Hygge Nook

Post-Christmas Snowfall tart

Are you having a very Merry Christmas? I do hope so. I cooked Christmas dinner for what I think is probably only the second time in my life and it went down a storm. If you're fed up of turkey, here's a nice recipe that I adapted from one I found on the back of a packet. I'm calling it snowfall tart because that's what the crumbly goats cheese reminded me of.

You'll need:

Shortcrust pastry (make your own but there's no shame in buying a sheet of the readymade variety)
Courgette - approx half, cut into slim discs
Red pepper - approx half, deseeded and cut into long strips
Pesto - approx 2tbsp
Goats cheese (Soignon, for preference, because the cheese comes in individual discs so you can just pop out the quantity you need)
Egg - beaten to brush the pastry

Heat your oven to 180degrees.

Step 1: Roll your pastry out so it is almost the size of a rectangular baking sheet and slightly roll a 1cm edge
Step 2: Spread with the pesto (make sure you've given it a quick stir in the jar so it isn't too liquid
Step 3: Scatter your courgette and pepper (you could add cherry tomato halves, green pepper etc)
Step 4: Crumble the goat cheese over the top
Step 5: Brush egg around the rolled edge of the pastry
Step 6: Bake in the oven for approx 15minutes. Serve warm with salad. Yum.

  

Tip: You don't need any exact measurements for this so you can make it small enough for one or as large as you like, just making sure you still have enough toppings to cover. As for the toppings, add or omit as you like just making sure you have at least two veg in addition to the crumbly goats cheese - I'll certainly add some more in next time and probably make a potato salad to go with it. 

Have a great New Year and see you in 2011!

Happythought printable Christmas garland

I can see this idea going blogospheric. It's that cool. This garland is the brainchild of happythought who sell their PDF kits on Etsy. All you have to do is print, fold, hang and insert some kind of surprise in the little upturned paper cones. These look a ton better than a garish character advent calender plus you can get a few treats inside each date.

 

It costs $7 (or £4.52) and you can find the happythought Etsy store here or at their website here - there's a bunch of other cute prints and PDFs too...

Merry Christmas garland

 

Two years ago I had my heart set on a Merry Christmas garland with padded fabric letters from Anthropologie but the £54.70 price tag wasn't for me. I've kept my eyes open since then (useful for most tasks!) and finally spotted a very similar printed fabric garland but for a much more wallet friendly £10 at Next.

I am, of course, slightly embarrassed that I began Christmas shopping in October. Have you started yet? Tell me I'm not the only one!

Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas! Hope you have a great holiday xx

Christmas tree skirts

Odd title, isn't it? Bear with me. I use the same artificial tree year after year (a real one would not survive with my rambunctious children and I'd feel guilty for pulping it) and I do so loathe the very obviously artificial stand. The ideal choice is to cover it up with something pretty rather than leave it on show.

I fingered some very lovely tree skirts strewn with emboidery in Anthropologie last weekend but, alas, my budget does not stretch to £130+ (actually their website says £75.26 for this one, very odd as I recall the price as very different in store) for something that will be used on the floor for two weeks of the year.

Here's the Anthropologie tree skirt that I think is just delightful (click to make bigger):

It's embroidered with hummingbirds and dragonflies on 60" of green sateen. Not traditionally Christmassy but very charming.

Anyway, would it be terribly hard to pick up a metre of cotton sateen fabric, learn some embroidery and make something similar?

It's a project too late for this year, but I shall file it away for next year (and have a whole year to learn some embroidery!). Is there anything you wish you had made this year, and will possibly do next year?

Kirstie's Homemade Christmas

I've noticed a spike in traffic from people looking for Kirstie's Homemade Home today, no doubt because Kirstie is on the TV doing her Christmas edition. What the heck, I may as well blog about it again and for your pleasure, it's a live blog...

I do like Kirstie. I think she is a unique character on TV, warm and friendly, slightly bonkers tights and she'd probably make a fabulous Famous Five character. I also love that she is championing the 'make do and mend' trend, though I do think she misses the point about because, really, who can afford to do all the things she's showing off or the prices they no doubt entail.

Anyway, the show...

Looking at decorations to start off with as it's the theme of the shoe. Kirstie is fascinated by the glitter, thinking they'll be fab for her children's imaginations. I'd be freaking out about how breakable they are.

