The Little Country Girl

Friday, 13 January 2012

strawberries and squiggles presents fabulous fridays

freedom
the birds with big feet

so a princess awoke one friday morning and looked out upon the kingdom and sighed. from her castle window she could see far and wide, but as she gazed over the town, it's streets paved with gold, she realised she was unhappy.
she fled from her room and pleaded with her father to make her happy.
'my dear, you have everything you could possibly want; you walk on golden floors, you drink spring water that promises ever lasting life, you wear dresses spun from the most beautiful spiders silk, your castle is made from ruby's and emeralds, jugglers follow you should you need entertaining, our golden streets are filled with the sweetest music and you have the sweetest fruits to feast upon. i will give you anything you desire, but my dear, what else is there to want?'
'my dear father, i wish for one thing and one thing alone. i wish to hear the wild birds song. i do not wish for cages, take them away. i do not wish for gold or emerald or ruby. take them away. i only wish to be free, to have the simplest of pleasures. the birds song.'
that very same day the princess moved into a small stone cottage, a days ride by horse and carriage from the castle. she no longer walked on gold, but instead on earth, and she found the warmth comforting.
days swept by, and her fathers anger did not relent.
then, one day, her father came to visit. when he saw that his daughter was finally happy, that she no longer frowned but smiled instead, he forgave her.
'i promised you i would give you anything you wished for. what do you wish my dear?'
'i wish to hear the wild birds song.'
her father left, and the next morning the princess awoke to the sweetest of sounds. upon opening her window she looked out and saw her fathers gift.
the birds sang a song she called freedom.

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

wonderful wednesdays presents chocolatey peanut butter cuties

how are we all this wonderful wednesday? feeling wonderful i hope? well these little cuties are guaranteed to make you feel like you're skipping through a field in summertime :)

chocolatey peanut butter cuties

ingredients
(makes about 20 ish)
4oz peanut butter
4oz vegan margarine
4oz sugar
4oz plain flour
4oz oats (the smaller porridge oats are the bestest)
few drops of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
pinch of bicarbonate of soda
splash of water (about 3 teaspoons)
vegan milk and white chocolate

1) get yourself a pretty little mixing bowl (i recently bought a lovely shiny red bowl with the words 'let them eat cake' written around it, which makes me just oh so happy).

then, using a good wooden spoon, mix together the margarine and peanut butter.

2) add the vanilla extract and stir it in, then add the sugar and beat until beautiful and fluffy.

a good quality vanilla extract makes for the bestest of cakes :)

DON'T BE FOOLED INTO USING VANILLA ESSENCE...YUCKY STUFF!

i used lovely soft brown sugar for a warmer taste, but caster or cane is all good too

3) sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt

4) add the oats and the water (if needed) and mix it all together into a wonderful mushyness!

5) i then shaped them into hearts and laid them onto a baking tray. feel free to create them in any shape your beautiful heart wishes :)

bake them at about 190c for around 15 minutes or until golden brown, but keep a watchful eye on the edges so they don't burn!

6) melt some of your favourite chocolate and drizzle as much as you want alllll over the yummy cuties.

(to melt the chocolate just simply fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and place a heat proof bowl over the top, then place your chosen chocolate into the bowl and just bring the water to the boil and watch your chocolate melt).

place them onto a wire rack to cool and then EAT.

mucho love and all that jazz x

Wednesday, 4 January 2012

strawberries and squiggles presents wonderful wednesdays

wonderfully spicy tomato and lentil soup

ingredients (makes enough for 2-3 people)
one medium-large red onion
three medium cloves of garlic
300g of red split lentils
one tin of chopped tomatoes
one teaspoon (add more if you like it really spicy) of fresh chopped chillies or from a jar (i use the ready chopped chillies from a jar to save time)
a good sprinkling of mixed herbs (dried herbs are always perfectly good)
salt and pepper to taste
enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your saucepan

1) roughly chop the red onion, there's no need to be precise as you're going to blend it all up later.

2) softly fry the onion in the olive oil until it goes soft and more see through.

3) whilst that's cooking, chop the garlic. i find that if you first crush the garlic slightly and then chop it, it brings more of the flavour out. (the simplest way to crush it, is to place the blade of your knife flat on top of the garlic clove, and press down firmly onto the flat blade with the palm of your hand.) these are the size garlic cloves i used, but if you're a fan then feel free to garlic it up! (the knife is a small kitchen knife)

4) add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the chopped garlic to the onion and simmer for a few minutes.

5) remove from heat and stir in the lentils so that everything's mixed together.

6) boil the kettle and then add enough hot water to completely cover the lentil mixture plus about an inch of water on top. stir to make sure nothing it stuck to the bottom of the saucepan and then cover with the lid. bring to the boil and then turn down to low heat and simmer for about 15-20 mins, or until the lentils have swollen up and gone all fluffy. (if it's too dry add more hot water at anytime.) stir it every 5 mins so the bottom doesn't burn.

it should look like this when it's cooked

7) add the chopped chillies and stir them in.

8) blend it all up! i use a hand blender, just because i find it easier and it means i don't have to wash up another jug! also, if you like chunkier soup then only blend it roughly for a few seconds. this is naturally quite a thick soup because of the lentils, but you can always add more hot water to thin it if you wish.

9) now add the mixed herbs and a good load of salt and pepper and stir it all in.

this soup goes great with seeded, wholemeal bread cut thickly, or a wholemeal baguette. or, if you're like me and can't eat bread because of wheat or yeast allergies, (or if you fancy a change from bread) then may i suggest ryvita's sesame crispbread :)

thats it! you're done! now serve it up in pretty bowls and enjoy!

all of my recipes always are, and always will be completely vegan :) x

Sunday, 1 January 2012

resolutions

number one
visit two new places, someplace i decide and someplace not of my own choosing.

number two
finish the book i have already started and look at publishers.

number three
begin another book.

number four
begin saving money.

number five
read more.

number six
start blogging on a set day each week...shall we say 'wonderful wednesdays'?

x

Friday, 30 December 2011

time to brush off the chalk and begin once again

these aren't a years worth of pictures, and neither do they show my year in its entirety. they are merely a glance back through at the times that brought a smile.

january