Summer Pickings

We had the Summer Solstice this week and just like that the night will begin to get shorter! Let’s not despair yet as we still have the rest of the Summer months to get through.

July is just around the corner and therefore I have created a wallpaper calendar for your Android phone, you should be able to download it from here.

July Android Wallpaper Download

I mentioned last week I had been asked to make a Fortnight cake for a friend’s sons birthday. I created a green and brown marbled, two tiered cake and made it into a pinata by cutting a section out of the top layer and filling it with sprinkles and mini chocolate beans (llama loot) and then replacing the cut out and covering the whole cake with chocolate fudge icing.

I also bottled up my elderflower champagne and made labels to go on them. It should take around 2 weeks for them to start to become alcoholic.

Elderflower Champagne all bottled and labeled

I also made some ginger beer syrup which is lovely topped up with soda water and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

200g peeled and thickly cut ginger
Peel of 2 lemon
75g golden caster sugar
100g light muscovado sugar
500 ml water

Bring to boil and then simmer for 15-20 mins until syrup. Allow to cool before straining into glass jar or bottle. Will keep in fridge for 2 to 3 weeks. This is also great for making cocktails rather than using sugar syrup.

I bought a gooseberry bush this year, it was quite small so I didn’t expect any fruit but I have picked a small bowlful. I found this recipe for sour cream gooseberry cakes. https://nadelundgabel.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/sooour-cream-cake-with-gooseberries/

I did not have any sour cream but did have yoghurt so decided to use that instead. As they do not contain any fat other than whatever fat content your cream or yoghurt has they are rather a dry texture but with the gooseberries they have that little pop of sourness and then the sweeter taste of the cake. Yum!

My youngest daughter Mia has managed to hurt both her legs by over doing exercise and therefore is having to rest up but still needed something to do. She has had a go at knitting in the past but did not really get on with it. She decided to have a go a crochet and watched a few tik tok videos and decided to make a bee. She headed into my stash of yarns and found some chunky wool she liked and went with that, not the easiest start but she is determined! After a little trial and error she completed it. She is making a second smaller one which is looking amazing. I will try to post a photo of it once complete either on next week’s blog or the Facebook page.

I have not done any crochet for a while but with Mia doing her crochet it stimulated me into wanting to make something. Do you remember my cute little tin can covers I made with the Stylecraft cotton yarn? Well I have a reasonable amount left so decided to use it to make a pretty scarf.

This is the pattern I found, it looks quite complicated but actually is a fairly simply pattern. https://www.yarnspirations.com/gb/caron-go-to-crochet-shawl/CAC0126-026931M.html

With the price of petrol at the moment it is hard to justify taking trips out and about too far therefore I have restricted myself to just doing my normal, close to home walks with the dogs. They have baled up the grass in one of my favourite fields so we used them to practice our ‘go around ‘ skills and they also made a good photo opportunity.

I hope you have a lovely week and will pop by again next week.

Chris x

Chores can be Fun!

Creating a weekly blog takes effort, no one wants to read about the boring everyday things you got up to. Everybody has to do the cleaning, washing and cooking. Coming up with content means you have to do things that you would not normally do or are not a chore or do I?

Here are a few natural cleaning products and tips that you can use around your home to ditch some of those chemicals.

Wood cleaner and polish

½ C White Vinegar (just plain old white vinegar, or you can use ACV for darker woods, if you like)
¼ C Olive Oil (organic, extra virgin olive oil)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Vegetable Glycerin (optional, but a really great addition – non-GMO, organic vegetable glycerin)
20-30 drops Lavender Essential Oil (organic lavender essential oil)
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a glass spray bottle. Shake well before each use.

Spray on wood and rub with microfiber or other soft cloth.

Toilet Cleaner

1 cup vinegar (just plain old white vinegar)
7 drops each ginger essential oil, helps reduce campylobacter strain, cinnamon essential oil, clove essential oil are effective at killing E. coli, staphylococcus, salmonella, and streptococcus.
Glass spray bottle

Instructions

Combine the vinegar and essential oils in the glass spray bottle.
To use, shake vigorously before spraying on the sides of the toilet bowl and under the rim.
Take the top off of the spray bottle and dump the rest of the contents into the bowl. Let the vinegar soak in the bowl for an hour before scrubbing thoroughly with a brush and flushing.

