Christmas montage 2014!

Chrismas montage 2014! This time with added family! xxx

Coco Dress

Yellow Coco too! So comfy! And easy to make! Whoo!

Megan Dress

I made a Megan Dress too! From Tilly and the Buttons book 'Love at first Stitch'. I'm on a bit of a Tilly rampage at the moment and this is definitely my favorite so far. I added a peter pan collar, pockets and lengthened the sleeves too to make it basically my perfect dress. The skirt is just plain navy cotton and the top is made from a second hand mens shirt.

Yay!

Crazy Hudson Pants

Whoo!!!! I made some crazy leggings! (and a navy Coco- It's so comfy and flattering (maybe not in this picture...)) They're so cool! Hehe!!!  I'm so pleased with them! They're super neat and have POCKETS! I really like pockets.

Here's a blurry photo of the pocket. These leggings are the Hudson Pant from True Bias with some fabric from Minerva Crafts. They were super easy to make, especially as there was no zipper related psychological barrier to overcome. I think I'm going to make a few more pairs (maybe in less crazy patterns)...

Butternut Squash 3 ways

Sorry for being super slow about this! Bonus 3 for 1 though! Here are my favouritest butternut squash recipes ever (They're all vegan too- booyah):

Butternut Squash Chilli

1 BNS
2 red onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 cup red lentils
1 jar sun dried tomatoes
2 tins tomatoes
1 tin kidney beans
salt and pepper

1) Chop up that BNS. Leave the skin on (don't waste your life peeling it :P ). Plop it in a roasting tray and roast it at a high temperature until it's a bit squidgey.
2) Chop and fry the onion
3) Crush in the garlic and some chopped chilli.
4) Throw in the spices
5) And the lentils, SDTs, toms and kidney beans. Maybe a bit of water if it looks a bit dry.
6) Simmer until the lentils are cooked
7) Stir in the BNS when it's all done.
8) EAT IT ALL!!!!

Actually don't, its even better the next day.

Butternut Squash Korma

1 BNS
1 onion
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (or cumin seeds)
1 tsp Nigella seed (I'm pretty sure this is what makes it taste amazing)
50g grated fresh ginger
1 red chilli
1 tsp ground corriander
75g chopped dates
2 tbsp dessicated coconut (Or maybe it's this that makes it tasty)
2 tsp soft brown sugar (Oh no wait. Yeah it's the sugar that I like)
1 tin coconut cream

1) Chop'n'roast the BNS. Give it a 20 min head start.
2) Chop'n'fry the onion (and maybe some other veg: peppers, mushrooms, courgette etc.)
3) Chuck in all the spices
4) And the sweet stuff
5) Give it a few mins then add the coconut cream.
6) Add the BNS and maybe a bit of water to make it a bit saucier.
7) EAT IT ALL!!!!!

Goes super well with normal curry stuff (rice, peshwari naans, poppadoms etc.)

Butternut Squash Casserole

1 BNS
2 large onions
2 tsp sage
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp flour
175ml white wine
1 can butterbeans
400ml veg stock
2 tbsp tomato paste

for the dumplings:
200g self raising flour
100g veg suet
2tsp mixed herbs
8 tbsp cold water

1) You know the drill. Chunk the onions and roast them at the same time too. This time the BNS doesn't have to be fully cooked as it will be going back in. So maybe only roast for 20 mins.
2) Make the dumplings by mixing everything together and making little balls.
3) When the BNS and onions are roasted put them in a casserole dish. coat them in the flour.
4) Then mix in everything else. You could add more veg here too. maybe carrots, peas, potatoes...whaaaaat....
5) Arrange the little dumplings on top. Aww.
6) Plop a lid on and stick back in the oven for a bit. Maybes 15-20 mins.
7) EAT IT ALL!!!! No seriously. I made this for the first time the other day and was super impressed. Am going to make it again next week. nyom.

Hope you enjoy them!

1) Adapted from Happy days with the naked chef
2) Adapted from Rick Steins India
3) Adapted from Cook Vegetarian- October 2014

Austria montage!

Here's a video of our trip to Austria. It was suuuuuper fun!

teapot