Down at the local... library

Lovely image from Whipup.net - with instructions for making this libary bag too!

Do you ever frequent your local? Yep, your local. It's full of colourful characters, of stories being told. How I love the library.

We try to go every fortnight, often after work and before a coffee. We search the shelves for hidden treasure, things we never considered reading. And we return to old favourites, much loved and borrowed often. Plus the local has a dvd collection, magazines to rival MagNation, wireless net, and all the facilities you need to create a zine! And if you make a zine using library resources, the library will add it to their collection.

The most recent library adventure resulting in a wide variety of books. A crafting book - Weekend Sewing - which has a shirt dress I'm keen to try as well as some trusty looking day bags that would make great gifts. A book about the history of sushi in the USA, some Alexander McCall Smith for general loveliness, a story set in Tehran prior to its radical change in the 70s (not sure of dates, have to read it to know when the country became closed). Also a simply amazing book which is inspiring me to bake, aptly called Baked.

What have you be reading lately?

Sitting, watching, waiting, wishing...

Cool Cardi - on my wishlist to knit. Thanks Pickles!

Also on my wishlist - leg warmers. They look perfect for bike riding. Pickles again.

Back into blogging and still enjoying trawling the net for lovely things. There is so much goodness, creating, though and overall beautiful things to be found. One link with take you to a whole new place, with discoveries to be had. I find myself truely engrossed, reading post after post after post written by clever creative types. Hurrah for you who are the creative ones, you smart things you!

What to be found:

A stellar Norweigan duo, who knit, supply patterns and also sell wool. Check them out at Pickles.

More Scandi goodness, this time a fabric printing lady from Sweden who has just been to her summer house with the family - Fine Little Day. The images make me swoon, and long for extended summer breaks, for light that lingers into impossible hours, for a place to get away to...

The Textured Leaf has some wonderful reading, and I found a fellow Melbourne woman who creates, and has lots of kids, but somehow seems to always be making something! I'm mega impressed Ms 1/4".

And then there is cooking goodness - ever faithfully delicious Joy, methodical and meticulous the Closet "cooker" (I'm not sure Kevin would approve of being called that though...).

What lovely things have you discovered lately?

Lemon delights...

With the amazing weather in Victoria recently, I think my lemon tree has grown overnight! Hurrah! I was quite apprehensive about buy the tree. After all, the poor thing would have to live in a pot and be exposed to endless exhaust fumes from a busy road. I also worried about the amount of sunlight it would receive, and whether its owners would be consistent in giving it some regular water and fertiliser. But oh, how I love lemons. Lemon butter, lemon slice, lemon cake, chicken and lemon, lemon in guacamole, in a white lady (that refreshingly sour cocktail), roasted with root veggies... Oh, I could go on.

No fruit so far, but new shoots which make me smile. Yep, those little redish brown shoots are new growth! They are my lemon tree getting bigger. I'm thrilled, and very surprised that it has not died. Any tips around growing successful lemons would be much appreciated.

A little tree dweller.

By the by, how sweet are these little biscuits? Ikea had some gems of cookie cutters, and who could resist a squirrel biscuit with a cup of tea? Or fantastic Mr Fox even? Perhaps iced in vibrant orange with a chocolate sprinkle tail...

My place and yours - secret weapon revealed!

My secret weapon is not crafty. It is kitcheny. Yep, I love to bake. I love the rewards that come from baking. I love passing recipes on to colleagues. I love being on morning tea and needing to come up with the goods. My secret weapon is now around a year old. She was a birthday giftie from the fella. And I love her with a passion. In the event of a cyclone, I would rescue her along with the cat. She mixes so smoothly. She takes the muscle out of bread making. She whips up the lightest icing. Oh Ruby Red, I love you!

Thanks Pip for the ongoing My Place and Yours Meme. Thanks My Bricole for this week's theme. I'm enjoying taking part.

One of my more blond moments...

This weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to a cheese party. Friends Geoff and Hannah wanted to celebrate a number of special things, so organised a party on the beach for Saturday afternoon. Guests were encouraged to bring along beach things and a plate of cheese. Being a former deli-girl, I was eager and also amazed that I have never personally hosted a cheese party. Thursday afternoon I perused the local fine food establishment, hunting for a soft rind soft goats cheese. Milawa Cheese Factory make something similar, which I've previously covered in prosciutto and baked in the oven. It was the epitome of an indulgent dinner... Anyway, given that I now live in rural Australia the options were limited when it came to goats cheese. I did find a dutch semi-hard that was piquant enough to satisfy.

