Design Style Beauty

A Mad Hatter's New Year's Eve Party!

2014-01-02T02:07:00.000+00:00

I always feel that there's something magical in the air on New Year's Eve, filled with the hope that from tomorrow, this could be the best year yet! And so with magic in mind I decided on an 'Alice in Wonderland' theme for our 2014 New Year's Eve dinner party. Come and enter our very own 'Wonderland' for tips and tricks on how to create your very own Mad Hatter's party...

Décor:

As an interior designer it is fair to say that I am obsessed with décor and so I enjoyed every minute of transforming our dining room into a place fit for the Mad Hatter himself...

These confusing arrows set the scene for what was to follow in the dining room

- you can print your own copy of my arrows in the 'Printables' section at the bottom of this post.

Here's the link that I used to purchase the Extra Large Playing Cards
featured throughout the décor.

I created these gorgeous 'Poms' so quickly, easily and at very little cost

as I already had spare tissue paper lying about (it pays to keep the paper

you get in your shopping bags!). Just search for 'Tissue Poms' on YouTube

and loads of instructional videos will come up to show you what to do step-by-step.
They're an amazing way of creating a magical atmosphere and I wish I could keep them up all year round!

Menu:

Naturally, we had to embrace the whimsicality of 'Alice in Wonderland' in our menu choice and each course therefore featured a little twist...

Starter:

Liver Cornets with an Apple Sorbet Queen of Heart

Please see my post 'It’s Cornet Time ... Liver & Egg Cornets - Chocolate & Vanilla Style' for the Liver Cornet recipe.

And keep checking out the recipe section for my amazingly simple but incredibly delicious Apple Sorbet recipe. To create the 'Queen of Heart' simply freeze the sorbet in a heart shaped silicone ice cube tray.

Main Course:

The Wonderland Edible Vegetable Garden

To transform our fairly traditional main course of Moroccan Roast Chicken, Sticky Ribs and Roast New Potatoes, we created our very own Wonderland Edible Vegetable Garden by following Heston Blumenthal's recipe for his Garden Salad. It didn't quite look as aesthetically pleasing as Heston's (maybe because I used non-dairy cream which never whips as well as proper whipping cream or perhaps because I roasted the vegetables to the point of floppiness, both of which meant that my vegetables didn't stand as tall and proud as I would have liked) and when I next make it I will definitely double the gribiche to allow planting in a deeper dish. However, it was still such a fun dish to both make and serve and it tasted absolutely incredible!

Dessert:

Mad Hatter Raspberry Soufflé & Alice's Chocolate Layer Cake

Mad Hatter Raspberry Soufflé

I used James Martin's Foolproof Hot Raspberry Soufflé recipe from the BBC recipe collection and it worked beautifully - these were my first ever soufflés and they rose to perfection so I would definitely agree that this recipe is true to its title!

However, I multiplied the recipe quantities by six to make enough mixture for twelve soufflés, and I know my cases were on the small side, but I had enough mixture for about 40, so adjust accordingly. Likewise, straining the coulis was incredibly time consuming although it did give my arms a fantastic workout!

To link seamlessly with the 'Mad Hatter' theme I baked these soufflés in adorable Afternoon Tea Cupcake silicone cases and they worked wonderfully, especially with the 'Eat Me' tags I added to the saucers (and one Happy Birthday tag for a friend). You can find templates for these tags and others, in the printables section below.

Alice's Chocolate Layer Cake

This fabulous cake really finished off the meal with a gorgeous wow factor and it was relatively stress-free to make.

I made the three layers in advance (a chocolate-almond base layer, a pistachio dacquoise middle layer and a yummy chocolate mousse top layer) and froze the cake until the day before the party. I then completed all the decoration on the day of the party.

As with many of my favourite recipes, this cake was featured on Masterchef Australia. It was created by Kirsten Tibbals and is called 'Eve'. In fact, this cake triggered the inspiration for the entire 'Alice in Wonderland' theme with the delicious chocolate Toadstools reminding me of Alice's adventures after falling down the rabbit hole.

Printables:

As an extra special touch, we created our very own 'Drink Me', 'Eat Me' and place name tags. You can download and print your own copy using the links below. Please note that you will need to add your own images and names.

The place names were created using these Miniature Glass Bottlesfilled with water, red food colouring and red glitter (all non-edible!). See below for links to print the tags.

These 'Drink Me' bottles were created using sterilised, empty Coca-Cola bottles that we refilled with a Vodka Cranberry Lemonade cocktail (one shot of vodka, two shots of cranberry juice and lemonade to fill). See below for links to print the labels, suitable for 330ml Coca-Cola bottles.

DSB Mad Hatter's Printables 1 by Shelley_Bradstock

DSB Mad Hatter's Printables 2 by Shelley_Bradstock

DSB Mad Hatter's Printables 3 by Shelley_Bradstock

DSB Mad Hatter's Printables 4 by Shelley_Bradstock

Happy New Year!!

