Little Cotton Rabbits

summer productivity

 

 

 

 

 

These long summer days are perfect for ripening fruit and we've indulged in a favourite summer holiday activity of strawberry picking at the local pick-your-own farm. I love that they grow the strawberries in raised troughs, there's no bending down to hunt for the best berries or finding them covered in dusty soil, instead the berries hang plump and delicious from the plants and are easily picked and popped in a punnet. It's made me very happy to be carrying on this tradition with Amy. We had a lovely morning spent together and topped it off with lunch in the farm cafe - I had a twice baked goat cheese souffle on a bed of rocket, pear and pomegranate salad and she enjoyed a mexican pulled pork parcel, delicious!

 

 

 

Back at home summer has brought bounty to my garden and we are enjoying fresh feasts of french beans, broccoli and peas. I like to pick them just before we are ready to eat so they are as fresh as possible. Here's how we like to eat them...

Ingredients:

• French beans / peas / broccoli
• A clove of garlic (or more if you like)
• A couple of handfuls of chopped cherry tomatoes
• A handful of chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme and marjoram are good but I tend to pick whatever looks best at the time)
• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh ground black pepper

Rinse and lightly steam the beans and peas (or broccoli), then let them cool a little while you saute a clove of garlic in butter over a medium heat until soft. Once the garlic is soft but not browned throw in a couple of handfuls of chopped cherry tomatoes and let them soften while you chop some fresh herbs. Add the herbs to the pan and give everything a good stir, you can add a little more butter at this stage depending on whether you like a thick or a runny sauce. Pop the beans and peas (or broccoli) into a dish and scoop the garlicky, herby tomatoes over the top. Slosh over the olive oil, a twist or two of black pepper and a few more herbs and eat with some crusty bread to mop up the juices with. It makes a delicious summer lunch or a good accompaniment to grilled steak or fish.

 

 

The garden is also being productive in other ways. We currently have a family of newly-fledged robins chirping noisily in the hedge and I'm over the moon that we have blackbirds nesting in the clematis. I've watched them build the nest over a couple of weeks, then the male popping in with tasty treats for the female while she sat incubating the eggs. Last weekend she was out of the nest and we heard the first tiny cheeping noises from inside the deep cover and since then both parents have been busily dashing in and out with beak-fulls of worms. I am a bit worried though that food is a bit scarce as it's been very dry recently, so yesterday I went to the fishing tackle shop and bought a couple of beakers of worms and I'm leaving a few in a little dish in the hope that it helps keep those hungry mouths fed. I'd be so thrilled if these little birds make it to fledging day - the odds are rather stacked against them, especially around here where nests are often decimated by magpies, so it will be wonderful if they do.

 

 

 

There is even a little productive knitting going on here too, though not as much as I'd like a Toby is a demanding chap during the school hols. Still, I'll pop back soon and show you what has been on my needles, 'til then keep well and thanks so much for stopping by x

 

February days

Well, here we are on the cusp of another school break. As seems to be the way lately the days have been zipping by in a blur without an awful lot seeming to get done.

There has been a fair bit of baking here and of course knitting. I have also been trying to work on the next pattern but have found it hard to give it the concentration it really needs. It will be top of my list of important things to tackle once the children are back at school. Next week will be all about them, well Toby mostly because tomorrow morning Amy is off to New York on a 5 day school trip. She's spent the week fluctuating between high excitement and extreme nervousness. This will be her first time flying and first time on a different continent, a lot to take in when all of her classmates are old hands at intercontinental traveling. Still I'm sure she'll have a fab time, it's a creative arts trip including a Broadway show, Broadway theatre workshop, gallery visits and lots of sightseeing and culture absorbing. In contrast Toby and I will be having a quiet week and hopefully he'll be up for a few wood walks, though he's still not as keen as he once was.

Well, have a good week yourself, I'll leave you with pictures from the my last weeks worth of knitting, baking and general pottering...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From top to bottom...

