Storms and New York

Today I woke up to news of fallen trees, people washed out to sea and cancelled flights. Transport in London was threatened with standstill, and still some lines are not running because their tracks are covered with debris. They have named this storm after St. Jude, the saint of desperate causes.

There is so little on our street that is not man made or concrete that we slept soundly. No worries of trees falling onto our house or garden furniture blowing away. I woke up in the night to close our bedroom door as the wind blowing through our flat was making the front door bang in its frame, but that was it.

I really pray that everyone is safe and that houses didn't sustain too much damage. I feel very thankful that here in the UK we rarely have weather like this. I can't imagine living in the path of real storms like hurricane sandy etc.

Matt and I were checking flight updates frequently last night and this morning since we're going to New York in a couple days. Many flights have been cancelled or delayed but thankfully our flight is still scheduled. By the time we fly, most of the high winds will have settled. I'm not sure what we would do if our flight was cancelled. So I'm very relieved we don't have to deal with that disappointment!

We are very excited to be heading across the pond (my first time). After years of reading American blogs, I have a list of things I want to experience/buy:

Visit Hobby Lobby
Buy Graham Crackers
Bring home some modpodge
Check out the clothes in Target
Zara is cheaper?
Go to IHOP 

We also have a map with marked places we want to visit...most of these places involve eating (forgive me body).

I would also love to hear any suggestions you have!

If you want to follow along, I will be instagramming (of course). You can find me at @estherdearfriend

Rolling pins and Spatulas

I have memories of making a pyrography name plaque to go on my bedroom door when I was about ten. After about four years of service, it got replaced with band posters and less inviting notices. But I want to try again now. That is why I bought a pyrography set a couple of months ago. 

For those of you who don't know what pyrography is: it's a way of drawing on wood. You have a 'hot pen' which heats up, so that as you draw on wood it burns it. Simple, yet very effective. 

I have seen a lot of pyrography on sites like Etsy but nothing has really caught my eye; it all seems quite limited. There are simple plaques with names, chopping boards with words and then really well drawn and skilful pictures on wood of animals or fairies.

But I like to think outside the box. I joked to Matt that while he's out I may do a giant mural on our dining room table. I think that's the kind of thing that would be awesome (not sure he's convinced yet). l also like the idea of drawing line pictures of vegetables onto chopping boards. The permanence of it is what excites me. It seems dangerous to give a doodler a wood burning iron in a flat full of wood! Here are some of my first attempts:

The rolling pins didn't go well; I'm still getting to grips with the different nibs and accidentally caught the edge of it on the 'S'. I love the idea of mother and daughter rolling pins and I've not seen them done before.

Sweet and Sweeter rolling pins

The wooden spoon and spatula were some of my original doodlings and I'm very proud of the pumpkin one. I really think it's adorable and it fits so perfectly with this time of year. I wanted to try and get them in the shop well before Halloween but, annoyingly, time caught up with me.  Maybe next year :)

Pumpkin and Wildflower wooden kitchen utensils

In other news. Tonight I am going to a clothes swap! Im really excited to get some nice clothes for 0 dollar.

Have a brilliant Saturday!

Another Recipe Wednesday!

It's Recipe Wednesday, everybody!

Today I present to you a meal that will always come in handy for the days when you suddenly have an extra person for dinner, or if there is almost absolutely nothing edible in the house. It is probably inspired by being a student therefore not so much suitable for a dinner party. This, however, doesn't mean I can't give it a fancy name! So here's my Segato recipe for you.

This meal is a mixture of homemade chips, salad and poached egg. It only requires about 10 minutes of preparation and if you are thrifty, it can cost under £2.45 and it might last for up to 6 meals. You can switch the ratios depending on how you feel: More salad with less chips = Healthy day; No salad = comfort food. Both are good.

These are your basics:
1 bag of potatoes, (£1 Sainsbury/ 65p ASDA) - 2 medium potatoes per person
6 pack of eggs, (£1 Sainsbury free range) - 1 egg per person
Bag of salad/lettuce, (currently 45p in Lidl) - just over a handful per person

You will also need:
Olive oil
Italian style herbs
Balsamic vinegar.

Chips
Heat your oven to 200c. Wash the potatoes and chop into slices, then cut in half lengthways. Arrange these slices onto a baking tray and coat with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs and use your hands to mix in. Make sure each piece of potato is covered. Put this in the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes.

