Garden catch up and a bit of cooking.

Autumn is in full force here down under!  The trees are changing colour with the colder nights and the nights are starting to draw in.  Almost time to cosy up in front of the fire.  But first there is the garden to put to bed!  I normally have a winter garden, but this winter I decided to let it rest as the vegetable patch has been cropping constantly for 2 years.  I will keep the silver beet (Chard) and sorrel, and will plant some kale and purple sprouting broccoli to tide me over.

I decided to take a leaf out of the permaculture circles and put down layers of leaf litter, grass clippings and compost so that the rain doesn't leach away what goodness is left in the soil and by next spring hopefully it will have rotted down to create a rich soil.  So over the last two weeks I have been out there beavering away.  It is now ready to layer from the collected piles of garden waste.  I have a big trailer load of mushroom compost being delivered next week from the local mushroom farm.

Nice and tidy!

While I have been hard at it my cats have watched intently, probably thinking oh she has made us a giant litter box!  Can you see Ambrose peeping out in  the above photo.

Mostly they have been taking great naps; all my activity makes them tired!

Enough Mum!  Ambrose and Peggy Sue take over the garden refuse sack.

Lucy prefers to rest indoors, near the fridge in case I might throw her a snack whenever I go to it!

With all this gardening I haven’t had much time for baking.  However yesterday I made some Welsh scones, they were a family favourite along with pikelets when I was growing up.  Don’t you find sometimes you hanker for the things of your childhood?  Must be a sign of advancing years!

These are quick to make and you don’t need to use the oven.  Traditionally they were done on a griddle or hotplate.  I used a fry pan and decided to add some chocolate chips along with the currants. The blog  Little Welsh House      suggested that you can do so and the idea appealed, so finally I got around to it.  However I used my family’s recipe.

Welsh Scones

8oz (225 g) flour

2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

½ tsp ground nutmeg

2oz (50g) butter or margarine

2oz (50g) sugar

2oz (50 g) currants

Chocolate chips (I used a handful)

1 beaten egg

Milk to mix

Preheat girdle or heavy based fry pan.  Sift  flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Rub in fat till it resemble breadcrumbs, Stir in sugar, fruit and chocolate chips.  Mix with the egg and milk to form a firm dough but not too dry, like normal scone mix.  Roll out to 1 cm or ½ thick and cut into rounds or triangles.  Cook on a moderate hot surface till brown on both sides.  About ten minutes.

That is it they were delicious both hot and cold.  I like the chocolate in them, but I think it would be too much if they were just chocolate and no fruit.

That’s it for today, the forecast is for rain for the nest few days so I will be able get lots of crochet done!

Have a great day.

Mand-A-Long

Hello, I am linking this post to Chrissie's Mand-a-Long.  It seems that there is a bit of an obsession with Mandalas in crochet blogland!  I know I am obsessed.  I posted last week about the mandalas I did them, mainly with 4 ply wool, using variations on Winks pattern from Simply Crochet.  I have carried on the good work with the one below, an antique feel this time, more subdued.

It matches a find from one of the local op sops this week – Japanese lustre cup.  I haven’t shown it here but the outside of it is very beautiful too – a teal green with gold trim.

Yesterday, I decided to go a bit brighter and the result was these two.

Very Summery!  The top one was a variation of a Mandala pattern by Wink on Tuts.  The pink wool one is more or less following the pattern I found on Made in K Town’s Blog.  I see great possibilities for these and I am in the process of trying out my own design – getting the increases right for each round is the difficult trick.  But I will beat it.  I will post it when I have.

The other thing I have been doing this week is trying out motifs for a light shawl that’s the other obsession I have at the moment – er …. Along with bags, both crocheted and embroidered ones.  Below is the motif for the shawl that I have settled on.  The colours will be just right for the cooler nights we are getting with Autumn.

That has been my crochet week, why not go over and check other Mandalas at Chrissies Crafts.

P.S   Oh, this Mandala obsession actually has been around a longish time for me! I posted about these pot holders when I first started this blog last month.

Also linking with Cosmos and Cottons Monthly Mandalong

Mandala? Doily?

Ah, the best laid plans of men and mice!  I was going to complete my ‘Olympia’ bunny for my grandniece Kendal this week.  But this happened!

I managed to do the body of the bunny (by the way my first toy ever!) And while I was doing the pink and white dress realized that it and the ecru colour of the rabbit didn't match.

