Foodie Friday: Summer Ham Hock and Mushroom Pasta Bake Recipe

Ingredients:

75-100g pasta per person/portion

Ham hock pieces

Handful of cumin seeds

Cheddar cheese

Pine nuts

Bread crumbs
Flour
Milk
Broccoli

Method:

1) Put water onto boil and put your choice of pasta into cook when boiling

2) Make Bechamel/cheese sauce

3) Fry mushrooms separately in a saucepan and boil the broccoli (or other veg if you wish)

4) Mix the sauce into the pasta and place in an ovenproof dish

5) Mix in the mushrooms and ham hock

6) Top with breadcrumbs, cumin seeds, pine nuts and grated cheddar

7) Brown in the oven for 10-15 minutes

Carpe Diem xx

Small Room Organisation: Tips and Tricks

1) Make use of shelving that reaches the full height of your rooms, saving you floor space and making use of available storage

2) In small rooms every inch counts, so whether its doors hangers or hanging wall storage make the most of behind the door storage

3) Freestanding storage and organisation, bookshelves, dressers, etc. can be the best way of adding a load of extra storage space in one, keeping unwanted or unsightly things in storage and out of the way

4) A lot of people use under bed storage but often not effectively. Try clear linen and extra free storage boxes to keep your things off the floor and safe

5) Microorganisation, or organising within drawers and boxes with smaller boxes and containers, is the most effective and underused organisation trick out there. A place for everything and everything in its place!

Carpe Diem xx

5 Easy Ways to Do Shabby Chic

Learning a craft (knitting, crochet, etc.), or using the labours of others in your home, can really add that vintage feel and become a fun hobby at the same time! This bear was knitted by one of the ladies at my local hospice.

The best vintage and retro design containers, pots and jars can be free or found in old cupboards. Upcycle them and they become the perfect shabby chic organisers!

Old picture frames and pictures can really add to a room. Why not try reusing an old one and transforming it? It turned the picture in this frame over and used the blank side to create a collage of some of the vintage postcards that I've collected for years.

White is the shabby chic colour (or tint). Why not give old furniture a facelift by painting them white and giving them a distressed 'Les Mis Chic' look?

Fairy lights of all shapes, sizes and colours are the perfect finishing touch to a shabby chic interior, creating cosy decor and the effect of dramatic underlighting.

Carpe Diem xx

Weekend Bake: Celebration English Cupcakes Recipe and Tips

Whether it's a birthday, an unbirthday, a summer barbeque or the Wimbledon final, it's always great to get baking and try an English version of sweet American cupcakes. With more flour and less sugar, these cupcakes are more Victoria sponge and work perfectly for tea parties.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

6oz self-raising flour

6oz caster sugar

6oz butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1) Cream together butter and sugar

2) Fold in flour into the mixture in stages

3) Break in the eggs

4) Spoon into cake cases

5) Bake in a Gas Mark 4/350F/180C

Chef's Tips:

1) Sift flour and icing sugar fully before combining

2) Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixture for extra taste sensation

3) Combine all the ingredients until smooth

4) Leave to cook until bouncy and golden

5) Decorate with chocolate and other flavoured icing, when cooled, by adding cocoa powder to icing sugar and water

Carpe Diem xx

Foodie Friday: Easy Essential Pitta Pizza Recipe in 20 minutes or less

For the first time in a couple of weeks I have to apologise for the lack of blogging for the whole of yesterday, but today I'm going to give you two posts to make up for it :). 

Ingredients:

2 wholemeal pitta breads

4 tsps sun-dried tomato puree paste

2 large ripe tomatoes

Few basil leaves

100g mozzarella

(Quantities are flexible depending on your personal taste)

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Method:

1) Head oven to 200C/180C/Gas Mark 6

2) Spread each pitta with 2 teaspoons of tomato puree paste

3) Top with chopped tomatoes, sliced mozzrella and basil leaves if wanted

4) Bake on a baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/518639/pitta-pizzas

Carpe Diem xx

(Re)Organisation Series: My Walking Stationary Pouch

Yet more credit must go to Miss Organizedlikejen for the inspiration here. I bought a day-to-a-page 2013-2014 organiser and A3 clear popper wallet from WH Smith and hey presto! I have all my stationary needs in one place to grab on the go!

Here's what you'll need for a walking stationary pouch:

A3 Popper Wallet WH Smith

Organiser/diary/journal

Clear plastic case with assorted stickers/labels

Clear plastic case with pens, Post-It notes, ruler

3-sided ruler

See you soon for more of 'the organisation project that turned into a thousand'!

Carpe Diem xx

Simple Organisation Solutions for Offices and Home

Compartmentalizing things you might not use often into clear plastic box (e.g. Tupperware, Lock'n'Lock) can be a great space saving solution to storage. Not only practical but also makes finding things quicker as you can immediately see the contents of each box.

Keep a folder of stickers and labels for labelling storage containers and boxes or creating a 'reward system' sticker chart for daily chores or activities. It works for children, so why not use it to motivate you to stay organised and keep you on track?

Keep a labelled folder containing all you important documents (driving licence, passport, birth certificate, etc.) so that you always have it at hand and know exactly where they are when you need them. I use my favourite butterfly folder from John Lewis. Never miss a holiday, deadline or bill due to disorganisation again!

Carpe Diem xx