Archive for April, 2009
Easy crocheted bead lariat
Apr
If you can crochet, here is a dead easy lariat that you can make in an hour or less. You can arrange your beads in a random order, or you can have a consistent pattern — say, one of a bead type, followed by two of another, repeated until desired number of beads — depending on the look you want to achieve.
You can experiment with the number of beads and the gap between them — you can easily undo the crocheting and begin again, but always thread on more beads than you think you’ll need, because that is the one thing you can’t add if your lariat comes up short.
Materials
3 or 4ply knitting cotton or 0.5mm rat tail stringing thread amount depends on desired lariat length)
Beads — mixed sizes and finishes in the colour scheme of your choice (the number depends on how close you want the beads to each other and how long you want your lariat to be.
3.50 crochet hook
superglue
Instructions
1. Apply superglue to the first 2cm of the cotton (this forms a ‘needle’ to help you easily thread your beads — be very careful to not get the glue on your fingers. Let the thread dry thoroughly.
2. Thread beads on your thread in the pattern that you desire, being generous with the number of beads — you can always finish your lariat with beads left over, but if you don’t have enough, you’ll have to begin again from this step.
3. Taking your hook and thread and leaving several centimetres from the superglued end, make a slip knot.
4. Pull down the first bead and incorporate it into a single chain. Make four chain and then draw up the next bead and incorporate it into the next chain. Continue in this manner until the lariat reaches the deisred length or you run out of beads.
To finish off, thread the beginning thread back through the first bead and trim flush with where it emerges. At the other end, once you’ve crocheted in your last bead, draw the thread through and pull tight and cut a few centimetres from the bead. Then apply superglue to last centimetre, dry thoroughly and, as was done with the other end of the lariat, thread the tail back through the last bead and trim flush with where it emerges. Dab a small amount of superglue on each knot — a toothpick is good for applying this.
The lariat is very versatile and can be worn singularly or doubled and looped through itself (as in the pic below) for a shorter necklace.
You can also wear a number of complimentary lariats together (different coloured thread and/or different coloured beads) — if you plan to do this, staggering the ends instead on lining them up can be very effective. For a more glam version of this lariat, you could use glittery thread.
Bread-and-butter pudding with caramel sauce
Apr
I had people around for dinner on the weekend and decided that bread-and-butter pudding would be good for dessert.
I went looking for a recipe and, as is my usual practice, ended up combining a few recipes to make one that I was happy with — I hate doing that whole bain marie thing, so I wanted to be able to just cook it in the dish I was going to serve it in.
Here’s what I came up with and it turned out a triumph. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo, so we’ll just have to have it again so I can add a pic to this post. Ah well, a dirty job, but I don;t mind taking a hit for the team.
Ingredients
8 slices of stale bread (you can substitute croissants, brioche or panettone for the bread if preferred, but they are probably a bit too rich if you plan to serve the pudding with the caramel sauce below)
6 large eggs
350ml cream
250ml milk
Dash of vanilla (to taste)
1/3 cup sultanas
Castor sugar (add 1/4 cup of caster sugar to the custard mix for sweetness if you don’t plan to serve the pudding with the caramel sauce)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 195C. Grease a medium-sized baking dish (or line it with baking paper if it’s not a very sturdy dish to avoid it overcooking on the bottom and sides and then grease the paper). Lightly butter the bread slices on both sides.
2. Put eggs, cream, milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Add buttered bread slices to the mixture, pushing them doewn into the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for around 30 minutes until bread has absorbed some of the mixture.
3. Arrange half of the bread slices on the bottom of the dish, tearing slices where necessary to cover the base. sprinkle half of the sultanas over the bread slices, then pour over about one-third of the liquid. Add remaining bread slices in the same manner as before and sprinkle the remaining sultanas, pour over remaining liquid and dust with caster sugar.
4. Cook in the centre of the oven for 30-40 minutes until top is golden brown and the custard is firm. Serve with caramel sauce.
Caramel sauce
Melt 100g of butter in a saucepan. Add 1 1/3 cups of brown sugar and stir constantly until the sugar is melted and the mixture begins to caramelise. Add 1 1/3 cups of cream slowly, stirring constantly over a low heat until the caramel sauce starts to thicken. Decant into a heatproof jug for serving.
Tags: bread and butter pudding, caramel sauce, dessert, pudding
Chicken Paella
Apr
Here’s a great recipe that everyone seems to really like — even kids.
I first came across it in Australian Good Taste magazine in 2007 and you can now find it online here. Since first making it, it has become a family favourite. Like a good curry, it also tastes great the next day. I did change the original recipe a little over a couple of makings, and here is my version.
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika (you can substitute with sweet paprika if preferred)
- 2 tablespoons ground turmeric
- 8 skinless chicken thigh fillets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 250g chorizo sausages, roughly chopped
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed (you can substitute with garlic powder if you want to avoid garlic breath!)
