Celebrating Home 2014 :: part 1

Hello Lovelies,

I'm such a homebody....even more nowadays than when I was younger. I love to be at home in my own space, it's where I can relax and be myself.

My home is a bit cluttered and worn, but it's warm and cosy and full of people I love.

I wish that I enjoyed house work more as I do think home-making is a wonderful role. I'm happiest when things are tidy and I'm organised but so often that's not the case.

 So I guess I'm hoping this series of posts will inspire me to try a bit harder to keep on top of things and  look at these tasks in a new light. THIS post  by Rhonda that Tina linked to really inspires me (as does Tina's blog )

So here are a few images celebrating time at home. Very ordinary but at the same time  so precious .

At this time of year, especially when the weather is miserable, the sight and scent of spring flowers lift my spirits. They are like a promise of warm weather to come and distract my eye from the outdoor gloom.

 My boys are rather gadget obsessed so it always makes me happy when they try some" old fashioned" play. This was eldest making a model he got for Christmas from his Nanna....she buys great, fun gifts for all her gradnchildren.

 On the 3rd of January we took the Christmas decorations down and I spent most of the day tidying up.  When everything had been packed away I did a little dance around the room, relishing the extra space and tidiness.
 The weather was dark and rainy the next day and it felt lovely to light the fire and stay indoors.

 On Sunday more rainy weather led to a quiet day. I slowed down and enjoyed making a bit more effort with Sunday dinner. Fresh flowers and candles decorated the table as well as my favourite tablecloth.
I'm not the best or keenest cook but I can see that there is a great satisfaction to be gained from preparing a healthy, tasty meal for your family, from scratch.

 Retuning home on this windy but sunny afternoon my porch was bright and cheery. I noticed how nice this old project of mine from 2009 was looking in the corner. I even managed to find a link to the pattern for you lovelies if you are interested it's on Ravelry HERE. This was made shortly after I had rediscovered crochet and had only just discovered blogland.

Getting up in the dark is never easy for me, that feeling of being dragged from a deep sleep by a buzzer going off in what seems like the middle of the night is pretty unpleasant. I'll be so glad when the early  mornings are lighter . When I stumbled into the kitchen, still half asleep,  yesterday morning this sight made me smile....lots of cheerful flowers and my Amaryllis is suddenly shooting up now.

As you can see I've been having fun doing a bit of  editing....I may or may not continue to do this bit ....photos in my other posts will be how they always have been.

At the end of 2014 I hope to have lots posts, all celebrating the little homely things that mean so much.

"Where we love is home - home our feet may leave, but not our hearts" Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Jacquie x

How I make Yorkshire Puddings

Hello Lovelies,

Thank you so much for your comments on my Yorkshire puddings. I took some photos as I made them on Sunday with the idea that I might share a "how-to"  for any of you lovelies who are interested.

I wonder if Yorkshire puddings are a worldwide thing? In case you are wondering about them , they are basically oven cooked batter that is supposed to puff up and be light and fluffy. They are then usually  served as part of a Roast dinner.

For years I bought frozen, ready made ones as my own attempts were so awful. But a couple of years ago, when they had gone up in price again, I decided it was time to master making them from scratch.

My method is an adaptation of Delias version  that gives me the right amount for five of us and reliable results.

I always start my Roast dinner preparation by making the Yorkshire pudding batter as it benefits from chilling a while in the fridge.

First accurately measure out 4 ounces  of Plain Flour into a bowl , I don't bother sifting it. Then add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Next add 2 Large  eggs, medium  will do if that's what you have, mix with a fork

Accurately measure out 4 fluid ounces of milk ( I use semi skimmed ) and add 3 fluid ounces of cold water. I weigh this out rather than using the lines on my jug.

Gradually add this mix to the flour and eggs, mixing with a folk.

Next whisk with a hand whisk to make a smooth batter. I like to  pour the mixture into a jug and whisk it some more, rolling the handle of the whisk between my palms to get some speed.

Your batter should be the consistency of single cream and have lots of little bubbles on the surface like this........

Then pop the jug in the fridge till you are ready for it.........

To get your Yorkshires to rise the fat you use needs to be preheated in a hot oven. In my fan oven 200 degrees Celsius is hot enough, but 210 degrees is even better.