2014-01-01T12:00:00.000+00:00

A new year, a new post! I'd like to welcome you all back to Design!Style!Beauty! and apologise for my very much longer than anticipated absence. I must admit that I have been rather swept up in my maternity leave, or what we've started to refer to in our home as 'Maternity Ever After'! However, I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it (well almost every minute!) and have saved up some goodies to blog about in the coming months.

So all that's left for me to do is to wish you a very very happy 2014! And on with the blog, as they say (not quite as catchy as 'on with the show' but never mind)!

Confessions of a Cabinet Neat Freak ...

2012-02-17T14:14:00.003+00:00

I have to confess that I am undoubtedly a cabinet neat freak. The pleasure I feel upon opening a cabinet door to reveal its perfectly arranged contents is so satisfying that I can spend hours rearranging cupboards, drawers and cabinets throughout my home. Unfortunately, this neatness does not always extend to the rest of the house and I have an awful habit of leaving things strewn about wherever I last used them - but when they do eventually find their way back to their cupboard, they are placed there with the utmost reverence!

I have recently discovered a fabulous trick to increase the storage space inside my cabinets, in the form of acrylic risers, and they have been indispensable in my bathroom cabinet and kitchen cupboards.

A shorter acrylic riser allows my husband to store more of his toiletties while still keeping everything easily accessible.

Meanwhile, I have divided my shelf using a taller acrylic riser.

The overall effect is a neatly organised cabinet full of all our essential toiletries.

Likewise, in the kitchen cabinet that houses our overflow of herbs and spices, I used to have to climb on a step and wade through each pot to find the one I was looking for. Now, thanks to a tiered acrylic divider, each pot label faces outwards and I can easily grab the herb or spice I'm in need of.

And a final trick I have uncovered is to use plate dividers for my everyday crockery. This way I can fit everything onto one shelf and when my husband empties the dishwasher he can easily participate in my cupboard neatness as everything has it's own place!

If you're also a cabinet neat freak then please send me in any of your tips and tricks or images so that we can all indulge in the shared pleasure of perfectly organised cupboards, drawers and cabinets! All emails can be sent to designstylebeauty@gmail.com . Also, for more inspiration be sure to check out my 'Organised Cabinets' board on Pinterest. Looking forward to hearing from all my fellow cabinet organisers!

Be My Valentine...?

2012-02-14T10:09:00.000+00:00

I have to admit that since getting married, my husband and I have left Valentine's Day to languish on the sidelines while we got on with married life. The first year we celebrated by continuing with decorating our home late into the night and feasting on a romantic take-out pizza for two! And last year we managed to book a lovely restaurant, but we didn't get there until 11pm as we were totally preoccupied with prospective job applications... and I think my Valentine's Card is still tucked away in my husband's bedside table!

So this year I've decided to make a really romantic dinner for two, especially as it will be our last Valentine's before our new arrival in April! Here's my plan of action, feel free to use any of it or if you have any other suggestions please send them in to designstylebeauty@gmail.com and I will add them to this post. Happy Valentine's!! xxx

My Valentine's Plan of Action:

1. Decide on the Menu...

I need a menu that is romantic, delicious and most importantly, easy to prepare and cook so this is my chosen menu. Any recipes that are not already featured on my blog will be posted soon so please keep checking back if you fancy trying any out:

Starter: The Tastiest Tomato Soup

The colour of this soup is a stunning ruby red that is perfect for Valentine's and it is so easy to make this absolutely delicious soup from scratch. And trust me, once you've tasted this soup nothing from a tin will ever taste as good! I'll post this recipe soon so check back regularly!

Main Course: Lemon & Thyme Chicken Delight served with Couscous

This Chicken Recipe is already featured on my blog and is so simple and delicious I just had to utilise it for Valentine's (plus my husband adores it!). I've decided to pair it with a fantastically fragrant couscous that will cut down on the time it takes to prepare my usual roasted vegetable accompaniments. I'll post my twist on couscous soon so keep checking the recipe section.

Dessert: Valentine's Cupcakes

For dessert I'm going to make my tried and tested cupcakes in chocolate brownie and creamy vanilla flavours. This picture was a quick snap of some I made for a friends shower party but I'm going to decorate my Valentine's cupcakes with suitable red adornments! The recipe will of course be posted soon!

2. Set the Scene:

For once, my husband will be greeted with a perfectly laid table when he arrives home from work. I've even made swan napkins (instructional blog post coming soon!) and found some adorable heart shaped balloons to dot about our home.

3. Add a Few Surprises:

No Valentine's is complete without Chocolates and Champagne (or sparkling orange for me this year!). And luckily for me my husband has also embraced this year's Valentine's Plan and bought me some surprise chocolates... I've snuck in a picture of the gorgeous chocolates he thought he'd hidden so well so this'll have to be our little secret!

So, all that's left is for me to make a Valentine's Card.

And if this Valentine's Plan of Action doesn't restore a romantic Valentine's Day to our home then we'll be back to take-out pizza next year!

