Lunch For A Busy Schedule

Image Credit

HAPPY NEW YEAR! The holidays are over. It's bittersweet, really. I absolutely love Christmas, but it's a relief to get back into the swing of my regular routine.

One thing I definitely don't miss about the festive times is how busy I was! I had hardly any time to myself, which is why it's been a while since my last post. It was also difficult to find time to prepare lunches for myself for work. This lead to me spending more money than I should have on quick and easy lunches that weren't particularly good for me.

So I decided to whip up a batch of pasta salad. It's quick, it's easy, it's delicious, and it's healthy! I didn't really go by a recipe, I just kind of made it up as I went along. It was pretty fun, actually.

I took a look in the fridge to see what I had. I'd recently bought a bag of diced carrot and parsnips that was on sale, and decided to pop those in the oven to roast along with two tomatoes.

It's a rainbow of deliciousness.

For seasoning, I sprinkled on some marjoram (one of my favourite herbs!), rosemary, sage, garlic granules, salt, and pepper. I use my nose to decide which herbs/spices to use when I'm winging it.

The nose knows, man.

I roasted my carrots, parsnips, and tomatoes in the oven for the time recommended on the package. You could use anything in your pasta salad, really. With party season over, I'm sure there are a lot of people out there struggling to get through a lot of leftovers. Why not add in some turkey or stuffing? Shops are also reducing a lot of their holiday packs of produce - take a look in your local grocery store to find something that strikes your fancy.

While you bake, cook your pasta. You can use any pasta you want. I have a fondness for tri-colour fusilli.

I don't think the colours actually taste any different, but I don't even care. 

While my veggies roasted (I know, tomatoes are technically a fruit) and my pasta boiled, I thought about what else I could throw into my experiment. I love bell peppers, so I decided to chop one up. I quite like the crunch of them raw, but you could roast them if you want. Or exclude them, that's what is so fun about pasta salad! 

They also add a gorgeous pop of red. 

When your pasta is done cooking, dump it in with your bell pepper.

Steamy goodness!

Let that cool while your veggies finish roasting, then dump those on in too! 

You could add more seasoning if you want.

I also happened to have a bag of spinach that needed using. So I figured, why not? I grabbed a nice handful of spinach and chucked that in as well. 

I can't get enough of that robust, nutty flavor. 

Many pasta salads use heavy dressings or mayonnaise, but I decided to go with something a little lighter. I splashed on a little olive oil and a slightly more generous measure of balsamic vinegar. 

No, that vinegar bottle wasn't full before. I didn't use quite that much.

Let the salad cool for a little while before covering (to avoid condensation making it go all soggy) and popping in the fridge. Voila, you're done! Well, mostly. I decided to sprinkle on some feta cheese on each individual serving instead of keeping it all in the main bowl. 

FETA CHEESE FOR LIFE! 

That bowl gave me three very generous servings of pasta salad. I could have added more spinach to bulk it up and stretch it a little farther. I thought it was absolutely amazing, score one for randomly tossing stuff together! 

What's your favorite lunch? 

Adding a DIY Touch to Your Gifts

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Every Christmas, my Facebook feed fills up with pictures of people turning into Martha Stewart and pulling off DIY crafts I could even begin to dream of. Every year I tell myself I'm going to do it, I'm going to hand make all of my cards and grow my own tree and blow my own glass baubles. As if, right?

Mesmerising....

But, I'm still a big crafter. I love to make things, especially if they actually turn out well. These hand made gift tags are the perfect way to add a crafty touch to your presents!

They're ridiculously simple to make, and they look adorable!

I'm totally proud of myself

What You'll Need

Blank gift tags (mine say luggage tags)
Stamps
Ink Pad
Any other embellishments that make you happy

My tags are quite small, so the felt embellishments I bought for them wouldn't fit. If you go with bigger tags and bigger stamps, you'll want to make sure you get an ink pad that is one solid colour rather than split into three colours, like the one I purchased. I found it difficult to fully coat the stamps in the ink without getting any of the other colours on the stamp.

First, you'll start off with your blank luggage tag.

You can't tell, but they're lovely and sturdy.

