Simple Pizza Recipe 

You have had a busy day and if you are anything like me then you don't want to spend ages slaving away in the kitchen preparing something delicious.

If you are looking for a simple, healthy, yet quick recipe then this is the one to go for. A wonderful fresh and sweet pizza which is; lets put it my way 'overwhelmingly scrumptious' you will be wanting to make more for sure !

Tomato and Rocket Pizza with olive tapenade 

100g Sweet Vine Tomatoes, halved

1 Pizza Base

2-3 tbsp Olive and Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

1/2 small red onion, finely sliced

125g mozzarella, torn into pieces

1 tbsp olive oil

Handful of wild rocket

Shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, to serve

Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

First preheat the oven to 170c, gas mark 3. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and cook until softened and starting to dry, but not browned (about 20 minutes).

After having taken the tomatoes out of the oven increase the temperature to 220c, gas mark 7. Place the pizza base onto a baking sheet and spread the tapenade over the base leaving a border around the edge, then add the tomatoes, onion and mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for roughly 8-10 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling and the base is crisp. Serve scattered with the parmigiano reggiano and rocket, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

I would suggest that you serve the pizza with a goats cheese and sun-dried tomato salad with honey dressing to add to the pizza's sweetness oh and don't forget a dashing of sea salt. This really worked for me in fact I am seriously craving more right now.

Full credit goes to Waitrose for another amazing recipe.

Love Chrissi xo

Weddings and details ...

There are weddings here in the UK that are seriously not my style in fact they are so old school, so blah and boring that I really want to scream. I know that the UK is really starting to catch on with the likes of US style weddings, which makes me super happy, but why are we still so far behind ?

I don't want to seem rude or anything, but are there any other fellow Brits reading this that would agree ?  I mean look at the Americans, the French, the Spanish, now they know how to throw a real wedding. Look at the fun games, the small details that turn a hey ok wedding into spectacular event.

I am ALL for details and fun, they make me wanna jump with excitement. One of the reasons I believe I excel at planning parties is simply because I love to concentrate on the mini additions, which really bring a table arrangement to life.

For one I love this photo shoot first shown by Green Wedding Shoes. Look at how beautiful it is with it's white, gold and pink accents. I love the golden log to hold the florals, the white backdrop, the pink peonies, the gold cutlery, the confetti, the sweet paper flowers on the wall. So eye catching wouldn't you agree ?

(source: greenweddingshoes)

Well we can all have this and it needn't be expensive. You can make a lot of these things yourself. You just need to have the time and the patience and if you look on google and research wedding games there are tons of ideas out there.

If you are in the process of wedding planning would you mind if I really encouraged you to think about such details ? I promise that they would definitely turn your wedding into a truly fantastic union certainly worth remembering forever.

Learn how to make yourself some table runners, ribbon garlands, floral arrangements, paper flowers, pom poms, your own seating charts, homemade wedding favours. The list is endless, but not impossible. Go on give it a try !

For more inspiration please visit my inspirational boards over on pinterest here.

Love Chrissi xx

Tents, tents galore ....

Hey there ! First off let me apologise for the lack of communication, only my family and I have been away in sunny Greece and have also spent some time doing some much needed DIY in our flat (about time). It's still not finished and there is so much to do, which is frustrating cause all this painting business is boring me I just want to get down to the interiors !

Anyway, on a side note. I think I am in love with the idea of this tent:

(source: castillero)

The tent was made by the lovely Tori Hendrix from Sitting in a Tree. It is so sweet. I am in love !

Perfect, perfect, perfect for the babes when out in the sunshine. Can't find enough shade then just make yourself a tent. You can easily customise the tent as they get older adding colour, as you go along, lace, pom poms, curtains and fairy lights etc ...

Oh why don't I have an excuse to make one of these now. Would it be too early to make one before even planning a baby ?! 

If your heart screams with joy for these cute little things as much as mine is right now then may I suggest visiting Grosgrain for a tutorial on how to make one !

(source: grosgrainfabulous)

Love Chrissi xx

Sparkly, heart shaped biscuits ...

This is a easy recipe which I can guarantee the kids will love. Sparkly, heart shaped biscuits made my children happy as well as sequel with delight A real treat for when they have behaved nicely ;)

Iced Biscuits.

100g unsalted butter

100g golden caster sugar

1 large free range egg

275g plain flour (all purpose)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

400g icing sugar

3 - 4 tbsp water.