The pattern was in white, I had no white so off to the wool shop (any excuse!).  So I got started on a new bunny.  You can’t see in the photo that the pink and white dress has glitter, just right for a princess. 

I decided that the ecru rabbit would be great for Kendal’s brother, dress him in a baggy top and shorts.  So while in the shop I kept an eye out for suitable wool.  In the discount basket they had just the job – variegated 4 ply.

Ah, it tantalized me all day, and next for some reason I was crocheting mandalas.  Where did that come from!  Could it be from the Simply Crochet Magazine I had just brought with a Mandala tantalizing me (we get the magazine about 2 months behind here in NZ). Or was it the lovely mandala Chrissie had last week, or the tutorial by Lizzie here…. Whatever the reason the bunny has been abandoned and I am playing with the variegated wool.

 I have been so inspired by this wool that I went to the wool shop today and brought all she had of it - 14 balls.  I am thinking a shawl? Perhaps a baby’s blanket – there is a new arrival soon in my extended family.

I think I was inspired by my garden.  This miniature rose has had a new least of life this autumn.

One question, to me these are doilies, so what makes a mandala –is it when you add the different colours yourselves and not the lazy way I did relying on luck making the changes for you?  Whatever, I do know that I will be doing more of these!  I am trying to stop my hands going to my stash and picking out colours, well at least till I finished the kids bunnies!  So hopefully I will show the bunnies next week.

Today I am linking to Yarn Along link up.  Why not head over there and see what other lovely yarny stuff is being created.

A hat, an apple cosy and a rhubarb and custard crumble tart!

I am very pleased with the hat I crocheted this week.  I got the pattern from a library book called Hooked Hats.  This is a cloche style; I like the slight brim as I don’t suit beanies.  What is cool about this one is that you can crochet different colour trims to suit what you are wearing.

It uses two stands of double wool so I decided to use different colours giving it a tweedy look.

There are a couple of hats that I like the look of and I have a request to do a beanie for a young friend.

Another library book I got out on Monday was very inspiring

The author is a blogger from Dorset – Sara Sinaguglia. I was very taken with the apple cozies, they make me smile and have a very useful purpose – protecting the apple from bruises etc. when you want to put one in your bag when you are on the go.  I had to have a go.

Sara has make very pretty apple blossoms in fine crochet cotton to attach – don’t think I am up to that yet

Another project that I have started is this gorgeous bunny, will suit my grandniece Kendal!   She is three and very much into fairies and princesses and this bunny is certainly a princess with her beautiful dress.

Now a recipe, that I made up yesterday.  I had seen a recipe for rhubarb and custard cake, but it looked very complicated.  I have a lot of rhubarb to use up as it will start to die down soon.

I picked a bunch and was going to give them a blast in the oven but suddenly thought why not the microwave, so I sprinkled sugar on the chopped up rhubarb covered with cling film (used no water) and cooked for 8 minutes at 50 per cent power.  I t was good as the oven and used less power.

Next I made some custard up, but you could use readymade, it needs to be fairly thick.

Then I made some short crust pastry but quite short so that I could reserve some for the crumble topping.  I baked the pastry blind as I didn’t want the bottom to be soggy as I was going to serve it up to some dinner guests.

Then I put spoonful’s of rhubarb and custard in the crust.  I wanted there to be distinct patches of custard and rhubarb.  Then I scrunched up the reserved pastry added 2 sppons of brown sugar and I half tsp. ginger to the crumble.  Then I baked it in oven till the crumble was brown,  I also used up the rest of the custard and rhubarb and crumble mix in little dishes.

It was delicious and my guests all wanted the recipe!

So as you can see a busy few days.  Tomorrow will be busy too as my grapes are ready and I have to pick them before the birds get them!  I will make grape cordial for the winter.

Have a great day everyone see you soon.

Linking today with Chrissies Crafts

Store Cupboard Yuminess - Vegetarian Moussaka

Eating alone tonight, just the two of you or no time for fiddling with lots of ingredients.  There is no need to have toast and beans!  With just a tin of that and a jar of this and a vegetable that needs to be used up you can prepare very quickly a lovely meal.

I was very tired a few nights ago and didn’t feel like cooking; on the bench was an eggplant that was screaming at me to be used.  I had brought it at the local car boot market a well over a week ago!  I am a sucker for their lovely purple hues. I love eating them any which way.  Perhaps my favourite way of all is Moussaka.

