Christmas with Devilishly Destructive Delights

Hard to believe it is almost a week since Christmas Day. After so much hype, so much shopping and preparation it's over for another year. 

We spent Christmas Day at our new home. Just me, Richard and Murphy and it was perfect. Last year we had our first Christmas together as a family and spent Christmas Eve talking about all the traditions we had as kids and how we wanted our first Christmas to be and from that we have made our own traditional Christmas Day. 

This year we woke up at around 9am and chilled out in bed for a while before I went downstairs, made tea and of course got mine and Richards stockings that had been hanging on the stairs. We then took it in turns to each open a present which really did make the magic last. Murphy helped too by shredding the paper into hundreds of pieces all over the bed. 

We both got changed into our tacky Christmas jumpers and decided against the fry up we had planned- my thoughts were that it was a little too late to be having a filling fry up bare in mind we had a big Christmas lunch planner. Richards thoughts? Presents, presents, presents! So we sat down and decided to let Murphy open his presents first from his stocking so that he could play with his news toys and leave us to open ours. Murphy was particularly lucky this year as he not only received presents from us but Richards Mum and my parents who have rather taken a liking to him. He was immediately taken by my parents gift of a great bug rawhide bone, so much so that he refused to open any of his other presents and we were well and truly left in peace for the morning. 

Again we took it in turns to open our presents, something my family have always done and it's something I feel strongly about. The number of people I know that open the presents separate to their family is in my mind, madness! I love seeing people's reactions and getting a chance to see what they have and from who. I also think it makes the gift giving experience last an awful lot longer, in fact we didn't finish opening our presents for a good two hours after we first came downstairs.

We did a quick tidy up so that Murphy didn't slip over anymore wrapping paper and so that the table was clear for Richard to make his lego models and then for me to make it pretty for our Christmas lunch, another tradition we have.

I had spent a lot of Christmas Eve making and preparing the food for the day including a huge dish of tiramisu. Our Christmas dinner consisted of a turkey crown, Brussels, carrots, roast parsnips, herby roast potatoes, stuffing and of course pigs in blankets. I made the mistake last year of making far too much food for the two of us (three if you include Murphy's mini dinner) so I tried desperately hard not to make the same mistake. I failed. Although there wasn't as much left over there was enough to feed at least two more people which really does show how hard it is to cook a meal for two when it involves so many essential items. 

Full of food and drink we made our way over to the sofa and spent the rest of our day watching some of the many Christmas recordings we had as well as starting some of the Christmas DVDs we had received along with some munchy Christmas food. There really is nothing like cuddling up on the sofa with my two favourite boys on what is the best day of the year.

We were overwhelmed by just how many gifts we received this year and feel truly blessed, if not a little spoilt. Roll on next years festivities...

Devilishly Destructive Delights Talks: A Cheap and Cheerful Christmas

I love everything about Christmas! Particularly the decorations. So you can imagine my excitement last year when it was my very first Christmas away from home and my opportunity to kit out our new house, make our own traditions and cook lots and lots of delicious food. However moving out does mean being short of cash so for us last Christmas was all about doing it on a budget. 

We managed to do the decorating- the tree, the lights, the tinsel, the lot for about £30 with not a bit of tack in sight! So with that in mind I thought I would share with you the best deals around and how to keep Christmas not only cheap but cheerful too! 

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Now the tree can often be one of the most important and expensive parts of Christmas when decorating the home. Fortunately we found a bargain at our newly opened The Range store last year and picked up a 5ft tree for a tenner! We pulled it out again this year and it's still in great shape. As much as I would have loved to have had a real tree just as my parents have always had it is slightly on the pricey side and we also have the concern of Murphy eating it! This was my first ever artificial tree and I'm thrilled with it. None of the needles have fallen off unlike many of my friends trees, it is easy to put together (not to mention hide away) and is really adaptable in terms of its shape. I have found a similar tree (if not identical) for less than £18 which will certainly last for years to come and is a worthwhile investment in my eyes.

