All posts filed under: Eats

Recipes and ideas

Sunshine, Peas, Cookies and Coffee!

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Yesterday was a tired, get nothing done kind of day. A day where I almost put a dirty glass in the freezer to wash it.  I am sure I will find the butter in the cupboard and the Marmite in the fridge!!  You know the kind of day. A pretty useless one. Today however is a different day altogether. I am feeling good, the sun is shining so I am wearing these I did a great class at the gym where I could hardly drink my water and breathe at the same time.  Lots of running, jumping and breathing. In my book that’s a good one!  The down side is walking to Michael’s and Whole Foods glowing red in the face! I  bought this massive crochet hook which is the size of a baseball bat and the brand ‘Crochet Dude’ cracked me up!!  Now I can embark on my maiden crochet project voyage – a nice chunky cowl scraf thingy.  Don’t worry that summer is hurtling towards us, it will probably take me until November …

Springtime Nests and a toddler Gooseberry bush

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Schlafly farmers market in Maplewood was our first stop this morning, the last of the Winter markets. Queen’s Cuisine Bakewell tarts are a true joy and we snaffled two, to enjoy with a cuppa later on.  Those Eccles cakes are pretty darn good too.  The founder of Queen’s Cuisine is a Brit in the Mid-West like me, so I always love to stock up!  Her baking is so good. I got me a Gooseberry bush (this one is a toddler, but it will grow!) from Yellow Tree Farms.  Gooseberries always remind me of my Grandma who had a massive and very spikey Gooseberry bush in her garden! Herbs from Yellow Tree Farm Potatoes from Silent Oak Farms Mushrooms from Ozark Forest Mushroom.  These guys had a mushroom rub which I wish I had bought, sounds delicious.  Next time! Black bear bakery pasties.  I bought the Saturday Morning Bun from Black Bear and it was perfect!  I love their price labels too. When we came home we made some Springtime nests which are always an Easter …

Irish Soda Bread on St Patrick’s Day

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Merry St Patrick’s Day!  I am not even slightly Irish, but I have been to Dublin once, and I like to bake so I thought I would make some Irish soda bread for breakfast. Even the weather today is authentic Irish, cold, wet and grey.  I am rather hoping Spring will bounce around the corner soon. I found a recipe on Pinterest which I adapted to suit what was in my cupboard and here it is. Irish soda bread Mix 2 cups all purpose/plain flour, 2 cups bread flour with 1/4 cup raw sugar, 1tsp baking soda, 2tsp baking powder and 1tsp cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix 2 eggs, 1 1/4 cup plain yoghurt and 1/4 cup olive oil. Quickly mix the wet into the dry  and add 1 cup raisins. It will seem quite dry but keep kneading and it will come together. Knead on the worksurface until the bottom is smooth and you have a flat ball shape. Place on a baking sheet and cut the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 …

February Photo a Day 2013

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Another month of daily photos complete!  I must say, I do like to look back over the month and see what I took.  Some of this month’s have been a struggle and resulted in a quick snap and done, like ‘fork’ and ‘where you ate your lunch’.  On the other hand I am really happy with some of the photos like the ‘hope’ mittens and the last one ‘upside down’.  Nothing like a mess about with a few apps to make a boring prompt a bit more interesting, which I suppose is the whole point of the challenge. If you fancy joining in, here are the March prompts – Fat Mum Slim photo a day. Day 1. Fork Fork in a cake at Handmade Happy Hour in Home Wine Kitchen which is a fabulous local restaurant and venue. Day 2. Pattern. Close up of the pattern in some vintage fabric I bought from Miss Ohio Vintage, I plan to make a summer infinity scarf with it. Day 3. Something beginning with e.   A school …

Trees in puddles, reads and granola.

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  I snapped some tree reflections this morning on the way to school.  I flipped them and popped on a filter in Camera +.  One of the  many advantages of walking to school every day, we get to spot the cool stuff and I get to photo it.   Bodhi assures me that walking to school gets his brain working every morning!  Who am I to argue?! #52lists ‘Great Things I have read lately’. I liked this weeks list, I will read anything which stands still long enough! ‘The Vanishing of Katherina Linden’ is an audio book I picked up from the library because I liked the cover!  Yes, I do choose books by the cover quite often!  I always choose wine by picking the label I like best, because I am a wine expert……  Anyway, I have just started to listen to this book and I like it so far.  In the first few sentences someone explodes, so that’s a promising start.  Dark humour is one of my favourites. http://www.abeautifulmess.com, written by sisters Emma …