I looked at it felt it, I couldn’t leave it any longer!  I opened my cupboard and looked.  Ah ha!  Vegetarian moussaka flashed into my consciousness, I discovered this a little while ago, very quick and sumptuous. With a tasty side salad from the garden, just what the doctor ordered.

Vegetarian Moussaka

1 tin beans (any type, I used cannelloni, I have used all sorts, a tin of mixed is very good).

Third jar of ready-made pasta sauce (one with chunky vegetables is ideal but not essential, I used plain above).

1 eggplant

1 egg

Cup plain yoghurt

Cup grated cheese

Heaped tbsp. s/r flour

Drain Beans put in casserole dish, Add pasta sauce , may need more but don’t make it too soupy.

Slice eggplant and fry in oil, use the oil very hot so it doesn’t get suck up by the eggplant. (I don’t salt eggplants as the varieties we grow today are not bitter.  It may differ in various countries)

Layer the eggplants on top of bean mix.

Beat egg in a bowl, add flour and mix well.  Pour in yoghurt and add cheese reserving some to sprinkle on top of casserole.  Mix well and pour over the eggplant layer.

Bake at 180C. for ½ hour or till golden and bubbly.  Take out of oven and let sit for 10 minutes.  Just time to make the salad!  Serve with salad and crusty bread.

Note: I have used slices of cooked potato when eggplants are expensive in Winter

My Salad

Toss together:

Buttercrunch (Tom Thumb) lettuce,

Leaves of rocket, sorrel and coriander

Chopped yellow or red capsicum

Segments of mandarins (I find if I use fruit in salads, a dressing is not missed)

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Enjoy.

Recent photos – magenta love

 The above is the start of a jumper I am crocheting , the stitch pattern based on the cal blanket I am doing. (see last post) .  Today I finished my hat from the library book, it is very nice, I kept up with my theme of magent and crochet the trim in hot pink.  The hat uses two strands, one navy and the other purple.I might do another from the book before I return it.  Will show photo next post.  

Got a couple of more books on crochet out of the library this morning and found a rabbit pattern that I will do for my grand niece, Kendal who lives in Perth WA.  Also some other lovelies that I will no doubt start in the coming weeks!!!

It has been rather humid and hot here today the after effects of the cyclone Lucy.  Luckily it missed my region but Northland and Auckland got hit quite bad.  

Have a great day!

Pink and Cozy!

Now I am not a pink girly girl, I am more into bright colours and zany.  Well I thought I was.  Last week I noticed that pink has started to creep into my life!

It first started with the trio Colclough china set I found in a local op shop.  I just had to have it!  In the same shop I found a tray cloth (I adore vintage table settings and china).

I have a pretty teapot and for a while I wanted to do a tea cozy that matched it prettiness.  Most of the tea cozy patterns on the net are for rounder pots.  I eventually find a couple of sites that showed you how to make a cozy to fit the shape of your pot.  So, grabbing some very pale pink I started.

It needed some flowers, so I visited Attic 24 and learnt how to do some roses and other open flowers

As you can see it is starting to get rather pink and girlie!  More so when I decided to add some pearl buttons and do a scalloped edging!  At this stage I started to giggle at myself.

I got a bit carried away and added a tiny flower and pearl button at the button where the bottom is attached.

Attaching the flowers was fun and by this time I was chortling loudly, Tada how girly is that!

Actually, I was rather pleased and proud of it, and had to go rushing out to show my neighbor it.  Result she wants one for her teapot!  Yesterday showed my bestie and she wants one!  I have been told in no uncertain terms not to call it girlie but romantic.  And this setting does look romantic.  My two buys at the op shop. (Tray cloth and china trio, plus the scarf I crochet over the last two days.

The scarf is actually a peach colour and the pattern was a fancy trellis  pattern from a library book on vintage crochet.  It will be ideal for the cooler nights we are now getting with the arrival of autumn.  Got to be cozy!

This pretty and feminine stuff is starting to scare me, think I will get back to my CAL blanket from Little Woolies blog.  So far its taken me about 3 months and I am about 2/3rds through.  That should stop the urge I have to crochet a lacy shawl.  But don’t be surprised if you see one soon, I think I am fighting a losing battle!  Because as you know we all have a little bit of romantic girlie stuff inside all of us.

Anyway that has been my week crochet wise. 

PS I have asked one of my friends to slap me if I start to wear pretty pink dresses!

I am linking this to Annemaries Haakblog weekend Link your Stuff.