Archive for November, 2012

Cute Satchel/Yumi
Retro Brooch/LadybirdLikes
Slubby Tee/Apricot
Geometric Knit /Joy The Store
Skinny Jeans, Tribal Feets/Free People UK

I’ve been trying not to shop this month. I had lunch with an old friend yesterday who used to share my passion for clothes shopping. We both worked at French Connection back in the day and would spend a fortune on our ‘uniforms’ come payday. She’s moved out of the country now so I hadn’t seen her for actual years. She greeted me wearing a stunning cream tartan three piece suit and we talked about how it’s not important to us anymore to throw our money at party dress after dress after dress when we never really have the opportunities to wear them. I’d much rather throw on a cute floral printed day dress with heels and a leather jacket for a night with the girls than buy a yearly ‘Christmas Party Dress’ full of sequins and glitz that I wear once and bury in my wardrobe.

Having said that, not shopping is hard for a girl who is so passionate about putting outfits together ;) I will have to live vicariously through you guys – let me know if you get something from my picks, won’t you? Free People have recently launched a UK store and I’m yet to make a purchase *squirms* but I’m trying to be practical in my old age!! Even my window shopping is a casual look and was inspired by the satchel – a practical piece I would actually find useful!

In the new year I want to grow my Indie Business, so I’m saving as many pennies as possible. Things are changing and whilst they may feel dull and stressful right now, it’s working towards something great! …I hope ;)

Loves x xx

This recipe was born of a want to cook something fun for Boyfriend and my lovely Bestie to say thank you for putting up with my scatterbrained busyness! I admit, I mainly chose this because I love the word Jambalaya! There’s a fair number of ingredients and it takes a wee bit of time, but a Jambalaya is still pretty easy – you just throw all the ingredients in a pot and let it cook itself. The result is super tasty and it’s good for you! This recipe serves 4.

Equipment:

Frying Pan
Large Pot/Pan
Wooden Spoon
Sharp Knife
Chopping Board
Jug
Kettle

Ingredients:

A large chicken breast
A chorizo ring
A butternut squash
An onion
Olive oil (a couple of splashes)
Tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
Knorr Chicken Stock Pot
Very Lazy Garlic (2 teaspoons)
Cajun seasoning (1 tablespoon)
Rice (250g)

Step One

The trick with this recipe is preparation! So the first step is to chop up all the ingredients.

Take the butternut squash and chop off the bulbus end (I throw this away as it is mainly full of seeds and there is always plenty in the slim end!). Then slice the top from the other side and peel with a potato peeler. When you’re left with a chunk of peeled butternut squash you need to chop this up. It doesn’t have to be pretty, Jambalaya is a nice homely meal so my chunks are all different shapes and sizes!

Chop up the onion and slice up the chorizo and keep to one side.

Step Two

Slice up the chicken, heat a frying pan, add a splash of oil and fry until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Step Three

Add another splash of oil to the pan and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes.
Add the chorizo, butternut squash, garlic and cajun seasoning. Fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

A fantastic invention! One teaspoon is one clove of garlic.

Step Four

Boil the kettle and add 300ml of water to the jug containing the stock pot. Mix.

Step Five

Start to heat the large pan/pot and add the chopped tomatoes, stock, uncooked rice and chicken. Then add the rest of the ingredients from the frying pan and reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is cooked to taste and sauce is reduced. Stir frequently to avoid the jambalaya sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Step Six

Serve with salad and garlic bread. Enjoy.

This is a lovely, hearty meal for the Winter months and is super easy to make a big pot and keep some for lunch at work or a quick leftovers tea when there is just the two of you. It’s also great for entertaining as you can leave it to cook while you have a chat with a glass of wine :))

Loves x xx