Thanks to the amazing lovecrafts.com for these tutorials.
Tag Archives: how to make
Friendship Bracelets Are Easy To Make: By Josie And Megan
Our grandma, Margaret Graham, is an author and wanted to help wounded troops to recover. She started Words for the Wounded, which raises money with writing competitions, donations and events.
She has two other grannies who help, author Penny Deacon, and reader Janet Speedie. Another grannie, writer Tracy Baines helps sometimes, and our Uncle Matt does extreme sports to raise money for them, and Uncle Kris and his friend Lee did a Triathlon.
The grannies have just done a skydive with Auntie Annie. Next year they are white water rafting. Meg might too, if her back is strong enough after her operation. Auntie Kate does WforW social media and grandpa does the website.
Grandma sometimes says when she is tired and very busy doing her books for Random House, or teaching writing, ‘Why did I start this?’ We know why she did. We all want to help these very wounded young troops.
So we thought we’d make friendship bracelets that the grannies can sell at their events.
A. This is how we do it, using loom bands. These are available from The Works, Claire’s, and online. You need bands, a hook, a clasp, and a loom if you wish.
B. Josie is making a chain bracelet which you can make using your fingers. It has a loose link.
C. Start with two fingers and place the first band over them in a figure of 8. This is the only time you use an 8.
D. Place a 2nd band on top.
E. Use the hook to drag the bottom over top of left finger and release. Repeat with the right. Keep doing this until you have the length you want.
F. Take the left band from the finger and switch it to the right.
G. Loop the clasp through both ends of the band.
Megan is making a fishtail loom bracelet using a loom, not fingers. It has a tighter link. Grandpa made her look out of grandma’s wooden knitting needles. Grandma made a bit of a face, but only a bit.
1. Start by twisting a band in a figure of 8 round the two pegs. Add 2 more bands, using alternate colours.
2. Use the hook to drag the left side of the band over the right hand peg. Repeat the same step with the right side band until it is the right length. You can make a template by measuring a child’s wrist, or an adult.Repeat the same step with the right side band until it is the right length. Measure it round a child’s wrist, or an adult. To complete: Stop adding bands but continue to use the hook to drag the bands over until you have one left.
3. Once there is only one band on the hook, lift the left side up but keep it on your hook. Then lift up the right and keep it on your hook. I use Josie to pull down the bracelet, then I feed a band through one side of remaining loop and then through the other side.
4. Then add a clasp like Josie did.
5. Here is the finished bracelet, stretched to show the clasp.
6. There are all sorts of colours you can use. There mood bands that change colour with your mood. We use blue and yellow for Words for the Wounded. If you want to know more about grandma’s charity, go to www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk None of the grannies take any money, so all the money they raise goes to the cause. Grandma does a blog: www.wordsforthewounded.blogspot.co.uk
How To Make Steak And Ale Pie
The first thing you need to know about making steak and ale pie is that it takes a long time. I mean hours. I underestimated this the first time I cooked and ended up eating at midnight. The second thing is; if you get it right it is the best pie in the world. My notoriously fussy fiancee loves it, calling it the best pie he has ever tasted. High praise indeed. Here is how you can make someone happy through their stomach.
You will need:
400g braising steak, cut into small, chunky pieces
3 tbsp plain flour
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
300ml brown ale. I use London Pride.
3 garlic cloves
3 onions
4 carrots
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
A handful of fresh thyme sprigs
300ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar ( I used red wine vinegar the first time, shown in the picture, balsamic vinegar is much better. Use sparingly)
500g mushrooms
A knob of butter
For the pastry: Buy it from the supermarket. Life is too short. You will need two packs of shortcrust or puff pastry.
To start; chop the onions, garlic, carrots and mushrooms. This will make it easier as you go along. Make sure you cut the beef into bite-size chunks, using a separate chopping board.
