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Monday 4 May 2015

Hanging Vase Display

What to do:
Step 1: You will need vases that have thin necks with wider openings at the top (so the rope doesn't slide off), and you don't want them to be too big overall so that they don't get super heavy once you fill them with water.

Step 2: Once you found the perfect vases, install a robe hook and tie a long piece of twine several times around the neck of each vase. Gather all the strands together and staggered their heights before tying the group of strands to the robe hook. Once the vases were hanging, pour in water with a measuring cup and added some pretty flowers to finish the look.

Step 3: Once these flowers have run their course you can remove the stems, pour the water into a bowl, and pour the bowl down the drain. This way you don't have to untie the vases to dispose of the water.

What you need:
1. Short and long-necked small vases
2. Twine
3. Metal robe hook

Estimated time needed: 20 minutes

ref: abeautifulmess.com

Magnetic Spice Storage


What to do:
Step 1: Trace your container onto a sheet of magnetic paper. 

Steps 2 -3: Cut out the shapes and adhere them to the back of your spice container. 

Step 4: Cut a piece of label paper in a strip longer than your container. Also add hand drawn lines to your strips.

Step 5: Use the container to measure how wide your strip should be. Make a crease with your finger to mark the spot and then cut it out. 

Step 6: Pour each spice in and label it with a large, easy to read hand written font.

What you need: 
1. Tins 
2. Spices  
3. Magnetic sheet 
4. Labels
5. Scissors 

Estimated time needed: 20 minutes

ref: abeautifulmess.com

DIY Planters with Nail Polish Marbling

What to do:
Step 1: Fill the a bucket about halfway with water and let it come to room temperature. It’s best to do this outside so you have good ventilation.

Step 2: Liberally pour in nail polish. Let it spread out over the water as much as possible. You can help it move with a tooth pick or even just shaking the bucket a bit. The more surface area of the water you cover the greater coverage on the pot. 

Step 3: Dip the pot in the water. It works best to dip the pot on its side and let the polish wrap around the sides. If you don’t cover the entire pot in one dip, then dip again if you like.

Step 4: Once your small vases are neatly in place, fill the vases with spring flowers.

What you need:
1. Pot plants
2. Nail polish
3. Big bucket of water.

Estimated time needed: 30 minutes plus drying

ref: hellonatural.com

Chocolate Dip Pears with Almond Crunch


Serves 6
 
INGREDIENTS
- 6 red Bartlett pears, medium size
- 225g dark chocolate, melted
- 110 - 140g salted almonds, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place melted chocolate in one bowl and the chopped almonds in a second bowl. 

2. Dip room temperature pears in chocolate then in almonds.

3. Place dipped pears on a cooling rack to set.

ref: bakersroyale.com

Roasted Beet Soup


INGREDIENTS
- 4 red beets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small shallot, chopped
-
2 cups chicken or vegetable Stock
- Fresh thyme
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 60g of crumbled goat’s cheese or 1/4 cup of sour cream

 INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Clean beets and trim the greens from the bulbs. 

3. Slice the beets in half and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

4.Clean the shallot similarly, slicing off the two ends of the shallot and removing any papery skin. 

5. Slice the shallot into quarters and place alongside beets. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt and pepper. 

6.Roast in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the beets are soft and tender when poked with a fork. 

7. Remove the beets from the oven and allow to cool slightly before scooping the soft flesh from the skin and placing into a blender. 

8. Add the roasted shallot, vegetable stock, and fresh thyme. Puree until smooth. 

9. Transfer to a small pot, heat until steaming. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese or sour cream.

ref: cheekykitchen.com

Beetroot Bread


Makes 1 loaf
 
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 and 1/2 cups beetroot puree
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups strong white flour
-
2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 sachet of active dried yeast

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Peel and chop approximately three beets. Put in a blender and puree.

2. Then add in the bowl of a stand mixer with the flour, salt, oil and yeast then pour in the water and knead for about for 5 minutes.

3. Add the walnuts and knead for a further 2 minutes.

4. Pour into an oiled bowl and cover with cling film, let rise for at least 1 hour. 

5. Tip out the dough and knock out the air and shape into a ball.

6. Let the dough proof for half an hour, then slash it with a blade and bake for 30 minutes or until the base sounds hollow when tapped. 

ref: twiggstudios.com