Family and Friends

Happy Easter I hope you are having a lovely time. I have both my girls home so very happy having them under one roof.

Last week I told you I was off to collect wild garlic and combine that with a dog walk. Well the place I walked had obviously had some tree felling going on recently and what was once a lovely grassy stretch, if a little boggy at this time of the year was more like a ploughed field!

Let’s just say the little dogs got rather mucky although they had a lovely time. We even had a deer run right across our path and I did not lose either dog. If I had had Faith my GSD with me it might have been a different matter 😊

After the walk I drove just a little further and found loads of wild garlic. I had thought it might have started flowering but not as yet, which means I might just get another picking in before it disappears for another year.

With the batch I collected I decided to make some pesto and also some wild garlic salt. The salt is just the leaves shredded up in the blender and then sea salt added and quickly blitzed to combine. I then spread over a dehydrator tray and have been drying it out over 3 to 4 days. If you can guarantee sun you could do outside but obviously you would need to cover to keep away insects.

I will be putting the salt in a jar today so will show you the finished item next week. The pesto is just the wild garlic leaves, olive oil and parmesan cheese. I do not add pine nuts as Georgina does not like. This is great to add to pasta or topping pizza to add that lovely garlic flavour.

I had to order some more yarn for my jacket and unfortunately it got delivered to my old address back in Oxfordshire. Luckily the people that bought the house are happy to put it in the post and I will reimburse them the postage. This means my jacket is at a standstill as I have run out of one of the colours. Therefore until it arrives I have to find little projects to do.

I found a pattern for a cute Russian Doll or Matryoshka from Craftyemmi on Instagram who has created various versions so check her out. She is also the person who created the lovely lotus bookmark I did.

We have had a few nice days over the long weekend and was able to do some more gardening and start clearing the beds and transplanting some plants that I just feel were not in the right place. I also managed to sit out in the sun and do a little reading too ☀️

I am having friends around for afternoon tea tomorrow so will be doing a spot of baking today and making my dark chocolate chip scones fresh tomorrow, these will be served with cherry compote and clotted cream. I will try to remember to take photos to share with you. I will also give you the recipes next blog.

Have a lovely rest of Easter and I will chat to you next week.

Chris x

March comes in like a lion

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb!

Well not this year! Let me start by saying “What a storm that was”.

Here in Devon the wind was brutal and my pretty little shed was a casualty 😢

We managed to upright it yesterday and I secured the roof on the main part of the shed to make it water tight again but today I am going to have to do a bit of make do and mend on the side compartment as it has been ripped away from the main part and the roof came off completely.

The garden had been looking good, for this time of the year as Monday had been a lovely day and had managed to edge some borders, cut the grass and reposition and finish filling my pallet planters.

I sowed some more lettuce to continue the supply and also echinacea, phlox and penstemon which are now on my window sill. In my planters I popped some Zinnia and Calendula seeds as both good for aphid control. Also the first sowing of carrots and spring onions.

In the kitchen this week I had some double cream left over so made some butter and decided to make it into honey butter to go with some scones.

Maple Syrup and Cinnamon Scones

2 cups of plain flour
3 tbs sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix all of the above together

6 tbs cold butter

Rub into flour mixture until breadcrumbs

2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Add to above and combine until forms a ball.

Roll out till about 1 inch thickness and use cutter to create scones.

Place on baking sheet and brush top with milk

Cook in oven 400° for 15 mins

Once cooled serve with honey butter

I also made some very yummy peanut butter hummus. If you have a nut allergy or just not keen on nuts you can leave out. Georgina does not like nuts but did not even notice that it had the peanut butter in.

Homemade Peanut butter hummus

1 can of chickpeas
2 tbsp water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup of peanut butter
3 garlic cloves ( 2 if you don’t like it too garlicky)
Good handful of parsley
1/2 tsp salt

Put into liquidiser and blend until fairly smooth. You may need to add a little more oil or water to help blend it.

