This one is a firm favourite from my tapas cookbook. Cheese and olive bites, with a bit of a kick.
You'll need 4 oz each of chilled butter, plain flour, hard cheese (they suggest Manchego, I use mature cheddar), 2 oz black pitted olives and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Mix all the ingredients together in a blender, then roll them into a ball, cover in cling film and put in the fridge for 20 minutes. This makes it much easier to use in the next step.
Next, take about a walnut sized piece of the dough, roll it into a ball and then flatten it on your palm. Dust your hands with flour so it doesn't stick.
Then simply place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 200 Centigrade.
Allow to cool or not as you please, and then eat, eat, eat. Try to remember to allow your guests to have some too.
Then last weekend, we went over to Eloise and Patrick's for a lovely evening of food and chatter. They live in a fabulous house, which they have styled beautifully, so it's a real treat to spend time there. I spend my whole time just drinking in the surroundings. Eloise is a talented and successful designer and I seemed to have dressed to fit her latest work, both in terms of the colours and the geometric print.
Images copyright of Eloise Renouf |
Q went all art director on me and suggested this Queen of Hearts picture using the reflection in the mirrored dining table. That's a 1960s Dollyrockers dress I snaffled from Second to None in Walsall. Vix pointed it out and said somebody needed to buy it, to save her the bother. She's a good 'un, because it looked amazing on her.
I love that combination of yellow shoes and pink tights, which mirrors the velvet curtains with pompoms I made. I consider myself a junior apprentice to Queen Helga of the Divine Colour Schemes. This weekend we're off to a Thanksgiving party, where there will be more lovely food and friends to catch up with. I was pondering what to wear, when the perfect dress arrived in the post. I'll show you next time. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving to one and all and thank you all so much for your lovely wishes for my birthday. xx |