It's snowing, so we thought you'd like to see the simple, foolproof steps to making a top notch snowman that originally appeared in Issue 4!
Read MoreImage: Plain Pictures
Passion: February cover reveal
February needn’t leave you cold... There’s plenty to warm the heart, be it a long, hot soak, a new pair of shoes, or a waft of sexy scent. An easy menu for two serves up romance. Others find passion in a love of baking, of hats, or of beautifully bottled spirits. Doughnuts light your fire? How about a posh jaffa cake? It’s time to cosy up with wonderful winter reads – to find lasting fulfilment. Love from The Simple Things.
February's The Simple Things is out today - buy, download or subscribe now.
Offer: The Edible Garden Show and Good Life Live
Join The Simple Things at The Edible Garden Show and Good Life Live this March!
Good Life Live, a newly launched lifestyle show, takes place alongside its sister, The Edible Garden Show, 20-22 March 2015.
From pro plot holders to windowsill wonder growers The Edible Garden Show will provide all the inspiration, innovation and information for you to #getreadytogrow this season. Good Life Live is packed full of experts talks, foraging information, bee keeping, preserving, chicken keeping and animal husbandry. With celebrity chefs, Rachel Green and Mark Lloyd in the CookIt! theatre there’s plenty to provide inspiration when digging for your dinner plate. Going beyond your plot, Good Life Live covers outdoor living, small holdings, travel, health & wellbeing and more.
Ticket offer for readers of The Simple Things
Get 2 tickets for £25 by using code: TST225 - that’s a 37% discount on door prices!
To book your tickets, which give access to both Good Life Live and The Edible Garden Show, please call the ticket hotline on 0871 230 3451 or visit www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk.
Recipe: Griddled Courgettes with Turmeric & Pickled Chilli
Ever thought you’d wake up craving courgettes? Well, this recipe might just make you do that. It’s a fabulous side for roast lamb, pan-fried hake or daal and rice.
Griddled Courgettes with Turmeric & Pickled Chilli
Prep: 10 mins
Cooking: 20 mins
Feeds: 2-4 people
2-3 large courgettes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
A gloss of olive oil
1 red chilli
75ml cider vinegar
2 tsp honey
2 tsp ground turmeric
Natural yogurt, to serve (optional)
Trim off the woody top end of your courgette. Using a large knife, thinly slice lengthwise into long 1/2cm-thick panels (or, if you prefer, just slice into rounds).
Dust a little salt and pepper over the sliced courgettes. Gloss with a little bit of oil, but don’t saturate them.
Thinly slice your chilli into rounds. Warm the vinegar and honey in a little pan, just till the honey’s dissolved. Swirl in your chillies. Take off the heat. Let them steep while you cook your courgettes.
Get a large frying or griddle pan smoking hot. Carefully arrange your courgette slices in a single layer. Cook till nicely charred on each side. You’ll probably have to cook them in batches.
Once cooked, set on a cutting board and dust each layer with the ground turmeric. Repeat till all of your courgettes are used up.
Artfully arrange your turmeric-dusted courgettes on a platter or individual plates. Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper over. Add a little gloss of oil, if needed and some drizzles of natural yogurt, too, if you fancy.
Dot the pickled chillies over the top. Save the pickling vinegar to make a salad dressing for big leafy green salad to serve alongside – simply shake the vinegar in a jam jar with an equal amount of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Recipe: Abel & Cole
Try a weekly box of organic, seasonal veg delivered to your door.
ABEL & COLE OFFER
Order this week and get:
A FREE cookbook with your first delivery, and your 4th seasonal box FREE with a FREE bottle of organic Prosecco.
Visit Abel & Cole and enter the code TST14 at checkout.
Pottering in the potting shed: Keep plants toasty and warm this winter
In her Pottering in the potting shed series, our garden editor Cinead McTernan, shares ideas for things to do in your plot. This month, keep plants warm from the winter frost.
"Most of us saw a snowflake or two earlier this month, and if not, there was definitely a chill in the air as a cold band swept the country. Freezing temperatures make us reach for an extra pair of socks to keep us warm and the same thoughts can apply to outdoor plants too. Even plants that are languishing in the relative protection of a greenhouse. While a layer of horticultural fleece will work wonders for any tender plants in beds and borders, you’ll need to add a bit of warmth to a greenhouse or potting shed too, to ensure that any seedlings you have started off or tender plants you’re overwintering will make it through extremely cold weather. Introducing a bit of heat before another frost will be enough to ward off any damage.
