Last Gift

Here is Amelia modelling the last birthday present I need to make for this year. It is an apron for my niece and I also have a cupcake book to go with it.

Here is a closer picture of the cupcakes. So cute!

The weekend was really good and really quite relaxing, I didnt get anything done in the garden except pulling some onions. Oh well there is always tomorrow!

Whats in the Garden?

I read alot of different blogs and sigh over their abundance. Sometimes the vegie patch looks alot greener over the proverbially fence. I decided to look at what I do have, what I can pick now and what I have growing for sometime(hopefully) soon. The list actually makes me feel better about what I have been achieving in the garden, here it is;

Silverbeet, celery, onions (white & red), carrots, beetroot, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples (not that this one has come to fruition yet, but its there and its growing), squash, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grosse lisse tomatoes, capsicums (two different types), zucchinis, basil, garlic, chives, lettuce, shallots, mint and two little potato plants that have sprung up all on their own.

Whats in your growing in your garden?

I Love Parcels!!

Two parcels arrived today, my plain broadcloth from Spotlight and two print fabrics from Craft Depot. They make my fingers just itch to get started!

First Go at Ricotta

For my birthday I was given a Mad Millie cheese making kit. It has the gear and instructions for mascopone, ricotta and mozzerella. Today I made the ricotta and later this afternoon I am going to try the mozzerella. Here is my first go at ricotta.One of the most time consuming bits is the constant stirring until the milk reaches 90c.

Then its just putting in the dissolved citric acid and giving it a little stir.

Waiting til it cools and popping it into the draining basket. This ricotta will be used in a spinach and ricotta canneloni for tomorrow nights dinner. Dave is making me the pasta from scratch and the spinach is our silverbeet from the garden!

Making Butter

Yesterday I was making dinner early, a delicious chicken pasta dish from the $21 Challenge book that I borrowed from the library, and I was making it because my 600ml of cream was just about to go beyond the use before date but the recipe only called for 250mls so decided to make butter.I have never made it before, not even by accident. It was super easy and tastes quite different from the usual bought butter.

Basically all you do is beat your butter to very firm peaks and then turn the beater on to a low setting and beat some more.Once it starts yellowing up and clumping together keep beating and you will get the milk coming out of it. This is buttermilk and can be used in cooking too. Drain it off and beat it some more. Drain and give it a squeeze. I then added some salt and beat that in too.Then I just patted it into shape and stuck it in the fridge. It is very nice on fresh bread.And finally I shelled the very last of our peas yesterday. I think next year I will put them in a sunnier spot and plant full size ones. Yummy.

Mum, Can We Do Craft???

Most of the time I really enjoy hearing those words and luckily Sunday was one of them! I was already in sewing mode so when Amelia asked me it was easy fabric bookmarks. She got to cut, iron and sew them, though i guided the second one and she just used the pedal. Easy peasy.
Cherries are coming along! Yummy!! So decadent!
First onion pulled yay!

Crafty Saturday

Here is Harry's Christmas present - Bunting for his room. I hope he likes it!
This is the material for Megan's birthday present - can't say any more as she reads this blog.
No matter how many plastic bags I don't accept we STILL keep getting them. We have been just throwing them into a cupboard but this was giving me the cranks so I whipped up this bag keeper. I saw them in a kitchenware shop this morning for sale at $15.95.These are Amelia's stars. Her and Grandma finished them off last weekend while I was away. I cut all the stars so that they could just sew and stuff them. I sewed the ribbon on today and then we put them up. I like them.