crochet

My church has just started a monthly craft group, and this month our optional project was crochet.  Although my only qualification is that I can crochet, I was the demonstrator today. 

I gathered a few examples of crochet [my work and my grandmother's] to show the ladies he variety and scale of what you can do with crochet.  Everything from Barbie and doll clothes to tablecloths to blankets to teatowels to clothing.  In preparing for today I dug out my current crochet projects so I could continue to work on one - in keeping with my usual craft attention deficit I found at least 5 projects that were ongoing.  I don't even seem to be able to focus on one single project within the same craft genre!!! 

This is what I achieved today. Almost finished a new handtowel for my kitchen.  One project almost complete, 4 more UFO's to go, and a 'wanna do' list that just keeps growing and growing and growing...

lemon myrtle custard

This is SOOOOOOO yummy, and more so because I grew the lemon myrtle myself.  It really is exciting to be starting to use things from my garden in my cooking.

LEMON MYRTLE CUSTARD
100g sugar
40g cornflour
2 eggs
500ml milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
6-8 lemon myrtle leaves fresh from the tree

I made this in my thermomix [7 1/2 min speed 4], but you can also make it on the stove, stirring constantly over a medium heat until it thickens.  The most important thing to remember is to bruise the lemon myrtle leaves and add them towards the end of cooking time to maximise the flavour.

Miss 7's birthday cakes

The first birthday of the year was this week.  Miss 7 had three birthday celebrations, one with friends at school

One with us on her actual birthday

And she shared a dvd and some craft with three friends last night

I have to say I am OVER cake decorating.  It was a mammoth two days.  I have two weeks to recover before the next birthday...

gluten free Yorkshire puddings

These Yorkshire puddings are just delicious.  In fact they were so yummy we ate all 12 of them in one meal, and wished we had more.  I now understand why Yorkshire pudding is served with a roast.

115 g gluten-free self-raising flour

142 ml milk

142 ml water (half milk and half water)

1 pinch salt (optional)

1 medium egg

Preheat oven to 220C.  Pour 5mm of oil into each hole of a 12 hole muffin pan and put it in the oven to heat up.  Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer/food processor/stick blender/hand whisk until a smooth batter is formed.  When the oil is smoking pour a little batter in each muffin hole and bake for 20mins.  Serve immediately with your roast dinner.

bridesmaid dress update

It always amazes me how fabric like this:

can turn into a lovely dress.

I have all three dresses coming along nicely now.  To be honest I had hoped to have them finished by now, but life is busy sometimes, and my sewing machine always ends up at the end of my 'to do' list each week.  I hope to have a photo of them hanging on hangers awaiting final fitting very soon.