Comfort Food.....

I am feeling poorly, and when I feel poorly and a little under the weather I want some comfort food, not the average comfort food, like stew, soup or mashed potato, toast and tea! When I am poorly I want 3 things and 3 things only! Three very odd things but they work for me! They are my Poorly Comfort Food!

 

Number 1 -  My mom used to give me Gem Squash when I was little, scrapped out of the shell with lashings of butter and salt, I LOVED it! I still do!(as a matter of fact I don't need to be feeling ill to eat this)

Number 2 - Granola and Milk, however it must be a small amount of granola but a LARGE amount of milk! Like a half a litre and loaded with sugar!

Number 3 - A Savoury Tart thing that my mom used to make!  This is my favourite and what today's post is all about !

 

For a few days now I have been fighting off a head cold (grrr - nothing worst) alas yesterday I lost the war and I woke up feeling like death! I was feeling lousy, my nose was all bunged up and wanted nothing more than to curl up under the duvet and sleep! Little Madame had other plans however...... After much explaining she agreed that home was the best place for us, by home I mean the couch! So we settled down to a day of TV watching( not the norm - but sometimes a mom has to do what a mom has to do...) Around lunch time, I was asked "what's for lunch mama?" Savoury Tart popped into my head. So I dragged myself to the kitchen and got out my trusty old recipe book! 

 

 

My 30 year old Recipe Book

The best thing about this savoury tart is that you can make it in the pie dish that you bake it in! I plonk all the ingredients into the dish stir it up and pop it into the oven! EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEASY! Just what you need when you feel horrible! Something really simple!  

 

The ingredients are equally easy, the only thing you might not have in your grocery cupboard is a tin of canned meat/ Bully Beef, however I ALWAYS keep a can in my grocery cupboard, for me it is a basic along with caned tomato's and pasta!

Loved These As A Child !

I have no idea where my mom got this recipe from, and in our house it was not just reserved for when we were sick, we also had it on a Sunday night, with a big fresh green salad, and best of all it is AWESOMELY delicious the next day - in a fat  chunk straight out of the fridge! My brother and I also knew that when we opened our lunch box and school the next day - a chunk of tart would be waiting for us!

Of course you now want the recipe...... So here it is

Avril's Crust less Savoury Tart

1 tin of Canned Meat/Bully Beef
125g Grated Cheese
1 Cup Milk
2 Eggs
1 Tbs Chopped Onion
1/2 tsp mustard(I used what ever mustard I have)
1 tsp Dried Parsley
1 Tbs Flour

Mix everything together in a oven proof dish and bake at 175degrees Celsius until golden brown

APPLY TO MOUTH!( a very sick one , in this case)

Mix It In The Oven Dish

Golden Brown and Piping Hot!

Not even an hour later I was back on the couch under my crochet blanket, feeding my cold, with piping hot tart! Did it take away my head cold? Not really! Did it make me better? Not really! But it did make my tummy feel full and warm.....And isn't that what Comfort Food is all about..........xxx

Comfort Food!

Granny Shawl..... Never!

I have been know to be very focused when I get a new idea in my little head! And yes I can just imagine those of you that know me having a chuckle! No, I am certainly not OCD however if I get an idea I need to act on it! Sooner rather then later! Recently I got a bee in my bonnet about a shawl! When I told LSO , I was thinking about crocheting a shawl it was met with peels of laughter and the words "A GRANNY SHAWL? "and more laughing! Yeesh! You would have sworn I had wanted to buy a zimmer frame! (Maybe I should, I know what I could do with it......)

 

So the hunt was on, I trawled the web, looked in my VAST library of magazines and books but could find nothing even vaguely funky or fun..... they were indeed all lacy  with tassel's .... actually the only way to describe them was - Yes, He was right! - GRANNY SHAWLS! I was a tad put off but still in the back of my mind a shawl was brewing.....

 

I have told you all before that I would lurve to be able to write my own patterns, in my head I can see what I want but I just need a starting point, in this case I wasn't sure how to get the 'V' shape going! Did I start at the top and decrease down or did I start at the pointy end and work up and increase as I went...... My brain just wasn't getting there!

 

Late one night I happen on a lovely blog,(My Rose Valley) and there it was, a beautiful and funky shawl, the lady, Anette who writes the blog had written  the pattern herself and it was for sale! You can find it here! She called it a Nordic shawl. It was thick, pretty and the colours were really gorgeous! It was very 'un granny' It was just what I was looking for, I purchased the pattern on the  etsy shop, read it and it seemed simple enough and easy to follow!   

