All Kinds of Shoes and a Pecan Scone

It's been a crazy and hectic couple of weeks in the world of Jenna with not much time to stop and think (but plenty time to eat that yummy scone). I did however manage to get my hands on two new pairs of shoesies brand new from eBay which has brightened things up! My Star Wars-esque pumps are originally from Topshop and the nude strappy heels are from Dorothy Perkins, which are being saved for August when I am being a bridesmaid at my best friend's wedding.

This morning I also got to see the first hot air balloon of the year taking off from the park in front of my flat. The sun was just peeping over the hills and it got me all excited for summer. I just can't wait!

More posts to come next week when I finally have some holidays…yaaaay!

Some Dairy and Gluten Free Goodness

This weekend was a lazy weekend full of Breaking Bad marathons wrapped in fluffy blankets, late lunches and watching the sun stream through the bedroom window. As much as I love busy weekends socialising and going on trips, sometimes you just need some time at home to relax from a hectic week.

I've had a gluten free diet for the past 8 years since discovering I was intolerant at 16. After a few years you get so used to what you can and can't have that keeping a gluten free diet isn't actually as devastating as you might think, although don't get me wrong, I still wish I could eat proper pizza every day of the week! Recently however, I have been feeling like something else is wrong. I have been sticking to the gluten free and still feeling like crap. I started to cut out dairy and suddenly feel alot better (still not entirely but hopefully the doctor will shed some light on that!). 

But here's the thing - living gluten and dairy free is NOT easy! And here's where the wonderful blogging world has been coming to my rescue. Just this weekend I tried out two recipes from blogs, one from The Londoner for dairy free ice cream and one from Handmade Charlotte for grain free "n'oatmeal" - both are simple to make, use every day ingredients and are completely dairy and gluten free, yay!

Are any of you dairy or gluten free? Do you have any recipes which get you through the day?!

Things Which Make Me Smile #1

Since today marks International Happiness day, I have decided to do a few posts over the coming days about things which make me...and hopefully you!...smile. 

I've had my camera a lot longer than Fairy in the Blossom Tree has been around and so through these posts I am going to show you some of the things which I get up to in my life. I really enjoy reading other people's blog posts where you find out what they like, where they've been and what they've been up to...so if you're nosey like me then you might enjoy these next few posts of mine!

Today's things which make me smile are:

1. The Sun
A few years ago I spent a summer in Tanzania in Africa teaching first aid to children in rural schools. During my time away, I saw some of the most amazing things I've ever seen. One of these had to be the sunrises. It still doesn't feel like it was me when I say that I have seen the sun rise over the Ngorongoro crater before going on safari, or that I sat on a deserted beach in Zanzibar at 5.30am watching ladies pick seaweed from the shores, but thankfully I have the photos to prove it!
I think travelling is a very important part of life and whilst going to far flung places like Africa might be a little too extreme for some people, I do think everyone should try at least once to go somewhere that is totally out of their comfort zone. The things you learn about yourself are amazing.
The most poignant lesson I learnt about myself from my 2 months in Africa? That no matter where I go, I WILL lose my mobile phone within 2 days of having it, no matter what!

Sunrise over the Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania

Seaweed pickers, Bwejuu beach, Zanzibar

Pier jumpers in Stonetown, Zanzibar

2. Food

Who doesn't enjoy their food?! I find so much pleasure from what food can bring - obviously the first and foremost is that it's bloomin' yummy, but I love the way food brings friends and family together, whether it be a birthday meal out to a restaurant, a summer BBQ in the park or a big Sunday breakfast in your PJs with your love. 

Breakfast in Gullane, Scotland

Pizza from the Vittoria Van at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Birthday dinner for the boy!

Fresh croissants and coffee in Paris

Currywurst at the German Market in Edinburgh

What makes you smile? Would you like to see more of these kinds of posts?

American Diner Style Birthday

It's fast becoming tradition that on my boyfriend's birthday, I cook a big slap up meal for us and of course, bake the obligatory chocolate cake! Who's idea was this "tradition", hmmm?!

This year I decided, after seeing an absolutely mouth watering post on a homemade burger with pulled pork by The Londoner (here), to go for an all out American diner style theme. Now, I do like to cook and I'm not a complete kitchen disaster (although the broken ceramic dish in my bin would tell you a different story), but I'm by no means a chef, so I beg of you to try this if Ultimate Burgers are your thang!

