exploring eating capturing
I know I keep repeating myself here but the weather is most definitely on the turn. I’ve got jumpers out and coats on that haven’t been around for a while. And not to depress anyone but the nights are drawing in and I’ve noticed that …
Now we are heading into Autumn it’s time for good proper comfort food. I had this for brunch on Saturday but it would be perfect for tea to. My version gets all the taste but with a lot less time than the traditional one. Another …
I needed to get myself a new laptop. This involves a lot of deep breathing as these things are SO expensive! My last one is nine years old is cumbersome and weighs a ton so I’ve opted for something much smaller and lighter as I do so much travelling and it is my whole life, work station and communication hub. The next thing I started to look at was some kind of case to protect it but they to are very expensive. After some pondering I realised I just needed to make my own. I searched all my material scraps (which are extensive!) and came up with a plan that in the end has cost me nothing. Result!
First of all get the materials together. You will need two pieces of material one for the outside and one for the lining. It’s best if it is smooth or silky for the inside so the laptop slides in easily and something tougher for the outside. Any embellishments you might like to add some personality to the finished piece, a button some padding and matching threads.
Begin by cutting out two pieces of fabric that are twice the size of your laptop plus a couple of inches all the way round for seams and another couple of inches at the top for the button to be attached. You could cut one and then use that as a template for the other piece, one for the outside and one for the inside. And finally cut a piece for the padding this needs to be twice the size of the the laptop plus an inch all the way round.
First pin the padding onto the wrong side of the cover material and zigzag stitch the edge to the cover so it won’t slip around when finished. The zigzag stitch will then disappear into the seam when all stitched together. Then fold the right sides together and stitch the sides to create a pocket. Do the same with the lining just minus the padding. You will end up with two pockets and the lining pocket should comfortably fit inside the outer layer. At this stage check that your laptop actually fits inside snuggly incase it doesn’t fit or the pockets are to big as you don’t want it to be sliding around either.
Put the lining pocket inside the outer pocket and fold over the edges back to back pin and hand stitch round the top. Add any embellishments you want to, I added some bits of ribbon to cover seams because I have extra seams due to not having quite enough material for the outside cover.
Finally make a button hole. A button hole does need a sewing machine but if you don’t have one or would prefer a hand stitched project then you could make ties for the top instead or buy a set of eyelet holes to punch in to create holes on both sides to then thread ribbon or leather through to tie it all together. Or another suggestion is to stitch press studs on but they could scratch the laptop as you slide it in and out. Finally if you are good with zips one could be sewn on the top edge.
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These griddle pancakes are so quick and easy to whip up if you need something warm, filling and comforting. The best ones in my opinion are cinnamon and raisin but you could easily add different things if you prefer. Back in my student days these …
At the weekend I met up with a couple of friends Emily and Amber who I have several things in common with. We all love to draw, we all love to make books and we all like to eat cake. Emily and I like to …
So what else do you need for a Friday night curry? Tasty rice I should say. Here in the UK we are forever having colourful pilau rice but in India I didn’t come across that anywhere (which I was quite pleased about to be honest!). What I did have a lot was Jeera Rice. Jeera is just the Indian name for cumin. I love the taste of cumin and it is very good for you it can be beneficial for your digestion which is a good thing when eating a spicy curry! Cumin can also lower cholesterol, help to boost your immune system and can help fight the symptoms of osteoporosis a bit of a super food by all accounts and it tastes good so win win!
So I wonder if anyone has tried making Paneer yet? Either way this is a perfect recipe for you to use it in or if you would prefer just buy some, I have to warn you though the taste does not compare! When I was …
Over the years I have learnt so much from my Indian sister about cooking Indian food. This week she showed me how to make paneer cheese the same way as her mum had shown her. I had assumed that it would be complicated and a …
If you were to ask just about anyone to name something in India I suspect nine times out of ten they will say the Taj Mahal. It is one of those places that pretty much everyone has heard of and most have a vague picture in their heads of what it looks like (even if that is due to their local Indian takeaway having the same name!). It is a UNESCO world heritage site and is often included on more modern lists of the seven wonders of the world. I therefor couldn’t have a section about India and not include it.
The Taj Mahal was built between 1631 and 1648 in Agra by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife who had died. In total he had seven wives. It was to be a lasting memory of his love for her and the place she would be buried. The main structure is built from white marble and originally he had planned to build a black marble structure next to it for himself to be buried in but by all accounts the white one cost so much money there wasn’t enough left for the black one, but it is still possible to see where foundations were dug out in preparation.
The design of the Taj Mahal is superb the attention to detail is incredible, I think that is one of the things that impressed me so much as I am a stickler for the detail. Everything is symmetrical across the 2/3 mile site. All the architecture, designs and gardens come together beautifully with the Taj at the centre. The building itself is huge and unless you stand in front of it you could never really imagine how awesome it is. But one of my over riding memories is how intimate and small the inside area is in comparison. He clearly wanted his architect, thought to be Ustad Ahmad but no one knows for certain, to build a prodigiously immense monument but at the same time create the internal design to reflect the Emperor’s close affection for his wife. The marrying of these two aspects make the structure utterly superb.
We were fortunate enough to have the pleasure of being shown around India by Raj. He said ‘There are two sorts of people in this world. The ones who have seen the Taj Mahal and the ones who haven’t’. He recommended that we go to a garden across the Yamuna river to watch the sun go down over the Taj from a distance and then the following morning early to go and see the early morning sun coming up from the site itself. This was such a perfect plan and I would recommend anyone planning a visit to do the same. During the day it gets packed with visitors so the earlier you can get there the better. One day I will visit again and sit watching the colours changing with the movement of the sun and wonder what the woman was really like that had inspired this incredible crescendo of creativity and design.
At the weekend I got together with a couple of my favourite people who I’m going on an adventure with in November to Myanmar (Burma). They are both old friends of mine but hadn’t met each other before! To help this first introduction/planning meeting go …