Edible glitter (optional)

Using your hand held electric whisk cream the sugar and butter together in a bowl until it starts to create peaks. After slowly beat in the egg until light and fluffy. Take the flour and gradually add along with the baking powder and salt. I find at this stage that it is best to blend in the dry ingredients with a spatula and then knead on a floured surface. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1cm. And then using a heart shaped cutter cut out the biscuits then transfer to a baking tray with baking paper. Bake the biscuits for just 10 - 12 minutes, until the biscuits are a light golden colour. Be careful though not to overcook the biscuits. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, sift the icing sugar and stir in enough water to create a thickish paste. Add some to a pipe bag and carefully line the biscuits with a thin line of icing. Leave to dry and then adding a little more water to the paste make a thinner paste then  use this to cover the rest of the biscuit.

NOTE: for the adults I suggest that you brew some good quality coffee  to really enjoy these tasty biscuits at the end of a meal or even as a four o'clock treat !

Have a truly wonderful week. I will be absent this week as I am taking a well deserved rest. 

Love Chrissi x

Wedding Wednesday ....

Flower girls. I have been thinking a lot about flower girls lately. Yes I am having some at our wedding next year, but the thing is I am struggling; struggling with the fact that I can't seem to find any nice dresses, why are they all so darn tacky ??

I've been on Oxford Street and Regent Street and in all the big shops here in London in an attempt to find something special for my girls, but there is nothing that just screams 'you gotta buy me, i'll look really cute and adorable'.  What I certainly don't want is a replica of the 'Big Fat Gypsy Wedding'. Lol...

I like airy and floaty dresses on girls. Chiffon is nice, satin is a big no no (for me anyway), lace is really adorable too.

(source: pinterest)

My next option is to start looking on etsy and other smaller, independent stores online which hopefully will offer something completely original yet sweet.

So I will let you all know if I discover any unique little boutiques !

Love Chrissi x

DO YOU KNOW OF ANY SWEET STORES ONLINE

PLEASE LET ME KNOW ? 

Inspiration Monday ...


Can I tell you a secret ?! Well actually there are two secrets ! Wow, I hear you say (or maybe not).


1. I am eating cake for breakfast with a nice cuppa tea. WHAT ! You heard me CAKE and it's freaking d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s ! Lol


2. My big secret, The Secret by Rhonda Bryne.

This book is remarkable and a real inspiration. I suggest that you get your hands on it and quick as it might just change not only the way you think, but your entire life. Now wouldn't that be fantastic ?!

It's a meditative book so there is a lot of time spent conjuring up happy and impressive images. The more you imagine your dreams coming true, and the more you believe and bring those dreams into your presence on both a physical and mental level, life will shift in just the right way to reveal all in front of your very eyes :)

Now don't think you can just sit back and daydream all day. You will have to put some effort into it, but if you work with a determined and positive attitude, believing you can do this or that, then you really will be able to.

Oh the powers of the mind ! 

Right now I am off out in the sunshine. Thank the Lord the sun has finally made it to the UK !! So yes I will be reading this book along with a good listen to Bliss on my mp3. HEAVEN !

Enjoy your Monday.

Love Chrissi x

Home Inspiration ...

While I am happy with the way that our flat is turning out, I feel as if there is still a long way to go until I really feel at home and cosy with the space.

Pinterest provides me with a lot of inspiration.

Touches that I would like to make to our home are:

1. add a feature wall to the area behind our sofa. 

Make use of frames with pretty prints, like the one found here in the home of Crystal Gentilello.

(source: livecreatingyourself)

2. Introduce more details to our rather plain (yet still beautiful) bathroom.

Purchase a fluffy bath mat, find a shower curtain similar to the colour of the curtains in this bathroom as well as get my hands on a silver waste bin (how cool is this bin?!). 

(source: dustjacketattic)

3. Add character to the chimney breast in our bedroom.

Source a wallpaper to add some interest in the bedroom. I love this pink floral paper, but a part of me thinks that my man won't appreciate it !

(source: homedit)

4. Make a headboard to protect the 'new' wallpaper to be.

This headboard is simply stunning. I love the fact that it is shiny, must be of velvet origin. I heart so much !

(source: pinterest)

5. I feel that our lounge floor requires a fluffy rug to snuggle up on in front of a nice roaring winter's fire, while sipping a glass of red wine from St Emilion oh heaven !

This smallish grey skin rug would certainly be ideal ! 

(source: homedit)

So those are the things that will keep me busy during the Summer holidays and no doubt well into Autumn. It's a tiring task sourcing stuff that fits exactly what you have in your minds eye, but in the end it is all well worth it.


I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend so far ? I feel much better after a fabulous lie-in this morning.

WHAT ARE YOU ALL UP TO ON THIS SUNNY WEEKEND?

Love Chrissi x