Woolly Two Shoes

Easy Skirt Refashion

2012-01-11T10:04:00.000Z

A quickie sewing project to ease oneself into a new year of sewing (the previous peachy dress had been finished just before 2011 rang out). The skirt itself was purchased at an op-shop on New Year's Eve. I loved the fabric, but - as evident from the photo below - the original elasticated waistband was way too big, even for my post-Christmas feast waistline.

The refashion itself took hardly any time. In fact, I think I spent longer unpicking the elastic than doing any actual sewing! All I had to do was to cut off the top 3 inches of the skirt, iron it out and then cut it into the required length for a new waistband. I gathered the top of the remaining skirt, put in a lapped zipper and then sewed it into the new band, with a vintage button to close it. New-old skirt is ready!

T-shirt - op-shop, Coat - vintage (from MVE), skirt - refashioned, tights - Sainsburys, shoes - H&M

Catalogue

2012-01-10T16:05:00.001Z

Because who doesn't enjoy seeing pictures of cats every now and then?

We are taking care of this furry little terrorist until her parents get back next week. She insists on sitting in (and on) the most inconvenient places, and love violating our arms while we try to get some work done.

Christmas!

2012-01-06T18:12:00.000Z

It's taken a while, but I'm finally getting round to posting photos of my Christmas feast. We decided to have it at home this time, and celebrated it on Christmas Eve with the delightful Miss Kitty Valentine, my cushion-making partner in crime Aldona and her family.

In true over-the-top Polish tradition, our dinner consisted of at least 12 dishes (since I'm not actually Polish, I don't know if it is true that a Polish Christmas dinner has to include 12 dishes, it's just what I've been told.)

The coffee table had an array of sweets - (from top), homemade panforte, a quince, ginger and walnut cake based on this recipe, and some untraditionally shaped gingerbread biscuits (gingerbread T-rex, anyone?). Aldona also brought along some makowiec (poppyseed cake) and more biscuits.

The star of the night, a perfectly roasted goose! Manbacon (who can be partially seen behind the bird) cooked the goose himself, following a great recipe by the Hairy Bikers. He also managed to rustle up succulent salt beef, as well as plenty of delicious apple and pork stuffing.

£10 notes to wipe our greasy hands and lips on, because we're hedonists and filthy rich. You can't see it, but we also had a stack of £20 and £50 note-napkins.

Wild mushroom dumplings in beetroot soup (above), as well as some bigos, plenty of cured pork products, some marinated herrings, and possibly some other stuff as well.

The aftermath - empty vodka bottles, half-finished bowls of soups and stews, burnt-out candles, crumpled napkins and wrapping paper, plenty of half-eaten food, and one stained tablecloth. Our guests were sent away with boxes stuffed full of food.

Handpicked

2012-01-05T15:47:00.000Z

Burdastyle has been rather generous to me this month. I'm still trying to get my head down to its usual size after being featured recently, so imagine my surprise when, while scrolling through it's December Handpicks just now, I happened upon a rather familiar looking refashioned shirt?! Thank you Burda!

P.S. The aforementioned shirt will be available in the shop soon, once I get my arse into gear and list it.

Life's A Peach Mini-dress

2012-01-02T20:05:00.000Z

Happy New Year, readers! I thought I'd kick off 2012 with yet another sewing post - those who come here for the food will have to hang on for a while more. I purchased the original pattern from eBay about 6 months back, with the intention of making up the traditionally Chinese style in an unconventional fabric (wear a cheongsam in any kind of shiny/floral/shiny and floral fabric and people automatically think you're a waitress in a fancypants Chinese restaurant. Try it if you dare).

Original cheongsam-inspired pattern

However, after deciding that I wasn't willing to endure the drastic dieting needed to whip my figure into the required hourglass shape for such a fitted style, I decided to simply redesign the skirt portion of the dress. Yes, re-doing a pattern is much easier for me than just eating less. I wanted to keep the bodice section but attach a much fuller skirt on it. This was easy enough - I simply cut the pattern off at the waist while tracing it out onto paper (I always do this with all my patterns, in order to keep the originals as pristine as poss). The skirt would then be a simple circle or rectangle skirt, gathered at the top for the requisite fullness.

I've got some shiny red brocade fabric in mind for the 'proper' dress, but decided to make a wearable toile of it first just to make sure it all worked. The fabrics came from various op-shopping expeditions - I was going to make a circle skirt for more twirliness but realised there wasn't enough of the shiny fabric for that, so settled for a simple gathered rectangle instead.

You may have noticed that the collar in the pattern illustration met much closer together - I decided to leave some space in between when making mine up, for two reasons. Tight necklines such as this often leave me feeling slightly suffocated, especially on hot days, and a wide band of fabric around my neck is not that flattering when the neck in question is as short as mine.

Lace trim around hem

Bow detail made from the remnants of both fabrics.

The finished dress was okay, but not that exciting. It needed...more. I finished the hem off with some pink nylon lace that I purchased ages ago, and then sewed a double bow on the back. The final product reminds me a little of a bridesmaid's dress (a feeling compounded by all that peach fabric used), but that's no bad thing, right?

Burdastyle Feature and Poncho-Cape Thing

2011-12-30T14:19:00.001Z

Can you believe it's nearly 2012 already? I hope everyone had a great Christmas/holiday period - pictures of my epic Christmas feast will be posted soon. I received some lovely presents, and a pretty awesome one from Burdastyle. The sewing website made me its featured member this week. You can see it here, - the article includes some pictures of my past projects as well as a short interview about my sewing habits.

I thought I'd try to tie that in with these photos of a poncho/kaftan/cape thing I made recently. I've actually made four of them, they were commissioned by the lady who runs a neighbouring stall at the Tea Rooms. If you're interested in them and in or around the London area, you can purchase them from the Tea Rooms or her Thursday stall at Spitalfields.

These are extremely simple to make. In fact, they're great beginner projects for those wanting to dip a toe into the sewing ocean. You'll need two long scarves of the same size - they don't even have to have the same design on both if mismatched is what you're into. All you have to do is to sew one edge of the scarf together and leave a hole at the top large enough for your arm to go through. Do the same to the other scarf, then sew both scarves together about halfway up to join them together.

I've just realised that what I wrote probably makes no sense to anyone else whatsoever...Is anyone interested in a step-by-step tutorial with photos?

In case I don't get around to writing up another post tomorrow - Happy New Year everyone!

Cooking For Christmas - Candied Quinces

2011-12-24T12:28:00.000Z

Regular visitors to this blog will probably be aware of my love of quinces by now. I strive to use them in a couple of recipes whenever they come into season, so I knew what I was going to do with them as soon as I read through this panforte recipe.

It does take a while to get the quinces candied to the right consistency, but it's not like you have to stand over them the whole time. Pop them on the hob and then go off and do what needs doing, but do remember to check on them every 10-15 minutes to see how they're going. *This is important, as I left my first batch for too long and they ended up burnt.* Once candied, they keep for up to a week, so you can always make them ahead of time too.

The original recipe states that it only takes about 45 minutes to get them done, but I found that it took me about two hours to get them to the right consistency. I cooked mine low and slow to prevent the sugar from burning.

Candied Quinces (from LA Times)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 large quince

Directions

- Peel quince, slice in half and remove the core. Slice and cube the fruit into pieces roughly one inch wide and a quarter inch thick.

- Combine water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and cook on medium heat until sugar dissolves.

- Add cubed quince and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook until fruit is semi-translucent (the quince and syrup will turn a vivid shade of pinkish-red).

- Remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof container. Cool, then store the fruit in the cooking syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You'll have about 1 cup (8 ounces) of fruit.

Some Sewing Inspiration

2011-12-20T16:20:00.000Z

There are heaps of photos of my recent trip to Glasgow to sort through, so I thought I would put up some pictures of pretty dresses first. These were all taken in the massive Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Manbacon and I spent hours there, and we didn't even see everything. It was fantastic, but exhausting. I felt rather 'museumed-out' at the end of our visit. Anyway, enjoy the dresses!

Gingerbread Trials

2011-12-17T22:53:00.000Z

Tried out a gingerbread recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook as part of my Christmas dinner preparations. It's pretty tasty and includes treacle (one of my favourite ingredients), but requires more ginger, in this opinion of this ginger-lover. I know gingerbread man is the traditional shape, but gingerbread llamas are pretty fantastic too, no?

The gingerbread tribute to Munch's Scream and the slightly misformed Bat Signal were both produced by Manbacon himself, budding confectionery artiste extraordinaire.

P.S. Not really related but does anyone have a good recipe for creme brulee? I'm a bit obsessed after my trip to Glasgow and a visit to the Two Fat Ladies restaurant. More on that soon.

Winging It - Refashioned Man's Shirt

2011-12-08T18:20:00.000Z

Men's shirts can be rather boring, can't they? I have a number of them laying around, thanks to Manbacon. The worn out ones have been turned into rags, but those in good condition are great for quick refashioning projects.

For this blouse, I started by taking apart all the seams of the original shirt, so I was left with a number of flat pieces of fabric. I then traced out a bodice pattern and re-sewed the blouse, turning it around so the buttons were on the back.

The shirt cuffs and collar came from a rather baggy 1980s dress I'd cut up a few months ago. It was going to be a sleeveless top so I had no real need for the cuffs. However, I decided to stick them on the shoulders of the blouse in a fit of fancy. Voila, wings! Or wing-like structures...

The collar turned out to be that bit too small for the neck of the new blouse ('measure twice, cut once' evidently not one of my favourite phrases). I got around the problem by attaching a length of vintage seam vintage to each side of the collar to function as ties.

And there you go - an easy refashioned blouse!

Blouse - refashioned, skirt - selfmade (available on Etsy),

Melody Makers

2011-11-29T17:18:00.001Z

Manbacon's father is a pretty damned awesome accordion player. We, unfortunately, are all filler and no killer.

