Sewing, baking, changing and a tutorial...

Having a week off from blogging was lovely, exactly what I needed because there were a few needful things to be achieved and time had suddenly been lacking to complete them.

It's wonderful to be able to say "I'm nearly caught up" and know that slower days now that the weather has finally cooled to a beautifully mild (and unusually wet) late autumn will keep me on track. I just seem to find my rhythm easier in the cooler months and a lot gets done without any hurry.

Not sweltering day in and day out certainly helps too as I wasn't born to a tropical climate but have had to adjust over the eleven years we've lived in this part of Australia.

I had a big list of things to accomplish when I logged out of the blog last Tuesday and one by one a line has been drawn through them (do you gain great satisfaction crossing things off your to-do list as well?). Some were small and a few required more time; some needed me to think and plan, others were naturally creative...but each gave me joy.

Shall I begin with the baking?

Bread has always been one of my baking delights. My husband could eat bread morning, noon and night, and I'm not far behind. But the actual process of choosing what loaf to bake and then following through each stage until you finally slice off a crusty end to peer inside and inhale delicious aromas can sometimes thrill me more than the eating! 

Last week I had plenty of garlic on hand so tried out a different type of garlic bread recipe, one where the raw garlic is kneaded in with the dough.

Turned out really nice, the texture was gorgeous, but next time I'll roast the garlic instead of using raw as that will add more flavour (even though I added twice as much garlic as the recipe suggested).

We ate this for days with soup, as bruschetta and finally toasted sandwiches.

Remember a couple of weeks ago we changed the living room around and made it cosier by exchanging the heavy charcoal recliner couch with our old blue one? You can see it behind the bread above.

Well, in between baking the garlic bread and trying the next new bread recipe another change was made. We sold the charcoal recliner couch and 'finally' bought ourselves recliner chairs instead. You see my sweet husband is 6' tall and I am just a wee touch over 5'1"...this has made our choice of couches over the years a bit of hit and miss. What is comfortable for him is not for me and vice versa.

Whilst cleaning out all our housekeeping files and receipts on Friday I came across a quote from five years ago that we were given when looking into purchasing separate recliner chairs suited to our individual sizes. It was out of our budget so we had to ditch the idea but I did keep the quote in hope of maybe one day.

That day was Saturday. We were at our local hardware store and it was so busy we needed to park a short walk away...right in front of the shop we got that quote from. There was a big SALE sign out front, 50% off that weekend only...so in we went, just out of curiosity. Twenty minutes later we walked out having purchased the exact recliners we had quotes for five years earlier...and even with some inflation since then we paid just 60% of the original price first quoted. There were only two in the shop, both in our 'size' and in a neutral grey that works so well with splashes of colour in our home. Had we wanted a different colour it would have been an 18-week wait and cost much, much more.

God really blessed us.

The blue couch is on the other side of the living room now and we listed the charcoal recliner couch next day and sold it within an hour. Again, we have been blessed. Mr E's neck and back appreciates the right size chair and my back and knees appreciate mine.

So back to bread...a fruit loaf this time. I baked this recipe from Paul Hollywood's "How To Bake" bread book, though I did the first knead in my breadmaker and not by hand...

My loaf had apricot, sultanas and cranberries. 

After the first proving in the breadmaker I remove the dough, knock it down, and fold it as per Paul's very basic instructions before placing in a bread tin for the second rise.

This was SO good...we've had it toasted with honey or cut straight from the loaf and buttered (vegan butter)...I think the rest would make beautiful French toast so that could well be breakfast tomorrow.

The only change I'd make to the recipe in future is to add a teaspoon of mixed spice to the dough, or perhaps some grated orange rind.

The only change I made to the recipe this time was switching golden syrup for treacle because we don't have any treacle. Molasses would work if you're in the US and want to try the recipe (just click on the recipe photo and it will come up larger, then save to your computer).

Whilst baking this bread I scrubbed my kitchen windows and sink - if I'm in the kitchen it's often an opportunity to cook and clean at the same time, especially when baking.

