A for apples, B for books, C for crochet

Made this yummy apple cake/slice the other day...

 

I changed the original recipe a bit, so here is my version (with notes)...

 

Easy Apple Cake

 

 

175g (6oz) self-raising flour

175g (6oz) melted butter

175g (6oz) castor sugar

3 beaten eggs

2 peeled and chopped apples

1 tsp cinnamon

grated rind 1 lemon

60g (2oz) sultanas

　

Add melted butter to flour and sugar. Add eggs gradually and beat well. Stir in apples, cinnamon, lemon rind and sultanas.

Bake at 180'C for 40 minutes or until cooked.

Dust with icing sugar to serve.

　

My notes: I replaced some of the flour with almond and hazelnut meal, and some of the castor sugar with brown sugar.

I also replaced some of the cinnamon with mixed spice and cardamom, and some of the sultanas with currants.

Enjoy!

 

Recently finished reading another two by Anne Lamott...

 I can so relate to her writings!

And this one from the library...

Beautiful book!

 

Picked up these from the library yesterday...

where to start??

 

 

 The blanket is finished...

And remember these strips I was knitting?

They now look like this...

 I know...I know...  You'd think I had nothing better to do!!!

But I'm just not in knitting mode...

So they are now starting to look like this :))

 

 

Joining Ginny at Yarn Along!

 

xx

 

 

 

Hoofing it

Some shots of my early morning walk around the river a few days ago...

 Mist through the trees

 mist on the river

 over the spillway the river is quite low at the moment as we need rain

 halfway through my walk the mist had cleared

 this is one of at least three platypus in the river

 and a family of native hens

And back home...

 picked my first roses from the garden...they smell divine!

 finished another Anne Lamott book from the library...good...as always!

(that's the last charity blanket I was working on finishing in my last post)

and here it is ...finished!

so now working on sewing together this blanket for myself that I started many moons ago, and dipping into these gardening books from off my bookshelves

Had Jenny and David from Mission Without Borders come to speak at my church on Sunday, and tell us about the work the organisation is doing in Eastern Europe...

 these are some of the blankets and other items the knitting group has been working on over the last few months, finally finished, and heading off with Jenny to eventually make their way to Eastern Europe

And I thought you might like a peak inside my church...it looks better with people in it :))

 from the front to the back...getting set up for the morning service

and from the back to the front..that's Jenny from MWB getting organised :))

 

 

That's it from me :))

 

Have a good week!!

 

xx

PS - almost forgot...linking in with Ginny for Yarn Along!!

Patches

Still working my way around the blanket squares with 2 rows of green/blue yarn...

 (10 squares done...10 to go)

Just finished Bird by Bird.  Really enjoyed it!  Have read a few of Anne Lamott's books,  but I think this was the best...

Started  The Future of God by Deepak Chopra (from the library).  Will see how it goes...




And here are some patches in my garden...

herbs (mostly mints) and roses

 up the garden path - succulents and apple trees along the side fence

and a little fuchsia (which I thought had died but it was just tricking me) under the first apple tree

 

 

more herbs - oregano and catmint,  (daphne) and wormwood at the back.  The irises came up by themselves (clever irises!!)

 

 

 beautiful beginnings! lettuce and rocket

mint and parsley - in one of the raised beds

along the back fence - roses, curry plant and (more) daphne

 

The roses, daphne and apple trees were here, and as I am only renting...they must stay.  But I've filled in some of the gaps with herbs.  Have I mentioned that I love herbs!!!

 

Looking at doing something herby (perhaps a table at the local Farmer's Market) next year when I get into my own place, the plans for which have been approved by council,  so hopefully building can start soon :))

 

Have started taking cutting and potting up...

 

And reading up on herb info in my various books...

 

Also looking at possibly doing a herb course next year...

 

 

Will leave you with a final quote from Bird by Bird, on trying to find some elusive sense of serenity(p221)

 

"The world can't give that serenity,"  he said. "The world can't give us peace.  We can only find it in our hearts."

 

"I hate that,"  I said.

 

"I know.  But the good news is that by the same token, the world can't take it way."

 

xx

 

Oh...and...  linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along!

