Homemade Pizza

I don't have many luxuries nowadays with the baby on the way; I'm trying to pay off my student loan (which was on my credit card) before she arrives, which means i'm on a strict budget-this involves me paying out all my bills, rent and shopping bill straight after pay day and spending the rest of my money on merely petrol and baby essentials.  One of the luxuries Callum likes to have on a hangover day is Pizza, and for weeks he had a desire to make his own so had pinpointed Saturday as that day.  We did our weekly shop as we always do; write an inventory of what we have in the cupboards, write a menu incorporating those things and compile a list of additional items we need.  This week's shop, even taking into account my perchance for being "off my food", combined with needing lots of fresh veg to keep my IBS under control plus lots of meat, we managed to come in way under our usual weekly shop budget.  So it seemed like the perfect time to make pizza! Even with the additional ingredients we wouldn't have bought otherwise (processed meats-on offer, sundried tomatoes, artichokes and flour), we still came in well under budget. So you see, eating fresh food doesn't need to be expensive!

We started off by using good olde google to look up how to make your own dough and tomato sauce, the best we came across was a Jamie Oliver, which we turned out to have the recipe book for! There's something about making your own meal from complete scratch that I find so very therapeutic and enjoyable- such a community activity and gets the endorphins going.  A few weeks ago we made veg lasagne from scratch, white sauce the lot! I don't know why I haven't made white sauce sooner, it really is SO simple and cheap! I think for six portions of veg lasagne it cost a total of £2 or something ridiculous! Anyway, I digress! The recipe dictates that you make a well using the flour (and salt but we didn;t have any!), this always makes me nervous for some reason! I get a bit anal about stuff like that! Needless to say, Callum took over from there and also did the kneading.

We left the dough mixture to grow (weird right?!), under a damp tea towel in a bowl before rolling it out.

And this was one of the final outcomes:

Salami, pancetta, courgette, aubergine, sundried tomato and artichoke pizza.

Cross Stitched "Up"

I recently finished this piece of embroidery as inspired by Skye.  Rather annoyingly, I forgot to take a picture of it finished, I also cross stitched some balloons.  I used one of my many new wooden embroidery hoops that I bought as a job lot! I have so many that I have no idea what i'm going to do with them all!

I've been off work today because I felt absolutely atrocious; I couldn't walk because I had such bad bouts of leg cramps last night that I fell out of bed! That, coupled with the fact that I had back ache from my neck to the bottom of my spine, meant that I didn't sleep and in fact have felt awful until 10pm.  I have a feeling it might be something to do with the fact that I went to a gig last night which involved three hours of sitting with little back support and I definitely felt it!  Thankfully I'm hoping it'll get better now and be okay for the rest of the weekend! Fingers crossed!

Banana, nutella and rice krispie traybake

It was Callum's Birthday yesterday and in true work office style I baked up a storm (4 hours worth!) for him to take to work with him.  The next few posts will be me sharing the recipes of the baked goods.

Banana, nutella and rice krispie traybake:

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of butter (I used unsalted)
140g of mini marshmellows
75g rice krispies
100g milk chocolate (broken into pieces)
275g nutella
2 large bananas


Recipe:

Press tin foil into the base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin and grease.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. 
Add the marshmellows and stir until melted and smooth.  Immediately remove from the heat and add the rice krispies.  Stir to coat evenly.
Use a large, oiled spoon, press the mixture firmly into an even layer in the tin.
For the topping, melt the chocolate and nutella in a microwave or over a pan of water. 
Slice the bananas thinly and spread in an even layer across the crispy base. 
Pour the nutella mixture over the bananas and use a spatula to level it. 
Put in the fridge until set and then cut into squares.

This recipe was taken from this book by Edd Kimber, which recently became my favourite baking book to go to.  I currently have post it notes on near on every page because I am desperate to bake the goodies in there! I also really like the way he chooses his ingredients and writes the recipes, making them more straight forward and enjoyable to bake along to then some of my other books. 

