Making Good Use

What's The Recipe Today, Jim?*

Last week P mentioned that there was going to be a 'Book People' book sale in the canteen at his place of work, and asked if there were any books I wanted at the moment. There certainly was - the 'Nigella Express' cook book by Nigella Lawson.  I've very much enjoyed the series on TV, and have really wanted to get my hands on this book.  I never thought they'd have it at the book sale as it is obviously a brand new book and is, presumably, selling very well at the moment.  Lo and behold!, a very pleased-with-himself P arrived home with this.

For the bargain price of £10 (as opposed to the cover price of £25.)  It's just as good as I'd hoped it would be, absolutely jam-packed with gorgeous-looking recipes - and all super quick to cook, my idea of cook book heaven.  And the end-papers are a photo of Nigella's wonderfully well-stocked pantry.  I aspire to have a pantry like hers one day.

I've been a fan of Nigella's recipes for a few years now.  The first book of hers I got was 'How to Cook', and it has given me at least half a dozen recipes that have become firm favourites in our house.

I think you can tell by the dog-eared and slightly messy state of my copy that it is a cook book I use regularly.  Some of my favourites from this book are mushroom risotto, salmon fishcakes, spaghetti carbonara (a wonderfully tasty and quick dish) and, when I've a whole afternoon to dedicate to cooking, gammon in cider.

The other stand-by cook book of mine is this incredibly tatty copy of Rose Elliot's Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.

I've had this book for over 20 years and it shows.  The spine is hanging on by a thread, and the pages are well-thumbed to say the least.  I use this book whenever I want to make a tasty vegetarian soup - the mushroom soup and the beetroot soups are particularly yummy, or whenever I have some exotic or unknown (to me) veggie in the organic box.  I don't think Rose Elliot has ever let me down when it comes to finding a recipe which uses up vegetables in an exciting and tasty way.  It also comes out whenever I want to make an out-of-the-ordinary salad or vegetarian main course.  I think that left to my own devices I would pretty much become vegetarian, and we certainly have at least three or four evening meals which are totally vegetarian anyway.  If anyone is looking for a good all-round vegetarian cook book I can certainly recommend this one as the recipes are fairly simple, easy to follow, and the end results are tasty and nutritious.  It is, without, doubt, my all-time favourite cook book.  I'd love to know what cook books you use time and again.

*For those too young to remember this catchphrase, it came from the Jimmy Young show on Radio 2, as he always featured a daily recipe.

Swings and Roundabouts

Yesterday, for the first time in absolutely ages, I took myself off to Basildon for the morning.  I needed to do some Christmas shopping and thought it was also a good opportunity to check out the charity shops.

When I first moved to Essex three-and-a-half years ago, the charity shops in Basildon were fantastic.  There were loads of them, and a good half were of the real 'glory-hole' variety - piles of stuff all higgledy-piggledy so that you never knew what gems might be lurking.  Now there are probably only half of them still operating, and those that are tend to be of the slightly more neat and tidy kind - with much higher prices to go with it.  There are still two that are always worth a browse around - they are both operated by the local hospice and remain very good value for money.  One of them is situated in the bus station and is always my first port of call when I arrive.  This one is particularly good for books and I was delighted yesterday to find that it was buy-one-get-one-free on books.  I had a really good perusal and picked out fourteen books that I thought might be good for re-selling.  These turned out to be blooming heavy when they were in my bag, and I had to then lug them all around Basildon town centre.  Never mind, I thought, imagining that I could turn a good profit on some of them, it will all be worth it when I get home.  Oh dear, what a let down - only one was of any use whatsoever on Amazon, and one I'd picked up for DN.  A rather nice board book, with really charming illustrations, about a cat whose owner gets a new kitten.

I'm hoping he hasn't already got it, although he is a boy with a very extensive private library.  (S - if you're reading this - let me know if D has it already.)

Anyway, whilst in Basildon, I had to get a few Christmas presents in the Body Shop, and this is where things picked up a bit.  I'd chosen the items I was looking for and when I went to pay, the girl on the till told me that if I spent another £4.00 then I'd get a free gift set.  I duly perused the shelves a bit longer and found just the thing for exactly £4.00. 

 

Now, this is what I call a nice freebie.  There's a very snazzy burgundy satin make-up bag, a small pot of Mandarin body butter (excellent stuff), a small pot of Vitamin E moisture cream, a black mascara, and a bottle of White Musk eau de toilette.  I was really pleased (yes, that's me, very easily pleased!)

Today, to make up for yesterday's disappointing haul, I picked up a very nice little pot in the local charity shop for only 25p.

 

It's sitting on my desk as I type, keeping safe all the various bits and pieces that have been lying around loose on there for ages.

Seek and Ye Shall Find

I went to a very poor Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, it was so bad that I wished I'd stayed in bed instead of walking into town on such a cold and frosty morning.  However, there was one item which made the trip there worthwhile.  Somebody was selling card blanks and I got a pack of 10 very nice quality cream card blanks for £1.25.  This led to a frenzy of embroidery over the weekend which, so far, has resulted in five completed cards.