 

I was off to the yarn shop like a flash the next morning(any excuse to purchase yarn) and bought the beautiful mix of colour that you see in the picture above! I am  often asked,  how I chose colours for the things I crochet and to be honest with you... Its not rocket science for me, I do not agonise for hours, I simply stand in front of the wall of yarn, and pick out  colours that appeal to me, often more than are needed. When I get home I put them all together and arrange them over and over until I have a pallet that I like.. I needed only 6 colours for the rows in the shawl, and had purchased 7 colours....   

 

I could not  decide between these two colours, I kept swapping them until I found that the colour of the darker one was more appealing with in this particular piece! I am actually in love with the darker aubergine colour, this picture does it no justice! And although I now have an extra ball of yarn,  I can assure you it will NEVER  go to waste!! 





I began to crochet, ever spare moment I had was devoted to this shawl, it certainly was not going to take me months.... I needed it before Winter!  It progressed really quickly, the rhythm of the granny clusters was therapeutic, and I must admit at this point that this is my favourite crochet stitch! I think that these sweet little clusters represent crochet perfectly. My first memory of crochet is my granny Shiela's traditional  Granny Square Blanket.  

 

I  stuck to a very neutral colour for the main body of the shawl, there were a few times that I looked at it and thought to myself it was looking really boring! Second guessing is a major fault of mine! Soon I had finished the main 'V' shape and it was time to start the colourful rows and this is when it all came to life! The colours I had chosen were perfect! They were so me!  

  

 

At this point of the shawl you begin to work the rows around the outer edge's of the large 'V' shape and it grows rapidly, you also stop using granny clusters and crochet a combination of double crochet, half trebles and trebles! I must have gotten awfully excited at this point because I completely forgot to take any more pictures but to be honest with you .... The end product is so pretty that those are all the pictures you need to see...  

 

And so with out any further commentary ....... I present to you my beautiful Nordic Shawl and I think it really deserves a great big..... TA DAH!!!!!!

I have already used my shawl. Now it certainly is not cold enough for me to wear it yet, sooooo I simply cranked up the air conditioner and sat in our lounge with my warm and beautiful shawl wrapped around me. I am so H-A-P-P-Y with it! I keep looking at it, it is fun and actually quiet funky, I would wear it with jeans, boots and a jacket, It certainly is not what a granny with a purple rinse would wear! LSO hasn't seen it yet and when he does I don't think granny shawl will come to mind ..... well here's hoping anyway! xxx  

 

PS: Barbie in her "granny shawl" this Barbie shawl was mine as a child, I recently gave all my dolls and dolls cothes to Little Madame - she loves them!

PS: LSO is not at home right now, so no picture of me with my shawl - Sorry! 

Mollie Makes...Made!

As you all know, I love, LOVE ( - there that's better -shouty capitals) magazines, in particular, Mollie Makes! I have mentioned before how much I adore these magazines.... so I certainly will not bore you with that all over again, in fact this post is about making all the sweet free gifts that come with the magazine!   

 

 

LSO will tell you that I drive completely mad when we go to the UK, I am into W.H.Smith as soon as my little feet clear customs.... I buy Mollie Makes and Simply Crochet, just so that I can have the free makes that come with these 2 magazines. Next, I check the dates to see whether I will be able to purchase the next issue before I leave - I am like a woman possessed and what's more I am not shy to tell you , I have been known to be grossly over weight and have to take magazines out of my suit case on the return flight home ! As I said I drive LSO completely MAD!!!

 

So here is the problem, I never seem to get round to making up the bits and bobs on the magazine so I end up with a pile of magazines that just don't stack! No matter how I try, I cannot pile them properly! So in keeping with my new years resolution of finishing the projects I start..... YES I am trying and so far so good! I decided to get stuck in and make all my Mollie Makes freebies from 2 years back! 

   

 

 

I got them all out, photocopied all the patterns that were needed for the sewing projects, cut them out, pinned them all, read the instructions and got going..... I tackled my favourite first, CROCHET of course.....  

 

 

A very easy bow brooch, it took 20 minutes and Little Madame asked me to put it onto a hair clip for her as soon as she saw the finished item!

A pretty flower brooch came next! Mmmmm I know it doesn't look like the one in the magazine, but it is pretty enough for me! I think I was too busy watching Grey's Anatomy, so too much concentration was on Mac dreamy and not enough was on Mac brooch - priorities Ashley!

 

A pretty coaster for my cappuccino's worked out beautifully!