Salad Dressing
I make a simple balsamic vinegar, olive oil and herbs dressing for the salad which I found online and it's worth sharing. Mix your herbs (thyme, oregano etc.) with 1 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
(Recipe found at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/balsamic-vinegar-and-olive-oil-dressing/)


Poached Eggs
Boil some water in a kettle. When the potato-timer has 5 minutes left, pour the boiling water into a saucepan and add 1 tsp malt vinegar and some salt and pepper. Put this on the hob to start boiling. When you see bubbles on the bottom of the saucepan, stir using a spoon to create a vortex. Crack each egg into the centre of the pan, leave for 2 minutes, and stir occasionally.

Take out the chips from the oven and dish them up. Put the salad and dressing on top then drain the now poached eggs and place one on top of the salad.

It sounds a bit odd but it is very satisfying! Enjoy!

Being an adventurer has its problems

Today I have been Nurse Esther. After spending last night with Matt in A&E I felt it would be best to have a chill day today, which was perfect as it rained most of the day. Yesterday we were on a walk through the woods for a friends birthday, it was a lot of fun and a beautiful day. Right at the end of the afternoon Matt and some friends were climbing on a massive fallen tree, the ultimate playground for adults. It looked very strong and sturdy. There were three guys at the top end of the tree and myself and a friend closer to the base. We were all suffling along when suddenly I heard a loud bang and there were woodchips flying everywhere. The three guys at the end had been too much for the tree and at a height of about 8ft it snapped off. I couldnt see the people that had fallen and everything was very dramatic. Those moments when your heart stops and you assume the worst. I was also on the tree and it was too high to jump down, so those moments before seeing what happened felt like forever. Thankfully everyone stood up, shocked but alive. They felt okay but it soon became apparent that Matt wasnt doing so well. His face was very white, his chin had started bleeding and he was limping. When Matt felt that he could walk without fainting we walked back up to where we had parked and headed to hospital.

At hospital he had a tetnus booster jab and needed a stitch for his chin. The nurse gave him two options, have 2 injections to numb the area then stitch or just go straight in with the stitch. He chose to not have the anaesthetic (eowww). The nurse was so impressed with the lack of flinching that she asked if he was in the armed services (compliment to manliness!) and did another stitch. I had tried to stand with Matt but even without looking I felt the colour go from my face and needed to sit down (such a wimp).

He is doing well, we think the end of the tree  trunk must have hit him in the chin and then impacted his leg. Thankfully his leg is getting easier to walk on and his chin doesn't hurt too much. Perhaps he'd even say it is worth the sympathy he is getting ;)

We cant help but be thankful that nothing worse happened, that no one else was injured and that no bones were broken so we can still fly to New York!

Aswell as being Nurse Esther I have photographed and uploaded to Etsy some of the jewellery made at Wednesdays workshop. It was such a lovely evening enjoyed by all!

Money and Food

When I hit the age of 19, I started being able to cook. It took a year of living alone and eating raw carrots and cereal for dinner to realise that there must be more to cooking than this. At home, my mum was never very interested in cooking. Having four children, plus their friends for dinner each night took away some of the joy I imagine. So when Matt and I started dating, he did all the cooking...and it was for the best. Somewhere in the next year, I started cooking meals, and I started to cook them well.  A process I really enjoyed. Once we got married I took responsibility for our weekly menu plans and food budget. This was an interesting experience as we came from two very different mindsets. Matt likes to budget, plan and cut the food budget if there are greater needs. I had no self control, would go to the shop and buy what I fancied, random ingredients that I didn't need. No wonder I got stressed about how much I spent on food. I guess it wasn't really helping that I was pretty certain my way was best (I was/am very stubborn). 

Haha, but I was WRONG. Once I started thinking about the meals at the beginning of the week, planning what we would eat and fitting it within a budget, I realised it was actually a lot of fun. But the biggest lesson I learnt is that having control of your money helps you feel more in control of your life. This means that you can save money for exciting things, and you also tend to eat more healthily. 

I don't profess to be a pro, but I know that being a good steward of your money makes life a lot more fun. So this is for all you students, savers and those wishing they ate more healthily.

Each Wednesday I will post a cheap and healthy recipe for you. Why Wednesday? It's the day I usually am busiest or most tempted to buy rubbish food from the corner shop. At some point I may post our whole week's menu plan, cheap lunch options and budgets. These recipes are vegetarian, which means healthier, cheaper and often more delicious.