Winter News

2011-11-17T18:04:00.000Z

Here are a few bits shop-related news for winter -

I recently purchased a few bags of remnants from a factory, and inside the bags were lengths of these rather fantastic snowflake-printed knitted fabric. How wonderfully festive! I've sewn up a couple of pairs for sale at the Tea Rooms, but may make a few more for the Etsy shop. Is anyone interested?

Secondly, I have finally set up a Folksy shop, with a number of prints and postcards for sale. The above prints are now available on both Folksy and Etsy.

Two

2011-11-15T16:09:00.001Z

Cheese and Garlic Scones

2011-11-10T20:13:00.000Z

Made some cheese and garlic scones this week by following Frugal Feeding's recipe. The original called for cheddar, but I only had Comte in my fridge and went with that. I accidentally on purpose grated more cheese than was necessary and topped the scones with it before baking them, for extra-cheesiness.

These are best eaten straight out of the oven, cut in half with dollops of butter melting on it. I had them for lunch just after I made them, but they are also pretty good as a snack when cooled down.

Giant Cat Project Exhibition Opening

2011-11-09T18:54:00.000Z

The Giant Cat Project exhibition and auction officially opened on Monday night in St. Botolph's Church, beside Aldgate Station. The eponymous Giant Cat is the first thing to greet you as you step inside the church.

Anne and Petra worked hard all day setting it up, and the donated items all looked beautiful together by the time I got there at 6pm. The warm interior made a perfectly cosy retreat from the drizzle outside.

Cat Mask by Saskia 'Wild' Doornbos and Graciela Abicher

Cat Tapestry Skirt by Ali Wall

Hummingbird Bakery provided lots of cupcakes, and there was plenty of wine, coffee and tea too.

The exhibition will be open til the end of this week, so do drop by for a look if you're in the area. The auction will end on Friday, so there's plenty of time to put in a bid if something catches your eye. You can also pop in to stroke the Giant Cat and pose for pictures with it too!

http://www.giantcatproject.com

Catwalk

2011-11-05T17:18:00.000Z

Aldona and I (as Inadot) are donating this cushion to help raise funds for the Giant Cat Project. Do pop along to the exhibition in St. Botolph's Church next week if you're in the area!

Wednesday

2011-11-04T17:12:00.001Z

For Halloween.

Rusty Pencil Skirt

2011-11-03T21:02:00.000Z

When I was in Poland this past summer, my mother-in-law decided to offload some fabric and asked me to pick out some that I thought I could use. This velvety soft needlecord was one of the ones I choose - I was feeling ambitious and thought I would use it for a 'light autumnal jacket' but then of course I realised that I probably wouldn't be able to make it in time for cooler weather so shelved the idea for a bit.

Feeling the need for a casual skirt recently, I set about looking through my stash and remembered the needlecord. I love corduroy skirts and trousers - as a teenager I owned a particularly soft pair of jeans in builders's-tea-brown that I could hardly bare to put in the wash, I loved it that much.

This skirt is basically a shortened version of my pencil skirt pattern - minus four inches at the hem, and with a thinner waistband. It has a lapped centre back metal zipper and a vintage plastic button to close the waistband. The short length also meant I didn't have to put in a vent at the back to help with walking.

The skirt isn't lined, because I plan on wearing it even in the summer - it's definitely thin enough for that. However, I did try to make the insides extra special with some minty-green cotton bias binding around the raw edges and hem. I've become quite a fan of Hong Kong binding recently - it just seems to finish off items so prettily and it feels like a little present to yourself everytime you put on the skirt/dress/whatever. It's an immensely comfortable skirt that will see quite a bit of wear from me.

Jacket - found on street, blouse - Toast, skirt - selfmade, tights - supermarket, shoes - Converse, brooches - vintage

Bits of Krakow

2011-11-02T12:22:00.000Z

Dragon's Den on Wavel Hill (nope, not that Dragon's Den).

Lovely buildings covered in greenery. Probably not great for preventing damp or letting much light in, but still gorgeous nonetheless.

Stare Miasto - the old town.

P-p-p-poniesssss!

The Giant Cat Project

2011-11-01T18:38:00.000Z

(photo courtesy of the Giant Cat Project blog)

The Giant Cat Project is a fundraising effort in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, in memory of little Maymunah, who passed away aged only 5. Anne Kilroy has asked a number of artists and crafters - including me - to donate cat-themed works for an auction that will help raise money for GOSH.

Those involved include Kitty Valentine, Mr. Martin, Halo Jones and many others from the Tea Rooms. Aldona and I will also be making a special cushion cover for the auction. An exhibition will be held at St. Botolph's Church, Aldgate High Street, EC3N 1AB from November 7th to 11th. The opening night will be on November 7th, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Do come along then if you can, or visit during the week and see if there are any artworks that you might be interested in.

Cat People by Kitty Valentine

Ginger and Me, by Mr. Martin

The Assistant, by me

I'll leave you with a photo of the tireless Anne Kilroy looking cute in her hi-vis vest shaking a bucket beside the eponymous Giant Cat. The Cat was painted and decorated by the young students of Sir John Cass Foundation School.

Revisiting Silk Road Restaurant

2011-10-28T18:03:00.002+01:00

Well, business certainly seemed to have picked up at Silk Road Restaurant since the last time I wrote about it. Back then, we pretty much had the place to ourselves, even if it was a weekend. On our last two visits (twice within a week, both on Sunday nights), the place was packed with a mixture of students and family groups. Lucky for us though, there was a long, empty table left so we didn't have to endure an awkward table-sharing situation until halfway through our meal - and we were so engrossed in our meal by then that we hardly noticed the newcomers.

Kelp in spicy sauce

Manbacon and I started with kelp in garlicky, spicy sauce - it's the one dish we always order on our visits there. I love it so much I'm pretty sure I could eat it every day if I had to (not really sure what situation would come up in which I would HAVE to eat it all the time though).

Egg, leek and shrimp dumplings

I wasn't feeling particularly meaty that day, so we got the egg, leek and shrimp dumplings instead. As usual, not particularly shrimpy, but still tasty and filling. I like dipping them into vinegar (provided on the side of every table) - the acidity really helps cut through the rather thick skin and gives it a bit of a kick.

Beef and potato

This was Manbacon's choice and it was...just okay. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in a restaurant that has so many outstanding dishes, this just didn't stand out. It's slow-cooked beef with chunks of potatoes, in a soy sauce based gravy. The beef was tender and the sauce went well with white rice (we ordered a bowl to share) but it was just a little...meh.

Spinach with chilli

I'm not sure what kind of spinach they used here, but it was definitely a more robust cousin to the soggy, easily-wilted kind other restaurants use. The hardy greens were great for soaking up the garlic and chilli sauce, and for injecting some much-needed vitamins into my relatively poor diet.

They may have become busier, but I'm glad to report that standards haven't slipped one bit, and prices are still as low as ever. But it would be great if you didn't all come at once - I still like not having to wait for an empty table there.

Silk Road Restaurant
49 Camberwell Church Street
SE5 8TR

Novelty Food

2011-10-24T17:28:00.000+01:00

A tin of Hello Kitty pasta shapes in a 'tomato based sauce'. As yet unopened (working up the courage) but expect a visual report of the contents when I finally crack it open. It's rather encouraging that this helps make up 'one of (my) five a day'.

Chocolate boobs from Brussels, with a red pompom and nipple tassles, filled with marshmallow-y cream. What else can I say?

Malaysian Canteen

2011-10-22T12:19:00.001+01:00

Some old friends visited London recently, and suggested a trip to Malaysian Canteen in Bayswater. Hidden away in a basement under the Malaysian Embassy, it's easy to miss if you're not paying attention. So, pay attention and keep your eyes open if you're intent on heading there!

Like its name suggests, the Malaysian Canteen serves up Malaysian dishes, canteen-style - no surprises here! There's a long counter at the back piled high, buffet-style with all sorts of dishes. The back wall is plastered with A4-sized photos and names of dishes. The rest of the space is taken up with tables covered in a red gingham printed plastic, and lots of customers (we did visit during lunch, after all).

Nasi lemak with beef rendang.

We had the nasi lemak with a side of beef rendang, but there are other curries you can choose too. Or fried fish. Or fried chicken. Or a fried egg. The nasi lemak came with a portion of fried ikan bilis and peanuts, some sliced cucumbers and half a hardboiled egg. The nasi lemak and rendang were alright, in that it tasted pretty similar to what I've eaten in the past in Singapore and Malaysia. I don't think I would make go all the way to Bayswater just for it. The ikan bilis, on the other hand I could have done with more of - it's crunchy and ever so moreish and I found myself craving more after I left. Guess I'll just have to try and make it myself then.

Asam laksa

Now, asam laksa is a different breed of beast to what I refer to as 'regular' laksa - that is, the curry based type - so I was expecting it to look something like this when we got it. What was unexpected though, was the taste. It just wasn't that great - the flaked fish in it tasted canned, and the vermicelli was so soft it pretty much disintegrated when I picked it up with my fork. We resorted to scooping up the broken vermicelli with our spoons. The others thought the soup was too sour, but I quite like sourness, so that part was alright with me, but I definitely won't be ordering this again.

Lakna

The choice of lakna was a pure shot in the dark - we thought it was a mispelling of laksa when we first saw it on the menu, but when it kept popping up all over the menu, we realised that it must be a dish in its own right. So we asked for it, and this arrived. It turned out to be rice noodles in a tomato-based sauced, with a fried egg on top. Simple and almost studenty but surprisingly tasty.

By the way, I still have no idea what lakna actually is - I've been to Malaysia several times, but don't recall any dish with that name, and I've never heard any Malaysian I know speak of it. Can anyone shed some light on this for me, please?

Nasi goreng

The nasi goreng was served with more of that delicious ikan bilis and more sliced cucumbers on the side too. Like the nasi lemak, it was alright, but not particularly wonderful. I remember enjoying it at that time, but I was really hungry. It was also a little too on the salty side for all of us, in fact, most of the dishes were. We had to wash it down with plenty of bandung, but that's fine by me because I love bandung. In fact, I forgot how much I love it until this trip to Malaysian Canteen - I might have to pop by the Asian supermarket down the hill to get myself a bottle of rose cordial so I can have homemade bandung all the time.

