The Homemade Heart

Cookery Calendar Challenge- July

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for July.  If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen book for June was 'The National Trust Cookbook'. Over the years, there have been many National Trust cookbooks; this particular edition is the most recent, from 2016.
The National Trust currently has around 200 cafes, and each café has some dishes or treats associated with the location, for example Churchill's stew is served at Chartwell; Beatrix Potter's family plum cake is served at the café at Hill Top. This makes the book quite fascinating, and as someone who always loves to hear the stories behind food, the stories and recipes combined really appealed to me.
The book is divided seasonally. Within each section there are soups, savoury dishes, puddings, and bakes. There are many delicious, homely recipes within this book, and a high proportion of vegetarian dishes. It is a good, solid, reliable book, which I enjoyed reading, and cooking from, and one which I think is destined to become a favourite.  

My first chosen recipe was Roast honey-mustard chicken. Chicken breasts are marinated in a yogurt mix (recipe below), and the marinade is then spooned over the chicken breasts in a roasting tin, where the marinade becomes a sauce, or coating.  The chicken is served on a salad of new potatoes, green beans, red pepper, courgette, all of which are steamed or fried, depending on what suits, making a colourful, crunchy, warm salad. There should be chickpeas in the salad too, but I omitted them as they are considered the work of the devil by the carnivores of the family, though personally I absolutely love their flavour and texture.



To me, this was a perfect family dinner; it was healthy, colourful, easy to prepare, and looked, I thought, rather pretty when dished up. It was also ideal for the resident vegetarian (me) as I could eat the warm salad without the chicken.
It enjoyed a lukewarm reception from the family (about the same temperature as the warm salad in fact). I would say a grudging single green tick (single green tick= 'ok, would eat again'). This was a little disappointing, but it wasn't an outright rejection, and I did gain a super-simple, delicious recipe for marinade, which I could happily eat with a spoon, it is so good.

Marinade


This marinade could also be used as a dip, a baked potato filling, or a salad dressing.

2 tsp wholegrain mustard
4 tsp runny honey
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp natural yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely crushed
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined.

My second selected recipe was another seasonal warm salad, though as they were served a couple of weeks apart, this was not quite as repetitive a it sounds!
This dish had lots of winning ingredients as far as the carnivores were concerned: black pudding, bacon, and fried bread croutons, served on salad leaves (nice and easy, just tip them out of the bag), topped with blue cheese, and scattered with quartered hard boiled eggs.
The bacon lardons were fried off with sliced leeks, and the black pudding was meant to be fried too, but I grilled it instead, and only reluctantly fried off the bread croutons in a little oil - just a bit too much frying for my liking.


There was a simple vinaigrette dressing for the salad too; the whole dish presented a variety of flavours and textures, with plenty of protein for hungry carnivores.
Thankfully this dish went down well, and earned a respectable single green tick. I suggested that next time I might bake the croutons in the oven rather than fry, but this was met with emphatic cries:
'No!'
'They're my favourite bit!'
'Don't bake them, they will taste boring'
Quite a successful month for the Cookery Calendar Challenge, thank goodness, I felt I needed a bit of a break after the rejections from May and June.

My chosen book for July is Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall's 'Light and Easy'
I feel I have circled round Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall rather warily for years. He is so fervent about food production and so on (all very laudable of course), that I feel a little overawed by his persona and values (this springs to mind). The Cookery Calendar Challenge is the perfect opportunity to dust off this worthy volume and actually use a couple of Hugh's recipes.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )

An InLinkz Link-up

CookeryCalendar Challenge- June

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for June.  If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen recipe book for May was Rachel Allen's 'Home Cooking' This is a bright, cheerful book aimed firmly at family cooking, full of quick, everyday meals which can be prepared with minimum fuss. It is divided into chapters such as 'Breakfast', 'Lunch', 'Sunday Lunch', 'Supper', and there is also a chapter on 'Baby Purees' which presumably reflects the stage of life Rachel was at when she wrote this book.

My first chosen recipe was 'Smoked Salmon, Leek and Potato Pie'. This is extremely easy to prepare, and although smoked salmon is not a cheap option for a weeknight, the other ingredients are very economical, so a balance is achieved.
Peeled, thinly sliced potatoes are layered up with sliced leeks, and pieces of smoked salmon. I also added prawns for extra flavour and variety.

Each layer is seasoned with salt and pepper, and sprinkled with finely chopped garlic. Double cream is poured over, and a grating of parmesan cheese. The dish is topped neatly with a final layer of potato slices, and the whole lot baked until the potatoes are fully cooked, and the top is brown and bubbling. The double cream forms a sauce as the dish cooks, and keeps everything moist.

I was convinced this was a winner; it smelled good, it looked good, and when I tasted it I really loved it. The combination of flavours was delicious, very savoury, but creamy too, the potatoes were soft, the topping was crispy, the smoked salmon tasted mellow because it was cooked, and the prawns added a little extra flavour and variety.
Unfortunately for me, nobody, other than me, liked it. No double double green tick (double green tick = 'Yum; new favourite), not even a single green tick (single green tick= 'Ok; would eat again). To my disappointment, the vocabulary of an epic fail rang round the dinner table....

'Mum I really don't like this'
'I hate leeks'
'Far too creamy'
'Glaggy'
'Sorry I can't eat this'
'Not my cup of tea'
'Please don't make this again'

One of the carnivores actually had two slices of toast and butter rather than finish this meal.
I was very disappointed; I had looked forward to basking in the glow of a double green tick ('Yum; new favourite') and instead ended up with lots of left overs and a petted lip. I had the rejected dish over the next few lunchtimes (and dinners; there was a lot left...) and each time wondered why nobody liked it; it really was good!

Girding my culinary loins, I made my second selected dish a few nights later, this time making 'Thai Peanut, Vegetable and Coconut Noodles'. Again, this was very quick and easy to prepare; coconut milk is combined with peanut butter and Nam Pla (or Soy sauce), and Thai Red Curry paste (bought, not home made, though there would be nothing to stop you making your own if you were so inclined).
Once this has amalgamated into a cohesive sauce, spring onions, baby corn, mange tout, and broccoli florets are added and lightly cooked. Peanuts, previously toasted in a dry pan, are added for crunch. Finally, rice noodles are mixed into the sauce and vegetables and the dish is served with a few more peanuts scattered over the top.

To please the carnivores, I stir fried thin strips of chicken breast to add at the end, though I had mine without.
Fortunately, this dish met with a better reception, though was judged to be 'Lacking a bit of something', and was given a modified single green tick ('Ok, would eat again, if it tasted a bit better'). In fairness, I used Soy sauce rather than Nam Pla, and probably not quite enough to give it that lovely salty depth that makes flavours sing. There was lots of variety and texture in the dish though, and I will make this one again.

My chosen book for June is 'The National Trust Cook Book'. I bought this book a couple of weeks ago in the National Trust shop in York, and as I have enjoyed many lunches, cakes and treats in National Trust properties over the years I am looking forward to using this book to hopefully please my carnivores!

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )

An InLinkz Link-up

 

A quilt for yoga class

 

In our village, we have a village hall. Originally built as the parochial school in 1813, it is a sturdy stone building with the main hall and kitchen on the ground floor (don't you just love a village hall kitchen?), and a smaller room upstairs, originally the teacher's lodgings.
It is run by a group of volunteers who formed a Trust to take over the hall some years ago when it was threatened with closure, and is an asset to our village, and community. It is used by the scouts, the SWRI, the badminton club, the Zumba class, the Local History society, and various other committees and groups.
One such group is the Beginners' Yoga class, where a group of village ladies spend an hour stretching, bending, contorting and perspiring every Thursday evening from 7.15 to 8.30. I have attended this class since last year, and just love every minute. However my favourite part of the evening is when our gentle teacher invites us to put on something warm and lie down for Savasana, or Dead Man's Pose. This is the well-earned relaxation at the end of the yoga class, and is quite delightful.
My mind drifts off in all sorts of directions during Savasana, and I let it float freely, enjoying the scenes and memories this 'conscious relaxation' seems to bring forth. Often these scenes involve water, I have a sense of flying over the ocean, as if I were a seagull. I can almost feel the wind, and smell the water. Although in everyday life I am frightened of deep water, I find this sensation very relaxing when experienced during yoga.  

Some people put on socks and a sweatshirt for Savasana, some cover themselves with a fleecy blanket. Initially I covered myself with a cosy blue checked blanket which originally belonged to Jacob's room when he was a little boy. It is large, and soft, and warm. However after several months of yoga class I decided it would be very nice to have a quilt for yoga class instead.
I wanted the quilt to approximate the ocean, starting at the bottom with deep sea creatures, then meander via smaller shoals of fish, wading sea birds and crabs towards the shore, as it appeared in my imagination, i.e. the top of the quilt.

(Here is Isaac, kindly holding up my quilt in the back garden for photography purposes)

I gathered fabrics I liked over a couple of m0nths, searching on line and in my local sewing shop. I wanted the quilt to be simple in construction, and decided on horizontal stripes of differing widths. Once these were joined, I added a broad border all the way round (I wanted it to be large enough to avoid draughts seeping underneath at yoga class). The backing is pieced from left overs, and I rather like it. 

I marked out horizontal and vertical wavy lines with quilter's tape, and used the lines as my guide, hand quilting with perle cotton in navy, and white. I imagined the horizontal stitched lines to be the water waves, washing towards the shore, and the vertical stitched lines to be sonar waves, reaching right down to the deepest ocean.
Of course, it is not perfect, but that's ok. I really like this quilt, and I'm not sure why, it is almost my favourite of those I have made so far. It was easy and quick to make, and I find the regular rows of fish and whales, crabs and seabirds soothing, as they march (or swim) solemnly across the quilt.

Having used it for several weeks at yoga class, I am also pleased to report that it is very comfortable, cosy and perfect for Savasana. My mind seems to have moved on from water to snow-scapes now, so perhaps my next quilt will be inspired by snow; watch this (quilt shaped) space!

The Cookery Calendar Challenge- May

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for May.  If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen book for April was 'Persianna' by Sabrina Ghayour. This is a nicely produced book, divided into chapters such as 'Mezze and sharing plates', 'Roasts and grills', 'Desserts and sweet treats'. Sabrina's introduction is warm and welcoming, explaining her Persian roots, and the influence on those food traditions of thirty years in England.
The first dish I cooked was Lamb and vegetable Tagine. Lamb is a popular meat in our house (though not with me, being a veggie), but it is expensive, so I don't splash out on it too often. I was optimistic that this would please the carnivores, and confidently predicted a double green tick for the hard working cook. To make the tagine, onions are fried off in olive oil, then ground ginger, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, cubeb pepper (which I did not have) are added, then the lamb is browned in the aromatic mixture. Saffron and water are added, and the meat is left to simmer for three hours. Following this, turnips, carrots and shallots are added, and the tagine cooks for a further forty five minutes, then chopped courgettes are added and a further thirty minutes of cooking is required. I omitted the courgettes and the extra cooking time, as the natives were demanding their dinner, and I felt I had been looking at the tagine all day. I served it on cous cous, and bore it proudly to the table but alas, it did bot receive a good reception. I had assumed with all those spices and the long slow cooking that the flavour would be rich and satisfying, but it was pronounced 'bland', and I was asked awkward questions such as 'Why did you put turnips in a tagine?' (A question which had crossed my own mind I must confess.) Dinner was eaten in disappointed silence and I washed up in disgrace (yes of course I exaggerate, but not much).

