Profiteroles

I didn't realise how simple it is to make choux pastry until last week when I had a go at making profiteroles.  They are just butter melted in boiling water, the flour tipped in, all in one go and mixed into a dough.  Then eggs very well beaten through the dough.

I don't have a piping bag so I just put blobs of the mixture onto baking sheets.  I have a feeling our oven isn't quite getting to temperature as they took a lot longer than the recipe stated.

Once cool, I split them in half and filled with cream

Then made a chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top - butter, golden syrup and a bar of chocolate.

So really not fattening at all!

Sewing

 

I made cushion covers!

 

I had the red gingham fabric left over from a previous (un-started) project. I made four covers, as you can see.  They are paisley on one side and gingham on the other.  So pretty ....

This is my new toy.  I have wanted a sewing machine for ages and saw this on offer in a  magazine.  It was too good a price to ignore.

          It's fab - very easy to use. My memories of sewing machines are from tedious textiles lessons when I was about 14 and this is a world away from that - fortunately!

      I also made the panels for the new wardrobe in our younger daughter's bedroom. Only problem was that I sewed the Velcro on the wrong side - duh - still, unpicking and re-sewing it, did give me more practice.

They look much nicer in real-life!

So that is her room completely finished. 

Just have to decorate and re-carpet our older daughter's room now.

Allotment in July

I have been neglecting the allotment during my family history research ....

Fortunately, my mother has not.  She has been diligently watering and weeding.  Thanks Mum.  We have had our first crop of runner beans.

Last year, we had a really good crop of tomatoes, so we grew the same variety called 'Sweet Million'.  They are a cherry type.  Not having quite so much success this year, so far, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.

What's in a name?

My siblings and I grew up knowing that we had no living relatives on my father's side, except for one distant cousin, several times removed.  I knew my father grew up in Calcutta, India and lead a privileged life, much different to that of most people here in England.   His family were part of the Anglo-Indian community that resulted from years of Europeans living and working in India. 

My sister and I have often talked about looking into his other life, but lack of time and other things always get in the way. Sadly, our father died 21 years ago, and I never asked when I had the opportunity.  Finding the Army & Navy catalogue rekindled the thought, so last week I started to search out our family history.

I knew the name of his mother (my Grandmother) and the first name of my Great-Grandfather.  My mother has a few photographs and  bits & pieces that came from my Dad's family and was able to offer several clues.

This is a bag that belonged to my Great-Grandfather and it must be well over 120 years old.  I started to search online for the family name and uncovered a staggering amount of information and so far, can trace my family back to 1800.  What's more, I have found two other distant strands of the family who are researching our ancestry! We have gone to one known relative to many ...

I am now an official genealogy addict.

  

Summer supper

I have come to realise that my whole life revolves around food. 

I wake up thinking about what I am going to cook or bake during the day!

Last weekend, I woke up thinking about fajitas, as you do.

So I made:

guacomole

salsa

spicy chicken & pepper filing

to which we added mixed leaves and mayo.  Maybe next time I could make the wraps too?

The sweetpeas are from my garden.

Back to form

I'm pleased to report that Gwen has made a full recovery, and is now feeling so much better.

Her tail feathers look a bit dishelleved, but apart from that she is bright-eyed, alert and back to being a busy chicken.

Here she is, in action, chasing a tasty fly.

What's more, she is laying again.

 

Good, I can resume baking.