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Once you have the tree it's time to decide on a theme. Last year we chose the classic red and gold theme to fit in with our front room colours and it is something we have stuck with this year. We found this great chunky tinsel in The Range last year but it is available in B&M as well at the bargain price of 99p or 4 for £3! It is great quality for money and so far none of it has decided to shred all over the carpet. We chose five bits in total and they wrap around our tree perfectly and show no signs of wearing out any time soon. 

Next it's time to think of the lights! Now if I'm honest this was the part I was looking forward to the least simply because I had it in my head that they would be very expensive and confusing. There are so many different styles, colours and speeds available it can be slightly overwhelming and I was convinced these would be more expensive than the tree! So we were so pleased to find some budget lights in The Range last year for £4.99. We purchased two sets and they fit around our tree perfectly! They are available again this year too so go grab yourself a bargain. Fancy something more fancy? Why not get these chaser lights from B&M for less than £8? I also treated myself (and my kitchen) to some more lights this year for the bargain price of £2.50! These are currently around my tiny kitchen window filling the room with colourful light and reassuring our neighbours we aren't Scrooges after all!

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There are a massive selection of baubles on offer now and as much as I love inididual pieces you can't beat a bulk buy. Last year we bought a whole tube of gold, red and green baubles for less than £3 which covered our whole tree. Once again B&M and The Range offer some great deals with bauble sets for as little as £1.99 for as many as 49! Fancy more unique pieces? Why not make your own out of salt dough? I made two last year with mine and Richards initials on them and this year I may even make a paw print decoration for Murphy. I also love the reindeer and snowman decorations from B&M and will certainly have be adding them to the collection of individual items on our tree such as the crowns and signs.

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When it comes to decorating the home you can't just stop at the tree. It's so much more than that now. I love these little reindeer and will certainly be getting this one from B&M for the front room. If you fancy something a little bit more robust why not get this reindeer from The Range for £14.99 which would look lovely in a porch to welcome your guests. Christmas sacks are really big this year and are much nicer than the tacky old gift bags and at £1 you can't deny this Santa sack is fantastic quality for money! Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a stocking which is a tradition I have introduced to Richard and Murphy. We now all have one and fill it with lots of goodies to open in bed on Christmas morning. B&M have a selection of lovely stocking for £1.99 including this lovely Father Christmas design. 

So there are some of the great deals out there for a cheap and cheerful Christmas. If you still don't believe it can be done here are some pictures of how my house is kitted out for Christmas, with not a bit of tack in sight!

Devilishly Destructive Delights Upcycles- Dip Platter

I love a bit of upcycling. Taking something that was once loved and making it just that little bit better. As I mentioned in my previous post, I love Pinterest and I have found it to be a great source of inspiration, particularly around the home. So you can imagine my excitement when I was given the opportunity to make one of my previously pinned ideas. 

Last weekend my Grandma came to visit my new pad and brought with her a whole host of things she had got for only a £1 at her local auction. Amongst mugs and a pestle and mortar she also had this dip platter which I immediately seized the chance of owning. I knew that although it looked a little sad and dated I could make it into something much better and far more modern.

A couple of hours later I had ordered my Chalkboard Paint from eBay for the bargain price of £4. That was all I needed to upcycle this piece. I was eager to get started and was relieved the paint arrived a couple of days later. 

I cleaned each piece and applied a base layer of chalkboard paint. This particular paint is specifically for china and after three or four layers was perfectly covered. I baked it in the oven at 150 degrees for 35 minutes and voila! It was ready. Another great thing about this paint is once baked it is dishwasher proof so pretty much anything can be put in there!

I am yet to write anything on the dishes simply because I wanted to marvel at how good it looks in solid black but at Christmas or when we have our next set of guests over (I'm looking at you Mum and Dad) I will definitely be scrawling all over these bad boys. 

The very best part of this is it was an absolute budget upcycle and I still have over half a pot of chalkboard paint left. I am now desperately looking round for what else I can cover in this amazing paint so keep your eyes peeled...