I was looking forward to making my second selected dish, which was Spiced Vegetable Soup, containing my favourite ingredient ever; chickpeas. Sabrina cheerfully advises you to make this soup with 'whatever you find lying round your house and in your fridge', a nicely down-to-earth attitude which I applaud. I always enjoy making soup, and often have it for lunch when I am alone in the house. I actually have it reasonably frequently for dinner too; by the time I have cooked for two carnivores and the house fusspot (he knows who he is), sometimes all I want for myself is a bowl of home made soup with crusty bread.

Butternut squash, courgettes, onions, potatoes, leeks, vine tomatoes, and garlic are roughly chopped and softened in olive oil, then ground cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and chilli paste are added, then seasoning. This wholesome mixture is covered with water and brought to the boil. When the vegetables are soft, the mixture is pureed to a smooth consistency, and then the chickpeas are added, reserving some for the garnish. Sabrina advises adding the chickpea water also, but I couldn't bring myself to; the cloudy water from tinned chickpeas (even organic ones) makes me feel queasy.

Another twenty minutes cooking time is advised, and in the meantime, some thinly sliced onions are fried off with the remaining chickpeas to sprinkle on the finished soup, finally, feta cheese is crumbled in.

The soup looked just like the photograph in the recipe book, but unfortunately had a bitter back taste which I could not eradicate. During cooking, I added a little sugar, to no avail, and as a last resort stirred in some double cream, but the bitterness lingered. The fried onions and fried chickpea garnish was also a bit greasy, so unfortunately this dish was not a success. I had made quite a large pot, intending to freeze some in portions, but sadly the whole lot went down the sink.
Perhaps I was simply unlucky with both dishes I tried, it would not be fair to condemn the book on the basis of two recipes, but in all reality it is unlikely that I will revisit this book in case of further disasters.

My chosen book for May is 'Home Cooking' by Rachel Allen. I have cooked quite a few dishes from this book, and enjoy Rachel's easy going, achievable style. Jacob gave me this book as a gift some years ago and wrote a message inside it for me. (On that basis, even if the book was 'Forty Ways With Frog Meat' I would treasure it for ever.)

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )

 

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Spring comes late

Spring in Scotland comes late, and is perhaps the lovliest of seasons, with colour slowly infusing garden and field, lane and woods. After a long, driech winter, the bright Spring sunshine makes the eyes water.
We are fortunate to have a profusion of daffodils in our garden, which come after the dear little snowdrops fade; their rich egg-yolk yellow trumpets are a cheering sight to winter-jaded eyes. There are also paler narcissi, with their dainty white petals and orange centres. The small magnolia tree has bloomed beautifully again; its papery petals now slowly blow across the grass as its season passes for another year.
The daffys seem to have gone over very quickly this Spring, and the blood red tulips are starting to flower. I can see the aliums slowly beginning to open in their turn also.

 

We had a quiet Easter this year, just the four of us, and made a small celebration with a nice brunch. No egg rolling or treasure hunts in the garden now, as we used to when the boys were small, but each age has its joys, and sitting chatting round the breakfast table with the boys is such a delight.
It being Easter, a little chocolate was necessary, so my very quick and easy chocolate cake recipe was pressed into service, with some seasonal decorations in the shape of candy eggs and a chocolate bunny; it looked very jolly, and tasted good too, perfect for our simple Easter celebration.

My kitchen table.

I love a kitchen table; just the words 'kitchen table' make me feel cosy and safe. As a child, sitting at the kitchen table drawing, doing homework or best of all, reading, whilst dinner is being prepared, has to be one of the most comforting feelings in the world. If, like me, you were a bookworm as a child, you will well remember that delightful sensation of cooking smells, familiar voices, and the ebb and flow of family life swirling around you, as you focussed on the page in front of you, simulataneously enjoying the security of your familiar environment whilst living is the world of your chosen book, with its perils, excitement or sadness (I can't be the only person who cried at the tragic death of Beth in Little Women one second, then tucked into a hearty dinner at the kitchen table before the tears were dry).
When we moved into our current house, I loved the fact that the kitchen was big enough to house a good sized table and our boys have grown up eating, playing, celebrating, and squabbling at our now very shabby kitchen table.
Our kitchen table is in fact two tables pushed together; when we reconfigured our dining room into the Boys Room, the dining table (one of those that unfolds from a square into a rectangle) was abutted on to our kitchen table, temporarily, until we decided what to do with it. Three years later it is still there, and we are all used to it now. Such is family life.

Yesterday Derek and the boys were all out, and being alone in the house for most of the day I thought it would be fun to follow a Day in the Life of my kitchen table.

8a.m. Wave off D and boys, tidy away breakfast plates and mug. Dump huge bag of  underwear and 'non-ironables' on the kitchen table and sort out.  Deliver to underwear drawers of respective family members.
 
9a.m. Time for a quick cup of tea before taking Meg out for her walk. Since everyone else is out having a nice time, I decide on the unusual measure of sitting down at the kitchen table (rather than drinking my tea on the hop as I usually do). Look through a couple of quilting books and sigh over photographs of unatainably beautiful quilts.

11a.m Home from walking Meg; perfect day for it: sunny, windy and chilly. Feel hungry for breakfast when I get back. Enjoy setting my place at the kitchen table but really need to hurry up. Still to go to the shops for this evening's dinner to feed the hungry hordes on their return, and I really want some uninterrupted quilting time this afternoon.

1.30pm Back from shops, dump bags on kitchen table. Time to put this little lot away, then onto more creative endeavours.

2 p.m. Trim up my current quilt project ready for binding. Much as I love my kitchen table, at times like this I wish I had a cutting table, though even if I did there's nowhere to put it. Straighten up from kitchen table, ease out crick in lumbar spine. Take quilt through to sewing machine, stitch down binding to front, leave hand stitching for later.

3.30p.m. Cut some more 4 1/2" squares for my next quilt at the kitchen table. Very excited about this project (from this book)as it is the first time I will have followed instructions and not just made the quilt up as I go along. When all squares are cut, neatly assemble them in to piles on my small cutting mat ready to carry through to my room to lay out and arrange on the big bed.

4.30 p.m. Need to start dinner prep and I have decided on a 'proper' Sunday dinner for my returning heroes, who have spent the day in adventurous pursuits in lovely St Andrew's. Roast chicken, roast beef, roast potatoes, gravy, and lots of veg, followed by plum and apple crumble and custard. Work out timings, get ovens on and start cooking. Once everything is in the oven, and the apples and plums are stewing with a tiny amount of water, and a generous sprinkle of sugar, I make the cumble topping (200g plain flour, 100g butter, 100g sugar, tiny pinch salt rubbed together, so easy, so delicious)

8p.m. Dinner is over; everyone enjoyed it. The boys are getting on well just now, so lots of laughter and chat at the kitchen table this evening (as in every family, meal times are not always harmonious, but we take the rough with the smooth, and persevere in making family mealtimes a priority). This evening we chat in some detail about our plans for next year's holiday, which we are all very excited about.
Just the dishes to clear away. Another day in the life of our kitchen table is almost over, then tomorrow it will start all over again.

Cookery Calendar Challenge- April

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for April.  If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen cookery book for February was 'Duchy Originals Cookbook' by Johnny Acton and Nick Sandler. I have owned this book for many years, and may have cooked one or two dishes from it, but none that I specifically remember. This book is rather charming, combining slightly posh food with a whiff of nursery dinners. It has an earnestly worded introduction from H.R.H. Prince Charles, and is then divided seasonally, with a few pages of information regarding animal husbandry and  food production by various producers of Duchy Originals foods around the UK, before the collection of recipes for that season.
Needless to say all the recipes use Duchy Original products; anything from Duchy Originals milk, to Duchy Originals organic meats, but obviously the recipes can be made with non Duchy Originals products. The recipes are all given in cups, and ounces, which makes me suspect it was not-so-subtly aimed at American tourists visiting the UK and buying a recipe book to take home, but that's fine with me. I would love to visit America and buy an American book with the recipes in grams and milliletres. Cup measures are easy to come by, and easy to use, so this was not a problem.

The first of my selected dishes this month was Canneloni stuffed with Smoked Ham and Cheddar. I didn't have any canneloni tubes in my dry goods cupboard, so used lasagne sheets, thereby creating more of a smoked ham and leek lasagne. The leeks were fried off until soft with sliced red onion, then set aside, After this, a basic white sauce was made, with added creme fraiche and a teaspoon or two of dijon mustard (not in the recipe, but I thought it would give a nice little punch of flavour to the sauce). I added a small amount of grated cheddar to the sauce (that was in the recipe); then layered up the lasagne sheets, white/cheese sauce, and the leeks, onions and chopped smoked ham. I sprinkled a little more grated cheese on top and  popped it in a hot oven for about forty minutes until the top was bubbling. I served it with roasted cherry tomatoes, well seasoned with salt and pepper and splashed with olive oil, and cooked until soft.

This dish was a big success, and to my surprise earned me a double green tick from the carnivores, who gobbled it with relish. It is always most gratifying when the family enjoy meals I have prepared, and I do tend to make the most of it.
Me: 'What do you think?'
Derek/Jacob: 'Mmm/ nice/ really good/ yum/ great'
Me: (turning a little pink) 'Oh, really? I am so pleased!'
(Silence/eating noises/scraping of cutlery etc)
Me: 'So what's nice about it? Anything in particular? Flavour? Texture?'
Derek/Jacob 'Er dunno, it's just nice/good flavour/nice and savoury' etc
Me: (airily) 'Well I did put in quite a lot of effort, and I also added a spoonful of mustard to the sauce. Did you notice that? What about the sauce- not too cheesy? How about the tomatoes? What did you think?'
Derek/Jacob 'They're ok/it's fine/mustard-yuk, wish you hadn't told me that/can I leave the table?'
And dinner is over for another night.

My second dish was a baked cheesecake. I think this is possibly the first pudding I have made as part of the Cookery Calendar Challenge, not to mention one of the few cheesecakes I have made in my life. I had a slight hidden agenda with this dish, as one of the competitions in the Dalmally Show this year is a baked cheesecake, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to try out a suitable recipe.
The base is made from crushed Duchy Original oaten biscuits (posh digestives, essentially), mixed with melted butter and brown sugar. This sandy mixture is then pressed firmly into the base of a well buttered springform release tin.
The topping is made from a mixture of egg yolks and sugar, beaten together, to which creme fraiche and a quite staggering quantity of full fat cream cheese are added. The zest of a lemon is grated in, and a few drops of vanilla extract. The egg whites are whisked to soft peaks stage, and folded in to the cream cheese mixture, and this is then poured on to the base, and baked at Gas 4 for twenty minutes, and Gas 3 for a further forty minutes. I didn't hold out much hope for this cheesecake, as I made it in a tearing hurry, and also realised that I didn't have any creme fraiche in the fridge after I started, so hastily improvised with some double cream soured with a squeeze of lemon juice. However it obviously thrived on neglect as it turned out very well; rose beautifully, and turned a deep golden colour on top.  
It should have been served with some berries, or a little fruit coulis, but my greedy (and I mean that in a very loving way) family just ate it plain, in fact still warm, and loved it. I am not a huge cheesecake fan, and found the flavour a little bland, but I think that is the nature of cheesecakes. The texture was extremely light and creamy (hardly surprising given the amount of cream and cream cheese in the recipe) so I think this recipe has passed muster and will make a reappearance for the baking competiton at the Dalmally Show this year.

