong plain flour
• 1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
• 5g table salt
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

To top
(mix these together prior to making the bread itself - they need to be softened in a small saucepan on a low heat for 20-30 minutes)

• 1 finely sliced onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 5 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp olive oil

Method

• Mix the dry ingredients, making sure not to get salt on the yeast
• Add the olive oil and enough warm water to form a dough
• Knead on a floured surface for about 10 minutes (or use a dough hook if you're lucky enough to have an electric mixer with this functionality) until the dough is smooth and elastic
• Put the dough into a large bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for at least an hour or two - until it has at least doubled in size
• Punch the dough down and knead again until it is back to the original size
• Roll out into a rectangular shape, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper and an inch or so thick
• Place on a baking tray and brush with oil (you can also sprinkle on some semolina, but this is optional) and spread the softened onion, garlic, herbs and oil mix over the top
• Loosely cover with cling film and leave to prove again for at least 30 minutes
• Bake in a pre heated oven at 200 celcius for 30 minutes or until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped

Enjoy your foccacia bread with a filling or some dipping oil and a sense of satisfaction that you made your own Italian foccacia bread. Simple!

Yummy BBQ Sriracha Chicken

Sriracha seems to be such a big thing at the moment and although I'd already tried it whilst at Pho for part of my birthday celebrations, I thought I'd give it another go. My friend and fellow colleague Lucy and I went to the main Chinese supermarket in the Lanes one lunch time the other week and we both picked up a bottle of Sriracha sauce. Last weekend was a Bank Holiday here in the UK so what better thing to do than to make something delicious to enjoy.

Here's how to make delicious Sriracha BBQ sauce

Ingredients (for 7 skinless chicken thighs)

• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp cloves 
• 1/2 tsp star anise
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Optional: 1 tbsp rice wine 1tsp chopped rosemary

Method

• Crush the fennel seeds, cloves and star anise. Mix all of the ingredients together. Simple!

Marinate your chicken in the sauce for at least an hour.
The chicken was cooked in a slow cooker on low for 6 hours and then shredded.
Enjoy with your choice of sides. We popped the chicken into home made foccacia bread with grilled peppers and rocket from the garden.

I'll be posting the recipe and method for the foccacia later in the week for you guys as it is a simple yet delicious thing to make. It's pretty perfect to snack on with a little bit of olive oil or to pack in your lunches during the week.