Next, you'll press your stamp into your ink pad. Don't be afraid to apply pressure, you want a good bit of ink for a nice clear image.

Sparkles are definitely encouraged.

Next you just carefully place your stamp on the tag. Again, you'll want to place plenty of pressure so that the transfer comes out nicely.

Under Pressure...do do do dodo dodo

I haven't found a good way of keeping the bits around the design from coming off on the tag. It's more prevalent on some than on others. I personally like it, it makes all the tags a little unique.

It kind of looks like the hat is wearing a hat. Ha.

I decided to place my image in the centre of the tag as I got a To and From stamp to use on the other side. You could do this, or you could put your stamp to the left or right side of the tag and put your To and From next to it. There isn't a wrong way to do it, really.

If you stamp on the reverse side as well, use a paper towel to keep from getting any ink on your work surface.

In addition to stamps, you may decide you want to add some other embellishments. You could use any number of things; glitter, sequins, felt shapes, vinyl stickers....anything at all! Take a stroll down the scrap booking aisle of your local craft store for inspiration.

I used two gingerbread men on this one because they're small. And because I can.

To attach the tags to my gift, I used curling ribbon. If you're using curling ribbon for your bow, just tie the tag to the ribbon. If you're using adhesive bows, tie some curling ribbon to the tag and put the bow on top of the ribbon. I usually add a little tape to my adhesive bows - I find most of them are not sticky enough.

So festive! 

This is my first real experience with stamping. It was fun, and I'd like to learn more. It's something for me to look into in the future. Being that it's my first time, some mistakes were made (and lessons learned). For example, wipe off your stamps after each use if you are using two different colours. That should be obvious, but I just didn't think of it. If you don't, this will happen...

I'll pretend like I intended that.

It actually looks pretty good, so I used that tag. Some mistakes work out, sometimes!

Now, what to do with all those felt embellishments I bought?? Well, I used a couple as envelope seals for Christmas cards.

Sorted!

Do you DIY? 

Sending Christmas Cheer Abroad

Don't you just want to tear it open?

Happy December! I'll share a secret, I am absolutely nuts about Christmas. As soon as the weather starts to turn, this festive craze sets in and suddenly I'm humming carols and Googling new cookie recipes to try.

But it's also a little bit sad. Christmas should be a time for family, and mine is back in America. I'm blessed enough to have loving in-laws that have fully accepted me as a part of their family, but I still miss the people I left behind.

With that in mind - I'm going to give everyone a few tips on sending presents in the mail for Christmas (or any other holiday/occasion!).

Firstly, the golden rule of shipping is to think small and light. Postage can be expensive, especially if you're shipping internationally.

As with anything I do, I like to be prepared by gathering everything I'm going to need.

I might be just a tad obsessed

No, this isn't everything. Just most of it.

PRESENTS! 

Well, at least I try to gather everything I need. I inevitably get settled down to work on my project and then realise I left at least one thing across the room.

Wrap your gifts as usual, using whatever kind of fun or funky wrapping paper you want. And you know those super cute and super easy gift bows that you just peel and stick on the present?

Yeah, that one!

You'll want to avoid using those. They will probably fall off in transit, and your recipient will receive a box of beautifully wrapped presents along with a pile of bows. It's not the end of the world, but if you're as neurotic as I am you'll want those gifts arriving in as pristine condition as possible.

The most secure way to attach a beautiful bow is curling ribbon! 

Super shiny!

For those of you that have never used it, it's super simple. First, pull out a length of ribbon. You'll want it to be big enough to get wrapped around your present with plenty of room left over to curl - it's better for it to be too long than too short.

It starts out all nice, but you'll eventually end up with a tangled mess. It's just the way it is. 

Tie your ribbon around your gift any which way you want. You can totally use multiple strands. Use different colours and/or textures, too!

Don't worry, it's not finished yet! 

To curl the ribbon, you just place the ribbon between the blade of some scissors and your thumb at the base of the ribbon. Then, applying gentle pressure, pull the blade along the length of the ribbon until the end.

It is super satisfying.

See, it's pretty! 

This one uses the same colour with different textures. It's such a fun look! 

