sixteen | hot cross buns

Hot cross buns, hot cross buns...

...one-a-penny, two-a-penny...

...hot cross buns.

From this Nigella Lawson recipe. They were not a complete success, but not a failure either. I've been having a lot of trouble with yeast-based breads. The dough just doesn't rise like it's supposed to. I've been advised to try mixing the dry yeast with a little warm water and sugar and letting it sit for 10 minutes before mixing it with the flour. I'm definitely going to give that a try next time!

Happy Easter! We had a yummy and relaxing lunch with friends... but I am very jealous of everyone at home and their day off tomorrow!

fifteen

Quick Saturday salad:
3 tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
A bunch of asparagus, blanched and chopped into 1 inch segments
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (we like a lot of garlic, reduce as desired!)
A handful of basil, torn
A small handful coarsely grated parmesan
Salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil

Delicious with a slice or three of bread!

fifteen | La Courtepointe Provençale

About a year ago, I started on a quilt that was to be a present for a wonderful couple, Redmond and Cora, whose wedding took place in a magical château in Bordeaux last June. I posted about the pattern (Marquee, from this book) and my progress a couple of times.

I even managed to finish quilting it sometime last year. But, for the past 6 months or so it has languished in a corner, awaiting the tedious process that is hand-sewing the binding.

Well, finally, I managed to spend a slightly hungover Saturday on the sofa, and I finished it!

And just in time too - Redmond visited us and picked it up last week, just after I managed to run it through the wash ad get a quick couple of snaps of it!


It's called La Courtepointe (French for quilt, of course) Provençale, because the bright colors strike me as a little French... R&C did get married in Bordeaux, but I'm taking a little artistic license here!

I am delighted with how it turned out, and must try another quilt with this pattern soon. I also have a pile of left-overs that I am determined to turn into cushions for our new sofa. Hopefully in less than one year. Yay!

fourteen | Bircher Muesli

Our new favorite thing to eat for breakfast at the weekend is bircher muesli. Now, there seem to be many recipes for bircher muesli out there on the internets, but what I've been making is based on what we had in the house of a Swiss friend... and seeing as it is a Swiss thing, I'm going to go with stick with her version (or at least, my bastardised version of it)! I think the main difference is that all the versions I have read include soaked oats, but I just include some toasted dry ones.

I never really measure things properly, and this is certainly something that can be pulled together without much regard for measurement. Basically, to make enough for two people, coarsely grate one large apple (I've been using Fuji apples), and squeeze half a lemon over the gratings.

Toast about a handful of slivered (thinly sliced) almonds and a handful of porridge oats. Mix a teaspoonful of honey and about four heaping tablespoons of yogurt (I've been using Fage 2% Greek yogurt) together with the apple and lemon and add the toasted nuts and almonds.

You can also mix in any other fresh fruit that takes your fancy like strawberries, banana, blueberries and so on... I've been adding segments of clementine.

Yum!

thirteen | jars

I have a *thing* for jars. I can't throw one out. It must be washed and placed on the window sill to gather dust until its as-yet-to-be-determined use is determined. I blame my mum... I always remember the cupboards in our back room being full of jars of all shapes and sizes. It is an environmentally friendly habit though, and they do come in useful...

And the King of jars? These babies, which arrived in the post the other day.

I'm in love!

twelve

A new ironing board cover!

One of the easiest things I've made! I followed this tutorial, and was very frugal/resourceful in using up some cotton fleece that was left over from the back of Erika's quilt, as well as odds and ends of batting as padding. Now if only having a nice cover could make me actually enjoy ironing!

eleven

More macro fun...I'm still getting used to the lens and having a bit of trouble getting the pics to come out exactly as I want, but a lovely new tripod arrived in the post on Friday so that's helping. I call this game "I like it. What is it?" after a very cool poster I spotted on wisecraft the other day...

