Back on the sewing wagon - nearly...

Yesterday I spent a large part of the afternoon tooling around on the Internet for something to sew for me. Amazingly I have managed to fit back into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, except for one small (er large) problem, my huge breast-feeding gear! I swear I'm about 2 or 3 sizes larger from the ribs up, than I am anywhere else. So I need to do some sewing - FAST!

I checked out this blog by Stacey, which in fact was the very first blog I ever read, and in an ever increasing spiral of blogs and links ended up finding two great gems which I will share. The first is Erica B, who is an amazing sewer and has made a lot of the garments that I have on my wish list. The girl can sew, and if I have read it right has only been doing it for a few years. She's even tailoring coats and jackets.

The second is like Ravelry for sewing, with reviews written on patterns, a very handy thing indeed. I don't know how many of you out there have struggled with an instruction on a pattern, thinking that you must be wrong, because the pattern company would NEVER get it wrong! Again I haven't spent ages on
this site yet, but I did note that they wished to charge for some of their services - we'll see.

I've chosen New Look 6808, not sure which view yet and I'm off to get some fabric tomorrow - will post the result.

Bubblin' over with excitement...

Tacky title I know, but I'm soooooooo excited. Today I received a parcel from my MIL with some books and things that she picked up at the LifeLine Book Fair in Brisbane, she also included a scrapbook with some recipes that her mother had saved.

You see this week will mark a new phase in Suzy's hausfrau metamorphosis - I'm about to embark on the bottling journey. Bottling fruit, making pickles, preserves, jams etc. I'm most looking forward to making things like Spiced Cherries, to be served with vintage cheese - yum.

Anyway back to the scrapbook, it's full of these kinds of recipes........
but why am I so excited, 'cos look at the cover.....












this brings back so many memories of being a kid in the '70s. AND I even had this scrapbook...long lost, but now it's back. Yippee! Who did you want to be, the blonde one like I did?

So for the bottles, I have been eyeing off and communicating with the headoffice (via a work colleague) in Deutschland for these sexy ones, which in fact are very cheap compared to the Fowler brand, but once I add in the shipping it just doesn't make sense...so have ordered these
and all 60 of them should arrive this week. I've just come home from the markets and yep stone fruit is still there. So next week expect some postings on bottling. See you, I'm off to stare at my ABBA cover.

A family favourite

You know when you have one of those family favourite dinners, the one that you got out of a book or magazine ages ago and have made it so many times that you don't need to look anymore, or better still you've adapted it to your own tastes. Yep, well one of ours is this Spinach and Cheese Risotto. Ok so it's not an absolute true risotto, and you'll see why soon, but I'd go far for a better one and besides nothing beats a great risotto and a crisp white for a lunch somewhere with a view........

Well tonight, there was no view, just our dusty back paddock, but the risotto and wine were there........and the spinach (well silver beet really) was from our very own patch, here it is on death row waiting to be plucked.
The recipe is super simple.

1 onion
1 cup arborio rice
1 bunch or whatever of spinach
vegie/chicken stock
blue cheese

Saute onion in some olive oil then add the rice and cook for a minute or two. Then add the stock one ladle at a time** stirring risotto constantly keep adding stock until all liquid used, you know the usual risotto thing, then towards the end add the spinach until its cooked. When finished cooking turn heat off, add the cheese. I use the Castello brand, either blue or white, and use a half circle block for the above quantity.

Now here's the secret to good risotto, put the lid on and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

**Risotto is not something that I made a lot during my pregnancies, cos' you see it's almost compulsory to stand in the kitchen stirring away with a glass of white in hand - well in fact it is in this house......and then you have another with the meal -enjoy!

I'm screamin' too...

Well after reading about Kuka's exploits in her new ice-cream maker I got around to making a refreshing summer ice recipe that I have wanted to make for ages. It's from a little Women's Weekly book "Ice-creams and sorbets" that my mum got for me and it is delicious. It didn't set really well in the ice-cream maker as it is packed full of sugar and the hour or so that is churns for just isn't long enough to make it set. No problems though as I put all of my creations into a metal loaf tin and cover it in aluminium foil. The metal increases the set.

It is just the yummiest summer ice...........

and here's the recipe........enjoy!

Lychee, ginger and lime ICE

425g can of lychees in syrup
2 1/2 cups of water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 large orange segmented
1 teaspoon finely grated lime rind
1/2 cup lime juice

Drain lychees, reserve syrup. Combine water, sugar and reserved syrup in medium pan, stir over heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Stir in ginger, boil, uncovered 5 mins. Chop orange segments stir into lychee syrup with rind and juice, simmer uncovered for 3 mins. Cool. Set as you desire, either in machine or into a lamington tin, and do the fork through thing when it is nearly set and set again....don't like me be too impatient and put it in the machine when room temperature, a chilled mixture sets quicker - der! I served mine over the lychees.

My favourite flower of the summer....

My snap'n'shoot Ricoh not to mention the skill of the photographer will not, much to my regret, infringe on the copyright Max Dupain
or Robert Mapplethorpe when I publish this post. The pictures that I recall from both of these photographers were of magnolias, mine is of my Favourite summer flower - the gardenia. What is your favourite summer flower?

Mine is also somewhat spoilt by the yellowing leaves in the background. I am trying to remedy this by a dose of coffee grounds and a thorough mixing of some Epsom salts. Helps relieve constipation in even the most stubborn patients!

Back to the photography though, this is a crappy shot and makes me long for the macro lens for our new Digital SLR - where did that Santa-man go?

Lil' sweetheart

Back to some sewing posts I think.

This time I have cheated a bit, because this is a project I completed before the girl-child was born. It's from this gorgeous book ........I used the Japanese reversible linen that I have posted about earlier. Three hearts in the fabric from one side, and two in the reverse.

Here it is on our cute new bassinet........

.......and have a peep....what's inside?

What's your favourite sound?

After the preachy last three posts on how to do boring stuff like bread and yoghourt (snore I hear you say) I thought I would just post about something random to see what you all have to say.

A few years ago I read an interview with Hugh Grant (I'm a sucker for a stiff upper lip, an indifferent arrogance and an accent), anyhoo the interviewer asked him what his favourite sound was, and he had a great answer. The sound of scotch pouring onto ice. Yeah - baby I love that sound too. It actually would be in my top five. The sound of champagne corks popping is too obvious and cheesy, as much is I love champagne. And before you scorch me I'm not going to say the sound of my babies gooing and gaaing, because that would be cheesy too - and I want the sounds on my list not to be of sounds that come of out people's mouths.

Here are my top five favourite sounds......

5. The sound of pointe shoes on a stage, audible above the orchestra. Something you can only appreciate at the theatre.
4. The sound of wind making the leaves on a silver birch shimmy.
3. The sound of scotch pouring over ice (thanks Hugh).
2. The sound of my skis groaning in powdery snow, must be powder mind you. The sound of my skis scraping on ice is one of my least favourite sounds.
1. The sound of snow - this wintry blissful silence, particularly at high altitudes. Memory flashback - the view over the Aletsch glacier from the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland.
So what are your favourite sounds? - go on make a comment............