This is my favourite apple cake at the moment.
Even with the 'cool in the tin' timing trickster, I still love it. The rest is easy peasy and the result is a sugar crusted light fluffy aple cake. Perfection.
Did you have a lovely weekend? I keep trying to some sewing done but something else always crops up.
I have a gorgeous baby cookbook review over at Alfie's Room today too.
xxx
Oh wow HELLO!! I've missed you here.
I'm not even going to try to say I dont know how the empty space here happened. I know how exactly how it went down.
I weaned a baby onto food (which was such a big deal and I wasnt ready but he clearly was and loves everything), finished a sesquicentenial quilt for the boys school ( I'll post some photos later but its out and hanging and everyone loves it so phew), spent a lot of time moonlighting over at In Alfie's Room and did a spot of knitting. And Pinterest. Man oh man do I get stuck inside the vortex of Pinterest. Wow.
I cannot tell you how many times I have made and devoured this caramel slice recently. Pinterest is my recipe google. Guru.....?
We finally admitted that this little person was about to bust hulk style out of his moses basket. One last sleep heavily photographed. I believe I sobbed just a little. Milestones and all that....
Into a cot. Not 'The Cot' but one that fits behind the door until further notice. He wasnt quite sure what to do with the space. Laughed like a crazy baby for quite some time. Again-heavily photographed.
I knitted this vest (which took forever in 4ply) only to decide that I could not send him out in public looking like Wallace's understudy.
So I knit him a cardigan. Rather similar effect yes?
I've been sewing fitted sheets. Never in my dreams did I think I'd make sheets, but it is a ridiculously fast domestic goddess act. The practical things can be the most satisfying cant they?
I spend a lot of time making tickle hands. And singing in kooky voices. The things I do for a grin from this kid!
I learnt that photoshoots are getting challenging. Yes I wrestled with a seven month old over felt letters. He won.
But I dont care cause he's the sweetest thing on the planet.
And I have realised that I am happiest with black or blue on my nails. A maintenace nightmare but I love seeing my fingers all dark and moody. Butter London has a lot to answer for. Another addiction! Sheesh.
So I would understand if you thought after all those pics that I'm only here to show off the now giant baby right?!
Nah. That was just a bonus : )
Henry went on his first big school camp. Henry has also decided to start behaving like a teenager which I guess makes him a tweenie yes?
Oliver seems to be going through some family position reckoning which I hadnt banked on AT ALL. I thought the age gap was so stupendously huge that there would be no bumps. Wrong.
So we are all good. Cabin fever, teething and hormonal tweenies but good. Chocolate fixes everything. And I need a haircut but thats normal.
How are you??
xxxx
These are my idea of heaven.Dangerous, but finger licking belly swelling heaven.
Given that they simply dont keep, there is a spectacular chance you will eat all two dozen at once. Followed by their 'bums'. There's really no way getting around it. Especially as they need to be eaten warm.
I accept no responsibilty.Nada. I support you in your gluttony.
To begin with your plate will be piled high.
Then it will dwindle.
I say feed them to the children.They are much better prepeared to burn it all off. Those of us with sofa commitments are less so.
First spied here. Recipe over here.
Go on.......you know you're drooling now.xx
Knitting has become my go to activity and ,despite the typically absurd Sydney weather-raining morning/hot afternoon,I cant stop doing it.
I bought this pattern a while ago and it has been sitting waiting for some commitment from me and the right yarn.Sprig in silk georgette(alpaca,merino and silk) by Jo Sharp is the green of my dreams so that one was solved fairly quickly.Given that this is only the second piece of clothing I have ever knit,the cardigan was completed fairly quickly too.About one week to finish but another week to block and choose buttons.I did make alterations to it which you can read about here but not many.
*reality shot-laundry in background/yoga mat in corner/jeans I have just taken in so they will fit in my boots this time next week !First time I have used the timer on this camera.Hit and miss people.....
Don't you just love those buttons! I have a few different colours of them now all tossed in together like lollies.Serious bout of button lust.
Are you now wondering what happened to the lure of the sweet salty treat from the other day??
Surely sweet/salty had you going? Toss in the fairy lights requiring their own power plant and a studio styled up so "me" that I would move in today despite it being a set and you know where we are heading don't you?
Chocolate Peanut Cheesecake.Hellooooo Nigella!
Better the next day than the first and some fighting over the last sliver sitting lonely and wanton in the fridge.I won.
I dont know what we did before youtube.Her new series is not on here yet but I can watch it there and write down as many delicious feasts as I fell like.They always seem to be sweet though.......
Clearly my blogging hiatus is over.Be prepared for it to waver again over the next ten weeks I'm afraid as blogging on the hop is an athletic event all of its own.I will do my best!!
xxx
Its everywhere we turn and here today I have had a taste.
Some of the creations from my students and I am so proud of them!! Its very interesting the way children inspire each other and each class ended with a definite theme.Trying to keep each child on their own course is a challenge as they eat up the ideas around them!!