So, on to my silly mistake. I opted to bake a loaf of bread to go with the cheese. It was certainly a success and I've put the recipe for the two baguettes below. Thanks Martha Stewart and Nicky from work who lent me the cookbook. The instructions called for a baking stone to be heated in the oven. As I don't have a baking stone, I used a beautiful hand-crafted wooden chopping board. Ops. I have now a black board, with a hidden grain. I must remember, wood is combustible. Repeat after me "Wood is Combustible". So an inverted baking tray made do instead. The loaves were crusty on the bottom and cooked wonderfully though.

Baguettes

Starter:
7 oz flour
¾ cup warm water – plus a little more
¼ oz dried yeast

Dough:
7 ½ oz flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ tbs salt
1/3 cup warm water
Vegetable oil
Polenta

To make the starter: Combine ingredients in the bowl of your mixed, and combine with the paddle attachment until you have a thin batter. You may need more water that the ¾ cup. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to stand at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

To make the dough: Add the flour, salt and a little of the water to the starter. Attach the dough hook and mix of low speed for 3 minutes. Add more water, up to 1/3 cup if needed – I only used a tiny bit of water. Increase the mixer’s speed and kneed for a further 3 minutes. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed lightly. The dough will be soft but not sticky. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour to prove until doubled in size.

Return dough to the floured surface. Press gently into an oval. Fold the top third down, the bottom third up, then fold the sides in. Turn over so the folds are underneath and return it to the oiled bowl. Prove again for a further hour once covered. Why you fold it like this, I don’t know. But Martha recommended it and it worked.

Return dough again to the floured surface. Divide dough into two pieces. Gently shape into two ovals, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a long baking tray with polenta. Pre-heat the oven to 220⁰C, with a shelf in the bottom third of the oven in place for your baguettes to cook on.

With the long side of the oval facing you, fold the top third of one of the dough pieces down, the bottom third up. Roll into a long baguette shape. Repeat with the other dough. Cover with glad wrap and place in a warm spot to have a final prove for 30 minutes. Make four superficial slices into the tops of each baguette, and brush with vegetable oil if you want a more golden loaf. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until deliciously done.

These baguettes are chewy with a thick crust. They needs to be torn rather than cut and are perfect with cheese by the ocean.

Blog browsing and killing time before he gets home.

So my fella is away, for simply ages it seems. He's taken the ipod and the camera, but at least I have the car and the king-sized bed. When he goes I pig out on veggie food, and don't have to share those bottles of red. But I don't sleep soundly without him next to me, and miss the board game challenges we have...

At least I've got this boy for company. Hurrah for Mr Cricket!

So, what have I been doing? Well, I did get some of those things from the list completed. I baked my little heart out, and have discovered some new irresistible cookie. They are more like biscuits actually, perfect with a cup of tea. Find the recipe here. I've taken a reader's advice, and highly recommend that their little bottoms be covered in white chocolate. Simply delicious. I've also been sewing until my back aches and my fingers hurt. An ugly quilt is almost complete. Initially I thought the combination of avocado green, burnt orange and rich brown worked. Now on mass they look like a hang-over from the 70s. What was I thinking? But so much love and energy goes into a quilt, it has to grow on me. In consolation, I'm planning my next big sewing project. Thinking blue stars with yellow middles. Taking a class on the weekend on cutting triangles in order to prepare. It will be my first patchwork class, and I'm nervous. Hopefully everyone else isn't a mamma. Will a childless 20s chick fit in? Probably not, but my sewing skills will improve hugely. Plus it is great to get to know some of the local patchwork community.

Blogs I'm interested in:

Open - Melbs deliciousness, my fave smelly store was featured today!

Vegan and Vintage offshoot - Little Love Lost

And the source of the biscuit recipe - Joy the Baker. Has to be my favourite. Love baking and happen to have the middle name of Joy. One of my goals in life is to be a better baker after all. Told my fella this, who said I would just have to practice if I want to improve. He doesn't mind at all.

Received a beautiful silk badge corsage in the mail today from my crafty and creative friend Ris. Got to love her work. Images will be up at some stage, when the camera is either repaired or returned. Have to find some pics to liven this up after all...

Reading through the Half Blood Prince, in preparation from the film coming out on Wednesday. So sappy, but so excited. Until then muggles...

Happy sewing, baking, reading...

Sunday reading list

After a restless night's sleep, I thought perhaps the gym would be good. I go around three times per year, and it is only in our basement car park. I lasted eight minutes on the cross-trainer (I think that is what that contraption was!) before collapsing on the floor. The only solution was to come back upstairs and read my newest magazine!