Every day I promise myself I'll make more time to blog, but every day time seems to vanish... and especially today - the hour went back but I didn't realise until 10pm. Now I really feel like I've lost an hour!

ten

My first snowflake, taken in Snowbird, Utah, with my shiny new macro lens. Very happy, even though the lack of a tripod meant the shot isn't crystal clear. Oh, the fun I'll have with this lens!

nine

Wish I could dance like that!

eight

News of the surprise release of a new album by Radiohead made Monday the best Valentine's Day ever! So very, very excited!

seven | not quite

Not bad, but not great. My first attempt at something like these works of art... My big mistake was using a sticky icing/frosting - of course, when I tried to remove the template, it was stuck to the icing, so the sugar ended up all messy and smudged.

I used the chocolate cake recipe from this book. It called for 8 inch cake tins. I only had 9 inch tins, and of course, the cake ended up too dry. Ah well, live and learn.

six | Groundhog Day

Last night we enjoyed our fourth opera (of five) at the Met - a priceless wedding gift from Simon's uncle and aunt. How lucky are we?! The opera was Simon Boccanegra, and it was really fantastic, particularly the sets, which featured some superbly realistic lighting effects. I have to admit to being very uneducated with regard to opera before we were treated to our season passes, but with each one, my appreciation is growing in a way I would never have anticipated.

This morning we awoke to an ice storm. I have never seen one of those before - it was exciting enough to get me out of bed to take a picture... only of our fire escape though, I didn't brave it outdoors! The temperature rose significantly during the day, so when I went for a run this evening, I was constantly pelted with shards of ice falling from the trees. We're really getting put through the gamut of winter weather here this year.. I'm finding it very hard to believe Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck's predictions of an early spring!

Tonight I made a cake for a birthday celebration... I hope I can get a picture of it tomorrow before it disappears!

five

Another week just disappeared into the ether. It felt like the longest week, though there was little time for anything other than work. Progress on all my resolutions has been slow, but I did go for a 9-mile run today, which felt great. Now if I could only drag myself out of bed early enough to go during the week too! And though I haven't been taking many photographs, I'm convinced that I can eventually develop a habit, I just need a little more practice.

four | jack + jill

I wonder if the whiskey had anything to do with that "fall."

Tonight I'm enjoying a glass of 15-year-old Redbreast in one of our favourite nursery rhyme glasses (a little inappropriate, perhaps?), while catching up on John Stewart and trying to finish Nana's shawl (which I still haven't added to Ravelry, d'oh!).

three | waiting

My needles are waiting to be put to use, and I'm waiting for this damned head cold to clear and take the cobwebs of my holiday-brain with it!

two | pants!

Of all the Christmas crafting projects I tried this year, I think the Christmas pyjama pants were the biggest success.

I used Anna Maria Horner's Quick Change Trousers pattern from her Handmade Beginnings book. The pattern and instructions were very straightforward and they were a joy to make. I made four pairs in the 6-9 months size and one in the 18-24 months size. I used Alexander Henry's Yuletide Zoo in natural and green, and they were really perfect for the pattern - the pants are completely reversible, so I used one colorway for the outer side and the other for the reverse side (apart from the larger pair for which I used a solid, Kona cotton in grass, I believe). The turned-up leg openings allow you to see both sides, which worked really well!

Unfortunately, I think that due to the unprecedented weather conditions in Ireland, some of the pairs did not make it to their destinations before Christmas... No matter, I'm sure they will be kept for the next child or passed along.

There was at least one happy recipient though!

one

A habit, even one as ill-formed as mine, once broken even for a few days takes a long time to re-establish. Is it a cliché to say that "blogging more" is a new year's resolution? Ah well, I can only try.

So what of 2010? There are so many aspects of the year's end that I want to remember... the last-minute crafts and presents, the time spent running around Ireland to spend time with friends and family. But something I'll never forget is the weather. Ireland experienced the coldest December on record, and during the week preceding Christmas day, it seemed that the temperature never rose above 0 Celsius. There was travel chaos for many - we were lucky we had taken early holidays and made it home before the craziness began. The snow and ice made for some amazing photographs though - with everything appearing frozen solid, and a steaming-warm sea (so (relatively) warm that I even could take a dip on Christmas Day!).

The windscreen, early in the morning.

Barnesmore and Donegal Bay.

Benbulben.

A hungry robin. My mum kept the birds well-fed!

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Assaroe Lake, frozen (almost) solid.

Béal Átha Seanaidh.

A very cold Rory Gallagher.

A steamy sea, Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day Dip!