My other little piece of inspired creativity today is the infamous desert that took centre stage in the final of Junior Masterchef the other night.I must admit to not being a loyal fan of any of these shows (unlike my friend who can rattle off each contestants dna and finest moment without hesitation),but I was thoroughly taken with the genuine joy,appreciation and talent of the final group and sobbed with the rest of the country the other night as the last two (aged twelve and thirteen) battled it out.Luckily for us,the desert chef,or shall we say artist,is local and today,while in the area ,it occurred to us to see if "Pear Perfection" was as breathtaking in reality as it was on the screen.If you want one RUN because the sales person told us they are for this week only.
We only bought one as we suspected correctly that a taste is all you need.The boys salivated like paparazzi as I sliced it ever so carefully to inspect the inside as they had done on the show.No mean feat let me tell you.I think halves is all it can bear-quarters were a challenge!
Choux pastry,marzipan,chocolate,praline,jelly and custard.Visually impressive. Taste not so sure- but admittedly ours had been in the fridge for some time before we broke in to it so I'd say we made the job alot harder.In terms of design though this man has it nailed.We actually treated ourselves to another treat while in there today called " Berry Berrylicious" .Extraordinary but I have no idea how anyone could eat a whole one.I say that as the owner of a notoriously sweet tooth courtesy of my grandmother.
Of course if you are thinking of these creations as a meal you are missing the point.
There was sponge,coulis,white chocolate,toffee,mousse and a dusting of something on the sides which I cannot give a name too.It was shaped like a snail (or perhaps half a wheel) and devastatingly gorgeous.
Pencil in hand,dreaming up the shapes and colours then adding the flavours and textures to best give flight to his fancy.Its how I would begin.Perhaps he creates them through play in the kitchen-I don't know.I find the finished product fascinating.Art.
Oh dear soccer. Book them in and then have the majority of games canceled due to soggy weather and even soggier grounds.What to do with a couple of over excited shin pad wearing children?? What to do with them when some revolting idiots have driven onto our local park and spent the night doing burnouts so today it is locked and the locals are playing ball on the footpath as a result of the discovery that,after they decimated the first park, they then went over the nearest park to that.
We bake.Actually we bake and play handball and add to our reading challenge form.
First up lemons from a neighbour.I wish I could say eggs from our girls but they have closed shop due to the cold weather and despite morning bowls of hot milky bran the nest box remains empty.
LEMON CURD or lemon butter ( recipe from River Cottage Family Cookbook)
100grams butter cubed
175grams caster sugar
zest of 3 lemons
juice of 3 lemons
three eggs ( it said two eggs and one more yolk but I tossed in the whole egg and it was fine)
Put everything into a heavy based saucepan over very low heat and stir.Slowly!! or you will have lemony scrambled eggs.
After a little while the mixture will thicken and when it coats the back of the wooden spoon,leaving a line when you run your finger through it the curd is ready for bottling.
Make sure you strain the curd ito the jars as there will be little bits of egg.
I used to worry about sterilising jars properly but after I saw Maggie Beer make jam and say that -as long as the jar is freshly washed,by pouring in the hot jam and turning the jar upside down for a moment,the heat from the jam will seal and sterilise the vessel- I have simply stuck to that.I am yet to find a problem.
MERINGUES
200grams
4egg whites
Preheat oven to 100degress celsius
Beat the whites until satiny then pour in half the sugar.
When the whites look like shiny white satin and you can hold the bowl over your childs head (without any falling on them!!) ,using a metal spoon,fold in the remaining sugar.
I dolloped large spoonfuls of mixture onto a lined baking tray and place in the oven for 90 minutes.
*they are ready when you can easily lift them from the baking sheet and are a light gold
Take them out and cool them down on a rack.
The most important part!!!!!!
Take one bowl.
Place meringue in bowl
Dollop over thick cream
Small dollop over lemon curd
Grab spoon
Devour....................... : )
Next we made chocolate cupcakes.Well you would wouldn't you?
I have just finished a very sweet project from a new book.I rarely buy crafty books as often I find them catering to those new to the world of making and not addressing the number of people out there with skills they are busting to have directed in an imaginative direction.Seriously there are only so many books needed to show the world how to applique a motif on a babies singlet. Either that or I am simply blinded by the choice-bunny in headlight style.
The book I bought was Sandi Hendersons scrap busting book and the first thing I have whipped up is her lovely "Countdown Chain" project.Easy, fast and a fantastic idea.Just in time too as someone who used to be absolutely teensy is turning seven(yelp!!) at the end of August so tomorrow he can happily put up the first chain.Yay!!
xxxxxx
*Baking.Beating,whizzing,chopping,bowl licking,heart calming,house warming.
Raspberry muffins
Wholemeal bread
Focaccia
Choc chip peanut butter cookies
*Stirring.methodical,soothing,low lights,curled up feet tucked under,dare I say "slurping"?