This should keep in the fridge for nearly 2 weeks ( not that it will probably last that long around here) 😋

As we had a lot of bad weather this week I did manage to get more of my granny square jacket done. I am just waiting on a yarn delivery to be able to continue making squares. Therefore I decided to start joining some of them to create one of the front sections. I finally decided on a joining stitch that emulates the squares. You can find the details of how to achieve it on Carina’s Craftblog

The sun has made an appearance this morning so hopefully I can do a nice walk with the dog but know wherever that is I will need wellies as we have had so much rain but if we have some warm dry weather for the Easter period it will definitely get everything growing. I think I might go pick some more wild garlic before it disappears for another year. Pesto or pasta, probably will depend on how much I collect!

Until next week step carefully but always forward.

Chris x

Two week round up.

I’m sorry I did not get around to posting last week, I have had a horrible head cold for the past two weeks and only in the last few days have I felt more like my normal self.

Last Sunday myself and Mia attended Crufts with our German Spitz Klein Mouse and she actually got placed 3rd in her class which was lovely. We then did a little retail therapy and some catching up with friends. All in all a lovely day but oh so tiring!

The previous week I made a colourful one pan meal of roast chicken and vegetables. Using some chicken thighs cut into chunks and a nice selection of colourful veg also chopped into bite sized pieces. I sprinkled some chopped garlic and mixed herb and seasoning over them, also olive oil. Then just popped into the oven for around 45 mins.

This week we had our Supper Club and the theme was Spring therefore I made my Lemon nettle cake I made last year unfortunately it did not turn as vibrantly green as previously but it still tasted great.

Our next Supper Club is growing in numbers and will be Mexican themed, bring on the tequila 😉.

The weather is slowly warming up and the camelia and magnolia are beginning to appear in my garden. I have now sown some lettuce and my tomatoes and courgettes are germinating inside. My sweet peas and the lettuce have been outside for a few days to harden off. I am definitely looking forward to doing more in the garden this coming week if the weather stays mild.

I have bought an archway to grow the sweet peas up, I just need to decide on placement. I will be sowing my peas into the container I painted last year and that I grew tomatoes in. This is down in the bottom garden and has trellis at the back which the peas can grow up. I am keeping track of when I sow and germination etc in my garden planner which will be helpful to look back on and it also will let me know what grows well in my garden.

My crocheting goes in stops and starts but I have completed something and also have a work in progress project.

My Easter bunny is now complete I used a free pattern I found on Instagram unfortunately the creator does not appear to be on there any more but I took screenshots to follow so I am attaching below

Here is my little bunny

The other crochet project is making a granny square cardigan. I can just make the squares as and when I feel like it and eventually put them all together. I loved this pattern and actually whilst it looks a little complicated is fairly easy. It’s just trying not to get too tangled up with the different yarn balls.

I am getting quite a little selection of spring crochet items for my kitchen island display it looks so cheerful especially with the tulips.

Well that’s the catch up of the past two weeks. I hope all you mums are going to be spoilt today. I am being taken out to lunch by my eldest Georgina as Mia is on the final few days until her dissertation is due and so could not be at home but we did spend last weekend together.

Have a good week.

Chris x

Busy Week in Devon

Last week I left you with a photo of the first few rows of my mug hug. So here is the finished item. I used uneven berry stitch to create the textured pattern.

This was an interim project until my new crochet book arrived. Amigurumi Flower Babies from this book I have made the little flower baby and two hats, one a daffodil and one snowdrop. I am now working on a hydrangea, photo next week hopefully ☺️

We had Valentine’s Day this week and my daughter Georgina and myself had a nice meal of steamed chinese pork buns and stir fried vegetables. For the filling I used a recipe from Riverton Kitchen I actually used pork mince. The dough recipe can be found here

In the garden I have done a little more tidying up and have now bought my potatoes and they are sitting in an egg box chitting. The sweet peas I sowed nearly two weeks ago have now nearly all germinated. Once they have a couple of sets of leaves on I will pinch out to allow them to bush.

I am using my planner to keep a record of how long seeds are taking to germinate and when I planted them. This year I am hoping to make my flower beds into a more potager garden by planting vegetables amongst the flowers. I am finding out which flowers and vegetables work well together. I have not done this before so watch this space.

I am going to get some more seeds sown this coming week, my conservatory will soon look more like a greenhouse!

We have our first Supper Club this coming week which I’m really looking forward to. I will try to take some photos for you to see what we all produced.

