Fudge handbags

A snippet from our craft group last week - We were lucky enough to have a cake decorating demonstration here last night. Or in this case a fudge decorating lesson. My good friend Trisha kindly came along and taught us all how to make these gorgeous little fudge hand bags. The basic shape was cut out of fudge and then covered with fondant and decorated to our own creative designs.

Aren't they lovely? We have some very creative talent in our little group. Wouldn't these be perfect gifts for the tweens in our lives?

So many cool christmas gift ideas, so little time......

More gift ideas will be coming your way this week, i have been very busy!

Christmas decoration swap

I just wanted to share what i was up to today. I'm working on something a little different to my usual at the moment for my christmas ornament swap with Christina Lowry designs.

I'm really enjoying working with colours and styles i wouldn't usually and i'm very proud of how it's turning out. I hope the recipient enjoys it too!

Quick chicken pie for low energy days

Low energy weeks call for low energy meals and this is one of my favorites. Quick chicken pie is a great way to use up leftovers, quick to throw together, kid friendly and can be a meal in one.

Quick chicken pie

Pre-made savoury short pastry (mine was even pre-rolled which made it super fast.)

approx 2C shredded cooked chicken

250g tub sour cream

2 Tablespoon wholegrain mustard

1 teaspoon dried herbs (thyme, sage or tarragon are all delicious)

1 C cooked veges - carrots, pumpkin, kumara, beans, anything you have really.

1/2 onion, chopped finely

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180C

Grease a pie dish and line it with the pastry.

In a bowl mix together all remaining ingredients.

Pour into pastry lined dish.

Top with pastry as desired, i usually do but ran out of pastry that night.

Heat in oven until pastry is cooked - about 25-30mins.

Eat on it's on or with a fresh salad.

It's also a nice comforting meal for when the weather is a bit cold and you need a bit of nourishing. 

I hope you'll give this one a go i'm sure it will become a firm family favorite.

xxx

quietening

I am laying low here at the moment with little baking or sewing to mention. Just a few more cm on my knitting to keep me going. This year has been the sickest one i can remember with bugs in the house every few weeks since before i can recall. Everything just feels a little worn out, a little harder, a little more tiring. I always thought i had the immune system of a horse being a nurse for a number of years. I always dodged the bugs.
But the first year of my little man's life has proven tough on the immune system for him as well as me. Leaving us all a little run down and tired.
The last few weeks i've felt the need not to craft or cook too much and rest a little more. It seems the right thing for the moment.
So while the body rests, the mind plans - christmas puddings, decorations, new quilts and maybe some hand sewn pieces this summer.  I'll be back soon when a little of the regular energy returns.

xxx

Sibyl's biscuit tin - Bara brith

Bara brith is a traditional welsh fruit loaf and although you may not recognise the name you may well know the loa if you try it. It's a heavy fruit loaf made with dried fruit soaked overnight in strong tea. I have fond memories of my grandmother making a very similar recipe.

 I tried this recipe here and found it had a delicious favour, especially warm with a spread of butter. It was a surprisingly thick dough and i had to mix it by hand before putting in the loaf tin. Also i wouldn't cook it for so long next time as it came out a bit dry. I'd start checking it at about 1 1/4 hrs.

Hope everyone is having a great week, i'm off to start my christmas preparations.

xxx

New addition

The newest addition to the family sleeps all the time, eats nothing and sits around looking adorable or slightly creepy depending on the angle.

Polly the possum hand puppet! Very craft geek i know, and i just love it. Can't wait to see my little one's reaction to it in the morning. A big thanks to my hand model for the improvised 'action' shots, must get all the personalities of Polly. Now what to make next..... Off to find a new project.

Sibyl's biscuit tin - chocolate eclairs

You know for many years i thought i hated chocolate eclairs. That firm texture that made them seem a bit stale with tasteless chocolate icing. Then a couple of years ago i realised the truth, i hate supermarket chocolate eclairs. My oldest sister is a fantastic baker and they are one of her specialties and a couple of years ago i gave one a try. My oh my had i been missing out on something! They are amazing, especially with an extra icing and the cream scraped out. I can almost hear your collective gasp, scrape the cream out! Yeh i'm just not a cream person and tend to scrape it off many things. Weird i know.

Anyway since my sister was recently here for a visit i begged a choux pastry lesson from the expert. Turns out it is pretty simple.

Chocolate eclairs

Choux pastry

45g butter

90g flour

3/4 C hot water

2 eggs

Put the water and butter into a pot and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir quickly until well mixed and leave to cool. Add the beaten eggs one at a time beating well after each addition until the mixture is shiny.

Place spoonfuls onto a greased tray.Bake in a hot oven for 20 mins then poke a small hole with something like a knitting needle in each eclair to let the steam escape.

Then return to the oven for another 10 mins.

When cool ice with chocolate icing and fill with cream. 

I find these are better eaten on the first day you make them.

Done! Dessert time.

Melting together the butter and water  

A rolling boil.

 mix in all the flour and stir until it clumps together

 Adding in the beaten eggs, resulting in a glossy colour.

Whoops missed a picture here, but i placed spoonfuls on a tray and cooked them. 

The finished product

Don't they look amazing? They tasted amazing too.

Give this one a go for your next party and you will be very popular.

Take care people

xxx