"There are great products on offer in a range of styles to suit all budgets. If you’re lucky enough to have electricity in your greenhouse or potting shed, the skies really the limit! Mains powered eco and fan heaters can cope with a large-sized greenhouse (from 8x8m) and can be controlled by a thermostat, which helps maintain the right temperature. Expect to pay from £75 to £200 depending on your requirements. Alternatively, you can use gas or paraffin heaters, which are cheaper to buy with prices starting from £20, are economical to run and ideal for smaller spaces (under 6x8m)."
"I’ve got a Mini Greenhouse Paraffin heater which is more than enough for my 6x6m potting shed. Four litres of paraffin will set you back about £7 to £8 and will keep burning for 7 days. Helpfully, you can adjust the flame to help regulate the temperature. For the first time this year I can embrace the beauty of a frost-covered garden rather than worry about my overwintering herbs, perennials and early-sown seeds!"
Words: Cinead McTernan
More from Cinead's Pottering in the potting shed series
Image: Cico Books
Chef’s brights: DIY oven gloves and apron
Colourful kitchen kit you can create at home and wear proudly while you cook.
It’s a tough one to call: is it more gratifying to whip up something new on your sewing machine or in the kitchen? Well, no need to choose, because we’ve cracked the dilemma with these crafty projects: you can create something in the kitchen while modelling the new apron and oven gloves you’ve made for yourself.
These two colourful sewing projects by Chloë Owens are a reminder that even the most useful of items will benefit from a dash of pattern and fun. Don’t be put off by the number of steps – they both use straightforward sewing (and a bit of sticking), rather than anything too challenging.
Turn to page 106 for the project instructions and download the project templates.
Projects by Chloë Owens. Taken from the book All Sewn Up (Cico Books, £14.99).
Image: Getty
The joy of a long hot soak
This month in our series on what makes a house a home, we relish the indulgence of wallowing in a warm, scented and foaming bath.
Shut the bathroom door, run the hot tap, light the candles and, in an instant, your utilitarian bathroom becomes a place of self indulgence. No other room has such a dual personality, switching from morning wash house to evening mini-spa with the simple addition of a few tea lights and a bottle of Matey.
The power of a long hot soak is undeniable: it can help de-kink any annoying mental and physical niggles that have built up during the day, and it offers a space to think away from the commotion going on in the rest of the house.
The most successful baths are a sensory overload – stroke and coddle your five senses and an hour or so of bliss will be yours.
Turn to page 116 of February's The Simple Things for five tips on choosing and running the perfect bath.
And have a listen to our favourite tub soakin’ tunes in our Spotify playlist.
Words and playlist: Clare Gogerty
How to combat a common cold
Made it this far without succumbing? There are ways to keep the lurgy at bay – find out how to combat a common cold.
Wash your hands: cold viruses can live on indoor surfaces for up to seven days. Nice.
Don’t touch your nose or eyes: this lowers your chance of getting infected.
Blitz surfaces against germs: regularly wipe keyboards, door handles, light switches and phones.
Test your metal: evidence suggests zinc can reduce the length and severity of a cold if taken as symptoms start. 
Flower up: trials found those who took echinacea regularly were 30% less likely to get a cold.
Recipe and photography: Louise Gorrod
How to run a book club PLUS an easy book club cocktail recipe
January is a good month for a good book. And if your resolution is to read more, consider joining one of the growing number of book groups in the UK and beyond.
Turn to page 86 of January's The Simple Things for Frances Ambler's feature on the reads, the snacks and the chemistry that make a literary get-together work. Or read on for our top tips to make your literary appreciation society a success.
How to run a book club
1 Think about numbers: between six and ten people is good – small enough for everyone to be heard, not too pathetic if a couple of people can’t make it.
2 Pick a regular frequency: every 4 to 6 weeks allows enough time for books to be found and read.
3 Think about book length: this might not be the time to try out War and Peace: there’s a rule of book club that means the greater the page count, the lesser the number of attendees.
4 A few ground-rules may be helpful: are you going to allow people to speak in a free-for-all or take it in turns to comment? How are you going to decide what to read next?