• Animal bodies waiting to be finished;
• a new project bag exquisitely embroidered by Olivia at This Handmade Life;
• a day spent starting a new project with some beautiful new yarn - Squoosh Merino Cashmere Lace in 'powder' and baking the first of the new season of beautifully pink rhubarb with honey and orange which is delicious eaten with granola and yoghurt;
• the wild plum tree on the corner of our road in full blossom;
• a happy Sunday morning lie-in with tea toast and yarn;
• baking up a batch of lemony baby bundt cakes - recipe from Nigella Lawson, 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'.

Thanks for stopping by x

 

The most wonderful time of the year

Thanks so much for all the kind comments on the previous post. The news is such an enormous relief and has come at the perfect time, we'll enjoy our Christmas all the more without that dark, ominous cloud hanging over us! I'll be trying to reply to comments over the coming days but since time is short before the school break now I just wanted to pop in and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very good start to the New Year.

 

 

It was peppermint barking making day here yesterday and as usual I over-indulged on the trimmings and ended up with a very messy and sticky kitchen. It is nice though to make something home-made to give as teachers gifts and I do enjoy my little annual bark making session.

 

 

 

You can find a full copy of the recipe I use here (along with a free downloadable label set for printing out and gifting), and the original American recipe that I based it on is here.

This will most likely be my last post for this year, though I'll pop back to wish you a Happy start to the new one. I wish you all the very best for the season with much fun and joy in the company of those you love and a huge virtual hug and heartfelt thanks from me for visiting here and sharing your stories, support and friendship x

 

 

Peppermint bark day

It's that time of year again, when I find myself stuck for new ideas for Teacher presents and so turn once more to the old favourite, hence today became my annual Peppermint Bark Making Day.

 

 

It's a nice thing to make, though a bit sticky and resulting in lots of washing up but it always seems to be well received, so this year I made lots. I thought I'd share my method and quantities with you in case you'd like to make some - it's great for last minute gifts and very easy and safe to do with children. The original recipe that inspired me is here but over the last few years I've adapted it to readily available UK ingredients:

To make around 60 squares (of approx 1 inch), you will need:

• 5 bars of Green and Blacks organic white vanilla cooking chocolate (150 gm bars)
• 2 bars of Green and Blacks organic dark cooking chocolate (150 gm bars)
• 7 tablespoons of double cream (a 220ml pot is more than enough)
• 1-2 teaspoons of peppermint essence (put one in and taste before adding the second spoon as it depends on the extract that you use - they seem to vary greatly in strength)
• A pack of candy canes (they need to be fresh - don't make the same mistake as me and attempt to use some left over from last year, as you'll find they've gone all soft and sticky)
• A baking tray (around 37cms x 27cms) lined with greaseproof paper
• two bowls for melting chocolate in - 1 for white and 1 for dark

 

 

Method:

Crush your candy canes (see picture at the top). I pop mine in a bag and smack hell out of them with an old rolling pin (which is also good for letting off a bit of steam, though be warned it did dent the rolling pin). You'll find that you get varying chunk sizes plus a fair bit of dust - I find it useful to pop it through a colander to sieve out the finest dust and then crush down any bits that are too big. Set aside the finest dust crushings (as these can go on top of the middle layer) and save the little chunks for the topping.

Melt half of the white chocolate (2 and a half bars) by breaking into small pieces, placing in a heatproof bowl and microwaving on medium heat for short periods at a time. Keep getting the bowl out to check on it and stir the chocolate with a spatula when it starts to show signs of melting. Once it is just over half melted you don't need to keep heating it but instead just keep stirring and the warm liquid chocolate will encourage any remaining lumps to melt down.

Once the chocolate is completely melted pour it onto the greaseproof lined baking tray and spread out into a thin and even layer. One year I used tin foil but it was a nightmare to get off the bottom of the finished slab and you don't want to nibble strips of foil along with your bark.

