Granny Rug

If only there was a one handed craft I could do while sitting on the couch feeding the little man I'd have plenty of self made craft to show you. In the mean time I have a few gorgeous handmades to show you from friends and family, like this crocheted woolen baby rug made by my Granny.

Mx

I'm so crafty!

I'm so crafty I made a baby!* I may not make as much craft as I'd like, or finish projects in a timely fashion, but here is a little project I've been working on, that was actually delivered ahead of schedule.

Little Charlie arrived nine days early on Tuesday morning. We had a quick 4 hour labour and birthed in the pool in our lounge room.

I'm still in awe of how perfect he is, and how lucky we are. Thank you Universe!

* I don't know who first said this but I think it is hilarious and I love it

Mx

Baking in the Nude

and why it isn't a good idea...

I took a sour dough baking class the other weekend with the Queen of Sourdough Yoke Mardewi. Great class, Yoke's sample breads were delicious (as were the jams), and the pizzas we had for lunch made from sour dough bases were seriously good.

We made our own dough in class to bake at home. So I'm having a shower and the oven is preheating and I remembered that the grill tray from the previous evening is still in the oven with the sausage fat from Husby's dinner.

Of course a vegetarian baker does not want her sour dough tainted with sausage fat smoke. I acted with haste and didn't get dressed before removing the offending tray... pulling it straight out of the oven, onto my belly that sticks out far more than I'm used to allowing for.

Let that be a lesson, only bake in the nude if you aren't also baking delicious baby rolls in your own oven. Ooh baby schell, we are really getting excited to meet you soon.

Mx

I also advice getting your tongue pierced instead of your belly button, it heals much better once you grow out of it.

Posh Cake

Father's Day usually means baking my Dad's favourite cake if I'm organized, and this year I was. It normally looks a little fancier with thin curls of orange zest on top but I don't know where my zester is - might be time to buy a new one methinks.

The recipe calls it Posh Cake, I don't know its origins except that the recipe came to me through my old sister in law (it was fun being married into a family of foodies).

You could be boring and just call this an Orange Poppy Seed Syrup Cake, but that takes a lot longer and doesn't sound as mysterious. This cake is delicious, moist and perfect with cream. And, it is so easy to make you can trick people into believing you have baking skills.

Posh Cake

* 1 cup of butter (240g)
* 1 cup of sugar
* 3 egg yolks
* 1 cup of sour cream
* grated rind of one orange and 1 lemon
* 1 + 3/4 cups self raising flour
* 3 egg whites (beat until peaks form)
* 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

cream butter and sugar
add egg yolks, sour cream and rind - beat until light and fluffy
add sifted flour and fold in the egg whites, then add poppy seeds
put into foil lined cake tin and bake at 160 C for 1 hour or until cooked through
remove from tin and place cake carefully onto a large plate with a rim

Orange Syrup

* grated rind of 2 oranges
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* juice of one lemon and 2 oranges

boil syrup for 3 minutes
pour hot syrup over cake
serve with cream

Love you Dad
Mx