I am pleased I revisited this book. Many of the recipes are more down to earth than they initially appear, and there is a wealth of good hearty eating within its pages.

My chosen recipe book for April is Persianna, by Sabrina Gahyour. This book was first published in 2014 to great acclaim, but I have only just got round to buying a copy, partly because I am always at 'the coo's tail'* as we say in Scotland, and partly because I wasn't that interested in Middle Eastern cookery in 2014, but over the last couple of years have become more interested in it.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart )

(*'the coo's tail'= 'the cow's tail' i.e. always behind everyone else)

An InLinkz Link-up

Winter Project Link Party March 2017. A quilt for my sister.

This winter I have been joining Jennifer at Thistlebear in her Link Party, where happy crafters share their projects and encourage each other along during the dark winter months. It has been such an enjoyable link party, and I am sad to see it coming to an end for this year. Do pop over to Jennifer's blog and see what other folks have been making this month. 

Today I am sharing another quilt project. I realise that with the recent flurry of quilt posts my life must appear somewhat charmed, as though I am constantly to be found stitching quilts with no other calls upon my time. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the nature of blogs is such that it is more pleasant to read (and write) about the more picturesque aspects of life, and quilting is certainly that. 
This quilt is a gift for my sister, who is celebrating a milestone birthday this month. She will be receiving gifts from all of us, but I wanted to give her something that was just from me. It measures approx. 49"x55"; a good size for throwing over the back of a chair or sofa, or tucking round cold legs on a winter's evening. 

After my lofty proclamations about fabric choices in my last quilt post, I of course ended up making this quilt entirely from charm packs. Pride comes before a fall even in quilting. I had two charm packs tucked away in the sideboard in the sitting room, and bought two more on line. I really like the richness of the colours, and the blend of fabrics, and enjoyed laying them out to achieve a random design, my only criterion being that no two identical squares should touch. I then simply machined them into rows, and then machined the rows together. Even with the squares being ready cut, I still managed to create somewhat off centre piecing (note to self: work on accuracy).

For the backing I chose red and cream gingham; I really like the old fashioned effect of this fabric, it is gentle on the eye. I machine quilted in simple diagonal lines, then finished off with dark green binding, so the overall effect is rich and rather jolly, with a sprinkling of Christmas, or Little House on The Prairie, depending on preference (and the time of year).
 

Overall I am happy with this quilt, though I know some areas are far from perfect. I am looking forward to giving it to my sister, and I do hope she likes it and enjoys using it.
Thank you again to Jennifer for hosting this link up, and don't forget to visit her blog for more crafty goings-on. 

Cookery Calendar Challenge- March

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for March.  If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen cookery book for February was Trine Hahnemann's 'Scandinavian Comfort Food'.
What a gorgeous book this is. It is chunky and satisfying to hold; the photography is beautiful, each recipe has a photograph of the finished dish, and the ingredients and method are on the same page, so no turning the pages with sticky fingers to see what to do next.
The book is divided in to chapters such as 'What I eat during the day', 'My Love of Vegetables', 'Soups for every Season', so it feels very personal; and Trine's love of food, cooking, and sharing food shines through every page.
My first dish from this book was Frikadeller, or meatballs.

I love making meatballs. Trine's recipe uses a combination of beef and pork, fresh thyme, chillies, fresh breadcrumbs, and milk to bind, rather than the more commonly used egg.
The meatballs are fried off in a little oil, then popped into the oven to cook through.They are served with a dressing made from Greek yogurt, lemon juice, fresh mint, dill and parsley. I was missing dill, so chopped up some little cornichons instead. Trine serves her meatballs with a potato salad, but I served mine on top of cous cous. I brought the platter proudly to the table, feeling rather pleased with my efforts, but sadly the carnivores were underwhelmed, claiming not enough chilli, and bemoaning the lack of a 'proper' sauce.

Feeling slightly deflated, I hoped that Trine's second dish would go down better, and later the same week made Spinach Dumplings in Tomato Sauce. This was a vegetarian dish, and in a spirit of mild defiance following the rejection of the Frikadeller, I decided not to appease the carnivores by the provision of additional meat, as I usually would when serving a vegetarian meal. 
  Fresh spinach is cooked until wilted then drained and chopped, and mixed with ricotta cheese, nutmeg, seasoning and a little cornflour. The dumplings are formed by taking teaspoonfuls of the mixture, smoothing them lightly with another spoon, and placing them gently in the pan, where they are fried off in a little oil, then served in a delicious tomato sauce, made with leeks, courgette, chopped tomatoes, and a little double cream. I was sure the dumpling mixture would fall apart when fried, but in fact the mixture formed lovely little golden dumplings, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Served with crusty bread and salad, again I was very pleased with the dish, though anticipated some grumbling from the troops. I was proven right once again, as the carnivores all but poked about in the tomato sauce in disbelief, searching for meat. I serenely ate on, and enjoyed the meal very much, but the rest of the family were sadly unimpressed.
Although the family were not mad on the dishes I made, my faith in this book remains undimmed. I will continue to read and savour it, and slip the occasional family meal from it in under the radar, just for fun. I will also use it for the delicious soup recipes; home made soup being my go-to solo lunch most days.

My chosen book for this month is 'Duchy Originals Cookbook' by Johnny Acton and Nick Sandler. Derek gave me this book for Christmas the year it was published, 2006, and I have cooked one or two dishes from it over the years, but it is not a book I turn to often , so I am looking forward to revisiting it.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart ).

An InLinkz Link-up

 

A quilt for the sitting room

I started making this quilt during the Christmas holidays of 2015. I was itching to do a hand stitched project, and found a couple of 'Moda' charm packs in the cupboard, which I thought looked okay. I used them quite indiscriminately, only adding pieces I bought specifically for this project when I realised it was going to take a lot more fabric (and time, and effort!) than I initially thought. I have not worked on it continuously; it has lain fallow for months at a time, but I finally finished it yesterday. Now that I know how much time, and work, it took to complete, I would have chosen my fabrics much more carefully, as some of the patterns and colours are not fully to my taste. This is all part of the learning curve of sewing and quilting, and a lesson learned for the future. Starting a project now, fourteen months later, I am much more choosy about fabrics. However, I am very happy with the quilt over all; it has a happy, family, colourful vibe, and has been a joy to stitch. My plan is for it to knock about in the sitting room, to cover cold legs in the winter, and provide comfort and warmth to out-of-sorts family members, or even those who just want to feel cosy.
I wanted to stitch a large hexie quilt, after my very first attempt at quilting when I made this, and wondered if horizontal lines of hexies would work, stitched on to a backing fabric. Alternating rows of blues and reds sounded bright and cheery, and as well as the aforementioned Moda charm pack (I think I used two packs, rejecting some of the fabrics as I went along) I used an old shirt of Derek's; a couple of fabrics from John Lewis, and a few pieces bought online, mostly from eBay.  
I backed them on to white cotton with a small blue dot pattern. Truth be told, I am not mad on that fabric, but I wanted something fairly neutral, but not completely plain, and chose it in a rush one day in John Lewis. I stitched down the long strips of hexagons to the background fabric, removing the templates one by one as I went along each row.
The quilt ended up measuring about 60" x60" and quilting was hard on my fingers; with the haxagons being appliqued to the backing fabric, there was an extra layer to go through with each stitch, and my poor needle-pushing finger was in tatters. I can't work with thimbles, but found this handy little device which worked brilliantly, albeit after a little getting used to. For the quilting,  I decided to simply outline each hexagon, using Perle cotton in white No 12.

Being less than crazy about the background fabric on the front of the quilt, I was very careful when choosing fabric for the backing and border, and really love both. I bought them from my local sewing shop, which is a small oasis of beauty in the otherwise arid desert of our local small town.

I decided half way through making this quilt (you can tell I was making it up as I went along, can't you?), that I would try some needle turn applique, and plunged in to making a written motif to run along the bottom of the quilt. I hadn't the faintest idea of what I was doing, but managed, after a fashion, to cut out and stitch down the letters. I found it so satisfying to have something to read on a quilt. 



'I ignored the ironing and made this'. The ironing baskets full to overflowing with neglected ironing will testify to this being factually truthful, though in all honesty I ignore the ironing for most things. The family also snorted in recognition when they saw my efforts 'Yea well that's true Mum' was Jacob's summation.
Unfortunately it has not been possible to photograph this quilt outside. Where I would usually clothes-peg a quilt to the garden fence and photograph it 'whole', the weather currently is so stormy, and the garden fence so wet, that my newly finished quilt would instantly acquire a 'vintage' look. I will finish this post with a few more photographs of it on the 'big bed' as Jacob and Isaac used to call it, before they had double beds of their own. That's where quilts are really supposed to be, after all. 

Winter Project Link Party; February

This winter I have been joining with Jennifer at Thistlebear, in her cosy Winter Project Link Party. Bloggers gather monthly to share their current wip's and generally support each other through the long winter evenings of knitting, sewing, crocheting, and much more. Do pop over to Jennifer's blog, it is a lovely place to visit at any time.

This month I am sharing a knitting project. We have a new baby coming into the family in March of this year, and I am knitting him or her a baby blanket, which may or may not be finished in time. Thankfully new babies are unaware of lateness in gift giving, so I am not too stressed about it being ready exactly on the day.
The blanket pattern is called Peek a Boo, which I think is an adorable name. It is very plain, with just a tiny bit of texture on it for interest. There are two sizes of blanket to choose from; I chose the bigger one (finished size 75cm x 103cm), which I hope means it will be in use for longer. Each row has 183 stitches, and one row takes 5 or 6 minutes to knit (I am not a fast knitter). There are more than 300 rows, so this project will take a while. 
My preferred yarn is mercerised cotton; for this project I am using Drops Muscat Mercerised Cotton, double knitting weight. I like the very slight sheen from this yarn, and enjoy the clean, crisp feel against my fingers as I knit. It gives a smooth, tactile finish, and I will I hope be beautifully comfortable against the baby's new born skin. I have chosen classic white to make the blanket, which is of course suitable for both pink and blue varieties of baby.
The border is garter stitch, and the middle part is stocking stitch apart from the texture rows, which are very simple to do, thankfully.
I am using a circular needle. Initially I was concerned that I would end up unwittingly joining the ends together at the end of a row, and I spent some time at the end of each row figuring out how to turn the work and restart, but I am used to it now, and find the circular needles easy and comfortable to work with. The double knitting weight of this yarn would usually indicate a 4mm needle, but I have chosen a 3.5mm instead, as I want a firm texture, and find smaller needles more comfortable to use. 

