Nautical Quilt For a Naughty-cal Boy (Geddit?)

My son needed a quilt to go with his new curtains so I made one of those too, its thin so is more fo a bedspread than an actual quilt but im proud of it just the same :)

 

Firstly i grabbed as much fabric as I could that sort of matched with the theme and luckily for me I had already bought a wagon load of nautical themed fabric in anticipation of future projects....not because i loved the designs and HAD to have them honest!

 

In this instance im not going to go into the rudimentals of quilting other than to say this....

Measure everything...add a bit of fabric...... Measure again and keep measuring all the way through the process to keep your design even and not wonky when you come to attach the wadding on the back.

 

Wadding......I cheated *hangs head in shame*

While browsing on my beloved Ebay I found some wadding that had the backing fabric already attached..........HOORAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! What a revelation! The hard work is done for you and all you have to do is the design diva bit on the front! FANTASTIC!

I ordered quite a bit...............

 

Pin your front fabric once its all stitched together to the backing fabric and wadding and keep checking for creases as you do this because there is nothing worse than doing all that work only to find you have missed a crease and the whole damn thing is wonky (can you tell Ive done this?)

Edge with bias binding and stand back to admire your work.

 

SIMPLE!

P.S. I know its a little uneven in places but frankly.................its home made!!!!

 



Applique Curtains For My Little Sailor

I recently decided to (probably foolishly) make as much of my sons bedroom soft furnishings as I can. As a fully fledged craft and upcycling addict I love the feeling of sitting back and thinking to myself 'I made that!'

Apart from my upcycling and craft addiction i have to admit to also being a bit of an Ebay dependant shopper, so I set about the task of finding fabric's that would fit with the nautical theme that is currently becoming apparent in his room.

Now to say that his bedroom is a box room would be generous at best, it is more shoe box than box room! I bought a midsleeper bed (storage underneath, I'm not just a pretty face, I have moments of intelligent revelation) and a wardrobe in navy blue that closely resembles the Tardis.

I hit Ebay with a vengeance and found lots of really cheap offcuts, remnants and the occasional fat quarter of fabric, I started clicking like a woman posessed and as a result I now have FAR too much nautical themed fabric!

(Standby for nautical themed everything for a while........I wonder if my bathroom could stand up to a nautical blind.......)

I still have some yet to be delivered!

Its a good job scatter cushions are easy to make!

 

Im going off topic slightly.......where was I?.....oh yes...curtains!

 

Simple steps to making basic (unlined) curtains.

 

1. Measure window, length and width. Make sure your finished curtains will close and still have a slight gather. (I guessed at this and bought fabric that was the same width as the window so that a pair of curtains would add up to double the width)
2. Choose your fabric wisely. Ask yourself what you need from your curtains. Do you want them to protect your privacy? Block out sunlight? Look pretty but serve no real function? Once you have decided this you can pick your fabric (Its not all about the pattern its about the thickness and practicality of the fabric too) As my sons room has vertical blinds the curtains only needed to serve as room dressing so I selected a light polycotton blend in blue and white stripes.
3. Cut the fabric to size allowing an additional 12cm's in length for hemming (you will understand why shortly) When measuring and cutting fabric remember you cant re-cut it if you cut too short so always always always measure twice and cut once! (having a dad in the building trade taught me this, Its amazing how things can cover a multitude of purposes!)
4. Get your iron out.....No I havent completely lost the plot, It is important that yu get the hems straight and this is probably the most fool proof way of doing it. Tape measure at the ready!!! (mine is usually around my neck because my 5 month old son likes to play with it, in fact I have at least 3 of them randomly dotted about the house) fold the fabric over 1cm and iron flat (be careful to make sure it is exactly straight at the edges but dont worry if it isnt exactly straight along the length of the fold because the fabric may not have been cut exactly straight) Do this at both ends of both curtains. Do not sew yet!!!!
5. Now you need to do the length of the curtains, do as above and iron a 1cm fold down the length of the curtains and repeat to hide rough edges. Sew these folds in using a basic running stitch on your sewing machine.
   
6. Now go back to your iron and fold over the top and bottom hems 5cms and iron into place. Sew along the hem approx 5mm from the edge. Do this top and bottom of both curtains and you are almost there!
7. Attach header tape to the top and stitch into place using the same basic running stitch.
   
