Category Archives: Entertaining

The full Thanksgiving report

By Lucy_ Posted in Entertaining, From Scratch Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving

I survived!! The Turkey didn’t burn and wasn’t undercooked and everything managed to make it to the table. What a relief.

More to the point it was a great evening, good food, good people and pumpkin pie. Life doesn’t get much better. It also pushed me beyond my current knowledge of food to dishes I had never tried. A few of my favourites were: the Ritz Cracker topped Broccoli Casserole, Pecan topped Sweet Potato (this was SWEET) and of course the Pumpkin Pie. The Jello salad as I expected was a 1950’s American House Wife classic, I don’t think it will be making it into the rotation anytime soon.

But all in all it was a yummy meal, made even better by some pre food crafts – I have posted a picture of my ‘Hand Turkey’ below.

Thanksgiving_craft

However if I am going to pick one recipe to share… well it just has to be pumpkin pie. The quintessential Thanksgiving food. Surprisingly simple to cook and pretty delicious to eat. So if you didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving yesterday, why not whip up your own Pumpkin Pie to carry you into December. Yes, it’s December this weekend… bring on Christmas!

Classic Pumpkin Pie (unashamedly only slight adapted from the back of the tin! How very American of me!)

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 tin Pumpkin Mix ( I found mine in whole foods)

2 eggs lightly beaten

6oz caster sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ pint of evaporated milk

Around 250g Shortcrust pastry (either shop bought or from scratch)

Cream to serve ( I would whip double cream with a touch of vanilla essence and a sprinkle of cinnamon)

 

Method

  1. Roll out your pastry and place in a pie/tart dish (remember to leave excess the pastry will shrink in the oven)
  2. Prick with a fork and blind bake in an oven at 220C degrees for 10-15 mins
  3. Once baked lower the oven to 180C degrees
  4. In a large bowl mix together your pumpkin, eggs and sugar. Once combined add the salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Stir until combined
  5. Finally add your evaporated milk and stir until fully combined
  6. Pour the mixture into your pie base and bake for 40-50mins or until a knife comes out of the centre of the pie clean (mine took closer to 50mins)
  7. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool
  8. Serve with some delicious whipped cream

And that’s it. Your classic Thanksgiving dessert. 

And just like the Macy’s day Thanksgiving Parade it is time to say Goodbye Thanksgiving, Hello Christmas. Be prepared for seasonal excitement!

 

Adopting Thanksgiving

By Lucy_ Posted in Entertaining

Beautiful-Thanksgiving-Table-Ideas-01-copy_thumb

In approximately two days time I will be sitting down with friends and family having my first ever proper thanksgiving meal. For someone so into their food I know it seems strange that I have never had a thanksgiving meal before but I just have never had the opportunity or particularly cared. After all it isn’t our holiday. It belongs to our good old friends across the pond. At its core its very much to do with America as a separate country. However this year I am going to find myself helping to plan and host Thanksgiving. How did this happen you ask? Well this year has been my perfect Thanksgiving storm.

Well not really a storm but a mixture of being able to host thanksgiving from one of my best friends who happens to be an American in London on Thanksgiving. And the fact that having just returned from a trip to the states I have got over enthusiastic and am now trying to adopt the holiday.

After all if nothing else it is a great opportunity to spend time with the people I love, being grateful and eating good food. Sounds pretty darn good to me.

I promise a full report on Turkey, Broccoli Casserole, Green Jello Salad (yep, that is a dish that exists!) Pumpkin Pie and so the list goes on. But for now, just in case you are planning your own Thanksgiving I thought I would share a few of the great places I have been getting inspiration from for my very first hosting gig.

Friendsgiving from A Beautiful Mess

Table setting inspiration from Honey Suckle Catering

Love and Lemons Vegetarian Thanksgiving ideas

Ina Garten’s Thanskgiving guide

and of course you when it comes to American holidays you always have to check in with Martha 

Fingers crossed I pull it off!

Image via A Place for us

Weekend Love List – Holiday Inspiration

By Lucy_ Posted in Basics, Entertaining, Making

doily_pumpkin1

I know we are not quite there yet as well frankly it is the middle of August but with Haloween on the Horizon I can’t help but get excited about the upcoming Holiday Period. Whilst I try and control myself on the Christmas front until at least the 1st of December there are still plenty of celebrations before that. I am helped in my family by having a number of important birthdays on the run up to Christmas as well.