Devilishly Destructive Delights Talks: Homemade Gifts

It's that time of year again when the shops are packed full of Christmas cheer and you find yourselves scouring the shelves and catalogues for the perfect gifts for family and friends, not to mention that Secret Santa you have, that colleague you don't like but have to buy something for and that little old lady who always buys you a box of chocolates. 

But this year rather than settling for the same gift sets and novelty items I implore you to try something a little different. Why not homemade? Handmade gifts have really made it back on the scene thanks to the popularity of shabby chic. This year I've decided to get back into the creative game and make a selection of homemade food gifts for our friends and family.

Stuck for ideas? Don't know where to get your supplies? Well here are my top tips for getting creative and where to shop...

1. Pinterest

Now I heard about Pinterest a couple of years ago but initially resisted the temptation of becoming a member in the fear that it would take over my life and I would upcycle all of my belongings. I eventually gave in and have been a member for quite some time now. I must admit, I am completely obsessed! For those who don't know, Pinterest is an amazing platform that allows it's members to not only search for ideas but also upload their own too. It's not just a place for art but food, music, fashion and much much more. Simply search your interest and you will find thousands of ideas on the page. Want to look at it again later? Click 'pin it' and it will be saved to your very own profile. Find a topic you love and want to see more of? You can pin that too and that will refresh and show new ideas every time you visit your homepage. Here is a quick glimpse at my Pinterest page and my homepage of interests full of other peoples ideas...

I really can't rate this website enough and I would certainly encourage everyone to become members and look for areas that interest them. I have even got the school I work at to become members and I am now responsible for finding new ideas for teachers planning to help enrich the children's learning experience. I effectively get paid for looking at my favourite website! You'll be amazed at what you can find on there- recipes, cleaning tips, home decor ideas and so much more! 

2. High Street Stores

Many people associate handmade gifts with crafters and expensive stores specifically for those with hobbies such as card making, sewing, etc but actually more and more of these things can be found at local high street stores. I often find myself heading down to town and visiting shops such as The Works, Wilkinsons and Tiger for craft supplies and at this time of year they are filling shelves with all kinds of wonderful goodies. Everything from blank cards and envelopes to stamps, you'll be amazed at what can be found at budget prices. 

3. Online Stores

I am an eBay lover and constantly check it for bargains. I have bought so many of my supplies for this years homemade gifts from there. Labels, string, pens, bags, the lot! It's definitely worth shopping around and checking your options. I initially thought I'd found some bargains on Amazon but after I checked eBay I ended up getting the majority of it from there and saved over a tenner!

4. Google Shopping

This tool is my best friend. Whenever I look for a product I always look for it on Google shopping which provides me with all of the shops it is available from along with the price including shipping costs. It has helped me find many a bargain and also introduced me to a lot of great stores.

Top Tip!

One thing I must say is don't be taken in by shops claiming to offer the 'real deal'. Stores such as HobbyCraft and Paperchase, although lovely come with a big price tag which can often be avoided, especially if you are looking for simple things such as cards and envelopes. You don't want to be splashing the cash on the wrong things.

So there you have it, my top tips of where to look and what to do for a great homemade Christmas. I'm in the middle of making my Christmas gifts at the moment so as soon as they're ready I'll be sure to share them with you all. I'd love to hear what gifts you like to create for your friends and family so be sure to get in contact by following me on these platforms:

Twitter: @snazzyspazilla

Pinterest: Ellen Rust

Instagram: @snazzyspazilla

Devilishly Destructive Delights Reviews: Tesco Simply

I have a secret. A savvy shoppers secret that up until now I had been able to contain. However after my last purchase I decided I simply couldn't hide it any more and have decided to share it. This secret is the Tesco Simply range which can be found in their frozen department of most stores. Why am I so excited over frozen meat? Well, it tastes delicious and makes an excellent, cheap meal.