Pea soup
Cauliflower and almond soup
Slow roast shoulder of lamb with lentils
Greek lamb stew
French chicken casserole
New hot pink chairs in the rain with the mexican floral plastic tablecloth in red.Its the Carmen Miranda wet look.
This has been ordered and eagerly awaits.I have never been one for flannel but she draws me in every time and there is nothing we need now more than the softest of throw quilts for the sofa.
The sofa.Cherry pinwhale cord loose cover.The first is always the hardest.I see in our future a cupboard full of loose covers in a rainbow of colours and fabrics.Oh how I wish we had white floors.
Working on a very exciting custom order.
Art & Craft class for children went as well as I dared hope.Smiles on faces big and small.
Stitching stitching.Its raining.How could I not?
All good.
The travel bug is nibbling at our toes and we are contemplating driving through Europe.We will fight and get lost and discover places we never would have if we were on a train and the children might try to kill each other.The perfect family holiday from what I remember.
xxx
I call it a swindle because those sweet little faces so often stare you right in the face and tell you they ate the lunch you made.In reality they ate something the kid with the wanting pokemon cards supplied them with after some bribing from your child and a covert operation where money changed from one small hand to the other at the checkout and the sweet treat you would never order for your child is paid for by another and then passed stealth like into the eager hand of your child.A card for a stick of licorice.Which brings me to-what the hell is a primary school canteen doing selling licorice???? Sorry-back to the task at hand.Salad sandwich? Where? Whats it look like???? Wow-kind of reminds me how we used to buy alcohol while still underage.Hmmmm.
This is a regular solution to the 'so empty that you just know nothing inside it was actually bitten on its way to the great big bin in the playground'(that bin must STINK by Tuesday-I'm sure it is full by then aren't you? ).
I cannot claim this is a recipe of any sort-more a partnership between what you have in the fridge and the freezer with the only stipulation being that you do need eggs and frozen puff pastry.After that anything you wish to thicken the mix with and add for variety is up to you.On the days this goes to school there is always telltale evidence of munching in the bottom of the lunchbox.Guaranteed.Actually its a good idea to make a few as they invariably want it for dinner as well.Ha.I am mummy hear me roar!!
Okay.The 'not really a recipe' recipe:
Puff pastry-one sheet per pastry surprise(Two children with different tastes = seperate baked goods)
Eggs - two per sheet
Cream cheese/greek yoghurt/buttermilk(not the best choice but it does work in moments of empty fridge desperation) very technical term here = 'dollop'
Feta/Bocconcini/Parmesan depending on child-small handfull
Filling-chopped olives/prosciuto/ham/halved cherry tomatoes/spinach-quanitity depends on child
Put the oven on about 200C and lay a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray.
In a bowl beat together the eggs with a large dollop of cream cheese or the like and beat adding some pepper.
Add you filling and mix until combined.
When the sheet of pastry has defrosted dollop the mix on one side of the sheet (leaving the edges clear) and quickly fold the other half of pastry over the top.Squish the edges and fold them up and over on themselves pinching to seal.make a tiny slit in the top of the package to let the air out and brush the top with a little milk or egg glaze.
Pop it in the oven and keep an eye on it as it will only take about 15 minutes depending on your oven.
I let it cool on a rack so the bottom does not go soggy and then it gets sliced and sent to the fridge when cold.
A small tub of tomato sauce is sometimes sent to school aswell but mostly they just wolf it down as is.
*In the spinach version I use one small box of frozen spinach-defrost it and squeeze out the excess moisture before mixing it in.This one is easily the favourite!
** It is widely known that during the day that creature known as the SAHM gets somewhat hungry.They have been spotted snaffling this from the fridge thinking the ctv is not working.Not so.Make extra just in case they break in.
xxxx
I though I had better get started and so yesterday while I waited for everyone to get ready to go out I mod podged my Ikea drawers ( another set to do yet )
then this morning, while the boys finished their breakfast before the school run ,I finished my skirt( forgot to take a piccie sorry but I'll post one later!) and then ,while I waited to take lucky mum to the airport, I got started on our advent calender.
I also baked yesterday which was sooo nice to do as I felt like I hadn't taken the time to enjoy that for weeks.Now in the pantry we have banana bread,Nigella chocolate cake and fantastic brownies.
These are from The River Cottage Family Cookbook which I have raved about before here.I have never really bothered to bake brownies since some disastrous attempts when I was younger but these were so easy and they are fudgy slabs of heaven.
And then in the post came this and I had forgotten all about it!!
Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to be the winner of April in a Marie Claire Idees magazine blogging competition and,although I didn't win the final,I did still win a years subscription to the magazine and an entry ticket to the craft show in Paris.Well mum has gone with the ticket and promised she will go to Paris and see the show and left me here to enjoy my christmas special.Perfect.
I have more of this ahead of me tonight happily too.Slowly growing!
Ok I had better go and get some kind of dinner thing happening before the starving hordes arrive home from swimming!!
xxxx
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