8. Yes I know the header tape in this photo is on back to front i had to unpick it and do it all again!!!!!!

   
9. So tape on the right way this time! We can continue!!
10. Once this is done you can hang the curtains after a quick go over with the iron, or if like me you have to go that extra mile you can add applique detail or many other things like bias binding on the edge instead of hemming....let your inner design diva go wild! 

Applique detail.

 

I picked up some nautical fabric remnants on ebay for a matter of pennies just so that i could use the designs that were printed on it. I got inspired when I saw it. So for fear of being patronising I will keep the instructions for applique simple. 

1. Cut out applique
2. Iron it flat 
3. Attach it to backing fabric with Bondaweb (you can either buy the type that comes in sheets that you can cut out or if you are like me and always have some handy just pop a few lengths under the applique making sure its not sticking out and iron on in the position you want it to be on the finished product.

   
4. Sew around the applique using a zig zag stitch keeping the edge of the applique in the middle of the stitch. If you are a novice on the sewing machine (if you arent you probably find this blog somewhat boring) then dont be afraid to go slowly, it is better to go one stitch at a time than to have to keep unpicking untidy sewing because your brain has said stop but your foot has been a few seconds behind listening to it! Beware puckering too, it doesnt look pretty hence my constant ironing to keep the fabric as flat as possible!

   

Repeat this step until you are satisfied with the result, tidy up any loose threads by pulling them to the back and snipping (im pretty sure there are youtube clips available on how to do this because lets face it there are youtube clips for everything!) Iron your curtains and go hang them up!!!!

I hope this tutorial is helpful and not too rambling as I have a habit of getting off topic now and then! Ive tried to keep it basic because I find some tutorials can be a bit patronising and come across as idiots guides. My tutorials are aimed at people with a modicum of common sense! 



Doughnut Cupcakes!

I got this recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery's 'Home Sweet Home' cookbook. It is the ultimate indulgence and effectively two cakes in one, YAY! Always a good start!

 

I dont usually give the recipes for my bakes but I am in this case on request from a good friend so give it a go and enjoy the results....

If like me you are on a diet then you may allow yourself to sniff the cakes and look at them but unless you want to be on the treadmill for an extra couple of days DO NOT eat these! They are in no way low in fat or sugar....

 

 

Ingredients

 

For the sponge:

• 70g (2 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 210g (7 1/2oz) plain flour
• 250g (9oz) caster sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 210 ml (7 1/2 floz) whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 100g (3 1/2oz) strawberry jam (or just spoon it straight from the jar and save yourself the bother of weighing it)

 

For the cinnamon sugar:

 

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) caster sugar

 

 

For the doughnuts:

 

• 250g (9oz) plain flour plus extra for dusting
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 35g (1 1/4oz) cold unsalted butter cubed
• 35g (1 1/4oz) caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 125ml (4 1/2 fl oz) whole milk
• 1 litre (1 3/4 pints) sunflower oil for frying

 

 

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees centigrade (gas mark 3, 325 farenheight) and line a muffin tin with paper cases.

 

1. First make the sponge. In a free standing electric mixer with the paddle attachment (or hand held mixer, or good old muscle) mix the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together to form crumbs.
2. In a jug mix together milk and eggs
3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients til they form a smooth batter. ( this is quite a wet mix and if like me you are used to the equal measures method of cake baking and getting quite a stiff batter dont be phased by the liquid type batter this makes)
4. Fill the paper cases to 2/3 full
5. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown, check they are cooked by lightly pressing the top of the cake and seeing if it springs back.
6. Leave to cool on a wire rack
7. While the cakes are cooking get your cinnamon sugar ready, I wont patronise you by explaining in detail how, just chuck the ingredients in a bowl and stir!
8. Now for the doughnuts (in my opinion the best bit) Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl and rub in the butter to form crumbs. Add the sugar and mix.
9. Put wet ingredients in a jug and whisk to break down the egg, add to the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.
10. Turn out onto a lightly foured surface and either roll it out using a rolling pin or do like i did and squish it down with your hands. Cut the shapes you want (book says small rounds but i didnt have the right cutter so i just used a knife and cut into squares)
11. Heat the oil in a large saucepan giving yourself plenty of room inside it. Using a slotted spoon lower the doughnuts a few at a time into the oil and fry until medium golden brown, carefully lift out of the oil and set onto kitchen towel to drain.
12. Let them cool for a few minutes before tossing in the cinnamon sugar and setting aside to cool fully.
13. put the butter, icing sugar and cinnamon into a bowl and mix til there are no big bits of butter then slowly add the milk. Now whisk like the holy clappers of hell OR let a machine do it for you until the frosting is light and fluffy.
14. Gently cut a small well into the top of your cupcakes and spoon in half a tsp of strawberry jam before replacing the top. swirl on cinnamon frosting and top with a little doughnut.

