this weekend...

A rather nice weekend here...after being very windy all day yesterday ..we had a nice warm sunny day today....

Yesterday we had breakfast with my friend Jo...and E made a toast face for me...I had been telling her to spread out the jam and she then explained what it was! Mum came over in the afternoon so I could sleep.

I made a pair of Bitty Booties from Heather Bailey's blog for Imogen who visited yesterday... and a bib but have not photographed that yet...both very easy so I will make some more...

Today I stared working on E's curtains again....I have nearly completed one drop...had to applique on 9 butterflies and now I'm constructing it..then two more drops to go...I have procrastinated so badly on these!

Then we went to a birthday party for one of E's friends from our mum's group... note E is wearing the skirt I made last weekend!

And I made the EASIEST pasta for tea and it was DELICIOUS...if you like tomatoes that is! From Mirror Mirror blog....and a good pic there too...here is her recipe....

Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes
Set the water boiling for some long thin pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine.
Take a punnet of sweet, very ripe cherry tomatoes - thin-skinned ones work best - and cut each one in half (a serrated knife is always best for tomatoes, I sometimes use the bread knife). That's the most work you'll have to do.
Put the pasta on to cook before you start the sauce (yes, it's that quick).
Take a large frying pan and heat up a generous splosh (about 1tbsp) of good olive oil. Peel a clove of garlic, halve it and fry it in the hot oil until it turns golden brown. Remove the clove of garlic. If you have garlic-infused oil use that instead and skip this step.
Get the flavoured oil really hot on the highest heat and add the halved tomatoes. Take care as they will sizzle and spit at this stage. Keep frying them on a high heat until they collapse and melt down into sauce, prodding with a wooden spoon helps. Stir occasionally to stop them sticking. Season with salt, pepper and half a teaspoon of granulated sugar unless the tomatoes are very sweet. If they've turned into a sauce before the pasta is ready keep cooking the sauce over a gently heat to keep it warm but don't overcook. If you're feeling fancy stir in a handful of chopped Italian parsley at the end and give it time to wilt.
When the pasta is ready stir it into the fried tomatoes adding a tablespoon of the pasta cooking water. Add another generous slug of olive oil (not garlic oil this time).
And that's it. It doesn't need cheese and you really mustn't remove the skins. They're the best bit.

So a good weekend really though I am still tired and grumpy! Have a good week - Lissy

recipes....and art work...

Quiet day around here....swimming this morning then the rest of the day at home...nice warm day about 28'C so have been out side in the garden a bit with E and Missy...that's the dog...

Not much else to share but a few of E's drawings....these are all very small..the biggest being Humpty Dumpty who is 10 cm tall...the mouse is only about 1 cm! I love her little pictures that I keep finding everywhere....not bad for an almost four year old...
And some recipes that I have tried lately and have been good ones! The first two are Donna Hay recipes from the Sunday Times...the cake was off a blog which I forgot to note down sorry ....

Garlic and Chilli Chicken Couscous

Serves 2

note - I left out the chilli, used other vegies as did not have zucchini on hand and used chicken thighs not breasts and bacon instead of pancetta...still turned out yummy...

1/4 c lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 ts chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ts caster sugar
salt & pepper
2 zucchini sliced
2 x 200g chicken breast trimmed
8 slices pancetta
1 cup cooked couscous
1/2 c flat leaf parsley leaves

Place lemon juice, oil, chilli, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper in a bowl and combine well
Place zucchini, chicken and half the chilli mix in another bowl, toss to coat and leave to marinate for 10 minutes
Heat pan, add pancetta and cook 1 minute each side, set aside
Add zucchini and cook 2 -3 minutes each side, set aside
Add the chicken and cook 4 - 5 minutes each side or until cooked through
Place the pancetta, zucchini, couscous and parsley in a bowl and stir to combine
Slice chicken and arrange couscous on plate
Spoon over remaining chilli mixture

Asparagus and Mint Pasta

Serves 4

note - I cooked some chicken marinated as in above recipe and added that too which was very nice....

12 slices of pancetta or bacon
2 ts olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
2 TB lemon juice
! 1/2 cups single cream
16 spears of asparagus
1 cup frozen peas
400g spaghetti
salt & pepper
shaved parmesan to serve

In a preheated hot grill, cook pancetta for 2-3 minutes until crispy and set aside
Heat frying pan over medium heat, add oil and garlic and cook for 1 minute, add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute, add the cream and cook for 1 minute
Add the asparagus and peas and cook for about 2 minutes until tender and the cream is thickened, set aside
Cook pasta in large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 -12 minutes
Drain and return to saucepan, add cream mixture and some salt and pepper, toss to combine
Serve with Parmesan

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

note - this is nice and chocolately, it is rather large also...it keeps well...if not eaten first! I used a chocolate butter cream frosting to decorate it and join the layers

Makes 2 eight- inch square or 3 eight inch round layers

unsalted butter for pans
1 1 /2 c cocoa plus extra for pans
3 cups plain flour
3 cups sugar
1 TB baking soda
1 1/2 ts baking powder
1 1/2 ts salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 c buttermilk
3/4 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 ts vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F, butter pans and line bottoms with baking paper, butter the paper and then dust with cocoa
Into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt
With the mixer on low stir in the eggs, warm water, butter milk, vegetable oil and vanilla until smooth...about 3 minutes
Divide batter into prepared pans and bake, rotating once. Test with a skewer or cake tester inserted in centre until it comes out clean....about 35 - 45 minutes
Let cakes cool on wire racks for 20 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

note - I just added icing sugar until I got the right consistency

enough for 1 three layer cake

1/4 c butter
1/4 c plus 2 TB cocoa
1/4 c plus 3 TB warm milk
1 ts vanilla
1 pkg (16 oz)icing sugar

Cream butter, add cocoa, mixing well
Slowly beat in icing sugar, adding warm milk as necessary
Stir in vanilla
Spread immediately

OK so that is it from me - Lissy