Rest and Relaxation - of the kitchen kind

After a hectic, exhausting and stressful week at work, what better way to unwind than with some hand crafted therapy. I was going to say 'baking therapy' but that wouldn't be quite right. Let's just settle for plain old rest and relaxation.

The day started foggy but that soon cleared, as did the clouds, and we were given a bit of a treat when the meeting I was in at 9am took a break at 9.20am so we could all go out and see the partial solar eclipse. I got to see it through two layers of welding masks.  Not sure if that was strictly 'safe' but it was all we had to hand! Anyway, that was the first solar eclipse I've ever experienced and could be my last so I decided to embrace the situation. I've heard plenty of hyperbole on the radio about people's experience of it.  I wouldn't quite go that far but it was amazing what the welding masks revealed from what was, to the naked eye, a bright but hazy sky.

Anyway, it was still sunny when I got home so, with the back door flung wide open, I set about switching off from work. Sitting quietly doesn't really work for me as I tend to continue thinking about stuff. What I really need to do is turn my attention to something completely different. Something that requires concentration and thought with a bit of hand-eye coordination thrown in for good measure. I began by making a tray of Apple and Raisin Quinoa Slices - a recipe from the Sainsbury's Magazine courtesy of the Hemsley sisters. These are packed with good things, are gluten-free, almost sugar-free save from 2 tablespoons of maple syrup between all 18 slices, and the only fat is from 50g of coconut oil and whatever fat is contained in sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and desiccated coconut.  In theory they are just 125 calories per slice and packed with good stuff so will hopefully keep everyone healthily satisfied this weekend!

Fresh from the oven, yet to be sliced!

Whilst the tray bake was in the oven I set about making more cheese from my Big Cheese Mozzarella and Ricotta kit. So far I had only ventured to making mozzarella but this evening's challenge was to test out the ricotta instructions. It still involved 8 pints of whole milk, some citric acid but no rennet, and heating the whole lot up to a much higher temperature. It needed careful monitoring to ensure that the milk didn't catch on the bottom of the pan or boil over. That successfully achieved, it was time to stick a lid on and leave the mixture to split into curds and whey.

The science bit

The magic bit - separating into curds and whey

After 20 minutes of leaving the hot milk and citric acid mix it was time to see what had happened to the 'cheese'. All seemed to be going to plan with the curds and whey nicely separated. All I then had to do was strain the whole lot through some butter muslin and, 30 minutes later, I had a batch of ricotta - ta dah!

Straining the curds from the whey

Leaving it for 30 minutes

The 'ta-dah' moment!

Tomorrow this will be turned into a traditional Italian cheesecake, in preparation for Sunday lunch. I can't wait!

I should probably also add that work isn't all bad, mostly thanks to some fabulous colleagues. I returned from a meeting earlier in the week to find this on my keyboard.

A recipe for Limoncello

They know me well! I have already stashed away a recipe for Spiced Cranberry Vodka so it looks as if Christmas presents in 2015 will have a distinctly alcoholic theme!

Craft, Chatter and Cake

Yesterday was Craft Club and it was my turn to provide the cake. So, first things first, I set about making a Cardamom, Pistachio and Marmalade Drizzle Loaf. I had recently been sent a jar of Riverford Seville Orange Marmalade as a taster and I can report that it is delicious, albeit quite runny. However, the texture made it perfect for this cake, which not only required to have it added to the cake mix but also poured over the top once it was baked.

Whilst the cake was in the oven I set about preparing for the afternoon of craft ahead. I planned to make hot water bottle covers to go with some appliqué blankets but first I needed to make a pattern. Since there were to be six of us at craft club today I thought table room would be limited so thought it best to get the pattern made before I went. It was a simple task once I'd armed myself with a hot water bottle, some brown paper, a pencil and ruler. Having drawn around the hot water bottle I used to ruler to add a 1.5cm seam allowance around all the edges.  I then used this to made two back pieces, making sure to add enough to the bottom of the top piece and to the top of the bottom piece so that they could overlap comfortably.

With the cake out of the oven, the marmalade drizzle appropriately applied and a bag full of craft supplies I set out for my afternoon of craft, chatter and cake.

I think it must be almost a year since all six club participants have all been able to attend, so there was much catching up to do. Tales of family fall-outs over guinea-pigs, and daughters training their mothers to do their paper rounds kept us all entertained and the time flew by. I'm not sure our hostess got much done, between sorting out squabbles between her sons and supplying us with endless cups of tea but I was quite pleased by how much I achieved. Two hot water bottle covers almost complete - with just some blanket stitching and buttons to attach.

