eats - chicken, feta and red pepper

Well this is a quick recipe that got thrown together using up stuff in the fridge, it doesn't look that pretty (only got one dodgy photo, soz) but it sure did taste good.

Ingredients

4 chicken fillets
1 red pepper, diced
20gm feta cheese
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
juice of a small lemon
splash of soy sauce
a little oil

Preheat oven to 190c
In a pan heat the oil and sauté the onion and garlic, then add the pepper and warm through.
Allow to cool a little and then blend the mix together with the lemon juice and soy sauce until you have a loose paste.
Cut a slice lengthways in to each fillet to make a pocket and stuff with the mixture, crumble the feta on to the mix and place a little more pepper mixture on top of that. 
Place in the oven for 25 minutes and serve with a salad or vegetables.

Easy way to use those store cupboard goods, no?   

A little dress making

OK so when it comes to sewing of any kind I am a bit ropey, don't get me wrong I love it and I can just about pull off a lovely tote or toy bunny rabbit, but anything more technical and I have to call in Mrs A. And step in she will have to, as this week I took a delivery of this lovely pattern book to make some tea dresses out of a bunch of beautiful dress fabric I acquired whilst working for Cath Kidston. The fabric is rayon and the prints are of course very retro/vintage in style and would have been used as tea dress material by Ms. Kidston. I look forward to showing you the results when we are done (it may be a while yet).

Oh and one other thing... the book is entirely in Japanese so good luck mother!

 Stylish dress book ISBN978-4-579-11185-5

How are you with dress making?

typically.pretty.wish list 04/13

Here are some Etsy finds that have caught my attention recently, there is a leaning towards nature and the night sky due to a new collection of jewellery I am working on. I am excited to be able to show you my new pieces soon.

1. Fishing for stars iphone case by majalin
2. A winter's tale original painting by ABirdADay
3. Star constellations wood coasters by peppersprouts
4. Peony letterpress stationery by ideachic

Explore52 - 8/13

This week I went to Bath City Farm and snapped some lovely goats, the Pygmy ones were super cute! I wasn't there very long and didn't get many pics so may try and use it again for a my explore52 at some point. Have you had a good week?

Eats - a bit of spice

A Happy Wednesday to you good people, I hope I find you well? This morning I am going to share with you the idiot proof recipe I use when making something curried, and the best thing is you can adapt it to your own tastes. And when I say idiot proof I mean that it is sooooo easy and even if you are missing the odd spice it will still taste good, promise.

I don't remember where I picked up this masala sauce recipe as it now just sits in my little book of cookery notes, but it is my go to for a dinner that is quick, easy and particularly good if there is a crowd to feed!

Ingredients

6 cardamon pods *

2 tbsp cumin *

2 tbsp coriander seeds *

4 whole cloves *

1 tsp black peppercorns *

1 tsp ground fenugreek

1 tsp ground turmeric 

1 tbsp paprika

1-2 tsp chili powder (strength according to taste)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp flaked sea salt

4 crushed garlic cloves

40g fresh grated ginger

100g low fat yogurt  

*remove seeds from the cardamon pods and discard the husks, add to a hot dry pan with the other whole seeds marked and toast for a couple of minutes. Take these spices and crush them before adding to the remaining spices.

In a bowl mix all the ingredients together until to get a paste like consistency.

Once you have made your basic sauce you can the use it for spicing up pretty much anything. Add a can of chopped tomatoes to make a base for a beef curry, increase the volume of yogurt a little and marinate some chicken overnight then put them on the barbecue for party, or add coconut milk for a deliciously creamy curry.

This week I made the beef curry option, here's how...

Lightly brown some cubed beef in a pan with a large diced onion then add some broccoli and cauliflower florets, cover and allow to steam until slightly softened.

Next add the masala sauce and coat the beef and vegetables before adding a can of chopped tomatoes and 100g of mushrooms, bring to the boil and simmer until the beef is cooked through and still tender.

Serve with either rice and a little pineapple chutney or your favourite flat bread. Simple.

Note: I didn't have any fresh ginger in the store cupboard but the mixture didn't miss it.

Enjoy xx

typically.pretty.pinned 02/13

A few recent pins from Pinterest for you to ogle over!

ART

original pin source - 

Cathy McMurray(Artfinder)/blog.whereisthecool.com/iheartprintsandpatterns.blogspot.com

DESIGN

original pin source -

Frances and Francis via etsy.com/notmybeautifulhome.tumblr.com

EATS

original pin source - 

greek.food.com

Have a happy Tuesday people xx

Book Love

Good morning lovelies, hope you had a super weekend, did you? Well I did and it was down to just one simple reason - THE SUN CAME OUT!!!!

Over the weekend I had tea with my best girl and her munchkins, worked on some new jewellery and took a trip to Frome where I picked up this lovely book on home printing. When I was studying jewellery design we had classes to improve our design skill set based in print and I loved it. However, since then I have done relatively little with print and hope that this book will be like a little refresher course. I am a sucker for books and the look of this one drew me to it immediately, the imagery and layout make it a joy to read through.

If you want to pick this book up too it is...