Happy Valentine's Everyone!! xxx

Two Chicken Recipes

2012-01-27T10:29:00.000+00:00

I always think of chicken as the 'anti-marmite' of the protein world ... nearly everybody likes it and yet no-one has particularly strong feelings towards it! However, I have found two recipes that elavate the humble chicken to a taste sensation that will have your guests declaring a renewed love for this poultry that is so often taken for granted. Simply follow the recipes below, Sweet and Sticky Chicken & Ribs and Lemon and Thyme Chicken Delight to uncover the secrets of delicious chicken main courses. And don't be put off if you're a breast lover as these chicken thighs are so tender and juicy you'll immediately forget that you're not normally a lover of dark chicken! Enjoy!

Sweet and Sticky Chicken and Chops

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000+00:00

adapted from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express

Recipe:

Serves: 6-8 as a Main Course Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

12 Lamb Chops
12 Chicken Thighs
250ml Apple Juice
4 Tbsp Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Star Anise (available in most Supermarkets, near the Herbs & Spices section)
½ Cinnamon Stick
6 Cloves Garlic

Instructions:

Handy Tip: Like with the Lemon & Thyme Chicken Delight Recipe, these chicken thighs and lamb chops really become full of flavour if you allow them to marinate in the remaining ingredients overnight. I therefore complete all the preparation steps (Steps 1 & 2) the night before I am going to cook and serve this dish.

1. Clean your chicken and remove any excess fat. Place the thighs in a large roasting dish, skin side up. Clean your chops and place these between the chicken thighs.

2. Mix all the other ingredients in a jug and pour over the chicken and lamb, basting a couple of times to make sure they are thoroughly coated.

3. Preheat your oven to 200°C and cook the chicken for about an hour and a quarter, basting every 20 minutes or so.

4. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the skin looks browned and crispy, remove from the oven and serve immediately.

5. Serve with your choice of accompaniments. I often serve this recipe with my All Time Favourite Roast Potatoes and Buttery Garlic Green Vegetable Medley, recipes coming soon ...

If you try out this recipe or any other variations and want to be featured on Design!Style!Beauty then send your photos and contributions via e-mail to designstylebeauty@gmail.com or please leave your comments and links below...

Lemon and Thyme Chicken Delight

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000+00:00

adapted from The Newlywed's Cookbook ...

This is a delicious chicken recipe that has never failed to delight my guests and always allows me to relax while entertaining, secure in the knowledge that this chicken will be sumptuously tender and delicately fragrant. This is also a great recipe for entertaining because you can leave the chicken in a hot oven to keep warm whilst plating up your accompaniments and it will not dry out. Finally, although the list of ingredients suggests that this will be a hot and spicy dish, I find it delicious and I am definitely a bit of a wimp when it comes to very spicy food!

Recipe:

Serves: 4-6 as a Main Course (allowing 2-3 per person, or more if serving with other meat mains) Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
12-16 Chicken Thighs
5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 2 Lemons, Freshly Squeezed
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Paprika
½ Tsp Chilli Flakes
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
Small Bunch Thyme Sprigs
2 Tsp Coarse Sea Salt
1 Tsp Coarsely Ground Pepper

Instructions:

Handy Tip: The chicken really becomes full of flavour if you allow it to marinate in the remaining ingredients overnight. I therefore complete all the preparation steps (Steps 1 & 2) the night before I am going to cook and serve it.

1. Clean your chicken and remove any excess fat. Place the thighs in a large roasting dish, skin side up.

2. Mix all the other ingredients in a jug and pour over the chicken thighs, basting a couple of times to make sure they are thoroughly coated.

3. Preheat your oven to 200°C and cook the chicken for about an hour, basting every 20 minutes or so.

4. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the skin looks browned and crispy, remove from the oven and serve immediately.

5. Serve with your choice of accompaniments. I often serve this recipe with my All Time Favourite Roast Potatoes and Buttery Garlic Green Vegetable Medley, recipes coming soon ...

I also often freeze any leftovers - the chicken still tastes divine when reheated, and makes a great supper when served with rice and broccoli.

If you try out this recipe or any other variations and want to be featured on Design!Style!Beauty then send your photos and contributions via e-mail to designstylebeauty@gmail.com or please leave your comments and links below...

Three Thrilling Centrepieces Ideas

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000+00:00

Table centrepieces are not just for weddings or extra special occasions. They can liven up any dining table and transform your entertaining into something really special. And what's even better is that they can be created for very little money and effort. Here are 3 that I regularly use as the focal point of my dining table, that you can use as inspiration for creating your own fabulous centrepieces:

1. Pretty Little T-Lights & Roses:

This is such a simple and inexpensive centrepiece to create but it it is so pretty and understated that it will work on any dining table. I found these gorgeous jeweled t-light holders on www.amazon.co.uk for a bargain price and have simply placed t-lights into each of the smaller holders and 3 roses in the taller ones. And by placing them all symmetrically together down the centre of the table, a fantastic centrepiece is created.

If you don't have any pretty t-light holders to hand then you can always create your own using baked beans cans for the larger holders and little sweetcorn tins for the smaller holders. And if you're feeling very adventurous, I've found this fabulous 'how-to-guide' on Scott Bedford's "What I Made" blog that will give you step-by-step instructions for creating even more glamorous t-light holders from tin cans.

