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.

Meditteranean Vegetable Spaghetti

One day baby courgettes were on offer...

Serves 2

Ingredients:
250g smoked bacon lardons
8 baby courgettes
8 sundried tomato halves
8 quarters/pieces of marinated artichoke hearts (often sold as "artichoke antipasti," in olive oil)
Olive oil
Wholemeal spaghetti to serve 2.

1. Put a large heavy frying pan (which has a lid) on the hob. Add a slug of olive oil (1-2 tbsp), put over a medium heat. Add the bacon lardons.
2. Wash, dry and slice the courgettes (fairly thinly). Put into the frying pan, and fry until just starting to soften and the lardons are beginning to crisp.
3. Put the pasta on to cook
4. Cut the tomatoes and artichoke hearts into smallish pieces. Add to the frying pan with a little of the oil the artichoke hearts are in. Cover and leave to cook on a medium heat.
5. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the frying pan. Take the frying pan off the heat, and stir the pasta and the vegetables together.
6. Serve.

Bizet the pig

Made for an operatically named friend. From this pattern.

A Skirt Is Made

My first proper foray into making my own clothes, on my own sewing machine, by myself.

No commercial pattern. Merely a little maths, some fabric from Ikea and a cotton lawn lining.

Venison Ragu

I sampled this in Fortnum and Mason back in September. (Dining in Fortum and Mason is not a frequent occurrence, this trip occurred to take my mummy out for lunch to celebrate my first pay packet from a proper job). Since this trip I have been desiring to make it, and when Tesco had two venison steaks for £1.24 instead of £5.99 I thought the time had come. Google gave me several recipe ideas, but they were all so different from each other I just had to go my own way, so here I proudly present my recipe for venison ragu. Beware - this is not a quick recipe, preparation takes around 30 minutes, and then the ragu needs to spend 1.5-2 hours in the oven.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 carrots
3 sticks of celery
About 3-4 inches of Saucisson Sec Superieur a l'ancienne (a good handful of bacon lardons would substitute perfectly, I just happened to have this sausage as it was 99p instead of £4.49)
2 cloves of garlic
10 capers (ish, about what came out on a heaped teaspoon, counting capers is not one of my pastimes)
a sprig of rosemary
2 anchovy fillets

250g venison steaks
3-4 heaped tbsp of plain flour
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper
half a tube of tomato puree
2 bay leaves

250ml red wine
300ml stock (I cheated and used Marigold bouillon powder since there was no stock in the freezer)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 C.
2. Take an ovenproof and flameproof casserole dish with a lid (a Le Creuset pan is ideal), and slug about 2 tbsp of olive oil in. Place over a low-medium heat.
3. Chop onions, carrots and celery into small dice (<0.5cm square). As each item is chopped, put it in the pan and give it a good stir. (For those who like posh cookery words, this is your mirepoix)

4. Chop saucisson sec and add to pan (if using lardons just put them straight in). Stir. Cook vegetables and sausages for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are translucent and soft.
5. Skin and finely mince the garlic. Add to pan. Stir.
6. Pull the leaves of the fresh rosemary off the stalk. Discard stalk and any woody bits. Chop finely. Add to pan. Stir.
7. Finely chop the anchovy fillets and the capers. Add to pan. Stir and leave to cook gently.
8. Put the flour, dried rosemary, dried oregano, about 1 tsp salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper into a bowl and stir to combine. Chop the venison into 2-3cm dice, then toss them in the seasoned flour until they are thoroughly coated.
9. Add the venison, and the rest of the seasoned flour to the pan. Brown off the venison.
10. Add the tomato puree, the wine, the stock and the bay leaves to the pan, stir well but gently so as to not break up the bay leaves.
11. Bring the ragu to the boil, then cover and put into the oven. Cook in the oven for one and a half to two hours until the sauce is thick and the meat is tender.

12. Serve with parpadelle, linguine or other long pasta.

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Or carrots,

strawberries,

tomatoes and garlic. Actually.

God in the disappointments

Sometimes life is disappointing. The world seems to be against you. Sometimes you pray for something everyday, with the best motive in the world, with a view to honour God and to serve others, and yet it doesn't happen. It seems like God is just not there.

It doesn't happen, not because God doesn't love you, nor because He doesn't care, nor because He isn't able to make it happen. It doesn't happen because He does love you, because He does care, because He is able to make something better happen.

That's not to say the disappointment is any less disappointing, but it does provide a new perspective on them. To know that God cares so much for you, that He's willing to say "no".

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. (Romans 8 v 28-30)

I prayed for a job to stay in the city, so that I could continue to serve at my church, I could continue to be part of my small group, I could continue to share fellowship amongst friends and I could share God's Good News with those I have relationships with in the area. I wanted to serve Him, to stay with the people He so graciously gave me six and a half years ago. I pleaded, because I wanted to serve the people who kept me Christian during some really rocky times. He said "no". He is moving me to a different town. And He is at work, even in the most bitter of disappointments, to bring about something so much more exciting. Something that I don't know about, something I can't imagine, but something that will conform me to the image of His Son, so that I may be one of many brothers. And that's where God is in the disappointments.

With the fruit of her hand she plants a vineyard...

"From your lofty abode You water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your work. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth..." Psalm 104 v 13 & 14 (ESV)

Planter, organic top soil and seed compost, and Gardener's Delight tomato plant from Growing Concerns, strawberry from my mummy's back garden. Flowery gardening set a much valued present from an old housemate.

Relaxed Chatty Tea

"This is mainly a fantasy as, in the real world, all the people you would like to get together for tea and cakes and plenty of undisturbed talking one afternoon are all far too busy. You are probably far too busy yourself.

Anyway, in this fantasy, all your favourite friends are gathered together, without a care in the world, all chatting away and eating delicious cakes and drinking tea. You'll have all your best crockery out and there'll be flowers on the table. No one will be on a diet or have a food allergy and no one will have to rush off. If there are any children in the party, they will be sweet and funny and behave beautifully and any babies will sleep peacefully, waking up occasionally to gurgle adorably for a few moments before snoozing off again." From - Tea with Mrs Simkins

Photo credit to Papa