Every cloud

Posted on May 13, 2013

Owning your own home changes everything. Weekends that were once occupied with whatever took my fancy were soon replaced by sanding, painting and the endless search for those perfect vintage-inspired accessories that make a house a home. Have I sold it to you yet? If you haven’t already guessed it, adding homemaker to my list of skills is one of the things that gives me the greatest pleasure.

A recent quest for a vintage bookcase led me to the beautiful Duck Egg Designs, whose beautiful home furnishings are perfect for those of you looking to add a vintage touch to your home. My current favourite pieces are the Every Cloud poster print and the small French Grey bookcase. What are your favourite Duck Egg Designs’ pieces?

Images supplied by Duck Egg Designs.

Posted in Homes and interiors | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

A true kitchen hero

Posted on May 5, 2013

I’m not sure about you, but pasta is a huge part of my diet. You’re probably thinking my Italian roots have something to do with that, and as much as this may be true, there’s also a convenience aspect with pasta that can’t be beaten. There are few other foods you can whip up so quickly that will result in a delicious, healthy, filling meal at such a low cost. Some of you may disagree with that last point, and if you buy jars of ready-prepared pasta sauces, you’re unlikely to be singing the praises of pasta as an economical way for you and your family to eat. But this can change with a few simple ingredients and a mere 10 minutes of your time.

I’ve been asked to post this recipe by friends, family and readers of Wine and Olives for quite some time, but I’ve always dismissed it as it almost seems too simple. But that’s part of the beauty of it. My recipe for tomato and basil pasta sauce, using By Sainsbury’s Tomato Passata as the base product, is the definition of a kitchen hero. Once you know how to make this sauce, you’ll never buy a jar of sauce again.

Tomato and basil sauce

  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 500g carton of By Sainsbury’s Tomato Passata
  • Half a tablespoon of By Sainsbury’s Dried Oregano
  • A pinch of sugar
  • By Sainsbury’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
  1. Heat a pan and add a glug of live oil when your pan is hot, to stop the oil from burning. Add your onions and garlic and sauté until the onions have softened. This will only take a few minutes.
  2. Pour the passata into the pan with the onion and garlic, and add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes. Now add the dried oregano and stir well. Bring the sauce to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.
  3. Simmer the sauce for two minutes and throw in your basil. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a further two minutes and then your sauce will be ready to serve.

This sauce works great with pasta or as a base sauce for you to get creative. Whether you like chicken, prawns, tuna or would like to use it to make bolognese, this sauce is truly versatile. However you decide to personalise this sauce, I’m pretty sure once you’ve tried it, you won’t be going back to buying jars again.

Posted in Dinner, Pasta | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Home wish list

Posted on April 30, 2013

It’s funny how when you are ploughing all your money into something, you can’t help but see dozens of other things that would be a fitting swap for your pennies, or in this case, pounds. Long have I coveted a Robert’s Revival radio. I can picture the Revival digital radio in Leaf, available to buy from John Lewis, sitting perfectly next to a vase of lilies on our vintage console table, keeping our candles company, playing Radio 6 Music whilst I sip on a cup of tea.

But for now, I’ll need to take my head out of the clouds. I have a wedding to pay for, don’t you know …

Posted in Homes and interiors, Homeware Wishlist | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Ferrero Rocher pancakes

Posted on April 23, 2013

I realise this is quite a bold statement, but I’m going to go ahead and say it anyway: I’m about to change the way you look at pancakes forever. No longer will you reach for the sugar and lemon or syrup or jam. But what you will do is make sure you always have Nutella and chopped hazelnuts in the cupboard and eggs and Alpro hazelnut milk in the fridge.

My love affair – who am I kidding, it’s full blown marital bliss – with Nutella, leads me to slather it on everything. It just makes things so much better. Consequently, it’s also my favourite part of eating a Ferrero Rocher. There is only one way the Ambassador would approve of you eating a Ferrero Rocher and that’s by biting it in half, eating the hazelnut and then licking the Nutella from the shell, before devouring the rest. Swooning from a box of delicious chocolate-hazelnut goodness, I had a Ferrero Rocher-inspired epiphany, which begged the question, how good would Ferrero Rocher pancakes be? They might just be the best thing ever. But don’t just take my word for it. Rustle up a few of these and see for yourself.