5 Meeting snacks are heartily encouraged, see our suggestions on page 86, but be wary of competitive catering. One book group we know imposes a strict soup and sandwich-only rule.
6 The Reading Agency’s Reading Groups for Everyone offers even more tips on running a book group.
Recipe: Blackberry sage spritzer
This requires a little preparation – making a simple sage syrup – but this takes barely 10 minutes and can be done in advance.
20 sage leaves
225g caster sugar
Gin to taste
Handful of blackberries, washed
1 bottle soda water
ice cubes
Fresh sage and blackberries, to garnish
1 Put the sage leaves and sugar in a small pan with 240ml of water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to a low simmer and keep on the heat until aromatic and slightly thickened, about 10 mins.
2 Cool the liquid and then pass it through a fine mesh sieve and discard the sage leaves. (The syrup can be decanted into a sealable container and kept in a fridge for up to a week.)
3 Reserve a few of the blackberries for garnish and place the rest in a bowl or jug and add a glug or two of the syrup to sweeten. Mix the berries with the syrup and then pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing down the berries with the back of the fork to extract all the juice. Discard the pulp and any
pips left in the sieve.
4 To assemble the drink, place some ice cubes in a glass along with a measure of gin and a glug of the blackberry/sage juice. Top up the glass with soda water, garnish with blackberries and sage leaves and serve. (Omit the gin for an equally delicious non-alcoholic version.)
Taken from www.buttercupdaysuk.blogspot.co.uk
Fancy more snack ideas?
Take a look at our Pinterest board.
Moments that matter
Squeezing out every last drop of daylight on the final cross-country ski trail of the day.
Next stop: the cosy bar at the Fefor Hotel (Norwegian Highlands).
Moments that matter… brought to you by Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people.
Fancy heading to the snow? There's still time to enter our competition to win a week-long holiday in Norway. Enter now.
Sponsored post: Five ways to make your bed cosier
Believe it or not, we spend a third of our lives sleeping and while most of us may be thinking that our 7-hours-a-day is the best we will ever get, there are some small changes that can make a big impact on the quality of your sleep.
Here are five ways to make your bed cosier.
1. Manage your sheets
Although tightly tucked sheets and blankets have long gone (replaced by the marshmallow loveliness of the duvet), sheets still have their place on the modern bed. And that place is on top of the mattress (and possibly the mattress topper, see below) not on top of you – top sheets that lie below the duvet may keep it clean but always, always, get tangled around your legs. But what sheets to choose? Thankfully the days of brushed nylon are over, replaced by easycare, no-iron cotton polyester but, really, breathable natural fibre is what you want. Cotton with a long staple such as Egyptian or Pima (grown in the US, Australia and Peru and sold under the name Supima) is considered best for strength and comfort. Sheets made from organic cotton, grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment, are becoming increasingly available and worth looking out for. But linen is the queen of bedlinen. Spun from the fibres of the flax plant and repeatedly laundered in the manufacturing process,it is especially soft and becomes more so, the more it is used. It is also stronger than cotton, stays cool in summer and requires no ironing – if you are happy to live with rumpled sheets, which is part of the appeal. The downside is its price, which can be prohibitive, although H&M sells a linen double duvet cover and pillow set for £60.
Martha Stewart, who gets her bed changed almost daily(!), recommends replacing cotton and linen sheets with flannel (brushed cotton) sheets as the nights get colder. We’re with her on that, though not on the daily change thing. A word about thread counts: all bedlinen comes with a thread count. This is the number of threads per square inch or centimetre, which indicate how closely woven a fabric is. Finer threads produce smoother or softer fabric so a higher thread count is considered better quality: luxury bedlinen can have a thread count of 350 to 500 or higher. PS: Don’t even think about satin sheets.
2. Don’t ignore your pillowcases
Square pillowcases (65x65cm) have begun to appear on more beds as the ‘boutique hotel’ effect is aped by an increasing number of us. Too bulky for actual sleeping on, they are mostly decorative and sit behind the more conventional pillowcases: the Housewife, a plain fabric envelope (50x75cm), and the Oxford, which has a wide fabric border. It’s easy to forget to change pillowcases but considering the amount of time we spend with our faces pressed up against them, it’s worth doing so every couple of weeks. If you don’t, you face the grim prospect of facial oil, dead skin and residue from shampoo and general grime, clogging up both pillowcase and facial pores. A pillow protector prevents all of this besmirching the actual pillow (Marks & Spencer has some quilted ones). Some people swear that silk pillowcases make hair shinier and less static and skin less creased, and it’s certainly true that are lovely to lie against. Worth giving a go.
