Pass On At Least 5 Recipes

Remember last year when Jamie Oliver was banging on about passing on recipes to your neighbours and colleagues etc, in an attempt to  ‘get the country cooking’ ? I don’t think it really worked, but I did adopt the idea for one of my 101 in 1001′s.

I naïvely thought it would be easy, giving recipes to other people, but it’s been harder than I thought. Most of the people I know can already cook, they have no need for me and my preachy skills barging into their life.

I have, however, been trying. I think. The first recipe I passed on was my Smoked Salmon Paté recipe, to my (now ex) boss. It went down a storm and I came away feeling pretty happy because it wasn’t a recipe from a book, it was one of my mothers that I’d adapted to suit. (if you want it, let me know. It’s blindingly simple).

The second came a long time after that. My mum and I are undertaking the ” Try a new dish once a week for three months” of my 101, and one of those recipes was Tuna Burgers. I’ve passed that recipe on to at least three people, but I’m not sure if they’ve actually been made yet.

The trouble now, is that a) I don’t know who else to pass recipes on to and b) what recipes to use. Should I try to find people who can’t cook, and teach them? My gift to my friend Owen this year (hi, Owen!) was to teach him how to cook, since he’s moved out of home and can just about manage beans on toast. But I haven’t been able to do any of that yet, since I’ve had to move back home. & does it count if you teach one person three new recipes?

I guess since I made the list I can decide my own rules. I’d like to pass on five recipes to five different people, but I’ll settle for three people if I really can’t find anyone else willing to put up with my nagging. With that in mind, er, anyone wanna learn how to cook anything?

Congratulations, Amy Marks!

My wonderful friend Amy of wolfwhistle.org fame won a fashion blogging competition hosted by Grazia, and I could not be more chuffed for her. Not least because the prize is amazing (£1000 to spend at my-wardrobe.com & tickets to LFW next year) but also because she’s an amazing fashion journalist and it’s about time people started to sit up and take notice.

Congratulations kid, well deserved Her winning article is here, and the piece the Grazia team wrote about her is here, both well worth reading (in my opinion of course ).

Catch Up

I have a batch of gingerbread dough in the fridge chilling, and a saucepan of chunked cooking apple on the stove, waiting to be turned into delicous apple sauce to accompany tonight’s roast pork. It’s a little domesticated, but since domesticated is a hat I can wear well, that’s okay by me.

Last night was Anna’s last in Cornwall for the time being, bringing my friends total down to a measly two (or losing 33% if you like to be maths geek about it), so we sent her off in traditional fashion of playing one of the weird board games in the local pub. We ended up playing scruples, with questions such are “you are having an affair, and don’t feel like going to work. Do you call in sick?” and “you are in a night-club [sic] and see a handsome young man, dressed to the “nines”. His shirt tail is sticking out, do you tell him?”

Some of the questions were beyond hilarious (I wasn’t drinking but I can imagine the pints of beer that Jeff and Anna consumed only helped to heighten the sense of what the fuckedness about the whole thing.)

I’m sad to see her go, and not just because it brings my friend quotient down so drastically. At least I can console myself with that fact that London is around the corner, timeline if not distance wise, and I’ll soon be able to hang out whenever I damn well please. I can’t wait.

Grace In Small Things – The London Edition

I went to London with Aaron yesterday, so I thought I’d do a Grace in Small Things dedicated to that today I guess this more a list of nice/funny moments, rather than particular things, but hey it’s my life, so I figure I can do whatever the hell I like

1. Taking photos in the Tate and being told off. Rebel!

2. Sushi that wasn’t supposed to be chicken, but was.

3. Ridiculously large paper flowers

4. Trees with graffiti & the fattest pigeons in the world

5. Walls covered in snooker table felt

 

 

I would really recommend going to see the Pop Life exhibition that’s currently on at the  Tate Modern if you can, it’s a lot of fun

 

 

Primark, How I Love Thee

1. 165/365 Vibrant, 2. 155/365 Taking It Easy, 3. 318/365 Grrr (bargains I have bought in Primark)

I love Primark. I do. I remember the first time I ever went, after reading about it time and time again on a friends Livejournal and thinking FINE, I’LL GO, BUT I WON’T LIKE IT.

Boy was I wrong. The first one I ever visited was in Middlesbrough, so it wasn’t exactly the greatest, but I loved it all the same. I went today to Lakeside with Nicola to pick up some winter staples – I love that I can spent £30 and come back with a myriad of fabulousness. In no particular order:

1. Make Up Bag, 2. Bow Brooch & Yellow Tights, 3. Giraffe Pants, 4. Swallows & Stars Underwear, 5. Flourescent Belts, 6. Reindeer pyjamas, 7. Skinny Jeans, 8. Veil, 9. Headband

I actually got two pairs of skinny jeans, one black one grey, plus two stripey jumpers not pictured. All of the above, for a mind blowing £51. (the belts were 50p each!) I love you, Primark. Don’t ever change.

Introducing: Grace In Small Things

So, inspired by Jackie, someone I have known online for many years through many incarnations, I have decided to start my own Grace In Small Things Project. Every Saturday I will write a list of five small things that make me smile I’ll try and include a photo every week too, if I can.

WEEK ONE

1. Making lists (how appropriate!)
2. Meeting old friends
3. Free muffins
4. Making friends in my new job
5. Piles of crisp, fallen leaves.

I know Jackie was inspired by schmutzie.com, both their lists are worth checking out. Let me know if you start your own!

Do You Like Sprinkles?

Do You Like Sprinkles? (Originally uploaded by Fanboy30)

This fabulous man is celebrating his birthday today, so pop on over and say hi