Sunday stash

These are the new additions to my stash for this week. Not that I really needed anything but my friend Jane asked me to go to Spotlight with her..and this is what came home with me!

These are from the DS range. I will be using these next month when I am part of Quiet Play's Practically Paper Piecing bloghop!

some red and green - $4/m

And I managed to find these gorgeous nursery rhyme fabrics in the quilting section. The range is called "Classic Nursery"

Humpty Dumpty

The 3 little pigs

Hey Diddle Diddle!

Not sure what I will use this fabric for, but it was so cute that I couldn't resist!

Linking up today with Fiona from Finding Fifth!

Little red apples

My lovely friend Fiona from Finding fifth brought me some little red apples when she visited last week - such red appley goodness!

One of my favourite things to do with apples is to stew them and make apple crumble. So that little bag of apples soon became -


Lovely apple slices sitting pretty in my retro orange Le Creuset saucepan - appropriate seeing it is Bastille Day!

So on the stove they went with a little water until soft. I then mixed in a good teaspoon of cinnamon (we like our spices) and popped them in a baking dish.

Everyone has their own way of making crumble. For me, crumble means rolled oats and the recipe I use is -

1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup plain flour
25g butter

I mixed all the dry ingredients together then rubbed the butter thru the mix until it was like breadcrumbs. It then gets spread over the stewed apple. I used a double batch of the crumble mix to cover this dish.

It all went into a 180C oven for about 40 mins or so.

It is great served  warm with ice cream or custard.

Also quite fab cold in the morning with a big dollop of Greek yoghurt :)

Apricot Slice

Baked apricot goodness!

A Mug Rug Swap

Ok! I thought a mug rug swap would be a lovely idea.

Guidelines -

Finished mug rug should measure approx 10"x 7" - but don't stress if it is 9x6 or 10x6 or 9x7!
Mug rugs are to be made of 100% cotton, quilted and securely bound. There is no set design...make it as simple or as complicated as you like!

To take part please register as Attending on the Mug Rug swap Event - you need to register by 31st August.

To give us plenty of time and no pressure, the date for Mug Rug completion is 30th October. We will endeavour to send our rugs in the first week of November.

This will be a secret swap - you will know who you are making for, but not who is making for you. I will post a list of questions for everyone to answer so that we can give our swap partner a few clues re likes and dislikes.

There is a nice tut here on making a mug rug
http://www.ryanwalshquilts.com/2010/11/dresden-wedges-mug-rug-tutorial-bliss.html
and if you need inspiration -
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1533394@N22/

Most of all this is meant to be fun!

How does this sound?? Feel free to suggest any changes or add anything I have left out!!

A wonderful wednesday of sewing!

Ever since I met Elizabeth from Frolic in Fabric http://www.frolicinfabric.blogspot.com/ at the Bishop Druitt Fair I have wanted to do a workshop with her. Elizabeth makes gorgeous bags and outfits with lovely fabric. I contacted Elizabeth and she suggested we make a bag for our first workshop so on Wednesday morning after dropping my little ones at preschool I headed over to Elizabeth's studio.

It was a wonderful day and just what I needed! Tea, cakes, crafting and conversation! It actually took us a little while to get around to the crafting....we were too busy enjoying caramel slice, chocolate brownies and chocolate banana bread and chatting away.

We chose some wonderful fabric from IKEA to make my bag. Who would have thought that you could get such groovy stuff from IKEA!



Inside of the bag with contrasting pocket



Sewing the pocket with the Bernina

 The bag is fully reversible with a contrasting inner pocket AND a zippered pocket. I had never put a zipper in before and was very pleased with myself when I did this!
I am so happy with the finished product -

what a wonderful way to spend a day! I can't wait to spend another sewing day with Elizabeth...I know that we will have a wonderful time!

Almond and cranberry biscotti

This recipe is one that I make alot, and it is my favourite way to use the eggswhites that are left over when I make Spinach and Ricotta canneloni. It makes a nice little nibble to go with my evening cuppa too!

Almond and cranberry biscotti

3 large eggwhites or 4 small
1/2 cup of raw sugar
1 cup of plain flour
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)

Preheat the oven to 180C
Beat the eggwhites and sugar together until smooth and thick and glossy. Stir in the flour, almonds and craisins.
Place the mix into a greased thin loaf tin and bake for 30-40minutes. Allow to cool in the tin.
when cool remove from the tin and slice thinly. Place slices on a baking tray and pop back into the oven until browned (10-15min).

* If you aren't a fan of craisins, just use a cup of almonds instead.
** feel free to use gluten-free flour as a substitute. I have done this many times and it doesn't effect the taste or the texture.

A little bit of Europe in my kitchen

It must be my Dutch heritage! I am oh so partial to cinnamon and spices...the aroma, the taste...just love it! So when I came across this recipe whilst flicking thru my stash of Delicious mags at lunchtime (multitasking - eating and reading!) I just had to give it a go.

so now my kitchen smells delightful...full of ginger, cinnamon and spice!

Gingerbread biscuits

1/2 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
125g butter
1 egg
3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cup icing sugar (sifted)

• Preheat the oven to 170C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
• Place the golden syrup and the sugars in a small pan over very low heat, stirring until the sugars dissolve.
• Add the spices and the soda. When the mixture starts to bubble, remove from the heat.
• Place melted butter and hot syrup in a bowl and stir well. allow to cool slightly.
• Add the egg and then gradually sift the flour in as you stir the mixture.
• Roll the dough into walnut size balls and place on the trays. Flatten slightly with your hand and bake in the oven for 12-15minutes.Allow to cool.

To make the icing -

Dissolve icing sugar in 1 tblsp warm water or lemon juice ( add more if icing is too stiff). Drizzle tops of the biscuits with icing.

They were soooo yummy with a cuppa.  B even asked to try one and I got to explain to him a little about our family and that Oma was born in Holland.