I love a good roast but to my mind the meat is expensive. Quite often I put off making a roast dinner or even looking at the meat in stores, instead settling for the same cheap cuts of meat time and time again. However I recently found whilst doing a Tesco shop that I could have a more exciting piece of meat, perfect for two, for half the price I would normally find in the chilled section. Hardly daring to believe it I decided to give Tesco Simply Brisket a try and I must say I am thrilled I did, so much so that the following week I went back to try another item in their range and indeed the following week too. 

So what makes this meat so good and so cheap? Surely you can taste the difference? Well that's what I thought too when I glanced at the small box which apparently contained an entire meal. I was wrong however. The brisket which came frozen in a plastic bag was tipped into a Pyrex dish, forgotten about for an hour and then before my eyes turned into a melt in the mouth sensation. A perfect meal with minimal effort. And do you want to know the best bit? All this only set me back £5.75! I didn't even have to make the accompanying sauce nor did I need to have a slow cooker to make the meat as tender as it was. It was perfect and left Richard and I amazed. 

Next we tried the gammon after having a lovely piece from Asda previously. Again it came in a small box, frozen and ready to throw in the oven and again we had great results. Succulent meat, packed full of flavour and this time it was only £5. Now I am ordinarily hard pressed to try and find gammon steaks for that price let alone a joint complete with garnish. 

And finally last night we treated ourselves to pork shoulder. Pork shoulder?! I can't think of a time when I have eaten this out, let alone in the luxury of my own home. This took just over an hour to cook and was served with mash potato, brussel sprouts and carrots along with gravy using the meat juices and it was beautiful. The meat was tender and the barbecue sauce to accompany it was delicious. All of this for just £3.50. Now at that price you would assume it was a tough old bit of meat but I can honestly say it was one of the nicest bit of pork I had ever eaten, something Richard also vouched for.

It's amazing to think that meat and meals that would originally have been completely out of our price range can be made so affordable and so easy each week which is why I have written this post. There really is no excuse for having a poor meal. You can't argue on price, you can't argue on quality and you can't even say you don't have the time because these can be cooked in a microwave in a matter of minutes! Supermarkets are also decreasing the prices of many vegetables at the minute, with a bag of carrots setting me back only 89p and they can last for a good couple of meals. Want to bulk it out? Get stuffing, potatoes or even more vegetables to pile onto your plates. You'll be amazed at how far the meat will go.

So I emplore you to get out of your boring shopping habits and take a trip down to the frozen aisle to see what bargains can be found, that not only will save you time, effort and money but will also taste amazing too! 

 

Devilishly Destructive Delights Bakes: Townie

Now you are probably reading this blog title and wondering what on earth I'm going on about. A Townie? What's a Townie? 

Well a week ago I didn't know either! I was riffling through my recipe box that is full of torn out magazine articles when I stumbled upon this recipe. It was one I had pulled out in last months issue of Asda Magazine which I have previously reviewed here. I pulled the recipe out of the box and was immediately struck by how delicious it looked. I do love a good picture on a recipe and often find I can't fully trust one without an image. I wrote down the list of ingredients I needed (which admittedly was very little thanks to my trusty baking cupboard) and kept the little article to one side. 

I finally made this delicious creation on Sunday and I am so glad I did. In fact I was so happy with it and had so much interest on my Instagram that I just had to share it!

So what is a Townie? Well it is a combination of a tart and a brownie in one delicious pudding and here is how you too can make it...

Ingredients:

- A sweet pastry case (or if you are super at making pastry you can make your own from scratch)

For the treacle base:

- 1 egg

- 50g brown sugar

- 75g golden syrup

- 15g melted butter

- 100g roughly chopped walnuts or pecans.

For the brownie topping:

- 175g milk chocolate

- 85g butter

- 50g sugar

- 2 eggs

- 50g plain flour

- Icing sugar (to decorate)

1. To start you need to make the treacle base for the case. Lightly beat your egg with a fork and then add the brown sugar, golden syrup and melted butter, beating together until just combined.

