Recipes and ideas
I am going back to compiling a selection of weekly photos rather than taking a photo a day. I found myself taking any old nonsense just to get a snap taken. Usually I do end up with a photo a day, but not always a share worthy one! So here is this week’s round up. I found an icy heart, clear reflections, made mince pies, it snowed, Mr.Y chatted to Santa and we built a snow fort. What will this week bring I wonder?
Into the second month of Project 365 now and I haven’t missed a day yet. Let’s hope I can keep it up. This week has seen my birthday, Thanksgiving and lots of sunshine! As usual, these photos are a mix of iPhone 4 and Canon Rebel cameras, and one from the Polaroid Construction Camera. 25/365 One of my new necklaces for CatsEatDogs, taken on the Canon. 26/365 A sign in a local antiques shop. Taken on the phone. 27/365 We made Christmas cake today and tradition states that everyone who stirs the batter gets to make a wish. Taken with Oggl on the phone. 28/365 Instant photo from one of my new (old) cameras. This is me with some Thanksgiving veg! 29/365 Squashed seedpod on the bridge this morning. Taken with the phone and no filters added. 30/365 Missouri Botanical Gardens all set up for the Garden Glow. We haven’t seen the garden all lit up, but even in the daytime, it is pretty cool. Taken with the Canon. 31/365 Oranges about to be made …
It’s nearly nearly nearly October which surely means we are all gathering pumpkins and making apple pies with freshly picked apples. You know, with the apples you picked at the apple orchard and ended up with a quadrillion pounds even though you told everyone to only pick a few! I haven’t been apple picking yet, but I am sure we will and I am also sure we will bring home the required quadrillion pounds of apples! In the meantime, September whizzed by and brought us a few cool mornings and plenty of afternoon sunshine and here are the photos I took this month. I have been playing with Flipagram too, so the photos are also all on Instagram zipping past your eyes in the new video format. I am @catseatdogsmakes on Instagram, go and see what you think. Day 1. Together Day 2. My name begins with. Day 3. Lines Day 4. Alone. Had I eaten the rest? Or was this one the only rice krispie treat which wouldn’t fit in the box? Day 5. …
I make this basic Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies all the time, so it is the recipe I went to when I wanted to make some Autumn-y cookies with the new M&M flavour ‘Pumpkin Spice’. I intended to add cinnamon too, but I forgot, so you will have to make them and tell me if cinnamon works or if it is too much. I must admit I don’t usually like the new crazy seasonal flavours in chocolates and sweets. These are ok though and make good cookies! I am not sure why the M&M guy on the front looks so sad. Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Spice M&M and cinnamon cookies Adapted from the recipe in ‘Relaxed Cooking by Curtis Stone’ 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 …
Yesterday, it was the Labor Day holiday here in the States and a local soon to open donut shop showed off it’s nearly finished doors to usher in their latest creation. In true St Louis style they made the Gooey Butter Donut as an homage to the traditional specialty of these parts the Gooey Butter Cake. They were very good, my boys inhaled ours in a few minutes flat. I was quite happy that they were not the ‘size of your head’ donut which seems rather popular around here at the minute. They were normal in size and wonderful in flavour. Nice one Strange Donuts and long may you continue to keep us strange. I am secretly pleased that the shop is a good mile away from us here in Brentwood. By the time I have walked over to Maplewood, I will have earnt my donut! I love how the interior is looking and can’t wait to see it all finished and open. Good Luck Strange Donuts! Remember when we went to the …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
July was a lovely weather month, it started off cool and ended cool with a few hot days in the middle. Very nice. During July we completed reading clubs at the library, saw Despicable Me 2, visited some local parks and made lots of muffins! The future king was born and has my Grandad’s name – George. I made lots of notes about things to make when the boys go back to school, new jewels and scarves for the fall season. Here are the photos from July as usual using Fat Mum Slim’s prompts. Here are the August prompts if you want to join in. Day 1. Happiness is … Finding treasure in the woods, not sure what this is, maybe part of a fireplace or picture frame or mirror. Day 2. Shoes. Day 3. Cold. Ice Cream Factory. Day 4. Red, white or blue. Day 5. Love. Day 6. Fave smell. Sweet Peas. Day 7. Where you are. Maramec Springs State Park, MO. Day 8. Path. Throwing seed bombs on the path through …
Clare Davis Etheridge 