Bloglovin - trying to make it available

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I have an account and it says it is set up for anyone that want to follow that way. But I have no idea how to put any kind of gizmo on my blog to allow people to click and follow. If anyone has any link they can direct me to a tutorial??? Would appreciate your help

A patchwork cross pillow

The finished cushion sitting on the couch

with the matching quilt

the back of the cushion

Well after my moan about not finishing things. I am working on the last few details of Jakob's room. The pillow to match his quilt has finally been made up. It sits on the black couch and just gives that part of the room a colour punch. I love doing cross quilts and feel another one coming on.

I am doing more DIY (gasp I know) and upgrading an old set of drawers for the final storage in Jakob's room. Hope to post that finish soon.

If you go to my previous post you can see all the details about how this is made from businessman's shirts which I got at the Op Shop (thrift store)

I link to these place

DIY Genius (or not)

Well I will let you judge this for yourself. I am trying to finish off all sorts of things. I am sick of stuff half finished and hanging around. I get things 3/4's done but not completely. I am driving myself nuts!

But note to anyone who will listen - do not try to become an amazing handy woman when you also have two injured boys, are trying to cook dinner and vacumn and think that you can get some DIY in there too. You can, BUT it might not be great.

I call it modern!!! I was putting on the new door handles for Eli's room which I redecorated last May, yes I did say May. This wardrobe has not had knobs for 1 year and now he has ultra modern knobs.

I link to these places

Scrummy and easy chutney

The chutney roasting in the oven

My sister in law's book

The finished chutney

As I mentioned in my post yesterday I had chutney cooking in the oven while I was working (and blogging - shhh don't tell the boss that I multitask, drat that's right- he reads this!).

Yes I swear to you this chutney is that easy. No standing over a pot for a couple of hours waiting for the chutney to thicken, worried that it will burn. I chopped the ingredients then put them in the oven to roast and then put it all into jars. How easy is that!

Oh and did I mention it is some of the best chutney ever. My husband said it was like a Barkers chutney (now you need to understand that is the highest praise possible from him. Barkers in Geraldine make the closest to homemade tasting of all jams, chutneys, sauces etc).

The recipe I used was based on a book published last year by my sister in law. Deborah Hyde-Bayne. Called Coromadel Flavour. They live in the Coromandel and these recipes are with the seasonal produce from there. This book was three years in the making. Debs has worked hard and it is a beautifully produced book.

Anyway the recipe I used as a basis was the Roasted Feijoa Chutney recipe. I used my blackboy peaches. I altered a lot of the recipe as the peaches are a lot less subtle than feijoas. So I did not use the whole spices that she used but supermarket bought ground spice. The rest of the ingredients were just what I had in the cupboard so there was a bit of substitution. But when it comes to feijoa season I am going to follow the recipe to the hilt. I loved the fact that the recipe was low salt too.

If you want to buy one of her books just click on the link above and it will take you to her site.

My Blackboy Peach recipe - this quantity made three little jars
1.1kg  Blackboy peach flesh
350g   Normal white onion
2         Long medium heat green chillies
360g   Brown sugar
1         Dessertspoon salt
115ml White Vinegar
2         Lemons - juice and zest
2         Teaspoons ground cinnamon
2         Teaspoons ground cardamon

Cut the flesh of the blackboy peaches into about 1.5cm chunks. Chop the onion quite finely. Add all the ingredients together into a smallish sized roasting dish and mix well. I used a high sided non stick slice pan, the mixture looks quite dry. Leave it to sit overnight. This releases heaps of liquid and will fill the dish up.

Roast for 2-3 hours at 180oC (I roasted two hours and it was still really runny, so I fan baked it for 30 minutes. You need to do this until the mixture caramelises (goes thick and brown and sticky)

Spoon into sterilised jars and seal. Debs recipe says to leave a week before use. It was pretty yummy at the time. This was so delicious that I am going to make a batch double this size as it will be good for presents etc.