Kueh dadar and nyonya kuih lapis

The four of us were pretty stuffed by this point, so only opted to share these two little pieces of kueh. The kueh dadar was moist and coconuty on the inside, and not toothachingly sweet, which I like, but the pancake outside was just a little too dry. I'd still eat it again if I was there though. I was told the kueh lapis tasted like 'solid bandung', but can't confirm it as I only really had a tiny little bit.

Oh, another thing - we were told only Malaysians are allowed to eat here, but I went with an Indonesian and two Singaporeans, and we didn't get kicked out or anything. It probably helped that we could speak and understand Malay when ordering, but everyone working there seemed really nice and helpful, so I don't think you'd need to worry too much if you don't.

Malaysian Canteen

30-34 Queensborough Terrace

Bayswater

W2 3ST

Refashioned Maternity Dress

2011-10-14T14:57:00.000+01:00

Nope, it's not my maternity dress - thank goodness! Isn't it hideous? It's almost like someone wanted to punish women for getting pregnant! Aldona, my cushion-making partner in crime, donated the baggy monstrosity to me and told me to do whatever I wanted with it.

So I came up with something very different to a baggy, shapeless maternity dress. I started by unpicking it, then ironing each piece to flatten it out. Then I made a whole new dress out of it - a tiny, low-cut, fitted, halter dress. It's completely different from the original dress, and not really something I would normally wear, but it's good to try new things when sewing, right? The bodice pattern came from Style 1911, and was matched to my trusty pencil skirt pattern, with the high waistband removed. I also chopped four inches off the bottom of the skirt.

Here I am, looking down the top of my dress and hoping it doesn't slip. Since I'm not exactly *ahem* blessed in the bustal region, I decided to add some straps to hold it up and prevent an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. I had more than enough of the grey fabric to make up the new dress, but decided to add a bit of interest to it by using a tartan fabric for the midriff. The midriff piece was an offcut from another shapeless monstrosity - a 1980s maxi-length skirt I'd recently shortened.

The other adjustment I made - which can't be seen in these pictures - is to add boning to the sides of the bodice (sewn into the lining) for more support. Yes, boning! My first time! It adds some structure to the top, and prevents it from slipping and sliding about too much.

Hairband - Diva, dress - selfmade, tights - supermarket, shoes - Office

The Assistant

2011-10-12T20:05:00.000+01:00

New collage for the Giant Cat Project fundraising effort. A framed 8x10 inch print of this will be auctioned off in November, with the proceeds going to the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Eating Europe Part 4 - Poland

2011-09-28T20:22:00.001+01:00

Ate soooo much in Poland - this is just from the first couple of days.

Manbacon's mother presented us with this wonderful meal as soon as we arrived home in Stalowa Wola - freshly made breaded pork and warm, buttered new potatoes with dill, as well as the obligatory plate of pickles. The perfect meal for two tired travelers on a rainy afternoon.

I got hungry during a walk around the neighbourhood, so we headed in to Ekspres Bistro for a pick-me-up meal of pierogi, served with a garnish of crispy fried lard.

Delicious homebaked goodies (again, made by Manbacon's mum) - raspberry cake with a jelly layer on top, as well as Polish-style apple cake-pie.

Oh, and bread from a street stall in Krakow - it was so deliciously chewy I forgot to document it until very nearly the last bite. You'll see little old ladies selling these behind blue metal and glass carts all over Krakow. Did I mention I went to Krakow too? Well, I did.

More to come soon...

All Smiles

2011-09-20T17:18:00.000+01:00

What a lovely couple.

Field Of Flowers - Highwaisted Shorts

2011-09-14T19:05:00.000+01:00

You may have caught a glimpse of these shorts a couple of weeks ago in my post about inserting a fly front zipper. Well, they're finally ready, and I think they turned out alright, if a bit crumpled.

Inexpensive pillowcases and sheets from the op-shops are perfect for testing out new techniques, especially if it's one you think you may muck up. The fly front zipper adds a slightly more professional look to handmade shorts.

The self-drafted pattern was inspired by a couple of other shorts and a pair of jeans I like wearing. I wanted something slightly highwaisted so others would be spared the sight of my bum when I bent over, and it had to be comfortable without being baggy. Darts were added to give some shaping, and I finished the waist with a facing for a sleeker look.

I'm actually pretty pleased with the end result - it's got a bit of a bit of a 1950s rock'n'roll vibe to it. Who's ready to dance-fight me? They are immensely comfortable and I can spend all day in them, but they look structured enough that others don't think I'm wearing my PJs in public. In fact, I was so excited with how they turned out that I ended up making another pair, in the same fabric but with a waistband instead of facing, that I will put into the Etsy shop soon.

Silk blouse - op-shop, shorts - selfmade, necklace - op-shop, tights - supermarket, shoes - Broadway Shopping Centre

Triple C - Chocolate and Coffee Cake with Chestnut Buttercream

2011-09-09T21:28:00.002+01:00

This cake came about mainly because I really, really wanted to try making a Swiss meringue buttercream. And no, I couldn't just make the buttercream, because eating buttercream on its own would just be sinful, wouldn't it? Whereas eating buttercream and chocolate cake together is totally acceptable. Yup.

Chocolate and Coffee Cake (adapted from BBC Good Food: All-In-One Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients
175gm selfraising flour
3 tbsp 70% cocoa powder
175gm unsalted butter, softened
175gm golden caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp coffee flavouring (similar to this)

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter and baseline two 5-inch sandwich tins. Remove 3 tbsp of flour from the full amount ( the cocoa powder will make up the difference).

- Put all cake ingredients (except milk) into a large bowl and beat until creamy. Add the milk if mixture is too stiff - it should fall easily from a spoon.

- Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins, and level the surfaces of the mixtures. Bake on the same shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until sponge springs back when pressed. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn the sponges out onto a wire rack to cool completely (peel greaseproof paper off if attached to cake).

- Level the sponges if necessary, by slicing off the tops.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream with Chestnut Puree (adapted from Life Is Great)

Ingredients
340gm butter, cubed, room temperature
5 large egg whites
220gm granulated sugar
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup chestnut puree
pinch of salt

Directions
- Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a clean*, heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly over the heat, until mixture reaches about 70C and sugar has dissolved** (rub some mixture between fingers - if it feels grainy, then it hasn't dissolved).

- Take mixture off heat and beat with an electric whisk (or better yet, one of these bad boys if you're lucky enough to have one) on medium-high for about 8 minutes, until stiff peaks have formed and mixture has cooled to room temperature.

- Lower speed to medium and start adding a couple of small cubes of butter, making sure it has incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter is added, add in vanilla extract and chestnut puree, and beat until just combined***.

- Sandwich buttercream in between both layers of sponge, and over the sides and top of cake (I'm sure you can make it much prettier than mine - my spatula skills are non-existent. I also found that fish knives make nifty little 'spatulas' for tight spaces.)

(N.B. - this gives enough buttercream for 2 cakes. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen until needed. Just before using, defrost and bring to room temperature, and whip to a smooth consistency before using.)

* Clean your bowl and utensils with vodka beforehand to ensure there is no residual grease left.

** I haven't got a sugar thermometer, so tested it with my fingers. Go ahead and dip your fingers in, and feel for a fairly hot and smooth texture.

***You may find the mixture looks curdled after adding in butter - DO NOT PANIC! Keep beating it and it will smooth out fairly soon.

Eating Europe Part 3

2011-09-01T09:24:00.000+01:00

A mere one and a half days in Germany left us hardly any time for feasting, but that doesn't mean we didn't treat ourselves. After expending about 798372 calories climbing to the top of Cologne Cathedral (over 500 steps just to get up there!), the Manbacon and I agreed that a huge meal was entirely justified. So a huge meal was what we had.

My dish - pork knuckle with fried potatoes and sauerkraut. It's like Germany on a plate. The pork was cooked to perfection, with the meat falling off the bone with only a tiny little bit of persuasion from the fork. I still dream about the crackling sometimes. In fact, I was so in love with it I was tempted to lie and tell the Manbacon it was horrible, so I wouldn't have to let him try any.

His dish - currywurst and chips. Pretty tasty as far as currywurst goes, although I think my pork knuckle definitely won this round.

For breakfast the next day, some delicious quark-based pastries from a bus station bakery. I can't remember what they're called, which really annoys me because I want to be able to replicate these at home!

And then, we got given a free box of Kakao Drink each, while waiting in the rain for our bus to the airport (Flughafen Frankfurt Hahn, where old planes go to die)! Thank you Germany!

Fly Front!

2011-08-25T19:22:00.000+01:00

Here's a sneak peek at a new project. What's so special about it? It's my first ever fly front zipper! I've been thinking about learning how to insert a fly front zipper for ages, and kept putting it off because it all looked impossibly complicated and potentially heartbreaking. Thank goodness for 50p pillowcases from the op-shop eh?

I finally took the plunge last week, after several hours of Googling and Youtubing, and you know what? It definitely wasn't as complicated as it looked! Now all I want to do is make up shorts and trousers so I can keep inserting fancy fly front zippers in them. For those of you who are thinking of doing the same, I highly recommend this video on Threads. You'll be a fly fronting pro in no time, I promise!

Eating Europe Part 2

2011-08-18T20:15:00.003+01:00

After you disembark from the ferry at the Hoek van Holland, make your way through customs and head for the Hoekse Vishandel, a little shack that sells the day's freshest catch.

Go up to the nice men behind the counter, and ask for their special dish - raw, skinned herring, served with diced raw onions.

If raw herring served on a paper plate doesn't sound too enticing, you can also ask for you raw herring to be served in a soft bun, hotdog-style.

Simply can't abide raw fish? You can always ask for a bowl of kibling, deepfried to order and served with a tart, garlicky mayonnaise on the side.

Some other treats in Amsterdam include - a feta cheese-filled Turkish pancake for breakfast...

a naughty bacon-enriched hotdog for 'lunch'...

with an assortment of sauces...

and a selection cheeses and meats in a traditional Dutch brown cafe.

