Finally, Cookies.

It's taken about two weeks and five chocolate chip cookie recipes, tried and tested for our flat to find the best wheat free recipe. We've had some that have turned out more like syrup sponge puddings, some with the consistancy of bread and butter pudding, and some more like cakes than cookies. Whilst eating breakfast this morning the latest Good Food magazine arrived and i found the following recipe.

Ingredients:

100g soft brown sugar

100g golden caster sugar

100g butter, softened

1 egg

1tsp vanilla essence

225g wheat-free plain flour

140g milk chocolate, melted

85g white chocolate chips or chunks

85g plain chocolate chips or chunks

Step 1: Heat oven to 180C fan. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix the sugars and butter with a wooden spoon, until soft. Then add the egg, vanilla, flour and melted chocolate and mix together. Stir in the chocolate chips, then using a spoon, scoop the mixture into balls onto the baking paper.

Step 2: Bake in batches for 8-9 minutes until pale golden and soft to the touch - they will firm up as they cool. Carefully transfer to a wire rack and drizzle with the remaining melted chocolate. Best enjoyed warm with a glass of cold milk, american style.

Enjoy!

Catching Up

I've spent all week getting to grips with the new project and trying to learn how to use InDesign, i haven't had time to sit down and blog. It's unusual for me to be so undistracted, but i really want to get this project sorted. So anyway, it's the weekend, and a week since i've blogged. It's also nearly the end of February, which i must say i'm not so sad about. The dreary weather and work load has made me look forward to spring so so much. I'm really excited about filling the flat with daffodils, decorating eggs, de-cluttering and cooking lovely easter dishes. For now, however i shall leave you with a few things that have inspired me this week, that i haven't had time to share. Have a lovely weekend!

Lovely simple design work. Makes me wants to create miniture recipe concertina books in that style.

Expensive, but pretty good for inspiration.

from EatDrinkChic.com

Rather pretty origami heart invitations.

Would like to read this next.

Would quite like to go to this.

Enjoy your Saturday!

 

Saturday Treats

I came home for the weekend to find these lovely little chocolate discs. A friend had given them to my Mum, who let me try one. I love interesting chocolate recipes, especially if they contrain something you wouldn't have thought would go with chocolate, in this case lemongrass. 

Budapest

Earlier this week i booked a flight for a friend and i to Budapest. We're making a pit stop there in July on our way to Novi Sad in Serbia for EXIT Festival. We don't have long there, and neither of us have been before so it's hugely exciting starting to think of all the places to visit. I was having a browse on the web and made a (long) short list of potential things to see and do...

We could enjoy the healing waters in the Rudus Thermal Baths, build in the 16th century during the Turkish occupation. I got a little downhearted when i looked at the prices and saw that a weekend all day pass cost would set you back 1,800 HUF, until i put it into a currency converter and discovered it was a measly £5.80. 

 

The Museum of Applied Arts

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge

I really hope we get time to visit the Great Market Hall, it's packed with food stalls selling typically Hungarian produce, famous for its Hungarian paprika powder.

Needless to say i am getting so very excited about the trip, and it's still months away. I think what i'm looking forward to most is arriving in a city with a completely new culture.

Pancake Day

What did you have on yours? My favourite was melted white chocolate and blueberries. My flatmates and i took turns in making our own with the batter Jess had made. I couldn't quite get mine to be a perfect circle, and i wasn't adventurous enough to try flipping it (for fear of losing it to the extractor fan), but they tasted rather good all the same. An interesting discovery was the marmite and grated cheese pancake.

Yum.

She Has Arrived

Isn't she lovely?!

Tuesday Inspiration

Today i am inspired by pretty undergarments, sheer fabrics, clean white spaces and balloons. Have a nice Tuesday.

i would love my bedroom to look like this

from EatDrinkChic

 

from Design*Sponge 

 

What inspires you?

Happy Flowers

Just wanted to share these with you. I was bought flowers yesterday as i'd received some bad news. It was such a thoughtful thing to do and i really appreciated it. My room is so much nicer for having them, they've really cheered me up.

Fifty Years of Graphic Work (and Play)

 

Today i visited The Cube Gallery to see the Alan Fletcher exhibition, 'Fifty Years of Graphic Work (and Play)'. What impressed me most wasn't a particular piece, it was the amount of work he produced over his life time. Furthermore, it was so interesting to see how well he adapted to the changing fashions of design over the decades. It was really inspiring to walk round and be completely surrounded with type and typography, especially as it's so relevant to the projects we're working on at uni at the moment. One bit of the exhibition i really liked was a collection of 26 packets, each dedicated to the  individual letters of the alphabet, and in each was a collection of cut outs and found bits of text, where he'd liked the size/font/colour/layout or whatever. I though this was a really good idea, to have something to turn to if you were ever in need of inspiration. It made me think of what i could collect. 

As i said the other day, i've had trouble getting going this week, and this has definitely helped. I'm giving myself till the end of tomorrow to 'snap out of it' and hopefully launch myself into the 2nd part of my project over the weekend. Hopefully.

The Food Doctor

I'm finding it hard to get going this week, i've slept badly for the past 6 or 7 nights and i think it's all finally catching up with me. I had a dentist appointment this morning so was staying at my parent's house last night. My Mum's study's usually a good place to look for inspiration, she has a couple of walls lined with bookcases that are absolutely stuffed. One of my favourite books she has is 'The Food Doctor' by Vicki Edgson and Ian Marber. I'm a great believer in turning to food to fix health problems, and this book is perfect for it. So, after looking up sleeplessness i have discovered i need to boost my serotonin levels, which means eating porridge, eggs, yoghurt and bananas.

 If you're at all interested in food i would urge you to get a copy of this book, it covers everything. I'm off to stock up on some sleep inducing food, i might even pick up some mood boosting flowers while i'm there.