So, here's what I went for:

Southern fried chicken burgers (gluten free)

BBQ pulled pork

Paprika sweet potato fries

Toasted marshmallow milkshakes

Chocolate cake (gluten free)

And I'm sooo happy to say it was all a roaring success! 

For the Southern Fried chicken burgers, take 200g of gluten-free flour (I try to eat GF as much as possible) and sift with some salt, paprika and piri piri salt in a big bowl. Beat an egg in a separate bowl. Take two chicken breasts and score along the top and flatten a little, then dip in the flour, then the egg, then the flour again so it's coated well. Pan fry in hot oil for about 10 mins and then whack in the oven at 220 degrees celcius for 20-30 mins. 

The trick here is making sure you take the chicken out the oven as soon as it's cooked and white all the way through - I used to be so guilty of leaving chicken in the oven for an hour "to make sure it's cooked" but all that happens is you get bone dry chewy chicken! Take it out as soon as it's cooked and it'll be soo tender!

For the pulled pork, I did exactly as The Londoner did in her post, which I've linked above. Cooked in the slow cooker for 4 hours (after work meaning I did not see my bed till 1.50am by the time I'd taken it out and pulled off the bone, so maybe try this at the weekend when you have more time!), then pull the softest meat off the bone and mix with some more BBQ sauce, and it's honestly that simple. And let me tell you, it tastes AMAZING!

I didn't make the bread buns (shoot me) and they aren't gluten free (because GF bread SUCKS), but I did put an egg wash on the top, sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked in the oven for 10 mins to try and get that American diner bun feel!

Now, layer up in a loaded, messy style, serve with some sweet potatoes roasted with plenty of salt and paprika, and enjoy!!

Oh, and not forgetting the marshmallow milkshakes, which are a Spike Mendelsohn recipe, find it here...mmmmmmm!

I used a Nigella chocolate cake recipe (here) and decorated with baby bunting which was somewhat a by-product of the real, life-size bunting which I made as part of Hamish's birthday present. I will be doing a post about the making of that next week! As I'm sure you can imagine, Pinterest provided oodles of inspiration for the decorations!

Here's the birthday boy himself, badge and all, getting tucked right in <3

 PHEW! I'm almost as tired writing what I did as I was preparing it all! We ended the evening shacked up in a tiny little pub drinking Disaronno and coke listening to some brilliant open mic, and are off on a trip to the West coast of Scotland this weekend. I like birthdays, even if they aren't my own!

Let me know if you have a go at the burgers, or have any advice to give!

The first of many...

Like most people in the working Dolly Parton world (9-5, that would be), tomorrow marks the first of many full-time working weeks this year...rather than getting the Sunday Blues, I have decided to start my own little blog! 2013 was a good year for me but I'm hoping 2014 is going to be even better, I have already had a good few vintage escapades and a trip around half of Eastern Europe is in the making for the summer, and I'd quite like somewhere to document it! I hope you like it :-)

Today I finally took down our cute little Christmas tree and long red stockings from the fireplace...Festive 2013 is officially over but the memories, although some are rather hazy, are a-plenty...

A homemade santa sleigh, very cute!

A present received for Christmas. Excited to see if it actually works and we can have some hand-grown chilies by April!  

 After a pretty eventful Boxing Day (say no to homemade tequila rose shots!) we decided to stay out of the rain and away from the usual anti-climatic parties and spent NYE in our little flat. We put on a feast for 2 including garlic and chilli prawns, antipasti, halloumi and roasted red peppers, along with some Bacardi oakhearts and ginger beer. If you're a rum lover, or even if not, I suggest you try some - put your glasses in the freezer an hour before you use them, add a load of ice and a squeezed slice of lime, then either ginger beer or Pepsi Max...ahhh!

I love chopping boards so much, I serve anything I can on them! Some of these are from TK Maxx and the others were gifts. The blackboard is normally kept in the bathroom where it's pretty fun to wake up to a new cute message - you can get them from cheapy shops like Poundstretcher! 

Hope everyone has an easy and enjoyable first Monday of 2014!