Raspberry Ice Cream

It might be winter, but there is always a place for ice cream in my life. I had some raspberries in the freezer that I picked at the Kinglake farm back in January that was just begging to be used.

I used this recipe, though there are many around. Just make sure not to cook it too quickly or your eggs curdle.

 

And I've got this cute container especially made for home made ice cream.

So yum!

Beef Casserole

With the cooler weather upon us, there isn't much better than a slow-cooked meal to fill the belly. This beef casserole is a new discovery of mine and it was so good I'll definitely be making it again.

I used Oyster Blade for the meat; not too expensive and it always cooks beautifully.

 

I also added carrot and zucchini to mine, and excluded the mushrooms as I don't like them. This is what it looked like after almost three hours in the oven:

And with the dumplings cooked on top. My only suggestion is to make sure there is plenty of liquid before this step, as what was left in my pot evaporated with the lid off. 

 

You can find the recipe here.

Chicken and Leek Pie

Something a little yummy for a cool winters evening when you aren't feeling as good as you'd like; Chicken and Leek Pie! The recipe comes from The Age and was easy to follow. You uses a few pots but the results are certainly worth it.

The recipe can be found here.

I used skinless chicken thighs as I couldn't be bothered mucking around with bones and the like. I also excluded the mushrooms as I don't like them, and only used one leek. A very yummy way to end the weekend.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Because I work at home on Fridays, it gives me a little more time than usual to make dinner, so I often make something that I wouldn't do on a normal weeknight. This week I found a recipe for Paella and I just had to make it. It takes a little bit more time and effort, but it's not difficult, and the results were worth it.

The recipe can be found here. Follow all the steps, including leaving it sitting with a tea towel over the top. I was worried that the rice was still a little firm on top, but once I dug in it was just beautiful. This recipe is definitely a keeper (and I sent mum home with leftovers to her tea tonight).

The only changes I made were using three thigh fillets, and a whole chorizo. Yum!

Pumpkin Lasagnette

Now that the weather in Melbourne has turned cold, the evenings are perfect for filling meals like curries and pastas. I came across this yummy Pumpkin Lasagnette the other week and really enjoyed it. It's a little fiddly (cooking pasta sheets in a saucepan is not ideal), but overall not too difficult. Great if you have a vegetarian friend coming for tea.

(recipe from here)

½ kent (jap) pumpkin, peeled and sliced thinly (5mm slices)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt flakes
Freshly ground pepper
500g lasagnette (dried) - broad-ribbon pasta with ruffled edges
350g piece fresh ricotta, sliced thinly
120g taleggio - Italian washed-rind cheese, cut or broken into knobs
5 sprigs oregano, picked, or 2 tbsp dried oregano
120ml cream
100g grana padano parmesan, grated
5 anchovies (in oil)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan-forced, 200 degrees conventional.
2. Toss the pumpkin in oil, season with salt and pepper and lay on a lined baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Cook the lasagnette in plenty of boiling salted water, then drain.
4. Place a third of the pasta in a large ceramic dish, then season and drizzle with oil. Layer on a third of the ricotta, taleggio and cooked pumpkin. Sprinkle with oregano, spoon over a third of the cream and scatter with grated parmesan. Repeat the layers twice until the ingredients are done. Finish with parmesan, salt, pepper.
5. Tear the anchovies in half lengthways and criss-cross over the top. Cover with paper and foil and bake for 25 minutes. Take off the cover and put the lasagnette back in the oven to brown for 15 minutes.

I made a few changes; I used bocconcini in place of taleggio, and excluded the anchovies (I don't like them), but I reckon some prosciutto would bring back that salty tang.  I also used sage instead of oregano as it matches perfectly with pumpkin.

I'd love to know if anyone gives this one a try!

Excited

Am I the only one counting down till the end of winter? For the record, there are only 18 days to go! I don't mind the cooler weather, but a month or so is more than enough for me. I love being inside listening to the rain on the tin roof, but hate being outside in it. I loathe spending the day in wet shoes because the work carpark has no gutters or drains; it turns into a river every time it pours.