Ferrero Rocher pancakes

  • 1 mug of plain flour
  • 1 mug of Alpro hazelnut milk
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • Nutella
  • 2 handfuls of chopped hazelnuts
  1. Heat your butter in a frying pan. Add your hazelnut milk, flour and egg to a bowl. You don’t need to measure your ingredients, just make sure you use the same mug for the flour and milk so the measurements are the same. Whisk together until you have a smooth batter.
  2. As soon as your butter has melted, spoon a ladle of the pancake mixture into the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes at a high heat, flip over and do the same on the other side.
  3. Your pancakes are ready when they feel firm and have started to brown a little. At this point, remove from the pan, layer on Nutella and sprinkle some hazelnuts on top.

Depending on the size of your cup, this recipe normally makes around six pancakes. Now all you need to do is sit back, enjoy and prepare yourself for the inevitable, which is whipping up another batch.

Posted in Nutella, Pancakes, Sundays | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Let’s throw a garden party

Posted on April 17, 2013

The sun has been making a very welcome appearance in Edinburgh recently. Now that spring seems to have landed on our doorsteps, I don’t know about you, but my mind is awash with the prospect of outdoor dinners, gatherings, picnics and general merriment with close friends and family. Perhaps it’s a symptom of owning my own home, but there was a time when gardening didn’t hold much appeal. But now that I have access to my own little patch of green, I find my mind occupied with what flowers and plants would help to make the most of my garden. Musings on outdoor floral arrangements soon picked up speed and all of a sudden, my thoughts turned to hosting a full-scale garden party with delicious food, great wine, gorgeous flowers and of course, only the best in company.

After my thoughts – and imagination – had run away with me, I started to think about how I might put the wheels in motion and turn my party from a fantasy into reality. It turns out that there is a great deal of help at hand and I found this piece on Woman’s Day really helpful and it raised a few points that I hadn’t considered. The main one being, I didn’t have a theme in mind.

To the rescue was Martha Stewart (I have always wanted to say that). Her website is choc-full of inspiration on themes, from advice on choosing the right one for you, to examples of how to execute your vision. My love for all things vintage-inspired, means that I am a sucker for ceramic jugs used as vases – I will be recreating the Pitcher Bouquet Centerpiece for my garden party. Keeping with a more subdued theme, my decorations will be simple with iris reticilata and bright yellow tulips tied with ribbon for a more relaxed feel.

If you are swayed by bright colours and thoughts of sunnier climates, a Hawaiian or South Pacific theme might be more up your street. Using tropical plants, such as red ginger or a frangipani to embellish the tables and chairs at your party, will convince your guests they have been transported to a tropical island getaway without even a hint of a miniature cocktail umbrella.

Now that you’ve dealt with your theme and your flowers, it’s time to think about the food. Your food could easily match your theme. By adopting a French theme, cheeses, meats, baguettes and wine should be in abundance – you might not be able to go to Paris, but you can bring Paris to your guests. If you want to go that extra mile, you could even order in authentic produce from the country your theme is based around, but remember to do this in advance.

Good wines are now much easier to come by, with Marks and Spencer having a range of exclusive wine offers on their website. Whether it’s Italian, French or something more exotic, their selection of good wines is extensive and will help your party go with a bang.

Not only does throwing a garden party provide you with the opportunity to show off your gardening skills, but if you’re a crafty type, it allows you to put these skills to good use. HGTV has some great ideas on how to create place settings using your party theme. It also shows you how to add special touches such as guest place tags, petals from flowers grown in your garden, and centerpieces with any plants, vegetables, or flowers you’ve cultivated. You should be able to find the items you need to put together your decorations and table settings in craft shops. Try to incorporate as many items that follow your theme as possible.

Once the sun has got his hat on again, I plan on throwing my summer garden party. Look out for the pictures coming soon and let me know if any of you have any garden party plans up your sleeves.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments