Hand-me-down blouse

While we're on the subject of lace, here's a super easy project I managed to do in 5 minutes. The original blouse owner was much better endowed in the chest than me, so I looked a bit daft in it. Because the cap sleeves are only attached 2/3 around the arm hole, I could do a straight stitch on either side of the hip up to the underarm without messing with the sleeves at all (I would have had to undo seams in the arms if the sleeves had been longer). I originally thought about putting a tuck in each sleeve too, but in the end, the exaggerated shape next to the fitted bodice looked quite dramatic, so I left the sleeves oversized. The skirt is that fabulous bargain I got in Primark at the start of the year.

C x

Things to do when funds run low

The job hunt has thus far been unsuccessful. After a week of doing nothing (television and video games eventually becomes rather depressing), I decided to get myself into gear and find things to keep myself occupied. Unfortunately, many activities to keep oneself occupied with cost money. So I'm getting creative with my solutions:

• Volunteer - I just started volunteering in a brilliant charity shop. Not only does it take up some free time, I am surrounded by gorgeous clothes, get to meet interesting new people, and gain some all important work experience (because apparently 2 years isn't enough...).

• Read - it's free entertainment, as long as you already have some books that need read (if not, borrow from relatives/friends/neighbours). Going to the cinema costs ~£15 and the experience lasts 2 hours. Picking up a book at a charity shop costs as little as £1, and you're reading too quickly if you finish in under 8 hours. 

• Write - a blog, stubborn e-mails you never got around to, handwritten letters to distant friends (okay, you have to pay postage), inspiring lists of activities you can do for free (depending on what you already own, e.g. camping equipment, bicycle, musical instrument, sewing machine etc)

• Walk - takes up time, is free exercise, and a walk in bad weather will toughen you up a bit, weakling.

• Edit surroundings - wardrobe clearout, kitchen cupboard clearout, book clearout, music clearout, filing clearout, and any other cupboards or drawers that need a good clearout. 

• Organise your life - having done bullet point #5, seek to sort contents of cupboard/shelf/wardrobe in a way that maximises tidiness and space while minimising the need to hunt for things. Everyone has their own way, but I find putting things into containers and labelling them works for me. If you don't have containers, you don't necessarily need to buy them. I raided my recycling box for some nice free containers to sort my makeup out:

I haven't had to think beyond this list yet, part of me hopes I don't have to but it's a fun challenge to find things to do! 

If, on the other hand, you do have funds, then you should check out Capability Scotland in Stockbridge, currently having an incredible 'George Street In Charity Shop' rail, with the likes of Day Birger et Mikkelsen, Hugo Boss, Christian Louboutin , Alexander McQueen and other jaw-droppers, some with tags still on, going for between £10-100 quid (McQueen shoes, size 4, £75!). I managed to resist, but my boyfriend was almost tempted by a Hugo Boss Merino wool pullover, going for a thrifty £10. No word on whether this is a one-off or is going to be a regular thing (I believe Harvey Nichols may have had some involvement), I'll try to give some notice the next time a special event is scheduled.

C x

Recipe: Puy Lentil Stuffed Aubergine

I had the girls over for dinner, but being the only vegetarian in the party made me worry that making something simple like pasta or ratatouille would be a bit of a disappointment, so I wanted to showcase a more interesting vegetarian dish.

For starters, we had delicious green olives and sun-dried courgettes (both from Sainsbury's):

(these are deliciously sweet but laden with oil, watch out!)

The main course was puy lentil stuffed aubergine, a recipe I developed from two separate Yotam Ottolenghi recipes from his 'Plenty' cookbook (his were a bit complicated, and a bit wasteful with veg).

Serves 4 (gluten and dairy free)

Aubergines:
2 medium/large aubergines (depending on whether it's a starter or main)
Olive oil
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt & pepper

Stuffing:
200g Puy lentils, rinsed
3 small carrots, peeled (or leave skin on if organic)
2 celery sticks
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
1tbsp red wine vinegar
1tbsp chopped coriander
1tbsp chopped parsley

1. Heat the Oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Slice the aubergines in half lengthways, leaving the green stalk for decoration. Using a small knife, make 2 or 3 parallel incisions down the cut side of the aubergine halves, being careful not to cut through the skin on the other side. Then turn the knife 45° and repeat to get a diamond-shape pattern. 


2. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the 4 aubergine halves cut side up, then spray or brush the aubergines with olive oil several times so that the flesh has absorbed lots of oil. Place the thyme sprigs just on top of the vertical incisions (so the flavour will diffuse through the flesh) and as much salt and pepper as you like. Roast for 40 minutes or until they look soft and browned (you may want to top up the oil half way through baking).


3.  With the aubergines taken care of, you can start work on the stuffing. Place the lentils in a sauce pan, with the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme, bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes. Yotam says to skim any surface froth away, but I never got any. 


4. Cut the carrot and celery into 1cm dice, mix with the tomatoes, lash in some olive oil to coat everything lightly and a few pinches of salt. Spread out over a baking tray and cook on the shelf above the aubergines for about 20 minutes (it helps to time this with the second half of the aubergine bake time). 


5. Back to the Puy lentils - when cooked, remove and drain in a sieve. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs (don't worry if leaves have broken off), transfer back to the saucepan, spray in a bit more olive oil and the vinegar and lots of salt and pepper. Pop the lid on the pan to keep it warm and wait for everything else to finish cooking (with a bit of practice, we could probably time this perfectly).


6. Add the cooked vegetables to the lentils in the saucepan, with the chopped herbs and taste, add seasoning if required. Place the cooked aubergines onto plates, then spoon the lentil mix on top and into the nooks and crannies created by the incisions - these will have expanded during baking (don't rush, the lentils like to roll off everywhere if you're not careful). Serve with a great big smile on your face because it looks (and tastes) awesome.

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If you like, Yotam suggests putting a dollop of crème fraîche or yoghurt on top, but I decided not to, to keep the recipe dairy-free. I served mine with a central bowl of broccoli, I reckon you could probably serve cauliflower or cabbage and the tastes would still compliment.

I had been given this lovely wine at Christmas, but saved it for a nice occasion. It was terrific, very soft and plummy, and my boyfriends barcode scanner app tells me you can get it at some supermarkets for only £10. It is very, very much worth trying.

For desert, I gave up being dairy-free and made that same ginger ice-cream I made at Christmas, which I served with slices of mango. I know it's from a very different cuisine, but we all thought it went really well anyway (food snobs probably hate me though).

On top of all that, my lovely friends brought me some lovely Spring tulips:

and when I had been picking up my ingredients earlier on, I had spotted these bargain hyacinths for £2.99 which will pop out something beautiful in a few weeks, just in time for the end of my degree (as a wee present to myself):

C x