Wednesday 29 February 2012

WIP Wednesday - Yarn Along

This week has been rather hectic, but I did manage to get some things done.

More things started than finished though this week, needed a change of scenery I guess!

It has been exciting though and I do have quite a bit to share!


My daughters' cabled socks are still on the needles :-( hope to have them done by the end of this week. With the girls starting at their new school this week, it has been a lot of running around for all of us.


Reading wise: Finished "All that remains" but haven't started reading anything new just yet.


I found some fabric in my attic that I have had for years so I tried my hand at this messenger bag.


It took me the whole of Sunday to complete, but was a lot of fun and it turned out quite nicely. Unfortunately, because the cloth was aged, it did start to tear in places whilst I was using it. No matter, at least I now now how to make one and will try again soon!


Inside pockets: one for cellphone, 2 for pens

Outside Back Pocket
Front


I also have started to work on a Maluka shawl So far so good... I wasn't sure if I would manage a shawl, but it is working out okay. But then again, I have just started with the border, so I am hoping that I will be able to do the shawl justice in the end as it is really beautiful.



I also managed to get myself some Knit pros on special - Yay me!!!! They arrived yesterday while I was out so it was a nice surprise when I got home.

I have a couple of projects planned with my new funky set of needles, so will hopefully have something to share with you shortly!


Don't forget that today is your last chance to enter the competition to win yourself a PDF pattern of my Simply Cabled Sox - Good Luck!

Come past and share your Kitchen Krafts tomorrow.

I will be linking my post with all of the wonderfully talented folks over at:




Thursday 23 February 2012

Kitchen Krafts - Easy Peasy Upside Down Pineapple Cake


Welcome to this weeks' Kitchen Krafts.

Today I am going to share a REALLY easy, quick and convenient cake. It is a Tupperware recipe that my sister shared with me to use for my demonstrations many moons ago. The original recipe called for a tin of Pie apples, but I modified it and use a tin of sliced Pineapple. If you have a Quick-shaker at home this would be ideal and you can mix everything inside of it. If you don't have a shaker however, just use a regular jug with a whisk or hand-beater.


Ingredients:

1 Egg
Ground Cinnamon 
Tin of Pineapples (you can use sliced, pieces or crushed)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of oil (not in the picture)
1 Shaker lid full of milk (or 2/3 cup)
1 Shaker lid full flour (or 2/3 cup)
1 Shaker lid full sugar (or 2/3 cup)
1 Round Pie dish on a baking tray
1 Quick-Shaker (or jug)

Preheat your oven to 180 Degrees Celsius.

Start by draining your tin of pineapples and laying them on the bottom of your pie dish.


Next, sprinkle cinnamon over the pineapple.


Set pie dish aside and continue with the Quick-shaker.

First break the egg into the shaker.


Add 1 shaker lid of flour to the shaker.



Now add 1 shaker lid full of sugar into the shaker.


And 1 shaker lid full of milk.


Now add 1 teaspoon of oil to the mixture...


And close the lid -SECURELY otherwise you won't be very happy with this recipe :-D


Shake vigorously until it has a wonderful, lump free consistency.

Open the lid and add 2 level teaspoons of Baking Powder.


Close the lid tightly again and shake 6 or 7 times more.

Open the small lid at the top to let it breathe.


Be sure to do this carefully, it can spit at you!

Now close the lid and again shake 6 or 7 times.

Open the container and pour the contents over your pineapples.




Now you can see why it is important to have the pie dish on a tray :-D

Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.



You will know when it is ready when you can push a knife into the centre of the cake and it comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool slightly and then loosen around the edges and tip out onto your plate.


Et voilà!

Delicious, all cinnamony and warm.

Enjoy!

What is your recipe, tip or trick from your kitchen this week? Share it below, and leave a comment. It would be wonderful if you could visit one or two of the other posted links as it is always nice to have someone come and see all your efforts.

 Please be sure to link back to this site. If you would like to use this image please feel free to save it and post it on your blog or website.