Add some olive oil to a pan, add the onions and garlic and cook on a medium heat until golden-brown, then add the beef. Cook the beef until brown and no pink bits are left. Then add the ale, the thyme, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
Add the beef stock and then the carrots and mushrooms. Stir and then leave to cook for 90 minutes.
Get a casserole dish and cover the shortcrust pastry (you can also use puff pastry) with it, leaving some for the top. Take the filling and pour into the casserole dish. Put the rest of the shortcrust pastry on top. Cover the top.
Put in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 200C/400F/Gas 6 or until golden brown. Take out of the oven and leave to cool for a little while. Enjoy!
Tangy Salsa & Glorious Guacamole Recipe
Tangy Salsa & Glorious GuacamoleServes 2-4
Why not whip up a tangy salsa or glorious guacamole the night before work for some dreamy desktop
dipping at the office? Delicious!
Tangy salsa
5 large tomatoes, deseeded and finely diced
½ a red onion, finely diced
Small bunch of coriander, chopped
Zest and juice of a lime
Salt and pepper
Glorious guacamole
1 ripe avocado
1 large tomato, finely chopped
½ a red onion, finely chopped
Small bunch of coriander, chopped
Zest and juice of a lime
Salt and pepper
For the salsa: Finely chop the tomatoes and onion, along with the coriander. Mix in the zest and juice of a
lime and season with salt and pepper. Leave in the fridge for a few hours for the flavours to marry.
For the guacamole: Scoop out the flesh from the avocado into a bowl. Add the chopped tomatoes and red
onion, along with the coriander. Mix in the zest and juice from the lime and mash with the back of a fork
before seasoning with salt and pepper.
Splendid with Kallo’s Chilli rice cakes
How To Make Kale Chips
If you are one of the few people who have not heard of Kale Chips then you are in for a treat. Mix this healthy vegetable with a little decadence and you get a delicious snack.
Just take some Kale, cover it in olive oil and add some salt. Then put in the oven for 15 minutes at gas mark 6. Cook for longer if you feel they need it. There you have it: delicious, crispy kale chips. Yum.
Cointreau Cocktail Recipes And Drink Review
I have had many cocktails with Cointreau as an ingredient. In fact Cointreau is at the heart of many famous cocktails including the Cosmopolitan and the Margarita. I knew it tasted good but was not quite sure what it was. Turns out it is an orange Liqueur. It smells great, it tastes great and everyone should have a bottle handy.
To top of the glamour factor gorgeous burlesque star Dita Von Teese is their spokeswomen. Here are some excellent cocktail recipes. We have been testing them all at Frost Mag central. The Sidecar was a particular favourite. Let us know your favourite.
COINTREAUPOLITAN:
Pour into a shaker with ice:
1.5 fl oz Cointreau
1 fl oz Cranberry juice
3/4 oz. Lemon juice
Shake and strain into a martini glass. Enjoy! The bartender’s tip: add the orange zest to your drink.
Cointreau Fizz
Recipe: 50ml Cointreau, 100ml soda water and ½ fresh lime
Method: Squeeze wedges of lime into glass, fill glass with ice. Add the Cointreau and top up with soda water
Cucumber garnish is optional.
COINTREAU MARGADITA:
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Silver Tequila
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Monin Rose Syrup
1 pinch Chipotle Spice
Mix all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled coup glass. Garnish with floating rose petals. For an added kick, add a chipotle and salt rim.
Margarita
20 ml (1 oz) Cointreau
20 ml (¾ oz) lime juice
40 ml (2 oz) tequila 100% agave
Pour into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes, shake well, then pour into a chilled margarita or martini glass.
Don’t forget to rim the glass with salt. Garnish with a piece of lime.
Bourbon Cocktail Recipe
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 ounce Bénédictine D.O.M.
1/4 ounce Cointreau
Ice
Angostura bitters
Lemon twist, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place a cocktail glass in the freezer to chill.