It takes a whopping 11 minutes for Kirstie to mention Meadowgate, her Devon home, and that is its first Christmas being in habited in 40 years.

It's cake making with The Little Venice Cake Company. The cakes look delightful with its super smooth white icing and red and green iced dots. The polar bears are absolutely cute and very cheap to make. Good start!

Kirstie is hacking down a Christmas tree, scaring people with her saw (are you watching Phil?). Fresh trees are lovely but they're a pain with needle dropping and then you have to dump the poor dead thing after. Could she not have got one by the roots so she could have planted it after?

Next craft! Lino cutting. What? Oh, Christmas cards. I've never heard of this. Steve from Delf and Dufy are showing Kirstie what to do and that she can make all her cards for £20 and have the cutters for next year. I buy all mine for £5 and still have some for next year!

Next up - salt dough Christmas decorations at a school. Egyptians did it, you can do it. It looks quite messy to mix up so probably a good one to insist your child's teacher does at school. Squash them into shapes, microwave them and paint them. Kirstie wishes she could spend her life with glitter glue but 'it turns out life isn't like that.' But it is Kirstie, it is, you're doing it! I like the 'merry christmas' shapes. They're rather sweet and it's another cheapie idea.

Back to Meadowgate which Kirstie wants to decorate with homemade ornaments so she's pottered off to see glassblower Will Shakespeare to make some baubles. Will is teaching Kirstie how to make stripey baubles. I wonder if she'll make one then he'll turn up with a box full later?

Party planning - what's on your table?

Party planning is on my mind right now. I managed to go to two birthday parties last night, both quite informal affairs. One was in one of my favourite pubs, the other in a new friend's home and she had really gone to town on the presentation with a delicate cake stand piled with petit fours and smart serveware. Naturally that made me think of my own humble shindigs and, of course, the upcoming party season. Personally I feel you can never go wrong with some crisp white serveware. It should never date but you can shake things up with pretty shapes and colourful detailing -

Clockwise from top left: These four jigsaw dishes would make a nice gift and be great for serving up nuts and sweets (£15 Next), I spotted this porcelain square bowl on a trip to Homebase and I think they're really stylish and suitable for hot 'n' cold snacks (£2.99 each Homebase - the plates would make a great accompaniment for larger tasty items), I like the delicate waves of colour on this 365+ Drom bowl, and as they aren't Christmas-themed, you can definitely use them all year round (£2.59 Ikea) and finally, this wooden chip 'n' dip trio makes a great gift for yourself too and doesn't that crisp white ceramic look fab against the natural wood? (£10 BHS).

Christmas decorations... in November

Normally I hold out until December before buying any decorations. I don't really do Hallowe'en so Christmas is my big dress up the house event and though in previous years I've held out... I find almost everything is gone by December. This year, I succumbed to consumerist pressure (and my inner magpie) and have stocked up in advance on a few pretty decorations for the tree. Take a look:

As you can see in the pics, I've been rooting around Asda for the sheer jewel drops, silver sequin loop bauble and the silver starbursts (£3 for three! The jewels were £3 a pack) whilst the white snowflakes and fluffy little owl were found at Homebase for £1.99 each (or £5 for three). A few more 'fell' into my basket too.

Let's have a close up of that little owl..

Cuteness on a branch. I have no idea how this little munhkin will fit in with my scheme but it's good to keep things fun isn't it?

I'm building on decorations I already have (silver and red) and going for a silver, white and translucent colour scheme this year. How about you?

Paper decorations from Re-found Objects

Why do we only decorate our homes at Christmas? Why should we restrict ourselves to seasonal madness when there are 50 other weeks in the area where we can put up pretty trimmings? I can think of plenty of occasions where these paper bells and balls would fit - hanging from a tree at a summer barbecue, at birthday parties for young and old or hung from a child's bedroom ceiling. They're only £3.50 to £8.50 each from Re-Found Objects. Where would you have them?

Like this? More accessories for your home

Five of the best: Non-Christmassy Christmas decorations

Who says Christmas has to be all angels, glitter baubles and miniature wrapped presents? I've rounded up my favourite non-Christmassy Christmas decorations. Clockwise from top left: