Guilt-free Chunky Chips

I love chips and anything resembling them - fries, wedges, fried potatoes, crispy potato skins, anything - but they can be pretty fattening.  Cooking them this way is quick and will satisfy your cravings for fried carbs without too many calories.  I often make wedges in the oven using the same ingredients, but frying them this way makes them more chip-like.

Lots of my friends are on Weight Watchers at the moment, so I even calculated the WW points for you!   One serving comes in at 8 points, which is a lot less than a similar sized bowl of fries.

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Serves two as a lunch or generous side

600g of medium sized potatoes
1tbsp olive oil

Scrub the potatoes and remove any eyes.  Prick the skins several times with a fork and place on a plate in the microwave.  Cook on full-power for 15 minutes, then turn them all over.  Cook for 10 more minutes then check.  If they're all cooked right through, put them to one side to cool for a few minutes.  If they need longer, cook for a few minutes at a time, checking frequently.

Heat the oil in a frying pan.  Slice each potato in half length-ways, then slice each half length-ways again  so you've got four big chunky chips from each potato.

Place the first batch of chips into the hot pan and leave for a couple of minutes until one side of each is golden brown.  Turn over one chip at a time and leave until the next side is golden brown and then the same for the third sides.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of salt and a side of ketchup or BBQ sauce :-)

Jenny

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(Almost) Instant Wall Art

Ingredients:

A Sunday morning
1 or 2 old episodes of Friends
A cup of tea
Large handful of buttons
1 x artists canvas
A few drops of PVA glue

Sometimes the simplest crafts are the most rewarding!

Jenny

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Pro-craft-ination - Lamp Makeover

As well as running my own little shop, Bluefinch Boutique, I'm a freelance writer.  I work at home from my little office or, if that's too messy, the kitchen table.  As I'm trying to expand my client base and get together a decent portfolio of writing at the moment, I sometimes have to work on briefs that may not be exactly in my area of expertise and it can take a while to think of an angle for my article.

I'm trying not to turn anything down at the moment as a) it's all experience, b) you never know which unlikely little jobs might lead to bigger and better things, and c) I have a serious addiction to bamboo yarn, I love holidays and I need a new bathroom.

I love writing and once I get started on an article, the words generally flow with ease. Before I can actually sit down and get to that point, however, I tend to procrastinate in crafty fashion.  Generally, I'll be idly looking around the house when my eyes will land on something and I'll think "Oh, I'll just quickly paint/strip/cover/mend that before I get started on the writing" and before I know it, it's 2pm and I've forgotten to have breakfast.

These ugly little lime-green lamps had been sitting in my bedroom for a few months.  I used to have two really pretty white lamps in there but somehow they both got broken.  I actually bought these as a temporary replacement at a ridiculously low price but they outstayed their welcome so, sick of waking up to them, I gave them a quick makeover:

lime-green lamps....non

white and florals...oui

I painted the bases in white acrylic paint, adding a layer of clear varnish as a top coat to avoid the paint scratching off, and covered the cheap lampshades in a really lightweight floral fabric using glue.

I love the finished result and they look so much better in my bedroom now.

The dream is that, one day, my home will be so perfect that I won't be so easily distracted and won't have any desire for procrastination crafting.  Let's see how that goes...

Jenny

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Door sign for a little girl's bedroom

If you follow me on Twitter or know me in real life, you probably get sick of hearing all about my four year old niece.  I do talk about her a lot but that's because she's awesome, cute, clever and hilarious.  I'm currently gathering together bits for her new bedroom which I'll be decorating as soon as it's got  new flooring and central heating in place and am building up quite a little stash of pretty accessories.

I made this bunting the other week and as I had a quiet evening in when Glyn was off at a poker tournament this week, I thought I'd make a little door sign.  Although I tend to have several "big" projects on the go at any one time, I'm a huge fan of anything that can be completed in an hour or so, and this was perfect for instant craft-ification.

I had some tiny canvases knocking around that looked the perfect size so I quickly embroidered the words "Sophie's room" onto one, added a crochet flower and some crocheted picot edging, et voila!

To hang it, I got a piece of broderie anglaise style trim, folded it in half, tacked it together and stapled it to the back.

So simple, so quick, so effective!  

Jenny

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French Memory Board Tutorial

 

I've been seeing all these gorgeous fabric-covered memory boards around for years and have always wanted one.  Laziness combined with a lack of a staple gun stopped me from making one, and an unwillingness to part with the obscene amounts of money the ones I saw in the shops were selling for prevented me from buying one.

I finally "treated" myself to a staple gun the other week and set about covering a generic cork noticeboard right away.  I love how easy these memory boards are to make, but I do not like staple guns.  The last time I used one was when a friend and I were helping a teacher to decorate a classroom wall when we were in Year 3 (It wasn't called 'Year 3' then but was so long ago that I've forgotten what it WAS called).  Staple guns are loud and a little bit scary and I don't know why I was allowed to use one of these dangerous things in infant school.  Possibly because 1980s kids were just tough.

There is no shortage of tutorials out there in Internet Land for making these, but as with everything, I tend to cut corners and make things easy for myself, so here is my tutorial for an easy and quick French Memory Board.

You will need:

♥ Cork noticeboard or a cheap artist's canvas (I prefer the canvas, see below!)

♥ Fabric measuring approx 6cm wider and 6cm longer than your chosen board

♥ Wadding or batting cut to a rectangle approx 1cm smaller than fabric

♥ Ribbon or tape*

♥ Staple gun

♥ Buttons

♥ Needle and thread

* I used approx. 2.5m of ribbon for a 30x40cm board and approx 5m for a 60x40cm board, plus a little extra for hanging

1. Place wadding on floor and place board facedown on top of wadding, ensuring even border all the way around.  Snip off a triangle of wadding at each corner.  Wrap wadding round one edge of board and staple several times along the length.  Repeat on opposite board edge, keeping wadding taut.  Next, do the remaining two edges, pulling fabric as taut as you can.

2. Repeat Step 1 with the fabric.

3. Take your ribbon or tape and, starting with the piece that goes from top left corner to bottom right corner, staple into place on the back of your board.  Working outwards from the central ribbon, and ensuring each ribbon is evenly spaced, staple all the parallel ribbons into place.  Keep the ribbons pulled taut as you work.

4. Now for a little weaving.  Using an under/over weaving pattern with the existing ribbons, place your top right to bottom left ribbon in place.  Work outwards like you did with the first layer of ribbons.

5.  If your memory board is to be wall-mounted, and not just resting against a wall, staple another length of ribbon onto the back for hanging.

6. Sew a button at each ribbon intersection to ensure your pictures and cards stay in place.  If you're using canvas, you can just jab your needle right through to the back of the canvas which is quick, easy and anchors the button well.  For my first memory board, I used a cork board which meant I couldn't do this so it was a bit more awkward just sewing the button to the ribbons, fabric and wadding.

Some tutorials use drawing pins or tacks, but I prefer the look of the buttons.  I found that Broderie Anglaise style lace trim made a really pretty and reasonably priced alternative to ribbon.

I'm currently making one for my niece's bedroom with polka dot tape but she's only 4 so I'm not sure how much she'll have to display in it just yet...

I am also thinking of making one as a Mother's Day present for my mum but pre-filling it with pictures and memories of her family.

Jenny

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Turkish Pide recipe (Turkish Pizza!)

I've been holidaying in Turkey on and off since I was 9 and it's one of my favourite countries.  I adore the culture, the people, the scenery, the way of life and, of course, the food.  Turkish is considered one of the world's great cuisines, which often comes as a surprise to people who've never been and think it's all kebabs.  In actual fact, it's a vegetarian's paradise, with tons of meat-free dishes all made with the freshest, most delicious local produce.