Then came some embroidery!   Now me and embroidery are not so good together, but I had to try....

The little buttons are very sweet, and I tried I really did, I really ReAlLy, REALLY wanted to get this right, I was envisioning a pretty little blouse for Little Madame with sweet little home made buttons...

 

But as you can see, it was not to be my tiny embroidery was big and didn't fit onto the tiny little button  and I hate to admit it but I gave up after the second button....

 

The sewing project were all very easy, and quick and I managed to plough through them in an afternoon! The some of the kits are supposed to be hand sewn but I have this KILLER new machine.... so decided to machine sew everything.... some worked really well, other could have been neater....

The Mollie Makes sausage dog is my favourite thing, she is so sweet, and looks perfect on my bookshelf... 

 

 

A luggage tag, a  coin purse, a cell cover, fish handbag charm, a travel card wallet and a blue bird charm, which was immediately put onto my handbag! 

  

 

 Sweet and easy sleeping fox brooches to add to my collection..... And I was done!

  

I was feeling quiet chuffed with myself..... all done in three days and I had really enjoyed a few quick small projects. The next day I was in out local newsagent, what did I see on the shelf - that's right you guessed a new Mollie Makes and then LSO arrived home from a trip to Scotland, and proudly produced 2 BRAND SPANKING new Mollie Makes from his suitcase( the DARLING man) I was back to square one....  a lovely pile of Mollie Makes and 3 gorgeous new mini project to complete.... Today, I think not! Maybe I will just wait till I have a whole pile again ......xxx 

Very Vintage

 

I have often thought that I was born in the totally wrong era..... I love all things vintage... I am also been going through a particularly vintage phase lately, I find myself buying very vintage looking clothes, tulle petticoats under full skirts and tight bodices! Hair in high ponies or up in big poffy buns! Vintage clip on earrings, black liquid eyeliner and blood red lipstick are completing my look right now!  

 

Full Skirts and Tulle Petties

  

 

Beautiful Magazines



 

So it is with much delight that I found one of my favourite magazines (you all know how much I LOVE magazines)had brought out a VERY VINTAGE issue, it was brimming with wonderful pages of beautiful and creative pictures..... Beautiful cakes, shoes flowers and wonderful mouth watering recipes! And all with a very Vintage feel! I read it and reread it pawed over the pages and then read it all over again! It was delightful...

  

 

The food section was really good, with loads of good old fashioned recipes, things that we don't seem to make anymore - finger sponges, gingerbread, vol-au-vents, coronation chicken, ripple cakes and pumpkin fritters. I had to stop myself rushing straight to my kitchen!

Pumpkin Fritters

The same week end that I got my beautiful magazine, we decided to pop down to the I heart Market in Durban, now this is epic in our lives.......Why?.....LSO and Little Madame have a very strong aversion to coming with me to markets.... It must be something to do with the fact that I can potter around for hours and spend copious amounts of money!!! But to my utter joy and happiness they both loved this market! The 'I heart market' is filled with crafter's, foodies and antique stalls, it is a lovely market that is held once a month only, so it is really unique! And I discovered and bought some gorgeous little bits and bobs!  

First up are these beautiful old magazines..... they are filled with useful tips and information, on how to be the best homemaker you can possibly be. They have no dates on them but are old, they look and smell old, you know what I mean that musty, stale  old book smell! There are no dates on the books so I googled them, they were published in 1930.....84 years old! They have amazing articles in them on sweet making, leather, work, sweet making and my favourite .... Infant Welfare! Back in the day when they were published they cost the princely sum of 1 shilling! What a find, I was giddy, silly happy with my purchase! These precious book now grace my entrance hall table!

Newnes Popular Home Books

With my Vintage Looking Blanket

I also bought a lovely candle stick, tee shirt, a soap making kit for little madame, two beautiful hand made roses that are going to be come brooches and two  gorgeous handmade bowls! The bowls are my favourite purchase (besides the books) although they are not old or perfectly made, they are lacy and pretty. Inscribed inside the bowls are beautiful words..... 'family makes this a home' These words touch my very soul!

Handmade Bowls

My Treasures

This post is a bit jumpy - SORRY!  But it all really does have to with being very vintage at the moment!

 

So back to that glorious magazine...... I kept thinking about the pumpkin fritters! My mother made us all sorts of fritters - sweet corn, pumpkin, butternut, they were bringing back a flood of good memories.... Days gone by memories, memories of happy family times around our dining room table!