The blanket is still very portable, being only 50 or so rows deep at the time of writing, so it has already had a few outings. It has been with me to Isaac's guitar lesson; to a fund raising coffee morning, and on the school run several times (those minutes waiting in the car are too precious to waste). I keep it in a drawstring bag which originally came with a pair of Camper shoes. I have several pairs of shoes from there, and have made good use of both canvas and carrier bags; both are strong and well made (I like the shoes too!).
I have had to temporarily lay aside the crochet scarf I wrote about last month, as the baby blanket will be needed before the scarf. I am also hand quilting a colourful hexie quilt, which I am looking forward to finishing; I feel I have been making it since dinosaurs roamed the earth; hopefully it will be finished in the next week or two. I hope I will have it finished in time to share on another Winter Project Link Party post.

Cookery Calendar Challenge- February

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for February.  If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen book for January was 'The Oxo Cookbook'. All the recipes use Oxo stock cubes of course (though for the record I always use Knorr Stock Pots). 
I have owned several similar recipe books before, based on single products (a certain well known cream cheese comes to mind), and have never been impressed by them. This book, however, is delightful. It is full of easy, tasty family recipes. It is written in a straightforward manner, and the recipes are very reliable and varied.

The first dish I cooked was Lamb Keema Curry. This curry uses minced lamb, and a variety of spices, including cumin, coriander, fresh ginger, fresh green chillies, and garlic. It is quick and easy to make, and is an attractive dish when finished, as frozen peas are added at the end for colour and sweetness. Served with basmati rice and flat breads, this was a success, and will undoubtedly become a regular dish on the repertoire of family meals.
The second dish was Pork and Apple Stew. Again, easy and quick to prepare, and then it simply bubbles on the stove, or in the oven, until it is ready. Diced pork shoulder is tossed in seasoned flour, and fried off until brown. Celery, apples and onions are chopped, fried off and then cider and stock are added. I thickened the sauce slightly, making a little roux, and adding it to the stock and cider. I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans, and again, it went down very well.
 

This book is a simple, straightforward and reliable. It punches well above its weight, scoring me two double green ticks from the family, and has found a permanent spot on my recipe book shelf (currently nestled alongside Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Notes From My Kitchen Table'; , who knew there could be so much innocent fun in arranging cookery books?).

My selected book for February is 'Scandinavian Comfort Food' by the inimitable Trine Hahnemann.  Trinhe's book 'Scandinavian Baking', published in 2014 is one of my favourite baking books, and I have high hopes for 'Scandinavian Comfort Food'.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography.At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart ).

 

An InLinkz Link-up

 

winter pleasures

January lingers. It feels like the longest month of the year, though I do not personally subscribe to the notion that it is the most depressing.
I have not yet achieved the tasks I had assigned for January (my endless de-cluttering plans, and cupboard clear outs feature on the list) but I did whisk the festive decorations away very briskly this year, by 3rd January all the boxes were back up in the loft. It is much less entertaining taking decorations down than it is putting them up of course, but much as I love Christmas, by the beginning of January I am itching to get the house back in to some semblance of order.
Despite Christmas festivities being over for another year, there are still many winter pleasures to savour, and seasonal activities to enjoy.
I have candles lit all day and evening, and never tire of the soft glow they impart. The fire is on all day also, which makes our sitting room cosy and welcoming.
Daily winter walks with Meg always lift the spirits, what seems like a chore before hand quickly turns in to a pleasure, as does the coming home, kicking off wellies, and putting the kettle on for a well deserved cup of tea.
Winter food is probably my favourite to cook, slow cooking big pots of spaghetti mince, beef stews, simmering casseroles, I love them all. I make them in the warmer months too, but they feel so right at this time of year.
Feeding the birds is another winter pleasure; the sight of all the pretty little birds fluttering round the feeders, taking turns, hopping from the tree to the feeders is quite enchanting. Less so are the ugly black crows who also bully their way in to the food, scaring off the smaller birds. I am not above banging the window to scare them off, shouting 'Picturesque birds Only!' much to the amusement of my family.
In the garden, the daffodils spears are well up, and the snowdrops are also evident, though still a few weeks away from flowering. Last year I planted lots of spring bulbs in the damp, bare ground under the apple blossom trees  where the bird feeders hang, but as yet there is no sign of them growing.
Filling the kitchen windowsills with pots of hyacinth and tete a tete  bulbs is a winter pleasure that I always defer until after Christmas. Once the decorations are packed away, my first shopping trip of the new year will include some pots of pre-planted bulbs. I always intend to plant my own in November but never quite manage to. This year I have a bonus pot from a little ceramic pre-planted pot from last year, which I had put outside the back door after the flowers had wilted, intending to plant them in the garden. I never quite got round to planting them out, and the pot lay on its side, unheeded, behind the bins outside the back door (yes my life really is this glamorous). Last week I noticed that the bulbs had started sprouting, but because the pot had been on its side all winter, the plants were growing upward towards the light at a 90 degree angle to the pot. I took it inside, gave it a clean, and put it on the windowsill. Within 24 hours the leaves were turning towards the light and by the following day they were upright. Over the next few days, several tiny slugs were spotted slowly making their way down the outside of the pot, obviously having taken up residence during the winter, and now finding their quarters too warm, had decided to make a break for the outside world. All were taken outside and gently deposited on the wet grass. Hope they don't grow into monster slugs and try to find the pot again.
In the woods, the wild garlic is beginning to sprout; soon the air will be filled with its pungent aroma, and the wood carpeted with its vivid green leaves. I enjoy using the leaves in cooking, though usually forget to bring a bag and end up carrying home great bunches of leaves, like a flowerless bouquet, from the woods.
Catching up on Christmas television programmes is another seasonal joy. I am so busy at Christmas that I rarely have time to sit down and watch television, so January evenings in front of the fire with a pot of tea and 'Kirstie's Handmade Christmas' or 'Mary Berry's Absolute Christmas Favourites' is a perfect winter pleasure.
What winter pleasures do you enjoy?  Are you a winter lover, or are you simply gritting your teeth and waiting for warmer weather? I would love to know.

A quilt for Mum

One of the greatest joys associated with learning how to make quilts has been gradually fulfilling my wish to make quilts for my family. Last spring I made a quilt for Jacob; in the summer I made a quilt for Isaac, and as the nights darkened towards winter, I made a quilt for my wee Mum, for Christmas.
This quilt is not quite single bed sized, though it can be spread over a single bed without looking silly. It is far from perfect, but I am pleased with how it turned out, wobbles included.

The inspiration for this quilt came from Mum's love of wild flowers, and of the walks she took as a child with my Nana, gathering wild flowers along the way. The colours are mainly soft greens, with lots of other muted pastels. The quilt is a combination of hand stitched hexagons and machine sewn log cabin blocks. It is made with a combination of Tilda fabrics, bought online, and some Lewis and Irene fabrics which I bought at my local sewing shop.
I pieced and stitched six groups of hexagons, and then cut them into rectangles. It is hard to cut into hand stitched hexagons as they are so time consuming to stitch, but I needed six rectangles, so had to close my eyes to the sad little hexi halves that were discarded. I stabilised the rectangles with a narrow frame of green, and then added sashing to each  rectangle. They were then stitched together and more sashing added. The backing is a lovely piece of fabric decorated with British herbs, and the binding is more of the same green fabric used within the quilt.
My plan was to quilt the piece by hand, but the stitches seemed too conspicuous for the delicate colours and traditional feel of the quilt, so I machine quilted in simple diagonal lines instead, and was happy with the result.
Mum loved it, and it has been tried in several locations in her house until she found a spot she was happy with.
I am currently working on another hand stitched quilt, which I have been making on and off since last Christmas. I am hand quilting it at the moment and will post photographs when it is completed.
I keep a notebook of quilt ideas, some of which I am sure will never be made, as I would need to live to be 200 to complete them all. I am constantly amazed that, even with my minimal sewing skills, pretty, personal quilts can be created and enjoyed.

Winter Project Link Party January 2017

This winter I am joining Jennifer from Thistlebear, in her link party, where bloggers post their current crafty makes, and encourage each other through the long evenings of winter with lots of hand crafted beauty.
The project I would like to share this month is a crocheted scarf I am making to enter in to this year's Dalmally Show.
I am not an avid crocheter, nor a skilled one, but I enjoy making an occasional piece. My Nana taught me how to make a Granny Square when I was twelve; she had been taught how to do this some weeks before at her W.R.I. meeting, and kindly passed on her knowledge to me. I proceeded to make a Granny Squares pram blanket for my new baby brother in rather scratchy purple and cream wool. It is still in existence some 40 years later (in fact it is currently in my loft) 
My crocheting career then lay fallow until minimally revived a few years ago, when I made another baby blanket (stripes this time), and I have made several other small pieces since then, so when I saw that a  crocheted scarf was one of the competitions for the Dalmally Show this year, I dusted off my crochet hook and started looking for a suitable pattern from here .
The name of the pattern is Land Girl Scarf. I considered the name very evocative, and also loved the names and shades of the wool used, all of which are place names in glorious Yorkshire, where Derek and I spent many happy holidays before the boys were born. 
The original colours were:
Tan: 'Thirsk'
Green: 'Richmond'
Turquoise: 'Bedale'
Brown: 'Helmsley'
Thirsk is a gorgeous market town, but despite this, I chose to change the tan colour to grey (an equally delightful 'Skipton'), as the colour tan sets my teeth on edge.
 
The scarf is worked in a ripple pattern. I used ripple pattern I had used before, (from this book) as opposed to that specified in the pattern, as I am not a wonderfully confident crocheter, and preferred to use a familiar pattern. It is based on multiples of five, and gives a pleasingly uniform wave.
I particularly like the stepped colour change, I think this gives the scarf an old fashioned feel which I like. I imagine a beret worked in the same stripe pattern would be adorable; not that I am going to attempt one, but it would be very 'Land Girl'.
 

This is the scarf about half way finished. I am not looking forward to sewing in all the ends, but nor am I motivated to sew them in as I go along. An absorbing audio book and a big mug of tea will see me through that particular afternoon!
The original pattern has two plump pom poms, one on each end, and they will be essential to the finished appearance. I made pom poms a lot as a child, using two rings cut out of cardboard,  but they seem to have become very professional in recent years, with hardly a strand out of place. Not sure I will be able to achieve such a level of perfection with mine when the time comes.
Here is the wool label, for those who like the look of the wool. The colours are beautiful, vibrant, yet soft.

I still have sixty two rows to go, and am steadily ticking them off  my list. Each row takes around four minutes. Now that Christmas is over, and life is settling back in to more of a routine, I should have the scarf finished reasonably soon, though I do have several other projects tugging at my time and interest, but that's a story for another time.
Do remember to pop over to Jennifer's blog, and see what all the other Winter Link Party crafters are up to this month.

Cookery Calendar Challenge- January

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for January, and Happy New Year! I hope that 2017 is joyful, peaceful, and healthy for you.

If you would like to know more about Cookery Calendar Challenge project, or would like to join me, please pop over to the Cookery Calendar Challenge page where you will find all the details.
As I mentioned in my last Cookery Calendar Challenge post, I did not try any new recipes in December; instead this post will be a reflection on the project, and the changes it has brought to my planning, shopping, cooking, and family meal times since I started back in January 2016.
Selecting two new recipes every month from a chosen recipe book and blogging about them is of course only a small part of the challenge for me. My original goals were to take control of meal planning, and food shopping, and to guarantee my family at least two new recipes every month. I also wanted to reconnect with my large collection of recipe books, some of which had never been used.