I've been staying in the Turquoise Coast town Kalkan for the past 6 years (and am lucky enough to be going twice this year - just 3 months until my first trip, eeeeep!).  Kalkan is famous for its food, and while it's nice to eat a gourmet meal in a luxurious harbourside restaurant, sometimes you just want something simple.  This is where pide comes in.   It's the Turkish version of pizza and it's dirt cheap, with prices starting at a couple of pounds in little family-run lokantas.  It's famous for its distinctive 'slipper' shape and is made with a variety of toppings.  It makes a great lunch when shared between two with a big bowl of salad while on holiday, but in the cold, miserable UK weather, it also works as brilliant winter comfort-food.

I don't pretend to be an expert on pide but I've made it many times and while the homemade version will never be the same as those made under the Mediterranean sun by a chef with decades of experience, it's still delicious!  This is my recipe, adapted from several others and tweaked over the years:

Turkish Pide

(Makes 2 large pide)

1 tsp dried yeast

half tsp sugar

75ml warm water

150g strong white flour (plus extra for dusting)

half tsp salt

4tsp olive oil (plus extra for brushing)

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (follow instructions on packet if necessary) and add the sugar.

2. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl then gradually add the yeast and sugar mixture and the olive oil, stirring constantly.

3. Knead the mixture for several minutes until all the ingredients are well-combined and you have a soft dough.

4. Cover the bowl in cling-film and leave somewhere warm for approximately one hour, or until the dough has risen and is at least 50% larger. (I put my bowl on top of a radiator cover so it's warm but not too hot.)

The dough before...

...and after

5. When your dough has risen, pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 7/220C.  Knead the dough for several more minutes then separate into two equal chunks.  Dust your work surface, rolling pin and two baking trays with flour, then roll one piece of dough until you have a long, 'slipper' or 'boat' shape.  Carefully place the pide onto a floured baking tray.  You may find your pide is a really irregular shape so you might want to stretch it and tidy up the shape a little now it's on the tray.  Repeat with the second piece of dough.

6. Add your toppings, leaving a border of approx 2cm of dough all the way round.  Roll/fold these edges up and squeeze all around with your fingers to create a crimped effect.  Brush with a little olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the toppings have cooked and the crust is golden brown.  Cut into slices and enjoy, preferably with an ice-cold bottle of Turkish beer!

The tomato topping

You can always buy pizza topping and use that, but it's really quick, easy and tasty to make your own.  I use the following  recipe:

2tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then add the onion and garlic.  Cook over a low heat until the onion has softened then add the tomatoes and a pinch of black pepper.  Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and most of the liquid has evaporated.  You should have a spreadable, rich mixture.

The top topping!

I usually use grated mozzarella as my basic topping then add whatever I have in.  My favourite topping is:

75g grated mozzarella

25g crumbled feta

finely sliced green pepper

finely sliced red onion

I often also add a few halved black olives and sliced mushroom.  My meat-eating boyfriend sometimes adds a few slices of pepperoni or chorizo as well.

  

Glyn's green olive & chorizo version

Glyn's rapidly disappearing pide

Jenny

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The cutest darn fabric I ever did see

I can't even put into words how much I love this fabric. I found it entirely by chance in my local crafty emporium. It was tucked away at the top of a mountain of fabric bolts stacked almost to the ceiling and when I took it to the till, the staff ooh-ed and aah-ed over it as if they didn't even know it existed.

How cute is it? There are eight adorable little children and each one has a selection of outfits and accessories.  It's by Bluehill Fabrics and is called Aunt Lindy's Paper Dolls.  I had to buy just over 60cm of fabric to get the entire pattern repeat so each 'frame' is a little under 30cm.

I probably should have ironed it before taking pictures, but I was too excited and impatient to share it.

I think I'm going to use it to make a set of cushions, probably by mounting each 'framed' print onto a piece of cotton.  If anyone has any other suggestions on ways to use it, I'd love to hear them!

Jenny

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