Inspired by eat learn love.....

Inspired by my friends amazing food blog I decided to share an old post from the coffee blog about my mothers fail safe curry recipe and how it can be applied to ANY curry atall. I have passed this on to lots of people who seem to be having great success with it and I am glad to be sharing my wee mothers cooking techniques. Just realised it has been ages since I baked so I defo need to get the finger out and get some good soul food on the go!

Doreen's Fail Safe Masala

2 small Onions

6 tbsp Olive Oil

Cube of Garlic

Cube of Ginger

Tsp of Garam Masala

Tsp of Salt

Tsp of Haldi

Tsp of Chilli powder

Dried Methi

That's it!

Dice the onions into thin slices and add to pot.

Add olive oil and turn pot on a medium/low heat.

Allow onions to go soft and then add your garlic and ginger.

Follow this with all the spices and dried methi.

Allow gentle cooking to fuse all the spices oil and onions.

The smell should indicate ( pure heaven ) and that is it.

This is your basis for your curry.

Add anything you like and water the masala more if you like a thin runny gravy or if you like it thicker keep it the way it is already adding little spoons of water if cooking meat.

The combinations are endless and from that base you can cook any curry you can think of!!

Ok I am SO in love ( yes, love I said ) with Bakerella and constantly check it for baking inspiration in the hope that it makes me wake up AMAZING at baking one day. I am going to try these wee puppies as soon as I get that finger out I was talking about earlier and buy my ingredients. Check out their site for gorgeous and inspiring recipes of all kinds aswell as decorating fun to boot. If I could hold it ad hug the wee rascal! 

Baked Banana French Toast

 

As we all know I love nothing more than a bit of distressed furniture and home interiors and the charisma it emulates is something that I cannot describe apart from with the term, historical, regardless of the era, the year or the previous owners ( be it nobody ) an interior or image that hits you with pure atmosphere is something that I seek out and I now know it is because I want to be a part of it, or have a part of it. I have started to surround myself at home with images that make me feel certain things and I must admit it is beginning to rub off on me. I read another blog everyday called Decor8 and the latest post has beautiful images that were blogged about to celebrate the launch of Muroband - by Jason Grant and I just had to share one of them with you. I urge you to get involved with Decor8 the blog is amazing! Here was my favourite image from that post! Another exquisite image I saw on Poetic Home ties in with the image from Decor8 and it makes me want to recreate this scene in my own home, where I have no idea and also my hubby would be like...... Topknot what the hell do you need all those for? anyways, here they are, enjoy!

 

Inspired by a beautiful ballerina friend and the sirens of the 50's I am wanting to try the roll fringe as I cannot think of a more sexier way to wear your hair, instant glam and teamed with red lips and red nails! wah, watch everyone around you faint. I love all the celebs who have sported this look also, I am feeling totally inspired!

I keep going on to my other half how the wall behind our bed is completely bare ( no idea why? ) and that I would love to do something with it but just cannot decide what. Once committed to something it is indeed a done deal and one I cannot go back on, therefor I have to think about it carefully. I started looking at images of  D.I.Y headboards and picked out a couple that I liked.Which one is your guy's favourite? Let me know!

 Not sure about the safety of this but the idea is stunning!

 Chalkboard paint in a headboard shape is a great idea and messages written all over it sounds ace!

 

And of course an antique style mirror shaped like a headboard is a charming idea also!

Oh a quick note before I log off to watch TINTIN yay! have you seen Julian Hakes latest shoe designs? or should I say architecture? eye catching to say the least and not the bit practical at all I would imagine, however amazing none the less! These beauties deemed The ' Mojito shoe ' are made from one continuous piece that wraps the wearers foot but with no support for the area of the foot between the heel and the ball. Surfacing at London's fashion week, these shoes are going to be the talk of the fashion world for sure!

Ok I am away to watch TinTin and relax for a bit! much love and catch you guys soon!

Topknot

xxx

The mind has a million pockets...

Heylow my lovelies.. January seems to have been a busy one, has it been for you lot also? I kind of can't wait to see the back of it. However one thing that has been good about it is that over the Christmas period I was gifted plentiful reading material and for this I am truly grateful, it has seriously kept me going. I have just finished The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera and surprisingly took away alot from the book as previously perceived. Sathnam Sanghera relates his story about being a British born Sikh boy in Wolverhampton, how his parents shaped his life, how being immigrants shaped theirs and what a Topknot meant to his faith. Bought by my mother in law due to the ' topknot ' reference I found this recollection of an Asian upbringing, honest, heart warming, gutting and insightful. Being able to sympathise and relate to most of it, I feel the need to suggest this book to the masses. Get yourself a little copy!

As noted in my second last post, I was up late at night baking my brothers birthday cake and I had extreme anxieties about it not working as I hadn't used the recipe before and worried I would simply EFF it up ( my mum hadn't bought a replacement ) I had visions of it exploding (??!!??) no idea why and or falling apart in my hands even though there would be no need for it to be IN my hands in the first place. Anyway, it worked, it tasted how it was meant to, so I am going to share it. I ( of course ) found this recipe on Pinterest, the apple of my eye. If you know a chocolate mentalist, this recipe is for you!

Ingredient's

3 ounces dark chocolate

1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee

3 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2  buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Heat the oven to 190 degrees.

Get the chocolate and chop it up.

Melt the chopped up chocolate in the hot coffee until it is completely dissolved and set aside.

Whisk together your dry ingredients.

Beat your eggs for 2-3 minutes, until they are thick and lemon coloured. Time to add the oil, buttermilk and vanilla.

Once those are in, add the coffee/chocolate mixture slowly.

Then it’s time for the dry ingredients, dump them in and mix at a moderate speed until they are combined completely.

Grease and parchment line your cake pan.

Bake at 190 degrees, check after 30 minutes with skewer bake further if needed until done.

Once out, leave to cool and then remove to wire rack and set aside for later.

Ganache

Take 1 1/2 cups of double cream and pop it in a pot.

Add around 125g of dark and milk chocolate to the pot and stick on a medium heat.

Keeping an eye on it melt the chocolate until the liquid turns into melted chocolate completely.

Once cream and chocolate have combined keep stirring for at least another 20 minutes until the ganache thickens. 

Once thickened pour into bowl and refrigerate and every so often mix to allow it to cool faster.

Now I decorated it with kitkats and M&M's however you can do whatever you like! I cut the two sponge sandwiches until i had two flat pieces and then on one half using my ganache to fill then placed the other sponge on top. I then covered the whole cake with the chocolate ganache, placed my kits kats around the edge as evenly spaced as I could then secured them with a ribbon. The best bit was covering the top with the colourful M&M's!!! Done!!

Also this week I have been pretty pleased with the progress of my plants! either I kill something I buy already potted and growing, or, what I plant just does not grow! I've been  playing peaceful and tranquil music qhilst whispering sweet nothings to these babies so that they bloom and grow and brighten up my wee living room!

In love with this D.I.Y tutorial and I am SO going to try it out! <3

 

Outfit inspiration of the month!!!! check her out! and her bloggeth  Nany's Closet 

Night people...stay amazing!

Topknot

x