2. The 'Fishbowl'

I know it doesn't sound glamorous but this is how I think of my round glass bowl that I use to create many different centrepieces (and I'm sure you could use an actual fishbowl if you have one handy, just remember to put the fish in a safe place!).

a. Floating Candles:

To create a stunning centrepiece with minimal effort simply place a few decorative pebbles at the base of your bowl and half fill with water. Then add half-a-dozen to a dozen floating candles and scatter some colourful rose petals (one rose bud should provide you with enough petals). Finally, carefully light the candles and set the room lighting to be low enough that the candles create a warm glow on all your guests.

Just remember to use unscented candles as you don't want the candles to compete with the delicious aromas emanating from your kitchen!

b. Simple Vase:

Another very easy way to utilise your 'fishbowl' to create spectacular centrepieces is to use it as a simple vase. You can create an explosion of colour and vibrance simply by choosing different flowers to place in your bowl. Again, place your pebbles in the base of the bowl as they will help your flowers to stand in the shape that you require. You can also tie the flower stems together to keep them in place.

3. Candelabra & Crystals:

My final centrepiece idea is the most glamorous of the three. I think that a candelabra in the centre of a dining table will always look stunningly beautiful and as far as I'm concerned, the addition of a bit more bling can only be a good thing! This is also the most expensive of the three centrepieces as you will need to purchase the candelabra, but think of it as an investment - once you've bought it, you can use it time and time again and the candles are very inexpensive to replace! We were lucky enough to have this beautiful candelabra bought for us as a wedding present so for all you brides-to-be out there, definitely remember this one for your gift list!

Finally, the crystals scattered around the candelabra were sourced from all over to keep the cost as low as possible. A great place to check out is a local wedding or party supplier as you will only need one bag of the small scatter crystals and a few of the larger ones. And just remember that whatever you use as your centrepiece, make sure it is not so big that it obstructs anyone from viewing the person sitting opposite them.

If you have your own fabulous centrepiece ideas and want to be featured on Design!Style!Beauty then send your photos and contributions via e-mail to designstylebeauty@gmail.com or please leave your comments and links below...

Napkin Blings!!

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000+00:00

Whenever I use my fabric napkins I always adorn them with my handmade napkin rings. These delightful napkin rings are incredibly easy to make and will liven up any dining table. And what's more, they are perfectly customisable so you can make your own unique napkin rings simply by choosing your favourite colours and style of beads.

Instructions:

Materials (Per Napkin Ring):

1 Pair of Knitting Needles (Size 5.5)
Approx 3m of 24 Gauge Beading / Craft Wire per napkin ring.
Approximately 90 - 120 Beads of your choice per napkin ring. (This really depends on how full you want your napkin ring to be and the size of your beads - you will need more beads if you use very small ones).

Method:

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Step Four

Step Five

Step Six

Steps:

1. Randomly thread the beads onto the wire while it is still on the reel - thread more than you think you will need because it is very difficult to thread additional beads once you have started knitting. Leave some of your smallest beads to thread on last as these will be the most manageable for the first beads you will use.

2. Cast on 3 stitches, adding small beads to each stitch.

3. Knit each row, adding beads onto random stitches according to their size and colour.

4. Continue knitting in this way until the napkin ring measures approximately 12cm.

5. Slip the knitting needle carefully out of the last 3 stitches and cut the wire, leaving approximately 10cm that you can use to join the napkin together.

6. Join the napkin together by threading the extra wire through the two ends.

Voila!

These napkin rings and other unique designs will be available to purchase online very soon from www.designsbyshelleyb.co.uk In the meantime, if you're interested in purchasing a set of these napkin rings then please contact me via designstylebeauty@gmail.com

If you make your own napkin rings and want to be featured on Design!Style!Beauty then send your photos and contributions via e-mail to designstylebeauty@gmail.com or please leave your comments and links below...

Trend I Love - Wallpaper...

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000+00:00

I am absolutely delighted to confirm that wallpaper has made a huge comeback in recent years! I love wallpaper so much that I have included it in every room of my house (apart from the kitchen and bathroom). Wallpaper began its resurgence with the implementation of the 'feature wall', where one wall of a room features a striking wallpaper and the other walls of that room remain more neutral.

I used a striking, black, textured wallpaper from Graham & Brown as a feature wall in my 'Black & White' themed Home Office.

However, although the popularity of using wallpaper as a feature wall is still going strong, I am more addicted to using wallpaper on every wall in a room.

This stunning gold and cream floral wallpaper from Laura Ashley enhances the feeling of outside-inside in our Conservatory Dining Room.

This photograph of our Guest Bedroom does not do justice to the absolutely gorgeous wallpaper (also from Laura Ashley). I love it so much that I am keeping it as the wall covering of the Nursery that we're currently transforming this room into.