3. Create a pile-up
Propping pillows against the bedhead, magazine-rack style, gives the bed an extra dimension and prevents it slumping into limp student grunginess. Chuck a few cushions in front and you’re pillowscaping. Consider square pillows, too – they look good piled up in front of your regular pillows – and come with the added benefit of being a reading-in-bed prop (a bolster is also good for this). Whatever you do, avoid pulling a bedspread over the pillows unless you want the unwary to think they’ve stumbled across a dead body. Bedspreads look best folded back to frame your pillowscaping work and reveal your lovely linen sheets.
4. Chuck on a throw
A throw or blanket in a co-ordinating colour or pattern, draped over the duvet, is an easy win in the bed-styling game. Keep it folded at the foot of the bed and it will also keep toes toasty, or higher up within grabbable distance for shoulder-wrapping warmth when TV-in-bed watching.
5. Go for extras
Anyone bitten by the bedlinen bug will know that it’s hard to stop buying it, once you start. Fortunately, there are no end of options to pimp your lie-in. Mattress toppers come filled with down, cotton fibre, topped with merino wool or made from memory foam, and add a layer of softness and ease to the bed (although an old duvet makes an adequate substitute). Bedspreads and quilts are handy for dragging over everything else when bed making really is too much to contemplate, and of course they bring colour and pattern. Valances, ra-ra skirts for divan bases, are good if you like flounce and can’t bear the sight of an undisguised bed base. And finally: if you have never considered an electric blanket, now might be the time to do so: a whole world of snuggly winter warmth and luxuriant comfort awaits you.
The design and sleep experts at Hästens can advise on the best bed buys that will have you waking up bright eyed and bushy tailed every day.
Recipe: Harissa broth with kale and almond pesto
A potent broth full of zingy flavours and vibrant colours, Harissa broth with kale and almond pesto is a wonderful way to spring you through your day.
Top nutritionist Vicki from Abel & Cole says, “Almond and kale pesto is set to become the next pesto thing: the almonds are packed with magnesium for a calm 'get up and go', whilst providing a rich, creamy flavour/texture that is so much healthier than dairy cream and high in vegetarian alkaline protein, too. The Mediterranean vegetables offer the best combination of anti-oxidants to mop up the toxins in your body.”
Harissa broth with kale and almond pesto
Serves: 2-3
1 carrot
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
500g tomatoes
A pinch of harissa (more or less, to taste)
35g flaked almonds
50g kale
1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1. Get a large pot hot. Peel or scrub your carrot. Finely dice. Finely dice your onion. Add a gloss of oil to your warmed pot. Tumble in the carrot and onion with a pinch of salt and pepper. Swirl through the oil. Lower heat. Sizzle till tender.
2. Finely chop your garlic. Set 1 tsp aside. Cut your tomatoes into a fine dice. Swirl them into the carrot and onion mix, along with a pinch of harissa.
3. Let the tomatoes cook right down till they’ve lost their shape and are almost a paste, about 10 mins.
4. Add 500ml water. Bring to a soft rolling boil. Cook till the broth has thickened. Taste and tweak spicing as you go.
5. To make the pesto, toast the almonds till just golden. Rinse and finely chop your kale. Blitz the almonds and the kale in a food processor with the reserved 1 tsp of garlic, 6 tbsp olive oil, the zest of your lemon, a squeeze of juice and a pinch of salt till it all comes together, trickling in more olive oil as needed. You want it to be a little loose, so you can swirl it through your soup. Taste and tweak as needed.
6. For a smoother broth, puree the soup before serving. Or keep it a little more rustic. Serve the with the pesto on the side, swirling it into the bowl as you serve.
Recipe: Abel & Cole - try a weekly box of organic, seasonal veg delivered to your door. Try the Superb Souping Box (£12.50) - 3 different recipes every week, each making 2-3 bowls per recipe.
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Weather: Nine buys for the meteorologically inclined
“When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure.”
― Alice Hoffman, Here on Earth
Squally showers and sleet, mizzle and mist... January is the rainiest month of the year and, this issue, The Simple Things celebrates extreme weather (turn to page 62 for a guide to stormwatching, and page 16 for a celebration of rain).