The weather is a far cry from last week's balmy weekend so there was nothing to keep me from finishing the bottle covers this afternoon. A very satisfying task!

And, in case you are wondering, the cake was delicious!

Cheese, Cake and Sunshine

I spent last weekend catching up with an old friend.  It must be nearly 13 years since we had a catch up without small children in tow so we indulged ourselves wandering the streets, shops and stalls of St Nicholas Market and Clifton Village in Bristol; nattering, whilst sampling amazingly fresh and tasty food from street stalls and independent delis - a real treat.

In one of the delis I spotted a stack of The Big Cheese Making kits. Regular readers of the blog may recall that I was given one of these for making mozzarella and ricotta last year, and had showed off my attempt at mini mozzarella balls when catering for friends. I was delighted to see that kits also exist for making halloumi as well as a Scottish cheese I've never heard of, so they will definitely be appearing on my birthday wish list. Anyway, spotting them has inspired me to make another batch of mozzarella.

The first step is to boil water in which to dissolve the rennet and citric acid but, once boiled, the water then has to be cooled to room temperature. So, while waiting for  the water to reach the right temperature I thought I'd have a browse through my collection of cake recipes to find something suitable to make for next weekend's craft club. I ended up being so torn between two options that I decided to make one now and the other next weekend. Humn...looks like this weekend is likely to be as food-focused as last.

Anyway, with the polenta, almond and orange loaf cake in the oven, I finally set about making the mozzarella, getting hungrier and hungrier as I went. Fortunately, the cheese takes less than an hour to make and can be eaten immediately so, in next to no time I was tucking into a very fresh and tasty lunch.

From this...

...to this

And finally this...

As I wait for the cake to cool, I am drawn to venture into the garden. As I've been cooking I've had the back door open - so wonderful is the weather. Mind you, this means only one thing - I really should sow some seeds.

When picking up the milk for the mozzarella, I slipped some seed packets into the basket so why not get them sown immediately? I've gone for tomatoes, an annual essential, but also spotted some mini patio sweet peppers which I thought I'd give a try, alongside some cut-and-come-again salad leaves. I normally refuse to grow things that I know the slugs and snails will get to eat well before I do, but last year I recall seeing someone growing salad leaves in small round pots on a table in their garden so I'll give that a go. I'm hoping that traipsing across paving stones before climbing vertically and then upside down to negotiate the table will be too much for city slugs and they will opt for, pardon the pun, lower hanging fruit!

Perhaps by then I'll be able to ice the cake and maybe even try a bit, although right now I'm too full from lunch!

P.S.  the icing on the cake

Get Creative

I've often written here how much I enjoy getting creative, using it to relax and recharge but also to give a great sense of achievement, even to ensure I have a present to give someone without having to go shopping. I also think there is something wonderful about the hand made and the one-off, especially when we are surrounded by so much that is mass-produced.

Many may say that they are not creative but I beg to differ and am delighted to see that the BBC launched a new year-long campaign this week called Get Creative. It's all about highlighting the creativity that happens throughout the UK on a daily basis and celebrates art in all forms.

If you are feeling in need of inspiration then do check it out - from watching Johnny Vegas make a tea pot in 60 seconds to the VanGoYourself campaign which challenges you to recreate a famous painting, or the more practical info on finding local courses where you can learn new skills or perfect your creative talent. And don't say you don't have any creative talent because you do - you are human!

My week has been seen me complete yet another appliqué blanket, this time for a friend who saw the first cot blanket I made and declared that she was tempted to have another baby so that she could have it. I thought that a little extreme so have made her a blanket in her signature colours of red, white and blue so she can cosy up under it on the sofa.

I'm also knitting a scarf for a colleague but ran out of wool. Today has, therefore, seen me out on a shopping expedition, not only for more wool but for materials for three more blankets - yes, it's almost becoming a production line! Anyway, the shopping was pretty successful and I'm itching to get started. Mind you, the knitting ought to be my priority or it will be soon be too warm for this scarf to be worn!

Lighter Nights and Night Lights

I have been rather obsessively monitoring the times of sunrise and sunset since returning to work after the Christmas and New Year break. It's almost as if I believe that the closer attention I pay, the earlier sunrise will get and the later sunset will be. However, I'm pleased to see that the longer days have become so noticeable that I have almost given up checking the times. I've even managed to cycle home from work on a couple of occasions without the need for lights and that's brilliant news from my perspective.

It therefore seems a bit ironic that I'm about to showcase a couple of night lights that I've made. Mind you, however light the morning and evenings get, the night is always dark - at least in my bit of the UK - so perhaps there is always a call for night lights after all?

