A few cute things for the week, how lovely in the lady bug bag!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
DISCLOSURE: Please note – these items are linked to via affiliate programs, meaning I may earn a small profit from your clicks. For more info see my disclosure page :)
I did a bit a shopping this week and noticed that Katies had some new Jewellery in – only a few pieces, but there were a couple of definite standouts. This red tassel necklace was one of them (they also have it in a cobalt blue which is equally as gorgeous). A pure red necklace is something that I don’t actually own and, of course, something that I would really love to have. The only thing that stopped me from buying this one yesterday was that I was worried it would be a little too long for me. I generally prefer shorter necklaces and I wasn’t exactly sure how I would go about altering this one. Anyway, I thought I’d have a go styling it while I thought about it.
I think it’s really pretty though. I love it especially with the pink and orange in the party/date looks. I actually think it might work fairly well doubled over too.
I’ve tried finding a nice red necklace that’s internationally available with little luck yet. If your interested in one you can always try Shop Style, The Find,orAmazon.
Which is look is your favourite? How do you wear a red necklace?
Please note: I choose the majority of these items from the Polyvore vaults as examples for styling only. Most probably are available for purchase if your interested but they are not necessarily intended as shopping recommendations by me
Well I thought I’d do something a bit different again today. I mentioned earlier in the week that I felt like starting a few more lifestyle related posts and recipes. I love cooking and although I don’t have the greatest experience, I love trying new things and collecting recipe ideas. I’m not planning to do a lot of these posts, maybe once a fortnight at most – and I always hope to share food I think you’ll be interested in too – yummy snack ideas, fast dinners, healthy desserts.
Simple BBQ/Campfire Baked Apples
(Or in the Oven)
I forget how much I love baked apples and can go without having them for ages (I think this is the first time I made them in about 2 years!). I generally prefer more of a simple baked apple. I add minimal ingredients to initially fill them with (usually just dried fruit, maybe some nuts and spices) then add sweetener, butter, berries and anything else I like at the end. I find that the apples have just as much flavour as when everything is cooked all at once, but they taste much fresher. Also this means that everyone can tweak just how much sugar or butter they’d like too.
This is the first time I’ve tried cooking apples in the BBQ. We had a family dinner over the weekend, and, as we have so much fruit at the moment, we thought we could try baking a few in the fire. The result was really yummy, every bit as good as oven baked ones with the extra specialness of being cooked over an open flame.
Ingredients:
To Start:
Medium- Large Sized Apples
2 Tablespoons of Dried Fruit per apple (I chose sultanas and currants)
You could also add – Chopped nuts, spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, mixed spice, vanilla), citrus peel, cooked grains, sugar, orange juice (in the baking tray)
To Finish:
Cinnamon
Blueberries (Fresh or Thawed)
Unsalted Butter
Maple Syrup
Double Cream
You could also add – any berries, fresh apple slices, yogurt, custard, cream cheese, lemon juice, honey.
Method:
Core the apples and fill them with the dried fruit.
If you’re putting them in the BBQ you’ll need to wrap them first, in a layer on baking paper (you could dampen this too but it worked fine for me without doing so) and then in at least 2 layers of foil. Cook apples in the fire for 15-25mins. This will depend on the heat and strength of your particular fire so keep an eye on them. I cooked mine for 20min on hot coals next to the fire.
If you’re putting them in the oven, place apples in baking dish and cover with a lid (or foil, or don’t worry about it). You can add some liquid to the bottom of the dish too to prevent the apples from drying out too much (like water or orange juice), but this isn’t necessary. Bake for 35mins at 350oF (180oC), then remove lid add cook for another 15mins. I’ve seen recipes cook for quite a bit longer than this and also quite a bit less than this – so see what works best for you.
Place apples in serving bowls, add butter to them while they are still hot (I put about 1tsp on mine) then finish with berries, a dollop of cream, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon (or whatever else you like).
I cutout a little apple slice star with a biscuit cutter to make it look pretty for the photo – I think it’s actually really nice to serve with a few fresh apple slices too :)
How do you like your baked apples? Have you ever tried cooking them on a fire?
I’m seeing Dark Florals everywhere this season. I think they are so pretty and I actually have quite a number of them that I’ve collected from previous years. Anyway, I found a few items I really liked this week so I thought I’d share them here. I love the cardigans especially, the third one is my absolute favourite.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
DISCLOSURE: Please note – these items are linked to via affiliate programs, meaning I may earn a small profit from your clicks. For more info see my disclosure page :)
I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I had a really nice break and the day off today too so I keep forgetting it’s Monday! I’ve been feeling like sharing a few more lifestyle type things here, just the odd little thing like a recipe or project I’m working, a movie I’ve enjoyed or a pretty picture I’ve taken. Since I’ve started this blog I’ve also discovered the most wonderful sites so I’d really like to use this as a chance to share some of those too. I’m thinking of doing these at the end of the week – maybe every fortnight?? I’ll see how I go.
Baked Apple and Cinnamon Chips
My Parent’s Apple Trees are absolutely overflowing with fruit at the moment so we’ve been coming up with some creative ways to use them. Baked apple chips are one of my favourite Autumn snacks and they are so easy too. I actually did one half of this batch with cinnamon and the other with sea salt and rosemary – both were yummy but I don’t think you can ever top cinnamon with apples.
Recipe:
I sliced these with a sharp knife (a mandolin is great if you have one), sprinkled them with a bit of cinnamon and then dried them in a 90oC (200F) oven for about 2 hours, turning them over about half way through.
They are crispy as soon as they come out of the oven but become chewy (like commercial dried apple after a day).
Mollie Makes Magazine
I discovered this cute craft magazineat my local supermarket. The felt pinecones on the front first caught my eye, as well as a really lovely pattern for a crochet rose beanie and star shaped cushions. It came with a freebie felt doll kit too, which I thought was kind of fun and have already started to make:
The kit’s by Kitschy Digitals, which is currently my favourite new online find. They sell all sorts of cute printables there as well as blog designs and graphics. The sewing and needlework page is my favourite though, I especially love this one and this one. I think this doll will occupy me for at least the next couple of weeks or so but I’ll love to try a few of their patterns out in the future so stay tuned.
Flowers
The petunias out the front are growing so beautifully at the moment. It’s late summer here so most of the flowers have gone or at least starting to go, so it’s lovely to still have a few in full bloom. This bright purple one is my favourite but I love the pretty powdery lilac ones too (in the back).
Here are some fun links I’ve discovered this week too:
3. Kitchen Cupboard Beauty Ideas (by Lisa Eldridge) – I love Lisa Eldridge’s tutorials, she is always so helpful and this guide to natural beauty ingredients is one of the most comprehensive I’ve come across online.
I love brightly coloured anything so it’s no surprise that I love brightly coloured shoes too. I came across these gorgeous cobalt blue ones from ASOS during the week and as I currently don’t have anything quite like it, I thought I’d have a go at styling them.
I found that, because the shoes were such a bold colour, it was best to keep the rest of the outfits pretty simple. I think they look particularly great with the skinny jeans – looks 2 and 5 are probably my favourite overall – I love them with the lighter blues and purple too though. What do you think?
What do you think of the looks? How would you style a blue pair of pumps?
(I choose these items from the Polyvore vaults purely as examples of styling. Most should be available for purchase if your interested but they are not necessarily intended as shopping recommendations by me).
