In Which I Don't Have Much To Say

There have been no posts, because there has not been much to post about. The Long Hours have restricted activities.

I have ripped out the hems of a pair of work trousers as either they've shrunk or I've grown. Both are exceedingly unlikely, as I've had them for at least 3 years, why would they shrink now - plus they've only shrunk in the leg length direction, and have expanded in the waist dimension (not strictly true, the Long Hours and Walking To Work have resulted in shrinking of my waist dimension, but the point still stands), and since I very much stopped growing a good few years ago, neither seems plausible. Huh. Anyway, they need the hems letting down. I have let down, now I must re-pin, press and sew.

I have been reading. Or rather, trying to read. The advent of a television (the Wildlife Photographer's, I was not very pro, but apparently it is here to stay) has meant (as I feared, hence the not being pro) I tend to slump in front of it, rather than reading or spending my time more usefully. I have been reading Don Carson's touching, and excellent, biography of his father Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor, although, like many of my books it has the sad fate of a bookmark 1/3 of the way through.

I have also been reading Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks, which is an interesting and light look into music and the brain.

Apple and Tomato Chutney

Every recipe I found online seemed to require far more tomatoes than my little plant ever produced as well as far more apples than I had to use up. So I made one up instead.

250g (1/2lb) Tomatoes (all red, all green or a mixture of red and green, I used a mix of red and green cherry tomatoes)
350g (12oz) Apples
1 small/medium onion
60 (2oz) of mixed sultanas, raisins and apricots
100g (3.5oz) soft brown sugar
300ml (1/2 pint) white wine vinegar
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of salt
2 bay leaves

1. Chop tomatoes into halves if cherry or quarters if larger (leave skins on). Put into a medium sized heavy bottom pan.
2. Peel and chop apples and onions. Add to pan.

3. Add rest of the ingredients to a pan, starting with the dry ingredients and pouring the vinegar over last.

4. Heat over a low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Bring the chutney to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer.

6. In a cold oven, line the shelves with newspaper. Lay 1-3 jam jars on their sides on the newspaper, along with their lids. Heat the oven to 180C. Leave the jam jars in the hot oven until the chutney is ready. (This sterilises the jars)
7. Simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally (increasing in frequency towards the end) to prevent the chutney burning to the bottom of the pan.
8. The chutney is cooked when fairly dry (a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a trail where you can see the bottom of the pan, which then closes up slowly).
9. Using oven gloves, remove the jam jars from the oven, being careful not to touch the rims, the insides of the jars and the insides of the lids. (This helps maintain the sterility)
10. Pour or spoon the hot chutney into the hot jars (hot into hot to avoid the glass cracking). Put the lids on straight away.
11. Leave the jars to cool before labelling.

12. Leave the chutney in a cool, dark, dry place for 1 month to mature.

A Top Secret Mission (2)

Now that the Ballerina and the Maharaja are married, I can show you the top secret mission, which was... bunting!

Sewing the binding to the flags,

clouds of bunting,

one string of bunting,

one suspended flag,

all the strings of bunting!

All Quiet

It's been rather quiet for a while. Partly because I've been working crazy hours. Partly because the Ballerina and Maharajas' wedding is nearly upon us and partly because I don't have anything finished to show you!

This last weekend I ended up the victim of an impromptu photoshoot. The Wildlife Photographer and I went for a wildlife walk, but there was no wildlife to be seen, so I became the object of the camera's lens whilst gathering wild grasses. I have no pictures from the shoot to show you, but here are the wild grasses I gathered. Much more beautiful, clothed by God.

(please excuse the blur, forgot to adjust shutter speed)

A Top Secret Mission

This week has been mostly about completing a mission. It involves bias binding.

And pins. Lots of pins.

And it's for the Ballerina and the Maharaja. More than that cannot yet be revealed.

A Favourite Hymn

I recently found a free CD and popped it onto my computer. This wonderfully encouraging hymn was there. This hymn has been one of my favourites since early childhood, for both its faithful, comforting words and its slightly melancholy, peaceful tune.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
To his feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me his praise should sing?
Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favour
To our fathers in distress;
Praise him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless:
Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him!
Glorious in his faithfulness.

Father-like, he tends and spares us,
Well our feeble frame he knows;
In his hands he gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes:
Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him!
Widely as his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before him,
Dwellers all in time and space:
Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise with us the God of grace.

Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)

Leek and Potato Gratin

Ingredients:
1 large baking potato
1 large leek
100g of tasty cheese (I used a vintage Cheddar) -
About 600ml-1L of white sauce (I made mine up by eye, so can't tell you the exact amount, nor the exact ingredients, but a suggestion would be: 25g butter, 25g flour,
600ml milk)
1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the potato thoroughly (as you will be leaving the skin on). Slice the baking potato into half, and then into thin slices (about 0.25cm thick)
2. Wash the leeks to get rid of any grittiness, and slice thinly. If you're paranoid about grit like me, wash them again in a sieve.
3. Make a white sauce. I used the roux method: melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and bouillon powder. Stir until a paste forms (which is lump free). Add the milk *very* slowly - say 10ml at a time, stirring until all the milk is absorbed in between. Making a roux method white sauce is easy, but prone to lumps if you add the milk too quickly. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the leeks and simmer for about 10 minutes.

4. While the white sauce is simmering, grate 25g of cheese and set aside. Cut the rest into small 0.5cm dice.
5. Layer the half of the potatoes into the dish, and scatter over half of the diced cheese.