 

It sounds like alot of work and to be honest it is if you arent used to baking on a daily basis like me but it is well worth it!!!!



My Chicken Pot Pie

I make my pie in a cast iron flat pan kind of like a paella pan but deeper but you can make the filling in a sauce pan and transfer it to a pie dish. Im just lazy about washing up and like to make as little as possible (although after a baking spree my husband would be inclined to disagree with that claim)

 

This is a really simple dish which is why my kids love it, its not complicated or full of a thousand ingredients.

 

The quantities you use for this pie depend greatly on the size of the pie you want to make. My pie dish (paella pan) is about 16 inches in diameter, and about 4 inches deep so the quantities below are designed for that pan. to make a smaller pie simply reduce the quantities across all of the ingredients.

 

I used:

2 large packs of chicken thighs approx 1.1kg each bone in skin on.

4-5 thick rashers of bacon

approx 1 tbsp plain flour

3 chicken stock cubes

boiling water

1 pack pre made puff pastry (i never make my own puff pastry its just too damned time consuming!)

salt

pepper

chopped sage or other herb of your choice.

 

Yes that really is all you need!

• Put the chicken thighs in a large pot.
• Crumble over stock cubes, cover to 1cm above meat with boiling water.
• Bring to the boil.
• Turn the heat down slightly and simmer for around 45 mins or until the chicken thighs are cooked through.
• Remove the chicken thighs from the stock and retain the liquid.
• Allow to cool and remove the skin and bones from the meat, set the chicken meat aside.
• Cut up the bacon into strips, In a frying pan, or in my case in the Paella dish saute the bacon in a little olive oil until browned slightly.
• add the flour and cook on a medium heat, stirring all the time for approx 2 mins til the flour absorbs the fat in the pan.
• Using a ladle add a little of the retained stock at a time to the flour mixture until a thick-ish sauce has been created. Stir continuously to avoid lumps.
• Add the chicken to the sauce.
• Roll out the pastry on a floured board
• Put the chicken and bacon mixture into your pie dish
• Put the rolled out pastry over the top, crimp, stab a hole in the centre to allow steam out during cooking.
• Cook on gas mark 6 until the pastry is brown and risen (approx 20 mins)
• 
   
 

 

 



My 'Whip it up quickly' Chocolate Cake

Occasionally I need to whip up a cake at short notice and as I am not one to present people with a cake that does anything other than make them salivate on viewing it, I tend to have this on standby.

 

8oz Unsalted Butter or Margerine (I use stork)

8oz Caster Sugar

4 Medium Eggs (or in my case 2 medium eggs and 3 bantam eggs)

 

Please note that bantam eggs are like rocking horse poo (virtually impossible to aquire) unless you know someone who keeps bantams or you keep them yourself, If you are lucky enough to fall into one of the latter two categories, when baking I follow the rule of thumb that 3 bantams eggs is equvalent to 2 medium eggs and so far it has not failed me.

 

7oz self raising flour

1oz really good cocoa (I use green and blacks but you can use whatever brand you like)

1 tbsp of milk

1tsp of instant disolved in 1 tbsp of hot water

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or something else vanilla-esque eg essence)

1 tub of betty crocker vanilla fudge frosting

 

My method uses a free standing mixer but I will write the instructions as though by hand because I am aware that not everyone is lucky enough to have one or bakes enough to justify the expanse of buying one.

Prepare 2x 8inch sandwich tins and preheat the oven at gas mark 5 or equivalent temp

• Cream together the sugar and butter til it is light and fluffy (this can take a while and an electric hand whisk can be your friend here).
 
• Add the eggs and 1 tbsp of the flour and whisk until fully combined (the flour stops the mixture curdling which can effect the rise of the finished cake).
 
• Add the disolved instant coffee and vanilla bean paste.
 
• Sift the remaining flour and cocoa powder together into the wet mix and combine using a folding action (please google this if you arent sure as its important to keep the air inside the cake and avoid over working the flour.
 
