Styling The Season for July

At the beginning of the month I was taking the inside out, but mostly I've been bringing the outside in.  Partly due to the fact that I love weathered patina on metal and wood, the rust and peeling paint being an attractive quality to me.  Also flowers, my word, I have so many in the home at the moment, either picked from the garden or simply ones that Ive fallen in love with at the florist. A friend came round yesterday with her daughter who described my home as like a fairy house, full of little vases of flowers. They couldn't believe the giant alliums were real.

The wrapping paper above is printed from my own photos by Wrap Me.

My enormous bag from The Future Kept comes in very handy for picnics as you can fit so much in it and I do like my home comforts. For me summer styling always has to has hints of Morocco and India too.

This table was bought with the french metal chairs and despite being re-painted by myself a few times in rust proof enamel paint, the layers have chipped and lifted. I will probably have to rub it down to protect it from the rust, another garden related job to add to the every growing list.  It's so hard keeping up with the gardening, I wish we were as successful with plants as we are with weeds.

The other piece of furniture that has lived outside but is now inside again is my coffee table. We found this in a skip with its legs broken and so fixed it up and painted it. However the paint peeled off after being outside and I love it even more now. 

As someone who can't cook Im most happy in warm weather as I enjoy raw food so much more.

If you like some of the lovely things in these photos you can find them as follows : Big bag on hook - The Future Kept. Antique suzani embroidered throw is from Holy Cow Home, together with the distressed blue hook rack, Moroccan light shade, Umbrella, candlestick and photo frames. The green plate is Anthropologie and the brass handled knife from West Elm. Flowers from my local florist Wild Orchid in Leighton Buzzard. 

Im looking forward to August as it's my birthday and also because Im visiting Amsterdam to see my old friend Rosey, but I would say that July has been a strange and beautiful month for many reasons. I have taken part in a fun present swap organised by Capture By Lucy and we all open our Summer Time Surprise gifts on the 26th, the contents of which are sure to be shared here and instagram. See you next week.  

Inside Out

Yay, we have some summer here in the UK, at least a whole weeks worth so far! It takes a lot to get me out of the house, so when I venture forth I like to take a few luxuries with me, even if its only into my own garden.  I have a lot of old furniture thats been used as props for photos, or projects and such. Some of it ends up in the garden shed as we can't bear to part with it, one such item being a single wooden bed that I bought on e-bay.

This was such a good purchase as it's assembled in minutes, just slotting pieces of wood together and laying the slats down, when it's taken apart it hardly takes up any space. And so, we set it up in a cool spot in the garden.

cushions and scarves are from Van Asch

We had some old foam in the shed as well so used that as the mattress and then took a lovely Kantha quilt and cushions out from the house.

Another old prop was the screen which I use as backdrops in photos, painting it different colours, this one has some stencilling on that I did a while back. 

I also made a wig-wam for myself, to keep the sun off and for my blind cat Coco to get cool in. I started off by pegging Kantha quilts to the washing line and then giving structure with bamboo poles and bits of wood we had lying around.  We keep a couple of old rugs in the shed as well for a ground covering.

By the evening we had got quite into the spirit of things, and took some chairs out to the paddock at the end of the garden.  To add to the fun my other half took some light shades out and hung them in the trees.

There are alpacas at the bottom of the garden, I think you can just see them, they are very curious creatures. We sat and watched them from our garden palace.

Another favourite spot for us is the lavender farm at Hitchin. We took half the house with us and bought food from their cafe as they do such nice platters.

All these items are from Holy Cow Home 

enormous bag from The Future Kept

All items from Holy Cow Home

cushions from Van Asch, quilt mug and plates from Holy Cow Home

At Hitchen Lavender you pay 4.50 each to go into the lavender fields and pick your own, the sound of buzzing bees is hypnotic. 

There are open air film showings in August so we shall hopefully return, maybe for my birthday.

Have a lovely time wherever you are. 

Holy Cow !!! is H.O.M.E.

Recently I've been following my passion for Antique eastern furniture and sourcing with my friends for a new shop opening soon in Aylesbury Bucks. The shop will sell everything that is beautiful for your home, its fair trade, recycled and re-purposed with a super cool colonial scandi shabby edge. Its fusion man !

Hope you like my photos and styling and if you find Holy Cow Home on facebook you can arrange to purchase some of these items for yourself.  I shall be inviting you all to the shop opening as well.

Chicken Tikka Masala

 

Chicken tikka masala, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Indian cuisine, is chicken cooked in a lightly spiced tomato cream sauce. Apparently, it's not even an authentic Indian dish... it was invented in Scotland and is unofficially considered Britain's national dish. That said, you'll find it in pretty much every Indian restaurant, and it's always a safe bet. I think it's a good "starter" curry for people who are a little afraid of Indian food, as it's not too spicy and very, very tasty. 

I had never made chicken tikka masala before (and have very little experience cooking Indian food), but since it was an America's Test Kitchen recipe, I figured I couldn't go wrong. It was a bit of a project to make this dish (there are a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps), so it's more appropriate for a weekend meal, but totally worth it. While it wasn't exactly like what you'd find in a restaurant, it was pretty close... and amazingly delicious and satisfying. Make sure you serve this along with some basmati rice.

I tried a little too hard to up my Indian-cooking cred and also attempted to make naan (an addictive flat bread) to accompany this dish. However, our broiler wouldn't heat up again after we broiled the chicken, so that never happened. If you want to try making your own naan, check out this website... there's a very helpful instructional video along with the recipe. Otherwise, Trader Joe's sells really good frozen naan!

Chicken Tikka Masala

from The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2009

Ingredients:

Chicken Tikka:

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

1 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, minced (about 1 cup)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, chile minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. For the chicken: Combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the spice mixture, pressing gently so the mixture adheres. Place the chicken on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

2. For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream and return to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While the sauce simmers, adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position (about 6 inches from the heating element) and heat the broiler. Using tongs, dip the chicken into the yogurt mixture (it should be covered with a thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiling pan. Discard the excess yogurt mixture. Broil the chicken until the thickest part registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and the exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking.

4. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into the warm sauce (do not simmer the chicken in the sauce). Stir in the cilantro, season to taste with salt, and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

Download a printable recipe.

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