But let’s break it down for a second. Over the next few months we have Halloween, Bonfire night, Thanksgiving ( I know it’s not technically a british holiday but one of my best friends from the states is in London this year so we are firmly celebrating Thanksgiving – a new holiday- so exciting) then I have a lot of birthdays. And then Christmas ( oh and still more birthdays – thanks family!)

Oh wait and then New Years.

For someone who likes a party and anything with a theme this is a dream.

So whilst I thought I would share some of my favourite links for the week I also thought I would maybe slightly theme it ( don’t you love a theme) with some of the things that have been getting me in the mood for Holiday time.  

This has got Bonfire night treat written all over it. Obviously along with bonfire night fudge, toffee apples and sausage rolls. Obviously.

Some lovely Autumnal Craft Ideas

Cake baked in a Pumpkin! Umm. excuse me that might be the best sentence ever written. There are no words.

This got me all excited about Christmas – boy do I want to make smores. 

Some useful fonts for any party invitations and christmas cards. Always useful.

A must for Halloween decorating!

And finally if I was going to dress up as one things this Halloween – it would definitely be this.

I hope you all have great weekends! Whatever you are up to why not treat it like a holiday. 

image via allysonbakerdesign

Christmas From Scratch is here!

By lucie Posted in Entertaining

Hopefully you will have noticed a new addition to my menu. Look… up there!

Christmas From Scratch Cover copy

Sufficite to say Christmas From Scratch the ebook is finally ready for you to download. I know … I took my time. But seeing as we are now in December there is no excuse not to be ultra Christmassy. So if you are stuck for ideas for food, presents, decorations, cards, wrapping, this list goes on… Why not be inspired by what I have been up to in the last few weeks and get crafting your perfect Christmas.
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How to host the perfect Euro 2012 Final Party

By lucie Posted in Entertaining, Recipes Tagged , , ,

Whilst watching the Spain vs Portgual match at a friends house on Wednesday night, we were discussing the ideal circumstances in which to view important matches.

At home could always be a risk, if you’re by yourself and it’s an epic game you don’t have anyone to share the highs and lows with, to listen to your comments or argue over a particular players form.
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Crafternoon Delight

By lucie Posted in Entertaining, Making

This weekend was the first From Scratch Crafternoon Tea party and it was….. (I love building the suspense) ……… (Can you handle it)…..

Amazing! (Well I was hardly going to say that is was rubbish was I!) Surrounded by some wonderful From Scratch supporters we embarked on an afternoon of making things From Scratch.

Despite the earlier hiccups of not being able to fit the Afternoon Tea Table through the door (we tried all combinations of angles and pivot points but to no avail!) it all went pretty swimmingly. The cakes didn’t burn, the jam set (despite being on the gooey side), the madeleines were delicious and the scones rose. I felt like a complete domestic goddess. Especially once you throw in the homemade bunting, which was very fun and easy to make, I felt like the British Martha Stewart.
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Hear Ye, Hear ye…

By lucie Posted in Entertaining, Making

So this is it people… There was only a certain amount of time that I can sit
around planning and thinking about all the amazing things I could do with Suppers From Scratch and not do something.

I know we all like a good ponder and I certainly do. You should see the mind map I created based on what I could do with From Scratch. But then I realised the number one question : Why do anything? Isn’t it good just as it is?
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But it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end…

By lucie Posted in Entertaining, Recipes Tagged ,

Recently I have been thinking a lot more about how important sharing food is. Whether you are cooking normally or completely From Scratch the time it takes to prepare each meal often means sharing it makes it all feel worth while. I am not saying I haven’t enjoyed meals alone because I have and whilst it is lovely to take the time to make something delicious for yourself it can be even nicer to share your creation with others. As they say sharing is caring, corny I know, but it rhymes and its true so why not hey?

With this in mind I have been in entertaining mode. And what better meal to share than Brunch!
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Two scoops of realisation and a Turkish meze

By lucie Posted in Entertaining, Recipes Tagged ,

On Friday lunchtime this week, I sat down with my friends and watched them chow down on a veritable feast of falafel. Both of them had fluffy white pitta breads stuffed with salads, hummus, chilli and falafel.  Meanwhile I nibbled away at a pot of Edamame beans and a banana.

The gulf in the appetite whetting nature of our lunches was mostly down to my bad organisation, but it spurred two important thoughts. One: when can I eat falafel and pitta, I want it now! and two: I need more interesting lunches.

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