Peppermint Magazine came out during the week, and was a wonderful surprise. I had subscribed months ago and not heard back from the publishers. I feared they had taken my money and run. That was me totally overreacting of course. My mind is still not made up about the mag - I'm wondering if it lacks a little something. But in saying that, it had a big article on the rise of handmade, and has a list of interested blogs who are concerned with creating, eco-ness, op-shop clothing, etc. So far I've been a fan of Vegan & Vintage and don't mind Little Green Stilettos.

Through my blog trawling, I followed a link to a link, etc and have found this fellow - Closet Cooking. His recipe for lemon and blueberry breakfast cake sounds delicious. I'm keen to read him more regularly and get on with the cooking.

Speaking of cooking, here's a recipe for the Orange and Chocolate Cake I dabbled with last week. It is a mix of a number of recipes, and a take on the traditional non-leaven orange cake of Jewish culinary traditions.

Everyday Ingredients Orange & Chocolate Cake

2 oranges
200 g melted butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cup self-raising flour
¼ cup cocoa powder

Beginning the night before ideally, place the two oranges into a saucepan & cover with water. Cover, bring to the boil & then simmer for 2 hours. Leave in the water until cool, ideally overnight – your house will smell delicious!

Pre-heat oven to 180⁰C. Line a round 23 cm (or so) cake tin with baking paper.

Remove the oranges from the water, quarter & place into the bowl of your food processor – skin & all. Process until no chunks remain. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, process until well combined. Pour into cake tin. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. Test to see if cooked by piercing the cake with a skewer – will be free of batter if cooked. May need a further 10 minutes. Enjoy dusted with icing sugar. Some thick cream is nice too.

Sunday mornings

Darwin sunrise, originally uploaded by the_bashful_owl.

Woke up far too late to see this today, but isn't the sunrise amazing? We live on the fifth floor and have beautiful views of the harbour rather than the ocean. I don't mind at all... and will surely miss such spectacular natural eye candy when we move...

As for today, I spent hours in bed reading my newest patchwork book. I can't wait to start sewing today. Currently two oranges are on the boil, to make a cake for church tonight. I made an orange, almond and chocolate cake for a friend's renovation party last night. Boy did the compliments flow. So with a boosted baking ego, I'm keen to make another. No almond meal left though, so this will be a combination of two recipes. Will be so tasty, with the recipe to follow once success has been had.

Happy Sunday.

Ice Cream Goodness

Check it out, two lip-smacking recipes for ice creamy goodness...

Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

600 g thickened cream
225 g greek yoghurt
320 g lemon curd
Juice & zest of two lemons
6 meringue nests

Whip cream until just stiff.
Fold in yoghurt. Add juice, curd & zest (in order),
& crumbed meringue nests. Stir gently.
Place into a shallow container to freeze. Cover.
Ripen in fridge before eating.

C/ Nigella Lawson (perhaps from How to Eat)


Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

600 ml thickened cream
Tin sweetened condensed milk
Packet of biscuits – chocolate ripple recommended

Beat together cream & milk in a mixer until thick & smooth
Smash up the biscuits roughly.
Stir biscuits into the cream mix.
Place in a lined container. Cover.
Freeze at least overnight.

Now in the post to the USA for some fellow swappers to enjoy. Only a week or so late... My next swap project is a bird stuffie. Looking forward to it as the recipient has a thing for scandinavian inspired object. Just my cup of tea.

Easter weekends...

Easter is a lovely time of year and a truly joyous celebration. Sure, it is strange to celebrate the death of someone, but the someone who die did it to give life and to build relationships! Truly amazing! Plus, Easter is also about his life, his resurrection and thus God's triumph over evil once and for all. I know not everyone thinks this though, as one of my colleagues this week reported that it was a "depressing holiday" and couldn't understand why Christians celebrated it.

For the weekend, which is only half way though, we have spent time with friends and enjoyed a slower pace of life! With the exception of getting up early to make hot-cross buns for Good Friday church. Despite their lack of crosses, they were beautiful and went down a treat.

These hotties are a bit of a tradition in our house. I've made them for the past three years, and always feel that we need more. One thing I'm not sure of is why they are only eaten at Easter. These are now made with the amazing red kitchenaid mixed the hubbie gave me for my birthday last year. They smell delicious and are very satisfying to make. We have been try to get some traditions going. Another thing we do is eat a fish-and-potato pie, care of Nigella. Every year we aim to watch The Passion of the Christ, but sure enough this year our DVD player would not read the disk. This was exceptionally frustrating, but perhaps another year.

We've not sent out eggs or gifts this year. We were simply too disorganised. I did make those fabric Easter eggs though, and sent all a picture of them and a simply profound bible verse: Unless a kernel of wheat dies and falls to the ground, it remains a single seed. If but if dies it bears much fruit.