I'm back!

Hello. I gave up on my blog. I felt like I was speaking into a void and that no one was visiting it. I will try again. I am in the process of getting my Christmas baking done at the moment. Yesterday I made mincemeat for mince pies next month, almond shortbread and a loaf of sourdough. The mincemeat tastes amazing and was really easy to do. I will link the recipe in another post. At the moment I have a beef and Guinness pie cooking and the house smells great!

Halloween table setting

Halloween is my absolute favourite time of year. I love the weather, the colours and the trick or treating. Fancy dress parties are my favourite kind of parties. In the winter months I use an oilcloth instead of a table cloth. It's too difficult to launder my regular tablecloths when I can't dry them on the line. I was ordering things from Zara Home so I thought I'd order a new oilcloth too as mine was looking tired. I love this blue paisley pattern. It's also hemmed so it looks much smarter than my previous one. We eat a lot of turmeric so I'm hoping any permanent staining won't show up on this one.

. My toddler picked the autumn leaves for me. He is really proud to see them as the centrepiece of the table. I put them in a tall glass inside a copper bowl. I love them!

we haven't carved our pumpkins yet but I think they still look good. It was my first time setting a Halloween table and I'm so happy with it that I'm just confused as to why I never did it before!

My favourite summer dessert

I love fruit for dessert all year round. In summer I love fresh strawberries and cream. In Ireland summer strawberries are delicious! I whip cream with the seeds of a vanilla pod (or vanilla extract). This adds a subtle sweetness. I also like to add blueberries to break up the solid colour.

Table setting

I love my fresh new table setting. I haven't used a white cloth in a while. I picked up these silver (imitation) chargers in T.K. Maxx recently. I'd been looking for some for two years.

I love my vegetable garden!

Yesterday I was very hungry and very lazy. I had no food in the fridge and no desire to go to the supermarket. My toddler and my dog were amusing themselves digging up potatoes in the raised bed in the garden. It's messy but it keeps them quiet! I grabbed some potatoes and I picked some beans. I was able to make a delicious and healthy Niçoise salad. Boiled potatoes, boiled egg, green beans, a tomato and a tin of tuna. For dressing I just used olive oil and balsamic vinegar as I was so low on ingredients. I didn't take a photo as my toddler and I ate it so fast! I only have a small garden but I love growing vegetables in it. My husband does most of the work on it and he really enjoys it. It's his little hobby.

French Toast Casserole

I LOVE French toast!!!! Unfortunately, I'm not a morning person. I googled loads of French toast casseroles but they all seemed really unhealthy and sugary so I just made up my own. It's very easy and Saturday mornings are now a delicious breeze. I use brioche rolls. I slice them in half and arrange them in a casserole dish. In the middle I add a punnet of raspberrys.

This adds sweetness and a lovely tart note. I add a second layer of brioche and sprinkle with cinnamon.

I make a custard. I beat three eggs with a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I didn't have any today and it still tasted amazing). I add three quarters of a cup of whole milk (you can add some cream if you want to make it richer).

I pour this over the brioche and wrap it tightly in cling film.

This goes into the fridge overnight. The next morning I remove the cling film and cover it in tin foil. Make sure you cut a cross into the foil to let the steam escape. I put it in the oven at 200 degrees for half an hour. I then remove the tin foil and bake it for another ten minutes.

Then I put a punnet of fresh raspberries and blueberries on top. It looks fantastic.

We ate ours outside in the shade as it was a beautiful day with a side of watermelon.

For the last two weeks I have been gradually transforming the house (in organisational terms). I organise a drawer completely every single day. This involves taking EVERYTHING out. No short cuts! I am focusing on the kitchen and my bedroom to start. I line each drawer with wrapping paper or wallpaper. When the drawer looks super cute I'm hoping that I won't want to mess it up.