Two simple ingredients for the sink, bicarb soda and vinegar, work a treat, and for the windows just vinegar and water. From there I cleaned out under the sink again (that was one of my first Homemakers Heart challenges in February) because three months between particular area cleaning in a kitchen can be a long time.

While the dough was rising on my fruit loaf I baked a batch of rock cakes for hubby and we enjoyed a delicious and relaxed afternoon tea that day.

My work list for Elefantz when I began my week off blogging was quite long and I knew that if I was going to move forward and finish things I'd need to fit in a 'fun' project somewhere just for my own delight. Blossom and I often watch old episodes we've saved of the Great British Sewing Bee and I always say "I must make myself a wrist pincushion" but never do, so I decided my fun project would be just that!

I took a few photos along the way in case you wanted to make one as well. They are really very simple but so very useful.

You first need to make the round pincushion. I simply draw two circles that I've traced from a small bowl, one for the back, one for the front, and sew around them with a 1/4" seam, leaving a 2" opening for turning right side out.

Then I press a hem around the open edge, maintaining the curve of the circle, before filling with polyester stuffing and whip stitching the opening closed. Fill it rather firmly but not so much that you can't close the opening.

Using Perle thread or three strands of embroidery thread (I used Perle 12) criss-cross back and forth, always bringing the needle back to the centre, until you have eight sections in your circle. Pull the thread gently as you sew each section until it puffs a little.

Secure the thread in the centre of the bottom side when you're done.

I fussy cut the top of my pincushion using the last bit of fabric leftover from THIS recipe book (free pattern) and once the criss cross of thread was complete I added a button to the centre.

Now you'll need a piece of fabric for the cuff, plus a length of cotton lace (although you can omit the lace) and a tape measure to measure how big your wrist is.

Add 3" to your wrist measurement.

My wrist is 7" around so I cut my green pindot fabric 10" long x 3" wide.

Fold the fabric in half lengthways and sew the raw edges together with a 1/4" seam. Turn right side out and bring the seam to the middle instead of the side and press open.

Sew a 1/4" seam along ONE open end. Turn the wrist cuff right side out, fold in the open end by 1/4" and whip stitch the opening closed.

Lay a piece of cotton lace over the seam line of the cuff. The lace should be about 2 or three inches longer than the cuff. I just used the scrap piece I had on hand which was already longer.

Sew the lace in place along both side edges.

Cut yourself a 2" length of velcro (hook and loop)...

Fold the lace over the ends of the cuff.

Place the velcro at each end of the cuff, on opposite sides of the cuff - one on the lace side and one on the fabric side. Sew the velcro in place and at the same time you'll be securing the lace as well.

The ends of the lace and the velcro are both hidden when you're wearing the cuff.

Turn the pincushion over to the wrong side and lay the right side of the cuff (the lace side) over the base, centring the cuff with the centre of the pincushion.

Hand sew the cuff to the base. Don't pull the stitches tight, just enough that everything stays secure and there's no puckering. I used Perle #12 thread and small stitches.

It fits perfectly and I'm really happy that I got to make use of that beautiful fabric and the last length of a favoured piece of cotton lace.

These would make simple gifts if you're looking for pretty ideas to restock your gift box.

When I was taking photos of my new lace-cuffed wrist pincushion this morning I remembered another tutorial I shared back in 2017 for a Christmas tree pincushion made from three of those round tied pinnies...

If you feel like making one you'll find that tutorial HERE.

I gifted this to a very dear friend and always intended making another for myself...maybe I'll add that to next week's list of things to make and do?

There's a lot on my heart to share as I've been soaking in God's Word this past week and writing a lot of scripture in my journal, but that can wait till another day when my thoughts have fully formed and hopefully translate to words of encouragement...but if you need encouragement today, pop back to that old pincushion post because how I felt then is exactly how I still feel today.

(you'll find it HERE)

Bless your darling hearts and may the days ahead bloom brighter and add joy and hope to your thoughts and your prayers...

Loving hugs

The Homemakers Heart and a Nana story...

Though I have always made nearly all our meals and snacks from scratch anyhow, these new restrictions to stay home have stretched my creativity in the kitchen just a smidgen. The new normal does not lend itself to an evening out or brunch at a favourite cafe with Mr E. It's very truly home-focused and most especially time heavy in the kitchen. I admit to missing those lazy Sunday brunches which someone else made for us. And Mr E misses hot chips and grilled fish down on the beach.

