Beirut

So I've been away on holiday and then came down ill so I haven't posted in a while. Here is a very short post. I wanted to share my current favourite track of the moment: Nantes by Beirut from their The Flying Club Cup album. I know why I like it of course, because it has that Eastern folk sound (as I harked on about here ).

I can't get enough of this - it's so hypnotic.

Cornmeal and Cheddar Biscuits

A while ago I got inspired to make some cornbread, which incidentally turned into a cake as I misread how much sugar to put in. . .  The price of cornmeal (polenta flour) can be quite pricey if bought from a health shop so when I saw a huge 1.5 kg bag in Asda for cheap I got over excited and bought it.

No problem you may say but now I have a huge bag of polenta in my cupboard. So what to do? 

It seems that cornmeal is quite popular in the southern states of America and I came across this recipe from Cooks.com. I have amended the recipe to include more cornmeal/ polenta, some cheese and black pepper. 

As you can see they don't look at all like biscuits and are like a scone or cheese straw in texture.

The amended recipe is as follows . . . I have stuck with the American measuring system of cups.

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. yellow cornmeal

2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. grated cheese ( I used mature Cheddar)

Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

3/4 c. milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten

Pre-heat the oven at 200 C.

Combine all the dry ingredients (including the cheese) in a large mixing bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in a jug. Pour the wet mix into the dry and stir until just mixed. You may need to add more milk if the mixture is too dry. Mine became a stodgy batter and worked fine.

Using a table spoon heap the mixture onto a greased baking sheet and flatten the top with the back of the spoon. 

The mixture made 16 biscuits. Bake for 12 minutes at 200 C. Put on a wire rack to cool.

I really like the idea of savoury biscuits. Some variations on this could be to substitute the pepper for chilli (chilli sauce of flakes), dried herbs or garlic. 

Enjoy! xx

Oxfam, Denim and Mariama

As I said here, an interesting project came about because of the photos I took at the Handmade Birmingham markets. I was asked by Mariama to take photos of her window display in collaboration with Oxfam Nottingham Boutique. I think the following photographs describe it better than my words . . .

 

Have a look at Mariama's website  - she does a variety of textiles in bold prints. I especially love her cushions and lavender bags.

I also have to say how impressed I was with the selection of vintage clothing on offer at Oxfam Nottingham Boutique and it didn't have the distinctive smell of a vintage shop! Huge hoorah! Whilst I was there I tried on a lovely 70's dress but sadly it was too big . . . I definitely will be going back though. If you're ever near it's certainly worth a look - and it's for charity too. Thumbs up all round.

Handmade in Birmingham

It's funny how life can turn out. If Sara hadn't gone to the COWshop and met Francine and then in turn got involved with Handmade Birmingham AND if I hadn't started this blog which in turn led me to buy my SLR camera then the following wouldn't have happened . . .

I pop along to the Handmade Market again on the 2nd of October to take a few photos for Sara and Birdieblue. Whilst I'm there I get involved taking photos of the other stalls for the Handmade Brum website. This was great fun for me and also got me involved in another exciting project combining Mariama, some denim and Oxfam (more to come on that soon . . . )

So what about this Handmade Birmingham Market? These weekend market is really a well organized and thought out venture by Francine that fills a gap in the Birmingham City Centre. Birmingham is a great City for mainstream shopping and yes there is the Custard Factory for more creative/ retro/ vintage shopping but that's about it (please correct me if I'm wrong). The Handmade Birmingham market offers consumers good value for money on unique, creative and handmade (duh!) items from cards to jewellery to fashion to cakes  . . . . to name a few . . . 

It also allows these businesses a place to sell their ware's without the constraint of having a stall weekly or with huge overheads. Thus allowing new or well established businesses the flexibility and ensuring the market has a variety of stalls each week.

Yep it sounds like a hard sell. It's not, nor does it need to be. Pop along yourself to the outside stalls next to St Martins Church in the Bullring or visit the links above for more info. Now for less chat and more pictures . . .

 Francine - organiser of Handmade Birmingham

 

Birdieblue - Millinery and textiles by Sara

Paperbean 

 

Thank you to Francine for the photo. Please visit Handmade Birmingham to see the stall holders featured here and at the weekend markets.

Checks and Sequins

Glorious sunshine in Birmingham begged for a little Sunday shopping and cupcake eating on the steps outside St Martins church. Here is Jude working her Mum's skirt from 90's with a sequin vest. I was actually rocking an Oliver Twist look but sadly didn't think to 'snap' myself.

The cupcakes are from Handmade Birmingham.

I also bought a 1970's (I think) dress from the Vintage Indie Market which I will show you soon. Infact it is whizzing around in my washing machine as we speak . . .

Buckles and Bows

A friend I used to do Irish dancing with has recently started a blog called  sock my shoe . It got me inspired to dress up my buckled brogues. The socks are from good old M&S and I think the plum colour compliments the tan leather nicely. For more sock and shoe inspiration check out Sarah's blog in the link above.

The Peg Leg Trouser

Is this another look that's better suited to tall people? Not sure i could carry it off being short . . . however Jude is definitely tall enough to pull this off. Very elegant.

Quick Post

Yesterday I popped down to Handmade in Birmingham to take photos for Sara who will have a website very soon. I happily ended up taking photos of all the stalls. The photos will appear on their website soon and I will write a proper blog post about them too (when I get a photo of Francine who organises the market). The reason for the quick post is because I was snapped taking photos and I was wearing my new favourite outfit: a skirt I picked up at the Saturday Flea in the Custard factory last weekend that in my mind goes really well with this old shirt. Have a look here.