- Combine the bourbon, lemon juice, Bénédictine, and Cointreau in a cocktail shaker and fill it halfway with ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted. Strain into the chilled cocktail glass, top with a dash of bitters, and garnish with the lemon twist.
Fluffy Dog recipe
1 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
1 oz Bailey’s Irish cream
1 oz Bailey’s Irish cream
Mix both ingredients and serve over ice.
Fluffy Duck
1 part/shot (30ml) advocaat 1 part/shot (30ml) cointreau 1 part/shot (30ml) cream 10 parts/shots (10x30ml) lemonade
Build and stir.
Jumping Jack Flash
25 ml Jack Daniels 25 ml cointreau 25 ml grand marnier 1 Can red bull
Shake the Jack Daniels, Cointreau and Grand Marnier with ice. Pour into a long glass and then add Red Bull.
What is your favourite cocktail? Share any recipes below.
Prince William Turns 30: Let’s have a cocktail.
A BIRTHDAY BEVERAGE FIT FOR A KING
– Supermarket creates Royals’ favourite cocktail for a less-than-princely sum –
Prince William inherited £10 million from his mother on his 30th birthday today, and the Queen also got a 16% pay rise. For those with less money you can enjoy Prince William’s favourite tipple but without the £135 price tag – thanks to supermarket Aldi who has recreated the royals’ favourite cocktail, the famous Mahiki Treasure Chest, for less than a fifth of the price.
Coined the “Aldiki”, the cocktail is recommended to be served in a treasure chest, just like the original, which is enjoyed by royals, actors and musicians alike at trendy London bar, Mahiki.
Costing just £25.80 and serving 16 people, the Aldiki is an exotic mix of rum, brandy, peach schnapps and fruit juice from the supermarket’s award-winning drinks range – topped off with a celebratory bottle of sparkling wine.
Expert mixologist and cocktail guru Michael Stringer, who created the Aldiki especially for Aldi, has created a video demonstrating how to recreate the drink at home in time for the Prince’s 30th.
Michael said: “Mahiki’s Treasure Chest is deservedly a world-famous drink, but for anyone on a tighter budget, the Aldiki is a great alternative. The top quality range of spirits available at Aldi means that Brits who like to be creative with their cocktails can afford to experiment at home without breaking the bank.
“The Aldiki is a refreshing and theatrical cocktail perfect for a right royal celebration – and it proves that you don’t need a regal budget to party like a prince.”
The supermarket is sending the Aldiki ingredients to Kensington Palace today, to congratulate the Prince on reaching his milestone and encourage him to try out the tasty tipple at the party the Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly throwing for her husband.
An Aldi spokesperson added: “We wanted to help our customers celebrate this special date in a fun but affordable way. And what could be more fitting than raising a glass to the Prince in the style that he enjoys most – but at just a fraction of the price.
“We’re hoping the Aldiki might even receive the royal seal of approval from Kensington Palace.”
To create your own Aldiki cocktail at home, simply view the how-to video at www.aldi.co.uk, or follow the recipe below:
THE ALDIKI (Serves 16)
1. Pour several handfuls of ice cubes into your treasure chest or punch bowl
2. Add 800ml apple juice, 800ml pineapple juice, 250ml orange juice, and stir
3. Squeeze in the juice of 4 fresh limes
4. Make up your sugar syrup by dissolving 6 tablespoons of caster sugar in 200ml boiling water. Leave to cool before adding to the cocktail mix
5. Add the following award-winning Aldi spirits to the blend:
a. 400ml Old Hopking White Rum
b. 600ml Old Hopking Dark Rum
c. 200ml Cocobay White Rum & Coconut
d. 200ml Oscar’s Peach Schnapps
e. 250ml Napoleon Brandy
6. Top with a bottle of chilled Veuve Olivier Sparkling Brut sparkling wine
7. Stir to blend and add more ice cubes if desired
8. Finally, add a selection of chopped fresh fruit (eg. pineapple, lemon, orange and passion fruit) to garnish