If you’re as big a fan of blustery British weather as we are then you’ll appreciate these nine buys. Show your love of storms with a pair of lightning earrings, or watch clouds passing across your ceiling with a cumulus lampshade.
Where to buy
1. Coming out of the radio like a telegram from past era, the shipping forecast is both bamboozling and soothing. Remind yourself of those peculiar words with this screen-printed tea towel, £9.50, Folksy.
2. A fluffy white cloud and a single blue raindrop make this ring a cute and colourful accessory for a grey day, £6.00, Folksy.
3. One for the true weather whiz - a 100% waterproof notebook ensures no meteorological markings will go astray, £10.00, Science Museum Shop.
4. The kids might not have heard of Michael Fish, but they can play weather forecaster with this beautiful hand-sewn felt map, £30.00, Corby Tindersticks.
5. Get geeky with The Cloudspotter's Guide - a book written for people like us. Looking up will never be the same again, £9.99, The Cloud Appreciate Society.
6. Bowie-esque, these rose gold studs are glam AND glamorous, £125.94, Etsy.
7. ... or perhaps a rainy day sterling silver necklace is more your cup of tea? £59.53, Etsy.
8. The bubble cloud motif is a retro classic. Adorn your lights with this lampshade and gaze up, £10.00, The Pippa and Ike Show.
9. Make your own rainmaker - just top an old plastic bottle with this cloud-shaped sprinkler and use it to water the plants, £8.00, Science Museum Shop.
Not got January's The Simple Things? Buy, download or subscribe today.
Words: Lottie Storey
Image: Kirstie Young
Recipe: Green juice PLUS plan your smoothie garden crops for summer
Use some of your winter leaves to make a nutrient-filled green juice. Make up your own mixtures always using some sweet, green apple to counter nutritious but bitter winter lettuce or kale.
Green juice
For 1 large glass you will need:
6 carrots
2 green apples
Handful of kale
1/2 lemon
Small knob of ginger
Put all of your ingredients through a juicer, sandwiching the kale between the two apples to help it along. Pour into a glass and drink straight away.
For more of Lia Leendertz's winter leaves recipes, turn to page 40 of January's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe today.
Fancy growing your own smoothie garden?
Plant pots with a range of fruits and leaves to start yourself on a homegrown smoothie adventure - our guide will show you how.
Image: Erin Spens
Los Angeles: Ten classic films set in the City of Angels
Gather friends, crank up the heating to replicate that searing California warmth, and make a batch of uber-healthy green juice – it’s time for an LA-themed movie night.
Inspired by the beautiful photographs illustrating Erin Spen’s tour of Los Angeles in January’s issue of The Simple Things (My City, page 68), we’ve rounded up our top ten films that best capture the City of Angels.
With Hollywood at the heart of the movie industry, films set in Los Angeles have a special appeal. And with the nominees for the 87th Academy Awards expected next week, we’re using these dark winter evenings to best effect – on the sofa watching some of our favourite flicks. No need to dim the lights.
Pretty Woman (1990)
“Big mistake... Huge” says Vivian to the snooty Rodeo Drive shop assistant. A classic line from a classic film, Julia Roberts stars as a hooker-with-a-heart alongside businessman, Richard Gere.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase are told in Tarantino’s trademark eye-popping dialogue to a classic soundtrack.
The Bling Ring (2013)
Sofia Coppolla’s most recent offering is the true story of a gang of teenage thieves targeting LA’s rich and famous to steal their clothes, shoes and jewellery.
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Robert Altman’s neo-noir tale twists and turns through the streets of Los Angeles and on the road to the Mexican border. Starring Elliott Gould as private eye, Philip Marlowe.
Clueless (1995)
Loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma, Clueless tells the tale of spoilt Hollywood teen, Cher Horowitz. Shallow and silly, Cher and her friends deliver on sharp lines and killer outfits.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in this twisting neo-noir by David Lynch.
Chinatown (1974)
Frequently featured at the top of ‘best movies of all time’ lists, Chinatown deserves its accolades. Jack Nicholson stars as a private detective hired to expose an adulterer who finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption and murder.
Annie Hall (1977)
Straying from his beloved New York, Woody Allen’s character Alvy travels to Hollywood to try to win back his eponymous heroine. Plenty of gags poke fun at the superficial LA scene but the film showcases the city in beautiful ways.
