forgotten things

I designed these journal covers around the end of last year as a sort of pitch for a project with a lovely independent publisher, who I have done some more work with this year.  It has only just occurred to me that I should probably put them on my blog so that they can see the light of day!

marvellous madeleines

Bristol has been one big party in the last few weeks (which perhaps accounts a little for my total lack of blog presence...I do apologise).  I think at least half of the population of Somerset must have been at the Harbour Festival last weekend, drinking cider, dangling feet above water, scooting around in little motorised boats, idly dotted across railway tracks, before half-heartedly slipping away at the sight of an approaching steam train.

One of the highlights for me were these delightful little Madeleines that we spotted on a French biscuit stall (I've been wanting to try some ever since I saw Michel Roux Jr cooking up a killer batch on MasterChef last year), enjoyed whilst snooping around a giant Naval boat.

(I love this city, I really do.)

STUDIO BAKE DAY

I may have neglected to mention that I've moved into the wonderful little creative hub that is the Drawn in Bristol illustration studio in Stokes Croft (pictures to follow, as soon as I can find room in my bag for my camera!), nestled inside Hamilton House (a big melting-pot inhabited by lots of talented and creative artists, designers, musicians and filmmakers).

One of the lovely ladies on my floor initiated a Bake Day as incentive for her to leave the house and do some work on a Friday.  Well, today the oven gloves were passed over to me, so I thought I'd share a recipe with you (I may have had a helping hand from the Asda mag).

1) Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius (I couldn't find the little circular symbol).

2) Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric whisk for around five minutes, or until the mixture has a thick but light consistency.

3) Mix in the mashed bananas (I used a mixture of slightly spotty, overly-ripe bananas and just-right bananas so that the loaf was flavoursome, but not too over-powering), milk, honey and vanilla extract.

4) Sift in the flour*, cinnamon, ground ginger and baking powder until just combined.

5) Stir in a handful of chocolate chips.

6) Spoon the mixture in a non-stick loaf tin and place in the oven on the middle shelf to bake for one hour, until the loaf is golden brown on top.

7) Put the loaf on a wire rack to cool it down.

8) Enjoy with a nice hot cup of tea.

*The recipe actually specified that the wholemeal flour should be plain, and not self-raising, but I bought the wrong type, and therefore also abandoned the bicarbonate of soda.  It didn't rise terribly well (none of my loaves do), but was perfectly delicious and generous in size!

Also, I was reminded of this today, and thought I would share it with you.

sketchbook

My desk is covered in pens and mugs once again, and I am enjoying the heat from my angle poise lamp and the sound of Jono McCleery, and the smell of spices coming from the kitchen...

...Quite relieved that my attempt at a raspberry was chopped off in the scanner.

Not to scale

hello, twenty four

Well then, it looks like I'm no longer twenty three.  It's been a good year, which I decided to see out by rolling around in some Bristol snow, being swarmed by police as a by-stander in the midst of a student protest, purchasing a couple of snuggly jumper skirts, perusing the nicest of little galleries, being denied chips at a cafe (but making up for it with a warm veggie sausage roll) and eating my very first tarte tatan at the devine Demuths. But how did I get on with my 'twenty three things to do before I turn twenty four' list?  Ahem...

1. Build a website

2. Eat a Knickerbockerglory

3. Post regular blog entries

4. Fill two polaroid films

5. Go to Ryantown

Well, okay, not quite (I blame the weekend job), but I did see some Rob Ryan originals in London!

6. Launch a greeting card range

7. Re-pot my sad little apple tree

8. Decoupage my sewing box

9. Learn to crochet, make something

10. Get a First for something at uni

11. Watch a meteor shower (it's been so long)

12. Make one of these

13. Go to the Little at least once a month

I certainly had a good go anyway!!

14. Add a patch to Issy's quilt

15. Make fifteen recipes from my recipe stash

16. Order some fabric from Spoonflower

17. Say 'yes' more

Subjective, but I think so.
18. Learn to do silkscreen printing

19. Organise a photo scavenger hunt

20. Get work experience in a studio

21. Be an explorer of the world

22. Feel hot sand between my toes (please?)

Ha!  No chance.

23.  Discover five new authors

Six, actually!!

Eleven out of twenty three.  Pathetic.  I apologise, I shall set my self fewer goals this year and try much, much harder!!

my last war

The first of, probably two responses to my summer project, inspired by the wonderful Mr Black, a beautiful old man and former war correspondent from the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  When Mr Black eventually realises, a little too late, the importance of being a family man, he abandons his lust for battle and wages one last war.  He remembers a tree his wife once had a run in with, and with a swing of his axe, chops it down and lovingly crafts a big wooden bed to mark their new lives together.  Long after his wife's passing, he hammers a nail into the bed every morning as soon as he wakes up to commemorate his loss, until the bed becomes so heavy that the floor caves in.

It's easy to forget about your dissertation when you have images to make and a, quite frankly, delicious looking Graze box on your desk (there's even a mini freshly baked Focaccia bread in today's one).

Mmm MM.

I have been doing a lot of this this week.

Update soon.

brekkie to go

I've started compiling a big chunky list of things I want to do in 2010 (inspired by the great hulaseventy), which I intend to publish at some point.  My mum and I delight in collecting free recipe mags from supermarkets and tearing them out and sticking them in a book.  This is usually about as far as my culinary pursuits go.  However, I have endeavored, as part of my rapidly evolving list, to try at least fifteen recipes from my stash over the next three hundred and thirty two days of the year.  I have Asda to thank for this one.  Very yummy indeed, and quite handy.

Ingredients

175g butter

3tbsp golden syrup

100g soft brown sugar

3tbsp lemon juice

250g rolled oats

25g flaked almonds

2tbsp sesame seeds

50g raisins

and a sprinkling of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas Mark 3.  Grease and line at deep cake tin (or whatever you can find) with baking paper.  Put the butter, golden syrup, sugar and lemon juice in a pan and stir over a low heat until melted.  Mix the oats, flaked almonds, sesame seeds, raisins and cinnamon in a bowl.  Pour the melted mixture into the bowl and combine until covered.  Press into the cake tin with a fork until even and bake in the oven for about twenty five minutes.  Remove and allow to cool (I didn't realise that the flapjack mix doesn't firm until it has cooled and incidentally kept shoving it back in the oven.  Trust physics).  Cut into bars or squares and enjoy!

happy graze

A very special friend of mine recently introduced me to a new and wonderful past-time...grazing.  And seeing as though I've been harping on about it to anyone who will listen, I thought I may as well post in on here too.

Grazing is a healthy and fun snacking scheme which delivers wholesome and delicious nibbles to your door or workplace.  You simply peruse the tempting range of foods on the graze website, rating your favourite dried fruits and nuts, pick your delivery day, the graze team pick a selection of tasty treats for your box, and a surprise bundle arrives through your door.  And what's more, if like me you are a sucker for beautiful packaging, you won't be disappointed.

If you're not already won over, you can grab yourself a free graze nibble box by visiting the graze website and typing in this code:

Make sure you check out the graze special mixes...Bakewell Tart is a favourite of mine; cherry rasins, almonds and cranberries.  Mmm.