For breakfast on our last day, in a Mexican-themed cafe, we started with coffee and a huge cup of hot chocolate (with plenty of whipped cream, of course)...

and moved on to a pancake overloaded with tinned fruit...

as well as huge mushroom omelette with plenty of chips on the side, to see us off on our way to Germany.

It's essential to fill up your tummy before a long train journey, it makes crossing borders much easier.

Eating Europe

2011-08-14T20:28:00.000+01:00

More food-based shenanigans to come soon.

Fish Stew

2011-08-14T13:16:00.002+01:00

Fish stew might be a bit of a misnomer, as this dish doesn't require the hours of cooking and er...stewing, that a traditional stew needs. It's more of a fish soup, prepared in little under an hour. The soup is enriched with some harissa paste and topped off with grated Parmesan for a spicy, thick texture. Sometimes you just crave a good helping of those piscine pals.

Fish Stew (serves 4, or 2 very hungry people)

Ingredients

1 fennel

1 onion

2 medium tomatoes

1 tin of tomatoes (about 400gm)

6 cloves of garlic (more or less if preferred)

2 leeks

About 500gm of fish* (I used swordfish, tilapia, and cod)

half a bottle white wine

2 teaspoons chilli/ harissa paste

2 or 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan (or similar cheese)

parsley and basil, to garnish

Directions

- Cut your fish up into cubes and season them with salt and pepper. Set them aside for later.

- Add some butter and olive oil to a pot on medium heat. Dice up your onion and garlic, and cook until soft and translucent. Slice up your fennel and leeks, and add that to the pot.

- Pour your white wine** into the pot - you can add more or less, depending on preferences. Dice and add the fresh and tinned tomatoes, then put a lid over the pot and let it stew about about half an hour. You can also add some fish sauce or salt to taste.

- Check on your mixture about about 20-30 minutes. You should have a thick, red stew bubbling away now. Stir in your chilli/ harissa paste, place the fish on the top and cover it up with a lid.

- Remove the lid after 10 minutes. The fish should be cooked through by now. Take the stew off the heat and ladle into bowls. Top with some grated Parmesan and garnish with basil and parsley. Serve with good, crusty bread!

* Shellfish such as prawns, and mussels, and even squid or octopus would work wonderfully in this dish.

**You can also use stock or even water in place of white wine.

You may have noticed some mushrooms in the photos here - I did use them last night because we had some we needed to finish up, but I wouldn't generally recommend them when making this soup as I don't think they add anything to it.

CAT-astrophe!

2011-08-12T19:31:00.001+01:00

Been catsitting this little one for the last two weeks while her parents have been away. We've just returned her on Wednesday, and now I'm thinking about getting my own cat. The Mancreature's not so sure though, after all, she did scratch him (several times), sit on his face, and jump on his neck while he was asleep. Bad cat!

Nature In The Village

2011-07-29T20:50:00.000+01:00

Let's a break from the rest of Europe and revisit Portmeirion, shall we?

For such an artificial construction, The Village is certainly surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty.

Summer Safari Dress

2011-07-27T20:54:00.001+01:00

The fabric for this dress started life as a duvet cover, before I chanced on it in the op-shop. Imagine that, someone had a zebra print duvet cover! I want to meet that person and talk to them about our mutual love for animal print furnishing fabrics! They probably didn't love it that much though, since they gave it away.

I was going for a simple 1960s-inspired shift dress look, and decided to draft the pattern myself. It's a simple sleeveless bodice, with two slanted pockets on an A-line skirt. The whole thing closes at the back with a vintage metal-toothed zipper. I'd also drafted a Peter Pan collar for the bodice, but decided to forgo it due to the print's busyness.

Dress - selfmade, Scarf - market stall in Krakow, Black tights - random, Shoes - market stall in Stalowa Wola

In A Pickle

2011-07-26T20:09:00.001+01:00

What do you do on holiday? Well, sometimes you get pulled into the kitchen for a good pickle-making session. Making these sour little Polish pickles is a relatively fussfree process - gather your containers and ingredients, assemble them in the jars and then pour some hot, salty brine over it. Put the caps on, leave the jars aside for a few weeks, and you've got a stash of tasty gherkins to accompany every meal (maybe not breakfast).

Dill umbels in clean jars.

Garlic and fresh horseradish for a tasty pickle.

Most important ingredient - fresh, washed gherkins.

No vinegar is added to the brine at all, just lots of salt and water. The sourness comes from the alchemical combination of salt, water and bacteria...yummy!

Whistle Stop Tour

2011-07-14T19:25:00.000+01:00

Where have I been? Well, the last couple of weeks have been spent whirling through 4 cities in 3 countries, on planes, trains, automobiles and even a ship! Here are some highlights (in no particular order):

- a visit to a salt mine,

- lots of food,

- impressive buildings,

- and a wedding cake with bells on.

More to come!

The Haul

2011-06-15T20:02:00.002+01:00

I've been spending a bit too much this fortnight, but I've g a bunch of treasures to show off! As well as haunting the usual op-shops, I've also been checking out Bermondsey Antiques Market. The market can be a bit hit-and-miss, and prices are certainly higher than at a car boot sale, but there are still some lovely items to be found, such as...

3 bags of assorted watch parts, including some lovely enamelled watch faces

and some faceless bracelet watches, which I'll be wearing stacked on my arm, kind of like those jelly bracelets I used to wear as a teenager.

I also picked up a little round photoframe, a heartshaped spoon, a mid-19th century candle snuffer as well as this Coronet box camera loaded with film (below) from the markets.

These were found hiding in dark corners of various op-shops -

a lovely pale green and gold teacup and saucer, sitting in a box under a table. The cup has a faint crack, but I still love it anyway.

An 1820s Crown Derby plate! Possibly the oldest things I have at home at the moment!

And...a 'Lochs of Scotland' from Wedgwood, with 6 soup plates, 6 plates and a lidded veggie bowl! It weighed a ton, which is why I have a Manbacon around to carry stuff for me!

Quick and Easy Pear Tart

2011-06-09T19:23:00.000+01:00

So, you really, really feel like dessert, but you just don't have to energy to head to the shops, and the thought of baking something is more than enough to drive you under the duvet. I was feeling that way a couple of nights ago, when this pear tart came to the rescue!

This tart takes hardly any time and effort to throw together, doesn't require any fancy ingredients, and is endlessly customisable, so you can always whip up a few if you've got unexpected guests coming over, or a last minute invite to...well, any occasion where you're likely to want stuff your face.

Easy Pear Tart (serves 4)

Ingredients

1 ready rolled puff pastry sheet

3-4 medium pears

about 2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

a knob of butter

Directions

- Defrost puff pastry sheet (if frozen). Preheat oven to 220C.

- Place puff pastry sheet onto a greased or lined baking try. Quarter, core and thinly slice pears; you can skin them if you prefer.

- Arrange pear slices on the puff pastry sheet, leaving about 1cm empty on all sides so the pastry can puff up and form 'walls'. Sprinkle cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar all over the pear slices, then cut up little chunks of butter and dot them around the pears.

- Place prepared tart in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up on the sides, and the pears are soft and browned. Let it cool down slightly, then enjoy it!

Epic Potato Salad

2011-06-03T16:00:00.000+01:00

Po-tay-toe...Po-tah-toe...I love them! Mashed, roasted, fried, boiled, or, in this case, saladified (yes, that is the proper technical term for putting potatoes in a salad). This epic potato salad is solid enough to stand on it's own as a meal - we had it for dinner last night, with no accompaniments. It can also be made the night before, and served chilled at a summer picnic.

It's the little chunks of bacon and chorizo in this that makes it so addictive. The little bits of meat are rendered until they get nice and crispy (even a little burnt), and then both meat and fat are added to the salad, for a subtly smoky, meat texture. I've made this salad a few times, with a few changes along the way, and since I'm sure you know how to make a potato salad anyway, this isn't so much a recipe, as a List of Stuff I Like In My Potato Salad.

List Of Stuff I Like In My Potato Salad
- bacon (lardons preferred)
- chorizo
- new baby potatoes
- sweet potatoes
- beetroot
- hardboiled eggs
- chives
- mayonnaise

The quantities are a matter of preference, and it's sooo easy to throw together that you're likely to find yourself making it all summer long.

Unicorn Hair

2011-05-25T17:44:00.000+01:00

The Prisoner

2011-05-24T19:27:00.001+01:00

Did you guess where I went? The photos in the last post were taken in Portmeirion, the setting for that amazing 1960s series, The Prisoner. Unlike poor Number Six, who was held there against his will, the Manbeast and I were there as very enthusiastic visitors.

We had to get five trains - including a cute little steam train - in order to get to Portmeirion and to our castle.

And now, more pictures...

The Village

2011-05-17T17:50:00.001+01:00

Can anyone guess where I went two weeks ago?

Perhaps this next two photos will help?

All will be revealed soon...

The Shiny Secretary

2011-05-16T20:00:00.012+01:00

A reiteration of my 'Secretary' pencil skirt, this time made from a set of shiny old curtains. The back of the curtains are bonded to a peculiar white, slightly sticky material which made sewing a nightmare. The rubbery material insisted on sticking to both the feeddogs and presser foot, which made my fabric all crinkly. To get around this problem, I underlined the shell with a lavender-blue lining fabric, which made the sewing process so much easier!

Underlining the skirt meant that I was left with exposed seams, which I'm not a fan of. The lining fabric also ravels as soon as you even peep at it, so finish it off with a simple zigzag edge wasn't a great idea. I fixed this by making some bias tape from the remnants of my lining fabric, and finished the skirt with my first attempt at Hong Kong seams - you can see them in the photo below!

I've got a whole other curtain's worth of this strange, but lovely, fabric left, so son't be surprised when you see it popping up in other projects in future!

Etsy Shop Sale

2011-05-02T19:22:00.000+01:00

I'm giving you guys a treat in the Etsy shop this week! From now until May 7th, just enter 'THEVILLAGE' at checkout to receive 20% off all your purchases, including photographic prints such as my 'Constellations' print shown above.

