Author: Clare at CatsEatDogs

August 2013 photo a day

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Another month zips by.  I started doing the Photo a Day last September, so next month will be a full year of  daily pictures.  I looked back at Sept 2012 and it seemed like last week when I took those pictures. I still enjoy taking the daily photos and I like to look back at them (have a look at the tab at the top of this blog and they are all there). Day 1. Something beginning with N. Day 2. Incomplete. Shopping list. Day 3. Skyline Day 4. Fresh. Simple tomato salad. Day 5. Early. Day 6. This means a lot to me. Bedtime books. Day 7. A sign.  Day 8. Peek a boo Day 9. 2 o clock. Day 10. Beverage Day 11. I love doing this. Spotting wildlife in the garden. Day 12. Macro. Day 13. Fast. Zooming to school on the first day back. Day 14. Trash. I nearly threw these lizards away in the trash! Day 15. The Best.  A postcard in the mail. Day 16. Cooking. Day 17. Exercise Day …

Peach and blueberry muffins

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Peach and Blueberry muffins (adapted from ‘A Real American Breakfast’) 1 1/4 cup flour 2 tablespoons cornmeal 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 6 tablespoon butter softened 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1 egg 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream (I used yoghurt and it worked fine) 2 teaspoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons worth) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup blueberries 1 cup peeled and chopped peaches (about 2) Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a muffin pan.  I make nice big muffins so I only end up with 6, but if you like a more delicate size, prepare for 12. Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking soda and powder together in a small bowl. Mix the butter and sugar until it is pale and fluffy, add the egg, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla and combine.  Pour in the flour mixture and fold in gently. Add the fruit and fold in quickly taking care not to smash too many blueberries. Divide the batter into the pan and bake …

I am scared of techy crap – there I said it

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Are you good at technological computer stuff? I am not. I can barely operate Microsoft Word and to demonstrate my crapness at this I am currently re writing a piece because I thought that number points would be cool. When I finished I decided they were certainly not cool and had to go. Ha, not so fast Miss Crap. I could not, I repeat, could not get rid of those sodding numbers which my evil document ‘helped’ me put there in the first place. They just appeared by magic everytime I started a new line and sentence. I just don’t have the required magic to rid my essay of them. So, I am doing it all again. At least I am just copying….. I am currently avoiding working on a newsletter for my blog, Etsy store and general catseatdogs bits and bobs. What’s that? The laundry needs doing? You need to make peach and blueberry muffins for no reason at all? Sure. Facebook browsing? Come on over. Why oh why do I find these things …

Making ‘catseatdogs’ jewels

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I made a quick long necklace today on a complete whim.  I pulled out the top/dress I like when the weather is like the inside of an oven with no cakes, and decided I needed a long necklace to wear with it. I have had this sliced up tagua nut set for a while and have never really decided how to use them.  Funny how all of a sudden a design pops into your head and you know exactly how to execute it.  So, I grabbed my leather and tied them on, chose a button and made a fastener with it.  Ta dah! I love these simple necklaces I made last week, they are light to wear and look great together or alone.  I have some similar necklaces which I wear with everything.  They are in my Etsy store if you want to see more photos. I washed up some buttons today which I have had a while, stored in an old cake tin which I think is the storage of choice for vintage buttons. …

Granola cookies

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It is a hot week this week, humid and sticky, not ideal for putting on the oven to bake cookies, but bake I did.  I am linking up with Poppy Fox at Home for a foodie gathering, so I had to bake!   What choice did I have?  I wanted to test these granola cookies and Poppy Fox needed a recipe post, so yum yums all around! This is the second granola cookie recipe I have tried and the best by far.  I used granola I had made rather that store bought which I think also helps. The recipe is from the book Breakfast for Dinner by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth.  I borrowed it from the library last week and there are some fab recipes in it, including this one. Granola Cookies 2 1/4 cups flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup (8oz) butter room temperature 1 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup light brown sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups granola 1/2 cup …

‘A Beautiful Mess’ 30 day self portrait challenge

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The 30 day self portrait challenge is done and dusted and it was a hard one.  I admit to some artistic license on some, but they are all me! Taking pictures of yourself on a daily basis is weird, vain (there I said it) and frankly a bit boring, after all, not much changes.  Having said that, it was a fun challenge and I made it to the end! Thanks to the A Beautiful Mess girls for throwing it down!

This this and that

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I just finished this book and liked it. I saw it recommended on Jools Oliver’s Instagram stream and I thought I would give it a go as the recommender loved ‘Where’d you go Bernadette’ which is one of my favourite recent books. I must admit if I had just picked it up and read the fly leaf, I might not have read it, but I am glad I did. It is set in Gold Rush/Wild West times and the characters are really great, witty and gritty and a good read.  Did I mention I love the cover?  I love the cover. Now, I am about to start this book and I am a big Neil Gaiman fan, so I am looking forward to starting. I love starting a new book don’t you? I have read Neil Gaiman’s  book ‘Odd and the Frost Giants’ to both of my boys over the years and I don’t tire of it, I highly recommend it.  A great mythical read for the kids. Over the weekend I plan to make …

French fry pie – what!?

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I found a recipe for ‘Fry Pie’ in the ‘Real Simple Meals made Easy’ cookbook and I thought “pah, what a terrible idea, chips on top of minced beef, never”. However the idea took up a seat in my head and got comfy, it began to have it’s own ideas….what about a shepherd’s pie base? Same idea, meat base, potato top…not so bad.. I mentioned it to my kids who thought it was a genius idea of course. So, I grabbed the Fry Pie by the hand and we decided to collaborate.  What harm can come of it? I didn’t have the ingredients for a shepherds pie base, so I decided to go out on a limb and make a chilli base and pile on the fries. Honestly, I didn’t really have much for chili either, so I made my famous (ahem) ‘Make it up as you go Chilli’ recipe. I chucked in some garlic, cumin, cinnamon (just a tad), cooked for a second or two, added half a jar of salsa (ideally would have …