Drain cleaner

Baking Soda – ½ cup
Distilled White Vinegar – 1 cup

Instructions
Pour the baking soda over the drain followed by the vinegar. Let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes and then flush with very hot water.

This last one makes me happy every time, no not because it’s cleaning my drains but just watching the chemical reaction. Simple things! 😂

I was talking about school dinners recently with some friends, the ones we loved and those that were awful. Pink Fluff was one we remembered enjoying and I decided to make it for Sunday Dinner dessert. Just raspberry jelly and evaporated milk, simple but oh so good! 😋

Dissolve the jelly (I used raspberry) in half the amount of boiling water suggested.

Whisk a tin of evaporated milk until frothy and then add the slightly cooled jelly and continue whisking until fully combined.

Pour into serving dishes and chill for at least 2 hours. You can add fresh raspberries as a garnish to make this simple dessert a little more special.

What school dinner or pudding do you remember?

This week I have had fun joining in with #StylecraftBlogstarsGardenParty event. I have so far made two of the three cute tin covers. #Stylecraft have a lovely selection of coloured organic cotton yarns. The pattern designer for the tin covers was Lucy #Attic24

Here is the link to the pattern https://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2022/05/stylecraft-blogstars-garden-party.html

These will be great for my summer dining table to pop some wild meadow flowers in and cutlery and napkins for all our outside dining I hope we can have.

So yes this week the Spice/herb should have been ‘P’ but I have not got around to making the Lemon and Poppyseed Butter Biscuits but will be making today ready for tomorrow’s Craft Butterflies Meeting where we will be making Shaker Cards. Therefore I will post on next week’s blog.

The next couple of weeks are looking super busy, youngest daughter coming home from University for the Summer, friends and relatives visiting, a friend’s wedding and the Jubilee Weekend. This should give me some good content for the next couple of blogs 😂

Have a great week and thanks for dropping by.

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

Taking a walk on the Wild Side

This week we have had some glorious sunshine and it definitely is looking more like Spring with wildlife bursting forth from everywhere.

I did a couple of new walks with the dog’s and found a super place for a picnic on a hot day with its own plunge pool, although it’s a bit chilly at the moment.

I also did my first foraging and will definitely be doing more of this during the coming months. I was told where to find wild garlic and managed to find it and pick a good amount.

The first thing I made was wild garlic and cheese scones. I found the recipe here

http://www.lavenderandleeks.co.uk/wild-garlic-and-cheese-scones/

I have blitzed up the rest ready to make wild garlic ravioli this coming week, so check out the blog next week. It will be my first time in making pasta!

Crafting wise I ran the first North Tawton Crafty Butterflies night. We had a go at creating the sea glass jars and crocheted bunny. It was a really fun night and there of course was cake!

My daughter asked me to make a hamster taming pouch. Yes there is such a thing 🤣. Basically it’s a pocket which is warm and cozy to help them feel more comfortable being held.

I also started to crochet Mollie flowers which I am hoping to make enough of to create something, not sure what at moment as will depend on how many I make.

https://littlegreen.typepad.com/romansock/2009/04/mollie-flowers-the-tutorial.html

Following on from last week’s ‘D’ it should have been ‘E’ but the only thing I could find was Elder and it is not the right time to use any part of the elder. So we move onto ‘F’ and I chose –

Fenugreek a clover-like herb native to the Mediterranean region, southern Europe, and western Asia. Its seeds, which smell and taste like maple syrup, have been used in cooking and as medicine. Fenugreek is used as an ingredient in spice blends and a flavoring agent in foods, beverages, and tobacco. Fenugreek extracts are also used in soaps and cosmetics.