A brown squirrel, a black cat, and a green (!) rabbit.

Followed by a black terrier and, for a slightly more festive feel, one in red.

The timing of these card blanks couldn't have been better as I'd completely run out of them at the end of last week.  I sought and, indeed, on this occasion, I found.

The North Wind Doth Blow ....

.... and although we probably won't have snow (thank goodness), I am hoping that the keen northerly wind will go some way to drying my washing.

Getting the washing dry becomes something of a military procedure this time of year.  It involves carefully watching the weather forecast to see what day has the best chance of sun and / or wind.  As the days are very short I need to have the washing out on the line by 8.00 am to really stand any chance of getting it dry which means having it all washed and ready to hang out the night before.  Unfortunately, even if the sun is shining, the rotary washing line is located too near the fence to gain any real benefit.  If this was our house I would definitely put in another post for the rotary dryer much further across the garden where it would at least get some sunshine in the depths of winter, but it's not our house so I make do with what we've got.  It also means sliding around on the very wet and muddy grass to hang out the washing.  Luckily I've got an old pair of Birkenstocks which I wear in the garden but they have to be taken off the minute I get back into the house otherwise I'm walking mud and soggy leaves everywhere.  Then there is the draping of damp articles all over the radiators once I've brought the washing in.  This can only be done with things that don't need ironing otherwise they become so crispy it is nigh-on impossible to get the creases out.  Anything that is going to be ironed goes into the ironing basket whilst still damp and is aired once it has been ironed.  As I say, a bit of a military procedure - and all to get the washing dry.  I do sometimes fantasise about a tumble dryer but I don't have room for one in the kitchen in this house, and I'm not sure I would feel comfortable about the vast amounts of electricity a tumble dryer uses - our utility bills are high enough as it is!

I made up P's Christmas card yesterday and I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out.

I invested in some double-sided Sellotape to affix the embroidery to the card and it worked a treat.  This is the last of the card blanks I've got so this morning I bought this very scary-looking craft knife for £1 in the market.

 

I'm going to have a go at cutting up some of the cardstock I've got into postcard size pieces so that I can attach some of the other little embroideries to them.  I think I'll wait until P is home before I start on this project in case a nasty injury occurs!

Quick Fixes

I think I've worked out why I'm enjoying these little vintage embroideries so much - they take very little time to do, look pretty good when finished, and give me a quick craft fix.  I've had a very good run of selling both on Amazon and ebay of late, so much of my time at the moment is taken up with wrapping and packing, and queueing at the Post Office, leaving me very little time to craft.  Both these little embroideries were started and finished yesterday.

P chose this horse head for me to make his Christmas card from - apparently it was the closest thing to a chess piece in any of the transfer books.

The little squirrel was pretty much started and finished whilst watching 'Spooks' on TV - and I still managed to follow the plot!

My Grandfather, the Knitter

My Grandfather was the most wonderfully accomplished knitter, the harder the pattern the more he enjoyed the challenge.  He was particularly adept at knitting incredibly intricate Aran patterns.  As children, my sister and I were always kept beautifully warm with the products of his knitting needles.

He was a naturally talented all-round craftsman, he was a woodwork teacher at a local grammar school and in his spare time also taught at an evening class, managed three allotments, and hand-made many, many Christmas presents.  He could turn his hand to anything involving wood, especially wood turning, he crafted bags and purses from leather, made charming wooden toys, and beautiful foot stools with intricately woven tops.  He had a large shed at the bottom of his garden which was full of all his craft tools and even when I was a child this area was completely out of bounds to prying small hands. 

My Grandfather never enjoyed good health and had a series of very serious heart attacks whilst still only relatively young (about 50, which is not a lot older than I am now!), which meant he had to take early retirement.  He was taught to knit as part of his recovery by some very forward-thinking occupational therapist.  He took to knitting like a duck to water, and seemed to consider it as another craft to be enjoyed.  I certainly never got the impression that he thought it was something only women should do.  The enduring image I have of my Grandfather is of him sitting in his armchair, knitting needles in hand, working on some mind-bogglingly intricate piece of Aran.  He used to knit these not only for our family, but would also take commissions from other people.  I don't think I ever knew him without some knitting on the go. 

He also had a huge knitting machine which took up the entire bay window of the front room.  This was a ferociously complicated beast with sharp needles and an unbelievably heavy dial-like handle which had to be pushed to and fro to make the knitting.  It seemed to take amazing force to push this thing across the stitches, but I found it pure magic to see the knitting unfurl beneath it.  Again, this item was strictly out of bounds for inquisitive little hands.  Disobedient child though I was, I knew never ever ever to touch this behemoth, or else!!