 

 

For hands and minds...

Keeping the hands busy...

(Have these two blankets sewn together)

Now have these crocheted squares to make into a blanket...

 

But have decided to do 2 rows around each square of this variegated green/blue yarn I had...

 (will make the blanket that bit bigger)

 

These will all go to Mission Without Borders who will be coming to speak at my church 1st November.

 

Keeping the mind busy...

 

Picked up this interesting little book at the library Out On A Limb by Jennie Beal Counts.  Helped me realise that most times our passions and desires are not opposed to God's plans for us!!

 

And am half way through Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (love the way she writes!!).  Don't think I'll ever be a writer of fiction, but it is interesting to read about the process writer's go through...with some glimpses into life (and all its humour) along the way :))

 

And then hope to start Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. 

 

Not into fiction at the moment.  Seem to be in need of books to stimulate my mind!  Don't know if it's working :)))

Picked up this little book (Who Moved My Cheese?) from the library yesterday (after being recommended by my friend Debbie) and read it in about an hour...

I am a person who doesn't like (or handle well) change.  I do get there in the end...but it takes me awhile :)

This is the summary page of the points in the book (but read the whole thing if you can...it's a sweet little story)...

I have no problems up to point 3, but that's when things start to get tricky and I slow down...

Points 4 and 5 can take me years to work through (not always...but sometimes...)...

Points 6 and 7??  Still working on those...  I have trouble with the 'enjoy'  word...  :)))


And to finish on...

Read these in Bird by Bird...

"Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right.  Just Dance". (p112)

and this...

"I get up.  I walk.  I fall down.  Meanwhile, I keep dancing". (p130)

Good thoughts to live by wouldn't you say??

 

xx

 

PS - linking this post with Ginny for Yarn Along!

 

And...all is growing well, so... I've removed The Bucket :)))

Bucket Head

Had my hair cut recently.  It's very short!!  So until it grows a bit...


I'm wearing a bucket on my head...

I remove the bucket in the privacy of my own home :))

And while I'm waiting...

I found my English piecing flowers I'd been working on...how many years ago??

 

We did a fabric swap on a snail mail group I'm part of and this was what I decided to do with my pieces of fabric from each of the ladies.

 

Maybe I should finish them...

 

 Maybe...

And using up yarn scraps to crochet granny squares...

And almost finished the highly recommended Quiet. Will then start Bird by Bird...

 

If you'd like to see what others are crafting and reading, go to Ginny's Yarn Along blog 

 

xx

 

 

Icelandic Dark Rye Bread (Dökkt Rúgbrauð)

Made this bread yesterday...

Here's the recipe...

(if you click on recipe it should enlarge it enough for you to read)

Couldn't get dark rye flour so just used regular (un-dark??) but when cooked it turned out quite dark in colour anyway. 

 

 Didn't have butter milk so substituted 2 cups milk and 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice as suggested on THIS site. 

 Interesting that it says..." When baking soda is combined with the lactic acids of buttermilk, the acid neutralizes the metallic taste of sodium carbonate."

The 200' is Fahrenheit!  I cooked at about 100' Celsius.

 

The bread is really good!!!

 

The recipe is printed HERE (if you can't read it from the copy above).

 

And you can read the full article the recipe is from HERE.

 

Njóta!

 

xx

Good to look at...and good to eat!!

This is the good to look at part...

Signs of spring here in Deloraine!!

 

Beautiful spring weather...except that the north easterly winds play havoc with my migraines :(((

And this is the good to eat part...

Made this Goats' Cheese and Roasted Veg Portobello Mushrooms bake.  It was delicious (and nutritious!!)

(yummo!!)

(served with toasted sourdough and lashings of butter...maybe not so healthy !?!)

I used sweet potato instead of the butternut pumpkin, and added some cumin. Didn't have black onion seed, but used freshly ground peppercorns and sea salt.

Also a sprinkling of fresh herbs from the garden (parsley, lemon thyme, rosemary), and didn't cook the goats' cheese, but added on serving.  I will certainly make it again!

Here's the recipe!

(hope you can read it...saved me typing it out!)

 

 

Home made chicken soup for lunch today :))

 

xx