But I love the little signs that spring is on its way. First the daffodils make their appearance.

Then the cherry blossoms start blooming, and I know for sure that winter really is almost gone. The only downside is that the rain and wind usually batter the blossoms pretty quickly.

Only a little bit of sewing going on here this weekend. I'm hoping to get back into markets next month, so I've started putting together a few bunnies...still faceless but getting there.



Today I'm...

...playing with gorgeous fat quarters..

 Vintage Modern

 Woodland

...while trying to pretend that winter isn't due to arrive in two days ....

A Proper Winter's Morning

I woke this morning to a heavy fog and a frosty front lawn; perfect for spotting spider webs all over my yard.

It cleared to a gorgeous sunny day, but it's still freezing! I'm definitely looking forward to the warmer weather in the USA...only a few weeks to go.

Seriously

I thought I'd be pushing my luck to get the BOM quilted before I go away in August...and just two weeks later, she's finished! The binding in ready to go, so it won't be long until she gets a proper photo shoot.

Bella is loving the opportunity to check it out and curl up for a nap.

The Mulgrave Maker's Market was on yesterday. Though a lovely sunny day, it was very windy, and I was glad we were indoors. The only downside was less traffic than usual, and therefore less sales. However, my new little Scotty Dogs proved to be very popular. I just need to work on making more toys in "boy friendly" fabrics.

I was also surprised at the number of people who thought it was OK to bring their dogs (some as large as golden retrievers) into an indoor market, particularly when there are so many babies and kids around.

It's another gorgeous day today; it might be winter but it's sunny again, and all the jonquils are flowering.

Free-Form Fruit Tarts

I had a little pastry left over after making that yummy chicken pie, so I made dessert! You can put any fruit you like into these tarts; the standard is apple, but I used some gorgeous ripe pears.



You need some shortcrust pastry; roll out some small, rough circles. I put some almond meal in the centre to soak up the fruit juices and stop the pastry going soggy. Then pile in some peeled, thinly-sliced fruit. Gather the pastry around (leave the fruit showing in the middle), brush with some egg or milk, and sprinkle a little sugar over the top. Then bake for 25-30 min at 180-200 degrees.

Serve with a dollop of cream or yoghurt....they are yum!

Chicken Pie

Maggie Beer's Chicken, Lemon and Olive Pie was the perfect sunday night dinner for a cool and windy evening. A few steps involved, but pretty simple overall, and very yum!

The chicken is baked in the oven with lemon, garlic and thyme.

Then combined with a rosemary sauce.

And encased in a yummy sour cream pastry.

A Pumpkin Soup Kind of Day

The cooler weather is really kicking in, the trees have mostly lost their leaves, and the lights need to be switched on in the early afternoon. Winter is definitely on its way! One of my favourite things about this time of year is pumpkin soup. This is my recipe:

Ingredients:

butter

1 diced onion

pumpkin, cut into chunks (I use about 1/3 of a pumpkin)

1L chicken or vegetable stock

Melt the butter, then add the diced onion and potato. Saute until onion is soft, then add pumpkin and stock. Simmer until the vegies are soft, then puree with a bar mix. Divine served hot with a dollop of cream, sour cream, or yoghurt if you want to keep it healthy.

Sorry for the lack of content lately; I started my teaching placement this week and I've been busy finding my feet. I'm in a really good school right around the corner from my house and really enjoying it so far. I don't imagine there will be much sewing time; I've got a huge pile of tests to mark this weekend!

The Blues

I think I've got a little lost over the last few weeks. I haven't felt like doing any quilt sewing, mostly because I've had no idea what to work on. My new rotary blade has a chip in it, making cutting impossible. The weather is crap. And to top it off I have an eye infection of some sort that requires putting thick cream in my eyes, making the world a little hazy.

Plus, I've been having parcel delivery problems; one ended up at a house in a different street, a quilt kit was tossed over my back fence yesterday even though I was home, and one hasn't even turned up yet, so it could be any where.