In terms of planning, I have realised that I actually only need to plan four or five evening meals per week. Friday night is often a ready-made meal, or occasionally a take-away  (everyone deserves one night a week where they don't have to cook and clean up, right?), and usually I whisk something (home made) out of the freezer if the evening is going to be a busy one, or I am going to be out, thus providing a home made meal with little stress. 
I use a diary to note the planned meals, with each entry identifying the planned meal, and the recipe book (and page) it is from. I have a basic key for variations, where a planned meal doesn't come from a specific book.
N/R - no recipe (I can make spag bol in my sleep)
F/F - from freezer
L/O - left overs
R/M- ready made
I sometimes struggle to make time to sit down and plan the meals for the week ahead. It can feel a bit like homework, sitting with a blank piece of paper in front of me, and my recipe books piled around; however it is an essential component of the challenge. This year I should further improve the process by identifying a specific day and time to do my meal planning. 

Food shopping is, of course, infinitely easier and quicker with a detailed list, and the challenge has considerably reduced the amount of time I spend in the supermarket every week for the main shop, and has all but obliterated the 5 o'clock dash to our local Marks and Spencer 'Simply Food' which was such a frequent and stressful component of my food shopping before this year. My aim for the challenge was to have one supermarket shop every week with only an occasional top up, and this has largely been the case.

Family meal times have improved, with less moaning about the (ahem) over-familiarity of certain dishes which were produced on an all too regular basis, and the family have been willing, and indeed eager, to express their approval, or otherwise, of any new dishes. In the diary mentioned above, we have a tick system: a green tick for 'Ok, would eat again', and a double green tick for 'Yum, new favourite', and of course a big red cross for 'Epic Fail'.

Personally, my stress levels regarding family meal planning, shopping and cooking, have reduced hugely, and the daily relief of knowing what I am going to cook for dinner never gets old. I am cooking more interesting dishes, using more herbs and spices, and my cookery books now work hard for me. I feel more in control, and generally more capable (at least where family meals are concerned!). I am also using, and improving, my cookery skills on a daily basis, which feels good.

After a year of improved family meal planning, shopping and cooking, I would like to announce my favourite author, book, and recipe for 2016. 
My author of the year is Mary Berry. Her recipes are so reliable, tasty, and family friendly, without being boring, and they are often quick to make.
My recipe book of the year is 'Stirring Slowly' by Georgina Hayden. The recipes are wonderful, and Georgina's writing style is delightful.
My recipe of the year is Mary Berry's Malay Fried Rice which has become a firm family favourite (double green tick); not too spicey, quick to make, and delicious. I remove one portion of the rice and veg before adding the chicken, thus pleasing the vegetarian (me) and leave the button mushrooms whole, so that Isaac can eat round them, thus pleasing the mushroom hater (Isaac), and make the dish with plenty of chicken pieces, thus pleasing the carnivores (Derek and Jacob). A meal our whole family can enjoy with no long faces; thank you Mary!

My chosen recipe book for January is 'The Oxo Cookbook'. This was given to me by Jacob for Christmas, and looks so homely and comforting, just the sort of food I always want to cook in January after the excesses of the festive season.

I intend to continue the Cookery Calendar Challenge  in 2017. There will be a Linky at the end of every monthly Cookery Calendar Challenge post, to make it easy to add your blog, however a link back to my my post in your post is also appreciated. I will be delighted to pop over and read about your recipes and adventures in the kitchen.
The Cookery Challenge badge will remain on my sidebar, to be used as wished by anyone participating, and my Cookery Calendar Challenge post will continue to be scheduled for the 1st of every month.
If you joined in any month of the Cookery Calendar Challenge in 2016, thank you, I really appreciate it. If you would like to join me at any time this year, please do. This is an ongoing challenge, it is never too late to get involved, and everybody is very welcome.
 

Christmas is coming

Christmas is coming; my favourite time of the year, and preparations are in full swing here at Homemade Heart HQ. The tree is up, the mantlepiece is dressed, the fairy lights and candles are twinkling to brighten the short winter afternoons, and long winter evenings.

Unfortunately, my laptop has developed a few problems and has today been sent away for fixing. Composing posts on an ipad is a frustrating business, so today I am here simply to say hello, and hope that your preparations for Christmas are going well. Hope to back soon with longer posts, more photographs, and a festive recipe or two.

Cookery Calendar Challenge- December

 

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for December. If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.
 

My chosen recipe book for November was 'France The Cookbook' by Phaidon; an impulse buy from Costco, the generous price reduction too tempting to resist. However, this book intimidated me from the start. It is so large, so encyclopaedic, and I felt its presence looming large in my kitchen all month. It seemed to dominate my bookshelf, radiating disapproval towards all my other chubby, friendly, cosy recipe books that I love. It felt like a new girl at school who looks down her nose at everyone. 

It is hugely comprehensive, which is of course a good thing, and if you want to learn all about French cookery, starting from the basic building block recipes and building up that knowledge to more complex meals, then this is the book for you. It just wasn't the book for me. Many of the recipes use other recipes as part of the ingredients, so short recipes of a few ingredients suddenly become much longer and more involved.
I delayed cooking from it until last week. If it hadn't been for the Cookery Calendar Challenge I wouldn't have cooked from it atall. However, I eventually pulled myself together and looked through its 800+ pages for a couple of simple recipes.

My first dish was Spinach soup, which involved making a white sauce base, adding stock (I used ready made, a small act of defiance) and then simmering the spinach, for thirty minutes. Usually I cook spinach very quickly, so this was a change. It tasted quite pleasant, but I felt it was way too much effort for a simple lunchtime soup. I had a friend over for lunch, who politely said she thought it was delicious, but I'm not sure if that was completely true.
My second recipe was Ratatouille; another easy dish, which I am very familiar with, and had the advantage of not having any ingredients being another recipe. Chopped aubergine, courgette, onions , sweet peppers, were simmered with fresh tomatoes and a little water, garlic, and seasoning. This was tasty, and the fresh tomatoes were an improvement on tinned (I also liked the illustration for the recipe too; a nice fat aubergine). I served this as part of a family dinner; I had the ratatouille, and the rest of the family had the ratatouille with some roast chicken. Derek pushed most of his to the side of his plate, poor Jacob dislikes 'sludgy' vegetables so only ate a token mouthful. Oh dear.

So, overall, this book was not a happy book for me. Technically, it is very detailed, very correct, very informative, and very complete, but it was a little too authoritative for me. If you wish a course in French cookery however, this would be an excellent book.

I am not selecting a book for December; I don't think that finding new recipes to cook should be part of the run up to Christmas, so instead my next Cookery Calendar Challenge will be a review of the project and the changes it has brought to my meal planning and cooking over the year.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography.

I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart ).

An InLinkz Link-up

 

the last generation to

(image from here)

I am distinctly aware of belonging to a specific generation; one that grew up in the '70's, had their youth in the '80's, established adulthood in the '90's and 00's, and are now embracing with vigour and dignity the challenge of being 50 plus. 
I don't feel particularly old for my years, but nor do I fight against the passage of time. I don't try to look younger than I am, I don't lie about my age, I don't wear inappropriately youthful fashions, but nor have I quite yet given in to the lure of elasticated waistbands and comfort shoes.

The world is both remarkably different, and remarkably the same, as the one I grew up in, but it has recently occurred to me that I am probably one of the last generation who will routinely use some expressions, and observe some social mores, that will age me as surely as the laughter lines round my eyes.

Therefore I ask the following question: am I one of the last generation to

• use the words 'dinner' and 'party' in the same sentence
• not discuss bowels, sex or politics in mixed company
• send Christmas cards in quantity, by snail mail
• think it's cool to say 'cool'
• miss sending cheques in the post
• sign off  'Yours Sincerely' in cordial letters
• sign off 'Yours Faithfully' in business letters
• reach for a pencil and paper to work something out
• remember when everyone wore a vest (wool in winter, cotton in summer)
• get out the good china for company
• think trainers should be worn only for sporting pursuits
• worry that I am wearing  too much make up
• still think of John Pertwee as Dr Who
• never have cleavage and knees showing (in one outfit)

List to be expanded no doubt, as more examples spring to mind.

What about you? What markers and mores fix you in your particular generation? I'd love to know.

Winter Project Link Party November 2016

This year I am joining with Jennifer over at Thistlebear, for her Winter Link Party, where bloggers post their craft projects over the autumn and winter months, and encourage each other along the way. Do pop over to Jennifer's truly heartfelt and delightful blog and read all about it. 
 
 For my November Winter Project Link Party post I am sharing my most recent make; a Harris Tweed scarf, lined with Liberty lawn cotton. Harris Tweed is a unique fabric, proudly made in the Western Isles of Scotland. The colours are truly remarkable; complex, beautiful, and reminiscent of the remote and stunning landscape of the islands. Please read more about this truly amazing fabric here. 
I bought some offcuts of Harris Tweed when we visited the Western Isles during the summer, and amongst the pieces was a pretty length of pale blue, which was just the right size for a chunky winter scarf. I chose some co-ordinating fabric from my local sewing shop to use as lining, and, with right sides facing, machine stitched the lining fabric to the tweed along three sides. I left the lining slightly longer along the second long side, and brought it round to the front of the scarf, hand stitching it along the length to break up the plain blue at the front.

Every Harris Tweed item is entitled to have a Harris Tweed label attached. I had a few tucked away carefully, but when it came to stitching one on to my scarf, they were so carefully tucked away that I couldn't find them. I improvised with a label from the sleeve of a Harris Tweed jacket of Derek's. Unfortunately this meant there was a tiny nick out of one side, but I tried not to mind about this small flaw.

I am very happy with my scarf. It is extremely cosy. I wear it with the lining side next to my neck. Here I am wearing it; this shot taken today between chores when I realised I didn't have a 'live' photograph of my scarf!

Do pop over to Jennifer's blog and catch up with all the other crafty bloggers joining with the Winter Link Party.

The Cookery Calendar Challenge- November

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for November. If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen book for October was 'Simple' by Diana Hendry; a lovely, chunky recipe book with a tactile cover and brown grosgrain ribbon for a recipe marker. It felt good in the hand, and it lived up to its early promise in the kitchen too. In fact I can't improve upon the by-line on the cover 'effortless food, big flavours'. This really describes the book perfectly.

My first selected recipe was roast citrus, ginger and honey chicken. This was one of those rare occasions when the dish turns out exactly like the photograph in the book, and I was rather pleased with my efforts, particularly on for a week night dinner. The chicken sits snuggly in a roasting dish, and a citrus based sauce is poured over and in to the bird, comprising orange juice, honey, garlic, ginger and hot sauce. Thin skinned, segmented oranges are roasted alongside, sprinkled with olive oil, ground ginger and soft brown sugar.

Jacob thoroughly enjoyed this dish; Derek less so, which was a shame, as I had hoped to add it to my repertoire of regular dishes. However, when you ask for honest feedback in my house, you get it with no holds barred, so although a perfect success in many ways, it is sadly unlikely to be made again.
My second selected dish was baked sweet potato with chorizo, mushrooms and egg. This was so easy, and (I was told by Jacob) extremely delicious. In fact I have made it for him again since. Sweet potatoes are roasted, diced chorizo is fried off, mushrooms are fried off in the chorizo oil, and an egg is then fried in the remaining oil and plonked on top. Very simple, yet, as the front cover says, lots of big flavours.

