Almond, Lemon and Cranberry Biscotti

delicious biscotti is so easy to make, reasonably healthy and perfect for dunking in a mug of fresh coffee!

1 large egg 

3 oz soft light brown sugar

5oz plain flour 

1 teaspoon of baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

zest of 1 lemon

2oz nuts (almonds, unsalted pistachios, hazelnuts)

2oz dried cranberries

Pre- heat oven to Gas 4 / 180 degrees C 

Lightly toast your nuts *sniggers*

Whisk the sugar and egg together until a creamy consistency and leaves a trail.

Sieve in baking powder, nutmeg and flour.  Add lemon zest and fold in with a metal spoon.

Mix in almonds and cranberries.

Dust hands and surface with flour and make into a long sausage shape, flatten a little.  Place on a greased  baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. 

Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 3-4 minutes.

Slice into 1 inch pieces and place back on the baking tray.  Bake for a further 10 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.  

xox

Bliss.....

The past few months have literally flown by, with little time for anything else than work and looking after the family in between. 

This weekend, amidst all the usual chores Jonny and I popped along to Blackness to walk Alfie.  The weather alternated between harsh wind and grey skies to glorious sunny views.  It was a little snippet of peacefulness amongst a hectic few months....bliss!  

Vintage Celebrations

I recently turned 40 and some of my closest friends, The Magnificent Seven, decided to throw a Vintage inspired dinner party for me. 

The order of the evening was Nina Simone, champagne, cocktails, cupcakes and a whole lot of dancing and laughter.

We all dressed up of course, I wore an orginal 1940's black below the knee dress, leopard print heels and a 1940's headpiece, here's a few pictures of my special evening.....

Out with the old......

I'm still a bit in holiday mode, after all Mia and Jonny don't go back to school until Monday.  So I'm taking it easy and pottering about, baking far too many cakes, catching up on reading and religiously practicing yoga every day in prep for the Edinburgh Half Marathon I am doing for Breast Cancer Care, in between keeping them (and Alfie) out of mischief.

This year I have decided to take a different approach to things - I feel focused and strong, and gradually getting rid of dead wood.  Over the past six months or so I have streamlined my stockists to the ones I have a great relationship with, I can do well without ones that don't pay on time or give prompt stock takes.  I will be concentrating on my online shop more after getting rid of the dreaded Mr Site, coming back for 2011 with lots of new designs.

I don't have any freelance admin work on the horizon for January, which is disappointing, but a reflection on the bad weather we have had recently coupled with the expense of Christmas.  The extra time I have I am going to use to spend some well needed time in the house re-sanding floors, painting and making tonnes of new cushions for my bedroom, and thinking about starting a fab dove grey/white/metallic quilt..... 

xox

Winter Issue of UK Handmade....

It's finally here......the Winter Issue of UK Handmade Magazine 2010 packed with great articles, reviews, recipes and craft projects, including my review of Scandinavian Needlecraft....enjoy!

November Newness......

This month I have added some new products to the shop, including best selling Juliette earrings, back by popular demand, almond coloured pearl bobby pins and a one of a kind bracelet.  Hope you love them! xoxo

Quilting....

Originally I wanted to create a quilt for my bed - a kind of family heirloom, with our names and wordplay incorporated into it.  I always had the idea it needed be dove grey, metallic, floral and white to go with my room - the problem being I couldn't find any suitable fabric.  


With ants in my pants as usual to get started on my first ever quilt, I purchased a mix of florals from Cath Kidston and John Lewis in pretty florals of pink, green and blue.  My sister in law gave me florals she had picked out for my birthday and my mother in law gave me some vintage Laura Ashley blue floral fabric she had stored away for a rainy day.


I loved the idea of mixing someone else's choice in with mine, and with this theme of adding old and new - I cut up a pair of Jonnys old grey denim jeans to add into the mix.  The back is made from a white linen table cloth from the church Mia was christened in.  Mia chose the polka border.

The thing I am finding with making a quilt, is
a) it's addictive 
b) it takes on a form of its own
c) it's comforting to be able to pick it up and lay it down when the mood takes
d) there are NO rules!!


I have since decided that I should stick to my original ideas for my quilt and be patient.  I will therefore wait, collect fabric as I go along and source greys and subtle colours that I love with a little bit of shiny mixed in.  


This quilt was always going to be very girly from the outset, adorned with flowers and birds, so it seemed only natural that I should change course and make it for my wonderful Mia....