What's Cooking

Hello!!!
The weather has turned cooler and so out came the jumper and this week I made a batch of pumpkin soup which was welcomed to warm up the insides.

I pulled out my large pot and filled it with the ripened fruit from our back yard. In there is rhubarb, nectarines and apple. I added some honey to stew them as they were a bit tart.

But when topped with a sweet crumble topping, baked and served with fresh cream it was yum. There is one crumble in the freezer for a later date.

I had some ruby grapefruit to use up and so I made a marinade with it and combined it with salmon.

It was delicious. Here is the recipe:

In a small casserole combine the following:
- grapefruit juice (I am going to try lemon next time)
- soy sauce
- stock concentrate or powder
- grated ginger
- dided garlic.

Place thawed salmon in marinade and leave in the fridge for a least an hour before cooking. Bake in 200 degree oven for 30mins.

Over the weekend we had a engagement part to attend. There was supper so I took some bread from the freezer and made some cheese savories.

The base is egg, grated cheese, diced onion and Worcestershire sauce, but I also added some fresh herbs and diced capsicum. (I sampled as I was cutting them up, mmmm)

Next week I will share with some new recipes I have been working with and enjoying (along with others).

... Dot  

Mending

Hello everyone. Thanks for popping by. Today I wanted to share with you a job that I find I have to do every now and then. Mending. 

I don't usually mend something straight away unless it is needed, so a pile usually generates and then one day ... I sit down and get into it.
The other day was 'that day' and it left me feeling good. 

At the top of the pile was the top sheet from our bed. The hem had come away and it was starting to fray (on my side). So I took in a hem all the way across the sheet, then top stitched and found I still did not catch a piece so I added a patch. It gets tucked in anyway. I was in a bit of a hurry for this one as I wanted to put it back on the bed. 

Then I had some tea towels that were gifted to hubby and I when we were married. They are old but they are the best dryers. I patched some holes and backed them with iron-on interfacing and for little holes I used the darning stitch on my machine. They have a new lease of life.

At the bottom of the pile was a pair of shoes that I wore a hole in them where they were only new. It was bothering me and so I put them in the mending pile and thought about it for a few months and decided to sew a mini doily patch onto it. It looks much better than a frayed hole. I will use them as back up for walking shoes. 

And look what darling D2 cooked for us over the weekend. Who doesn't enjoy a good meal of pasta?

Be good, keep smiling and live life to the full ... Dot

Colour

Hello Everyone. I love to see colour and the other day I walked around outside to see what colour I could find in my garden. I didn't expect to find much as we have had a dry summer. As you can see above, there was quite a bit of orange in different spots but I left it there and wasn't tempted to bring any indoors.

Yesterday hubby and I were invited to have lunch with D2. She cooked up a colourful red quinoa pilaf and melted camembert cheese (with garlic and rosemary infused in it) along with fresh potato bread. Delicious and very filling.

Today I minded a cute and colourful niece who was decked out in hot pink and hot orange. This added some lovely colour in my day. 

Until next week, I hope you all enjoy some colour here and there to add to your days... Dot

Australia Day

Good morning!
It's a holiday here today in Australia and so no alarms were set last night but we were awake during the early hours to the welcome sound of buckets of heavy rain on the roof. We laid in and when we looked outside it was no nice to see everything very wet.

At the dining table I completed the coverered coathanger and then made up a cushion cover front. It is not quite dry from the blocking session but tomorrow I should be able to take it down to my studio and complete it. 

Now at the table I have started a baby pram blanket using V-stitch. As you can see I am carrying the colours up the side so this should make it easy the put an edge on it. It is a quick project as I am using 10ply wool.

On my list has been this breakfast idea and I finally had it this morning. It is a Salted Caramel Chia Pudding. And, oh my, it is delicious. I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it simpler and so here it is.

Before bed:
Place 3 Tb chia seeds in a 400ml can of coconut milk in a bowl in the fridge overnight.

Next morning: serve up in a bowl or large glass. Top with banana and add some caramel. 

Caramel: Mix together 3 Tb tahini paste, 2 Tb maple syrup and a good pinch of salt.

There is enough mixture here for 2 large serves or 3 small ones. I have it all to myself so I have breakfast organised for the next 2 mornings. Mmmhm!

For lunch today we are having a zucchini slice. We have been given a few zucchinis and so I have a few old favourite recipes to cook them up in and found a few new ones to try. 

Anyhow, until next week, have a great day... Dot

Morning

Good morning and welcome to another week. The mornings have been cool but it does not seem to take long for the day to warm up. Some windows are left open 24/7 to keep the home cooler. Last night we had dinner outside and it was very pleasant.

Last week hubby arrived home with a 'cute' container of fresh blueberries that was given to him. Over the weekend I made some thick pancakes with oats, chia and ricotta cheese etc and we enjoyed them over 2 mornings for breakfast. Yummo! 

Sewing: I have been sewing some baby rompers. This one is on it's way to WA to a new baby boy. They are fun to make and quite easy.

Knitting: 01: On the dining table I have commenced covering some coat hangers. I want to do up a few different ones for my gift box.

02: Over in the lounge room I have commenced a scarf using a stitch I have not tried before; seafoam. The wool is a variegated 8ply and this will be put in the gift box too. (someone in mind to receive)

Crocheting: And in the family room I have set up a tray of wool and bits and pieces and crocheting flowers.

I love how these came up using buttons. I hunted down all my '4 hole' buttons and found a few but I will be checking down town today and see if I can gather some more. The plan is to decorate the front of a handbag etc. 

For something different now I am off to clean the home.

Enjoy life ... Dot

Holiday in Cairns

Hubby and I arrived in Cairns on Christmas Eve and D2 arrived later that same day. We all went for a drive to search for some lights and were delighted to find some. People go to a lot of trouble for us to enjoy the 'after-dark' display. 

Christmas Day was very relaxing. The first order for the day was coffee and then we continued to graze on yummy fruit and dips until lunch time.

D2 prepared the serviettes nicely.

I made up a Herb Pull-apart bread and we enjoyed a delicious meal of roast lamb ....

... baked vegies, gravy and sides.

On Boxing Day we spent the day in Kuranda. We took a glass-bottom gondola on the way in which we were able to enjoy the beauty of the rain forests.

After lunch we boarded a train back home. The train was packed and they had to add 3 more carriages to fit everyone. It was certainly popular and we thoroughly enjoyed our day out.

It was nice to enjoy fresh tropical fruit. We made some mango lassi and I collected some frangipani's on a walk one day. Pretty!!!

Our first trip to Cairns was a trip to remember. Next time we might visit in the cooler months if there is such a time. 

Until next week ... Dot

Holiday in WA

I am back home and would like to begin by wishing all my readers a very happy year ahead. I trust it will be filled with much happiness and productivity for you and your families and come the end of it, you will look back on 2016 as being a wonderful year to remember.

We arrived safely in WA and because the grand girls had not had cuddles with Poppi for 12 months, they spent a lot of time with him and totally enjoyed all his funny ways and tricks he played on them. 

The local Christmas Parade took place one evening and this entry took my eye. Love minis and love crochet!

Once the little girls had finished school we planned a day of baking. They were thrilled to help out with the cutting out and then came time to decorate. So much fun!!

Very pretty and well done.

The night before our holiday came to an end with this part of our family, we had celebrated an early Christmas meal together. I had to show this pic as I made the girls a doll each. Voilet and Ruby have a reversible dress and I thoroughly enjoyed making them.

Next week I will share the second part of our holiday. See you then ... Dot