Have a good week

Chris x

The Gateway to Spring

Welcome February, a short month but I consider it the gateway to Spring. Whilst the weather is often a mixed bag, the evenings are starting to lighten and the spring flowers are starting to appear.

This week I planted my sweet peas, always the first thing that I plant and a must have in my garden. As I told you last week I have designed a garden planner and this week it went live on Amazon and I am waiting for my author’s copy to arrive. I cannot wait to start filling it in and planning the year ahead. Even if no one buys one I will have my own paperback copy ☺️

Last week I told you about the Supper Club I am starting, we have organised who is doing what now and I am doing the main dish which will be Venison and Stout Pies. As the theme was UK seasonal produce I thought I should use seasonal meat too. I will be doing a practice run this week but I’m sure it will be yummy. I will let you know how it turns out and give you the recipe.

Venison is only available at certain times of the year October to February and can be found in stores during those times. It’s a relatively low fat red meat and is suited to being marinated and slow cooked.

I made the Brussel sprout, gnocchi and bacon dish this week and can definitely recommend it. It was quick to make and very tasty. To be honest you would hardly know there were sprouts in the dish as the flavours combined. So maybe a good dish to give to those who are not really fans of sprouts 😄

After my birthday party spread I have been asked to cater my friends afternoon wedding party and as my profiteroles did not turn out that well I decided to make some to see if I could perfect them. I think where I went wrong last time was not having the oven hot enough, well whatever it was, this time it all worked perfectly. They rose and dried out and stayed crispy. I filled them with Bailey’s cream and covered them with dark chocolate.

Apparently you can freeze the unfilled profiteroles for up to three months which would help with the catering. I am going to freeze a filled one to see how that is when defrosted as I have bought frozen eclairs and they have been ok . The choux pastry is a little soft but the taste is good. I will let you know which way is the best.

Georgina my eldest daughter and I popped into Okehampton on Friday for a wander around and a spot of lunch. I found a gorgeous large bowl ideal for filling with yummy salads in one of the charity shops. I love a bargain!

I am hoping to get out in the garden and start doing some clearing up after the winter storms and maybe get the pressure washer out to clean down the patio which is looking decidedly dirty at the moment and also the sleeper steps are rather slippery so will also need a clean.

Have a lovely week whatever you are doing and I will catch you up with my life next week.

Chris x

Another String to my Bow

How many of you watched at least part of the royal funeral? Whilst a very sad affair it was lovely to watch all those services men and women work in perfect unison to honour our departed Queen.

I crocheted more of my granny squares for my purse and now am on the last one. Hopefully I can sew them altogether and sew in a lining this week.

I had a lovely Sunday morning walk last week with Faith my GSD and Sunny who had been staying for a few days whilst his mum was on a course. It was definitely one of those early autumn days as the beginning of the walk was a little chilly and as the morning progressed it definitely got warmer. Whilst there is still quite a lot of greenery around, those autumn tones are definitely creeping in. With various berries and hips and grasses and leaves becoming more muted.

Have you heard of Bronuts? They are a combination of brownie and donut and extremely delicious 😋

I decided I would make some and ordered some silicon donut moulds from Amazon. I love Biscoff and so I decided to make a chocolate and Biscoff bronut. I used a recipe from https://aspoonfulofvanilla.co.uk/2022/04/29/biscoff-bronuts-brownie-doughnuts/

They were really good, slightly crispy on the outside and gooey inside, just as a good brownie should be.

With my printables I am finishing off my 2023 calendar and getting it ready to put up on my Etsy store. I may also get some printed up to sell the finished item too, especially if I finally get around to doing some Christmas craft fairs this year.

This week I launched my new workshops for my dog training school and am super excited about doing them. They are Dogtective Workshops, so a combination of dog training and treasure hunt, who dunnit’s, escape room based sessions. I am having good fun creating them and hope they will be something different for people to have fun with their dog.

I have been asked to help create a social media package for my local pub in order that they can promote new events and special evening entertainment. Whilst obviously I have done it for myself, but have never done it for anyone else and I’m even going to be paid to do it. This will definitely test my comfort zone. Not bad for a 60 year old to add another string to her bow 🤣

I’m signing off for another week which looks like it’s going to be pretty busy!