I transformed a client's once neutral garage room conversion into a fantastic, multi-functional and stylish space using this Graham & Brown striped wallpaper, hung horizontally

Finally, if the idea of wallpapering your entire room seems daunting, remember that wallpaper comes in all different colours and textures. Stripes are very popular at the moment and a neutral stripe can add subtle wonders to any room. Just remember the basic principle that horizontal stripes lengthen the width of the room and vertical stripes increase the perception of height in a room.

We started off just wallpapering one wall of our Master Bedroom but the resulting room lacked depth and interest so we wallpapered the rest of the walls to match! The colour of the wallpaper is an incredibly subtle white and pearlescent off-white and results in the room remaining elegant, neutral and calming.

If you want to hang your own wallpaper, remember to check back in to my post on Wallpapering a Room, coming soon. Please leave your comments and/or queries below or, if you want your own rooms to be featured on Design!Style!Beauty! send your photographs and captions to designstylebeauty@gmail.com.

Two Winter Dessert Ideas

2011-12-14T09:00:00.002+00:00

Check out this scrumptious Chocolate Pavlova and delicious Plum and Banana Crumble, two fantastic winter dessert ideas, featured below ...

Chocolate Heaven ... Extra Chocolatey Chocolate Pavlova

2011-12-14T09:00:00.001+00:00

Two desserts I absolutely adore are pavlovas and anything chocolatey and this recipe combines the two (plus it even includes some fruit, so I can pretend it's good for me too!)

The Finished Product

The chocolate pavlova base is a Nigella Lawson recipe that she recommends as a summer dessert but I think that the chocolate cream I've combined with it adds a richness that will see it through the winter months also.

Recipe:

Serves: 8 - 10 Difficulty Level: Medium

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Pavlova: (a Nigella Lawson recipe)
6 Egg Whites
300g Caster Sugar
3 Tbsp Sieved Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Balsamic Vinegar
50g Finely Chopped Dark Chocolate

For the Topping:
250ml Double Cream (or Non-Dairy Whipping Cream)
125g Dark Chocolate
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Fruit to Decorate (I used half a punnet each of cherries & strawberries and used the leftover fruit as part of a fruit platter)
2-3 Pieces Refrigerated Dark Chocolate for grating

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Draw a circle on a piece of baking parchment (make your circle a few centimetres smaller than your cake plate) and place upside down on a baking tray. Finely chop your chocolate and leave to one side (I leave some fragments a little chunkier so you can taste it throughout the pavlova).

2. Place your egg whites into an immaculately clean, large mixing bowl (a metal bowl is the best for making pavlovas so if you have a Kenwood Chef this would be a perfect time to use it but I often use a ceramic mixing bowl and my pavlovas haven't failed yet!) and beat them on a medium speed using an electric whisk until they form firm peaks.

3. Beat in the caster sugar, a large spoonful at a time and then turn your whisk up to the highest setting and beat for a few minutes until the meringue mixture is stiff and shiny. You'll know that all the sugar is incorporated by testing a sample of the mixture between your fingers. If you can't feel the grains of sugar then you're done. If the mixture still feels grainy then whisk a little longer but be careful not to over whisk as your meringue will collapse.

4. Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and chopped chocolate over the meringue mixture and gently fold until thoroughly incorporated. Your pavlova mixture will now look deliciously chocolatey.

5. Spoon a teaspoonful of the mixture under each corner of the baking parchment and stick the parchment onto your baking tray - this will prevent the baking parchment from moving in the oven.

6. Spoon the rest of the mixture into the middle of your circle on the baking parchment and use a palette knife or spatula to spread the mixture into a luscious circle.

7. Place in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 150°C. Cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready it will look crisp around the edges and sides and will be dry on top, but if you prod the centre it will feel deliciously squidgy underneath.

8. Take the pavlova out of the oven and leave to cool. I often make the pavlova the night before a dinner party and simply finish the topping just before my guests arrive.

9. To make the topping melt the chocolate in a double boiler (a Pyrex bowl placed above a pan of gently simmering water) and then leave it to cool while you whip the cream to form soft peaks. Then gently fold the melted chocolate and vanilla essence into the whipped cream.

10. Turn your pavlova onto your cake stand (I find the easiest way to do this is to hold the pavlova with one hand and to bring the upside down cake stand until it is just touching the pavlova. Then simultaneously turn the cake stand the right way up with the pavlova, resulting in the pavlova sitting upside down on the cake stand.)

11. Now dollop the chocolate cream onto the pavlova and spread towards the edges. Decorate with your chosen fruit and grate the refrigerated chocolate over to finish.

This dessert never remains uneaten for long!

Yummy Plum and Banana Crumble

2011-12-14T09:00:00.000+00:00

This crumble is absolutely delicious and so simple to make. The bananas effuse an incredible toffee-like flavour and the tartness of the plums perfectly counter-balance the sweetness of the crumble mixture - all in all this is a delightful dessert!

If I'm serving crumble to guests at a dinner party I like to make individual portions in ramekins. The ramekins bestow the crumble with an elegance that just can't be achieved when the crumble is served at the table and often ends up being dolloped onto guests dessert plates!