Sharing this post with all the other talented folks over at Lindas...



Wednesday 22 February 2012

WIP Wednesday - Yarn along

Wednesday again, who would believe it!


Well, not much has been happening here, so let me make post an update quickly.


Finished Hubby's Socks from last week, if you want to find out how you can grab yourself one of the patterns for free - go here

On my needles: Finished sock number 1 of my daughters simply cabled socks. They are turning out quite nicely. The colour of the yarn has been a nice surprise! The pattern should be available by middle of next week.










On my Ereader: Still finishing off "All that Remains" from last week.


Don't forget to come past tomorrow and share your Kitchen Krafts.






I will be sharing this over at:






Saturday 18 February 2012

Simply Cabled Sox PDF Pattern and Blog Giveaway





My Hubbys' socks are done. They turned out really well, and he loves them, I really love them!!

I have finished the pattern and have included an image tutorial of the various stitches and pattern instructions so that it is easy to follow even if you are a beginner and have never done cable before.






You can grab your pattern from either my Etsy shop or from my Craftsy shop.





Leap Year Give-away!


Do you want to win yourself a Simply Cabled Sox Pattern????


All you have to do to enter is to become a follower of my blog and to leave a comment below.


This give-away ends on the 29th February 2012  and I will announce the winner on the 1st March 2012.


Good Luck!!!

Thursday 16 February 2012

Kitchen Krafts - Whole wheat and Oats Bread


Today I am going to share a simple recipe for a quick loaf of delicious home-made bread. I have used whole wheat and white flour, because I find it makes a lighter loaf. If you would like a denser bread, use only the whole wheat/ brown flour (600g).


Ingredients:

  • 400g Wholewheat Flour
  • 200g White Flour
  • 1 Packet dried yeast
  • 2 - 4 Tablespoons Oats
  • 370 - 450ml warm water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of salt

How to make the bread:

I start off by getting the yeast ready. Add 350ml of the water to a jug and sprinkle the yeast over the top.


Sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar over the top of the yeast. (this helps it to activate)


Weigh out both of the flours and add to a bowl.




Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the flour and mix in.


Add 2 - 3 Tablespoons of oats to the flour.


Wait for the yeast to start bubbling and rising. Then add it to the flour.



Stir the yeast water into the flour, until it starts to look "doughy". 


When it gets harder to stir, remove the dough from the bowl and place on your working surface. Knead the dough until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.



 If a lot of the flour just doesn't seem to cling to your dough, you may need to add some more water whilst kneading, or add some more flour if your dough is very sticky!


If your hands are still covered with loads of dough, it means that your dough is too wet. Sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough and continue until your hands are relatively dough-free.

If my dough is a little wet after I have kneaded it, but I can remove most of it from my hands, I place it back in the bowl and sprinkle some more flour over the top, as it will soak up the moisture as it rises.


Cover the dough with a lid and allow to rest for 1/2 hour in a warm place.


After 1/2 hour, switch the oven on to warm up at 220 degrees (Celcius), remove the lid of your container. Your bread should have almost doubled in size.


Take the dough out and re-knead the bread. Shape it into the form you would like....


Score the bread with a sharp knife, brush with a little water and sprinkle with some oats. Allow to stand for another 1/2 hour.

Place in the oven at 220 for 15 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 180, and leave the bread for another 30 minutes. If you have a convectional oven, leave the bread in for a couple of minutes less.


You know when your bread is ready when you can knock it on the underside and it will sound hollow, like a drum.

Take out of the oven and allow to cool down completely.


Serve with a warm wonderful winter soup, or with your favourite home-made jams and cheese.


Enjoy!

Join me next week for an easy, quick cake that is ready in minutes!

What is your recipe, tip or trick from your kitchen this week? Share it below, and leave a comment. It would be wonderful if you could visit one or two of the other posted links as it is always nice to have someone come and see all your efforts.

 Please be sure to link back to this site. If you would like to use this image please feel free to save it and post it on your blog or website.

I am sharing this over at Linda's Blog



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