My Grandfather died in the mid-1970s so never got to hear of Kaffe Fasset and his wonderful colour-drenched patterns.  I'm sure he would have been delighted to hear of a male knitter becoming so famous and being such a trend-setter.  I like to think my Grandfather was, in his own way, something of a trend-setter too, he was certainly a very talented knitter.

Why?

Why? is DN's most oft-repeated word.  He's at that age (four) when he wants to know the ins and outs of everything, and pretty much any statement made to him is followed by the word 'why?'  But, fair enough, at four years old you do want to know the answer to pretty much everything so it's quite understandable that he poses this question so often. 

I too often ask myself why?, and I'm a darn sight older than DN.  Why is there always a huge queue at the Post Office no matter what time of the day I go there?  Why are there never enough hours in the day to do everything I want to?  Why in the middle of a particularly cold snap is the forsythia bush deciding to burst into blossom?

On my way to town this morning I also saw a camellia with huge buds just waiting to open.  Weird!!

And, why are these little iron-on embroidery transfers so darn addictive?

These come from the set of iron-on transfer books I picked up in a charity shop as little while ago.  I wasn't sure they would still be good as they date from the 1930s but they work a treat. This is a little terrier picked out in black embroidery.  I've just started on the third little embroidery but can't show the other two as it would spoil certain people's Christmas surprises!

And The Winners Are....

P very kindly drew the names out of his Barbour hat and the two winners of the apple washcloths are -

Heather

and

Samantha of Plump Pudding

Thank you to everyone who took part, it was great fun.

The Sweet Smell of Success

I was quite excited setting out for the Grand Christmas Bazaar this morning wondering what would be on offer and what bargains I could nab.  Oddly enough I had forgotten that this particular Bazaar is really good for nice toiletries and smellies, but I remembered quickly enough when I saw the buzz around the toiletries table.  I was so pleased with the items I managed to get.

There was a large pump-action dispenser of Molton Brown hand cream, a large tube of Aveda body lotion, a bottle of Body Shop bath milk, and a tube of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea body lotion.  I particularly love the smell of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea products as they always remind me of the holiday my sister and I had in New York.  We sprayed ourselves with a sample of the Green Tea scent just before we left the duty free area at Heathrow, and the wonderful fresh fragrance stayed with us all the way across the Atlantic.  Ever since then whenever I smell Green Tea I'm reminded of that great holiday.

I also scored a lot of less upmarket, but equally nice, smellies. 

There seems to be quite a purple / lavender-scented vibe going on with this little lot - it wasn't planned that way, but I do love the smell of lavender.

I also perused the china / bric-a-brac stall which was beautifully, if somewhat precariously, laid out (there were a couple of incidents of falling china and sounds of things breaking later on!!).  I bought a little Peter Rabbit mug in perfect condition.

My sister really likes Peter Rabbit and has a couple of other crockery items with him on.  (S - if you're reading this let me know if you'd like this little mug.)

I picked up a sweet but rather sad-looking little china Scottie dog for myself.

He'll join my collection one day (when it's resurrected from the packing  case in the loft), but for now he's standing on his lonesome on the dining room mantlepiece.

But the piece de resistance was found on top of a pile of children's dolls on the toy table.  Have a look at this little beaut.

It's a large Nick and Nora gnome cosmetic bag.  I could hardly contain myself when I saw it and nearly did a poor OAP an injury whilst trying to grab hold of it.  I'd never heard of Nick and Nora before but after a quick check on the internet I see they are an American company who make all sorts of items in really funky prints.  The little gnomes on this bag are pictured in various countries around the world - America, Holland, Italy, France, Japan etc. and I love the pale blue background too - it's a very Cath Kidston shade of blue (if you know what I mean).

So, all in all, despite the fact that there were no home-made jams or preserves on sale (boo hoo), I had a thoroughly good time at the Bazaar, and have enough nice toiletries to keep me smelling sweet for quite some time to come.

Autumn Spring Clean

For some strange reason yesterday I was gripped by the need to have a good old spring clean in the middle of autumn.  I can't say that it has resulted in a huge difference about the place but a few forgotten items have been resurrected, a few more are ready to be listed on e-bay, and a large carrier bag of unwanted items was donated to the local charity shop this morning.  Whilst I was in the charity shop I made a small purchase - well it would have been rude not to!! - of this rather nice ceramic reindeer tea light holder.

It was still in its original (German) box and carefully wrapped in bubble wrap.  I do like these naive-style Christmas decorations and, for some peculiar reason, am particularly drawn to anything in the shape of a reindeer (there goes my presumed Nordic genes again!!)  Last Christmas they had Santa's sleigh being pulled by live reindeer in the High Street and as I had never seen a real reindeer I went along to have a look - I was really surprised, they are so small.  I was expecting something the size of a cow, and these were more the size of a large Shetland pony, well - perhaps a bit bigger but certainly not as big as I was expecting.

I also added a back and lightly stuffed the other Matryoshka applique

so that I've got a pair of simple softies to go with my Christmas decorations.