Chris x

Paper and Wool with a Sprinkling of Oregano!

So how many of you stayed up last night to watch the Eurovision Song Contest held in Italy? What an amazing finish and a great result. Ukraine winning not necessarily with the best song but with the love of the public votes. Sam Ryder, UK did an amazing job and should be super proud of coming second.

This week has been quite a crafty week starting with last Sunday going on a paper making workshop which was great fun and I produced a number of handmade sheets. I will definitely be having a go at home and am saving suitable paper to rip up and recycle.

I also crocheted a small bag to use for my phone, keys and bank card when I go out and about with no pockets. I tried a nice herringbone stitch which I had not done before and then embellished with a couple of flowers. Really pleased with the result.

I also crocheted one of the tin can covers from https://www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk/blog/blogstars-garden-party. The pattern was created by the very talented Lucy of Attic24. There are 3 styles to choose from, I will definitely be trying the other two. Plus some of the other bloggers gorgeous creations. You can find the pattern

herehttps://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2022/05/stylecraft-blogstars-garden-party.html

Keeping with the Italian theme of Eurovision, this weeks herb is Oregano which is a culinary herb, used for the flavour of its leaves, which can be more intense when dried than fresh. It has an earthy, warm, and slightly bitter taste, which can vary in intensity. Most known for its use in Italian pasta dishes.

I made a Bolognese Pasta Bake by making my own tomato sauce using passata, tinned cherry tomatoes, garlic, onions, beef mince and dried oregano. Mixed through cooked pasta and sprinkled with cheese and baked until cheese browns.

The dog’s have joined Tiktok, they are pretty good at this social media lark and have posted their first video. 🤣 The link is here if you want to see it.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLc5pnVk/?k=1

We have a house guest arriving for a few days, Carmen a 13 year old Standard Poodle. She used to stay with us regularly when I lived in my last home. Her owners are coming down to Devon and the hotel wanted her to be crated when they left her in the room at mealtimes. She has never been crated and at 13 they thought she would much more enjoy coming to stay with me and my dog’s. It will be lovely to see her and her owners again.

Enjoy your week, whatever you are up to.

Chris x

Tame Week

As Sunday was a complete washout I didn’t go anywhere but the rain stopped on Monday which was the Bank Holiday so my eldest daughter and I went into Tavistock to have a mooch around the Pannier Markets and get some lunch.

I found two lovely paper napkins and used them to create two decoupage tins for my kitchen island, very summery ❤️

I still have not located Lovage although one of my friends from back in Oxfordshire informed me she had recently pulled and divided her plant and could not find anyone who wanted it so had to throw away! 😢

This week we are on ‘N’ and I have chosen Nigella seeds they are also known as black cumin. Nigella may provide an array of health benefits. The most well-researched benefits include protection against cell damage and inflammation, improved blood sugar control, a stronger immune system, and a healthier heart and brain.

Nigella seeds are widely used as a spice and condiment in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. They can be dry-roasted and used to give a smokey, nutty flavor to curries, vegetables, and beans.

I made falafel, there are a few things I changed to the recipe below, I did not add chilli or sesame seeds. I mixed the Nigella seeds into mix and chopped feta into small pieces and mixed into whole mixture. Personally I will bake my next batch as not keen on frying them. Flavour was really nice and great with my homemade Tzatziki for simple a lunch. Here is the link

https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/starters/feta-and-nigella-seed-falafel

It was a pretty tame week and did not do any actual exploring with the dog’s, I am hoping to do better this week with the return of the nice weather.

The garden is beginning to really spring into life so looking at doing something with the downstairs garden. It is the area that gets the morning sun so would love to make it into more of a little chill out space with bistro table and chairs.

Finally a quick check in on my 16:8 diet, it’s going well and I am much less hungry in the mornings and definitely cannot eat as much at mealtimes. I lost 0.4kg (0.8lbs) which is not huge but definitely going in the right direction.

Have fun this week.

Chris x

Easter Shenanigans!

Happy Easter and hasn’t the weather been kind to us. The hedgerows are beginning to burst into life and here in Devon the banks are full of primroses.