• When the mixture is fully combined, divide between the sandwich tins and level the mixture using a spatula.
 
• Bake for approx 25-35 mins (this depends greatly on your oven) to check if the sponge is cooked insert a skewer (i use a bamboo one) into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked. If you dont have a skewer press the top of the sponge gently with a clean finger and if it springs back it is cooked, if it gives slightly it needs to go back in the oven. If your cake is not cooked return it to the oven for 4-5 mins then check again (it can go from uncooked to over done in less than 5 mins)
 
• Allow to cool in the tins for around 10 mins, then turn them out onto a wire cooling rack, it is important to have them on a rack like this because it allows the air to circulate under the cake allowing for even cooling and avoiding a steam build up within the cake which can effect the final product.

• When the cakes are cooled fully smear a little of the frosting onto the surface of your plate or cake stand to stop your cake sliding off. put the least pretty cake on the bottom with the top facing up. smear with the frosting and pop the second cake on top in the same way. Top with the frosting and decorate to suit you. I used fresh strawberrys with mine but you can use anything you like. A cadburys flake crumbled up or some malteasers dotted around the edge might be nice... or both! Whatever its up to you, have fun with it! If its fun to make then it will be fun to eat!
  
   

 



Paul Hollywoods Savoury Couronne

I initially saw this on Paul Hollywoods T.V. Programme 'Bread' and it immediately sparked my interest...

 

I love a challenge even when it poses what would appear to be impossible technical issues. Most would say I'm ambitious, I would say I'm bloody stupid!

 

So I set about making this couronne despite the fact that Mr Hollywood has stated both in his T.V. programme and the accompanying book (yes I had to have it) that this recipe is for the advanced baker.

I have only had successful loaves of bread in the last month or so having finally mastered the art so would hardly call myself an advanced baker but sod it here I go!

 

I cant keep calling Mr Hollywood by that name it takes too long to type.

(May I call you Paul? Yes? Cool!)

 

O.K. so I opened the book at the relevant page which I have found is always a good place to start...

I ran down the list of ingredients and made sure that I had everything I needed having bought supplies the previous day. I opened the fridge to discover that my darling husband had eaten more than half of one of the packs of parma ham 'because I wanted ham' (you can imagine the language that spewed forth from my mouth dear reader, I confess it was not pretty or lady like and I may have promised physical damage to his person.)

 

So i collected together the remaining  parma ham, the mozarella, strong white bread flour and other ingredients and set to work.

 

The recipe for the brioche base of this bread is actually quite simple to make and I quickly got to the stage of the first rise, I popped it into a lightly oiled tupperware tub and got on with the other recipes I'm going to be featuring shortly. An hour later I faced what can only be described as a baptism of fire.

 

I should have taken photo's at each stage but to be honest I didn't want to get dough on my camera!

 

I popped the risen bread dough onto a lightly floured work surface (what is lightly floured anyway? whenever I 'lightly flour' something everything sticks to it and I end up getting both annoyed and extremely messy!) rolled it out into something resembling a rectangle and (get me I'm flash) tacked the side nearest me to the work surface (this is basically squishing the edge of the dough into the worktop so that it doesnt wiggle around like a loony while you are trying to work with it).

 

I laid what was left of the parma ham onto the dough, tore up the mozarella (feeling all mama mia about myself and tossing it at the dough with what I thought was flare but what was actually me looking a total wally) I then stepped outside...

 

No I wasnt running away from it, I was on the hunt for some basil that wasnt dead or dying because it turns out that my green fingers arent actually green they are septic. Herb hunt over, I scattered the paltry few leaves I had managed to find that didnt look too pitiful over the dough, grated on some parmesan and looked at it with something akin to dread...This is it...The bit i saw on the T.V. and thought to myself 'I can do that...' It doesn't look so easy now...

 

Deep breath!

 

I rolled the dough towards myself enclosing the ham, cheese and basil within...

 

I gently rolled the 'sausage' stretching it slightly as I went to achieve the correct length...

 

Cut the 'sausage' lengthways down the middle AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH why am I so tense?????

 

Turned the half 'sausages' upwards so that the filling was facing the ceiling...

 

Grasped each end in my hands firmly and...

 

 

WAIT! This is NOT going to work!!!

 

(To myself) Get a grip woman its only bread dough, its not going to bite you!