This is such a straightforward book, and feels very professionally written. Diana writes extremely well, and doesn't come over as at all needy (we all know cookery writes who do come over as needy, don't we, or is that just me?). A recipe-book-loving friend expressed amazement that this was the first Diana Hendry book I had ever owned, and now that I have cooked from it, I can understand her surprise. I am sure it wont be the last book of Diana's that finds it way in to my kitchen, and 'Simple' has earned a permanent place on my cookery book shelf.

My selected book for November is 'France, The Cookbook', a very recent acquisition, and a weighty tome. This is the sort of cook book that both intrigues and intimidates me (lots of recipes, very few photographs).

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography.

I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart ).

An InLinkz Link-up

 

the mornings are cold

It is late October and the mornings are cold, almost frosty. We see our breath as we walk to the car for the school run. Later, in the woods, Meg runs wild, nose to the damp ground, snuffling through red, golden and yellow leaves. There is a smell like old cigars, the musty, though not unpleasant aroma of decay. Above my head the relentless cawing of rooks echoes in the stillness, I can see their messy, unstable nests, balanced like huge knuckles in the bare bones of the trees.
The garden has been cut back and tidied for the coming winter, the climbing roses that flung their summer growth wildly upwards, above the roofline, and outwards, bending low over the gravel in front of the kitchen window, have been tamed, snipped back and tied against the wires that hold them against the house wall. They know, and I know, that they will be back in even greater abundance next spring.
I have bought allium and tulip bulbs to plant, one day soon I will spend an hour in the garden pushing them deep into the earth before it becomes too cold, inwardly whispering 'Spring will come'.

The tiny apple tree, planted in memory of Derek's dear Mum, has, for the first time, grown apples. I look proudly at them every time I pass. Thoughts of a small orchard in the back garden are murmuring in the back of my mind. It only takes five trees to make an orchard. Two apple, two pear, and one plum, perhaps.
In the back garden the acer tree is having its annual moment of fiery glory, its leaves flaming in the bright October sun. It was like this the year we came to view the house, the previous owner pointing it out, keen for us to appreciate its fleeting beauty . It is even larger now, these twelve years later.

 
Last year's woollens are brought down from the loft, and unfolded, some are looking decidedly shabby, why did I keep them I wonder. The ever present bag for the charity shop is bulked out with a few old jumpers. I realise I need a new winter coat.
Books have been bought, and I think about learning some poetry by heart, to build a rich inner store of language and images.

Jacob turned seventeen, his birthday falling on the very last day of September He was born on a thundery night, as summer tipped in to autumn, in the last year of the old century. He towers over me, hugging me protectively. I don't know what he is protecting me from, but his embrace is immensely comforting. His birthday cake was suitably statuesque; a three layered chocolate Guinness cake, with peanut butter icing.

Autumn is here, and I am ready.

Winter Project Link Party October 2016

This autumn and winter, I am joining with Jennifer over at Thistlebear, for her Winter Link Party, where bloggers post their craft projects over the autumn and winter months, and encourage each other along the way. Do pop over to Jennifers's truly heartfelt and delightful blog and read all about it. 
For my first Winter Project Link Party post, I am sharing my most recent craft project, a small(ish) tote bag, started yesterday, and finished this afternoon (much to the detriment of my domestic duties). 

The dimensions of this bag (35x28x10cm) are highly significant; let me explain...
Tomorrow, Isaac and I will travel to London, for the purpose of attending 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' at the Palace Theatre, on Saturday. These tickets were Isaac's Christmas gift last year, so we have waited a long time to go, yet it seems also to have crept up suddenly (perhaps in some Harry Potter-ish time turning manner?).
There are certain restrictions regarding what can be taken in to the theatre (cameras, recording equipment, wands not purchased at Olivanders etc). All bags are security checked, and when reading the conditions of entry, I noticed with a pang of mild alarm that no bags larger than 41x31x16cm would be allowed in the theatre.
Cue a comic scene of me measuring handbags, shoulder bags, tote bags, canvas bags, any and every bag that I own, only to find that they were either too large, or simply unsuitable for the trip. I was already planning to use a small, cross body bag for purse, phone etc, but with Isaac and I coming down from the outlying regions of the Empire to the great capital, we had both planned a little light retail therapy in the morning prior to our theatre visit, and a tote or shopping bag of suitable dimensions would be required. The obvious solution was to make one myself,  well within the specified dimensions, so I selected some upholstery-weight fabric from my modest stash, and set to work.

I cut out two rectangles of blue, 35cmx28cm, and a strip for the gusset, 10cm wide. I also cut out lining fabric in the same dimensions; I liked that the smaller, paler circles in the lining fabric complimented the bolder circles of the blue fabrics.
Next, I sewed two basic bags; one from the blue fabric, one from the lining fabric, and then inserted the lining bag into the outer bag, and pinned it into place. Here are the steps:
 
My next step was to make a small rectangular front pocket, to add interest to the front of the bag, then on to the handles; just two strips of the blue fabric, folded in half and stitched down the long side, then turned inside out to hide the seam. I also made a little closure strip for the front, backed with the lining fabric, which I hoped could serve a double function: one, to keep the front pocket secure by means of a button hole and button; two, to close the main opening of the bag by means of a magnetic closure, situated inside the top opening of the bag. 

Following this, I inserted the ends of the handles between the lining and outer fabrics, and stitched right round the opening of the bag, twice, to secure the handles, and attach the lining to the outer bag.
Finally, I secured the closure strip to the front of the bag, attaching a magnetic closure to one end, with the corresponding piece inside the bag, and making a button hole and button closure for the front pocket. At this point I discovered I had no idea how to actually make a buttonhole, but undeterred, I stitched a narrow rectangle with several rows of machine stitching, and then trimmed away the centre. It worked for me. 
My last task was to stitch on the front pocket. I realised that I should have done this as one of my very first tasks, before the blue fabric was even made into the initial bag shape, but as I am no expert in these matters (the phrase 'rank amateur' springs to mind), I squirrelled that knowledge away for another time, and instead hand, rather than machine stitched the pocket into position. Last tiny step; to sew on the button. Eagle eyed readers may have noticed that I changed my mind from the first, blue button I had selected, and instead chose a smaller, white, fabric covered button.

It amuses me to think that I will be wandering the streets of London at the weekend with an unsophisticated, home-made, fun, tote bag.  Isaac and I can shop with impunity on Saturday morning, and provided that no purchase is physically larger than this bag, we can be safe in the knowledge that we will be willingly admitted, for a few hours anyway, to the wonderful, wizarding world of Harry Potter.

 

Cookery Calendar Challenge- October

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for October. If you would like to join the challenge this month, please take a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which will tell you everything you need to know.

My chosen recipe book for September was 'Stirring Slowly', by Georgina Hayden. I loved the title of this book; stirring slowly is just what I want to do in the kitchen, and when I reached this paragraph in the introduction......

"The current trend for healthy eating is great, and I'm sure it has made many of us more aware of what we put in our bodies.
But for me any meal that is made from scratch, lovingly, is good and clean"

..I mentally jumped for joy!  Georgina divides her book into chapters such as 'A Sunny Start to The Day'; 'Bowl Food', 'Quick and Light', 'Long, Slow and Hearty'. There are lots of modern tasting recipes here, and a good mixture of very quick snacks and meals, and dishes that take longer to make. The recipes are well written, and I am convinced that Georgina has cooked every one of these recipes in her kitchen before putting them in her book. This book reeks of integrity.

For this month's challenge I made Georgina's 'Chicken soup for the Soul' This involved poaching a whole chicken with fresh herbs and aromatics, then making a broth with the strained cooking liquid, and meat shredded off the chicken carcase, then returning everything to the pan to cook through. Fresh dumplings are poached in the broth during the last five minutes of the cooking time. This recipe felt quite involved, and as the resident vegetarian I had to steel myself to shred the chicken off the hot chicken bones, but my highland resolve and a pair of disposable gloves helped. The carnivores reported that the soup was truly delicious, it had a depth of flavour that the simple 'thrown together' soups I usually make don't have (thanks guys). 
Although the recipe was simple, it did take a while to cook (I seemed to spend a lot of time hovering over the poaching chicken), but it was perfect for a Sunday morning pottering about in the kitchen, and I would definitely make it again. Next time I would poach the dumplings separately in a little of the broth, as they broke up slightly and made the broth somewhat cloudy.

My second selected dish was Wholemeal Nasi Goreng with Spinach. A simple but very full flavoured savoury rice with chilli, ginger, turmeric and various other spices, topped off with a fried egg. Georgina recommends this for breakfast, but we had it on a weeknight teatime. I did make a slight adaptation; Jacob was so aghast at the thought of a vegetarian dinner that I relented and stirred some prawns in to the rice. A very quick, easy, spicy, nicey weeknight dinner.

Overall, I loved this book, and Georgina's writing is very sincere;  she has a light touch with prose, but you feel that her life is rooted in family and food, which for me is perfect. In a world of glossy celebrity volumes with as much soul as a white sliced supermarket loaf, it is reassuring to find a book full of good, tasty, cookable, but exciting food. I am so glad I found this book.

My book choice for October is 'Simple' by Diana Henry.

 I have never owned a Diana Henry recipe book before, and know very little about her. I had pre-ordered this book and then forgotten all about it, so it was a delightful surprise when it dropped through the letterbox a couple of weeks ago.

If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join the challenge this month, this is what to do:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome. Don't worry about photographs; if you haven't taken a photograph of the dish, post a photograph of the recipe book you used. Similarly, you are welcome to share a recipe if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. This project is more about the process of reconnecting with your cookery book collection, than about recipe sharing or food photography.

I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart ).

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Dalmally Show 2016

The first Saturday in September is a significant one for our family; it is the day of the Dalmally Show, which I have written about before here. We travel up to Argyll for the weekend, attend the show during the day, and in the evening, have a multi-generational ceilidh at my uncle's house, or more specifically in an enormous wind and watertight gazebo in his garden, specially erected for the occasion. Wonderful food, lots of wine, and good scots whisky (and of course non alcoholic drinks for the under 18's and drivers!), stories, songs and music. Everyone who can, sings (and one or two who probably shouldn't do too!). This year Jacob sang and Isaac accompanied him on the guitar, singing their version of 'Time of Your Life' by Green Day; a proud moment for me. 
My nana, 96 and still going strong, loves the Show and ceilidh. She is such a sociable person, and every person present loves and respects her quite intensely.

When I was growing up, we were a highly mobile family, who moved frequently, yet in many ways I still regard Dalmally as my true home. The family connections are strong, and so many of my maternal relations still live there. I also have a dream of living once more in our old home, which still exerts a strong pull on my heart. I believe that our family would have had a good life in this house, which we lived in for a few years when I was young. I have so many memories attached to this house, which sits beside the river, on a quiet, single track road that forms a winding loop away from the main village of Dalmally, eventually re-joining the main road some two miles later. This house was originally the general store and bakery for the people living along this beautiful stretch of countryside, and at the front of the house, there are still the huge, wooden double doors leading in to what was the shop. They are never opened now.