The Graduate (1967)
Swimming pools and sunshine abound in this classic film featuring Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock seduced by the archetypal older woman, Mrs Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft.
A Single Man (2009)
Directed by Tom Ford, A Single Man is a beautiful portrait of a grieving professor in the 1960s. As you’d expect with a fashion designer for a director, every scene is like a perfume ad.
Words: Lottie Storey
Images: Eric Shaw Yoga
Looking back: Marilyn Monroe's yoga
The season of resolutions and good intentions is upon us. In January's issue of The Simple Things we take a look back at the crazy world of womanly workouts through the decades (turn to page 82), but we recently stumbled across these lovely snaps of Marilyn Monroe practising yoga in the 1940s.
Photographed in some of the more advanced poses, Marilyn looks quite at home with her practice. Inspired by the arrival in Los Angeles of renowned yoga teacher, Indra Devi, Marilyn and many of her Hollywood co-stars took up yoga.
But it wasn't just yoga she practised. Other images of Marilyn Monroe lifting weights have also surfaced. Have a flick through our gallery for more.
Photography: Yorick Carroux
Recipe: Bircher muesli and other breakfast suggestions
In a nod to a more wholesome, nutritious new year, we present the ultimate breakfast for starting the day as you mean to go on, with the power to stave off morning munchies. Stir and leave to soak before you go to bed and wake up happy.
BIRCHER MUESLI
2 apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled and cored
300ml coconut water (or use apple juice or milk)
300ml plain Greek yogurt (3.5% fat or more)
250g rolled oats, kamut, or spelt
85g dried goji berries
3 tbsp flaxseed
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tbsp maple syrup
To garnish:
Fresh berries, mint leaves, granola, Cape gooseberries and chopped nuts
1. Using a box grater set over a large bowl, coarsely grate the apples. Add the coconut water, 60ml of the yogurt, the oats, goji berries, flaxseed, and mint to the bowl and stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
2. Cover the muesli and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next morning, mix the remaining 240ml yogurt, maple syrup and a pinch of salt into the muesli and spoon into bowls. Garnish as desired before serving.
Notes:
Makes about 900g. The muesli can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days. If you’re using coconut water, it’s better to use a yogurt with a fairly high fat percentage.
RECIPE ADAPTED FROM BREAD EXCHANGE BY MALIN ELMLID (CHRONICLE BOOKS, £21.99).
Want more breakfast ideas?
It's easy to get into a rut when it comes to breakfast, particularly during dark winter mornings. But a warming meal first thing will set you up for the rest of the day. Try these three breakfasts for size, or head over to our Rise and Shine Pinterest board for more ideas.
Quinoa porridge with apples and spice
Image: The Teacup Chronicles
Using quinoa instead of porridge oats results in a lighter, more nutritious porridge, while the spices are warming and the apples add natural sweetness.
Shakshuka
Image: The Natural Cook by Tom Hunt
After something savoury? Shakshuka - a traditional Middle Eastern dish - features eggs, tomatoes, and a peppy blend of spices. Guaranteed to get the blood pumping and keep you full until lunchtime.
Brioche French toast
Image: Sunday Suppers
Not everyone is dieting and detoxing this month, and this recipe for brioche French toast is almost bread and butter pudding-esque. Indulgent and delicious - perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
Words: Lottie Storey
Bircher muesli recipe from page 128 of January's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.
Seasonal mindfulness tips
Cabin fever? A walk isn’t the only way to keep your feet on the ground this season
Pause every now and then and notice the sounds and smells of the season. If you’re cooking, note the flavours and smells of the food. If you're lighting a fire, listen to the crackle of the logs. The essential jobs will feel less like chores if you’re engaged with what you’re doing.
Breathe before you speak. If you feel an argument brewing, inhale to the count of seven and exhale to the count of 11. This powerful pause gives you chance to realise that you have more than one choice or reaction and enough time to think, ‘I’d better not say that.’
Remember there’s not much you can do to change how others act or react but you can change your own responses. Pay attention to your triggers. The more conscious you are of these and of your feelings, the more emotionally intelligent you are and the better you’ll behave.
Take five minutes to express gratitude. It’s a way of reminding yourself that every day you experience little blessings and it often helps you find solutions and perspective if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Writing it down can help.
