Boxing Day pie

I feel about a stone heavier today after our Boxing Day pie!

A got the hairy bikers pie book for Christmas so I adapted the chicken and ham pie into leftover pie by using turkey and gammon. That's the beauty of pies, you don't have to stick to a recipe and can utilise what you have in. 

If I do say so myself it was an absolute winner! Here are some pictures. 

Merry Christmas to me!

Say hello to my gorgeous new sewing machine! 

I'm VERY happy with this, I've not used a sewing machine for ages but it turns out its like riding a bike.

Here's my first project, I made bunting, it's far from perfect but I'm going to keep practicing, I've given it as a present and I have 2 more orders in!

Christmas has arrived at our house

So it's that time of year again!! Christmas has always been a BIG family tradition for me and it's my favourite!!

I absolutely adore my Christmas tree.

I would say its a cross between traditional and Nordic and I collect individual ornaments for it every year. 

I'm off to buy a garland tomorrow too as we're having our beam fitted over the fireplace finally and I also have some vintage stockings to hang.

Here's a picture, I love the way you can see little Alice up to no good!

 

We have wallpaper finally

I never thought we would get the chimney breast flat enough to wallpaper after the stove fitter left such a horrific mess, but after a lot of blood, sweat and tears (blood and sweat my dads, tears from me) it's finally finished! 

I love a bit of chick lit!

I literally couldn't put this book down!

Yes it's cheesy, cliche and predictable but I loved it.

A romance novel with a twist, I highly recommend it and cannot believe it was a free kindle read I would pay full price for a story like this!! 

Meet my fur family

Bear is my 18 month old blue eyed lion head cross, we're not sure what he's crossed with but I think possibly a Dutch or a mini lop, either way he is totally gorgeous. He is one of the friendliest rabbits ever, he loves cuddles and he even kisses you! He's totally dopey and often runs into thinks as unfortunately he can't see to well!

Alice is my tiny netherland dwarf. We don't know how old she is as she came into the RSPCA as a stray. Alice was a very unhappy bunny but once she made friends with Bear she flourished. She is very demanding and stamps her feet if she doesn't get her own way, she loves human company and will follow me round the house but doesn't like being touched. Poor Alice has arthritis in her spine but she doesn't let it bother her and she runs around like a baby bunny! 

My bunnies live together, they should always have the company of another.

And they live in a 14 foot room, pet shop hutches are far to small. 

I rainbow caked!!

Never ever in a million years did I think I could produce such an amazing cake first time round!!

Well, sort of second time actually, if your trying this yourself DO NOT even bother using the cheap liquid food colourings you need to use the fancy gel ones, I learnt this this hard way and ended up making 12 sponges instead of 6.

A was very greafull though for his oddly coloured cake in his lunchbox for the next week!

I used a recipe from the BBC good food website however I changed the cream cheese icing to buttercream.

It's sooooooo easy! You basically make 3 lots of Victoria sponge in 6 colours, stack them up and cover it in buttercream. It really is as easy as it sounds! Such an easy make and it really does have the wow factor!!

Here are some piccys

Stacking up the layers 

Spreading the buttercream was the hardest bit

A HUGE slice of cake 

The finished product sliced

   

We have fire!!

So even though it's still to warm we got impatient and VERY hot and lit the woodburner tonight.

I'm in love....

Monty gets a makeover

Monty is our family heirloom woodburning stove.

He's been in a sorry state in our garage for ages so last week I gave him a makeover.

Here he is before

And here he is now

All it needed was a tube of £2.99 grate polish and a LOT if elbow grease!! 

Saturdays in our house are all about DIY

Project lounge is well underway!

My aim is to get it done by Christmas so I can lavish it in beautiful homemade Christmassy things! 

Today we stripped the walls. We have been so lucky so far as the wallpaper comes off great, it's what's lurking beneath that's the problem...

Horrible thick flakey orange paint!

It all needs removing for the walls to look flat :( 

Scraping it of today has not been fun but I refuse to have the walls plastered as it's a 1930s house I want it to be rustic. 

Here's a picture with the fireplace

We also painted the ceiling today, can you tell A helped?! 

I'm hoping to have all the prep work finished tomorrow then next week is all about painting. 

Baking in my new kitchen

I am a MASSIVE fan of homemade cakes and try and bake something every week.

This week, this is what we had left in the kitchen.....

Yeah you guessed it, I made banana bread!!

Here is the recipe, it's a Mary Berry one, mine didn't quite need the full hour in the oven.

Mary Berry’s Banana Loaf 

Ingredients

100g Softened Butter
175g Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 Ripe Bananas (mashed)
225g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tbsp. Milk

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas 4.
2. Lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin, then line the base and sides with baking parchment
3. Measure all ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat for about 2 minutes, until well blended
4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface
5. Bake in the pre-heated over for about 1 hour, until well risen and golden brown.  A fine skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean if the loaf is ready.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out, peel of the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.

And here is the finished product!

Hubby doesn't like banana, shame, more for me then!