A bake worth a million

This recipe has been much requested by both gluten-free and non gluten-free friends alike, and always goes down a treat when I have made it for parties! I cannot take 100% credit as my mum and I cobbled this recipe together from other recipes (see credited).

Gluten Free Millionaires Shortbread

This recipe is really simple to make, and it extremely addictive! The shortbread base is made of Polenta (cornmeal) and can be used as a biscuit base for most other things, such as cheesecake, but is equally nice on its' own! The recipe I use is from The More Than Occasional Blogger's recipe for Millionaires shortbread, I just use a slight variation for the caramel.

Ingredients:

(you may wish to halve as this makes a lot!)

• 200g ground almonds
• 250g ground polenta
• 225 softened Butter
• 225g caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to about 170̊C
2. Mix together the almonds, polenta and caster sugar in a large bowl until throughly mixed
3. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients until it looks like fine breadcrumbs
4. Press into a baking tray evenly, make sure it is deep enough to hold the caramel/chocolate later on!
5. Using a fork, prick holes into the shortbread to stop it bubbling
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. I find it is best to keep an eye on it, as the first time I made it it was hard enough to break your teeth. Leave it so it is still slightly soft to touch, as it hardens further when cooled

For the caramel I use a tin of caramel, like The More than Occasional Baker does, but thicken it with a bit of help from Mary Berry. The following recipe for thicker caramel is taken from Mary Berrys recipe for Millionaires cheesecake, from her 'Mary Berry Cooks' recipe book.

Ingredients:

• 25g butter
• 50g light muscovado sugar. Soft brown works well too
• 1x397 can caramel condensed milk

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a medium pan
2. Stir in the sugar on a low heat until dissolved
3. Add the canned caramel and bring to the boil, stirring constantly
4. Once boiling, set a timer for 4 minutes. Keep it boiling whilst constantly stirring, until it has darkened/thickened slightly.
5. Stir vigorously, ensuring to catch any that is catching around the edge.
6. You will feel it begin to thicken slightly. When removed from the heat and the bubbles have subsided, you should be able to draw a path through the caramel and see the base of the pan easily.
7. Leave the caramel to cool for 5-10 minutes, after which you should be able to roll a small, soft ball out of it.
8. If it is too soft/runny, boil for another minute
9. Once the consistency is correct, spread it over the prepared shortbread. Keep in mind that if you leave it too long it will begin to set further in the pan!

Once the caramel has completely cooled, melt 200g (ish) of chocolate and pour over the caramel. You can choose any chocolate, but personally I think choosing anything other than Cadburys would be a let down! Once you've made this a couple of times, (believe me you'll want to) you will be able to figure out better whether you want to adjust the ratio of shortbread/caramel/chocolate.

Enjoy eating! x

Craft supplies, where to buy them?

Crafters have all started at the same place; you see a fantastic dress or necklace that your friend/colleague/cousin/hairdresser has made, or something spotted on Pinterest that has ignited a never before found spark of inspiration. The question is, where do you buy all these fab fabrics and glam gemstones? Fear not, here's a nice little list of some of the best places to buy a range of crafting supplies on the web and on the high street. (UK residents only; some of the websites may ship elsewhere but as a UK crafter these are the places I go to mostly)

Are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin!

The Works

I first started shopping here for cheap art supplies when I studied Art at GCSE, and I would say this is a good place to start when you are just finding your feet with a variety of arts and crafts. For the most part they class themselves as a discount book store, and most of my vast selection of craft books have come from here, or end up in their stocks a year after their initial release. I would say a good 95% of all my sewing, jewellery, craft and recipe books are from here, so it's worth checking out! The prices are seriously discounted, so great if you don't want to spend too much whilst you are finding the craft for you. In addition to the books, they also have a selection of craft supplies at minimal cost including craft kits (for kids and adults) of all the things needed for that particular project. If you sign up to their 'Together rewards Card' you get exclusive discounts emailed straight to you, alerted about sales, and you get a reward card to collect points to spend off your next purchase. It is a pretty nifty place to get your stuff to start out crafting, but enter at your own peril as I can't seem to enter their stores without spending more than I had planned....

Hobbycraft

If you live in the UK you have probably heard of Hobbycraft or seen one of the stores at a retail park or garden centre, however when you're starting out superstores like that things can seem a tad daunting. Which threads do I need? Which brand is better? What's the difference between chain nose and round nose pliers? You end up wanting to buy so much that you don't end up buying anything. Been there, done that! Well, Hobbycraft is fab for beginners onwards as their staff are immensely helpful, and their website/facebook are filled with exciting projects and product info to start you off; I've been shopping there since I was 11 and have learnt a lot from there. If you can't find what you're looking for there's a good chance you'll find it on their website, and they also have a 'club' you can join for exclusive discounts and money off. They are a 'general' craft supplier, so anything from glitter glue and embossing powders through to jewellery making tools and fat quarters. Because they have such a huge range of crafts, sometimes really technical or specific things might not be available in their smaller stores, especially if you start working to a more advanced or professional level, but it still is great for most of your supplies and inspiration (checkout their Pinterest!). My favourite thing of all? Student discount!! (I need it with the amount I buy..)

