Food wars...

It has to be said - because it's true - that although I adore food, I am less enamoured with the process of cooking. Somehow and somewhere, over the last 16 years, my desire for cooking has eroded - to the point of having panic attacks when considering the evening meal. No. Let's be honest. It begins in the supermarket when I'm making decisions on what ingredients to buy. It really is enough to make a sane person crazy.

I think the fact I have fussy children has done it. It's soul destroying to spend hours lovingly baking knowing it will be largely unappreciated. There really is only so many "oh yuck, I hate mushrooms/it's too spicy/too salty/contains onions (even though you've minced them I can still taste them)/contains meat (and today I've decided to be vegetarian!)" one mother can take.

Even so, I have made a new pact with myself, that I will - inspite of all objections - cook food that I desire. Enough is enough. If they don't like it they can starve. And let's face it - they aint going to want to do that!

So recently I found some recipes on this handy site and yesterday dedicated a few hours to preparing a delicious beef pie, some gozleme and a banana cake.

The beef pie was a resounding success. Kalamata olives were, of course, swept to the side of the plate. That's ok, more for Mr and me. The gozleme was also a hit - but only if warmed! And the banana cake satisfied the most scathing of critics.

delicious spinach, feta and sundried tomato filling...



a small stack of gozleme, to feed the hordes...well, perhaps only four.


I will continue to assault the family with delicious home cooked food until they surrender. Victory will be mine!

sew much to do...

I recently took a trip - a very brave trip - to the textile area of Dubai. I had visited once previously but at that time was still experiencing 'white knuckle' driving syndrome and was in too much shock to buy anything.

This journey, however, was a little less fraught thanks to white knuckle mastery and the presence of our two handsome guys - who did not want to be in attendance but had to accompany Miss and me, for the following reasons:-

1. To navigate as you can't always rely on the Navman.
2. To be a male presence to ward off unwelcome male attention.
3. If we have to suffer, then so do they!

Anyway, the purpose was really about finding some fabric for Miss for a school project. Namely, making a wearable piece of art out of recycled materials. I have yet to point out to her (not wanting to dampen her enthusiasm) that her material is not recycled and the rubber gloves have never been used! Shhh.

Skipping right along...we found Miss her lining fabric and then I spied these. And had to have them.

reds...(and a sneaky purple)




and some yummy chocolate and aqua...



And then I had to decided what to make...oh sew many ideas.

Miss got first dibs. A cute little zipper purse made from the newly purchased purple fabric. Lined in a lovely purple satin I had in my stash at home, with a sweet little pocket and a few embellishments.

the early stages...



the finished project...



a little peek inside...



The colour in the last two pics is not true to life. It's more like the first pic.

The things I wish I'd know before embarking on this project are :-
1. How to line and insert a zip into the same item!
2. How to adjust the tension on my machine without completely screwing it up.
3. Exactly what I was trying to achieve. PPPPPPP. Do I need to spell out those 'P's' or does everyone know what I'm talking about? My excuse...I couldn't wait to begin!

The things I would do differently :-
1. Reduce the size of the bow - I think it's too wide.
2. Make the lining and the bag separately and then insert the zipper, leaving part of a side seam open for turning. Please don't ask me how I did it - I'm too embarrassed to tell. If you know a better way - please tell!

Next project please.

give us this day...

our daily artisan bread.

In the beginning was a gooey bowl of no-knead dough.

Safely stashed in the fridge for moments of need.

Which occurs daily.

Carefully, with flour aplenty, pulled from it's receptacle.

To be shaped, allowed to rise and placed into a pre-heated vessel for baking.






and then came the aroma...










not just the aroma but the insatiable desire...














to satisfy the palate and nurture the soul.

Warm, buttery toast with a spread of blueberries.

Oh yum. Oh heaven.








All credit to Zoe and Jeff, the authors of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. You have created something that even a lazy cook like me can take pleasure in.

knitting with string...

Ingredients:
1 ball of very coarse twine
1 fabulous pattern
2 deep breaths
3 sore fingers

This is a gorgeous organic pattern and I adore the rustic nature of the coarse string. However, it HURTS my fingers. And to top it all off I realised that I misread the pattern. So now I need to pull it all out and start again.

Please tell me other people suffer for their craft too!