Blind toggles

I've just found this post sitting in my drafts since August 2012, so I thought I'd share it!

Some of the toggles on our Venetian blinds have been damaged over the years, a combination of trapping them in windows and a mischievous nibbling puppy, so I thought I'd replace them. Instead of going to a hardware store and getting boring plain wood ones to replace them with, I decided to go to a bead shop and get some big beads to personalise them, so this is the end result.

Diet Pasta

I tried a new recipe last night - pasta with a low fat sauce and soooo easy to make. I didn't take any pics of it but will add one next time I make it - I'm sure to do it again soon because it was so easy and tasty!

What you need:

Spaghetti (enough for one person - I used a stick with a hole in it that tells you how much you need - thanks Jamie Oliver!)
2 rashers of smoked back bacon
Half a head of broccoli
100ml reduced fat crème fraiche
1 dessert spoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

To make it:

1. Put the pasta on to boil in some salted water
2. Chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces - about 2cm square
3. Chop the bacon into strips - I cut it lengthways then slice off 1cm wide pieces
4. Fry the bacon in a pan with no oil, just till it looks cooked but not crispy
5. Add the broccoli and fry until it's absorbed all of the bacon fat and moisture out of the pan
6. Add some olive oil to the pan and keep on frying
7. When the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat from the bacon and broccoli, drain the pasta, but dribble about a tablespoon of the cooking water into the bacon and broccoli pan
8. Add the creme fraiche to the bacon and broccoli pan, and stir until it comes together with the water from the pasta
9. Add in the pasta, stir until completely mixed, season with a little salt and pepper
10. You're done!

It comes out really tasty, and doesn't taste "diet" - and comes to less than 600 calories for a really filling meal.