Pop the tray in the fridge and go off and do something else for half an hour or so until it is fully set. There's no need to wash up the bowl as you'll be melting more white chocolate later.

Now make the ganache filling by melting the dark chocolate, peppermint extract and cream, heating it gradually (in the same way as the white chocolate) and stirring until it thickens, which it will do suddenly.

 

 

 

Let it cool slightly for 5 minutes and then spread it thinly over the chilled white chocolate layer - you might find you don't need all of the mixture. You'll need to work quickly as the cold white chocolate will begin to set the mixture. I sprinkle this layer with the fine candy cane dust (not too much or the top layer won't bond and will come apart when it's cut - she says from experience!) and then pop it in the fridge again for half an hour or until the dark layer is set.

For the final layer melt the remaining white chocolate and pour it over the dark layer - spread it quickly and gently to try and avoid melting the dark layer below and mixing it in which would give you a streaky top! Sprinkle the candy cane chunks over the top while the chocolate is still soft and press them lighly in so that they stay attached when the chocolate sets. Pop the whole thing back into the fridge for an hour or so to fully harden.

 

 

When it is fully hardened trim off the edges (which are the cooks privilege to nibble on) with a sharp knife and cut the slab into squares of about an inch.

 

 

 

According to the original recipe it will keep for around 2 weeks, not that it gets the chance to around here!

It's nice to take a bit of time planning your packaging and I like to make some labels and use some red and white butcher's string to attach them. If you'd like to print some out here is a simple set. Download Peppermint bark labels

 

 

You can either present your gifts in clean glass jars, which I've done previously

 

 

or in paper bags, which I'm using this time as they are safer to send into school in Toby's back pack.

 

 

If you give the recipe a go, I hope you have fun making and gifting the bark and enjoy a little of it yourself too x

 

autumn days

The last few weeks have been much busier than anticipated, mostly due to the complications of family life. In the meantime Autumn has arrived here, bringing wet and windy weather, falling leaves and cooler temperatures which happily has meant I've not been told off for lighting the fire (H must run hotter than me as I'm always chilly and like nothing better than snuggling up by the fire on a windy autumn day, whereas he's stripped off to a T-shirt and goes round opening windows). The biggest news is that I am now mum to two teenagers, with Toby turning 13 yesterday and Amy 15 last week! Doesn't life whizz by at an alarming rate?

The other stuff that has kept us busy is neither newsworthy nor of any interest to anyone else, so I'll not bore you with details but I am going to bore you with pictures of my homegrown red kuri squash, which I am rather proud of. I grew them as an experiment, fully expecting to have either no fruit at all or at best some the size of golfballs but in fact I managed to grow 3 whoppers - which leads me to the conclusion that they must be very easy to grow.

 

 

I've roasted them and made my usual spiced squash soup, which has such a lovely, warming autumny taste.

 

 

 

 

The colour of the soup has been featuring heavily in my autumny knitting too. In fact I've been just a bit obsessed with gorgeous mustardy-coloured yarn recently (as my friends who recently came yarn shopping with me might of heard me say once or twice).

Here, I'm using 2 skeins of MadelineTosh's new yarn home to make a really thick and cosy cowl. Pattern: Gaptastic Cowl, Yarn: MadelineTosh Home in 'candlewick', needles: 8mm

 

 

I have made one change to the pattern - using double moss stitch instead of the single.

 

 

and I might have a few other little mustardy projects on the go too...

 

 

Well, it's nice to be back here again and I'm looking forward to catching up with what everyone else has been blogging about recently - I feel horribly out of touch yet again. I plan to be back here later in the week with that giveaway that I promised weeks ago. And my work on the next patterns is going well - I'll give you a glimpse of what is coming up before the end of the month.

Thanks as always for stopping by, J x

 PS: here's the birthday boy enjoying his helium balloon and laughing at his own reflection!