When most people send gifts that are difficult to wrap (like clothing) they usually either put it in a gift bag or place the gift in a box and wrap the box. Gift bags don't ship well. There is always the risk that the present will come out of the bag, ruining the surprise. Gift boxes are great, but using too many of them will bulk up your package unnecessarily leading to a higher postage cost. And folding something like a sweater and wrapping it on it's own isn't very secure - the movement of the sweater could lead to the gift wrap tearing.

Dear family reading this blog - this is NOT one of your gifts! 

Nice and sandwiched. Secure and easier to wrap! 

The best solution I've found to this problem is to use cardboard to secure your difficult item, and then wrap around that. It can create some funky shaped packages - but that just means they won't be able to figure out what you've sent! Now you can wrap the gift normally.

Lastly, it is very possible that your gift tags will fall off en route to your recipients. I've developed a handy little system to make sure that everyone gets to unwrap their gifts. Get a pack of coloured stickers!

They're inexpensive and easy to find.

Make sure you have a different colour for every person receiving gifts. Then all you have to do is stick the sticker discreetly on the bottom of the present. 

Yellow is Christmas-y, right?

Unfortunately, my husband packed and sent my package of festive goodies before I had a chance to take a picture. But to send, you'll want to find the smallest box possible without squashing all of your presents. Play present-tetris to keep your treasures secured and don't be afraid to use plenty of bubble wrap! 

Happy gifting! 

What's your favourite way to wrap presents?

Thanksgiving Recipe: Pumpkin Cookies!

Image Credit

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I didn't host a Thanksgiving dinner, or even have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner! My husband and I went to Frankie and Benny's (I get points because it's American themed), which was delicious! My little flat isn't big enough to do justice to the comfort foods that are a must-have for any Thanksgiving feast.

But I just couldn't let Thanksgiving pass by without cooking at least a little something festive. Pumpkin pie sticks out to me as the perfect Thanksgiving dessert, but honestly I didn't feel like a pie. So instead I settled on making some delicious pumpkin cookies! This is a recipe I've had for a while but never tried, and I can't remember where I got it. But the cookies are super soft - more like little cakes than a cookie! They're also really easy to customise - try adding some dried cranberries or a maple-pecan topping for an extra decadent dessert.

(Recipe without pictures at the bottom)

The Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Canned pumpkin is pretty hard to come by in the UK

Method

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (about 175 C - although for this recipe I used 180 C).

Combine your dry ingredients (except sugar) - so your flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Top tip: if, like me, you adore sea salt - that's fine. However, don't forget to grind it up!! I used the little chunks without thinking and had a couple of salty bites. It was still yummy though.

Yep, just like that. But, you know, stir it.

Now get out another bowl (I know, I know, more dirty dishes. It's worth it, I promise). Combine your sugar and butter - beat until nice and smooth. 

Appetising! 

You can use an electric mixer. I just don't have one.

Add your pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract to your sugar butter and beat it all together. 

I much prefer extracts to flavourings. They're just so much yummier.

The pumpkin gives it such a lovely colour. I have a nail polish in a similar shade.

Now combine your pumpkin mixture with your flour mixture. 

THE MEETING OF THE MIXTURES! 

Mix the mixtures together until they form a good sticky dough. 

Magic is happening here.

Plop your dough onto prepared pans. I used a baking paper type thing - the cookies didn't stick and cleanup was super simple. To keep the cookies more uniform, I used a tablespoon to do my plopping.

Don't eat raw cookie dough - you could get sick! I mean, I totally did it anyways, but you so shouldn't.

Bake those bad boys for 15 minutes or until your edges are firm. 

That's a lot of cookies.

That's it! You're done! Let them cool for a few minutes and then go to town. Now, they're not the prettiest cookies out there. At all. But they were AMAZING! 

Don't worry cookies, I love you even though you're ugly. 

Pumpkin Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F (175C)

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. 

In another bowl, combine sugar and butter/margarine until smooth.

Add pumpkin, egg, and extract to butter/sugar mixture. Beat until well mixed.

Combine pumpkin mixture with flour mixture and beat until a sticky dough forms.

Drop dough onto prepared pans and bake for 15 minutes or until edges are firm. 

Let cool before serving.

What's your favourite Thanksgiving recipe?