If you didn't have time for presents for everyone, or to see all the people you’d like to, a heartfelt handwritten card will strike a meaningful chord and stop you feeling guilty.
Taken from December's issue of The Simple Things - still available to buy and download. Or subscribe now, and start with the January issue.
Recipes: Three ways with coffee
So much more than a liquid caffeine fix, roasted ground beans will enhance all kinds of recipes
Beef in espresso and stout sauce with hasselback potatoes
Serves 4
To make the hasselback potatoes:
1. Prepare 12 small potatoes by finely slicing 2mm slices almost through but not quite to the bottom.
2. Rub cut potatoes with 25g softened butter, 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika, finely grated zest of 1 lemon and two generous pinches of coarse sea salt.
3. Arrange on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven (200C/Fan 180C/375F) for about 40 mins until brown and crispy.
4. Set cooked potatoes aside to add to the top of the finished casserole.
To make the casserole:
1. Marinate 750g chuck steak, cut into chunks, in 35ml freshly made espresso, for min 4hrs.
2. Melt 30g butter in a large pan and brown 125g cubed, smoked bacon.
3. Transfer bacon into a casserole with a slotted spoon. In the buttery bacon fat, lightly brown 250g whole, peeled baby shallots and transfer to casserole.
4. Toss the marinated beef in 30g seasoned plain flour, shake off excess and brown in the same pan before transferring to casserole.
5. Deglaze the pan with a slosh of stout (from 330ml bottle) and add this, with any scrapings, to the casserole.
6. Add remaining stout and a bouquet garni (homemade or tea bag), season and bring to the boil on the stovetop.
7. Cover and place in a low oven (120C/Fan 100C/250F) for 1½hrs.
8. Brown 250g button mushrooms in a little butter and add to the casserole for a further hr of cooking (2½hrs total), until the meat is tender.
VOLCANO MARTINI
Makes 1.
To give your martini a hint of vanilla, add the seeds from a vanilla pod to 240ml cold-brewed coffee and leave to infuse overnight (or you could just add or drop or two of vanilla essence per martini).
Combine 50ml vodka and 30ml vanilla-infused cold-brewed coffee in a lidded container, such a cocktail mixer.
Add 10–25ml condensed milk, to taste; shake and double strain into a chilled martini glass.
Dust with grated dark chocolate and serve.
ESPRESSO MILLIONAIRE’S SHORTBREAD
Makes 24 squares.
Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F.
Line a 33x23cm shallow tin with parchment.
Put 210g melted butter, 110g caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, 260g plain flour and 2 tbsp ground espresso coffee into a food processor and blitz to form a paste-like ball of dough.
Press evenly into prepared tin and bake for 25-30mins until firm. W
hen cool, spread over contents of a 400g can of dulce de leche; set aside.
To make the ganache, chunk 200g dark chocolate and 75g white chocolate into a bowl with 2 tsp sunflower oil.
Put 200ml cream with 2 tsp ground espresso coffee into a pan over a medium heat.
Heat until just before it bubbles, then remove from heat and strain through a sieve into the chocolate and oil.
Leave for 1 min, then whisk gently to combine until smooth. Pour over caramel and smooth with palette knife.
Leave somewhere cool (not the fridge) to set, then cut into squares.
Recipes courtesy of Volcano Coffee Works (www.volcanocoffeeworks.com), a small batch speciality coffee roaster
Recipe: Christmas chocolates fridge cake
Turn all those stray chocolates into one big guest-pleasing after dinner choc treat
Makes 25 small cake squares
200g dark chocolate
200g milk chocolate
90g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
10 digestive biscuits
30g macadamia nuts
30g dried cranberries
A couple of handfuls of Christmas chocolates
1. Line a small metal tray with cling film. In a bowl set over a pot of boiling water, so that the base sits just above the water, melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup.
2. Put the digestive biscuits into a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin to break them up a little, then put them into the chocolate, along with the academia nuts and dried cranberries.
3. When all is nicely combined, tip it onto the tray and spread it out, then push the chocolates into the surface - you want to work quickly so that the molten chocolate is still hot enough to melt them just slightly.
4. Leave to set for a couple of hours in the fridge, slice into small squares and serve.
Turn to page 38 of December's The Simple Things for more of our Boxing Day menu - buy, download or subscribe now. January issue available, too.