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Overflowing with Produce

The preserving has begun

The blackboy peaches

Oh my goodness. I cannot cope with all the produce coming from the garden at the moment. The backboy peach has finally ripened - the problem with the peach is that it all ripens at once!! Last year we got 20 buckets full, I think there is more this year. So all my friends who normally come and get some - come please!! Anyone else near Kaiapoi that reads my blog and wants some, just contact me please.

Quince

I have preserved two buckets of peaches already, I have roast peach chutney in the oven as I type - I have adapted a recipe from my sister-in-law's book - Coromadel Flavour. 

I have beans that I have not been able to keep up with - but I just say that this is because they are next years seed (which they are going to be now! they were very prolific and very successful with germination).

The pears are huge and amazing cropping - the branches bending with the weight. Some of them look like they will be over .5kg each! I will weigh it when ripened.

Then onto the quinces - as usual so many on the tree that I have to giveaway as much as possible.

Rhubarb is crazy all year - the boys are happy getting rhubarb crumble for dessert (another way to get more fruit and vege into them). The zuchinni's have been given away for over a month now and still going.

The groaning pear tree

And then in a month it will be Feijoas - I am trying to do bottling or some preserving for an hour a day. The freezer is full. The shelves are groaning and we are still going!

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My Friday

Mieke kept walking around in my shoes. Alex just wanted to chew them!

It was hard getting a good photo - he moves so fast!

Mieke in her outside bed reading

I had a lovely day on Friday - My sister in law did not! I got to look after my niece and nephew (2.5years and 9 months). I dedicated my day to it as I remembered that it is busy with two little ones. I forgot how busy!!! I was running out of steam when my sister in law's good friend Nicki arrived at 3.30pm and helped with dinner, bathing, changing etc.

I had a lovely time. Mieke asked for cuddles heaps during the day and

insisted on wearing party dresses all day! Alex just wanted to be standing up and hanging around me.

We had a lovely time outside, we made a hut, had a picnic (ie lunch) outside in the hut, then Mieke wanted to sit on the hut roof. It all quickly collapsed and became a bed.

While I was swanning around with the kids poor old Jess was having teeth extracted. She got delivered home about 1pm and promptly slept. She looked and sounded very sore. Poor thing.

It was so lovely having a day with them and feeling that I am part of their lives.

Four little dumplings

My four little dumplings

Their bottoms

I was looking at Svetlana's blog the other day and she had used scraps to make a zip pouch. Great am with it so far. But the pattern is different to the normal ones, a lovely rounded top and they open completely. So I decided to give it a bash.

On Saturday my very lovely MIL is having her birthday and we needed a container to put her present in- I keow that this would just be the ticket. I used the scraps from the quilt my MIL made last year.

But of course, as I read people saying "just whipped this up", I think why do one when you can do more. Also I wanted to do a tester before I did the main ones.

The other stitchery waiting to be made into a purse is for my lovely friend Marie. Marie and her husband were there for me over three years when I worked on the isolated Milford Track. When ever I got out (once every 6 weeks) I could just turn up on their doorstep and they would give me a bed and fantastic company. They were amazing. But I am feeling bad as this was meant to be her birthday present last October. So it had to be good!!

So here we are - not one, or two but four little dumplings. No I did NOT "just whip them up". Together they took about 2.5 hours over two nights. But if I had not patched and quilted them then they would have been fast.

Svetlana refered me to the pattern - I followed this as a basic rule of thumb. I did not baste, I did not do the outer and lining seperately (I am always a bit of a slap dash kinda person), but I did use her pattern and her tips on getting things right were just spot on. So go have a look at her blog and pattern here.

The quilt for charity

My other tip - if using older style recycled zips as I have - watch sewing across them. They are metal and break needles!!! (three to be precise).

I also started work on another quilt for the orphanage that I support. These blocks were found at the local Op Shop for $5 - but in all my stash I cannot find material that looks OK with this to continue on. Will have to keep my eye open.

Linking up to these places and especially Amanda Jean's Finish it up Friday