*The discount coupon only applies to items in the shop, and can only be used at the time of purchase.

The Secretary Skirt

2011-04-28T20:15:00.000+01:00

I may have said I wanted to sew more clothes this year, but there's been hardly any evidence of it on here. It's not that I've been slacking off though - my machine has been working hard, but it's mostly been working on clothes for sale now that I've started back at the Tea Rooms again. But here, finally, is something I can show!

I knew what I wanted to make with this unknown (polyester?) suiting fabric as soon as I found it in the op-shop - it would be perfect for a pencil skirt! At only 50p for about 2 metres, it didn't matter too much if I screwed it up.

The pattern is self-drafted, based on a few skirts I had, and plenty of Google images for research. It turned out to be fairly simple, although the first version came out a bit too wide at the hem. I fixed that by tapering it a couple of inches from the hips, so to give it that snug, fitted look. And snug it was too - I'd just finished lunch before the photoshoot, and had to get the Manbacon to close me up.

The faux-leather for the waistband came from a friend's fabric stash - we're currently working on handpainted cushions, and are using the fake leather for the backs of some of them. I 'borrowed' a long, narrow strip for the front. The back of the waistband was made up in the same fabric as the rest of the skirt.

The polyester fabric is fairly thick on it's own, but has a rough, scratchy quality that really irritates my skin. To make the skirt wearable, I lined it with some lilac acetate-type fabric I'd got of eBay. It's finished with a metal-toothed zipper rescued from a pair of the Manbacon's unwanted trousers, and 2 little hook-and-eyes to close off the waistband. (The hook-and-eyes were another awesome op-shop bargain - a whole spaghetti sauce jar of them - sans spaghetti sauce, of course - for the princely sum of 50p!)

Of course, as soon as I got it all finished and photographed, the weather became much too warm for me to wear a fully lined, thick polyester skirt, and all I want to do these days is to swan around in floaty summer skirts.

Blouse - op-shop, pencil skirt - selfmade, black tights - Primark (I think?)

Good Friday Brownies

2011-04-27T20:01:00.000+01:00

How do you transform Good Friday into Awesome Friday? With a picnic in the park, sustained by lots of homemade brownies, of course. These brownies combine those two Easter essentials, eggs and chocolate, and can be customised with other goodies such as nuts or cherries, or simply left plain.

Good Friday (or any other day) Brownies

Ingredients

250gm butter

200gm dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

200gm caster sugar

100gm cocoa powder

75gm plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

about 150gm nuts/cherries (optional)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 180C.

- Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water, add butter and chocolate to the bowl and stir gently until melted. Take bowl off heat, add cherries/nuts, if using.

- In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar. Add the dry mixture into the bowl of chocolate and butter.

- Lightly whisk the eggs, then combine with the rest of the batter. Gently stir everything together until you get a smooth, silky consistency.

- Pour batter into a square baking tray and bake for about 25-30 mins.

Flourless Strawberry Cake

2011-04-21T19:33:00.000+01:00

'Be prepared...' - it pays to keep that old Boy Scout motto in mind when planning your bakes, especially when it comes to your own birthday cake. Having come across a huge punnet of strawberries for the ridiculously reduced price of only 59p while at the supermarket, I was all hyped up to bake myself a wonderfully pink strawberry cake. It would be a strawberry and semolina cake, I decided on the way home - I thought I had half a bag of semolina at the back of the cupboard, and of course, didn't bother to check again.

I'm sure you can guess how the rest of this story goes...I opened the cupboard to reach for the bag of semolina, only to find I had...nothing. Undeterred, I decided to use the flourless orange cake recipe and substitute strawberries for the oranges. Of course, that wasn't the end of the saga - I discovered that I only had 5 eggs and 175 grams of ground almonds (the original recipe calls for 6 eggs and 200 grams of ground almonds). If you're thinking 'Why didn't you just go to the shop to get more?' then you probably haven't been reading this blog for long. I'm lazy, and it was dark, and I was tired, and hungry, and...and...

The resulting cake was very moist indeed, but it wasn't a complete failure. In fact, the texture was fairly similar to that of a nonbaked cheesecake. I can't wait for summer to come around again so I can have tons of juicy strawberries on hand to try this recipe again.

Flourless Strawberry Cake

Ingredients

400gm strawberries, roughly crushed

5 eggs, separated

175gm caster sugar

175gm ground almonds

1 tbsp baking powder

Directions

- Preheat oven to 180 C and lightly grease/line a 9 inch springform tin.

- Beat egg yolks and sugar together until pale, then beat in strawberries, almonds and baking powder.

- Beat egg whites until soft peaks, then fold gently into mixture. Pour batter into baking tin, and bake for an hour until firm to the touch.

- Cool the cake in the tin, then remove it and dust icing sugar over it before serving. Enjoy!

Palette

2011-04-14T18:43:00.000+01:00

The best - and certainly the tastiest - birthday present a girl could ask for!

Red

2011-04-12T17:13:00.000+01:00

Zesty Orange Crisps

2011-04-01T18:37:00.000+01:00

Spring's arrival has brought with it a craving for orange. It could be because of the longer, brighter days, or it could my body telling me I need more vitamins - I'm hardly ever in the sun enjoying the longer, brighter days, after all (and my pasty, glow-in-the-dark legs are testament to that.)

Whatever the reason, I'm hardly one to say no to desserts, especially fruity ones. What to make this time, though? I'm not really a fan of orange-flavoured chocolates (sorry, Terry's) - I find them a little too cloying - and I just made an orange cake not too long ago. Well, how about biscuits then? A quick and impatient Google search didn't throw up many recipes that grabbed me, so I thought I'd indulge in an experiment instead.

Orange Crisps

Ingredients
(makes about 40 biscuits)

150gm caster sugar
150gm butter, softened
225gm plain flour
1 tbsp vanilla extract
grated rind of 1 orange
2 tbsps orange juice

Directions
- Cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in vanilla extract, orange zest and juice.

- Stir in flour, knead mixture lightly, roll into a 2 inch wide sausage shape, wrap it in greaseproof paper or clingfilm and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

- Preheat oven to 175 C, and take the biscuit mixture out of the freezer. Slice off fairly thin pieces (I made mine about 3mm thick) and place them on a greased baking tray. Leave some space inbetween, as they will spread a little while in the oven.

- Bake for about 6-8 minutes, until lightly golden and remove from oven to cool.

At this stage, you can eat them as they are, or make a glaze to drizzle over them. I only made a glaze for them because I wanted to pretty up some burnt ones, so it's not strictly necessary, but it does help finish up the rest of the juice from your zested and squeezed orange.

Glaze
50gm icing sugar
2tbsp orange juice

Directions
- Mix icing sugar and orange juice until you get a runny consistency, then drizzle the mixture over the biscuits with a fork. Leave to set, then enjoy!

They can be stored in an airtight box for up to a week (if you can resist them for that long!).

Rye On Film

2011-03-25T17:12:00.000Z

More photos from when we went to Rye in February. It was nice to be there but it was nicer to leave - I forget how scary small towns can be sometimes.

Nonsense

2011-03-22T16:43:00.000Z

A pictorial progression from winter to late spring, 2010.

Flourless Orange Cake

2011-03-17T16:11:00.000Z

After tasting Yusuf's version of this flourless orange cake at the Rag Factory Jumble Sale last July, I proceeded to hassle him for the recipe until he finally emailed it to me. It then sat in my inbox, cold and lonely, until about a week ago. The four pathetic oranges sitting in the kitchen were begging me to put them out of their juicy but tasteless misery, and it was then I remembered the recipe.

It may seem like quite a bit of work at first, but once you've spent an hour and a half boiling the oranges, the cake actually comes together very quickly and easily. There's also some good news for those watching their waistlines - the cake's moist, crumbly texture is achieved without the use of any butter at all. The only change I made to the original recipe was to add 50gm of crystallised ginger to it all, for a little hint of spice (and because the ginger's best-before date was rapidly approaching).

Flourless Orange Cake (adapted from Yusuf's recipe)

Ingredients

3 medium oranges (I used 4 small ones here)

6 eggs, separated

200gm caster sugar

50gm crystallised ginger (optional)

200gm ground almonds

1 tbsp baking powder

Directions

- Place whole, unpeeled oranges (clean them if need be) in water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 1/2 hours or more until soft.

- Drain oranges, cut into quarters, discard seeds and leave to cool. When cool, whiz oranges and ginger (if using) into food processor.

- Preheat oven to 180 C and lightly grease/line a 9 inch springform tin.

- Beat egg yolks and sugar together until pale, then beat in oranges, almonds and baking powder.

- Beat egg whites until soft peaks, then fold gently into mixture. Pour batter into baking tin, and bake for an hour until firm to the touch.

- Cool the cake in the tin, then remove it and dust icing sugar over it before serving. Enjoy!

Early Spring Weddings

2011-03-15T17:47:00.000Z

Knowing my penchant for old wedding photos, lovely Petra presented me with these two beauties she found recently.

Drekars

2011-03-09T21:31:00.000Z

You know, I always thought I would make an excellent Viking. Okay, maybe not the pillaging and killing bits (what exactly does pillaging involve, anyway?) But the wearing-a-silly-hat-and-lots-of-(fake) fur bits, as well as the running-around-with-a-big-sword-and-yelling-a-lot bit - those bits, definitely!

But hang on, what's being a Viking got to do with baking? Well, Vikings were one of the things that sprang to mind as soon as I spied these shiny barquette moulds in an antiques shop in Rye.

The other thought that sprang to mind? Financiers, finally! I may not have married one (opting instead for the poor but handsome IT geek), but I can certainly eat them. You can make the little cakes in cupcake tins, but that somehow seemed just a little wrong to me, which is way I was beyond excited when I spotted the little plastic bag of little metal boats in the shop.

Anyway, the whole point of this rather pointless preamble is to tell that 'Yes, I made some financiers'. Then dressed them up and pretended they were little drekars that were invading my kitchen.