I'd always rather liked the idea of a solar-powered night light and really liked the Sun Jar that appeared on the high street a few years ago. When it first appeared the cost was around £40, which was a bit steep for me, so I set about trying to see if it would be possible to make one myself. Well, how hard could it be? A clip-top jar and a solar light, right?

Please may I present what it's possible to do with an Ikea jar (£1.25), can of Plastikote glass etching spray (£6), a Wilkinsons' solar garden light (£1.25), and a small bit of clear silicone sealant. Oh, and a circle of kitchen foil to really maximise the light!

OK, so it doesn't quite have the warm, bright glow of an authentic Sun Jar, which is why I called it a Moon Jar. Fortunately my godson is fascinated with the moon and so it went down a storm as his birthday present last year. The only catch is that his parents have to remember to switch off the light (a handy switch inside the lid) and put it on the windowsill of his bedroom every morning to ensure it's fully charged to be turned back on again when it gets to bedtime.

I'm also not convinced that it has the staying power of a Sun Jar - it certainly won't stay on all night - but I have to say, I was pretty pleased with my attempt.

Last weekend I set about making a completely different sort of night light. This one uses a kit along the lines of the lampshade kit that I have already featured. The kit contains materials to make three lanterns, designed to be used with battery-powered tea lights (the real deal with naked flames are an absolute no-no!). My friend had spotted them when ordering her own lampshade and I was tempted to buy a kit for myself, without really thinking through where, what or for whom I may make them. However, it wasn't long before inspiration struck. I could make one into a night light for my godson's little brother who is about to turn two. 

When he first arrived home I presented him with a string of bunting spelling out his name. I had some of the fabric I used left over so thought I'd use this. It took a matter of moments to assemble, possibly helped by the fact that I had already made a few lampshades and this was much smaller and easier to handle. Again, I have to admit to being pleased with the results. Let's just hope it is equally well received as a present next month.

I'm planning on turning the remaining materials in the kit into DIY lantern gifts for a couple of eleven-year-old girls I know, so that they can make their own.

An Antidote to Modern Life

A few weeks ago I realised why I find making appliqué blankets so satisfying. I came across an article in The Guardian by neuroscientist, Daniel J Levitin titled Why the modern world is bad for your brain. I'll let you read the article yourself but to recap very briefly, modern technology has enabled us to multitask to such an extent that we have become addicted to it. And this is bad!

What is good for our brains is to spend a decent amount of time concentrating on one task. This is exactly what I do when making a blanket. It involves just enough concentration to keep me focused, but not so much that it is taxing.

Firstly, there is the need to cut out all the fabric shapes that are to be sewn onto the blanket. This is probably the bit that uses the most brain power. Which fabric to use for each shape and making sure you iron the Bondaweb onto the correct side of the fabric.

Next is to decide on the size of the blanket and cut the fleece accordingly - a bit of concentration and accuracy required there.

Once done, you get to use a bit of artistic flair as you decide on your design. Since I was making a blanket featuring my 'birds on a wire' design I had to mark out the lines and sew them in place first before positioning each bird and ironing it in place.

The process of sewing the birds in place can be a bit mind numbing - a couple of hours of guiding the sewing machine around the edge of each bird - but since my normal working day involves a ridiculous amount of multitasking, I'd say taking my brain to this place is probably a healthy move. Once in my stride I can pretty much zone out and this is where I may have actually done a bit of multitasking. That is if sitting at a sewing machine and listening to the radio can be considered multitasking?

That done, the final step was to pin a hem around the edges and blanket stitch it in place - a quiet few hours on the sofa. Bliss!

After all that, not only did my brain feel restored but I had created something from scratch. Supremely satisfying. Not least because that's my niece's birthday present sorted without having to spend hours traipsing around the shops!

Knitting on the radio

There are many things in life that I enjoy but two of them are BBC Radio 4 and knitting. So imagine my amazement when I stumbled across a section of the BBC website dedicated to knitting and Radio 4!

Not only does it feature a list of ten reasons why knitting is good for you, but it showcases some amazing knits from listeners. Apparently, a call went out for people to knit the Radio 4 schedule. And, oh my goodness, they did! From Farming Today through to the Shipping Forecast I urge you to take a look.

There are also links to radio programmes that celebrate knitting and even some free patterns: the official Woman's Hour tea cosy; and a Today Programme jumper.

What's not to love. Thank you BBC!

Meanwhile, I'm knitting a scarf for a colleague as I watch the Australian Open Men's Tennis Final. What a good way to spend a Sunday when it is bitterly cold outside!