I dream daily of living here again. In my imagination I regularly mentally renovate, restore, furnish and decorate this house. I reinstate the scullery off the big kitchen; I once again access the back stairs which lead to what would have been servants' quarters; I rebuild the big fireplace in the sitting room, and renovate to full functional glory those massive oak double doors at the front of the house. I imagine knocking through walls to create beautiful  bathrooms leading off the large front bedrooms. I visualise a snug self-contained suite of rooms for house guests comprising bedrooms, a sitting room under the eaves, and a pretty shower room (I would want lots of visitors, this is a house made for company). Our old sitting room becomes my office/sewing room, just between the kitchen and the back door. The huge front room (once the shop) becomes a massive multi-purpose room; there is space there for all sorts of wonderful activities and events to take place.
This is the home I imagine my boys eventually bringing their families to, where their children could run wild in the garden, or take the short path down the garden to the river, to play on the pebbly spit, throw stones, or just sit and watch the water. In short, this is the house I want to live in again. However, in reality, it would take a great deal more money than I am ever likely to have to buy it, and renovate it to the standard it deserves, nor is it currently for sale. I can't shake the dream though. 

Combine the house of my dreams, with views like this, and it is little wonder I feel so pulled to the north.
Apart from stirring up memories and daydreams, the purpose of our annual trip to Dalmally is of course to attend the Dalmally Show. Much of the fun is entering our jams, bakes, makes and crafts in to the competitions in the Home Industries tent. For Mum and me, this is the highlight of our crafting year, and something we love to discuss and plan for in great detail (much to the amusement of my 'townie' husband). The lists of the various competitions are sent out in April each year, and can also be found on line here (pages 14, 15 and 16 are those which interest Mum and me).
The schedule generates much discussion about which competitions or 'classes' to enter; Mum and I both love to make jams and preserves, so lots of ticks on that page. The knitting/sewing/crafting page has several fixed items which appear every year, such as a knitted baby garment, also a cross stitch picture, and piece of embroidery. This is where we diverge slightly, as Mum is a marvellous knitter (she can whip up kilt stockings with cables and complicated tops with ease), whereas I am not, though I do attempt an occasional knit for the Show. Then on to the all important Baking classes; it is difficult to enter bakes which are best eaten 'same day' like scones and pancakes, as of course our bakes are by necessity made in advance and transported north with care the night before the Show, so we tend to stick to larger cakes and bakes, or items which will still taste good a day or two after baking. 
After the decisions regarding classes comes the preparation. Crafts first, in April and May, all completed items carefully wrapped in tissue and put away, then preserves are made in June and July, and then in the days prior to the Show, baking is completed.
This year was a particularly good year for us both, with quite a few prizes, and even a Trophy for mum (the Tullich Trophy, for most points in the Preserves section) as well as a Special Prize for her fruit tart (a particularly delicious apricot and almond one, which was devoured at the family ceilidh in the evening).
I was also very lucky with my entries this year, and won quite a few prizes.
In the Preserves section, I won a 1st for my Fruits of the Forest jelly; a 1st for my Lemon Curd, a 3rd for my Raspberry jam, and a Highly Commended for my Strawberry Jam.


In the Home Baking section, a 1st for my Meat Loaf, a 1st for my Tear and Share Loaf, a 2nd for my Jar of Pasta Sauce (not pictured), a 2nd for my Empire Biscuits, and a 2nd for my Rocky Road Squares.

In the Home Industries Section, a 1st for my Advent Calendar (I entered a box of numbered, decorated gingerbread biscuits, each one threaded with string, to hang on the christmas tree; I may replicate this 'for real' at Christmas!), a 1st and Special Prize for Isaac's quilt (Any Other Handcraft) a 2nd for my Machine Sewn Shopping Bag, a 2nd for my Crochet Purse (Best Use 50g yarn. (not pictured), and a Highly Commended for my Patchwork Cushion Cover.

Not all my entries were winners however; no prizes for my chocolate cake; coffee and walnut loaf, crocheted brooch, banana loaf, or my ladies knitted scarf. However, I was delighted with my prizes and Mum and I are already looking forward to next year's competitions.
The whole Damally Show weekend is a very happy one for our family. It provides a touchstone for collective family memories. When family sands eventually shift, and when the generations and people of the current times are no longer here, I dearly hope my boys will say, in years to come 'Do you remember those great weekends at the Dalmally Show....?' 
As for my dream of living in my old home, it will undoubtedly persist, and be once again stirred up to the point of painful longing when we return to Dalmally next year, and I see it once again, but that is the price I am prepared to pay for my beautiful, comforting day dream.
  

a quilt for Isaac

  

I have made this quilt for Isaac in several bursts of activity, with long spells in between where it has lain untouched. Oh for the luxury of uninterrupted time to sew, and dream, and make. In my world, those precious hours absorbed in making and creating are few and far between. However, Isaac's quilt is now finished, and on his bed.
I wrote about making Jacob's quilt ( here ).Jacob's vision was clear and direct. It was rather different with Isaac. Initially he wasn't sure he even wanted a quilt; then when he decided he would rather like one, his design ideas were entirely beyond my capabilities (this type of thing was suggested and quickly rejected by me; ditto this). Feeling rather out of my depth, I suggested a design based on squares, which was accepted (phew). Next to choose colours, fabric designs and general feel. This had to include guitars, plus other music themed fabrics, and the colours must be bright; bold, and include lots of orange and red. No problem. So I plunged in and, as before, bought some fabrics online, and some from my local sewing shop (here). I made the quilt up from several different blocks; all were easy to construct. My measuring and matching were not perfect, but I don't mind about that, and neither does Isaac.

The back is plain white, with a single teal stripe. The stripe wanders a little, but I still like it.

I quilted each block as the construction style suggested. It was time consuming, but most absorbing and enjoyable. I used perle cotton which pulls through the quilt layers smoothly, and creates thick, tactile lines of quilting.

Now the quilt is at last on Isaac's bed, and he is happy with it.


It has made me so happy to make a quilt for each of the boys during spring and summer this year. Each quilt reflects the boys' tastes and personalities and the stage they are at in their lives right now. I hope that as they grow up and forge adult lives they will still tolerate an occasional quilt from Mum! 

 

Cookery Calendar Challenge- September

Welcome to the Cookery Calendar Challenge for September. If you are interested in joining me this month, please have a quick look at the Cookery Calendar Challenge page, which tells you everything you need to know.

My chosen recipe book this month was 'The Vicar's Wife Cookbook' by Elisa Beynon.  Elisa's warm, chirpy personality shines through the introductions to the recipes, and the book has an endearing quality which means it will stay firmly on my kitchen shelf. I liked this book enormously, however August  was an exceptionally busy month in our household, and I felt I rather rushed the selection of recipes and did not take the time to concentrate fully on the writing (though I hope to remedy that in the future) however the two recipes I chose were very successful. 
The first was Shepherd's Pie (or Berger Lamb as Elisa called it). I didn't have particularly high hopes; how good can a shepherd's pie be, after all? Turns out it can be quite exceptionally delicious, according to the lamb-loving carnivores of the family, who ate theirs with gusto. I did remember to take a photograph, but at the time of writing I can't find it. If I do, I will insert it and edit this text accordingly.
My second dish was the charmingly named Butternut Buttercup Soup. I made this one evening when the carnivores were having something from the deep freeze (home made of course!) and I decided to use the time I would usually cook for them, to make myself something vegetarian friendly. This is a butternut soup, with the addition of roasted yellow (or orange) peppers, blended to a smooth consistency.  There is the slight fiddle of blackening the peppers under the grill to aid removal of the skin, but I have done this many times before so this extra step didn't bother me. Elisa also finished off the soup with some crumbled goat's cheese.  I used parmesan, as I no longer eat goat's cheese. I used always to enjoy it until one memorable day some years ago, when visiting a 'Pat-a-Pet' farm in Yorkshire with the boys, when they were small. As we approached a particularly baleful looking nanny goat, I became aware of a pungent aroma, and with a horrible stab of recognition, realised that goat's cheese smells exactly like goats (and vice versa). I have never eaten it since. 
Overall, I liked this book very much, and am so glad I decided to use it for my cookery challenge this month. I wondered if Elisa had written any other cookery books, however, after a brief search on the internet, found that very sadly, Elisa had died suddenly at home in 2015. A bright and beautiful voice silenced for ever.

My chosen book for September is Stirring Slowly, by Georgina Hayden. This book is new to me, I have read through some of the recipes but not yet cooked from it. I am very excited by what I have seen so far and am looking forward to using it in September.
If you joined me last month, thank you. If you would like to join this month, or at any time in the future, this is what you need to know.

How it works:

The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf, and cook two new recipes from it. The recipes can be for any meal. Cakes and bakes are excluded, but puddings are included. At the beginning of the following month, blog about the recipes you have used, and announce your chosen cookery book for the month ahead. This is an ongoing project, it's never too late to get involved, and everyone is very welcome.
I would appreciate a link back to this Cookery Calendar Challenge post in your post. Grab the Cookery Calendar Challenge badge to display on your blog too, if you like (just copy and paste the code on to your dashboard to display). You can also join via Instagram using hashtag #cookerycalendarchallenge (you will find me on Instagram @penny.homemadeheart ).

 

An InLinkz Link-up

The August Break '16: three

Continuing with The August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. Today's photo prompt: three.
 
Three little mugs hanging in the kitchen. Spot the odd one out? (It's the self decorated one from here)

 

The August Break '16: my face

Day 23/31 of The August Break with Susannah Conway. Today's prompt, 'my face'. As in "Just give me five minutes to put on my face".

The August Break '16: squares

Day 22/31 of the August Break with Susannah Conway. Today's prompt: squares. I have a lot of fun with my Instagram squares. You can find me there at @penny.homemadeheart

The August Break '16: today is...

Day 21/31 of The August Break, with Susannah Conway, posting a photograph every day in August according to a list of prompts. 'today is...

Today is... the day I started running again.

I wrote about my first experience of running here, and about fracturing my foot during a 10k here. Following the fracture, I encountered further problems when I tried to start running again, and was found to have an underlying foot problem. Initially I was advised not to run at again at all, which was exceptionally disappointing. However, I eventually persuaded my Podiatrist to allow me to start again providing various criteria were met: that I was very, very, very careful, and that I bought trainers specific to my needs, that I complied with my foot exercises, and wore my special insoles. 'I can do all that', thought I.
So, today is... the day I started running again, using the brilliant C25K app, in my new trainers from here. My aim is to complete the 9 week running course using the app, and then carry on as I did before, adding minutes every week. Perhaps I will even be able to run the Glasgow Womens' 10k next May.

The August Break '16: clouds

Day 20/31 of The August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway, prompt 'clouds'. Big skies from the beautiful Isle of Lewis last week.

The August Break '16: my hands

Day 19/31 of The August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. Today's photo prompt: my hands.
With thanks to oldest son Jacob for obligingly taking the shot.