2. Spread this mixture over your pastry base.

3. On the top of this mixture sprinkle over your roughly chopped nuts.

4. Place in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes although if it is still as wobbly as my mixture was cook it for a bit longer. I allowed mine to cool on the side before letting it chill in the fridge to set.

5. Next you need to make the brownie topping. For this you will need to melt the chocolate and butter together.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until they are foamy.

7. Stir in the melted chocolate to your other mixture along with the flour and mix together until you form a smooth brownie mix.

8. Allow the brownie mix to cool before spreading over your treacle base.

9. Bake your Townie in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until it is firm on the outside and gooey on the inside, as brownies should be.

10. Decorate the top with icing sugar.

And there you have it. Your very own Townie, which might I add is great served with some cream! 

Devilishly Destructive Delights Visits: Stanborough Park

As I have previously mentioned on this blog I am an Autumn lover. Everything about this time of year makes me excited. The dark mornings, the jumpers, the crunchy leaves, the golden trees and everything else in between. I like nothing better than to put on a warm coat, a pair of boots and go for a walk, hand in hand with Richard, maybe kicking my way through some crisp leaves if he lets me. 

So whilst we were out in Watford on Saturday we researched areas of interest nearby and came across Stanborough Park on TripAdvisor and instantly fell in love after seeing this gorgeous picture...

So we typed in the postcode on our trusty sat nav and made our way to the park. It was relatively quiet on a Saturday afternoon and the weather was just right- not too cold, not too windy and certainly not raining which was a bonus! We parked the car and started to explore the various footpaths and bridges in the area. There was certainly lots of wildlife to see including some gorgeous young swans, one of which was particularly photogenic. 

At busier and warmer times of year there are certainly lots of things to keep visitors busy including a playground, climbing apparatus and boating. On this day however it was quiet and slightly eery. 

  

We made our way around the park, snapping lots of pictures along the way, taking in all of the beauty that Autumn has to offer.

Stanborough Park and the surrounding town were simply gorgeous and it is certainly a place I would love to visit again. I imagine it looks magical at any time of year and must be popular among families and dog walkers. I would definitely recommend taking a trip and maybe even stopping off at the local Beefeater for a spot of lunch.

I have very little else to say, in fact I think these final two pictures speak for themselves...

 

Devilishly Destructive Delights Visits: Intu Shopping Centre, Watford

You know how it is, sometimes you get a bit bored of visiting the same old places with the same old shops and the same old cafés. Everyone reaches that point where they just want change and that hit Richard and I on Saturday. I was fed up of Luton and Milton Keynes and we both agreed it would be great to try somewhere new. So we put our heads together and came up with Watford and I am so glad we did. 

We were out of the house bright and early on Saturday morning armed with some CDs for the car and our trusty phones for sat navs. We are fortunate because Watford is actually only a twenty five minute drive from us and it's an easy journey on the motorway. Within no time at all we were there and after making our way round and round the confusing (not to mention packed) multi storey we parked and made our way to the Intu Shopping Centre. 

It has an array of stores including our favourites like H&M and Primark. Although we have a lot of these stores at our local shopping centre I find that a lot of the stock stays the same for weeks on end and sometimes there are better products elsewhere. We looked around the shopping centre for quite a while before heading out onto the high street. Of course all this driving and walking around made us thirsty, not to mention quite hot so we stopped off at Starbucks for our favourite Caramel Frappaccino which was very refreshing.

The high street too had lots of different shops, many of which continued down from the Shopping Centre. It was also full of people handing out leaflets for upcoming events and had several musicians performing. We found ourselves in a Greggs which is more often than not where we get our lunch whilst out shopping and sat in the St Mary's Church gardens which was the perfect place to stop and eat. 

Overall we had a fairly successful day out at the Intu Shopping Centre and although we didn't come home laden with bags we did have a fun day out and left with items we would not have found at our local centre. Would I recommend it? Would I go back? I most certainly would.

Check out the Intu Shopping Centre here.