French macarons

I made French macarons! Ooh fancy!

I was trawling through Pinterest a few evenings ago and stumbled across a recipe for French macarons that promised to be easy, so I thought "heck, why not give it a go", and did just that.

The recipe I used is this one, courtesy of Martha Stewart.

I halved the recipe in order to halve the risk of wasted ingredients, in case it all went pear-shaped, so I used:

Just over half a cup of ground almonds
Well over half a cup of icing sugar (some of which I made by grinding caster sugar, as I ran out of icing sugar)
A pinch of salt (which you'll note isn't actually added in the instructions Martha gives, though is in her ingredients list... hmmm)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup caster sugar
A drop of vanilla essence
Raspberry jam, stirred into a runnier consistency

I sieved the ground almonds and icing sugar into a bowl and put them to the side. In a large bowl I whisked the egg whites and salt until they were frothy, then slowly added the caster sugar while whisking until the mixture formed medium peaks. Slop in the vanilla essence somewhere along the way too.

Then I folded the sieved mixture into the eggs (it said to do it the other way, but I had to use the big bowl for the eggs so I just kept them in it and added the dry ingredients to it). The whole lot was mixed together thoroughly, keeping in lots of lovely air.

I then used a sandwich bag and a piping nozzle (I tore the proper piping bag doing some hardcore cupcake icing last year) to pipe what should have been inch wide blobs onto a lined baking sheet. Note for next time - if it looks like an inch when it lands it will spread to 2 inches (minimum!).

I then let them sit for 30 mins (should have let them sit for 1 hour, in retrospect) and then baked them at 170 degrees for 14 minutes, turning once. 

This gave me 16 halves. It should have given me quite a bit more than that, and if I'd done them small enough it would have done!

I let them cool, which took hardly any time at all, and then squashed them together with jam in between.

They tasted lovely and for a first attempt I'm pleased. Next time, however, I'll let them sit longer, make them smaller and use less jam. They were very very soft in texture and could really have done with being harder. But yay for trying.

Skirt with pockets - success!

I have finished Simplicity 2226 - the skirt with pockets!

I didn't really mean to do it that fast, but once I got started it was hard to stop. The pattern was incredibly easy, and each time I put my sewing down I read the next step and thought "I could just do that bit" and so on until I'm sitting at 5.30pm on Sunday with a finished skirt waiting to be worn on Monday morning, having started cutting bits and bobs out on Friday night.

   

The Simplicity 2226 pattern was a simple one to follow, the zip part had me scratching my head because it was very different to any instructions I've seen before, but you know what? It may be my best ever visible zip! Impressive, Simplicity, you stood by your word!


The wool turned out to be very easy to work with. It's a fairly loose weave so it's not all that bulky to sew through - I didn't have to change any settings or the needle on my machine to get through it. The only thing that worried me was its potential to fray, but on any loose edges I used pinking shears.

There are some bits that I could improve on, but that just lays down the challenge for the next one I make - and I am definitely making more. I also went a little rogue when I did the belt loops - I wasn't overly keen on the method they suggested (hand stitching them to the outside of the top of the waistband), so I just incorporated them into a seam for ease and neatness. I don't think it detracts from the final piece.

I love the fit, the simple style is very much the kind of thing I like to wear, and I can see it working in lots of fabrics for all seasons.

Rather proud of myself, can you tell?!



And here's me in it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We don't really do Valentine's Day in this house - I like the idea of it (who doesn't want to be romanced regularly?!) but my husband doesn't like to conform to society's expectations... so, we do a little lop-sided thing where I make a fuss and he doesn't mind too much.

This year, the man of the house will be cooking steak his way (in lemon and butter, with lots of resting and mess) and I will be spending lunchtime today baking little heart shaped shortbread biscuits to have with our post-dinner cup of tea.

I've got him a silly gift and a cute card I found on Etsy too!

Nothing beats a skirt with pockets

I have finally bitten the bullet and got round to buying a skirt pattern and some fabric. Two pieces of fabric, actually.