 

So in the end instead of doing the ultra flash ultra cool Paul Hollywood flick of the wrist and spin the dough through the air to achieve the twist, what I actually did was gently (ever so gently, pathetically gently in fact) hold the ends together at one end and turn it as quickly as I could while praying that the filling stays in place, and then twist at the opposite end in the opposite direction...

 

I did it! well it looks sort of like Paul's (he did say I can call him that, see above) couronne and thats good enough for me. Now I have to get it on the baking sheet to prove and I panic...

 

How the hell am I going to move that without it falling to bits?

 

I know...(rummage in the cupboards) I have a steel thingy I use for moving sponge cakes, no idea what its called but it looks kind of like a wonky guillotine blade. I slide the wonky guillotine under the bread and lift it up while sliding the baking tray underneath (this is no mean feat people, I should have had a standing ovation for this but alas I got none)

 

Set aside to prove for approx 1 hour...

 

Bake at 200 degree's (oh bugger whats 200 degrees in gas mark again?... gets out android phone and looks up gas mark temp conversions... wait one site says gas mark 7, another says gas mark 6....Check my Delia Smith book for the conversion table in the front (thank you mum!!!!).....Grrrrr Delia says 7, O.K. lets go with that.

 

(This temperature debate was going on about half an hour previously to my putting the bread in the oven because as we all know Preheat Preheat Preheat!!)

 

Popped the bread in the oven and forced myself to walk away...

 

The resulting loaf looks like this...

 

Please note: DO NOT try to take this off the baking sheet before it has cooled for a while or you will be convinced you have a dreaded 'soggy bottom' when in fact its the cheese making an escape. I'd suggest waiting for around 15 mins before you move it to the cooling rack.

What a clever girl I am!

HaHa!



Feed The Neighbours Too Soup

My own recipe so for that reason I have no reservations in sharing the full list on ingredients and not worrying about plagiarism!

 

 

This is basically a 'Souped up' (get it?) Version of my family favourite butternut squash and chorizo soup which is very much what it says it is:

 butternut squash, chorizo sausage and onion sautee'd in olive oil. vegetable or chicken stock cook until squash is tender, attack it with a hand blender (or in my house wizzy wizzy thing) until smooth, add smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Wait! you are getting 2 recipes for the price of one here!

 

Anyway...

Feed The Neighbours Too Soup Contains....

1 Large butternut squash (deseeded and chopped into cubes approx 1 inch in size, rough guide here no need to get the ruler out)

175g asparagus chopped into 1 inch bits (the only reason its that quantity is that is the amount that was in the packet i bought in sainsburys)

2 chorizo rings (either mild or picante-hot, choose whatever suits your palette) chopped into 1/2 inch bits

2 large white onions chopped roughly

600g cherry tomatoes (again its what i had in my fridge so use as a rough guide)

260g spinach (the amount that was in a pack from sainsburys)

1 large-ish sweet potato chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 tbsp garlic puree or equivalent of chopped garlic

3 heaped tsps of harissa paste

5 chicken stock cubes

3 heaped tsps smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

gallons of water (no i mean it if you cook in my quantities you will need approx 10 pints of water)

 

 chuck the veg and chorizo (not the spinach) into a mahoosive stock pot (mine is pretty big but you can reduce quantities to suit your equipment)

with a good glug (accurate measurments as you can see) of olive oil, dont use extra virgin olive oil unless its all you have in the cupboard, its more expensive than basic olive oil and you dont taste any difference in the finished product so why spend the extra pennies?

Sautee the veg and chorizo for about 10 mins and add the garlic and harrissa.

Sautee for another few mins then add the stock cubes and water.

Turn the heat up and bring to the boil. Moderate the heat to a simmer and leave it alone for about 45 mins. (check its not bubbling over now and then)

When the vegetables are tender add the smoked paprika and attack it with the wizzy wizzy hand blender thingy until its smooth. throw the pack of spinach at it and wizzy wizzy one more time. stir it well to make sure you have no lumps of anything hiding at the bottom of the pot and season to taste.

 

I know you see chefs on tv going on and on about seasoning your food properly but believe me it is vital. Taste the soup as you season because you can always add more seasoning but you cant take it away!

Butter a couple of rounds of lovely crusty bread (you might want to try the white cob loaf recipe from Stacey Stewarts book, I like to replace half the flour with wholemeal flour for flavour but do whatever suits you) and tuck in! I'm off to eat mine now... Happy cooking!