Stylish Paper Hearts

I saw this being made on super scrimper savers special the other night but it didn't give very detailed instructions so I thought I'd write it up here!

Stylish Christmas Paper Hearts Decorations

You will need:

Old book or magazine
Scissors
Stapler
String
Ruler


Method:

First you need to cut out 6 strips at the following lengths; 2 strips @ 14cmx2cm, 2 strips @ 12cmx2cm and 2 strips @ 10cmx2cm. Cut your self a piece of string to the desired length that your paper heart will hang from...

Next you need to layer the different strips in the correct order, 14cm, 12cm and 10cm on top of each other. The second pile in this image is to show exactly the order the strips should be layered...

Now, turn over the first pile of strips so the shortest is underneath (all pieces in this pic are lined up with all 3 edges at the top). Place your string down the middle of the strips starting from the top edge...

Now you need to place your second layer of strips on top of the string, but this time the shortest layer will be on the top, so in order from the bottom you should have; 10cm strip, 12cm strip, 14cm strip, string, 14cm strip, 12cm strip, 10cm strip...

Now staple the layers together (taking care NOT to staple your finger as this hurts, a lot) at the top which will produce this...

Now, turn on it's side and pull over the two shortest strips and hold together...

Do the same with the middle length strips, still holding it together...

And finally bring round the 2 longest lengths of strips and you will now see the heart shape taking place...

Now you simply staple all 6 ends together...

And there you have it, a simple but effective Christmas decoration. I have hung them around my living room by pining string to the ceiling and tying the paper hearts at intervals all the way along. Any spare hearts I have used to hang from the fireplace or Christmas tree.

Quick and Easy Shortbread

No matter how skint we are everyone loves to munch on something sweet now and again. When times get hard there's generally no money for treats but this easy to make shortbread recipe ticks all the right boxes when you have that sweet tooth!

Quick and Easy Shortbread

Ingredients:

250g (8oz) grams butter
110g (4oz) caster sugar
360g (12oz) plain flour

Method:

Leave the butter out of the fridge so it softens a little, throw it in a bowl, add the caster sugar and beat the hell out of it with a whisk until it has a smooth texture (free muscle work out too!). 

Add the flour a little at a time and mix it in well, you should end up with a smooth paste like consistency. Put the mixture in the fridge to chill for 10/15 minutes - this makes it easier for the next stage.

Remove from the fridge and roll out so it's around 1cm thick. Cut into desired shapes (oblong is usually best) and stab it with a fork gently to make it look real (if you really want to, it's not needed)!

Place on a greased piece of baking paper inside a baking tray. Cook for around 15 minutes at 190c or until a golden brown colour. It may seem gooey still but the biscuits will harden as they cool. Leave out to cool and enjoy!

   
 

Cheap and Tasty Couscous with Roasted Vegetables

Couscous is amazingly cheap and extremely easy to make, you can keep a spare pack of uncooked couscous in the cupboard ready for those days when you are stone broke!

Couscous with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 cup Couscous
1 + half cups water
1 red onion
1 sweet potato
2 carrots
2 small parsnips
1 clove garlic
Salt and Pepper
1 vegetable stock cube
1tbs oil

Method:

Dice the sweet potato, carrots and parsnips into small pieces, around 1 to 2 cm squared and cut the red onion into strips. Crush the garlic and throw it into a big bowl with the diced potato, carrots and parsnip. Add a small amount of salt and pepper, 1 tbs of oil and mix so everything gets coated in oil. Pour contents into a big baking tray and roast for around 20 minutes, turning half way through - add as much time as you need so that the vegetables turn a nice golden brown colour.

While your vegetables are roasting you can prepare the couscous. The general rule of thumb is 1 part couscous to 1 and half parts water. 

Add the water to your saucepan and throw in a vegetable stock cube (can use a chicken stock cube if you prefer) or half depending on how much you are making. Add your dry couscous, and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. When the liquid is boiling turn the hob down so that it simmers, put the lid on and leave simmering for 5 minutes. Take off the heat, leave the lid on and put it to one side for 5 minutes - no peaking!

When you have waited 5 minutes remove the lid and fluff up the couscous with a fork, you can add a small amount of butter for taste. Throw in your roasted vegetables, give it a quick stir and enjoy!

I am slightly addicted to this recipe, it's tasty, really easy to make and relatively cheap. To make sure you don't waste any fresh veg by it going out of date a good idea is to dice and roast it for half the time, let it cool and put it into freezer bags/boxes and freeze. When needed you can either defrost and heat in the microwave or roast it for half the amount of time. Couscous is best made fresh, do not freeze couscous. You can however refrigerate couscous and it's delicious eaten cold the next day.