So, yes, I spent my Sunday making tiny little flags and pretending I was a Viking. But, whatever. It was my Sunday, after all. You probably would have done the same if you'd had these shiny new-old barquette moulds in your possession.

The recipe is simplicity itself, although it does take a little time to butter and flour all those little boats. I followed this recipe from the BBC Good Food guide, swapping out the 50g of raisins for 50g frozen blueberries instead. I'm told that the recipe came from Gordon Ramsey. In that case, old foulmouth might have made a mistake with his measurements - it supposedly makes 24 financiers, but I struggled to fill up 15 moulds.

Then again, it could very well be my fault, what with me being a financier virgin and all. Whatever the case, these are definitely worth making - you're rewarded with a dense, moist cake that's rich with the flavour of browned butter and almonds.

I'm still looking out for other financier recipes to try though, so do pass them this way if you've got a good one!

Hot Stuff

2011-02-25T19:25:00.001Z

When I stumbled across this spicy tofu recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi last week, I just knew I HAD to try it. I happen to be one of those people that actually enjoy tofu (and don't you dare call me a hippy!), and this recipe also called for plenty of butter and spice - both of which I also happen to be a fan of!

Be warned though, this recipe is plenty spicy, so you'll need loads of white rice (and maybe a glass of water handy) to help diffuse the heat. We added about amount of pepper called for, and only used 6 chillies, and still ended up tearing and sniffling. Click here for the recipe.

Scallop Week

2011-02-15T18:24:00.001Z

Scallops with lime and dill, and minted potatoes at The Standard Inn

Hey guys, it's Scallop Week this week over in Rye! Mancreature and I made our way down there this past weekend for a short break, and to eat our fill of scallops. Those buggers were HUGE! Our first scallop meal was at The Standard Inn, where we ended up waiting about 45 minutes for a meal that was, unfortunately, alright at best. The scallops weren't exactly bad, but they were just cooked a tad too long and ended up being slightly rubbery. The potatoes, on the other hand, were pretty much perfect.

Tip: If you do find yourself waiting close to an hour for food here, head to the right hand corner by the fireplace, where there's a healthy stock of board games to keep you entertained. That's where I found out that there was a Lord of the Rings boardgame.

Scallops with tangerine (and possibly onions?) and potatoes, and some kind of mash, also at The Standard Inn

We stayed on lovely little Cadborough Farm and walked through countryside while getting chased - albeit very, very slowly - by a couple of cows.

I bought myself a gorgeous old mini-accordion, which we took with us on our walk to Camber Castle. The castle was deserted, so we took turns playing it and pretending to be wandering minstrels of yore.

Before we left, we feasted on another meal of big, fat juicy scallops, this time at The Old Bell. We were starving, so ordered a started and a main each - that's four dishes between the two of us. Which wouldn't normally have been crazy, but we had no idea that the starters would be the size of a main. And the mains? Well, you know how you sometimes get a huge plate, with bits of food scattered around and plenty of empty space, in an attempt at 'presentation'? The chef here had probably never heard of that word, because the plate was FILLED WITH FOOD! And very tasty food at that, although I had to admit defeat halfway through and give up on the lovely, crispy potato chunks.

Starter: Wild boar pate with toasted bread, chutney and butter, and salad. This was mine, The Manbeast had whitebait and salad.

Scallops with pork belly, savoy cabbage and potatoes.

Scallop and chorizo, with vegetable tempura and potatoes.

Upside Down Condensed Milk Cake

2011-02-09T18:41:00.000Z

The idea for this cake came from this post for a sweetened condensed milk cake. You know you're onto a good thing when a recipe calls for you to put everything into a bowl and mix it up. It goes without saying that I like to bake. I'm happy to spend hours mixing and stirring and frosting and standing in front of a hot oven, but sometimes I just want to have my cake and eat it without too much fuss. I promptly bookmarked the recipe, and used it as the base for this cake after finding a lonely quince sitting on my shelf.

Upside Down Quince and Condensed Milk Cake (adapted from Technicolour Kitchen)

Ingredients
1 quince*
1 tin (397 gm) condensed milk
4 eggs
200 gm self-raising flour
50 gm unsalted butter

Directions

- Preheat oven to 175 C. Melt butter in a pan and set it aside.

- Core and slice up quince (or whatever fruit you're using). Cover the base of a circular 9 inch baking pan with the sliced fruit**.

- Place all the other ingredients together in a large bowl, and mix well. Pour the batter into the baking pan, over the layer of sliced fruit.

- Bake for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

- Leave to cool on a rack, then turn it out and enjoy!

* Or use apples and pears if you prefer.

** Use a layer of greaseproof paper in the pan if you're using a non-stick pan, as the metal can sometimes taint the fruit and cause it to have a slight metallic tang.

Fishy Business

2011-02-08T17:50:00.000Z

After thinking about it for - quite literally - years, I went ahead and got myself a fisheye lens in December. The Manbeast and I took it out for a test run recently, and it's tremendous fun. Everything looks like the inside of a snow globe.

Edinburgh On Film

2011-02-02T16:06:00.000Z

We arrived at Edinburgh Waverly Station, and got a little lost trying to find our hotel, even though it was quite literally across the road from the station.

On Calton Hill doing touristy activities such as climbing up Nelson's Monument and receiving a 'certificate of achievement' for making it to the top of the tower.

This handsome fellow came over to say hello...

Brunch at the German Christmas Markets...

Come Back

2011-01-21T15:44:00.000Z

I wish the snow would return.

Quince and Apple Treacle Muffins

2011-01-20T15:19:00.000Z

Muffins with quinces and apples, not muffins made with apple treacle. I don't even think there is such a thing as apple-flavoured treacle, but that does sound devastatingly delicious now that I'm think (and fixating) on it. The muffins can be made with just apples too, but since quinces can were still in season, I thought it would be great to add some to the batter too.

Quince and Apple Treacle Muffins

makes 10 - 12

Ingredients

1 quince, 2 apples (or use 3 apples if quinces aren't in season)

2 eggs ( whites and yolks separated)

200 gm self-raising flour

100 gm sugar

100 gm butter

2 tbsp treacle

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground nutmeg

Directions

- Chop apples and quinces into bite-sized pieces and cook until soft*, adding in the ground cinnamon and nutmeg at the same time. (This can be done up to a day before and kept refrigerated until you want to use it.)**

- Preheat oven to 175c.

- Beat egg whites until they get to the stiff peak stage, then set aside for later.

- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then add treacle and egg yolks and beat till combined.

- Add flour and about 2 tablespoons of the cooked apple/quince to the bowl and mix it again. Fold in the egg whites and stir lightly until the egg whites are combined with the rest of the batter.

- Using a tablespoon, drop 1 tablespoon of batter into the base of each muffin cup, then add about a teaspoon of cooked apple/quince to it. Cover up with another tablespoon or batter.

- Bake for about 13-15 minutes, then let them cool, or eat straightaway. They're also great with cream or vanilla ice-cream!

*You don't have to cook the fruits down to a puree, it's nice to have a bit of bite left to them.

** You may find yourself with some leftovers after you've baked the muffins. Try adding some to yoghurt for breakfast, or reheating it and adding it to some plain ice cream.

First Of The Year

2011-01-17T19:06:00.000Z

One of my resolutions this year was to try and sew more wearable items for myself. I can never find anything I like in 'proper' shops anyway, and while it's nice looking through the £1 table at the op-shops and getting your hands on really brilliant piece, sometimes it's also nice to be able to beam and say ''I made that'' in a slightly smug tone when you receive a compliment on your outfit.

Here's my smug face - it'a actually more constipated than anything, as I was trying not to laugh at the hideous haircut I had just given the Manbacon. This blouse is officially my first completed project of 2011 (not counting those little pouches for Queenie and Ted). It's made of a lovely soft rayon with a slight sheen to it. It's probably not cool to say so, but I love rayon. I mean, it's soft, it's easy to work with, it drapes wonderfully, and you can often buy large pieces of it for next to nothing at the op-shops. Plus, you can be pretty rough with your handling of it, and it still comes out looking great.

Anyway, enough talk, why not look at me instead? Look at me, look at me! For those of you after more technical details, head on over to my Burdastyle page, why not?

Hat - H&M, blouse - selfmade, gloves - random shop in Singapore, skirt - op-shop (£1 table, yes!), sandals - Office

Queenie and Ted

2011-01-10T18:16:00.001Z

Queenie and Ted are lovely ladies who create unique upcycled, customised jackets. As of yesterday, they also became proper shopowners with the opening of their little shop at Columbia Road.

All very nice, but what does any of this have to do with me? Well, I met them while we were neighbours at a rather pathetic craft fair last December, and they decided they like some of my stuff enough to place in their shop!

I went to the shop last Sunday to deliver my pouches and rings, but since Queenie and Ted (or Linda and Kally) had just received their keys that very day, it was just an empty space with nice white floorboards. It was fantastic seeing that space transformed into a lovely cosy shop in the course of only a week.

These are the little pouches I've got in their shop - the outsides are made of layers of plastic bags fused together to form a sturdy, waterproof fabric. They're big enough to hold cards, money, or a small digital camera or mobile phone. I've also got some crocheted rings in stock there, but they were displayed in a cupboard and I didn't think of taking a picture until I'd left. Oh well...

That's Kally in the middle, with that wonderful curly hair. Linda is somewhere behind her, I think. Visit them if you're in the area!

Queenie and Ted
144a Columbia Road
E2 7RG

Saturdays 11am - 6pm
Sundays 9am - 3pm

New Year

2011-01-06T16:55:00.001Z

New Year's Eve was spent snuggled up in bed, feasting on homemade cranberry and marzipan pie, macarons from Laduree, and fizzy pink hibiscus-flavoured wine (cheaper and tastier than Buck's Fizz, but no more sophisticated).

The pie was thrown together in a jiffy, in order to use up some leftover egg whites and bland shortbread. All you need are:

- some shortbread and butter (for the base)

- cranberries and marzipan (for the filling)

- and egg whites and sugar for the meringue.