Recipe:

Serves: 8 Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients:

150g Plain (All Purpose) Flour
150g Demerara Sugar
150g Butter or Margarine, cold and cut into small cubes
4 Medium Bananas
12 Medium, Ripe Red Plums
12 tsp Caster Sugar
8 Drops Vanilla Essence
4 tsp Cornflour
8 Ramekins

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 220°C

2. Place the flour, demerara sugar and butter into your food processor (I use my Magimix, with the silver cutting blade) and pulse until the mixture forms a crumble with slightly larger and smaller clumps. Set to one side.

N.B. You can do this by hand by rubbing the butter and flour together and then stirring in the sugar. You can also freeze the topping at this stage and use from frozen in the future - simply increase your cooking time by 3 minutes.

3. Chop the plums into 8ths and place the equivalent of 1 ½ plums into each ramekin.

4. Chop the bananas into medium slices and place the equivalent of ½ a banana on top of the plums in the ramekins.

5. Sprinkle the fruit in each ramekin with a drop of vanilla essence, ½ tsp of cornflour and 1 ½ tsp caster sugar.

6. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. I tend to make and bake these crumbles in advance and then simply reheat them prior to serving. If you have any crumble topping left over you can freeze it and use it for next time.

The Incredibly Useful Weekly Meal Planner

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000+00:00

Does the thought of deciding what to cook for dinner tonight fill you with dread? Are you struggling to make up packed lunches for your family without sending them off with the same sandwiches everyday? If so, then using a Weekly Meal Planner could be just what you're crying out for! Now, I know that the thought of weekly meal planning is not going to inspire a sense of delight in many of you, but please still read on because you can actually gain fantastic benefits from including this simple tool in your weekly schedule.

Weekly Meal Planner

Weekly meal planning is a great tool that can save you stress, time and money. You will no longer have that horrible last-minute scramble where you finally decide what to make for dinner, only to find you don't have the key ingredient in your kitchen! Likewise, you will eat significantly healthier meals and be much less likely to succumb to ordering take-out multiple nights a week. In fact, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Foster, Makris & Bailer, found that menu planning was an effective tool for weight loss.

Here's how to complete this Weekly Meal Planner
in 5 simple steps:

1. Print the Weekly Meal Planner.

Simply create a free Scribd account, then click on the 'Weekly Meal Planner' link above and download or print.

2. Set Aside Time to Complete the Planner.

As you become more practised in completing the Meal Planner, the time it will take to complete it will become shorter and shorter - especially if you develop a bank of recipes that you like to cook regularly.

3. Sit Down with Your Recipe Books & Calendar or Diary.

Use your calendar to note on the Planner what meals you will need to cook for. Then go through your recipe books and decide which recipes you would like to cook throughout the week and which nights are best for you to cook each one.

4. Complete Your Weekly Meal Planner.
Simply fill in each box with the Recipe title and make a note of where to find the recipe.

5. Complete Your Grocery List.
You can then shop for all the ingredients that you will need to implement your Weekly Meal Planner.

I suppose the final step is to follow the Planner and cook your meals!

Other useful tips to help you in completing your Weekly Meal Planner:

You can make larger amounts of a recipe for dinner and then use the leftovers for lunch the following day.
Use the Planner to help you to be more adventurous with your cooking. For example, you can now plan to make pancakes or waffles on the week-end.
Finally, to save even more time in the planning stages, you could assign each day of the week with a food category, for example:

Monday = Pasta

Tuesday = Meat

Wednesday = Fish

Thursday = Take Out

Friday = Roast Chicken Dinner

Saturday = Eat Out or Help Yourself

Sunday = Left Overs

And there you have it... the easy way to plan your meals and a tool which I hope will become invaluable to you. If you have any other suggestions or would like further help with setting up your own Meal Planner then please leave comments below or send an email to designstylebeauty@gmail.com.

How To Lay Your Table Perfectly

2011-11-30T09:00:00.002+00:00

Whether dining out or hosting, we all want to avoid the 'Pretty Woman Situation' (you know, when Julia Roberts can't work out which fork to use when!) at the dinner table.

So, here is my simple guide to laying your table correctly for a four course meal consisting of Starter, Soup, Main Course & Dessert.

The basic rule of dining etiquette is to work your way in with the silverware (so the cutlery for your first course will be outside the cutlery for your main course).
Uniformly place your crockery and cutlery for each place setting, allowing enough room between guests.
Knife blades face inwards (unless you are using more modern cutlery sets, in which case your knives can be upstanding, with the blades facing downwards to prevent your guests sustaining accidental knicks!)
Make sure everything is clean and polish your cutlery if using real silver.

Follow the diagram below to check you have laid everything correctly:

A - Starter Plate

B - Dinner Plate

C - Bread Plate With Butter Knife

D - Water Glass

E - Red Wine Glass
F - Starter Fork

G - Dinner Fork

H - Dinner Knife

I - Soup Spoon

J - Start Knife

K - Cake Fork

L - Dessert Spoon

Finally, don't forget to include napkins! For interesting ways to present your napkins, take a look at my posts on Napkin Ideas and Napkin Blings coming soon. And also look out for my post on Stunning Centrepieces for fabulous inspiration on decorating your dining table for any occasion.

