art equals happy.

My Favourite Hot Apple Cider! :: Yummies.

Ok, So I'm going to let you in on a little secret... My secret recipe for Hot Apple Cider that I use every year around this time. I don't drink alcohol- so I'm always on the lookout for fun drinks to make, that feel fancy. This is what I make when everyone is having Mulled Wine. (You can add Brandy if you like something 'adult').

You'll need:
Cranberry Juice.
Apple Juice.
A Red Apple.
Cinnamon Sticks.
Ground Cinnamon (Or Cinnamon Syrup).
Ground Cloves. 

Depending on how much you're making, add the Juices together (About 1 part Cran to 2 parts Apple. More Apple will make it sweeter) in a pan. Put the pan on the hob on medium heat (no boiling!).
Cut up your apple. Use one apple & one Cinnamon stick per 4 people.  Add those. 
Let it warm up nicely, then add in the spices &/or syrups. Turn heat down.
Taste test! If it's too sweet, add more Cranberry. If it's too sour- add more Apple! 

Serve in pretty glasses on a cold night with bits of your apple to chomp on!The great thing is you can re-heat it any stage during the evening if it cools. Yum!!

Lots of love. Kimxo

Breakfast for Best Friends. :: Photos/My Life.

Whenever I've stayed at Heather's house- it's always been accompanied by chocolate milk and good food. I will never forget the delishious poached egg in risotto meal. Yummm. On the morning of the 3rd of Jan this year, we treated ourself to tea and toast and fruit and milk and we may have watched a very romantic film like Pride and Predjudice.The perfect relaxed winter morning. She's also got the most wonderful sofa's to cuddle up on. Many happy times there. I do miss Bristol a lot. kxo

A favourite falltime tradition. :: Yummies/Flat 5.

One of my favourite falltime traditions is to make granola squares with a secret recipe my fairy godmother gave me. [: I found these photographs of Peter from last year helping me 'taste test' and just had to share.Do you have a favourite autumn tradition beside pumpkin patch going? kimxo

A delicious lunch. :: Yummies & Ghostly Illness

One of my symptoms of CFS/M.E. is that I never quite know how food is going to react with my body. There are a few things that I can manage pretty much all the time, but they aren't the most healthiest. I've been trying to find things to snack on during the day that aren't bad for me and don't make me feel bad. When I'm working at home or having a rough day- it's often hard for me to eat anything at all, let alone 3 good big meals.
I've heard a lot that raw foods & eating little bits at a time, rather than a big meal is better for us ill folks, because it doesn't give us that lull that digestion can make. So not all your energy is being pumped into digesting food at one time. 
Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't- but I do find I feel better after a day of little nibbles rather than 3 meals. Especially around lunch time. If I eat a big lunch- I'm done for the day, there's no more energy left in me.
On one day last week, here is what I came up with:-A bowl of strawberries.
-Ritz crackers with pepperoni and soft cheese.
-Chunks of fresh white bread.
-Potato Salad.
-Breadsticks.
-Pesto.
-Glass of milk.

I had this beside my bed from like 11am to 3pm and just had a bit now and again whilst I was knitting/listening to a book on tape. I based this lunch heavily around bready and starchy and milky products because I know my tummy agrees with them. So although it's not an ideal meal for everyone, I thought I would share a little bit about my daily life that isn't wool related. haha. Another factor I have to think about is preperation time, as that costs precious energy too. This is pretty easy- the hardest part being making the little ritzwiches.

A 'Howe' Cake. :: Yummies!

One of my lovely Bristol friends, Sophie,  is in London doing an work placement and it happened to be her big sister's birthday last weekend- so we decided to make a multicoloured cake for her as a wee surprise. I've been wanting to make a sweet crazy cake ever since I saw Dainty Squid's cupcakes. yum! So- we had a go!Mixing the batter was my favourite part, [: I love making pretty colours- whether it's hair dye, paint, tie die, ink, or food colouring!Blobbing it into the pan... and cooked!Sophie iced it all up and added some sweet stars to the top. [: I don't have a cut-piece picture (hopefully someone took one before it got eaten!) but it was super fun to make! Here's some cute pictures of Sophie Howe and her sister and me last year- just for smiles.

Bristol Visitors to London.

My dear friend Lucy (below) took all these photos on a little disposable! I've got some snaps of my own- but I always find it interesting to see how other people 'see' places that I go/live. I had a pretty crazy weekend last weekend.I had a whole bundle of nice people come stay with me. Lucy and Laurie and I went to Portobello to eat and shop and walk and take a nice long bus ride through Londontowwnn.Negs loved all the attention, and I'm pretty sure everyone loves her too. [: And the night before Sam made us Vegan pie and mash, and then Lucy made a veggie pie with the left over pastry the next night. We ate like kings! Cheesy mash, yogurt, cereal, baked veggies and homemade hummus, salad... It was pretty amazing. (plus I didn't have to do much of the cooking! woopie!)Needless to say my little one bedroom flat fills up pretty quick when you've got 3 sleepers and 4+ other visitors! Quite a lot of good catching up and eating and laughing and naps were had.Made me miss my Bristol life of two years ago very very much. But it's also exciting to see everyone growing and learning and changing into adults (slowly but surely!) and seeing where their lives take them. [: More visitors please!!!!
(Just as a reminder- Lucy Eskell took these. I would link you if she had a blog/flickr, maybe one day.)

potter times in november.

Found these few snapshots of the night before I saw Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Pt 1. [: I think the top photos are from when I saw it the second time (in Leicester square!). I had a lot of fun putting together outfits, that nodded towards hogwarts attire. This one was my impression of what I thought Alice Longbottom would've worn when she was at school. haha. I'm lame, I know. But it's all good fun!Peter went to come see the midnight showing with me. We were pretty excited, as you can tell from his face, I'm sure. [:Just thought I'd share. [:

Camberwell :: Milkshake Menu Animation.

We've got a deadline (for my BA Illustration course) on Monday which is also an assessment, so I'm busy trying to finish off the bits and bobs that need to get done. One of the things on my list was to make a chalkboard animation in my flat. Well, here it is! It's not perfect (at all!) but it's still fun.
Milkshake Menu. from Kim Smith on Vimeo.

If you want to know more about it or the making of the video (mainly my notes/thoughts) check out my camberwell blog. [: Hope you're having a good (and slightly less stressful) day!!!
Kimxo
p.s. I got a record amount of hits on my blog yesterday! wowza! Thanks to everyone who surfed around my categories and any new readers out there!

a september kitchen.

Going through old photos which I haven't edited or have slipped through the cracks, I found all these nice snapshots of my flat and cooking experiments. Being able to have people round and cooking for them (especially the boys, because they love whatever I make! haha. That's Peter on the left and my cousin Will on the right) is such a wonderful feeling. I've always liked being the hostess but it feels so much more legit now that I'm in my own flat. [:Some of my favourite September cooking adventures included: Butter Beer, quesadillas, homemade hummus, hazelnut hot chocolate, bubble and squeak, granola bars, shirley temples and baked potatoes. Today, I dipped some pretzels in chocolate to take to college with me next week and made some cinnamon apple syrup to have over ice cream for a treat tonight! This is something I'm going to try to keep up- making small treats at least once a week, or having someone over to cook for! There are a few girls in my class who inspire me to cook more, when they come in with their stories about what they made their housemates for dinner. Aw, I'm excited to see those girls again on Tues. <3 Did you cook/bake anything nice today?


p.s. I wish i had a cute house elf who could do all my chores and who i could knit cute socks and clothes for.