Autumn playlist

The songs that are on repeat right now…

Kodaline- High Hopes

Katy Perry- Roar

Arctic Monkeys- Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?

Ellie Goulding- Burn

Counting Crows- Colourblind

Frank Ocean- Lost

Rihanna- Diamonds

The Wombats- Our Perfect Disease

Sade- By Your Side

Kings of Leon- Fans

Ben Rector- You and Me

Andrew James and Paul Johnston-  Free Falling

Kodaline- All Comes Down

Leather luxe

The ultimate investment piece, leather is the trend that just keeps on giving. For autumn/winter, think less beaten-up biker and more luxe appeal as seductive dresses, sleek separates and trim-detailing take our love of leather to more sophisticated territory. I am having a serious love affair with leather right now, some of my favourite pieces, below.

Topshop dress £120.00

Accessorize scallop leather gloves £22.00

Alexander McQueen double wrap leather bracelet £135.00

Reiss Fante navy leather sleeve coat £295.00

Marni gold-plated, woven leather necklace £195.25 (on sale)

House of Harlow 1960 Jade clutch £143.53

The Kooples tweed and leather skirt £145.00

Letters of Note

I have recently become obsessed Letters of Note, a website that aims to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Today’s letter resulted from a group of students from Xavier High School in New York City writing to their favourite authors asking them to visit the school. This was an exercise in persuasive writing, but what resulted was something very special. Five students wrote to Kurt Vonnegut, and Kurt Vonnegut wrote back.

Here’s what he said. 

Transcript 

November 5, 2006

Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta:

 I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances any more because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana.

 What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.

Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.

Here’s an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms. Lockwood will flunk you if you don’t do it: Write a six line poem, about anything, but rhymed. No fair tennis without a net. Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents or whatever, or Ms. Lockwood. OK?

Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash recepticals. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.

 God bless you all!

 Kurt Vonnegut

Inspired? You will be…more here. 

Autumn to-do list

1. Carve my own pumpkin for Halloween

2. Host a wig party (something my housemate and I have wanted to do since we moved house a year ago!)

3. Make my own spiced apple cider and mulled wine

4. Read the six shortlisted books on the Booker prize

5. Make, try or see something new every weekend

6. Plan a trip to New York and Portland for 2014

7. Run a 5k

8. Go to yoga and pilates 3 times a week

9. Have a scary movie marathon with friends

10. Start posting regularly to the blog again

 

Beef Paprikash

I had two friends over for dinner last week and after scouring BBC Good Food for a new recipe, I opted for this Hungarian Beef Stew. It turned out to be one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made, if you happen to be throwing a dinner party but don’t have time to spare to faff around in the kitchen then this is for you. With minimal preparation needed it really is a case of throwing all the ingredients together in a pot and leaving to cook for 3 hours (in the over or on the hob).

You’re going to need…

• 500g braising beef
• 1 tbsp flour , seasoned really well
• olive oil
• 1 large onion , halved and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• 250g chestnut mushrooms , halved if large
• 1 red pepper , sliced
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp dried chillies
• 2 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 300ml beef stock
• basmati rice , to serve
• soured cream , to serve

Simply toss the beef with the seasoned flour in a large pan and brown all over in 1 tbsp oil. Scoop out all the beef, then add the onions and cook really well until soft and browned at the edges. Add the garlic, mushrooms and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Return the beef to the pan and add the spices, tomatoes and beef stock. Put on a lid and leave to simmer for approx three hours until the beef is really tender and sauce thickened.

Serve with rice and soured cream. It’s as simple as that!

Caprese bruschetta

This weekend, I rediscovered my love of the Caprese salad (I think I could survive on cheese alone) and have today found myself craving more Italian food, particularly bruschetta. Bruschetta is one my favorite dishes, quick and simple but topped with mozzarella and tomato, still manages to satisfy, plus  I love that I can find all the ingredients at the local farmers’ market/ deli.  I’ve mastered a simple recipe that really enhances the sweetness of the tomato, the peppery taste of basil and the fruity aroma of the olive oil.  Here are my little added touches for making it just right.

-Use high quality extra virgin olive oil.  Trust me, it’s worth the extra money.
-If you can find some, buy a loaf of rustic, Artisan bread (I love Sourdough from Waitrose).
-Cut the garlic in half and rub the open end on the freshly toasted bread.  The heat from the bread melts the garlic evenly without being overpowering.
-Finish with a touch of Maldon sea salt.

Instructions (not that it really requires it!)