6. Pour over half of the white sauce with leeks.

7. Repeat - layer the rest of the potatoes, sprinkle over the rest of the diced cheese and the rest of the white sauce with leeks. Top with the grated cheese.

8. Put in the oven at about 160C for 50 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and easily pierced by a knife and the cheese is browned and bubbling.
9. Consume!

Macarons

My absolute favourite thing to bake.

Mostly because they're a challenge, and just that little bit unpredictable.

One batch of lemon, with lemon buttercream, and one batch of chocolate with cherry jam.

(Photo credit to The Computer Geek)

Whoopie Pies

Whilst the Amish may be very familiar with them, they are a relatively new discovery to me. This is the most basic recipe from The Whoopie Pie Book, which the Fisherman and his wife Lady Pink gave to me for my birthday. Even though I had never made them before I took a few liberties with the recipe (mostly because I don't have any cocoa powder since I almost always cook with actual chocolate and I'd run out of bicarb of soda and golden syrup! I also used dried egg whites in the marshmallow filling because I don't have to figure out what to do with the yolks then!)

They turned out quite well, very sweet and tasty, and they freeze brilliantly (even when filled)

Chocolate Banana Loaf

100g butter
100g dark chocolate
50g dark brown soft sugar
50g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
2 big bananas or 4 smaller ones
250g self-raising flour

1. Grease a loaf tin and preheat oven to 180C
2. Mash bananas in a bowl, with a fork.
3. Melt chocolate in another bowl.
4. Cream butter and two types of sugar together in yet another bowl. Beat in the eggs.
5. Pour banana sludge and melted chocolate into the bowl with the butter-sugar-egg mix, and mix thoroughly.
6. Bake at 180C for 20 mins, then reduce oven temperature to 120, continue baking for another half an hour or so (my timing might be off, I cannot remember how long I baked for) until a skewer pushed into the loaf comes out clean. If the top begins to colour too much, cover with foil after 30 minutes.

To The Zoo!

Rhino

Elephant

Zebra

Flowers of the back garden

As for man, his days are like a flower of the field; the wind passes over it, and it is gone, its place knows it no more. (Psalm 103:15&16)

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:30)

Morning Needs

O God, the author of all good,
I come to Thee for the grace another day will require
                        for its duties and events.
                I step out into a wicked world,
                I carry about with me an evil heart,
                I know that without thee I can do nothing,
                            that everything with which I shall be concerned,
                                                   however harmless in itself,
                                  may prove an occasion of sin or folly,
                                  unless I am kept by thy power.
Hold Thou me up and I shall be safe.
Preserve my understanding from subtilty of error,
                my affections from love of idols,
                my character from stain of vice,
                my profession from every form of evil.
May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore Thy blessing,
          and in which I cannot invite Thy inspection.
Prosper me in all lawful undertakings,
           or prepare me for disappointments;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with food convenient for me,
           lest I be full and deny Thee
           and say, Who is the Lord?
           or be poor, and steal, and take Thy name in vain.
May every creature be made good to me by prayer and Thy will;
Teach me how to use the world, and not abuse it,
                       to improve my talents,
                       to redeem my time,
                       to walk in wisdom toward those without,
                           and in kindness to those within,
                       to do good to all men,
                       and especially to my fellow Christians.
And to Thee be the glory.

"Morning Needs" from  The Valley of Vision (A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions) by Arthur Bennett

Look what I got!

For which I am so very grateful and pleased.

The whole haul. That bright sunflower? From the Queen of Sheba.

Close up on the books - a wonderful collection of what my life is (and a bit of what I wish it only was) - God on top, some sewing, some cooking, some knitting and domestic organisation.

And this? This is an AMAZING halterneck apron, covered in Nasturtiums designed and made for me by the Kindred Spirit.

Tea

Among the delights - Devil's food cakes, made to a 1920s recipe that uses only the yolks...

So that I could use the whites for macarons

Cherry cupcakes, to my own recipe, which look like they escaped from the 1970s

"... that newly invented luxury for ladies, so indispensible for their happiness, and so ruinous for their health - a forenoon tea"

Chapter 11 "Tea" from The Victorian Kitchen by Jennifer Davies

Easy Bacon, Pea, And Broccoli Soup

Very easy, ideal for tired post-work brains.

Ingredients:
200g chunky bacon or ham pieces
200g broccoli florets
100g frozen petit pois
50g little pasta shapes
1.5L water
2 teaspoons bouillon powder
1 heaped tablespoon cream cheese 


1. Place all ingredients, except the cream cheese into a saucepan on a medium heat and bring to the boil.
2. Boil for 15-20 minutes.
3. Take off the heat and stir in the cream cheese.
4. Blitz in a food processor or with a handheld blender.
5. Serve.

Now, if this was an artisan food blog, the picture would have an artful swirl of cream on top.

But it's not.

Beauty

"Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

And God said... " When I bring the clouds over the earth, and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh" Genesis 9:14+15

Dreams Of Silken Half-hours

Two and a half metres of red silk, shot with black

An old trusted McCall's pattern (M4460 for those who want to know)

Two weeks of joyous snatched hours and half hours.

Grey acetate lining, with hand understitching.

When I find someone who can capture the beauty of the finished object I'll show you all of it.

A Knitting Needle Case For Mama

Mummy wanted a knitting needle case for her birthday. After much browsing on Amazon, we both realised I could make one myself, and then she could have a greater choice of colours and fabrics.

So, I used one that I have to give me the outline for the design, but most of it was just a yard-stick and tailor's chalk.

A Gerbera For The Queen Of Sheba

Because, sometimes, you need a little pink reminder of God's good creation.