Crush the biscuits and add butter to it, then place the mixture in the bottom of your pie tray. Cut up about 100gms of marzipan into bite-sized cubes, then add about the same amount of cranberries, and place them on top of the biscuit mixture. Make up your favourite meringue recipe, pour it over the pie and bake it. It's great on it's own, but a spoonful of plain ice-cream alongside never hurts!

It's not the most accurate recipe, but I wasn't taking note of the amounts I was using, because it was New Year's Eve and who can be bothered being pedantic with a pie on New Year's Eve?

New Year, New Stuff!

2011-01-05T15:16:00.002Z

How's your 2011 been so far? The first few days of my year have been spent lazing around in bed, sipping on hibiscus flavoured fizzy wine from Sainsburys. It's been tremendous fun, but, just like everyone else, I'm back to work now.

To ease the inevitable 'back to work' pains, I've put most of the items in my Etsy shop on sale, from now to 19th January. Prices have been reduced by 15% - 20%, and I'm giving Woolly Two Shoes readers an additional 10% off. Just type in the code 'Goodbye2010' when you're checking out, and you'll receive the extra 10% discount!

Happy shopping!

Camera Obscura

2011-01-04T16:31:00.000Z

More from Edinburgh - this time from Camera Obscura, which I thought would be naff but turned out to be hella fun.

Goodbye and Hello

2010-12-31T20:02:00.004Z

Farewell 2010, and hello to the possibilities that will unfold in the year ahead. Have a wonderful New Year, y'all!

Time Travel

2010-12-28T15:58:00.001Z

We stumbled upon a Tardis in Edinburgh.

Happy Merry!

2010-12-26T16:46:00.000Z

A little belated, since Boxing Day is almost over, but Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you've had plenty to eat, plenty to drink, and plenty of presents still to open!

Eating Edinburgh (Part One)

2010-12-23T18:46:00.000Z

A selection of junk food. Bad for the waistline, but strangely satisfying, nonetheless.

Ham and cheese croissant - train food.

Nutella and banana crepe from the German Christmas Market. It was 'healthy' because it has bananas in it.

Fried mozzarella sticks. We also had fish and chips but you all know what that looks like.

Deepfried Mars bar. Yes, I did it! It was listed under 'Traditional Fried Foods' in the chip shop.

The 'Burgh Breakfast' crepe. Don't judge me, I was starving and it was a cold day.

Sour cream and chives pretzels - train food again, this time on the way back.

(Almost) Black Books

2010-12-22T19:17:00.002Z

While in Edinburgh last week, the Manbeast and I quite literally stumbled into our new favourite bookshop. Shelves laboured under the weight of dusty tomes, while every available inch of wall was covered in pithy life lessons.

Suffice to say that the both of us left that warm, magical cave with happy hearts, light wallets and heavy arms from buying too many books.

Armchair Books, Edinburgh

Half A Rainbow

2010-12-20T17:32:00.000Z

I tried to make another rainbow layer cake last week, and the last layers (green, blue and purple) came out very badly. So badly that I had to chuck them.

The flavours here are (from left to right):

cranberries

orange peel

and hazelnuts.

It was meant to be filled with alternating layers of vanilla and chocolate buttercream, and covered in cream cheese frosting, but I settled for chocolate buttercream inside and out. Let that be a lesson - do not bake when stressed, especially when it's the night before your wedding.

Wedding Day

2010-12-10T10:47:00.003Z

Sushi Hiroba

2010-12-06T21:00:00.001Z

I love conveyor belts. Put me in an airport and I could spend hours watching travellers' miscellany trundle about on a mile-long strip of moving rubber. So it should come as no surprise that I love sushi from a conveyor belt. Bite-sized nuggets of moving food. Pile the plates up and see how high the stack gets before you explode.

Ikura sushi. I prefer these bulbous orange ones to the little crunchy prawn roes ones, because you get such a great oily, fishy burst of flavour out of them.

Octopus sushi. The plates generally came with 2 or 3 pieces on each, but the Manbeast was too greedy to wait til the shot was taken.

Edamame. My first time eating them, and I'm a convert now. I'd mistakenly thought they were peas (the kind used to make mushy peas), and since I would rather lick someone's buboes than have to eat peas, I avoided them for the longest time. Only to timidly crack a pod open to discover they were actually delicious soybeans.

Gyoza. Fine, not fantastic.

Prawn tempura, with a sliver of carrot tempura. The Manbeast timidly went for the smallest piece on the plate, only to discover it was a slice of deepfried carrot. Sucker.

Generous slice of unagi on a tiny blob of rice - the way I like it.

Lovely, sweet, soft crab legs. Soooooo incredibly perfect. I would have kept picking up plate after plate of them all night long, if I wasn't already so full and about to fall asleep. I'm gonna hit them first the next time I'm there.

Red bean mochi - chewy, pillowy soft and just the right amount of sweetness. I wish these were more easily available everywhere.

We also had a plate of deepfried sweet potato cakes and some chicken-y stuff in sweet red teriyaki sauce, both of which I devoured before remembering to pull my camera out. You'll have to take my word for it that they were both yummy.

Sushi Hiroba

50-54 Kingsway

Holborn, London

WC2B 6EP

Goodies

2010-12-02T18:41:00.000Z

Lovely Ai sent me another package recently, full of new goodies. The blue packet of 'cigarettes' actually contains candy - I haven't tried them yet, but I think they may be similar to 'Fads' back in Australia (once known as 'Fags').

Well-Made cheese crackers, in Quattro Formaggio flavour - you know what, they really are well-made. Crunchy and intensely buttery, and pretty much perfect.

Dreaming Of Apples

2010-11-29T17:58:00.000Z

Woke up with an inexplicably strong need to have an apple, but I thought it would be too weird to eat an apple at 4.30am, so rolled around wide awake until the alarm rang at 6.30am, when I rushed right into the kitchen and bit into a gloriously crunchy, juicy Braeburn.

And the pear - my breakfast, together with a second apple.

Invite

2010-11-26T18:57:00.001Z

For a special event happening soon, and also appearing in the upcoming issue of The Great Unwashed.

In The Bathroom

2010-11-24T15:03:00.002Z

And Now, For Something Completely Different

2010-11-18T17:30:00.001Z

Geffrye Museum, July 2010

Best Price

2010-11-16T13:44:00.000Z

Warning, gentle readers - This post will most likely turn out to be a massive rant which includes the kind of swearing a Russian stevedore would blush at. It may or may not also include jibes at Barbour jackets, tourists, overpriced coffee and of course, Uggs. Look away NOW if you think you'll be offended.

----------

Things around here have been fairly hectic recently, which is why I haven't posted much. I've had a semi-permanent spot at the Tea Rooms since the end of October, and I enjoy being there a lot more than most of the other craft fairs I've done this year, so it is fairly likely I will return there next year.

However, the one thing that puts a damper on it, are the customers. Well, the non-customers, actually. What really pisses me off is that fact that, because the Tea Rooms is billed as a 'Brick Lane market', the people who shop there often expect ridiculous discounts, or just want things for stupidly cheap prices. I've tried to grow a thick skin and just brush it all off, but a couple of experiences this past Sunday really got to me, and I figure if I let it all out into the interwubs, then I can let go of my rage and behave in a civilised manner next weekend.

Anyway, incident one - Home Counties* family look at a shawl I have on sale (but not SALE!) for £10. I'm hiding behind my display stand, keeping a surreptitious eye/ ear on them. Teenage daughter is trying on the shawl, tying it various ways. I don't expect them to actually buy it, because, let's face it, they're just here for the 'Brick Lane Experience'. Then, I heard Daddy saying to darling daughter 'Ask her what her best price is, go on, ask her what her best price is'.

Seriously, What. The. Fuck?! My best price is a fucking knuckle sandwich to your teeth, how about that? I'll throw in a set of knuckle-dusters to the groin for free!

Darling daughter ended up deciding against the shawl, which left me both relieved and disappointed. Relieved, because I didn't have to yell in public, and disappointed, because I wanted to tell them that my 'best price' was the price on the tag, no more, definitely no less.

They then proceeded to browse the stall across from me, Daddy picked up a globe costing £8, and of course, used his favourite pick-up line on the stallowner. He, of course, has been dealing with these idiots for a lot longer, and told Daddy in bored manner '£5'. That's a huge percentage off, and you'd think Daddy would be pleased with that. Guess what happened?

'How about £4 for it instead?'

How about a bull crushes your two Land Rovers and shits all over your Barbour jackets instead, darling Daddy?

*Barbour jackets (on both Mummy and Daddy), public school accent, puffy hair, puffed out chest, general smug demeanour.

Incident two - similar incidents have occurred before, but, this just joined forces with everything else to help turn the day into a huge turdball.

Two tourists - short shiny plastic jackets, huge-arse cameras (possibly more on that later), hyena giggle. They look around at my display, spy the Cat Power! postcards, and shriek 'Ohhmygodthisissonice!' Which of course pleases me, because I am vain and neurotic and constantly seek the approval of others. Why the fuck do you think I have this blog?

So, you'd think the fact they said 'Ohhmygodthisissonice!' is a good sign, which will lead to them buying the card and paying me with cash money for a card with a cute kitty and rainbows on it, right? You're so innocent.

Hyena girls: 'How much is this card?'

Me (aka dark mass of seething hatred for humanity, but still with a smile on my face): 'They're £1 each.'

Hyena girls (faces fall, eyebrows rise): 'Oh' (puts card down, exit stage left).

Why does this piss me off? Because the same thing happens so often - like card, exclaim loudly, ask price, don't want to buy card anymore.

Dudes, I know £1 for a postcard is about 70 pence more than a postcard of the London Eye, and I'm not about forcing people to buy my shit (I don't even like trying to make small talk with potential customers cos I always think they'll think I'm just trying to sell them stuff. It's also why I prefer to hide behind a huge stand instead of standing in front of my stall). BUT, you obviously like it, and I know because you said to your friend 'I really like this card' or 'Ohhmygodthisissonice!' or something else very similar, with some variations.