Print Workshop - Christine Schmidt ISBN 978-0-307-58654-4

Explore52 - 7/13

I love a garden centre and this posh little one in the Widcombe area of the city is up there with the best. Prior Park Garden Centre is small and compact but has a great feel to it and is in easy reach of city centre dwellers. It even has a nice cafe, and those of you who know me well know how much I love a good cafe!

Remember to use the tag #explore52 for any of your own instagrams celebrating your hometown.

Be Mine Valentine!

Happy Valentines Day to all you lovelies out there, I hope you are having a super day full of mush and stuff. I am sharing a link with you today for the wonderful One Sheepish Girl (I love her blog), who has instigated a love fest yarn bomb... Yarn bomb you say, what is this? I personally hadn't heard of this before but now think it is such a lovely way to spread some cheer.
Meredith is asking us to all stitch, sew, knit or crochet some hearts and leave them around your town for others to find joy in, and post about it using the tag #SheepishHeartBomb. The yarn bomb is taking place between February 14th-17th, so it's not too late to join in. See her original post here.

Here is my contribution...

A Little Romance

Now, I'm not celebrating Valentines day but it's quite nice to get in to the spirit of these things and embrace the hearts and flowers mentality. So today I am sharing some of my favourite romantic movies that I like to cosy up and escape with (don't judge me too harshly as I'm not claiming they are the best films in the world, but I like 'em!).

Of course the first one has to be the 1961 adaptation of Truman Capotes' 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', with the beautiful Audrey Hepburn playing party girl Holly Golightly alongside the oh so suave George Peppard - classic.

"I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other."

Then we have the 1973 Sydney Pollack film 'The Way We Were' with Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford - makes me cry every single time (enough said).

"Your girl is lovely, Hubell."

On to a couple of RomComs that some may snigger at but I don't care, they make me feel good every time I see them. 'Whilst You Were Sleeping' with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman and 'Return to Me' with Minnie Driver and David Duchovny are sweet little love stories, but it is the supporting cast in both of these films that make them in my humble opinion.

Okay, so it's not a movie but the 90's series of Pride and Prejudice has to be on my list. The series that brought us the smouldering Mr Darcy in the form of Colin Firth, who let's face it will always be difficult to surpass. I have the DVD on standby for when I need an afternoon of Georgian sensibilities and chocolate treats.

So what are your favourite films to fall in love with? 

Ooooh are you having pancakes today? What flavours are you going for?

Happy New Year!

Yesterday was the Chinese New Year of the Snake and I spent it at the Bath Artisan Market where we had a Kung Fu display and a Lion Dance to entertain us. A fabulous day was had by all and it was great to meet up with so many lovely people. Thanks to everyone who came along.

The next market will be on March 10th, a Mothers Day special with tea and yummy things!

Explore52 - 6/13

It is week 6 of my 52 project exploring my home city and I am really enjoying sharing a little peak of Bath with you each week. This week my instagram photograph was taken in the Guildhall Market in the centre of the city. It is the go to place for pretty much anything and I love it for its proper old school charm. With a second hand book stall, haberdashers, tea specialist, hardware store, costumiers, pet shop, delicatessen, diner/crepe house and even a greasy spoon, what more you possibly need? Seriously?

Have a good weekend xx

Visit - BAM

Remember to come along to the Bath Artisan Market at Green Park, Bath this Sunday. You'll find lots of artisan and vintage sellers and there will even be a dragon dance celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Eats - choccie bite biscuits

These little biscuits are a nice bite size treat with a cup of tea, they aren't too sweet and have just a hint of cocoa to flavour them. 

Ingredients

• Preheat oven to 190C and line two 12 hole cake tins with small fairy/cupcake cases. 
• Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl. 
• Sift the flour, cornflour and cocoa powder together and add to the creamed butter mix. 
• Combine until you get a sticky dough consistency and then put a teaspoon of the mixture in each case (you should fill 18-20).
• Bake for 15-20 mins, leave to cool and gobble up with a cuppa!

Enjoy xx

Free Printable - lovebird illustration

As it is the month of love I thought I would share this little illustration with you today. The original drawing is intended for my best girl and her hubby who celebrate their first wedding anniversary (which is paper) on the 12th of Feb. However, I am quietly confident some of you lovelies out there in blog land may like my whimsical lovebird and have made it in to a free printable for you to use at will.
All you need to do is download it here and then print it as A6 (it's best printed as a small image) on a printer friendly sheet of white card stock, cut out around the blue dotted line and frame. Easy!

click here for download

typically.pretty.wish list 03/13

One or two items from Etsy for you to covet today, I hope you like them as much as I do.

1. Illustration by Libby Burns Design
2. Illustration by Spread the Love
3. Wall hanging by ELWoodworks
4. Gloves by Bloomed Flower
5. Clutch by Cindy Mars 7
6. Leg warmers by Three Bird Nest

Explore52 - 5/13

The Bertinet Bakery is my #explore52 this week. With a little cafe upstairs selling all their delicious goodies, it's a perfect little hideout. Each table even has a toaster so you can toast your favourite bread to the colour of your preference, excellent no?