Good Friday myself and friend Anna explored another section of the Tarka trail. Initially we dropped youngest daughter at Meeth Nature Reserve for her 30 mile bike ride to Bideford and back again, along the Tarka trail and we drove to Yarde to begin our little jaunt.

This part of the Tarka trail is completely flat and with a good surface under foot. It has a few sculptures along the way which form seats. We came across three birds and apparently an otter, which at this point we turned back and returned to @Yarde.Orchard.Cafe for lunch. As we arrived, Mia arrived too having reached Bideford and was on her return journey. We stopped and had lovely baguettes filled with cheese and chutney and tuna mayo. We resisted the temptation of the yummy looking cakes.

Mia then continue back to Meeth on her bike and we drove to pick her up.

Last week I mentioned I was hosting the Crafty Butterflies group to do decoupage tins. The evening was a great success and we had a lovely array of decorated tins by the end of the evening.

This week’s letter is ‘J’ and what better spice, for this gin lover than the juniper berry. Although let’s set the record straight. Juniper berries aren’t berries at all. They’re modified cones.

I know, bonkers, right? Instead of having scales like the cones most of us are familiar with on conifers, they have such small scales that this ends up looking like a thick, almost leathery skin.

This week I actually used them in two recipes. The first was a version of bubble and squeak. Frying Savoy cabbage and pre cooked potatoes in butter, adding six crushed juniper berries into the melting butter before adding the potato and cabbage. We then had roasted duck breast as game works well with juniper.

Posh bubble and squeak with Juniper Berries

I also made an adaptation of @jamieoliver Dark berry, rosemary and juniper cocktail but as I could not get any frozen blackberries I used some of my homemade blackberry jelly and therefore did not add honey. Very yummy

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/gin-recipes/berry-rosemary-juniper-gin-fizz/

I made some very yummy Easter treats from the recipe below, but I used the Smarties version as brighter colours. These are extremely sweet, so one with a cup of tea is all I could manage!

https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/chocolate-mini-egg-cookies/

I have been putting together my new beach hut shed and will do the big reveal next week when myself and Mia (queen of DIY) finally finish it.

Enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend.

Chris x

Spring has Sprung

What a wonderful week full of sunshine and new beginnings.

It started with a little jaunt to the lake at Roadford to walk the little dogs. Last time I went was the hottest day of last year and we had my step daughter and granddaughter visiting. All the girls went out on the lake on paddle boards. This year maybe I might join them out on the water!

This week it is the turn of G and in truth I used it last week in my scones but I had in mind to make my own pasta. I have had a pasta machine sat in the back of a cupboard for many years after purchasing it when I was doing a lot of clay work for jewellery.

I made a simple pasta dough and added the wild garlic which I had blitzed up with some olive oil and then left to settle for an hour. Then the fun of rolling it through the machine, first into flat sheets and then into ribbons.

I used it to make a dish by cooking it in boiling water as normal and then mixing a tablespoon of garlic and herb soft cheese and lumps of cambozola, delicious!

I found a super new walk that the dog’s could be off lead most of the time as away from main roads and no livestock in any of the fields and some amazing views. It’s a shame the sun had not kicked in, will definitely do this walk again on a sunny day to capture the views of Dartmoor in the distance better.

Last night I went to a wonderful evening event to welcome in Spring. A lantern parade with folk music and children dancing and even a few fireworks.

Looking forward to lighter nights, more warm weather and new shoots.

Talking of new shoots who knew I would one day be wearing gardening gloves whilst baking! Also hoping there would be lots of nice new stinging nettles in my garden 😯

So yes you have probably guessed I used those nettles to bake an amazing Lemon and nettle cake, look at that colour 💖

The recipe is from Kate at https://veggiedesserts.com/nettle-and-lemon-cake-with-lemon-icing-and-blackberries/

The water I drained from boiling the nettles made a very healthy tea which has many benefits from urinary tract health to arthritis and controlling blood sugar levels. It actually has a pleasant taste. I also cooled some to feed my indoor plants. Nothing was wasted.

The clocks have changed and Spring is here so enjoy the extra light we will be getting and to all you Mother’s Happy Mother’s Day.