I make individual puddings in  a muffin tin. Sorry about the state of this tin....they do get stained with the hot oil.
At least half an hour before you need them , put a small amount of oil ( I use sunflower oil) or fat into each section, you really don't need much.......

Then fifteen minutes before you need them carefully remove the tin from the oven. Get the batter out of the fridge and give it another quick whisk.

 Pour out the batter, dividing it equally into each section. Then return the tin to the oven ( top shelf) straight away ..........

Mine take fifteen minutes, or slightly longer to cook, but I don't open the oven door before fifteen minutes.......

Don't be disappointed if it takes a few attempts to get great results. But hopefully if you follow these tips you will get light, fluffy Yorkshires first go :0)

Enjoy!

Jacquie x

This Blustery Morning

Hello Lovelies,

it's a "hold on to your hat" sort of day here . The wind is really roaring in the chimney. Leaves are flying through the air and swirling in the street. 

Thankfully I've had to stay indoors to wait for a delivery . It's given me bit of time to slow down and notice the things on my kitchen windowsill......like my Amaryllis beginning to grow.........

And this little twig of amazing blossom. While walking with MrBM on Saturday I noticed a tree in blossom.
It was dark so I thought I may have been mistaken . Sneakily I snapped off this bit, brought it home and popped it into some water............

 It's stunning but I am puzzled. No trees flower in December do they?

This is a more seasonal sight........a stew in my slow cooker. I love preparing one in the morning , then leaving it to do it's thing all day. It will be very welcome when all the family are home from work and school this evening............

 When I when into my chilly conservatory to load the tumble dryer I was horrified to see what looked like a dead squirrel hanging in the tree. It was waving in the wind and I thought it must have got trapped in one of my bird feeders.
Thankfully a zoom shot showed it was not dead or trapped , just doing some acrobatics to access the peanut feeder :0)

Here it is the right way up again .........

 Phew

After my nasty shock I felt the need for a cup of strong tea and a bit of my mum in laws yummy cake.........

I'm working on a Christmas prezzie so I can't tell you too much about these stripes at the moment. They are rather plain but embellishment is planned.........I'm hopeful it will turn out well.........

 All will be revealed after the big day

In the last hour the sun has come out and shown up how badly my windows need cleaning! It's low rays shine right across the room and glitter on my rainbow maker..........

I was  balancing on a chair in the window taking this picture when my goods arrived, I wonder what the delivery man thought?

See you later lovelies, it's time to brave the wind and head to the supermarket.  Thank you for all your sweet comments about my drawing, they are so encouraging.
Jacquie x

Edited to Add thank you to my lovely commentor Helen  who told me about the Winter flowering Cherry.....I need one of these :0)

Super Duper Soup

Hello Lovelies, 

After the mild start to January it's turned very cold here this week. Most definitely soup weather.There is something wonderfully comforting about a bowl of steaming hot soup on a chilly day, don't you think ? 

I've always enjoyed good quality ready made soup , but just lately I've started making some of my own too.

 I've only had Butternut squash soup a couple of times before but I LOVED it and wondered if I would be able to make my own.
 Back in December I spotted some of these unusual looking veg ( or should that be fruit........it contains seeds , so that makes it technically a fruit I think ) on offer in the supermarket. I picked it up , confident that the internet would provide me with a recipe. 

Indeed there were lots , but THIS ONE appealed most , due to it's simplicity and beautiful photography. 

I then proceeded to forget all about my plans till yesterday, when the cold snap reminded me of my soupy desires........

As you may have noticed in the picture above, I'm not afraid to use  old veg. The potatoes were sprouting and the squash had gone past it's  "best before" date .

But the still looked yummy once chopped up, and it really was a super quick, easy soup to make.

It turned out just as tasty as I remembered........ creamy ( though it contains hardly any fat ) and sweet ( though not overly so ) and just, well ....really delicious. The recipe made a big pan full , enough for about six servings. It was a big hit all round..........

Butternut Squash as in season from October to December here, but they may still be in the shops. I'll certainly buy another one , and make more yummy, thrifty soup , if I come across them.

Today, after another lunch of my warming soup, I ventured into our rather chilly conservatory to take the pictures for my owl decoration tutorial. I didn't think it would take so long to get around to this but HOPEFULLY next week will be quieter and I'll be able to complete it for you lovelies.......

Hope you have a super Sunday
Jacquie x