But today those thoughts, those longings for what we once took for granted, made me think of Nana and the way she would soldier on with a cooked breakfast, simple lunch, hearty dinner and dessert, seven days a week without a murmur - because this had always been her normal. 

This epiphany came with a little nudge from God to be thankful I can cook, bake and create in the comfort of my own home as Nana never had her own home, they lived in small low-income rented flats all her married life, and she never complained. After all these years I am still learning lessons from her character...how blessed I am.

So I thought I'd share one of my Nana stories today as I think it's been a month or so since the last one.

The Kitchen Table

When I was growing up and living at Nana’s, we only ever drank tea as our hot beverage. Coffee was something you drank when you were out, and cocoa just never appeared in her kitchen.

Each morning, upon waking, I would take my place at Nana’s simply set table, and await my first cup of tea. Always in china tea cups, and always white with two sugars.

Nana religiously set her breakfast table before bedtime and on a full-moon night when I needed to make a midnight visit to the outside toilet, I would creep past my sleeping grand-parents, and step into the softly illuminated kitchen that led off their bedroom, into a magical world.

Atop a freshly laundered and pressed tablecloth, a delicate square of lace covered the cups, saucers, tea pot, plates and cutlery. The moonlight reflected through that lace cloth would cast a shimmering web over everything, and a starlike twinkling would dance across the silverware adding to the ethereal atmosphere. Often I’d pause by the table on my way back inside, and try to guess what breakfast nana had planned for the morning. She never, ever, served a cold breakfast. It could be leftovers from the evening meal the night before, eggs and sausages with thickly cut grilled toast, butter fried kidneys and bacon, or if Pop was coming home after night shift at the wharf he’d hopefully make fresh chips in lamb fat. Nobody made freshly chipped potatoes like my dear old Pop, and Nana never set her hat to take that crown from him because it was such a blessing for her to sit and be the one served for a change.

Our teapot was large and metal, leftover from Nana’s days as cook in a pub after WW2, and she only ever used loose tea leaves. Nana made a point of teaching me her recipe for a good brew – before the water, add to the pot one teaspoon of tea for each person, and another for the pot. Once the boiling water was in the pot, and an oversized hand-knitted tea cosy in place, her next instruction was to turn the tea pot around and around, using a different calculation – one for each person and one for the pot, and halve your total. I still do this today, even when using (shudder!) tea bags.

Morning-tea on weekends offered the delights of tea cake, buns, or biscuits to accompany our pot of tea, as did afternoon-tea on weekdays when I’d arrive home from school.

Nana religiously served a baked dinner, usually a leg of lamb,  for lunch on Sunday’s,  but Sunday night it was her custom to take the evening off,  baking a fluffy batch of scones to have with thick lashings of butter and her homemade jam. On Sunday nights it was also usual for us to linger longer at the table and finish a second pot of tea whilst playing cards!

As I think back on my childhood days and the nurturing of my love for tea, a favourite memory is when Pop would be working afternoon shifts, and it was just Nana and I for dinner. Every so often she’d have a cheeky twinkle in her eye and ask me, “How about we skip dinner tonight and share a loaf of fresh baked bread between ourselves? I have a pot of strawberry jam, plenty of butter, and we can drink all the tea we like. Just me and you and we won’t tell Pop I didn’t cook a meal…”

Now, Pop knew all about this, but he never let on. It was a little game they played with me to create a special ‘Nana and Jennifer’ occasion, and it lasted until I was into my teens and let slip I knew exactly what they were up to.

 I cannot brew a pot of tea today without remembering the taste of fresh bread, butter and jam, and seeing Nana’s clear blue eyes smiling across at me over her teapot. Such a lovely legacy.

A pumpkin vine popped up in the front garden recently and if you know my husband you're aware he does not like pumpkin and would normally have pulled it out without a second thought, but three months into our vegan lifestyle change he's become a rather different fellow. Now, he's not going to embrace cauliflower or broccoli in the near or distant future, but he does accept that pumpkin can be used in many ways, many delicious ways. And he loves me. And I love pumpkin and have always dreamed of growing a nice productive patch so it's staying put and we're all smiles.