Some Things Are Best Kept Hidden ... How To Make Your Own Custom Screen or Room Divider

2011-11-23T09:00:00.001+00:00

Gone are the days when each room in our home can be used for a single purpose only. In fact nowadays, unless we are fortunate to own houses large enough to include rooms for every purpose (like the gym studio I wish we could have, or the walk-in-wardrobe I covet, or to be honest, right now I'd settle for a separate playroom for our new arrival!) we instead have to create multi-purpose spaces. And this is where a Screen or Room Divider can come in very handy. For example, we use ours to hide our exercise bike in our lounge. However, a beautiful screen can be expensive to purchase so read on for a very easy way to make your own, just like this one ...

Important Note:

Decide what size you want your overall screen to be before you start so that you can purchase the correct size and number of canvases and hinges etc)

Materials:

Canvases (Blank or Patterned - we bought two matching, patterned wall canvases, originally fuchsia and black. You will need at least two)

Hinges (Use at least two for every join)

Paint & Paint Brushes

Screwdriver

Instructions:

1. Paint your canvases and leave to dry completely. I used paint we had leftover from decorating the room (Dulux Soft Stone & Crown Tailored) so that the colours would match the room perfectly. *

2. Line up the two canvases next to each other, face down on the floor. Measure 15cm from the top and bottom of each canvas and mark.

3. Screw in the hinges (one at the top 15cm mark and one at the bottom 15cm mark). Use a middle hinge for additional stability should your canvases require).

4. Repeat steps two and three for any additional canvas panels.

5. Raise your newly created screen and angle it so that it is freestanding.

Step Two

Step Three

Step Five

* If you're tight for time then simply buy canvases with a design that you like and paint over the design in colours to suit your room. If the colours are already perfect then you can skip straight to Step 2. However, if you're feeling more artistic then why not create your very own design on blank canvases. And finally, another alternative is to purchase a roll of wallpaper and paste, and recover the canvases with wallpaper instead (just remember to make sure that the paste will adhere to the canvases).

And there you have it, your very own custom made screen/room divider.
Now we just need to remember to move the screen and actually use the exercise bike!

If you make your own screen and want to be featured on Design!Style!Beauty then send your photos and contributions via e-mail to designstylebeauty@gmail.com or please leave your comments and links below...

Trend I Love - Exotic Animal Skins...

2011-11-16T09:00:00.000+00:00

... the faux variety of course!

Stunning Cocktail & Bar Accessories by Kim Seybert

It seems that the world of interior design is still obsessed with using exotic animal skins and prints, real and fake alike, and I am definitely part of this fan club! I can't pinpoint exactly why I so adore this trend ... perhaps it's because animal skins stir up buried memories of when we were cave men and women, or maybe it's because the patterns found in nature far surpass anything we can create ourselves, or perhaps I'm simply drawn to the exotic and forbidden! Whatever the reason, this fascination with animal skin continues and this trend is definitely set to stay for at least another season.

http://www.armanicasa.com

Stunning animal print rug pictured with the sofa that I dream of owning one day!

From the Armani Casa 2010 Collection.

Previous animal skin trends have used furs and skins in abundance but the trend for 2011/2012 sees preference for more subtle uses and this is what I love. Designers have found ingenious ways of bringing this trend into our home and the desire to use these prints in unexpected ways has led to the faux variety of animal prints being favoured over the real variety, thus eliminating the cruelty associated with real furs, skins and hides.

A new and popular use of animal skins and prints can be seen in china patterns and designers are wholeheartedly embracing this trend ...

Wedgwood Shagreen China

One of our favourite china collections, Shagreen by Wedgwood, which replicates Shark Skin.

Wedgwood Shagreen Teapot, Coffee Pot and Sugar Bowl

Using animal print sparingly can create a 'Wow Effect' without being OTT, especially when combined with other trends like Union Jacks and subtle, neutral colours.

Animal Print Union Jack cushion from http://www.wonderfulandmore.co.uk

Another gorgeous use of Shagreen that I would adore to use on handles throughout our house.

http://www.turnstylemarine.com

Wallpaper can be a fabulous way to introduce this trend into your home, but I would always recommend choosing neutral colours if you're going to be making such a statement with the print of the wallpaper.

Zebrano from Wallpaper Direct

Boa from Wallpaper Direct

Finally, here's an example of how you can introduce animal prints like snake skin to create an uber luxurious feel in your bathroom.

Snake Skin Bathroom Accessories from http://www.labrazelhome.com

What do you think of this continuing trend in interior design? Or, have you used animal prints and faux skin throughout your home? If so, then send your photos and contributions via e-mail to designstylebeauty@gmail.com or leave your comments and links below.

It’s Cornet Time ... Liver & Egg Cornets - Chocolate & Vanilla Style

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000+00:00

For a starter that's sure to impress and delight even the fussiest of dinner guests try this fantastic recipe...