- 1 litre prepared chicken stock
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 400g can diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 3/4 cup corn kernels (optional)
Method
- Combine paprika and tumeric in a bowl. Use spice mixture to cover both sides of the chicken, pressing into chicken with your fingers (see tip below).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a very large, deep heavy-based frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add chorizo, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chorizo is light golden and onion is transparent. Reserve in a bowl until later.
- Add remaining oil to the pan. Cook chicken on both sides until golden. Add 1 cup of stock to the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the lid. Boil gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until almost all liquid has evaporated.
- Add 2 cups of remaining stock, rice, tomatoes to pan. Stir and return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for around 15 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed.
- Add peas, corn (if desired), chorizo and onion mixture and remaining stock. Simmer for 5 minutes or until stock is just absorbed.
A couple of hints
* Wear disposable plastic gloves when coating the chicken, otherwise the tumeric will discolour your nails badly.
* Mix the spices and coat the chicken on a sheet of Glad Go-Between — you can then throw it away when that part of the preparation is finished and it will protect your benchtop from staining from the tumeric.
* You may need to add a little extra water at the end if you find the paella a bit dry or the rice is a bit too crunchy for your liking.
Tags: Chicken, Chicken Paella, Cooking, Paella, Recipes
Fluffy baby bootees
Apr
You’ll see quite a few baby and toddler projects on this blog in the coming months. I have a new grandchild due to make an appearance in August, plus a nine-month-old and a 19-month-old to knit for this winter. I also have a 9-year-old granddaughter who’s bound to want me to whip her up some of the funky knitting projects I’ve been collecting. So, I should be kept pretty busy — think of all those kilojoules I’ll be burning!
I picked up the free pattern for these quick-to-knit cute bootees from Lincraft this week — thank goodness they have re-opened a store in the Sydney CBD (QVB Building, under the Supre store on the corner of Market and George Streets). I’ve been suffering withdrawal symptoms since the Imperial Arcade closed down.
Oh-so-cute and fluffy bootees that take no time to knit.
The bootees only take one ball of Lincraft Flutter yarn, which only costs $1.29 a ball. If you don’t have a Lincraft store nearby, you can download the pattern here and buy the yarn online here. Alternatively, you can substitute Patons Feathers yarn for Flutter.
Make a funky noticeboard
Apr
If you’re looking for a cheap and dead easy way to brighten up your kitchen, study or the kids’ bedrooms, you’ll find directions on how to make a great noticeboard on the Web site of Real Living magazine.
You can pick up a cork noticeboard from your local liquidation store, IKEA, or a department store such as Kmart or Target for just a few dollars and you can use up some of your fabric stash or hunt down some new fabric to co-ordinate with your existing room decor. You could also add your own embellishments such as braid, ribbon, beads, etc. to further personalise your creation.
You’ll also find a similar project on the IKEA Hacker blog, using an IKEA frame – the IKEA Hack blog has heaps of ways to repurpose IKEA furniture. (Via the Life Hacker blog)
Check out the IKEA Hacker blog for cool ways to transform IKEA products.
These two projects have to be just about the the easiest and cheapest way to give your tired old decor a quick pick me up. And the results are only limited by your imagination.
I plan to make a couple myself when I get a chance, so stay tuned.
Tags: decorating, Home decor, noticeboard
African violets . . . yes you can!
Apr
If you’ve been put off having a go at growing African violets because of their reputation for being finicky, it’s time to think again.
My Dad gets harder and harder to buy gifts for each year, but he is a keen gardener, so a couple of years ago, I went in search of something ‘gardeny’ to buy for him. As a semi-regular at the St Ives Heritage Craft Fair in Sydney, one of my favourite stalls is the one from Macquarie Valley Violets, so I bought Dad a violet with all the accessories from Macquarie’s always cheerful stallholder, Gai – who could fail to be cheery when surrounded by masses of gorgeous blooms.
Well, to say the violet was a big hit was an understatement! The next birthday, I bought him a propogation kit from Macquarie Violets, so he could grow his own. Here’s the result, and that’s only the half of it!
Once you start with African violets, it's hard to stop!
Now we’ve all got the bug – three generations of us.
Seriously, though, using the self-watering pots and nutrient mix from Macquarie Valley Violets makes growing African violets a snap – all you need it to keep the water mix up to them and find them a spot that gets plenty of light without direct sun. You can also propagate your own African violet plant as easy as wink – just cut off a leaf from an existing plant, stick it in a pot with African violet potting mix, and care for it as you would for your regular African violets. So, if you have any friends with African violets, why not swap a leaf or two to expand both collections.
Brighten up a room with these gorgeous blooms.
If you want to try your hand at growing African violets, go to the Macquarie Valley Violets Web site and check out the amazing array of varieties on offer. You can place an order via email, snail mail or phone, and you can pay via cheque, money order or credit card (Visa, Bankcard and MasterCard) – no online shopping, I’m afraid. If you are located in Sydney, why not pop into the markets and visit Gai’s stall, or if you happen to find yourself in Bathurst, you can drop into the nursery (see the site for opening hours).
Tags: African violets, Gardening, indoor plants, propagation