Toast the sourdough bread for a couple of minutes on each side and immediately rub with a garlic clove, drizzle with olive oil and top with mozzarella and tomato, fresh basil leaves and a sprinkle of salt. I love to drizzle balsamic glaze over the bruschetta for a finishing touch. Devour.

Zara Chain Necklace

There isn’t much that I love more than a statement necklace and this one is perfection. Chain necklace with appliques £22.99

Stew

When I was younger, I thought there were few culinary combinations as perfect as those in a stew.  Big chunks of beef, dumplings and a hearty mix of vegetables, it really is the ultimate comfort food.  The recipe which I use is from my Nan although I have changed it slightly by having it served on a bed of garlic mash rather than potatoes cooked in the stew itself. I like good quality beef in my stew but cook it for long enough and any cut will be tender! You can throw in any root vegetables that you have in the cupboard, celery makes a very welcome addition.

Full recipe

Stew:
1 Onion
Large pack of steak
4 carrots
3 sticks celery
1 handful of pearl barley
1 can chick peas
2 leeks, roughly chopped
200g swede, cut into large chunks
500ml beef stock
Baked beans (don’t knock it until you try it!)
Tomato soup
60g Vegetable suet
125g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder for dumplings

Garlic mash
4 potatoes
125ml milk
50g butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
1 pinch ground white pepper

• Fry chopped onion, add diced steak and fry. Add sliced carrot and celery and half a handful of barley. Half fill the pan with boiling water, add a beef stock cube and leave to simmer for an hour. Season. Add tinned chick peas, baked beans and tomato soup to the stew.

• Bring a large pot of water to boil; add potatoes, and boil until soft, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, and place in a large bowl. Combine potatoes with milk, butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix with an electric mixer or potato masher to your desired consistency.

• For the dumplings, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the suet and enough water to form a thick dough. With floured hands, roll spoonfuls of the dough into small balls. Place the balls on top of the stew, cover, return to the hob and cook for a further 20 minutes.

• Serve over a a bed of mash.

 

 

Craving Spring

Karen Millen white-collar jumper £85.00

Miss Selfridge boucle pelmet skirt £28.00

Jaeger collarless jacket £225.00

Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats £465.00

Dorothy Perkins lace shoulder shirt £28.00

ASOS Bee doorknocker earrings £15.00

Topshop origami skirt £35.00

 

Uninspired

I don’t know about you, but I am finding it very hard to stay inspired at the moment. It’s really cold outside. It gets dark early. Christmas is over and I have no holidays to look forward to (yet, anyway). Maybe it’s just me, but everything combined is making it really hard for me to stay inspired, especially when it comes to blogging. In my defense, I do have slightly less time on my hands this year but am keen to dream up ways to keep myself motivated.

1. It’s your choice.

Inspiration is not always going to find you. There are times when you just don’t feel it. Maybe the weather has you feeling blue (that’s how I’m feeling this week!). Maybe you are going through some painful circumstances, like a break up or losing your job. Maybe you’re just tired, feeling worn out and in need of a break. We all go through situations like these. And chances are, the people you look up to went through them too. It’s your choice how you will deal with it. You can choose to press on with little inspiration or be defeated. This may sound like a responsibility or chore, but I think it’s super empowering if you are actively creating something you’re proud of.

2. Start NOW.

I’m guilty of it myself but too many times I hear friends say “one day when I have X I will be happy.” You can fill in the blank with your own perceived limitations: money, a better job, a more supportive relationship, more time, etc. Don’t wait for life to be perfect. It never will be. Start living your life the way you want it to be, today. Maybe you don’t have lots of extra cash to start an expensive hobby, this is why I like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I live on a really tight budget (my habit to spend all free cash on clothes is to blame), but I still wanted to teach myself something in my free time. I have to eat so learning new recipes seemed like a good place to start.

3. Make goals and do them.

It’s no secret I like plans, lists and making goals I can achieve (most recently with New Year’s resolutions). It might not work for you but giving myself a goal gives me structure and something to work towards and achieve. It’s OK to start small, just as long as you start. But if you’re feeling it then dream big, and make a tangible plan to get there. Break it down into steps.  Start a challenge or set a goal today and watch yourself gain confidence and feel inspired as you work to accomplish it.

4. Get out and dream.

Sometimes you just need to go somewhere and fill a notebook with ideas, I like to do this when I’m commuting into work. Write a list of all the things you want to see, achieve and learn- there is something so satisfying about ticking achievements off your list. I have begun to carry a small notebook with me so when I suddenly get a big idea I want to write about, I don’t forget it. Begin this weekend, make goals and start ticking them off in 2013.