But come on, out of all the money you spent at Brick Lane that day, my postcard isn't worth £1 to you? How much do you expect it for? 10p? Free? It costs me about 70p to produce each one, and after paying rent on my stall and bus fares and everything else, it's not like I'm even making any sort of profit from these cards. I'm just wanna get some fucking rainbow cats out there!

Now, I know that most people associate 'buying things from a market' with 'having to haggle for the best price', probably because some guidebooks told them to. But, the Tea Rooms is quite obviously NOT a flea market/ car boot sale situation. There's quite a bit of rent to pay, plus we have to spend hours making and/or searching for the items we sell, then cleaning them, often researching their history, and ferrying them to and from the stall. Even if we do make any sort of profit at the end of a weekend, it may simply mean we're making 50p an hour. That's waaaaaayy lower than minimum wage.

So if we ask you for £10 for that framed print, it's not like we're trying to rip you off. We're just trying to make the rent, and be able to keep doing this next week so you can gawk and bring your huge cameras here to capture some of that exciting (but not really) 'Brick Lane Atmosphere'. Will that measly £2 you've saved by haggling with us change your life in any way? Will you give it to charity, or even one of the homeless guys shambling around asking for change?

Another thing - I wonder if Home Counties Daddy dares ask the checkout chick at Waitrose what her 'best price' is when paying for his weekly groceries. Does his daughter go to H&M, pick up a blouse priced at £12.99, and then tells them she only wants to pay £7 for it? Somehow, I suspect they don't, because that would be so declassé of them. Obviously, we're not 'proper' shops though, and therefore our prices don't deserve any sort of respect. I wonder if they ask the manager at their local Barbour outlet (is there such a thing as a Barbour outlet?) for a discount?

If you're going to say 'But the customer is always right', then don't say it to me, because lucky you, it's very likely you've been fortunate enough never to have been on the retail front-line. If however, you want to send me stories of stupid/annoying customers you've encountered, then I'd love to hear them. Okay, rant ends, now. Thanks for putting up with this incoherent stream of rage, but I do feel slightly better now.

Bleeding Ghoulies

2010-11-02T18:17:00.001Z

While the cool kids were out trick-or-treating this past Saturday night, I was holed up in my kitchen, cackling in glee as I knelt in front of the oven. The reason? I was waiting for my little ghosties and jack-o'-lantern cakes to come out so I could devour them. (But the real reason is that I'm way too uncool to be invited to any Halloween parties, and I suffer from acute social phobia.)

These little cakes are an homage to the Satan cakes Googy and I used to bake while we lived in the Pony Club - so named because they were devilishly delish. They're gooey chocolate cakes with a spoonful of Nutella hidden in the middle, and a far cry from the sickly, vapid fairy cakes supermarkets tend to offer.

I've been sworn unto death not to reveal the secret of Satan cakes, though, and these ghoulish cakes were the result of me throwing some ingredients together, so I haven't got a recipe for you. What this post is, instead, is a kind of 'how-to assemble your own bleeding ghostie cake'.

The silicon ghost and jack-'o-lantern moulds came from Sainsburys, but it's not a big deal if you can't find them. You can always bake them as regular cupcakes, then draw scary faces on afterwards.

You'll need:

Ghost/ Jack-o'-lantern silicon moulds (if you can find them)

Cupcake liners

Your favourite chocolate cake recipe

Your favourite red jam (I used a raspberry conserve)

100gm white chocolate

50ml milk (I used vanilla-flavoured soy milk*)

1. Preheat your oven if needed, and grease the silicon moulds. Make up the chocolate cake batter.

2. Drop a couple of tablespoons of cake batter into each mould, then add a teaspoon (or 2) of jam on top. Add more cake batter until each mould is about 3/4 full.

3. Bake for time required. Remove cakes from moulds and let them cool.

4. Once cool, start preparing the white chocolate ganache for the top. Finely chop up the white chocolate, place it into a heatproof bowl and heat up the milk. Pour the milk over the white chocolate and stir until you get a smooth, homogeneous mixture. Pour or drizzle the mixture over each cake, leaving a thin layer of ganache on top.

5. Try and wait til the chocolate cools before eating. Watch as they magically disappear into your tummy! Spooky!

*The combination of white chocolate and vanilla-flavoured soy milk makes the ganache taste like condensed milk. I'm a fan.

Buttons!

2010-10-27T18:11:00.000+01:00

Went over to A's flat on the weekend, and came home with these! This is only about half of what was in the bag. They were coated in a weird brown gunk, so I spent ages washing them off, but still, whatever - it's a bag of buttons!

Old Cold

2010-10-22T19:23:00.001+01:00

Since it's getting colder now (and I'm taking a break from sitting on a freezing floor cutting out fabric) here are some photos from last winter.

Thai takeaway + Caddyshack on in the background = A great night in.

Candied Pomelo Peel

2010-10-21T16:50:00.000+01:00

The Manbeast and I have been a little pomelo-crazy lately, ending most of our meals by devouring at least a segment of this dino-sized grapefruit-ancestor. While the giant, juicy sacs were perfect for quenching an after-dinner thirst, the rind and pith, with the texture (and probably, taste) of building insulation, had to be binned. I didn't feel so good about chucking all that away though - surely, but surely, something could be done with it?

A little digging around on Google, and I unearthed several recipes for making candied pomelo peel. I love candied ginger, so the idea of candying some pomelo peel sounded good to me. Here's the recipe I ended up using - Patricia Yeo's Candied Pomelo Peel. I've taken step-by-step photos too, for those of you who are interesting in trying it out.

1. Fill a pot with water (I found it much easier using a large pot), then bring it to a boil. Add the peel to the pot, and, after bringing the water back to a boil, let it boil for about 10-15 minutes. D

Drain the peel, discard the water and repeat this step another two times. This helps removes some of the bitterness, and makes the peel easier to remove.

You'll find that the pith has turned translucent after the first boiling. You can remove it then, or wait till after the third boiling.

2. Drain the peel, and try and scrap off as much of the pith as possible, leaving only the green parts. Cut the peel into thin strips (about 1/4 inch thick). Sorry, no pictures of this step, it's a two-handed job.

3. Add 500 ml water and 500 gm sugar to a pot. Dissolve the sugar in the water, bring the syrup to a boil, then add the peel and cook over a low heat for about one hour, until most of the liquid is gone.

You can see in this photo how the peel has changed in colour, it looks translucent here.

4. Okay, this bit takes a bit of coordination and concentration, you don't want to be burnt by hot sugar so be careful! Add about 200gm granulated sugar into a bowl or plate. Place a wire rack over a baking tray (to catch any drips), then remove a few strips of peel at a time and drop them into the sugar. Coat the strips of peel in the sugar, the place them on the rack to dry. Repeat until all the peel is used up, you may have to add more granulated sugar every now and then.

I used a pair of tongs to pick up the strips, but then found it much easier using a pair of chopsticks instead. Try and persuade someone to help you here, so you can pick up the strips and drop them into the sugar, and the other person can do the coating and drying.

Let it dry overnight, then keep it in an airtight container, or put them into little cellophane bags and give them to friends.

The candied peel have a slightly bitter aftertaste, which I really enjoy, but not everyone might like. I asked the Manbacon to test them out on his colleagues, and they all hated it because they found it too bitter for them.

An Exchange

2010-10-19T17:51:00.000+01:00

Ai of the delicious blog it will stop raining put out a call a few weeks ago about having a food swap. Having been a fan of the blog for a while, I was only too glad to take part in it and send her a package. This was the package I received from her on Saturday.

Hello Kitty stamp! And that cute little bumblebee-dude on the right is just so happy!

This photo is making me want an ice-cream so badly - who cares if it's freezing over here right now?!

Goodies - chocolate biscuits, shiruko biscuits, and grape flavoured chewing gum.

My favourite flavour of gum, and pretty much the only flavour I'll eat (I'll take apple flavoured gum too).

The shiruko biscuits come individually packaged. Inside each one is a sweet cracker, with a layer of red bean sandwiched inside. They are so delicious and more-ish, but I'm trying to ration them so they last longer.

Apple Cake

2010-10-14T15:28:00.000+01:00

Recipe is a work in progress...and I left out the cinnamon (try not to bake when stressed). Adding cooked apples to the batter produces a lovely, moist cake.

Love/Hate

2010-10-08T15:32:00.001+01:00

A warning first - Marmite-haters, look away NOW! This post involves the usage and consumption of Marmite.

I tend to approach cooking in much the same way I do most things - cutting and pasting, then crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. That was certainly the case when I hit upon my idea for this dish - roast chicken with a Marmite and treacle marinate.

The marinate is easy enough to make up, but here's a recipe if you need it:

Marmite and treacle chicken

(for 6-8 pieces of chicken)

Ingredients

1 tbsp Marmite

1 tbsp treacle

half a lime

Directions

- Place chicken pieces in bowl or deep plate, add in Marmite and treacle, then squeeze the lime juice over it. Coat chicken in marinate and leave for at least 30 minutes.

- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. When it's preheated, place the chicken in a roasting tray, roast for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.

I sliced up a couple of leeks and placed them under the chicken pieces, so they were roasting with the chicken. You can add other vegetables, or cook your veggies any other way you prefer. You'll end up with lots of savoury, rich, slightly sweet gravy when you take the chicken out of the oven. I cooked some quinoa to go with my meal, and poured some of that wonderful gravy over it.

So, tell me, are you a (Marmite) lover or hater?

It's On Sale, Silly!

2010-10-08T14:45:00.000+01:00

Just taking a short break from normal programming to spread some exciting news - a whole bunch of UK Etsy shops (including me!) are taking part in a Silly Sale at the moment. Lots of fantastic items are on offer right now, and most sales end on Saturday or Sunday, so if you really want something, please pop over to Etsy right now, or have a look here.

P.S. Big thanks to superduper Louloudo for making up that handy silly sale badge! Click here for her blog or scoot over to her Etsy shop for some incredible £5 bargains!