Cross Stitch Rose Keyring

So I finally started and finished the CrossStitcher keyring.  I really enjoyed doing it and am now desperate to stitch on some more wood.  Unfortunately I'm really struggling to find the wooden blanks, so if anyone comes across any, please link me up! I'm actually really proud with how it turned out, and I miraculously didn't run outta thread!

Wish list (If I wasn't pregnant!)

F and F @ Tesco

I don't usually like tie back dresses but this one has completely won me over! Wondering whether it's worth buying in an attempt to motivate me post baby?!

Topshop

I have a soft spot for pinafore and dungaree dresses, which is quite good for me but bad for my bank balance because they seem to be "in" this season! Annoyingly I prefer them in the cold weather so I can layer them with double denim or plaid shirts.  Having said that, I think this could also serve a purpose useful for breastfeeding. 

Topshop

Topshop

This jacket is just, WOW! I don't really like pink and not entirely sure how this would fit into my wardrobe but come on..!

Topshop

Brighton Fringe Festival

I can't remember if I have mentioned this before, but my Bachelor degree is in Drama and I've spent a lot of my life involved in theatre of some kind so it is probably my main passion.  With this in mind, I am always on the look out for theatre that catches my eye, this usually ends up being Physical Theatre as this was my specialism at Uni.

Every year Brighton hold a festival of theatre, music and dance with events being held all over the City including the big theatres, outdoor spaces, basements, pubs and basically any venue you could ever think of.  It's a combination of free and paid events and although much from the "main" brochure found here doesn't usually grab my attention, I am always draw to numerous things in the smaller , fringe venues.  I used to work in one of the main theatres of Brighton and i'll never get rid of the special feeling any theatre gives me.  Each venue always smells of something, whether it is smell of must as you walk into the well trodden red carpet or the smell of the lights, theatres will always hold a special place in my heart.  The excitement and adrenaline as the lights go down and everyone in the audience automatically go silence is something that I still feel now from my days as a participant on stage and backstage. Magical.

Here are some performances I am chomping at the bit to see, my only dilemma will be choosing between them as I cannot afford them all!:

• Cool Beans by Fan Dance Theatre Company-  This theatre company are formed of actors with and without disability which is always something that appeals to both my previous and current career.  This production explores the four seasons and has comedy in it.  
•  In Transit by Artichoke Art Group- What would happen if one day you woke up without even knowing what your name is? Ella's mind is absolutely blank.Along her voyage she will encounter various characters who try to help her recover and put together the puzzle of her life..
• Lets get angry by Portmanteau-This performance appeals for many reasons, the premise is about remembering adolescence through the medium of dance and spoken word, and the performers are two local graduates (From Chi and Brighton).  
• Puddles by Fat Git Theatre - From a company who like to surprise, this production is about the monotony of working in a call centre and turning that into something imaginative. 
• The Well by Something Underground Theatre
• Dinner by Thrust- Possibly my favourite from the list is this dinner party creation centred around a dinner "like no other".  This company's stylistic manner really grabs my attention (see their adaptation of Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar particularly) as this was alike one of my technical pieces I created whilst studying.  
• Forwards and Backwards by Square Peg Theatre- This is another production at the top of my must see list, again for it's style and also the dance theatre aspect.  It's the story of a couple's fight for survival, on a journey they never bargained for or wanted.  
• The Kiosk by 4 Motion Dance Theatre- Sold as a "See, Do, Connect" production, this company have a way of grabbing my attention with thought provoking subjects and this time is no different.  I love the synopsis "We live in a world where the mobile device is king and the pay kiosk stands decrepit and rejected.  A new breed of human is developing, weaving into societies digital and wireless utopia without hesitation".  
•  Transit by A Point Theatre Company- A woman finds herself catapulted out her comfort zone into a peculia adventure.  An exploration of the free will, human relationships and communication.
• How not to host a dinner party by Park Bench Dance Theatre- Looking at the challenges of hosting a dinner party by another local company. 
• Another must see from me: The Secret Garden an adaptation by Fight or Flight Productions- Physical adaptations of classics always grab my eye, ever since we did our final piece as a Physical Theatre adaptation of the classic Frankenstein.  This adaptation explores the passion of adult grief as it seeps into children's play.
• We live in a world where the mobile device is king and the pay phone kiosk stands decrepit and rejected. A new breed of human is developing, weaving into societies digital and wireless utopia without hesitation. The Kiosk is an explosive dance theatre performance with a heavy concoction of dark humour, theatre, music and visual projections. - See more at: http://boxoffice.brightonfringe.org/event.aspx?evId=5039#sthash.AZzCUnzK.dpuf
  We live in a world where the mobile device is king and the pay phone kiosk stands decrepit and rejected. A new breed of human is developing, weaving into societies digital and wireless utopia without hesitation. The Kiosk is an explosive dance theatre performance with a heavy concoction of dark humour, theatre, music and visual projections. - See more at: http://boxoffice.brightonfringe.org/event.aspx?evId=5039#sthash.AZzCUnzK.dpuf
  What would happen if one day you woke up without even knowing what your name is, where you are or why? Ella's mind is absolutely blank. Along her voyage she will encounter various characters who try to help her recover and put together the puzzle of her life. - See more at: https://boxoffice.brightonfringe.org/event.aspx?evId=4888#container
  What would happen if one day you woke up without even knowing what your name is, where you are or why? Ella's mind is absolutely blank. Along her voyage she will encounter various characters who try to help her recover and put together the puzzle of her life. - See more at: https://boxoffice.brightonfringe.org/event.aspx?evId=4888#container