No idea what type of pumpkin this is but it will be either a Butternut or Kent as they are the only type I've bought in the past year and this plant has self seeded from our compost.

It rained very hard here yesterday afternoon which was most welcome as the mid autumn weather is still very hot and humid and not at all pleasant to be gardening in between 10am and 4pm.

I captured this photo as the sun came out again just as the last drops of rain passed by.

I imagine you're wondering what a toilet is doing in our backyard?

One of the teachers at Mr E's school had five to get rid of and for some odd reason my husband thought I'd have some creative way of using it in the yard. It's a Royal Doulton, very good condition, but...well...I'm still pondering what it can become. Perhaps I'll add a large plate to the top and turn it into a bird feeder? And then plant something pretty around it. 

Ideas anyone??

The chooks love the rain too, and on the many days we have no rain but ghastly heat my husband turns the sprinkler on lightly for them for about fifteen minutes mid afternoon. They dance around, cooling themselves and almost crowing with delight.

This was the only rain we'd had in a while, but there's been cloud cover and high humidity for about a week now (which triggered a 24-hour migraine the other day). The birds gather as usual each morning for their feast and the longer we sit and watch them the more arrive to take their turn at the feeder...

In the kitchen there's been a lot of different meals made including vegetable lasagne, vegetable pad thai, dhal and rice, loaded baked potatoes with guacamole and coleslaw, and assorted leftovers.

Fresh bread is high on the weekly menu rotation every couple of days. In the past week I've made a multigrain loaf, focaccia two ways (which made the most delicious sandwiches the next day) and today's new loaf, a light rye...

Dessert at the tail end of last week was a lemon yoghurt cake baked in a baba tin which I served each night with a raspberry coulis and coconut yoghurt. (I used coconut yoghurt in the cake, not dairy)...

Today was a big day in the kitchen because hubby was off working on a new/old car he's repairing so that he can finally sell that trouble-ridden Jeep (which will bring an end to the almost five year saga of endless repairs) and I find it's always easier to get a lot of food prepared for the week ahead when he's occupied elsewhere. Monday just seems to be my best day for baking every week.

Last week I baked jam drops because Mr E 'loves' a biscuit or three (cookie to my US friends) with his cuppa...

...but now that he's finished them it was time to bake again so I chose choc-chip biscuits this time.

You know, I've not made choc-chip biscuits in many years, no idea why. 

As well as the bread and the choc-chip biscuits I looked for ways to use up what was left in the fridge to avoid wastage. The offerings below show the blueberry crumble cake (our dessert for the next few nights), coleslaw (without the dressing, which will be added later), quick pickled radishes (the pickling liquid had just been poured over), marinated green beans, and thrice cooked chips which at the time of the photo had only been cooked twice so far (boiled then deep fried quickly before letting them go cold) as the 'thrice' cooking is just before serving. 

I am hopeful that this thrice cooked technique gives my husband's chips a nice crunch as he's truly missing his chip-fix right now.

I made them last week but they more like wedges and I peeled the potatoes, whereas this batch were small potatoes which were about to start sprouting so I cut out the little eyes only and kept the skin on. Less wastage.

On Saturday I unpacked all the stored seed packs that Woolworths gave away last year and divided them into zip lock bags so that I can save some space and also plan out what to prepare for planting first. With Mr E home on school holidays we are aiming to get a bit further with garden bed preparation out the back as winter is our growing season in the tropics...

This week my big task will be to pull everything out of the linen cupboard and sort through it.

Then I will re-organise our small linen space so that it functions better for my daily and weekly needs. At the moment there's stuff being pushed in wherever I find space and that's making it difficult to keep ordered. And I do love order.

Will you take up this week's task with me?

Is your linen cupboard in need of a makeover or reorganisation?

Well, dear friends, I must away to dress the coleslaw and prepare spicy koftas using a bean mix. I'm salivating thinking of that!

God bless you and may He keep your heart hopeful, your countenance joyful and your spirit in total peace...

Loving hugs

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