JewelleryMaker

JewelleryMaker is a wholesale TV shopping channel and website. They have recently updated their website and now have an App, making it even easier to find the products you're after. If you're familiar with other shopping channels, you know the drill; they start off with an expensive price then dramatically lower it. A year into watching JewelleryMaker (and several years into watching their sister channel GemsTV) I am still amazed at the deals you can get on their products. They have a fantastic and seemingly endless range of precious gemstones, findings, threads...anything and everything you could possibly need to make and sell your own jewellery. Their products range from beginners tools and basic findings to more elaborate/professional items, so there really is something for everyone. One of the things I love about the channel, the website and their social media pages is the inspiration and tutorials that you get, plus they also have an extensive range of easy-to-follow DVD tutorials in various types of jewellery making. They have also recently introduced new project kits that include everything to make an item of jewellery, they are really reasonably priced and I can't wait to try them! Receiving an order from JewelleryMaker is always made extra special by the inclusion of things like DVD's in jewellery making basics (on your first order), a little magazine of the latest jewellery trends and informative mini books explaining about the gemstones themselves. The overall company that owns JewelleryMaker is called The Genuine Gemstone Company, their sister channels/websites including Gems TV sell high quality jewellery/gems that myself and my family have loved for years (we are all magpies), and I love reading about the ethical mining and charitable work they do in their mining source countries. I am a Geologist so I do love a good mine!

Other places worth a nosey

There are too many places to get quality supplies so I really can't name them all. Obviously the internet is a wonderful thing, and there are plenty of things you can get on eBay and Amazon; as with anything you can't always guarantee on quality and online pictures can be verrry misleading. One of my fave overall websites is etsy, as you can get loads of unique craft supplies as well as handmade gifts. It's worth checking out if your local town has any stores and craft fairs as you can get a lot there, and it's always nice to support local businesses! There are also many different conventions and fairs nationally throughout the year, I always really enjoy going to the one at Birmingham NEC every March (can't remember the exact name) and always enjoy buying way more than I need. As well as shopping online there are plenty of blogs out there with great advice, tutorials and patterns; one of my faves is Tilly and the Buttons but there are loads more out there too. In this day of high technology use it is very easy to forget how useful books and magazines can be. I'm currently subscribed to 'Simply Sewing' and 'Love Sewing' magazine, both of which have fab free gifts and patterns each month, and I always end up buying other craft magazines too. They are great not only for the projects they provide, they also introduce you to some of the bloggers I've mentioned and their adverts let you know some of the best places for supplies, and it's the same for most craft magazines. As I said I have an extensive library of craft and sewing books, and as you build up your own collection you will realise that they quite often have a list of useful shops/websites that they use too, which is really useful as it often means you can make things identical to the ones shown in the books.

Just remember; buying and stocking up and bits and bobs is a huge part of the fun, and no matter how full your craft cupboard is you can never have too much!

Happy Crafting x

Thou shalt have a fishy in a curry dishy

Well. It has been faaar too long since I posted on here, especially as I promised you more foodie goodness over a month ago! Well, as I said last time my boyfriend came to visit for a week in February and I was planning on trying out lots of lovely new recipes on him (the way to a mans heart is through his stomach after all!). The recipe below is what I had planned to make for our valentines meal the night he was due to arrive, the day after valentines day. Anyway, I got a phone call midday on valentines day telling me to look out the window....turns out he'd planned all along to surprise me and arrive valentines day! Of course my reaction was "well I've not got anything in for dinner!", but alas he had already booked a table and sweeped me off my feet for one of the nicest 3 course meals i've ever had, and certainly the most romantic. So this is the meal I made as our second valentines! 

Fish Curry

This recipe is based from one in 'Step by Step Curries' by igloo books, one of my January sales purchases from The Works (I spend way too much in that place!). For anyone just starting out in making curries I defo recommend this book, it's easy to follow with step-by-step pictures, and from my experience I can say the curries are very tasty!
I halved the recipe as it serves 6.

ISBN: 978-0-85780-689-5

 
It's a simple but very tasty curry to make, and can be made as mild or as spicy as you like. I didn't just use shrimp, I also added a fish-pie mix of fish with some baby sweetcorn to give it a bit more substance. The mixed fish sort of disintegrated into the coconut milk as it cooked, making it thick enough to spread over some naan bread. For those who aren't a big fan of coconut you may still like this as the creaminess is offset by the curry spices and white wine. The recipe did say to add saffron and fish stock, however as I am a poor student I cannot afford saffron, and the fish I used made the fish stock a bit redundant really!

The thing about this recipe that I am most proud of myself for achieving is the part with the tomatoes. You're probably thinking what is the big deal. Trouble is....I HATE tomatoes! I love tomato soup, ketchup, tomatoes in sauces etc....but to me they are an ingredient that needs to be smothered in herbs and garlic and, more often than not, cheese. So the fact this recipe asks you to soak 2 in boiling water and peel/deseed them was a big ask of me, but alas, I did it! I instantly scrubbed my hands so I didn't get any tomatoey juice anywhere, but I did it, yay!
 

 So here's the finished meal, served with rice and naan bread. It was warming but not overly spicey, and very moreish! I defo recommend this. I can tell you me and my boyfriend were practically drooling over the smell of it cooking! I suppose if you're not a big fan of fish you could substitute in chicken or quorn/veg if you're a veggie lover.





I have some lovely new recipe kits from thespicery.com which I'm hoping to start using in the next month or so, and look out for my first restaurant review, exciting stuff!