Vegetarian Chilli with homemade Tortilla chips

This recipe is adapted from Jamie Olivers vegetarian chilli. It serves 4 as a main so you can freeze it for another day. This meal costs £3.70 from Sainsburys (meaning it may be cheaper if bought in asda, tesco, lidl etc). I haven't taken into account the price of herbs and spices as they may already be in your cupboard/garden. 

The Chilli                                                                            The Chips

2 sweet potatoes                                                                Tortilla wraps

1 onion                                                                               Salt

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

2 tins (400g) chopped tomatoes

2 tins of beans (I use kidney beans and chickpeas)

Garlic

Chilli flakes/powder

Coriander

Cumin

Cinnamon

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-sized chunks. Sprinkle with a pinch of cumin and cinnamon, drizzle with olive oil and scatter with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat then put them on a baking tray. Put the tray of sweet potato in the hot oven to cook for 40 minutes until soft and golden.

Peel and roughly chop the onion. Halve, deseed and roughly chop the peppers. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Put a large pan on a medium-high heat and add a 3 tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion, peppers and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the herbs and spices and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.

Drain the cans of beans, then tip them into the pan with the tinned tomatoes. Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat and leave to tick away for 25 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and add a splash of water if it gets a bit thick.

Get the roasted sweet potato out of the oven and stir it through your chilli.

Turn the oven down to 170°C/350°F/gas 4. Chop up the number of tortillas you want into wedges and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and put in the oven for 12 minute, turning them over after 6 minutes.

Taste and season the chilli with salt and black pepper, if needed. Serve hot with the tortilla chips. Optionally serve with grated cheese, soured cream or guacamole.

Enjoy!

PS. Matt and I are going on Holiday in two weeks, which means we are in Super Save Austerity Measures Mode (SSAMM as I will now call it). 

It's gonna be so worth it though!

Photo via

Epping Forest

It's Monday which means the first Dear Friend workshop is only 2 days away! We are nearly fully booked but there is one space left, so if you want to come but haven't made a move yet, let me know :)

Over the past week I've been thinking about how to make the workshop space pretty, how to look professional and how to promote the etsy shop and blog. I got very carried away with this, thought about it loads and ultimately ended up feeling pretty frustrated and rubbish about the whole thing.

I think I ended up feeling like this because those things aren't what Dear Friend is about. They are all important things, and aspects I do enjoy, but the most important part of Dear Friend and the real heart behind it isn't selling loads, getting a million blog views or having a beautiful workshop space: it's the people. The beautiful people who decide to come along and spend the evening together, venturing into creativity and friendship. 

I can't wait to see some of you on Wednesday, and hopefully others of you at future workshops.

Matt and I went to Epping forest on Saturday, we got the tube to Loughton, bought a picnic from Sainsbury's and walked all day. It was gorgeous, and apart from food and train (under £10) it was a free day out. Im pretty sure this means I have completed my first of Octobers goals.

Have a great week,

Rota fun

My husband Matt is a true lover of information graphics and never does things half heartedly. For the past three years in his job, he has been trying to make rotas as confusing fun as possible. The most recent (6) is called 'A party on a page', its about taking the mundane and making it joyous. The more ridiculous the better! Thats why its ridiculously fun being married to this man. This is a collection of the rotas made for an after school club. Lets see if you can figure them out? Enjoy!

October Goals

I know it's pretty late into October to be posting goals, but I think it's better late than never. After a ridiculously long summer, I have gotten so out of the habit of keeping my life under control. I no longer have endless free time:( This means I waste A LOT of time and don't get things done, which brings with it stress. So I'm going to post personal as well as Dear Friend goals at the start of each month, and then I will tick off the ones I feel I have completed. Here goes:

1. Make time to explore outside London (enjoy autumn)

2. Prepare for and run first workshop (exciting!!)

3. Decide on Dear Friend publicising (invites, business cards, etc.)

4. Buy fabric and sew a skirt using a pattern (no more wimping out with 'practising' on old fabric)

5. Decide what the Dear Friend Christmas shop should feature

6. Go to a pumpkin farm 

7. Try to get to know some London bloggers 

8. Write a daily schedule to get me back in the swing of things (uni time/creativity time/marriage time)

9. Finalise the packaging I use when things are bought from the shop

10. Do the 'photo a day' challenge.

11. Prepare for ALL my lectures the day before

So, these are my goals for October, I may add more over the month. 

And for all you brilliant social network lovers out there: you can follow my progress on Instagram!

Do you have any goals this autumn? Share them here and we can check-up on one another. I'd love to read them.