RECIPE | CHRISTMAS BISCOTTI

Looking for rock hard biscuits that have a 70% chance of breaking your teeth?

Look no further...

The wonderfully crunchy Italian biscotti are perfect for adding to Christmas hampers.

Meant to be dunked in a good strong coffee (definitely advised to avoid dental costs), these biscuits are special in their own right, yet surprisingly easy to make.

I made two variations for hampers this Christmas using my usual biscotti recipe.

Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti

Add 15g of Cocoa Powder, 100g of good quality chopped Dark Chocolate and 50g of Pistachio Nuts to this recipe.

Winter Spiced Fruit and Nut Biscotti

Add 1tsp of Mixed Spice, 1tsp of Cinnamon, 1tsp of Ginger, 60g of Dried Fruit (I used Cranberries and Raisins) and 40g of Chopped Nuts to this recipe.

LIFESTYLE | CHRISTMAS BREAK

One more week and then I am free.

Free to go home for a month and enjoy the Christmas period and all its fine festivities!

As much as I love my little workspace I think a change of scenery would be warmly welcomed right now.

 

Okay, I'm technically not free.

No... not free at all actually due to a lovely workload consisting of a 1500 word report, 3500 word project, 3000 word essay... oh and a  two hour exam to revise for too!

*and that 12,000 word dissertation but we won't go into that...

I do however have lots to look forward to! For starters...

I have a lovely family and (warm!) home to return to. Then there's the annual process of transforming our house into a tacky Christmas grotto (it gets worse every year...). Frosty winter walks in the woods. Plus I'll also be making Mince Pie's with my Nana - she is going to teach me how to make a GOOD pastry this year!

To ease myself into the spirit of all things Christmas I am hosting what will hopefully be a rather jazzy Christmas Dinner this Sunday with some of my favourite boyos and I also have a few little Christmassy themed cooking/baking sessions and projects lined up for the weeks ahead so I will be keeping you posted with those. 

But for me right now...

Bring on the home comforts and some Christmas cheer!

MOOD BOARD | OCTOBER

OCTOBER.

Time to start piling on the chunky knits and fur coats.

I am lacking a pair of decent booties this year and in desperate need of a good pair to get me through the Winter. I am loving this pair from Topshop, but alas...they are £95.00(!) and this is just an inexcusable amount to spend considering my student budget.

Plus...when did the high street shops get so expensive?

I saw my first pumpkin in Morrisons this week and I may or may not have squealed with a bit of joy. I couldn't bring one home though on top of my weekly shop, they were huge!

I am however looking really forward to overindulging in pumpkin EVERYTHING over the next month.

I will do a round-up of my favourite pumpkin recipes next week.

And mulled wine...oh mulled wine!

And if you want to find me this month I'm more than likely to be tucked away in the Brotherton Library doing dissertation research with a steaming thermos full of coffee or under my furry throws watching The Great British Bake Off sipping on a frothy hot chocolate.