So there we have it, a long but necessary list of my top 2013 theatre pieces.  I think i'll narrow it down to Forwards and Backwards, The Secret Garden and the Kiosk, but that could all change!

Let me know if you plan to see any of the above or if any productions have grabbed your attention lately.  Also, if you are in London and got money lying around, PLEASE get your arse down to see PunchDrunk and the National Theatre's latest collaboration, it sounds breathtaking (as always with their stuff!). 

What would happen if one day you woke up without even knowing what your name is, where you are or why? Ella's mind is absolutely blank. Along her voyage she will encounter various characters who try to help her recover and put together the puzzle of her life. - See more at: https://boxoffice.brightonfringe.org/event.aspx?evId=4888#container

Gluten Free Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

200g Soft light brown sugar
Pinch of salt (I left this out)
200g Cold butter cut into cubes
200g Gluten free self raising flour (I used Dove's Farm)
1 Tsp of GF Baking powder (I happened to have Dove's Farm without realising!)
4 Lightly beaten medium eggs
2 Drops of vanilla extract
80m Strong Black coffee (I used filter as that's what we drink).

Buttercream:
125g Softened butter (I used more as it didn't seem buttery enough and was quite watery)
250g Icing sugar
2 Drops of vanilla extract
2 tbsp of Irish cream liqueur (I left this out)

Equipment:
2x Loose bottomed sandwich tins (20")
Greaseproof paper


Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Grease the tins and line with baking paper.
3. Boil the kettle and make up the coffee, leave on one side.
4. Put the brown sugar, salt, butter, flour and baking powder in a bowl and use a mixer until the ingredients look like breadcrumbs.
5. Gradually add the eggs in three lots, beating hard after each addition.  It should look something like this:

6.  Then add the  vanilla and coffee and beat hard for 2-3 minutes.
7.  Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins and bake for about 25 minutes, check after 20.  Once done, it should look something like this:

8. Meanwhile, make the buttercream by mixing the butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl until light and fluffy. 
9. Once the cakes are cold, removed from the tins and peel off the baking paper.
10. Spread half the buttercream on top of one sponge and put the other sponge on top then spread the top layer with buttercream.  I decided to add mini eggs to mine for an Easter theme.

Everyone said that this cake was particularly light, so perfect when enjoyed in the afternoon with a cup of tea.