I’ve served this dish as an alternative to the traditional Jewish Friday Night Dinner starter of egg and onion and chicken liver pate and also as a starter for a lunch with families with kids – who thought it was marvellous but couldn’t quite fathom why the ‘ice-cream’ wasn’t cold or sweet!

Please note that this recipe comes with a CAUTION: WARNING!! The syrup is EXTREMELY hot – I’ve accidentally touched a little that had fallen on a granite worktop and had blistering burns so please be extra careful when handling the syrup.

Recipe:

Serves: 12 (Assume two per person) Difficulty Level: Medium

Ingredients:

24 Cornets (I use Alma Rolled Ice Cream Cones)

12 Medium Eggs, Hard Boiled, Shelled and Halved

3-5 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

Salt, Pepper, Paprika and Mixed Herbs to taste

500g (12 Scoops) of Chopped Liver or Chicken Liver Pate from the Butcher or Supermarket
300ml Sweet Sherry or Sweet Red Wine
150g Caster Sugar
150g Salted Peanuts
Large Bag of cheapest White Rice

Ice Cream Scoop with Easy Release

Instructions:

1. Hard boil the eggs (stored at room temperature) by placing them in a small pan and covering completely with cold water (about 1cm over the top of the eggs). Bring the water to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked, plunge the eggs into cold water and leave until cool enough to handle.

2. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, shell and halve them and then mash (either by hand or in a food processor) with enough mayonnaise to make the mixture firm enough to scoop. Mix in the seasonings to taste.

3. Meanwhile, to make the syrup, place the sherry or wine and the caster sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan and stir constantly over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until reduced by one-third. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. (Please remember that the syrup will burn you if you touch it directly in any way).

4. Empty the rice into your serving dishes (I use two bowls to hold 12 cornets each) and stand the cornets in the rice, pushing firmly to ensure they are securely standing upright.

5. Using a tablespoon, carefully drizzle a little syrup into the bottom and around the inside of the cornets.

6. Scoop the mashed egg onto 12 of the cornets, wash the scoop and then scoop the chopped liver or liver pate into the other 12 cornets.

7. Now drizzle more syrup over the top of the scoops. Chop the peanuts in a food processor and sprinkle over each cornet. Serve immediately.

Please also note that this is an ‘easy’ adaptation from a superb Masterchef Australia Celebrity Chef Challenge. The original recipe can be found here http://www.masterchef.com.au/cornets-with-chicken-liver-pate.htm and being Masterchef, naturally requires making your own brik pastry cornets and liver pate from scratch. If you’ve got plenty of time or are having a small get together then definitely have a go at the original recipe.

The Shopping List System that makes you go "Ahhhh!"

2011-11-02T09:00:00.000+00:00

One of life's little frustrations has to be the moment you arrive home from the supermarket only to realise that you've forgotten to purchase something you really need. And almost as irritating is that phone call you receive from your other half asking you to pick up 'just one more item' just as you're arriving at the check-out, or even worse as you're already loading up the car!

One way to significantly reduce these moments of "grrrr" is to set up a Shopping List System whereby whenever an item is about to be finished and needs replacing, it is immediately added to your Shopping List. Sounds simple and yet so many of us rely on memory, just jot down a list right before departing for the Supermarket, or decide that wandering the aisles and choosing whatever items grab your attention is the way to go. These methods invariably lead the shopper to arrive home without obvious essentials like bin bags or milk and to the purchase of a few non-essentials such as that DVD on special offer that you'll probably never watch.

You can create your own shopping list really easily in Microsoft Word or Excel, using categories that are most suitable for you and your family. Here's the list that we use, that has proven to significantly reduce our supermarket shopping stress levels! (Click the link "Grocery List" to download this Shopping List as a Word Document using Scribd - you may need to create a free Scribd account). You can adapt the categories to best suit you and your family, for example, other categories could include Pet Food, Organic Produce, Pharmacy and so on.

Another advantage to this Shopping List System is that you can categorise items to help you plan your Weekly Menu and organise your shopping list according to the order items are stocked in the Supermarket, thus eliminating that feeling you get when you arrive at the last aisle of the store only to realise that your final item is stocked near the entrance. This method can also help you save money by encouraging you to only buy items that are on the List thus cutting down on the unnecessary items you might otherwise be tempted to buy.

Grocery List

I used to print these out in batches but to save on recycling I've recently laminated one using my Bonsaii L407-A A4 Document Photo Thermal Laminator, and fill it in with my EXPO Low-Odor Dry Erase Markers, You can then wipe away each item as you shop and clean the entire page with a baby wipe once home. Now the only thing we need to remember is to take the multitude of used plastic shopping bags that we always say we need to recycle and almost never remember to bring with us to the supermarket (I think we've managed it once in the past two years but I've now added a reminder to the bottom of my shopping list so here's hoping!).

If you can think of any other categories that would be particularly useful, have any other suggestions or would like further help with setting up your own grocery list then please leave comments below!