The August Break '16: 5 years ago

Day 18/31 of the August Break photography project. Today's prompt is '5 years ago'
Every year in late August, when the first leaves are tipped with gold and brown, and the rowans berries are showing scarlet against the green, I start making bramble brandy  (or plum brandy, red currant gin, or some other variation, but most often bramble brandy), for Christmas.
Though I never consciously choose to make it in the same week in August, I noticed today when I took the Kilner jars from the dresser cupboard, that the hand written sticky labels, though faded after going through the dishwasher, show dates within a few days of each other, going back some years. I couldn't actually find one dated 2011, however  I am confident that I was making bramble brandy this week 5 years ago. 
There is a pleasant sense of preparedness which is uniquely associated with making jams, chutneys, cordials and, I can happily report, bramble brandy. It is also very easy to make, and will provide you with beautiful gifts to give to family and friends at Christmas, as well as a gorgeous drink to enjoy as a Christmas treat to yourself.
I wrote about last year's home made brandy here, giving the recipe and method in full, so if you are already dreaming of cosy winter evenings sipping something delicious from a short glass, click on the link. One other note: I use cheap brandy for this (ditto cheap gin if I am making a gin based liqueur), the type that comes in plastic bottles, and at current prices is around £9 for a 70cl bottle. Don't be afraid, by Christmas it will taste like nectar.
 

The August Break '16 bedroom window

 

Day 17 of the August Break, hosted by blogger Susannah Conway. Today's prompt is 'bedroom window'.
Our bedroom in this house was originally the front parlour, and has a small bay window. Our house was built in 1928, and had three public rooms, and only one bedroom, a fact which astonishes me. The public rooms comprised the front parlour, which would have been kept for visitors (or I believe, sometimes used when a family member was ill), the family sitting room, which is also a good size, but with a plainer window, and, I imagine, would have been cosy and comfortable. It is currently the boys' room (television, ps4 etc, I wrote about its transformation from dining room to boys' room here). The third public room was a dining room, and is currently Isaac's bedroom. To compensate for only having one bedroom, it appears that the loft space in the house was used as a bedroom of sorts, as there is a small built in cupboard up there, a green painted chest of drawers, and what appears to be a wooden partition, presumably dividing off bed spaces. I can only imagine how hot it must have been up there in the summer, and conversely, how cold in winter.
Back to today's photo prompt. The bay window in my bedroom is where I keep my sewing machine, on a small painted trolley. Underneath there are a couple of work boxes. The pale blue box holds fabrics, and was originally a gift box from here. The wicker bedroom chair pulls round when I want to sit at the sewing machine (which is from here). Perhaps one day I will have a bigger space, or even a whole room, but for the present this space in my bedroom window will do nicely.

The August Break '16: breathe

Day 16/31 of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway, where bloggers post a photograph every day in August, according to a list of prompts. Today's prompt is 'breathe'.

Since returning from holiday on the Isle of Lewis late on Sunday night, I have been in perpetual motion. I have never operated a smoothly efficient system for the start of a new school year. The thought of having new, pristine uniforms lurking in the wardrobe all summer holidays, waiting to pounce, is just too depressing. I always leave things until the last possible minute to mentally delay the return to the school routine for the boys, and for myself. This results in a last minute flurry of activity, but even for me, the two days prior to school re-starting was close to the wire. Two prolonged trips into to town, and a scurry round the local Retail Park, all conducted in uncharacteristically hot temperatures, ensued. Great tolerance and patience were demonstrated by all concerned.

School uniforms needed topping up (what is it that teenage boys do to white shirts?).
School shoes needed bought (note to self: teenage boys do not appreciate maternal advice regarding footwear). 

New school rucksacks were deemed an immediate necessity (the old ones having been judged 'Ok for next year' until closer examination revealed significant structural wear and tear).
Both boys like stationery, so there was slight compensation for all the trudging about in the heat with the purchase of a bundle of Pukka pads, Post It notes, and many packs of new pens and pencils.
Additionally, the hired kilts for the wedding we attended whilst on the Isle of Lewis needed returned to the kilt hire shop . An unexpected pang of sadness caught me as we handed them back in. The much anticipated celebrations and festivities were over. The new term was, inevitably, upon us.

Since the boys started secondary school, and have turned man-sized, school uniform has generally been easier to buy; black trousers, white shirts and black shoes are almost permanently available in the shops. Only the school blazer requires separate ordering and a bit of forethought, and I must here confess that I also delayed ordering new school blazers until the last possible moment, with the result that Isaac is returning to school tomorrow in his tatty old one, and Jacob will not actually have one at all until both new blazers are delivered next week, thanks to my over zealous clear out of his room during the summer holidays.
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In all the running about, it was a pleasure to take five minutes in the garden, looking for a suitable image for today's photograph challenge. The hibiscus flowers I planted in early summer have been an elegant addition to the garden, steadily producing bloom after bloom. As I fiddled with the settings on the camera, the wind stilled for a moment, the bloom settled on the stem, and I could feel myself just breathe.

The August Break '16: unicorn

Day 16/31 of The August Break with Susannah Conway. Today's prompt; 'unicorn'. Some head scratching here (metaphorical only, I try never to scratch my head, it looks so off-putting). Unicorns are challenging to photograph in the wild; being elusive, secretive, proud creatures, who disappear at the mere whisper of the presence of us clumsy humans.
Their natural habitat being bluebell woods, little girls' day dreams and the pages of beautifully bound story books, I had to settle for this particular unicorn, spotted here, on a recent trip to Edinburgh.

The August Break '16: love is...

Day 14/31 of The August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. Today's photograph prompt is 'love is....'
All I can think about when I read these words is my boys. I remember a friend telling me, before I had any children, that the love you feel for your children is beyond anything you can ever feel for anyone else. At the time I didn't fully understand what she meant. Her words often echo in my head now, however, when I look at my boys. I adore them. 'Love' doesn't even come close. This is one of my favourite photographs, taken about 9 years ago.

The August Break '16: 6 o'clock

Day 13/31 of The August Break. Today's photograph prompt is '6 o'clock'. Evening walk on the sands in Lewis. Evening light on the sand showing the ever fascinating worm casts.

The August Break '16: a secret

Day 12/31 of The August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. An annual project where bloggers post a photograph every day in August, according to a list of prompts. Today's prompt: a secret.
We are currently on the Isle of Lewis, in the Western Isles of Scotland, and driving round on our various expeditions, we have seen many abandoned houses like this. Who knows what secrets they hold?

The August Break '16: green

Day 11/31 of The August Break, where bloggers are invited by Susannah Conway to post a photograph every day in August, according to a list of prompts.
Today's prompt; green.

Green grass (purple heather and yellow buttercups too) blow in the ever-present wind as we climb up the shallow stone steps towards Shawbost Norse Mill and Kiln, on the splendid Isle of Lewis.

 

The August Break '16: yellow

Day 9/31 of The August Break. My yellow summer dress, ironed. I fold all my clothes with tissue before travelling. It makes such a difference; they arrive at their destination looking fresh and uncrumpled (unlike their owner). This dress is a pleasure to wear; yellow is not a colour I would usually choose, but it is so summery and bright that it makes me feel happy every time I put it on.

The August Break '16: red

Day 9/31; continuing with The August Break, kindly hosted by Susannah Conway, who supplies a list of photography prompts every day in August.  Today's prompt; 'red'. My (mostly) red Russian Doll, from Prague.

The August Break '16: favourite taste

Day 8/31 of The August Break, hosted annually by Susannah Conway. If you click on the link, you will find lots of blogs to visit, and there is also an Instagram hashtag #augustbreak16
Today's prompt is 'favourite taste' and I didn't have to consider my answer for a single second.

The August Break '16: beneath my feet

Day 7/31 of  The August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. Today's prompt: beneath my feet.
Beneath my feet today, and for the next seven days, is some of the oldest rock in the world; Lewisian Gneiss . We have travelled by road and sea to the Western Isles, for a family wedding. We are staying in Stornoway, where I was (briefly) at boarding school thirty four years ago. When I left a few days after finishing 6th year at school, it was with no desire ever to return.
Time, and circumstances, however, change our outlook, and I am happy and intrigued to be here, looking forward to exploring and re-discovering this beautiful place. The knowledge that the rock under my feet the rock is some three billion years old, makes our human squirmings and frailties seem very insignificant and temporary, which is rather comforting.

The August Break '16: I'm reading

Summer reading is a different from autumn or winter reading. Lighter, perhaps a little more frivolous, always enjoyable. This is my current 'to read' bundle. Nina Stibbe's latest, Paradise Lodge. I read Love Nina, and Man at the Helm, and loved them. Her writing voice is funny, fresh, and original. Slightly Foxed is a quarterly literary review, charming, and a portal to all sorts of interesting literary discoveries. The summer edition of the Enid Blyton Society magazine (I am a member, of course). Uppercase is a quarterly magazine I have not read before, but it looks full of creative inspiration.

The August Break '16: midday

Day 5/31 of The August Break, posting a photograph every day according to a list of prompts provided by Susannah Conway. Today's prompt is 'midday', and it was causing me some mild consternation. In my head were images of cowboys in a dusty western town,  blistering midday sun beating down overhead, trigger fingers itching, but that didn't seem applicable, nor was it actually happening. I was contemplating this minor creative crisis around 11.40 a.m., gazing speculatively at my late brunch of banana squashed on to toast (divinely delicious, but not photogenic...) when the postie came whistling up the path with a delivery. It was my self decorated dishes and baby mug from my recent visit to the Emma Bridgewater factory. 'Midday; Emma Bridgewater delivery. Yep, happy with that' I thought.

The August Break '16 sweetness

Day 4/31 of The August Break: sweetness. Isaac, aged about four.

The August Break '16: handwriting

 

My image for day 3/31 of Susannah Conway's The August Break: a bundle of letters from my pen friend in America. We have never (yet) met in the flesh, we currently know each other solely through our  handwritten letters.

Writing letters by hand is an excellent discipline for both mind and manners, and a delightful way to make friends. There is some effort involved in writing by hand. This is no hasty email dashed off between chores. There is a modest sense of occasion about writing a hand written letter; the gathering of paper, ink, and envelopes, the gathering of thoughts, and the physical sitting down to write. There is the requirement for concentration; if your letter is to be attractive to the eye as well as the mind of the recipient, there is less room for mistakes (unless you send a page full of scored out passages).  There is a sense of conversation, of trying to make your letter interesting to read, of demonstrating, via the written word, that you have read carefully the letter to which you are replying, that you care about what is contained therein, that you are responding appropriately before sharing your own news, views, or opinions. There is the affectionate signing off, with 'Hope to hear from you soon!' or 'Sending love', before the letter is finished, carefully checked, and finally posted. 
I still find it remarkable that a I can compose a letter at my desk or kitchen table, send it from our local Post Office, and a week or so later, my pen friend, in her American house, can be boiling the kettle in her kitchen for a cup of tea to drink whilst she reads it.

Do you still write letters by hand, or send postcards from holidays, or write thank you cards? Something that can be treasured, or at the very least, appreciated, by the recipient? Propped up on the mantelpiece, or on the kitchen window sill, to be savoured again when there's time, perhaps slipped between the pages of a favourite book for safe keeping, or kept in a bundle with other correspondence.

Author Susan Branch writes lovingly about the art of handwriting here , and here is a website devoted to all things snail-mail.

The August Break '16: leaf

The Acer tree in our back garden. Even in August, the leaves are starting to subtly change colour. In Scotland, autumn is never far away.

Day 2/31 of The August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway, where bloggers are given a daily prompt throughout August to inspire a photograph every day, with or without accompanying text. Fun to do, and open to all, to join at any time. A good place to find lots of new blogs to read. There is an Instagram hashtag #theaugustbreak16 too.