I'm trying to get my mojo back today; I did a yoga class last night, I've put my old blade back in the rotary cutter, and pulled out my bundle of fabric for A La Mode. I'm going to do some quilty sewing if its the last thing I do.

I also had the realisation earlier that all but one quilt I've made this year has a pink backing, completely by coincidence. And to add to it, the backing I bought for A La Mode all the way back last September is pink also. Weird!

At the top is Port-de-France, then Summer Wind, and at the bottom pint-sized Jelly Filled. Wild Thing also has a pink backing, but its on my bed...

Vegie Soup

The perfect meal for a cool winter's day, and it can be whipped up in about half an hour.



Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• wedge of pumpkin, cubed
• 1 carrot, cubed
• 1/2 zucchini, cubed
• 1/3-1/2 cup peas
• 1/4 cup risoni
• fresh herbs (I used parsley and thyme)
• Chicken stock (about 5 cups)

Method

• Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft
• Add in pumpkin and carrot, stir briefly, then add stock
• Once stock boils, add pasta and stir.
• When the hard vegies are almost done, add in peas and zucchini.
• Just before serving, stir in chopped herbs.
• Enjoy!

Moda Cuteness

I'm always excited when I spy my postie putting a larger than usual letter in the letterbox. This morning was no different, and I opened the parcel to find a little Moda goodness.

A gorgeous Moda Collectors Tin, and inside....

...cute "candy bars" of Bliss and City Weekend. Yum!

It's a beautiful morning in Melbourne today; cool but sunny, perfect for walking the dog. There are only a few flowers blooming in my garden as the moment; hibiscus and jonquils.

Hello, Winter....

First day of winter here in Australia, and the weather has definitely changed in the last few weeks. Its cold, damp, and overcast. However, there are lots of little things going on in the garden!

The gorgeous creeper on our chimney turned a beautiful red and yellow, then dropped its leaves, leaving all the stems behind.

The spring bulbs have started to sprout from the ground.

The bottle brush is having a last flower before the cold.

And there is lots going on in the vegie garden; baby leeks, broccoli, winter greens, and apparently a pumpkin vine which appeared from the compost and has taken over, even though they are a summer plant...

Bossed around...by an iron?

Does anyone else own a bossy iron? Or is everyone reading this thinking I must be crazy? We bought a new iron recently, and if I leave it alone for too long, it beeps at me. And beeps some more, and some more. It beeps until I come and do my ironing. Bossy thing.

Anyway, I've finished off all the Winter blocks for the Boxed In quilt. The pic is of a handful of the blocks; I need to play around with them to work out how to arrange them before I sew them all together.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts regarding the backing/binding of 4OT. I finally made a decision, blue for the backing, red for the binding.

I've started on my next big project. "Catch a Falling Star", which is a kit put together by The Fat Quarter Shop using Moda's Peace on Earth and Miss Rosie's Simple City pattern. I've had the kit since about April last year, and have been hanging out to work on it, but keep getting distracted by other (smaller) quilts. This afternoon (my day off), I've been cutting out the background fabric...I think I'm up to about 200 squares so far!

I always wonder if Bella gets bored when she is home alone....and I figure she would make the most of me being home for a day, but apparently not, as this is where she spent today, on my bed....

And something that might creep out the non-Aussies....I had a visitor in my room the other night; I was getting ready for bed, and had pulled my doona back as it was a warm night. I went to the kitchen for a glass of water, and when I came back there was a huge huntsman spider sitting right in the middle of my bed, enjoying the breeze from my fan. He was promptly liberated into the front yard.

Winter Blocks

I've been playing around with my Winter jelly roll, after I decided to use it for the Boxed In pattern in the jelly roll book I bought over christmas. I did all the cutting on Friday after finishing 4OT (and only managed to cut myself once!).

The blocks are pretty easy to put together; I'm happy with the first two, but I'm a bit uncertain about the third. The fabric is pre-printed with a log cabin pattern, which makes it look a bit fussy (in my opinion), though my mum likes it...

Because the jelly roll has 40 stips, and the pattern requires all 40, I couldn't avoid using this fabric. I'm hoping once its all assembled that it will blend in a bit more.