Can you guess where I am going with this, we had decided to Braai(barbecue for the rest of the world) that evening for dinner and pumpkin fritters were on the menu! More memories were evoked when I smelt them gently frying in the pan...

 

Pumpkin Fritters

300g Cooked Pumpkin
120g Cake Flour
5 ml baking powder
1 ml Salt
1 Egg - Beaten
Sunflower Oil For shallow frying
Blue cheese

Mix everything together, Heat the oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper

Of course I did a sneaky apply to mouth before said fritter hit the table....... So yummy!

Vintage Spoon

The fritters were gone almost before they hit the table... they were really good and very easy to prepare. I had only ever eaten pumpkin fritters with cinnamon and sugar, this recipe called for them to be eaten with blue cheese.... LSO wasn't so sure about this but once we had tasted the combination together - WINNER! A modern twist on a vintage recipe! As for me and my vintage tendencies....I like to think of myself as a modern girl with HEAPS of vintage twist! xxx

 

Table Bound!

Oooh Mommy Jam!

My beloved little sister is back - YAYAYYY!!!!! Where has she been I hear you ask ? In Canada, working at summer camp! I cannot tell you what a JOY it is to have her home, we skype, face time and all that cyber stuff, families do when they are far away...... but to have her home, here with me, on the estate makes me GIDDY with Joy and Excitement!  My Sister is the best and we just seem to 'get' each other! So enough of my-sisterly-love-thing...

I also love having here home because she always brings new and exciting idea's with her.... remember the Carrot Cake Jam last year and the Date Coffee Health Bar thingy the year before?  Weeeeeelll she didn't disappoint! No Siree... want to know what it is this year...... Wait for it..... BACON JAM!! I can hear a collective EUWWWWWWW, which to be perfectly honest was my exact thought but boy am I wrong, and I hate to ever admit that I am wrong.....  She says she heard about it from the head chef  at camp, Andre, was intrigued and  googled  the recipe...... well of course we had to  try it, now didn't we....

I was making a Christmas cake for some friends and Cin got stuck in, very soon the smell of bacon frying was everywhere and to be honest besides garlic and onion there is nothing quite like the smell of fried bacon.  It gets the taste buds going, it make you salivate, makes you want to eat......I honestly think that if you really want to make things taste finger licking good, just add BACON. Think about it most of the TV chefs add BACON and really I don't know anyone who doesn't like a good ole BACON and eggs for breaky!

Chopping Bacon at Warp Speed

Lots of Onions....

And Garlic.....

Canadian Maple Syrup

Busy Reducing....



Bacon Jam

 So now for the recipe....

Cindy's Bacon Jam

1 kg Bacon(cut in to inch chunks)
4 large Onions (peeled and thinly sliced)
8 Cloves of Garlic
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup of Maple Syrup
1 1/2 cups of Black Coffee
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Fry the Bacon until it is browned(remove from pan and drain on kitchen paper)
Add the onions and garlic, and gently fry until the onion become translucent
Add the remaining ingredients and drop the heat to low
Then bring to the boil for about 2 min, then add the Bacon back in
Simmer uncovered and stir occasionally, add a bit of water if it looks too dry(ours never looked to dry)
When it all look melty and syrupy , take of the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Blintz in the food processor, so that the consistency is spreadable...... at this stage you are going to want to APPLY to mouth, but it needs to be bottled like you would pickles or jam!

It can be kept in the fridge for about a month(it will never last that long) or freeze it so you have it when ever you want, and you are going to want lots of it!

A debate raged on as to how we thought it would be best served, with eggs on crusty bread, was one option, chicken sandwiches, was another..... then the creative juices really started to flow... biscuits with cottage cheese and a blob of BACON JAM, French toast, goats milk cheese and French loaf... But in the old end, we chose to try something quite ordinary, which turned into something quiet extraordinary with BACON Jam on it, a plain old toasted cheese!

A Toasted Cheese and Bacon Jam Sandwich!

 

 



 It was mouth watering, it was finger licking, it was lip smacking, in actual fact there are not enough superlatives to describe this sweet and savour masterpiece!



 

 

 

All too soon it was finished and we had to stop ourselves from rushing into the kitchen to make more sandwiches! I know that over the next few weeks we are going to expend alot of time and energy on thinking up marvellous ways to eat BACON Jam. And they will all be worth it, as the author of this blog Foodie with Family calls this delicious Jam - OooH-Mommy! Jam and boy is it just that! But as you know, don't take my word for it, go on I dare you .... Try it! xxx