Ten on Sunday the 10th. February 2013

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It is raining today, but getting 10 photos shouldn’t be a problem. This morning started off with a big thunderstorm and lots of rain. I found about 10 pairs of 3D glasses in the drawer, so Bodhi decided to put as many on as would stay! ‘Snack packs’ of Custard Cremes with a cup of tea. My first cookery book ‘My learn to Cook Book’ circa nineteen seventy something. I love the illustrations and 1970’s ingredients like cochineal! Yum, beetles… I remembers making lots of recipes from this book with the cooking cat and dog. A Knicker-bocker Glory was a birthday must. New gym togs is always motivation. I can’t wait for step class tomorrow! A montage for a guest post I wrote today. Link to the post coming this week! Very exciting and quite an honor being allowed to write for someone else’s blog. The boys of the house watched the rugby this morning. When it had stopped raining they went out to play. They came back a bit muddy. Batman looks a bit …

I want a friend with a cafe and other pressing needs.

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As I was reading Meet Me at Mikes by Pip Lincolne, and how Pip was helping her friend out who owns a cafe, I had a huge joyful feeling that I want to be involved with a cafe. I don’t have aspirations to own one, but I would love to be able to help someone with one, not even work for them, just help out as and when.  I can help with recipe ideas and I am a very excellent taste tester.  I can carry, waitress, wash, dry.  Also decorate, paint and choose the music. This came as a very strong feeling and a positive one.  Isn’t it strange how a feeling can overtake you for a moment.  I like it. Now, who do I know who owns or wants to own a cafe?! Maybe we serve these hot chocolates?   I also want to make a random bead necklace for my friend. Sounds easy?   Of course, grab a handful of beads from my various jars and bowls.  No.  I don’t do random very well, …

January 2013 photo a day.

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Day 1. Today. Connect Four on New Year’s Day. Day 2. Something New. New Feast magazine. Day 3. Heart. In the snow. Day 4. The View from here Day 5. Movement Day 6. Mine. Some of my favourite beads. Day 7. Street. Always a handy place for a toilet! Day 8. Something beginning with T. Day 9. Paper. Vintage Fox River Onion Skin paper. Day 10. 1 o clock. Day 11. Water. Reflection and Swim. Day 12. Suprise. Lots of lovely books from the library, full of suprises. Day 13. Circle. Day 14. Something yellow. Day 15. An ordinary moment.  Frost on a pile of leaves. Day 16. Two things.  Garlic cloves. Day 17. Ready.  For my January jewelry sale. Day 18. Shadow. Day 19. Delicious.  I love finding bonkers stuff in the antiques mall. Day 20. Something you saw Day 21. What you do.  Sometimes I make zombies. Day 22. Corner.  Snow on a roof. Day 23. Electric. Day 24. Stripes. Day 25. Landscape.  At Laumeier Sculpture Park. Day 26. Together.  Bodhi and Max’s …

Oh, I say!

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Well well well, looks like I got me an award!  Whoop! I have been nominated by the lovely http://www.blueribbonfair.wordpress.com for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award and shock, gasp  The Versatile Blogger Award I must (no really, I must, it is in the rules) nominate others for the same awards and it has been an easy and joyous task picking these blogs out! I have to confess when I saw that I had to find 15 deserving blogs, I thought I might have to start digging about.  Absolutely not, all of the blogs I have listed I have read and I enjoy reading them and the photos,  stories,  photographs,  crafts, recipes and general fabulousness contained within each. Some of these bloggers I have met and started to read through participating in the JustB blog school headed up by Pip Lincolne of Meet Me At Mikes.  Without the blog school I am almost certain that I would be posting once a month at the most and my blog would be a wandering mess.  As it is, I …

Ten on the 10th. January 2013

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I didn’t think I had a snowball’s chance of getting 10 photos today, unless you fancied a wonderland view of rain, damp, then fog and back to rain, then dark. Fear not! I started off with stuff I am reading and stuff I am making, I snapped the melting giant snowball in the back garden and off I went on a photo extravaganza! Here are January’s ten on the 10th. The last of the snow, in a convenient ball. Itsy Bitsy wire hearts all going to grow into earrings. In a vintage Ponds cream jar we found in the woods last year. Check out my Etsy store for the finished product. Bodhi and I are reading ‘Mr Stink’ and I love it as much as he does! I am listening to ‘State of Wonder’ by Ann Pratchett at the minute, ‘The End of your Life Bookclub’ is jostling for next in line with ‘Grace’ by Grace Coddington. I’m reading ‘Mr Penumbra’s 24 hour bookstore’ and enjoying it no end. Good stuff. My Instagram prints stored …