I love a skirt with a pocket. Skirts can be a bit scary "ooh look at me I'm a lady", but add pockets et voila! A casual "I'm a lady and I don't care" attitude sweeps into my mind!

The pattern I've bought is Simplicity 2226. Don't judge me because it looks simple - sometimes the best things are simple!

The skills involved may be "basic" but I learned early on with sewing that you don't win prizes for running before you can walk. One day I'll tell you about the dress I made to wear to my friend's wedding. 

The fabric I went for was a grey tweed suiting with black tulle detail (fancy), and some black jersey with polka dots. Now you see why I went for a simple pattern. I've never sewn anything with a pattern (a matchable pattern - I've done plenty of prints that don't matter) and I've never sewn anything with stretch. Stretch, good grief, slight palpitations are hitting me again. It'll be fine, breathe deep.

I'm impressed with the fabric quality - I ordered it from Miverva Crafts, taking advantage of their winter sale. Both fabrics were 50% discounted to around the £5.99 a metre mark and I swear I've been sent far more than I ordered (love it when that happens). I also bought the pattern from the same place, as delivery is free if you spend over £30.

The Minerva Crafts website recommended pre-shrinking the fabric - stealing their actual words:

Allow 10% shrinkage for all your washable natural fibres (including viscose). For all fabrics wash before making up in the same manner as you would with subsequent washes (including drying methods). Jerseys and fabrics liable to mis-shape should be dried flat, or in a cool tumble dryer. Most fabrics should be pressed before cutting

This isn't something I've done before; I've worked in very stable polycotton and just plain risked it with some cheap but glorious fabric from an Indian co-ordinates shop.

I took the advice to mean "be careful, but wash it however you plan to wash the finished garment", so that's what I've done.

For the wool, I've dunked this in the bathroom sink in tepid water, given it a jiggle and then hung it over the shower curtain rail over the bath (and gave it a good gentle squeeze). A little dye came out, but nothing major, and it's sitting up there dripping to its heart's content right now.


The jersey, I've treated it to a quick spin on the delicates cycle of my washing machine, and am about to apply it swiftly to the tumble drier on a cool setting. Fingers crossed it doesn't end up the size of a postage stamp.

They're both going to need a good press when they're dry - which I'll tackle in the week when my dining table is clear of laptops and fruit bowls and I can finally go to town with my scissors.

Monthly Menu - January

Week One
Monday - balsamic roasted peppers and veggies, couscous and crumbled feta
Tuesday - asparagus risotto
Wednesday - cauliflower fritters, salad and grilled tomatoes
Thursday - herby-crusted salmon, roasted celery and carrots and salad
Friday - curry night!
Saturday - chicken fajitas
Sunday - roast chicken dinner

Week Two
Monday - chicken soup
Tuesday - emergency meal - week-night fry up
Wednesday - crispy chilli beef and egg fried rice
Thursday - classic quiche and salad
Friday - Lucy's lasagne (with a big glug of wine in!) and coleslaw
Saturday - Lincolnshire sausages, mash (a la potato ricer) and winter veggies
Sunday - Lucy's beef stew in giant yorkshire puddings

Week Three
Monday - baked potato with tuna and sweetcorn, with leftover coleslaw
Tuesday - risotto
Wednesday - butternut squash soup out of the freezer and minus the finger
Thursday - sesame peanut noodles (or at least a version of based on what was in the fridge)
Friday - amazing fillet steak from Aldi in lemon and butter (cooked by The Man of The House)
Saturday - curry night! Chicken balti and a chapati for me!
Sunday - roast chicken with the family

Week Four
Monday - cheesy brocolli pasta bake with parsley breadcrumb topping
Tuesday - butternut squash soup out of the freezer - it's so darn good!
Wednesday - Princess salad
Thursday - chicken fajitas
Friday - curry night!
Saturday - chicken stir fry, with sweet chilli sauce and noodles
Sunday - roasted cow and home made Yorkshire puddings