I created a blend of spices to cook the chicken in which whilst mild in heat had plenty of amazing flavours. I ground together

Seeds from 2 cardamon
Half tsp tumeric, ginger and fenugreek
Quarter tsp cumin, garam masala

First I sauteed onions and peas in butter. Then added the chicken, I use thighs as they have more flavour, along with the ground spices, 3 cloves of chopped garlic and salt and pepper. Cook until chicken has changed colour but not cooked through. Add half a tin of chopped tomatoes and half tin coconut milk and then put in casserole dish and leave for at least 4 hours to allow flavours to be absorbed. Cook in oven for 40 mins on 180 degrees. Serve with rice.

The weather is beginning to improve and therefore I hope to get out in the garden more, tidy up the beds, freshen the gravel areas I created last year and plant up some hanging baskets.

Until next time, keep finding new experiences and challenges.

Chris x

All about the C’s

I had a lovely visit with my daughter down in Plymouth last week, the sun shone and everyone and their dog was out enjoying the day. I took our two littlies Mouse and Adira and our house guest Sunny. They were all extremely well behaved and nice and tired by the end. We had lunch in a fab cafe called @rocketsandrascles where I had an amazing chicken, avocado and pesto toastie on sour dough bread. They are located by the marina in the barbican area. Well worth a visit.

This week was a crafting and cooking sort of week.

Easter is fast approaching and last year I made crocheted bunny bunting, one of which I actually sold! I found the pattern and refreshed my memory to make some more. The pattern for these can be found here

http://lovethebluebird.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-bunny-tutorial.html?m=1

I also created a very cute egg cozy bonnet the pattern is on my crafting page here
https://www.facebook.com/542220883361347/posts/814134786169954/

My spices and herb feature has reached ‘C’ and this week I decided to use capers.

Capers are the immature, unripened, green flower buds of the caper bush (Capparis spinosa or Capparis inermis). The plant is cultivated in Italy, Morocco, and Spain, as well as Asia and Australia. It’s most often associated with Mediterranean cuisines, but enjoyed worldwide. Brined or dried, the caper is valued for the burst of flavor it gives to dishes. It adds texture and tanginess to a great variety of recipes, including fish dishes, pasta, stews, and sauces.

I decided to make salmon burgers with a remoulade sauce for a couple of friends who came to dinner. I actually remembered to take a picture! The sauce I adapted by adding some Cajun spices, just enough to give it a little kick. The burgers held together really well and would probably work quite well on the BBQ. You can find both recipes here
https://www.acouplecooks.com/remoulade-sauce/

My friends A and S asked me to add my recipe for the dessert which is a variation to a lemon cheesecake.

250g digestive or gingernut biscuits
100g butter
300 ml double cream
395 ml can condensed milk
3 lemons grated peel and juice

Crush the biscuits and melt the butter and mix together. Whip the cream until stiff and then add the condensed milk and mix. Finally add the grated peel and juice and mix together. You will notice the mixture thicken up.

I then divide the biscuit mixture into about 2 with a little saved for the top and then layer up in a dish and chill for a couple of hours.

I hope you are encouraged to do or make something a little different this week and until next time I’m leaving you with this piece I saw which sums up my feelings now I’m Sixty.

I am no longer waiting for a special occasion; I burn the best candles on ordinary days.
I am no longer waiting for the house to be clean; I fill it with people who understand that even dust is Sacred.
I am no longer waiting for everyone to understand me; It’s just not their task
I am no longer waiting for the perfect children; my children have their own names that burn as brightly as any star.
I am no longer waiting for the other shoe to drop; It already did, and I survived.
I am no longer waiting for the time to be right; the time is always now.
I am no longer waiting for the mate who will complete me; I am grateful to be so warmly, tenderly held.
I am no longer waiting for a quiet moment; my heart can be stilled whenever it is called.
I am no longer waiting for the world to be at peace; I unclench my grasp and breathe peace in and out.
I am no longer waiting to do something great; being awake to carry my grain of sand is enough.
I am no longer waiting to be recognized; I know that I dance in a holy circle.
I am no longer waiting for Forgiveness.
I believe, I Believe.
-Mary Anne Perrone