Weekend

What a fun weekend I have playing around with dye.  I ordered some cheap scarves and then experimented with different colours and dyed four different batches, 20 scarves in all.  They will be perfect for the doorstep blessings project.  Whilst, I had the opportunity to experiment with colour and enjoy the process.

This batch are a lot darker than they appear in the photos.

 It was quite a lengthy process as the scarves needed to dry between each colour addition.  I was thankful for the wind which shortened the time needed to be hung on the line.

The hens once again are laying so we have an abundance of eggs on a daily basis.  I did use several with this weekends baking making egg custards, mince pies and a carrot cake.  All very delicious and most definitely moreish.

The egg custard was topped with a little grated nutmeg, which was very tasty.  I added raisins and walnuts to the carrot cake which made it quite decadent and a real treat for Sunday tea.

We managed a short walk this morning and was able to drop some eggs to neighbours, it was nice to catch up with them from the end of the drive.  All of our Grandchildren returned to school this morning, all seemed to go well without a hitch which was a big relief for our daughters.  There wasn't any dramas to report on their return so all is well.  

Hope all is well with you and yours.  I thank you for your visit to my humble blog and for your comments.  Take care and stay safe.

See you soon.

Christmas Baking

 I spent the best part of the day in the kitchen yesterday, one of my favourite places to be.  I had Christmas carols and songs playing in the background which made for a great seasonal experience.  The pandemic has made us rethink what is important at this time of year and to this end Christmas has been toned down considerably.  Food will still play an important role so I made a start and enjoyed the process.

Mince pies, sausage rolls and cranberry and walnut scones.

All ready for the freezer to be pulled out when needed.  I also mixed up some cookie dough ready to pull out when we want it.

I went on to make some mini meat loaves, two of which were used for our dinner last night.  They were so tasty and it is a comfort to know that there are more in the freezer.

We had the meatloaf with root vegetable mash, (carrot/swede/parsnip/potato) and kale, it was so tasty.

It is the time of year for hot chocolate so I made some hot chocolate spoons, another one of our traditions.  It is so nice to be a little decadent at this time of year.

Some topped with mini marchmallows, some with crushed candy cane.  I enjoy both...

Whilst the chocolate was out I made some little chocolate gingerbread men and candy canes to use as toppers either for some cupcakes or to use to add to the gingerbread house.  Another tradition, usually made on Christmas eve.

My apologies for the quality of the photos but I think you get the idea of it.  I also had the bread maker going to use a packet bread mix I had in that was nearing its best before date.  We don't usually eat much white bread but it was all I could get when we were in lockdown earlier in the year.

Have you made a start on your baking or do you prefer to buy it all?  There are some great bakeries about I do wonder if it is worth all the effort, but I do enjoy the process.

Thank you all for your visit to the blog and your uplifting comments.  Take care and stay safe.

See you soon.